Angel was pacing in front of the fire, and small frown on his face when Buffy arrived that evening. She stood for a moment at the garden entrance, just watching him. Her eyes slid over his broad chest, and when he turned she continued past his slim hips down his powerful legs, pausing briefly at his firm backside. Buffy blushed lightly as he turned and caught her gaze on him before remembering she was angry with him. "Hey," she murmured, stepping just inside the door. She carefully masked her emotions, maintaining her distance emotionally as well as physically. They had a lot to cover tonight, and Buffy knew if she let Angel start apologizing he'd loose track of the conversation due to guilt, and she knew he'd do the same if he got to close. He distracted her too much, and she needed to stay on top of the conversation.

"Buffy?" Angel asked, stepping forward when she didn't come farther into the room. He asked, "What's wrong?" though he had a pretty good idea. He'd been on edge ever since Whistler had given him Buffy's message before leaving. 'Just how mad is she?' he wondered.

"We need to talk Angel," said Buffy as she took another step into the room, wishing she could step into his arms and forget her talk with Whistler. Instead, she nodded her head towards the couch, and when Angel had taken a seat Buffy moved to stand before the fire. The cheerful blaze warmed her, but she was still filled with a cold loneliness. "I talked to Whistler this morning," she began. "He said you were leaving." Buffy's eyes were firmly focused on the fire. She knew if she looked into his warm, loving eyes she'd melt and Angel needed to be reminded that they couldn't afford to hide things from each other

"That's what I thought," sighed Angel. He had only gotten Buffy's message from the little demon; nothing else on what the two had discussed, if anything. Whistler had left after his third attempt to pump information from him, leaving only a phone number behind. Angel's attention focused once more on Buffy. His heart hurt at the sight of her standing in front of the fire, head bowed and arms crossed defensively. Angel new that while her anger was real, Buffy was more hurt than angry and Angel hated that he'd hurt her *again*. He could hurt her more than anyone, even when he was trying to avoid just that. "Buffy," he started, wanting her to meet his eyes. When her head didn't move, Angel stood and joined her at the fire, trying to look her in the eye. "Buffy, look at me." When she raised her hazel eyes to meet his, and an answering pain flashed through his own chocolate brown orbs. "Buffy, I am not leaving you," Angel stated firmly, ignoring the twinge of fear he felt. Whistler had been so sure, but Angel knew he would never leave unless Buffy asked him to.

"Yes, you are," Buffy stated, just as firmly. "I may not know Whistler well, and I don't like him much, but I do believe him. You *will* be leaving Sunnydale." Angel shook his head, anger starting to spark in his eyes now. Buffy stepped forward then, reaching out to touch his arm briefly in an effort to calm him. Though she needed her anger to make it through the emotional minefield, Buffy knew she had to keep Angel in a fairly receptive mood so he would listen. "I'm not saying you want to Angel. I'm not happy about you going, but that's not why I'm mad." He nodded slowly, the anger receding as she continued. "Angel, we've dealt with absolute foretelling before; nothing is exactly what it seems. The Codex said I would be killed by the Master, but nothing about you and Xander saving me. Whistler said you'd be leaving, and we have to accept that you will." Buffy's voice and face softened for the first time that evening as she touched his arm again. "But Angel, he never said where you were going, or for how long."

Angel stared at Buffy for a long moment, absorbing the hope she'd offered. Then confusion crossed his face. If she wasn't angry about him leaving, then why ... Buffy met his gaze calmly, one eyebrow raising as she watched understanding dawn in his eyes. "You're mad because I didn't tell you!" he burst out. "You opened up last night to set things right, and I told you I wasn't leaving even though I'd already talked to Whistler." Buffy nodded as he reached for her. She briefly tried to avoid him, though she admitted later that it was a halfhearted attempt. She relaxed as Angel gathered her into his embrace in apology, warming her more than the fire despite the coolness of his body. "I didn't mean to lie to you, or hide it from you," Angel murmured into her hair. "I just didn't want to believe it. I don't want to go anywhere."

Buffy looked up at him as his arms tightened around her. A soft smile lighted her face as she chided him. "I thought you knew better than to hide things from me, especially when they affect me. Didn't we go over this when I went to face the Master? And again when Druscilla came to town?" Angel nodded and bowed his head sheepishly, looking at her from underneath his lashes. Buffy sighed and stood on tiptoe to give him a brief kiss, pulling away before she could give into the temptation to deepen it. They still had a lot of ground to cover. "Don't think this let's you off the hook," she scolded Angel as she pushed him back towards the couch. "I'm still upset. We need to figure out how to do this being apart thing, and not be, you know, *apart*."

"You're talking about us having a long distance relationship." Angel shifted on the couch, suddenly uncomfortable with the topic. He was all too aware of how very young and beautiful Buffy was. How could he ask her to stay with him when there would be parties, and fun at school? The boys couldn't help but be drawn to her.

"You stop that right now!" Buffy stamped her foot in irritation. "I love *you*, and I want to be with *you*, not some nameless, faceless guy I haven't met yet. I'm not saying it'll be easy Angel, and I can't even guarantee that it'll work. What I'm saying is that I want to try. I can't imagine not loving you, not wanting to be with you. Don't give up on us before you even leave!"

"I'm not giving up on us," Angel shot back. "I just don't want to tie you down!"

"Maybe I want to be tied down!" Angel raised an eyebrow, and Buffy's face flushed and she bent over at the waist, covering her eyes with her hands. "I can't believe I just said that," she muttered between her fingers. When Angel couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping, Buffy raised her head to glare at him. "You get your mind out of the gutter," she snapped, face still red. "It's all his fault anyway," she whispered to herself, turning away to regain her composure. "All I meant was, I don't feel tied down, knowing we're together. I feel like I could wait for you forever if it means we get to be together when forever is over." Buffy moved to sit next on the couch next to Angel, turning sideways to face him. "Don't leave me before you leave me Angel," she said gripping his hand tightly.

Angel threaded his fingers with hers, acknowledging her request with a nod. "OK," he said, pulling her into his lap. "I won't give up on us, I promise. But this separation will be more than a little unbearable."

"Maybe it'll help if we're working on something together while we're apart," Buffy offered. At Angel's quizzical expression Buffy continued, explaining everything Whistler had suggested, touching briefly on some of those long avoided topics. Things were far from resolved, but they were better than they'd been in a long time. Buffy and Angel had a plan - to be together.

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