Chains and Good Advice
By Samantha Gold

Disclaimer:  They all belong to Joss, I’m just playing with them.
Spoilers: Everything up to ‘Doomed’ and ‘Somnambulist’. Major spoilers for both eps, Pangs and IWRY.
Rating: PG-14 for sexual implications, situations and innuendo
Classification: Therapeutic fic to help me deal with the Hell that is Joss’ universe
Author’s Note: Picks up from the end of ‘Doomed,’ which I’m going to say occurs during the first half of ‘Somnambulist,’ for the sake of the fic.
Dedication: To Colleen because she’s so nice and rocks! And because she let me express my chained-Angel-droolage.

Riley smiled as the kiss ended. "So does that mean you’re going to give us a chance?" He asked.

Buffy shook her head. "I’m sorry, Riley," she whispered. "I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" He echoed. "For what?"

"For saving my life, reminding me that I don’t have to be alone and giving me the reasons I need to fight for love," she answered with a warm smile.

"I don’t understand," he protested. "If you’re going to fight for love and you understand and agree with what I said, why won’t you give us a chance?" The confusion was evident on his face.

"Because it’s not you I love," she told him gently. "I told you earlier that I tried the office relationship before, remember?"

Numbly, he nodded. He had no choice.

"Well, I was afraid that it was too much, that I had to strive for the normal life that my friends were all telling me to have. He’s the same way, so we broke up and he left," she explained. "But you showed me that it doesn’t have to be that way, so thank you."

She turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Riley cried after her, pained that he had lost her with the argument that he had used in an attempt to win her. "Where are you going?"

"LA," she answered with a smile. "To the city of my Angel."

And then she was gone. Riley continued to sit there and he wept.

*****

Cordelia sat at the office desk tiredly drumming her nails. It was just after dark and Angel was in his room, chained to the bed as she shuffled through papers, trying to occupy her mind.

Wesley sat across from her, curled asleep in the chair. She sighed, wishing she could sleep too, but knowing that her mind was racing way too fast to even contemplate it.

The door to Angel Investigations opened. Cordelia stood up, already launching into her spiel. "Angel Investigations, we help the…Buffy?" She realized that the petite blond entering the office was none other than the slayer.

"Cordelia, hi," Buffy greeted her. "Where’s Angel?"

"Buffy, what are you doing here?" Cordelia asked, ignoring her questions.

"I need to see Angel, where is her?" Buffy pleaded. "It’s really important."

"In there…" Cordelia murmured with a gesture. She was quite confused and momentarily forgot the small detail of her boss being chained to the bed. By the time she remembered, it was too late, Buffy had already gone.

"Oh well, this ought to be interesting," she mumbled as she sat down again.

*****

As Buffy stepped into the room, Angel’s eyes flashed open as he was pulled from his slumber by her presence. "Buffy?" He whispered questioningly, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Angel…um, you’re chained…to the bed…Why?" She stuttered, sweeping her eyes over his restrained body.

"I think I may be the one committing the murders," he murmured, ashamed. "When I’m asleep I see the murders happening in my dreams and when I wake up the people are dead." He never knew how to be anything but honest with her.

"Oh…Well, just so you know, I know that you didn’t do them," she told him firmly.

"Thanks," he mumbled. "I think. Buffy, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she responded. "I’ve done some thinking."

"I thought we decided - " He started.

She cut him off. "We were both being stupid and you know it!" She cried. "Riley pointed out a few things to me and even though it wasn’t his intention, he convinced me that we really need to try again."

"Riley?" Angel echoed. "Isn’t he that guy I saw you talking to when I came to Sunnydale around Thanksgiving?" The mention of the holiday brought back memories of their day together as well. Memories that only he and the Powers That Be held…

She nodded. "I thought I felt you nearby then," she murmured. "Anyway, he wasn’t as normal as he seemed. He’s one of the commando troop guys."

"Commando troop guys?"

She was tempted to tease him for his constant echoing of her words, but decided against it. "Yeah, they dress in camouflage, hunt demons and experiment on them in some sort of lab. They call them ‘hostile sub-terrestrials’ and I figured that if I was going to go supernatural, which seems the only choice, I might as well go all the way with the one I love, right?"

"Buffy, you know that if we make a go of our relationship that things are going to fall apart," he argued.

Buffy laughed. "See, that’s what I said. But I was wrong, and so are you. Things fall apart, that’s life. We just have to pick up the pieces and keep on going. We can’t hold back just because of what might happen!"

Angel sighed. She really had done some thinking. "So what do you want me to do? You know I can’t just pick up and leave now. I have commitments," he told her.

"I know that, Angel," she answered, stepping forward slowly…then again, stalking towards the bed. "We’ll figure it all out," she promised him as she sat down beside him on the bed.

He opened his mouth to protest, unable to do much else, but she placed her finger over his lips, silencing him. "Shh," she murmured. "Don’t talk."

Then she bent down and captured his mouth with hers. Chained to the bed, Angel could not move away nor break the kiss. And with her so close to him, so eager to give them another try, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. He realized that he was returning it. Enthusiastically.

After a few minutes, she gently broke away. "I love you," she whispered.

He grinned, unable to help it. "I love you more," he responded.

"Hey, we’ll discuss who loves who more when I get over the whole ‘you left me’ thing."

"Touché," he admitted. "But you know I only left -"

"Because you love me so much, I know," she cut in. "It still doesn’t make it okay."

"You’re right and I’m sorry," he replied quietly.

"Good," she murmured. "Now what am I going to do with you? I mean I find myself alone with you in chains.  To the bed, no less…all helpless…" She licked her lips, her voice husky.

He swallowed. Hard. And it wasn’t the only thing in that state either… "Buffy, my soul, remember…" He forced out.

"So are you saying that you just want me to tease you? Instead of making you ‘happy’?" She teased.

Angel groaned. "Buffy…"

"Yeah?" She purred, she couldn’t help herself!

"We can’t do this…it’ll be too much," he informed her painfully.

"Is that really so bad?"

"Yes," he stated, not meeting her eyes, trying to control himself. "Buffy," he pleaded. "If we start we may go too far and if we do, I’ll lose my soul."

"No you won’t," she replied. "Your soul is permanent. No loopholes, clauses, or anything."

His eyes widened and searched hers. "Why didn’t you tell me before?" He asked, his voice a whisper.

"I tried to!" She cried. "But you were just so adamant about being strong and noble and all that horse shit and broke up with me! God, what do you think I’d been doing all that day before you dumped me? I was hinting! Setting things up, but no! Mr. Dense here had to go and leave!"

Angel said nothing, silently contemplating her words.

"Look, Angel," she tried, calmer now, having finished her venting. "I’m here and I’m not going to five up on us. Your soul is permanent, it’s not going anywhere. Do you have anything to say? Because I’d love to hear it."

"I don’t think there’s anything I can," he responded softly.

"Good," she grinned at him. "Now what was it that you said when we tricked Faith? I think it was something about how we never tried chains in all our time together…you up for it?"

He grinned back, suddenly the chains weren’t so uncomfortable. "What do you have planned?"

She ran her hand down his chest seductively. "Fun," she whispered. "Lots and lot of fun…"

The End