All You Wanted
By: spoiledsquish
Disclaimer: Not mine. If you don’t believe me, then watch Waiting In The Wings or A Hole In World for further indication that I don’t, nor never will, own them!
Author's Note: For all intents and purposes, I have named Buffy's kid Connor. I just love that name. Don't think of Vincent Kartheiser as Connor. Think more Shane West. And Angelus is Angel's last name. Ergo, his name is Liam Angelus.
Distribution: My site, Seductive Web, PPA, Enchanting Place, Fanfiction.net, WTTS, PFYL, TEF, Sempiternal Beloved...If you host my fics regularly, feel free. If you don’t, just ask and most likely you shall receive.
Summary: Buffy and Angel meet in Maui years later. She finds out about Angel's past with other women. Will their love be able to survive this final test?
Pairings: Takes place after Buffy and Angel have their offscreen meeting. I own only the plot and Buff's son are mine. If I owned the characters, Buffy/Angel Fred/Wesley and Cordy/Doyle would be couples. Feedback is a must. Hope ya enjoy!!!!!!!!
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: Flashbacks from IWRY, mentions of A/C....That's basically it.
Dedication: I would like to dedicate this fic to my pal Ashley Argo, or Ash, as I commonly refer to her as. She is always encouraging me to keep up with my stories, so.. I'm finishing this for you, Ash. Or at least I'm trying to.
Feedback: It soothes my soul.
It had been the worst night of her life. She'd been forced to face reality. Life wasn't as simple after college as she imagined it would be. Buffy thought she could just sort of cheat her way through the pain and sorrow. But that was the understatement of the year. It had all started at Xander and Anya's engagement party.
~Sunnydale, 2002~
"I'm sure you all know why you're here." Buffy got everyone's attention. "I just want to be the first to congratulate the happy couple on their engagement. Xander, Ayn, I just want to wish you a great marriage and a long time of happiness."
"I second that." Willow smiled. "You guys are gonna have a wonderful life together."
"Thank you." Xander hugged them both. "You two are the best. I mean, who would've thought the three of us would be where we are now, huh?"
"I know. Six years later." Buffy shuddered at the memory.
"I think it's funny." Willow stated. "I mean, remember back when we first met, how crazy we all were? That was an experience."
"Remember when you had to save Cordelia from Marcie?" Xander chuckled. "I still can't believe she actually thanked us for something."
"That's a side of her you will never see again." Buffy warned them. "So, beware."
"You really think she's that ungrateful and inconsiderate of others?" Willow asked her.
"Well, when she's having sex with your true love, then you tell me how great she is." Buffy pouted. "She's like the non-aggressive Slayer type of Faith."
"Harsh, majorly." Xander scolded her. "Don't you remember when she supported yours' and Angel's relationship?"
"I believe that was on my 17th birthday. Then he turned evil, and she hated me for it. And since when were you all supportive of mine and Angel's relationship? I thought you despised him." Buffy scoffed.
"That was before he started dating Cordelia." Xander smiled. "Cheer up, Slayer. He'll come back to you eventually. You just gotta have Faith."
"Hate to break it to you, Xand, but I have no faith in relationships anymore. Been burned too many times by love." Buffy updated him. "But you two have your whole lives ahead of you for happiness. You both need to take what you can get out of life, okay?"
"Don't talk like that!" Willow screamed. "You sound like you're all ready dead."
"Just trust me, Willow." Buffy advised her. "Before it's too late. Don't wait to love someone. You might be waiting forever. Never forget what you have with the one you love."
Los Angeles-1999
"I need to be sure you won't get hurt again."
"What is done cannot be undone."
"What is not yet done can be avoided."
"We swallow this day as though it never happened..."
"What'll stop us from doing the exact same thing?"
"You... Can you carry that burden?"
"Where've you been?"
"I went to see the Oracles. I asked them to turn me back."
"What? Why?..."
"If I stay mortal, one of us will wind up dead. Maybe both of us. You heard what Mohra said..."
"Mohra's gone. We killed him..."
"How am I supposed to go on with my life? Knowing what we had? What we could've had?"
"You won't. No one will know but me..."
"I'll never forget, I'll never forget..."
"Buffy? Are you okay?" Willow asked.
"Yeah." She nodded. "Can you guys hold down the fort for a while? I'm seriously rethinking a vacation."
"Where to?" Willow asked.
"Someplace exotic. "Buffy smiled. "The Bahamas. I'll take the earliest flight out."
"How long will you be there?" Anya asked.
"I have no clue." Buffy hugged them and left. "See you when I get back."
~Maui, 12 Years Later~
"And why are we here again?" Cordelia asked her boyfriend, Wesley Wyndham Pryce. "Why'd we bring the whole crew anyhow? I thought this was supposed to be a romantic getaway for two, not a crew."
"You had a vision." Angel stated.
"You breathe now. Why are you so Hell-bent on still saving innocents?" Cordelia sighed.
"I just am." Angel dodged the question. "Let's just check in, okay?"
"Okay." Cordy nodded. "Hi. We had reservations."
"Name." The teenager stated.
"Pryce. Wesley Wyndham Pryce." Cordy told him.
"3 rooms. "the teenager continued while typing on the keyboard. "All king size beds. How will you be paying for this today, Ma'am?"
"Charge." Cordy handed him her MasterCard.
"Room 209, 212, and 221." The teenager handed her the keys. "The dining room is down the hall, to the left. The bar is down the right hallway, and both are open 24 hours. My mom's the bartender. If you need any assistance, just ring. Enjoy your stay here."
"Thank you." Gunn smiled. "Huh. Fred and me'll take 209."
"Okay. "Cordy nodded. "Ang, you can take 221 cause I know you like your space. I guess we'll see you guys in a couple hours? We can go over the game plan over drinks."
"Okay." They all nodded and parted.
~The Bar, 11:25 P.M.~
"Where's Wes and Cor? "Angel asked Gunn when they met up.
"You can guess." Fred rolled her eyes. "I say we have a drink. Are you the bartender, Ma'am?"
"First off, it's not 'Ma'am', okay?" The young woman stated. "What'll you have?"
"Brandy for me, club soda on the rocks for the little lady." Gunn smiled. "Angel?"
"Oh." He shook his head. "Double scotch on the rocks, please."
"You never did know how to drink your liquor, Angel. Must've gotten it from Giles." The woman laughed.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"You should." She faced him. " After all, I did kill you to save the world."
"Buffy. " he sighed. "You own this place?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "For about ten years now, give or take. I thought you had croaked honestly, but then Whistler came to me. Said you'd been reborn again. Didn't fully understand the concept until Wes called and made reservations for three rooms."
"You're the infamous Buff? " Gunn asked. "Heard a lot of stories about you."
"I'm sure you have. "she snickered. "It was actually demon-free until I got the phone call. Then all these vamp killings started popping up everywhere. Guess the past never really dies, huh? Have a nice night."
With that said, Buffy gives them the drinks and disappears into the shadows. Angel is quiet for the rest of the evening as Fred goes to talk to the girl.
"So, you're her." Fred sighed. "Not that it matters but he loves you, always has. That's why he left Cordelia. They had gotten engaged and it seemed like the match made in Heaven. But the night before the wedding, he called it off. Cordelia never asked any questions as to why, she could just see it in his eyes. She saw you. She turned to Wes for comfort and they became an item. Angel hasn't been in a serious relationship since you. He's dated many girls but no blondes. Mostly brunettes and redheads. You think about that."
"Is this the part where I'm supposed to pour my heart out to you and tell you where I think Angel's and my relationship went wrong? 'Cuz if it is, I'll pass." Buffy explained. "You think you know him, huh, Fred?"
"Yeah." Fred nodded. "I believe so."
"I've seen a side of Angel I don't think you've ever witnessed before, Fred." Buffy sighed. "Do you know what it's like to lose your innocence to a vamp with a soul and then become the object of his counterpart's affection. I watched as he savagely murdered the people of Sunnydale that I cared about. It's not an easy sight to see, and then when the man you fell in love with regains his soul once more, the pain kicks in. You want to scream, jump for joy and kill him all at the same time. But you can't. You don't know what to do. Have you experienced that, Fred?"
"No." Fred shook her head. "I can't imagine what you're going through. One thing Angel did teach me was how to forgive. He said he learned that from you. He said, 'Without forgiveness, there can never be any compassion.' I know you can get past this, Buffy. I just hope it's not too late when you realize that you've already forgiven him."
Fred drank the rest of her club soda and then met Gunn and Angel back at the bar. Buffy sighed and went into her office and poured a glass of brandy and gulped it down. Life was a bitch.
"Hey." Cordy hugged Angel as she and Wes arrived. "Sorry we're late. One of Wesley's sources from England called and Mr. British man here couldn't put the phone down."
"Oh." Angel forced a smile.
"Angel, what's with the tragedy mask?" Cordelia asked. "I've seen that look before. You get that way only after you've seen...Buffy. What, is she staying here or something?"
"Close." Gunn exclaimed. "Girl owns the hotel."
"Oh." Cordy sighed as they went over the game plan.
~The Next Day~
"So, they showed up here? Now?" Willow scoffed. "Why?"
"I think they're here to solve a case or something." Buffy told her. "It's still won't change things, Will. He made his choice. It doesn't matter that he knows he chose the wrong girl. It's over, done."
"But you love him." Willow pouted. "And he loves you. I'm sure of it."
"I don't know anymore, Will." Buffy sighed. "He left Sunnydale all those years ago for a reason. His redemption came and ya think he could even make a phone call to tell me what happened?"
"Maybe he didn't want you to give up your live here." Willow explained. "You guys weren't exactly on happy terms the last time you parted. You didn't even want to talk about it."
"Fine. You want to know what happened, Will?" Buffy sobbed. "He told me he thought that when I died he wanted to die too. But Cordy stopped him. She convinced him that he mattered. I saw it in his eyes, Will. That's why I didn't say anything."
"So, what are ya gonna do?" Willow asked.
"What I always do." Buffy explained. "Push him away again."
"Why do that? Why not just 'fess up?" Willow asked. "It'd be much easier that way."
"Love isn't always easy." Buffy sniffled. "It's about sacrifice. Giving up what you love most."
"Like your giving up Angel." Willow chuckled. "You do realize this is all gonna blow up in your face, right?"
"Maybe." Buffy agreed. "I guess that's just a risk that I'm not willing to have to take."
"Maybe you need to risk it. Life is all about risks, Buffy." Willow remembered. "Angelus came loose."
"Will, I know that. I love Angel, I'm not denying that, okay?" Buffy sighed. "There's just a part of me that refuses to let him in."
"The I'm-so-stubborn part?" Willow sighed. "Buff, you and Angel are forever. I know that. Tara and I, we saw Angel there the night you buried your Mom. He wouldn't have come if he didn't love you. We even heard him offer to stay with you."
"Fine, Willow. "Buffy sighed once more. "I'll take that factor into consideration."
"That's all I ask." Willow smiled from the other end. "Now, stop wasting time. The sooner you get back together, the sooner my blood pressure goes down."
"Am I that stressful to you?" Buffy joked.
"Yes." Willow giggled. "'Night Buff."
"Night Wills. Sweet dreams." Buffy hung up. She checked out her hair in the mirror. She just hoped to God that Willow was right. Maybe there was still a chance for her and Angel. Her whole future depended on his answer.