Title: Rules of Re-dating

Summary: Buffy/Angel Very post NFA Future

Theme: Romance

Author: Bashipforever

 

 

It took her weeks to agree to go out with him. Finally the nostalgia  of coffee with him made her cave. It started out normal enough, an evening spent sitting outside with warm cups of latte goodness, as he sipped at his own latte, no one would guess the handsome man next to her was really a vampire. The evening took a turn toward the sort of weird that was comfortable in her world with their moonlit stroll through a cemetery.

 

She ducked her head, hiding the girlish smile that danced across her face as he talked about the last several apocalypses he’d gone through.

 

“What?” he asked, the same sort of five year old boy smile coming to his lips.

 

She shook her head and looked up at him. “Nothing…I was thinking that for most girls this would sort of spoil the evening…”

 

“Oh…I’m sorry. I-“ he stumbled over his words as they walked. She could almost see him mentally berating himself.

 

“Let me finish,” she said, interrupting him with a light hand on his arm. “It’s…secure…comfortable…familiar and I know those aren’t exactly good words for a first date or re-date…whatever this is,” she laughed. “I’ve spent years hiding this,” she gestured to the cemetery, “from all my other dates. Not hiding is nice.”

 

“I could be offended that you just called me comfortable and secure like an old blanket you toss when it gets too worn,” he teased her, “but if you agree to a second date I’ll let you call me anything you want…free from offense.” They both knew the truth was he would have allowed it anyway.

 

“Bold aren’t we?” she grinned, nudging him slightly with her elbow as she hooked her arm through his.

 

“You know, one of the rules of dating is to secure a second date on the first date to avoid the whole I’ll call, you’ll call debacle,” he told her, “or at least that’s what the books say.”

 

She paused, arching an eyebrow at him playfully. “You’ve read dating books?”

 

He ducked his head shamefully and nodded. “I’ve also watched Dr. Phil.”

 

“And what does Dr. Phil say about a slayer dating a vampire?” she asked, amusement trickling off her voice.

 

“I sort of glossed over that part,” he answered sheepishly.

 

“I imagine so,” she laughed. Somewhere in between thinking how much he liked her laugh and her realizing he’d changed, silence took over and she realized that was another nice thing. Silence with him was okay.