|
|
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. Sucks to be me, right?? They all belong to one Joss Whedon, who is just evil. They also belong to the mean people at Fox and the Master, who resides at Mutant Enemy. Don't own anythin', ain't claimin' nothin'. There, is that Riley enough for ya, Joss?
Author's Note: Someone asked me about doing a sequel to 'Lending a Helping Hand', and I thought it would be a good idea. So this is my New Years' fic, taking place directly after the Christmas story. Song isn't mine, it belongs to Live, off the album 'The Distance to Here'.
FEEDBACK: Feedback is like a drug to me. Did I mention I'm a feedback whore? Send some my way if you like what you see... *G*
DEDICATION: To my fellow LOYAL B/A fans. I know it's hard, but keep the faith, guys.
Part 1
Buffy Summers was in heaven. There was no other way to describe the peace and happiness she felt, in this place between reality and dreams. She was vaguely aware of her surroundings, the soft sheets she lay on and the smell of Chinese food that permeated the fog in her brain. She ran her hand along the cool cotton, searching for something...someone...
When she felt nothing but the sheets, Buffy became slightly worried. She opened her eyes and blearily looked around, the world at an odd angle. Through the blurriness of her eyes, she saw the beautiful intricate pattern of Angel's bedsheets, but no one next to her. Sighing, Buffy rubbed her eyes, getting rid of the sleep that lingered before propping herself up on her elbow, gazing around the darkened room.
"Angel?" she called hesitantly. A moment later, her gorgeous boyfriend appeared, his arms filled with Chinese take-out cartons.
"Yes, beloved?" he teased, setting them carefully on the bed and tossing her one of his shirts in the process. Buffy reached for one of the containers after carefully buttoning the shirt and gave him a shy grin. Angel handed her chopsticks as she opened the container.
"This is so sweet," she remarked, popping a piece of sesame chicken into her mouth. Angel smiled at her as he opened another carton containing rice.
"I figured you'd be hungry after your nap," he grinned. She smiled slyly at him.
"I am, thanks to you," she said with a wink, shifting on the bed to get closer to him. Angel smiled wickedly at her and pulled her chin up for a sweet kiss.
"I just can't seem to get enough of you," he replied.
"Well, that's good," she said, motioning for him to hand her a soda. "Because you're stuck with me. Indefinitely." She popped the tab and took a long gulp.
"That's not exactly punishment," he said sighing in contentment. And it definitely wasn't punishment, it was more like heaven... Impulsively, he kissed her softly and went back to eating his Chinese food. Buffy sighed and flopped back into the pillows. She gazed around happily before speaking.
"I'm not usually this lazy, you know," she told him, running a hand through her disheveled hair. Angel looked up at her dubiously, his trademark half-smile on his lips. "What? I'm not! I'm a little college student, we can't afford to be lazy..."
"Not very convincing, Buffy," Angel laughed. "You've been staying with me for the past four days and I don't think you've gotten out of bed other than to go to the bathroom or get food."
"Hey! Not true," Buffy said, tossing a fortune cookie at him. "I went out with Cordy a few days ago..." Angel plucked the cookie off his shirt and put it down.
"And that was just to the store, to get more of that ice cream and some whipped cream."
"Yeah, so?" she shrugged, downing more soda. "You weren't complaining the other night..."
He raised his eyebrows at her wicked smile. "Neither were you," he purred, pressing his lips to her cheek. Before she could move her head to deepen the kiss, Angel had gotten off the bed and was popping a video into the VCR. He turned on the TV and adjusted the volume before returning to the bed.
"What's this?" Buffy asked, gesturing at the television with her fork. Angel smiled at her as he chewed.
"It's called a movie. You watch the screen and there are these pictures and they talk and they tell a story. It's amazing," Angel said. Buffy shot him a look, trying to appear annoyed. One glance at his handsome face melted her, though, and she playfully hit him on the arm. He caught her hand and kissed her palm softly, keeping eye contact the whole time.
"I know what a movie is, Angel. Sarcasm really is overrated," she grinned, leaning in for a kiss. Angel shifted on the bed, settling himself against the pillows that lined the wall. He pulled Buffy to his chest, wrapping one arm securely around her. "So what are we watching?"
"Well, I asked the girl at the store and she said this was the ultimate chick flick," Angel said as he reached for Buffy's chicken.
Buffy perked up immediately. "The girl at the store? Was she hitting on you?" Angel chuckled.
"No," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead in reassurance. "She helped me pick this out."
"And what IS this?" Buffy asked impatiently, pushing the empty carton away.
"Ghost," Angel said. "I've never seen it and she said it would be the perfect at-home date movie."
Buffy snuggled closer to her boyfriend. "Wow, I never thought our relationship would consist of dates at home eating Chinese takeout and watching sappy movies."
"It's unbelievable, isn't it?" he whispered, nuzzling her neck. She turned her head to the side, catching his lips in a passionate kiss, feeling her body melt into his as their tongues danced. Buffy brought a hand up to caress his cheek, gliding her hand over the smooth surface while they kissed.
"I still think I'm gonna wake up and this will all be a dream..." she said as she settled herself in Angel's arms.
"If it is, I hope it never ends," Angel whispered.
"Well, it will end," Buffy said with a slight frown. "I mean, I can only tell my dad I'm staying at Cordy's so many nights before he gets suspicious. And I have to go back to Sunnydale soon and you have to stay here and--"
"You're cute when you babble," Angel said, silencing her with a kiss. She pulled away and gazed up at him with the hazel eyes he always seemed to drown in.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"Anything it takes to be together," he replied, hugging her close to him. Content with his answer, she leaned back and watched the movie with her boyfriend, for once feeling like life didn't hate her.
They were cuddling in bed after the movie when Buffy decided to bring up the subject again. "Angel?"
At Buffy's quiet tone, Angel gently twisted her in his arms so that she lay facing him. Bringing a hand up to caress her cheek, he dipped his forehead to touch hers softly.
"What is it, baby?" he asked, his eyes locked with hers. Regardless of the fact that the room was dark, he could see into her eyes perfectly.
"What are we gonna do?" she whispered. "I mean, I have to go back to Sunnydale soon. How are we gonna--"
"Shh," Angel said, pressing a finger to her lips. "We'll figure it out, we always do."
"I mean, you can't move back because of the business and I can't move here because of college," Buffy said, ignoring him. Angel sighed.
"This is really bugging you, isn't it," Angel said, the words a statement, not a question. Buffy nodded and gazed up at him.
"I think about having to leave you and it feels like I can't breath, I can't think. I don't want to have to be without you," she whispered, her voice almost desperate. "I can't live without you again, knowing what it is I'm missing."
"Oh, Buffy," Angel murmured, pulling her close to him and tucking her head under his chin perfectly. "You never have to do that again, you know that. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you."
"But--"
"Shh," Angel said, cutting her off gently. He pressed his lips to her forehead and unconsciously clutched her closer to his chest. "We'll make it work, Buffy. You can drive up here on weekends and I can drive down to Sunnydale whenever you need me. We'll talk every night, it'll be bearable."
Buffy nodded. "That's true," she said, turning her face up to look at him.
"And every time we see each other, the sex will be that much better," he joked. Buffy giggled, her breath warming his bare chest.
"You mean it can get better than it already is?" she whispered, placing a soft kiss on his jaw. He pondered her question for a moment before a devilish grin broke out on his lips.
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see," he replied playfully, reaching down to capture her lips in a fiery kiss. She responded eagerly, arching up to him in an attempt to get closer still. They remained locked in their embrace for a few long moments before Buffy broke it off to yawn loudly.
"Sorry," she said, her voice laced with sleep. "I'm gonna have to take a rain check."
She rolled to face away from him, sidling up against him, her back molding into his strong chest. He wrapped an arm around her body possessively and nuzzled her neck.
"I understand. Rest, you can make it up to me later," he whispered, nibbling on her ear playfully. She giggled and pulled his hands up in hers, wrapping them around her more. "God, I don't deserve you..."
"But you do, my love," Buffy told him, her eyes popping open. "The Powers proved that by giving you this."
"I know," Angel said. "I just can't believe it's really happening."
"Believe it, babe," she laughed, snuggling up against him. "This is definitely as good as it gets."
"Love you," Angel mumbled, his voice muffled in her hair. Buffy smiled as her eyes drooped.
"Love you more."
"Somehow I doubt that..." he replied. Buffy sighed happily and fell asleep in the arms of her lover.
"So what are we doing for New Year's?" Buffy asked the next morning as she waited for her bagel to toast. Much to Angel's dismay, she had gotten out of bed that morning and didn't plan on returning to it until late that night.
Cordelia shrugged. "Some of my fellow 'aspiring' actresses are throwing a party and I can bring guests. And I use sarcastic quotes there."
"Why?" Buffy asked, slightly confused. Cordelia shrugged.
"I thought it added drama to the sentence."
Angel pulled Buffy onto his lap and kissed her before popping a piece of scrambled egg into his mouth. Buffy noticed that Cordelia was eating standing at the counter and her brow furrowed slightly.
"Cor? You know this thing that our plates are on? It's called a table. You put your food on it and you get to sit down and enjoy--"
"You think I want to eat off that table, knowing what you two have done on it?! I have SOME dignity, you know. Plus that's just beyond gross..."
"Hey!" Buffy cried good-naturedly, trying to look stern and failing miserably. She smiled up at Angel under her lashes and quickly averted her gaze to keep from laughing hysterically. "We cleaned it off."
Cordelia shuddered. "Oh, God, Buffy! Mental pictures are SO not cool! Yuck!" she cried, her eyes squeezed shut in an effort to block out the grossness in her mind. Needless to say, it wasn't working.
Angel quirked his eyebrow at Buffy and tried not to burst out laughing. Her wiggling on his lap was becoming a problem, however, and he quickly scooped her up and placed her in her own chair to stop something from becoming a *big* problem.
Buffy took a calming breath. "So," she said sweetly, taking a bite of her bagel. "New Year's party?"
"Yeah, Ashlynn is having one and I can bring people. I'd say we could go to a club but they'll be swamped and you know how cramped bodies makes my hair flat," Cordelia said, walking over to the refrigerator and removing a carton of milk.
"I was kinda hoping we could spend it here," Angel said, leaning in close to her. "Alone."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You think I want to spend the turn of the millennium in bed? What are you thinking?!"
"He's obviously *not* thinking with the head on his shoulders, I'll tell you that much," Cordelia muttered, turning away from the couple again. All the PDA was making her nauseous.
"C'mon, Buffy," Angel said, leaning forward to kiss her neck. "I'll make it worth your while."
"You can make it worth my while *after* the party," she said sternly. Angel sighed and leaned back against his chair. She wasn't gonna budge and he knew it.
"Fine, fine, we'll go out," he sighed. "But you're not leaving here New Year's Day."
"You got yourself a deal," Buffy murmured, pulling his to her and kissing him softly. Cordelia threw her hands up.
"God, could you two try and *not* touch each other for five minutes?!"
"No," Buffy said with a laugh. "He's just so cute and touchable."
"And I just want to eat her up," Angel added with a smirk. Buffy quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Ooh, that has potential," she said, grinning wickedly at her lover. Angel kissed her passionately, leaving her breathless.
"Ugh, I hope you know I'm gonna have them bill you for my therapy..." Cordelia groaned. Buffy laughed and went back to eating her bagel. "Oh, Buffy, your dad called before I left. He said you have to be back at his house by eleven, he's got a surprise for you."
Buffy glanced at the clock on the wall and swore. "I only have an hour? Great," she said as she stood, shoving the rest of her bagel in her mouth. "I still have to shower..."
"Need some company?" Angel called after her. Buffy threw him a look over her shoulder.
"Later, love. If you join me, I'll never be ready in time," she said. "Besides, I don't think Cordelia would appreciate it."
Cordelia nodded in agreement. "I think it's great that you two are back together and all, but this whole nymphomaniac thing that you have going on is gross. Besides, you should be working. Gotta keep your day job, remember, Angel?"
Angel waved his hand at her as Buffy poked her head into the kitchen again, a towel draped around her neck. "I think the forces of darkness are laying low right now. They know that if we get interrupted this soon they'll be even deader," she said. Angel shooed her away.
"Shower," he commanded. "Or I'm gonna have to go in there with you and make you late."
"Maybe you should join me after all," Buffy grinned. "There are those...hard to reach places...that I think you could help me with."
Angel groaned softly. "You're killing me here, Buffy. Go shower."
Buffy blew him a kiss and disappeared. Cordelia shot him a look of disgust, but the ex-vampire didn't notice. He had a goofy grin on his face and was staring longingly at the closed bathroom door. The sounds of the shower filled the apartment as Cordelia dropped her dish into the sink and strolled into the bedroom. Angel heard the television turn on and shook his head.
"Make yourself at home, Cordelia!" he shouted. She grinned and snuggled back into the blankets.
"Already did," she replied.
"Hey Cordy," Angel said as he walked into the bedroom as well. "Buffy and I haven't changed the sheets yet and--"
"Shh!!" Cordelia said, holding up a finger and cutting him off. "If I don't
hear details, it never happened. If you know what's good for you, you'll
keep your mouth shut." Angel grinned at her and moved to his closet to get
clothes.