Title: Promise

Summary: Takes place sometime after Ted and before Surprise (Btvs S2)

A/N: Watching Surprise, needed fluff and as curious as Buffy is I can’t believe she didn’t notice Angel’s claddagh in Ted and research with Willow to find out what it was.

 

 

 

          Buffy tossed her books on the library table with a pout. She flung herself into a chair with the same aplomb. Willow looked up, her eyebrows drawing together at the sight of Buffy’s obvious distress.

 

          “Buffy, what’s wrong?”

 

          “He’s got a ring, Willow!” It was a strangled half-cry, half shriek.

 

          “A ring? What sort of ring, perhaps it’s a portent of some sort,” Giles said as he poked his head out of his office.

 

          “No it’s not a portent,” Buffy pouted. “It’s my boyfriend with a ring I didn’t give him.”

 

          “Oooh,” Willow drew the word out.

 

          Buffy nodded, her face crumbling slowly. She bit her lip.

 

          “It’s-I mean are sure he wasn’t wearing it before?” Willow asked.

 

          Buffy nodded. “Boyfriend jewelry, kind of something you notice. I saw it while I was bandaging his hand last night.”

 

          “Well, what did it look like?”

 

          “It was pretty, silver it had this heart with something holding it and I think the heart had a hat on it…I didn’t get a good look because I didn’t want to be nosey girlfriend,” Buffy confessed.

 

          “You could have asked him about it,” Willow suggested. She was going to get those two to talk one of these days. They tended to dance around the questions they really wanted to ask each other.

 

          Buffy shrugged. “And be Jealous Buffy? No thanks.”

 

          Willow sighed and booted up the computer on the table. “That kind of sounds familiar, I mean I think I’ve seen a ring like that before.”

 

          Willow messed with the computer for a few minutes while Buffy pouted.

 

          “Ah ha!”

 

          Buffy sat up straight. “Ah ha?”

 

          Willow beamed and turned the computer toward Buffy. “It’s Irish. The heart means love, the hands friendship and the crown loyalty.”

 

          Buffy wrinkled her nose. “So he’s wearing it because he has love for someone he’s loyal too…or he has friendship for someone he’s loyal too?”

 

          “Uhm…he’s loyal?” Willow sounded unsure.

 

          “Yeah, so was Old Yeller. Loyal to whom?” Buffy asked.

 

          Willow’s eyes widened as she read further. “Buffy…it’s…” she trailed off.

 

          “It’s what?”

 

          “It’s an Irish wedding band. How was he was wearing it? Heart pointed in or out? Right or left hand?”

 

          Buffy’s brow furrowed. “Heart pointed in, left hand…I think. Why?”

 

          “It…it means he’s…he belongs to someone,” Willow’s voice was almost a whisper.

 

          “Belongs? How so?” Buffy looked at Willow, her eyes searching the redhead’s face for some answers.

 

          Willow shrugged. “Well, a long time ago, lovers would give the ring to each other. Once the relationship was consummated…it meant the same thing as marriage.”

 

          “Consummated?”

 

          Willow blushed. “Uhm…you know…”

 

          Buffy stared at Willow a moment, once she ‘got it’, she blushed bright red. “Okay…so Angel’s married?”

 

          “No! I mean…I don’t think so. He’s…I mean he’s totally in love with you.”

 

          “Which doesn’t rule out Angel’s married. He’s two hundred and forty two years old. He could be married!  It just means he’s…not in love with his wife…which begs the question why is he wearing her ring?”

 

          “Maybe it’s not her ring,” Willow suggested. Her voice got stronger as she continued. “It says here, belongs…lovers give it to each other. Maybe he…maybe he’s wearing it so everyone knows he belongs to you?”

 

          Buffy glanced up at Willow, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “But…we haven’t…I mean we aren’t…” she trailed off with a blush.

 

          “Well, I mean that’s the literal term for lovers, but it doesn’t mean…people say it all the time. It’s like a grown up term for boyfriend,” Willow stumbled.

 

          “Okay…so why doesn’t he give me one? I mean if he’s gonna wear one.”

 

          Willow shrugged. “Maybe he’s waiting for the right time.”

 

          A smile burst over Buffy’s face. “You think? I mean that’s kind of serious…giving me a wedding band, even if he’s not really asking me to marry him, it’s like a promise…you know?”

 

          “So would you? I mean if he promised…would you want him to keep that promise?” Willow asked.

 

          Buffy’s smile softened. She looked down at the table. “I don’t know…I mean when I think about the future…all I see is Angel. I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s…he’s everything good in my life. He makes the bad things go away and makes everything quiet. I know it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense…”

 

          Willow almost swooned. “No, it does. I mean I get it…I think. It’s like a movie.”

 

          “The kind where they ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after?” Buffy asked hopefully.

 

          Willow nodded. “Definitely that kind.”