A/N: Huge thank you to all who have reviewed. You guys totally make my day! Very pleased you like it so far and hope you'll enjoy these coming three chappies.

All My Love - Annie.

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March

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“Angel Investigations.”

“Hi.”

“Buffy!”

“Isabel!” Buffy smiled. “Is Angel there?”

“He is. Hang on.”

“Buffy?”

“Hey.”

“Hey. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Just wanted to call and say it was good seeing you.”

“It was great. Just wish we could’ve stayed longer.”

“Ah, what’re you gonna do?”

“Yeah.”

“What brought you back? Any major investigation I should know about?”

“We had one; we had to go to New York for it...”

“In January.”

“Yeah... How’d you know?”

“Oh, just thought I’d heard something about it.”

She sent out a silent plea for him not to get into prodding mode, and he seemed to have heard it as he continued:

“We closed it a week ago. Spike’s in Paris, settling the last details, but once that’s done it’ll be quiet around here for a while. I think.”

She smiled.

“That’s nice. I bet you and Isabel could use some time to yourselves, huh? Good thing Spike’s out of the country.”

Angel laughed.

“Only for so long. He’ll be back next Tuesday and then I’m sure he’ll scare up a case from somewhere, he doesn’t like being idle.”

“Spike? Not liking being idle? I think I just saw a pig fly by.”

Angel laughed again.

¤

“Giles?”

“Hmh?”

He didn’t take his eyes out of the paper, sipping his tea and raising an eyebrow gingerly as response to the sound of his name. Buffy shifted a little in her seat.

“I think I should go to Paris.”

“Hmh.”

“Well, not should, but I want to. I haven’t seen Dawn in ages and I, you know, haven’t been to Paris in a while, might be nice.”

“Mh-hmh.”

“So it’s settled then?”

“Mh.”

She smiled; standing and giving him a peck on top of his head before heading for the guestroom she was using.

¤


“You should have seen her!” Dawn laughed. “God, she was such a spaz.”

“Thank you for the label!”

“A super-hero sort of spaz,” Dawn smiled and Buffy returned it.

“I can live with that.”

She looked around the beautiful apartment; decorated with worn antique furniture and heavy rugs it breathed homeliness.

“I can’t believe what you’ve done with this place,” Buffy said, looking at Dawn. “Mikah, the fact that you’ve let her do all the choosing proves what a great man you truly are,” she added and Mikah smirked, tenderly pulling a hand through Dawn’s hair.

“What she wants, she gets. Her smiling makes me smile,” he said and Dawn made an aw-face before kissing him softly.

Buffy stared at them, wondering what mystical force had brought them that close to one another, the last time she had met them they had just started dating and had been slightly self-conscious around the other.

“I’m exhausted,” she now said, rising. “Thank you for dinner. And for having me, I know it was short notice.”

“Come on! You know the door’s always open,” Dawn stated; standing as well, to give her sister a hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” Buffy smiled. “Night, Mikah.”

“Sleep tight. And no bed bugs, no? They are there I will be there with the spray.”

¤

Buffy held the phone tightly, her heart hammering in her chest despite her best efforts to calm it.
The loud sound of the ringing tone hit her eardrum.

“What am I doing?” she murmured, and then someone picked up and she smiled. “Yes, hello,” she said. “I’m looking for a William Kingsley, could you tell me if he has checked in yet? No. Do you have anyone by the name of Kingsley? No. Mercy bocou.”

Cringing at her French she hung up, swallowing and shaking her head at herself as she looked at the next number on her list.

“This is ridiculous. Just call Angel,” she muttered.

But she didn’t want to deal with the questions that action would surely arouse, and so she grabbed the receiver again, dialing purposefully.

¤

She paused outside the entrance to the hotel, which was hosted in a striking eighteenth century building. She caught her reflection in a window and made sure it was still flawless. It had only taken two more calls to hit the jackpot, only she hadn’t counted on her nerves being so tingly. Having to wait for sunset had done nothing to calm them, and she was bursting with the anticipation of seeing him.

She couldn’t be bursting. She needed to be very normal and breathlessly taken aback at the unsuspected sight of him – not simply breathless.

She squared her shoulders and proceeded with an air of oblivion, walking into the lobby with her eyes on her watch. Finding her way to the hotel restaurant she stopped and waited for the hostess. Looking around she wore the appearance of having made an appointment, but not seeing the face she was searching for it dissipated. She turned and walked into the lobby again.

“Buffy?”

She halted, her mouth growing dry as her eyes landed in his. He was in a suit. A charcoal suit and white shirt and blue tie which was slightly loosened and all of it completely threw her. He looked better than she would’ve imagined him looking, if she ever had imagined him in a suit, which she never had because the probability of him ever wearing one had seemed so slim. But there he was. In all his glory.

“Spike!” she said, surprised at how quickly she managed to pull herself together. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here on business, what’re you doing here?”

“Well, I had a date.” Dirty, rotten lie. “But he’s not here...”

They had approached each other and now stopped in front of the other, Spike frowning slightly quizzically.

“You came to Paris for a date?”

“No,” she smiled. “I’m here to see Dawn. But I met this guy today and...”

She sighed, looking around. He smiled, studying her before he remarked:

“Thought you said you had no patience for dating.”

She felt herself flush and thanked God for good foundation.

“I don’t, but if you just happen to run into someone...”

His smile widened.

“Yeah, how about that? I keep running into you.”

She smiled as well.

“How about that?”

“You’re stunning,” he said.

And then they kissed, in a way she wasn’t sure they ever had before, in the middle of a beautiful lobby in a beautiful hotel in a beautiful, beautiful city.

¤

His lips moved over her shoulders, delicately touching her skin, sliding down along her spine.

¤

She woke with the drawing of a breath, opening her eyes. For a second she was sure that she had seen him just close his, but she shook it off. Lying still for a moment she looked at him. Then moved close, nudging her nose against his cheek before letting her mouth travel to his. He made a muffled sound as her tongue parted his lips, and then she felt him smiling as he returned the kiss.

¤

“Shoot!” she exclaimed. “Is that the actual time?!”

She squinted at the clock placed above the fireplace facing the bed. Full of disbelief she detangled herself from the sheet and jumped to the floor, grabbing her pocket book and fishing her cell-phone out.

“Battery’s dead,” she said. “Damn. I’m sure Dawn’s called me twenty times. We were supposed to go shopping and why am I telling you, I’m sure you don’t care.”

He smiled, moving to lie on his stomach as she began to dress hurriedly.

“Can I use the phone?”

“Be my guest.”

She walked up to the desk and brought the receiver to her ear, hitting zero, telling the operator which number she wanted and listening to the ringing with growing malice toward the machine.

“Dawn,” she then said, relief filling her. “I know, I’m really sorry. The battery died. I know, I know. Look, I’m sorry, okay. I ran into someone and got held up. Yes... we were talking and the time just sort of... I’m at a hotel, anyways. Well, no, not entirely alone, but it honestly isn’t how it sounds. I don’t wanna do it over the phone, Dawn. And I know, but the shops are open tomorrow, too, right? We’ll do it then, I swear. Okay? Okay. I’ll be home in time for dinner. You can do without me, can’t you?” She smiled. “Alright. Love you. Bye.”

She hung up, turning to the vampire still on the bed.

“Home in time for dinner?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “What time’s that, then? ‘Cause it’s not even lunch yet and if you’re not bloody careful I’ll get the impression you wanna stay.”

She smiled, pulling her sweater off as she walked up to the bed, tossing it aside before falling straight into his waiting arms.

¤

“What’s this?”

She lifted the silver cup which covered the plates containing their lunch and could do nothing but stare at what they contained.

“Escargot,” he replied.

“Snails?! You ordered snails?” she asked.

He smiled.

“Try one,” he encouraged.

She made a face, but did as he asked, using the cutlery as he showed her and managing to get one out of its shell.

“They could at least pry the little suckers out of there,” she muttered, holding the fork up, but choosing not to study it before she put it in her mouth.

He had a few fingers covering his lips and she could tell he was trying not to smile too widely. She began chewing with deliberate slowness.

“A bit rubber like,” she said, her jaws still processing. “A little too salty for my taste. Kind of slimy. Might need a few more minutes on the stove. Feels like it’s oozing something. Other than that,” she finished, putting her fork down, “quite tasty.”

At that he started laughing and she smiled as she swallowed the snail down, reaching for a glass of water.

He lifted a cup from one of the other plates, showing a pile of thin pancakes. She met his gaze with all her appreciation apparent. He was still chuckling as she dug in.

¤

She kissed him softly, wanting to drag it out as everything in her told her to stay with him.

“It’s been a good day,” she mumbled and he smiled his agreement.

She kissed him again, and then walked through the already opened door of the room. He poked his head out through the doorway.

She smiled at him as she pushed the button for the elevator. He returned it, then moved inside and out of sight, the door closing with a low click.