//My heart is racing much faster now
Life passes before my eyes
Something's I see, they make me smile
Something's they make me cry
So I look, so I try to find
A lesson I can learn
The passing of time hasn't changed my mind
And the ghosts I know return//
"We Fly So Close" by Phil Collins
October 31, 2017
Santa Monica Pier - Noon
Buffy Summers stood at the end of the pier and stared off at the horizon. She was oblivious to the activity around her, the people walking past, the gulls in the air. Instead her mind focused on the memories of the past.
-Angel lying on his back in the alley, shocked to be taken down so easily
-Pulling away from her when he vamped out after they first kissed
-Hesitantly asking her our for coffee after the whole fraternity disaster
Buffy smiled as she thought about that incident. Had she ever properly thanked Willow for giving him the nudge he needed? Still smiling she continued to think of the happy times.
-Snuggling in his lap after the ritual to restore Drusilla
-Making out through her window when she was grounded
-Making love to him, terrified that she was going to lose him
"Wow girl, let's not go there" she said to herself. But the memories kept coming
- The cruel look in his eye the morning after Angelus had returned
- The devastation on Giles's face after Jenny died
- The disbelief on Angel's face as she sent him to hell.
Think happy thoughts, she told herself. Closing her eyes she remembered the one moment of true happiness after all those months of torment, the moment her Angel again looked out of those beautiful brown eyes after being brought back from hell. The moment she saw the understanding in his eyes. Shaking her head she laughed at the irony of it all. Her moment of true happiness brought its own curse. Delighted to have Angel back, she quickly realized that try as he might Giles was unable to separate Angelus the demon from Angel the man she loved. Struggling with his own guilt, Angel was unwilling to stay and cause the Watcher more pain. A little more than two weeks after she got him back she lost him again. With a whispered "I love you" he left on a rainy October night.
Now, twenty years later she needed to find him again. Somehow Willow had determined that Angel was in the LA area. She hoped the residual Slayer abilities she still had would enable her to find him again.
Finally turning her attention to her surroundings Buffy realized it was getting late. With one last look at the limitless horizon she turned away. She just had time for a quick nap and a chance to freshen up before she began the search for her lost love.