Crashing Down Around Us

by Maygen

Disclaimer: All characters, etc. belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. I don't own them. I'm simply dreaming on paper...
Time Line: next part in the Dreams & reality series, start at the begining or it won't make sense!

Angel had a heart beat, she could sense it, just as she could always sense him. Buffy felt as if the world was spinning around her at an astronomical rate. She felt her legs buckle beneath her, barely aware of the sensation that she was falling. Darkness set in.

Before Buffy could even hit the floor Angel swooped in and caught her. Clutching her close he carried her over to the couch and lay her down. After a miniuite Buffy's eyes opened and Angel backed away. Buffy quickly got up.

Hank entered the room and saw Buffy and Angel. "Buffy I see you've met Angel." Buffy merely nodded in shock. "Where were you today honey?"

Buffy ran her left hand over her face and tried to gather her thoughts. "Oh... I , uh, had a doctors appointment up town."

"Oh, I guess I forgot then." A timer beeped in the kitchen. "Well I better go back in, why don't you be a good hostess and entertain Angel." Hank retreated to the kitchen, oblivious to the tension between his daughter and guest.

Buffy took a deep breath. The shock of the situation had worn off and she was now somewhere between angry, curious and highly medicated. Buffy headed towards the back door and motioned for Angel to follow her.

Once outside Angel looked at Buffy, unsure of what to do. He still wasn't completely sure if this was a dream or a nightmare. Everything in him wanted to grab Buffy and never let her go, but his mind refused to let him. Buffy massaged her shoulder and looked deep into Angel's eyes. The warrior averted her gaze, afraid she'd be able to see right through him.

Buffy was in no mood to play games. She was in pain and her medication was putting her in a weird mental and physical state. "What are you doing here?"

"Hank invited me over to dinner." The excuse rang in Angel's ears. He knew it was the truth but to him it sounded so weak. He desperately wished he had left when Cordelia called him.

"So let me get this straight. You rescue me ala a knight in shining armor, abandon me at the hospital and then show up a couple of weeks later at my Dad's house for tea. I thought people from your day were supposed to be gentlemen."

"I didn't know Hank was your father."

"Oh, so what you've like become so disgusted with the thought of me that you've completely blocked the name Summers out of your memory so that not even a little warning bell could sound?"

"No, it's not like that. I just --"

"Then what is it like?" Buffy knew she was going a bit over board but in the past two months she'd been engaged, ended a relationship, kidnaped, bitten, had surgery and abandoned! Add medicated to that and she'd be darned if he thought she was in a stable mental state. There was no way she could take another surprise. "You decide you don't love me any more and shocking the crap out of me is more fun? How much does Hank know about you any way?"

"Not much." Angel's head spun, he couldn't believe how Buffy was reacting.

"Well I guess you couldn't do too much damage to him at this point."

"Buffy calm down."

"Calm down. Angel in the past two months I've been engaged, dumped, kidnaped, fed on and I'm highly medicated! There's no way in hell that I'm in the mood for another surprise! I think I have the right to be agitated."

Angel looked over the slayer. She was so small yet anger coursed through her veins. He swallowed hard and reminded himself that he was doing the right thing.

Buffy continued. "Now I'm gonna go inside and make some excuse to my father so that I can get out of this little gathering." Quickly she walked back to the door. She paused and faced Angel, "And for the sake of my father's sanity just pretend we never happened."

Angel slammed his office door so hard he was surprised that the glass didn't shatter. He always amazed at the total range of emotions that just seeing Buffy for a few moments could bring out of him.

He thought back to the events of the night. Holding Buffy in his arms for even a few moments had been heaven. Her slight weight against him was no burden. His happiness had been squashed abruptly by her displeasure with him. How could she accuse him of not loving her? Angel loved her more than he had loved anyone in his entire two hundred and forty-six years. He felt the pain that had been etched across her face. The pain made him regret the choices he had made but he took little comfort in the fact that there was nothing he could do to change them. Angel was aware that he hurt Buffy most by being with her, and there was nothing he could do about it.

On to The Morning After