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Three months had passed since their arrival in L.A. Buffy and Angel had regained a closeness that had long eluded them. Since the evening Buffy had come to find him in his room, she hadn't spent a night away from him. They had both agreed to cherish the rare moments of peace they were granted before returning to reality. The Hyperion, which had been nearly empty some time ago, was now full of life and bustle. Robin had quickly recovered, forming a peculiar couple with Faith. Bonds had been formed and decisions had been made. With the help of Angel and his new company "Wolfram & Hart," all the Scoobies had managed to find accommodation in a Cincinnati. Well, not all of them, as Giles, the Slayers, Faith, and Robin were headed to London to establish the new council.
The move for Xander, Buffy, Willow, Kennedy, Andrew, and Dawn should have taken place several weeks ago, but Buffy always found something to delay the deadline.
Early in the morning, in a room shrouded in darkness, a man observed the young woman lying beside him. After a few moments, she opened her eyes.
"Mmm... when are you going to stop staring at me while I sleep?" asked Buffy, still sleepy.
"Never, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..." sighed Angel as he ran a hand through the young woman's hair. She closed her eyes to savor the moment.
"I don't want to get up, I'm too comfortable in your arms," she said, assaulting his torso to reclaim her spot. Angel watched her little maneuver, she had this gift of making him incredibly happy in an instant. The weeks that had passed felt like paradise. He didn't know how he would find the strength to let her go.
"Don't you have important things to do today?" asked the vampire, trying to encourage Buffy to get out of bed.
"Yes, Giles needs to call me as soon as he arrives in London... And I have to send Dawn's school papers and..." Under Angel's explicit gaze, "okay, okay, I'll get up!" She said as she sat up to leave the bed, but Angel grabbed her before she could touch the ground.
"Wait, you forgot something," he said.
"Oh yeah?" she asked mischievously. With these words, he kissed her, the kiss was so deep it made her tremble.
"Good morning," he whispered near her lips.
"...Good morning..." She hesitated just long enough to gaze into Angel's eyes. "I'd better get out of here before I cause a disaster," she said nervously as she reluctantly left Angel's embrace.
Despite his presence, Buffy hadn't stopped thinking about Spike. In each of her dreams, he was there repeating that he would never abandon her. Angel must have heard his name mentioned, but he didn't say anything. He had been forced to accept that the blond vampire had found a place in her heart.
Buffy took a shower while Angel went downstairs to prepare breakfast. He must have been among the last ones to wake up, as Fred, Dawn, and Wesley were already having their meal.
