Take one fresh and tender kiss.......

"'Cause when I'm around you all I can think about is kissing you."

She looked at him in shock. "And that's bad?"

"I'm older than you and....."

"How older?" She asked, stepping closer. Angel lost control and kissed her................

She placed her hand on his where he had left on the stove. The touch was electric, all caution was gone. Both of them realised that they could not pass on this opportunity. Angel bent his head and began to kiss her. It became passionate in an instant. They backed up against the fridge, Buffy locked her legs around him. They moved to the table where only previously they had sat drinking coffee. Now all that was on there was rapidly cleared as they began to make love on the kitchen table...........

The alarm buzzed. She switched it off automatically and sat up, shaking her head, trying to get the dream out of her mind.

It was a dream she had been having a lot recently. Ever since Riley left, in fact. It had never bothered her until now. It flitted between the past and....... where she did not know. The last incident especially. That had never happened.......... had it?

Because she was dreaming something that never happened. Or did it? Stop it! She told herself. Just because it has the usual signs of a prophetic dream, doesn't mean it will happen. Angel told you to move on. You moved. You're supposed to be mourning Riley's death.

Riley. The funeral had been seven days ago, yet not once had she cried for him. Instead she kept having these dreams instead.

"Buffy? You up?"

"I'm up," she assented, turning to see her roommate. Willow Rosenberg looked at her quizzically. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just ............ Could you cover for me in Psych? I need to talk to Giles."

"Sure."

"That's the whole story?"

"Well, cliff notes version."

"Buffy," her watcher looked at her sternly. "In order to understand it I need the unabridged version."

"The unabridged version is something you don't want to hear." She stared at him until Giles got it. "Oh," he said in that voice he had used last time when he learnt about her and Angel. "And you're sure these dreams have never happened?"

"I........... Actually, I don't know for sure." Giles looked at he puzzled. "I thought........" he trailed off, realising he couldn't finish the sentence he was about to say. Buffy understood however and added, "so did I. Believe me until now, I knew it was only once. And now I'm not so sure."

Giles sat down in deep thought. "Could you and Angel be sharing dreams again?" He asked slowly.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Then the first step is to call him and ask."

"No!" Buffy stopped him. "Giles, I don't wanna bother him with this. Both of us are trying to move on. This will only complicate things again." She paused and then began brightly, "so, any solution?"

"While I try to find out the reason, the only one I can think of is to keep dreaming this until the whole thing comes together."

"But........"

"Buffy, if we're going to solve this you need to see it through, however painful it might be. Now, anything else?"

"Giles, I don't want to see it through. I want to end it, so I can grieve for Riley, which because of this thing, I haven't been able to do."

"Buffy, you need to let it take it's course. Forced dreams can cause great damage."

Add one stolen night of bliss............

Suddenly she could sense him coming towards her, which because it was daylight, was impossible. She turned anyway and looked at the empty archway. Angel came out from it shady protection and walked right up to her. Then without any explanation, he did the one thing he had wanted to do for so long. He kissed her.

Angel: I'm sorry I kissed you like that.

Buffy: You are?

Angel: Not for the kiss itself.

Buffy: Good. I mean, cuz, as far as kisses go, I thought that it was well above average.

Angel: I think maybe we'd be asking for trouble rushing back into things. Not that I don't want to rush. I do. Believe me.

Buffy: You spoke to the Oracles. And they did say you were cured for good. But, how do we know that they really speak for the Powers? I mean, they could be pranksters.

Angel: It would be smart to wait a while. See if this mortal thing takes. You're still the Slayer. And I'm not sure what I am now. I don't even know what my purpose is. I can't just wedge myself into your life back in Sunnydale. I wouldn't be good for either of us. Not to mention the fact that you just started college. And what about Slaying? I mean, if you had me to worry about, you might not be as focused.

Buffy: You know, it's a good thing I didn't fantasise about you turning human only about 10 zillion times. Cuz today would have been a real let down.

"Arrgh!!!!!" Buffy sat up in frustration.

"Buffy? What time is it?"

She turned to face her friend. "I'm sorry Will, go back to sleep."

"Bad dream?"

"You could say that," Buffy replied. Her friend turned on the main light and sat up. "Tell," she commanded.

"No, really it's okay."

"Buffy, I know it's not. For the past eight days and nights you've been restless in your sleep. You keep muttering and every now and again you call out a name or two. Now I wearing my resolve face, so tell."

Buffy sighed and then reluctantly told her friend the unabridged version of all she had dreamt so far.

"Wow."

"I know."

"And Giles can't figure out why?"

"All he told me to do was see them through while he tried to find out. He also mentioned about not forcing dreams, to let them take their natural course. But I'm getting sick of this one. Is there a way?"

Willow nodded, "there is, but it requires a lot of ingredients. I won't be able to get all of them today. It also has to be done just before you go to asleep."

"You mean we have to wait until tomorrow night?"

"I'm afraid so."

Buffy sighed and the replied, "okay, I suppose I can manage that."

Willow got up to get her folders for today's lessons. "What I can't understand is, apart from Riley, why you want to stop dreaming about Angel?"

"To be honest, I don't know why. I just have this feeling that if continue to dream this, I'll find out something that I wasn't supposed to know about. I just feel that nothing good will come out of this dream. The end of it is inevitable, I know that, but I wish it was sooner rather than later."

One girl, one boy
Some grief, some joy..........

"Right, I'm ready."

Buffy sat down in the circle which Willow had prepared. "Lets do it."

Willow began to weave the spell. A mist formed around the circle and then fade into Buffy, as Will finished the chant.

"Now you have to sleep."

Buffy obeyed and closed her eyes, willing the sleep to come so this could be over. It came almost instantly.

"I'll never forget, I'll never forget........."

"And so we'll stick to the plan. Keep our distance. Given enough time we should be able to............."

"Forget?"

"Yeah."

"Angel!" Buffy called out as she woke with start. Willow looked at her with concern. "So?" She asked, "did you remember?"

"Yes," Buffy said sadly and began to explain.

Take one fresh and tender kiss
Add one stolen night of bliss
One girl, one boy
Some grief, some joy
Memories are made of this.

THE END.

© Danielle Harwood-Atkinson 2021. All rights reserved.