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At the steady sound of thumping and the rhythmic rise and fall of Angel's chest, Buffy nearly cried out in pure joy. She turned to face him, the place they were in and the Oracles' presence slipping from her mind. In wonderment, she brought a shaky hand up to his chest, laying it on his smooth muscles and watching with fascination as it slowly rose and fell with the movement of his heart.
She pressed tighter, wanting to imprint the moment forever in her mind. It beat incessantly and her hand moved in the soft pattern as a smile spread upon her lips, a smile born of unadulterated happiness. She pulled him closer to her, all the while her eyes focused on her hand and his chest. In and out, in and out, in and out...
When she finally turned her eyes up to seek out his, she found that Angel's eyes were closed and his head was lolled back in what appeared to be pleasure. A smile graced his mouth, one of those sexy half-smiles that he had perfected over two hundred years ago and that always made Buffy want to grab him and kiss him with all her love and passion.
Angel somehow sensed that Buffy was looking at him and slowly opened his eyes to meet her stare. She blinked back tears of happiness as she watched her love take a deep breath, her hand creeping up a bit to experience the full sensation. Angel smiled broadly at her as he became lost in the hazel eyes that had always haunted him so...
"Well, you were right about one thing," the male Oracle said softly. "They *are* extremely cute together."
Buffy and Angel of course did not hear him, too wrapped up in the other to notice, or even care. Angel wrapped his arms around Buffy's body, pulling her flush up against him in an attempt to get as close to her as possible. His eyes were brimming with tears as well, something Buffy had rarely seen before.
And suddenly he leaned his head down, just as she tilted hers at the perfect angle, and their lips met and all that mattered was that they were in each other's arms again and were together and could finally *be* together in every sense of the word. Buffy ran her hands up Angel's back softly before settling her hands around his neck, urging him closer to her still. Angel gently slid his arms around her thin waist, nearly pulling her off the ground as he fought down the desire that swept through him.
He knew the Oracles were happy for them, but he doubted they would be too pleased if he and Buffy started going at it like two hormonal teens right in front of them.
"Oh, God, this has to be a dream," Buffy said as she ripped her lips away from Angel's. He kissed her again, softly, passionately.
"This is as real as it gets, baby," Angel whispered in her ear as he hugged her, nuzzling her throat in the process. Buffy kissed his neck softly, breathing in deeply as she held him close to her.
"I think we're making the Oracles sick," she giggled as she pulled away slightly. Angel pressed his lips to her temple.
"They don't get sick," he replied.
"Tell me this is real," she said again.
Angel leaned into her. "How about I show you?" he suggested, kissing her again. She pulled back, looking him square in the face.
"I love you."
Angel trembled slightly. "I never thought I'd hear you say that again," he told her. She smiled.
"Did you ever doubt it?"
"No."
"Are you two finished?" the male Oracle asked. Reluctantly, Buffy and Angel pulled away from each other, Buffy spinning around to face the Oracles but staying in the circle of Angel's arms, molding her back into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Sorry about that," Buffy grinned.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, my Slayer, it was beautiful. I have no doubts that you two will prove to The Powers that you are meant to be," the female Oracle said with a soft, friendly smile.
"So what exactly do we have to do?" Angel asked, almost dreading asking.
"If you look for it, you will not see it," he said, waving a hand in front of him. "It will seek you out, do not try and discover what it is on your own."
"And now we bid you farewell, my precious lovers. In two days time you will come to us again, and your fate will be decided," his other half said as she pointed a slim finger at them. "Until then, be happy."
With a flash of light, Buffy and Angel were sucked back into their world.
"Geez, you guys sure were gone long enough!" Cordelia cried from her seat on the floor when Buffy and Angel appeared. She quickly clamored to her feet and marched over to them. "Well?"
Wordlessly, Angel lifted one of her manicured hands in his, placing it over his heart. She gasped as she felt his steady heartbeat underneath it and looked up at him in shock. "I'm alive."
"Well, obviously! When a person's heart beats, that's what it means," Cordelia snapped. "Want to explain to me what's going on?"
Angel pulled Buffy close to him with a broad smile on his face. "We have two days to prove that we work better when we're together than apart. If we do, I get to stay human," he said. Cordelia rolled her eyes.
"Didn't you try that before? And you gave it all back so little Miss Slayer wouldn't get killed, remember?" Cordelia reminded him.
"They let him keep his strength," Buffy explained. A small smile broke out on Cordelia's lips as she pulled the two of them in for a hug.
"Well, then I guess I should congratulate you," she said as she pulled away. Buffy murmured her thanks and looked lovingly at Angel. Cordelia had never seen the two of them look so happy...well, that she could remember, anyway. The two of them had probably made her sick during that day he had been human...
Buffy glanced one last time at the portal before looking up at Angel. "Can we get out of here? This is kinda wigging me out," she begged. Angel complied and laced his fingers in hers. They walked off, leaving Cordelia to stare after them.
"I *hate* being the third wheel!" she muttered. "And why do they act like they're the only ones alive when they're together?! That 'we're-soulmates' thing is getting old..."
Shaking her head, she followed them out into the sunlight.
As soon as they stepped out into the day, Angel blinked rapidly as his eyes fought to become accustom to the sunlight again. He squinted down at Buffy, amazed at how precious she looked in the sunlight. It was as though she was a goddess sent down from Mount Olympus, her hair shone with an ethereal glow and her face was illuminated in the afternoon sun.
Buffy, for her part, was staring up at Angel in wonder. He was unusually pale, but that was a minor detail. His eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness and she knew it would be impossible for him to brood anymore. His hair was tinted with the slightest bit of auburn, something she had never noticed before.
Cordelia strode up next to them. "Okay, I'm going back to the office. You guys want a ride?"
"No, we'll walk," Angel said, never taking his eyes off Buffy's face. Cordelia rolled her eyes.
"I'm leaving, you two are gonna make me loose my lunch," she said as she moved away. "Try to control those hormones of yours in the big crowds. PDA is *so* out."
Buffy waved her away, smiling up at Angel again. He brought a hand up to her cheek, caressing it softly as he guided her mouth to his. She deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck once more as she pulled him to her. They stayed locked in a tight embrace until they heard a gasp behind them.
Breaking apart, Buffy and Angel turned to see who had made the sound. Kate Lockely stood before them, arms laden with packages. Her face glowed with embarrassment as she looked away awkwardly, trying to hide the hurt look on her face.
"Kate! What're you doing here?" Angel asked as he slid an arm around Buffy's shoulders. Kate looked up at him.
"Shopping. Witness me blowing all my money on presents that will be forgotten about the day after Christmas," she replied, holding up her many bags in emphasis. Her eyes focused on Buffy. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Kate, this is Buffy Summers. Buffy, Kate Lockely," Angel said, introducing the two. Kate held out her hand and Buffy shook it firmly--maybe a little TOO firmly.
Kate winced slightly. "Wow, that's quite a grip you have. And how do you two know each other?"
Angel smiled down at Buffy proudly. "She's the love of my life."
Kate's lips formed a small 'O' in shock. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the younger woman before they turned cool as ice. "Well...I've always wanted to meet the girl who knew the way into Angel's heart."
"It's nice to meet you too," Buffy said slowly, her eyebrows raised. "And how do you know Angel?"
"We've worked together before," Angel told her quickly, stepping in. He could feel the tension between the two and it was quite unpleasant...
"Oh, that's nice," Buffy said with a slightly sarcastic voice. There was an awkward pause between the three.
"Well, it was nice seeing you Kate," Angel said suddenly. "Buffy and I are going back to the office, so I'll see you soon?"
Kate smiled flirtatiously at him and laid a hand on his arm, something that caused Buffy to shoot daggers at the woman with her eyes. "Sure, Angel, I'll call you."
Angel smiled at her and detached himself from her grip, steering Buffy clear of her.
"It was nice to meet you," Kate called after Buffy. "I hope to see you again soon!"
Buffy smiled over her shoulder as she walked away with Angel. "Bye, Kate," she waved before freeing her hand from Angel's. She took his hand and guided it around her waist, patting her pocket with it suggestively. Angel got the hint and slipped it into her jeans, pressing her body to his. Buffy hooked her pointer finger in the belt loop of Angel's slacks, knowing Kate was watching. She could feel the other woman's eyes boring into her back...
"She's my contact with the L. A. P. D.," Angel explained once they were out of Kate's earshot. Buffy giggled as she looked up at Angel, oblivious to the world around her.
"She obviously wants you," Buffy countered playfully. Angel laughed.
"She's nice and she's a good friend, but that's where it ends. She's got some problems, too, when she introduced herself she said she was a 'self-flagellating hypocrite slut.' She's too needy for me," Angel told her as they moseyed down the block, making an extremely attractive couple. They balanced each other perfectly, short and tall, blond and brown, fair and chiseled.
Buffy and Angel walked slowly through the city, enjoying each other's company quietly for a while. They passed Salvation Army Santas, who stood on the corners with their little red pots and rang their bells. They passed stores lit up in holiday lights, advertising amazing last-minute sales. The sky was clear for once, the sun smiling down at them from its place high in the sky as the couple toured the city.
"Did you miss me?" Buffy asked suddenly, her eyes fixated on a point ahead of her. Angel unconsciously tightened his hold on her, slipping his hand deeper into her pocket.
"Every minute," he whispered. Buffy smiled.
"Not a second went by that I didn't think about you," she told him.
"You were everywhere," Angel agreed. "There was no escape."
"I tried so hard to forget," Buffy confessed, "I tried so hard to be what they all wanted. But it didn't feel right, going out with Riley and--"
"Riley?" Angel asked, stopping suddenly and looking down at her.
"Did I forget to mention I have a boyfriend?" she winced. Angel raised his eyebrow at her. "He was my psych T.A., we met in class. Actually, we met in the bookstore, I dropped some books on his head..."
"And he found that romantic?" Angel asked. Buffy laughed.
"Not exactly..."
"And what will happen to this boyfriend of yours if I stay human?" Angel asked playfully. Buffy frowned.
"Well, I'll have to just go back to Sunnydale and be his little girlfriend," Buffy said.
"Really? That's too bad..." Angel said, taking both her hands in his. "Because you'll be missing out on the best thing that'll ever happen to you."
"Aren't we cocky," Buffy smirked. Angel returned it for a moment before sombering.
"Honestly..."
"Angel, do you even have to ask?" Buffy asked. Angel's face told her he needed to hear it anyway. "You know that if we actually do this and you get to keep your pulse there is no way in *hell* I'm ever letting you go."
"If we beat whatever it is they're throwing at us I won't let you out of my sight again," Angel replied, rubbing her palms with his fingers. She smiled up at him with love.
"I love you," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his. Angel entwined his fingers in hers.
"I love you more than life itself," Angel replied, kissing the tip of her nose softly. They stood like that for a long time, feeling completed again, not realizing they had ended up on the same boardwalk that they had first kissed in the sunlight.
For once, everything was right in their world.
The Oracles watched them through the glowing orb once more.
"Do you doubt them now?" she asked. He sighed and turned away.
"I hope you know what you're doing," he replied heavily.
"I do," she said. "They are setting things up perfectly."
She turned back to the orb, watching Buffy and Angel shopping for Christmas things for the office. "And what a perfect time for them...instead of being lonely like so many of their kind, they have found each other again. It is nothing short of touching."
"I still think you're going about this all wrong," he grumbled. She sighed.
"What do you have against love?"
"Nothing. Those two just make me sick."
She laughed at his narrow-mindedness and turned her attention back to the
couple, who were laughing as they tried on matching Santa Claus hats. She
sighed in contentment, happy that she had given them this incredible gift.