A Trick of the Light

by Aurora

DISCLAIMER:  Please, do you think that if they were mine I would make them into the travesty that is this season?
SUMMARY: Angel and Buffy's separate existences collide unexpectedly during the events of AtS 'Quickening'
SPOILERS:  None really, but up to 'Quickening' to be safe
RATING: R
FEEDBACK: Ahem, duh?  Girl292@hotmail.com 
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  This is just my response to my disdain at what ANGEL has become this season.  I know that this fic starts off scarily but fear not, I am a B/A shipper first and foremost.  C'mon, don't you trust me??

Angel sighed as he backtracked down the maze of sterile white, and not to mention identical, hallways trying to find his way by Wesley's ridiculously detailed yet somehow still incomprehensible directions to the observation suite where they were waiting with Darla, an ultrasound, and hopefully a miraculous solution to this 'little problem'.  He turned around and headed back the way he came, lost in his thoughts so much so that he never even sensed the woman coming from the opposite direction as he rounded the corner at full speed plowing right into her abruptly knocking them both to the ground.

It took him a full second to process what had happened and when he did his brain shifted automatically into 'apologize quickly you have somewhere to be' mode as he stood and offered a hand to help his crash victim up.

"I'm really sorry.  I'm in a hurry and."

"Angel?"

He stopped cold, frozen in place, his mouth stuck in mid-sentence and the portion of his brain that normally kicked in during emergency situations had all but shut down as his eyes took in the tan skin, taut frame, hazel green eyes and blonde hair that could only belong to one person on the entire planet.

"Buffy?"  He managed as the emergency back up system in the speech center of his brain kicked in and he lifted her to her feet, letting go of her right hand as soon as she regained her balance and stuffing his hands nervously in the pockets of his duster.

She smiled softly at him and fidgeted with the cast on her left arm that he'd been too preoccupied at first to notice.

"Are you alright?"  He was relieved at his ability to keep up small talk as the rest of his body was sufficiently paralyzed at the sight of her.

She regarded him warily, shifting her weight from side to side and glancing over her shoulder before answering.

"I -uh, am fine.  Fine.  It's what I am."

He saw her cringe at her own answer and he reached out to touch the plaster of her cast.

"Clearly, fine is the answer."

She seemed embarrassed by the cast and yanked her arm from his grip as she replied.

"This."  She lifted her casted arm up and gestured for emphasis.  "It'salong story involving a dare, a road trip, copious amounts of tequila and a motorcycle among other things."  He watched as an amused smile crossed her face before she continued.  "I just broke my wrist, it'll probably heal in a day or so, but."  She stopped and looked up at him warily, clearly avoiding whatever the rest of that sentence was.  Instead of finishing she changed the subject.  "What about you?  What brings you to L.A. County General at this time of night?  Is there some big evil about to rise in the ICU or something?"

He flinched at the near accuracy of her statement and then tried unsuccessfully to hedge.  Very unsuccessfully as it seemed whatever back up generator within his brain that had kicked in at the sight of Buffy was effectively derailed when he was faced with the prospect of trying to explain to her what was currently going on in his unlife especially when he wasn't even sure how he felt about it.

"I-uh."  Mercifully it seemed he wouldn't have to finish that sentence as they were interrupted.  But once he registered the identity of the interruption, he wasn't entirely sure if finishing his sentence wouldn't have been the less traumatic event.

"There you are, pet.  I've been looking all over the bloody place for you." Angel watched with strange numb detachment as his nuisance of a childe stalked into view from the other end of the hall.  "Are you all patched up and ready to ride or what?"

Spike halted when he registered the elder vampire's presence a cruel smirk spreading across his porcelain features as he closed the distance between them.  Spike's arm snaking protectively around Buffy's waist from behind, and his head settling on her right shoulder to stare at Angel.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Peaches.  Fancy meeting you here."

Angel didn't deem to dignify Spike's presence with a response and instead turned his attention to Buffy.  Buffy who was staring at a scuffmark on the tile and acting for all the world like she wanted the floor to split open and swallow her whole.  Angel went to question what the hell was going on when there was a crash at the far end of the hallway as double doors swung open with brute force and a very angry, *very* pregnant Darla stormed down the hall straight for them, a stuttering Wesley, a pissed off Cordelia and a clearly amused Gunn in tow.

"I swear on all that is unholy Angelus if you don't do something about this right now I am going to rip the mealy mouthed British pansy's head right off!!"

Angel froze, unwilling to turn and see the look on Buffy's face as Darla joined the little reunion.

"Holy Christ!  Did you knock up Darla?"  Spike's voice broke the awkward silence as Darla took in his and Buffy's presence with a raised eyebrow.

"So that's your plan Angel?  Use me, knock me up, and then throw me away when your little cheerleader comes to town?"

Angel could think of about 5000 other places he'd rather have been right at that moment and not a few of them were certain circles of Hell he'd never imagined he'd wish to visit ever again.

"Angel?"  Buffy's quiet startled tone invaded his mental denial bubble and he turned to face her.  The rest of their audience drifting away into a muted background roar as his eyes met her own.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, just to end the tension that was building up inside of him threatening to split him in two with the hurt that surfaced in her eyes.

But before he could manage to speak, he felt a wave of pain flash against his left cheek as skin met skin and he couldn't be sure but he thought that Buffy had actually slapped him and any remorse within him was obliterated in the wake of the anger that surfaced at her audacity.  Because, really, how did she have the right to be angry at him for Darla when she was so obviously involved with Spike?  Spike!  Of all that was evil!

He narrowed his eyes in preparation of telling her so when she did it again. Harder this time.

"What in the HELL are you doing?"

He shouted as he sat up in bed.

"Angel?"  Buffy's concerned and sleepy voice registered in his brain from somewhere to the left and he looked over to find her sitting up and watching him anxiously.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm the rapid beating of his heart while he sorted out all that had occurred in what he was hoping was just a dream.

"Angel?  Are you okay?"

He pulled himself from his thoughts to keep from worrying her any more than she already was.

"I'm fine Beloved."  He reached over and took her into his arms, laying them both back down on the soft cotton sheets.

"What was all the yelling about?"  She propped herself up on her elbow to look down at him questioningly.

"Bad dream."  He answered and pulled her body against his own, sighing at the warmth of her skin against his and reveling in the very rightness of the feel of her.

"Really?  What was it about?"  She yawned and buried her head into the crook of his shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  He answered and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head as they settled back down to sleep.

"Tell me in the morning.  Over pancakes."

He chuckled at that and pushed the remnants of the nightmare away in favor of concentrating on the steady beat of their hearts together and the comfort that spread through him as he drifted off to sleep with his Beloved safe in his arms and away from annoying bleached blonde vampires.

END.