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“Only two more finals to go!”  Willow Rosenburg exclaimed, as she and Buffy Summers walked toward the dorm mailbox.

“I can’t wait for Friday afternoon.  I soo need a break.  College has definitely too much stress involved.  Add in slaying and you have one worn out girl,” Buffy explained as she opened her mailbox.  She looked at one particular slip of paper in puzzlement.

“What is it?”  Willow asked her best friend.

“It says I have a package to pick up.  Who would send me a package?”  Buffy looked up at Willow, confused.

“Well, let’s go find out.”   She linked arms with the slayer and proceeded to push Buffy towards the front desk to pick up the package.

Buffy handed the slip of paper to the desk clerk and received a huge box in return. They moved to the side of the room to take a look at it.  It had no return address but the postage showed it had been mailed in Sunnydale.  They looked at each other in curiosity.

“Let’s go to the room and open it.”  Buffy stared at the mysterious package.

Buffy set the package on her bed before they dumped their stuff in their room.  She retrieved a pair of scissors from her desk and opened the package.  Tearing the stuffing away, Buffy pulled out a folded up Christmas tree.  “A tree?”  She glanced at Willow briefly, then dumped the rest of the package’s stuffing out-hoping to find a note or something to clue her in to the sender.  Finding nothing, she sat down on her bed and sighed.  “Nothing.  Who sent this?”

“Maybe your mom?”   Willow suggested.

Buffy shook her head.  “We discussed this earlier, and she was afraid that it would be a fire hazard.  Go figure.  Besides, she had to go out of town to pick up some art piece.”

“Riley?”  Willow guessed again.

“He lives here on campus, Will.  Why would he mail it to me?”  Buffy reasoned, shaking her head again.

“Ok.  How about your father?”

“Nope.  Not like him.”  Buffy rejected Willow’s third guess.  “He would have at least left me a note.”

Willow sighed and sat down next to Buffy.  “Then it’s a mystery.”  She paused a moment, then brightened.  “Hey!  Maybe you got a letter in your mailbox to accompany it.”

Buffy reached for her mail and sorted through the junk to find no letters. “Nothing.”

Willow frowned, “Well, maybe it will come later.  They might have been separated.”

“Possibly.  I guess we’ll have to check the mailbox again tomorrow,” Buffy mused, picking up the tree.

“Yeah.  But, oh!!  Research time!!”  Willow bounced on the bed, excited.

“Hold on, Will.  It’s not a demon, it’s a Christmas tree.  A tree with no return address or note.  We’ll just have to wait to find out who sent it.”

Willow sighed, “Fine.  It’s a nice tree, though.”

“Yes, it is,” Buffy replied as she started to fluff up the miniature tree.  It was only about a foot and a half tall, but nonetheless, it was a pretty Christmas tree.  And she had no Christmas decorations in her room, so what could it hurt?

“Well?  Is there a letter?”  Willow asked Buffy the next day as she opened her mailbox.

“Nope.  But there is a package.”  She held out the small package in her hand and waved it at Willow.

“Ooh!  Does it have a return address?”  Buffy shook her head.  “Well then, open it.”  Willow eagerly waited for news of the new mysterious package.

“Let’s get to the room first, Willow.  Can you wait that long?”  Buffy grinned at Willow’s mood.  Willow was more excited than she was at the arrival of the second package.

“Fine.  Let’s go then.”  She pushed Buffy down the hall toward their room, who laughed as they plowed their way through everyone in the hall.  Willow was really anxious to open the package.

Once inside, Buffy retrieved the scissors once more.  She cut the tape and opened up the box to reveal an ornament.

Willow peeked inside the box.  “Any note?”  She queried.  Buffy shook her head.  She turned the ornament around looking at it.

“It’s a tree with a bird.  What’s that supposed to mean?”  Buffy was puzzled by the mysterious ornament.

Willow took the ornament and looked at it.  “I don’t know, but it’s pretty.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, now the tree has something to decorate it.  Although I think it needs more than one lonely ornament.  I guess we wait to see if any letter arrives.” Buffy reasoned about the gifts.  Willow nodded.

“Another package?!”  Willow exclaimed as they stood outside Buffy’s mailbox the next day.

“Yep.  And no letter.  I bet you that there won’t be a letter inside it either.”  Buffy answered Willow’s outburst.

Inside their dorm room, they opened the box to find another ornament.  This time it was of two birds.  No letter or note accompanied it and Buffy just placed it on her tree alongside the other ornament.

“Ornament.”  Both Buffy and Willow guessed simultaneously as Buffy pulled out a small package from her mailbox the next day.

And their guess was correct as Buffy opened up the package to find an ornament with three chickens waddling around.  It earned its place on the tree with the other two. Again, no letter was found in either the mailbox or inside the package.

The next day Buffy received an ornamental disc with a midnight scene of four birds flying in the sky.  It, too, was placed on the tree as no letter was found.

Each day Buffy received more ornaments in the mail, even after she went home for the holidays.  They discussed who would send the gifts, but they came up with no one.

Finally, when no package came on Christmas Eve, Buffy called Willow to come over one last time to figure out who sent the gifts.  All in all, there were twelve ornaments on the tree.  The last being twelve toy windup monkeys playing drums around a Christmas tree.

“Okay.  Let’s see what we have here.  The first ornament had a bird in a tree, then we had two more birds, then three chickens, four birds, five-” Willow recounted the gifts.

“Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.”  Buffy started humming.  She looked up at Willow and smiled.  “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Willow grinned.  “That’s it!  So what does it mean?”

“BUFFY!!  Come downstairs, please!”  Joyce yelled upstairs to Buffy.

Buffy sighed, “I’ll be back in a moment.”  She left her room and went to see what her mom wanted.  Downstairs, she found Joyce standing near the front door holding a present.

“Yes, Mom?”

“I found this on the doorstep.  It’s addressed to you.”  Joyce held out the wrapped present.

“Thanks, Mom.”  Buffy took the present and walked back upstairs.  She guessed that it was another ornament to add to her collection, but hadn’t there already been twelve gifts for the Twelve Days of Christmas?  Back in her room, she unwrapped the gift and pulled out an angel tree-topper.

“What do you think it all means, Buffy?”  Willow asked again.

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…”  Softly, Buffy sang the first line of the song.

“True love?”  Willow guessed.  Buffy nodded.  “So would that be Riley?”

Buffy shook her head.  “No.  We’re not that close.  And there’s only one person I would call my ‘true love.’  Angel.”  She held out the angel that she had just received.

The look of dawning passed over Willow, then she paused.  “Are you sure? They were mailed in Sunnydale.  I mean, why?  He’s the one who-”

“Left?”  Buffy interrupted.  “I know.  But who else would it be? Who else would claim to be my true love?”  She went into her closet and pulled out her coat.  “I’m going to go find him.  I’ll call you later, okay?”

“But what about Riley?  And I thought you were past Angel, and mad at him for leaving and not telling you that he lurked on Thanksgiving?”  Willow protested. She didn’t want Riley hurt, he was a nice guy.

“Riley’s a nice guy, Willow, but that’s all there is.  I’ve been comparing him to Angel the entire time.  It’s not fair to him.  I’ll never love him like I do Angel.  I know Angel was the one who left and felt that he couldn’t tell me that he was in town, but I love him.  I love him more than life.  When he left, he took a part of me with him, and I’ve never been the same.  If he’s come home, then I’m going to take him back because I need him.  And he needs me.  I’ll never be able to give all of myself to Riley or any other guy.  It’s impossible.”  Buffy paused, taking a breath.  “Angel understands me like no one else does and…I need that.  We’ve been through so much and we’ve helped each other grow and live. There’s no separating us, Will.  We’ll never be able to let each other go and love someone else.  I have to go find him before I lose him again.”  She sighed, looking at Willow to see if she understood.

Willow nodded reluctantly.  “Okay.  Go find him.  Good luck.”

“Thanks.  Maybe I can finally convince him to stay.  I did last Christmas.”  Buffy smiled weekly at her best friend.  It was a long shot, but she was going to try.

They walked downstairs and went their separate ways, Willow back home, and Buffy in search of *her* Angel.

Buffy walked into the entryway of Angel’s old mansion.  There was a table set up with candles and a tape recorder with a note on it saying, “play me.”  Buffy pressed ‘play’ and heard the familiar tune of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’.   She laughed, pressed stop and continued on into the living room.

Angel stood in front of the fireplace, deep in thought.  At the sound of her light footsteps, he turned and greeted her.  “Merry Christmas, Buffy.”

“Merry Christmas, Angel,” Buffy greeted him in return.  She paused as she took him in again, the face, body, and spirit that haunted her in her dreams.  The one that she wished for, but knew she would never have.  Her heart froze, waiting for heartbreak.  It had become so normal lately.

“So, what’s going on?  I got your gifts.  A little puzzling at first but I figured out the song and the ‘true love’ bit,” Buffy asked him, getting to the point. It was always hard to be around him since he’d left her.  That was why she had only been in LA for five minutes before leaving him.  It hurt too much to stay any longer. Yes, she had come tonight with the hope of making him stay, but in the back of her mind a little nagging thought told her that it would never happen.  That was why she wanted this over quickly, so her heart wouldn’t break any more.  So another part of her didn’t die.

“It was a mistake that day, the day you came to LA.”  Angel ambiguously answered her.

“What mistake?  That I came, or that I left quickly?”  Buffy asked, quite confused at Angel’s new cryptic message.

“The Oracles told me it was well-intentioned, but it was a mistake.”  Angel continued, speaking softly.

“What?  Who?  The Oracles?  What are you talking about?” Buffy asked, even more confused.  It appeared her quick visit wasn’t going to be so quick anymore with Angel’s cryptic act.

“That wasn’t the first time I had killed that Mohra demon.”  Buffy stared at him.  “Twenty-four hours before, you and I battled that same demon, and he ran away.  We followed him into the sewers where we split up.  You went up, into the day, and I continued in the sewer.  I eventually found him and killed him. But his blood and my blood mixed.  The demon’s blood was regenerative, making me human.”

Buffy gasped.  “Human?  What are you talking about?  I don’t remember any of this.”

Angel shook his head.  He was going to finish the story before answering her questions.  “Before telling you, I went and visited the Oracles to find out if it was permanent.  The oracles speak for the ‘Powers that be.’  They said it was meant to be and I would be forever human.  We had a wonderful day together.” He paused a moment, remembering the night.  “But that night, Doyle had another vision of the demon.  Apparently the demon’s own regenerative blood brought him back to life.  Doyle and I went to kill him.  I let you sleep, not wanting to wake you.  But Cordelia told you where we were when you woke up.  You found me being beaten mercifully.  You killed the demon once and for all and took me home.  That incident; it made me think.  I was too weak to fight, and I was endangering you in the process.  I went down to the oracles a second time asking them to change me back.”  Angel paused and looked up to see Buffy’s reaction.  She was shaking.  “They turned back time to where you had just come in.  I was the only one to remember that day.  As you saw, I killed the demon and let you go your way.”

You were human?  And you gave it up for me?  I don’t get it.” Buffy shook her head, crying.

“They said you would die if I were to remain human.  More demons would come and I would be of no help to you or to humanity.”  Angel whispered.

“But…but…&nsbp; You could have worked out, you could have learned to fight…” Buffy stumbled, trying to find another way.&nsbp; A solution to a problem long gone but new in her mind.

Angel walked over to her, enveloping her in his arms.  “Shh… It’s going to be okay.  The Oracles summoned me a little while ago.  Apparently the ‘Powers that be’ weren’t happy with what happened.  I made the choice with good intentions, but it wasn’t meant to be.  My humanity was meant to be.”

Buffy looked up through teary eyes not daring to hope that it would happen again. That Angel could be human, again, after all her wishes and dreams of it happening, was too good to be true.

Angel smiled, bringing his thumb up to wipe away her tears.  “The Oracles said I was to receive my humanity back again with two exceptions.”  Buffy inhaled sharply.  “That I retain some vampire traits, such as strength and healing abilities; and that you would remember what happened that one day.”

Buffy’s tears broke loose and she cried into Angel’s shoulder.  Angel held her head and kept murmuring in her ear.  A few moments later, she lifted her head and asked, “When?”

“Midnight tonight.  Christmas Day.”  Angel answered her, smiling. He pulled some strands of her hair and tucked them behind her ear.

“It’s only five,” Buffy stated, glancing up at Angel’s eyes.

“I know.”  Angel whispered.

“What are we going to do until then?”

“I don’t know.  What do you want to do?”  Angel smiled down at her.

“Well, we need to say goodbye to the old, now don’t we?”  She smiled seductively, teasing him.

“And how do you want to do that?”  Angel asked, going along with her little tease.

"Hmm...I don't know.  Maybe with a little something old like...you!"

"I'll still be old after I become human, Buffy."  He closed his eyes, and answered in a soft voice.  Maybe he would be human, but the memories would still be there, including all the years he had been ‘living.’

"What I'm talking about are your vampire traits."  Her tone soft and husky, she asked, "Show me your true face, Angel?  I want to kiss you one last time, so you'll know that I love every part of you-past, present, and future; demon and human..."

Angel stared for a moment, then he morphed.  As her hands came up to caress the ridges, he pulled her to him and kissed her for the last time in his vampire face. When they parted she was out of breath, but had a dazzling smile on her face.

"Wow!  Out with the old, in with the new, huh?!”  She took a breath, then asked, “What to do?  Is there anything you want?"

"Food."

Buffy laughed.  "Someone has a one track mind.  Anything in particular?"

"Ice cream.  Cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip."

"Good choice.  But I think I need to introduce you to Godiva's Chocolate Raspberry Truffle.  It's heavenly.  Now then, let's go to the store and get prepared for your famished stomach."  Buffy pulled him toward the door, but he resisted.&nsbp; She curiously glanced at him, and he pointed to the window.

"It's still day."

She looked at the window, then back at Angel.  "Oh, that's right.  But not for long, though!"  They walked back to the couch in the living room. "We can pass the time some other way."  For a moment they just sat there, staring at each other.  The fire flickered, the wind rattled the glass but the two lovers didn't notice as they slowly moved their heads closer and closer together; until at last their lips met in a sweet kiss.  They tasted, savored and rediscovered each other in that kiss, that quickly gained heat and intensity.  Time disappeared and only their innate awareness of the night made them break apart.  Without a word to keep the perfect moment, he helped her with her coat, and they left for the grocery store.

At the grocery store, Angel and Buffy looked over the ice cream flavors. Buffy stared at them for a moment then turned to Angel and asked, "Would you mind doing ice cream another day?  I feel like hot chocolate and popcorn."

"That's fine.  Just point the way."  Angel had no problem letting Buffy change the menu.&nsbp; He would eat anything as long as she was there.

Standing in the aisle with the microwave popcorn, Buffy thought a moment, then turned to Angel, "Do you have a microwave?"

He shook his head no.  "Sorry."

"Well, then I guess we'll have to do it over the fire.  I know they sell stuff for that kind of thing."  She started looking around for what she had in mind. "Aha!  Found it!"  She held up the temporary skillet type of popcorn maker for the fireplace.  "Now for the hot chocolate."  She pulled his arm away towards another aisle.

When she reached the hot chocolate aisle, she remembered the fact that they had no microwave.  "Do you have a stove?"

Angel nodded and replied, "But no pots."

Buffy groaned.  She thought a moment before pulling him again to another aisle.  When they arrived at the next destination, she stood triumphantly in front of coffee makers.

"Coffee maker?  But I thought we were making hot chocolate."&bsp; Angel asked, confused.

"We are, but we need something to heat up the water.  A coffee maker accomplishes the same thing; we just don't put any coffee in it.”  Buffy answered his question, then started to look at the different coffee makers.  She looked for a small one, not too expensive.  When satisfied with one in particular, she and Angel walked back to the hot chocolate aisle to pick mixes.  Buffy picked a raspberry flavored mix for herself and an amaretto mix for Angel.

“Ok.  That’s it.  Let’s pay and go home.”  Buffy stood up from crouching at the bottom shelf.  They quickly paid for the items and left the store.

On the way back to the mansion, Buffy and Angel walked in silence holding hands, eerily like their last Christmas, but this time there was no snow.&nsbp; Minutes went by before Buffy spoke up.

“You have no Christmas tree.  We need to get you one.”

“And where do you propose to get one this late at night on Christmas Eve?” Angel asked, wondering what had prompted her to this new quest.

“Well, I know of one already decorated.  Come on.”  She tugged at his arm and pulled him in another direction.

They ended up at her house.  She walked back to the side of the house where her room was located.  She dropped the bag of hot chocolate and popcorn on the ground and started to climb the roof.

“I thought you were past this, Buffy.” Angel joked.

“I am.  But this time, I do not want my mom questioning why I am with you and taking my Christmas tree.  Tonight is not the night to get in a fight with her or dampen my mood.  I simply won’t allow that to happen.”  She paused and looked down at him.  “Are you going to come up and help me with the tree or not?”

Angel grinned, then climbed up the roof.  Once inside, he found Buffy packing the ornaments in a bag.  He stood aside and waited for her instructions. Memories flooded him of times before, when he had snuck up here and watched her sleep or made out with her or times when they just talked.  He caught sight of Mr. Gordo and laughed.&nsbp; She still had the pink pig.

Buffy caught Angel’s glance and smiled.  “Brings back old memories, huh?” Angel nodded.  She went over and picked up the pig.  “I remember that night.  I caught you having some ‘quality time’ with him.”&nsbp; She put him back down, then handed Angel the bag of ornaments.  “Time to go.&nsbp; Unless you want to spend some more time here with old memories.”

Angel shook his head.  “No, it’s okay.  We can go make some more memories.”

Buffy smiled.  “I would like that.  Now then, I will take the tree and you take the ornaments and we shall go back to the mansion and set it up by the fireplace. We will have a traditional Christmas, I’m determined of that.”

Angel laughed.  “You like your traditions, don’t you?  Thanksgiving, Christmas…”  He remembered how hung up Buffy had been over the Thanksgiving dinner she had planned.

Buffy’s face turned red.  “You were there, weren’t you?  When I was trying to have a Thanksgiving dinner?”

Angel nodded.  “I was even in Giles’ apartment when you were trying to cook. You left and I talked with Giles about the Indians.”

“Oh, well I just wanted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for once.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  Is there?”  She looked at him concerned.

“No, there wasn’t anything wrong.  It was just funny how determined you were  Every other thing out of your mouth was about the food.  I must admit, I was jealous of Spike that he got to share it with you.  I wanted to stay, but I knew I couldn’t.  It would have hurt you too much.”  Angel’s eyes turned downward.  It still hurt that he had missed so much from her life, even if he was getting a chance now.

Buffy put down the tree and walked over to Angel.  She cupped his head and looked sternly at him.  “Don’t worry about that now.  We have the future ahead of us.  You don’t have to hide in the shadows anymore.  You are a part of my life and you will take part in it.  I will not allow anything else. Understand?”  He nodded.  “Good.” She pecked him on the cheek then picked up the tree again.  She pointed to the window.  “We’re off.”

They climbed out of the window and made their way back to the mansion without incident.

After the tree had been set up by the fireplace, Angel led Buffy back to the couch. “I think we need to talk about some things, before we open up this new chapter in our lives.”

Buffy immediately understood what Angel wanted to talk about, and she was anything but excited about the prospect.  “No, Angel.  Let’s forget about it. We’re about to start off clean.”

“How can we forget?  It’s our past and we’ve never discussed it.”

“What’s there to talk about?  It wasn’t your fault, they’ve forgiven you. I’ve forgiven you.”  Buffy stood up and started walking around the room.

“There’s more to it, Buffy, and you know that.”  Angel protested, watching her pace.

“You think I don’t?  You think that I don’t blame myself everyday for what happened?”  Buffy exclaimed, getting upset.

Angel shook his head.  “Buffy, no.”

Buffy sat back down.  “No?  I know it was my fault!  It was my fault you lost your soul, my fault for those deaths, the pain…  My fault I killed you and sent you to hell.&nsbp; It was my fault that you almost died…”  Her voice became a whisper.&nsbp; “And it was my fault that you had to leave.”

Buffy broke out sobbing.  “Oh God, Angel.&nsbp; It hurts.  It hurts so much.”  She started pounding on him.  Angel took her hands, trying to stop her pounding.  “After I killed you, I wanted to die.  I left…Sunnydale and myself.  I tried to become someone else.  Someone who wouldn’t cause anyone pain.  I didn’t slay.  I lost myself when you went to hell.  But I couldn’t be someone else either.  I was no one.”  She paused, taking quick raspy breaths in between her sobs.  “I had dreams.  Of you and me together. They were wonderful, you told me that we would be together forever, but then you would say, “not even if you killed me.”  When I tried to leave it all behind, the dreams taunted me with you, but then they would stab me in the heart.  It was killing me, Angel.&nsbp; It hurt so much.”

“Shh… It’s alright.  I’m here, I’m okay,” Angel murmured, trying to calm her down, while his own memories were surfacing.  They sat in silence except for the sounds of Buffy’s tears.

A few minutes went by when Angel quietly spoke up.  “When I was in hell, you were the only thing that kept me strong, kept me going.  I didn’t blame you, Buffy, I knew why you had to do it.”  He paused.  “Eventually, they found out about you, that you were my weakness.  They told me that you were dead and showed me gruesome deaths.&nsbp; I refused to believe them.&nsbp; I knew you were strong.&nsbp; But after awhile, because years had passed by, I admitted that you had died. I had always hoped you would live to be old and gray, but I knew you would die a Slayer’s death.&nsbp; Especially-” His voice cracked.&nsbp; “Especially without me there to protect you.  It was my job and I had failed you.”

“When I returned, you were the only thing I recognized.&nsbp; Even though I knew nothing of who I was or where I was, I knew you.  I knew that you were important, and that you would help me.  I knew that you would help me become the man I was supposed to be.  The man I am now.”

Angel carefully lifted Buffy’s head and looked her in the eye.  “Buffy Summers, I love you.  You have given me the world and I thank you for everything No matter the obstacles we have had to face, it was worth it.  The important thing now is that we are together and there are no more obstacles in the way.”  A single tear escaped Buffy’s eye, and Angel brushed it away.

“I love you, Angel.  I can’t imagine my life without you.  And I don’t want to.  It was hard enough these last few months.  I am never going to let you go.  Do you understand that?  That means no more selfless and proud reasons why you have to leave.”  She smiled at him.

Angel nodded happily, actually cracking a big smile.  “Never again.  I promise you.”

“Good.”  Buffy snuggled up against his chest and sighed contentedly. Angel stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead.  They sat in silence, just watching the fire crackle and sparkle.

Just in time for Christmas
You came along
Just in time for Christmas
When everything felt wrong
And I was sure my faith had all run out
Just in time for Christmas
You showed me what Christmas is about

The time for Angel’s humanity and Buffy’s memories came quickly, and the two waited anxiously for the clock to strike midnight.  At midnight, both gasped as Angel had to breathe and the memories flooded Buffy.  Tears softly ran down her face as she remembered all that happened that day.

She turned her head to Angel.  “I forgot.  I didn’t want to forget.”

“You couldn’t help it, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Buffy smiled, “I’ll never forget again.  Never.”  She then put her hand over his chest to feel his heart beat.  A grin appeared from ear to ear.  “It’s beating.  You’re really human!”  She sat a moment, just feeling his heart beat. Angel finally took her hand off his chest and brought her hand to his mouth.  He gently kissed it and glanced at her with a fire in his eyes.

They said no more as they shared the first kiss of their new life.  As always, it started out sweetly, but…Buffy pulled away and barely caught her breath before Angel grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back to his mouth.  When he broke off gasping she grabbed his shirt and pulled his body on top of hers, kissing his eyes, chin, the enticing bit of skin above his open collar.  He held her head tight as he hungrily attacked her neck before returning to her sweet lips.  Angel was pulling her legs up to his waist when she broke away as a memory returned.

"The kitchen table?  Oh, you're a bad boy."

"You were there, too."  Angel managed to say.

"I know."  Buffy grinned at him.  She remembered it all too well. They had tried to stay away, but it had been fruitless.  There was no way they could have stayed apart.

"Would you like it to be more romantic this time?"&nsbp; He suggested, pointedly saying each word between kisses.

She raised her head and the light in her eyes grew brighter; so brighter that Angel knew if he’d still been a vampire he would have had scorch marks.  Speaking in a voice laced with love, passion and something too emotional to name, she answered, "I wouldn't mind," while Angel began to trail kisses down her neck.&nsbp; He picked her up, still kissing her as she stroked his back, and climbed the stairs to his bedroom...

What I needed most, could not be bought at any price
I was far too disillusioned and deceived
I was going through the motions
Made a list and checked it twice
And forgot to write down anything for me
But my long unspoken wishes had been heard
An unexpected miracle occurred

A couple hours later

Buffy laid in bed staring at the ceiling.  Her mind was finally processing what had just happened.  Only twenty-four hours ago she had been puzzling over the gifts, not allowing herself to think about Angel.  It had taken some time and heartache to bring herself to push him to the back of her mind the last few months. Now here she was, in bed with Angel, a human Angel nonetheless, knowing exactly what she wanted in life.  No more heartache, no more tears.  All she had left was apparently a hungry stomach.

She turned over and propped herself up on her arm, then stared at Angel.  He lay there silently, not moving a muscle.&nsbp; His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn’t asleep.

"You know we still have hot chocolate and popcorn?"

"And?"  Angel’s eyes peeked open at Buffy’s voice.

"I'll race you!"

Before his mind had processed what had just happened, Buffy had leapt out of bed, wrapped herself in a sheet and bounded out of the room.

It took a moment, but Angel got out of bed, wrapped himself in a sheet, and ran after Buffy.&nsbp; He took the stairs two at a time until…he saw Buffy lying in front of the fireplace and he stopped.  Her golden hair glistened in the light of the fire. The sheet covered her body completely, yet the light that reflected on the satin and in her eyes only enhanced her sensuality increasing his desire and causing his heart to clench.

He slowly walked to her, and carefully sat down beside her, brushing his lips across her hair in wonder.

"Finally.  Took you awhile."  Buffy grinned at him.

"You…surprised me."  He kissed her on her nose.

"Well, you lost.  You get to make the food.”

Angel pouted and gave her the puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, all right!  you make the popcorn and I'll make the hot chocolate." Buffy gave in to him; she couldn’t resist those dark, soulful eyes.

"Deal."  They kissed, then stood up and made their way to the kitchen. Both had to pick up their sheets, trying not to trip on them.

In the kitchen, Angel stared at the popcorn he was supposed to make.  “How do I do this?”

Buffy laughed.  “Silly.  Hold it over the fire or as close without burning yourself.  When is stops popping or slows down to almost nothing, it’s done.” She kissed his on the cheek.  “Don’t worry.  The fire isn’t as hazardous to your health anymore.”

Just in time for Christmas
One silent night
Just in time for Christmas
You filled my life with light
And there was joy where there had once been doubt
Just in time for Christmas
You showed me what Christmas is about

Ten minutes later Buffy brought the hot chocolate out to the fireplace.  She sat down next to Angel.  “So, how did it go?  I see no burn marks, so I’m assuming it was all right.”

“It went fine.”  Angel replied, kissing her.  “I figured it out.”

Buffy handed Angel his mug of hot chocolate and they sat quietly sipping.

“It’s very good,” Angel remarked.

“Thank you.”  She reached for some popcorn and started munching. After a few handfuls, she threw some at Angel.

“Hey!  What’s that for?”  Angel exclaimed, throwing the popcorn back at her.

“Popcorn fight!”  The two of them started throwing popcorn at each other until they burst into laughter and Buffy was clutching her stomach from all of it.  She laid her head down in Angel’s lap and looked up into his eyes.&nsbp; “I love you.”

“I love you too.”  Angel replied, kissing her softly on her lips.  He then started feeding her some of the leftover popcorn.  She munched quietly, licking his fingers afterwards of the butter and salt.

They lay there silently, entranced by the fire.  Soon Buffy fell asleep in Angel’s arms, listening to the sound of his heart beating.  Angel stayed awake awhile, staring at her peaceful form until he, too, fell asleep.

And all at once, the bells began to ring
And hark the herald, I heard angels sing
Who am I, to resist their call?
You brought me the greatest gift of all
And now, my spirits sing
Just in time, my heart is caroling
From deep within my soul…

The next morning, Angel woke up with a crick in his neck, and he moved his head to find the reason.  He found Buffy sleeping in his arms, and he smiled.  The last day’s events came back to him and he couldn’t help but to thank God for what he had. She was his life, his world, and he couldn’t believe that she was finally his and he was able to be with her, human and all.  He stared at her, she was so peaceful, cuddled next to him.  Carefully, he stroked her but not as to wake her.  He felt the sun wash over them and looked up at the open window.  He yearned to go out to see the sunrise, but the small, petite body next to him kept him rooted to the spot.  She was his angel, and since they were starting a new life together, he would not let it begin apart.

Angel felt Buffy stir, and he waited to greet her.  She peeked open her eyes and squinted in the sunlight.  “Angel?”  Her mind was too groggy to remember the previous night’s events.  But it didn’t take too long for the question on her face quickly turned to a smile of pure delight.

“Merry Christmas, Buffy.”

Just in time for Christmas
Just in time for Christmas
Just in time for Christmas
You showed me what Christmas is about