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Home is Where the Heart Is





Home is Where the Heart Is
By *~Rachel*~
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, Twentieth Century Fox Productions, UPN, Sandollar Television, and Mutant Enemy own BtVS. No copyright infringements were intended. This is my story and not meant to copy the show.
Rating: PG-13 so far
Summary: Buffy Anne Summers is having the time of her life. She's dating Los Angeles' most popular and wanted bachelor, her art gallery is at the height of its popularity, and she loves being in the public eye. When Angel O'Connor proposes, there's only one problem: She's still married to William Giles! (Loosely based on "Sweet Home Alabama.")
Spoilers: NONE! This is completely an AU story...something I've never done before, but figured I'd take a chance and see how things went.
Author’s Notes: *________* Signifies stressed words. Scenes in bold are flashbacks. Thoughts will be in italics. All the street names and business are completely made up since I've never been to LA.
Distribution: My site, Sinister Attraction, the groups I'm sending them out to, and....anyone else, just as long as they ASK first!
Feedback? OF COURSE! This is the first time I've ever written a fic set in an alternate universe, and I'd really love to know what you all think about it!
And Finally: Everything related to "Sweet Home, Alabama" belongs to the rightful owners, not me (since I re-use some lines and the general theme in this story.) I haven't seen the movie *yet* but plan on it eventually when I get some free time, so right now, everything is purely based on the promos that I've seen and word of mouth.
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Elizabeth Anne Summers, known as Buffy to all her co-workers and friends, sat at the front desk of her art gallery, busily typing away at the computer. She banged away at the keys, groaning when the computer suddenly froze. Buffy and computers are definitely un-mixy things, she thought to herself.
Even after almost two years, she was still amazed at the popularity of her art gallery. Her mother had run the gallery years ago before her untimely death. When her mother died, Buffy decided to continue maintaining the business by herself. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought that she would end up in Los Angeles where her gallery was one of the most successful individually owned businesses in the area.
Buffy pressed a few keys, hoping that the computer wouldn't act up anymore. But instead of re-booting, the computer popped up with a bright blue screen with symbols and words that were completely alien to her. She groaned again, wondering why she had decided to start filing away the entire store records on the computer.
"Problems?" a voice called out behind her.
Buffy spun her chair around to look at her friend. "I think our computer is possessed," she explained.
Willow Rosenberg chuckled at her friend's stupefied expression. Buffy may be an expert with most things, but computers are definitely not one of them, Willow thought. "It's not that hard," she said.
"Says the computer genius," Buffy replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes slightly. She and Willow had been friends since high school. They had accidentally bumped into each other in the hallway on the first day of their sophomore year of high school, and before long, the two were best friends. When Buffy moved to Los Angeles to run the then-new gallery, Willow was coincidentally moving to LA in order to pursue her Ph.D. in computer science at UCLA. While Buffy was mostly in charge of everything, Willow helped out from time to time.
"Here, let me show you," Willow said, laying the folders that were in her hands on a table. She walked over to the desk and hit a few buttons at the same time. Immediately, the computer screen went black before restarting into Windows. "See?"
"You're so good at all this stuff," Buffy complained, "Why can't *I* be good at this stuff?"
Willow shrugged. "I try my best." She leaned up against the side of Buffy's desk and smiled at her friend.
"Thanks," the blonde-haired women said gratefully. She watched the computer screen, waiting for everything to load as she nervously fiddled with the rings on her hand. Unconsciously, she twirled a simple, yet elegant, gold ring with a bright red stone in the middle of it, around her ring finger.
Willow looked glanced down at Buffy's movements and shook her head. "I know I ask this all the time, but...how long are you going to keep that thing?" she wondered.
"What? What thing?"
"That thing," Willow repeated, bobbing her head towards Buffy's hand.
Immediately, Buffy dropped her hands into her lap, becoming still. "I don't know..." A flash went through her mind...
...A tall, lean man spinning her around in the air before setting her back on her feet and pulling something out of his pocket...
No, I will not think about that anymore, Buffy thought immediately, pushing the memories to the back of her mind.
"Buffy, it's been almost two years," Willow reminded her, as if her friend had forgotten.
"You think I don't know that?" she asked her friend, looking at her seriously. A few moments of silence passed between the two women, neither wanting to speak up and continue the conversation.
Finally, Willow spoke, "So...how are you and Angel?" Her tone was uncaring, but she knew that Buffy would be happy that her friend cared enough to at least ask.
Angel...
Angel O'Connor was LA's most wanted bachelor....Hell, he was the most wanted man on the whole West Coast. His starring roles in "The Tempted" and "Life Without Love" had put him in the number one spot on the Hollywood hit-list and number one in every woman's heart. His personality was charming, and his smile lit up the room. The one word to describe him would have to be "charismatic." Buffy had only been living in LA for a couple months when she accidentally ran into him, and it wasn't long before the two had started dating.
A large smile spread across Buffy's features. "Oh, Angel and I are doing well." She knew that Willow wasn't fond of her boyfriend, so she decided to keep the conversation short and to the point. "He and I are going shopping this evening to buy his mother a present."
"What for?" Willow asked.
"I don't know," Buffy moaned. "The man is a multi-millionaire, Will. I don't think he really needs an excuse to go out and by his mother a gift."
Somewhere in one of the back rooms, the shrill tone of a telephone started ringing. "I better go get that," Willow said, rising to her full height. "I've got a class this afternoon at three-thirty, so am I free to leave around three o'clock?"
"Of course, Will," Buffy said. "You do too much around here, anyway."
"Thanks." Willow turned on her heel and walked back to scoop up her papers before heading down the hallway from which she’d emerged earlier.
Buffy heard the bell jingle on the front door and raised her head to see who had entered the front door. "Speaking of Angel...," she muttered under her breath, standing and coming out from behind the desk.
"Hey honey!" Buffy greeted, hurrying up to Angel, wrapping her arms around his waist. She raised her head and quickly pressed her lips against his.
"G'morning, Buffy," Angel responded, smiling down at her. Angel removed his baseball cap and sunglasses, his usual dress code for hiding his identity, and ran his fingers through his hair. The two moved further into the main room and away from the door, as Angel asked how her morning was going.
"My morning is officially great!" Buffy affirmed, "You're here!"
"Well, I can't stay long, I have to get back to the set in about fifteen minutes or so," Angel informed her. "I'm working on some scenes for 'Confronting the Sun' right now."
"Then, what's the reason for the surprise visit?"
"I just wanted to double check and make sure that we still had plans to go out to eat and go shopping for my mother tonight," Angel said.
"Of course, we talked about that yesterday afternoon."
"All right, I just wanted to make sure." Angel glanced down at his watch. "Damn, by the time I get back there, it'll be time to re-shoot this scene."
"But you just got here," Buffy grumbled, sticking out her lower lip.
"Sorry, Buff, but it's an important scene. We’ve got the whole evening together though," Angel said, the corners of his lips rising in a quick smile. He just loved it when she complained like that. "I'll come by and pick you up around five-thirty, okay?"
"That's fine."
Angel leaned down and kissed her gently, dragging his hand down the side of her arm and using the other hand to caress her cheek. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.
Buffy looked up at him, repeating the phrase with a smile on her face.
"I'll see you later tonight," Angel said, turning back around and walking out the door.
"Bye!" she called out to him, watching his form retreat from where she stood. For about the ten-thousandth time, Buffy thanked the higher powers that she had run into Angel O'Connor -- literally.
 
~~~
 
Buffy Summers was frantically striding through the crowded streets trying to reach the gallery. She had only been living in Los Angeles for about two months, and occasionally, she still managed to get herself turned around. The high-speed rhythm of the city was still new to her, and Buffy had problems keeping up with everyone else.
With a Starbucks Frappauchino in one hand and her folder of business cards, her client list, and other various papers in the other, she half-ran, half-walked down the main street, peering up at the signs. "Okay...where am I?" Buffy asked herself. "Okay...Sunhill Lane...43rd Street..." She kept looking up at the many different signs, not concentrating on the sidewalk ahead of her. "Brandermill -- OH!" Buffy suddenly collided into a hard figure in front of her. Her left hand slipped, dumping her Frappauchino out of the cup. Her other hand opened and she dropped her folder on the sidewalk. "Oh crap," she said under her breath. "I am *so* sorry!" she said, dropping the paper cup. She looked up at the man standing before her and her face rapidly paled. "Oh god..."
Angel O'Connor stood in front of her, looking down at his white shirt that was now covered with coffee.
"Oh my god," Buffy said under her breath when she realized what she had done. Here she was, facing Angel O'Connor, the world's current most popular actor, and she had spilled her icy coffee all over him! "I-I am so sorry," she apologized.
Angel rasied his head slightly to look at the small blonde standing in front of him. Her eyes were wide, partly out of shock and embarrassment at what she had done. He smiled quickly before saying, "It's okay. I never really liked this shirt anyway."
Buffy fought the urge to faint in front of him when he spoke. "Mr...Mr. O'Connor, I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was walking, and-"
"It's all right," Angel interrupted. He looked down and buttoned up his jacket, covering the stained white shirt. "See? All better. I'll just change when I get over to the set."
"Set?" Buffy couldn't help asking.
"The set for 'Life Without Love,'" Angel explained. "That's what I'm working on right now." He glanced down on the floor and saw that Buffy's papers had flown everywhere when the two collided. "Here, let me get these for you."
Together, the two bent down on their knees and started picking things up. "Really, you don't have to," Buffy said. "It was my stupidity. I always get turned around here."
"So you're new to LA?" Angel asked, looking across at the woman. He gazed into eyes and thought about how beautiful they were. Hell, everything is beautiful about this woman, Angel thought to himself.
"Not really," Buffy admitted. "I'm just having some problems getting used to everything." She stood up, and Angel copied her motion. Buffy peeked down at her watch, and her eyes bulged. "I have to get to work; I'm already late," Buffy fretted. "I am *really* sorry," she repeated.

"It's all right," Angel assured her again. "Wait...I didn't catch your name."

"It's Buffy...Buffy Summers," she told him. "And I am *very* sorry, Mr. O'Connor." She gave him a small smile before turning the corner and rushing away.

Angel glanced around at the pavement to see if she had left anything. He wanted...no, needed to see this girl again. He wanted to know more about her. Angel bent down and picked up a small pile of business cards that lay on the cement. "Buffy Summers...," he read, "Owner of Summers' Gallery, 4203 Rueland Drive."

~~~


A new, freshly-brewed Cappuccino was in Buffy’s left hand as she pushed the door open with her side. "Sorry I'm so late, Will," Buffy said as she walked through the door. Willow stood at her desk, waiting for her friend to arrive. "But oh my God, you will not believe who I ran into! Like...*literally* ran into."

"Uh...," Willow started.

"What?" Buffy asked. Taking a closer look at her friend, Buffy noticed just how pale Willow was. "Willow, what's up?" She looks like she's in shock, Buffy told herself.

Willow slowly spoke, as if she was having trouble forming the words. "I think I know who you ran into."

"Really? How?"

"Because he's inside the back storage room, looking around at the pieces of artwork right now."

"Oh God...Angel O'Connor?" Buffy questioned, her eyes widening.

"The one and only," Willow stated. "What did you do to him, Buffy? He's got this huge coffee stain on his shirt and this dazed expression on his face."

"I spilled my coffee all over him on the way to work this morning," Buffy explained to her friend.

Willow held back a chuckle, not surprised that Buffy had done something like that. "Smooth going, Miss Summers." She smiled at her friend before recommending, "Why don't you go back there and say hi?"

"Great, let's just add to the embarrassment," Buffy muttered under her breath as she placed her coffee and files on the front desk. She slowly headed back to the first storage room and watched as Angel studied some of the pieces of artwork. "Hey," she said.

"Miss Summers, hi," Angel greeted

"Call me Buffy, please," she said, approaching Angel and extending her hand. "I don't have any coffee this time, I promise. I left it up in the main room."

Angel shook it and smiled down at her. "Angel...Angel O'Connor, but I guess you already knew that."

The two took a step back from each other as they remained motionless in silence for a moment before Buffy asked, "How did you find me?"

"You forgot to pick up some of your business cards," Angel explained, holding one out in front of her.

"Oh...then what are you doing here?" Buffy wondered. "I thought you said that you had to go shoot some scenes or something?"

"Well, that's basically just my excuse to get off the streets easily. I don't like walking around without sunglasses or something. People usually figure out who I am pretty quickly," Angel clarified.

"And why would that be?" Buffy asked, a smirk on her features. "It couldn't possibly be that you're the most popular man in the movie-business right now?"

"I'm still a normal guy...I like the LA Lakers, hang out with my friends as much as possible, love to eat all the junk food I can possibly get my hands on, and...," Angel paused, taking a step closer to her, "am hoping that you'll say 'yes' if I ask you to have dinner with me."

"What?"

"Buffy, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to eat on Friday night?" Angel asked a second time.

"Why?" What could a popular and handsome man want with me? she thought to herself.

"What can I say? I'm captivated by you, and it's not just because I got a mug of coffee spilled all over me," Angel said, smiling as Buffy blushed in embarrassment. "Look, I'd love to take you out to eat to get to know you some more."

Buffy hadn't been on a date since...well, it had been a long time since she had ever been out with a man. "Friday, you said?"

Angel nodded. "If I can get your address, I'll pick you up around five o'clock."

Buffy grinned and shook her head. "I think you have yourself a deal Mr. O'Connor."


~~~


Buffy and Angel exited La Musique, a fancy French restaurant, five minutes ago. Angel extended his arm to her, and Buffy wrapped her arm around his, smiling before raising her head and meeting Angel's lips with her own.

A couple of cameras flashed as the two kissed No doubt, some members of the press had managed to hunt them down. Angel had some security men watching over the two of them several feet away, just in case any out of control fans approached them. Usually Angel and Buffy didn't mind any fans coming up to them; however, tonight, Angel had strict orders to keep the fans away from them.

"Where are we going to get your mother a gift?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not sure," Angel responded. "Where do you think we should look?"

"What are you looking for?"

"Again, I'm not too sure," Angel repeated. "Just...whatever pops out at me." He guided Buffy down the sidewalk and turned the corner. "How about in here?"

"But Angel...this is La Padras," Buffy protested. La Padras was the most expensive jeweler on the West Coast. However, they didn’t sell ordinary jewelry; they specialized in diamond engagement rings.

"I know," Angel replied, opening the door for her. The two stepped inside a bare and empty store. With the exception of the actual sales people who worked there, the store was barren. A few seconds after Buffy and Angel entered the room, two of Angel's security guards appeared through the doors, blocking the entrance from any press or fans.

Angel led Buffy into the middle of the store before turning around and facing her. "Angel?" Buffy asked, confusion clear in her tone.

"Buffy...," Angel started, gazing down at her. He grabbed her hands and lightly squeezed them. "I...I lied to you. We aren't exactly here to look for a present for my mother." He looked down to the floor before dropping to one knee.

"Oh my God," Buffy said, her mouth gaping wide open.

"Buffy Anne Summers...will you marry me?" Angel asked, peering shyly at her with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Angel...oh my *god*," Buffy said again. "Are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious in my life," Angel admitted. "Please say yes."

Buffy's eyes welled with tears. "Yes, of course, it's yes!" Buffy exclaimed, pulling Angel to his feet and kissing him soundly. She stepped back and smiled up at him. "Which ring is mine?"

Angel led her over to a cabinet where some of the biggest rings were placed. "Pick any ring you want," he encouraged.

Buffy scanned through the cases of rings for several moments before one of them especially caught her eye. The ring was gold with a large one-carat diamond in the middle and a circle of smaller diamonds surrounding it. "This one," she declared, with a large smile on her face.

The salesperson approached Buffy and Angel. "You heard her. The lady wants this one," Angel said, pointing through the glass.

"Ah, excellent choice, ma’am," the salesperson said calmly. "Would you like to try it on first? It may fit on your ring finger without having to make any adjustments."

"That's fine," Buffy said, holding out her left hand.

The salesperson took her hand and looked at her ring finger. "Miss Summers? Would you like me to remove the ring that's currently on your ring finger or would you like to remove it yourself?"

That's when Buffy glanced down at her hand, remembering that she still wore that damn ring. She slowly raised her hand to stare at the gold ring that lay on her left hand. Angel O'Connor had asked her to marry him; something she never imagined possible.

But that's also when she remembered the problem...*her* one problem.

William Giles.

~~~
 
TBC...
 
AN: I
wrote this a long while back - maybe even a year ago? Anyway, this is my
favorite (as well as best) story I ever wrote, so I hope you will enjoy it as
much as I enjoyed writing it!
 
 





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