[Dannyblue]

C/A was my first real 'ship...and remains my only real one, in fact. And what I loved most about them was that they brought out the best in each other. Knowing each other made them better people. I can't imagine either one getting where they got if they hadn't known each other.

I was into B/A when it was going on (although I started getting tired of it in season 3, but I still didn't want Angel to leave her) but, boy, did they bring out the worst in each other. It was like being together stunted them or something. And I kinda get why. They felt like their relationship was under constant siege (disapproval from others, the "unnaturalness" of a Slayer and a vampire being in love, their own doubts and fears about the relationship being able to work). As a result, they almost seemed to try to surround themselves with this protective bubble, one designed to keep all of the outside (and internal) issues from coming in and messing things up. But, by trying to protect their love from the outside world, and forget all their troubles (or at least pretend they didn't exist) when they were together, they were preventing their relationship from changing and growing. I mean, when you preserve something, yeah, it can last forever. But it's frozen and static.

C/A was about dealing with life together. Taking things on, side-by-side. Not trying to forget their problems, but sharing them, and offering to help each other get through them. Being able to run away from it all with the person you love might seem romantic and all. But real love is about facing life, living it, both good and bad, together. That's what makes relationships stronger.