A Solitary Soul 11-14
*****
Part Eleven
*****
Angel was sitting on a chair near the bed where Buffy slept. He was holding
her hand.
She looked so peaceful and innocent.
A little while ago Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia, and Giles had arrived at the
mansion. He had to explain to them what he saw in Buffy's living room and
the message that was left for her.
Everyone had paled, even Gunn, when he told them about the people hanging
from the ceiling and the blood.
It was no surprise why Buffy had fainted.
They were still in the living room when Angel left to check on Buffy. After
a few moments of sitting there, looking at her, she began to stir.
Groaning, Buffy opened her eyes. She didn't know where she was.
< What happened? > And then she remembered and paled once more.
"Buffy." Angel said.
Turning her head, her hazel eyes met with chocolate brown eyes.
"Angel?" She asked as if she was uncertain if he was really there.
Nodding his head he replied, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been ran over by a truck, several times I might add." She groaned
again. She had a headache, opening her eyes had been a difficulty.
"Do you want some aspirin or something for you headache?" Angel asked,
concerned that she had hit her head too hard on her floor.
"That would be helpful."
As soon as Angel left the room, Buffy studied her surroundings.
The room was decorated with several paintings. The windows were covered with
thick curtains that appeared to be black. By the bedside was a telephone a
glass of water. And lastly, the bed was adorned with red silk sheets that
looked like the apartment Angel had once lived in.
Thinking about the apartment brought back some memories of the times they
spent there. The night of her birthday. One of the most perfect and
horrific days of her life. Not only did the apartment remind her of that
night, the bed sheets were doing a great job on her mind....
The sheets were also red and silk on that night.
Before she could think any further, Angel entered the room carrying a bottle
of aspirin in one hand an another glass of water in the other.
"Hey." Angel greeted Buffy when he was by her side. Taking a seat on the
bed, Angel helped her get up.
When Angel's hand made contact with Buffy's skin, she shivered, wanting more
contact with him.
When Buffy was sitting against the headboard, she shrugged his hands away.
Holding back a whine at the loss, Buffy held out her hand. Silently asking
for the water and the aspirin.
"Thanks." Buffy said, politely when he handed her the water and aspirin.
Opening up the aspirin, Buffy took out two pills and gulped it down.
"So...where are we?" She asked.
"The mansion." Angel told her.
"Oh. Can I leave now?"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. I don't need you looking out for me."
Angel flinched inwardly, noticing her cold tone.
< Looks like bitch Buffy is back. > he thought.
When Buffy had first woken up he had hoped that his Buffy had returned. But
most of his hopes were dashed when she pushed him away. Looking into her
eyes, he saw nothing. No emotions, a big fat nothing. He couldn't even
sense her thoughts.
He knew that the eyes were the windows to a person's soul, he knew from
personal experiences, her soul was empty.
"If you're ready to leave, I'm not stopping you. But I thing it's better if
you stayed her."
"Now why would I do that?" She asked sharply.
"Well, for one thing, we still don't know who was in your house."
"And the other?"
< I want you here with me. > Angel almost said it out loud.
"It's safer, besides Giles is downstairs. Do you want to talk to him?" He
asked.
"Not unless I have to."
"Come on." Angel urged her out of the bed.
Sighing, she complied.
*****
Part Twelve
*****
When Buffy went downstairs, Angel closely behind her, she was surprised to
see more than Giles sitting in the living room.
Nodding as a greeting from all the 'heys' and 'hellos,' Buffy took a seat on
the unoccupied sofa. Angel sat down hesitantly next to her, afraid of her
reaction.
Noticing his hesitation, Buffy smirked. Leaning back so she was sitting
comfortable. Buffy retold the gruesome story of her living room. She also
said that she was going to stay with Angel until they find whatever demon or
vampire that had access to her house.
By the time everyone left, it was already three in the morning. Yawning,
Buffy went upstairs and into the bedroom she had just left. Angel took the
room next to hers.
Even with a wall between them, Buffy could feel Angel's presence. Sighing,
she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
Tossing and turning, she tried not to think of him. She *refused* to think of
him.
Finally, trying meditation she once more tried to sleep.
Unfortunately for her, sleep finally overtook her an hour and a half later.
*****
Part Thirteen
*****
Angel woke up to the sounds of a fight. Opening his groggy eyes, Angel left
the room, shirtless.
The sounds were coming from somewhere downstairs. Checking Buffy's room,
seeing that she wasn't there, he went downstairs and into the basement.
Going down the steps slowly until he was at the bottom of the stairs, he
looked around. He saw Buffy training with only a pair of sweatpants and
sports bra. He stared, amazed at the way she was fighting. It was like an
endless dance that she was dancing too and only she could hear the music.
Noticing her toned muscles, her taut stomach, her strong arms, and her
beautiful face lost in concentration, he was filled with desire.
The longer he watched, the more desire he held until he was stiff. Looking
down he could see it protruding from his pants.
Cursing softly, he knew that it was going to be painful to move.
"Morning, you enjoying the show?" Angel was startled when he heard her speak.
Looking up into her smirking face, he would've blushed if vampires had
circulation.
"Well, I...I woke up to noises and I wanted to see what was making it." Angel
stammered.
"Hmm..."
"Um...Do you want any breakfast?" Angel asked, mentally slapping himself for
acting like a teenager.
"No thanks. I'd like to train some more, if that's okay with you."
"That's fine with me." Angel told her.
Smirking, Buffy went back to her training.
Angel was making his way upstairs when he heard her call out for him.
"Hey, Angel?" She asked.
"Yeah?"
"You wanna do some one on one?" She said, smirking. Smirking was the closest
to a smile he'd ever seen from her nowadays.
"You think you can take me on?" Angel teased her.
"Anyday anytime." she replied, playing in his game.
"We'll just see about that."
"Whatever."
Coming back down the stairs, Angel made his way over to Buffy.
"Ready?" He asked her as they both got into their fighting stance.
"Hell yeah."
"Okay."Angel said before he lashed out. Throwing a punch at her.
She easily ducked, seeing it coming for her before he even moved. She kicked
him, which he barely blocked. Throwing another punch at her, ducking when
she did the same, he kicked her. She blocked it easily. They kept on
fighting, once in awhile Buffy would land in a blow or two. Angel never
getting one hit in.
< Looks like she's been training pretty hard. > redoubling his efforts, he
managed to throw Buffy over his shoulder when she tried to punch him again.
Straddling her thighs and pinning her hands above her head so that she
couldn't move, he smirked.
"Looks like I won." Angel told her.
"Looks like, but you forgot one thing."
"And what's that?"
"You're dead." She told him right before she kicked her leg up and flipped
them over so that she straddled him. Grabbing a nearby dagger, she raised it
and striked. About a millimeter of and inch before it made contact with his
chest, she stopped.
Angel was breathing hard, even if he didn't really need the breath.
"I won."
Angel remained silent, looking at her smirking face. She could see the
annoyance in his eyes. Obviously he wasn't used to being beat.
Having her so close was having a major effect on him.
He was going to ask her if she was going to ever let him up, not that he
wanted her too, when she jumped up and went upstairs.
"I'm taking a shower." she called down to him.
Sighing, he got up.
< Looks like I'll be having a cold shower this morning. >
*****
Part Fourteen
*****
< Damn shower! > Angel cursed the shower. He was taking a very cold shower,
due to all the hot water being used up by Buffy.
< Women, always using all the hot water. >
< Ahhhhh!! God damnit! > He swore again before he gave up and exited the
shower.
"Stupid cold water." He muttered as his foot made contact with the tiled
floor. Looking around for a towel, he found one on the hanger.
Unfortunately, it was a small white one.
Looking pass the small towel, he went to look for a bigger towel. Checking
all the cupboards and closets, he didn't see any towels.
"Damnit!" He swore under his breath. Sighing, he reached over to grab the
small towel, drying himself off before covering himself up.
He swore again when he remembered that he forgot his clothes on his bed,
which was across the hall.
Now the only problem was that he had to make his way safely over to his
bedroom without any trouble.
Wrapping the small towel around his waist, swearing again when it didn't
reach all the way.
"Stupid god damned towel!" he yelled to himself, feeling like everything was
against him today.
Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and poked his head outside.
< Coast is clear. > He said before he cautiously left the bathroom.
Creeping his way across the hallway, he didn't see the bedroom to his right
open.
"Ange--Oh my god!" Buffy exclaimed, she blushed when she saw that Angel was
only wearing a towel. She practically drooled as she watched a drop of water
dribble it's way down his muscled chest.
"Buffy! I didn't--I'm sorry, I'll just leave now." Angel stammered, mentally
kicking himself.
"Ahh...um...ok....um." Buffy was at lost for words.
Angel turned so that he had his back to her when he heard her gasp.
"Oh Jesus!" Buffy gasped, when he had turned around she could see his behind.
Turning around quickly, he smiled sheepishly before backing out of the
hallway.
Buffy watched fixated as he backed away, feeling somewhat sad that she
couldn't see him. He had looked so edible, she could have eaten him up.
< Bad Buffy, let's not even *think* of that! > She scolded herself and
blushed even a deeper shade of red when she realized exactly *what* she was
thinking.
< Wow. >
Buffy stood there, even after Angel had closed the door, staring at the door.
Finally sighing, she turned back into her 'bedroom' and lay on the bed,
thinking. She wouldn't admit it to herself but she was thinking of Angel.
She had sworn that she wasn't going to think of him in any way other than a
friend way.
< Friends my ass. >
Seeing Angel shirtless, with water dribbling down his chest and his face had
added to her yearning for him. It had started this morning when she had seen
him sans shirt. It had made her heart pound furiously. But she had managed
to cover up her desire with false coolness and a training although she
couldn't say the same about Angel.
She had felt his desire for her poking at her in her inner thigh.
It amazed her that she could still have an affect on him in any way at all.
When he had left her three and a half years ago, she had went around
believing that he had no longer loved her.
She still didn't understand that if he truly did love her then why did he
leave? Leaving her in emptiness and darkness.
He had supposedly left so that she could have a normal life. A life without
the slaying.
Ironic how the very thing he had left her for so that he wouldn't keep her in
the darkness she had made a life of that very darkness. Refusing to go in
the light at all fearing what that same light might do to her.
She was also stubborn. It was her nature to be stubborn.
Closing her eyes, she smiled when she remembered the way he had looked when
she saw him. He was *so* close to being naked. She couldn't help but feel
disappointed that the towel had not dropped off.
< Bad girl! > She scolded herself, but her smile grew wider as she thought of
the possibilities.
For that brief moment, Buffy Summers had forgotten that her walls were no
longer up. The same walls that kept her from feeling anything but bitterness.
It felt wonderful to feel *something.*
Her walls were cracking.
*****
Angel slammed the door as soon he was in the safety of his room. Letting out
a breath that he didn't know he had held, Angel walked over to his bed and
began pulling clothes on.
He couldn't help but smile when he had seen the dreamy look on Buffy's face
when she had seen him somewhat naked.
Knowing that he had somehow, with his nakedness he presumed, made a crack in
one of her many walls that she kept up and hidden herself behind.
He couldn't help but have a hint of hope pass through him at the prospect of
being able to reach his Buffy once and for all.
After he had gotten his slacks on, Angel dried himself off and lay on the
bed. He placed his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and thought of
Buffy.
His smile grew wider when he imagined her blushed face.