Beautiful
By: spoiledsquish
Distribution: FF.net, Slayer's Fanfic Archive (when they open submissions again), B/A Lovers United Yahoo Group,
Enchanting Place, SempiternalBeloved, and anyone else who wants it. Just send me a message and tell me where
it`s going. Cool?
Author`s Note: The title is from the song of the same name by a band called Joydrop. This fic just kinda popped into
my head and has been racking my brain. It's purely B/A, as per usual. This plot is similar to the Gwen/Ethan/Theresa
triangle on "Passions". BTW, I am a big Theresa/Ethan fan but I`d never write fanfic about them. Only B/A is fanfic worthy!
Rating: PG13 to R. Might change later. I`ll let you know as things progress. If you watch the show regularly, you can read this.
Spoilers: None really. B/A still met in Sunnydale but everyone`s human. Demons, vampires, Slayers, and the like don't exist.
Angel and Buffy still broke up, only he gave her the 'gutwrenching sewer talk' in the quad at Sunnydale High.
Couples: B/A, B/S, A/C, W/O, W/F, G/F, mentions of C/X, W/T, and G/J.
Summary: What if Angel had gotten Cordelia pregnant one night when they were drunk? The two marry and Cordelia starts to
fall in love with him, but the feeling isn`t mutual. What happens when Angel`s old girlfriend shows up to visit some of their old
friends? Will Angel finally follow his heart and confess his undying love and devotion to the one woman who`s ruled his heart
since they were kids or will he let duty and honor rule his life and make him stay with his wife and unborn child?
Settings: Sunnydale and Los Angeles, California.
Dedications: This one is for Meghan, whose fic the Penny Series got me all weepy! Finish Galway's Womanizing Irish Brogue for
me, Meg! I`m in serious pain here. Also, I wanna dedicate this fic to James Marsters, who--even though he kind of liked hooking
up with SMG on screen-is still a B/A fan. Kudos to you, JM! You made me turn my bitter hatred that I had for you (cuz of the
whole B/S thing) into nothing but love for the character Spike once more!
I also wanna dedicate the fic to Soraya, who sent me a copy of Nickel's 'Stupid Thing' song. I know I promised three sequels to
some fics, but I just couldn`t help it. I had to write this one!
Feedback: I`m a whore for it, so please contribute!
Chapter 1: Regret And Betrayal
Angel O`Connor studied the looks on his friends' faces as he confessed to them his big news. No one, not even his own sister,
had uttered a word in over an hour.
"Uh." Fred sighed. "This is so sudden, Angel. Um...but if you`re happy, then that`s all that really matters, I guess. So, in a
nutshell, I`m happy for you."
"So am I." Wesley nodded to his best friend.
"For the record, I`m not." Gunn frowned.
"Gunn!" Faith scolded her boyfriend of two years. "Don`t make a scene, okay?"
"What then, Faith? You expect me to act all happy just 'cuz he got Cordelia pregnant? Hell *fucking* no. You don`t even love the girl
and now you want to marry her?" Gunn yelled, grabbing his jacket.
"Where`re you going?" Fred asked.
"I got to go see my best friend." Gunn continued. "Hopefully, she`ll have enough common sense to finally get over you, O`Connor.
She deserves to be happy."
"Gunn, wait!" Faith screamed and then hugged Angel. "I`m sorry, Angel. I have to go after him. Gunn, please, just wait a damn second!"
Faith grabs her own jacket and finds her boyfriend starting up his truck. She climbs in right next to him.
"Gunn, think about this!" Faith cried.
" 'Think about this'?!" Gunn repeated, growling. "For two years, I`ve had to watch my best friend upset and hurt because of him. I saw
her drink herself into a stupor when he took off. I watched her flaunt herself to numerous guys to help her to try and get rid of the
pain that he caused. And every time the heartache would come back. Well, no more. I say good riddance. Buffy deserves better than
that--that bastard. He`s brought her nothing but heartache and pain and I don't want that for her."
"You`re right." Faith agreed. "Buffy does deserve better. I hope she finds it. Just like I wish Angel to be happy, even though I know
he hates himself for getting into this situation. My brother is many things, Charles, and responsible is one of them. He`ll stand by
Cordelia and a part of me admires him for that."
"Did you still--" Gunn asked.
"Wanna go with you?" Faith nodded, completing his question. " 'Sides, I haven`t seen the gang in like, forever."
"Okay." Gunn took her hand in his as they drove to Sunnydale. "I love you, Faith O`Connor."
"I love you, Charles Gunn." Faith kissed him. "No matter how moronic and stubborn you can be. I have to call Angel, though. Give
him the heads up."
"Hello? Angel Investi--" Fred sighed when she heard the voice on the other end. "Oh, hi Faith. Yeah, he`s right here."
Fred hands the phone to Angel and resumes her conversation with Wesley.
"Faith." Angel sighed inwardly. "I was wondering what happened to you."
"Five by five, bro. Like always." Faith chuckled. "Look, I`m not going to be in L.A. for the next day or two. I`m on my way to Sunnydale
with Gunn. So, you wanna give me the heads up before I rush into the battlefield unarmed?"
"Like what?" Angel asked, wondering where the Hell she learned to word sentences that way.
"Like why you and B broke up, why you`re so intent on marrying Cordelia just because she's pregnant, for starters." Faith explained.
" 'Cuz, quite frankly, I`m at a crossroad here."
"Faith, it`s private." Angel sighed. "It`s not your or anybody else`s business."
"Okay." Faith took his word at face value.
"And, despite what you think, I do care for Cordelia." Angel continued. "We`ve grown immensely closer the last few months. Plus,
she`s the mother of my child."
"I know. I'm sorry, Angel. You take care, all right? I`ll see you when I get back. Love you." Faith said, ending their conversation.
"Love you too, sis." Angel hung up. "Faith`s with Gunn. They`re on their way to Sunnydale to tell Buffy."
"You`re not worried?" Wesley asked.
"Why would I be?" Angel shook his head.
"Angel, you`re my best friend, you and Cordelia." Wesley reminded him. "...But I know Cordelia. I saw her relationship with Xander
Harris unfold, saw how she came onto one guy after another just to make him jealous. If Cordelia thinks she can hold onto you with
this baby, she`ll go to great lengths to keep it and you."
"Just stop." Angel snapped. "Cordelia's changed since then; she`s different now. And whether any of you like it or not, Cordelia's
going to become my wife."
"Hi guys." Cordelia entered, smiling at everyone. "What`s with all the tragedy masks? Did somebody die?"
"No." Fred shook her head vigorously. "Angel just told us the big news. Congratulations, Cordy. On both counts."
"Thanks." Cordelia hugged her friend. "Wes, aren`t you gonna hug me?"
"Yeah." Wesley hugged her and whispered, "IF I ever find out that you did this deliberately to keep Buffy and Angel apart,
I will beat you to death. I promise you that."
"Silly Wes." Cordelia whispered back, "So what? You`d never be able to prove it anyway. Trust me, I`m clean."
"You`d better be." Wesley forced a smile and then said louder, "Congratulations, Cordelia."
"Thank you." Cordelia smiled sweetly. "See, Angel? Everything worked out fine. Nothing to worry about."
"I know." Angel nodded. *I`m not worried about you though. I`m worried about her. God, baby, I`m sorry. I`m so sorry.*
T.B.C.
Aww, cliffhanger. I also have chapters 3 and half of 4 written but not typed. Just be patient and I`ll try to post them soon.
So, like the fic so far?
***********
Chapter 2: Blur
A/N: Just to clear any confusion up, Angel and Faith are siblings and it`s Wes/Fred and Gunn/Faith pairings. I was gonna
make Wes and Cordelia cousins, but now I`m not sure if I want to. If you have an opinion on such a matter, please
email me stating your perspective. Also, for those of you who are just dying to see Spike surface, he`ll probably show
up in the next couple chappies or so. Enjoy...
Chapter 2: Blur
"Here we are." Gunn shut the engine off. "It`s smaller than what she used to live in, but after Hank left and Joyce died,
she had to sell the house.
"I like it." Faith admired it and smiled. "It`s quaint, good neighborhood, right next to your old place."
"Whenever I come home to see Mom, I just visit Buff, too." Gunn explained. "We gonna go in or are we gonna stand here
all night?"
"Let`s go." Faith took his hand and rang the doorbell. "I just hope she`s happy to see us."
"Oh my God! Gunn, Faith!" Buffy hugged her old friends when she answered the door. "I didn`t know you guys were back in
town. Is there something going on? Some party I should be aware of?"
"No. Umm...You`d better sit down, Buffy." Faith suggested.
"Should I be worried?" Buffy asked as she followed Faith's suggestion. "Charles, you`re freakin' me out here. What the Hell
is going on?"
"Buffy, Angel`s--" Gunn's voice died down.
"Is he here?" Buffy's face lit up. "Oh my God, he is. I knew it, I knew he`d come back to me!"
"Buffy, he's not." Faith interrupted and grabbed the blonde's arm. "B, Angel`s getting married to Cordelia. They`re expecting
a child together. I know that this is a shock, but..."
"No, no!" Buffy shook her head forcefully. "Angel doesn`t even like Cordy like that. They`re just old friends, ya know? You`re
wrong, guys. You have to be wrong!"
"I`m sorry." Gunn apologized. "I wish I had better news. She went to a doctor and everything`s legit. Cordelia is pregnant, Buffy."
"No." Buffy sobbed. "Charles, is this really happening?"
"I`m afraid so." Faith hugged her friend. "I am so sorry, B."
"Don`t, Faith." Buffy shook her head and stood up. "Don`t you dare say sorry to me. That`s all he said when he broke my heart
the first time. That`s all he ever said when he messed up. I hate those words. God, why am I still beating myself up over this?!
We`ve been over for four years!"
"Buffy, I don`t know what else to say." Faith sighed. "I`m just--"
"Don't be." Buffy cut her off and held up her finger. "Angel made a choice. Not a very good choice, but a choice nonetheless.
Now I`ll make mine."
"Buffy.." Gunn said. "Listen to me."
"No, Charles. Don't try to tell me 'it`s gonna be okay' or that 'I`m better off without him.' It`s never gonna be okay!" Buffy
cried. "I feel like my heart`s breaking into a million pieces right now and all I can do is watch it shatter. I just want to die."
"You won`t, though." Gunn spoke. "You`ll go on, find someone better. Someone who loves you with all their heart."
"I thought I had." Buffy wiped her tears. "Gunn, don`t make me out to be the innocent one, okay? And you sure as Hell don`t
need to make him out to be the bad guy. I`m just Buffy Summers, graduate of U.C. Sunnydale. I hope you`re right. I want
to find someone who`s deserving of me because Angel sure as Hell wasn`t. I deserve someone better. I`m sorry, Faith. I know
he`s your brother. I just--I want to be alone right now."
"Are you sure?" Gunn asked.
"Yeah." Buffy nodded quietly. "Just leave me to do my brooding alone."
"I`ll call you." Faith hugged her again. "If you need anything..."
"I know." Buffy nodded. "Just give me a little while to be by myself."
Buffy walks them to the door. The couple hugs her one last time and drive off. Buffy shuts the door and falls to the floor,
sobbing her heart out.
"Oh God, Angel!" she chokes out. "Angel!"
T.B.C.
I know. What possesses me to leave my chappies in a J.W. cliffhanger-esque fashion? Hell if I know. No preview for
chappie 3 but I`ll give you some hints for what's going to be happening soon.
Spike enters the picture-- note: Spike won't be Buffy`s bf for long 'cuz he's just the ticket for her to go to L.A.
--Angel and Cordelia continue to prepare for their wedding, Gunn and Faith comfort each other after Gunn hashes
it out with Angel. Also, as we get farther into the fic, you`ll learn about the group`s past and what tore Buffy and
Angel apart. Stay tuned for chappies 3 and 4. I also wanna thank everyone who`s sent me feedback. Please continue.
A/N: If you're a B/S'er and for some Godforsaken reason you are
reading this fic, then this is your chappie….Don't get too comfy
though `cuz their romance is short lived due to the fact that Buffy
and Angel are always and forever gonna be soulmates. Remember, this
is a B/A fic, so for the kiddies who can't stand the ship I write
for, please turn back now.
Chapter 3:
~Two Weeks Later~
Buffy Summers stood in front of her bedroom mirror, admiring her
choice of a `clubbing' outfit. Her outfit consisted of tight blue
jeans with a lime green halter. Sexy, yet conservative as Harmony
had told her when she bought it. She was supposed to go dancing
with Faith, Harmony and Willow tonight. Angel would've blown a
gasket, had he been there instead of living it up in Los Angeles.
*Stop thinking about him* Buffy mentally scolded herself. *He's
marrying Whore-delia Chase. You're free to fuck, date or marry
whomever you fuckin' please.*
Buffy snapped out of her daze and applied black mascara. She almost
didn't hear her phone ring.
"Hello?" Buffy answered sweetly. "Oh, hey Harm. What? Willow
canceled? Okay. You and Faith are outside? Well, duh! Come on
inside. You guys are practically family. Bye."
Buffy beamed down the stairs and hugged her two friends as they
entered.
"Hi." Buffy greeted her two friends. "Are you guys ready?"
"Let's roll." Faith nodded. "I'm driving."
"Cool." Buffy said, as she locked the door.
***
~The Bronze- 9:43 pm~
"Oh My God." Faith cursed as she walked into the club. "This place
is…"
"Yeah, they did a remodel of it." Harmony told her. "Shut down the
place for four months, Total withdrawl. When they finally opened
up, the line was for blocks around the corner. Major happening spot
since."
"It looks so different." Faith said.
"Is that bad?" Buffy asked.
"Not at all." Faith shook her head and noticed Buffy searching the
crowd. "Expecting someone, B?"
"I have a date." Buffy smiled sheepishly.
"But…Girls Night…" Harmony and Faith whined.
"I know…I'm sorry to cut out on you guys like this, but I haven't
had a date in months. Hell, I haven't had even had sex in really
long, long time. So, please, let me cut out on you guys just this
once?"
"Okay…but you owe me…big time." Faith told her. "Go. Have your
fun. Just don't forget to call me so I can get all those
incriminating details."
"Hussy." Buffy laughed and left in search of her date.
"God, she needs to get laid." Faith turned back to Harmony. "Drink?"
***
"Spike." Buffy smiled when she ran straight into her date. "I
thought you were flaking on our date."
"Flake on a beautiful lady such as yourself? Never." Spike saw her
blush. "It's packed in here tonight, eh love?"
"Yeah, but it always is." Buffy nodded.
"Want a drink?" Spike asked, after breaking the awkward silence
moments later.
"Yeah. Sure. That'd be great." Buffy smiled. "A beer would be great,
please."
"I'll be back." Spike told her and left her alone.
Minutes later, Spike returned with both of their drinks. She took
her beer from him and gulped it down.
"Slow down there, love. It's not a race, you know." Spike suggested.
"I shouldn't be here." Buffy told him. "Look, Spike. You're a
really nice guy and everything, but…"
"But you don't want to date me." Spike finished her sentence.
"It's not you, trust me." Buffy assured him. "It's me. I'm…I'm no
good for you, Spike. I'm still in love with a guy I used to date,
and I'm so not over him. I thought I was ready to get back on the
horse again, but I'm obviously not. You can call me pathetic now,
okay? Here's your chance."
"You're not pathetic." he shook his head. "Whoever this guy was…he
was a fool to let someone as beautiful and smart as you go. I envy
him."
"Spike, you don't even really know me." Buffy sighed. "How can you
that you envy him?"
"Buffy, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Anyone can see that.
You let your emotions take over and that's not a quality you find in
most women these days. It sets you apart. So, whoever the idiot
was who let you go made the biggest mistake. You're the one,
Buffy." Spike stood up and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see
you at the office on Monday?"
"Yeah." she nodded, stunned.
"Later, love." Spike winked and started to leave.
"Spike?" Buffy called out.
"Yeah?" Spike turned around.
"Thank you." Buffy smiled and watched him walk out of the Bronze.
***
~Later That Night~
"So, let me get this straight. He didn't even try to make a pass at
you tonight? You guys talked and that was it?" Faith asked.
"Perfect gentleman." Buffy nodded.
"That's the most fucked up thing I ever heard!" Faith burst out
laughing. "Even Gunn made a pass at me before I started dating
him. So, when are you guys going out again?"
"We're not." Buffy shook her head.
"What? Why not?" Faith inquired.
"Spike could tell my heart wasn't in it. He told me that he envied
the man who held my heart and that I was the one that got away. It
was so sweet, Faith." Buffy smiled.
"Awww, tear." Faith sniffled sarcastically. "So, what are you gonna
do now?"
"I think…I need to take some time off…Find myself. Figure out what I
want." Buffy explained. "I don't think I ever really knew."
"Does what you want include my brother?" Faith wondered.
"Faith!" Buffy yelled.
"Sorry." Faith shook her head. "I know he's marrying Whore-delia
but B….I think this is just some ploy she's devised. She's sick,
you know? And with you and Angel having been broken up for so long,
she thinks she's deserving of him now."
"Faith, stop." Buffy said. "Do me a favor and let's put all Angel-y
subjects to an end, okay?"
"All right." Faith nodded.
"Cool." Buffy agreed. "God, I really need to get laid. Know of a
good fuck?"
Faith looked at her wide eyed. Buffy just burst out laughing.
T.B.C.
Chapter 4: Fighting Back
"Hey everyone." Faith grinned as she walked into work the next
morning with two trays of coffee. "Cappuccino, anyone?"
"You're awfully chipper this morning." Wesley smiled.
"Faith, you didn't--" Angel told her.
"I got yours with that touch of cinnamon." Faith winked evilly at
her brother. "speaking of, I'm going out to San Fran next week with
some friends, so I'll have to have the week off. You don't mind, do
you?"
"Friends we know?" Cordelia asked sweetly as she hugged her
fiancée.
"Actually, yeah, Some." Faith shrugged at the brunette. "Harmony
decided to come last minute, B already took the week off, `cuz we
planned this, like, two months ago. It's a girl thing. I would
invite you, Cor, but you probably have a ton of things to do,
impending wedding and all."
"Actually, no." Cordelia shook her head. "I already took care of
all the wedding plans. I'd love to come with."
"Peachy." Faith forced a smile when she realized she was backed into
a corner.
"Great!" Cordelia giggled happily.
"Hi." Gunn mumbled as he entered.
"Hi, baby." Faith hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Didn't hear you come in last night." Gunn replied, hanging his
jacket on the coat rack.
"I got in late." Faith admitted. "I was talking to Buffy for a
while. She wanted me to stay in town til morning, but I was
insistent that I come back."
"What about?" Gunn asked.
"Girly stuff." Faith lied. "She's fine, Charles. A real trooper.
I mean, she's trying to move on."
"Good." Gunn nodded. "How is Harmony?"
"Um, she's fine." Faith told him. "They're both fine. Angel, can I
talk to you in private for a second?"
"Sure." Angel nodded as they walked into his office. "What is it,
Faith?"
"I ran into Xander when I was in the `Dale, Angel…" Faith
remarked. "He told me some stuff…about Cordelia."
"Okay?" Angel scoffed at his sister's attitude. "Like what?"
"Cordelia's been harboring feelings for you since she had been
dating Xander." Faith told him reluctantly. "I mean,
technically….It makes sense now, doesn't it? She gets `pregnant'
and convinces you to marry her. Thereby, keeping you bound to her
and apart from Buffy. I know how seriously you take the concept of
marriage, brother. God, I don't know why I didn't realize it
earlier."
"That's enough, Faith!" Angel bellowed. "For one thing, Xander
hates Cordy, you know that. Why would you believe his lies?"
"Angel, we've both known Xander all our lives. You never once hated
him until he started crushing on Buffy. How can you say that about
him? You guys used to be best friends?" Faith snapped back. "The
point is, I know him and I trust him. I don't trust Cordelia. Hell,
I never even trusted her, not even when we were little kids. You
want to know why? She hurt my best friends. That's something I can
never forgive."
"You're out of line, Faith." Angel told her. "Cordy and I don't
need this."
"God, are you actually giving me this `self righteous' speech?!"
Faith demanded. "Don't you see what she's done to you? She's
turning you against everyone, including me, your own sister….Fine,
if you wanna shack up with that two faced bitch in the other room,
you can. I'll be damned if I'm going to be a part of this farce. I
quit."
"Faith!" Angel yelled as she walked out of the hotel. "Dammit!"
"What happened?" Cordelia asked Angel as he came out of his
office. "Is everything all right, honey?"
"No. It was Faith. She said some stuff, and I got angry. Sibling
disagreement." Angel lied, not wanting to reveal the details of
their conversation.
"What kind of stuff?" Fred inquired. "She looked pretty mad."
"Doesn't matter." Angel mumbled.
"Of course it matters." Gunn argued. "What the Hell did you say to
her, O'Connor? I know my girlfriend. She doesn't get upset
easily. What did you say to her?"
"You wanna know, Gunn?" Angel fumed. "She ran her mouth off about
Cordelia and I told her to back off. That's it. Faith will get
over it."
"Right." Wesley rolled his eyes.
"Stay out of it, Pryce." Angel warned his friend, defending himself.
"Don't tell Wesley what to do!" Fred screamed. "God, you're so
wrapped up in Cordelia that you could give a shit less what happens
to the rest of us. I can't believe this!"
"Hey. I'm in the room here." Cordelia yelled and turned to
Angel. "I'm going to go, Angel. I'll talk to you later."
Cordelia grabbed her purse and exits the hotel. Angel turns back to
the rest of the group, anger etched on his face.
"Look, I'm sick of arguing with you guys about this." Angel told
them. "If you can't all learn to accept Cordelia as my wife, which
she is going to be, may I remind you….then I think you should all
leave."
"I'm out." Gunn raised him arms up immediately in defeat. "You
know, the day you see Cordelia for the evil bitch that she really
is, I hope it'll eat you up. You sure deserve it for picking that
wench over my best friend. I hope she kicks your ass to the curb."
"Goodbye, Angel." Fred hugged him. "I really hope you find what
you're looking for. I'm sorry, but I can't stay either."
"Wes? Got something to say?" Angel turned to his best friend.
"Good luck." he muttered and left.
The three walked out of the hotel together. They found Faith crying
on the curb across the street.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked them.
"We quit today." Wesley commented. "We trust you, Faith. I hope
you know that."
"Thanks." Faith nodded and sighed. "Now that we're all out of jobs,
I suppose we can all hit the unemployment line together."
"Perhaps…" Gunn nodded. "Or, we could start up our own business. We
got the resources, the experience. I think we'd manage okay."
"What are you saying?" Fred asked.
"'Summers Detective Agency'." Gunn replied. "It has a nice ring to
it. How bout it?"
"I suppose you're right." Faith chuckled. "All right, I'm in. I
mean, what have we got to lose, right?"
"Us too." Wes motioned for him and Fred. "We have nothing to lose."
"Good…We'll be okay." Gunn assured Faith.
"We will." Faith agreed. "I like the name."
"Me too." Wesley smiled. "We have a lot of work cut out for us,
now."
"We'll manage, though." Fred spoke. "We should all get some rest.
Got big days ahead of us now."
"Night, then." Gunn said, hugging the other couple. "Take care,
guys."
"Night." Wes hugged Faith. "You call me if you need anything at
all, all right, Faith?"
"I promise I will." Faith nodded.
The two couples took off in two separate directions, all eagerly
awaiting to show their potential and see what was going to be in
store for them,
T.B.C.
Seem no cliffhanger. Ash begged me (when I first wrote this) not to
make a cliffhanger, so alas, I complied. Hope you're all liking the
story. I meant to play the B/S romance differently in chapter 3,
but I felt the chemistry just wasn't there in this fic. Also, I
want to thank everyone who's sent me feedback. I know this fic was
shelved because I couldn't find these chapters. I'm back now and
this fic is going to continue. Chapter 5 is going to be about the
new office, and an old friend makes a visit. *G*.
Chapter 5: Let Me Believe
Recap: For those of you just joining the fic, here's what's been
happening over the course of it. Angel found out Cordy was pregnant
and decided to marry her. Buffy found out about it and is trying to
move on with her life…supposedly. Faith believes Cordelia is
manipulating Angel and confronted him about it, resulting in her
quitting Angel Investigations. Gunn, Wes, and Fred quit also
because Angel gave them an ultimatum. The four have decided to
start up their own agency called `Summers Detective Agency'….
~Three Months Later~
"Anybody home?" Buffy Summers asked as she walked into the detective
agency of her namesake.
"B!" Faith hugged her best friend. "Oh my God! I didn't know you
were in town. What are you doing here?"
"Came to see the office." Buffy told her and glanced around. "It's
nice. Very small and cozy. I like it…a lot, actually."
"It's good to see you." Wesley smiled and hugged her as well. "How
are you doing?"
"Ironically good." Buffy shrugged. "Got the invitation yesterday
and didn't cry for an hour. Not too brave."
"I'm sorry." Faith apologized. "I know it doesn't mean much, but…"
"It means a lot that you care." Buffy admitted. "It still hurts,
even after all this time. I mean, I cried, and then I just…
stopped. He's really going to go through with it, Faith. I want
Angel to be happy, and it seems he's happiest with Cordelia Chase.
Who would have thought?"
"So, that's it?" Gunn asked her. "You're giving up. Just like that?"
"I guess so, Charles." Buffy sighed. "I love Angel, always will.
He showed me how to feel something inside me that I never thought I
could feel. He taught me so many things, and his happiness means
everything to me. What's that line? If you truly love someone,
you'll let them go."
"My god." Gunn cursed silently. "I can't believe this."
"What can I say, I had an epiphany of sorts." Buffy
chuckled. "Enough with the gloomy faces, already. `Sides, I'm
going to need a job now that I sold the house in Sunnydale. I was
thinking of moving here."
"What about the gallery?" Faith questioned.
"I still own it, but Willow's running it now." Buffy
explained. "She jumped at the chance, anyway. Always the artistic
one."
"So, you need a job…" Fred repeated, smiling ecstatically and held
out her hand. "Welcome aboard, Miss Summers."
"We've got major shopping to do." Faith interrupted. "And then,
we've got to mind you an apartment, accessories, furniture, a
boyfriend."
"Slow down, girl." Buffy shook Faith by the shoulders. "One major
crisis at a time. God, I haven't witnessed you being this excited
since Senior Year."
"Well, we had many events going on then." Faith reminded her.
"You know what? I think we should take the rest of the day off."
Gunn suggested. "You girls go do whatever it is you usually do, and
then later, we all go out and party."
"That's a great idea." Wes agreed. "Gunn and I will meet you girls
later at the Bronze."
"The Bronze?" Buffy remarked.
"Yeah, they expanded." Faith explained.
"Cool, we'll go in my car." Buffy offered. "Faith, Fred, we have
some serious shopping to do. Let's go."
"'Kay." Faith grabbed her jacket and kissed Gunn lightly on the
lips. "Later, boys."
The three girls exited the Summers Detective Agency. Unbeknownst to
them, a figure was watching them, waiting for the right time to make
their move.
T.B.C.
It's a crappy way to end a chappie, but I was about to get a severe
case of writer's block, ya know? So now, I must stop. Here's the
deal-o with chapter 6. The girls go shopping, and run into a former
high school pal. The pal is not *cough* Whore-delia *cough*.