DISCLAIMER: Not mine, don't sue.
TIMELINE: The future?
SPOILERS: None, really.
SYNOPSIS: UTTERLY PLOTLESS! Buffy finds a surprise on her front doorstep.
DISTRIBUTION: Anyone who already has stuff on their site is welcome to it. If you'd like it, email me
AUTHOR'S NOTES: More manifestation of my current Human Angel Obsession
FEEDBACK: But of course… how else will my fragile ego get stroked?
RATING: PG
DEDICATION: To Joss. Cuz, well... he's God! (Even though I don't like him right this second... ;)

Friday. May. It was a sunny morning like a hundred others since Buffy had been in school. And like many of those mornings, she came out of Stevenson Hall late for breakfast. She didn't spend all night hunting demons anymore… mostly because there didn't seem to be any more demons. But her body clock hadn't yet figured out that she wasn't still the Slayer, and she continued to be a 4am - 11am sleeper. Made life as a plain old run of the mill human being virtually impossible. Not to mention taking morning classes.

Friday. May. Late breakfast. The proverbial dragging of the perpetually late ass. The stumbling out the front door; the initial shocked squint of her eyes at the morning sun; a quick greeting to Angel sitting on the steps as she trotted by. She gave him a casual 'hi' and kept going… no time to chat with…

Buffy froze. Wait a minute…

Angel looked up the moment she walked out the door. Buffy stared at him, and wondered how long he'd been sitting there. Why he hadn't just come up to her room, and how the hell it was that he was sitting there, casual as you please, sipping on a travel mug of coffee and sunbathing, and not a big pile of ashes on the step?

"Hey," he said, and gave her the brightest smile she'd ever received from him.

Buffy stood there with her mouth hanging open, and watched the daylight glancing off his deep chocolate eyes and making his pale skin nearly glow.

She wasn't sure which was more shocking -- the fact that he was sitting here at 11 am, or the fact that she wasn't completely surprised to see it. She eased down beside him on the step.

"H-hi…" she stuttered, unable to meet his gaze.

"So, I hear today's your last final," he said.

Buffy nodded, but didn't look at him or say anything. She could feel the vibration of his heartbeat reverberating against her skin.

Or maybe that was just the shock finally taking its toll.

Angel tried to pretend that he wasn't dizzy, sitting so close to her, overwhelmed by her sweet scent and the sheer sense of power that still clung to her. He went for the always handy cool-factor.

"So, um… Say, would you like to go get a cup of coffee with me some time? I mean, now. I mean… if you don't… have plans…"

He cringed inwardly. Less like a suave ladies' man, and more like a Xander. Buffy did not go get coffee with Xanders… at least not the way Angel wanted to go get coffee with her.

"You have coffee," she said, nodding toward the cup in his hands.

He glanced at it. "So I do," he said, and looked up at her again, "I meant new coffee. If you're not busy."

"It's 11 o'clock in the morning. Did you think I'd have a date?" she said. Buffy didn't mean to sound snotty or glib. She just had too much energy to burn these days, and she was getting increasingly upset that she wasn't more upset about the sudden appearance of a very non-combustible and apparently human Angel on her front doorstep.

Angel gulped, and Buffy watched a blush sneak up his neck and face from beneath his collar. "I… I wasn't sure, really. I mean… Riley…"

Buffy cocked an eyebrow at him, "Someone told you today was my last final, but they didn't tell you Riley and I broke up like, a million years ago? Your source sucks."

He didn't look at her, "It was Willow."

"Yeah, well, like I said. You know, this is one of those reasons why people call first." She was trying to make the tone lighter, the scene less tense, but she didn't think it sounded any better than anything else she'd said so far. She just wished she could stop shaking.

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" he asked, a half-smile twitching the corner of his mouth as he finally looked at her.

Buffy looked deep into his eyes, and smiled broadly. "Have I ever?"

Angel chuckled.

She spent a few moments examining him closely. "You know, you look pretty chipper for a guy who's been dead for a couple hundred years…"

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Listen, lady. I'm only human. I don't have a whole lot of time, you know? So, I'll break down the scenario for you. You come with me, now, and we have a cup of coffee. I'll tell you about Final Judgement…"

"Is that like Final Jeopardy?" she cut in.

Angel silenced her with a glance.

"Sorry," she said.

"I'll tell you about Final Judgement and how I became a human being again, you'll go get an A on your exam, and then later we can settle down, get married, have 2.3 kids, a house, a dog, and a minivan, and live happily ever after. How does that sound to you?"

Buffy grinned at him like an idiot, her heart in her throat, her eyes quickly tearing up.

"You're making some pretty major assumptions, aren't you?" she reminded him, her smile not fading.

Angel shrugged. "Like I said. Time is short. You only live once… usually. So, how about it?"

Buffy leaned over and kissed his soft, warm mouth in response. He seemed pleased with it.

She pulled away. "I say 'sure' to the coffee and the story; 'probably not' to the "A" and 'HELL YES' to the rest of it. Except I want an SUV."

"Deal," he exclaimed, slapping his knees as he abruptly stood. Buffy almost turned into a puddle of some sticky, oozing, formerly human substance to see that he was wearing blue jeans. Levi's, as a matter of fact. She could tell by the perfect way they hugged his big thighs and climbed up his trim waist as though they were hand-tailored for him. Now if only she could get him to turn around…

Angel reached out his hand to her, "Come on. I hear chocolate chip pancakes with sour cream calling my name."

She took his hand and rose to stand beside him. Alive, he seemed taller. Bigger, somehow. It probably had something to do with the fact that for the first time he was actually stronger than she was. They were just a guy and a girl, no longer Slayer and vampire. Not only had the rules changed, they weren't even playing the same game anymore.

Buffy liked it. Just a normal girl and her normal boyfriend. Which they were… mostly… almost… or, soon to be? Now who was making presumptions?

"That's really gross," she said happily, and leaned into his broad chest. He smelled like sunshine and sandalwood.

Angel put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "It's either that or eggs benedict, and I'm thinking they don't serve eggs benedict in the school cafeteria."

Buffy shrugged, snuggling as close to him as she could as they began the trip to the snack bar. "This is California. You never know."

Several women gave Angel an appreciative glance as they passed by, but he didn't seem to notice. Buffy did, and she puffed up proudly as they walked, and Angel helpfully identified the many species of flowers that lined the sidewalk.

Happily ever after. Oh YEAH!!!!

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