Rating: Fun for the whole family, but not in a 7th Heaven cheesy kinda way.
Disclaimer: No money, no profit, no capitalism of any kind.
Spoilers: Scope of BtVS and AtS
Summary: This is a Deede fic, so it would probably be a correct assumption to hypothesize that the story involves Buffy and Angel, and well, to explain any further would be cheating. :-)
Dedication: This fic is for Rae, who is a dear friend and whose talent astounds me. In writing this I had hoped to maybe perhaps help her regain a smidgen of renewed interest in two very brilliant shows.
Special Thanks: To Deb, for the beta job. She rocks!

He was breathing. She could feel the faint wisp of air tickle her cheek as she bent over his fallen form, saw that his chest rose and fell as his lungs filled and then emptied, just as she heard the gentle rhythm of his heart beat, its music filling the soft silence of night as it mingled and danced with her own. She shivered as the realization of what was happening to him filled her, a tremor starting at the base of her spine and working its way up to cause her shoulders to quiver. Her eyes blurred as a light sheen of tears marred her vision, and her mind reeled with the combination of excitement, happiness, peace, and fear, all swirling around in her soul in a dizzying rush of dawning hysteria.

And his eyes opened, dark, endless chocolate pools of wise and knowing depths, ageless windows into a soul as old and as honorable as time. His gaze connected with hers, as he continued to stare at her and she at him. It didn't matter that the world had been turned upside down, and that they were surrounded with the remains of a vicious war, didn't matter that their friends and family were slowly starting to circle around them, having picked themselves up and brushed themselves off after a particularly grueling battle, it also didn't matter that he perhaps had a broken rib, and she a sprained ankle, because at that moment, at that space in time, the only thing that existed was Buffy, and Angel, and this pull between them that was as forceful and powerful as it had been on the night they had first met.

"Angel!" Cordelia squealed, rushing towards her friend with unbidden enthusiasm as Wesley, Gunn, and Fred joined her in swarming around the recovering warrior, surrounding him with a circle of friendship and family.

And just like that the moment was broken. Buffy forced her eyes away, the reality of the situation rushing through her consciousness as shadows filter through twilight. She slowly stood up, ignoring the pain that shot through her leg, brushing her hands off on the knees of her jeans, all the while feeling awkward and unsure. These were Angel's friends, the ones he had fought side by side with the past few years, the ones who had more of a right to share in the surprising joy of his recent twist of fate then she did. And for a moment she watched as they embraced him with hugs and surrounded him with laughter, her own heart both uplifted, and dejected by such a sight.

She slowly walked away, her head turning to discover the whereabouts of each of the Scoobies, assessing their state of being, and reassuring herself that they had survived Armageddon unscathed. She watched as an exhausted Xander gave Anya a hand up, and turned to find Willow and Tara sitting quietly in each others arms, a sense of relief evident in both of their features. Spike stood with his back against a wall, his hand holding a shaking cigarette to his lips and Giles came up to her and handed her a coat, knowing without asking what she needed to do and why. And she gave him a small, sad smile, twisting her head to give her own family another quick once over before turning away and limping out into the night, wanting some time alone for quiet reflection, and peaceful solitude.

*****

Buffy watched the waves gently kiss the shore from her perch atop an eroded cliff, marveling at the way the sparkling body of the ocean expanded for miles, blending with the sky off in the horizon where it made it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. A soft, cool breeze filtered up, caressing her skin and ruffling her hair, bringing with it the salty, musky scent of the sea. She didn't know how long she had been there, one hour or an eternity. It didn't really matter. It was nice just to sit there, to stare off into no direction in particular and let her mind wander from one subject to another without any sort of order or effort. She smiled as she heard the fall of footsteps behind her, sensing the presence of others without annoyance as she allowed the gentle feeling of companionship enter her reflective mood.

"Care for some company? Willow and I thought we might find you out here," Xander asked in a whisper that still managed to puncture the stillness of night. Buffy turned and gave them a small nod, granting each a small smile as they settled down on either side of her.

"We've been missing you back at slayer central. Everyone is celebrating living through yet another apocalypse and its just not the same without you, the queen of apocalypse survival," Willow stated with a gentle, teasing tone as she nudged her friend's shoulder lightly with her own.

"Just needed recover time, that's all. It was getting suffocating in that building," Buffy replied, justifying herself as she kept her eyes locked on the sea.

"I'm sure it was," Xander responded, sharing a look with Willow, "though we were both surprised you took off like that considering Angel just reached that legendary Shanshu that Wesley said might happen if we won this war."

"We won the battle, not the war," Buffy stated ironically, with neither malice, nor anxiety in her voice. "Although we just took a big step for the home team, I don't think it will ever really be over."

"True, but for Angel it is, and for you," Xander continued, staring at his friend with concern. "The hellmouth is closed, Buffy, the End of Days has been won, come on and show a little excitement here!"

Buffy chuckled softly, finally turning to meet her friend's gaze. "I am excited, we've worked hard and we did win. I'm also at a kind of loss because I don't know what this means or where we go from here."

"Are we talking about where we go slaywise from here, or where you go from here knowing that Angel is now human and thus free for wild sex and a somewhat normal relationship?" Willow asked with sudden insight, reading into her friend's morose thoughts.

Buffy smile deepened, while she shook her head and chuckled softly at her friend's not so subtle meaning, "It took me years of trying to be normal to discover that normal is a completely relative term," she stated without elaborating further.

"So," Xander said bluntly, plucking at grass with his fingers. "So normal is relative. So you've spent the last seven years or so fighting evil. So Angel has spent centuries as a vampire that is now available for dating for the good of humanity and slayers alike. So we're sitting here acting like anti-social types when we should be partying the night away. That's life, it happens. You have to live in the now, Buff. It was you who taught us that," he finished with exaggerated bravado.

"Did you guys come here to set me up, or to celebrate winning this battle that has been hanging over our heads for months?" Buffy asked exasperated, not really wanting to dig deeper or go into share mode.

"Both," Willow replied with a smile, affectionately ruffling her friend's hair. "Angel was asking for you so Xander and I decided to take matters into our own hands and bring you back kicking and screaming to accept fate like a good girl."

"He was asking about me?" Buffy questioned, her eyes lighting up some, catching the reflection of the moon.

"Ah ha! It is all clear to me now. This little journey out for Buffy alone time wasn't really about waxing the philosophical meaning of slaying and how life shall continue to develop from here, it was about good, old fashioned insecurity that goes hand in hand with wondering whether this man you once dated would be willing to go for another try now that the reasons for your breakup no longer apply," Xander announced with a dramatic pose, as if he were Sherlock Holmes unraveling a case.

"Wrong, it was about solving world hunger, initiating global peace, and finding a way stop street violence," Buffy joked, trying to half-heartedly keep the mood lightened before giving up and finishing in a more serious tone, "Angel and I have lived apart for years now. We're different people now. I think it's kind of natural to wonder if he still cares or if I should even try to rekindle something that may or may not be a done deal, regardless of how much I really want to try."

"You know what I think?" Willow asked. "Though I'm going to tell you whether you want to know or not," she continued with an impish smile in her friend's direction.

"I think the circumstances surrounding your and Angel's romance are some pretty amazing twists of fate if you think about it. I mean this guy is born over two hundred years before your birth, gets turned into a vampire, and gets cursed with a soul, then you are born, called into being a slayer that he just happens to find, and fall head over heals in love with despite the fact that you are supposed to be mortal enemies. You can't tell me that happens all the time. Do you really think that fate would mold time, allow all that to take place, and finally grant Angel his hard earned humanity to NOT be some sort of cosmic HINT that you two are destined to be together?" Willow surmised, waving her hands to emphasize her point.

"And to add to that, I think you're being rather cowardly by sitting here and not even trying to see if that good ol' Buffy/Angel magic is still there, and the Buffy I know and love is not a coward" Xander added with his own insight, "I mean, I've known you for seven years, Buffy, and not once during those seven years, during the loss of curses or the absence of Angel, have I ever known you not to be in love with the guy, even when Riley was here in the picture. That tells you something, if you chose to look at it."

"Since when did you become a supporter of my relationship with Angel?" Buffy inquired, sending Xander a somewhat baffled expression.

"Since I realized that I'd probably be more friend-like if I encouraged you to go after what would make you happy, Buff. And since life with Anya has taught me that there is more to a demon, or rather, an ex-demon, than murder and mayhem," Xander answered honestly, his dark eyes taking on a rare serious light.

"Well, wonders never cease," Buffy teased, laughing at her friend's faux hurt expression.

"Hey, quit dodging the point," Willow exclaimed, entirely intent on going back to the topic at hand when a voice interrupted her potential rant.

"So kind of you guys to move this party to the beach," Cordy's voice interjected, startling the scoobies as they turning to find Cordelia, Wesley, and Angel walk up to them. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Well, you found us," Willow said with a smile, standing up to greet the LA gang. "Just out of curiosity, how did you find us?"

"Angel thought you guys might be here, he didn't really tell us why. Good instinct though cause here you are," Cordelia answered, not missing the look that Willow and Xander sent Buffy at her reply, and guessing what the conversation had been about before they had arrived.

"Yeah, really good instincts," Willow responded, not bothering to hide the irony in her tone. Although her unsubtle hint or pushes no longer mattered in the scheme of things because once again Buffy was looking at Angel, and he was looking at her, and like their earlier experience nothing else in the universe existed but the two of them.

"I was thinking," Angel spoke after a warm, comfortable silence in which they both silently devoured each other's presence with their souls, his voice soft and somewhat uncertain. "That it's been awhile since I've eaten human food, and it's been awhile since I've been in Sunnydale, and so I was wondering where a good place to eat around here might be?"

A wide grin slowly spread across Buffy's features as she slowly stood and took a few uneasy steps to stand before him, the last of her doubts and insecurities retreating into oblivion. "I could show you," she offered, her voice no more than a whisper, "if you're up for some company?"

"I was hoping you might offer," the former vampire replied, his eyes shining with unrepressed joy.

Buffy held out her hand, and Angel reached out to take it in his own, and just for a moment the world stopped spinning as their skin came in contact, causing Buffy to quiver, though never from the cold. She watched as their fingers interlaced, and his hand gripped hers firmly, as if he were afraid she'd change her mind, and for a moment the symbolism of their grip was not lost on her, for here were two beings, interlacing their lives once more and proving that a love that is true, deep, and abiding will not die or lessen with either time or separation.

And they turned, and walked off together in the moonlight, flushed with long repressed desires brought to the forefront once again as their respective families watched them go.

"I hope it works out for them this time," Xander said softly, wondering if he'd ever met two people more deserving of happiness.

"It will," Wesley said assuredly, also watching the couple with a decidingly moved expression. "The heroes have come full circle, and now it's time for the happy ending."

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