RATING: PG-13 for this part
SUMMARY: This is the sequel to my story "The One I Waited For." Takes place between Parts 65 and 66.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never will be. Don't sue me, you won't be getting much.
DISTRIBUTION: If I gave you permission for the previous story, you can take this one too.
FEEDBACK: I'd like it, if you don't mind.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story won't be as long as the previous one, but I hope you enjoy it just as much. A big thanks goes out to everyone who has sent me such positive feedback for "The One I Waited For" and for all those who requested a sequel. This is it. Sort of.

// Denotes flashback \\

1

(December 15, 2002)

"Are you getting excited?" Willow asked.

Buffy pushed the straw around her soda cup, not really paying attention to what her best friend was asking. "What did you say, Will?"

"I asked if you were getting excited."

"About the wedding? Of course I am. I'm looking forward to it. Geoffrey's great."

Willow shook her head. "I'm not talking about the wedding. I mean Angel."

"What about him?"

She gave Buffy a dirty look. "Don't play dumb, Buffy. It's been over two years since you two have seen each other. You've got to be pretty excited about it."

Buffy had a faraway look in her eyes. She could still see Angel's face clear as day. Her mind wandered to the last time they'd laid eyes on each other. The night before he left for Cleveland, he'd dropped her off at home, they said their good-byes and shared a long hug. They promised to keep in touch through letters and phone calls.

//"Do you really have to leave?" Buffy asked.

Angel nodded. "I'm sorry. But we both need time to grow up. We're not mature enough yet."

"I don't want you to go. You're leaving because of those mean things I said to you. Well, I take them back! I didn't mean them, I never did. Don't leave because of that," she said with tears running down her cheeks.

"Maybe if you'd said that two weeks ago, things could have been different. I don't have a choice now. It has to be this way."

"No, it doesn't. We can make it work. Please!" Buffy begged him.

He frowned. "Don't do this, Buffy. We need this time apart."

"You're being a jerk about all this. We're meant to be together, can't you see that?"

"I used to think that, but I'm not sure. I don't know what I see anymore."

Buffy closed her eyes and opened them again. "Nothing I say is going to change your mind, will it?"

"No."

"How am I supposed to live without you?" she asked, tearing up again.

"You'll move on. You did it before."

"And it was hell!" she shouted. "I can't move on, I won't. I'll wait for you, Angel. When you come back, I'm going to be here waiting. I'd wait forever for you."

He touched her cheek, wiping the tears away with his pointer finger. "Don't save forever for me, Buffy. I want you to be happy, and if you find that happiness with someone else, don't give up on it because of me. Promise me that much."

"I'm not promising that. You are the only man who can make me happy. Don't you know that by now?"

"You'll always have my love. A part of my heart will forever belong to you. But when I'm gone, I don't want you to give up on love. Maybe I was just a stepping stone to something bigger and better," Angel told her.

"Don't say that! I love you. I could never love another man like I love you."

"Don't make this harder than it already is, Buffy. Please."

'He's making it sound like he's never coming back.' "Am I ever going to see you again?" Worry filled her voice.

Angel didn't know how to answer. He couldn't make promises to her that he might not be able to keep. On the other hand, he hated that he was breaking her heart. It hurt. "I hope so. But we will still keep in touch. I'll write and call."

"Like friends do."

"That's what we are."

Buffy shook her head. "We'll never be friends. We've been through too much to just be friends; shared too much. You are the only man I've ever cared about. Some of the happiest times of my life have been with you. We went to my Prom together, your high school reunion, survived meddling family and friends. Survived your mother and that bitch Nicole trying to break us up. Angel, we made love for the first time with one another, we had a baby! You and I can't be just friends after all that."

"There's no other way."

"Yes there is. Stay."

"I told you, I can't. Buffy, you don't know how much I've thought about this. I spent weeks weighing my options, thinking about those very things you just said. I want so badly to be with you, but it can't happen. Not now. We started out as friends and I'd like to start there again. Maybe it'll make us stronger in the end. But I'm not changing my mind about leaving. And I can do so with or without your friendship. I'd prefer to leave with it."

Buffy saw that there was no way to change Angel's mind. He could be just as stubborn as her. "Do you promise to call? And write me every week?"

"You have my word."

She threw her arms around him, holding on as if she'd never let him go. Feeling his arms around her felt like she'd finally come home from a long journey, if only for a short while, and it made her cry. Angel whispered in her ear not to, but she couldn't help it. She was about to lose her one true love because of her own stupidity.

Buffy brought her lips to his neck, kissing the exposed flesh gently. It was something she missing doing – tasting the sweetness of his olive-toned skin. So warm and smooth; she knew he had been put on the earth especially for her. No one else would love him as she did; no other woman could. Angel was truly hers, body and soul.

He pulled out of her embrace, looking down at her. Could he really leave her? He didn't have a choice. Bending down, Angel brushed his lips against hers. Their last kiss was sweet; he only wanted to have one last reminder of her kisses.

"I'm going to love you forever," Buffy said after their embrace broke apart.

"Me, too," he agreed. "I have to go now."

Buffy nodded. "Okay." She tried hard to keep from letting her tears spill out, biting her lip while her jaw quivered.

Angel paused for a few moments, gazing at her. He wanted to memorize her face, her every valley and curve. Every last detail had to be etched in his mind. "Good-bye, Buffy."

"Good-bye, Angel."

He turned and walked to his car. As he pulled out of the driveway, Angel couldn't bring himself to look at Buffy, standing on the front porch. It was too hard to see her standing there staring at him as he left her. Tears clouded his vision, but he moved forward.

Buffy watched him drive away into the night. When he had driven out of sight, she broke down and cried, collapsing on the steps. \\

"I am. But I'm really nervous about it," Buffy divulged to her best friend. "What if I've changed too much? What if he's changed? What if he doesn't feel anything for me anymore?"

"That's not true and you know it. Didn't he say that he can't wait to see you?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. But it's been two years. Maybe we don't have anything in common anymore."

"Of course you do. You'll always have something in common, Buffy."

"Sometimes I wonder."

Willow took a sip of her coffee. "When does his plane come in?"

"Tomorrow night at seven-thirty. Geoffrey's picking him up at the airport while Mom and I are getting our final fittings."

"And he's staying in your spare room?"

"Uh-huh. Right next to my bedroom. Somehow, I don't think it's a coincidence, either."

Willow laughed. "Me neither. Buffy, can I ask you something stupid?"

"What?"

"Do you want him back?"

Buffy shot her friend a look. "You're right, that was a stupid question. You know I do, Will. I'd do anything to be with Angel again."

"You haven't been out on a date since Angel left. You've been waiting for him to come back, haven't you?"

"He's the only man for me; the only one I'll ever love. This could be our second chance. And I'm not about to let this opportunity pass me by."

********

She closed the back door quietly behind her. Buffy knew her mother and Geoffrey were in the dining room going over last-minute wedding preparations. It had crept up on them so fast; the wedding was in only four days.

Hearing their voices, Buffy headed toward the dining room to let them know she was home. She stopped in the doorway when she heard what they were talking about.

"Is he bringing Megan?" Mrs. Summers asked her fiancee.

"He didn't say."

"If he's bringing her, maybe it's not a good idea to have Angel stay here."

Geoffrey sighed. "I don't want to see Buffy hurt any more than you do, but you have to remember that we invited him to stay here. And if Megan does come, we cannot take back our promise."

Buffy entered the room. "Who's Megan?" she demanded.

Mrs. Summers glanced up, surprised. "Buffy, honey. I didn't even hear you come in."

"I just got home. Who is Megan?"

"Sweetie—"

"Mom, tell me."

Geoffrey patted Mrs. Summers' hand. "Buffy should know, Joyce. It'll be better if she finds out from us rather than be shocked tomorrow."

She nodded. "You're right, Geoffrey."

"Well?" Buffy asked. "Who is she?"

"Honey, Megan is Angel's girlfriend."

********

2

Buffy swallowed, exhaling the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Girlfriend?" she repeated softly. A lump formed in her throat.

"Yes. I am sorry you had to hear about it like this, Buffy. I'm sure Angel wanted to tell you that himself," apologized Geoffrey.

She looked down. "Yeah right. How-how long have they been dating?" Buffy didn't want to imagine her Angel in the arms of another woman, telling her he loved her, making love to her, waking up beside her in the morning. 'This is some kind of a cruel joke. It isn't happening. Angel wouldn't do that to me, he loves me.'

"Buffy…" Mrs. Summers started. Her daughter was hurting and she wished she could take the pain away. Only one person could do that, and he wasn't around.

"Don't you think I deserve to know?" Buffy cried. "Tell me. I want to know…I need to know."

Mrs. Summers didn't have the courage to speak. Geoffrey had to tell her. "Since last Thanksgiving."

Buffy did the math. "A year?"

"Yes."

"No," Buffy said, tears in her green eyes. "No!" She turned on her heel, running out the front door into the night.

Buffy wanted to run away from reality, far away to where her every dream would come true. If it were possible, she would have run back to the past, to May of 1999 when her life had been perfect. When Angel belonged to her, when she had his love. They were so happy and carefree, enjoying the feeling of being loved and in love. It was intoxicating, but Buffy had sobered up upon learning that the man she loved was in love with someone else.

Half a block away, she dropped to her knees on the side of the road. Her elbows resting on her thighs, head in her hands, Buffy sobbed. This was far worse than when she and Angel shared their goodbye two years ago. At least then she held hope that he'd return to her, professing that he couldn't live without her. But now that seemed like a pipe dream.

Angel was finished with her. He no longer wanted to share his life with her; he had his own life now. With Megan. Buffy hadn't even met her and she hated the woman already. All because this Megan had the one thing she wanted more than anything – her Angel. 'He's been with her a year now. We were only together for eight months. What is it about her that made him stay? What does she have that I don't?' Buffy wanted to die right here. 'When did Angel fall out of love with me? And why didn't he tell me that he found someone else?'

A warm hand touched her shoulder. With her blurred vision, Buffy saw Geoffrey crouching down next to her. "Please, Buffy, come home. Your mother is worried. So am I."

"I can't. It'll be too hard, especially tomorrow. Maybe I'll just stay at Willow's or Cordelia's until after the wedding."

"We don't want that. And I know Angel wouldn't want that."

Buffy sniffled. "I don't think he'd even care. It's pretty obvious that I don't mean anything to him. I'm just some ex-girlfriend to him. He moved on and forgot about me."

"Angel still loves you very much."

"Sure he does. That's why he's with Megan."

"He does. Remember last Christmas when I visited him in Cleveland?" She nodded. "I saw him with Megan. She can't hold a flicker of a candle to you. He never looked at her the way he looked at you. He didn't have that look of utter love in his eyes when he looked at her. A man in love does not have portraits of his ex-girlfriend in his room. Hand-drawn portraits, Buffy. They adorn his spare bedroom like a shrine to you. You're still very much in his heart. Do you remember what you bought him for Christmas when he still lived here?"

"A crystal heart with our names engraved on it. It said BUFFY AND ANGEL FOREVER. I bought it before I went in the hospital," Buffy told him.

"Angel keeps it on the table next to his bed. There is no way he's over you, or has moved on. I know my son, and he can't move on. When he gave himself – his heart, body and soul – to you, he meant it. Megan may be someone he cares deeply about, but he doesn't love her. He loves you. Always has and always will."

She shook her head. "I used to think that until he left me."

"He'll be back tomorrow. It's apparent that you two need to talk about some things." Geoffrey helped her stand up, holding her about the waist as they walked back to her house.

"Geoffrey?"

"Yes, Buffy?"

She gave him a timid smile. "Do you think I can make him forget about Megan?"

"She'll be gone from his mind the moment he lays eyes on you. You've grown more beautiful since he left."

"You're sweet," she said, hugging her soon-to-be stepfather. "I just hope you're right."

********

"I think it's time we move in together," Megan Rafferty said to her boyfriend of over a year.

Angel stared wide-eyed at Megan. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked.

She sighed. "Angel, we've been going out for a long time now. A year. I like to think it's been pretty good, you and me. We work well together, we get along, the sex is great, and I think it's time."

"Megan—"

"No. Don't start out a sentence like that, with that tone of voice. It's only right. It's the next step for us."

"Moving in together?" He raised his eyebrows.

Megan nodded. "Uh-huh." She sat down next to him on the bed, where he had been packing his suitcases for his trip to Sunnydale. "I know this is a lot to chew on right now. We can talk about it on the flight to California. I'm so excited about the trip."

"Excuse me?" He honestly didn't know what she was talking about.

"I'm coming with you."

Angel shook his head. "I'm going alone."

"Why? I want to meet your family."

"You've already met Geoffrey. Last Christmas, remember?" Angel reminded her.

"Yeah, I know. But I want to meet your stepmother. Don't you think it's time we all get together and meet?"

Angel bit his lip. It was time to do what he'd been putting off. "Meg, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

He blinked quickly. "I—I'm not being fair to you. This whole relationship isn't fair to you."

"Okay, I'm totally lost. What on earth are you talking about?"

"You're a great person, Megan, but you deserve to be with someone who can love you completely. I'm not that man, I can't be. And with me going back to Sunnydale, it'll only be more confusing for us."

Megan stared blankly at him. "Confusing how?"

"My feelings are all jumbled up right now. There's a girl back there that I left. I loved her, I still do," Angel admitted.

"You mean Betty? Or was it Barbie? It's a strange name, I know that much."

"Buffy."

Megan snapped her fingers. "That's it. Buffy. Your ex-girlfriend. It's been two years since you've seen her. How do you even know you'll still have any feelings for her if you do see her?"

"I don't need to see Buffy to know I love her."

"Don't you love me?" she asked sadly.

"I care about you, I love you, but not in the same way I love Buffy. My heart belongs to her."

She shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. The only man she'd remotely cared about in a long time was dumping her for a second chance with a girl who'd dumped him. If she weren't so angry, she might have laughed about it. "You can't do this to me. I loved you when she didn't. I've been here for you when she wasn't. And now you're leaving me for some ex-girlfriend?"

"Buffy isn't just some ex-girlfriend. She and I were engaged to be married. Things happened to us that you couldn't possibly comprehend. We went through a lot. I need to figure out how I feel about both of you."

"What are the chances you're even going to see her? You're only going to be in town for a week. And even if Sunnydale is a small town, you will be busy with the wedding."

"I know I'll see her."

Megan narrowed her blue eyes, flipping her dirty blonde hair over her left shoulder. "What are you going to do, hunt her down? Stalk her? The girl dumped you, she moved on, now get over it. You have the chance to move on with me. Angel, you said it yourself that you love me. We can make it work."

"Not when I have all these feelings for her. And seeing Buffy will make it clear to me," Angel explained. "I need to know how she feels."

"Maybe she left town and you won't see her," Megan said hopefully.

Angel shook his head. Megan was grasping at straws and he knew it. Not that he blamed her; if their roles were reversed, he'd be doing the same thing. "She still lives in Sunnydale. Geoffrey is marrying her mother."

She made a face. "She's going to be your stepsister? That is sick. You're in love with your soon-to-be stepsister! What happened, Geoffrey started seeing her mother and you decided to keep it all in the family?"

"Buffy and I were together long before Geoffrey met Joyce."

Megan stood up. "I thought we had a future together, Angel. But you are still obsessed with your past; you can't let go. Well, I'm not going to sit by while you choose between your past with Buffy and your future with me and decide which looks better. Let me make the decision for you. I'm sick of it. I hope you are very happy with her."

Angel watched as she walked out the door. He felt bad for hurting her, but it was for the best. There was no way he could commit to a relationship with Megan if there was a chance he could be with Buffy. Thinking back to his conversation with Buffy right before he left town, he realized she was right. They shared too much to ever be friends. He tried fooling himself into believing otherwise, but his feelings were as strong as ever. He still loved Buffy. And he wanted her back in his life.

********

3

Buffy sat on the couch next to Giles, flipping through his most recent entry in the Watcher Diaries. Even though she was no longer the Slayer, and swore to her mother that she was staying away from demon-hunting, Buffy couldn't keep away. While she no longer patrolled at night, she kept up on what was going on in the demon community. It was out of obligation that she helped Giles and Kristin.

In July of 2000, Nicole was killed while on nightly patrol. A master vampire known as Spike, or William the Bloody, found her in an alley fighting one of his childer. Obviously angered that the Slayer had been diminishing the numbers of his followers, Spike took matters in his own hands. He seduced the young girl back to his lair, knowing of her youth, sexual prowess and inexperience in detecting vampires. Holding her there for weeks, he used and abused her, finally culminating in him snapping her neck, but not before draining the blood from her broken and bruised body.

Giles asked Buffy to take Kristin under her wing and show the new Slayer some of her best moves. Buffy was more than happy to oblige. Within weeks, Kristin became like a little sister to her. They developed a strong friendship, and she would do anything for the younger girl, even let herself be drawn back into the world of slaying.

"How is Geoffrey doing? Is he getting anxious about the wedding?" Giles wanted to know.

Buffy nodded. "I think so. He doesn't like to show it often, but I'm pretty sure he's scared silly."

"It's understandable; he has never been married. His only experiences with love have been somewhat disastrous."

"Yeah, he told me all about his affair with Angel's mother. It's really sad. I'm happy for Mom and Geoffrey, they love each other."

Giles paused for a moment before bringing up the next topic of conversation. "While we're on the subject of the wedding, am I still accompanying you?"

"I don't have any other guys lined up to take me."

"Not even Angel?"

Buffy sighed. "He might already have a date."

"Who?"

"Megan. His girlfriend. I don't know for a fact that he's bringing her, though," Buffy informed her former Watcher.

Giles smiled apologetically. Finding out that Angel was seeing someone else must have hurt her horribly. "I'm sorry to hear that. You still have feelings for him, yes?"

"As strong as ever. I am hoping he and I will be able to work things out. And maybe by this time next week we'll be back together."

"I hope so, too. You and Angel belong together."

Buffy whole-heartedly agreed. "We certainly do. Now I just have to convince him. That is, if he's willing to give up his life with Megan for a life with me."

"He will. When does he come back?" Giles asked.

"In a couple of hours. His plane lands at seven-thirty."

"Are you going to be there, ready to greet him with open arms?"

Frowning, Buffy had to shake her head. "Alas, no. Mom and I have to go in for our dress alterations at seven. And considering how slow the guy is, we probably won't be back until nearly ten."

"That would be disappointing if you didn't see him until tomorrow. Is he staying with Geoffrey at the apartment?"

"No, at the house with me and Mom. He's taking over the spare bedroom until after the wedding."

"Will you find it uncomfortable to have him in the house?"

"If Megan comes, yes. Because the two of them will be sharing the room next to mine. But if he's alone, I don't know. I'll probably keep thinking about how he's only a few feet away and I'm not there with him. Although if we work things out, I don't think we'll be sleeping in separate rooms."

He removed his glasses. Giles did that when he felt uncomfortable. "Oh…yes, of course. You two have…well…"

"Slept together, Giles. You can say it. How else could I have gotten pregnant with his son?"

"Yes, yes, Buffy."

"I want to remind him of what he had, and what we can still have. I've tried the friend thing with him and you know what? It sucks. We can't be friends when we've already been lovers. It's way too hard."

"You have your mind set, I see," commented Giles.

"Damn straight. Angel is the only one for me. This time, nothing is going to stop us from being together. Nothing."

********

After a delay of an hour in Kansas City due to a snowstorm, Angel's plane arrived in Sunnydale at nine o'clock. The extended length of the flight gave him extra time to think about what he would say to Buffy when he saw her. He couldn't come right out and say that he wanted to be back in her life. Maybe she'd found someone else, but hadn't told him, much like he had done. With a great deal of thinking, Angel decided to wait until after the wedding to tell her his feelings. That way he'd know for sure.

Stepping out of the terminal carrying a small suitcase, he found Geoffrey standing on the other side of the metal detectors. When he made his way over, he hugged his adoptive father tightly. Angel could not help but be disappointed that Buffy wasn't there to greet him.

"It's been so long," Geoffrey said after they'd broken their embrace.

"I know. It is hard to believe that a year's gone by since you came to visit in Cleveland. How have you been? Are you holding up okay?"

Geoffrey laughed shortly. "Very nervous. You?"

"Good. Things have been going well for me."

"I'm happy to hear that. The Hellmouth keeping you busy?"

Angel smiled. "Very busy. Between teaching history last year to teenage kids who really don't care and trying to record my findings on the population status of demons on the Hellmouth, life hasn't been boring."

"And how is Megan doing? She couldn't make it?" Secretly, Geoffrey was thrilled that the woman hadn't come. Things would certainly be less awkward for all of them, particularly Buffy.

"She and I broke up."

"I'm sorry, Angel. I know you cared about her."

Angel shook his head. "No, you're not. You didn't like her, I could tell."

"I didn't know her very well. And she didn't strike me as being overly friendly either. I could tell you didn't love her like…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Like I loved Buffy? Like I still love Buffy? No, I didn't. That's not to say I don't care about Megan, but she never made me feel the way Buffy does. Whole, complete, and utterly happy. There weren't sparks or passion. It was more of a deep friendship with sex thrown in. But not all encompassing love."

"Are you going to tell Buffy all this?"

"I'm hoping I won't have to. She doesn't need to know about Megan. It's not as if I've told her about my relationship with her."

They walked to the baggage claim. "Angel, she knows."

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What do you mean, she knows?"

"She overheard Joyce and I talking last night. She demanded to know the truth, and we told her. I'm sorry."

"Great," said Angel, sarcastically. "What did she say? Did she care?"

"Yes, she did. I'll let you talk to her about it."

Angel tightly closed his eyes. "I can't face her now. Geoffrey, I'm still so much in love with her. And now I've hurt her."

"Don't give up so easily. You two can work it out."

"I want to. I was going to tell her how much I still love her after the wedding. God, I even sold my apartment the other day so I could move back here once I decided it's what I want, I quit my job at the beginning of the summer. Everything was all planned out and now it's all a mess again. I had every intention of getting Buffy to love me again and building a future with her here in Sunnydale. What am I going to do now? What does she think of me? Does she think I forgot about her? I could never forget about her and what we had."

Geoffrey put a hand on Angel's shoulder. "You only did what she did when you two broke up – you moved forward with your life. Now it's all coming full-circle for you two. If you love Buffy, don't wait. Tell her as soon as possible. And make her believe it."

"What if she laughs at me?"

"Angel, you're thirty-one years old. Aren't you a little old to be worrying about someone laughing at you?"

"Not when it's dealing with my love for Buffy. I'm like a teenager all over again."

Geoffrey smiled. "So I've noticed. But I wouldn't worry too much. I think you two have a good shot at a second chance."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

********

Buffy and Mrs. Summers returned home at eleven-thirty. Their fitting was completed at ten, but they stopped for something to eat afterward. During their meal, Buffy kept glancing at her watch to check the time. She was anxious to get home and see Angel.

The house was dark and silent when they entered. The only sound that could be heard came from the refrigerator as it buzzed. "Isn't he here yet?" Buffy asked.

Turning on the kitchen light, Mrs. Summers found a note on the table. "He's here. Angel left a note saying that he's tired and went to sleep early."

Buffy's face fell. "Oh."

"You'll see him tomorrow. I'm sure he's just jet-lagged from the flight. If it's any consolation, there doesn't seem to be any sign of Megan. Angel came alone."

She brightened up. "Good. I might have kicked her ass for thinking she could come here and stay at my house with my ex-boyfriend."

Mrs. Summers laughed. "Good night, Buffy. Get some sleep."

"Night."

Buffy walked up to her bedroom, passing by the spare room on her way. She paused in front of the door for a minute, listening for any sound. Hearing none, she went inside her room. Changing into a tank top and flannel shorts, Buffy climbed into bed. As she lay under the covers, she heard the sound of Angel's bed squeaking as he turned in his sleep.

"Good night, Angel," she whispered to the darkness that surrounded her. "I still love you."

*********

4

At nine o'clock, Buffy's alarm went off, tearing her away from the wonderful dream she'd been having. She and Angel were in a hotel room, feeding each other strawberries and whipped cream. Such a simple act turned into a night of passionate lovemaking the likes of which they'd never experienced in reality. No words were spoken between them, they weren't needed. All they had to do was touch each other and that said it all.

She jumped out of bed, something she never did. On a normal day, Buffy would hit the snooze button for twenty minutes, but because she wanted to see Angel, she got right up. Dressing herself in her new blue jeans and a black blouse, brushing her long blonde hair straight down her back, she ran downstairs. The door to his room was ajar, so she knew he was awake.

Making her way into the kitchen, she found it empty. Another note lay on the table, Buffy immediately recognized Angel's sprawling script. Picking it up, she read it over, frowning as she did so.

Mrs. Summers and Buffy,

I apologize for not waiting up for you last night, but I was jet-lagged and exhausted from packing and settling affairs in Cleveland. It would have been great to have seen you both when I arrived. I've missed you terribly.

Unfortunately, it looks like we won't see each other until tonight at dinner. Geoffrey and I will be going to get my rental car, then get our tuxes fitted. There are several other things we need to take care of as well for the wedding, but they escape my mind this early in the morning. I made a fresh pot of coffee for you, I hope you don't mind. It's in the warmer. See you both tonight.

Angel

Closing her eyes, Buffy shook her head. Another missed opportunity; things weren't starting out right for them. 'This is the story of our relationship. Missed opportunity after missed opportunity. Can't anything ever go right for us or will it go on like this forever? Are we doomed to live like this?'

In the sink, Buffy saw a coffee mug sitting in there. It was the mug Angel used for his coffee that morning. She took it in her hand, running her index finger along the rim. All she wanted was something physical of his to touch, if she couldn't touch him.

"Morning, Buffy," her mother said.

Buffy nearly dropped the cup. "Hi," she replied quickly, replacing the mug back in the sink where she'd found it.

"What time did you get up?" asked Mrs. Summers.

"Fifteen minutes ago."

"Have you seen Angel?" A hopeful smile flashed on her face.

Buffy shook her head. "He and Geoffrey had to leave early to get some last-minute stuff done. He left another note. Are the four of us going out tonight for dinner?"

"Didn't I tell you? We're meeting them at Giorgio's at five-thirty."

"Giorgio's?" Buffy repeated.

"Yeah. What's wrong, don't you like that restaurant? Geoffrey and I have been there a few times and the food is excellent."

She gave her mother a smile. "It is. I -- Angel took me there for our first date."

"I didn't know he took you there."

"You were out of town that weekend. It was the day after Kevin and I broke up. Angel took me out to cheer me up."

"That's right, you did tell me. Remember to wear something nice."

"As if I'm going to look like some street beggar when I see Angel tonight. I don't think so. We haven't seen each other in two years, and I am going to knock his socks off." 'And other articles of clothing, too, if I can.'

********

After searching for two hours, Buffy found the blue sundress she wore the first time she and Angel went to the restaurant. She wanted to bring him back to that night three years earlier. 'That was the night we had our first kiss. I wonder if he remembers. Can we re-live history again tonight?'

"We have reservations under the name Kensington," Mrs. Summers told the hostess.

The young girl behind the stand smiled. "Yes, the rest of your party is already here. Please follow me."

She led Mrs. Summers and Buffy to the table. Geoffrey and Angel had their backs to them, so they didn't see the ladies approach. They stood up to greet them when they arrived, pleasant smiles on their handsome faces.

"Right on time," Geoffrey said.

Angel kept his brown eyes glued on his former fiancee. The two years that passed only enhanced her beauty. The dress she wore clung to her matured curves and accentuated her golden tan, despite the fact that it was mid-December. Her hair had grown since he last saw her, flowing four inches below her shoulders. One of the first things he noticed was that she no longer had a scar on her left cheek. 'Did she have it removed? Get plastic surgery and not tell me? Even with it, Buffy was beautiful. She'll always be beautiful to me.'

All those old feelings resurfaced. It was love at second sight. Angel knew, without having to second guess himself, he made the right decision in breaking up with Megan. There was no way he could have stayed with her after laying eyes on Buffy. He couldn't deny his heart.

'He's just as handsome as before,' thought Buffy. His hair had been cut shorter than she'd remembered, but still had his trademark spikes. She could not imagine him without them, they were so Angel. His upper arms were bigger, more muscular than they were before. She could tell, even through is white shirt, and Buffy wondered if it was because he'd been working out. Other than that, he hadn't changed a bit. On the outside, he was still the man she fell in love with. The man she still loved.

"Angel, how nice to see you again," Mrs. Summers said.

He nodded once. "Thank you. It's always wonderful to see you, Joyce." He shook her hand, then turned back to Buffy.

"Hi," Buffy said shyly.

Words escaped him for a moment. What could he say that wouldn't make him seem silly? He always seemed to turn into a bumbling idiot when she entered the room. "Buffy, hi." Instead of shaking her hand as he had her mother, he brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. Buffy smiled at the touch of his lips on her.

They all sat down, but Buffy and Angel never took their eyes off one another. Geoffrey and Mrs. Summers shared a knowing glance; the two lovers were on their way to reuniting, they could feel it.

The waiter came by a few minutes later to take their order. He waited patiently while the group decided on what they wanted.

"Pasta alfredo with chicken and a caesar salad with extra dressing?" Angel asked Buffy.

She grinned. "You remembered." It was what she had ordered on their first date.

"I remember everything about you," he replied honestly.

Buffy blushed at his words. 'Was he trying to tell me something just now?' "The same goes for me."

After their orders were taken, they began a tentative conversation. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your graduation last weekend. There was this demon in Cleveland that kept my busy. If not for it, I would have been there for you. It was a big occasion and I'm upset that I missed it," Angel told her.

"I understand. Duty calls. How are things going in Cleveland? It's been awhile since we last talked on the phone."

"A month. It's okay, I guess. I'll be moving back here to Sunnydale to complete my book, though. I have to study the effects on the demon population in the area guarded by a Slayer." Angel made most of the story up. He couldn't tell her he was returning so he could be near her. He didn't want to come on too strong, or sound too pathetic.

"You're staying?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"For good."

She nearly jumped for joy. Things were finally working for her, for them. Now she had a good chance at being with him. 'I can't let this pass me by. I have to tell Angel how I feel. Tonight.'

********

"Angel, do you think you can give Buffy a ride home? I'm going to help Geoffrey pack up some more of his things and bring them to the house," Mrs. Summers asked.

"No problem. I have a quick stop to make on the way."

"Thank you so much."

Buffy walked with Angel to his rented Ford Explorer. Always the gentleman, he held the door open for her. Climbing in the driver's seat, he buckled his seat belt and started up the truck.

"You don't mind if we stop by the cemetery, do you?" he wanted to know. "I'd like to stop by and see the baby."

"Not at all. I haven't been there in a few weeks. Sometimes it's just too hard to be there, knowing what might have been."

Angel nodded. "I know what you mean."

They sat in silence for the remainder of the drive. While Angel concentrated on the road, Buffy looked out the window, watching the houses pass her by.

Angel helped her out of the truck once he put it in park near the grave. Taking her hand, they walked stoically to their son's grave. Bowing their heads, the two of them said a short prayer for the child they lost. Angel bent down to wipe away the dirt on the headstone.

"Gregory would be two and a half," Buffy said sadly.

"I know. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, about what my life would be like if he'd lived."

"Me, too."

Buffy rested her head on his shoulder, and Angel pulled her into the comfort of his arms. For the first time in nearly three years, she felt safe and secure. His embrace was like home to her. Angel brushed away a few stray hairs from her cheek, tickling Buffy's skin with his fingertips. They lingered for a moment as their faces inched closer and closer. Slowly, their lips met in a soft, gentle, loving kiss that took them both by surprise.

********

5

"Do you think it worked?" Mrs. Summers asked Geoffrey when they reached his apartment twenty minutes later.

He nodded his head. "They're talking things out as we speak, I am willing to bet money on it."

"Are you sure? Megan's still a big part of the equation, and Angel might not want to patch things up with Buffy if he's with that other woman. I know I sound cynical, but I don't want to see him break my baby's heart again. She's had enough heartbreak in her life. Especially in the past few years."

"My son's not going to break her heart again, Joyce. He told me so."

"But what about Megan? He can't be with both of them at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I love Angel like he's my own son, but a long-distance relationship won't work, especially if he has a girl in each town."

"Megan is out of the picture," Geoffrey told his fiancee. "Angel broke up with her the other night. He's still in love with Buffy and couldn't commit to Megan if his heart wasn't in it."

Mrs. Summers still had doubts. Maybe Buffy and Angel were meant to be together, but she had serious doubts it would work out if they lived twenty five hundred miles away. "Angel's still living in Cleveland. They can't be together if they are living on different sides of the country. Something would have to give. Someone would have to give in and move to be with the other."

"That's why Angel is moving back to Sunnydale."

"When did this happen?"

"Apparently he's been thinking about it for a few months now. A few days ago he sold his apartment and once he finds a new one, he's going to send for his belongings. Angel wants so desperately to be with Buffy that he uprooted his life in Ohio to be with her."

Mrs. Summers smiled. "That's so like him to do something like that."

"Angel would give up everything he worked his entire life for to be with the woman he loves. All because he never thought he'd find her."

"Do you think they'll be able to work things out?"

"Hopefully, they already are."

********

Their lips met softly, almost unsure at first. They pulled apart slightly, but found their way back to each other a mere second later. As their tongues danced with each other in their mouths, their arms wrapped around one another. Buffy wound her arms around his neck, tickling the fine hairs on the back of his neck with her fingers. She ran them up and down, thrilled to be touching him like that again. Angel brought his hands to her cheeks, running them back through her hair. He tangled the long blonde tresses in his hands, then let them roam to her back. Angel had gone so long without feeling her, without touching her, that doing so overwhelmed him.

Angel pulled her closer to him, he didn't want to let an inch of space between them. Their kiss was so full of passion, full of love and so heated that neither wanted to tear themselves away. This was more of a reunion; the two of them re-declaring their love for one another. As much as he hated doing so, Angel had to break the kiss. They looked in each other's eyes in silence for a few moments.

"That was…" started Buffy, still dizzy from the kiss they'd shared.

"Amazing," Angel finished breathlessly.

"I didn't mean to do that. Honestly, I never planned it."

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her youth and beauty still astounded him, after all the time he'd spent away from her. "I didn't either. Not that I didn't want to, because I did, but not like that."

"Angel, I'm sorry. I really should not have kissed you like that. You're with Megan now and I know that. It was really stupid of me," Buffy said apologetically.

"It wasn't stupid, Buffy. I – I love kissing you. It's a pleasure and a privilege to do so. And Megan's not even in the picture anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I broke up with her. It happened a couple days ago, right before I came back here."

"Long distance relationships don't exactly work out well, I suppose."

Angel shook his head. "That's not why I ended it with Megan. I didn't feel anything with her. Not like I felt with you."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Felt?"

"The kiss…maybe sub-consciously, I needed to know."

"Know what?"

He gave her a half-smile. "If I felt anything."

"Did you?" Buffy was suddenly worried.

Angel took her in his arms, kissing her once again. "Does that answer your question?"

********

Back at the Summers' house, Buffy and Angel sat next to each other on the couch. They'd been sitting there for minutes, not really saying anything.

"What's going to happen now?" Buffy asked.

"Well, what do you want to happen?"

"I know I don't want to be separated from you any longer. I told you I wouldn't move on and I didn't. There's nobody else in the world like you, nobody makes me feel the way you do. Nobody ever could."

"I don't want to be away from you either. And I feel the same way you do, no one makes me feel like you do. Utterly complete and happy. Like I don't have to worry about anything when you're around."

Buffy ran her tongue over her lips. "Not even Megan?"

He shook his head. "Never. That's not to say I don't care about her, but she's not you. She never could be, no matter how hard she tried."

"Did you…"

Angel raised his eyebrows, awaiting her question, even though he was sure he knew what Buffy was going to ask. "Did I what?"

She paused, biting her lip. "Did you sleep with her?"

It was the question he'd been expecting. He did not want to hurt her, but he couldn't lie to her either. "Yes," he answered honestly. When she didn't reply right away, he was afraid he'd ruined things between them. "Buffy? Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I asked, you answered. I wanted the truth."

"You were hoping for a different answer, weren't you?"

"Honestly, yes. But I slept with Riley, so I guess we're even."

He closed his eyes. "I didn't do it to even the score, Buffy."

"Was she better than me?"

Angel took her hands in his. "She didn't even come close. Didn't I tell you I could be with a million woman and none of them would ever compare to you? You're the best, the greatest person I've ever known. I love you, Buffy. That hasn't changed."

"I love you, too. That's why I didn't move on when you told me to. I never dated anyone after you left. Never even entertained the idea. Because I've always known you are the one. We're supposed to be together, I know that."

"That's why I came back."

Buffy looked at him. "Huh? I thought you came back to finish your book on the Hellmouth."

"I only told you that because I was afraid of you rejecting me. So I made up that story just in case you did, so I wouldn't seem so pathetic and desperate to get you back. My book is done, it has been for months. It was only an excuse until I could find out if we had a shot at being together. Do we?" he asked nervously.

Buffy climbed onto his lap, facing him with her knees on either side of his hips. "You know we do. That's a stupid question, Angel."

They kissed again, only this time, neither one of them pulled back. It heated to a fever pitch until Buffy and Angel could no longer control themselves. Their hands roamed endlessly over each others' bodies, craving the touch they'd nearly forgotten. Neither could get enough, so they clutched and grabbed and scratched at any skin they could find.

Buffy ground herself against him, trying to get even closer. She felt his arousal pressing against her, and she welcomed it. It had been so long since they were together intimately, and she wasn't about to let yet another opportunity pass them by. Taking the initiative, Buffy moved her hand from his chest to run her hand over him where he was pressing against her thigh.

"Not tonight, Buffy," Angel moaned.

"Why not? Why shouldn't we? We're back together, we still love each other, and I want to be with you."

"I just think we should take things slower. Buffy, we can't just hop back into bed right away. I want it to be special, perfect, just you and me. What if your mom comes home and we're…"

Buffy giggled at the imagery. "She'll understand. But if you want to wait, that's fine. Just don't make me wait too long. I might go crazy."

"Wouldn't want that. And I promise we won't wait too long. We should get to know each other again. Believe me, it's taking all my willpower not to carry you up to your room and make love to you all night long."

"I'm not going to stop you if you can't hold back."

"Not tonight," he repeated.

She solemnly nodded. "Okay. Would you at least hold me until I fall asleep? It's been so long since I fell asleep in your arms."

"Now that I can do."

********

When Mrs. Summers came back from Geoffrey's apartment at midnight, she saw her daughter laying asleep in Angel's arms. Smiling, she took a blanket out of the closet and covered them up. They looked so peaceful and contented, Mrs. Summers didn't have the heart to wake them up.

"You two are going to make it this time. I just know it," she whispered to the sleeping couple.

********

6

Moaning, Buffy slowly opened her eyes. 'Where am I?' she wondered, looking around. It was dark and quiet, and she felt strong arms around her slim waist. 'What's going on?' The arms around her tightened, the person laying with his chest against her back groaned.

"I love you," Angel whispered, thinking Buffy was still asleep.

She remembered falling asleep in his embrace, and feeling completely safe and protected. Only with Angel had she ever felt that way. She brought her hands to where his were grasped together. "I love you, too," she repeated.

From behind her, Angel kissed Buffy's hair. "You awake?"

"Uh-huh. Sort of," Buffy replied, yawning.

"This couch isn't really very comfortable," he commented. "I didn't expect to fall asleep here."

"Neither did I. Did you get the blanket for us? That was so sweet and thoughtful."

"It wasn't me. Wish I could take credit for it, but the sweet and thoughtful act wasn't mine. It was probably your mother when she came home."

Buffy rested her head on his shoulder. "I just thought it was something you'd do. But it doesn't make you any less sweet and thoughtful that you didn't."

"You know, I could stay like this forever, holding you all night. I almost forgot how wonderful it feels. I missed it."

"So did I. But my back isn't liking this couch any more than yours is. I need something softer," Buffy said.

Angel nodded. "We should probably go to our own beds, then. And get out of these clothes. Sleeping in a suit and tie isn't my idea of pajamas."

"Yeah, I miss my pajamas. They're comfy."

The two of them stood up, holding hands. Buffy led him up the stairs, and didn't let go of him until they were at the door to his room. "Night, Buffy."

She was disappointed. "Do I have to go back to my own bed? I want to sleep with you."

"You really want to?"

"Of course I do. Just let me change."

They went into their separate rooms. Buffy practically ripped her dress off, leaving it in a heap on the floor. 'I'll put it in the wash tomorrow. So what if it's a little wrinkled.' Opening her dresser drawer, she pulled out a short tank top and flannel pants. She wasn't dressing to impress him, but she wanted to show him that everything she was belonged only to him; that she was his and his alone. After she put them on, Buffy walked back to his room.

She knocked lightly on the door. "Angel?" she whispered loudly, but not enough to wake her mother across the hall. "Can I come in?"

The door opened, and Angel stood on the other side in his sweatpants. "Sure."

Whenever she'd entered the spare room, all she saw was an extra room with a bed and a dresser. But with Angel staying there indefinitely, it had a different feel to it. Suddenly, it was *his* room, and she felt it everywhere. His presence was everywhere.

"I hope I wasn't being too forward by asking if I could stay in here with you," Buffy said to him. "I didn't think I could sleep alone tonight."

Angel shook his head. "Not at all. The bed would have been empty and cold without you in it anyway."

He let her in, closing the door behind her. When Buffy looked at him, clad in only his sweatpants, she realized she'd almost forgotten how sculpted his chest was. His muscles were even bigger and more defined than the last time she'd seen him. 'Those arms held me almost all night. I'm surprised he didn't crush me with them, they are so big. No, Angel's always been gentle with me, never purposely hurting me. He'd never do that.'

"Which side would you like?" Angel asked.

"Is the right okay with you?" she questioned.

"It's fine."

Angel walked to the left side of the bed, pulling the covers back, watching Buffy as she did the same. He felt like a teenage boy all over again; even more so, he felt like he had the night he and Buffy both lost their virginity to one another. His nerves were all jumbled up, he didn't know what to say or do. Should he kiss her goodnight? Put his arms around her? Hold her close and never let go? Such questions boggled his mind.

He laid down on the bed, deciding to let Buffy make the first move. She crawled under the covers, immediately moving to his side. She couldn't help but want to touch him. Bringing her head to the crook of his shoulder, she gently placed small kisses on his neck. The taste of him was addictive, and Buffy could not get enough of it.

Angel rolled over onto his side, kissing her forehead, cheeks, nose, jaw and, finally, her soft mouth. It was the beginning of another out of control show of affection, but neither one of them cared. Buffy ran her fingers through his tussled brown hair as he rolled over again, this time on top of her. Resting his weight on his arms so as not to crush her, they continued their mating dance with their mouths, tongues and hands.

"We should…probably stop…before…we go too far," Angel suggested between kisses.

"Yeah…we probably…should," Buffy agreed.

They didn't stop, though. While Buffy trailed her hands along the strong muscles of Angel's back and shoulders, he dipped his face to her neck, leaving open mouth kisses along the heated skin. More kisses followed across her collarbone, down to her upper chest. Even though they both knew they needed to stop, neither one did. Angel's mouth found the hills of her breasts, moving his lips across them through the thin top.

'If I don't stop now, I won't be able to. Then that'll shoot the perfect night I want us to have. It can't happen like this when I promised Buffy perfection.' He lifted his head up, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. The look of disappointment didn't go unnoticed by him.

"It's not the perfect setting I had in mind," he told her.

"This is pretty perfect to me," she disagreed. "You and me. It can't be any more perfect than that."

He touched her cheek. "As much as I want to, it's not right."

"How will I know when it is?"

"Believe me, Buffy, you'll know without me having to tell you. It'll be very obvious," he explained, rolling onto his back once again, leaving the temptation of her splendid body a few inches away.

Nodding, Buffy moved closer to him, putting her cheek on his chest. She placed a kiss there before closing her eyes. "Have I told you how great it is to have you back?"

He pulled the sheets over them. "You didn't have to. Actions speak louder than words, my love."

********

"Kristen, if I tell you something, do you promise not to say anything to anyone?" Buffy asked her younger friend the next afternoon at her house.

"You can tell me anything, Buffy. I promise not to tell a soul," Kristen swore.

Buffy smiled. "Remember I told you about Angel? Geoffrey's son?"

"Yeah," Kristen answered. "You two were really serious and you guys broke up and he moved away."

"He's back for the wedding. I saw him yesterday. In fact, he's staying here in the spare bedroom right next to me."

Kristen grinned widely, her eyes sparkling. "Ooh, how did he look?"

"Pretty much the same. Great."

"That doesn't help me, Buffy. You've never shown me a picture of him…you barely mention him. I don't even know what he looks like."

Buffy got up, taking her Prom picture out of her nightstand drawer. "That's us at my Senior Prom three years ago."

She whistled. "Hello, hottie. How did you ever let him get away?"

"My own stupidity; it's a really long story, Krissy."

"So, tell me about last night and what it was like to see him again."

She smiled softly. "It was great. Angel got even better-looking when he was away, which I didn't think was possible. The four of us all went out for dinner, and then he and I went to the cemetery to visit Gregory."

"Who's Gregory?"

Buffy sighed. "Gregory's our son. I – I had a miscarriage in November of '99. That's really not the point I'm trying to make here, and I don't want to get all depressed. Angel and I were talking about him and we kissed."

"Good kiss or friendly kiss?"

"*Really* good kiss. He told me he still loves me, and I feel the same way. Angel wants to be with me."

"That's so sweet," Kristen said.

"Yeah, I know. We talked a lot last night, kissed some more, and now we're back together."

Kristen raised her eyebrows. "Did you two have sex? Was it good?"

Buffy laughed at her boldness. "No, we didn't. Angel didn't want to rush things between us. Not that I didn't want to sleep with him, because God knows I did. But we just slept in the same bed and he held me all night long."

"Wow."

"I love him so much; I never stopped. He was the first man I ever made love to. The only one, really. I don't exactly count Riley. That was nothing but a mistake. Angel's the only man I've really made love to."

"You're kidding."

She shook her head. "No. I wanted to wait until I knew it was right; that I loved him. I wasn't going to hop in bed with just any guy to get it over with; it had to be special. My ex-boyfriend Kevin broke up with me because of that. But Angel waited, he was patient and kind about it, he knew that when I was ready, it would happen. And he felt the same way; he waited for me just like I waited for him. He's my soulmate, my perfect match."

"Wow," Kristen repeated.

"Krissy, I needed to tell someone about it because I am so happy to be with him again."

"Why didn't you tell Willow or Cordelia?"

"They'd make a big deal about it, and we don't want that. With Mom and Geoffrey's wedding tomorrow, he and I want the focus to be on them, not us. We'll tell everyone after the wedding."

"Isn't it going to be hard when Angel's away in Ohio?"

"He's moving back to Sunnydale to be with me."

"Sounds like you've got the perfect guy, Buffy. You're so lucky."

Buffy put her arm around Kristen's shoulder. "You'll find your perfect guy someday, Krissy. He's out there. It was a very rocky road to be with Angel; love is never easy. But don't give up on it just because there's a few obstacles on that road."

"I know, I know."

"One rule, though. Keep your hands off my boyfriend. Nicole tried to break us up so she could have Angel all to herself. Look where it got her."

She nodded. "I promise not to steal him from you, like I ever could. And I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks."

"You two deserve to be happy if it was as hard as you say it was."

"I hope nothing goes wrong this time around. I don't think I could handle losing Angel again."

********7

Angel stood in front of the counter at the florist shop. He tapped his fingers nervously on the counter, looking around to make sure there was nobody around that he knew or might recognize him in the shop at the moment.

"Can I help you, sir?" the teenage boy behind the counter asked him.

"Yes, I have a rather strange request."

The boy nodded. "What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if it's possible to order twelve dozen roses for delivery tomorrow."

He widened his eyes. "That's a hundred and forty-four roses, sir."

"I'm aware of that. Is it possible?" questioned Angel.

"We have a big order of flowers for a wedding tomorrow. I can do my best, but I can't guarantee twelve dozen. Ten, maybe, but not twelve."

"As close as you can get will be fine. It doesn't have to be exact."

The boy took a pen and paper out from under the counter. "Do you mind if I call another florist? Maybe they can help you out."

"That's fine. I'll wait. Do you think you can make those half white, half red?"

"I'll ask. Give me five minutes."

When the boy went into the back room to make the call, Angel took a look around. He'd never really been into flowers and candies or other niceties, but Buffy brought out the romantic in him. While he was smelling an arrangement of carnations, the bell to announce the arrival of a customer rang.

"Angel?" a voice behind him asked.

He turned around, seeing Xander standing five feet behind him. The younger man hadn't changed much in the two and a half years that passed. His hair had gotten a bit longer and his face certainly had matured. Xander was no longer a gangly, lanky boy; he was a mature young man.

"Xander, hi," Angel replied with a smile.

"It's been a long time, man. How have you been?"

Angel shrugged. "Hanging in there. How 'bout yourself?"

"Alright. Can't exactly complain, not like anyone would listen to my complaints anyway. But I'm doing good."

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked.

"I was passing by and saw you through the window. Wanted to say hi. Are you staying with Geoffrey?" Xander wanted to know.

He shook his head. "No, with Buffy and Joyce. Are you still seeing Cordelia?" Angel quickly changed the subject.

"Yep. Just celebrated five years a few weeks ago. It feels like an eternity, though."

"I can only imagine," Angel laughed.

"So, what's it like in Cleveland?"

"Cold. I'm not too fond of the winters, but what can you do. It's Ohio, they have an actual winter with snow."

"What do you do there? Just hang around all day until the baddies come out after dark and play? That's got to be pretty boring."

"Believe it or not, I have an actual job. I teach high school History. I'm a certified secondary education teacher."

Xander smirked. "You're a busy man, Watcher Guy."

"Don't call me that."

"Nice to see you haven't lost you sense of humor."

The florist employee returned to the room. "Sir?"

Angel walked back to the counter. "Yes?"

"Your order won't be a problem at all. Six dozen white and six dozen red roses?"

"That's it. Is there any way I can get a basket of red and white petals? I'm sorry, I forgot to ask before."

"Shouldn't be a problem. I'll order it along with the rest. What time would you like them to be delivered?"

Angel paused to think. "Three-thirty?"

"Okay. What is the address?"

He wrote it down for the boy, then handed him his credit card. Opening his wallet, Angel gave the boy a seventy-five dollar tip for his troubles. "Thank you for the help on such short notice."

"No, thank you, sir."

Xander followed Angel out onto the street. "What was that all about?"

"Geoffrey asked me to order some more flowers for the wedding. They didn't have enough or something," answered Angel.

"Oh, okay. Is he having a bachelor party tonight?"

Angel shook his head in reply. "He didn't want one. Geoffrey's not exactly a big party-goer."

"How can someone get married without having a bachelor party? Without strippers and drinking? It's an American tradition."

"Easy, he's not American. He's British."

"What are you going to do tonight then? Wanna grab a couple drinks?"

"The rehearsal dinner is tonight. Normally I'd love to go get a few drinks with you, but I want to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long, exhausting day."

Xander understood. "I get it. Hey, have you and Buffy been getting along okay? After everything that went down between you two, it's got to be pretty awkward to be staying in the same house as her. Only a few rooms away, no less."

"At first it was strange, but things are fine now. We talked and we're fine. No more awkward uncomfortableness."

Xander sighed. "That's good. Any chance of you two crazy kids getting back together?"

"I don't know," lied Angel. He and Buffy promised not to say anything to anyone about them getting back together. "I wouldn't vote against it, but I'm perfectly happy with the way things are between us right now. What the future holds for us, I don't know."

"Cool. Are you sure you don't want to get a drink?"

"Thanks anyway, but I'm going to sack it real early tonight. Big day tomorrow."

********

Buffy pulled Angel aside at nine o'clock. The rehearsal dinner was almost over and she wanted some alone time with him. They hadn't spent any time together all that day, and with the wedding tomorrow, chances were they wouldn't be alone then either.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"Are you getting tired?" Angel asked, concerned.

She shook her head. "No, but I want to get out of here. Maybe we can go to the beach and talk. We haven't had much of a chance to do that yet."

"Alright. Just let me tell Geoffrey and your mother where we're going."

"Don't bother. They'll never know we're gone, and besides, we're grown adults and we don't need their permission. Let's go."

********

"What are you going to do now?" Angel asked, skipping a stone across the surface of the ocean.

"What do you mean?"

He walked to the rock next to her and sat down. "Well, you're done with college now, you graduated a semester early. You must have some kind of plan for the future if you wanted to get out so quickly."

"Other than spending it with you?"

Angel laughed. "Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Seriously, Buffy, what do you want to do?"

"I don't really know. My degree is in Psychology and my minor is in Sociology. I was thinking about being a guidance counselor. Working with high school students seems like it would be very interesting. I can relate to them."

"It is interesting. Never a dull moment, I can tell you that. A lot of my students in Cleveland would come to me with problems because they thought I'd know what they were going through. And I did. You'd be terrific at it, Buffy. You have a kind heart and you're a great listener."

She smiled. "Thanks. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need my Master's, though, for guidance counseling. But I'm taking the Spring semester off to relax. You know, enjoy being young while I still can. I put a lot of pressure on myself to graduate early; hit the books almost every night. I never really got a chance to be a real college student, or a teenager for that matter."

"You didn't miss much," he told her.

"I feel like I did; like I grew up way too fast. I had to deal with things most people don't have to worry about until they're much older. Seeing people I know die too young, dying myself, being pregnant, miscarrying, being engaged, etc. So much has happened to me that I feel like I never got a chance to enjoy my youth."

Angel gazed down at the sand. "A lot of that had to do with me."

"I don't regret any of it. With you, Angel, the only thing I regret is acting like a brat and breaking up with you for the stupidest reason in the world. But other than that, every moment spent with you has been wonderful. It still is."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better, aren't you?" he joked.

"Is it working?"

"Yes." He grabbed Buffy's hand, dragging her to the shore. They took off their socks and shoes, then waded up to their knees in the cool ocean.

They only held hands in the water, watching the reflection of the moon as it danced over the ocean's waves. A feeling of peace came over them both. Angel removed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. As he did so, he captured her lips in a tender kiss that held the promise of eternal love.

********

8

Buffy reached over to the other side of the bed, hoping to cuddle with Angel before having to wake up. Her hand, instead of coming in contact with his warm body, found nothing more than a cold bed where he once lay. Opening her eyes, Buffy didn't see him anywhere. Upon a closer look, she saw a note on his side of the bed.

BUFFY,

HAD TO RUN A FEW ERRANDS BEFORE THE WEDDING THIS AFTERNOON. I PROBABLY WON'T SEE YOU UNTIL THE CEREMONY, BUT I'LL BE THINKING ABOUT YOU. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU WALKING DOWN THE AISLE, EVEN IF YOU AREN'T WALKING TOWARD ME.

UNTIL THEN, MY LOVE,
ANGEL

She sighed. It was her mother's wedding day. She was happy for her mother, Buffy couldn't deny that. But a little piece of her was disappointed. It could have been her wedding day; she could be the one getting married, but no. Almost three years ago, Buffy made a huge mistake by letting the best thing in her life slip through her fingers by saying things she didn't mean.

'I have to stop this. It's my mother's wedding day, not mine. Maybe someday I'll be the one getting married, but it's not my turn,' Buffy said to herself.

"Honey, are you up?" Mrs. Summers called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah! I'll be down in a couple minutes," she replied.

"Hurry up. We have to be at the hair dresser in half an hour."

Buffy crawled out of bed, looking at Angel's side longingly. Already, she missed him. "This is what true love must really feel like," she said softly. "When you miss him so much it feels like an eternity before you'll see him again." Running her hand along his pillow, she smiled. 'Only a few more hours. Then I'll see him again.' She closed the door behind her as she left the room to get ready.

********

Angel exhaled loudly, watching his father pace back and forth in the room at the church. "Would you stop it, Geoffrey? You're making me nervous," he chastised.

"Sorry," Geoffrey apologized. "I feel like I'm your age all over again. Young and in love and with an endless world of possibilities at my feet."

"You're starting to sound like a Hallmark card."

His eyes darted around the room. "What if Joyce changes her mind? She's already been married once before and it didn't work out, what if she doesn't want to go through that again?"

"You're worrying about nothing. Joyce isn't going to change her mind. If it eases your mind at all, I saw her this morning and she was very excited. Believe it or not, she loves you as much as you love her."

"It's my wedding day. I can't help it."

Angel shook his head. "Do me a favor. If I act like you're acting on my wedding day, just shoot me."

"You have a deal. Although you won't have to be nervous. Buffy would never leave you at the altar. I know you two will be married eventually. It'll just take a little time."

He smiled. "I'm a very patient man. I've said it before and I'll say it again – I'd wait forever for her. I feel like I have." Angel looked at the clock. One minute to go. "We better get out there. It's time for you to get married."

********

"Do you, Geoffrey Michael take Joyce Marie to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, to honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be true only to her?" the priest asked.

"I do," Geoffrey answered.

"And do you, Joyce Marie, take Geoffrey Michael to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, to honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be true only to him?"

Mrs. Summers grinned. "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Geoffrey lifted the bride's veil and kissed her softly. As they were doing so, Angel caught Buffy's eyes. They smiled at each other, both for their parents' marriage and to acknowledge their deep love for one another.

"For the first time as man and wife, I present to you Geoffrey and Joyce Kensington," announced the priest.

The newlywed couple walked down the aisle, followed by Buffy and Angel, who linked arms as they made their way to the back of the church.

"I haven't had a chance to tell you how beautiful you look today, Buffy," he said to her.

"Thank you. You look great yourself."

"Up on the altar, I couldn't help but think about what a beautiful bride you're going to make."

She smiled. "Really? Is that a proposal?"

"Just an observation. But if you play your cards right, Miss Summers, it may happen. One of these days you might find me standing at your front door with an engagement ring in my hand."

"Gonna make an honest woman of me, are you?"

"Perhaps."

"I'll be waiting."

********

"Buffy, you've grown up so much since we last came to visit," her aunt Kathleen commented at the reception.

She blushed at the compliment. "That's so nice of you to say, Aunt Kathleen. But it hasn't been that long."

"Four years, dearie. You're still a vision. You take after your mother."

"Thank you. Did you have a nice flight?"

Kathleen nodded. "Very nice, thank you. I find it so hard to believe that a beautiful young woman like yourself isn't spoken for already."

"Not technically, no. I was engaged to be married a few years ago, but he and I broke up. We're patching things up, though."

"How terrific. Is he here right now?"

Buffy pointed to Angel, who was sitting at a nearby table talking to one of Geoffrey's friends from Los Angeles. "That's him, the best man. Angel is Geoffrey's son."

Kathleen smiled in appreciation. "Isn't he a handsome devil. You have quite an eye there, Buffy. Do I hear wedding bells in your future?"

"Cross your fingers. We still love each other and we're on our way to making things the way they were. As long as nothing gets in our way this time around."

"True love will prevail. You just watch."

When her aunt walked away, Buffy's arm was grabbed by Cordelia. She pulled her a few feet away. "Cordy, what is it?"

"You haven't danced with Angel yet," her friend stated.

Buffy shrugged. "And your point being…"

"My point is that there are a lot of eligible women here eyeing him up. And if you don't stake your claim on him now, he might find someone else."

"Give me a break. If he wants to dance with me, Angel will ask. Besides, he doesn't really like to dance. At least not to uptempo stuff. He's the slow dancing type," Buffy informed her.

Cordelia clapped her hands. "Even better. You can put your head on his shoulder and make him remember how much he loves to hold you in his arms."

She sighed. "Forget it, Cordy. If it's meant to happen, it will, but I'm not going to push it. He is a grown man, let him ask me himself if he wants to."

********

Angel put his coat on. It was eleven thirty and he needed to get back to the house. He'd told everyone that he was exhausted and needed to get up early the next day.

Buffy followed him to the glass doors of the reception hall. "Where are you going, Angel?"

"Back to your house. I got up really early today and I'm beat. I already said my goodbyes to your mother and Geoffrey."

"Wait a minute and I'll come with you."

He shook his head. "Stay. All your friends are still here and I don't want you to miss anything because of me. I'll see you later."

"As long as you're sure."

"I am. Have fun." Angel walked out the door, heading for his rented truck.

Buffy went back to the reception. There really wasn't much more left to do except see her mother and stepfather off. They had already tossed the bouquet and the garter belt, caught by Cordelia and Angel respectively. The cake was long gone, but plenty of people were still dancing to the music provided by the DJ they'd hired.

At one forty-five, Giles dropped her off at home. "It was a beautiful wedding, Buffy."

"Yeah, it certainly was," she agreed. "Thanks for driving me home. And for being my date."

"The pleasure was all mine. Get a good night's sleep. Rest tomorrow."

"I will. Night."

The house was pitch black, not a sound could be heard as she walked in the door. 'Angel must be asleep already. I won't bother him, he was really tired.' When she turned on the light, she saw him standing in the middle of the living room, holding a red rose in one hand and a white one in the other. The entire room was filled with flowers. Even the staircase had rose petals placed on the steps.

"What's all this?" Buffy asked. "I thought you were tired."

"I lied. It was an excuse for me to leave and set all this up. Do you like it?"

She nodded. "Lots of flowers. Did you rob a florist?" she joked.

"I wanted tonight to be special for you, for us. Sort of a pre-honeymoon, if you will," he explained. "Will you let me stay with you tonight? Will you let me love you?"

She slowly nodded, letting it all sink in. This was the sign he told her about, and it was plain to see. He as ready. "Yes."

"I'll make it perfect, like I promised."

"I know you will."

He took her hand, bringing her into the living room. "I want it to be as if we're married. If making love tonight is to be our honeymoon, then we need to dance at our reception. Even if it's not legal, we can make believe."

Buffy stared into his adoring eyes. "In my heart, I am your wife. That's all that matters."

********

9

"I have the perfect song picked out," Angel said, leaving her side to turn on the stereo. A soft medley came through the speakers, penetrating through the silence. He took her hand once more, leading her closer to him. His arms cradled her as they began to dance.

//You set my soul at ease
Chased the darkness out of view
Left your desperate spell on me
Say you feel it too, I know you do
I've got so much more to give
This can't die, I yearn to live
Pour yourself all over me
And I'll cherish every drop here on my knees\

Buffy closed her eyes. "It is perfect. You think of everything, Angel."

"I tried. I told you before, I wanted everything to be perfect for tonight. Your mother and Geoffrey are out of town on their honeymoon, so we have the whole house to ourselves for two weeks. That means no interruptions, no one to hide from, no one who might walk in on us. Just you and me for as long as you want."

"You mean that? Just you and me?"

He nodded. "That's why I set all this up. I wanted to show you how important you are to me."

"Angel, you didn't have to go to all this trouble. The flowers must have cost you a fortune."

"I thought they would make it more romantic," he explained.

"As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman, I'm a sure thing. I don't need flowers and music, I just need you."//

I wanna love you forever
And this is all I'm asking of you
10,000 lifetimes together
Is that so much for you to do?
Cuz from the moment that I saw your face
And felt the fire in your sweet embrace
I swear I knew
I'm gonna love you forever \\

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" Angel asked.

Buffy smiled. "I think I have an idea. But a visual might be nice. You should show me much how much, though."

"In due time. This moment has to last. I'll show you, I promise. And believe me, you won't have a single doubt in your mind. How I feel will be very obvious."

"It is now. I wish time would move faster. I want to be with you now. I don't think I can wait much longer."

Angel brushed his hand across her smooth skin. "Patience. Good things happen to those who wait."

"It better be good."

"After three years, Buffy, it'll be amazing."//

My mind fails to understand
What my heart tells me to do
And I'd give up all I have just to be with you
And that would do
I've always been taught to win
And I never thought I'd fall
Be at the mercy of a man
I've never been
Now I only want to be right where you are
I wanna love you forever
And this is all I'm asking of you
10,000 lifetimes together
Is that so much for you to do?
Cuz from the moment that I saw your face
And felt the fire in your sweet embrace
I swear I knew
I'm gonna love you forever \\

They danced as if they were the only two left in the world. Buffy stared into his brown eyes, seeing a mixture of love and passion in them. She felt like he could read her every thought; they were telling him how badly she wanted to be with him. It had been way too long, and she was sick of wasting precious time, their precious time.

//
In my life I've learned that heaven never waits
Let's take this now before it's gone like yesterday
Cuz when I'm with you there's nowhere else
That I would ever wanna be, no
I'm breathing for the next second I can feel you
loving me…I'm gonna love
I wanna love you forever
And this is all I'm asking of you
10,000 lifetimes together
Is that so much for you to do?
Cuz from the moment that I saw your face
And felt the fire in your sweet embrace
I swear I knew
I'm gonna love you forever\\

Angel held her for a bit longer after the song ended. He almost didn't want it to end; holding her in his arms, moving their bodies to the sweet sound of Jessica Simpson's song felt absolutely perfect. But he had promised her more, and he wasn't going to break that promise.

With both hands around her waist, he bent down to kiss her. It was only the beginning of what he planned for them that night. He felt her hands make their way to the waist of his dress pants, and he broke the kiss. Buffy looked up at him questioningly.

"Not yet, love."

"Why? I thought we were going to –"

Angel interrupted her by placing a finger on her lips. "We will. But it won't be perfect if we go too fast. I want to savor this night forever. Let me do this, let me set the pace this time. Do you trust me enough to let me do this?"

Buffy nodded. "I do. I trust you."

"Good." Putting his hands on her hips, Angel brought his lips to hers again. He shut his eyes and lost himself in the kiss. His tongue slid inside her mouth, letting it dance with Buffy's. Instead, she scraped her teeth around it, then sucked on it. The mere feeling of her surrounding him almost made him take her right there just so he could be inside her, but he held back. No, he needed self-control, and plenty of it, for what he had planned.

Buffy's fingers found the sensitive spot on his neck and proceeded to tickle him. He purred in her mouth, but she didn't stop. She could feel his response to her body nudging her, and it pleased her to know that she still had that kind of an effect on him. Buffy couldn't wait to be one with him again. If she had to wait too long, though, it might drive her crazy.

She started to back up, drawing them closer to the stairs that led to her bedroom. In doing so, she hoped he'd get the hint and speed things up. "Your bed or mine?" she asked breathlessly.

"Follow the trail I left you. Everything's ready for us," he answered.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?"

"I told you, it is going to be perfect. A night both of us will never forget for the rest of our lives."

He let her walk up the stairs first, following the red and white rose petals Angel threw on the ground to guide the way. Buffy still couldn't believe all the trouble he went to just to give her a perfect night with him, just to make love to her again. Didn't he know that he'd given her that the first night they ever made love? She just wanted him, not flowers and romance. But he never felt as if only he was enough for her. He had to give her more. But to Buffy, he was enough.

The rose petals continued down the hall and stopped in front of her bedroom door. Buffy turned around, waiting for a response from him. Angel nodded, indicating to her that she should open the door. She turned the knob slowly, pushing the door open when she finished. When she turned on the light, she gasped.

"Oh my god."

From behind, Angel wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you like it?"

The room was decorated with small bouquets of flowers in each corner. More rose petals adorned the bed, whose sheets had been turned down. The shades were closed, and a singe candle burned on her dresser. "A bed of roses," she whispered. "Just like the Bon Jovi song. I love it, Angel. You did make it perfect. It's been my fantasy since I was a teenager to make love on a bed of roses."

"I wanted to make your fantasy come true."

She launched herself into his arms, smothering him with kisses along his jaw, cheeks and lips. He knew everything she liked; Angel was the perfect man for her. How she could have messed things up so badly and let him get away for so long was a mystery to her.

10

Buffy and Angel laid on her bed, the sheets covering them to their chests, her back resting partially on his chest, her hair still swept up in the clips from the wedding. His hands clutched hers at her waist, his fingers entangled in hers, drawing lazy circles around her knuckles.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Tired. But in a good way. That was…god, I can't even think of any words to describe it. Amazing, outstanding and mind-blowing don't seem to cover it," Buffy replied.

He kissed the top of her head. "I know exactly what you mean. I'd almost forgotten how good you feel, how close to heaven I am when we make love. It felt like our first time all over again."

"It did. Almost makes me wish I were a virgin again just so I can experience my first time with you once more. But then I think, all those other times we made love wouldn't have happened. Last night wouldn't have happened. I would not trade those memories for anything in the world."

"Neither would I. You're as close to perfection as I've ever known. I'd never be able to find it with anyone else."

"Really?"

"Of course, Buffy. How can you even doubt that?"

She shook her head, her hair tickling his neck. "You're always telling me that, but I can't help but find it strange."

"How so?"

"Because it's me. Just like you can't believe that I don't need flowers and music for a romantic night with you. All I need is you. But you don't see that, and I don't see myself as being anywhere near perfection."

"I see you, inside and out. We're a perfect match, meant for each other, soulmates, whatever you want to call it. When we're together, especially like this, I don't know where I end and where you begin. That's true love, that's perfection, Buffy. You."

She turned herself over so that she could look him in the eyes. Her legs brushed against his, her body pressed to him. "So it's like you only feel complete when you're with me? When we're making love and that's it?"

"All the time, Buffy. Not just when we're like this, but whenever we are in the same room together. Touching you, being near you makes me feel complete. A part of me is missing when you're not around."

"That's how I feel. Guess we're on the same wavelength."

He smiled at her, making her melt. "Guess so."

Resting more fully against Angel, Buffy kissed him. Her fingers ran through his hair, massaging his scalp. "I thought you were tired," he commented after they ended the kiss.

"I just got my second wind."

********

Buffy was curled up in Angel's embrace when the phone rang at noon. She groaned, her body sore from the hours of lovemaking she and Angel had engaged in. It seemed like every time one of them woke up, the need to be with the other one overcame them. She'd lost count of how many times they'd done it, she was sure that some of those times were done in a dazed-like state.

Carefully disentangling herself from her sleeping lover, Buffy reached for the cordless phone next to her bed. "Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Hey, Buffy!"

It was Willow. "Hey. You're up early."

"Early?" her friend laughed. "It's ten after twelve. Where have you been?"

"Sleeping."

Willow whistled. "Wow. You really must have been tired if you slept this long. What time did you get in last night?"

Next to Buffy, who'd wrapped the sheet around her naked body when she sat up, Angel stirred. He opened his eyes, seeing her sitting half a foot away from him. Frowning, he sat up as well, disappointed to find her talking on the telephone. Once again, he wanted her, and he had to figure out a way to get her off the phone.

"Quarter to two."

"Did you go right to bed?" Willow wanted to know.

"Oh yeah. I really didn't get much sleep, though."

Her best friend giggled. "A little wound up?"

"You could say that." She felt Angel take her right arm, kissing her inner wrist down to her palm before putting each of her fingers in his mouth individually. Buffy glanced over at him, catching the 'come hither' look in his eyes. She knew damn well what he wanted, and what he was trying to do.

"Is Angel awake?"

Buffy nearly moaned into the receiver when Angel brought his lips to her inner elbow. She couldn't stay on the phone for much longer, not with him nibbling away at her sensitive skin. "I'm pretty sure he's up. But I didn't hear him get out of bed."

"Oh. Was he sleeping when you got home?"

"No, but he was getting ready for bed."

Willow couldn't help but wonder. Her best friend was being very cryptic with her answers. "Buffy, is everything okay? You're being evasive."

"I'm fine, really."

"Something didn't happen, did it? Did you and Angel have a fight last night?"

'No, we just had really amazing sex. The best of our lives.' But she couldn't tell Willow that. "Everything's fine, Will, I swear."

"Okay." Willow was still suspicious. "Did you want to do something today? Go see a movie or get a cup of coffee?"

Buffy looked over at Angel, who'd stopped kissing her arm and made his way to her right earlobe. "Get off the phone," he whispered in a husky voice. The mere tone of his voice was like an aphrodisiac; she was overcome with the need to be with him again.

"I don't think so. I might just stay in bed all day long. Thanks for the offer, though. Rain check?"

"Sure. Maybe tomorrow. Get some rest. See you later."

"Will do."

Buffy didn't even bother to say goodbye. She turned off the phone, then turned the ringer off so as not to be interrupted. Throwing the phone on the carpeted floor, she forced Angel to lay on his back.

"That was mean and you know it," she chastised.

He grinned. "It got you off the phone, didn't it?"

"It did. Now, you have my undivided attention. What do you want to do with me?"

"This." He retaliated by pushing her down onto the bed, kissing her.

********

11

"Ah-choo!"

Angel's eyes shot open upon hearing Buffy's loud sneeze. They were still lying on the couch, even though the time was well into the middle of the night. "God bless you," he told her.

"Thank you," Buffy replied, sounding all congested. She sneezed again.

"Are you okay?"

"Aside from the sneezing, sore throat and stuffy nose, I'm a hundred percent. I feel like death warmed over all of a sudden."

Angel frowned, sitting up. "Sounds like you're coming down with a cold."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, really. Just need some sleep and I'll be back to my old self in no time."

"That's why you just said you feel like death warmed over. I don't think you're fine, Buffy." He touched the back of his hand to her cheeks and her forehead. "Yep, you've got a fever."

"No, I don't."

He sighed. "I may not be a medical expert, but I know what a normal, healthy person feels like. And you are not one. Come on, stand up and we'll go to your bedroom."

Slowly, Buffy began to stand up. She was stiff and sore from lying in the same position for hours. When she tried to stand on her own, her head felt dizzy and her knees gave out, causing her to fall back on the couch. "Ouch."

Angel, who had already stood up, reached down to pick up the blanket, then wrapped it around the sick young woman. Placing one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. Once he put her on the bed, he searched her closet for something to wear. Angel wasn't about to let her sleep without clothes on, not with her being sick. He didn't want her to catch pneumonia.

"Can you put this on?" he asked, holding up a long black t-shirt.

"Yeah. I'm not a baby, I can dress myself."

"I never said you were a baby. I only asked because you're probably really weak. Do you need my help?"

"No, I should be able to do it," Buffy said, taking the shirt from him. She watched as he headed for the door. "Where are you going?"

Angel turned around. "Downstairs to see if I can find some nasal decongestant for you. Anything that will make you feel better."

"Okay. I won't go anywhere."

Angel smiled. "Buffy, if you can't even stand up on your own, I doubt you'll be leaving the bed."

He walked out the door, stopping first in his bedroom to find a pair of pajamas. Rummaging through the drawers of the dresser, he found a pair of black boxer shorts and a long sleeved blue shirt. Coming up with an idea, he searched his suitcases for the electric blanket he'd packed from Cleveland. He didn't know exactly why he'd brought it with him, but he was suddenly glad he had.

In the kitchen cabinets a couple minutes later, Angel pulled out a bottle of Vicks NiQuil and a spoon. Still holding the electric blanket under his arm, he bounded up the stairs to Buffy's bedroom, where he saw that she had fallen asleep.

Removing the hair from her face with his hand, Angel tried to wake her up. "Open your eyes, Buffy."

They fluttered open. "I'm still here, see?"

"I see that. I got you some medicine, it'll make you feel as good as new. But it will make you drowsy."

She nodded. "Sleep is good. I haven't gotten much of it lately, with the wedding and you being here."

"And I'm willing to bet that's why you're sick. You are probably so rundown from everything that's been going on around here this past week that you became susceptible to this cold. Not to mention the fact tat you never got dressed yesterday and didn't let yourself get the rest you obviously needed."

"But I felt fine yesterday. You were with me the entire time. I got sleep."

"Yeah, the whole five minutes when we weren't having sex. That's not quality sleep time, Buffy, and you know it." Angel poured her a teaspoon of the medicine, moving it to her mouth. "Open up and swallow this."

She did so, but made a disgusted face afterward. "It tastes icky."

"Medicine that works isn't supposed to taste good. That's how we know it works."

"What's that?" Buffy asked, pointing to the blanket under Angel's arm.

He held it out. "My electric blanket that I used in Ohio. Winter nights got pretty cold, so I always slept with this. I saw that you had goose bumps when I brought you upstairs, so I grabbed this; it'll keep you warm tonight."

"You always think of everything."

"I don't want you to get sicker than you already are." He placed the heavy blanket on top of her, then plugged it in. "I kept the heat level at four, but you can adjust it if you want."

"If it keeps you warm, it'll keep me warm. Of course, if I fall asleep with your arms around me, I'm sure I'll be much warmer."

He got the hint. "As you wish, mi'lady."

"How come you're so good to me?" Buffy asked after he'd scooped her into his embrace.

Angel kissed the side of her neck. "Because I love you."

********

At ten-thirty the next morning, Angel stood in line at the grocery story buying tea bags and chicken noodle soup for Buffy. She hadn't woken up yet – the medicine he'd given her knocked her out completely. So he canceled his plans for the day to devote his time to taking care of her.

"Hi, Angel," he heard someone say from behind him.

He turned to see Willow standing behind him in the checkout line. "Hi, Willow. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. How 'bout you?"

"Alright."

She bit her lip, debating whether or not to ask her next question. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but is Buffy okay? Are you two okay?"

Angel nodded. "We're fine. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Buffy seemed kind of preoccupied when we were on the phone yesterday. I thought maybe something happened between you two that made her that way."

"We're getting alone fine, Willow. No worries."

"That's good. Are you two working things out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think there's a chance of you and Buffy getting back together? You guys are such a perfect match and you broke up for the stupidest reasons."

"I can't answer that, at least not for Buffy. Let's just say that I came back to Sunnydale for a reason."

Willow wiggled her eyebrows. "So you want to get back with her."

"Yes, I do."

"Does Buffy know yet? Have you told her?"

"She knows how I feel about her; that I love her."

"Are you staying in Sunnydale for good now? You're not going back to Cleveland to finish your Watcher thing?"

Angel shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. Sunnydale is my home, it always was. Everyone I care about lives here."

"I'm glad you're staying. We all are, *all* of us."

"Thanks. That means a lot."

"Do you know if Buffy's home? I want to see if she wants to get together today. When I called yesterday she was still in bed," Willow told him.

"Today doesn't look too good, Willow. Buffy's really sick. I think the past week finally caught up with her and now she has a pretty nasty cold. I'm playing nurse until she feels better."

Willow grinned. "She's really lucky."

"With her being sick and miserable, I don't think she'd agree with you."

********

"I'm so lucky," Buffy said.

She sat in the bathtub, Angel massaging her shoulders, which were tightly knotted. When she woke up at eleven-thirty, he heated up some chicken noodle soup and a cup of tea for her. After, Angel drew her a bubble bath, where he joined in, only to relieve the tensions in her muscles. To Buffy, it was highly erotic, having him sit behind her, rubbing away at her sore, tense muscles, even though they weren't doing anything sexual. To her, it was simply romantic, Angel trying to ease her pain.

"Why?"

"Because I have you to wait on me. You really are my perfect match. I bet no other man would do this for me, but you will. You're perfect for me, you know that?"

"I told you."

He moved his hands to her upper arms, kneading the muscles gently. "I ran into Willow at the store. She asked how you were; how we were."

"What did you say?"

"That you're sick and I'm taking care of you. She also wanted to know if we are getting back together."

"Uh-huh. How did you answer that one?"

"I didn't, really. Buffy, I think your friends are getting suspicious of us. We have to tell them, it'll be hard to keep it a secret from them much longer. Our parents already know, who knows if they'll leak it to one of them before we do, and then it'll make your friends mad at us for not telling them in the beginning," Angel voiced his opinion.

Buffy exhaled. "You're right. We'll tell them after I get better." She paused for a moment. "I feel so bad about all this."

"What?"

"Being sick and making you take care of me. You probably had plans today and now you're stuck here with a sick Buffy."

"I don't mind. Besides, I didn't want to go house-hunting alone."

"House-hunting?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah. I can't stay in the spare room forever. So I thought you and I might look for a house."

"You want me to come with you?" Buffy asked, shocked.

"Of course. I can't make a big decision like that without you. Especially if it's going to be your house as well."

Buffy turned to face him. "My house? You want me to move in with you, live with you?"

"Yes, I do. That is, if you want to."

"I do. I do I do I do!" She pressed her mouth to his, surprising him with a kiss.

"We'll have to find out if it's okay with your mother. She might not like the idea or think we're moving too fast."

"Mom will be thrilled. I'm well over eighteen, and besides, then she and Geoffrey will have the whole house to themselves to do their newlywed things. I want to live with you."

Angel smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan. As soon as you're up to it, I'll set up an appointment with the realtor."

Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist. "You realize now that you're going to get sick because I kissed you."

"That's okay. It'll definitely be worth it."

********

12

"How are you feeling?" asked Angel on Tuesday morning. It was eleven o'clock and he'd been up for three hours, cleaning the house. There were dead flowers all around and he had to vacuum the stairs and the hallway to remove the petals.

"Just peachy," she replied sarcastically.

"Okay, I'm noting sarcasm in your voice. My guess is that you still don't feel good and you need more medicine."

Buffy glared at him. "Good guess, genius. You have such a grasp of the obvious, it's no wonder you're a Watcher," she said in a nasty tone.

"Not in a good mood either, I take it."

She hissed. "Go to hell, Watcher Boy."

"Okay, I'm going to leave you alone for a bit. I'll be back in a minute with your medicine. Try not to break anything."

"Make it quick."

Angel left the room, heading for the kitchen. He grabbed a TV tray, placed their breakfast on it, along with a bottle of DayQuil. As he walked down the hall toward her bedroom ten minutes later, he heard her groaning. Entering her room, he saw Buffy fumbling through her closet.

"What are you looking for? You should be in bed," he told her.

"It's freezing in this house. I'm looking for another blanket. Is that a problem for you?" she demanded.

"Get in bed. I'll get the blanket for you, you shouldn't even be out of bed if you're still sick."

"Give me a break. I have two perfectly good legs, I think I can handle walking from my bed to my closet."

"Go back to bed now, Buffy. You'll make yourself sicker and neither of us want that." 'Especially me. God, she really is a bitch when she's sick. Joyce was right all those years ago.'

She groaned, turning around, walking to her bed. Angel tucked her in, covering her with the blankets. "Warmer now?"

"A little. Turn up the heat, it's freezing in here."

"Have something to eat first." He placed the tray of food in front of her.

Buffy only looked at it. "Didn't Geoffrey ever tell you that old wives' saying? Starve a cold, feed a fever?"

"And you have both, Buffy, so I'm feeding you. Don't argue with me. Just eat your breakfast. There wasn't much in the fridge, but I managed to whip up scrambled eggs and french toast."

"I'm not very hungry."

He didn't care if she was sick and miserable, Buffy was getting on his nerves. Her attitude aggravated him. "Then eat what you can. Shove it down your throat if you have to, I don't really care. But you need something in your stomach. And drink your tea or you'll get dehydrated."

"Only if you turn up the heat."

Angel shook his head. "Nice try. Once you get some food in your stomach, you'll warm up."

Buffy took a forkful of eggs and put it in her mouth. "This just isn't fair," she said between bites.

"What is that?"

"Well, I'm the Slayer. Or, at least I used to be until the freaking Watcher's Council decided I'm not good enough to be one just because I got in one lousy fight and nearly got killed. Anyway, I should be strong enough to fight off this damn cold. I haven't gotten sick like this in years, and now, virtually out of nowhere, I'm laid up in bed with a stuffy nose and a fever. It sucks."

"Everybody gets sick, Buffy. I'll be here to take care of you until you feel better."

"Which better be soon. I hate being so unproductive. There's other things I'd rather be doing."

Angel raised his eyebrows. "Such as?"

"Shopping. Catching up with my friends, looking for a house with you, having sex with you. But noo…I'm here in bed."

"Once you feel better, you can do all those things again."

"I want to do them now."

"Have patience. You're not going to get better overnight. It's gonna take some time."

Buffy gave up. She was tired of arguing with him about it. Instead of talking, she finished her breakfast in silence. Angel was an excellent cook, so she finished up every last crumb. "Breakfast was good," she complimented twenty minutes later.

"Glad you liked it."

"But you were wrong."

"How was I wrong?" he asked.

"You said I'd be warmer if I ate something. So, you were wrong because I'm still freezing."

He got off the bed. "Fine, I'll go downstairs and turn the heat on. Will that make you happy? Will you stop complaining then?"

"Very happy, and yes, I'll stop complaining."

"Thank God."

Angel returned to the living room, searching for the thermostat. It wasn't there that he could see. As he turned to go back to the bedroom to ask for Buffy's help in finding it, there was a knock at the door. He answered it, finding Willow, Oz, Xander, Cordelia and Kristen on the other side.

"Hi, guys," he greeted.

"Hey," said Xander, holding up a plate of food. "We brought you guys lunch."

"We weren't sure if your parents left you a stocked fridge, so we all whipped something up," Willow told him. "Except Cordelia."

The brunette groaned. "I'm not a cook, excuse me. I brought some Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup for Buffy. Maybe it'll make her feel better."

Angel smiled. "Right about now, I'm willing to try anything. I bought some for her yesterday, but it doesn't seem to have helped, she's still sick." He moved out of the way, letting them through the door.

Xander laughed. "Lucky you. Buffy's a lot of fun to be around when she's sick."

"So I've noticed. It's a riot," replied Angel, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Remember junior year of high school when she had the flu? Buffy was sick, miserable and could have easily dethroned Cordy for Bitch of the Year."

"I resent that!" Cordelia exclaimed. "She never would have taken my title. I was way bitchier than her."

Willow nodded. "I can only imagine what it's like to be stuck with her all day long. You definitely have my sympathy, Angel."

"Thanks. I don't mind it, though. I'm nothing if not patient."

"Why don't we put the food in the kitchen before we go see Buffy?" Kristen suggested.

They all agreed. Angel carried the apple pie Kristen made, leaving it on the counter for later. Willow and Oz put their dishes in the refrigerator while Xander and Cordelia left theirs next to the stove.

"Is Buffy upstairs?" Oz asked.

"Yep. She's in a bad mood, though."

"Angel! Turn up the heat, it's freezing in here!" called Buffy from her bedroom.

He walked to the bottom of the stairs. "I can't find the thermostat!"

"If you'd look for it, you'd find it. Behind the plant stand. God! This is all your fault, you know that? If you hadn't insisted on having sex all day Sunday, I wouldn't be sick right now and I sure as hell wouldn't be so cold!" Buffy screamed.

Angel's face blushed to a bright crimson when he turned around, seeing the looks of shock on Buffy's friends' faces. All of their eyes were wide, not even blinking. "Um…"

Willow felt embarrassed for him. "Why don't us girls go visit Buffy." She, Cordelia and Kristen walked upstairs to Buffy's bedroom.

The three men sat down, Oz and Xander unable to take their eyes off of Angel, who felt utterly humiliated. Oz was the first to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"So, all day, huh?"

Angel kept his eyes on his hands, which were clasped in his lap. "Buffy exaggerated a lot when she said that."

"I hope so," Xander commented. "No man should have that much stamina. It's not fair to the rest of us normal guys. Although, you're not exactly a normal man."

"Why am I not normal?"

"Because you're like the male equivalent of Buffy…super Slayer, only with a Y chromosome. So, maybe it is possible for you to go on all day long."

Angel lifted his eyebrows. "No, it's not. Believe me, Xander, it's not. I'm not quite that super."

"If I were doing Buffy, I'd find a way," he said.

"Do you ever think before you speak?" Oz wanted to know. "You're embarrassing him."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Now shut up while I ask the questions."

********

"So, you guys did it all day Sunday?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy nodded. "Pretty much. I mean, we had to stop every once in a while, obviously, due to the laws of gravity. We'd nap, wake up, do it again, and then repeat cycle for most of the day."

"Angel must have a lot of stamina," she said teasingly.

"Oh yeah. I think he would have gone on all day long if he could have. But I'm not complaining in the least. It was great…better than great."

"Where did you guys do it?"

"You want a list?" Buffy laughed. "Just the bed and the couch."

Kristen jumped up from her spot on the bed. "Ew! You guys probably had sex right where I'm sitting."

Buffy giggled at the seventeen year old Slayer. "Actually, we did. But we had to change the sheets on Monday when he did the laundry."

"That's so gross."

"No, it's not, it's romantic," Willow disagreed. "Kristen, they hadn't made love in three years; what you call gross was only them rediscovering each other."

"It's still gross."

"You won't think so once you've done it," Buffy told her.

"Are you going to give us the details?" Cordelia asked.

"How much do you want to know?"

She smiled. "Nothing *too* personal. Like, was it totally spur of the moment? Did you two plan it at all?"

Buffy shook her head. "You've thought way too much about my sex life, Cordy. Truthfully, I had no idea when it was going to happen. When Angel and I talked about it the night he came back and we decided to give it another go, he said that he was going to make it perfect for me. He planned the whole thing and it came as a total surprise to me."

"Was it perfect?" questioned Willow?

"Oh yeah. I came home from the reception and he had it all set up. Roses everywhere, music, candles, the whole works. We slow danced and then we went up to my room. He'd placed rose petals on the carpet leading here, and more on the bed. It was the most romantic thing he's ever done for me."

"A bed of roses?" Willow asked in awe.

"Uh-huh. It had been a dream of mine for years, and Angel wanted to make it come true. He did, and we made love. And it was better than I ever could have dreamed of."

Cordelia grinned. "After three years, I'd hope it would be."

"We grew up so much in those three years. We know more about life, about each other. We've experienced other things and we've had other lovers. But all those things made us more in love with one another," Buffy explained.

"Other lovers?" Willow repeated. "I know about Riley, but there was someone else? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I haven't been with anyone other than Riley and Angel."

"Then…Angel…" Willow trailed off.

Buffy nodded. "He met someone in Ohio and they…well, you know. But he broke things off with her before he came back to Sunnydale."

"That must have been hard on you when you found out about her."

"It was. I cried; I thought for sure that things were over for good, that he'd found someone else to love when I couldn't. When he came back, though, we had a long talk about our future. Angel never loved her, at least not like he loves me. I really think it's going to work this time."

Cordelia, Willow and Kristen all hugged their sick friend. "I'm so happy for you," Willow said.

"I wanna be a bridesmaid at the wedding," Cordelia added.

"Angel hasn't proposed to me, Cordy. We just got back together a week ago."

"But it's only a matter of time before he does."

Buffy shrugged. "I guess you're right. He and I are going to look at houses when I feel better. He asked me to move in with him."

"Really?" Kristen asked. "Are you going to?"

"Hell yeah! I plan on laying in bed next to him, waking up next to him every morning for the rest of my life. There's no way I'm letting him go this time."

********

13

"How is the honeymoon?" Buffy asked her mother three days later when she called from Antigua.

Mrs. Summers sighed. "Absolutely wonderful, thank you for asking. Extremely romantic. Geoffrey's great."

"I certainly hope you mean he's great in the general sense. Because I really don't want to hear specifics."

"As if I'm going to be giving my twenty one year old daughter specific details of my sex life, especially on my honeymoon. I didn't ask about yours when you and Angel were sleeping together," Mrs. Summers said.

"And you have no idea how much I appreciate that. But have you two even left the hotel room? Have you been to the beach at all?"

She laughed. "Yes, Buffy. Geoffrey and I aren't two hormone-driven teenagers, we've left the room. And we went to the beach, the water I just like in the brochures, bright blue and the sand it pure white. You'd love it here, it's paradise."

"I've always wanted to go to Hawaii for my honeymoon. Lay on the beach all day and lay in bed all night."

"And you're complaining about me spending too much time in the hotel room. Buffy, you'll wear your poor husband out before you get him home!"

Buffy grinned devilishly, even though her mother couldn't see her. "Don't worry. Angel will be able to handle it, he's done pretty well so far."

"Maybe when he was younger, but he's in his thirties now."

"Men reach their sexual peak in their thirties, don't they?"

"I'm not sure. But you should remember that you are nine years younger than him and you probably have more energy than he does. That nine years might make quite a difference. Trust me, as you get older, the amount of time spent having sex drastically decreases."

"Mother! Don't tell me you're wearing out poor Geoffrey? Is that twelve years making a difference to you two?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Not in the least."

"It hasn't for me and Angel either. While you and Geoffrey have been off on your honeymoon, Angel and I have been having one of our own. And believe me, we've got just as much sexual energy as we did before."

Mrs. Summers cleared her throat. "So you two have…"

"Yes, mother. Gotten totally back together. The night of the wedding, he and I…well, we consummated it. Sort of our way of making our reunion official. He decorated the house with flowers and candles, put on soft music, and we just…you could say he seduced me, but it didn't take me to do so."

"Were you two careful?" her mother asked.

"It wouldn't make a difference anyway. Or have you forgotten that I can't have children?"

"There's always a chance."

"Yeah, a very minuscule chance that barely registers a bleep on the monitor. Face it, Mom, I'll never be able to give you grandchildren. So, what's the point of using protection if I can't get pregnant?"

"Don't be so cynical." Instead of arguing about an already-dead subject, Mrs. Summers moved on to something else. "Is Angel home?"

Buffy switched the phone to her other ear. "No, he went to the real estate agent's office."

"What for?"

"He's buying a house here in Sunnydale. In fact, he sort of asked me to move in with him the other night."

"Sort of?"

"Okay, he did ask. And I said yes."

"That's great. I'm happy."

"Really?"

Mrs. Summers grinned from ear to ear. "Really."

"You're not mad? You don't think it's too much too soon?"

"Not at all. You two deserve to be happy, besides the fact that it's been three years in the making. And now you'll be on your own and Geoffrey and I can be on our own as well."

"You're the greatest. Thank you so much for understanding."

"Angel makes you happy, honey."

"He does. I got sick this week and he stayed home to take care of me. He was a real trouper through it."

Mrs. Summers nearly gagged. "Angel met Hurricane Buffy? And he lived to tell the tale? He's definitely a keeper. If he can live through that, he can live through anything."

"Very funny, Mom."

********

Angel turned the truck down the street. It was the first house he and Buffy were going to look at, and he hoped she would like it. The real estate agent told him it was a beautiful home, perfect for a couple just starting out, as long as said couple could afford it. Located on the outskirts of town, they would have a great deal of privacy. Angel wanted that for them. Very few interruptions that way.

Buffy's eyes lit up when they pulled into the driveway of the house. "This is it?"

"Yep. Do you like it?"

"I dreamt of this place."

"You did? When?"

"The night before you left for Cleveland. Angel, it was a sign, I know it was. I want this house," Buffy said. "We have to live here."

He glanced at it. It was a large two-story home with off-white siding, shutters on every window and a wraparound porch. A white picket fence outlined the front of the property. He had to admit, he loved it too. "Don't you want to look inside?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not going to make much of a difference. This is it, the home I want to have with you. I don't need to look inside, I've already seen it in my dream."

Angel smiled at her. "Can I at least take a look?"

"You don't trust my judgement?"

"Of course I do. If this is the house you want, this is the house we'll get. I totally trust your dream. Maybe it was a sign. Come on, let's go inside."

The two of them exited the truck, heading up the driveway to the front door. Angel knocked on it, waiting for the real estate agent to let them in. She opened the door a minute later.

"Mr. Reilly, how nice of you to make it. Please, come in and I'll show you around," she said to him.

"Thank you. Miss Craig, this is my girlfriend, Buffy."

Miss Craig smiled. "Brought her along to give you some ideas?"

"Actually, it's going to be her house, too. We'll be living together. And if we do decide to take it, I want her name on the papers as co-owner."

"Oh. Very well then."

"I'm in love with the house already," Buffy told her. "But we'd like a closer look around, if you don't mind."

"Follow me."

She led them through the living room, which had a fireplace, built-in entertainment center and a large picture window. The dining room had shelves five feet from the ground to display the good china or other various knickknacks. The kitchen had a sliding glass door that led to the back porch and an enormous backyard with a built-in pool. Also, an island in the middle of the room housed a stove, sink and a microwave.

"How long has this house been on the market?" Angel wanted to know.

"Since April of 2000. The couple that had it built were killed before they had a chance to move in," answered Miss Craig. "I feel the need to tell all the interested parties the history of the house, and it often turns them away."

Buffy shook her head. "Not me. I want this house. I don't care who owned it before us or how they died or even if it happened right where I'm standing. This is my dream house. Angel?"

He took her hand. "Do you really want to live here, Buffy?"

"I do. Please, I want this house. It's perfect for us."

"Okay. Let's look upstairs first, and then we'll figure out what we'll do."

Upstairs, they found a master bedroom with an attached bathroom and two walk-in closets. Down the hall were five other bedrooms and two more bathrooms. At the end of the hall was a balcony overlooking the family room that opened up to a private study.

"This house, as you see, is perfect for a couple just starting out. It's a family home, great for a large family with many children. This room would make a great nursery, don't you think so?" Miss Craig asked.

Angel agreed. "Yes, it would. We'll take it."

"Great. I'll bring the paperwork from my car and you can sign the papers. That'll seal the deal."

"How long before we can move in?" he wanted to know.

"Tomorrow at the earliest. You've already been approved, so as soon as the paperwork is filed it's yours." She left the bedroom to get the papers.

Angel walked over to Buffy, who was gazing out the window into the backyard with a faraway look in her eyes. "A penny for your thoughts."

With her arms crossed under her breasts, she turned to him. "Don't waste your penny, this house is costing you enough."

"What's wrong, Buffy?" She seemed so sad to him, when five minutes earlier she'd been so excited about the prospect of owning the house.

"This house…it's meant for a family, like Miss Craig said."

"We are a family."

She shook her head. "No, a real family. A mother and a father with two point five children and a dog. You know, lots of kids…the American Dream. What are we going to do with five other bedrooms?"

"We'll fill them with our children when we have them."

"Angel, we can't. I can't. I'm never going to be able to do that, don't you see? As much as I love this house, it needs a family to fill it. We can't give it that family." Tears spilled down her cheeks.

He pulled Buffy into his arms. "Yes, we will. We'll fill it with lots of love. And out of that love with come children."

"Not ours."

"So what if you can't have children? There's other alternatives to that. A surrogate mother. We can just have another woman carry our baby."

She shook her head. "It's impersonal. I couldn't do that, not even for my own child."

"Alright, adoption. When we decide to get married, we'll put our names down on some waiting lists. We can have children that way."

"No. The one thing I want more than anything in this world is to feel your baby growing inside of me. I want to be the one who gives birth to it, not some strange woman who might fight to take him or her away from us. No way. It has to be natural, and it'll never happen. Not with me. We'll never fill all these rooms. They'll just be empty and barren. Like I am."

Angel kissed away the tears from her cheeks. "Don't say stuff like that. We'll have a family, you and me. Maybe it'll take some time, but it will happen." He embraced her and let her cry on his shoulder for the children Buffy thought she would never be able to give him.

********

14

Five minutes later, they stood at the kitchen counter, getting ready to sign the papers. Angel took the pen from Miss Craig so he could put his signature on the ownership papers. Then the house would be his and Buffy's.

"I need you to sign here, here and here," she told him, indicating the three pages of paperwork that needed his signature.

He read everything over before signing. He wanted to make certain that everything was in order prior to putting his signature on the documents.

"As you can see, everything is written as we agreed. All taxes, including the realtor's fee, are included in the two hundred thousand."

Angel nodded. "I see that." He signed his name on the three pages, then handed the pen to Buffy. "It's your turn, Buffy."

She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Okay. Where?"

"Right under my name."

Buffy nodded, signing her full name as well. When she handed the pen back to Miss Craig, the realtor noticed her red, bloodshot green eyes.

"Are you okay, miss?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Really."

Angel hugged Buffy. "She's a little overwhelmed, that's all. It's our first place together and we're both really excited about it. Buffy just gets very emotional."

Miss Craig smiled at the couple. 'They are so adorable. One look in his eyes and you can see how much he loves that young woman. I'll bet he tells her so every single day.' "It's great that you two are excited about this place. If my fiancee and I could afford it, we'd have bought it."

"It's an amazing home. We can't wait to move in."

"I'll call you tomorrow afternoon to have you pick up the final ownership papers, Mr. Reilly. Congratulations."

After Miss Craig left the house, Angel embraced his girlfriend. "Buffy? How are you doing?"

She shrugged. "I'm alright."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little upset. Angel, I love this house, I really do. You just bought me my dream house…but I can't help but feel like we're keeping some other family from it. In my dream, there was a child here. How can I live here knowing that I can't fill it with children when it's meant to have them?"

"You and I are a family. I once told Geoffrey that if I couldn't have a family with the woman I love, then I don't want one. Three and a half years later, that still holds true. Between your family, my family and our friends, we will fill this house, Buffy," Angel told her.

She looked up at him. "But not like in my dream."

"What happened in it?"

Buffy frowned, remembering how she felt in that dream. So alone and distanced from her son and her lover. "You were in the backyard playing catch with our son. With Gregory. You two were so happy, and he looked just like you, Angel, with your brown hair and brown eyes. He came up to me and asked me why I left you two, why I abandoned you both. Then you told him to leave me alone and you acted like you never even saw me standing there. I was on the outside looking in at my own family."

"It'll never happen."

"You're right, it won't. Because I'll never have the opportunity to give you children."

"How do you know that for a fact?"

"Because the doctor told me in the hospital."

Angel sighed. "That was three years ago. Haven't you had it checked out since then?"

Shaking her head, Buffy replied, "No. I didn't see the point of getting myself checked out if I wasn't going to get pregnant. It's not as if I've had sex with anyone since you left town. I had broken up with Riley and I was waiting for you to come back."

"But you want to have children?"

"God, yes! Your children, nobody else's."

"Buffy, you should go to the doctor and get a checkup. Maybe you'll be surprised by the outcome," he suggested.

"Why bother? It won't do any good."

He kissed her gently. "Do it for me? For the chance of having future children with me?"

"Okay, for you. I'd do anything for you, Angel."

********

"How have you been, Buffy?" Doctor Price asked her the next afternoon.

She sat in the chair facing the doctor's desk. Angel had talked the doctor into giving Buffy an abdominal MRI the day before, and now she was seeing the doctor for the results.

"I've been good."

"You graduated from college, I heard. Congratulations."

Buffy smiled. "Thank you. I took some summer courses for two years to graduate early. I got so far behind my freshman year that I was afraid I wouldn't graduate on time. But I busted my butt and I got out early. A little added bonus."

"That takes a lot of work. Was that your boyfriend who called me yesterday? He seemed very concerned," said Doctor Price.

She nodded. "Angel. Yes, he's my boyfriend. And yes, he's concerned."

"I don't remember you mentioning him the last time you came to see me. Did you two recently start seeing each other?"

"No, when I saw you last we'd broken up. He and I dated for eight months, between the end of high school and the beginning of my freshman year of college. Angel was by my side during my accident, but I broke up with him at the end of that January over a stupid argument. But now, we're back together, and we're moving into our first house later today."

"That's great." She tapped her fingers on the yellow envelope in front of her. "I suppose you want to know what these had to say."

"That is kind of why I'm here."

"Yes, well, I must say, your MRI amazed me."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"In a very good way. Buffy, you had a large tear in your uterine wall. So bad, in fact, that you were told that the chances of ever having children were very small. It seems that is no longer the case."

She didn't understand. "What do you mean that's no longer the case? Is something else wrong with me?"

"Not at all. Everything's right as rain. The tear in your uterus has healed by itself. I've never seen that happen before."

"So I'm…"

"One hundred percent healthy. I see absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be able to conceive a child and carry it full-term."

Buffy was rendered almost speechless. "I can have children," she muttered under her breath. "I can really have his baby."

"I hope this is good news for you, Buffy."

"It is. I'm thrilled, and when I tell Angel, he will be too. Thank you so much, Doctor Price."

"Anytime. If you have any questions, feel free to call."

Buffy picked up her purse. "I will."

********

Angel was waiting by the door when Buffy walked in. Her face was devoid of any expression; he couldn't tell if she had good news or bad news for him.

"Well, what happened?" he asked.

She launched herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, raining kisses on his lips. "I'm perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with me and nothing stopping me from having your baby."

Angel kissed her back passionately. "That is so terrific. See, I told you. Positive thinking does wonders. I bet you're pretty happy you went to the doctor's now."

"I am. It's the best news I've ever gotten."

"Me, too. But I guess this means I have to go buy some condoms, doesn't it?" Angel asked her.

She shook her head. "No."

"We should use protection. Especially now if there's a chance you can get pregnant. It's not something we should rush into. I'd like us to be married first."

"I don't want to change a thing. Angel, I wanna have your baby, and I don't care if we're married or not when it happens. I wanna start trying right away."

"Buffy, you know it won't happen overnight. It takes time."

She started unbuttoning his shirt. "I know. But practicing is half the fun. Come on. This is the best news I've gotten ever, except for finding out you're staying in town to be with me. Let's make love, Angel. Let's celebrate. Let's start our family."

He couldn't deny her anything, especially not after she'd just received the news they wanted so badly to hear. Scooping her up against him more securely, Angel carried her up to her bedroom. Once inside, they fell onto the bed, Buffy underneath him, holding his head, keeping lips on hers. She hardly let him breathe between kisses, she was so happy.

"I love you so much," she whispered. "I can't wait to start a family with you."

"Me neither." He removed her black turtleneck to kiss along her neck and shoulders.

Just as she was unzipping his pants, the telephone next to the bed started ringing. "I hate it when that damn thing interrupts us," Buffy growled.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Angel wanted to know.

"No way. Let the machine get it. I want to make love to you, not talk on the telephone for three hours with God knows who."

"What if it's your mother?"

"She called yesterday. Angel, just ignore the telephone and kiss me," Buffy demanded.

He did as she demanded, but couldn't help but notice as the answering machine picked up on the fifth ring. A female's voice came through the speakers.

"Hi, I hope I have the right number. I…Angel, it's Megan. I'm sorry for calling, but I want to apologize. I found this number in your address book and couldn't wait until after Christmas when you return to talk to you. The main reason I'm calling is to say how sorry I am for what I said to you before you left. Saying that your feelings for Buffy were disgusting…well, that wasn't really me talking. I only said that because I was upset that you weren't taking me to the wedding. Please, Angel, call me back when you get this message. We can talk things out. I want to hear your voice, I miss you, I love you. Call me back. Bye." Megan hung up.

Buffy and Angel lay unmoving on the bed. He looked into her eyes, seeing a flicker of jealousy in them. "Buffy, please don't think what I know you're thinking."

"She loves you. I can tell that she wants you back."

"But I don't want to go back to her. And I don't love her. My heart belongs to you, it always has."

"I know that, I trust that you love me. What did she mean by saying that your feelings for me are disgusting? What was she talking about, Angel?"

"When she found out that Geoffrey was getting married to your mother, she thought it was gross that I was in love with you. Just because we were going to be stepbrother and stepsister. Megan saw it as incestuous, said that I was trying to keep it all in the family. You know how much I love you, Buffy. Nothing of what she said was true."

"Oh," Buffy replied. "Are you going to call her back?"

Angel shook his head. "No. Megan is part of my past, something I kept in Cleveland when I came back here. Right now, I'm going to make love to you."

********

15

The day before Christmas Eve, Buffy and Angel began work on the new house. As it was, they loved it, but wanted to change a few things before they could truly call it home. All the furniture that it had been decorated with – a dining table, dressers, a sofa and chairs – were covered up with white sheets to protect from dust. They decided to keep those pieces and add on with furniture of their own and some things Angel left in his Cleveland apartment.

First on their agenda was to paint the master bedroom – their bedroom. They chose basic white to keep the room light because the only window faced east for morning sun. The balcony off the bedroom opened to the south, not lending itself to afternoon and evening light. And since the previous owners had painted it white, Buffy and Angel only needed to add a fresh coat of paint to cover up the slight dirt the walls had accumulated.

At eight in the morning, Angel dropped Buffy off so she could begin cleaning. He had an appointment, but promised he'd be there to help clean as soon as possible.

"You promise to come and help me?" Buffy asked before getting out of the truck.

"I promise. I have an appointment, then I have to pick up my new car. But I promise to be here by mid-afternoon."

"Yeah, right. You're just saying that to keep me from complaining. Guys don't clean, they make the women do it, then show up later and claim they forgot all about it."

"I'm not most other guys, Buffy. I have no problem with cleaning; I don't mind getting dirty."

She gave him a funny look. "Men aren't supposed to like to clean. It's not masculine."

"Well, I do. And I'm very secure in my masculinity."

"Don't I know it. You're very masculine. Do you promise to come back and help me?"

Angel leaned over to the passenger's side to place a soft kiss on Buffy's lips. "You have my word. If I'm not back here to help you paint the bedroom by three o'clock, you can have your way with me tonight."

"That's not exactly a punishment. You'd probably enjoy it too much. Don't worry, I have seven hours to think up a suitable punishment for you."

"Looking forward to hearing what you come up with. See you at three."

Buffy climbed out of the truck, then walked to the back of it to take out the mop and bucket. With a wave to Angel, she headed up the driveway to the two-car garage. Using her set of house keys, she let herself into her new home.

She walked up the three stairs from the garage to the hallway, then three more to the kitchen. Sighing, Buffy looked around. 'All this is ours; mine and Angel's. I still can't believe it. I live here now and I'm going to spend the rest of my life here. Angel and I are going to raise our family here. It's a dream come true.'

Putting the mop and bucket on the floor, Buffy made her way into the living room. One by one, she pulled the sheets off the furniture, coughing as the dust flew in her face. "Looks like I'll be vacuuming first."

The night before, the two of them brought over several necessities they'd require for cleaning and painting their new home. In addition to the refrigerator, washer and dryer Angel purchased the day they bought the house, and had delivered while Buffy was at Doctor Price's office, they bought a vacuum cleaner, paint and brushes.

Buffy spent fifteen minutes vacuuming the living room, study and the stairs. Next on her agenda was to wash the floors. With all the prospective buyers that had walked through the house in the two and a half years it had been on the market, the white tiles of the kitchen floor were caked with dirt. Carrying the bucket over to the sink, Buffy filled it with warm soapy water. She wanted to make the floor shine. It was her house and she'd be damned if it didn't look presentable.

The kitchen was enormous, and it took her three hours to scrub with a sponge. The clean water turned black by the time she was finished cleaning. Spending another half hour mopping, Buffy was tired and hungry when she was done. But she needed to wait until the floor was dry before she could raid the refrigerator.

'Maybe I'll take a little nap,' she decided. 'Then eat and start painting. Just a quick nap.' Laying down on the couch, Buffy fell fast asleep.

********

When Angel returned at ten after two, he found Buffy still sleeping, curled up in a ball on the couch. He smiled; she looked so peaceful just lying there in her dirty sweats and bandanna covering her long blonde hair. If there had been room enough, he would have joined her.

He glanced around, seeing the outstanding cleaning job Buffy had done while he was out. The carpet was dirt- and dust-free and the kitchen floor tiles were a sparkling white. Making his way back to her sleeping form, he whispered in her ear, "Wake up, slacker."

Buffy bolted up, nearly hitting Angel in the head as she did so. Taking a few quick, deep breaths, she looked at her boyfriend, who was laughing at her. Narrowing her eyes, she punched him in the arm with all her might.

"Ow!" he complained, rubbing his arm from her attack. "What was that for?"

"Waking me up. You more than deserved it. And don't you dare call me a slacker. I spent all morning vacuuming and scrubbing the floors. You didn't pitch in one bit –"

Angel silenced her tirade with a kiss. Buffy was still tense from having been woken up, but quickly relaxed as their tongues dueled in one anothers' mouths. She deepened it, but Angel slowly began to break away.

"Better?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "Much."

"I was only kidding about you being a slacker. I saw how much work you put into this house so far. You deserved that nap."

"Damn straight I did. Did you get that new car?"

Angel flashed her a half-smile, the one that always made her melt into putty in his hands. "I sure did."

"What did you get?"

"Brand new Ford Explorer. I liked the rental car so much that I bought one of my own. And I have more good news."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"I got a job today."

"That's great. Doing what?"

"Teaching American History at Sunnydale High. I had an interview with Principal Snyder this morning and got hired on the spot. I start right after the holidays. Apparently, the last teacher died mysteriously. Or so he says."

Buffy hugged him. "I'm so happy for you. I can assume that you didn't mention you're my boyfriend, since you were hired."

"No, but I did tell him that I tutored you senior year and that you passed with flying colors. Snyder made the comment that if I managed to get you to pass, I could get anyone to. So he hired me on the spot," Angel told her.

"That man is a troll. He never liked me."

"That's his loss, then. Because I happen to like you very much."

"Just 'like'?"

Angel considered for a moment. "Okay. Love, adore, worship, dream of, etc. You're the one."

"Flattery will get you everywhere."

"Is it working?" he wanted to know.

"It is. But first we have to paint the bedroom. 'Cause I want to spend Christmas Eve in bed with you in my own home. In our home."

"Let's get a move on, then."

On the way up the stairs, Buffy stopped, holding her arm out to stop Angel as well. "I just had an idea."

"What idea?"

"Why don't we have Christmas here? Invite Giles and the gang over for dinner and open presents. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea, but it's kind of short notice. We have to buy a tree, decorations, lights. Not to mention food. Who's going to cook a ham dinner for eight people?"

"I am," Buffy said. She caught the unconvinced look in his eyes. "Okay, you'll cook. Angel, you do wonders with food. Ham dinner, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, chef salad and veggies. I can handle brownies and cake and pie. What do you say? Please?"

With her puppy dog eyes ripping his heart out, Angel couldn't say no. "Alright. I'll make dinner, you make the dessert. And we'll both decorate."

Buffy threw her arms around him. "You're the greatest."

"I try."

********

At eight-thirty, they had a pizza delivered. Both were so exhausted from painting the bedroom that they didn't have the energy to do anything but call for pizza. Angel started a fire while Buffy placed a blanket over the carpet in front of it, pillows all around. Grabbing a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator, and two glasses from the cupboard, Angel joined her in front of the fire with the pizza.

"Sorry it's not a candlelight dinner for two, but I'm too tired," he apologized.

"Pizza and champagne on the living room floor with you is wonderful enough."

Angel poured them each a glass. "A toast."

"To what?"

"To our new home. To the children we're going to fill it with in the years to come. And to the beautiful woman who has given me all of those things."

Buffy blushed. "Then I want to make a toast to the only man alive who can actually make me feel as beautiful as you say I am. To you."

"To us."

They touched glasses, linked their arms and sipped the bubbly liquid. Putting their glasses on the tile in front of the fireplace, both of them began to dig in to the pizza, devouring the entire pie in forty-five minutes.

"I can't get over that this is ours," Buffy commented. "This huge, amazing house belongs to us."

"Believe it."

Buffy leaned over, sitting on her knees, to capture Angel's lips in a kiss. She wasted absolutely no time in tugging his black t-shirt from his jeans.

"Wouldn't you rather wait until we have a bed?" Angel asked.

She shook her head. "Don't wanna wait. I think it's romantic, us making love for the first time in our new home in front of a roaring fire."

And he did agree with her there, it was rather romantic.

****

"Angel?" Buffy said later, lying in his arms with her legs tangled around his.

"Yes, my love?"

"Wouldn't it be perfect if we made a baby just now?" she asked.

The question sort of took him by surprise. Angel wasn't sure if he was ready for fatherhood yet. Obviously, Buffy couldn't wait to get pregnant and start a family, but he was perfectly happy just being with her. He wasn't sure if he wanted children just yet.

"Yeah. Perfect," he replied half-heartedly.

She snuggled closer to him, not noticing his lack of enthusiasm. "I hope we did. I can't wait to have your baby."

"Me either," Angel agreed. He couldn't help thinking, though, that maybe it was too soon. For both of them.

********

Go to Part 16