Well. It didn't actually start out that way; Drusilla was rather indiscriminate about who she'd turned, before she and Spike had been driven out of town, but some of them hadn't been complete morons, who'd then turned more people, on top of the regular trickle of vampires arriving at the hellmouth from different locations. In the beginning, Willow, Oz and Xander, and sometimes even Giles, had come on patrol with him. But eventually enough vampires were killed that new ones weren't popping up so often, and he privately thought the others just got bored of having nothing to do, since Angel always dealt with the vamps before the others even had a chance.
Buffy had asked him to take over her patrols while she was gone, and keep her friends safe, and that's just what he did. They were, oddly enough, his friends now, too. (Yes, even Xander... well, Xander was to him a lot like Spike was to Angelus - an enormous pain in the ass, but he tolerated him for Buffy's sake.)
As the summer wore on, and Angel started missing Buffy even more, he'd gotten a little zealous in his hunt for vampires and demons to kill. A hundred years of celibacy, and suddenly you can't go two months with just the company of your hand.
That wasn't the reason. Well, that wasn't the whole reason. Yes, there was definitely some sexual tension to work off, because despite the new direction their relationship had taken in the last couple months, he and Buffy just hadn't had the opportunity to do much more than they had been before her birthday. Mostly, he just missed her, and the activities he usually found relaxing and fulfilling to while away the hours, now just seemed to emphasize how the hours were dragging on. Buffy was a lot of things, but boring was never one of them.
But over the course of the entire summer, he'd whittled down the vampire population so that the only ones left were actually smart enough to try and avoid him - which meant staying away from the Bronze, and practically going outside of city limits if they wanted an actual human to drink from.
He still patrolled every night, though, counting down the days until Buffy would be back, with a few days before school started for her again.
With the dearth of vampires lately, imagine his surprise when he hears the sound of fighting in another corner of the graveyard. Angel rushes to investigate, hoping he can help whoever it is in time--
Only to come up short, as he recognizes the figure holding her own against three vampires simultaneously. The petite frame, the blonde hair, the grunts of exertion as she kicks and punches and spins, against three opponents all larger than her.
As much as Angel wants to go and help, protect her--he knows Buffy can handle herself, and it's like poetry, watching her fight. (Also, what the hell is she doing here, she's not due back for another 2 weeks?!)
Unconsciously, Angel licks his lip as she finishes the last vampire, and starts getting rid of the evidence they left behind, tidying her outfit and fixing her hair automatically, before--
"Angel."
Busted, he thinks, but can't help the pleased grin that crosses his face, even as she turns around. He tries to act cool, tucking his hands into his pockets and ducking his head, but he can't keep his eyes off her, or the smile off his face, as he moves closer.
"Thought you weren't getting back until late next week," is what comes out of his mouth, instead of a standard greeting. He bites his lip; he's not good at this whole 'boyfriend' thing, doesn't know how to welcome someone back, especially not someone he cares about, let alone someone like Buffy.
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It's been a slow summer.
Well. It didn't actually start out that way; Drusilla was rather indiscriminate about who she'd turned, before she and Spike had been driven out of town, but some of them hadn't been complete morons, who'd then turned more people, on top of the regular trickle of vampires arriving at the hellmouth from different locations. In the beginning, Willow, Oz and Xander, and sometimes even Giles, had come on patrol with him. But eventually enough vampires were killed that new ones weren't popping up so often, and he privately thought the others just got bored of having nothing to do, since Angel always dealt with the vamps before the others even had a chance.
Buffy had asked him to take over her patrols while she was gone, and keep her friends safe, and that's just what he did. They were, oddly enough, his friends now, too. (Yes, even Xander... well, Xander was to him a lot like Spike was to Angelus - an enormous pain in the ass, but he tolerated him for Buffy's sake.)
As the summer wore on, and Angel started missing Buffy even more, he'd gotten a little zealous in his hunt for vampires and demons to kill. A hundred years of celibacy, and suddenly you can't go two months with just the company of your hand.
That wasn't the reason. Well, that wasn't the whole reason. Yes, there was definitely some sexual tension to work off, because despite the new direction their relationship had taken in the last couple months, he and Buffy just hadn't had the opportunity to do much more than they had been before her birthday. Mostly, he just missed her, and the activities he usually found relaxing and fulfilling to while away the hours, now just seemed to emphasize how the hours were dragging on. Buffy was a lot of things, but boring was never one of them.
But over the course of the entire summer, he'd whittled down the vampire population so that the only ones left were actually smart enough to try and avoid him - which meant staying away from the Bronze, and practically going outside of city limits if they wanted an actual human to drink from.
He still patrolled every night, though, counting down the days until Buffy would be back, with a few days before school started for her again.
With the dearth of vampires lately, imagine his surprise when he hears the sound of fighting in another corner of the graveyard. Angel rushes to investigate, hoping he can help whoever it is in time--
Only to come up short, as he recognizes the figure holding her own against three vampires simultaneously. The petite frame, the blonde hair, the grunts of exertion as she kicks and punches and spins, against three opponents all larger than her.
As much as Angel wants to go and help, protect her--he knows Buffy can handle herself, and it's like poetry, watching her fight. (Also, what the hell is she doing here, she's not due back for another 2 weeks?!)
Unconsciously, Angel licks his lip as she finishes the last vampire, and starts getting rid of the evidence they left behind, tidying her outfit and fixing her hair automatically, before--
"Angel."
Busted, he thinks, but can't help the pleased grin that crosses his face, even as she turns around. He tries to act cool, tucking his hands into his pockets and ducking his head, but he can't keep his eyes off her, or the smile off his face, as he moves closer.
"Thought you weren't getting back until late next week," is what comes out of his mouth, instead of a standard greeting. He bites his lip; he's not good at this whole 'boyfriend' thing, doesn't know how to welcome someone back, especially not someone he cares about, let alone someone like Buffy.