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[stoic_angel_]

((Moving forward from hereI watched absently as Wesley left the office, and slowly turned around to look out of the window. It still never failed to amaze me how I could look out on the city without burning up, and see all the people, going about their daily lives, never knowing the kind of evil that filled this world

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[mixed_berry]

I slipped inside of Angel's office after Gunn and Wesley left. Angel looked distracted and at the same time I wondered how light could shine on him through the glass without him going poof in dust. I closed the door gently behing me.

"Angel?" I asked, letting out a soft breath. Hey, haven't seen you since the apocalpse!

[stoic_angel_]

I looked up, startled, as my door opened again. Wes hadn't forgotten something, right? I turned around, and froze when I saw Buffy coming in.

"Buffy?" I asked, momentarily shocked, before recovering. "I mean, yeah... this is my office," I finished stupidly, watching as she walked in, looking around almost confusedly.

"So, um, what are you doing here?" I asked. I hadn't seen her since I had taken her the amulet; I had known that everything had ended well. Advantages of having a huge lawfirm with a nice TV right in my office.

It still didn't explain why she was here... I hadn't even heard from her after I had left Sunnydale. I had thought she had gone to Europe somewhere, but... obviously not, if she was here.

[mixed_berry]

"Um, actually just helping Dawn move in with Xander down here. Italy was a little much for her."

I commented, "Thought I'd come by and say hello, since I was here." Yeah, nice move, Buffy... very smooth.

"Bad time?" I asked, making a face. "You looked all thoughtful."

[stoic_angel_]

"Oh... I didn't know Xander was living in LA," I said slowly. I was pretty good with keeping up with what they were all doing, wasn't I?

"So, um, hey," I said weakly after a moment. Then, "I mean, it's good to see you... unexpected, but... good. I knew you made it out of Sunnydale, but I didn't know anything after that."

I shrugged, then gestured to a seat. "So, um, you want to sit down? And no, it's not a bad time... I have to think a lot more in this job." Wryly, I added, "Something that te others tell me I didn't do too much of before..." I chuckled slightly, before remembering who exactly had tolds me that; Cordelia. Cordy, who was now in a coma, mostly because of me...

[mixed_berry]

I cracked a small smile at the joke of him needing to think a lot more in this job.

I let out a breath and sat down in the chair Angel had gestured to. "Yeah, not all of us made out though. Anya and Spike..." I skip over his name as quick as I can,"...some of the bitty slayers. But you know, other than that? We survived. It's a new thing I'm trying in the face of an apocalpse."

[stoic_angel_]

I dropped my gaze as she told me who hadn't made it out... I adn't really known Anya, but Spike... Spike had died saving the world? That was something I had never thought I would hear.

I felt... something at hearing that Spike was gone. We hadn't been close, but he had still be family at one point in time, no matter how long ago. That didn't fade... although I still did, and always would, think of him as a pain in the ass, utterly useless unless he was told what to do.

"Bitty Slayers?" I asked, before I could stop myself, then winced. "Sorry... just wondered if they would like being called that. And surviving is... good," I said, trailing off awkwardly again.

[mixed_berry]

I watched Angel drop his head at Spike's name and I even had to wonder about that some. We've all hated Spike at one point or another. Sometimes, It's just harder not to love him. I couldn't help but turn my head downwards too.

"They probably wouldn't." I gave a small smile towards him. "But they're not around to hear it. They're like... Slayers version 1.0. or something..."

[stoic_angel_]

I looked up, watching Buffy smile, and shook my head slightly, a wry smile tugging at my lips.

"So which version are you then?" I asked, confused. "And you never know when someone's going to over hear something you don't want them to..."

I leaned back in my seat, relaxing slightly as Buffy smiled again. This was good... she hadn't been in such a realxed mood back in Sunnydale last time I had seen her...

[mixed_berry]

"Maybe version 5.0. Somewhere around there." I commented returning the smile softly to him, mirroring his. Version 5.0. Nearly baked cookies. I added silently.

I let out a deep breath, "We've all done some changing, I think."

[stoic_angel_]

"Wow, you're advanced," I said teasingly. "Are we sure I'm up to your level? Wouldn't want you to be seen in bad company..." I laughed slightly, then sobered.

"I know we have... change is usually good, though, right?" I asked, looking at her. Change happened whether we wanted it to or not... although for some reason, around Buffy, I was always less serious, for some reason, and less sure of myself. I wasn't sure why, but it just seemed to happen.

[mixed_berry]

Change is usually good, though, right?

I paused and nodded towards Angel, "I think so. And things have changed a lot." I looked up towards him, "Good changes, I think."

I sighed, "Dawn didn't like Italy. Too big of a change."

[stoic_angel_]

"That's good," I said awkwardly, then smiled slightly at Buffy's comment about Dawn.

"Yeah, sometimes it can take a while to get used to a new place... and Italy, you know, too quiet for me, you know? Especially with all that water around... I think I've had enough of water." I stopped abruptly, realizing I was heading off on a major tangent, one what Buffy had no idea about, and I really didn't want to get into.

"Anyway, I hear Italy's kinda hot this time of year anway," I said weakly.

[mixed_berry]

I paused, wondering what he was talking about briefly, "I think you lost me a bit... with the water." Sure, there was water, but... Sunnydale was near water wasn't it too? Ocean.

"But, yeah," I agreed with a small amused smile, "It was getting pretty warm."

[stoic_angel_]

I shrugged, letting the reference to the water drop. I really didn't want to get into it... especially not with Buffy. How well could it possibly go over, to tell my one time soul mate that I had had a son? Then killed him to save him?

"And now's the time when LA starts cooling down, huh?" I asked, looking at her smile, and smiling slightly in return. I was doing a lot of that lately...

[mixed_berry]

I nodded, "This is like my vacation away from work. Giles and I have been rebuilding the council in Europe. I've been training some of the new slayers. Helping them realize their power and all."

Understatement, the rest of the time I spent either sleeping or searching with Giles for more slayers to train.

[stoic_angel_]

"Sounds like a lot of work, I said, "How many Slayers have you found so far? And how are they taking it?" I knew that it couldn't be easy, although it had to be somewhat better than it had been for Buffy- instead of knowing you were the only one alive that had the power and the destiny of being the Slayer, these girls all had each other; they weren't alone, as Buffy had been.

Well, before she had died. The first time...

"So, any Slayers in LA?" I asked. "I mean, we have a lot of vampires here, so..." I shrugged, looking back at Buggy.