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The other four teens plus Giles followed Buffy to the closest door.
Buffy looked behind her once and smiled nervously at
her friends. Gaining confidence from their presence, she knocked lightly
on the metal door, then lifted her leg and
kicked it in.
A shaft of leftover sunlight from the sunset fell onto a petite vamp
standing in shock near the door. She let out a shriek
and jumped away from the source of her pain. Her left arm and the left
side of her face were smoking and blisters
could be seen forming there.
The lady vamp's shriek had alerted the other vampires in the building
and they rushed the intruders. Buffy spotted
Spike and Druscilla in the far corner. She ducked low and flipped one
vamp over her shoulder, kicked another out of
her way and ran toward teh vampire couple. Dru saw her coming and quickly
wheeled Spike out of the action and
away from the fight. Buffy watched them leave the scene and turned
to check on her friends.
Giles was in the process of staking a vicious looking vamp, Xander was
pulling a tall one off Cordy, while she picked
up a stake off the floor and turned to face another. Willow and Oz
double-teamed a wily and robust vamp in the far
corner.
Buffy scanned the large room anxiously. Her eyes found Angelus watching
the action from the catwalk above. Buffy
moved as unobtrusively as she could toward him. He turned and his eyes
followed her every movement. When she got
near the top of the ladder, he reached down and held out his hand.
Buffy frowned, but took it, and was pulled up to his
level.
"Slayer," Angelus greeted with a smirk. His game face was nowhere to be seen.
"Slayee," Buffy played along with his dangerous game.
"You came to see me?" Angelus asked, backing away off the catwalk to
another room. Buffy knew better, but she
followed him anyway.
"Why else would I be here?" quipped Buffy, examining her surroundings without really taking her eyes off Angelus.
Crates filled a corner of the room, they were stacked all the way to
the ceiling. Old blankets and towels were scattered
on the floor, making it hard to avoid tripping on them. A single bulb
dimly lighted the dirty room.
"Well, let's get this party started!" Angelus let his game face slip
into place. Something in Buffy's eyes flickered. She
assumed a basic fighting stance. Sounds of struggle could still be
heard from below.
Angelus circled Buffy in a very preditory way. Buffy felt her stomach
begin quivering. She side-stepped as Angelus
made his first move. She brought her elbow down on his back, angering
him. He growled and lunged for her. Buffy
side-stepped but didn't get completely out of Angelus' way. His claws
dug through her shirt and skin, leaving a trail of
blood.
Buffy told herself
Buffy faked a left jab, and Angelus ducked. She pretended to bring her
right knee up into his stomach, but he saw her,
grabbed her leg and pulled upward, laying Buffy flat on her back. She
arched her back and jumped back up, breathing
hard, mostly for his benefit.
"Wearing out already, Slayer?" Buffy didn't reply. Angelus threw a punch
right for her face. Buffy tried to moved out
of the way, but it connected, and she was thrown backward. Angelus
advanced. Buffy kicked out at him, but purposely
the kick went wild, and he continued advancing.
"Ready to die, Slayer?" Angelus came at her with a left hook, then a
solid right and then she was right in front of him.
He grabbed ahold of her shoulders, holding her tightly. Angelus lowered
his face to hers. Buffy let her face appear to
show defeat. Her mind raced, along with her heartbeat.
******Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you******
her mind whispered.
Buffy bared her neck to him. Angelus wrapped her in a crushing bear
hug. Her breathing became labored. Buffy saw
her chances for escape wearing thin.
Angelus watched her face, greed heightening his grotesque features.
"What, not gonna scream, Slayer?" he taunted. Buffy didn't acknowledge
his words. A lone tear ran down her cheek.
Angelus kissed it away tenderly. "Finally I get what I really want,"
he whispered in her ear.
He lowered his head and placed another kiss at the base of her neck.
Then Buffy felt biting (I know, really bad pun)
pain as his sharp teeth sank into her flesh. She felt lightheaded for
the briefest of moments.
Suddenly Buffy was pushed away. Angelus groaned in pain and slumped
to the floor. Buffy anxiously stood by, pressing
a hand to her neck, waiting for whatever outcome should happen. Angelus
rocked back and forth in agony. He became
still and was silent.
Buffy fought desperately for control of her emotions. She watched him
stand and turn to her. His face was human.
Buffy stared into Angel's eyes. They were sad and pained.
"Angel." He nodded and reached out one hand, looking very much like
Buffy wouldn't take it. But she did, of course,
right before she wrapped herself in his arms.
"Welcome back," Buffy whispered into his shoulder. She cried in relief.
Xander rushed into the room, a two-by-four held over his head, ready
for battle. When he caught sight of the pair
locked in an embrace he dropped his weapon.
"Then it did work."
Buffy nodded, still crying into Angel's shirt. "The others?" she asked hesitantly.
"Waiting for you. We're pretty beat up, all of us, but we'll be okay
after a few days. I need to get Cordy home..."
Xander left the room.
Angel stepped back and examined Buffy's neck. He absently tore off a
piece of his t-shirt and applied pressure to the
bite marks.
"We should get you home," he remarked, brushing her hair away from her face. Buffy smiled.
< This would be the One I've been waiting for. >
*******
The group left right away. Giles removed the teens from the fight scene
as quickly as he could. Buffy took Angel's arm
and pulled him along with her as she walked home.
Buffy refused to release his arm. It was almost as if she thought he
would disappear if she let go of him. She sighed
gratefully.
"I am so glad you're here!" she murmured, lying her head on his shoulder.
Angel did not reply.
"Angel?" Buffy asked quietly. He pulled away slightly. Buffy looked
up into his face. It was set as stone. Angel pulled
his arm away from Buffy's grasp. She felt tears spring to her eyes.
< Maybe he just needs time to adjust. > Buffy tried
to think positively. Her heart cried out. < Why is he so cold and
distant? >
Buffy didn't speak for the remainder of the walk home. When Angel paused
at the edge of her front yard, Buffy turned
to him.
"Thanks for walking me home," she said coolly. Then, taking him by surprise,
Buffy took his face in her hands and
kissed his mouth. She turned away to hide her tears. < Let him take
that home with him! >
Angel stepped back into the shadows. He watched her strut up to the
front door. < She was actually home before her
curfew tonight. Won't her mom be thrilled? > Then Angel turned and
walked into the darkness, his soul aching.
******
Buffy watched him fade away into the night from her window. She sat
on the edge of her bed and unconsciously began
fiddling with her claddagh ring.
******As I walk this land of broken dreams
I have visions of many things
Happiness is just an illusion
Filled with sadness and confusion******
Her heart ached for the comfort of Angel's arms.
******
Angel walked Sunnydale's streets (not that there were that many of them),
thinking of nothing but her. She had taken
an awful risk in facing Angelus. He hadn't been sure at all that he
could overpower the demon in control of his body.
******I can't stand this pain much longer
I walk in shadows searching for light
Cold and alone, no comfort in sight******
He felt awed that Buffy could trust him so much, but that trust had
put her in danger before. < I'll just go away, and
never come back. > Angel nodded decisively to himself. < But I love
her. > Angel frowned darkly. < If I love her, I
don't want her to be hurt again. > Angel sighed.
******There's no hope for beginning
All that's left is an unhappy ending
I've been searching everywhere
Just to find someone to care******
******
Buffy nervously paced her bedroom floor. < I'm going to go crazy
without him, I've been without him for so long. >
Without reserve she climbed out her window and began prowling the streets,
waiting to feel the funny tingle she always
felt when Angel was near. It was different than the feelings she felt
around other vamps, subtler, more warm than cold.
< Like Angel. >
******And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain******
< I miss my old, brooding Angel...(don't we all?) >
******
It began to mist lightly, and sprinkled rain off and on. Angel turned
his face up to the sky and a groan was ripped from
his throat. < I have to get my mind of Buffy. >
The sight of a tall, skinny vampire about to prey on a young girl spurred
Angel into action. He knocked the vamp off its
feet and dispatched it rather quickly. He turned to the girl, only
to be surprised when she showed a vampire visage. <
Must have been a trap. > Angel drew a stake from his coat pocket. <
Ya think! > he thought with a laugh. After a brief
struggle, the smaller female vampire was a bit of mud being washed
down the street.
Angel roamed the streets. It was nearing dawn when he spotted a familiar
figure. < Buffy. >
*******
The clammy night air pressed in on Buffy's lungs. < I've been prowling
for hours and I haven't seen hide nor hair of
Angel. > Buffy began to get desperate. < What if he's already left
Sunnydale. I know how Angel's mind works. He
doesn't want me to be in danger. > Buffy felt tears begin streaming
down her face. She angrily wiped them away with
the back of her hand. All of a sudden a large male vampire tackled
Buffy from behind. The breath whoosed from her
lungs. She landed two good punches and rolled away as the vamp got
up. Her eyes glittered dangerously, still filled
with unshed tears. Two kicks, three punches and a single stab later
the vamp was dust. Buffy brushed of her clothes. A
bitter smile tugged at her lips. "You could've picked a better night
to mess with me," she said to the dust still falling in
the misty air. A shiver ripped it's way down Buffy's spine. She spun
and spotted a tall form in the shadows. A
surprisingly gutteral growl issued form Buffy's lips and she took a
flying leap at the shadow. It surprised the attackee so
much that he ended up pinned beneath her boots, almost the same way
he had been the very first time they met.
"Buffy, it's me!" Angel protested with an apologetic grin. Buffy removed her boot and he sat up.
"Angel!" Buffy purred in a sugary-sweet voice. She leaned down, pretending
to help him off his backside. Instead, she
punched him so hard his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped
back onto the ground, unconscious. Buffy shook
her hand gingerly.
"Ow," she muttered, rising from her crouch.
******
Angel's brain kicked back in. The first thing it told him was "SHE HIT
ME!" Angel rolled his head back and forth,
confusion setting in. The fog clouding his brain rolled out to sea.
Angel sat up swiftly, his backbone ramrod straight,
ignoring the pain in his head. His eyes flashed open.
"You hit me!" he accused. Buffy was nowhere to be seen. And this wasn't
a Sunnydale street, it was a bedroom. Buffy's
bedroom. Angel's brow furrowed. Then he glanced at the window. Sunlight
was peaking through the edges of the
closed curtains.
Angel grimaced and pulled himself off the bed. He rubbed his face roughly,
opened the door and slowly padded down
the hall.
When he arrived in the kitchen doorway, Angel flinched. Bright sunlight
streamed thought the kitchen window. Buffy
paced across the small kitchen floor, oblivious to the sunshine that
turned her hair a thousand shades of gold. She
turned abruptly to Angel. Her eyes visibly brightened before she shuttered
them.
"You're up," she said flatly, closing the shade immediately. Angel now stepped into the room.
"We need to talk," Angel leaned casually on the kitchen counter (the island part).
Buffy nodded, her face expressionless, and picked up a half-full coffee
mug that was sitting in front of her. She sipped
absently at it, her eyes glued to Angel. He shifted under her gaze.
"Buffy," Angel began quietly. "I tried to leave Sunnydale last night," he confessed, adjusting his jacket cuff nervously.
"I know." Buffy's voice emerged emotionless, but her insides were twisted in knots. "And I know why."
Angel's eyes took a full measure of Buffy. He smiled awkwardly. "I guess you do."
Buffy reached out and touched Angel's arm.
******Let me see you through, 'cause I've seen the dark side too
When the falls on you, you don't know what to do
Nothing you confess could make me love you less
I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you******
"But I didn't-" Angel interupted himself. "I couldn't leave sunnydale."
Angel looked down at her hand resting on his
arm. "Couldn't leave you." his voice was low.
"How sweet," Buffy's voice was carefully controlled. Her heart was thudding,
betraying her. She wondered if Angel
could hear it. He could've told her that he could, but he didn't think
she'd particularly care for that tidbit of information
right now.
"You're mad," Angel stated, not really requiring an answer.
"No." Buffy swallowed with difficulty. "I..." Buffy set her coffee cup
down abruptly, causing a loud clang. She removed
her hands from Angel's arm and wrapped both of her arms around herself,
and turned slightly away.
"Buffy, talk to me," Angel touched her back. She turned swiftly to him and threw her arms around his waist.
"I don't want you to leave me," Buffy murmured into his shirt.
********Angel eyes with your angel eyes
Will you always be there to hold me
Angel eyes I'm satisfied
I don't want to hear your story
'Cause I can see the things
I really want to see
I'm in love
I believe in what I'm feeling
I'd give everything up just for you
Love is devoted to those who see
that the last dance, you dance with the truth
Angel eyes with your angel eyes
Will you always be there to hold me
Angel eyes I'm satisfied
I don't want to hear your story
'Cause I can see the things I really want to see
In your eyes********
"Angel, I don't want to hear how you don't want me to get hurt, how
you want to protect me. I already know all that
stuff. I just want you to love me. That's all I ask of you. I just
want your love. Nothing else."
*******Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine, I'm leaving
my life in your hands
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind, risking it all in a glance
How you got me blinds is still a mystery, I can't get you out of my
head
Don't care what is written in your history, as long as you're with
me
I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did
As long as you love me
Who you are, where you're from, don't care what you did
As long as you love me
Every little thing that you have said and done, feels like it's deep
within me
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run, it seems like we're meant
to be*******
Angel closed his eyes. < How in the world can she love me the way I am? >
Buffy took ahold of herself mentally and stepped back. Angel's arms
felt empty without her in them. "So what do you
say?" she asked softly, almost afraid to meet his eyes.
********Every heartbeat bears your name
loud and clear they stake my claim
my red blood runs true blue
and every heartbeat belongs to you.********
Angel grinned. "I still say you should've been a phsychologist."