Disclaimer: Not mine.
Timeline: Takes place after the season 7/4 finales. Everything is canon up to there. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read.
Author's Notes: This was written pretty quickly and is unbeta-ed. I just wanted to join the throngs of post finale fics out there. For those interested, the sequel to The Sweetest Thing will probably start being sent out next week.

The big yellow school bus pulled up in front of the Hyperion Hotel and a troop of tired people filed out. Buffy led the group into the lobby to find Angel addressing his friends. His speech ceased when he saw her. His eyes swept over her quickly, taking note of her injuries but assuring himself that none of them were life threatening.

"No need for the second front?"

"No."

"Good." They shared a smile.

"I hate to impose, but do you mind if we crash here for awhile?"

"Of course not. We have more than enough room." Buffy stared quietly into his eyes, thrilling in the feeling of victory, of being alive, and of being near Angel. The memory of the kiss was still fresh in her mind.

"Do you guys need medical attention?" Fred asked, unnerved by the amount of blood covering the the occupants of the lobby. While wounds were cleaned and bandaged, the new Slayers enthused about their first real victory, invigorated by the battle.

In the middle of the chaos, Buffy slipped upstairs, wanting to get some rest. She opened one of the doors, immediately recognizing it as Angel's by the personal touches filling it. She started to leave, but a book on the night stand caught her eye - the same book of poetry he had given her on her 18th birthday. She still had her copy but hadn't looked at it in ages. She sat down on the edge of the bed and started to read. Within minutes she had fallen asleep.

**************************

Buffy awoke to the feel of cool fingers caressing her cheek. She blinked her eyes open to see Angel sitting next to her.

"Hi."

"Hi. Sorry I stole your bed."

"It's okay. I think you deserve some rest. The girls were telling the story and it sounds like one hell of a battle."

"Yeah." Buffy sat up in bed with a heavy sigh.

"But you won."

"Yeah, but we lost SITs, Anya, and Spike. It wasn't a total victory." Her eyes welled with tears. "Spike was ready to sacrifice himself, but I'm not ready to lose him."

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"No, you're not. You didn't like him, remember?" she sniffed.

"I know, but you did. And I'm sorry that you're hurting."

"Thanks." She squeezed his hand and they shared a moment of silence before she spoke again. "I don't love him, not like I love you." Angel took note of her use of present tense but didn't interrupt. "But I care about him deeply. He's been there for me, supporting me, watching my back and keeping me safe, offering me unconditional love even though I couldn't give it back. I can't believe he's gone."

"He died a hero's death. He died saving you. If he loved you as deeply as I do, I'm sure there was no doubt in his mind that he was doing the right thing." They sat in silence for awhile longer until Buffy's stomach rumbled. "Oh right, I originally came up here to tell you that everyone is ordering food and they were wondering what you wanted."

"Good, I'm starved." Together, they headed downstairs.

**************************

"There's so many girls out there who suddenly have this power that they won't know what to do with. We need to find them and help them deal with this," Giles said over dinner the next night. "They need to be taught and trained."

"Well as I told you," Angel responded, "we recently came into a large amount of resources which we are trying to use for good despite their past use. Taking care of the Slayer line seems like one of the best ways to do this. Everything we have is at your disposal."

"Thank you," Buffy's eyes met Angel's over the cartons of Chinese food.

"While that's all swell, we just stopped the apocalypse YESTERDAY. I don't know about you guys but I could use a break before we start up "The Scoobies' School for Girls," Faith stated.

"Well then what should we do?"

"We saved the world. I say we party."

**************************

"Being here, I'm thinking" Dawn said, sitting down on the couch next to her sister, "the Bronze is gone forever."

"Well, yeah, seeing as Sunnydale is a big crater, I would say so."

"Weird, huh?" Buffy nodded. "So having fun?"

"Sure." The club they were at had some connection with Wolfram and Hart so Angel had gotten them all into the VIP section. The music was loud and Buffy was enjoying a brightly colored drink with a little umbrella in it.

"Then why aren't you dancing?"

"I will later. I'm just relaxing."

"Okay." Dawn went back to dancing with Xander and Andrew and Buffy leaned back against the bar. Taking a sip of her drink, she watched her friends and the potentials - the young Slayers, she corrected herself. They all seemed to be have a good time, getting a well deserved release. She knew there would be more to come; there would be mourning for those lost in the battle, more demons, more death.

But for now there was dancing.

"Hey," she greeted Angel who joined her, sitting down besides her and ordering a whiskey. "So how's L.A. been treating you?"

"There's ups and downs. Things have been messy lately, but they seem to be working out now."

"Yeah, I guess I can relate." They fell into silence, distracting themselves with their drinks. The noisy club was not conducive to their usual angsty talks and they had never been good at the pointless chatter.

"Want to dance?" he finally asked when a slow song came on.

"Okay." He led her onto the dance floor and pulled her into his strong arms. He buried his face in her long blonde hair and inhaled the familiar scent of vanilla and Buffy that haunted his dreams. Buffy pressed her head into the curve of his neck, feeling safe and years younger just by being held by him. Angel held her tightly as they swayed to the music.

"Buffy," he murmured, brushing his cool lips against her forehead. "With everything that's been going on in my life lately, I've given a lot of thought to things, especially us."

The tiny blonde stepped back from the circle of his arms and looked up into the chocolate brown orbs that could see through to her very soul, hoping they couldn't see the intense emotions that his tender gesture stirred, how hard it was for her to say what she was to say next. "Don't Angel, please. Not us, not now."

"I'm sorry," he looked down, resigned. She reached up and cupped his cheek, urging him to look her in the eye.

"No, don't be. I'm just not a cookie yet." He looked confused for a moment before remembering her baked goods analogy.

"Can we not speak in food terms? I'm not a big eater."

"I just mean winning the battle did nothing to make me more ready for a relationship. In fact it might have made me less ready. The influx of new Slayers throws my world into a tailspin. The "one girl in all the world" spiel that's been a constant part of my identity for the past seven years is gone and I have to figure out what that means for me. I can't do this now. I'm sorry." She looked away, unable to maintain eye contact and see the yearning in his stare. "Listen, I think I'm just going to go now. I'll see you back at the hotel." She rushed away from him, leaving Angel stranded in the middle of the dance floor.

**************************

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Buffy began, sitting down next to Angel on the stone bench in the garden. Angel nodded yes. "I wanted....I wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for us over the past two weeks." Some of the girls had gone home to the families although they stayed in touch, but most of them had made themselves at home at the Hyperion. Angel and his friends had done everything in their power to make them comfortable and had been actively channeling the resources of Wolfram and Hart into aiding the Slayer cause.

"You don't have to thank me. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to. I like having you....I mean you guys, around."

"Well thank you anyway. We lost everything we had in Sunnydale and without you, we would have been ruined. It means a lot that you would help us as much as you have. Thanks especially for funding this vacation for us." Angel was lending them W&H money so Buffy, Xander, and Dawn could go to Europe for the summer. She never would have accepted his generous offer except Xander really needed to get away from it all and grieve for Anya.

"What time is your flight?"

"Eight am."

"You should probably get some sleep then."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She stood up to leave and then paused and turned to face him. "Angel that night you came to Sunnydale and I said that sometimes I think about the future..."

"Yes?" he stood up, eyes hopeful.

"I meant a future with you. You got that, right?"

"I did."

"Good....I just, uh, wanted to make sure. It doesn't mean now..."

"I know."

He kissed her anyway.

His left arm snaked around her slender waist and his right hand tangled in her silky blonde hair as his cool lips brushed tenderly against hers. Her lips parted in a soundless sigh and he took the invitation to slide his tongue along hers, drawing out a faint whimper from the woman in his arms. Buffy clung to him, her hands clasping the back of his neck, wanting him closer, wanting to devour him. They broke apart slowly, sharing lingering kisses before separating completely.

"I'll be back," she told him softly.

"I'll be here."

**************************

"So how is everyone?" Xander asked Willow as the cab pulled away from the airport three months later.

"Good," she answered. "Kennedy and I are doing great. Giles is in Watcher heaven with all the new girls and all the books from the firm. Angel, Gunn, and Faith have been training the girls and they're all doing really well. But enough about us! I want to hear about your trip."

"It was fabulous!" Dawn gushed.

"Relaxing," Buffy sighed.

"Healing," Xander told her with a sad smile. Willow gave him a hug. They pulled up in front of the Hyperion a short while later and piled out of the cab.

"Hello?" The call of greeting brought people into the lobby from all corners of the hotel, including Faith tucked securely under Robin Wood's affectionate arm. Buffy cocked an eyebrow at her original sister Slayer but she just shrugged. Scanning the room, she noticed Angel's absence but didn't say anything. Instead, she said her hellos, recapped the trip with Dawn and Xander and handed out souvenirs.

When the crowd started to disperse, Buffy made her way upstairs. She went down the hall and found Angel's door open. She stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the sight of him. He was sitting in an armchair, reading - classic Angel.

"Hey."

"Hey. How was your trip?" He closed the book and took his feet off the ottoman.

"Good. I think it was just what I needed. Getting away from everything really helped me really a lot in realizing who I am and what I want."

"And who and what's that?" he asked, anxiously awaiting her answer.

"I'm a cookie now and I want you."

Angel stood up, eyes alight and slightly mischievous. "Are you saying that you're ready for me to, um, eat you?"

Buffy giggled. "Angel, did you just make a dirty joke?" He gave the little half smile of his that always made her insides melt.

"I think I did." He approached her, reaching his hands out and placing them on her slim hips, pulling her closer. "I love you, Buffy."

"I love you, too." He reached behind her and shut the door.

Feed me, Seymour, feed me!

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