Who: Angel & Buffy. What: Angel tries to stop being an idiot. He only marginally succeeds. When: Week Four, Day Five. Where: Some hallway in the Pod.
There was no denying it: Angel had been avoiding Buffy, big-time. After their last conversation in Sunnydale, and then everything that had happened in the past year, he couldn't seem to get up the nerve to talk to her. What if she knew about Rome? What if she knew about Nina or Beth? God, what if she knew about Spike? He didn't think Spike would be stupid enough to mention it to Buffy, but he hadn't thought the guy would rub it in Beth's face either, so maybe Angel was the stupid one here.
For the longest time, he'd let himself believe that some day he and Buffy could have a future together. But he needed to accept the facts: having a future with anyone was impossible. He was a vampire, and one with a very tenuous grasp on his soul at that. Even if there was a way around the curse, it wouldn't matter. Buffy deserved someone she could grow old with. And that was the one thing he couldn't offer.
But did that really mean he had to avoid her? He already had enough people to stay away from. If he kept this up, pretty soon there wouldn't be a single person on his side in the entire building. With Gunn and Wes and Fred gone, Buffy was his best shot at finding a friend around here. And who knew? Maybe she needed him just as much as he needed her.
When he saw her walking down the hallway, Angel resisted the impulse to turn a corner and hide until she was gone. Instead, he squared his shoulders and continued down his original path, which led him straight to Buffy. "Hey," he said softly, trying not to look as awkward as he felt -- and probably failing at it. "How've you been?