Pathways Ch. 05-06

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An unexpected guest, a surprise and a realization by Angel.
3.6k words
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Part 3 of the 5 part series

Updated 10/29/2022
Created 11/06/2009
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patricia51
patricia51
1,906 Followers

Angel yawned. Business was slow. There hadn't been a client of any kind in three days now and he was getting a bit bored. Of course there was also the fact that he had slept alone for the last two days. With the Hyperion safe again thanks to Willow and with the "helping the helpless" thing in neutral, she had gone to spend some time with Jill and Amanda. He had encouraged her to do that but was ready for her to come back home now. She had called this morning to say that she had one more thing to do today and hopefully she would be back after that. Good. He missed her.

He missed her. Angel rolled that thought around in his mind. Was there more to that idea than just the fact that Nina and he slept in the same bed and were partners in fighting evil? Of course, he admitted to himself, those two items added up to more than just a casual relationship.

Nina had come into his life as someone to be saved. He hadn't known her name or anything about her when their paths first crossed. He had heard screams and sensed the terror and had gone to the rescue. Once he realized that she had been bitten by the werewolf that had attacked her he had used the resources available at Wolfram and Hart to track her down. It had just been to help her, to help someone innocent who had been caught by forces she never should have had to encounter. Then had come the kidnapping and he had no choice but to go to her aid.

It had taken some time for the idea to sink into his thick skull that she was interested in him. Thank goodness for Lorne for pointing out what was right in front of him. The funny part was that he had been drawn to Nina from their first real meeting, the morning after she had awoken in the safety cell in the basement. He remembered Gunn talking.

"What about werewolf girl? Think you got a shot there?"

"She gave me a look."

Had he really meant that or had that simply been a throw-away line? No, he had meant it. There had been something in her eyes when they met his just before she had said "See you next month" and got out of the car. That look had stirred something in him then and remembering it stirred him now.

Unable to sit any longer he rose to his feet and began to pace. Was he falling in love with Nina? He had been in love before. He shied away from thoughts of Darla. That had been love but love in its most evil form. But under the influence of love even Darla had been capable of self-sacrifice.

He had loved Cordelia. That love had grown slowly as she herself had grown as a person. Indeed, as he had also, he acknowledged. It had been different from Buffy. Buffy he had seen as someone he could help, someone he could link to his own quest for redemption. When he had fallen in love with her it had been blinding, a fire that burst into flames that could have destroyed them all. In fact it nearly had. But now, with his soul fixed...

"Still wearing black and still pacing I see. Somethings never change."

Angel stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't need to turn around to identify the speaker before he spoke. Of course she would show up now.

"Hello Buffy."

Nina pulled up to the hotel and parked her Civic. She turned off the key and sat there. What was Angel going to say? How was he going to take the news? It had been a shock for her. He had been through it before but it wasn't like it turned out very well. It had all been a set-up. She swallowed hard. That's what she feared the most, that all this was some sort of a trick by who knows what power.

Well, it wasn't going to get any easier just sitting here. She climbed out of the car and headed for the front door. She passed a big black limousine and groaned a bit to herself. Not that they couldn't use a client who had that kind of money. She kept the books. She knew their purpose was to help those who needed it, but couldn't someone rich get into trouble occasionally? They weren't hurting. Angel had amazingly laid aside some money from his time at Wolfram and Hart. She knew why. It had been for her, even though he never claimed that. She knew he had not thought he would survive his assault on the Black Thorn.

Anyway, they got by but limos were out of their price range. She sometimes wished his Firebird with the neat windows that blocked the sun from hurting him had survived but it hadn't. It would be something to go out in daylight with him. Oh well, when you fall in love with someone you take the bad with the good. That went for werewolves who fell in love with vampires too she supposed.

With her arms full of packages she pushed open the front door with her rear end and backed into the lobby. She opened her mouth to call out as she turned. She never completed that turn, stopping abruptly when Angel came into her view. He wasn't alone. There was a blonde woman with him. A blonde woman that was standing on her tiptoes so she could kiss Angel. A kiss that Angel seemed to be returning just as fervently as she was giving it.

Nina froze. What she had feared the most had come to pass. She didn't need an introduction to know who the petite blonde was. Buffy was here. What was she going to do? It seemed like a million different thoughts cascaded through her mind, a thousand different plans of action were considered and discarded.

Nina summoned her courage and started forward. She was going to be cool, calm and collected. She was going to do her damndest to demonstrate that she was Angel's woman now. Just as she took the first step the pair in front of her embraced tightly, locking together. Angel's hands ran down Buffy's back, cupping her rear end and lifting the other woman into the air. The Slayer's arms twined around his neck and muffled moans came from them both.

She had lost the battle before she could even join it, Nina realized sickly. Angel felt kindly towards her but she had just been a substitute. She should have known it, known that she was living in a dream world.

She turned to flee. Encumbered as she was with the packages she bumped into the door and spilled most of them. Great. She couldn't even make a discreet exit. Dropping the rest of her burden she wrenched open the door and ran towards the street. Half blinded by tears she bumped into the limo and nearly fell before regaining her balance. She dug through the purse slung over her shoulder, finding her car keys by feel. She jerked open the driver's side door, jammed the keys in the ignition and peeled down the street the instant the starter caught.

Although he didn't know it at the time, Angel's attempt to be calm and collected with Buffy had lasted no longer than Nina's attempt for the same attitude. Once he had turned and met her eyes he was lost. In an eerie recreation of the day that never happened, Buffy walked through shadows and pools of sunlight cast by the windows. Without another word she walked up to Angel and the vampire took the Slayer in his arms. They kissed. His arms tightened around her.

She was back! She was BACK! He lifted her in his arms and hugged her close.

But something was wrong. His heart, unbeating though it was, didn't soar like it had that day, or on many another day when he saw her, touched her, kissed her. His soul was safe now, no matter what happened he wouldn't lose it. And yet, somehow, he knew that the perfect happiness he had experienced once before was no longer staring him in the face.

Just as he started to lower Buffy back to the floor his attention was drawn by a muffled sob and the clatter of things falling to the marble floor. He snapped his head to the left only to see scattered parcels and a closing door. Tearing himself from Buffy he sprang to the door, automatically avoiding the patches of sunlight. Looking through the nearly shut door he saw a familiar figure sprinting down the walkway. He cried out her name through the door opening but she didn't hear it as she climbed into her car and roared away.

He stood there, feeling as lost as he could recall for a long time. A soft touch on his arm brought him back to reality.

"I guess that was Nina."

"Yes, it was."

"I'm sorry ." Buffy hesitated. "When Willow finally got hold of me. I didn't believe what she told me. I was so sure that you had somehow changed again, reverted back to evil that everything she told me seemed like a fairy tale." She shook her head. "Do you know what changed my mind?" When Angel shook his head back and forth she went on.

"It was her," the Slayer indicated the no longer occupied doorway. "She made me jealous. Here I was, keeping away from you when you came to Rome with Spike, turning my back on you with the Immortal and I had the gall to get jealous because it appeared you had found someone else. I kept thinking 'How could you?' even while I was doing just that. So I came here to reclaim you."

Buffy held her hand up. "You don't need to say it Angel. I think I will always love you, a little, and I think you will always feel the same way about me. But we've changed, moved on, and its pretty obvious that your feelings have shifted. And it's okay Angel."

She stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, it's okay if you can get to Nina and convince her of what we both know, that you are in love with her."

Angel started. He looked at Buffy in surprise.

"What, you don't think I can tell when a man is in love? I might not be two hundred years old but I'm not dumb. Well," she amended as she started to help him pick up the scattered packages, "Not always anyway."

"I have to find her, go to her," mumbled Angel distractedly as he scooped up a fallen bag and a book that had dropped out of another parcel.

"Yes you do but you can't go anywhere until the sun sets." Buffy saw that Angel hadn't heard her last words. He was staring at the cover of the book he had picked up. She looked at it and her jaw fell open.

"That's not possible! Is it? Has she been seeing anyone else?"

"No, no I would have known it. And Buffy? It IS possible."

"But not without intervention from the Powers that Be." Buffy's voice trailed off and they both looked at the book again. Buffy finally shook herself.

"This changes everything. I'll be in touch." She headed for the door and turned. "Stay here or at least check your messages often if you go out after dark."

He nodded. "Where are you going?"

"To see if I can find her." With that she was gone.

Chapter 6

As Buffy disappeared out the door into the daylight Angel simply stood still. His mind was a whirl. The very thing he had literally dreamed about for so long had happened. Buffy had come back. And it was too late. He wasn't in love with her anymore. Fortunately, he admitted to himself a bit ruefully, she wasn't in love with him either.

The almost amusing part of all this was that this was exactly why he had left Sunnydale years before, so that Buffy could have a life that wasn't intertwined with a repentant vampire who did not dare offer her the love she deserved.

She had moved on. Whether she was really involved seriously with the Immortal or not wasn't important. She had made her choices and he had no problem with that. After all, he had fallen in love with Cordelia, although due to Jasmine's machinations they had never been able to fulfill that. She was gone now and he would always have a special place in his heart, unbeating or not, for her. Just like he would for Buffy, and he hoped she had a place for him in her heart.

But now he loved Nina.

He loved Nina.

He LOVED Nina!

He jumped to his feet. "Great Angel," he scolded himself. "Way to go. NOW you figure it out that she's more than just a partner in business and in bed."

It seemed like he had been thinking for ages but to his surprise when Buffy popped back in the door he realized that it had been less than a minute.

"By the way," Buffy looked embarrassed. "What's Nina's last name?"

"Ash," replied Angel. He started to give the address of Jill and Amanda but before he could finish the blonde slayer was out the door again, leaving him to his thoughts.

Buffy sprinted back to the limo and hopped in the back. She picked up the phone there and punched in a number.

"Yes, this is Buffy Summers. I need information on someone."

**************************************

When Nina had fled from the hotel she had no idea where to go or what to do. She drove aimlessly. Her mind revolved in an endless circle, fixed on the image of Angel and Buffy locked together.

"You knew it was a dream," she scolded herself. "She is his real love. He was kind to you but nothing more than that."

She had been tempted to storm right up to them and tell them to stop. She had wanted to tell them her secret. But she couldn't. Their kiss had blinded her with tears. Besides, she heaved a sigh, she just couldn't. She couldn't use her condition to force him to stay with her. Not when his heart belonged elsewhere.

Finally she lifted her head and began to take an interest in her surroundings. The place looked familiar she thought. She pulled into a deserted parking area. Locking her Honda after she got out she walked up the beaten dirt trail till she reached a clearing. There she sat down, leaning back against a huge oak tree.

She just tried to let her mind go blank. She didn't want to think about anything. The hurt was too much. She had been fooling herself, she admitted that. She should have known that no one would ever replace Buffy. Wesley was the one who had known him from all the way back to Sunnydale and in a few unguarded moments had let things slip. Fred, dear sweet Fred, had shared girl talk with her and given her some insights.

She had known better. She remembered asking him if he was "Thinking about your little Roman friend?" She had tried to be so very casual about that. He had dismissed it, telling her he had other things on his mind but had he really or had he simply been sparing her feelings? She hadn't thought so at the time but now everything that she thought she knew, all the faith she had in the relationship that she thought she and Angel were building, it had all torn to shreds. He cared for her, there was no doubt about that, the man was transparent, but it clearly wasn't the same way that she felt about him.

So what was she going to do? Go back to college? Move back in the Jill and Amanda? And what was going to happen when the time arrived?

Nina was so lost in her thoughts that she actually jumped when someone suddenly sat down on the ground next to her. She was even more startled when she turned her head and saw that someone was Buffy. She opened her mouth and then shut it after she realized that she had not the slightest idea of what to say. Finally she managed to break the silence.

"How did you find me?" She knew that had to sound inane but Buffy never blinked.

"It wasn't that hard once I thought about it. Where would you go? Not back to your sister's place. I don't know but I don't think she's aware of your condition is she?" When Nina shook her head sideways Buffy went on. "I know what you saw and we'll come back to that in a minute. I was sure that you wanted to go think and a natural place would be somewhere you associated with Angel. Besides the Hyperion there really are only two places and Wolfram and Hart isn't exactly available to you, or to anyone this side of Hell in fact, right now."

Buffy looked around. "So this had to be the place. The glade where you first met Angel when you were running from the werewolf. The place he first saved you. I came here and saw your car down in the parking lot and walked up."

Nina looked dazed. "How in the world did you find all that out about us? I mean me?"

"Connections." Buffy looked embarrassed. "The guy I'm seeing, well, he has resources. One phone call and in 30 minutes I knew all about you. I figured out likely places and decided on this one. So here we are."

"Here we are," echoed Nina. She studied the other blonde. "Buffy? Why are you here?"

"Here as in LA or here as in this clearing with you?"

"Both I suppose."

"I came to LA for purely selfish reasons," Buffy admitted candidly. "When Willow called me with the news about Angel I came here to get him back. It was that simple."

"And yet instead of being back at the hotel with him you're sitting in this clearing in the park with me," noted Nina.

"Yes," admitted Buffy. She stared off into space, an action Nina might have found amusing had the situation not been so weird. After all, she had just been doing the stare herself a few minutes ago.

Buffy shook herself and went on. I thought that I was just going to walk in to the Hyperion and Angel and I would fall into each other's arms and live happily ever after. Well the first part went off alright. The second part is never going to happen."

Nina must have made some gesture or noise she couldn't recall later because Buffy sighed. "Oh believe me that's true Nina. All the hope, all the anticipation was swept away when we kissed. There wasn't anything there. It was nice, Angel is a marvelous kisser, but the passion isn't there anymore. If you had come in two minutes later you would have found us sitting on opposite sides of the room, wondering what in the world had happened."

"And?" ventured Nina. Hope was beginning to dawn but she struggled not to let it grow into too bright a flame lest it be quenched immediately.

Amazingly Buffy laughed. "Oh Nina," the Slayer surprised both of them by sliding an arm around the were-girl's shoulders and hugging her. "You happened, but things have happened to me too. I'm not the same girl Angel loved and he's not the same guy. But I'll always care for him and you make him happy. That's good enough for me."

The two blonde women hugged tightly, then Buffy stood up and helped Nina to her feet. "Can't be too careful with you in your condition you know," Buffy teased.

"Oh GOD. You know! Does Angel?"

"Well Nina, a copy of 'What to Expect when You Are Expecting' sort of gives it away. You dropped it along with the rest of your stuff when you bolted out the door. Knowing Angel he's probably sitting in the hotel lobby reading it page by page."

Buffy hesitated. "Nina I don't know you so please forgive me but I have to ask this question."

"Yes, its Angel's baby." Nina answered before Buffy could continue. "I have no idea of how, well," she blushed deeply, "I mean I know HOW but not how he could have made me pregnant. I know about Darla and why that happened and that scares me. If its not some other plot by another renegade Power than what is it? And what in the world can I expect of a baby that's part vampire, part werewolf and part human?"

"I have no idea," admitted Buffy. "But you can believe that Angel will love your child and love you. I know this isn't some random event. It's fated. And somehow it feels to me that it's fated for good. Now then, you need to go home."

"Go home?" a new voice broke in. The pair looked around the glade. They had not been paying attention but the light of day had faded into twilight and shadows had cloaked the trees. A figure moved from the darkness into the artificial light cast from the nearby city lights.

"As comfy and sweet as that sounds, I don't think that's going to happen. It just goes to show that little girls shouldn't be out at dark. Sometimes they never get to go home." The face of the man twisted. So did the faces of the rest of the group that was now surrounding Buffy and Nina.

"Vampires. Great."

(To be continued)

patricia51
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