Warriors:
A Dozen Roses
by Cynamin

Buffy couldn't help but laugh when she saw her second "rose." Sitting in the middle of the alley where she had first met Angel was a white gorilla stuffed animal holding, what else, a rose. A second envelope sat in his lap.

"This was where I first met Angel," Buffy explained for her friend's benefit. "He was following me, so I jumped up there…" she pointed to a pole overhead, "and then knocked him over from behind."

"And he still liked you?" Willow asked with a laugh.

Buffy smiled and picked up her letter. "Weird, huh?" she replied as she opened it. A second rose petal fluttered out, and Buffy caught it and placed it in her pocket with the first. Then she began to read.

/When I fell head over heels for you, it was quite literally, wasn't it? I was following you that night, watching your back and trying to figure out how to approach you and tell you what I needed to tell. It had been so long since I'd spoken with anyone. If it weren't for you I never would have interacted with people after I was cursed. Once Whistler showed you to me, though, I couldn't be content with just watching you from afar. I told myself it was dangerous to fall for the Slayer, but I guess I have a thing for dangerous women./

/I don't know what you thought of me that day. It can't have been good. After all, I'd practically been stalking you. Then when I finally spoke… I doubt you liked the cryptic with attitude thing I pulled. But I had no idea how to act around you. I mean, you were - are - unlike anyone else I've ever met. You're unlike anyone else in the world. After 200 years, that sort of unpredictability was incredible./

/How the Fates must have been laughing. I fell for the Slayer, a high school girl by the name of Buffy Summers, and I fell hard./

/We were only here once, but I can still hear every word we shared. After all, this was the beginning. Or one of many beginnings, I suppose you could argue. I can't think of where the real next step was, but there was one place where a lot were taken. Okay, that's a bad clue - you'll find your next gift in the Bronze./

Buffy smiled as she folded the letter back up. She was aware of Willow's eyes on her and began to lead her from the alley. "I don't know if I liked him or not at first," she said softly, mostly to herself. "I mean, first thought…"

"He's gorgeous?" Willow supplied.

"Well, yeah…but then he had that whole cryptic thing going, which was annoying. But then he gave me the cross…which was beautiful, not to mention sweet and thoughtful. I don't know exactly what I thought of him then, but I couldn't stop thinking of him."

"I know. You wouldn't stop talking about him," Willow remembered with a laugh. "*I* think it was love at first sight."

"Like, at least," Buffy replied. Then she grinned. "Is there such a thing as love at second sight?"

Willow smiled. "I think that works."

"Well, now what?" Buffy said in frustration as she looked at the closed door of the Bronze. It wouldn't be opening for another couple of hours, yet. She didn't want to wait that long.

"Um, maybe we should knock?" Willow suggested.

Buffy did so, feeling oddly self-conscious. *Yeah, you see, my boyfriend sent me on a Valentine's Day scavenger hunt and I think he may have left something here for me…?* She could just imagine saying that to whoever opened the door. *If* someone opened the door.

Someone did, and to Buffy's surprise she didn't have to say anything. The man who opened the door took one look at Buffy and Willow, smiled slightly, handed Buffy a large envelope and shut the door again.

Buffy sat on the curb to open her package. Inside she found a chocolate rose - which she handed to Willow - and the now familiar envelope with her name on it. A third rose petal joined the first two as Buffy read of their encounters at the Bronze from Angel's point of view. She read about his thoughts when she found out he was a vampire, when they fought as a result and he staked Darla, when they tried to walk away afterwards and fight their mutual attraction… *Yeah, that lasted long…* Like he wanted her to, Buffy thought of every time they were together in this place. She thought of dancing, of kisses and of confrontations.

When she looked up again, Willow was smiling. "Where next?" she asked almost as eagerly as Buffy felt. Buffy grinned and they continued one their way.

When Buffy went up the stairs to her bedroom, Willow sat down on the couch to rest for a moment. Their trekking around Sunnydale was getting tiring and they were halfway done. Why hadn't either of them thought of taking a car? Oh yeah, because neither of them had one.

"How's it going?" Mrs. Summers asked after a moment.

Willow smiled. "Buffy's loving it. Thanks for helping Angel and I." Of course since the scavenger hunt had gone to the Summers' house she had needed Mrs. Summers cooperation.

"You're welcome," Buffy's mother said. "Tell Angel when you hear from him again that this…event was very thoughtful of him."

"Sweet, isn't it?" Willow agreed. "I wonder what the letters say?"

"I'm sure you and I will never know."

Willow blushed at the first thought that came to mind.

"I didn't mean it like that," Mrs. Summers assured her with a smile when she saw the look on Willow's face. "I just meant that the letters are private…though with that said…" An odd look crossed Joyce's face as she trailed off and Willow chuckled.

Buffy appeared at the bottom of the stairs then, grinning from ear to ear. She had another letter in her right hand. She took a moment to display her latest gift - a pair of earrings, tiny gold rose blossoms. That brought the total up to seven. Only five more to go. Willow only knew the locations and identities of four.

Buffy couldn't help the flood of emotions in her as she stood at the doorway of what used to be Angel's apartment. Of all the places she'd been thus far, this one felt the most awkward. She placed the key in the locked door, and stopped.

"Could you wait outside for me?" she asked Willow softly.

Willow nodded and stood back as she opened the door. The apartment was completely empty. Buffy had known it would be, but she was still disappointed. In her mind's eye she saw her apartment as it had always been…how long ago now? A bit over two years since she'd last been here. The room had been so…*Angel.* The artwork, the red sheets on the bed… Now his apartment in L.A. was the place that felt like him, though it had changed as he had. She didn't remember weapons with the artwork here, though it had been long enough that she wasn't sure.

There was no telling now. The walls were bare, only the plainest of furniture left. The only touch of Angel left behind was the one she was looking for - a flat box in the center of the room, bound with red ribbon, and the envelope with her name on it. Buffy opened the envelope and felt the familiar softness of the rose petal before letting herself get caught up in Angel's words.

/While I was looking for these gifts for you, I saw a picture frame, one of those wooden ones with words carved into it, an I was almost startled by what it said. I can't remember the exact words, but it was something like, "Happiness…. Acceptance of self. Acceptance of others. Acceptance of the past and that which cannot be changed. Acceptance of these things without judgment is the key to happiness."/

/I know I've never spoken to you about that night. It's one of many things that's gone unsaid between us. Maybe I have trouble finding the words when we're face to face, and there never seems to be a good time to bring it up. But that's part of the reason I'm writing these, right?/

/The happiness clause was surely the greatest cruelty of my curse. I wonder, sometimes, what the gypsies were thinking. Surely it was not worth the havoc my demon wrought when unleashed again. That's not what really makes me wonder, though. They intended to torture a demon. What could hurt it more than pure happiness of the soul?/

/I remember quite clearly what I was feeling in the moments before the curse was broken. How could I forget? It wasn't just happiness, it was *true* happiness, and contentment. I'd never been more at peace than I was at that moment. Your love and trust brought about a revelation in me. I knew that you could not love someone who was capable of what I had done. You saw me as a human soul, not as a demon, something I'd never been able to do myself. For the first time I forgot about the fact that I was a vampire, forgot the demon that kept me alive. I felt blessed, instead of cursed blessed with my soul, blessed with your love./

/I have never regretted the night we spent together. It was a moment of perfection. Neither of us knew what the consequences would be neither of us is to blame. The blame falls upon the gypsies, who did not think their curse through. I can't really blame them either, though, for they unintentionally gave me a beautiful gift. They gave me your love./

Buffy sat for a long moment in silence, staring at the letter. There was so much there that she needed to hear. There was so much love between the words. Buffy hastily wiped her eyes, removing the tears that had risen in them but not been shed.

She looked to the box then. Opening it, she saw folded red cloth and a note card that said "wear me." Buffy grinned and unfolded it, revealing a deep red dress. It was short with a flared skirt and thin straps. Tiny roses were embroidered around the neckline. Buffy chuckled slightly and followed instructions, putting on the dress. A pair of matching dress shoes from her room were here as well and Buffy slipped them on.

There was no mirror in the apartment so Buffy counted on Willow's reaction to tell her how she looked. Willow smiled when Buffy emerged from the apartment and slipped Buffy's clothes into the bag she'd brought from the Summers' house. The two of them left the building together, quickly drawing towards the evening's conclusion.<

Part Three

Feedback

Go here for more of Cynamin's stories.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page