DISTRIBUTION: you may have it, just ask ;)
DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Buffy, angel, willow, chopin, or disney's sleeping beauty. in addition, I have no claim to the brand names kleenex or rochers. the shop names in the story are my invention; any overlay with actual store names is purely coincidental. I do, however, claim rites to the happy, fluffy ending (which evil joss would NEVER devise *frowns fiercely*)
RATING: G or PG, depends on how conservative you are
FEEDBACK: yes, please... I need the validation ;)
SPOILERS: not unless you don't know who Buffy and Angel are *hehehe*
SUMMARY: Buffy and Angel have a wonderful, romantic date, then buffy falls ill and angel plays nursemaid. this is a (some what tardy) reply to Ryan's challenge, posted below.
Hey,
Well I feel horrible. I'm sick and burning up, I cant sleep and I'm suffering from aftereffects of watching the crossover again, so I'm issuing a fluff challenge and hoping one of your kind souls takes pity on me and fulfills it...........here goes.............
Must Haves
No Riley, No Kate
Buffy having a fever and angel cooling her off(gotta love that cold body!)
A shopping spree like the one in pretty woman
a romantic date
a fairytale...preferbly sleeping beauty
the movie pretty woman
and lots and lots of fluffy happiness
Try to include 5 of these
fairy slippers
rochers(those r those chocolate balls with hazelnut filling)
a picnic under the stars
a black meshy skirt
a game of brutal truth
the song Because of you by Celine Dion
a box of purple tissues
and ice cream
Ok well thats my challenge not the best ive ever sent but I mainly just want fluff.
let me know
Ryan
p.s. anyone who wants to post this on their site can.

ONE

It was eleven o'clock, and Buffy could barely contain the impulse to jump up from her seat, and run out of the room. Only eight hours until Angel arrived.

Eight hours until she found out what he had planned for the evening... She smiled a secret smile, full of mischief and anticipation, as she remembered his words to her on the phone the night before. No details, no hint of what he had in store, just a not-so-subtly worded suggestion to "wear something special".

She almost laughed aloud at the slightly bewildered tone in his voice when she teased his that his suggestion necessitated the need for an emergency shopping trip; he seemed genuinely surprised that she "didn't have anything to wear". A silent giggle ran through her mind at the realization that, 250 years of living and 12 months of daily exposure to Cordelia aside, Angel still had not the foggiest clue about the female obsession with the perfect dress. Well, she hoped to change his appreciation for couture fashion with the little number she had in mind... Snapped back to reality by the professor's announcement that there would be a quiz on the lecture on Monday, Buffy sighed with resignation; her hour of daydream filled fun would have it's price-- a weekend of studying Willow's notes on the material she had been to preoccupied to absorb. Oh, well, *play first, work later*, she thought with one last hidden grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TWO

Buffy and Willow stopped in front of the display window, their conversation halting as each beheld the dress in silence. Buffy gazed at the gown with an expression of rapt pleasure, while her companions features mirrored vague unease.

"Uh, Buffy, are you SURE that's the dress you want? I mean it's so, so..."

"Perfect", Buffy said with a wicked smile.

"Well, 'perfect' isn't quite the word, I was going to go with..."

"Absolutely exquisite?"

"Um, no, actually the word I was looking for is 'bare' ", said Willow, as a crimson flush slowly stained her cheeks.

Buffy chuckled at her friend's blush. "That's the whole idea, silly."

"But Buffy, you'll be able to see... oh, oh I get it, i-it's su-supposed to...", the redhead trailed off, clearly embarrassed with the train of thought.

"Precisely, Will, this dress is designed to DISPLAY, and I know just what I want to wear with it."

Two hours later, Buffy and Willow returned to the dress shop, laden with packages from Sunnydale's most exclusive stores. There was lingerie from Chamene's Boutique, perfume from La Eau, a pair of strappy stiletto sandals from The Foot Fetish, and elegant long black gloves from The Lady Finger Shoppe. With one last look at the coveted dress, Buffy opened the door of Porter Moi, and marched inside.

"May I help you?" asked a snooty sales girl, dressed from head to toe in fashionable, understated taupe.

"Yes, I'd like to try the dress in the window."

"That dress is not for sale," the girl replied with a contemptuous sniff.

"It's in the window, isn't it? And this IS a store where you sell dresses, right?" Buffy asked impatiently.

"Yes, but that dress..." the woman's voice trailed off as Buffy withdrew a platinum card from her wallet. "... will be waiting for you in the back dressing room."

Buffy shared a smug smile with Willow as the sales girl hurried to retrieve the dress from the window display. "Don't you just love the things a guilty parent can be driven to?" Buffy asked, waving her father's visa triumphantly.

A few moments later, Willow's breath caught as she viewed Buffy in the gown. Dressed in black from head to toe, her skin seemed to glow and her hair shimmered as if gilded. The bodice of the strapless creation was made of watered silk, and the skirt billowed out in yards and yards of black mesh, which layered upon itself, creating a misty barrier which offered hints of the limbs beneath without blatantly exposing them. All together, the effect was that of a naughty fairy tale princess.

"So, Will, what do you think? You think Angel's gonna like it?"

"Buffy, I think he's going to flip when he sees you in this!! It's like... like Sleeping Beauty, only ..." Willow halted, unsure whether or not to continue.

"... only a little wild, right?" teased Buffy. "Well, that's just what I'm going for; I feel like Sleeping Beauty, like I've been sleeping for a hundred years, and onlyAngel can wake me up. Of course, since we are talking fairy tales here, I suppose he'll have to kiss me... But then, that's the whole idea!"

Two hours later, after returning to Buffy's house, packages in hand, just in time to catch "Pretty Woman" on ShowTime, Willow said goodbye, and Buffy headed upstairs to get ready. Four o'clock; only three more hours until Angel arrived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THREE

Angel arrived at seven o'clock sharp, surprised to find no car in the drive way. He knew Joyce often worked late, but he didn't expect her to be at the gallery this late on a Friday night. Slightly uneasy, hoping nothing was wrong, he walked to the front door and rang the bell. Moment later, the door opened, and all thoughts of Buffy's mother fled in the wake of the vision before him. Drinking in the site of her beloved face, alight with joy, and her delicate frame, draped so seductively in the gorgeous dress, he was struck anew by the beauty that was uniquely hers, both inside and out.

"Buffy, you look stunning" he said with all sincerity.

"Thanks, you look wonderful, too" she replied, her gaze sweeping his tall frame, clad in formal wear.

"If you're ready..." Angel said, offering his arm.

"Anytime" Buffy said softly, as she took his arm, and they made their way to his car.

The California evening was warm, with a gentle breeze wafting through the park, when they arrived at the outdoor concert. Although surrounded by socialites in thousand dollar dresses, dripping with diamonds and sipping champagne, Buffy had never felt more at home. She smiled fondly at the source of her pleasure, the gentle, handsome man who was spreading a blanket under the stars, slightly apart from the rest of the crowd.

"Buffy, are you sure this is OK? Your dress..."

"My dress is fine, Angel. Anyway, I wore it for you; if you don't mind a few wrinkles, why should I?"

Almost melting under the weight of love pouring form her eyes, Angel all but whispered, "I don't mind..."

Drawing her down to sit on his lap, Angel opened the picnic basket retrieved from his car. With a flourish, he unveiled its contents: succulent shrimp, chilled and served with a light cocktail sauce, an astonishing array of cheeses and fruits, fluffy miniature croissants, and several small, gold foil- covered balls. As the soft strains of Chopin's etudes drifted through the air, lightly scented with the fragrance of spring's first blossoms, Buffy relaxed in the arms of her beloved, eating sinfully delicious food and basking in the contentment of the moment. As the final noted died, and faded away, she drowsily lifted her head from its resting place in the hollow between Angel's neck and shoulder, and gazed mistily into his eyes.

"Tonight was perfect, Angel. Thank you." With those words, she laid her palm softly against his cheek kissing him gently.

"I'm glad you had a nice time." he whispered against her lips. "I wasn't sure if this would be you, but..."

"Are you kidding?", Buffy teased softly, her eyes alight with tender mischief, "you, romantic music, and Rochers... what more could a girl ask for?"

"So, you're telling me that the chocolate was a big part of the reason you enjoyed tonight?" Angel teased.

"Well, it was yummy, but I can think of a few things that taste better..." Buffy replied, a sultry light entering her eyes.

"Oh really? What could you possibly find more tempting than chocolate?" Angel asked, a carefully studied mask of innocence blanketing his face, belied only by the answering gleam in his gaze.

"Well... how about an entire night filled with kisses from a gorgeous hunk who just happens to know the way to my house?"

"An entire night, but what about your mother? Won't she be a little... upset if I spend the night at your place"

"Didn't I tell you, mom's out of town until Tuesday. Something about a big auction. So, the question becomes, do you think you can top the Rochers?" she asked saucily, jumping up to stand before him, one hand on hip.

"That's a tall order, but I'll see what I can do."

With a laugh, Buffy skipped towards the car, the echoes of her taunting "hurry up, old man" echoing in the night. With a bemused smile, Angel packed up the basket and the blanket, and hurried after the girl who held his heart in the palm of her small hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOUR

The next morning, Angel awakened with a vague sense of unease, a feeling that all was not right with the world. Groggily glancing at the illuminated clock on the stand beside Buffy's bed, he saw that it was 11 o'clock, the dark curtains pulled over the windows having allowed no stray sunbeams to give clue as to the lateness of the hour. While the very fact that Buffy had not awakened him sooner was a bit surprising- as she usually rose around 9 on the weekends, and let him sleep no later than 10- he did not panic... until he became attuned to the labored breathing of the girl laying beside him. Instantly alert, he laid his hand on her forehead, and called her name. Though her flesh felt overly warm, it was not dangerously high; however, the fact that her only response was a groggy *hmmm* concerned him. Angel switched on the lamp, and gently raised Buffy to a sitting position, propped against his chest, her face cradled in his palm.

"Buffy, honey, I need you to wake up now. I need you to tell me what's wrong. Buffy..." After a few moments, Buffy blinked her heavy eyelids open and raised her slightly unfocused gaze to Angel's face.

"Angel? Wha... Whatsa matter?" she slurred.

"Buffy, you're sick, you've got a fever... can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Jus... just feel all fuzzy... tired."

"I think you need to go to the doctor, you're usually not sick at all. I'll call Giles, and he..."

"No! No doctors! They're all closed on Saturday, and I don't wanna go to the hospital" Buffy replied agitatedly, weakly trying to push him away. Angel cuddled her closer, knowing her aversion, almost a phobia, about hospitals.

"Shhh, shhh. OK, no hospitals, at least for now, but if you get any sicker..." With a sigh, Buffy relaxed against him.

Gently lifting her in his arms, for it soon became apparent that she had little strength to stand on her own, Angel helped her to the bathroom, where he stood impatiently outside, at her blushing insistence, listening fearfully for the sound of her falling. After she emerged scant minutes later, shivering with chills, he wrapped her in a blanket and carried her downstairs, settling her comfortably on the sofa, remote in hand, while he set about the task of cooking some cream of mushroom soup. When he returned to the living room some minutes later, it was to find her shaking, the blanket pulled up to her nose. Frowning in concern, he lifted her onto his lap and pulling the blanket more closely about her. When it became obvious that she wasn't about to lift her arms from the warm cocoon he had fashioned for her, he began to feed her the soup, one blessedly hot mouthful at a time. She began to doze off about halfway through the bowl, and Angel let her sleep, cradled in his arms, while he watched a documentary on the history of the war horse, content just to hold her.

Buffy awoke a few hours later, her head feeling as if someone had stuffed it with cotton wool, and her body feeling as if it was on fire.

Finding herself alone on the sofa, she restlessly threw off the blanket and promptly began sneezing violently. Angel, having heard her, rushed from the kitchen, where he's been preparing another meal of soup and fruit juice. Seeing the steaming bowl in his hands, Buffy frowned in distaste.

"Angel, I can't eat any more soup, I'm too hot."

"Well, ok... but Buffy you need to eat something, to help your system fight off this infection..."

"I know," she sighed, "I just don't have much appetite."

"Is there anything you can think of, anything you could eat?"

"I don't know, maybe... how about ice cream?" she asked.

"Ice cream?... I don't know, Buffy, that might be too heavy ..."

"But it's what I want!" she frowned petulantly, "And I'm sick, so I should get whatever I want..." she wheedled, her best innocent face in place. "And besides, it might help me cool off."

With a sigh, Angel returned to the kitchen, coming back moments later bearing a large bowl of ice cream. Buffy ate a few bites of the cold confection, before reluctantly agreeing that Angel might have been right; she was as hot and uncomfortable as ever, and now she felt slightly queasy. Noticing the slight green tinge to her pallor, Angel hastily set the bowl aside.

"Are you ok, Buffy?" he asked, worry evident in his tone.

"No, I'm not. My head's all stuffed up, there's nothing on TV, that ice cream made me sick, and I'm wasting my day with you, and we d-don't have m-many.." she trailed off, tears welling in her eyes, ill and overcome with frustration.

"It's not wasted; I love any time we can spend together, whatever we do. I'm just sorry you don't feel well." Angel chided, before kissing the tears from her eyes, and gathering her into his arms.

"mmm, Angel, you feel so good, so cool..." Buffy sighed, snuggling her feverish body more closely against his cool frame. A sudden idea occurred to her...

"Take off your clothes, Angel."

"Wha-what? Buffy, I really don't think you're up to..."

"Just take them off! I'm hot, and icky, and you're going to cool me off!!" the Slayer petulantly replied. With a small smile, Angel did as requested, and soon found himself clad only in his boxers, blanketed by his love's unnaturally warm, t-shirt clad body. Armed with the remote, Buffy flipped through the channels at a furious pace, before squealing with delight at discovering "Sleeping Beauty" on the Disney Channel.

"Oh, Angel !! I LOVE this movie. It's my favorite out of all the Disney cartoons. I really like the... I guess you think this is all pretty silly, huh? If you want to watch something else, something less childish..." Buffy trailed off, an insecure expression on her face.

"Silly? Childish? What could be less silly than a beautiful love story? And what could be more 'adult' than the story of that love surviving a curse, hmm?" Angel said softly, his eyes full of love for the woman in his arms and gratitude for the second chance they'd been given.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Buffy said softly, giving him a gentle kiss before settling back to watch the movie.

As the ending credits of the movie paraded across the screen while Aurora and her prince danced a dreamy waltz, her gown changing colors with each flick of the fairies' wands, Angel gazed adoringly at the face of his slumbering mate, now tinged softly with the peach glow that signaled her returning health. Her fever had broken midway through the movie, and he covered her with the blanket again after gently easing her to lie on the sofa, before standing and stretching. Gazing ruefully at the purple Kleenex littering the floor and the assortment of bowls and glasses strewn about the sofa, he decided the clean-up would wait until the morning. Right now he had more important things to do...

Lifting Buffy into his arms, he carried her effortlessly upstairs and placed her on the bed. After double-checking the curtains one last time, he joined her, shifting her to lie within the cradle of his embrace. Rousing somewhat at the movement, Buffy lifted her head and gave him a sloppy, off-center kiss.

"ummmm", she all but purred, "much better than chocolate...", before drifting off again.

Angel snuggled her closer, and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep with his greatest treasure snuggled by his side.

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