Disclaimer: None of the characters you recognize from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, etc.
Distribution: If you would like to link to my page or any of my stories, that is so great! But please notify me first.
Feedback: I LIVE on feedback. Please, please, please send me feedback - good or bad. If I don't get feedback, I will shrivel up and die. Mailto: iheartbareed@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters you recognize for Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel are mine. They belong to Joss Whedon (coughevilgeniuscough), Mutant Enemy (grr. arrgh.) and some other fun people. Dont sue I have no money.
TIMELINE: Sometime during Season 4/Season 1, but I transplanted the Host. You can do these things when you play God. Muahahaha.
SYNOPSIS: Can Buffy and Angel prove their love and earn another chance?
RATING: PG-13, if you watch the show you can pretty much read this.
Buffy was sitting on a couch next to Angel. She looked at him, but he looked away, refusing to let his eyes give away the answer she needed. Frustrated and disappointed, she stood up and started for the door. Suddenly, his hand was on her arm, spinning her towards him. His mouth met hers hungrily. Finally, Buffy had to pull away for air.
"Oh Angel," she sighed. Both had tears in their eyes. As Buffy's spilled out, Angel cupped her face with his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. As his lips met hers once again, she woke up.
Buffy sat up with a start. She looked around half expecting Angel to be there. But the only person in the room was Willow sleeping soundly in the next bed. Buffy took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
It was so real. She could feel his body warm from being next to her. She could feel his hands on her back, pressing her closer, but never close enough. As the memories of the dream started to fade, there was an aching emptiness inside. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hung her head.
***
Buffy lay next to Angel, with her head comfortably resting on his bare shoulder. His large hands traced circles on her toned stomach. She sighed contentedly. Angel's hand traveled up her body and stroked her cheek. He turned her head towards his and their eyes met. Slowly, their lips came together. As their mouths parted, smiles lit up both their faces.
"I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, baby. Always." As their lips got closer, Buffy's eyes snapped open.
Not being able to shake the empty feeling the constant dreams had left her with, she got out of bed. She pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans, grabbed a stake, and headed for the park.
As she walked, she thought about her nightly dreams. She couldn't remember anything from them, except for a few vague details from the one she had just had. She wished she could remember more and hold onto to the feelings the dream had given her. However, the dreams faded so fast and the only memory she had was waking up with a dull pain inside and knowing that she had
dreamt of Angel again. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a noise behind her. She spun around, stake raised.
"Whoa, hold up!" A demon in loud clothes cried out. Buffy racked her mind to put a name with the face.
"Whistler?"
"Yep, that's me. How ya doin kiddo?"
"Uh, fine," she replied. "What are you doing here?" Buffy was concerned because last time she had seen this particular demon, he had told her that he had to send the love of her life to hell and it had been all downhill from there.
"I'm here to give you this." He handed her a slip of paper with an address on it.
"What is it?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out." Buffy sighed exasperatedly.
"What is it with demon men and being cryptic?"
"Huh?"
"Both you and Angel." As soon as his name passed through her lips, Buffy had a revelation. "Is this about Angel? Is this his address?" Whistler stared at his shoes for a moment and then answered.
"He needs you, ya know."
"No, he doesn't. He left me," Buffy said softly. She closed her eyes trying to block out the pain that this memory brought her.
"Yes, he does. He needs you just like you need him." Whistler started to say something else, but stopped himself. "Just go to the address."
"And what if I don't?"
"Then, it's your loss." Buffy looked down at the address, wondering what was going on. When she looked back up, Whistler was gone.
***
When Willow woke up the next morning, Buffy was sitting cross-legged on her unmade bed. Her eyes were focused on a small piece of paper and her unblinking stare cause the numbers and letters to swim.
"Buffy?" The Slayer jumped at the sound of her friend's voice.
"Oh, good morning Wil." Willow swung her legs out of bed and stood up.
"What's going on? What's that?" Willow took a step closer and Buffy instinctively closed her hand around the slip of paper.
"Nothing!" she snapped. Willow pulled back slightly hurt at her friend's harsh tone. "Oh God, I'm sorry Willow," Buffy said immediately apologetic. "I've just had a really hard night."
"It's okay. I'm gonna go take a shower." Buffy nodded as Willow grabbed a small cosmetics bag. As the redhead left the room, Buffy uncrumpled the address and continued to stare at it.
She didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure how much she trusted Whistler. Besides, he never actually said it was Angel's address. It could be some sort of trap. And what if it was Angel's address? Did she really want to see him? Immediately, Buffy knew the answer to that question. It was yes. Of course she wanted to see him, desperately. What she should be asking herself
is could she deal with the repercussions that seeing him again would bring? She wasn't sure. The dreams were bad enough, she couldn't imagine the pain that seeing him would bring.
The dreams! Maybe this had to do with the dreams. Buffy couldn't think of a way that they would be connected, but it was possible. Maybe if she went to visit him, he would stop haunting her dreams.
Maybe it wasn't about the dreams. Whistler had said that Angel needed her. What if there was a demon or prophecy that Angel couldn't handle on his own? What if he desperately needed her help? She needed to find out for herself or she would never know. Besides, no matter what the consequences were, she undeniably wanted to see him.
When Willow came back from the bathroom twenty minutes later, Buffy was gone. All that was left was a note saying that she had gone to L.A. and didn't know when she'd be back.
***
Buffy walked down the streets of L.A. The address was safely in her pocket and a backpack with some clothes and slaying supplies inside was slung over her shoulder. On the outside, she looked like just another girl, nothing out of the ordinary.
But inside, that wasn't the case. Buffy was terrified. She had no idea what she was doing and she wasn't prepared for what might happened. Her Slayer instincts screamed at her to not go into anything blindly, but she walked ahead. As she neared her destination, she pulled out the address from her jeans. She looked down at it and then back up. Here it was.
As Buffy pulled open the door and stepped inside, a strong feeling came over her. This was Angel's place. She could sense him and the name on the door, Angel Investigations, confirmed it. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and entered. The opening of the door caused a small bell to ring, alerting the two people in the office to her presence.
"Buffy!"
"Hi Cordy."
"What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, I"
"Cordy, cmon, that's no way to greet our guest," a pleasant Irish voice said. Doyle got out of his desk chair and offered his hand to Buffy. "Hello, I'm Doyle and I'm assuming you're Buffy. Sit down, would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Uh, no thanks," Buffy replied, shaking his hand. "I need to talk to Angel. Is he here?"
"Yep, he's downstairs." Doyle gestured to the elevator.
"Thank you." Buffy walked to the elevator and went down. As soon as she was out of earshot, Cordelia hit Doyle on the arm.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Tell her that he was here."
"Because he is."
"Well, you could have lied and said he wasn't."
"Where else would he be? It's daytime, remember. Vampire plus sun is not a good equation. Besides, why would I lie?"
"Because there are two endings to this situation. Either they lose control and Angelus comes back and kills us all. It's not pretty. I've seen it happen before. Or they just talk and she leaves. Then, Angel mopes around for weeks and that's no fun either."
"Maybe it'll be different this time."
"Doyle, Doyle, Doyle. How little you know."
***
Buffy was anxious as the elevator descended into Angel's apartment. She stepped out of the elevator and looked around. She didn't see him, so she took a few steps further. Then she caught sight of him. His back was to her and he was wrapped only in a towel. His hair and body were wet and as he moved, the muscles in his back rippled. He was gorgeous. Buffy's breath caught in her throat. Angel turned around and froze as he saw her.
"Buffy." He couldn't believe his eyes. He was just thinking about her and now she was here. He wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real, but he knew that if she was, one touch would be the end of him. God, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, if that was even possible. Her blonde hair framed her face and he felt the overwhelming urge to take her in
his arms and kiss her soft pink lips. He shook his head, determined not to let his desire get the better of him.
"Hi Angel."
"Hi. What.Why are you here?"
"Well, at least I got a hi"
"Huh?"
"Cordelia before. It's not important. I'm here because" Buffy trailed off, distracted by Angel's perfect chest right in front of her. Her mind brought back memories of what it was like it was to run her hands over his skin as she stared at his body.
"Uh, maybe I should get dressed," Angel suggested. Buffy blushed.
***
When Angel came back, fully clothed, Buffy was sitting on his couch. He sat down at the opposite end. The sexual tension was strong, but they both chose to try and ignore it.
"So, what's going on? Is something wrong? Why are you here?"
"I thought you could answer those questions for me." Angel was obviously confused, so Buffy elaborated. "Whistler came to Sunnydale and told me to come here. He didn't tell me why. He just said that if I didn't it would be my loss. So I came, and you know the rest."
"I don't know, Buffy. I haven't spoken to Whistler in a year or two. I have no idea what this could be about." They sat there in silence, trying to think of why Buffy was told to come to L.A.
"Well then, if there's no reason, I guess I should go. If something comes up, you know how to reach me." She didn't want to stay in the uncomfortable situation any longer than she had to. Angel nodded, but neither made a move. Angel wanted to beg her to stay or to take him back, but he knew he couldn't. Buffy wanted to beg him to come back with her and to stay with her forever, but she didn't. Nothing had changed. They would both just end up getting hurt.
Still, neither moved. Their resolve to stay apart was weakened by seeing each other. Buffy's brain told her to get up and walk away. It was the best thing to do. But her heart had to get in a last word.
"Angel, one thing before I go."
"What?"
"Do you still love me?" She looked at him, but he looked away, refusing to let his eyes give away the answer she needed. If he said yes, would she just walk out of here? Could he let her? No, it would be best if he didn't say anything.
Frustrated and disappointed, she stood up and started for the door. Suddenly, his hand was on her arm, spinning her towards him. His mouth met hers hungrily. His hands were on her back, pressing her closer, but never close enough. Finally, Buffy had to pull away for air.
"Oh Angel," she sighed.
Both had tears in their eyes. As Buffy's spilled out, Angel cupped her face with his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. His lips met hers once again and she could feel his body warm from being next to her. Again, Buffy reluctantly pulled away for air.
"I couldn't just let you walk away. You need to know. I love you. I love you so much and I'll never stop."
"I miss you so much, Angel."
"I miss you. too." More tears came to Buffy's eyes and she didn't even try to stop them. Angel sat on the couch and cradled Buffy on his lap. She buried her against head against his shoulder and let the tears come.
***
When Buffy woke up she was in Angel's bed. But, where was Angel? She wigged out.
"Angel? Angel!" She cried out and immediately he came running in.
"It's okay. I'm here."
"Angel, hold me," she said, putting all her inhibitions aside and just acknowledging what she wanted. He pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest.
"How long have I been asleep?" Buffy asked softly.
"A couple hours. You fell asleep out on the couch and I moved you in here. You must have been exhausted."
"Yeah, I haven't gotten much sleep, what with studying, slaying, and the dreams."
"Dreams? About what?"
"You." Buffy smiled sheepishly.
"Me? Care to elaborate?"
"I can't really. I wake up remembering things, but everything fades quickly. I can remember that they were about being you and that not being with you hurts."
"I'm sorry I made you hurt. I'm so sorry I screwed everything up."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything we have. I screwed it all up and now that I'm here with you, I can't remember why." Buffy looked up at him wide-eyed and lovingly.
"Angel, do you think we could make it work?"
"I don't know, Buffy. But I want to. I want to so badly."
"Can we try?" Angel thought about it. He knew that it would be better for everyone if they stayed away from each other. But he also knew how he felt and at that moment, with the woman he loved in his arms, that's what was more important. But logic kept nagging at the back of his mind.
"I don't know, but I think I know someone who might."
***
"So, what is this place?" Buffy scanned the scene of fluorescent lights and diversified, demonic clientele.
"A karaoke bar," Angel replied simply. She looked around disbelieving.
"Things get weirder everyday." They looked at each other and smiled. Then, Buffy's attention was taken by a green demon in a white dinner jacket on a small stage.
"Alrighty, thanks for that beautiful rendition of Chers Believe. Next up, we have Madonnas Express Yourself." The emcee handed the microphone to a large blue demon who started singing and headed over to where Angel and Buffy were standing. "Angel, hi! Nice to see you again. How's it going? Who is this lovely lady?"
"This is Buffy. We need your help."
"I figured. But, you know the rules. No singing, no soul-reading." Angel groaned under his breath.
"Ok Angel, I won't make you sing. How about you, Buffy?"
"Uh, sure if it will help. But, uh, I don't know what to sing. Any suggestions?" The emcee stared at her intently for a moment before he answered.
"Have you ever heard of 'I Try' by Macy Gray?" Buffy nodded. "Well, why don't we go with that?"
"Okay." As the previous song ended, Buffy climbed into the stage and started to sing.
//Games, changes and fears
When will they go from here
When will they stop
I believe that fate has brought us here
And we should be together
But we're not
I play it off but I'm dreaming of you
I'll keep it cool but I'm feenin
I try to say goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near//
As the words scrolled across the screen, she realized how close the lyrics hit home. She felt exposed singing something that portrayed her feelings so perfectly, but she kept going.
//I may appear to be free
But I'm just a prisoner of your love
I may seem alright and smile when you leave
But my smiles are just a front
I play it off but I'm dreaming of you
I'll keep my cool but I'm fiendin
I try to say goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near//
Buffy's eyes met Angel's and she knew he realized how the song reflected their relationship. Looking at him, her heart ached. She loved him with all her heart and knew that he loved her back. She hoped that this karaoke demon guy could help them because she didn't know if she could stand being without him any longer.
//Here is my confession
May I be your possession
Boy I need your touch
Your love kisses and such
With all my might I try
But this I can't deny
I play it off but I'm dreaming of you
I'll keep my cool but I'm feenin
I try to say good bye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near//
As the song ended, Buffy put the mike back in its stand and walked back to where Angel and the host were sitting. Angel took her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.
"You sounded great." Buffy smiled at him.
"I just have one question," Buffy said turning to the green demon. "How did you pick this song?" The demon smiled.
"I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't need for people to sing to read their souls." Angel's head snapped up and he glared at the man sitting next to him.
"What?" Angel said sharply.
"Well, most people. You, however, I needed to hear because you have 200 some odd years of repression to deal with." Buffy looked at the both of them with an amused smile on her face.
"Angel, you sang."
"Not voluntarily." Buffy giggled at the thought. Angel tried to change the subject. "So, what can you tell us?"
"Well, from the moment you two walked in here, it was obvious that you are madly in love with each other. And knowing some things about Angel, I know what the problem is. I can't help you, but I think I know somewhere that might be able to." He wrote down an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Angel.
"Why do green demon men keep doing that?" Buffy said, annoyed. Angel gave her a small smile.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a challenge. It's hard. But I know you'll pass."
"How?"
"Because I've read both your souls and they fit."
"Excuse me?"
"To put it simply, you're soulmates."
***
Buffy and Angel drove in silence. They had always known on some level that they were soulmates, but hearing it outright from someone who knew a thing or two about souls was shocking. Angel parked in front of a old ramshackled warehouse and they got out of the car. They entered the old building which smelled slightly of sulfur and was lit only by the moon.
"Hello?" Angel called into the darkness. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the next thing they knew they were somewhere else. The room they were in was lit by torches and there were stone statues all around. There was a large oak door behind them and a long hallway in front. Instinctively, they headed for the hallway.
As they walked cautiously down the corridor, Buffy's small hand found Angel's larger one. He took it and pulled her slightly closer to him. They were both apprehensive about what was to come. Eventually, they reached another room. A man in a suit was standing there with his back to them. As they entered the room, he turned around.
"Hello! Welcome. I will be your host this evening. I understand that you want to give this man a second chance at life. Let's get started. There are three challenges. I would like to warn you though. Some of these changes are very difficult and dangerous. Is that okay with you?" Buffy and Angel nodded solemnly. "Alright then. Sir, please go through that door and Miss, you go over there." Buffy and Angel went to their respective doors and before opening them, looked back at each other. Their eyes showed love, trust and hope.
***
Angel entered through the door and there was nothing but blackness. Even his vampire eyes which could see perfectly in dark saw nothing. Suddenly, there was a burst of flame and there was a wall of fire, lighting up the room. On the other side of the fire, he saw Buffy. She was chained to a chair and there was a man standing behind her holding a knife to her throat.
"Angel!" she screamed. The man behind her spoke calmly.
"If you don't save her in a minute, she dies."
***
Buffy entered a pitch black room. Even her supernatural Slayer night vision was not able to see anything. Suddenly, there was a burst of flame and there was a wall of fire, lighting up the room. On the other side of the fire, she saw Angel. He was chained to a chair and there was a woman standing behind him holding a stake to his heart.
"Buffy" he yelled. The woman behind him spoke calmly.
"If you don't save him within a minute, he's dust." With the woman's words, the fire burned brighter and hotter. Buffy immediately sprung into action. She ran as fast as she could through the fire and towards Angel.
***
Angel didn't even stop to think about the fiery death that the flames would bring him. All he knew was that Buffy was in trouble and he needed to save her. He charged through the fire to his one true love.
Amazingly he got through the blaze unharmed. As he got to Buffy, the man, the fire and the chains disappeared. As he reached for her, she faded too.
***
Miraculously, Buffy made it through the fire safely. As she emerged from the flames, the woman, the fire, and the chains disappeared. She reached out to Angel, but he faded too. She was alone.
"Sit," a voice from nowhere instructed and she obeyed. "To truly love a person, you must know and love all of them. Close your eyes." Again , Buffy followed the disembodied voice.
***
In the room he was in, Angel heard similar instructions to Buffy's and obeyed them. As he closed his eyes, images flashed before him. Buffy was with a dark haired man. They were dancing together. The next thing he saw they were kissing in a unknown bedroom. He heard Buffy call him Parker and Angel recognized the name. It was the jerk Spike had told him about. Angel sat there as he saw him touch Buffy, his Buffy, and watched as she touched him back.
Angel wanted to open his eyes and to make the horrible visions stop because he knew if he did, he would fail the challenge and it all would be over. As more and more heartbreaking scenes flashed before his eyes, he reminded himself that he had told her to move on. But then again he never thought he would have to watch it in graphic detail. It was torture. But he realized no matter what she did when they weren't together, he would always love every single part of her.
***
Buffy closed her eyes and saw Angel. His hair was longer and he was wearing old-fashioned clothes, but it was unmistakably Angel. Buffy watched in horror as he ripped out the throat of a young girl. She realized immediately that this was Angelus, not her sweet gentle Angel. Time and time again, he tortured innocent people. Buffy could feel the victims fear and it was overwhelming, but Buffy kept watching. She needed to know this dark side of him and accept it as his past.
She watched knowing that Angel and Angelus were separate entities. But as she watched the demon wearing her lover's face tortured and curse Drusilla with immortal life, she wanted to cry. As the visions ended, she realized how strong her love for Angel was. After watching such horrendous things, she should feel hate but instead her heart swelled with love. If it was even
possible, she loved Angel more than she had before she had seen the death and destruction at the hands of Angelus. He had overcome so much to become the gentle, caring, beautiful man she was so hopelessly in love with.
***
Suddenly, the chair Buffy was sitting in disappeared, so she quickly stood up. Two doors appeared. Meanwhile, Angel was experiencing the same thing.
"For your final challenge," a voice from nowhere said, "you must pick a door. Behind one door is the person you claim is your true love. If you pick that door, life will be restored. If you pick the wrong door, the challenge is over and you do not get another chance."
Angel pressed his hand up against the doors trying to sense her presence. On the other side, Buffy was doing the same thing. As their hands met on opposite sides of the door, electricity shot through their bodies. Instantly, they pulled open the doors and they were in each other's arms. When their embrace broke, they were back in the room they had started in.
"Congratulations!" the host said. "You are the first pair to pass in a very long time." Buffy took her arms from around Angel's neck, but Angel kept his arm firmly around her waist. "Oh I'm sorry Miss, you must step away," the man said. Buffy followed his instructions and he stepped closer to Angel. He put his hands out over Angel's chest and they began to glow. As the glowing
stopped, Angel gasped for air. Buffy rushed to his side.
"Angel, are you okay?" He nodded. She threw her arms around him and crushed him to her. He leaned down and their lips met in a tender kiss. Buffy closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and savoring the moment.
When she opened her eyes, they were back in Angel's apartment. His arms were tight around her waist. She glanced around, wondering how they got there, and her eyes landed on the bed. Angel followed her gaze and then looked back at her. Without breaking eye contact, she ran her hands up his chest and locked them behind his neck. Without speaking, he took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
***
Buffy lay next to Angel, comfortably resting on his bare shoulder. His large hands traced circles on her toned stomach. She sighed contentedly. Angel's hand traveled up her body and stroked her cheek. He turned her head towards his and their eyes met. Slowly, their lips came together. As their mouths parted, smiles lit up both their faces.
"I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, baby. Always." He took her hand in his and their lips got closer until they finally met in a blissful kiss.
Disclaimer: None of the characters you recognize from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, etc.
Distribution: If you would like to link to my page or any of my stories, that is so great! But please notify me first.
Feedback: I LIVE on feedback. Please, please, please send me feedback - good or bad. If I don't get feedback, I will shrivel up and die. Mailto: iheartbareed@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters you recognize for Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel are mine. They belong to Joss Whedon (coughevilgeniuscough), Mutant Enemy (grr. arrgh.) and some other fun people. Dont sue I have no money.
TIMELINE: Sometime during Season 4/Season 1, but I transplanted the Host. You can do these things when you play God. Muahahaha.
SYNOPSIS: Can Buffy and Angel prove their love and earn another chance?
RATING: PG-13, if you watch the show you can pretty much read this.
Buffy was sitting on a couch next to Angel. She looked at him, but he looked away, refusing to let his eyes give away the answer she needed. Frustrated and disappointed, she stood up and started for the door. Suddenly, his hand was on her arm, spinning her towards him. His mouth met hers hungrily. Finally, Buffy had to pull away for air.
"Oh Angel," she sighed. Both had tears in their eyes. As Buffy's spilled out, Angel cupped her face with his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. As his lips met hers once again, she woke up.
Buffy sat up with a start. She looked around half expecting Angel to be there. But the only person in the room was Willow sleeping soundly in the next bed. Buffy took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
It was so real. She could feel his body warm from being next to her. She could feel his hands on her back, pressing her closer, but never close enough. As the memories of the dream started to fade, there was an aching emptiness inside. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hung her head.
***
Buffy lay next to Angel, with her head comfortably resting on his bare shoulder. His large hands traced circles on her toned stomach. She sighed contentedly. Angel's hand traveled up her body and stroked her cheek. He turned her head towards his and their eyes met. Slowly, their lips came together. As their mouths parted, smiles lit up both their faces.
"I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, baby. Always." As their lips got closer, Buffy's eyes snapped open.
Not being able to shake the empty feeling the constant dreams had left her with, she got out of bed. She pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans, grabbed a stake, and headed for the park.
As she walked, she thought about her nightly dreams. She couldn't remember anything from them, except for a few vague details from the one she had just had. She wished she could remember more and hold onto to the feelings the dream had given her. However, the dreams faded so fast and the only memory she had was waking up with a dull pain inside and knowing that she had
dreamt of Angel again. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a noise behind her. She spun around, stake raised.
"Whoa, hold up!" A demon in loud clothes cried out. Buffy racked her mind to put a name with the face.
"Whistler?"
"Yep, that's me. How ya doin kiddo?"
"Uh, fine," she replied. "What are you doing here?" Buffy was concerned because last time she had seen this particular demon, he had told her that he had to send the love of her life to hell and it had been all downhill from there.
"I'm here to give you this." He handed her a slip of paper with an address on it.
"What is it?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out." Buffy sighed exasperatedly.
"What is it with demon men and being cryptic?"
"Huh?"
"Both you and Angel." As soon as his name passed through her lips, Buffy had a revelation. "Is this about Angel? Is this his address?" Whistler stared at his shoes for a moment and then answered.
"He needs you, ya know."
"No, he doesn't. He left me," Buffy said softly. She closed her eyes trying to block out the pain that this memory brought her.
"Yes, he does. He needs you just like you need him." Whistler started to say something else, but stopped himself. "Just go to the address."
"And what if I don't?"
"Then, it's your loss." Buffy looked down at the address, wondering what was going on. When she looked back up, Whistler was gone.
***
When Willow woke up the next morning, Buffy was sitting cross-legged on her unmade bed. Her eyes were focused on a small piece of paper and her unblinking stare cause the numbers and letters to swim.
"Buffy?" The Slayer jumped at the sound of her friend's voice.
"Oh, good morning Wil." Willow swung her legs out of bed and stood up.
"What's going on? What's that?" Willow took a step closer and Buffy instinctively closed her hand around the slip of paper.
"Nothing!" she snapped. Willow pulled back slightly hurt at her friend's harsh tone. "Oh God, I'm sorry Willow," Buffy said immediately apologetic. "I've just had a really hard night."
"It's okay. I'm gonna go take a shower." Buffy nodded as Willow grabbed a small cosmetics bag. As the redhead left the room, Buffy uncrumpled the address and continued to stare at it.
She didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure how much she trusted Whistler. Besides, he never actually said it was Angel's address. It could be some sort of trap. And what if it was Angel's address? Did she really want to see him? Immediately, Buffy knew the answer to that question. It was yes. Of course she wanted to see him, desperately. What she should be asking herself
is could she deal with the repercussions that seeing him again would bring? She wasn't sure. The dreams were bad enough, she couldn't imagine the pain that seeing him would bring.
The dreams! Maybe this had to do with the dreams. Buffy couldn't think of a way that they would be connected, but it was possible. Maybe if she went to visit him, he would stop haunting her dreams.
Maybe it wasn't about the dreams. Whistler had said that Angel needed her. What if there was a demon or prophecy that Angel couldn't handle on his own? What if he desperately needed her help? She needed to find out for herself or she would never know. Besides, no matter what the consequences were, she undeniably wanted to see him.
When Willow came back from the bathroom twenty minutes later, Buffy was gone. All that was left was a note saying that she had gone to L.A. and didn't know when she'd be back.
***
Buffy walked down the streets of L.A. The address was safely in her pocket and a backpack with some clothes and slaying supplies inside was slung over her shoulder. On the outside, she looked like just another girl, nothing out of the ordinary.
But inside, that wasn't the case. Buffy was terrified. She had no idea what she was doing and she wasn't prepared for what might happened. Her Slayer instincts screamed at her to not go into anything blindly, but she walked ahead. As she neared her destination, she pulled out the address from her jeans. She looked down at it and then back up. Here it was.
As Buffy pulled open the door and stepped inside, a strong feeling came over her. This was Angel's place. She could sense him and the name on the door, Angel Investigations, confirmed it. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and entered. The opening of the door caused a small bell to ring, alerting the two people in the office to her presence.
"Buffy!"
"Hi Cordy."
"What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, I"
"Cordy, cmon, that's no way to greet our guest," a pleasant Irish voice said. Doyle got out of his desk chair and offered his hand to Buffy. "Hello, I'm Doyle and I'm assuming you're Buffy. Sit down, would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Uh, no thanks," Buffy replied, shaking his hand. "I need to talk to Angel. Is he here?"
"Yep, he's downstairs." Doyle gestured to the elevator.
"Thank you." Buffy walked to the elevator and went down. As soon as she was out of earshot, Cordelia hit Doyle on the arm.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Tell her that he was here."
"Because he is."
"Well, you could have lied and said he wasn't."
"Where else would he be? It's daytime, remember. Vampire plus sun is not a good equation. Besides, why would I lie?"
"Because there are two endings to this situation. Either they lose control and Angelus comes back and kills us all. It's not pretty. I've seen it happen before. Or they just talk and she leaves. Then, Angel mopes around for weeks and that's no fun either."
"Maybe it'll be different this time."
"Doyle, Doyle, Doyle. How little you know."
***
Buffy was anxious as the elevator descended into Angel's apartment. She stepped out of the elevator and looked around. She didn't see him, so she took a few steps further. Then she caught sight of him. His back was to her and he was wrapped only in a towel. His hair and body were wet and as he moved, the muscles in his back rippled. He was gorgeous. Buffy's breath caught in her throat. Angel turned around and froze as he saw her.
"Buffy." He couldn't believe his eyes. He was just thinking about her and now she was here. He wanted to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real, but he knew that if she was, one touch would be the end of him. God, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, if that was even possible. Her blonde hair framed her face and he felt the overwhelming urge to take her in
his arms and kiss her soft pink lips. He shook his head, determined not to let his desire get the better of him.
"Hi Angel."
"Hi. What.Why are you here?"
"Well, at least I got a hi"
"Huh?"
"Cordelia before. It's not important. I'm here because" Buffy trailed off, distracted by Angel's perfect chest right in front of her. Her mind brought back memories of what it was like it was to run her hands over his skin as she stared at his body.
"Uh, maybe I should get dressed," Angel suggested. Buffy blushed.
***
When Angel came back, fully clothed, Buffy was sitting on his couch. He sat down at the opposite end. The sexual tension was strong, but they both chose to try and ignore it.
"So, what's going on? Is something wrong? Why are you here?"
"I thought you could answer those questions for me." Angel was obviously confused, so Buffy elaborated. "Whistler came to Sunnydale and told me to come here. He didn't tell me why. He just said that if I didn't it would be my loss. So I came, and you know the rest."
"I don't know, Buffy. I haven't spoken to Whistler in a year or two. I have no idea what this could be about." They sat there in silence, trying to think of why Buffy was told to come to L.A.
"Well then, if there's no reason, I guess I should go. If something comes up, you know how to reach me." She didn't want to stay in the uncomfortable situation any longer than she had to. Angel nodded, but neither made a move. Angel wanted to beg her to stay or to take him back, but he knew he couldn't. Buffy wanted to beg him to come back with her and to stay with her forever, but she didn't. Nothing had changed. They would both just end up getting hurt.
Still, neither moved. Their resolve to stay apart was weakened by seeing each other. Buffy's brain told her to get up and walk away. It was the best thing to do. But her heart had to get in a last word.
"Angel, one thing before I go."
"What?"
"Do you still love me?" She looked at him, but he looked away, refusing to let his eyes give away the answer she needed. If he said yes, would she just walk out of here? Could he let her? No, it would be best if he didn't say anything.
Frustrated and disappointed, she stood up and started for the door. Suddenly, his hand was on her arm, spinning her towards him. His mouth met hers hungrily. His hands were on her back, pressing her closer, but never close enough. Finally, Buffy had to pull away for air.
"Oh Angel," she sighed.
Both had tears in their eyes. As Buffy's spilled out, Angel cupped her face with his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. His lips met hers once again and she could feel his body warm from being next to her. Again, Buffy reluctantly pulled away for air.
"I couldn't just let you walk away. You need to know. I love you. I love you so much and I'll never stop."
"I miss you so much, Angel."
"I miss you. too." More tears came to Buffy's eyes and she didn't even try to stop them. Angel sat on the couch and cradled Buffy on his lap. She buried her against head against his shoulder and let the tears come.
***
When Buffy woke up she was in Angel's bed. But, where was Angel? She wigged out.
"Angel? Angel!" She cried out and immediately he came running in.
"It's okay. I'm here."
"Angel, hold me," she said, putting all her inhibitions aside and just acknowledging what she wanted. He pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest.
"How long have I been asleep?" Buffy asked softly.
"A couple hours. You fell asleep out on the couch and I moved you in here. You must have been exhausted."
"Yeah, I haven't gotten much sleep, what with studying, slaying, and the dreams."
"Dreams? About what?"
"You." Buffy smiled sheepishly.
"Me? Care to elaborate?"
"I can't really. I wake up remembering things, but everything fades quickly. I can remember that they were about being you and that not being with you hurts."
"I'm sorry I made you hurt. I'm so sorry I screwed everything up."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything we have. I screwed it all up and now that I'm here with you, I can't remember why." Buffy looked up at him wide-eyed and lovingly.
"Angel, do you think we could make it work?"
"I don't know, Buffy. But I want to. I want to so badly."
"Can we try?" Angel thought about it. He knew that it would be better for everyone if they stayed away from each other. But he also knew how he felt and at that moment, with the woman he loved in his arms, that's what was more important. But logic kept nagging at the back of his mind.
"I don't know, but I think I know someone who might."
***
"So, what is this place?" Buffy scanned the scene of fluorescent lights and diversified, demonic clientele.
"A karaoke bar," Angel replied simply. She looked around disbelieving.
"Things get weirder everyday." They looked at each other and smiled. Then, Buffy's attention was taken by a green demon in a white dinner jacket on a small stage.
"Alrighty, thanks for that beautiful rendition of Chers Believe. Next up, we have Madonnas Express Yourself." The emcee handed the microphone to a large blue demon who started singing and headed over to where Angel and Buffy were standing. "Angel, hi! Nice to see you again. How's it going? Who is this lovely lady?"
"This is Buffy. We need your help."
"I figured. But, you know the rules. No singing, no soul-reading." Angel groaned under his breath.
"Ok Angel, I won't make you sing. How about you, Buffy?"
"Uh, sure if it will help. But, uh, I don't know what to sing. Any suggestions?" The emcee stared at her intently for a moment before he answered.
"Have you ever heard of 'I Try' by Macy Gray?" Buffy nodded. "Well, why don't we go with that?"
"Okay." As the previous song ended, Buffy climbed into the stage and started to sing.
//Games, changes and fears
When will they go from here
When will they stop
I believe that fate has brought us here
And we should be together
But we're not
I play it off but I'm dreaming of you
I'll keep it cool but I'm feenin
I try to say goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near//
As the words scrolled across the screen, she realized how close the lyrics hit home. She felt exposed singing something that portrayed her feelings so perfectly, but she kept going.
//I may appear to be free
But I'm just a prisoner of your love
I may seem alright and smile when you leave
But my smiles are just a front
I play it off but I'm dreaming of you
I'll keep my cool but I'm fiendin
I try to say goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near//
Buffy's eyes met Angel's and she knew he realized how the song reflected their relationship. Looking at him, her heart ached. She loved him with all her heart and knew that he loved her back. She hoped that this karaoke demon guy could help them because she didn't know if she could stand being without him any longer.
//Here is my confession
May I be your possession
Boy I need your touch
Your love kisses and such
With all my might I try
But this I can't deny
I play it off but I'm dreaming of you
I'll keep my cool but I'm feenin
I try to say good bye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near//
As the song ended, Buffy put the mike back in its stand and walked back to where Angel and the host were sitting. Angel took her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.
"You sounded great." Buffy smiled at him.
"I just have one question," Buffy said turning to the green demon. "How did you pick this song?" The demon smiled.
"I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't need for people to sing to read their souls." Angel's head snapped up and he glared at the man sitting next to him.
"What?" Angel said sharply.
"Well, most people. You, however, I needed to hear because you have 200 some odd years of repression to deal with." Buffy looked at the both of them with an amused smile on her face.
"Angel, you sang."
"Not voluntarily." Buffy giggled at the thought. Angel tried to change the subject. "So, what can you tell us?"
"Well, from the moment you two walked in here, it was obvious that you are madly in love with each other. And knowing some things about Angel, I know what the problem is. I can't help you, but I think I know somewhere that might be able to." He wrote down an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Angel.
"Why do green demon men keep doing that?" Buffy said, annoyed. Angel gave her a small smile.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a challenge. It's hard. But I know you'll pass."
"How?"
"Because I've read both your souls and they fit."
"Excuse me?"
"To put it simply, you're soulmates."
***
Buffy and Angel drove in silence. They had always known on some level that they were soulmates, but hearing it outright from someone who knew a thing or two about souls was shocking. Angel parked in front of a old ramshackled warehouse and they got out of the car. They entered the old building which smelled slightly of sulfur and was lit only by the moon.
"Hello?" Angel called into the darkness. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the next thing they knew they were somewhere else. The room they were in was lit by torches and there were stone statues all around. There was a large oak door behind them and a long hallway in front. Instinctively, they headed for the hallway.
As they walked cautiously down the corridor, Buffy's small hand found Angel's larger one. He took it and pulled her slightly closer to him. They were both apprehensive about what was to come. Eventually, they reached another room. A man in a suit was standing there with his back to them. As they entered the room, he turned around.
"Hello! Welcome. I will be your host this evening. I understand that you want to give this man a second chance at life. Let's get started. There are three challenges. I would like to warn you though. Some of these changes are very difficult and dangerous. Is that okay with you?" Buffy and Angel nodded solemnly. "Alright then. Sir, please go through that door and Miss, you go over there." Buffy and Angel went to their respective doors and before opening them, looked back at each other. Their eyes showed love, trust and hope.
***
Angel entered through the door and there was nothing but blackness. Even his vampire eyes which could see perfectly in dark saw nothing. Suddenly, there was a burst of flame and there was a wall of fire, lighting up the room. On the other side of the fire, he saw Buffy. She was chained to a chair and there was a man standing behind her holding a knife to her throat.
"Angel!" she screamed. The man behind her spoke calmly.
"If you don't save her in a minute, she dies."
***
Buffy entered a pitch black room. Even her supernatural Slayer night vision was not able to see anything. Suddenly, there was a burst of flame and there was a wall of fire, lighting up the room. On the other side of the fire, she saw Angel. He was chained to a chair and there was a woman standing behind him holding a stake to his heart.
"Buffy" he yelled. The woman behind him spoke calmly.
"If you don't save him within a minute, he's dust." With the woman's words, the fire burned brighter and hotter. Buffy immediately sprung into action. She ran as fast as she could through the fire and towards Angel.
***
Angel didn't even stop to think about the fiery death that the flames would bring him. All he knew was that Buffy was in trouble and he needed to save her. He charged through the fire to his one true love.
Amazingly he got through the blaze unharmed. As he got to Buffy, the man, the fire and the chains disappeared. As he reached for her, she faded too.
***
Miraculously, Buffy made it through the fire safely. As she emerged from the flames, the woman, the fire, and the chains disappeared. She reached out to Angel, but he faded too. She was alone.
"Sit," a voice from nowhere instructed and she obeyed. "To truly love a person, you must know and love all of them. Close your eyes." Again , Buffy followed the disembodied voice.
***
In the room he was in, Angel heard similar instructions to Buffy's and obeyed them. As he closed his eyes, images flashed before him. Buffy was with a dark haired man. They were dancing together. The next thing he saw they were kissing in a unknown bedroom. He heard Buffy call him Parker and Angel recognized the name. It was the jerk Spike had told him about. Angel sat there as he saw him touch Buffy, his Buffy, and watched as she touched him back.
Angel wanted to open his eyes and to make the horrible visions stop because he knew if he did, he would fail the challenge and it all would be over. As more and more heartbreaking scenes flashed before his eyes, he reminded himself that he had told her to move on. But then again he never thought he would have to watch it in graphic detail. It was torture. But he realized no matter what she did when they weren't together, he would always love every single part of her.
***
Buffy closed her eyes and saw Angel. His hair was longer and he was wearing old-fashioned clothes, but it was unmistakably Angel. Buffy watched in horror as he ripped out the throat of a young girl. She realized immediately that this was Angelus, not her sweet gentle Angel. Time and time again, he tortured innocent people. Buffy could feel the victims fear and it was overwhelming, but Buffy kept watching. She needed to know this dark side of him and accept it as his past.
She watched knowing that Angel and Angelus were separate entities. But as she watched the demon wearing her lover's face tortured and curse Drusilla with immortal life, she wanted to cry. As the visions ended, she realized how strong her love for Angel was. After watching such horrendous things, she should feel hate but instead her heart swelled with love. If it was even
possible, she loved Angel more than she had before she had seen the death and destruction at the hands of Angelus. He had overcome so much to become the gentle, caring, beautiful man she was so hopelessly in love with.
***
Suddenly, the chair Buffy was sitting in disappeared, so she quickly stood up. Two doors appeared. Meanwhile, Angel was experiencing the same thing.
"For your final challenge," a voice from nowhere said, "you must pick a door. Behind one door is the person you claim is your true love. If you pick that door, life will be restored. If you pick the wrong door, the challenge is over and you do not get another chance."
Angel pressed his hand up against the doors trying to sense her presence. On the other side, Buffy was doing the same thing. As their hands met on opposite sides of the door, electricity shot through their bodies. Instantly, they pulled open the doors and they were in each other's arms. When their embrace broke, they were back in the room they had started in.
"Congratulations!" the host said. "You are the first pair to pass in a very long time." Buffy took her arms from around Angel's neck, but Angel kept his arm firmly around her waist. "Oh I'm sorry Miss, you must step away," the man said. Buffy followed his instructions and he stepped closer to Angel. He put his hands out over Angel's chest and they began to glow. As the glowing
stopped, Angel gasped for air. Buffy rushed to his side.
"Angel, are you okay?" He nodded. She threw her arms around him and crushed him to her. He leaned down and their lips met in a tender kiss. Buffy closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and savoring the moment.
When she opened her eyes, they were back in Angel's apartment. His arms were tight around her waist. She glanced around, wondering how they got there, and her eyes landed on the bed. Angel followed her gaze and then looked back at her. Without breaking eye contact, she ran her hands up his chest and locked them behind his neck. Without speaking, he took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
***
Buffy lay next to Angel, comfortably resting on his bare shoulder. His large hands traced circles on her toned stomach. She sighed contentedly. Angel's hand traveled up her body and stroked her cheek. He turned her head towards his and their eyes met. Slowly, their lips came together. As their mouths parted, smiles lit up both their faces.
"I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, baby. Always." He took her hand in his and their lips got closer until they finally met in a blissful kiss.
