SpiderMoth Lives!

Recollection

"Angel," Vaggie says.

"I won't lie, in the very beginning, I took one look at you and thought to myself, "there's no way, even in the nine circles of hell, I'll be able to stand this guy without wanting to kill him." And hell, I think I even said something like that to you so long ago, when me and Charlie were picking you up on the way back to the hotel." Vaggie smiles fondly at the memory, and she and Angel share a small laugh. "Yeah, no, you truly pissed me off." She said. She shook her head lightly, and continued. She looked into Angel's eyes sweetly, wearing an expression of content. See, this was a man that she knew, like, really knew. He'd been with her through everything, and as soon as she was willing to let him, Angel would swoop in and heal her to the best of his abilities every single time she was feeling down or out of place. Every time he could, he did this very thing without fail or falter. And so, Vaggie felt not only happy, but proud to say the things she's saying. "Still, at some point, you grew on me, you hot bastard, like a fungus." Angel laughs. "Like, the hottest and fluffiest fucking fungus ever, right?" He asks. Vaggie hums and nods. "Yeah, the fluffiest fucking fungus ever." She continues. "I can't say when or how I fell in love with you, Angel, but I know that however, wherever and whenever I did, it hit me like a ton of bricks." Angel can't help smiling, and he holds her face in his large hand. "Angel, don't you know that when I realized I fell in love with you, I was scared?" Vaggie asks. Angel's smile drops, and he seems genuinely surprised. "Really?" He asks. He pulled at his bowtie a little. "Err, no, no, I didn't, baby." Smirking, Vaggie then says, "Well, let me explain."

"I... I suppose I was feeling a lot of things around this time, and so to find myself in love? And, with the Angel Dust, to boot? Pfft, no, I just couldn't accept that. At that time, my mind was made up, and I told myself I wouldn't allow myself to think what I was thinking, to hope for what I was hoping, and even worse, to feel what I was feeling." Vaggie looks away as she recalls this time of her life. Angel's lower set of arms that had been wrapped around her waist pulls her in a little closer. "There were hundreds of questions running through my head almost every time you and I had any kind of encounter. Instead of saying "excuse me" and slipping by without touching, you'd just brush by me, even if we ended up completely pressed together. I'd then find myself wondering: was that on purpose? Did he mean that? Angel wouldn't do something like that, would he? Am I reading too much into this?" Vaggie looks back to her love and grins. "More importantly, no matter what, I remember I kept asking myself: would he even like me?" Having finished her lamenting, Vaggie goes on to say, "That is why I was scared. I doubted myself, I doubted us before we even had a fighting chance. I didn't know if we could work, let alone how, and I guess the thought of just not knowing terrified me. In fact, it scared me so bad, that I put myself into a rather boring relationship just for the sake of feeling like I knew everything: what to expect. I thought I preferred that kind of love, that love of always knowing exactly what your partner can or can't, or I guess, will or will not bring to the table. But with you, Angel," Vaggie huffed. "It's an entirely different story."

"You're saucey --you've always got some sort of slick remark for everything -- and you can be a prick. But, you're also pretty damn great. I don't know when I realized this, I just know that I did. And whenever I did, it was shown to me that like anyone else, you had your flaws, but you're so much more than that!" Angel anticipates whatever Vaggie is to say next. "Angel, you're daring, and eccentric in the best way there is. You're bold, and really sweet. You perfectly balance letting me handle things on my own, and then also using yourself as a shield --of any kind: verbally, mentally, emotionally, physically -- all of that! You make me feel warm, comfortable, and safe. I don't always know what you've got up your sleeves, but even when things don't turn out how you planned, you always make up for it in the end. You're charming!" Angel smiles even wider than he did before, his polished golden tooth glittering underneath their arc of glowing lights. "You and I talk about redemption sometimes, and what that would mean for us. We've talked about what we'd do if only one of us got redeemed, or if we never get redeemed. We talk about what we'll do if we get out of Hell, and yet never reach Heaven. We always talk about what different kinds of fates we could end up with, and the many different destinies we might live through in order to get there. If you were anybody else, this would've scared the hell out of me, and I wouldn't have wanted to talk about that stuff at all. But, you've changed me, Angel, and for the better." Vaggie holds his hand with her own, and leans further into it. Angel's eyes have teared up, and he struggles to keep it unnoticeable. Vaggie keeps on pushing, though. "You've made me realize that there are multiple paths to take, and even the patches of dirt or sand in between will take you somewhere; the most adventurous of lives are lived on the edge, right?" She looks at Angel. She sees his watery eyes, and immediately gets teary-eyed as well. She grabs his face and wipes at his tears, them now falling freely. Briefly, Vaggie paid enough attention to their ensemble of family and friends to hear familiar sniffling. Yep, that was Charlie, who was clearly touched as well. Vaggie would've laughed about it, but she was too focused on her one and only as soon as that mentioning passed. "Right, Angel?" She asks again. Angel nods, and giggles. "Yeah, definitely, toots." He wants to kiss her so badly for her kind words, but restrains himself. "Right," Vaggie keeps on smiling. "And so, Angel Dust, I'm not only ecstatic but damn happy as hell and heaven combined to live that life of adventure with you, all the way till the end of time." She puts something on his finger. Angel feels his heart swoon. Ah, it's his turn to talk now.