Forever & Always

Chapter Three

     As the sun is setting behind the horizon, Angel walks Buffy back to her hotel. They both start to slow down when they're less than a block away. Neither one of them wants to part when they get there, but they know they have to.
     "It was the biggest mistake of my life," Angel says, coming to a complete halt.
     "What was?" Buffy asks, turning around to face him, since she was walking ahead of him.
     "When I left. After your graduation. I should have never gone. When I said that I didn't see my life with you, I was lying. I couldn't see my life without you. I just didn't want to hold you back. My life without you was pointless. I missed you every single day," Angel says, meaning every single heart warming word that escapes his lips.
     Buffy's next words come out only in a whisper, and a tear slips down her face immediately after she says them. All she said was "I missed you too", and she was a mess again. Buffy spent the last few years trying to find any way possible to get over Angel, and now whatever progress she had made was started over at the beginning.
     Angel reaches to wipe the tear away, but Buffy pushes his hand away. "How could you leave me?" her voice breaks while saying this, and she can no longer keep the words from flowing out of her mouth. "You said you loved me! If you loved me you could have never left me. You put me through hell. You left when I needed you most. I didn't care that you were going to stay sexy and young forever while I would not so gracefully age. I didn't care that we wouldn't be able to have children or make love. I just wanted to be with you. The only person who ever made me truly happy. And if the only man that I thought would ever love me left me, how could I think anyone would stay with me?" Buffy asks, full force tears flowing down her face.
     Angel didn't bother responding, he just held her like he used to while she sobbed. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and told her it's okay. Because after all, what else could he do? She was clearly hurt and upset, with no self respect. Angel figured that she didn't have any self respect already, since she did have sex with Spike.
     "Angel?" Buffy sniffles, and looks up at him.
     "Yeah?" He asks.
     "Please don't leave me," Buffy sobs, hugging him tighter.
     "Never again," Angel responds, holding her just as tightly. "Never again."
     The only movements they make after that are the necessary ones to get into Buffy's room, and lay on the bed. They don't do anything, they just lay there, Buffy wrapped up in Angel's arms, just the way it should be.