"Heart To Heart"
Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com
Notes: This is the sequel to "She Needs You." There is nothing to be
written after this one, unless I get an amazing amount of feedback begging
me to write more.
Mrs. Summers helped her daughter out of the car. Buffy's two week stay in the hospital had weakened her considerably. She had to lean on her mother as they walked to the front door.
"Are you okay, honey?" Mrs. Summers asked as she put the key in the door.
"Mmm-huh. I just need to get some strength back. I'll be one hundred percent in a few days."
"Just take it easy for awhile." Mrs. Summers opened the door and Buffy walked inside. In the living room, she was greeted with a banner that read WELCOME HOME, BUFFY! A folding table had been set up in the middle of the living room with a sheet cake and plates, napkins and silverware. Standing behind the table were Willow, Oz, Xander, Anya, Giles, Riley, Cordelia and a man in his late twenties whom Buffy didn't recognize.
"Welcome home!" they shouted.
Buffy grinned. She couldn't believe that her friends went to all this trouble for her. "You guys did all this for me?"
"We're glad to have you back." One by one, the group gave Buffy a gentle hug. Riley, whom she had broken up with only a few weeks earlier, held her tighter than the rest.
"I'm glad you are doing better, Buffy," Cordelia said. "Have you met Doyle yet?"The injured Slayer shook her head. "Angel's mentioned him. You're his partner, right?" she asked Doyle.
"You could say that. I prefer spiritual guide, but I'm not particular. Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot of great things about you," he said as he shook Buffy's hand. She was struck by his accent. Irish, she decided. Buffy wondered if that had been what Angel sounded like when he lived in Ireland. "The same here. But I think Cordy exaggerates a little."
"Please," Cordelia replied sarcastically. "You really think I mention you? I don't think so." She walked away toward Willow and Oz.
"Angel thinks the world of you," Doyle said to her.
She blushed. "I think the same of him. Thank you so much for coming. If I'd known I was going to be meeting you, I would have dressed better."
Doyle smiled. "I'll get a chance, I'm sure of it. Glad to see you're feeling better."
"Thank you." He headed off in Cordelia's direction, but stopped to chat with Xander.
Buffy went into the kitchen and found her mother pouring a bag of potato chips into a large tupperware bowl. "Did you plan all this?" the Slayer asked.
"It was Willow and Xander's idea. Did you see Riley?" A smile appeared on Mrs. Summers's face.
"Yes, Mom."
"He called quite a bit while you were in the hospital. He cares about you."
Buffy looked away with guilt. "I know. But I broke up with him."
"You two should get back together. You are such a cute couple."
She slammed her fist on the counter. Pots and pans rattled. "Damn it, Mom, get a clue. It's over. Riley and I will not be getting back together. I don't even know why you invited him."
Surprised by her daughter's sudden outburst, Mrs. Summers could only look at her. "Don't give me that attitude. Your friends were thoughtful enough to have this party for you and you're upset because I invited Riley?"
"No! God, you have no clue, Mom. When I broke up with him, it was with the intention that I wouldn't have to see him anymore. I just don't care about him that way."
Mrs. Summers picked up the bowl of chips. "He cares, Buffy. You can't hate a guy for caring."
She sighed. "I don't hate him," she said under her breath, too low for her mother to hear. Upset by the argument with her mother, Buffy went upstairs to the solitude of her bedroom. She didn't feel like socializing anymore.
Night fell several hours later. Buffy did not return to the party, but did explain to Willow what was wrong when her friend came upstairs to see her. Willow understood Buffy's feelings on the subject of Riley. Instead of being with her friends, the Slayer sat on her bed and watched television. By the time nine o'clock rolled around, all she wanted to do was sleep.
Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, the sound of someone climbing through her window jolted Buffy's eyes open. She looked over to see Angel standing at the foot of her bed. A smile formed on her face. "Hello, stranger."
"Hey. I'm not waking you, am I?"
Buffy shook her head. "No. I couldn't fall asleep. I missed you at the party." Thinking about the party only upset her.
"Sorry. Willow invited me, but I couldn't make it. Daytime and all."
Buffy looked away, embarrassed. Sometimes she forgot about the effects of sunlight on Angel. "I forgot. You didn't miss much, though."
"Doyle said you and your mom had a fight."
"Yeah. She invited Riley; was pushing me toward him again."
Angel sat down next to her. "And you don't want to?"
"She doesn't understand that I don't want to be with him. It's you, Angel. It had always been you. Mom just can't see that."
His thoughts drifted back to the day Joyce Summers visited him at the mansion; implying that he was bad for her daughter. He knew now that Buffy's mother had been trying to get him out of the picture so she could push Buffy toward someone else. How could her ulterior motives have slipped past him? He watched as Buffy yawned. "You're tired."
"I don't want you to leave. Stay with me. I need to feel your arms around me."
"Anything. Just get some rest." He laid down on the bed and held her in his arms. She rested her head on his chest, her hair spilling over his neck, leaving him with the scent of her lavender shampoo.
Buffy didn't stir or even make a sound, for she fell asleep immediately when she closed her eyes. The warmth of her body on his made Angel, for the first time in years, feel warm himself. He closed his eyes, though didn't fall asleep.
Light streamed into the room through the bedroom door. Carrying a blanket, Mrs. Summers gasped to see Angel in her daughter's bed. She wasn't aware he had returned. He heard her gasp and opened his eyes. Unsure of what to say, he decided not to say anything.
"Angel," Mrs. Summers said simply. "I wasn't told you were back in town."
Slowly moving Buffy's sleeping body, he stood up. "I came back when I heard what happened."
"I'm bringing her a blanket. I'd like you to leave now."
"I promised her I would stay." Angel had no intention of leaving. He wasn't going to let Joyce Summers run his life too.
She stared coldly at the vampire. "Fine. You will have to leave eventually." She placed the blanket over her daughter and left the room.
Angel followed her. He wanted to finally have it out with Mrs. Summers. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she realized that Angel was behind her. "What?" she demanded.
"I think we need to talk."
"I'm tired and I think you should leave."
"I am not leaving until we talk. Look, Joyce, I will not leave her."
"You are not good for her. Buffy can't see straight when she's around you," Joyce argued.
"She is nineteen years old. She should be able to make her own decisions."
Mrs. Summers groaned. "I am her mother. I know what's best for her."
"You only think you do. I've been told about Riley, and Buffy says you are pushing him on her. Can't you even see that she doesn't want him?"
"He's better for her than you."
Her words hurt Angel because he knew them to be true. He couldn't deny that he would only hurt Buffy and cause her pain, but he knew he would love her unconditionally. "I know that. But Buffy and I love each other. I make her happy, Joyce. Isn't that what you want for her?" She didn't answer. "I am not leaving her, so get used to it." He turned on his heel and went back upstairs. Inside Buffy's room, he pulled the shades over her windows to protect against the inevitable sunlight. He had no plans to leave Buffy that night. Or the next morning. Angel returned to his place on her bed, placing her back in his arms again.
Buffy awoke, feeling Angel's arms around her. She moaned, loving the safety his embrace gave her. Buffy looked over at her alarm clock, seeing that the time read ten forty-three. Panic ran through her, afraid that something might happen to Angel in the sunlight. Then she noticed that the shades were drawn and figured that he had intended on staying. He's not going to leave me. The thought brought a smile to her lips.
Quietly, she climbed off the bed, not wanting to wake the sleeping vampire. He is so adorable when he is sleeping. Buffy went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Her mother sat at the table reading the newspaper while chewing on a banana. "Good morning," she greeted cautiously. She knew to tread lightly around her mother.
Mrs. Summers glanced up. "Morning. Did you sleep well, honey?"
"Like a log."
"That's good. Buffy, I'm sorry about yesterday. For what I said, for what I did. I was only doing what I thought was best for you."
"I know that, Mom."
Mrs. Summers swallowed hard. "You deserve to be happy. And you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy."
Buffy eyed her mother suspiciously. "What are you getting at?"
"If Riley...if you don't love him, it's okay with me. I know that you still love Angel. Buffy, you should be with him, if he is what you want."
"Why? What brought this about?"
"I had a heart to heart with someone else who wants you to be happy. He's upstairs right now."
"You talked to Angel?"
Mrs. Summers laughed. "It's more appropriate to say he talked to me. He helped me see how selfish I've been, telling him to leave you alone."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Buffy didn't understand what her mother was saying.
She decided to fess up about her involvement in Buffy and Angel's breakup. "Last year, when Angel left, I was responsible."
"Mom--"
"No, Buffy, don't interrupt. Before the prom, I went to him; told him that you two didn't stand a chance. How you should be with someone normal. And I put the idea in his head to leave Sunnydale."
Buffy glared at her mother. She could not believe what she was hearing. "You put that crap in his head? I thought it was because he didn't want to be with me anymore. But it was you? How could you?"
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "I hate you."
"Don't hate her," a voice interjected from the entrance to the kitchen.
The women turned to see Angel standing in the shadows. Buffy ran to the windows to block the sun from the kitchen. "Why not? After everything she did?"
"Because leaving was my choice. I made up my own mind," said Angel. "Don't hate your mother. Hate me."
"I can't hate you. I love you."
"And you love your mother. You can't hate her either," he reasoned. "Buffy, she's been there for you more than I have. We both love you. We both want what's best for you."
Mrs. Summers put her arms around her daughter. "Angel is what's best for you. I see that now. He's a good man, always puts you first. Buffy, it's what I have always wanted for you. Not that it makes much of a difference, but you two have my blessing." She smiled. "Not that you ever needed it."
"I'm beginning to like these heart to heart talks with my mom," Buffy mused as she and Angel went back to her room.
The End