This
takes place before Part 1, it is when the AI team first come to Sunnydale.
Part Three
Buffy wrapped her arms round her boyfriend’s neck and pulled him in for a tender kiss.
“Don’t worry.” He knew they were coming and knew why. He accepted they had to but it didn’t make him any happier. But then what man would be happy if his girlfriend’s ex was coming to town.
“You ready to go?” He nodded and she took his hand and they walked to the Bronze. The others were already there. They had grabbed two tables next to each other and were occupying them. Buffy and Riley greeted them but didn’t sit. Buffy dragged him to the dance floor and he clumsily tried to dance. Xander came over and cut in. Riley flashed him a smile of gratitude.
“He’s not doing too good.”
“Buff you can’t expect him to be doing somersaults and throwing parties. He knows the basics and is worried. I know the rest and I still think there could be.”
“Xand Angel and I are of the past. We will stay that way for the same reason we became of the past. Because he wants me to have normal life, be with someone that can walk with in the sun. That can love me with every part of him, in every way. Someone that can give me children. Someone human.” Xander stared at something over her shoulder.
“He’s here Buff.”
“I know. I always do.” Buffy and Xander left the dance floor. They sat at the table. Angel and the team came over.
“Nice to know that you can be away for 4 years and when you come back nothing has changed.”
“Cordy.”
“Buffy. You know Doyle and Gunn. Everyone this is Fred. Everyone except Buffy this is Gunn and everyone except Buffy and Spike this is Doyle. Oh and everyone who wasn’t in Sunnydale at any point in time before graduation this is Angel and I’m Cordelia.” Cordy flashed a smile at Anya and Riley. Xander stood to make room for his ex girlfriend and Spike did the same for Fred.
“Everyone from LA this is Anya my wife. And Riley Buffy’s boyfriend. Also people like Fred who knows no one. I’m Xander. That’s Willow. The beautiful blond staring longingly at the doorway is Buffy. The British guy in the conversation with Wesley over there is Giles.”
“I’m not staring at the door. I’m staring at him.”
“Vamp?”
“His fashion sense say yes but I’m not sure.” Angel snaked his way through the crowd to the man. He hung about in the shadows before returning. He shook his head. He finally made eye contact with Buffy in a way that told her he needed to talk to her. She looked briefly at Riley before getting up and moving to the dance floor. Angel followed. His arms held her waist as they began to sway to the soft music. Riley had the thought the rest of the group did when they saw them. They fitted together. Their bodies moved together perfectly.
You're the one good reason
You're the only girl that I need
Cause you're more beautiful than I have ever seen
Angel listened to the words of the song and knew they rang true. Buffy looked up at him expectantly.
“Buffy I thought so much about coming here knowing if I did I’d tell you the truth. It’s tearing me apart. Life without you is almost impossible to survive.” Buffy placed a finger on his lips to quiet him.
“Angel I know how you feel but I can’t do it. Because you say now that you would face everything to be with me but a couple of months down the line you would end up doing the noble thing again and walking away. So please give me no promises. Tell me that I’m your friend and tell me no more. Hold me now and dance with because this is the last time that you’ll get the chance after this fight is over. The Buffy/Angel saga will end. You’ll go back to LA and I’ll stay here. He proposed to me last night and I haven’t said yes but I will when it’s over I will marry him. And I will never forget you but I will never see you again because it’s too hard to see what you can’t have.”
I'm gonna take this moment
And make it last forever
But as hard as he tried Angel knew, he knew that he could imagine this moment when he was at home in his bed but as hard as he tried he could never make this moment, this blissfully happy moment of holding his true love in his arms after so long last forever.
It was two nights later when they spoke again. Buffy had gone on patrol to escape the atmosphere the meeting in her home had held. He had followed. But hung back in the shadows. He felt he spent nearly all of his time with Buffy in the shadows.
“Angel come out.” He had forgotten how in tune with each other they were. She looked into the dark brown eyes and felt her knees grow weak.
“Buffy until the fight I won’t have contact with you anything I need to know Cordelia or one of the others can inform me after the meetings.”
“Why?” How could he explain that to her. He went to sleep at night and though only of the things that had occurred in that day. Things that excluded him and held place for only Riley.
I'm dreaming of things that's making my mind go crazy
Small things like
When I call you at home and he answers the phone
Or I get your machine and I don't hear me
When I lie in my bed with the thoughts in my head
When we danced and we sang and we laughed all night
