What A Year!
Month 2
Second Month, One Night: Painful Realization...
"You know, I don't think that I should have told your parents what I did for money," Angel grumbled as he walked along the tombstones with Buffy. "I should have told them something else. Now they're both wanting a piece of me."
In the moonless night, Buffy simply grinned. "Poor baby to be rolling in all that money. I never would have thought that YOU'D be a cash millionaire and an artist of some repute."
Angel shot her a look. "Yeah, but never thought it'd be taking so much of my time. It really is different being human these days. Talk about needing ID's and what not."
"But at least you get to see yourself in the mirror and get a proper driver's license," Buffy snorted. Then she looked at him sideways. "So tell me, do you paint want to me?"
"Well-"
Buffy put her hand up. "Wait, I think I heard something."
She looked around, listening. She frowned after hearing nothing, then turned to face Angel. She wasn't aware that he was right behind her, so she found her face in his chest. When she looked up, Angel pulled her closer to him. Her breath was caught as she saw the love mixed with desire in his dark eyes. She laid her cheek against his chest, hearing his heart beat quickly, and smiled.
She looked up at him. "You know, I don't remember what we were talking about."
"To remind you. We were not talking about this," Angel said as his head bent down to her mouth. Buffy smiled as she met him halfway for the kiss. Wrapping his arms around her to gather her closer, Angel lost himself in the feel of her body close to his. Buffy pulled his head down to deepen the kiss, when she heard a growl from behind her. Angel's head popped up, and he glared at the two vampires behind Buffy.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Slayer and her pet vamp," snarled a vampire. "I see that you haven't changed much, Angellus."
Nonchalantly, Buffy detached herself from Angel. "Can you guys go home? It's been, like, a real piece of heaven to not have you idiots around for a month, so just shoo. You're interrupting a smooching session."
"What did you say?" roared the second vampire. Angel glared at him as he stood protectively by Buffy's side.
"You heard the lady, just leave," Angel snarled. The second vampire roared again an leapt towards him while the first attacked Buffy.
Angel felt himself be knocked down to the ground by the vampire, he felt the cold fingers try to claw at his neck. With some effort, he managed to pull the hands away from his neck and keep a healthy distance from the vampire's teeth. He used his head to butt heads with the vampire, stunning him momentarily, allowing Angel a chance to get up. The vampire flung his legs out, knocking Angel to the ground again. Stunned, Angel looked up to see the vampire ready to come down and bite him.
Buffy looked over to see how Angel was doing, when she saw him be knocked back to the ground by the vamp. She quickly punched the vampire she was battling with, knocking him to the ground. She raced over to where the vamp was pinning Angel, and threw it off him. "Oh, no you don't, Fang face! You keep off of my man!"
Buffy flung the vampire towards the other one, causing the first to catch his companion. Both vampires looked at the Slayer and Angel. Buffy whipped out her stake, ready to take both on. Then, suddenly, a whizzing sound was heard. The next thing that Buffy knew was that both vampires were dust. She stared at the dust gleaming in the air for a minute then looked at Angel, who was getting up.
"What just happened?" he asked as he rubbed his head. Buffy looked all around her. The cemetery was quiet. "How did you kill the vamps, Buffy?"
"I didn't. Someone else did," Buffy said slowly as she scanned the cemetery. She saw no one. "We’ve gotta see Giles. This is too weird. But first we have to see about those cuts."
"What cuts?" Angel frowned. There was a pounding on his head and his throat was hurting like it was on fire. He put his hand to his head again, and looked at his hand. There was blood on it. Buffy pointed to his hand.
"Those cuts. Can you walk?" Buffy asked anxiously. Angel stared at the blood on his hands. It was his. "Angel?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Angel was about to come out to the living room where everyone was when the lurking habit made him stand in the hall, listening to the concerned voices. He moved a bit and could see Buffy sitting in the armchair, her back to him and Giles with her mother on the couch.
"So two vampires combusted, without you being near them?" Giles asked as he handed Buffy a cup of tea. He sat next to Buffy’s mother on the couch.
"Yeah, but I don't think it was something, like magical. I heard whizzing," Buffy said slowly. "I think that someone shot arrows at the vamps, and then they poofed."
"Did you see this someone, honey?" Joyce asked gently. Buffy looked at her mother and shook her head slowly.
"Didn't have time to look. I was more concerned about Angel, he got hurt in the fight," Buffy said guiltily. Giles frowned.
"Buffy..."
"Giles, Angel was hurt. He was knocked down flat by that vamp, and was having trouble fighting it," Buffy said sternly. Her voice wavered. "He's not used to being human yet."
"Yes, that's true but, you know that you must not be distracted when you fight, Buffy," Giles said gently. Angel could see Giles’s concerned look in his mind’s eye. "It could mean a matter of life and death for you. One second of distraction and you could be-"
"But I wasn't, okay?" Buffy said, annoyed. She looked at her mother's waning face. "I'm fine. Mom looked at me. You looked at me. Angel looked at me. Heck, he was the only one that got really hurt. I'm more concerned about him..."
Angel walked to the back door and walked out into the night. He could have killed her. By not being able to protect himself, he could have killed her. Heavy thoughts weighed his mind as he made his way back to his apartment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Second Month, Another Night: Needing to Think...
A shirtless Angel took out Buffy's painting from his armoire and placed it across from him at the table. He looked at the painting through bleary eyes, and saluted it with his whiskey filled glass. "Here's to you sweetheart. May you live long without me."
Angel swallowed the entire contents in two gulps, and reached for the bottle to fill it again. The table was filled with empty whiskey glasses and bottles. Plates of food were scattered around, but he didn't care. There was nothing to care about when all that you were living for in your life was gone.
He looked around his quiet apartment. It was nothing like the apartment in Sunnydale. It was barren of anything personal, except for his painting of her. He smiled as he looked at her. "It's not the best place, is it Buffy. I liked what you did to my place. I liked finding your clothes in my drawers, people food in my fridge. Even the paintings and things that decorated the place. It was a home. For you, me. But that's all changed now, sweetie."
Angel's face crumpled. "I could get you killed. It happened before, when I lost my soul. I hurt you, and now that I'm human, I could kill you. I don't want that. I never wanted to hurt you..."
"So then why'd you leave?" a voice came from behind him.
Still thinking he was dreaming, Angel looked at the picture, and moved closer to it. His hand trembled as it gently touched the rough texture of the portrait. "Because I need to think and decide what to do. Want to know what I decided?”
Angel let his hand drop and took another swig of his drink, the whiskey burning as it made its way down his throat. “I'd only be in your way. Some vamp would come and kill you because you were scared for me, and I can't live with knowing that I was the one that killed you. I love you, Buffy, you are the best thing in my whole rotten life, and I could kill you."
"Angel..." He shook his head, causing the room to spin.
"No, I won't listen. It was killing me, Buffy. Every day seeing you, every night dreaming of you. Knowing that you had slept in my bed, putting my head at your pillow. Knowing that you love me, and that I can't love you because this curse- not the old one. The new curse that Lilith gave me isn’t real. It isn’t a blessing like we thought it was, it’s a curse. One that isn’t permanent. I can't show you that I love you or else the demon would come again..."Angel put his head down on the table. “And I can get you killed.”
Buffy placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Angel...it's hard for me too."
"Buffy..."Angel whispered as he lifted his head up and looked at the face he loved, and pulled it towards him. His whiskey-clouded mind ignored that this was HER. It was Buffy and not some dream his mind made up. “Buffy…”
Buffy barely squeaked when Angel pulled her closer to him, his hand causing wonderful sensations all over her body. After three days of worrying, she finally decided to go to L.A. and see what was wrong with him. It was a shock to see him sitting across a painting of her, talking to it and drinking himself into a stupor. Some part of her mind was screaming a warning, but the feelings that his hands evoked, threw all rational thought out of her mind.
Angel feverently pulled his dream closer to him, kissing and touching her all over. It was so warm, so tender was his dream. And felt so very real. Carrying her to bed, Angel lost himself in her. Then to sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy woke with a small start a few hours later, her mind dizzy.
Then Buffy felt a warm body next to her, then her eyes opened wide with realization. She looked over. It was Angel. Flashes of what happened during the night came into her mind. His lips on hers. Bodies touching, loving. Moans of pleasure, cries of delight, whispers of love. [Oh, god! What have I done?] Buffy's mind cried as she frantically looked around for something wooden from her position under his arm. [I can't believe that I did this again! Please God, don't let him become a demon!]
"Buffy...my Buffy," Angel whispered as his arm pulled her closer. His eyes still closed, he smiled in his sleep, and placed kisses all over her face. "Angel..."
Angel's mouth captured hers, and for another time, Buffy lost herself in his arms again.
