"He could finally stand in the sunlight and all he’d
had to do was make a deal with the devil, and go against all the principles he
had once held so dear. Betray all the others who fought on their side, and what
their destinies; the lives that they had unwillingly devoted to fighting evil,
stood for."- dc
Duty
Calls
Title: Duty Calls
Author: crystalix
Rating: PG
Summary: Sometimes you just can’t explain why we do the things we do. We just
hold on and seek small comforts where we can, no matter how far away they may
seem.
Pairing: Buffy/Angel
Timeline: Takes place in ATS season 5, sometime after “Damage” but before “A
Hole in the World”, no Nina. (Post Chosen, BTVS).
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and co.
Distribution: Please ask first!
Duty Calls
Angel sat at the large desk, trying to focus on the
mound of papers before him.
He knew that taking over Wolfram and Hart wouldn’t be easy, but as the days went
by he found it more and more difficult to cope with the management of the company
(as well as his ever-growing conscience for taking over in the first place).
It was what he needed to do, he knew that, but in doing so he seemed to have
lost any outside connections and friendships, and even now as he uttered the
proclamation that they were doing ‘real good here’ he didn’t believe it himself.
All they were doing was keeping Wolfram and Hart’s darker plans at bay, but even
that he was unsure of, a part of him couldn’t help but feel like a puppet (non-literally
of course) to them, and the fact that they had allowed him to take over in the
first place, was almost enough to convince him that this was all a part of their
plans. He and his crew weren’t keeping them under control anymore than they were
before, he may be able to fool others into thinking he had all the power in this
company, but in reality, he knew that they were still playing their game, and
that the senior partners had the real control.
Sighing, he looked out to the sunny city of LA, sunlight was one of the things
he missed most about being human, but even now he couldn’t will himself to take
any joy in its warmth. He could finally stand in the sunlight and all he’d had
to do was make a deal with the devil, and go against all the principles he had
once held so dear. Betray all the others who fought on their side, and what their
destinies; the lives that they had unwillingly devoted to fighting evil, stood
for. Somehow, sunlight didn’t seem like such a gift after all. It was more a
constant reminder of the life he had forced himself and his friends into, one
that he was having more than a few doubts about. Suppressing the urge to simply
throw himself out the windows and finally end this internal debate, Angel shook
his head and returned to his paperwork, doing his best to concentrate on the
words before him.
Then he felt it; a small tingling starting at his spine and working its way up
his back, echoing through his soul. He could faintly hear his secretary arguing
with someone, before the doors to his office were slowly opened, revealing a
familiar blonde. Angel immediately stood, surprised and perplexed by her sudden
appearance. She looked just as she had in Sunnydale, only her spirit gave off
an immediate sense of freedom, and although she was about to face an army of
demons last he saw her, she may have looked even more tired now.
Wordlessly, she treaded across the room and wrapped her arms around his waist,
pillowing her head against his chest and letting out a contented sigh. Angel
carefully wrapped his strong arms around her petite frame and looked down at
her questioningly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, unconsciously stroking her blonde locks.
“Bad day.” He heard her mumble, not bothering to look up at him.
“Bad day?” he echoed skeptically.
She nodded, snuggling her face further into his chest.
“Got a headache.”
Angel raised an eyebrow.
“You drove to the airport, hopped on a plane for a seventeen hour flight which
I’m guessing you didn’t sleep through, took a cab here, and fought your way past
security because you had a bad day that gave you a headache?” he asked, trying
not to let it sound harsh.
Buffy yawned, giving him a nod.
“Mmm hmm.” She said sleepily.
Angel gave her a small smile and laid his head atop of hers, letting out a contented
sigh.
“Okay.”
The two lovers stood there silently, both taking much-needed comfort in the other’s
warm embrace. Each let out a sigh, allowing the stresses of the day to melt away,
leaving only the two of them in their own calming world; their souls silently
rejoicing at their reunion.
Maybe life wasn’t so bad after all.
The End
On to the sequel: Calls Answered
