Flowers For Lover
Author: KiMnUs Email: [email protected] Spoilers: Erm, this is in midst of "Killed By Death." Rating: PG-13 -- Leather pants advisory. Feedback: Pretty please? With a Davey on top? Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive. Side Note: My first crack at a Buffy/Angelus Fic. Enjoy. I dare you.
Prologue "Uh oh, this does not look good for our heroine..." Angelus smirked, looming over Buffy's fallen form in game face. Then something fell over his head and tossed him to the side with much effort. He tore the item from him and stood up, growling at the three Scooby Gang members before him. Xander stepped forward, cross outstretched. "Take a walk, over bite." Angel grinned at him, backing away. "We should do this again some time." He turned and hurried from the cemetery. Relaxed, Xander crouched down next to Buffy who was coming to. "Buffy, you okay?" Xander asked as she rose to her feet. He stood as well. "I told you guys to leave--" She rambled, hand clutched to her forehead as a dizzy spell swept through her system. "I--" "Buffy?" Xander caught her before she fell, and then he, Willow and Cordelia rushed to the hospital. Part One Days later, Angelus decided to pay his girl a visit at the hospital. Flowers in hand, Angelus walked into the infirmary and seeing no Scoobies in sight (Xander had made a mad dash for the bathroom), he went to the front desk letting his eyes glance over the clerk. "Where's Buffy Summers at?" "Sorry, sir, but there's no outside visitors--" "Oh, I'm family." Angel reassured with a forced smile. "I hear about her ailment and I flew in as soon as possible." "I see." The Clerk pulled out Buffy's file and checked through it. "She's just down that hall. You can't miss her, door's open." "Thanks," Angel let his gaze linger on the now-blushing clerk before heading down to her room. He stepped across the threshold, placing the flowers quietly on the dresser across from Buffy's hospital bed. Then, he pulled up a chair by her bedside and sat down, eyes level with her beautiful, sleeping face. Buffy stirred awake from her dream, vision blurry but not inept enough so as she couldn't tell there was someone else in the room. As soon as it cleared, she yelped and scooted further back on the bed as far as she could without falling off. "That's good Buff, I like smelling fear." "What are you doing here?" "I came to see you. Or maybe watch you, but now that you're awake...we can bond." "Why are you here," a more demanding tone took hold of Buffy's voice. "Did you do something to Xander?" "Your White Knight? No, he wasn't around." "You didn't answer question number one." Angel sized up this girl, his old lover before breaking into a full-fledged smile. "There's a lot of reasons. I'll go with my first instinct. We can talk, you know? A little venting time. What do you say?" "I really can't think of what to vent," Buffy replied casually. "Without using fists." Angel feigned a wince. "That hurts." He reached out to touch her once-sprained wrist, almost exhibiting concern. "I really did a number on you." "Yeah," Buffy winced as he lifted her hand up. Not because of the pain, but because of the contact. "You did." Gently, he turned her wrist so he could touch her fingers. She tensed, unsure of what to make of this. Shrugging, he dropped her cast laden hand to the bed and stood up. "Well, Buffy, I have a few options here." "Funny, only one comes to my mind." "I'm not sure where I would take this actually. You see Buffy, in all my years of death and...well death," he managed a laugh at that. "I always new what to do. I knew where to take things. Drusilla was so simple and easy, but you...you I have to say," he broke off, heaving a sigh. "You make me feel things that unacceptable. You have any idea how hard it is to wake up with a raging erec--" "I get the picture. Okay? I make you feel loved, I gave you hope -- my god! You wake up with a what?!" She sat up in bed, a little too quickly for she stiffened as another dizzy spell hit her. Angel chuckled at her. "Don't get ahead of yourself there, Buff. Every night, my dreams are you. All of you, and I loathe it. Because they're dreams and dreams always leave much to be desired. Plus they're just images from the subconscious, and if this is what my subconscious wants...well. I'm sure you know what I mean." Buffy cast her gaze down. "I'm really not sorry to hear that." "Cold as ice," Angel grinned and then stood up. One hand moved to cover her scorching forehead. "Ooh, but with a raging fever. Funny how much of a paradox you turned out to be though." Buffy relaxed at the cool feel of his skin. Ignorance was bliss. So, seeing her comfort, he prodded further -- his hand slowly drifting down the frame of her face until it hit her hospital gown covered shoulder blade. Without hesitation, he slid his hand underneath the material to rest on her shoulder. She settled back into the pillow, glad to feel some relief out of this current situation. She didn't care what was happening, just all that mattered was being fever free. Angel massaged her shoulder while his free hand moved to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. So easy was she to tame. "T-the flowers," Buffy mumbled. "Are those--" "For you, lover," he nodded. Opening only one eye, it shone with doubt and inquisition. "You do realize this is comforting for me, right? I mean isn't that a big bad in your book of torture?" "There's always exceptions." "Angel, I really don't think this is healthy unlife-choice decision for you. I mean we both know we'll be duking it out once I'm out of here." "True." "So why the -- dare I say it -- change of heart?" "You're so vulnerable now. I like seeing you that, I have so many sketches of just you..." "Well, I can tell you that considering how good you are, your pictures of just me are going to be... bluntly? Worthless. I'm not a looker." Angel gave a laugh, pulling his hand away from her. "Of course not Buff. That's why your face is all I think about every waking day." "I'm not sure if I should feel flattered or totally weirded out." "It's strange. I can't help my self, I mean you...you're a tempest and I..." "Are becoming Shakespeare as we speak." "You throw me. I don't like it. I should kill you right now." "But would you?" Buffy bravely asked, slowly sitting up in bed. She was cautioning herself this time. "You don't have the will to kill me anymore than I do you." "I know," Angel grumbled. "Then again, maybe you should kill me. This gaping hole in my heart...maybe then it'll heal over and then you could feel it. The emptiness. It's more than I can bare. You being here doesn't help it. It only widens the gap and I'm not even a fourth of the way across the bridge." "Oh you...you're something," Angel turned his back to her. Buffy rolled her eyes. "What'd I do this time? Bring you to a standstill?" "Made me feel care," he spat. "I'll be seeing you lover. Enjoy the flowers, they smell like vanilla." He glanced back to her, a mixture of a scowl and another emotion Buffy couldn't place. He looked away and stepped out of her room. "Can't wait," Buffy emptily replied. Part Two "Hey!" Xander screeched to a halt as he nearly bumped into Angel leaving Buffy's room. Upon realizing who he was, Angel grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him back into the wall -- making sure it was out of earshot from Buffy. She'd fallen back asleep by now. "Relax, boy, she's alive." He growled at him, pushed him back against the wall roughly and stormed off. Xander watched shakily after him. "Yeah...well--well she better be!" "Xander?" Cordelia rushed up to him. "What just happened?" "Angel was here. Hit and a miss." Cordelia winced. "Everything okay?" "Yeah, I can't see Buffy but he said she was alive." "Oh please," Cordelia scoffed. "Like you can trust him. I'll ask someone to check on her." "No, Cordy, it's okay." She didn't pay any heed, already having approached an orderly walking by. She pulled the nurse aside, her Princess smile flashing to her face. "Excuse me. Can you check and see if Buffy Summers is alive?" The nurse stared blankly at Cordelia. "Huh?" "Uh, hello? She can't have non-relative visitors at this time so I really can't see if she's okay myself." "Oh...Some night," the nurse shook her head apologetically and started towards Buffy's room with Cordelia in tow. "We just had a child die, so I'm a little wired. I'll check on her. Wait here." Cordelia stopped and motioned for Xander to come stand with her. "Okay." The nurse nodded and went off to check on Buffy. Minutes later she returned with a small smile on her face. "Ms. Summers is sleeping comfortable." "Thanks," Cordelia retorted bitterly. She shrugged and went off to attend to other business. "So that's good," Xander said in relief. "She's alive and kicking." "Uh, she's sleeping, not kicking." "It's a saying, CC, is that okay?" "Yeah. And you seriously thought she was dead?" She almost laughed. "Was there ever a doubt in your mind?" "She is dead then," Xander's eyes went wide. "Is anybody listening to me today? I said she was alive! Nursey gal said she was alive, what more do you need? Ugh, I'm going to go sit down now, okay?" "Sorry, I'll go with you." She seemed to calm down with that. "Okay." And so they sat in comfortable silence. Epilogue Buffy sat up in bed, catching herself before fully dozing off -- she had to pretend to be asleep when the nurse came in. Why did she come in anyway? She didn't bother to give it anymore thought -- it wasn't worth it. She tore off all the appliances hooked to her arm and lumbered out of bed, meandering over to the dresser with the white bouquet of flowers resting atop it. Crestfallen, she rubbed her thumb along one of the petals and smelt the vanilla essence surrounding it. "And I thought he cared..." She shook her head and left the room, hospital gown off to show her tanktop and plaid pants. She really needed to check up on her dreams so she'd have something to report to Willow. Maybe she could find Ryan in the kid's room...she needed to get Angelus off her mind anyway. The End
