"Good morning," Buffy replied, unable to keep herself from fidgeting.  She felt like she was fifteen and doing something behind her parents’ backs.  It was ridiculous.

Dr. Porter studied Buffy’s file and then looked at her expectantly.  "I guess I need to know why you’re here since your annual exam isn’t for another four months."

Buffy swallowed and said, "I’d like you to prescribe birth control for me."

"Okay," Dr. Porter said slowly, then studied the chart again.  "Buffy, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Buffy almost laughed.  Did she mind if her gynecologist asked her a personal question?  Considering that any question she asked was bound to be of a personal nature, she replied, "Not at all."

"What exactly is the nature of the sexual relationship you’re in?"

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, unable to understand why that would have a bearing on her request.

Dr. Porter’s brow furrowed as she considered how to phrase her thoughts.  "It is becoming more and more common every year for women over forty to have children, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.  Conception rates plummet after a woman reaches forty.  You’re already forty-four, Buffy.  If this is a long term, stable relationship you’re in, then there are some factors you might want to consider."

"It is," Buffy replied, "a stable relationship, I mean.  What factors?"

"I know you already have one child, but do you and your partner have any intention of trying to conceive?"

Buffy didn’t have an answer.  All of their discussions had revolved around birth control, not trying to get pregnant.  "We haven’t really talked about it," Buffy replied.

"You might want to," Dr. Porter replied.  "If you have any inclination towards having another child, I would suggest trying now.  The odds of you being able to conceive are not good.  If you decide you want to have another child, it may take months or years of trying in combination with any number of fertility drugs and procedures."

"I might not be able to have a child?" Buffy asked, rather shocked by the revelation.  "But I’m not in menopause."

"I know," Dr. Porter replied, "but conception at your age is not common.  There are any number of complications associated with pregnancy over forty.  Miscarriage and birth defects in pregnancies over forty are much higher than those of younger women.  A pregnancy now would be significantly different than your first."

"Oh," Buffy said, feeling like an idiot.  She didn’t know what to say.

"How about if we hold off on the birth control prescription until you’ve discussed this with your partner?" Dr. Porter suggested.

"Uh ... yeah," Buffy said, lost in her thoughts.  "I’ll discuss this with Angel and let you know."

Buffy had spent the entire drive from the doctor’s office to work mulling over the things Dr. Porter had said.  She was wondering if she would be able to keep her mind on work, but when she arrived, Dan met her before she was even out of the car.

Looking at the numerous items listed on the spreadsheet, Buffy groaned.  "You’re *positive* we didn’t receive shipment on any of these items?" she asked Dan.

"Positive," he replied with finality, "although you’re free to double check for yourself."

Looking at row after row of boxes that had been neatly resealed after cataloging, Buffy wanted to cry.  "No," she whined, "I’ll take your word for it."

They were finished cataloging the Houseman items, but cross referencing the shipping list Houseman gave them with what they received showed a huge discrepancy.  It looked like three, possibly four, crates had been misplace somewhere in shipping.

"Are you thinking what I’m thinking?" Dan asked.

"Vince," Buffy said.

Dan nodded in reply.  "You want me to go?"

"No," Buffy sighed.  "If Vince managed to ‘misplace’ them in his warehouse before he delivered them to us, I’m the only one who has any chance of getting them back."

"I’m sure Angel won’t be pleased if you take off to New York for a week," Dan said snidely.

Buffy looked at him suspiciously.  "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Dan replied, "it’s just that he seems a little ... possessive."

Buffy rolled her eyes.  "Whatever."

"Are you going to leave tonight?"

"I’ll have to," Buffy said.  "The longer Vince has those items, the longer he has to find a buyer, and then we’re screwed."

Buffy could feel him watching her, almost as if his gaze were physically raking across her body.  It was delicious.  Looking up, she saw Angel heading across the wide expanse of grass towards the blanket where she sat in the park.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, narrowing his gaze at her.

"Why do you think something’s wrong?" Buffy asked with exaggerated innocence.

"Because you’re usually too busy to talk to me on the phone during the day and now you’re taking an actual lunch hour to eat with me."

Buffy sighed heavily, displeased at having been busted so easily.  "I have to go out of town for a few days," she explained.

"How long and where to?" he asked, sitting down on the blanket.

"A week," Buffy said meekly, "to New York, I have a ten o’clock flight tonight."

Angel frowned, but didn’t say anything.  If it had been for a shorter amount of time, he might have considered taking some time off and going with her, but a week was too long.  He was still in his first semester at UC Sunnydale and he needed to put in more time.

"That’s too bad," he said, leaning towards Buffy, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

Buffy sighed and leaned into him, kissing him back.  "Why?" she asked.

"Because," he said between kisses, "I got my test results back from the doctor this morning and everything checked out."

"Oh," Buffy said, abruptly breaking off the kiss to stare at him.

"This is a good thing, Buffy," he said slowly, not understanding her reaction.

"I-I know," she stuttered.

"What’s going on?" he asked pointedly.

"Nothing," Buffy said quickly.

Angel didn’t buy it and kept staring at her until she was forced to look away.  "Okay," she admitted, "I, uh, talked to my doctor this morning too."

"Really?" Angel asked.  "I thought we agreed to wait."

"We did," Buffy confirmed, "but birth control pills take a month or so to become completely effective after you start them, and I figured it would just make things easier if I went sooner rather than later."

"Okay," Angel said, "so you’re on the pill now?"

"Not exactly," Buffy replied quietly.

"What do you mean ‘not exactly’?"

She fidgeted for several minutes with the material of the blanket they were sitting on.  She didn’t really want to have this conversation when she was getting ready to leave for a week, but this was the perfect opportunity.

 "We’re building a life together," she explained, "and I don’t think either one of us is thinking short term here."

"No," he agreed, "I know I’m not thinking short term."

"So," she said, searching for words, "both of us are thinking about the long run ... which means we should probably figure out what each of us wants from this relationship."

He was silent, waiting for her to continue.

Buffy took a deep breath and plunged in headfirst.  "When I talked to my doctor this morning about birth control, she pointed out some very serious issues."

"Are you sick?" Angel interrupted frantically.

"No," Buffy reassured him with a smile, "but I am getting older.  I’m not baby crazy and I’m not trying to push you into anything.  I have a child I don’t have any overwhelming biological urge to have another one but … ."

She paused, studying his face carefully, but she couldn’t tell anything from his expression.

Continuing, she explained, "Like I said, I’m not trying to push you into anything, but if you do want a child … you better say something *now*.  According to Dr. Porter, my odds of being able to conceive aren’t real good to begin with, and if we want to have a child, it could take a *long* time to get pregnant."

Angel looked shell shocked.  He had not anticipated this conversation, ever.  Buffy wanted to know if he wanted her to bear his child.  He didn’t think he could articulate how that made him feel.  There were some things she needed to know.

Misunderstanding the expression on his face, Buffy tried to backtrack, "I’m just saying … I’m not trying to push … but if we’re going to make a life together  … "

Angel grasped her hands firmly in his own and kissed her, silencing her babbling.  "I know what you meant, Buffy," he said firmly.  "But there are some things in my past, some really awful things that you need to know about before you even consider having a child with me."

She looked at him, her brow furrowing.  "Angel, I know *all* about your past, trust me."

"No," he said firmly, "you don’t.  I’m not talking about my past as a vampire.  I’m talking about things that happened after I was human again.  Things I’m not proud of, but things that you have a right to know."

Buffy studied his face carefully.  "What things?" she asked quietly.

Angel released her hands so he could rub his face.  He’d been dreading this moment from the second he saw Buffy again.

"I had lots of lovers," he explained.  "You know that, but you need to understand what type of women they were.  I dated women who were vain, manipulative, cold, selfish ... I dated women who would use me just as much as I used them, women who wouldn’t dream of having children or of trying to ‘catch’ me, women who didn’t give a shit about me as long as I could."

Buffy stared at him apprehensively.  "I don’t see what this has to do with –"

He held his hand up to silence her and continued, "I dated women like that because of a mistake I made about ten years ago.  I had always gravitated towards women like Clarice, the ones that didn’t need anything from me, but I made a mistake once.  There is a very good reason I’m such a proponent of safe sex now.  I made the mistake of getting involved with a very young, very sweet girl."

Buffy flinched like she’d been hit.  She knew that his lovers had been like Clarice, cold, calculating bitches.  The fact that he’d dated a "nice" girl hurt her infinitely more.

He followed her reactions carefully.  "She was sweet, but I didn’t love her, Buffy.  I used her, I hurt her, I probably destroyed her life.  It was a huge mistake."

"What happened between you?" Buffy asked in a whisper.

"She found out she was pregnant," he said slowly, studying her face, "with my child."

Buffy paled.  Angel had a child with another woman.

"She was so excited about it when she told me," he explained, "but something inside me just snapped.  I went cold.  I was so angry.  I used every bit of manipulation at my disposal.  I forced her – not physically, but mentally – into having an abortion she didn’t want.  After it was over I left her without a word."

Buffy looked at him in shock.  She couldn’t begin to imagine Angel acting in that manner.  True, she knew he had a lot of issues, a lot of scars, but this was ... unbelievable.  He sounded like Angelus.

Swallowing visibly, Buffy said, "I guess that answers my question about you wanting children ..."

"No it doesn’t," he corrected.  "I would give *anything* to have a child with you."

Buffy looked at him, her face a mask of confusion.  "But you just said –"

"I said I would do anything to have a child with *you*.  Only with you, ever.  The idea of having a child with another woman was just so foreign, so wrong.  I know without a doubt that what I did was wrong, but I can’t lie.  If the same thing happened again, I would react in exactly the same way."

Buffy stared at him for a long time, her face expressionless.  Her lover had destroyed an innocent young girl.  He’s just admitted that he coerced her into aborting their child ... and then in the same breath told her that he wanted a child with her more than anything.  Buffy couldn’t begin to process the information.  She stood up, taking several steps back from him.

"Buffy," he said quietly, tears standing in his eyes.

"I-I have to go," she stuttered.  "I have to finish things at the gallery before I leave tonight."

She turned and walked blindly for the car, aware that Angel wasn’t following her and grateful for it.

It was after seven when Angel arrived at home.  He’d debated coming home at all, knowing Buffy didn’t want to see him right now.  He also knew it was a possibility that she would never want to see him again.  He couldn’t stay away.  He needed her more than anything in the world, even if she hated him, especially since she was leaving town.

Buffy was packing her clothes into a black suitcase when Angel entered the bedroom.  Her posture stiffed immediately in reaction to his proximity, but she didn’t verbally acknowledge his presence.  Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.  She didn’t fight him, but she didn’t relax in his embrace either.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"I just need some time, Angel," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears.  "I need to sort some things out before we go any further."

She felt him nod and he stepped back from her, leaning against the wall.  Without looking at him, she zipped up the suitcase and headed out of the room.  She stopped at the doorway but didn’t turn around.

"I love you, Angel."

Vince was his usual thieving, lying self, but Buffy managed to ferret out the missing crates and arranged to have them shipped to Sunnydale.  The trip could have been completed in two days, but since Vince was so untrustworthy, Buffy needed to personally accompany the crates.  She ended up spending eight days in New York overseeing everything.

On her last night in the city, Buffy knew she couldn’t put off thinking about her relationship with Angel any longer.  She’d been running from it all week, keeping herself so busy she didn’t have time to think about his past … or hers.

Opening her suitcase, she pulled the time worn piece of paper from the compartment she’d packed it in.  She studied it carefully, tracing it’s lines with her finger and then holding it to her chest.  The pain mounted until a gasping sob finally broke from her chest.

Clutching the paper to her chest, Buffy lay on her side sobbing violently.   Angel had trusted her enough to tell her the truth, but she hadn’t done the same for him.  Of course, the situations weren’t the same.  What Buffy had done was much worse.  She knew she would have to tell Angel the truth.  Whether or not he could forgive her would be another issue.

She hadn’t spoken to Angel on the phone the entire time she was gone, so he hadn’t known to expect her late Friday night.  He was asleep on the couch, an open book draped across his chest.  He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, pushing his body until it finally betrayed him, collapsing in the middle of whatever he had been doing.

Too tired and too lonely, to do anything else, Buffy curled up on the couch next to him, pillowing her head on his chest and falling asleep.

It was mid morning when Buffy woke to find Angel watching her carefully.

"I didn’t know if you’d come back," he said quietly.

The guilt in her heart made Buffy want to retch.  Would there ever be a time when they could stop hurting one another?  Sitting up on the couch, she looked at him wearily.  She didn’t know if she had the strength for this.

"We need to talk," she told him.

Angel nodded and sat up as well, studying her for any signs of what she was thinking.  He watched her as she withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him.  Angel looked at it, his brow furrowing.  It was some sort of black and white picture.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Nick," Buffy replied.  "It’s a sonogram from when I found out I was pregnant.  He was only a few weeks old."

Angel didn’t say anything.

"I was eighteen.  It was my first semester in college and my life was falling apart.  You’d abandoned me, and then there was Parker and probably some cave guys though I can’t really remember two whole days, so who knows what exactly happened.  I didn’t have a job.  I didn’t have an apartment.  All I knew was that I was carrying a child, unsure of who the father was, and I was not ready to be a mother.  I was so upset.  I didn’t want the baby.  I made an appointment for an abortion."

"But you couldn’t go through with it," Angel surmised.

Buffy nodded, tears in her eyes.  "I love Nick so much.  He’s my baby.  It doesn’t matter who his father was.  Having him was the most fulfilling experience of my life, the idea that I almost threw that all away … "

"But you didn’t," Angel said gently, "you couldn’t do something like that.  You’re a good person."

Buffy looked at him for a long moment.  "Good person doesn’t have anything to do with it, Angel.  I had no business having him.  I wasn’t ready.  I would have had that abortion, except Willow did this stupid spell that went wrong.  I ended up engaged to Spike and got so caught up in everything I missed the appointment."

"You were engaged to Spike?" Angel asked, his voice nearly a growl.

Buffy narrowed her gaze at him.  "That’s really not the point of this story."

Angel looked chagrined and nodded.

"After Will figured out what had happened, she did another spell to counteract it and remind everyone of who they really were.  I remembered a few more things than most people," Buffy said pointedly.

"What … exactly … did you remember?"

"A kitchen table, ice cream, Mohra demon … you leaving me *again*.  But that’s not the point of this story either."

"What *is* the point?" Angel asked, confused.

"That Nick is your son and that if Willow hadn’t messed up that stupid spell, I would have had an abortion.  The *only* reason I didn’t was because he was yours.  Your son, Angel."

"Mine?" Angel squeaked.

Buffy smiled.  "Yours … ours.  I was *so* angry with you, and then I was afraid what would happen if anybody found out who his father really was.  I just let everybody think he was Parker’s.  I was going to tell you, but I was still hurt from you leaving … and then I found out about Darla and Faith and all the others.  I was so mad at you that I kept your son away from you … to punish you."

"Buffy don’t blame yourself – "

"For what?  For ruining any relationship that you and Nick might have had because of my own wounded pride?  I wanted to tell you, Angel, so badly.  Then the end of days was happening and we had the stupid fight in front of everyone.  I just decided to keep it to myself, let everyone go on thinking what they’d been thinking."

"Does Nick know?" Angel asked quietly.

"He’s a great kid, Angel, but if you honestly think he’d be okay with his mother shacking up with some guy she just met if that guy didn’t also happen to be his father, you’re giving him way too much credit.  He’s just as overprotective and suspicious at you are.  He’s also a brat.  You have no idea how many potential dates he intentionally scared off when he was younger with stories about what a badass his dad was.  These poor guys were terrified that if they took me out for coffee that you were going to show up and rip their heads off."

"You told him about me?"

"Ever since he was just a baby," she confirmed with a smile.  "I know when he was older he would have liked to find you and talk to you.  I told him to do whatever he needed to do, but he’s very protective of me.  I think he thought that him talking to you would hurt me, so he didn’t do it."

"My son," Angel said absentmindedly, staring off into nothing.

"I’m so sorry," Buffy said, tears streaming down her face.  "You were so honest with me about everything and I just freaked out, even when what I had done was a thousand times worse."

Angel didn’t answer her, he just grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly.  He kissed her face as she continued to cry, telling her without words that he forgave her everything, that he loved her regardless.

"Wow," Nick said with faux enthusiasm, "awkward much?"

Angel looked across the table at him.  They were having dinner with Buffy and Liz, but the women had made a strategic retreat to the bathroom, leaving them alone.  It was the first time they’d been alone together since Buffy’s revelation earlier that morning.  After coming clean to Angel, she’d called Nick to let him know that Angel knew.

"Did you honestly used to tell your mother’s dates that I was going to show up and kill them?" Angel asked his son.

With an expression of mortification, Nick gasped, "She told you about that?"

"Yes."

Nick’s expression cracked and he started laughing.  "Yeah," he replied, "but I had a little help."

"From who?"

Nick shrugged.  "Mom used to tell me stories about things you’d done.  You know, stories about how brave and fearless you were, how you helped save the world.  She was always pretty careful to make sure they were edited for my age."

Angel’s brow furrowed.  "I can’t imagine those stories would be striking fear in the hearts of men."

"Nope, but you better believe the stories Spike told me about Angelus did," Nick said with a smirk.

It was Angel’s turn to laugh.  He then sobered at the thought of Spike spending time with his son in his place.

"I didn’t know Spike spent any time with you," Angel said, his voice tinged with regret and a little jealousy.

"Mom used to be way over protective because of my ‘unusual pedigree’.  Spike was the only one with enough muscle to make her feel safe leaving me alone.  He got to babysit a lot while she slayed."

"I can’t even begin to imagine that," Angel said honestly.

"It’s true," Nick said.  "I used to love spending time with him.  He’d tell me all these stories about you – not Angelus, you.  It always kind of upset mom to talk about it, so I’d ask Spike when I wanted to know things.  I have to give him credit, I know you two don’t like each other, but he always made you out to be the hero."

Angel’s brow furrowed.  "We are talking about *Spike*?  Bleached blonde hair, British accent.  Spike?"

Nick nodded.  "Spike.  He was really good to have around, he told me a lot of things that the others didn’t think I’d be able to handle.  When I was eight he had to explain to me what a bastard was."

"Why?" Angel asked, instantly defensive.

"Some kids at school were calling me that, making fun of me because I didn’t have a dad.  I was really upset, but I didn’t want to tell mom because I knew it would just make her upset too.  I asked Spike.  He explained it.  He also explained that I wasn’t a bastard since you and mom were technically married for about three years before I was born."

"Yes," Angel replied, "Spike was right, at least in the tradition I was raised with … It wasn’t legal."

Nick nodded and then looked away, pensive.  "It wasn’t the same," he finally said.

"What?" Angel asked, confused.

"Spike.  It wasn’t the same as having you but it made it … easier.  It was better than having nothing at all."

Angel wanted to curl up and die from the guilt he felt.  "I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Nick.  If there was any way to make it up to you –"

"There is," Nick interrupted.

"What?"

"Marry her and make it legal."

Angel lay on the bed nude, openly staring at Buffy as she undressed.  He loved the fact that she was blushing as he watched her, occasionally shooting him dirty looks because he wouldn’t give her any privacy.  He didn’t care, privacy was overrated, Buffy would just have to get used to it.

"Our son wants us to get married," he said abruptly.

Turning from where she was standing in the closet, Buffy stared at him.  "What?"

"Married.  You.  Me," he reiterated, enjoying his view of her now nude body immensely.

She frowned at him.  "Is that a proposal?"

He considered it for a moment and then replied, "No, not really.  It was pretty much a mandate from Nick.  I don’t think we can do anything except comply."

"Oh really?" Buffy said wryly.  "I didn’t know you took orders so well."

He gave her a pained expression.  "Some orders are easier to follow than others."

"So that’s it?" Buffy asked in amazement, walking over to stand next to the bed.  "We’re just getting married?  Just like that?"

"Yes," he answered absentmindedly, staring at her breasts.  He reached up to pull her down on the bed next to him.

"Do you and Commander Nicholas have a day picked out for the blessed event?" she asked sarcastically as he crouched over her, kissing his way along her collar bone.

"Next Saturday," he replied as his mouth moved lower, making its way to her breasts.

"Next Saturday?" she screeched.  "How do you think we’re going to get an entire wedding planned before next Saturday?"

Angel was finished paying attention, instead devoting all of his thoughts to how wonderful her body was.  As he clamped his lips around her nipple, Buffy forgot about arguing.

Repositioning himself so that his body was cradled between her hips, Angel slowly laved the pebbled flesh of her nipple.  He teased the tiny bud mercilessly, reveling in the feel of Buffy’s hand twining through his hair, holding him to her chest.  Ever thorough, he moved to the other nipple, repeating his actions.

"Do you think," he asked between kisses, "that it will be strange having a twenty-five year age gap between our kids?"

Buffy raised her head off the pillow to look at him incredulously.  "Yes, dear," she replied as if it were the understatement of the millennium, "I think it might be a little weird.  Are you going to let that stop you?"

"No," he replied flippantly, moving his lower body to rub his cock along her nether lips.

Buffy was unprepared when he rolled over onto his back, pulling her on top of him.  He kissed her deeply, using his hands to position her legs so that she straddled him.  Buffy broke off the kiss to look at him with a devious grin.

"Be nice," he said, acquiescing all power to his mate.

Cocking an eyebrow at him, she asked, "You’re not scared of little ol’ me, are you?"

He narrowed his gaze at her.  "Be. Nice," he reiterated.

Smiling sweetly, she reached her hand behind her to stroke his semi hard cock.  "I can be *very* nice," she purred.

Releasing an indiscernible moan, he arched his hips into the contact.  They had made love on the couch that morning after their talk, but he was still starved for her touch.  He could never get enough of her hands on him, her taste in his mouth.

Crawling off of his body, Buffy kissed her way down his chest to his groin.  He was completely hard now, his flesh virtually begging to be touched.  Using her hand, Buffy pumped him several times, delighting as precum beaded on the tip of his cock.  Still using one hand to hold him, she knelt between his legs, bending forward to run her tongue along the underside of his sex from root to tip.

Angel’s hips came off the bed and he whimpered uncontrollably.  With a smile, she took the head into her mouth, teasing him mercilessly with her tongue as one of her hands cupped his sac.  Angel’s hand grasped the sheets with enough force to turn his knuckles white.  Bobbing her head, Buffy took as much of him into her mouth as she could manage, sucking forcefully on the taut flesh.

She loved him like this, powerless to her ministrations.  He loved it too, it was a game they played.  She was no longer a slayer and as she had aged, her super human strength had faded to normal proportions.  For the first time in their relationship, Angel was now the stronger of the two – but they both liked to pretend otherwise.

Buffy continued to bob her head, taking more and more of him on each pass until his cock was butting against the back of her throat.  She swallowed reflexively to keep from gagging.  If he had a smaller cock it would definitely be easier to give him head, but she wasn’t about to complain.  Completely lost in her task, Buffy was jolted back to the present as Angel’s hand twined in her hair, pulling gently.

"No, Buffy," he whimpered.  "Inside.  I want to come inside you."

With much reluctance, Buffy stopped.  They were trying to have a child after all.  She crawled back up his body until she was on all fours kneeling over him, their heads even.

"I love you," he said, his voice thick with emotion and need as he looked into her eyes.

"I love you too," she said, craning her neck to run her tongue along his bottom lip.

Angel immediately caught her lips in a hungry kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth to taste himself on her lips.  Continuing the kiss, Buffy braced one hand on the pillow beside his head and used the other to guide his cock to her dripping sheath.  Sitting up, she dropped her body onto his, hissing at the contact.

Raising his knees behind her, Angel pushed her backwards until she was leaning against his thighs.  He wasted no time in using his infinitely talented fingers to find her clit, stroking her sensitive nub in time with the motion of their combined thrusts.  This time it was Buffy’s turn to cry out in pleasure as her climax overtook her.  Angel grit his teeth as he attempted to keep his body under control.  Her vaginal muscles rippled around his cock, milking his flesh.

With a groan of pure need, Angel pulled Buffy against his chest and rolled them both over so that he was on top of her, pounding into her in long, even thrusts.  She keened, rolling her head to the side, allowing his questing mouth to find the raised flesh of his brand on her neck.  As his blunt teeth bit down, she exploded again, her body surging under his as she cried out in release.  This time, Angel didn’t attempt to hold back.  As her flesh milked his, he let himself go, coming inside her, his vital seed coating her quaking sheath.

Long moments later, they both lay on their sides, facing one another as they attempted to catch their breaths.

"It could take years?" Angel asked in disbelief.

"That’s what Dr. Porter said," Buffy replied with a smile.  Arching an eyebrow at him, she asked, "You aren’t getting scared are you?"

With a smirk, he replied, "It wasn’t me I was worried about."

Buffy smacked him hard on the shoulder and then giggled as she found herself trapped in his strong embrace.  She returned his kiss with as much love as she felt from him.

"Next Saturday?" she asked sleepily.

"Next Saturday," he replied with finality.

The End

<< back