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[Tension]
“Angel investigations. We hope the helpless…something like that. Anyway, hi,” Lucy chimed into the phone receiver.
“Hi, Lucy…this is Buffy,” She twisted the end of her ponytail around her free wrist as she talked on the phone. “Is Angel there?”
“Mmm, yeah but he’s still asleep. Slacker…or creature of the night. Take your pick,” Lucy responded.
“Okay, this is going to sound weird but I need you to go wake him up,” Buffy told her. She took measured steps across the living room, heel against the toes of the other foot. She placed her hand over the scar on her neck as she listened to Lucy carry the cordless phone up the stairs. She noted that there wasn’t a knock, only Lucy barging in.
“Angel! Wake up! Buffy’s on the phone.” The volume of Lucy’s voice even when not directed into the receiver made Buffy wince. She could only imagine what it did to Angel’s ears.
“Lucy! Lucy!” Buffy yelled with an apologetic look to Danny. She was trying to get the blonde’s attention. “Tell him I’m alright.”
“She says she’s alright,” Lucy said. Moments later, Angel came on the phone. His voice was still gruff and thick with sleep.
“Buffy,”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I was calling to check on you actually,” she hedged her words slightly, hesitant to tell him what had been going on in her head. Angel berated himself enough for the things he’d done as Angelus.
She could hear the befuddlement in his voice when he finally answered. “Yeah…I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Buffy insisted, shaking her head as she did. Her ponytail bobbed against her shoulders.
“You call and have Lucy wake me up for nothing?” Angel prodded. She could hear him get up and move around the room. Silence crawled over them, coating the phone lines and introducing instant tension in the room.
“Bad dreams?” he finally asked.
“Mhmm,” she answered a bit absently. She was rubbing her hand across the scar on her neck, kneading her shoulder and giving Danny apologetic looks. He’d slipped out onto the balcony to smoke about the time it’d become obvious Angel was on the phone instead of Lucy.
“Prophecy?”
She shrugged in answer, threading her way through the tension before she finally stopped her pacing and sighed. “I wasn’t wearing white. I don’t know, Angel. If I’m dreaming about him…they always seems surreal and disjointed and…like prophecy. Sometimes, they’re just nightmares though.”
“Right. You’ve got-“
“Stop it. That wasn’t your fault. We’re not having this conversation. I don’t blame you and I don’t forgive you. There was nothing to forgive. Two different people. I know it. I’ve met them. I lived it. You were off in soul air-lock or whatever so you don’t get an opinion on the separateness or nonseparateness of Angel and Angelus.”
There was a sigh on his end of the line and she could practically hear him pacing. “Keep me updated.”
“Yeah,” she nodded, rolling her lips between her teeth. “Just-don’t get too happy.” Guilt washed over her the moment she said the words. She could be happy but Angel wasn’t allowed that luxury.
“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” he said quietly. “I’m gonna…”
“Yeah. Me too,” Buffy answered. She hung up the phone and placed it on the end table next to a pair of Marc Jacobs. She grabbed a coat off the back of the couch and slipped it on before stepping out onto the balcony with Danny. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and the moment he leaned back against her, she felt the tension in her body uncoil and slip out little at a time.
“Everything’s fine,” she whispered against his shoulder. “They were just nightmares.”
Not that it changed anything. She’d still stalk Danny and she’d still worry. After all, she’s lived that particular nightmare.
“Angel investigations. We hope the helpless…something like that. Anyway, hi,” Lucy chimed into the phone receiver.
“Hi, Lucy…this is Buffy,” She twisted the end of her ponytail around her free wrist as she talked on the phone. “Is Angel there?”
“Mmm, yeah but he’s still asleep. Slacker…or creature of the night. Take your pick,” Lucy responded.
“Okay, this is going to sound weird but I need you to go wake him up,” Buffy told her. She took measured steps across the living room, heel against the toes of the other foot. She placed her hand over the scar on her neck as she listened to Lucy carry the cordless phone up the stairs. She noted that there wasn’t a knock, only Lucy barging in.
“Angel! Wake up! Buffy’s on the phone.” The volume of Lucy’s voice even when not directed into the receiver made Buffy wince. She could only imagine what it did to Angel’s ears.
“Lucy! Lucy!” Buffy yelled with an apologetic look to Danny. She was trying to get the blonde’s attention. “Tell him I’m alright.”
“She says she’s alright,” Lucy said. Moments later, Angel came on the phone. His voice was still gruff and thick with sleep.
“Buffy,”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I was calling to check on you actually,” she hedged her words slightly, hesitant to tell him what had been going on in her head. Angel berated himself enough for the things he’d done as Angelus.
She could hear the befuddlement in his voice when he finally answered. “Yeah…I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Buffy insisted, shaking her head as she did. Her ponytail bobbed against her shoulders.
“You call and have Lucy wake me up for nothing?” Angel prodded. She could hear him get up and move around the room. Silence crawled over them, coating the phone lines and introducing instant tension in the room.
“Bad dreams?” he finally asked.
“Mhmm,” she answered a bit absently. She was rubbing her hand across the scar on her neck, kneading her shoulder and giving Danny apologetic looks. He’d slipped out onto the balcony to smoke about the time it’d become obvious Angel was on the phone instead of Lucy.
“Prophecy?”
She shrugged in answer, threading her way through the tension before she finally stopped her pacing and sighed. “I wasn’t wearing white. I don’t know, Angel. If I’m dreaming about him…they always seems surreal and disjointed and…like prophecy. Sometimes, they’re just nightmares though.”
“Right. You’ve got-“
“Stop it. That wasn’t your fault. We’re not having this conversation. I don’t blame you and I don’t forgive you. There was nothing to forgive. Two different people. I know it. I’ve met them. I lived it. You were off in soul air-lock or whatever so you don’t get an opinion on the separateness or nonseparateness of Angel and Angelus.”
There was a sigh on his end of the line and she could practically hear him pacing. “Keep me updated.”
“Yeah,” she nodded, rolling her lips between her teeth. “Just-don’t get too happy.” Guilt washed over her the moment she said the words. She could be happy but Angel wasn’t allowed that luxury.
“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” he said quietly. “I’m gonna…”
“Yeah. Me too,” Buffy answered. She hung up the phone and placed it on the end table next to a pair of Marc Jacobs. She grabbed a coat off the back of the couch and slipped it on before stepping out onto the balcony with Danny. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and the moment he leaned back against her, she felt the tension in her body uncoil and slip out little at a time.
“Everything’s fine,” she whispered against his shoulder. “They were just nightmares.”
Not that it changed anything. She’d still stalk Danny and she’d still worry. After all, she’s lived that particular nightmare.
