"Fire and Ice "

Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com
Notes: Everybody's normal. No Slayers, no vampires.

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"Just as I suspected," Buffy stated.

Angel cast his eyes down at her curiously. "What?"

"Everyone's looking at us. I knew this would happen."

"They're just jealous because I'm dancing with the most beautiful girl in the building."

She wasn't convinced. "I can practically hear their thoughts, Angel. And they're all thinking the same thing: rebound. They all think I'm your rebound girl."

He held her tighter. "Who cares what they think? I certainly don't. Let everyone think you're the rebound girl. You and I know the truth." 'Truth,' he thought. 'I haven't even told Buffy the truth yet. How is she going to react when she finds out that I think I love her?'

---

"And this year's Prom King is," Sara DeMarco, head of the Prom Committee, announced, "Jeremy Masterson!"

The boy ran up to the make-shift stage to accept his crown. Winning hadn't come as a shock to the quarterback, he fully expected to win.

"And the Prom Queen is…Buffy Summers!"

She looked at Angel with shock written all over her face. "I can't believe it. I won. I really won."

He planted a kiss on her cheek. "Congratulations. I knew you'd win. Go get your crown, Miss Prom Queen."

Buffy walked to where Sara and Jeremy were standing, waiting for her. When she reached his side, Jeremy put the crown her head, grinning like an idiot the whole time.

"And now, your Prom King and Queen will share the spotlight dance."

Jeremy tried to take Buffy's hand, but she casually moved it from his reach. He took her in his arms as the words began.

How do I get through a night without you?
If I had to live without you, what kind of life would that be?
Oh I, I need you in my arms, need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
If you ever leave
Well, baby, you would take away everything
Good in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live without you?

"You know, there was never a doubt in my mind who'd win tonight," Jeremy said to Buffy. "It had to be us."

"I never thought I'd win," Buffy admitted. "I never even expected to be nominated. This is like a dream or something."

"No, Buffy, it's very real. I knew you would win, that's why I asked you to be my date. Then this whole night would have been perfect," he lamented. "But instead, you turned me down."

She sighed. "Sorry, Jeremy, I didn't want to go with you."

"You said no to me, but yes to Angel Riches? Now see, that's what I don't understand."

"He's different from the other guys here."

"He's a loser. I expected better from you, Buffy. I always thought you had good taste, but I guess I was wrong."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Jeremy. And I don't need your approval to go out with someone. Angel's twice the man you'll ever hope to be," Buffy retorted.

He laughed. "You don't have to get defensive. I just find it funny that going after the rich and pretty guys in Sunnydale isn't cutting it for you anymore, so now you've moved on to seducing the poorest of the poor. I hope he knows what he's getting himself into."

Rage built up inside of her until Buffy could no longer take it. "Fuck you," she hissed. "You don't know me or Angel, so just shut the hell up."

"You know, Buffy, I think it's my place to warn you. You're not going to get any from him. Rumor has it that's why his ex dumped him. Three years together and he wouldn't screw her…no wonder they broke up."

That did it. "Get your hands off of me," she ordered.

"Hey, I'm only telling you."

Buffy pushed him away from her. "Get away from me."

There'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
And I, well, baby, I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave
Well, baby, you would take away everything
Real in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, how do I live?

Buffy found Angel standing in the same spot he left him. Confusion was written all over his handsome face. "Buffy, what's wrong?"

"Dance with me," she requested. "Just put your arms around me and make me forget I ever had to dance with Jeremy."

He scooped her into his embrace just as she had asked, holding her as tight has he could. She was obviously upset; something had happened with Jeremy during their brief dance. "Tell me what happened."

Her lower lip quivered. "Nothing. I-I couldn't stand his hands being on me anymore. It felt wrong. Being here with you…this feels right. Hold me. Hold me and don't let go."

"I won't."

"I mean it, don't let go. I love you, Angel."

---

He continued to hold her, even after hearing what she'd said. Any other man might have let go, but not Angel. All he wanted to do at that moment was hold her. Her words had meant the world to him.

"Buffy," he started.

She shook her head. "No, don't. You don't have to say anything, not if you can't say it back. Just dance."

Though he wanted to say it back, Angel couldn't find the right words to say it. Instead, he placed two fingers under her chin and raised it off his shoulder. Looking her dead in the eye, he lowered his lips to hers. 'I hope you understand what this kiss means, Buffy,' he thought as it grew in intensity. 'I can't say it now, though.'

Buffy felt like she was floating on air. Angel hadn't pushed her away; he'd kissed her instead. It was a good sign. 'At least I know I didn't scare him away. But what about him? What does he feel?'

Please tell me, baby
How do I go on
If you ever leave?
Well, baby, you would take away everything
Need you with me
Baby, don't you know that you're everything
Good in my life?
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?

---

"Congratulations, Buffy," Cordelia said with a small smile an hour later. "If I couldn't win, I'm glad it was you instead."

"Thanks. It should have been you, though."

She laughed. "Can't argue with you there. But you're being way too modest. What has that boy done to you?"

"I don't know. But I definitely like it."

Cordelia caught sight of Angel talking to Xander. "Did your dad go completely postal when you told him you're going to the beach house with Angel this weekend? Alone, might I add?"

"I didn't exactly tell him. Dad sort of thinks it's a girl's weekend," Buffy divulged. "If I told him it was going to be me and my boyfriend, he'd never let me go. So I had to lie."

"I never knew you were so conniving. All these years you've been holding out on me!" she exclaimed. "So tell me, what are you two planning on doing this weekend?" Her eyebrows raised at her question.

"Swimming, hiking and talking."

Cordelia grunted. "Yeah, sure. Alone at a secluded beach house for an entire weekend with your smart, good-looking boyfriend and all you two are going to do is talk? Why do I think you're holding something back? Spill!"

Buffy shook her head. "There's nothing to spill, Cordy."

"Whatever. But I bet you a new Prada purse that something happens between you two."

"Fine. You're on."

---

"What was all that about back there?" Xander wanted to know after Buffy left Angel's side to talk to Cordelia.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's see, your date won Prom Queen, danced with Jeremy for two minutes before running back into your arms. One can only assume that something happened out there with him."

Angel shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what went on with Jeremy, Buffy wouldn't say. She just asked me to dance with her and I did."

"And you made out with her in the middle of the dance floor in front of the entire senior class," his best friend added. "Made quite a spectacle."

"I…" Angel stammered. "There's a reason behind that."

Xander waved his hand for Angel to continue. "And that would be…?"

"Buffy…she…she told me she loves me," he admitted. "I kissed her. I had to."

"What did you say to her?"

He looked down. "Nothing. Like I said, I kissed her."

"The girl tells you she loves you and you don't say anything to her?" Xander punched Angel in the arm. "Are you an idiot or something?"

"Take it easy."

"Well, you don't do that! You have to say something to the poor girl. Are you going to say it back? You do feel the same way about her, don't you?"

He nodded. "I do, I really do. God, I love her, but I couldn't say it, not here. Not in front of everyone here. This weekend, when she and I are alone. I'll tell her then."

"If I ask you a question, do you promise to answer it honestly and not bite my head off?" Xander asked.

"That all depends on the question."

He wore a look of seriousness on his face. "Are you going to let anything happen with her this weekend?"

"It's not on my agenda, if that's what you're asking. But I love her and she loves me and if something happens…well, if it feels right for both of us, then I won't fight it. I'm not going away with her this weekend in hopes of a romantic getaway filled with sex. I care too much about her to do that."

"It would be pretty funny if you two did go all the way. Think about it. Three years with Kelley and it never happened, but three weeks with Buffy and it does."

"It never felt right with Kelley."

Xander widened his eyes. "Speak of the devil herself."

Kelley sauntered over, wearing a pleasant smile on her face. "Hi, Angel. Hi, Xander."

"Kelley," Xander greeted coolly.

"I just wanted to come over and say hi so you don't think I've been purposely avoiding you all night long," she said.

He gave her a half-smile. "I never thought that for a minute. Where's Parker?"

Kelley pointed to the far wall of the country club. "He's talking to his friends."

"Oh. By the way, congratulations on being nominated for Prom Queen."

"Thank you. But your date won. Good for her."

"I'll tell her you said so."

She bit her lip. "It's been bugging me all night, so I have to ask. Just how did you and Buffy hook up? You two are so different."

"We were assigned to work on an English project together and things progressed from there."

She nodded in understanding. "Are you and Buffy dating now?"

"Yes, we are."

"Good for you, then. It happened sort of quickly, didn't it?"

"I guess from an outsider's perspective it could seem that way. For the first time I feel comfortable enough to be myself with a girl. Buffy has accepted me for me and I've done the same with her."

His words hurt her. 'Angel never felt comfortable around me? Why not? We were together for three years.' "Oh. I…um…good luck with her. For your sake, I mean. I hope it works out with Buffy. You know, given her reputation and all. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Angel glared at her. "Don't worry, Kelley, you did that already. One broken heart a year is my limit. And as for Buffy's 'reputation,' it's bull. She's a great person. People like you can't see beyond her nice clothes and big house. I used to think that, too. I believed all that stuff about her reputation until I got to know her. And I liked what I saw underneath that rich girl exterior. Believe it or not, I've had more fun with her these past few weeks than I ever had with you."

He walked away, leaving Kelley speechless. It felt like a two ton weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His heart was finally free of Kelley's hold and ready to be given to someone else.

Xander ran after him. "I can't believe you just said that to her."

"It needed to be said. It was a long time coming."

"I think it really hurt her."

"Xander, I don't particularly care about her feelings. Did she care about mine when she dumped me for Parker? No. I'm putting Kelley Page behind me for good. She's of the past. Buffy's my future," Angel stated.

---

"Well, this is it," Buffy announced at midnight when she and Angel arrived at the beach house.

He took it all in. The house was at least twice as big as his own, if not bigger. "Wow. It's…well, it's big."

She grimaced. "Yeah, I know. It seems bigger than the last time I was here. God, it has been so long. Five years."

"Really? It's been that long?" Angel asked.

Buffy nodded. "Uh-huh. I-It's hard for me to come here. My dad still comes for a weekend every now and then, but I just don't. Brings back all the memories."

He looked at her, noticing that her eyes were filling with tears. "Why don't you sit down," he suggested. "Then you can tell me about it if you want."

Buffy shook her head and wiped the tears away. "I don't need to sit, I'll be fine. The three of us were coming here for Fourth of July weekend the summer before I started high school. Mom, Dad and I were just going to relax and lay on the beach and get some sun. But then Dad ended up having to stay at home an extra day because of work, so Mom went up instead. You know, get the house clean, go shopping, that kind of thing. I-I was supposed to come with her, but she thought I'd be bored here with just her, so I stayed home with Dad that day."

She sniffled. "A couple hours later, Dad called for me at Cordelia's house. You know Cordelia Chase, right?" Angel nodded. "Anyway, he called up and told me to come home right away. When I got there, he said…he -- Mom had been in a car accident on the way here. She died."

He really didn't know what to say. Everything just seemed wrong or inappropriate. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew what to say. I never realized it happened here."

She nodded. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything. My dad and I don't talk about it much. But it's always in the back of my mind that I could have been in that car with her. I could have died in that accident, too."

"But you didn't; you're here now. How did it happen?" Angel asked. "I mean, if you want to tell me, that is."

"A bunch of teenagers were drag racing down the road my mom was driving on. She was coming around the bend and they never even saw her. Head-on collision and she died almost instantly." Buffy took a deep breath. "It has been too hard for me to come back here. Mom decorated this place; everything reminds me of her."

He smiled. "She did a wonderful job on the decorating. It looks great. Very feminine touch. Homey."

"She had a real artist's eye. God, I miss her so much. Especially being here."

"If the memories are too much for you, we don't have to stay."

Buffy shook her head. "No, I want to stay. I've been putting off coming here for such a long time. I need to make happy memories of this place."

Given what Angel had to tell her that night, he hoped it would make her wish of good memories come true. "You will. This weekend will be filled with those happy memories you want. You have my word on it."

"Thank you." She picked up her bag. "I guess I should show you to your room."

Angel followed her down the hall past the kitchen toward the bedrooms. For some reason, he felt at home there, much more so than he had in Buffy's home. The beach house had more of a familial air to it.

"What the hell is this?" Buffy muttered, ripping off a piece of paper taped to one of the doors. She read it over. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!"

"What's wrong?" he wanted to know.

She sighed unhappily. "My dad has a couple take care of the house when we're not here. John and Carrie – that's their names – keep this place clean, make sure that it looks nice, etc. Well, it looks like they picked this week to begin remodeling the two other bedrooms. That means there's only one bedroom for the two of us," Buffy explained. "They have the worst sense of timing; they knew I was spending the weekend up here."

"Oh," he said. "So, what do you want to do then?"

"What do *you* want to do?"

He shrugged. "Well, the way I figure it, there's two options here. We either share the bedroom or one of us sleeps on the couch." Angel paused for a moment. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable in your own home. So I volunteer to sleep on the couch."

"You don't have to do that. I invited you here, I can't force you to sleep on a lumpy old couch. You deserve a bed," she argued.

"Believe me, I've had worse. Besides, that couch out there looks more comfortable than my own bed."

She looked at him. "Are you sure?"

Angel nodded. "Yep. You take the bed."

"Okay. Um…I'm gonna go take a shower and wipe this gunk off my face. I'll be out in a few minutes."

He went back into the living room and sat himself down on his makeshift bed. 'When Buffy comes back out here, I'm telling her. Nothing is going to keep me from telling her how I really feel.'

---

Twenty minutes later, Buffy walked to the living room, finding Angel sitting on the couch wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and a white t-shirt.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said.

Angel looked up from the book he was reading. "No. Just getting ahead on our English assignment."

She laughed at him. "Always the overachiever. And you look so darn cute in those glasses. I forgot that you wear them. It's been so long."

He blushed. "I took out my contacts while you were in the shower. I must look like some kind of circus freak."

"Not at all. It's a very…scholastic look for you. I like it."

His eyes surveyed what she was wearing. A pair of flannel pajamas with elephants on them. "Interesting choice of bedtime apparel you've got there. Definitely not what I expected."

"And what did you expect?" she questioned, taking a seat next to him.

"I don't know. Something light and silky."

"Like something out of the Victoria's Secret catalog?" she joked.

"Yeah. But you never cease to shock me."

Buffy took her time before saying what she wanted to say next. "Look, about what I said earlier at the dance –"

"Buffy…"

She put her hand up to silence him. "Please let me get this out before I lose my nerve. Angel, I meant every word I said to you there. I love you. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. It's been going on since I was five years old, ever since that day in the playground when Melissa accused me of cheating and you believed me over her. I fell in love with you that day.

"And for thirteen years, I have kept my true feelings a secret, nobody else knew except my mother. In seventh grade, everyone made fun of me because I looked different; I had bad skin and bad teeth, I was a physical mess. People called me names, but you never did. You were always nice to me. Back then, I never had the courage to ask you out.

"Then we got into high school. I thought, 'This is my chance to make him love me.' But I never got the chance because you started going out with Kelley halfway through freshman year. I kept wondering what you saw in her that you didn't see in me, what it was she had that I didn't. For years I wondered that. Every time you walked into the room, I would smile to myself, just because you were near me.

"When you and Kelley broke up, I couldn't believe it. On one hand, I thought, 'Why is she breaking up with him? He's everything I've dreamed of for years and she doesn't even realize how lucky she is.' And then on the other, I wondered if you'd even look at me. Cordy came up to me and told me that she was planning to ask you out. It cut me right to the bone and I told her all this stuff to keep her away from you. I told her that you weren't good enough and too poor for her; I said things to her about you that I never meant because I was afraid of losing my only chance at winning your heart. I thought I'd lose you to my best friend.

"Tonight at the Prom, Jeremy made some comments about both of us. Dancing with him, listening to him say all that stuff made me see that I needed to tell you how I feel. I never meant to blurt it out the way I did. If you don't feel the same, I understand completely. I just had to say it, though."

"Buffy, I do feel the same," Angel admitted.

It took several moments for his words to register in her mind. "You do?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do, but I couldn't say what I have to say in front of the entire senior class. I dated Kelley for three years and I thought I loved her. But what I feel for you is stronger than anything I ever felt for Kelley. It scares me, but in a good way. Maybe I haven't loved you for as long as you've loved me, but I feel it just as strongly. Buffy, I love you."

She felt like she was going to cry. "This is so unreal. It's the best day of my life. You feel the same way I feel about you."

Angel leaned over, cupping her chin in his hand, slowly bringing his lips closer to hers until they finally touched. Her right hand wrapped around the back of his neck, moving upward into his hair. Buffy's lips parted slightly, leaving enough room for his tongue to enter.

Their kiss was growing more passionate with every passing moment, the intensity growing to proportions neither had ever experienced. Buffy took the opportunity to straddle his legs with her knees, sitting on his lap, facing him. When their embrace broke, he looked her in the eyes. "I love you so much."

"I know. Me, too."

He brought his hand to move her wet hair over her left shoulder. "I don't think I've ever told you just how beautiful you are."

"I think you said it earlier, when I got to your house."

"Without the five pounds of makeup on. You don't need to wear any, Buffy. You're a natural beauty."

He kissed her again, only this time his hands found the buttons on her pajama top, loosening the top two buttons. Still locked in their embrace, he pushed it over her shoulder, leaving the skin exposed. His lips parted from hers, moving along the left side of her face, trailing a line of kisses down her neck. Angel left open-mouth kisses along her collarbone to her shoulder.

"You smell so good," he commented between kisses. "Like a field of raspberries."

Buffy had nearly lost herself in a sea of lust. "I used raspberry body wash in the shower."

Angel couldn't seem to get enough of her. He kissed a trail back up to her lips, greedy for another taste of her. Their lips met in another searing kiss, Buffy pressing her body against him. While her hands held him about the waist, his moved to her back, lifting the hem of her top and slipping them inside.

He caressed the bare flesh of her back, his fingers trembling. He and Kelley had not even gone that far and he was nervous and afraid. Angel worried that Buffy would push him away for touching her like that, but she loved it. She knew she had his love, and as long as she had it, everything she was belonged to him.

As if his hands had a mind of their own, they caressed over her back, along her sides until they reached the front of her body. His thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts, and before Angel knew what was happening, he was cupping them in his hands. Immediately, he broke off their embrace, removing his hands from her body.

"What's wrong? Why did you stop?" Buffy asked. She had loved the feel of his hands on her, touching and caressing her.

"I-I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For touching you."

She smiled shyly. "You don't have to be sorry. I know you wouldn't take advantage of me. Angel, you're a gentleman."

"A gentleman," he scoffed. "That's why Kelley dumped me. I was too much of a gentleman, too noble for her liking."

"I like that you're a gentleman. And she's an idiot for breaking up with you over something like that. That girl doesn't know a good thing when she sees it."

He glanced at his watch. It was almost one in the morning. "I think maybe we'd better get some sleep. It's been a long, eventful day."

Buffy agreed. "Alright. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

She walked back to her room, missing him already. Taking one look at the oversized bed she was to sleep in, she knew it was all wrong. Grabbing a couple pillows and a blanket, she went back to the living room.

"I'm back," she announced.

"Did you forget something?" Angel asked.

"Nope. I'm sleeping out here with you. I feel guilty for sleeping in a bed when you're stuck on the couch. So I will be sleeping on the floor tonight."

He laughed. "You're a nut, Buffy."

She set the pillows on the ground, laid down and covered herself up. "Angel?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you snore?"

Angel paused. "I don't know. Nobody's ever been in a position to let me know."

In the dark, Buffy grinned. She'd gotten the answer she wanted. "Night."

"Night."

---

The first rays of sunlight burst into the living room at six-thirty the following morning, waking Angel from a peaceful slumber. Sitting up and stretching his tired muscles, he looked around the room, seeing Buffy still asleep on the floor twenty feet away. He smiled at the sight; her hair in a state of disarray, her pajamas wrinkled and her blanket bunched around her knees.

He slowly stood up, careful not to wake the sleeping girl on the floor. Bending down next to her, Angel pushed the blanket so that it covered her shoulders. 'She looks so cute when she's sleeping.'

"I'll be back in a little bit," he whispered, knowing that she couldn't hear him.

With it being such a beautiful morning, Angel didn't want to waste it by sleeping through the early morning solitude. As he did almost every single morning, he decided to go for a run. Only instead of doing so along the streets of Sunnydale, he'd be running on a secluded beach.

Quickly changing into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Angel left the beach house. It amazed him how beautiful the surroundings were. White sand as far as the eye could see, the silhouette of a pier several miles down the shoreline, water so blue it reflected its surroundings and birds chirping in the nearby trees. It was a picturesque scene. Angel fell in love with it.

---

When Buffy woke up at ten o'clock, she found the couch unoccupied and the living room empty except for herself. 'Where's Angel?' was her first thought.

After searching the entire house extensively, she found no trace of him. "Angel?" she called. "Where are you?"

Walking to the sliding glass door facing the beach, she finally saw him. He was sitting on the back steps, staring at the ocean. "Hey, you," she greeted, smiling as he turned around. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry," he apologized. "I went for a run along the beach. I go for one everyday, it helps to relax me."

Buffy crouched down in the sand in front of him. "Yeah, I know. I've seen you run by my house really early in the morning."

"You've seen me?" he asked. "And here I thought I was being stealthy."

"Uh-huh. It got to be where I could set my clock by you, you always ran by at the same time. I looked forward to seeing you pass by every morning."

"I never realized I was that predictable," Angel commented. "Maybe I should change my routine."

She shook her head. "Don't. Then I won't have anything to look forward to every morning at six o'clock. Is that what time you were out here this morning?"

"No, I slept in 'til six-thirty."

Raising her eyebrows, Buffy laughed. "You consider six-thirty sleeping in? Ugh."

"I don't like wasting the day. Lemme guess, way too early for you?" joked Angel.

"Yep. I love sleeping in. The later, the better." She looked up at the cloudless blue sky. "God, it's beautiful outside. Warm and sunny."

"That's why I didn't go back inside. It's too nice of a day to be cooped up in the house."

"Well, if you want, we can spend the day outside. Lay on the beach and work on our tans, go swimming, possibly have a picnic lunch or something," Buffy suggested.

He brightened visibly at the suggestion. "Sounds great. I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I've relaxed on a beach. Years probably. Just let me shower. I'm all sweaty and smelly."

"You look fine to me."

As they walked back to the house, Angel grabbed hold of Buffy's arm. "You know, I have been wondering about something all morning."

"What's that?" she wanted to know.

Angel smirked. "Do I snore?"

She laughed. "Nope. I didn't hear a peep out of you all night. You're a very quiet sleeper."

---

Three hours later, the couple headed back outside, carrying their beach towels and bottles of water. By the time Angel finished showering and Buffy got dressed, it was already quarter after eleven. So they decided to forgo breakfast and the picnic lunch in favor of brunch in front of the television.

While Angel removed his t-shirt, Buffy tried not to be obvious as she stared at him. She hadn't realized how muscular he was. With a washboard stomach, broad shoulders and large muscled arms, he reminded her of the perfect man. Angel was exactly what she imagined he'd look like. He was perfect.

Unbeknownst to Buffy, Angel was doing the exact same thing. He nearly gasped out loud as her shapely form was revealed under her shorts and tank top. She wore a two-piece, turquoise bathing suit that covered only the essentials. It might have been looked slutty or trashy on some other girl, but on Buffy it looked sophisticated.

"Hey, Angel?" Buffy asked twenty minutes after they'd laid down, turning on her right side to face him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever dream?"

"Occasionally. Of course, it all depends on what I've had to eat before I went to bed," he answered.

She playfully slapped his left arm. "Not that kind of dream. Something you've wanted for longer than you can remember; something you never imagine could ever come true?"

"Sure I do. I guess everyone dreams of meeting someone, falling in love and raising a family with that person. So I guess that doesn't count. Aside from that, I've only had one other dream my entire life. All I ever wanted to do is be a writer. Not necessarily a household name like John Grisham or Stephen King, but just have something of mine published for people to read. And for people to actually read it and like it. I always dreamt of graduating from high school, going to Emerson College in Boston and then after getting my Master's Degree, I'd submit my first manuscript to a major publishing house, where it would go on to being a New York Times best seller. But I've given up on that dream."

"Why? It's a wonderful dream."

"Because it'll never happen."

"But you told me you got accepted to Emerson. Angel, I looked up some information on that college. It's one of the best creative arts colleges in the country. If your dream is to write, that's the place to go," Buffy informed him.

He nodded. "I know it is. And I was so excited when I got the acceptance letter in the mail until I did some serious thinking. I can't go away to school. I have obligations, my mother, my job, not to mention that I can't afford the tuition. That's the end of it. What about you? Do you have a dream?"

She turned on her back again. "It's stupid. Nothing like yours." 'And embarrassing,' she thought. 'No way can I tell you that my dream is to fall asleep in your arms after we've made love. Stupid.'

"Hey, I told you mine."

"I can't tell you. It might not come true then."

"Am I in it?" he kidded.

"Yeah," she replied reluctantly. "And that's why I can't tell you. You'll laugh at me and it won't come true."

"Buffy, I promise I won't laugh at you."

She shook her head. "Nope. If and only if it happens, I'll tell you." Buffy stood up. "I'm going swimming."

She waded into the ocean, enjoying the feeling of the warm sun beating down on her and the cool water on her legs. She dunked her head under the water, cooling her face. While she swam, Buffy reflected on what had happened so far that weekend with Angel. In less than fifteen hours, they'd had a heart to heart talk, they'd shared their dreams of the future – or Angel had, anyway – and Buffy recalled the unpleasant memory of her mother's death. And most importantly, they had professed their love for one another.

Grinning mischievously, she got out of the water, cupping her hands together to hold some of the cool water. When she reached Angel, Buffy separated her hands, letting the water fall to his chest.

As soon as the water landed on him, Angel jolted up into a sitting position. "What the hell…?"

"You looked like you could use some cooling off," she said, giggling.

"I'll get you back for that, Buffy," he swore.

"You'll have to catch me first." She ran back to the water.

He bolted up, chasing his girlfriend into the water. The coolness of the water felt like needles pricking him all of his body, but Angel ignored it, concentrating only on his revenge. By the time he caught up with her, the water was already to his chest.

Picking her up by the waist, he threw Buffy into the water. She resurfaced, wiping water from her face. "You're real funny, you know that?"

"I know. But I'm not done yet." Without warning, Angel dove under the surface, grabbed her by the knees, successfully making her lose her balance. She fell underwater and he took the opportunity to pull her into his embrace. His lips met hers and they continued to kiss even after their heads came above the water.

---

"I had a lot of fun today," Angel said later that night as he and Buffy were watching a movie on television.

She curled up deeper in his comfortable embrace. "Me, too."

"Thanks for inviting me to come here this weekend." He planted a kiss on the back of her head. "You know what? I'm glad Missy and Xander didn't come with us. I don't think I would have had as good of a time."

"I totally agree. We needed some 'us' time."

A bolt of lightning lit the dark night sky and several seconds later, the power went off. Buffy and Angel were left in complete darkness.

"Shit," she cursed when a rumble of thunder came from outside. "We lost power. Now what?"

"Maybe it's only a broken fuse. Where's the fuse box?" asked Angel.

She thought for a moment, trying to recall. "Outside. Five feet off the ground on the right side of the sliding doors."

"I'll go see if I can fix it."

She reached over, opening a drawer on the end table. "Here's a flashlight. Dad always keeps one here just in case. Take it with you. And be careful."

He took it from her. "I will be."

Buffy didn't move a muscle in the entire five minutes Angel was gone. Every time there was a roll of thunder, she jumped. Ever since she was little, she'd been deathly afraid of thunder. Moreso, she hated being alone during a thunderstorm.

"It's not a busted fuse," Angel announced when he returned. "The power is totally out. The lightning must have hit a power line or something. We'll have to wait awhile until the power company comes out and fixes it."

She took the flashlight from him, rainwater dripping on her hand in the process. Turning it on, she flashed it on him. "You're soaked to the bone."

"It's pouring out there."

"You should get out of those clothes before you catch pneumonia."

"I should."

Another crash of thunder sounded, only this time, Buffy screamed. "Are you okay?" Angel asked.

"I'm afraid of thunder. As in deathly afraid," she divulged. Yet another one sounded and she screeched.

"Come here," Angel told her. She fell into his arms and he stroked her hair. "It's okay. I'm right here."

"Hold me?"

"Whatever you want."

Angel simply held Buffy for a few minutes. He leaned down to kiss her, hoping it might take her mind off the electrical storm brewing outside. It deepened to passionate in a short amount of time.

"We should probably stop," he said between kisses. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to stop, though. In fact, he knew he didn't want to stop.

"I don't want to," Buffy answered. "I-I want to do this."

"Buffy—"

"No. I mean it." She took his left hand in hers and placed it over her right breast. "I want you to touch me. Like last night. Only I don't want to stop this time."

Angel took a deep breath. "Maybe we should wait."

"I've waited thirteen years, Angel. I love you. And I want to do this."

She kissed him, praying that he wouldn't tell her to stop. His hand remained where she'd put it, but his other one traveled to the small of her back, holding her in place. Their kiss intensified and she thrust her tongue into his mouth, brushing it against his until the two were dueling. She moved her arms around his waist, untucking his wet t-shirt from his shorts.

Angel broke the kiss. "Bedroom?" he asked breathlessly.

Buffy shook her head. "Too far. Here. Right here."

And as the storm raged outside, the rain pounded against the windows, the thunder crashed and wind blew. The occasional bolt of lightning lit up the otherwise dark living room where Buffy and Angel gave in to their feelings and desires and made love.

---

The power came back on in the middle of the night. The lights turned on, as did the air conditioning and the television. The volume on the television was so loud that it woke up Angel. He opened his eyes, unsure of where he was and why it was so loud. Buffy lay next to him, mere inches away. A peaceful, contented smile adorned her face, proof that she was sleeping soundly.

Angel got up off the floor to turn off the lights and the television. He didn't want them to wake up Buffy as they had him. The first thing he turned off was the television. In doing so, he came to the realization that he was completely naked. 'Maybe I'd better put on a pair of shorts or something,' he thought. So he reached into his overnight bag, pulling out a pair of black boxer shorts. Slipping them on quickly, Angel turned back to see if his girlfriend had woken up.

Buffy lay on the floor, uncovered and hiding nothing in her slumber. For the first time, he was seeing her. It had been too dark while they were making love for them to see one another clearly. And she was utterly breathtaking. There was no part of her he could see that he didn't love.

The previous morning, he'd placed his blanket on the back of the couch, so Angel grabbed it before turning off the lights. When he laid back down again, he covered them both up with it. The last thing Angel wanted was for Buffy to feel uncomfortable when she woke up. Placing a feather-light kiss on her forehead, he went back to sleep.

---

At nine forty-three, Buffy began to stir. Being an early riser, Angel had been awake for two hours, but did not want to leave her side. He'd been watching her sleep since nearly eight in the morning.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled shyly when she looked right into Angel's brown eyes. It all came back to her: being comforted by him when the power went out and the thunder crashed, kissing him and telling him not to stop, asking him to make love to her, and falling asleep in his arms afterward. He had made her life-long dream come true.

"Good morning," Angel greeted, lightly stroking her silky blonde tresses.

"It's morning already?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yep. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping. It's perfect."

"No more rain?"

"Nope. It must have stopped after we fell asleep."

Buffy sighed happily. "Thank you."

"For what?"

She snuggled tighter in his embrace. Her cheek rested on his broad shoulder, his arms were wrapped around her waist. "For last night. You made me feel so safe."

"I wanted to help you forget about the storm brewing outside. You must really be afraid of thunder," he commented.

"Terrified," she admitted. "But not last night. I never felt so safe and secure in my life."

"That's what I'm here for."

"Wh-what time did you wake up this morning?" Buffy wanted to know.

He shrugged. "Around eight, I suppose."

"Did you got out for your morning run?"

"No. I didn't want to leave your side so I watched you sleep instead," he answered. "Besides, I think I got enough exercise last night to get me through the day."

She frowned with worry. "Angel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push that on you. We've only been together for a couple of weeks, but I've wanted it for so long. I don't know how long you and Kelley waited before you two slept together, but I feel like I pushed you into something you didn't want. Did I push? 'Cause if I did, I'm sorry and –"

"You don't have to apologize for last night, Buffy. You didn't push me into doing anything I didn't want to do. And I don't even know what the standard waiting period is for what we did last night. In the three years Kelley and I dated, we never once made love and that's the reason she broke up with me."

"Never?" It was one thing to hear the rumors around school, but it was different to hear it straight from Angel.

"Not once. Maybe deep in my heart I knew she wasn't the one I was meant to share that experience with. You were." Angel paused. "Buffy, I didn't screw up at all, did I? I did everything right?"

"I don't know. There's nothing else for me to compare it to."

He looked at her with shock evident on his face. "But I thought…"

"That the rumors were true?" she finished. "I'm not a slut and I haven't slept with anyone else. Last night was the first time for me, too. How could I give my body to someone else when my heart belongs to you?"

"I didn't mean to insinuate anything."

"I know you didn't. I've dated a lot of guys and people automatically assume I slept with them. When I was in eighth grade, my mom gave me the sex talk. What happens, how special it is and that you should only share it with someone you love. And in my heart, in my mind and in my dreams, that someone was always you."

Angel put his fingers under her chin, lifting it as he lowered his head to kiss her. His tongue slid into her mouth and she opened it wider to accommodate him. Buffy broke the kiss shortly thereafter.

"Ugh. Morning breath. Someone needs to go brush his teeth," she teased.

He narrowed his eyes. "Ha ha."

---

With Buffy dressed in a white tank top, khaki shorts and a pair of tennis sneakers, and Angel in a blue t-shirt, jean shorts and sneakers, the two of them took a walk along the beach. They had originally planned to go for a short hike through the woods, but the ground was still muddy from the previous night's storm. So instead, they planned to walk down to the pier two miles down the beach.

She wrapped her arms around his right one. "I can't believe we have to go back tomorrow morning. I don't want to leave."

"Neither do I," agreed Angel. "Too bad we couldn't stay for another day."

"If you call in sick for work we can," she suggested kiddingly.

"I wish I could."

"Yeah, I know. God, I never want to leave. This weekend has been perfect."

Forty-five minutes later, they reached the pier. It was for the most part deserted with the exception of several people fishing and a few other couples walking around. When they couldn't walk any farther, Angel took Buffy into his arms.

"I love you. I can't seem to stop saying it," he said.

"Then don't."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip-toes to reach her lips to his. Their kiss was gentle and loving, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves by making it more passionate.

An older couple in their sixties watched with smiles on their faces as Buffy and Angel kissed. "Aww," the lady gushed.

With embarrassed expressions on their faces, Buffy and Angel broke their embrace and blushed when they saw the other couple watching them.

"Now do you see what you've gone and done, Anna? You have embarrassed these poor kids," her husband chastised. "Why don't you apologize?"

"Sorry about that. It's just that you two looked so cute. And so in love," Anna commented.

"Thank you," Buffy replied. "We are."

"You'll have to excuse my Ted, he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. How long have you kids been together?"

Buffy and Angel exchanged glances. "Three weeks," Angel answered. "But it seems a lot longer. We've known each other since we were little kids. It just took us a little while to get together."

"How sweet. Ted and I have been together for forty-four years now. The best years of my life."

"That's great."

"And I'm still as in love with him as I was when I was twenty. I wish the same for the two of you. I can see you'll make it. There is something in your eyes that tells me you're in it for the long haul. Good luck."

Buffy grinned, hoping with all her heart Anna was right. "Thank you. Same to you as well."

---

When they returned from their walk, the two of them started dinner. Angel still couldn't believe what an amazing cook Buffy was. She'd prepared a sirloin steak smothered with fried onions and mushrooms and gravy, mashed potatoes and broccoli. For dessert she made peanut butter chocolate chip brownies.

At ten after eight, the two of them sat on the beach watching the sun set over the ocean. Buffy's head rested on Angel's shoulder, his right arm flung around her shoulders.

"Dinner was delicious, by the way," Angel complimented. "You're an outstanding cook."

"Years of practice, I guess."

"I don't think I can move a muscle. I'm so stuffed!"

She playfully punched him in the side. "You'd better be able to move. I've got big plans for us tonight and you'll definitely need to move to partake in them."

"I'm not *that* stuffed," he said, playing along.

Buffy put her head back on his shoulder. "This is such a beautiful scene. The sun setting along the ocean horizon…if I could draw, I'd draw this."

"I'll keep that in mind next time I have my sketching pad out."

"You draw?"

He nodded. "A little. I mostly sketch and doodle, though."

"You draw, you write, you get straight A's…is there anything you *can't* do?" she asked.

"Haven't found anything yet."

The sun dipped below the horizon and five minutes after it did so, Angel grabbed Buffy and scooped her up into his arms. She squealed when he began to walk toward the house.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Well, you said you had plans for us tonight and I could use some exercise to burn off some of those excess calories I got from dinner. Unless you are opposed to the idea," Angel informed her.

"You won't find any opposition here. I'm all yours."

He carried her inside the house, heading straight for the bedroom. Angel was going to make damn sure everything was perfect this time around. No sooner had he placed Buffy back on the ground than she pulled his shirt off. His muscles rippled under his tanned skin as she ran her hands along his chest. She could feel the beating of his heart and she smiled. 'He is so perfect, everything I imagined he'd be. I'm so lucky I found him and that he loves me back,' Buffy thought.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

They kissed with a passion the extents of which they'd never experienced before, even the night before.

A pang of nervousness went through Buffy. "Angel, stop for a second. I-I'm really nervous. Scared."

"Why? You don't have to be nervous. It's just me."

She bit her lip. "I know that, and that's why I'm scared. I don't want to disappoint you."

"What are you talking about?" Angel couldn't understand where these things were coming from.

"What if I'm not what you expected? I don't want you to see me and think 'What the hell was I thinking?' or wake up in the morning and go 'Giyah!'. I couldn't stand it if I lost you because I'm not pretty enough."

"Buffy, that's crazy talk. I love you and I'd never think that."

"Still…"

Placing his pointer finger on her lips, Angel silenced her. "I-I saw you. This morning."

"What?"

"Sometime in the middle of the night, the power came back on. When I got up to turn everything off, I saw you sleeping. And the sight of you, it was so wonderful, so perfect and beautiful. It didn't disappoint me at all. I'm still here now, so that should tell you something."

"Really?"

Angel nodded. "Really. Now, are you going to let me finish what I started?"

"Okay."

Buffy ran her hand along the side of his face. "I love you, Angel. Only you, for the rest of my life."

He closed his eyes at her words. "I know. Me, too."

"Will you hold me until I fall asleep?"

"You never had to ask."

After he'd settled into bed under the covers, he took his love in his arms. "Remember yesterday when we were talking about our dreams?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah."

"This was mine. Right here, right now. Falling asleep in your arms. And you made it come true. This is all I ever dreamed of."

Angel kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad I could make it come true for you. And I'll do my best to make them all come true. Every last one."

---

A horrific nightmare woke Buffy up several hours later. She bolted upright in bed, her eyes filled with frightened tears and her breathing heavy. Holding the blanket to her chest, she tried to catch her breath. Angel, who'd been asleep next to her with his hand resting on her stomach, awoke a minute later.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up alongside her.

Her lower lip quivered as she touched her hand to his warm cheek. "You're real? You're really here?"

"Of course I am. Where else did you expect me to be?"

Buffy rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "I…it must have been a dream. An awful dream."

"I'm thinking it must have been really horrible if you're so upset. What did you see? What happened?"

"It was a nightmare, Angel. I dreamt that none of this happened. You and Kelley never broke up, you went to the Prom with her and I asked you to dance. When I told you how I felt, you laughed at me. Everyone laughed at me. You and Kelley and Xander and Harmony and Cordy and your sister…the entire senior class! You said I was just some snobby little princess and that you hated me. It was horrible!"

Angel put his arms around her, holding her so that her back was pressed against his chest. "It's okay, Buffy. It wasn't real. Right here, right now…this is real. I swear it."

She felt his hands moving under the blanket to embrace her. "Promise?"

Planting a kiss on her shoulder, he replied, "You have my word."

---

At noon the following day, Buffy walked into her house. She was both happy and sad at the same time. On one hand, she'd spent the most perfect weekend of her life with the man she loved. On the other, she was disappointed that it had to end. And that she and Angel had to part. They'd kissed and held each other when she dropped him off at home, but he promised to call her when he got home from work.

"Buffy. You're home awfully early," Mr. Summers commented when his daughter entered the kitchen.

"Yeah. Wanted to beat the holiday traffic. How was your meeting in Seattle?"

"Boring. But everything's okay now, we worked it out."

She smiled. "Glad to hear it."

"And how was your weekend? Did you have a good time?"

Buffy blinked. 'Does Dad know?' She always felt as if her father could see right through her. And she knew he'd be livid if he found out she'd lied about spending the weekend with her friends. Especially when she had actually spent the weekend with her boyfriend.

"Yeah. We had a great time. Girls' weekend and all that, big fun," she lied.

He turned back to his newspaper. "And Prom? That went well, I suppose?" he continued, not showing a great deal of interest. He only asked because he felt he was obligated to.

His lack of interest didn't go unnoticed by Buffy. Her face fell. "I was voted Prom Queen."

"That's great, honey," he replied casually. "Glad you had fun."

"I'm going to my room to unpack my stuff," she informed him, biting her lip to hold back her tears. She hated being back home; she missed Angel. Not just him, but she missed having someone around who was concerned about her feelings. Her father obviously didn't care.

"Cordelia called this morning and wants you to call her back," Mr. Summers said. "Didn't she go with you to the beach house? I thought you said she was."

'Oh shit,' she thought. 'Now what?' "Um, she had a family thing to do. Her parents wouldn't let her go."

"All right. Oh and, Buffy?" he called before she stepped out of the room.

She turned around. "What, Dad?"

"Wear something nice to dinner tonight. I have one of my business associates coming over."

"Okay."

"Why don't you invite your new boyfriend to join us? That way I can meet this young man of yours and you'll have someone to talk to."

Buffy shook her head. "He has to work tonight. Maybe some other time."

She left the room, heading straight for her bedroom. Upon closing the door, Buffy leaned against it, a solitary tear falling down her cheek. 'Angel, I need you. I miss you so much. I need your arms around me right now.' She wondered what he was doing at that exact moment.

---

Angel stood on the front porch for close to five minutes after Buffy pulled away. He kept his eyes on her car until she made a left-hand turn at the end of his street, heading in the direction of the wealthier side of town. It felt strange for him to be away from her. They'd spent nearly every minute together since Saturday morning. He missed her sunny presence already.