A Christmas Ball to Remember Ch. 04

"Perhaps a few lengths would help," she thought aloud, steeping into the shallow end. The warm water lapped around her body and she started to swim the length. After a few she noticed someone standing watching her, she swam closer to get a better look.

"You wanna explain why you're spying on me?"

"I think we need to talk, but not now and not here."

"No. No, if you have something to say, then say it and perhaps why ... why you had sex with me and then left that night?" she sputtered out, blushing at the remembrance of their encounter.

"When I got to my room there was this message from Giles saying that he didn't need the book that night so I laid on my bed for a rest and I must of fallen asleep."

"This book wouldn't have anything to do with Giles why he's being all grouchy?"

"I wouldn't know. Any way I don't wanna talk about Giles, I wanna talk about us."

"Us? There are no us." She started to swim away when she heard a splash. She stopped and turned around to see Angel break the surface, still fully clothed.

"Buffy."

"What?"

"Wait, come here." She swam over to him and as she got closer he dived under water and grabbed her by her waist pulling her down with him. They came up for air and went back under, they moved together and slowly opened their mouths, locking them tightly to one another so no air would escape. They kissed; tongue's entwined with one another. Buffy had never kissed under water before and found it a whole new experience. It was certainly unique, the whole thing was so much softer than usual, and it was like his lips were the softest in the whole world and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. They broke the kiss and quickly made it to the surface, where they came up gasping for air, holding one another close.

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed, with a smile across her face. Angel reached up and brushed a stray hair away from her face.

"Any way going back to before," he said looking into her green eyes, "there is an us and there always will be. Eve since I first saw you...when you were called"

"What?" She asked confused.

"I saw when you were called, you were at Hemery High and it was a bright afternoon, you has just said good bye to your friends and you were called upon. And from then I loved you, like I say I always will."

"But why?"

"'Cause I could see your heart. You held it before you for everyone to see. And I worried that it would be bruised or torn. And more than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe... to warm it with my own."

Buffy looked up into his eyes for a long moment, and then she kissed him passionately, and then pulled away, thinking.

"That's beautiful. Or taken literally, incredibly gross."

"I was just thinking that, too." He said grimacing, and then they both started to laugh.

"Have you made love in a president suite before?" Angel said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"No, but something tells me I'm about to."

They quickly climbed out of the pool and walked back to the hotel, using the back entrance so they wouldn't be seen. They got into the lift and as soon as the doors closed they started to kiss, ferociously. Buffy started to pull at his top, not caring where they were, but just as she was about to undo it the bell signaling that they were at the floor they wanted. Angel stuck his head out to make sure that no one was in the corridor and when there wasn't he took her hand, quickly opened the door and pulled her in. As soon as the door was closed Angel pushed her up against it, pinning her there with his body, kissing her like an animal. She jumped up and placed her legs around his waist as he walked her through to the bedroom. She could feel his erection pushing through her thin material of her blue bikini, grinding against her pubic bone as he walked. As soon as he was in the bedroom he laid her down on the bed and started taking off his wet clothes. When he was just in his boxers he climbed on top of her and started to kiss her while he ran his hands all over her body. He broke off from the kiss and started to make his way down her body, starting with her collarbone. He reached her nipples and she let out a moan of satisfaction, which turned into a moan of nothing as the phone started to ring.

"Leave it," she whispered huskily. The answer phone picked up and over the loud speaker they heard,

"Angel its Giles. Get Buffy and come to my office, I've cracked the book and it's very important." Angel stopped what he was doing and looked up into her green eyes that were pleading with his brown ones to continue his administrations to her body.

"Do we have to?" She asked with a pout and puppy dog eyes.

"Yes," he said sternly he took her by the hands and pulled her up.

"Um... Angel had completely forgotten that she was still only in her bikini. "Meet me there?"

"Ok." They both kissed again before walking out of the door, Buffy headed to her room, while Angel headed to Giles' office.

Giles was pacing his office floor when Angel entered, his glasses where swinging from one arm in his mouth. He didn't notice Angel enter, as he was too engrossed in the book in his hand.

"So what's the matter, sorry I didn't mean to make you jump." Angel said as he saw Giles jump in the air with fright.

"Well with copy of the 'The Tiberius Manifesto, the Pergamum Codex' I was able to find the exact date that the prophecy was on about, it's not good I'm afraid," Giles looked up when he saw Buffy enter the room.

"What's not good? Giles I know that something's has been giving you the wiggins lately, so just tell me, I'm not a child you need to protect any more." She said crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

"You're quite right Buffy, you're not a child and I'm sorry. It's just that what with Christmas coming I didn't want to have to spoil it, but after my extensive research last night I came across something more solid."

"Just spit it out." She said.

"Oh god...another apocalypse is coming. It's going to be even bigger than the last, against the first; this is what we've been waiting for. Training the girls for."

"No." Both men looked at her.

"No. I can't do it. The last time we won was due to Spike. We haven't got him or that amulet thingy. So no."

"Um...Buffy?"

"What is it Angel?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you...about Spike."

"What about him?"

"Some how, just after the fight, I received the amulet back and...and Spike."

"What do you mean?"

"At first he was a ghost, then, then he became human again." Buffy looked shocked and upset that Angel hadn't been bothered to mention it before.

"So where is he?"

"In L.A"

"And you was going to tell me this when?"

"When I had the chance, but what with Christmas and everything I forgot to tell you, I'm sorry."

"I still can't. I-I can't put these girls' lives on the line. There were many that died last time, I won't let that happen again."

"Buffy, there's a lot at stake, the world will merge with the hell dimension and you have to stop it. Or many more than the casualties that we lost last time will be dead, all of the human civilization will be wiped out, only the demons and the vampires and everything else, will live and rule this world. Do you want that? Do you want to die like that, knowing that you gave up?"

"No it's just...it's just that I'm tired, I don't wanna go on fighting all my life."

"You have to Buffy," he crossed the room to her and stroked her arm, "I'll be here with you all the way."

"But it's not fair, you'll...you'll..."

"I'll what?"

"You'll get to live if you manage to get through it, people won't."

"I won't be living, I'd rather die than to go on living without you in the world. So you have to fight."

"I don't want to tell the other's yet. Christmas is only two days away and I don't want to spoil it for them. Not unless that this is going to happen on Christmas?"

"No. Um...if I'm correct then it will be on the eve of the New Year."

"Oh, at least we get to party before." Buffy said with a smile and then walked out of the room.

"The earth is definitely doomed," Giles said watching her go.