"Dammit, B, don't do that!" she scolded, breathing hard from her scare.

"Sorry," Buffy said truthfully, walking over to where Faith stood.

Faith studied the stake in her hand with wry amusement. "Yeah, new Watcher. He's a riot," she said with a snort.

"British?"

"As they come," Faith concurred. "I thought Giles had a tight sphincter, but this new one, Wesley, must have the entire British flag stuck up his ass."

Buffy didn't try to disguise her snort of amusement. "I'm guessing he has you on patrol," she said. It wasn't really a question.

"B, he has *scenarios*. He times this stuff out to the second."

"Is he evil?" Buffy chirped, hopeful if only for Faith's benefit.

"That's what I asked Giles," Faith said, her face drooping.

"And?"

"How did he put it? Oh yeah, ‘not in the strictest sense'."

"Guess that means you can't kill him," Buffy said, obviously disappointed. After her Cruciamentum she had a serious vendetta against all Watchers, except Giles, of course.

"You never know," Faith mused. "Wes might get vamped or something and then I could take him out."

Buffy shrugged, her thoughts returning to her Watcher. "How is Giles?" she asked quietly.

Faith shuffled around awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "I don't know, B. You were always way closer to him than me. He's ... quiet. He's also not impressed with Wesley. I think there's this whole big male territorial thing going on that just creeps me out. Two stuffy English geeks fighting to be my babysitter. Ick."

"You haven't noticed anything ... odd around have you?" Buffy asked cautiously.

"No. I mean, I don't know. Like what?"

"I'm not really sure. Just anything out of the ordinary. Angel thinks the Council might send someone after Giles because he royally screwed up the Cruciamentum."

Faith thought about it for a minute and then shrugged. "I haven't noticed anything. But I'll keep my eyes open." After considering for a moment, she said, "B, they – the Watcher's Council, I mean – they don't know about you. They think you're dead."

Buffy swallowed visibly. "I am."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, Faith, I know what you mean, but let's face fact. I'm a vamp." Wryly she added, "A vamp with a severely dysfunctional family."

The brunette cocked an eyebrow at her quizzically. "You and the big guy not getting along?"

Shaking her head, Buffy explained, "Angel and I are fine, for the most part. It's just ... well, that's why I wanted to talk to you tonight."

"What?"

"One of Angel's childer ... is in town."

"Bad vamp?"

"Sort of," Buffy explained weakly.

"B, what do you mean ‘sort of'? Either the vamp's good like you and Angel or bad and soon to be dust."

Buffy sighed. "It's not that ... easy. He's not black or white, he's just sort of gray, in a really annoying way."

"Gray? How so?"

Motioning for Faith to join her, Buffy sat down on one of the stone benches that were scattered around the cemetery. "How much do you know about Angelus?" Buffy asked seriously.

"Not much," Faith admitted. "You've been pretty tight lipped about it. Xander made it pretty clear about the whole Miss Calendar thing, but as for what actually happened, I don't have many details. I know you sent Angel to Hell to save the world." Continuing, she said, "I think Wesley wants to talk to me about it, but he's kept quiet out of respect for Giles. You know, he's supposed to be in mourning and all."

"Oh," Buffy said quietly. "I'll have to process the whole Giles in mourning thing later."

Taking a deep breath, Buffy explained what exactly happened with Spike, Angel, Angelus and Drusilla. It wasn't comfortable, especially Faith's questions about Angelus's relationship with Drusilla and why exactly Spike hated him so much. The former Slayer was candid about how Spike had helped her defeat Angelus for purely selfish reasons.

"B, why are you telling me this?" Faith asked when the story was finished.

"Because Spike's in town. He's just so ... lost. Drusilla left him *again*. He can't really fit in with Angel and I and ..."

"And ..." Faith prompted.

"You've already met him. Last night, in the cemetery. Peroxide blonde bad boy," Buffy said.

"Oh," Faith said slowly, "yeah, I definitely remember that one. He was a hottie ... I mean, for a vamp and all. No offense."

"None taken," Buffy assured her. "Anyway, I thought you should know since he sort of has a weird crush on you or something. I'm not real clear on that."

"Crush?" Faith asked, her face wrinkling up in disgust.

"Yeah," Buffy said weakly. "And I just thought that maybe he would try to change his evil ways for you."

"You're trying to set me up with your demon brother?" Faith asked in disbelief.

Buffy made some weak noises of protest, but that was basically the gist of it. Somehow it had all sounded like such a better idea before she'd said it out loud. "Maybe," she said in answer.

Faith laughed loudly, her entire body shaking. "This is too good! Wesley would have a conniption fit. Giles would probably be pissed, but hey, it's not like he hasn't been there before. He must be pretty at one with the whole ‘my Slayer is dating a vampire' vibe."

"Are you seriously thinking about this?" Buffy asked in disbelief.

"Possibly."

"For real?" Buffy asked warily.

"That has some potential, B."

"I don't want you out on patrol with Faith, Buffy," Angel admonished.

Buffy didn't bother to look up from the task of painting her toes. Using one hand she shaped it like a duck's bill and then opened and closed it in his general direction, mimicking his incessant bitching.

"I'm not kidding," he bit out, nonplussed.

"And I'm not going to do everything you say just because you say it," she countered grouchily, still not looking at her Sire. "I'm already freaked out enough by all the weirdo things I do now just because I'm your childe. I don't have to make an *effort* to be anymore accommodating than I already am."

"Fine," Angel retorted, "I'll have Giles talk to you. I'm sure he'll be less than impressed that you're taking these stupid chances. Do you have any idea what the Council would do if they found out about you?"

Ceasing her painting, Buffy looked at him, her brow furrowed. "Why would the Council care?" she asked seriously.

Giving her an exasperated look, Angel dropped down onto the couch next to her. "Do you really think I just tell you these things to be contrary?" he asked.

"Part of the time," she admitted brashly.

"Buffy," he growled. "I tell you these things to keep you safe. Do you have any idea what an oddity you are? I'm an ensouled vampire. That's almost *never* heard of. You're an ensouled vampire who used to be a Slayer who is now living with her ensouled vampire boyfriend/Sire."

Giving him a defiant look, she said, "Yeah, so I'm not normal. Score one for me. That's always been the case. Why would it be any different now?"

"Because now you're not a human. They can view you as an animal and do all kinds of nasty experiments on you."

Buffy swallowed visibly. She hated it when he was right, mostly because it happened so often. "You really think they'd ... hurt me?"

Shooting her a look of absolute disbelief, he said, "The same group that poisoned you and gave you to a lunatic vampire? No. I'm sure they'd play nice."

Her answer to him was a glare.

"Buffy," he said in a gentle tone of voice, "I would just rather not take the chance at all."

Accepting that he had a point, Buffy's attentions wandered. Wrinkling her nose mischievously, she asked, "Don't want anything to happen to me, huh?"

"Not a single thing?"

"Wouldya miss me?"

Laughing softly at her game, he leaned closer to her and whispered, "Of course I'd miss you."

"What *exactly* would you miss?" she goaded breathily, batting her eyelashes at her lover.

"Little girl, you're playing with fire here," he said dangerously, eyeing her skimpy outfit of a tight white tank top and a long, loose, blue skirt.

"Oooh," she cooed, "thems fightin' words."

Before she could giggle, he had her pinned flat on her back to the couch. "Yes," he answered quietly, "they are."

Buffy moaned as he rubbed his stiff cock against her, wondering silently if they would always have this affect on each other. Being the obedient childe for once, she spread her legs, cradling his hips with her own. Languidly he pressed hard kisses down her neck to her chest as he pulled her tank top down baring her breasts. It was always easier for her to be obedient when orgasms were involved.

She silently mused that one of the definite perks of her being a vampire was that he wasn't afraid of breaking her anymore. As he pressed his full weight into her tiny frame, she hissed in pleasure.

"Now," she whined pitifully.

"In a minute," he said, his voice muffled due to his mouthful of breast.

Buffy threaded her fingers through the hair on the back of his head and arched her chest farther into his mouth as she held him to her. Buffy knew her lover had to have the most talented mouth in history. Not that she had a lot to compare it to, but anytime his lips were on her, it was bliss.

Not releasing his bite on her breast, Angel propped himself up on one arm and unbuttoned the fly of his black jeans. Pushing Buffy's skirt up around her waist, he moved the thong she was wearing to the side and plunged into her with one thrust. Apparently tired of having Angel hastily tear her undergarments from her body, and unwilling to go without, Buffy had taken to wearing a lot of thongs. He wasn't complaining.

Biting into her bottom lip to keep from screaming, Buffy arched into his thrust. He pulled out and plunged back into her several times before snarling loudly in irritation. Confused, she looked at him as he pulled out of her, sat up on the couch, and then pulled her across his lap, dropping her onto his cock. She moaned loudly as he buried his face in her neck, using his hands to guide her movements on him.

"Couch too narrow," he managed to grunt out as he pulled her violently against himself.

They strained against each other frantic for release, their bodies meeting with a distinctive slapping noise at each thrust. Feeling her release fast approaching, Buffy vamped out, pulling Angel's head out of the crook of her neck and sinking her fangs into his throat. Silently, she allowed the pleasure to overtake her as Angel's rich blood poured down her throat. She was floating, but still aware of his roar of completion.

Several minutes later, when they had both calmed and Buffy was tenderly licking her bite closed, Angel sighed dramatically.

"What?" Buffy asked, pulling back to look him in the face.

"You're never going to learn are you?" he asked, not nearly as exasperated as he thought he'd be. He was becoming oddly comfortable with the fact that Buffy was never going to obey him like a childe should.

"Oh," she said coyly, "you mean the part where I was supposed to ask before I bit you?"

"Yes, Buffy, that part."

"No," she said seriously. "I'm never going to learn and the more you try to teach me, the more I'm going to disobey."

"Fine," he said wearily. "I give up."

Her face scrunched up in consternation. "You don't have to give up on ... everything," she said quietly.

"Like what?" he asked somewhat caustically.

"Like this," she said motioning to their bodies.

"What about it?" he asked in confusion.

"This was ... different," she said brightly. "You know, sex while almost fully clothed. I like those kinds of lessons."

Angel laughed as he took in their appearance. If it weren't for the fact that they were both so disheveled, it wouldn't be readily obvious that he was still buried deeply inside her body. To someone else in the room it would merely look like she was sitting on his lap. "Buffy, you're incorrigible."

Buffy and Angel were lying nude in bed when Spike wandered into the room like he had every right to be there.

"Spike," Buffy hissed, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. Angel didn't bother with feigning modesty, he just laid there unashamed, warily eyeing his elder childe.

"What?" the blonde snapped back at her. "Not like I haven't seen it all already, Princess," he said bluntly. "Been there, done that, you know."

"What do you want, Boy?" Angel asked curtly.

Spike's face took on a look of nervousness and he shifted his weight back and forth on the ball of his feet.

"Well?" Angel growled.

"I have a question for the tart," he said.

"Then ask it," Angel bit out. "I'm not leaving you alone with her."

"What, Daddy, don't trust me?" he asked mockingly.

"No," Angel replied tersely.

Seeing that Angel wasn't going anywhere and seriously doubting that he could get Buffy to go somewhere with him, Spike sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Did you ..." he started, then stopped.

"Did I what?" Buffy asked, curious.

"Did you talk to Faith?" he asked sheepishly.

"Yes."

"And you mentioned me?" he asked hopefully.

"At length," Buffy said, amused.

"Really?" he asked brightly and then scowled. "What did you tell her?"

"That you're a nasty, loud, foul mouthed bastard vamp of Angel's who has a crush on her."

His eyes were shooting daggers at her. "You did not!"

"Yes," Buffy said calmly, "I did. But as far as I can tell, Faith is pretty much into dirt bags so you should be right up her alley."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

As they were recovering from their latest round of boisterous sex, Buffy looked at Angel seriously.

"What?" he asked.

"We're never going to get that nail polish off the couch."

With a bark of laughter he pulled her against his body, kissing her soundly.

The End

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