Hours later, Joyce stood in the doorway looking at her daughter and her boyfriend…fiancé…sound asleep in each other’s arms. As much as the sight disturbed her, she had to admit they looked right together. She just wasn’t ready to think about her daughter getting married. She didn’t even have a guy and her daughter did. It felt strange.

Buffy smiled in her sleep, shifting a little closer towards the man who held her. Joyce couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. For the moment, Buffy looked so peaceful…they both did, like they hadn’t a care in the world. Like they didn’t have demons and darkness to fight when they were awake. Joyce wished that she could make all that disappear so the Buffy would smile like that all the time.

Angel’s own presence here, however, was a reminder that the darkness and demons were always going to be a part of Buffy’s life. Maybe it was about time she realized that.

Joyce tapped lightly on the open door, and both of the sleeping occupants were instantly awake. Buffy blinked at her sleepily.

“Hi Mom,” she said softly.

Angel stretched slightly and began to pull away from Buffy. She grasped his retreating arm, however, holding it securely around her waist. The display of possessiveness was not lost on Joyce.

“How long have we been asleep?” Buffy asked after a moment.

“About four hours. You both looked tired,” Joyce said. “I hated to wake you, but you have to go back to the dorm tonight, and I was hoping to have dinner with you before you go. Both of you,” Joyce amended.

“Oh, right,” Buffy agreed. “Not quite awake yet.”

“And I have to go back to L.A.,” Angel said softly.

Buffy shot him a surprised and slightly hurt look. “But I-“

Angel opened his mouth to say something and Joyce interrupted him. “I’ll leave you two to discuss in just a minute,” she said. “You will at least stay for dinner?” she asked Angel.

“I will…be happy to,” he replied.

Joyce nodded and left the two of them alone.

As soon as she left the room, Buffy sat up and looked at Angel in shock. “Alright, mister, what do you mean you’re going back to L.A.?”

“Buffy,” Angel said strongly, taking both of her hands in his own, “I’ll be back.”

Buffy bit her lip and looked slightly doubtful. “You promise?” she whispered. She couldn’t bear the thought of him disappearing from her life once again.

“I promise,” Angel assured her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“But why do you have to go at all?”

Angel sighed. “I have two friends and employees who I have to tell there is no longer an Angel Investigations in L.A. That’s not the sort of news you tell over the phone. Plus I have other related stuff to do – moving, things like that.”

Buffy couldn’t help but grin. “Moving. That sounds good.” Then her smile faded and she frowned at him once again. “But do you have to go now? I mean, I’m all injured. Don’t you want to stay and take care of me?” She pointed at her injured leg and gave him an exaggerated pout.

Angel couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “You have school,” he reminded her. “And I don’t have a place to stay yet. As much as she seems to like me, I don’t think Willow would appreciate me for a roommate.”

Buffy grinned in response. “So I guess that just means we’ll have to live together somewhere else once you get back.”

“I guess it does,” Angel agreed. He was grinning like she’d never seen him before. “More incentive for me to return as soon as possible.”

“As if you needed more,” Buffy said softly, leaning towards him to capture his lips in a kiss. Angel met it eagerly.

When they broke apart Angel chuckled. “If we keep going like this I’m never going to leave.”

“Then don’t leave,” Buffy said, still only a centimeter away from him.

“Your mom is waiting for us for dinner.”

“Make her wait.”

“We have a wedding to plan.”

“Oh!” Buffy sat back with a huge grin on her face. “We do, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do,” Angel replied, sounding amused. “But after dinner.”

Suddenly Buffy laughed outright.

“What’s so funny?”

“You,” Buffy replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “You rediscovered food a day and a half ago, and you’re already thinking with your stomach.”

Angel laughed right along with her.

The phone rang loudly in the quiet kitchen. Buffy jumped in surprise. “I’ll get it,” she said quickly and got up from her chair. She was managing much better with her broken leg and picked up the phone after it had rung twice. “Hello?” she said quickly.

“Hey Buff,” came the voice on the other end.

Buffy grinned. “Hey, Xander. What’s up?”

“We – that’s Giles, Willow, and I – wanted to congratulate you and Dead Boy,” he said brightly. Buffy could faintly hear Willow’s scolding voice in the background. “Sorry, I mean Angel,” he amended. “Anyway, we wanted to congratulate you and give you an early wedding present.”

“A present?” Buffy asked pleasantly surprised. Angel stopped eating and looked up at her. Buffy winked at him. “Will I like it?”

“That depends,” Xander replied. “Do you like your demons fried or dismembered?”

“Xander!” came Willow’s voice clearly over the phone. There was a moment where the phone was changing hands, then Willow spoke again. “Hey Buffy.”

Buffy chuckled. “Hey Willow. What was Xander babbling about?”

“Well,” Willow said calmly, “since you’re injured and all…and no doubt very busy with Angel…”

“What is it?” Buffy asked.

“We got your demon.”

“My demon?” Buffy asked in confusion.

“The one on the beach, in the cave,” Willow said quickly. “We thought you’d like to know that it is officially no longer of the living.”

Buffy laughed outright. “You guys are too much, you know that?” she said happily. “Not that I’m exactly happy you went and faced the demon by yourselves…”

“Oh, we were completely safe,” Willow assured her. “Giles made sure of that. He did all this research and everything…we didn’t even have to get close to the demon to take him out. Well, at least until he was already dead. Then we had to go chop him up and get rid of him, which let me tell you you really owe us for.”

Buffy grinned. “Thanks Willow. I hope you gave that demon everything he deserved for breaking my leg.”

“Yeah, well…anyway, congratulations. I know you want to get back to Angel and all.”

“Actually, we’re having dinner. I’ll see you later at the dorm, alright?”

“See you later Buffy.”

Smiling, Buffy hung up the phone. “I feel better now,” she said with a grin. “The cave demon got what was coming to him.”

“Oh?” Angel asked.

“Yup! He was chopped up into little pieces by Xander and Willow. An early wedding present, they said.”

Angel laughed slightly. “How sweet of them,” he said with a grin.

“Just what we always wanted, huh?”

Joyce stood up from the table. “Well, I’m not hungry any more,” she said, somehow managing to look both amused and disgusted at once.

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh and sat back down as her mother and Angel cleared the table.

About an hour later, Buffy and Angel were standing outside Stevenson Hall. After dinner, Angel had offered to drive her back to school before heading back to L.A. It was nice and gave them a couple more minutes alone together. “You’d better be back soon,” Buffy said leaning forward on her crutches so that there was barely ant space between them.

“I will be,” Angel promised.

“And you’ll call me every night,” Buffy insisted.

“Every night,” Angel agreed.

“And we’ll find some place to live together right away.”

“Happily ever after,” he assured her.

Buffy sighed happily and Angel wrapped her lightly in his arms. They said nothing, just reveled in each others presence. “I want this,” Buffy whispered. “You and me, every moment of every day.”

Angel smiled back. “Forever,” he said and kissed her sweetly.

When they broke apart, Buffy was smiling, her eyes shining. “I know how I want our wedding to be,” she said.

“You do?” Angel whispered back.

“Mmmhmm. Not too many people, no matter who my mom wants to invite. Just you, me, our friends…”

“Your parents.”

“Well, yeah,” Buffy said with a chuckle. “If my dad can make the time in his busy schedule to show up.” She frowned for a second, then smiled when she looked up at Angel once again. “I want to get married on the beach, right near those caves, right as the sun comes up. Then we’ll have a big party and go off on our honeymoon somewhere where we don’t have to think about the Hellmouth at all. No demons – just you and me.”

“So this would be after classes are out,” Angel said slowly.

“Well, the honeymoon part,” Buffy agreed.

“It sounds lovely.”

“You like it?”

Angel held her gently. “I love it. I bet the bride will be even more beautiful. No one will notice the sunrise.”

Buffy laughed. “Only if they’re staring at my cast,” she said, drawing attention back to her leg.

“You’re always beautiful,” Angel said certainly. Buffy sighed and they kissed once again.

When they broke apart Buffy took a deep breath and looked at him happily. “Go on,” she whispered finally. “The sooner you get out of here, the sooner you can come back.”

Angel grinned. “You’re right,” he pulled away just slightly, still holding her. “Be careful.”

“Always am, Love.”

Angel sighed happily. “I like hearing that,” he said.

“What, love?”

“Mmm hmm. Exactly.”

Buffy grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Hurry home.”

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