Part Four
Buffy left and didn’t return even to see him off. Seeing him leave again would kill her. She went about her day as usual. She hadn’t answered the question she knew Riley was dying to hear the answer of. But how could she give him an answer when the only man in her thoughts was Angel.
“It’s not fair on him you know. You got one man that loves you and wants to marry ya but you leave him hanging cos your mind rests upon a man who loves ya but refuses to be near ya.”
“Spike I know but…”
“You don’t want to answer case in lover boy comes flying back and takes claim to ya. Ya ever thought that the words you spoke to him at the Bronze the night they got here actually stayed with him. He listened to them and thought that is what you wanted.”
“You heard?”
“Vamp hearing is better than human so yeah I did.”
“Spike I want Angel.”
“Then why are you moping around here waiting for him? Cut lover boy loose and go chase the man you love.” Buffy turned and looked to see if Spike was serious he was and he was right. Buffy flung her arms round him for a brief hug before leaving to do the hardest thing she had done in her life.
“Riley you there?” Buffy? Could she have finally decided to say yes? He opened the door and she went into the sitting room.
“Riley I know that when you came back you thought I’d finally given up on Angel. I thought so too, thought I’d accepted t but seeing him and then him being human changed everything. I was gonna say yes but I can’t not now. Riley I’m sorry. So sorry.”
It's just a dream of mine is comin' to an end
How can I blame you when I built my world around
The hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends
And I don't wanna know the price I'm gonna pay for dreamin'
A part of him had known she could never love him or anyone like she loved Angel. At this moment he felt his world crashing. She had seemed so happy when she saw that ring and he was so sure she’d say yes. Loving her was something that would never stop and he knew that’s what she was going through.
“Angel?” Buffy hadn’t been able to wait and had drove through the night to LA. She arrived now at Angel’s apartment. She approached he bedroom and saw his figure sprawled across the bed. A blanket covering his bottom half. He was so perfect. During the 3 weeks since he’d left Sunnydale his skin had developed a little colour instead of the eternal white it had been for over 250 years. She watched him sleep. He was so beautiful. He stirred slightly and then turned to face her. He didn’t open his eyes but uttered her name. Was it a dream he was having or did he know she was there? His eyes fluttered open and looked at her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking at you while you slept. Angel why did you leave. The reasons you left me the first time can’t possibly ring true now.”
“Buffy you have Riley”
”Don’t tell me what I have or who to love. I have never loved Riley. I care for
him. But he doesn’t make my whole body sing when he walks into a room he
doesn’t make my mind and heart cry out with even an accidental touch. My soul
doesn’t soar when his arm brushes against mine. He’s not you Angel.”
“I’m not right for you Buffy. Even though I’m human, I still won’t be good for you. I’m not enough for you.”
“‘You’re my everything and I let you walk out of my life a once and that was stupid and then I let you do it again and that was just lunacy I’m not gonna do it a third time. Next time you walk I’m going with you even if it’s to the other end of the world. I can’t survive without you now. It was so hard for me to live knowing you were only a 2 hour drive away from me but it is pure torture to know that you are LIVING only 2 hours drive away from me. Angel please don’t throw away what could be our last chance.” Angel bowed his head.
“Buffy why are you here? I have walked away so many times how can you be so forgiving as to want to try again.”
“I’ll forgive you a thousand more times if that’s what it takes to make you see that we’re meant to be. Nothing will stop us now you’re human. You can give me children and picnics and walks in the park in the bright daylight. You can give me everything. You can give me one thing more than anyone else can you can give me unconditionally pure love that makes my life worth living.”
“Buffy I’m so sorry I hurt you. Walking away from you was so hard I couldn’t breathe. And then doing it when I was human nearly broke my newly beating heart.” Buffy swiftly moved towards the bed and when the tears became too much for her she collapsed into Angel’s waiting arms.
“Buffy I love you so much, we’ll never be apart again I pledge my life and my love to you.” They sobbed into each others arms until they fell into a deep and finally peaceful sleep.
Angel moved to Sunnydale much to the unhappiness of riley. It seemed whenever he turned round he saw them together. The happy couple. Who never tore their gazes away from each other even when spoken to by someone else. Everyone commented on how they looked together. It seemed they were never apart. It hurt Riley to see the woman he loved wandering about starry eyed with her ex vampire boyfriend. But he would have his day he would get his chance and Buffy would fall into his arms. Buffy would be his and Angel he could go to hell, again.
