Another Chance. For gr8muppetyodin

[angelusliam]

[Follows this thread.]

Angel was nervous. If the lobby floor of the Hyperion had been carpet, he would have worn a groove into it. As it was, the decades-old tile was in serious jeopardy of losing its shine and color.

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[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy was suddenly glad of her wardrobe choice. In her wisdom she'd forgone tight jeans, or leather pants - anything that might have hindered the removal of clothing, and gone with a pair of grey slacks, and a blouse. It was as girly as she got these days, her intense Slaying schedule meaning skirts and dresses rarely got an airing. Not like when she'd been at school.

She crossed the room to Angel, her heart beating fast in her chest as she looked at him, taking in everything from his damp hair to the way he looked just the same. Except in his eyes. The eyes were the only part of him that ever betrayed how he felt.

Buffy was close to him now, her breath catching as she realised just how gorgeous he still was. Tall, dark, intense, and just so... Angel.

"Cookies," she corrected with a smile. Her eyes searched his face for another moment before she stepped forward and kissed him. The awkwardness would no doubt come after, but Buffy just needed to get one kiss in first. She'd been waiting for it since Angel had been in Sunnydale to give her that amulet.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

[angelusliam]

Buffy came to him, and kissed him, and it was perfect. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her forward and against him, where she still fit perfectly. He cupped the back of her head, and just let himself enjoy holding her again.

When the kiss ended, Angel only loosened his arms around her, but didn't let go completely. He wasn't sure he'd be able to, now that she was here.

He licked his lips and gave her a soft smile. "Hi," he couldn't resist saying, although it seemed a little unnecessary after that kiss.

"I didn't know cookies tasted that good." Good Lord, had he actually said that?

[gr8muppetyodin]

"Hi," Buffy replied with a smile that matched his as she looked up at him. She didn't pull back, didn't want to leave his arms ever again. She wasn't even sure how she'd managed to last so long without Angel, but she had. And maybe it really was just so she could be cookies and have this moment.

Her nose crinkled as she laughed, and she kissed him lightly. "It's the real butter. Makes all the difference."

Buffy stroked her fingers fingers against his cheek, still grinning a little at his cookies comment. "The permanent soul really suits you. Brings out your eyes."

[angelusliam]

Angel smiled at her rejoinder. He'd missed this, this easy banter between them. They hadn't had this even that last year before he'd left. The wounds Angelus had made had still been too fresh, for both of them. Now, he remembered what it had felt like before her birthday.

"Yeah?" he asked in response to her soul comment. "I thought it might clash with my outfit." He couldn't help grinning, then.

He pulled Buffy into a hug, and after a moment, lifted her off her feet and spun her around. When he set her down, he kissed her again, then whispered, "Wanna celebrate?"

[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy tugged on the collar of his shirt playfully, and gave a shake of her head. "Nah, you're too smooth for tht. You can carry it off. No clashing hair. Also digging the wet hair look. Very nice."

She'd missed this, too. It felt like a weight was lifted. There was no Hellmouth to worry about. At least not in LA. There wasn't the ghosts of what Angelus had done. No college, nothing in their way.

Her arms tightened around him and she laughed again. "Hey, no, this isn't the Mr Broody I remember. Are you sure you're really Angel? I don't remember you ever being this happy before. And do I want to celebrate? Well, duh! Because we are talking celebrating with you, right? Not about to pass me off to someone else?"

[angelusliam]

Angel ran his hand through his still-damp hair slightly self-consciously. "Oh, yeah. I didn't have a chance to--" he stopped himself from saying do anything with it, not wanting to sound completely girly, "--dry it, after my swim."

"Yeah, I'm still me," he responded. He tried to explain the differences that she was seeing, and where they'd come from. "I was new to the whole 'being happy' thing. You showed me how, but... well, a lot of things can happen over so many years." He knew better than to bring up the fact that the last time she'd spent any significant amount of time with him (when they weren't arguing and yelling at each other) had been over ten years ago.

Angel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, celebrating with me. Who am I gonna pass you off to?" He thought briefly of Spike, but he pushed the thought out of his head. Visciously.

And here was a little bit of awkwardness. He was enjoying this, just talking and joking with her. Did he just come out and say, 'Okay, my bed's this way'? He didn't want to make it sound like that's all he wanted her here for. 'Cause if he'd just wanted sex -- well, he didn't really need Buffy for that. But he wanted her.

Finally, he just nodded. "Okay, then." He bent down and in one motion, swept her legs out from under her so he was holding her in his arms. He couldn't help glancing at her and asking, "Is this okay?"

[gr8muppetyodin]

"Swim?" Buffy looked at him, a slow smirk feeling. "You know, you really didn't need to get dressed on my account either. Been a long time... if ever... since I've seen you dripping wet and barely dressed."

Buffy had looped her arms around his neck once the small moment of shock was over. She did know what they were here for. There'd been a small discussion, and an agreement and they knew what the celebrating was supposed to be, but Buffy was still allowed to be a little nervous.

She smiled at him, and nodded. "Hey, not arguing over the whole being swept off my feet thing. Really, really not. You always were a gentleman."

[angelusliam]

The only time he could remember ever getting wet around her... had been her birthday. He tried to think only about the beginning of that night, and not how it had ultimately ended. Maybe now, they could rewrite the ending, the way it should have gone.

Angel was pretty sure they had a different definition of 'gentleman,' but he knew what she meant. He kissed her, slow and tender. Then, he headed up the stairs to the balcony, toward his room.

When he'd returned to the hotel this time, he'd chosen a room close to the staircase, so he could easily see if anyone entered the lobby. Now, it was a quick trip there. Almost before he realized it, he was standing in front of his bed, Buffy still in his arms.

He didn't have a heartbeat to betray just how nervous he was. He let go of Buffy's legs, letting her slide down his body until her feet touched the floor. "Here we are," he said, his voice sounding hoarse with emotion.

He reached up and gently smoothed his hand over her temple and hair, before leaning down and kissing her.

[gr8muppetyodin]

Memories of her birthday all those years ago started to trickle through Buffy's mind, and she fought hard to block them out. Everything about that night had been perfect. It was the morning after that had beyond sucked. Epic suckage, even.

Sometimes she still wondered if it had happened because she just hadn't been ready. Perfect happiness, or not, she'd been young. And now she had to wonder how her and Angel would be now. Now they were both a little older, and she'd gained experience since then.

The hotel suited Angel. It was also a lot roomier than his apartment in Sunnydale. Nothing was like it had been back then, other than the fact it was her and Angel together again.

Buffy kissed him back deeply, trying to let him know just how much she really had missed him over the years, and just how much she still loved him. No matter what, it always came back to him. "I like here," she said breathlessly. "Here is good."

[angelusliam]

Angel nodded. "Okay. Here, it is..." He kissed her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against him. What started out as a slow, tender kiss quickly heated up.

He could never get enough of her, but he wanted to take this slow. This was important, to both of them, just as important as their first time together, maybe moreso.

The hand he had wrapped around her waist, Angel slipped under her shirt. Her skin was hot against his, and he wanted more. He wanted to feel that heat, be consumed by it. He pulled away from Buffy just long enough to pull her top off.

He kissed her, again, and again. "I love you... I never stopped," he murmured to her.

[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy had this feeling like she should have felt self-conscious with her top off, but this was Angel. He'd seen her at her worse, and he'd seen her at her best. He'd seen all the colours of the Buffy rainbow, and he was still standing there wanting her.

She started to unbutton his shirt, his cool skin never something that bothered her. Just like when she never used to see his vampire face as anything to be scared of, or to hate. It was all just Angel.

Her fingers tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck and she smiled against his lips. "Me neither. I mean, I love you. Always."

[angelusliam]

Angel nodded. "Always," he murmured, between increasingly fevered kisses.

Buffy had managed to unbutton his shirt, and he helped her slide it off his shoulders, tossing it on the floor by the bed in an uncaring heap.

He paused for a moment, and just looked at her. Here she was, standing in front of him, and still he almost couldn't believe it. A part of him was afraid he'd wake up in the morning alone, all of this having been a dream.

If this was a dream, he was damn sure gonna make it worth it, Angel decided. He turned and sat on the side of the bed, drawing Buffy between his knees. He trailed his hands and lips over her chest, savoring the taste of her. The freedom of knowing that it didn't have to end here.

His hands caressed down her stomach, before toying with the top of her slacks.

[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy pushed her fingers through his damp hair before she cupped his face between her hands and leaned in to kiss him. She could still remember how he felt, but Buffy felt the need to re-catalogue, to get to know him features all over again.

She kissed just under his eye and pulled back just as she started to laugh when a random thought popped into her head. "I realise I risk probably ruining the moment here, but will you still love me even when I wear granny pants?"

[angelusliam]

Buffy started to laugh, and Angel closed his eyes for a moment after her question. "Will I..?" He bit the inside of his lip, trying not to smile at her ridiculous question, with only marginal success.

He wrapped his hands around Buffy's waist, and with superhuman speed, he stood up and twisted, putting Buffy on the bed and following until he was kneeling over her, a knee on either side of her knees.

He stared at her face, and really thought about the question. She might have laughed when she said it, and maybe didn't even mean it seriously, but he wanted to give a serious answer, because to him, it was serious.

"I will love you when you're old, and you have more lines on your face than hairs on your head. And I'll make sure that all those lines are from smiles, not frowns. I will think your white hair is beautiful, and I won't care what kind of clothes you're wearing, I will never stop loving you."

He realized he might have come on a little intense, and felt a little embarrassed at how much he'd just revealed. He cleared his throat and glanced down, occupying himself with running his hands up and down her sides.

[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy caught one of his hands and turned it to kiss his palm. She smiled against the cool skin, and opened her eyes to look up at him again. She pulled on his arm, trying to get him to join her now she was lying down. His bed really was comfy.

The kind of comfy she could get used to, but they hadn't even discussed what was going to happen after the celebration. Not to mention they hadn't even started celebrating.

"I believe you," she whispered, and she really did. Angel had never once wanted her to be anything but human, and Buffy had never once considered wanting to be a vampire just to be with him forever. "But what if I'm... different now? What if I don't need granny pants?"

[angelusliam]

Angel easily let her pull him down, so he was lying on his side beside her, one leg still draped casually over her thighs. Intimate, in a way that had little to do with sex, and everything to do with familiarity.

Angel frowned at her softly spoken question. The way she sounded made him think this wasn't just some idle passing thought, some casual wondering that would easily be dismissed.

Angel shifted his head slightly in an abbreviated headshake and shrug. "Buffy..." He reached up and gently combed some loose hair away from her forehead, then continued the gesture down her temple and cheek, until he was cupping her cheek in his hand.

"I'll love you, no matter what," he said gently, sincerely. "Do you remember, your Senior year of high school, when you got the ability to read minds? Before you knew what the 'aspect of the demon' was, you were freaking out about growing horns, or a tail, or scales. And I told you I'd love you no matter what you looked like. I wasn't lying. I'll always love you."