Rating: This fiction is rated NC-17, so anyone who is too young, impressionable or otherwise easily offended, please read no further.

Spoiler: When Riley finds out Buffy is The Slayer, she is taken into The Initiative and Angel has to save her.

Moving right along. . . .

***

 

Slayer comma The. Look it up.

Her words rang in his head. She was the slayer.

The Slayer.

Riley felt more than a little torn about how to proceed. On the one hand, she was his girlfriend and he cared about her. He thought he might be falling in love with her. On the other hand, she was The Slayer, a co-worker of sorts or actually a conflict to his work, depending on how you looked at it. Professor Walsh would be very interested in studying her if she knew who Buffy was and what she was capable of. Hell, he didn't even know just what she was capable of.

He walked slowly toward Psych 101, where he was the resident TA. Should he tell Walsh? Should he keep Buffy's secret? Technically, it was his job to report this sort of activity to The Initiative. He couldn't decide if he should be disloyal to Buffy by telling them or if he should compromise his career to protect her?

By the time he reached the auditorium style classroom he had already decided that he couldn't betray the government for a girl he barely knew. He was going to meet with Walsh immediately following class to report the recent knowledge he acquired regarding The Slayer.

"So, Ms. Summers is The Slayer?" Walsh said reflectively, leaning back in her desk chair, placing her hands in a condescending temple.

"Yes," Riley answered, sitting on the edge of his chair, feeling more than a little guilty, more than a little anxious and very worried about what actions Professor Walsh would suggest he take.

"And how long have you known this?"

"A few days, I found out during the crisis last week when all of our voices were stolen."

"I see," she said, revealing nothing, which was one of the things she did well, "And she willingly gave you this information as a personal confidence?"

"Yes. Well I found out about her strength and skill when I saw her fighting. Later she told me why she had those abilities. She is...well..magnificent, actually. She has strength and skill that is unbelievable in any person but in a girl as small as she is... I couldn't even describe it to you. I got my ass kicked- sorry ma'am- What I mean is, she's really strong. Like spider man strong," Riley looked directly at her as he spoke. He knew he had already betrayed his feelings for her and his nervous chatter was making him sound stupid.

"I was under the impression that she was a myth. Apparently, not only is she not a myth, neither are her abilities."

"No, ma'am. She's real. I've seen it myself."

"I am going to need a few days to mull this over but Riley, it is imperative that you treat this assignment with the ultimate care. Now that she knows that you are part of The Initiative, it is imperative that you keep her in the dark as you can about our projects. I can see that you have feelings for the girl but as of now, she is a part of your mission. This could be mean great things for your career, Riley. Make sure you don't throw that away."

"No ma'am. I won't."

"Very good. Dismissed," she announced and sat up to begin going through papers on her desk. Riley headed out of the building and onto campus wondering how Walsh was going to incorporate Buffy in future Initiative work. He silently prayed that Buffy wouldn't get hurt, that Walsh wouldn't hurt her or try to experiment on her. Although Walsh was a brilliant woman, she was also cold, unfeeling and a lab rat in every sense.

***

Spike stood in the shadows watching Buffy & Riley patrolling together through the cemetery.

"Bloody hell," he thought with annoyance, "I'd rather see her with the great, friggin' Poof than Captain Courageous over there."

Spike wasn't sure what it was about the soldier boy but he didn't trust him. Riley looked a little too innocent, a little too wholesome. Something wasn't right. He decided to keep spying on them for the time being. Since he was so rudely neutered, he couldn't even jump in and drain the stupid commando if Buffy was in danger. He brushed that thought from his mind. If worse came to worse, he'd call in Peaches as reinforcements. He'd rather see Angel kill Riley and admit weakness than see Buffy die.

"Women," he muttered, heading behind them in the cemetery. What he would give to shag her or feed off of her or...something dammit!

***

Buffy was nearly as close to gleeful as she got on Friday night as she patrolled with Riley after their romantic dinner. She didn't even think to feel irritated that their stroll was interrupted by a thoughtless vamp. It was nice to be on a real date with a human man who didn't know that there was always another catastrophe or apocalypse around the corner. I mean, sure, he was in a secret government program that hunted demons and vampires but his job was different. He was still innocent enough not to know all the horrible things that could wipe out the world tomorrow. He was young and warm and unaware that everything he did and said was constantly compared to Angel.

Buffy tried everyday not to compare Riley to Angel, just as she had tried not to compare Parker to Angel. Angel was the pinnacle of everything that love was about in her life. But Riley wasn't Angel. She knew that. She didn't want him to be Angel - she just wished he was sometimes, that's all. Every night they got a little closer to sleeping together and she was sure that tonight would be the night that he tried to take that next step. She told herself that she wanted to but after her experience with Angel and Parker, she wasn't sure that sex was ever the answer to a long, healthy relationship. She was more than a little frightened about the prospect of this nice, normal relationship becoming something twisted and ugly and, well, over.

She didn't have long to think about it, though, because he started to kiss her as they reached his house. Long, deep kisses began that trailed from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. He was passionate and made her feel beautiful and healthy and above all, normal. His hands were covering her back as he backed into the house, unable to turn from her lips.

The house was dark as they kissed their way in. Riley bumped into the couch and they tumbled over and down but even as they fell, they only momentarily separated their lips. Buffy suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm and broke their kiss.

"Ouch," she said, rubbing her arm and looking at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I think that something just poked me in the arm," she said, "It almost felt like-" Her sentence was cut off when she collapsed on his chest. Hefting her over his shoulder, he headed across the room where Forrest was standing in the dark, waiting.

"Those must have been really strong drugs," Riley said to his friend. "Yeah, she put enough meds in that syringe to put two grown men out for an entire day," Forrest answered with a smile.

"Think she'll be ok?" Riley asked with a worried look on his face, as they stood in front of the mirror. The bright green light from behind the mirror flashed over their eyes, brightening the room momentarily and then the room darkened once more.

"Retinal scan complete. Finn, Riley," a computerized female voice stated as the mirror slid aside to reveal the hospital white elevator. Stepping inside with Buffy tossed, unconscious over his shoulder, he looked over at Forrest who stepped inside behind him.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Shoulda waited a little longer though. She's one hot girl. I think she was about to give in," Forrest said, ticking his head to the side to admire her body.

"Shut up, Forrest," Riley said, irritably, "She a mission, not a lay."

"Girls are girls. Especially tepid ones like your little slayer." Shaking his head, Riley leaned over to the panel by the door.

"You are just wrong," he said to his friend.

"Vocal initialization complete. Finn, Riley," the female computerized voice announced. Riley shifted Buffy's weight on his shoulder and sighed. He wasn't sure this was the right thing to do but he was past the point of no return. The doors opened and he followed Forrest down the stairs to where Professor Walsh was waiting.

***

Spike stood in the shadows watching Riley and Buffy kissing as they made their way into the house.

"I'm one obessessed bloody bastard," he mumbled as he made his way around the house to peer in the living room window, "but I might get to see a bit 'o skin." He watched with severe arousal and glorious jealousy as the blonde pair kissed and groped on the couch. The ugly thoughts he already had toward Finn were multiplied by the thousand when he saw him reach in the drawer behind him. At first he thought that the boy was already reaching for the condom and Spike found that bold as hell, but when he saw him take out a syringe, he gasped an unnecessary gulp of air and ran toward the stairs, then to the door when he realized it was a house. No need to finish his trek to the door. Wouldn't be able to get in anyway.

"Holy shit," he said, watching helpless as Finn threw her lithe body over his shoulder and carried her away to where he couldn't follow. Spike turned on his heel, in a not un-military about face, and sprinted with the aide of vampire speed to the nearest pay phone. There he dialed the number to Angel Investigations, which he had memorized, but would never admit. Had to know where to reach the nearest sane sire, right? Right?

"Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless," Cordelia's voice said over the line.

"Cordelia. It's Spike. I need-"

"Spike!"

"Yeah, listen, dammit. I need to talk to the poof. Is Angel there?"

"Well, he's been in a horrible mood all day and I'm not sure I want to jeopardize myself just because you want to-"

"Bloody hell, woman! It's an emergency for crying out loud. Buffy is in trouble. Now put the pansy on the bloody phone!"

"Fine. Geez, you don't have to yell at me. Freak," she said and set down the phone with a clink.

"Spike?" Angel said, sounding alarmed, "What's wrong with Buffy?"

"I saw her and her commando boyfriend getting ready to bump uglies when he pulled a syringe out and injected with something. Whatever it was it knocked the Slayer out. He carried her somewhere and I couldn't get in cause of the whole invisible door thing."

"I'm coming now. Go to Giles and tell him what happened. I'll be there soon," He growled. He turned and ran to his car, grabbing his jacket on the way out. Not only did he allow that little ass to touch his mate but the bastard had the nerve to drug her? What the hell was the little asshole doing? Angel was going to find out and soon. Angel drove like a mad man to Sunnydale, making it in half the time. He jumped out of his car in front of Giles' flat and burst in the door, not bothering to knock.

"Spike!" He yelled as he burst in on a room of shocked Scoobies. Spike looked up from the refrigerator with a plastic bag of blood in his hand.

"That was speedy. Thought you wouldn't be here for an hour mate," he said, strolling around the island, trying to hide his own desperation. The bloody chip kept him from saving the woman he loved and forced him to call the one person who actually could take her away from him. He hoped the pansy poof flipped to Angelus and killed the whole lot of them. Bloody wankers.

"You're going to show me the house where they are keeping Buffy," Angel said, his handsome faced marred by furious anger and worry. The group shrunk back from him as if he were physically attacking them. He was more calm than that when he was beating someone up.

"Love to, Peaches, but the whole physical barrier thing will get in the way. Are you going to yell that them and demand that they invite you in?" Spike said casually.

"Actually," Giles said reflectively, "Since they very certainly took her into the Initiative itself, there is no reason why you would have to seek access through the house. You can take him through the cave entrance, Spike. Although you will most definitely be caught when you enter, you can get in that way. Angel, I do suggest that we wait until we have a better formed plan. We need a way to get you in undetected."

"Giles, you are a man that I truly respect...but I can't wait. I can't think logically right now. She's in pain. I feel it. I can't stand it. I have to get to her and if I have to kill every government boy in my path, I'm bringing her out."

"Angel," Giles said gently, "Are you sure this is the wisest course of action?"

"Of course not," Angel said, "But they're hurting her. She's scared and she's clawing at my insides. She calling me to her and I can't turn away." With that, he grabbed Spike and turned away.

***

Buffy was drowning in the monochrome walls of the Initiative. She knew she had been given at least three types of drugs. The first Riley, her supposed boyfriend, had given her was just a very strong sedative and the second counteracted the first. Something else was in her system too. Something she couldn't quite identify. She had been forced into a cell with a starved vampire and they observed her closely as she fought and killed him.

"Impressive," Walsh said through the glass containment field.

"Screw you," Buffy replied, "Let me out of here."

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but that isn't possible. You see, first of all we brought you here for a reason and secondly, we cannot just let you walk out of here. You know too much. Surely you know that you are expendable?"

"Not as expendable as you, bitch," Buffy spat, "Surely you don't think you're going to get away with this?"

"Why not?" Walsh said casually, looking down at her clipboard and jotting a note.

"Because I am a human being, not one of your recruits or one of your pet demons."

"Doesn't matter," Walsh said with a chilling smile, "See, no one knows you're here. Very few people know this facility even exists. I'm quite sure that we can expect to get away with this and much more."

Buffy leaned against the wall for a second as they went to get the next vampire for her to slay. She knew Angel was coming. He had been coming long before she began calling for him and knew where she was - or he would figure it out. She prayed that her selfish need of him didn't put him in more danger but she knew it did. Walsh came to the glass as the second vampire was thrown in with her.

"This one volunteered," Walsh said smiling, "And there are more. In fact, ever since one of them volunteered, they all want their chance at The Slayer. They say you are the most extraordinary slayer to ever live- the strongest."

"You'll find out if I can get out of here," Buffy said with disdain, "You have no idea what I am capable of."

"That's why we brought you in."

Buffy dispatched the second vampire quickly and turned back to Walsh, "Where's Riley? Too much of a weasel to face me?"

"He is monitoring your progress. There is no reason for him to be here with you now. You are no longer his mission. You have been captured. Mission completed."

"All I was to him was his mission?" Buffy asked, trying not to show her hurt but knew the question revealed all.

"Not initially, if you must know, but when you revealed you were The Slayer, I made you his mission. It doesn't matter how he feels about you, or rather, how he felt about you. He's a soldier. He did his job. Now that job has ended."

***

Buffy was on her sixth vampire, slaying under close observation when Angel and Spike arrived at the mouth of the cave. Spike took him as far as the entrance and stopped.

"I'm not going back in there. Those people put the bloody chip in my head. The next time, I might not get out. You'll have to find the little bint on your own from here. Hope they don't put a chip in your bloody head, mate. Guess it wouldn't matter much to you though."

"You'd be surprised out handy it is to be able to hit humans. Tonight, for example," Angel said as he made his way into the walls where the Initiative could be breached. "It's better you stay behind anyway. If I don't come out, you'll have to work with the gang on trying to get Buffy out another way."

"What you don't think they'll rescue you too?" Spike said with a smirk.

"Either I'll be with Buffy or I'll be dead," Angel said, stone faced and turned again to go.

Buffy was easy to find. All of the inhabitants of the Initiative knew where she was. Unfortunately, it took less than five minutes from the time he reached the main compound for everyone to know where he was too. Angel soon found himself in the midst of an army attack. He was trying to fight without killing and he really regretted for the first time since his soul was restored that he felt the need to preserve human life. It would have been much easier if he wasn't purposely trying not to kill the soldiers he was fighting. Buffy was close. He could feel her and it made his skin burn. He battled through the hard human bodies blocking his way. He was shot at least twice that he was sure of but his rage and desperation to get to his love kept him from feeling the stings of the bullets or the strikes that the men were able to land on him, which were few. The troops inside the Initiative were desperately trying to take Angel down without killing him. Professor Walsh was intrigued that such a strong, virile and obviously old vampire would break into the compound. Finally they were able to corner him just three or four rooms from Buffy's holding cell. He knew that she was exhausted and hurt. He could smell her blood and her fear.

"I came for The Slayer," Angel said between menacing growls.

"You broke into our complex just to get at The Slayer?" Walsh asked stepping forward, frankly dumbfounded by even the idea that her death, or rather his, would be that important to him.

"Yes," Angel hissed, his eyes golden and full of more anger than he could remember having since being in possession of his soul.

"You do realize that all of the vampires in the complex want her too?"

"Yes."

"And you also realize that she has killed many of them in the one evening she has been in our custody?"

"I have no doubt of that."

"And yet you wish to be locked in the cell of an armed slayer, which to our understanding is the strongest Slayer to have lived so far in our recorded history of the subject?"

"Yes."

"May I ask why you broke into this complex to get to her?"

"Yes," Angel said, his conscience growing thin.

"Well, vampire, why did you?"

"She is mine," he said growling deep in his chest with his words.

"She is yours?"

"Yes," he answered simply, "And I wish to be taken to her."

Walsh stood there looking at the demon before her, unable to comprehend why exactly he came into a complex that was feared by all of his kind just to get at The Slayer. Why wasn't he out taking advantage of her absence? She couldn't pass up this opportunity to see a weakened slayer against a beast of his strength and speed. He had already taken out three of full teams. Her scientific mind took no pity on The Slayer as she nodded for them to take Angel to her. His mind took note of her coldness and thought about killing her as he passed by but instead waited to be led to his love.

She was crouched in the corner near tears, weak and bleeding. She stood when she heard them coming and sensed Angel's presence. He appeared in game face, escorted by men and he growled loudly at her, signaling that she wasn't to reveal that he posed no threat. She stood on shaky legs as they opened the door. Her stake was clutched tightly in her bloody hand. She was sure that she would collapse if they didn't let him in soon but their movements seemed so slow to her muddled mind. It occurred to her then that she was sure they gave her something in the drugs that was disorienting her. The only thing that she was sure of was Angel.

They pushed Angel into the cell and Buffy allowed tears to squeeze from her eyes. She took a shaky step towards him. As she began to fall, he closed the distance between them with vampiric speed to catch her in his arms. She sobbed in his arms, leaning against his broad frame. He held her so tightly that her toes barely touched the floor as she buried her face in his black shirt, seeming not to notice his ridged face. Walsh and the team that trapped Angel stood outside of the cell, looking in with their faces covered with nothing less than complete shock. Angel kissed her blonde head and whispered lovingly to her, "Shhh, baby. It's okay, love. You're safe now."

Despite his sweet words, anger rumbled in his chest for his mate's treatment. His game face remained intact as he held her. She lifted her tear stained face to look into his flashing golden eyes, "I love you, Angel. I never stopped loving you."

"I love you, Buffy. Always, love," he whispered, before capturing her trembling lips with his. Kissing passionately around his sharp fangs, they deepened the kiss and he felt himself falling into her just as he had dreamed for so long. His anger forgotten against her lips, his face resumed its human form and sighing against her mouth, his kissed her harder, with more bottled up passion without the impediment of his fangs. As the kiss deepened he tasted the blood from her split lip and he broke the kiss, feeling strange for a second while the incredibly strong mixture of drugs shot through his body.

"They drugged you," he said, his eyes flashing golden with anger. She nodded, borrowing in his chest again. His head snapped up from his love to the people gawking outside the glass.

"You drugged her," he shouted at the onlookers, uncontrollable possession and love and hate and anger forcing him to shift back into demon form.

"Yes," Walsh said nodding slowly with apparent awe of what she was witnessing.

"You dare touch what is mine again and I will rip your throat out, bitch. How dare you take the Slayer into captivity and drug her," he said, nearly snarling at her, all the while holding Buffy gently in his arms, close to his chest, "What did you give her?"

"Not that it is of any consequence but a simple adrenaline inhibitor and a sort of wake up call after Agent Finn gave her the sedative. There is a trace of a depressant in the mix as well, to reaffirm our suspicions that state of mind has everything to do with strength." Buffy looked up at Angel then because he started to shake even as he growled vibrating his broad chest while anger and jealousy coursing through his veins. She reached up and caressed his ridged face as she felt his anger begin to spin out of control.

"Angel," she whispered, moving his eyes to hers, "Angel, I'm okay. It's okay, baby." He took a deep unnecessary breath and allowed his sanity to take over as he pulled her more tightly against his chest. He tried to look at Walsh but Buffy held his face fast.

"Angel, look at me. I love you and we're together. Nothing can hurt us now. I'm okay. I really am." His face shifted again back to his handsome human planes and she kissed him gently. Catching his gaze for a second more before he turn his head to look again through the glass at his enemies. The control The Slayer had over the vampire did not go unnoticed among any of them.

"Why an adrenaline inhibitor? If you wished the Slayer dead, why drug her and put her in harm's way? Why not just kill her to begin with?"

"We do not wish the Slayer dead and oddly neither do you. Why is that by the way?"

"Answer my question," Angel snapped.

"In order to fully calculate the Slayer's strength, it is important to take the natural rush of adrenaline out of the equation."

"And you call yourselves scientists," Angel hissed, "I'm amazed you've made it this far. You do realize of course, that adrenaline is an integral part of the body's natural defense system and without it, a person would be weakened considerably in a perilous situation."

"Of course. We wanted to know how much of her superior strength had to do with accelerated adrenaline supplies," Walsh stated blankly.

"I see, so what? You're trying to develop Slayer kryptonite or something? You want the demons to crawl the earth unstopped by the one girl chosen to defeat them?"

"I don't need to answer your questions. But of course not. This is simply a study."

"On a live human being!" Angel shouted, a roar issuing from deep in his chest.

"One which you happen to love despite your nature. Why is that? You aren't even alive."

"What can I say? I never followed the crowd," Angel said dismissively and began to turn away, but then turned back, "The Slayer is precious to the fate of the world and to me. I will not allow any demon who enters this cell to leave alive. I will not have her drugged again. I don't wish to take human lives but if you try to separate us, I will kill anything and everything to keep her safe." With that, he turned and escorted Buffy to a corner where he lowered both of them to the floor. Pulling Buffy into his lap, he held her, letting his time without her float away, his anger to die and his love for her overwhelm him again. He was doomed this time and he knew it. After what happened with Parker and then Riley, he knew that he would not be able to leave her again. He cuddled her in his arms and ignored the people outside of the cell who began to wander off when they saw the excitement was over. Buffy, finally feeling safe, fell asleep against Angel's chest.

***

"She called him Angel," Walsh said to her aid as they headed back toward the lab, "Find out everything you can about the vampire known as Angel. Send a demon in there with them. I will overlook the results from the monitors in the lab."

"A vampire or another sort of demon?" The lab rat asked.

"A vampire," she said without hesitation, "I want to see what he does to one of his own kind."

***

Angel stayed alert and watchful as his love slumbered against his chest. The picture he had stored in his mind of his mate was never fitting for her true beauty. He was taken aback every time he saw her. She was so much more beautiful than the time before. God, and her smell. If he could bottle up her smell, he knew that it would feed the frenzy of a thousand lost souls. He inhaled her scent, inspecting each part of her. Light vanilla perfume always struck him first, then the smell of her shampoo scenting her blonde hair, soap, sweat and blood. Mix that with her arousal and he was a lost man.

Wait, arousal? He looked down at her and she was shifting in her sleep and murmured his name in a barely audible sleepy voice. Her hot little hand was resting on his chest and he felt his own arousal rise beneath her weight. He could smell her wetness and daydreamed about reaching between her muscular thighs to feel the honey that waited there. He would slip his fingers inside her while he rubbed her swollen clit until she was trembling on his lap, climaxing and grinding her hips against him. He could take her right there on the sterile white floor...

He brushed his thoughts away, knowing that he couldn't make love to her after all this time there in that cell. He would wait to tell her that he was permanently ensouled. When they escaped, he would make love to her until they were both screaming with pleasure. Kissing her golden halo of hair he shifted her to his side, closest to the wall and laid her gently there. He wanted to be on his guard for whomever entered the cell which he was sure would happen soon and he couldn't have a raging hard on when it happened. He closed his eyes and eased himself into mediation, calming his nearly uncontrollable lust and replacing it with the anger he harbored toward the captors of his beloved.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She had scooted over in her sleep to find him and while meditating, he didn't even notice that her hand was on his thigh, tightly holding him there with her. He smiled with the realization that she holding him protectively. If she could touch him, she knew he was still by her side and nothing was hurting him. Still The Slayer, no matter what, she felt his safety was her concern, just as he felt her safety was his. He didn't know how the whole world wasn't in love with this remarkable woman.

He heard the footsteps long before Buffy would have and jerked his head to look out into the hallway through their glass encased prison. Two fatigue clad men held a vampire who was struggling like a mad undead man, trying to escape their grasp. He did not want to go into that cell. Angel jumped to his feet, his boots making a loud thump as they landed on the white tile. Scooping up Buffy's stake, he stood in a defensive stance as they shoved the poor soulless beast in with him.

"Angelus," the red headed vampire whimpered.

"Aye, Patrick," Angel answered, falling into his Irish brogue.

"I wish you and your Slayer no harm," he whimpered again, maintaining his distance, unmoving on the other side of the cell.

"You don't? Look at yourself," Angel said, nodding at the vampire's bared fangs.

"I'm- I'm sorry. I can smell her blood. The Slayer's blood. It's so strong," he stammered looking at the sleeping girl with longing.

"Weakling," Angel said with a smirk.

"How can you resist?" Patrick said, looking over at her again, "I know you've tasted her blood and you've fucked her. You have an unending well of sex and blood and you walk away?" Angel leaned casually against the wall, keeping his calm.

"You fell in love with our kind's greatest enemy," Patrick continued, "I don't think I'm the weakling here. Maybe I should take that stake away from you and watch your ashes settle as I take your Slayer and show her what a real vampire is capable of."

Angel let out a loud laugh, "You underestimate the Slayer, Patrick and even if you were able to kill me, which makes me want to laugh again, you would never take her. She would dance in your dust."

"As Angelus, you were a master and one to be feared. Now you're a neutered puppy. The lap dog of a mortal woman! The Slayer no less. I'm not afraid of you anymore," He announced bravely, puffing out his chest.

"Then you're a fool," Angel said, pulling himself away from the wall and engaging his foe as languidly as he would sit down for tea. Keeping his human face with a cocky grin intact, Angel strolled across the room to where Patrick stood, parried his expected blow, swept his feet out from under him and plunged the stake in his heart.

"Idiot," Angel muttered as he turned back to Buffy, who was sitting up and quite awake.

"I don't think he can hear you," Buffy said, "and even if he could, I don't think you could expect a snappy come back."

"Yeah, well, I get plenty of those from you anyway," he said crossing the room, smiling.

"Yeah, well, usually, you deserve them," she retorted, smiling back.

"Thanks for dispatching of the living dead over there," She said, snuggling into him again as he sat down next to her.

"You're welcome. Didn't want to wake you for insignificant verbal bashings."

"Thanks honey," she said.

Honey. The word jolted him. It had been years since she called him that. Silence covered them for a few moments and then she looked up at him and waited for him to meet her gaze.

"There are just three words, I want to hear from you before we plan our escape," she announced.

"I love you," Angel said, looking intently in her eyes.

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head, "‘I'm not leaving.'"

"Buffy-" Angel began.

"Angel, if you start with ‘Buffy,' that's fine as long as the rest of the sentence is ‘I'm not leaving' and you can even add something at the end like ‘ever again.'"

"I'm not leaving you," He said, his eyes brimming with long forgotten tears, forced to the forefront by not so forgotten emotion, "ever again."

"Promise?" She said, searching his eyes for a sign of the truth that she so desperately wanted to find there.

"I promise," he whispered, claiming her lips in the first kiss of millions he hoped they had together.

"I have something else to tell you before we plan our escape," he said.

"I love you?"

"Well, there is that, of course and that my soul is permanent now."

"What? How? Why?"

"Three excellent questions, love. Willow didn't add the extra clause when she cursed me again. She freed me." Squealing with delight, Buffy dove against him, knocking him to the floor and devouring his lips with the passion of the lost days behind them.

"I don't think we should do it right here, love," he whispered huskily in her ear as he kissed her bare throat, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"I'm sure the scientists would love to study the coupling," she whispered, biting his neck and illiciting a low growl from him. He settled on his mark on her neck and sucked at it roughly, pressing her body against his. Feeling his arousal against her she laid her head on his chest and sighed.

"We've gotta get out of here before I rip all your clothes off," Buffy said, her voice muffled against his hard chest.

***

"What have you found out?" Walsh asked looking at the agent.

Riley stood tensely by her side waiting. I mean, sure, Buffy was a mission but she was still his girlfriend. How could she not have told him that she was in love with a damn vampire? Seems like a pretty important detail to overlook. He hated to admit it but he was angry and jealous. He was supposed to be detached and military but he cared for the little blonde slayer. He was actually hoping they could get through all this without her finding out that he was involved. What a foolish pipe dream that was. She knew he drugged her and there was no way she would ever come back to him. Damn it.

He turned intently toward the agent, who began to speak, "Well, she called him Angel, so our sources looked around for awhile until we found him under 'Angelus - the demon with the face of an angel.' He has also been known as 'The Scourge of Europe.' He was sired by a vampire named Darla in Galway, Ireland in the 1700s, who was sired by the Master himself. Apparently, Angelus, also known as Angel, was one of the most dangerous, ruthless and all around evil vampires in history. In fact, other vampires were afraid of him because he was so powerful and evil. Then in the 1800s he was cursed by the Romany."

"Romany?" Riley asked.

"Gypsies."

"Cursed?" Walsh said quizzically.

"Yes," the agent replied, nodding, "They restored his soul. His punishment for hurting their people was to be a demon with a soul, to live in eternal torment with the remorse of the things he had done. In 1997, he moved to Sunnydale and met The Slayer. It is rumored that he moved here just for her and for no other reason, but her. It has almost become legendary already how The Scourge of Europe fell in love with The Slayer. They fought side by side and they repeatedly risked their lives for the other's safety. On her 17th birthday, they had sex and he reverted to his former self. It was then that they found out that if Angel experienced one moment of true happiness, he would lose his soul. During that time, Angel sought out his children, one of which is Hostile 17 and proceeded to call upon dangerous powers which would suck the world into hell. It is rumored that his actions were solely prodded by his desire to destroy The Slayer."

"Interesting," said Walsh nodding, "But he did get his soul back, then?"

"Yes. A young witch, Willow Rosenberg, who is the best friend of The Slayer, performed the Romany ritual and re-cursed Angel with his soul. Unfortunately, it was not in time to stop the ritual that Angel's alter ego had started, so in order to save the world, Buffy sent Angel to hell."

"He was sent to hell with a soul?" Walsh asked, shocked.

"He was there for about 4 months, which, in the demon dimension, was approximately 400 years. After that, The Slayer ran away from Sunnydale and spent the summer in Los Angeles, where there were suggestions that she too spent short time in hell. He was released from hell shortly after Buffy's return to Sunnydale. No one knows for sure how he was released, but it has been speculated that she had something to do with it. They were reunited until he left her and moved to Los Angeles at the end of the summer after the Mayor was destroyed. He has not returned, to the best of our knowledge, until tonight."

"Hmmm, strange," Walsh said thoughtfully, "He appears to still love her. I wonder why he left."

"The rumors indicate that he left because he couldn't give her a normal life. And there's more. One of my sources said that before he left the other Slayer, Faith, poisoned Angel in an attempt to hurt Buffy and distract her from the mayor's Ascension. The only cure was the blood of a slayer. Buffy put Faith in a coma trying to take her to Angel. In the end, she not only let him drain her but made him drain her."

"The Slayer forced a vampire to feed off of her?" Walsh asked incredulously.

"It seems so, yes," the agent replied, getting more excited about his story by the second, "He fed off her and rushed her to the hospital. She checked out of the hospital within 8 hours and stopped the mayor's Ascension!"

"That's pretty significant information," Walsh said, looking off in the distance, "We need to find out how he knew to come and save her tonight."

"Hostile 17," Riley said piping up, "He was following us all night. Buffy even mentioned it earlier on the date. If he was a childe of Angel's, I'm sure he's the one to called him. There's also something else you should know, Professor."

"What's that?"

"Angel did kill the other vampire that you put in cell. He didn't even wake up Buffy. Just let her sleep there while he was fighting. You should probably watch the footage. It was artful and there are conversation clips that I think you will find useful in your research," he said before turning in a crisp about face and heading towards the door.

"So, Agent Finn," Walsh said, "Seems the vampire isn't the only one that has fallen in love with the girl."

"No," Riley said, clenching his jaw, "Hostile 17 is in love with her too, as well as her closest male friend, Alexander Harris."

"And you," she said.

"Am I excused?" he said, angrily. If asked he wouldn't have been able to explain why he was so angry except that he could see her in his arms on the monitor. His Buffy in the arms of that...that demon!

"Of course," she said with a smile. With that he nearly stopped out of the lab like a twelve year old
child.

***

Buffy was so exhausted that even as she kissed Angel, she fell asleep. Laying on top of him, she went slack and began to make the cute little purring noise she always made when she slept with him. He laid still, enjoying the feel of her weight on him. I wonder if she makes that sound when she's sleeping without me, he mused. He didn't think so but he didn't often see her when she wasn't in his arms. He thought about the times he climbed into her window and watched her sleep.

No, he thought, she only made that sound for him. He smiled broadly at his love's sleeping form. Every time he saw her, he found another reason to love her just a little bit more.

Boots clomped down the hall again and he shifted her off of him and against the far wall once more. Damn them, he thought, reaching into his pocket and feeling for the stake, he waited. This time, they threw a rather burly demon in with them. The demon was obviously starved. Angel knew that he wouldn't eat a vampire. Most demons who were so hungry they were insane would never eat a vampire. Dead flesh was distasteful to everyone. But he would eat Buffy.

Angel moved into fighting stance, hoping that the hunger had weakened the beast. Their species, whose name escaped him, were very strong.

"I have no quarrel with you vampire. I only want the human," he said in English but his words were almost indecipherable with his heavy jaw and large mouth of teeth.

"Oh yes you do," Angel said, reverting to game face, "If you want her, you gotta get through me first."

"No problem vampire," he growled. The demon moved quickly for his size, closing the space between him and Angel. The demon immediately swung a large arm toward Angel's face, attempting to close line him. Sidestepping, Angel easily moved from the path of his swing. Buffy slept fitfully against the wall as Angel and the demon traded almost equally devastating blows. At one point, Angel actually flew across the cell, landing with a loud thud against the wall, inches from Buffy, who simply murmured his name and continued to sleep - although she no longer purred, having lost his touch against her body.

If the demon was weakened with hunger, he couldn't tell. He felt as if he had been fighting him for half the night when he was finally able to jump high upon the beast's back and break his thick neck. Angel hurried over to Buffy and began to shake her gently.

"Buffy," he whispered, "Wake up, love."

She groaned and scooted closer to him, burying her face into his thigh.

"Baby, you have to wake up. There isn't much time." She groggily sat up and looked at him with droopy eyes. He pulled her into his embrace and began kissing her neck and then he whispered in her ear, "Moan like you're turned on and listen to what I have to say. "

"That'll be easy," she said huskily and then began to moan as he kissed her.

"They're recording our conversations," he whispered in between caresses and kisses too passionate to be fake, "I'm hoping they will come to get the demon's body. When they do, we're going to escape. Either way, no one who comes in here is going to leave. Okay?"

"Yes," she hissed into his ear, running her hands over his broad back, as he moved to her lips. Like clockwork, three of them entered, heavily armed to get the demon. Angel kept kissing her, pretending not to notice the men. As they picked up the demon's body, all three of them struggled to lift him. Angel and Buffy bolted for them, managing to knock all three of them out before they could reach for their weapons. Stripping them quickly of weapons and IDs, Angel opened the door and escorted Buffy out. Slinging the extra gun across his back, Angel moved along with Buffy, both cautiously moved forward, using their enhanced abilities to listen for possible attack.

"They're not going to let us just walk out of here," Buffy said, moving sluggishly next to Angel.

"I know, love," he whispered, "But a vampire can hope," he said, smiling. He led her through the complex to the place in the caves where Spike showed him in. They made it without incident but both had the nagging feeling that they were being watched. Once in the cave, Buffy sighed in relief and began leaning heavily on Angel as they walked. Darkness swallowed them and they utilized Angel's superior eyesight to guide them through. Angel began to worry as Buffy stumbled along with him. Finally, he swung all three guns over his shoulder and lifted her into his arms. Her Slayer strength should have knocked the drugs out of her system by then but they hadn't. He headed straight for Giles' house.

***

They needed to perform some tests and find out why she wasn't better yet - why she was actually worse. Giles answered the door in a panic as Angel carried Buffy in and laid her on the couch that Xander, Anya and Willow had just stood up from. Buffy was unconscious as he laid her down. Spike was there waiting in the shadows, smoking next to the window. Tara stood behind Willow like a timid shadow.

"Willow, could you take a blood sample and see what is in her blood? I tasted the drugs and they made me feel funny but I'm not sure what they are. That Walsh woman said he put adrenaline inhibitors, a light depressant and a upper to counteract the sedative Riley injected her with but there has to be
something else there."

"You fed off her!" Xander shouted with a voice filled with as much anger as any of them had ever heard.

"No," Angel said, shaking his head and pointing to Buffy mouth, "She split her lip in a staged scientific fight with a vampire while she was in her cell. I kissed her and tasted the blood."

"Well," Xander said, sitting down, "I guess that's okay then."

"So glad you approve," Angel said sarcastically and then proceeded to tell everyone the events that had transpired to fill the void of panicked silence while they waited for Buffy's prognosis. Willow was working fast but it took hours for her to come up with an answer and Angel was a step away from full blown hysteria.

"Okay," Willow said with a sigh coming out to face the crowd, "The drugs they used to knock her out and the drug they used to wake her up were both compounds that work well on demons but have adverse effects on humans. I think they probably thought that since Buffy is The Slayer, her blood would combat the drugs the same way that demons do but she isn't a demon. The drugs are killing her. Her body just can't fight it."

"Then is there an antidote?" Giles questioned.

"Well, there could have been if we had known about this a long time ago but not now. Basically, the only way to get the drugs out is to take the blood out and that of course will kill her."

"Maybe not," Angel said.

"If you think that -" Xander started.

"Wait, Xander, Angel is right. When he fed off her before, she healed quickly. He could partially drain her and then we could take her to the hospital for a transfusion like before."

"Yes," Angel said nodding, "And my body can fight the drugs." Angel walked over to where Buffy lay and gently revived her back to consciousness.

"Wake up, love," he whispered, "Open your eyes." After several minutes of prodding, her eyes fluttered open.

"Angel," she gasped, as if surprised to see him there, "Hold me. I'm cold. I can't get warm."

"He'll only make you colder, Buff," Xander said snidely.

"No," Buffy said, not looking away from him, "He always makes me warm. I think...I think there's something wrong with me. I'm so tired."

"Buffy, listen baby, the drugs they gave you have made you sick. The only way to save you is for me to feed off you and take the blood from your body into mine. Then we'll take you for a transfusion, like before."

"But they'll make you sick too," Buffy said, her eyes tearing up, "I can't lose you again."

"No, sweetheart, they won't. I'm a demon remember? The drugs won't effect me the same way they effect you."

She squeezed his hand, smiling as her eyes started to droop again, "You're my demon."

"Stay awake, baby, stay with me. I need you to be conscious when I feed off of you."

"Why?"

"Because you can fight death if you're conscious."

"Handy boyfriend," Xander muttered under breath. Angel didn't bother shooting an annoyed glance at Xander - he was too involved with Buffy, but Giles did it for him. Buffy was desperately trying to keep her eyes open but they were so heavy. Angel hauled her to a sitting position and shook her gently. This wasn't working. He decided to try another tactic.

"I fucked Darla," he said, his voice cold and serious. Her eyes flew open with hurt and anger and shock. It worked. He could barely contain his smile.

"You what!?"

"In a moment of pure despair, I took all of my aggression out on her."

"How could you?" Buffy said, her eyes tearing up. The rest of the group were just as shocked as Buffy, with the exception of Spike, of course, who grinned freely.

"I don't love her. I never did. I was at the bottom and I needed something, anything to take me away from the cold."

"If you needed someone, why didn't you call me? You could have lost your soul! And everything would be lost on that demonic whore!"

"If I had come to you, I would have lost my soul. Well, that's what I thought. I didn't know my soul was intact as the time. But that's beside the point - It was pure despair. Emptiness. Nothing like what I share with you," Angel said, cupping her cheek.

"You should have staked her instead," Buffy said, nearly wide awake.

"I fucked her," Angel said again, "And I wanted you to know. And," he said, grinning, "I wanted to piss you off, so you would stay awake."

"Well, it worked. You pissed me off."

"Forgive me, baby?" He said, searching her eyes and caressing her hand.

"When this is all over, you owe me big time, mister," Buffy said with sexy half smile even while her eyes were starting to droop again.

"Agreed," he said, smiling a knowing smile back, "I'll make it up to you again and again." Buffy then noticed her room of friends and blushed.

"Okay, love, are you ready?" He said, making her look at him.

"I think so. I'm so tired, Angel," she said.

"Just a little bit longer. Just stay with me a little bit longer."

"I can't hit you this time. I don't have the strength," she said weakly.

"That's okay. I can do it on my own this time. Trust me?"

"Always." With that he vamped, his face ridging and fangs materializing before the group's eyes. Gripping the lapels of his coat, Buffy whispered, "I love you."

"I love you," he said, his hands beginning to shake, terrified of hurting her, terrified that this wouldn't work. She pulled him to her and kissed him deeply, maneuvering around his fangs. As she kissed him, the whole group seemed to take in a shocked gasp at once - even Spike. Ending the kiss, Buffy pushed her long blonde hair aside and pulled her shirt over to reveal the scar where he had fed off of her before.

"My love," he whispered as he bit down. Buffy's eyes flipped wide open as he sunk his teeth in, breaking her delicate skin again. Sucking The Slayer's tainted life blood away from her, Angel held his hand on the small of her back, supporting her weight as she began to lean away. She reached back and placed a hand on the couch, her other hand holding on to Angel. Splinters flew as Buffy pushed the arm off the end of Giles' couch, the arm making a loud thud as it hit the floor.

Pulling away, Angel lifted his beloved's nearly lifeless body and ran out the front door - the rest of the group in close pursuit. Placing her in the seat of his car, he took one vampiric jump over her and into the driver's seat and took off before the rest of them could climb in. They all piled in Giles car and followed to the hospital.
Angel never ran so fast, as he ran with the delicate body in his arms, from the car into the emergency room.

"Somebody help!" Angel cried as he ran through the doors, his human face back in place and covered with panic.

"She needs a transfusion. She's lost a lot of blood." Those were the last words he remembered speaking, although he knew the hospital staff asked him many questions, which he tried to answer. They pushed him from the room as they began to work and he stood at the glass doors watching them rush around with confusion. The drugs hit him as he stood there and as Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara & Spike walked up to him, he fell hitting the ground with a hard, dead thud.

The group rushed over to him and the medical staff did too. Spike whipped around and glared at the hospital staff and hie eyes were flashing golden, "No one touches him."

Spike, as Angel's grande childe, had not felt protective of him in over a hundred years. Today, he protected him. He would have answered that it was for Buffy or that he didn't want to reveal himself to the staff by them finding out what Angel was. He was truly protecting his mentor, simple as that.

"But sir, he is in need of medical attention. He appears to be bleeding from several places. They look like gunshot wounds," the intern stated with confusion, "And he's very pale."

"He bloody fainted. He's worried about his mate in there. No worries," Spike said flippantly, "He'll be fine."

Spike's vampire strength aided him in tossing Angel's body over his shoulder easily and he pivoted, despite the shock of a much smaller man easily picking up a much larger man and strolling toward the rows of waiting chairs. Tossing him none too gently on the first blue chair, Spike righted Angel's body before he fell over and plopped into the seat next to him. The rest of the group followed suit, sitting next to Spike and doing the only thing they could - they waited.
Angel came alert nearly an hour later, his face covered more ghastly pale than normal. He shook his head and groaned.

"Powerful shit, eh mate?" Spike said.

"Oh yeah," Angel said, wincing at the sound of his own voice, "Effects demons a bit differently. More like a sledgehammer, I think."

"Heard anything about Buffy?" Angel asked, looking over the faces of the group, searching for answers.

"Well," Giles said, slowly, "They came out a bit ago and said they had performed the transfusion but that's all they will tell us. Alas, we are forced to wait longer."

"If she dies," Angel said, his eyes bright yellow, speaking through clenched teeth.

"Don't worry mate. She dies and I'll be right by your side. The whole Initiative will burn - Angelus style."

"Thank you, Will."

"Shut up, Peaches. You go all misty and it'll streak your eyeliner."

"Angel," Giles said, quietly after several moments of deafening silence, "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Sure," Angel said, looking a little worried.

"Buffy said she couldn't hit you like last time. What did she mean by that?"

Angel sighed, "When I was poisoned, I had resigned to die. I was just waiting for Buffy so I could say goodbye. She told me to feed off of her so I'd live. I gathered what strength I had left to push her aside and I ran from the room, telling her that I wouldn't drink her. She followed me and punched me in the face until I changed my mind."

"Ah," Giles stammered.

Xander sank back in his chair remembering what he had said to Angel that day -

It's good to know that when the chips are down, you'll feed off the girl who loves you to save your own ass.

Guilt shadowed his face. He had been wrong about Angel - but just about that one thing.

***

The second Angel was able to get into Buffy's room, he refused to leave. His body was shaking from the overdose of drugs mixed with Slayer blood in his system. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and took her tiny hand in his. There he waited with vigilance and love. His mate lay unconscious and he checked her over thoroughly, not trusting the medical staff. Her pulse was strong and steady, most of her natural color had returned to her face and she was warm. He began to relax as he realized that she would be okay.

Angel, however, was colder than usual. His skin was more pasty than pale, his body had a constant tremor and he had broken out in a light sweat. He hoped that his violent reactions to the drugs just meant that he was fighting it, but he really wasn't sure. The medical staff looked at him warily, wondering if they could somehow convince the strange man receive treatment. Despite repeated efforts they couldn't get him to let them examine him and they couldn't get him away from the girl with the tremendous blood loss. By the way he was shaking and sweating, half of the staff agreed that he was probably on drugs of some sort and didn't appear to be contagious but they weren't sure. They were convinced that he had been shot several times. It didn't matter because the man was not moving from his "mate's" side. They watched him as he triple checked the vitals that they already checked. Seeing that she was okay, he held her hand and sat staring at her with concern and frankly, worship, until he passed out from sheer exhaustion, his dark head resting on her bed.

The nurse's station was a buzz about the very ill man who would not leave his love's side. Two nurses stood near Buffy's door and looked in at them. The girl was still unconscious and the man was now unconscious as well.

"We should have him moved," one nurse said to the other, "What if he is infecting the patient with whatever illness he's carrying?"

"You're right," said the second nurse, "I'll call security and have him escorted out of the room when visiting hours end in an hour."

"Wouldn't recommend that," Spike said, materializing from the wall he had been nonchalantly leaning against, pretending not to be watching over The Slayer and his Grande Sire.

"He could be infecting the patient," the nurse said snappishly, "besides, visiting hours will be over soon."

"You two lovelies have to do your job, of course, but I have to tell you," Spike said, pulling his cigarettes out of his leather duster pocket, "He's going to put up a fight and I'll wager you won't be able to get him out."

"You really think that security couldn't remove him?" The nurse asked, her voice becoming more brittle.

"No, I'm positive that security couldn't remove him. And since he's family and all, they'll have to remove me first before they try to take Nancy boy over there out of that room." He smiled broadly and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke at the no smoking sign that was posted across the room. The nurses stared in shock and utter disbelief at his behavior. He was blatantly breaking the rules! And they were terrified that they couldn't stop him. Giles strolled up covered in responsibility and tweed and took off his glasses.

"My apologies," he said nodding at the nurses, "for his behavior. We're all very concerned for our friends' welfare." Looking over to Spike he said, "Spike, do stop being tiresome. Put out that..that death stick. You're in a hospital for crying out loud."

"Fine Giles," Spike said with disgust as he dropped the cigarette and crushed it out, "But I'm staying her until Peaches or the little bint wakes up."

"Very well, but try to stay out of the way." Giles nodded with his usual gentlemanly style at the nurses once more.

"I would appreciate it," he said quietly, "If you would allow Angel there to stay with Buffy until she regains consciousness. I'm afraid even I would not be able to convince him to leave the room if I tried."

The nurses nodded with shock and amazement at the two Englishmen. The older handsome man, the one that was called Giles, seemed to have a fatherly sort of control for everyone in the group. They all listened and respected him when he spoke, even the rude blonde one. They could tell that none of them were actually his children and they were forced to wonder how he was involved with all those kids. And which one of them could get him to ask them out before he left the hospital.

Buffy woke up in a daze, feeling a bit disoriented. Looking down, she saw Angel trembling violently in his sleep. Reaching down to touch him, she felt his clammy skin and began to panic. Looking up and out the door, she spotted Spike in the hallway.

"Spike!" she yelled out at him.

"Jesus Slayer," Spike said strolling in the room, "Startled me."

"Get Giles," she commanded, "Something is really wrong with Angel." Giles and the group came running in without the benefit of Spike's message. He had already sauntered into the room and was standing by her bed, on the opposite side as Angel.

"It's like this, Pet," Spike started, "Drugs are too much for Nancy Boy's system. He probably won't die but he may not recover for a couple of decades if they are as strong as I think they are. From what I understood while I was inside that commando hellhole, these drugs have offed more than one vamp and disabled couple more demons as well."

"Why didn't you say something before Angel fed off me?" Buffy screamed.

"Because, love, I knew that you would choose to die instead of Angel and I just couldn't have that. Besides, now that you're all healthy again, I can take half of it out of his system and by then it will have been diluted three times."

Giles looked at Buffy and nodded, "I think it may be the only way, if what Spike says is true. They need to dilute the blood." Buffy took one deep, shaky breath and looked down at Angel's sleeping form.

"Angel," she said quietly while touching his shoulder with the hand that wasn't tightly intertwined with his, "Angel, honey wake up."

He raised his head and wearily looked at Buffy. Seeing her healthy face radiating above him, he jumped up and crushed her into his arms.

"Thank God," he whispered into her hair. Breathing her in, he held her tightly for several minutes before releasing her and looking into her eyes, "You're okay?"

"I am," she said and reached out to touch his face, "But you're not."

"I'll be okay," he lied, trying desperately to hide the tremors in his hands.

"Yes, you will," Buffy said with fierce determination, "You and Spike are going to feed off of each other and split the drugs. Don't argue. You won't be able to live with this much in your system."

Willow walked over and shut the door to the view of the nurses who were huddled in the hallway again, watching the show. Xander closed the blinds and joined Willow as both of them leaned against the door in case someone should try to enter.

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Angel said, perching on Buffy's sterile bed, "What if it just ends up killing us both? I think we should research this a bit more first."

"Angel, you're fading. I don't think there's time for research. You two do the whole exchange of blood thing and then we will research. If we need to, we'll find an antidote for both of you. But you can't tell me that you don't feel this killing you."

"Buffy-" he started but just looked at her with a pained expression on his face.

"Please Angel," she said mirroring his expression. Spike walked across the room with his normal cockiness and temerity but when he stepped in front of Angel, he became the submissive childe before the astounded audience.

"Sire," Spike said, leaning his head to the side and baring his neck.

"Childe," Angel said growling as he grabbed Spike roughly by the leather lapels of his coat, rapidly changed to his vampire visage and sunk into his neck, not a fraction as gently as he had bitten Buffy. Spike actually audibly groaned with pleasure as Angel bit in, lolling his head to the side with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. Silence blanketed the room as the sheer macabre and erotic action unfolded before their eyes. Grande Sire and Grande Childe intertwined in taking and giving of life's blood, The Slayer's drugged essence preparing to travel through them both. Angel released his Grande Childe, almost unwilling to give him his blood - Buffy's blood - it was killing him and yet he didn't want to share it. Even the death that approached seemed almost beautiful in his weakened state.

Spike shuddered for a moment from the loss of contact and then grabbed Angel's lapels in a kinder but mirrored movement. He sunk in and felt the inaudible growl rumble through Angel's body. The demon in him loved this act even though he would never admit it. Didn't matter. Spike already knew. It was sheer ecstasy as the poisoned blood violently left his system, forced away by Spike's cool, sucking mouth. When he was finished, Spike stumbled back, both stood facing each other swaying for a moment until both fell to the floor.

Spike shook his head, "Powerful shit, that stuff."

"No kidding," Angel said, more than a little ashamed that the whole Scooby Gang, along with Buffy, witnessed the purest carnal act that vampires partake in, that vampires live for. Until he made love to Buffy, nothing could compare to it.

"How do you guys feel?" Willow said, piping up from the door.

"Like shit," both of them said at once, much to the shock of the room. Laughing they both stood.

"I think we're going to live," Angel said, smiling at Buffy, who was smiling at him.

"Thanks again Will," Angel said turning to Spike.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, mate. Did it more for your little pet than I did for you," Spike said flippantly but facing only

Angel, no one could see the look in his eyes, where the truth lay.

"When can I leave?" Buffy said, pulling her IV roughly from her arm and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Whoa, sweetie," Angel said, standing in front of her, "You're not leaving until a doctor approves it."

"Angel, you know how I feel about hospitals," Buffy whined.

"Buffy, we have to make sure that you have a clean bill of health before you leave. We want to be able to catch any adverse affects before it is too late," Giles said stepping up from the corner of the room.

"Can we hurry?" Buffy said, becoming more and more antsy.

"I'll go get a nurse," Xander said opening the door and Willow moved to open the shades once more.

***

"Doctor, really, I feel great. Never been better. I have to leave this place now," Buffy whined. Even though she killed the Kinderstod all those years ago, hospitals still gave her a wiggins.

"Young lady," the doctor admonished, taking a second to glance over at Angel, who refused to leave her side, "You were very badly in need of blood when you came in and there is some sort of unidentified chemical substance in your bloodstream that is very detrimental to your health. I'm afraid I find it in your best interest to stay the night here for observation. We also need to take a few blood tests to make sure that the drug is properly cycling out of your system."

"Doctor, really. This isn't a big deal. I'm just fine."

"I'm sorry young lady but I am recommending that you stay another night."

"I can't stay here! I have to-"

"Buffy," Angel said in a low serious voice, "You have to stay."

"Whose side are you on anyway?" She snapped.

"I'm on the side where you live for a long, healthy life with no complications because you didn't want to spend the night here. I know you hate hospitals but I promise that I will not leave until you leave. I will stay right here with you, but you have to stay."

"Promise you'll stay?" Buffy said, her eyes filling with tears for the millionth time in the past 24 hours.

"Of course," Angel said, a slow, sexy smile melting over his handsome face.

"Okay, you guys win," Buffy said folding her arms and plopping down in bed, "But I'm not happy about it."

"Thank you," the doctor said before turning and leaving the room.

"Um, doctor?" Buffy said timidly.

"Yes?"

"Could I borrow a pair of tweezers? I need to pluck my eyebrows."

Shaking his head, the doctor left the room.

"What for?" Angel asked.

"There's a bullet in your arm and one in your lower back, dummy. Xander ripped off some bandages earlier. I have them here," She said pulling them from under her pillow, wagging them at him.

"Ah." He said smiling and shaking his head. A nurse came in a few minutes later with the tweezers and a confused look on her face.

"Here you are, young lady."

"Thanks," Buffy said cheerily, "Can't neglect my eyebrows, even when I'm not at my best."

"Um, sure," the nurse said before turning on her heel and leaving the room. Turning back to Angel, Buffy said, "Ok, Mister, take off your shirt."

Baring his muscled chest, she sucked in her breath as she gently plunged into his arm with the tweezers, pulling out the lodged bullet. After bandaging his arm, she ordered him to lay on his stomach while she fished the second bullet out of his lower back. Bandaging the second wound, she beamed at him.

"Thanks baby."

"Don't mention it."

Pulling Angel into her, his large frame spooned around her tiny one. Turning so that they were both facing the door, she snuggled against him. A warrior never kept his or her back to the door in a strange place.

"We shouldn't be here," Buffy huffed.

"Are you saying you don't think I will protect you? You don't feel safe?"

"No, that's not it. Of course, I never feel safer than when I'm with you."

"Then what?"

"I want to be somewhere where I can kiss you and make love to you. It's been so long," she whispered, turning over in his arms so she was facing him. Pulling his lower lip into her mouth, she gently bit him, forcing a low growl that never failed to turn her on. Plunging into his mouth, she kissed him deeply and reached down to caress his already growing arousal.

"Not here baby. Not like this. Tomorrow," He said, pulling her into his bare chest. Whimpering she turned away from him and pressed her firm ass against his arousal.

"You're the one who's going to suffer," she said, pressing harder against him.

"I know, baby, believe me, I know." Despite the need that was pressing them both, seconds later they were in an exhausted sleep.

***

At dusk, Buffy and Angel left the hospital before all of the paperwork was completed, per Buffy's insistence. Happy that Buffy had permitted all of the tests and had stayed the extra night, Angel didn't argue with her as they dressed quickly and left.

Angel steered his car toward the mansion, pulling in front of the hulking building and guiding Buffy in with them. They were both still weakened from the drugs but well on their way to full recovery as they walked slowly inside. Once inside the building, Angel crushed his beloved into his arms, delving between her full lips. Scooping her into his arms, he hurried to the bedroom and lowered her onto the dusty comforter, settling on top of her. He took his time exploring her mouth, then her neck and delicate collarbone.

"Angel," she moaned running her fingers through his hair as he lifted her camisole and covered her braless breast with his hands and lips and tongue. She arched into him, running her nails lightly over his back. He pulled her up suddenly and lifted the shirt over her head, tossing it away as she nimbly unbuttoned his black shirt and peeled it from his body. The rest of their clothes followed suit until they were nude in the arms of their lover.

He kissed a sweet trail down her body and settled between her muscular thighs with a sigh.

"Mmmmm," he moaned as he tasted her for the first time in what seemed like centuries, "You taste so good." His voice was husky and muffled as he sucked her clit between his lips.

"God Angel," Buffy moaned, twisting and arching against him, "You feel..."

She exploded into an orgasm as he licked and sucked her into oblivion.

"Angel please," she moaned, still shaking and pulling him up her body, "Please." Her strong legs hook around his waist, locking him there poised at her entrance.

"Please what, love?" He asked with a crooked smile.

"Fuck me," she growled and tried to pull him closer.

"I'll never fuck you, love," he whispered rubbing his cock against her clit, gritting his teeth from the pleasure he felt.
"Please. Inside. Need you. Now," she moaned, trying again to pull him closer. Entering her dripping center slowly, colors exploded in his eyes.

"You feel so good," he whispered against her neck as he began to move inside her, "Perfect."

Relenting to his need, he moved faster within her, pounding against her tiny body. She rose up to meet him and they crashed together with bone crushing fierceness that would have shattered the pelvis of a normal woman. Burying himself deeper into her with each thrust, they dripped with the need of lovers too long parted.

Reaching between them, he sought out her clit, rubbing in circles that matched their thrusts.

"Come with me, love," he grunted, holding back for her to join him. As if responding directly to his request, she came violently against him. Releasing control, he joined her in rolling waves of ecstasy.

"Love you," she whispered as she snuggled in close to him, feeling the sleep come over her.

"Love you," he whispered back waiting for the sleep to overtake her. Once her breathing evened out, he disentangled himself from her and quietly dressed. Stalking out of the mansion, he hurried to the UC Sunnydale campus. Riley Finn was going to pay for the pain of his mate tonight.

~~FIN~~

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