(no subject)
Angel stood on the terrace of his room and looked out onto the city. Giles, Wesley, Fred and him had just gotten back from fighting a nest of vampires, who'd taken up residence near a pre-school. Luckily, no one had been hurt and the nest was now gone. It always made him feel better, knowing they'd done something good.
Taking a drink of blood, he heard the shower turn off and smiled. He could hear Fred stepping out of the stall and start to dry herself off. He could also smell her shampoo and soap. Just thinking about her made him smile. Deep down he knew he loved her, but he also knew he had to be careful.
It was bad enough when Angelus tortured Buffy and her friends. He had killed Jenny, and had made Giles' life a living hell. Thankfully, Giles didn't hold it against him and they were on speaking terms again. But, Angel knew he couldn't do that to Fred. She'd been through enough in her life.
At first, he didn't even want to be with her. Not because he didn't like her. Angel liked Fred a lot. She was like any other woman he'd ever been with. She was strong, smart, quirky and beautiful. And Angel thought he could never be with her because of his curse.
Then one day, Wes cornered him in his office and started to badger him about his feelings for Fred. Angel tried to remind Wesley of what happened before, when he'd allowed himself to fall for someone. Wesley seemed to have the answer for that, and merely said not everyone achieved perfect happiness in a relationship.
Angel knew he could achieve it with Fred, and something told him not to even try. But, he decided to take Wesley's words to heart, and at least try, even if he didn't know if Fred wanted him back. Angel made his move during one of the movies they sometimes saw together, and Fred returned his kiss.
Shortly after that, Angel went to Giles and Wesley for help. He wanted to know if there was a way to lift the curse on his soul. No one had ever tried to find out because Angel had practically shut himself off from the world after he'd gotten his soul. But now, he wanted to be with Fred and hoped they could figure out a way.
With an unneeded sigh, he finished off his blood and stepped inside. He rinsed out the glass and then rinsed out his mouth before slipping out of his boxers and crawling into bed.