When he went down to see how she was progressing, he found her lying on a mat, sweaty and breathing hard.

"How's it going?"

She looked up at him. "I didn't realize how out of shape I am." She sat up and took her shoes and socks off.

He handed her a bottle of water. "You look like you're in great shape to me." He cocked his eyebrow at her.

"Being thin and being in shape are two entirely different things." She got up off off the floor with a groan. "Oh, I'm gonna be sore."

Angel started to rub her shoulders. "You know, I've always heard that it's good to ... work through the pain."

Buffy turned to face him. "Mmmhmm. And exactly how do you suggest I do that?"

"Well, you'll have to work up another sweat."

She put her arms around his neck. "I think I can manage that. What do we do first?"

Angel ran his fingers from her shoulders to her hands. He unlaced her fingers from behind his neck, put her arms to her sides and stepped back to look at her. She was wearing a pair of black lycra pants and a red, skin tight tank. He shook his head. "That just will not do."

"What won't?"

He pointed at her and waved his hand up and down. "You are wearing way too many clothes for this workout."

She immediately pulled her tank over her head and removed her bra. "Is this better?"

He stepped forward and began running his hands over her perfect breasts. "It's a start." He knelt in front of her and his tongue circled her suddenly hardened nipple, tasting the milk that filled her swollen breasts.

Buffy's breathing was becoming rapid. "I guess this is the ... warm-up."

"Why? Are you warm?" He said licking and sucking on her chest.

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Mmm."

The sound of the baby crying made Angel pull away. He took the monitor from his pocket. "Sounds like someone doesn't like to share."

Buffy giggled. "She has radar. ... Hand me my top."

He gave her the red tank. She put it on and headed towards the stairs. She turned back to see him still kneeling in the middle of the room.

"Are you coming?"

Angel took a deep breath. "In a minute. It's a little uncomfortable to move right now."

She shook her head, laughed and ran up the stairs.

Buffy walked into the library. "Giles, are you here?"

His office door opened to reveal him, Wesley and Faith.

It seemed that all Faith had to do was cry and tell the council how sorry she was for killing the mayor's assistant and she was put back on active duty.

Buffy pouted playfully. "You guys are having a party and nobody invited me?"

"Not quite." Wesley said in his snooty way.

"So, what's up?" Buffy hopped up on the end of the counter.

Giles shook his head. "Nothing. That's just it. It's too quiet."

Faith leaned on the counter next to Buffy. "And I'll ask again, what's the big deal? So the demon community is laying low, it just means time for a little R & R."

"Nice theory, Faith, but it's been my experience that when the big bad are lyin' low, there's a bigger bad up to something." The blond slayer informed her. "In this case, I'm thinking ... the mayor?"

"Exactly." Wesley agreed. "Now, we need to figure out precisely what. I want the two of you to patrol together this evening."

"Uh." Buffy sighed.

"Problem, Buffy?" Wesley looked pointedly at the blond.

"Yeah, I kinda have plans with my husband. He's taking me to dinner and then to some foreign film, something about food. It's a food themed evening."

"Perhaps afterwards, you could join Faith for a quick sweep." Giles suggested.

The bell rang.

"Works for me." Buffy said as she jumped off of the counter. "I'm off to class."

She grabbed her books and left.

Buffy couldn't remember the last time she had made out in a movie. "Le Banquet D'Amelia" was the most erotic movie she'd ever seen.

They walked out of the theater holding hands and looking quite disheveled.

Buffy put her head on Angel's arm as they walked. "Remind me that the next time you want to take me to a foreign film, it's really just a porno with subtitles."

They stopped and he took her into his arms.

"I don't know, the food scene gave me quite a few ideas. I mean, I definitely have to get you a Kimono."

She looked up into her husband's smiling face. "I admit, I like seeing you get worked up like this. Maybe next time I'll wear a skirt."

He leaned down and kissed her. "Definitely ... and no panties."

They kissed with more passion.

"Check out the lust bunnies."

Buffy and Angel turned to see Faith leaning up against a lamp post.

"Patrol?" Buffy asked.

"They want us down by Mercer." Faith told her.

Buffy looked back at Angel. "I shouldn't be long. Kiss my baby for me." She kissed him sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you." He kissed her one more time.

"Don't worry, big guy. I'm just keepin' her warm for ya." Faith said as she winked at Angel.

Faith and Buffy were walking through the cemetery.

"So, your hubby's a god in bed, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Buffy looked at her in shock. "Faith, the next time you think of what my husband's like in bed ... DUCK!"

Faith did as Buffy told her and the senior slayer laid out the demon that was behind the brunette.

The demon hit the ground. "Ouch! That hurt!"

They picked him up and shoved him against a wall.

"What are you nuts goin' around punchin' people?"

"People?" Buffy took his hat off to reveal his horns.

"So, what, I'm a demon, that makes it okay?"

Both slayers pulled their stakes and held them to his chest.

"Hold it, whoa! Stake me now and you'll never find out what I got for you. Huh? Think about it, demon seeks slayer, highly unusual?"

"Talk fast." Faith told him.

"How would you like to get your hands on the Books of Ascension, huh?"

Buffy shrugged. "Never heard of them."

"BOOKS OF ASCENSION ... very powerful works, and I'm not talking about the prose and they deal with some dark stuff, and the mayor, he would hate it if someone got a hold of them before he, uh ... you know."

"No, don't know. Before what? Buffy questioned.

"Read em and weep. That's all I got to say. Tomorrow, I get the books. Meet me here and if the price is right, well, I give the books to you."

"Not really looking to trade with a demon." Buffy told him.

"And if this were still a barter economy, that would not be a problem. I want cash, princess. Five large for the whole set."

"So you can buy ... I'm guessing here ... skin care products?" Faith quipped.

"Plane ticket out of the Hellmouth before it's adios slayer loco. So, 5 g's. What do you say?" He looked from Buffy to Faith.

"I think, die, fiend, sums it up, wouldn't you say?" Faith moved towards him, but he ran off.

She was about to go after him, but Buffy grabbed her arm.

"Oh let him go. I don't think he falls into the deadly threat to humanity category."

Faith looked at Buffy. "A demons a demon."

"I'd like to know more about these Books of Ascension. Anything that would pin the mayor down would be great."

Faith cocked her eyebrow. "Yeah, it'd be great."

Buffy walked up the stairs and down the hallway to her and Angel's bedroom. She was tired. After their run-in with that demon, she and Faith had met with Giles and Wesley and told them about the encounter.

She opened her bedroom door to find her husband bare from the waist up and asleep on his stomach.

Buffy smiled and stripped out of her clothes and headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Coming out of the bathroom, she noticed that her love hadn't moved. She grabbed her nightshirt from her dresser, put it on and climbed into the massive bed.

Buffy kissed his shoulder and put her head down on her pillow. Absentmindedly, she traced the tattoo on his back which could be seen by the way the moonlight hit it.

She loved that tattoo. It was just so ... sexy.

His eyes opened. "How was patrol?"

"Ran into a demon who wants to sell us some books.

He got up on his elbows. "Interesting." He leaned over and kissed her.

"Mmmhmm." She said tiredly.

Angel turned over on his back and Buffy curled up in his arms. She rested her head on his chest and smiled.

"Your heartbeat's getting stronger and you're taking deeper breaths." She smiled.

"I hadn't even noticed." He kissed the top of her head. "The only times I realized it's beating is when I'm anxious or nervous ... or around you."

She snuggled into him closer and sighed. "I wish we could figure out what the mayor's up to so you and I can get back to our normal lives."

"Nothing about our lives will EVER be normal."

Buffy and Faith arrived at the demon's apartment the next afternoon. Xander paid Willy twenty bucks for the demons whereabouts.

The sight they walked in on was completely gory. The demon was mutilated.

"Looks like someone else got here before we did." Faith smirked.

Buffy looked at the smile on Faith's lips. "Yeah, but who? And does the mayor have the books yet?"

Buffy walked into her house through the kitchen door from the garage and threw her keys on the counter.

"I take it you didn't get the books?"

She jumped and turned to see Angel and Giles standing behind her.

"God! Don't do that! You scared the shit out of me!" She scolded them.

"Sorry." They both said.

"The meeting with the demon did not go well?" Giles asked.

Buffy shook her head. "He was kind of ... pulp. He was dead when we got there."

"And the books were gone?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah ... There's something else though. Faith acted like she wasn't actually ... shocked."

"You think she knew about this?" Angel asked.

"I think she did it. I guess it's slayer intuition, cuz I'm getting an evil vibe off of her."

"How are you going to prove your ... feeling?" Giles wondered.

"We follow her. Find out what's up with her ... without getting caught."

Giles pushed his glasses up his nose. "And we would do this how exactly?"

The Scoobies were positioned all over Sunnydale. Angel outfitted all of them with walkie-talkies and binoculars.

"She's headed your way Cordelia." Angel said as he watched Faith walk down Main Street.

"I see her ... OH MY GOD!" She squealed.

"What happened?!" Xander asked frantically.

"Xavier's is having an incredible show sale!"

"Cordelia! Focus! Faith!" Buffy yelled.

She looked back to Faith. "Oh, she's walking towards City Hall."

"That's me." Buffy said. "I'm all over her."

She watched Faith walk towards the large brick building where she was greeted with a big ole hug from the mayor.

Buffy walked up to the two of them. "Well, well, well, aren't you two cozy?"

The rest of the gang walked up just in time to see what Buffy had confronted.

 

The End

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