[For Carlos] Happy Anniversary

[st_accato]

Time always seemed to get away from Buffy, especially when days flowed into months and months flowed into a year. It didn’t seem possible that she had been in the Inn for a little over a year. A year without her friends. A year without her mom. A year without Giles. She wondered what they were all doing. She still missed them, a lot, but it was also a year of new friends. A year of Carlos.

The year had been eventful to put it mildly, but she wanted to do something special with Carlos. Buffy hadn’t wanted to do it Valentine’s Day, there was too much complex feels about that and the Cupid magical whammy of last year. The day after was perfect. It was like an anniversary of actual feels rather than of manufactured ones.

Because she liked Carlos, Buffy didn’t offer to cook and because he cooked, she didn’t want to go to the restaurant. It would be too much like a busman’s holiday for him. Instead, they’d agreed on a picnic under the stars. Nice, romantic and neither one had to cook. When she’d gone to get a bottle of wine for them, she’d heard the news that Wyatt had left, which only confirmed that life was short. Something Buffy and Carlos were well aware of in their lives back home. Carpe diem.

She shifted the basket to her other hand as she knocked on Carlos’ door. Buffy planned to seize the day or at least as many opportunities as possible before Fate stepped in and kicked her in the teeth like with Kitty and Wyatt.

Comments

[st_illavirgin]

What could he say? Carlos was comfortable enough in his own skin that he could recognize when someone could do something else better than him. He had enough of his own skills that it meant that he could find his own niche easily. "If it's close, the doors could open - we can probably manage to prize them apart a little, and hell, if the worst comes to it, I can get us out." Probably a lot of collateral damage, but they could do it.

[st_accato]

"Sounds like a plan." Buffy nodded and motioned for him to lift her up. "I'll raise the hatch door and take a peak out to see where we are."

[st_illavirgin]

Carlos braced himself, ready to help her up to the hatch.

[st_accato]

Buffy easily went up to the hatch and pushed. It was stubborn and it took a second hit before it finally popped open. With Carlos' help, she pulled herself to sit in the opening with her legs dangling down.

"Well good news, bad news. We're definitely stuck between floors but we are close to the floor above us. If I stood up, the bottom of the door would be at my knees."

[st_illavirgin]

Carlos had to brace himself when Buffy pushed the hatch, but it was only for a short period of time.

"I guessed we would be," he said with a sigh. "Is there any way to pry the doors open if we tried to open them?"

[st_accato]

"Hmm." Buffy looked at the doors. "I might be able to get an opening started by pulling on it, but I don't think I'm strong enough to pull it open enough to squeeze through."

[st_illavirgin]

Carlos squinted up at the ceiling. "I can help with that magically, given I can't break it any more than it currently is, but I'll need to get up there as well."

[st_accato]

"I can pull you up if you need a hand up." Buffy switched to laying on her stomach and reached her arms back through the hole. She knew that once he got a hold of either her or the edge of the ceiling, he could pull himself up.

[st_illavirgin]

"You sure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Even though he knew she was strong, he wasn't exactly a lightweight, being mostly muscle. "Who am I kidding? Okay." He reached up to grab hold of Buffy's hands, knowing he could trust her.

[st_accato]

"Yep, on three." Buffy grinned down at him. "One, two..." and before she said three, her arm muscles tightened and she pulled him up. At least far enough that he could grab the edge of the hatch and pull himself the rest of the way up.

[st_illavirgin]

He had suspicion that she would do something like that, and was ready. He grabbed onto the edge as soon as he was close, hauling himself up with some grace, though not entirely. "Yeah, that shouldn't be too bad," he said as he looked at the doors.

[st_accato]

"Do you want me to pull on it to get it a little open then use your magic or do the magic first and if it's not all the way open, we both try to shove it open enough for us to get through?" Buffy was okay with either way.

[st_illavirgin]

Carlos looked at the door, considering it for a moment. "Let's go with the first option," he said. "If I try magic first, I don't exactly know what it will do." Better to boost natural strength.

[st_accato]

"Sounds good." Buffy nodded, "I'd hate for your magic to make the elevator go down another level while we're up here." She teased him with a grin before putting her hands in the crease of the door. Carlos was taller than her, so where she stood wouldn't get in his way.

"Ready?"

[st_illavirgin]

"There's not a lot left for me to fry," Carlos pointed out in return. "I think I did a pretty good number on it." Which meant it shouldn't get any worse than it was.

Carlos settled himself, then nodded at her. "Get it as far as you can." Even a tiny fragment should be enough to work with.

[st_accato]

Buffy nodded once and braced herself using her feet as a balance. Her fingers tightened on the small crack in the door and pulled hard. She had Slayer strength but even with that she could only open it about a foot.

"Well crap, that's as far as I can get it."

[st_illavirgin]

"Hmmm." Carlos moved closer, putting his fingers against the door. "It's more than I'd hoped for, though."

He was silent for a moment, forming the spell he wanted in his mind, before letting almost dribble out of his fingers, and it gradually begin to very slowly move the doors apart.

[st_accato]

Buffy held her breath, but let it out in a whoosh of happy when the door opened wide enough that she could squeeze through. Carlos was a bit bigger than she was, but it looked like he could make it through, too.

"Okay, I'm gonna try to squeeze through. We should be good."

[st_illavirgin]

Still, Carlos moved back to give Buffy as much room as possible. He wasn't sure that he would make it through the gap, but she would, and she could always look for something to pry it open from the other side. "Let's see how this goes."

[st_accato]

Buffy slid her arms through the opening and began to pull herself through. It was a little tight in the hips but she wriggled her way through. "Okay, yeah, we might need to widen it a bit for you." She looked down through the opening with a teasing grin. "Not that I think you're big, but your shoulders are wider than my hips."

She also knew that he'd had an injury before the Inn and it might be difficult for him to contortion his body through.

[st_illavirgin]

He watched her struggling through the gap, and winced slightly as she tried to make it through. She was right, he would struggle, and for more than just wider shoulders. He was grateful with the out she gave him. "I feel like I should be offended at that, but I'll take it. Do you need a hand?

[st_accato]

Buffy put her hands on the elevator doors to push them open further. She was able to get another half foot. "Uh yeah. Do you think you can add your magical mojo to my pushing?"

[st_illavirgin]

Carlos leaned against the doors, gathering his will, and nodding at Buffy. "On three," he warned her before beginning to count down, pushing with everything he had.

[st_accato]

When Carlos said three, Buffy pushed hard as she could and the doors opened almost all the way. "Wow, what a team." Buffy grinned at him through the opening.

[st_illavirgin]

Carlos laughed in response, and hauled himself out into the corridor. At least he could make it through easily now. "I suppose we'd better report it," he said mournfully. Talk about a mood killer.