Okay, so a nice fluffy B/A chapter! Thanks to all my faithful readers, I hope you enjoy!
"Buffy, behind you!" Angel ducked a blow from the vamp to his left, then drove the stake he held into his heart.
Buffy heard Angel's warning, turning just in time to dust the vamp that had been creeping up behind her. They both turned to the last one, who, after one look, took off down the alley. Angel threw his stake with deadly accuracy, and the vamp was dusted.
Angel turned to her. "Are you okay?"
"Right as rain." The had been patrolling the past few nights, but it had been quiet, and tonight they had been caught off guard. "Well, it looks like quiet time is over."
"We didn't expect it to last forever. That would have been too easy."
Buffy slipped her hand in his. "Still, it was nice while it lasted." Angel didn't reply, just squeezed her hand and and started to walk down the alley. "Tomorrow night I want to bring some of the slayers out. They're getting a little restless."
They walked in silence for a while, heading back toward the hotel. Angel had been like this ever since she had found out about the prophecy, even more quiet than usual. She knew something was bothering him, but he wouldn't talk to her about it.
She sighed, looking up at him. The moonlight reflected off his features, covering his face in shadows. She let her thoughts drift back to their perfect day, remembering their kiss in the sunlight. The way the sun had hit his face, bathing him in a warm glow. The image was forever etched in her memory.
Angel felt her gaze, and he stopped and turned to her. "What is it?"
She shook her head. "I...It's nothing." She turned away, but not before he saw the unshed tears shining in her eyes.
"Buffy?"
She didn't answer, just let go of his hand, making her way quickly through the courtyard and into the hotel.
Angel sighed. He knew what was wrong. She wanted to know about the prophecy, and he hadn't come up with a convincing lie. And truthfully, he didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to hurt her, either. He'd already done enough of that. He started after her.
Buffy had reached the suite by the time he caught up to her. She was standing on the balcony, looking out over the darkened street below. He came up behind her, slipping his arms around her. She leaned back against him, resting her head against his chest.
He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on her neck, tracing her scar, and she shivered. Guilt washed over him again as he thought of what he had done, what could have happened.
She turned in his arms. "Angel, please" she whispered.
"I signed away the prophecy." He watched as shock and confusion flooded her features. "What?"
He broke away from her and turned. He couldn't bear to see the look in her eyes. He felt her hand on his arm, and he sighed. "I did a lot of evil things to get into the Circle of the Black Thorn. I hurt my friends, made them believe I was evil again. Lied to them. I even killed an innocent man, but it worked. I thought I was in." Her grip on his hand tightened, but he pulled away, and sat down on the bed.
"But, being the evil beings that they were, they didn't trust me. The questioned my motives, that maybe I had done what I had to bring on the apocolypse. To get my reward." He let out a harsh laugh. "Which is exactly what I had done."
Buffy sat down beside him on the bed, and took his hand. This time, when he tried to pull away, she held on. "Angel. Look at me."
He shook his head. "They handed me the prophecy, told me to prove that I was sincere. To sign it away. So I did. I didn't expect to survive, anyway." He finally looked up and met her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want you to know that I chose the fight over you. Again."
Buffy took his face in her hands. "Angel. There's one thing wrong with that logic." She thought for a moment. "Well, two things, actually. One, if you weren't fighting, trying to atone for what Angelus did, you wouldn't be the man I fell in love with." She dropped her arms to her sides, and stood up. "And two, do you really think that some great evil can take away a reward given to you by a higher power?!"
"Buffy." Angel stood up. "You have to let it go. It's not going to happen. It's..."
"Angel, this is a prophecy, not some cheap magic trick! Do you remember, after you were brought back from hell, and you got those dreams? You thought the first had brought you back to kill me, to become Angelus again."
"I remember, but I don't know what it has to do with..."
"Because it wasn't true! Evil didn't bring you back, evil didn't have anything to do with the prophecy, and evil can't just take it away!" Buffy turned and started pacing the floor. "The Powers That Be brought you back to fight, to make amends. And to reward you."
Angel grabbed her arm, stopping her and turning her towards him. "Then why didn't it work? How much more do I have to atone for?" He shook his head. "Why am I still dead?"
"I don't know. That's what I'm gonna find out."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
"Buffy, what..." She stopped his words with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer.
Angel forgot everything as he lost himself in her kiss. He pulled her down on the bed with him, his hands caressing her body. She shivered, overcome with the emotions he woke in her body. She broke the kiss, trying to catch her breath. "Angel..."
"I know." He trailed soft kisses down her neck, then pulled her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he buried his face in her hair, breathing in the soft scent of her shampoo. He held her in his arms, thinking of their forgotten day, and he knew that, right now, at this moment, if he had to make the choice all over again, he would stay with her, and make the most of the time they had together.
There you go! As much B/A fluff as I could manage, since they can't actually do anything! Yet!