"Be My Valentine"
Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The song is "Valentine" by Jim Brickman and Martina McBride.
"Today's Valentine's Day, you know," Riley said after giving Buffy a kiss.
"Mmm-hmm...that's what I keep hearing. Do you have anything special planned?"
He nodded his head. "I thought I'd take a beautiful blonde to the park for a candlelight dinner with flowers and music. How does that sound?"
Buffy reached up on her tiptoes to kiss Riley on the cheek. "Sounds wonderful."
"What time should I pick you up?"
"Sixish sounds good."
Riley grinned. "Great. I'll see you then." He gave her one last look before heading to his dorm.
"Buffy, you'll never guess who's in town," Willow said when Buffy returned to their dorm room after meeting with Riley.
"Who?" she asked, only somewhat curious. She went to her closet to find a nice outfit to wear to dinner.
"Cordelia."
"That's nice."
"Is that all you can say? And all this time I thought we were friends," a voice from the other side of the room stated.
"Hi, Cordy. What's up? 'Cause I'm kinda busy." It wasn't that Buffy wasn't glad to see her friend, but Buffy hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving. And whenever she thought of Cordelia, she thought of Angel.
"Yeah, you look it. I'm visiting my grandmother. Thought I'd stop by and see the old gang."
Buffy nodded and returned to her search. "How long are you in town for?"
"Just today. Promised I'd be back at the office by seven."
Willow's alarm clock buzzed. "That's my cue," stated the perky redhead. "Class in ten minutes. I'll see you in an hour." She grabbed her bookbag and left in a hurry.
"So, how are things in L.A.?" asked Buffy.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean Angel?"
Buffy turned around to look at the tall brunette. "No, I mean L.A. The city. I haven't been there since Thanksgiving. You know how things change so quickly there."
"And how some things never change?" Cordelia added.
"What's that supposed to mean?" countered Buffy.
"You tell me."
She was about to reply when someone knocked on the door. Buffy answered, finding Riley standing in the hall holding a heart-shaped box. "Riley." She kissed him fully on the mouth.
"I missed you," he told her.
"You just saw me ten minutes ago."
"It was a long ten minutes."
Cordelia, now seated on Willow's bed, coughed. "Gag me."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Riley, I'd like you to meet Cordelia Chase. Cordy, this is Riley Finn. My boyfriend," she introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cordelia."
"Yeah."
"Well," he said, reverting his attention back to Buffy. "I just dropped by to give you this." Riley handed her the box.
She grinned. "Chocolates. How sweet of you. Thanks."
"I'd better get going. Tonight, six o'clock, right?"
"I'll be ready." She gave him one last kiss before closing the door.
"So, that's the new boyfriend, huh?" Cordelia asked. "What a loser."
"Well, Cordelia," Buffy started. "I wasn't asking for your approval."
Cordelia held her head high. "Good, because I wasn't giving it. Buffy, what the hell are you thinking?" "What?"
"Why are you settling for that?"
"For Riley? I'm not settling for him. He's a nice, normal guy. And he cares about me."
The brunette shook her head. "Boring. God, you are so dense."
"And what the hell do you mean by that?" Cordelia was beginning to wear on Buffy's nerves.
"There is a tall, dark, handsome and lonely vampire in Los Angeles brooding over you 24/7. And yet you're here, obviously just as lonely as him, only you're going through the motions with Farm Boy."
Buffy could feel her face turning red from the mention of Angel. "I am not."
"Oh please. That kiss you just gave him...god, you showed more emotion for Spike than you did back there. And don't you dare tell me you are over Angel, because I know you are not."
Cordelia's outburst shocked her. It was as if Cordelia had read her mind. "What difference does it make? It doesn't work with me and Angel. Two different worlds...the whole bit. And besides, he left me; didn't want to be with me."
"Give me a break. He loves you and wants to be with you."
"No he doesn't. If he loved me he would've stayed." Buffy had spent months trying to convince herself of that.
"Angel gave up his one chance at being human and being totally happy to save your life. If that's not love, I don't know what is."
Buffy wrinkled her brow. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. I should get going." Cordelia grabbed her purse and started toward the door.
The Slayer gripped Cordelia by her upper arm, stopping her from escaping. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what you meant by that."
Cordelia sighed. She had slipped up and she knew it. And had no choice but to tell Buffy the truth. "Fine. Remember when you came to L.A. after Thanksgiving?"
"Yeah." Buffy didn't see where Cordelia was going with it.
"A demon thing attacked you and Angel. It got away and you two went after it."
Buffy shook her head. "No. Angel killed it and I left. It was called a Mohra demon, by the way."
"Would you listen to me without interrupting?" She waited a few beats before continuing. "You went above ground to look for it, but Angel found it in the sewers. They fought and the demon's blood mixed with Angel's and he became human."
"Human?" Buffy asked quietly. "I think I would have remembered that."
"You don't. He was human. I'm not going to get into all the details, but let's just assume that you two...well, you got groiny again. So Doyle told me; so Angel told him. Anyway, the Mohra came back, but Angel couldn't kill it, being human and all. You had to save him. Then he went to the Oracle people and told them he'd rather be a vampire than be human and get you killed. So the Oracles turned back time; like the day never happened. Only Angel remembers."
Buffy laughed. "That's a nice story. But I don't believe it."
"Ask Angel. He was completely human for one day -- no curse, no happiness clause -- and gave it all up so you could live. And now he sits in his apartment or in the office thinking about that day that nobody remembers. That's a hell of a burden."
"You are telling the truth."
Cordelia sighed. "Duh. Now what are you going to do about it?"
Angel opened the gates of the elevator, stepping into the darkened office. He had closed the shades before going to bed that morning to avoid the mid-afternoon sunlight when he woke up. Upon entering the office, he had a sense that somebody was there, even though there weren't office hours that day.
If there were no words
No way to speak
I would still hear you
If there were no tears
No way to feel inside
I'd still feel for you
Then he saw her. His love, Buffy, standing with her back to him next to the desk. If it were possible, his heart would have skipped a beat. Buffy. There, in his office, on Valentine's Day. "Buffy?"
She turned around. Angel could see the tears glistening in her green eyes. He wondered why they were there. What could possibly be making her cry?
"Angel. Happy Valentine's Day."
"What's the matter?"
Buffy didn't know where to begin. She knew the whole story, knew what Angel gave up for her. Instead of saying anything, she threw herself into his arms.
Even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart until the end of time
You're all I need, my love, my Valentine
She quieted him with a passionate kiss. All she wanted to do was kiss him.
Angel broke the embrace. "What's going on, Buffy? Because I'm missing something here."
"I know, Angel. I know everything."
"Everything?"
Buffy nodded. "Everything. Cordelia told me." A tear slid down her face.
Angel wiped the tear with his finger. "Oh God, Buffy, I've wanted to tell you so many times, but I was afraid you'd hate me."
All of my lifeI have been waiting for
All you give to me
You've opened my eyes
And shown me how to love unselfishly
"Hate you? How could I hate you? You did what you thought was best."
"I was selfish." Angel looked away in guilt.
Buffy turned his head to look him in the eye. "No, it wasn't. What you did was the most unselfish thing anybody's ever done for me. Angel, you gave up any kind of a normal life to save mine. I love you for that, even if I don't remember it happening. I love you."
I've dreamed of this a thousand times before
But in my dreams I couldn't love you more
I will give you my heart
Until the end of time
You're all I need, my love, my Valentine
"Always have and always will. Even more now that I know what you did for me. I want to be with you, Angel. Only you."
Angel couldn't believe this was happening. He'd dreamed of it every night since Thanksgiving. "What about your life in Sunnydale?" He knew about Riley and Buffy's relationship with him.
"I finally realized that I've only been going through the motions. Cordelia made me see that." Buffy hugged him as close to her as possible. She never wanted to be separated from him again. "Don't leave me again, Angel. I don't think I could take it. And I don't care if it's wrong for us to be together, because I think it's right. We were meant to be together."
"I know." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you. And I did what I thought was best for both of us at the time."
"You were wrong."
He nodded. "Yes, I was. I'm sorry. Do you think you could forgive me?"
Buffy smiled. "I could forgive you anything."
Angel felt tears slip out of his eyes, landing in Buffy's blonde hair. Her words of forgiveness were all he needed to hear. "Buffy, it's Valentine's Day."
"Yeah."
"Would you be my Valentine?" He knew he sounded corny, but didn't care.
Buffy kissed his cheek. "Always, Angel. I'll always be your Valentine. From now until the end of time."
And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart
Until the end of time
'Cause all I need is you, my Valentine
You're all I need, my love, my Valentine
The End