Buffy smiled as she awoke, pillowing into the shoulder of the man who slumbered next to her. It did not matter that his skin was cold or that he did not breathe or have a heartbeat, that they couldn't see the sunrise together, that he drank blood to survive. He was there, he loved her, she loved him, and they were together. they had no one else in the world, but they had each other, and Buffy had not been happier in a long, long time.
Reluctantly, she pulled out of his loose embrace, rising from the bed in the darkened interior state room to get dressed. Leaning over, she kissed Angel softly on the cheek. He smiled slightly and stirred, opening his eyes to look at her sleepily.
"Morning, sleepy head," Buffy whispered with a smile.
Angel rolled over slightly. "Morning?"
"2 p.m., actually. But considering that I went to bed at 6 a.m., that's a full night's sleep." She sat on the bed to slip on her shoes. "This is a weird sleep schedule you've got me on."
Sitting up in bed, he smiled at her, happy just to have her there. She made a lot of changes in her life for him, just by letting him back into her life at all. Sleeping after sunrise, seeing less of the sun . . . and sharing her secrets with him. "Where are you going?" Angel asked.
"Up on deck," Buffy replied. "I was going to talk to Rutherford for a little bit. Go back to sleep, I won't be long."
Smiling, Buffy watched as Angel got comfortable again, laying down with one arm across where she had been sleeping. He closed his eyes and was asleep again quickly, a small smile on his face. As silently as she could, Buffy slipped from the room and made her way down the corridor.
Rutherford finally caught up with her as she sat in one of the ship's restaurants, waiting on her very late breakfast. He sat next to her, looking out at the ocean without saying anything. The lone waiter brought her meal with a smile. As he left them alone, Buffy spoke.
"We dock in England tomorrow night," she said without looking at him. "What's your verdict?"
"I'm sorry, but, 'verdict?'" Rutherford asked in confusion.
Buffy smiled and looked at him. "Ruthy," she said, "I haven't lived this long by being stupid. It's pretty obvious that you weren't just sent to come get me. You also were supposed to give your opinion as to whether I'm . . . really who I am." She took another bite of her meal, then said, "What'll you say, Rutherford? Do I pass inspection?"
Rutherford sighed. "You are a most unusual Slayer, Ms. Summers."
Laughing slightly, Buffy replied sarcastically, "And what makes you say that?"
"The Council sent me pretty soon after they found you," Rutherford began to explain. "The very idea of an Immortal Slayer is . . . was preposterous to me. And then . . . the company you keep . . . you didn't exactly make it easy for me to believe in you, Ms. Summers."
Buffy laughed again. "Oh, just because I'm living with a vampire you don't trust me?" she said. then, more seriously, "If they tracked me down and sent you immediately, didn't they know I was with someone? I mean, didn't they warn you I was with Angel?"
The young Watcher nodded. "They knew you were staying with a man," he said, "but I'm afraid they left out his identity when they came to me. Perhaps they did not think to determine who you were with." He shrugged. "For what it's worth, I believe in you, Ms. Summers. It is not my place to determine whether you are a Slayer - the Council will determine that - but I will tell them that I believe you. You have made no effort to deceive me, and don't seem to be pretending to be something you are not." He stood then and smiled at her. "Good day, Ms. Summers," he said, and left her to her meal.
Buffy watched as he left the ship's restaurant, smiling slightly to herself. As reluctant as she was to admit it, Rutherford wasn't all that bad. Nothing more than a stooge, really, but an okay person. In truth, she hadn't really tried to get to know him, but she was okay with him around. As long as he didn't try to run her life or get in her way, he was okay.
After finishing her meal, Buffy made her way about the ship. In the days previous while crossing the Atlantic, she had fallen into somewhat of a routine. First, the mid-afternoon meal. Then she made her way about the ship's decks, admiring the expanse of water, the sunlight glinting off the waves, and the occasional marine life that made an appearance. She made her way to the workout facilities eventually, where she would discreetly train until shortly before sundown, when she would get back to the room she shared with Angel and the two of them would get ready for dinner.
This afternoon she got back to their room just as the sun was setting in a beautiful display of colors. She'd done a bit of thinking as she'd walked today. Tomorrow they would be docking in England, and she knew they would be facing the Watchers Council nearly as soon as they arrived. On the one hand, she dreaded the encounter, on the other she was anxious for it to be over with. Part of her knew, though, that it would never be over, that getting away from the Council again now that they'd found her would be nearly impossible. And Angel - she worried about him now that the Council knew his whereabouts. They'd never liked Angel - they only dealt with him because she trusted him . . . loved him. She could only hope that tomorrow night's events would put them all on better terms.
Buffy opened the door carefully, in case Angel was still asleep. He wasn't - he sat with his back to the door, looking as if he had just gotten out of the shower. He was only wearing a pair of black pants and his hair was wet. As the door opened he turned around in surprise, and Buffy caught a glimpse of his golden eyes and fangs before his face changed to its human appearance. It was clear why when he put aside a container of blood with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.
"Sorry," he said softly as Buffy closed the door behind her.
"Why are you sorry?" she asked. "I'm the one who startled you."
Angel's ashamed glance towards his dinner was all the response he gave. Buffy knew that there were times that Angel hated himself for what he was, and feeding was the worst of those times. The very need for blood that sometimes drove him also drove his self-hatred. That, and Angel's general loner personality, made feeding a very private thing. Even when he was still recovering his sanity after his time in Hell, he would not feed in front of her.
"Hey," she said gently, sitting next to him on the bed, "don't. It's alright." She smiled then, a bit playfully. "I fight demons in my spare time and occasionally chop off people's heads. It's going to take more than unique dietary restrictions to make me pause." She kissed him ever so lightly. When Angel made no response, she stood. "I'm going to take a shower," she said, and left him alone.
Not wanting to be late to the last dinner on her only luxurious cruise, Buffy showered and got ready quickly. As this was also a formal dinner tonight, she dressed for the evening in a long black dress she had bought the day before they had left Washington. She had not yet shown Angel the dress, and she hoped it would cheer him up and help smooth over the discomfort from earlier.
Angel's reaction when he saw her was all that she'd hoped for. Enfolding her in his arms for a moment, they kissed, and the earlier incident was forgotten. With him dressed in a black suit with a deep red shirt, Buffy knew they made quite a striking couple. She couldn't help but wonder for a moment what the others they'd met on the ship thought of the two of them. Did their dinner companions think they were newlyweds, though Buffy looked a bit young to be married? Young lovers on a summer tour of the world?
Whatever. It didn't matter what others thought. Buffy pulled out of Angel's embrace and held his hand as they walked towards the door. "Dance with me tonight?" she asked.
Angel simply smiled at her. "Of course," he said. Then, with a look that told her he didn't mean the dress, but everything about her from the moment he'd first seen her, he said, "You're incredible."
Buffy grinned in response, pulling
him out the door. "I know."
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