Little Bitty Puzzle PiecesBy PJzallday
Rekindle
As they pulled up in front of the old Hyperion Hotel, Buffy wondered if she was doing the right thing.
"You want us to come?" Dawn asked.
"No," Buffy replied with an appreciative smile. "You guys go get some lunch; do a little shopping." The nervous young woman opened the van door and climbed out. "Maybe you could call in a couple of hours?"
Giles nodded understandingly then Buffy closed the door and walked toward the hotel.
Although she'd telephoned Angel from Santa Barbara, Buffy hadn't actually spoken with him; she'd only left a brief message on his machine. She wasn't even sure he'd gotten it, but hoped he'd be around. Anxiously, she stepped inside.
Willow hadn't exaggerated: the lobby was huge! Buffy descended the stairs in awe of the grandeur. It was certainly different from the small but elegantly decorated basement suite below the office from which he worked when she last visited him in L.A.
As she scanned the lobby, Angel appeared from the kitchenette, sipping from a mug of blood while reviewing a file. "Buffy," Angel said breathily after he'd noticed her.
When she turned toward the voice, her wide olive eyes met his soft brown ones. They simply stood and stared.
Smirking coyly, Buffy broke the silence. "You could at least tell me you're happy to see me."
"Happy?" Angel set down his mug and file then sauntered over to her. "God Buffy! I'm so relieved you're alright!" With his arms wrapped around her tiny frame, he pulled her to his chest.
In silence they stood holding each other: the vampire drinking in the warmth of his former love; the young woman relaxing into the firm cool embrace. After a time, reluctantly, they separated.
"Well?" Buffy glanced awkwardly around the lobby.
At the same moment, Angel cleared his throat. "So…" He shuffled his feet. "You did it. It's over?"
Buffy stepped to the couch and flopped down, releasing a deep sigh. Nodding, the Slayer conceded, "It's over."
"The amulet?" Angel ducked his head to look apprehensively at her through his lashes. "Was it any help?"
"It was," she said softly, her pride clear in the two simple words.
Getting details was proving a challenge but Angel persisted. "You found your champion, then?" His tone was unintentionally but undeniably laced with disdain.
Buffy sat completely still, and though her gaze was directed at the floor, it seemed she was a million miles away — or perhaps only a few hundred. As she blinked back tears, she smiled. "I did."
"And Spike?" he began snidely, "He's-"
Her steely eyes locked onto Angel's and she shook her head, daring him to keep talking. "Gone," she bit sharply.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, assuming correctly what she meant: that Spike hadn't survived the battle. He was no longer undead; just dead.
She glared.
In response, the tall man slouched visibly. Her chiding was only a small fraction of that which he imposed on himself. Sitting beside her, Angel took her hands in his as he sought her gaze. "Buffy," he insisted, "I'm sorry… for your loss."
"Thanks for-" Her throat caught as Spike's voice echoed in her head: "No, you don't. But thanks for sayin' it." For the briefest instant, Buffy could see his tragic face. She hadn't allowed herself time to think about those final moments or to consider his words. The fragile young woman inside had experienced such a great sense of release telling Spike how she felt, telling him that she loved him, that she hadn't really processed his reply.
Now his words were sinking in: no, you don't. Her chest ached. No, you don't. Tears burned behind her eyes. No, you don't.
Shaking off her reflection, Buffy refused to succumb to her emotion, instead she refocused on the moment; the here, the now and the handsome strong man she loved. She squeezed his hands and pursed her lips into a tight smile. "Thanks." As she returned her gaze to Angel, Buffy was greeted by his warm dark chocolate eyes.
Through her soft sorrowful eyes, he could see her suffering; he wanted to be a comfort to her. When a single tear slid down her cheek, without hesitation or thought he learned in and kissed it away. Salty. Sweet. Buffy.
Though his lips barely grazed her cheek, Buffy's emotions shifted from sadness to yearning. Her heart rate quickened. Her breathing deepened. She wanted so much to lose herself in his arms.
Keenly aware of her body's reaction and anticipating her next move with earnest, Angel skimmed one hand up to cup the side of her face as his lips traced along the opposite cheek.
Buffy's eyes fell closed. Her lips parted slightly allowing her tongue to moisten them and were soon met by his cool full mouth. She clung to him and he to her; passion crushing restraint.
***
"So, Mr. Giles?" Andrew began. "What's the story with Buffy and Angel?"The older man quickly bit into his sandwich then awkwardly indicated he couldn't speak with his mouth full.
"Angel was the 'great love' of Buffy's life," Dawn interjected somewhat sarcastically as she dunked a French fry into her ketchup.
"Oh?" Andrew leaned in grinning with interest at what he expected would be a marvellous story.
"They shared one perfect moment of happiness." She rolled her eyes. "He lost his soul then went all evil and tried to kill us."
"Oh," Andrew said again, his disappointment clear in the change of his tone. He paused as he considered what Dawn had relayed then inquired, "What do you mean?"
"Perfect happiness?" Dawn asked.
"No, 'went evil' and 'tried to kill us'," he clarified.
Giles interjected, "Angel's a vampire. Without a soul, he's… quite different."
"A vampire?" Andrew was intrigued. "So Spike wasn't Buffy's first… 'special vampire'?"
Dawn laughed. "Ah… no."
"Interesting…" Andrew muttered as he pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and began to scribble notes on a napkin. "So then what happened?"
***
The kiss deepened. Buffy slid a delicate yet desperate hand under Angel's shirt feeling the coolness of his firm chest. He moaned with pleasure at the scorching sensation of her touch. Wantonly, his fingers skimmed down the neckline of her blouse, undoing buttons with ease before slipping beneath the fabric to cup the slight swell of her breast. Buffy began to squirm; an odd sensation came over Angel. Then at virtually the same moment, they each released both hands and lips, drawing their bodies apart. Before a word could pass between them, the phone rang."I should… get that," Angel said with the corner of his mouth turned up into an uncomfortable half-smile. "Excuse me a minute."
Buffy nodded as she fumbled to refasten her buttons.
"Hello?"
"Angel. Wes here," the caller stated, "Just ringing to see if Mr. Giles and the others have turned up."
"They've gone for lunch." Angel paused then forwarded, "Buffy's here now." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to tell Wesley, but somehow the words just spilled out.
"Ah. I see," Wes acknowledged with an air of concern. Or was it judgement? "How is she?"
"Fine. Well… we really haven't had much of a chance to talk," Angel explained. "She just got here."
"Right then. Would you mind terribly if I popped 'round to the hotel tomorrow? P'rhaps Mr. Giles and I could meet there to discuss the new Slayer situation."
"That'd be fine," Angel replied.
"Would you have Giles ring me at the office when he returns?" Wesley requested.
"Sure Wes. Is there anything else?"
"No. Will you and Buffy… Have you any plans?" the caller inquired awkwardly before hastily adding, "for this evening?"
"Not so far. We really haven't discussed her plans at all. But I'm sure she's tired after the strain of the past weeks." He glanced to her and smiled compassionately. "She'd probably appreciate a quiet night."
"Indeed," Wesley agreed. "They'll be staying with you? Buffy… and the others?"
"I assume."
Wes cleared his throat. "Splendid. I'll let you return… ah… to your guest."
"See ya later."
Angel placed the receiver in its cradle then went back to Buffy. "Can I get you a drink? Something to eat?"
Grateful for his offer and anxious to avoid discussing what had just transpired between them, Buffy replied, "I could use some water, thanks. With some ice, maybe?"
Shyly, the vampire picked up his bloody mug from the counter where he'd left it and went back to the kitchenette. He wasn't comfortable feeding in front of Buffy and that awareness made him think of Cordelia. In the years they'd been friends, she'd never made him feel self-conscious about his need of blood. And that's when he realized that the awkwardness he and Buffy had just experienced wasn't one sided.
When they were together during their brief but moving meeting in Sunnydale the week before, they were sharing in a bit of nostalgia, trying to recapture a time in their lives that now existed only in their memories. Having Buffy in the place where he'd spent so much of the past couple of years with Cordelia, the presence of the brunette stood between them much the way Spike did when Angel had been in Sunnydale.
In the lobby, Buffy sat wondering what Angel's life was like here in L.A. She'd really never been a part of it and was unsure if she even could. Though "cookie dough" may have been a silly metaphor, she knew that what she'd said to Angel on their last meeting was true: she needed time to find out who she was, who she would become. She also realized that if they were to have a lasting future, she'd have to learn about his life too. Getting up, she wandered to find him. "It'll take time," she remarked from the doorway.
"What's that?" he asked distracted from his own thoughts.
"It's going to take time. For us. Assuming you… want there to be an 'us'," she said noting that perhaps she'd been making assumptions about Angel's feelings.
Smiling and nodding reassuringly, Angel replied, "Buffy, I... You're right: we need time."