Red Glare
by Salatina

Buffy felt him arrive long before she heard his gentle tap on the windowsill. As soon as she felt the familiar tingling on the edge of her senses, she quickly stuffed the half-wrapped item in her hands underneath her pillow. She arranged the pillow to look as natural as possible.

The tap came just as she was finished. Buffy positioned herself in the middle of the bed, legs crossed, and turned towards the window. A smile tugged at her mouth automatically when she saw him.

"Hey," Angel greeted, adjusting his perch on the tree branch outside her window. "May I come in?"

"Of course," she smiled.

Buffy felt a little shiver run down her spine as he entered. The only light in her room was a small desk lamp. It provided just the right illumination to bring out his sharp features against the deep black of the night, making him glow beautifully in the window frame.

She patted the bed beside her. He sat down next to her, moving with his usual animal grace. They kissed, briefly, and Buffy reveled in the casual thrill of his lips against hers.

After they pulled apart, she scooted as close to him as possible and leaned her head on his chest. Buffy breathed in his scent deeply as he slid his arms around her. She slid her hands under his shirt and around his waist.

The Slayer and her Angel huddled together in companionable silence for a long moment. Both of them would have loved to spend eternity that way, surrounding each other, loving each other. But there were things to do and things to be said.

Angel let his arms fall, slowly. Buffy adjusted herself so that they were facing each other, but still touching. She couldn't seem to be apart from him for very long, and ached whenever they were away from each other for even a moment longer than they had to be.

"So..." Angel began, stroking her hair with the fingers of his right hand, "Do you have plans for this lovely holiday evening?"

"Why, yes," Buffy responded, her tone pure innocence. "I was thinking about spending it with this *gorgeous* guy I know. I was thinking we could go down to Willow's block party and blow things up. You know, he's really a hottie, and I want to show him off to all of my friends. He's the sweetest guy around! He cares about me, is always happy to see me and gives me unconditional love." She grinned.

"Oh, really?" Angel asked, eyebrow raised.

"Sure. Don't most girls spend Independence Day with their dogs?" She turned towards her door and called out, "Yuki!"

Buffy's golden lab - a massive creature that she had found, freed from a demon possession, and adopted two months ago - pushed open the slightly ajar door and joined them on the bed, panting excitedly. He gave both Angel and Buffy warm licks on their cheeks.

"Um, thanks, Yuki." Angel muttered, looking distressed as the dog mussed his hair with a long pink tongue.

When she looked up at Angel, she couldn't hold in a giggle at the expression on his face. He heard her response and pretended to scowl at her.

"You think this is funny, Miss Summers?"

"I do indeed, Mr.... er, Angel." Buffy replied, still grinning unashamedly.

"Okay, then."

Without warning, Angel attacked. He moved suddenly, knocking Buffy off balance from her comfortable half-sprawl over his lap. She fell backwards on to the bed. He gave Yuki an encouraging shove and the dog hopped off the bed, while the vampire used his demonic speed to launch two separate attacks on the Slayer's prone form.

He tickled her mercilessly until her breath came out entirely as choked giggles. Then he sat back up and watched her as she recovered.

Buffy grinned up at him, but gave him no other warning before she shot her arm out, grabbed his shoulder, and tugged him down to her level. She started a retaliatory attack on his mouth. She teased him unceasingly with her lips and tongue until he moaned.

She broke of the kiss eventually, but didn't let him go far. They stared into each other's eyes, conversing silently.

Yuki jumped back up on the bed, looking to "share in the love," and they were forced to separate for fear of more dog kisses disturbing their perfect moment. Buffy shifted on the bed, propping herself up on her pillow.

There was a crunching sound. Buffy gasped, mentally kicking herself for forgetting the present she had shoved under there just moments before Angel had arrived.

Her vampire boyfriend, who had been escorting Yuki out of the room and shutting the door behind him, heard the crunch and her reaction and came over to investigate.

"What was that?"

Buffy could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "Uh... nothing." She told him, lamely.

"Come on, Buffy. There's something under your pillow, isn't there?" She couldn't meet his eyes. Angel smiled slightly. "I'm guessing it's not a present for the tooth fairy, unless you have some strange dental problem that you're not telling me about."

"No," Buffy responded, feeling that it was probably time to 'fess up. "It's... It's a present for you."

Angel seemed surprised. "A present for me?"

The Slayer nodded, reaching behind her and removing the item from beneath her pillow. She held it up towards him, keeping the unwrapped side down.

Angel blinked at the present owlishly. Then he looked up at her. "Why?"

"Well," Buffy began, taking a deep breath. "I... Giles and I went on a fact-finding mission, and... I found out that your birthday was July 4th..." She smiled nervously. "And, well, you gave me a birthday present, so I figured I should give you one."

She offered him the item again. He hesitantly reached out and took it from her. Angel removed the wrapping paper, taking great care with each movement. When the paper fell away, he slowly turned the item around.

It was a leather bound book, a journal, with the pure blank white sheets about the same size as notebook paper. It was pure black, with a delicate Celtic design engraved in the thick cloth of the front. There was a stylized "A" in the center.

Angel opened the book as gently as he could, and discovered a simple inscription written in neat script on the first page.

"Angel -

I was told, by my first Watcher, that I had very little chance of seeing twenty. For a year, I believed him.

And then I met you. Then I had the help I needed to see twenty. Then I had a reason to see twenty.

Happy Birthday, my love,

Buffy Anne Summers"

Without a word, Angel closed the journal and ran his hand across the leather cover.

"Do you like it?" The Slayer asked, her trepidation obvious in her voice. "I mean, I did the cover myself, it wasn't professional or anything..."

He glanced up at her. "You did this yourself? For me?"

Buffy nodded.

"I..." Angel shook his head, feeling the tears gathering in his eyes. "Thank you. I love it." His voice cracked, slightly.

He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Then he planted a kiss between her perfect eyebrows, then another on the tip of her nose.

An especially loud firecracker screeched nearby. Buffy's neighbors were setting off their yearly cheap, noisy collection. Then another went off, father away. It was the start of a barrage that would not end until at least midnight.

When Angel's lips met Buffy's, neither could decide which was better: the fireworks outside, or the fireworks they felt in their hearts and souls. For a blinding moment, neither of them could even tell the difference between outside and in.

They both broke of the kiss, with the ease of the knowledge that there would be many more to come.

"Happy Birthday, Angel."

"Happy Independence Day, Buffy."

The End

Yup, it's corny. Yup, I still want feedback.

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