DISTRIBUTION: I'd be honored! But please ask first.
DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon and all those other people that I really don't feel like naming right now.
SUMMARY: Buffy left her ring in the mansion in Faith, Hope, and Trick. She wants it back.
RATING: G
FEEDBACK: My mind needs it!!!
SPOILERS: Seasons two and three.

The girl hesitantly peeked through the curtains into the home of her beloved. Huge flames crackled in the fireplace, giving off an incandescent atmosphere in both the comforting heat and eerie glow from the fire that cast unusual patterns along the darkened walls of the mansion.

She cautiously drew the black curtains apart that were meant to keep the sunlight out, yet another reminder of what he was. There were never enough reminders, lately.

Her eyes searched the floor and fell upon the white indentation that marked the spot where he had returned. From Hell.

Even after all these months, she couldn't believe that she had done it. She had sent him to a place to live in eternal torment, when in reality he had done nothing to earn him a spot there. The soul of Angel had been suffering for what the demon should have been paying for.

She shook her head at the memories, not wanting them to overwhelm her as they had so many times before.

Sighing, she again started her search, eyes darting from corner to corner, looking for the one object that she had sacrificed to say goodbye to her lover.

She still remembered that day, the events crystal clear in her mind.

She remembered Scott giving her the ring, remembered that Angel would have wanted her to move on. And to move on, she had to get rid of the one object that held the most memorable moment of her life. She had gone to the mansion in hopes of restarting her life, reevaluating her decision to never see another guy knowing that her heart would always and forever belong to Angel.

Her Angel.

It was still so hard to believe, he was hers. She had claimed him just as much as he had claimed her that night of her seventeenth birthday. She belonged to him, and he belonged to her.

She had tried to take the one item that had symbolized their love and sacrifice it in hopes that she would one day forget Angel, forget the pain in her heart, knowing what she had done and what she had lost.

And even then, she knew that her softly spoken goodbye wasn't really a goodbye. The final reality of what had happened had finally hit her, and she realized that he was never coming back. Saying goodbye had made the pain seem somewhat liveable.

She was startled out of her reverie by the soft male voice that called out to her from the middle of the room. How long had she been there? "Buffy?"

She spun around to face him, then gave a tiny smile at his disheveled look. He had obviously just gotten out of bed, wearing only his sweatpants, his hair slightly tousled with the remnants of sleep.

"Hey." She softly said.

He gave her a small, almost relieved smile as he sat down on the couch. She joined him, and the two sat in comfortable silence before Angel broke it. "What were you looking for?"

Her head shot up as the realization that he had been watching her search sunk in. "Uh," Suddenly, she was ashamed. She had given up the object that symbolized their love. Thrown it away like it had meant nothing.

"Yes?" He prodded.

She looked down at her hands, suddenly unable to meet his gaze, and played with the ring that was already on her finger. Still silent, she looked to his hand, to see that he had his Claddagh on, the heart facing inward.

He followed her gaze to his ring, not missing the silent implication of the playing of her ring and the gaze to his Claddagh.

He smiled as the realization fully registered. "Your Claddagh?" He softly asked, trying to see into her eyes.

She looked up from her hands, her eyes tearing up as she nodded, wondering what his reaction would be.

He reached into his pocket, then slowly, his hand emerged, clutching the silver ring inside the palm of his hand.

Slowly, his fingers uncurled, revealing the intricate design of the ring. His words came back to her, filling her mind with the rememberance of that night.

"The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart, well you know."

He had been so shy, so uncertain as to what her reaction would be. She knew in her heart that he had been about to tell her he loved her before the gang of vampires ambushed them.

She gently took the ring from him, fingering it gently, before grasping it tightly in her hand.

She closed her eyes, memorizing the texture of it, the smooth silver and the hard edges of the heart, the crown, and the hands.

Exhaling, she opened her eyes to see him staring at her. She offered him a small smile, then turned her attention back to the ring.

She felt his fingers sliding into hers, grasping the thin piece of silver in between both of their hands. "Why'd you let it go?" He whispered.

She shook her head. "I didn't know that you'd come back to me." She answered, her voice catching on the last word.

He leaned in closer to her, whispering into her ear, "I'll never leave you."

Her eyes widened and she stared up at him uncertainly. "Promise?"

The look she gave him was one that almost made him crumble. She looked so vulnerable, so weak.

He grasped the ring from inside of her palm and gently took her hand, his fingers caressing soft designs onto her flesh. "I promise you, that no matter where I am, I'll never fully leave you."

She smiled before hesitantly leaning into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Exhaling, she let herself drift, if only for a little while, comforted by the arms of her Angel.

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