Riley was sick of playing the sucker.  He truly cared for Buffy, a lot, but she'd used him from the beginning.  He'd been understanding about her pregnancy, and even offered to take responsibility for the child she was carrying.  Buffy kept stringing him along, never letting him get too close, but never pushing him away.  He was sick of being her security blanket, and intended to tell her just that.  He wasn't going to pick up the pieces when the asshole left her again.

As Riley started to ascend the stairs to Buffy's room, Joyce placed her hand on his arm.  "You should probably wait down here, Riley.  I'll get Buffy," Joyce said firmly.

Riley shot her a confused look.  He often came over to Buffy's house unannounced.  It wasn't unusual for him to wake her up from her afternoon naps.  Joyce had been very supportive of his relationship with her daughter, but for some reason, this time, she wasn't about to let him into her room.

Riley automatically obeyed her request, taking a seat on the sofa as he watched Joyce walk up the stairs.  Was Buffy so angry with him that she didn't even want him in her room?  What right did she have to be pissed at him anyway?  She was the one who should be begging for his forgiveness.

Trying to find something to distract himself, and cool his rising ire, Riley's gaze wandered around the room, coming to rest on a leather duster.  Rising to his feet, he walked over and picked up the garment.  It was definitely a man's jacket and it wasn't his. What was it doing draped casually over one of the chairs in Buffy's living room?

The realization hit him hard.  Buffy's ex hadn't left last night.  He was still in the house, in Buffy's room, in Buffy's bed.  That slut!  She was *his* girlfriend and she didn't think twice about crawling into bed with the sperm donor that helped get her into her morally reprehensible condition.

"Riley," Buffy greeted neutrally.

Caught up in his righteous anger, Riley hadn't heard her enter the room.  He stared at her blankly for a moment.  She looked wonderful.  She was dressed in a pair of faded overalls and a little pink shirt, her long blonde locks pulled back into a ponytail.  But the most striking thing was the lustrous shimmer she projected, the way she seemed to glow.  She looked happier, more settled than Riley had ever seen her.  And it was all because of the jerk upstairs.  Riley knew he'd never been more upset in his life.  He needed to talk to her, but not here, not with her lover in the same house.

"Walsh needs to see us pronto," Riley said, using it as a convenient excuse to get her out of the house.

Buffy nodded.  Angel would still be asleep for hours and she was antsy for something to do.

"Okay," she said, stepping aside to allow Riley to exit the house first.

Riley was silent on the drive to the Initiative compound and Buffy didn't push for conversation.  She knew he was upset, hurt, and he had every reason to be so.  After her conversation with Angel the previous night, Buffy had realized she and Riley were friends at best.  That's all they ever had been and that's all they ever would be.  She'd been so lonely, she'd deluded herself into thinking they actually had a chance at making a life together.  She felt bad she'd led him on for so long, and she knew they needed to have a long talk and sort things out.

Riley spent most of the drive trying to think of some way to make his lie to Buffy seem reasonable.  However, it became a moot point as they entered the Initiative complex and found urgent messages waiting for both of them from Professor Walsh.  The orders were fairly straight forward, simple recon assignments for both of them that needed to be done asap.  Riley memorized his mission and then looked at Buffy.  She showed him hers and Riley cocked an eyebrow. That was odd.  They were usually paired together, but not today.

Sighing, Buffy said, "Guess I'm off to crawl around some dank caves.  At least it's not a sewer."

As he watched her walk away, Riley considered his mission again.  The orders were specific, and they were supposed to be carried out immediately.  He could not, however, allow things between himself and Buffy to fester.  He needed to talk to her, and soon.  Knowing he would probably be reprimanded for it, Riley ignored his orders and followed Buffy on her mission.

"I know he stayed the night," Riley blurted as they trudged through the network of caves on the outskirts of Sunnydale.  It was the first thing he'd said since leaving the Initiative complex.

Buffy stopped in her tracks, but didn't meet his gaze.  Her head was bowed and she sounded almost defeated. "Yeah," she said quietly.  "He did."

"So I guess that's it for us then, huh?" he said, his tone biting.  "Your ex just shows up and fucks you and everything is hunky dory for Buffy."

Buffy's head shot up at his unaccustomed use of language.  She eyed him for several long moments before saying, "I don't expect you to understand, Riley."

"Good, because I don't.  I thought we had something, Buffy, but apparently it was all just a game to you.  I was someone to keep his place warm while he was off doing god knows what."

Wincing, Buffy replied, "I didn't mean to use you, Riley.  I realize now that what I did ... it was wrong.  I should have been honest with you from the start.  I was just so confused."

"Confused? Really?" he said, his voice taking on a sharp mocking edge that she'd never heard before.  "What were you confused about?  The fact that your boyfriend knocked you up and left town?  Not much confusion there.  He didn't want you."

Shutting her eyes, Buffy concentrated on her breathing, trying to accept his anger.  She had wronged him, and he had a right to be upset, but he was being unnecessarily cruel.

"He didn't know," she explained as calmly as she could.

"Know what?"

"About the baby," she bit back, becoming angry.  "He wouldn't have left, not if he'd known about his child."

"Oh, that's good, Buffy," Riley condescended.  "Great foundation for a relationship there.  He doesn't want you, but he does want his son. You don't honestly think this is going to work do you?"

Buffy's hands fisted and she fought against the urge to pound the stupid G.I. into the ground.  She was shaking as she answered, "I know I hurt you, Riley, and I regret that, but you don't know *anything* about this situation."

Riley rolled his eyes and snorted lightly, turning on his heel to head deeper into the cave.  "Let's just get this done so we can get out of here," he said tersely.

Hearing a muffled cry and the scraping of feet on stone, Riley spun around and stared in shock at the empty cave.

He only had time to call, "Buffy!" before everything went black.

Angel didn't bother knocking, he just threw open the door to Giles apartment and walked in, growling uncontrollably.  He'd had to wait hours for the sun to set and the tension had almost driven him mad.

"Buffy's missing," he announced to the watcher and his bleached housemate.

"Missing?" Giles asked, his brow furrowing.

"Gone," Angel bit out, trying desperately to keep his terror in check. "Joyce said she left with Riley around two this afternoon.  Nobody has seen her since and Joyce wasn't able to contact Riley."

"Perhaps they're just out on some Initiative business," Giles suggested calmly.

"Business?" Angel hissed.  "She's six months pregnant Giles, how much use could she be in a combat situation?  According to Buffy, that's all the Initiative used her for, they didn't trust her enough to let her in on their secrets."

"I don't believe Riley would ever allow any harm to come to Buffy," Giles said, trying to reassure the irate vampire.

"No harm?" Angel raged.  "Buffy told me last night that his commanding officer has been all over her to let the Initiative perform tests on *our* child.  Now both of them are missing and you don't think they mean her any harm."

Giles blinked several times.  He let the revelation that Angel was the father of the child Buffy was carrying go unnoticed.  He would deal with that later, when Buffy was safe.  "We need to find Riley," Giles said calmly.  "He'll know if anything has happened to Buffy."

Angel snarled.

Riley slowly blinked awake, feeling nauseas.  With a groan, he raised his hand to the back of his head, prodding gently the prominent lump beneath the skin. As his eyesight adjusted to the dim light in the cave, he spotted Buffy lying on the ground, several feet from where he was.  Pushing himself into a kneeling position, Riley crawled over to the slayer.

She didn't look good.  Her complexion was a pasty green color that looked anything but healthy, and her breathing was rapid and shallow.

"Buffy?" he called in a harsh whisper, gently touching her face.

Buffy's eyes popped open and she focused on Riley.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, knowing full well that something was wrong.

Buffy nodded, wincing at the pain the action caused her.  A single tear slipped down her cheek.

"Shhhh," Riley said softly, trying to soothe her.  "We'll get out of here, I promise."

"Fyarl," Buffy whispered.

"Huh?' Riley asked, cocking his head.

"Demons. Strong.  Can only be killed with silver," she elaborated, panting with exertion by the time she finished.

"They must have been hiding in here and we stumbled across them," Riley surmised.

Again, Buffy shook her head, wincing.  "They're hired muscle.  Someone sent them after me."

"Us, you mean," Riley commented absently, his brow furrowing.

"Me," Buffy corrected.  "You weren't supposed to come with me.  I was supposed to be alone."

"That one," Spike said to his sire as they crouched in the bushes.  "He's one of Fish Boy's friends, another of the ninja nancies."

Angel nodded and leapt from the bushes, knocking the young man unconscious and dragging him back under cover before anyone noticed anything. Slinging the boy's dead weight over his shoulder, he motioned to Spike to follow.

Graham looked around cautiously.  He recognized the older man, he was Buffy's uncle or something.  He also recognized Hostile 17, and if the animalistic growls emanating from the dark haired man were any indication, he surmised he was a vamp as well.

"Buffy is missing," Giles explained to the bound commando.  "It is imperative that we find her."

Naturally, Graham didn't say anything.

"Just let me break one of his knees," Angel said through clenched teeth.  "He can still talk with a broken knee."

Turning to glare at the vampire, Giles snapped, "I understand that you are upset, Angel, but you're not making matters any better."

The dark vampire sighed and sank down into a chair, watching the commando closely.  He knew he could make the boy talk, but he doubted Giles would appreciate having to get all the blood out of his carpet.

"Do you know where Riley is?  Surely he would have some idea of Buffy's whereabouts," Giles suggested.

Graham sighed. He'd always hated this part of the job, it seemed so sordid.  He hadn't agreed with Walsh's plans for getting rid of the slayer.  "Riley's missing," Graham finally said.

"Missing." Giles echoed in a defeated tone.  "You don't have any idea where he is?"

Graham swallowed, wishing he wasn't restrained. If the feral gleam in that new man's eyes was any indication, he would probably need to run for his life.  "He was given a mission this morning, but he apparently never completed it."

"Did it have something to do with Buffy?," Giles asked hopefully.

"No," Graham admitted slowly.  "The mission was intended to keep him as far away from Buffy as possible."

"Away from Buffy?" Giles asked, confused.  "Why?"

Graham took a deep breath.  "Walsh was afraid Riley's loyalties were wavering, so she kept him out of the loop.  She gave him a mission this morning to keep him out of the way."

"Out of the way of what?" Spike asked, his eyes narrowing.  From the chair, Angel's growls intensified.

"Walsh was through trying to reason with the slayer.  She wanted the baby. I don't know what kind of arrangement she made, it was classified, but I do know she intended for the slayer to have ... an accident sometime today."

Angel was out of the chair and had Graham's bound form pinned to the floor before either Giles or Spike could react.

"How bad are you hurt?" Riley probed.

"Not sure.  I took a hell of a hit.  May have cracked a rib."

"Is ... is the baby okay?" Riley asked carefully, not sure if he should have brought it up.  If something was wrong, he was afraid she would upset herself beyond reason.

"I don't know," Buffy said tearfully.  "I think so.  He's still moving around."

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Riley turned his head.  Two enormous demons entered the tiny cave he and Buffy had been deposited in.

Graham's screaming tipped Spike off to the fact that Angel hadn't ripped his throat out, yet.  Pulling as hard as they could, Giles and Spike managed to pry Angel off of Graham.  The boy's neck was bloody from the huge bite wound.  Angel hadn't been playing, it was deep.  The boy was lucky to be alive.

"Where is she?" Spike yelled at the idiot commando as he tried to restrain a blood hungry Angel.

The boy didn't answer.

"Either talk or we'll let him go and he can finish what he started," Spike told Graham with absolute sincerity.

"They were supposed to meet in sector thirteen, that's where Walsh was supposed to be given the goods."

"You're going to take us there right now," Giles informed the young man.

Graham nodded in agreement.

The demons stepped aside as an older man entered the room, smiling wickedly.

"Ethan," Buffy hissed, her dislike evident.

Riley recognized the man.  He was the sorcerer that had turned Giles into a demon several months before.  As far as Riley knew, he was still in government captivity.  He noted wryly that Ethan Rayne must have made some sort of deal in return for his release, a deal that could only have been authorized by Maggie Walsh.  Riley didn't like the way things were shaping up.

"Miss Summers," Ethan said in greeting.  "How nice to see you again.  Pity our visit has to be so short."

"What are you going to do to her?" Riley asked, positioning himself between Buffy and the their captors.

Ethan Rayne looked at the commando for the first time.  It was evident from his expression that he didn't view Riley as a serious threat.

"Magic, of course," he said with a smile.

"What kind of magic?" Riley asked with a sneer.

"It seems Dr. Walsh has her heart set on the slayer's child.  I intend to give it to her ... eventually," Ethan explained.

"You aren't touching her," Riley bit out.

"You honestly think you can stop me, little boy?" Ethan asked with a laugh. "Besides, my quarrel isn't with the slayer at this moment.  I'm more interested in getting back at that bitch Walsh.  Little Buffy here is just a pawn in our game ... and pawns are always expendable."

"There they are," Graham said, pointing to a cluster of trees several hundred yards in the distance.  It was a dark night, but Angel and Spike could see clearly.

"I only see the army boys," Spike said, craning his neck for a better view. "No sign of the hired guns you mentioned."

"They were supposed to meet here at twenty hundred hours," Graham explained truthfully.

"Someone's coming," Giles hissed.

Walsh studied her watch as Ethan Rayne approached.  She was opening her mouth to criticize his tardiness when she noticed the captive the second Fyarl demon held, Riley Finn.

"This wasn't part of the plan," Walsh bit out.

"Indeed," Ethan agreed, "but most useful, don't you think?  Now I have twice the bargaining power."

"What do you want?"

Walsh and Forrest were making their way back to the transport when Giles and company cut them off.

"Graham?" Forrest asked, noticing his fellow soldier.  His arms were bound and there was an abundance of dried blood on his neck and shirt.

"What's going on here?" Walsh spat at Giles.

"I think we're the ones that should be asking you that question, Professor Walsh," Giles retorted, barely holding his rage in check. He'd always detested this woman.

"Official government business," Walsh replied tersely.  "I must demand you release Agent Miller."

"Official government business?" Giles parroted incredulously, ignoring her command to release Graham.  "Does the government sanction murdering innocent young women?"

Walsh paled.  They obviously knew about the plan to get rid of Buffy.

"I would wager your little mission here isn't completely on the up and up, now is it?" Giles said, his gaze narrowing.  "Your little plan blew up in your face and now you're scrambling.  What does Ethan want?"

"I don't have any idea -" Walsh began.

"Spare me the bullshit!" Giles shouted.  "I don't give a good goddamn what you're trying to accomplish.  I want Buffy.  Now tell us what's going on because like it or not we're probably going to have to work together to get her and Riley back."

Walsh's jaw clenched.  The Brit was right and she hated that.  "He wants money," she spat.

"Ethan is never going to be satisfied," Giles informed her.  "He'll bleed you dry and in the meantime, he'll hold onto his hostages."

"So how do you propose getting them back?" Walsh demanded.

"Force," Angel bit out tersely.

Walsh took an instinctive step back. She didn't know who the man was, but the anger rolling off of him was palpable.  She nodded her assent.

Buffy was getting stronger, but she still felt like hell.  Her natural slayer healing abilities had been getting stronger as her pregnancy progressed, and she knew she’d probably be fine in a few hours.  She was also calmed by the fact that the baby seemed to be doing fine.

Buffy strained to hear anything that could be of use.  She and Riley were bound, back to back in the small cave, unable to do anything as Ethan's group moved around in the outer chambers.  Unfortunately, she didn’t speak Faryl.

The ragtag group of commandos and scoobies found the sorcerer's camp in short order, due mostly to the fact that one of Giles' friends happened to be the creature Forrest identified as Hostile 17.  The creature tracked the sorcerer in no time.  Walsh was impressed, but it still made her sick to see Mr. Giles treat it like a person.  She'd always known there was something off about that man.

As planned, they descended on Ethan's people at once, Forrest and Hostile 17 leading the attack against the Fyarl.  Walsh and Giles went after Ethan, and Angel bypassed the entire scuffle to look for Buffy ... and Riley.

It was long minutes before any sense could be made of the battle.  When the dust cleared, one of the Fyarl was dead, a silver knife embedded deep in its chest complements of Hostile 17.  The other was unconscious, waiting to be taken back for Initiative research.  Ethan Rayne was alive, but battered and bruised.  A punch from Giles had broken his nose, and he skulked dejectedly, nursing his spouting appendage.

Walsh looked up as Riley stumbled out of one of the smaller side caves.  He appeared to be beaten up, but without serious injuries.

"The slayer?" Walsh asked expectantly.

Riley glared at his commanding officer for a moment and then cocked his head towards the cave he'd just exited.  "She's in there."

Walsh started to head for the cave, but halted as Riley held up a hand.  "No," he said. "He'll bring her out in a minute."

Angel couldn't stop himself from running his hands all over Buffy, trying to reassure himself again and again that she was truly in one piece, safe.

"I'm okay," she assured, running her hands through his hair.  "I promise, just a little beat up."

Angel growled and pulled her against his chest as she sat on his lap, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her scent.  She smelled okay, no drugs or sickness.  He still wasn't satisfied.  Setting Buffy on the stone floor, he maneuvered his body so his ear was pressed up against her rounded stomach.  He listened carefully, pausing even in his panic to bask in a moment of sheer wonder.

"He's okay, Angel," she said softly.  "Just tired.  We're both going to be fine."

Angel sat back on his haunches, apparently satisfied.  He moved to pick her up, but Buffy stopped him.

"My rib," she explained.  "It hurts to be squeezed.  I can walk."

Angel let out another growl of displeasure but helped her to her feet.

"You know," she chided, "you could talk from time to time.  You've done nothing but growl since you found me."

Angel smiled in spite of his foul mood.  "I love you," he said quietly.

Walsh watched as the dark haired man helped the slayer walk out of the smaller cave, one arm wrapped around her for support.  She didn't know who the man was, but it was evident Agent Finn didn't care for him.  Walsh surmised it must be the missing father of the slayer’s child.

"Well," Walsh said summarily, "I guess that takes care of everything."

"Not so fast," Giles said brusquely.  "It has not escaped any of our attention that you intended to do Buffy harm today.  The fact that your plan blew up in your face does not absolve you of guilt.  You must rest assured that if you ever come near her again, the proper authorities will find out about this incident."

Walsh glared at the Brit, but abandoned the impending confrontation as the unconscious Fyarl began to stir.  Upon waking, it pushed Forrest into the wall with enough force to knock him out.  The beast lumbered to its feet and began staggering towards the slayer.

Before anyone knew what was happening, a roar split the air.  Angel, in vamp face, pulled back and punched the disoriented beast with as much power as he could muster, squarely between the eyes.  The creature slumped to the floor, unconscious again.

Walsh and Riley held their breaths.  They'd had no idea that the slayer's protector was a vampire.  Still in game face, Angel closed in on Walsh.  She backpedaled as he approached, stopping when her back collided with the wall.  Angel's clawed hand grasped her firmly by the neck and he leaned his face into hers until their noses were almost in contact.

"Touch her again," he hissed through fangs, "and you don't need to be worried about the proper authorities finding you ... ever."

Shortly after midnight, Joyce knocked lightly on the door to her daughter's room.  She'd been frantic when Giles called her from the hospital, but the examination showed that both Buffy and the baby would be fine.  It did not, however, make her feel any better about Riley.  She'd been convinced the nice, "normal" young man was just what Buffy needed, but it seemed that he had some undesirable associations.  Giles had filled her in on the Initiative's role in Buffy's disappearance and injuries.  Although Riley wasn't directly involved, it was apparently his military outfit that was responsible.

When she entered the room, Joyce couldn't suppress a smile.  Buffy was propped up against the headboard of her bed, leaning on what looked like every pillow in the house.  Angel lay on his side next to her, one arm curled possessively around her hips, his face resting against her stomach.

Buffy looked up at her mother.  She appeared tired, but her bruises were already fading and she seemed very content.  Joyce was sure the last part was due completely to Angel's presence.  As much as she disapproved of her daughter's lover, she couldn't deny that he made Buffy happy.  Angel didn't acknowledge her presence and his face was scrunched up in an expression of extreme concentration.

"What's he doing?" Joyce asked, wondering if it was some strange vampire thing.

"He's listening to the baby," Buffy answered with a goofy grin.

When Buffy spoke, Angel looked around, noticing Joyce for the first time. He immediately untangled himself from his mate and stood up, the model of propriety.

"Joyce," he said, nodding his head in greeting.

"Angel," Joyce drawled back with a small smile.  She knew she was going to have to get used to having him around, no matter how much she disapproved.

It didn't escape Joyce's attention that Angel couldn't seem to sit still.  As she made sure Buffy was comfortable and that everything was in order, He kept pacing around the room, fidgeting.  It was a stark contrast from the vampire's normal subdued nature.

"I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air," he said abruptly.

"You don't breathe," Buffy said with a smile.

Angel frowned at her, but nodded to Joyce as he left the room.

"What's wrong with him?" Joyce asked, sitting down on her daughter's bed.

"He's just wound up.  He's totally freaked about the fact that me and the baby could have been seriously hurt.  It'll take him a few days to stop twitching."

"It wasn't his fault," Joyce said.

"Doesn't matter," Buffy explained. "He thinks it's his fault because we're his responsibility to protect."

"He really loves you both, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does," Buffy said dreamily, rubbing her rounded belly.

"He's here to stay too, isn't he?" Joyce asked with a wry smile.

Buffy looked out the window for a few moments.  "I know you liked Riley, mom," Buffy began.

"I know," Joyce interrupted.  "I know that you love Angel more than you could ever love Riley."  She sighed heavily.  "I just want you to have a normal life, Buffy, and you're never going to have that with Angel, but he makes you happy and he obviously cares for you.  And it is his child you're going to have ... I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy, happier than I've been in a *long* time."

Angel paced back and forth on the porch.  He had so much nervous energy he thought he might explode.  All of his senses were sharpened to a fever pitch, and he knew of the young commando's approach long before Riley came into sight.

Forcing himself to sit down and appear calm, Angel watched the boy walk towards the house.  He was lost in his thoughts and was obviously startled when he noticed Angel waiting on the steps.

"Is Buffy still awake?" Riley asked, keeping a good deal of distance between himself and the hostile.

"Yes," he answered in a near growl.  The boy took another instinctive step backwards.

"I need to talk to her," Riley continued, his posture belying the fear his words tried to cover.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Angel bit out, hoping the boy would push the issue.  Ripping his head off would really help him work off some tension.

"I think that's Buffy's call," Riley spat back.

"Buffy's injured right now," Angel said, deathly calm, "of course, you knew that."

Riley blanched.  "I ... I didn't mean ... I didn't know Walsh would ever do anything like that," he stammered, flustered.

Angel just stared at the boy predatorily.  Riley was struggling to reign in his fear, and his inability to do so was making him angrier by the moment.

"You think you can just walk back into her life?" he hissed.  "You left her."

"That is none of your concern," Angel replied quietly.

"None of my concern?" Riley yelled.  "She's been my concern for months.  *I've* been the one taking care of her."

"I seriously doubt that," Angel said with a laugh.  "My guess would be that she's been dragging *your* ass out of the fire.  You couldn't even begin to keep up with her."

"And you can?" Riley sneered.

"Yes," Angel answered matter of factly.

Riley almost growled as he took several steps towards Angel, but recalling  what exactly he was dealing with, Riley stopped while he was still out of arm's reach.

"You're nothing but an animal," Riley seethed.  "You're a creature, a filthy demon infesting an animated corpse -"

"Riley!"

Both Angel and Riley startled at Joyce's admonition.

Riley's features contorted in impotent rage.  "Mrs. Summers, I know Buffy thinks she loves him, but he's nothing but he's a -"

"Buffy and I both know what he is, Riley," Joyce answered calmly.  "He's also the father of my grandchild.  I would appreciate it if you would leave now."

"But -" Riley started, grasping for straws.

"No, Riley," Joyce said firmly.  "Do you honestly think you're making things any better by coming over here in the middle of the night and having a screaming match with my future son-in-law on my front lawn?  My neighbors are going to call the cops.  Not to mention the fact that it's upsetting Buffy."

Riley bowed his head, contrite.  "Yes, Ma'am," he said quietly, turning to leave.

Joyce looked at Angel expectantly and held the door open.  "Are you coming in?"

"Future son-in-law?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You don't think you're sleeping in her room again without assuring me that you're going to marry her, do you?" Joyce asked, her expression serious.

"She's pregnant, don't you think it's a bit late to be worried about me sleeping in her room?" Angel asked devilishly.

Joyce scowled at the vampire until his grin disappeared.

"Joyce, I'm ... not a person.  I can't marry her.  I don't legally exist," Angel explained with a frown.

"Well," Joyce said evenly, "I guess you better get to work finding a way around that then."

Angel smiled.  "Yes, Ma'am," he replied in resignation as he entered the house.

"Go to sleep, Buffy," Angel ordered, removing Buffy's hand from where it rested on his bare hip.

"I'm not tired," she whined, shifting around in the bed to face him.

"Yes.  You.  Are.  It's after one in the morning, you need to sleep."

"Ooh, one in the morning," she said, mocking his tone.  "I don't think I ever got to bed before three the entire time I was in high school.  My body's not used to going to bed this early."

"You weren't pregnant when you were in high school," Angel said pointedly.

"Don't you dare start with your 'this is best for the baby' lecture," Buffy warned.  "He's just fine, the doctor said so."

"That doesn't mean you should be pushing yourself beyond your limits," Angel replied in a softer tone of voice.

"Please, Angel," she pouted.  "I just want to play a little."

"No," he said through clenched teeth. It was always hard to deny her, but at this particular moment it was almost impossible.  Her recent brush with death was impelling him to claim her, to reassure himself that she was his and that she was alright.

"Your mouth says no," she said seductively, "but your body ..."

Angel hissed as she wrapped her hot little hand around his erect cock.

"Oh, it definitely says *yes*," she finished with a smug grin.

"Buffy," he whimpered plaintively.  He wasn't going to be able to leave her alone, his will was hanging by a thread.  He wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her heated flesh, but that wasn't what she needed right now.

"Come on," she coaxed.  "I had a *really* bad day.  I need you to make me feel better."

With a groan of surrender, Angel dropped his head to her chest, quickly finding one of her hard nipples and sucking it into his mouth.  Buffy's breath caught in her throat as pleasure shot through her body.  She was still a little sore from being jostled around, but she wanted him so badly.  As he continued to suck, she twined a hand through his hair, urging him on.

As his lips worked first one nipple, and then the other, his hand found it's way down her body to rest between her thighs.  Buffy clamped down on his wrist and moved her hips, urging him to do something.  He smiled against her breast as his long fingers pressed against her nether lips, finding them already wet with her secretions.

"Open up for me, baby," he whispered huskily.

Buffy complied immediately, spreading her thighs for his questing digits.  Angel didn't waste time, his thumb found her clit as two of his other fingers stroked inside her dripping channel.

"Buffy," he growled.  She was so wet.

Whimpering, Buffy pulled him up for a series of long kisses, her tongue rubbing against his, exploring the cool landscape of his mouth and lips. Holding his head still, she broke off the kiss and worked her way down his neck, biting into the flesh gently as she went.  He purred, bending his head to the side, allowing her to do as she wished.  As he became more and more excited, his pressure on her clit intensified.

With a whimper, Buffy broke off the kiss, using one of her hands to still his.  "Please," she begged, "inside me."

Angel nodded and Buffy turned to roll away from him on her side, but paused as one of his hands on her hip stopped her.  Buffy turned to look at him in confusion.

"I want to see your face," he explained.

Buffy didn't know exactly how he planned to accomplish that given her I-swallowed-a-beachball look, but she lay on her back, trusting that his history of sexual depravity would be able to come up with a workable solution.

He didn't disappoint.  Grabbing a pillow off of the mound still on the bed, he folded it in half and placed it underneath her bottom.  It lifted her hips and tilted them slightly forward, but not uncomfortably so. Kneeling between her legs, he laid her thighs over his own and entered her slowly.

Eyes shutting in pleasure, Buffy moaned as he pushed inside her, stretching her deliciously.  Not wanting to turn the night into a marathon event, Angel stroked her clit with one of his fingers in time to his gentle thrusting. Buffy whimpered as her climax approached.

Angel had been on edge all day, and as Buffy's vaginal muscles fluttered around his cock, he let himself go.  He bit deeply into his lip to stifle a roar of pleasure as he spilled his seed deep within his mate's warm body.

After taking several deep breaths to regain his composure, Angel leaned forward placing butterfly kisses all over Buffy's face, neck, and upper chest.

"Better?" he asked with a grin.

"Much," she replied with a sleepy smile.

The End

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