"Hey Baby." He greeted his wife as he entered the kitchen and found her rushing around to finish making a salad while Jacob slept in his carrier on the counter.

Buffy looked up at him and smiled brightly. "Hi!"

"How was your day?" Angel asked as he moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and planting soft kisses on the side of her neck as she sliced a tomato.

"Pretty good. Jacob was rather... subdued. How was work?"

"Slow... which means boring. Did your check-up go okay?" he asked, very curious about Buffy's routine six-week check-up... the one where it would be determined if she was ready for intercourse.

"Fine... Jacob and I are both in perfect health."

"Good... Very good... so... perfect health... that means you're... just as healthy as before you got pregnant?"

Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can have sex, Angel."

"I wasn't just wanting to know about that!" Angel replied, feigning hurt, before mouthing 'yes' in triumph. Sex! He loved sex! Sex with Buffy! Sex with Buffy was heaven.

"Well, good, because I have to tell you, I really don't foresee any sex in our near future." Buffy informed him, tossing the tomato into the salad and mixing it all together.

"What? Why not?" Angel pouted.

"Angel, I spend my day taking care of a newborn. If I can get him to sleep and still have enough energy to take a shower before three in the afternoon, I am doing good. I'm a mess. I get about four hours of sleep a night. I feel exhausted and disgusting. I never want to have sex again!"

Angel tried to squelch the panic he felt rising inside him. No more sex ever?! No... that was not a rational thing to say. Buffy probably was just cranky... or temporarily insane. "Buffy, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Sure, your hair and clothes are a bit... less orderly than they were a year ago, but I think it's sexy. You take care of our son all day... that's the most... wonderful and giving and beautiful thing in the world!" he assured her, feeling a bit of victory when she smiled. "And I know you're tired... but you said you wanted to start trying to bottle feed Jacob... which means I can start taking over some of his feedings... so you can get more rest."

"I love you." she grinned at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss.

"Love you too, Baby." He replied in a low voice as his hands stroked her lower back.

Buffy pulled back so she could look at him and gave him an amused smile. "So, since you have an answer to everything... what are we going to do about little Jacob-Henry if we have a... romantic romp in bed and he begins to cry?"

"Well, did you forget Spike's Christmas gift to us?"

Buffy shook her head. "But Spike just left town."

"What? When?"

"About twenty minutes ago. He is heading across the country... his main goal is to go to some concert, but he says he needs to spread his wings for a bit."

"He did this on purpose! So I can't have sex with you!" Angel exclaimed.

Buffy chuckled. "Honey, I don't think so. It's just a coincidence. Relax, he'll be back soon enough, I'm sure."

To Angel, after nearly two months without sex, there was no soon enough. There was only now. But now Buffy was setting the salad on the table along with the chicken. She wanted dinner... not sex.

"Come on Sweetie... there are other things in the world than sex, you know." Buffy urged her pouting husband to the table.

"You ready?" Buffy asked as she carried the bottle to her husband as he sat on the couch, gazing lovingly at their son in his arms.

"Very." He replied, looking up at her with a grin.

She sat beside him and leaned down to kiss Jacob on his forehead. Seeing his mother, the infant smiled and kicked his legs.

"Hi Baby... want Daddy to feed you now?"

Angel took the bottle from Buffy with a shaking hand, nervously moving the nipple to Jacob's mouth as she offered words of encouragement, secretly praying Jacob would take to it right away. She didn't want Angel to have to be disappointed; after all, Jacob seemed to recognize her more, and he would sometimes only stop crying if she held him... she didn't want Angel to feel left out.

Luckily, Jacob was a good baby, and started feeding from the bottle fairly quickly. Angel grinned down at his son with pride, amazed that a simple act like feeding a baby would make him feel so... euphoric.

All too soon, the bottle was empty and Jacob's eyelids were beginning to get heavy. Buffy placed a towel over Angel's shoulder so that he could burp the newborn, something in which he already had experience.

Together, they put their son to bed, then retreated to the couch in the living room to cuddle and watch television. After supper, Angel had gotten on the internet and researched sex after having a baby. He had a checklist for wooing his wife back into an amorous mood. Cuddling was on the list. He could cuddle.

The next night, when Angel entered the house, he found the TV blaring, the phone ringing, and Jacob crying as Buffy tried to calm him while pulling french fries out of the oven.

He picked up the phone and explained to the stranger on the other end that he had not reached Landry's Seafood, then turned the television off. By the he went back into the kitchen, Buffy had the pan of fries on the stove and was now nursing Jacob.

"Hi Sweetie."

"You look so beautiful!" he exclaimed, since telling her she was attractive was on the list. And she was... even though she was a bit... messy.

Buffy was dabbing at the spit up stain that was all over her shoulder from courtesy of Jacob a few hours earlier. Looking at her husband strangely, she replied "Angel, I have baby puke on me, I haven't showered, my clothes are covered with drool and vomit and ketchup!"

"So... you're still the most beautiful woman in the world!" he answered honestly.

Buffy gave him a tired smile. "I love you."

Score one for the horny husband.

Angel took the next day off. It was great for Buffy because she could sleep in after six a.m. and make a nice hot breakfast of pancakes and bacon since her husband could hold their son.

Angel happily fed the baby his breakfast while Buffy cooked theirs, then had him sleeping in his carrier by the time Buffy brought the food to the table. They were able to enjoy an unrushed, quiet meal for once. It was absolute heaven.

With Jake still asleep, Angel set to reading the paper, so Buffy felt it was the perfect opportunity to shower... Really shower... For so long, showering to her had been placating Jacob by dangling a toy off of the handlebar on his carrier, then hopping in the shower, having to stick her head out every minute or so to say something to keep the baby calm, and just barely getting all the shampoo out before she had to quickly cover herself with a towel and pick up her screaming child.

But today... she had Angel there... Buffy went to the shower and turned the water on so that it would be nice and hot by the time she got in. She went and found her strawberry body wash and sponge, her vanilla scented shampoo and conditioner, and a big, fluffy towel.

Stepping into the steaming shower stall, she moaned as the spray of hot water relaxed her tense muscles. Buffy had always taken showers for granted, but now she knew how much she truly appreciated them. She took her time, lathering her body up with the body wash, letting the scratchy material of the sponge massage it over her skin, before rinsing herself clean and giving her hair the same treatment.

When the water began running cold, Buffy quickly turned it off and grabbed the towel. Wrapping herself up, she stepped out of the shower with a serene smile on her face. She spotted that bathtub and frowned. She should have taken a long hot bath! It would have been even better!

Sighing, she shook her head and went to get dressed. Maybe she'd wear something she could show herself in public in.

After Buffy had taken her time, doing her hair, dressing, even putting on make-up, she walked back downstairs, feeling better than she had in ages. She was amazed that the last time she and Angel had really spent the day together was Christmas. It had been a *long* two weeks.

When she saw her husband reading an article about the president to their son, who lay in his carrier, looking at his father as though fascinated by the article, she couldn't help but smile.

"What are we reading to the impressionable child?" Buffy asked as she bent down so she could wrap her arms around Angel from behind.

He turned his head and smiled at her. "Oh, just all about the strange world of political scandals."

"Don't scare him!" she joked, then moved over to kiss the infant on his forehead. "Hi Baby!"

Jacob cooed and kicked him legs, recognizing his mother, before she walked away to fix herself a cup of juice and Daddy started reading to him again.

Buffy snuggled her head against Angel's shoulder as he watched The People's Court. In their six months of marriage, she had come to realize he had a fascination with law shows. From the real life court proceedings to law related dramas, Angel loved it all.

Jake had fallen asleep about ten minutes earlier, and Buffy was starting to feel like she might actually survive motherhood. He was beginning to settle into a sleep routine, which meant she might be able to settle into a routine for showering, cleaning, and taking a nap of her own. Not that she wasn't eternally grateful to her mother for letting Angel take the day off of work. Too bad they couldn't spend every day like this...

Buffy jumped up as soon as the phone started ringing. She'd learned the hard way that if she didn't catch it right away, Jake probably would hear it... which meant he'd wake up... which would completely disrupt his newfound sleep schedule. Couldn't have that.

"Hello?"

"Hey Buffy!" Cordelia replied on the other end, quite cheerfully.

A cheerful Cordelia was a scary one, Buffy had learned. She wanted something. "Hey Cordy."

"I was wondering... well, there is this party I have Friday night at one of the frat houses... kind of a 'welcome back to school' thing... and I need a new dress.. do you think you and Jacob-Henry could come with me? I'll drive and I won't make you lay out plastic to stop him from ruining my upholstery this time!"

"Cordelia, Angel stayed home today. I'm spending the day with him."

At that, Angel started paying closer attention to his wife as she talked on the phone beside him. "What?"

"She wanted me to go shopping with her." she told him quietly as Cordelia whined on the other side of the phone.

"Why don't you?" he asked. "You love to shop and you haven't had a chance in so long. You can have a whole afternoon to yourself. Well, with Cordelia... which is *like* being with a child... but at least she can walk."

"Hey! I heard that!" Cordelia shouted on the other end of the phone line.

"But we're supposed to spend today together." Buffy protested.

"It's okay, Baby... we can get some together time later... this day is about you getting a break."

Buffy smiled and kissed him tenderly. "I love you."

On the other end of the phone, Cordelia shrieked. "Oh, gross! Does this mean you can go shopping with me?"

"How do I look?" Buffy asked as she whirled around in a midnight blue slipdress. "I never thought I'd be able to wear this stuff ever again."

"You look great... of course not as great as me, but that will never happen." Cordelia replied, examining herself in the skintight red kneelength dress she was trying on.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Are you going to get that one?"

Cordelia nodded. "It will do quite nicely. Make Xander drool when he picks me up, then seethe with jealousy when he sees all the other guys drool over me."

Buffy chuckled. "Poor clueless boy."

"Okay, now we need shoes... and your dress would look really great with a wrap."

"A wrap? When am I going to use a wrap?"

"When Angel takes you out to a nice restaurant! It's not exactly hot out yet, Buffy."

"Yeah, but by the time we actually have a night free and we aren't completely exhausted, it will be summer." Buffy replied, then sighed. "And at the rate we're going, it will be 2017... when Jake turns 18."

"Nonsense!" Cordelia insisted, stomping her foot. "Now you go get that dress off because we have more shopping to do!"

Buffy shook her head, but complied, knowing it was not worth her energy to argue with her friend. Besides, if she came home with more than one bag then Angel would be reassured that she had a fabulous time and he was being a good husband.

Cordelia was pleased to find a velvet midnight blue wrap to match Buffy's dress, and didn't have to persuade her friend too much to buy it. As soon as Buffy saw it, she knew Cordelia was completely right.

When they got to the shoe store, Buffy saw a gorgeous pair of silver strappy heels and immediately knew they were perfect. Cordelia, on the other hand, tried on every pair of red heels in the store before deciding on a pair. As they made their purchases, a woman came in pushing a baby that was probably about three months old in a stroller. Buffy couldn't help but gaze sadly at a baby, missing her own son. When the baby started crying, Buffy came to the most disturbing realization.

Her breasts were leaking.

"Ooh, look at those sandals!" Cordelia exclaimed. "I know it's only January, but this *is* California."

"Cordelia, we need to get out of here." Buffy replied, hoping she could get out of the mall before everyone noticed.

"Relax, Buffy. It's only four-thirty, we told Angel we'd be back at five... so at the worst I will get you home a little late."

Buffy tugged her friend's arm. "I *have* to go *now*, Cordy!"

"Chill!"

"Cordelia, that baby is crying which is making my breasts leak milk as an instinctual reaction." Buffy whispered in her ear.

Cordelia's eyes opened wide with realization. "Ohhhh... Eww!"

Buffy walked in the door of her house, glancing at the milk stains in her blouse, grateful that only Cordelia had seen them. She was immediately greeted with the sound of Jacob crying and Angel trying to hush him. Entering the kitchen, she found her husband pacing the room, bouncing the baby gently in his arms as whispered words of comfort.

"Miss me?"

Angel looked up at her in surprise. "Honey... he woke up an hour ago... I fed him and he was fine... then about ten minutes ago he started crying... I checked his diaper, tried to feed him, tried to entertain him with his rattle... he won't stop crying."

"Oh... maybe he missed his Mommy." She replied, taking the baby and cradling in her arms. "Jacob-Henry... are you being bad for Daddy?"

The baby quieted down, instead looking up at her with his big brown eyes in surprise. Buffy smiled down at him, then looked up at Angel, and found a sad look on his face.

"Oh Honey... don't worry... I'm his mother... we have a special bond... but he still loves you just as much... it's just that I've spent more time with him."

"It's not that... I know he loves me. I can tell that he recognizes me when Giles or your mother is holding him... and I was once a little boy... I had a mother. I completely understand that relationship." Angel explained. "I'm just sorry that right when you get home it's back to giving your all for the baby."

Buffy smiled, her heart swelling with love. "It's all right. I missed you guys. And did you make dinner?"

Angel nodded proudly. "Macaroni and cheese, your favorite."

"Aww... a man after my own heart!"

The next day passed by rather uneventfully. Buffy was still in a lighter mood because of her reprieve from her usual life of taking care of the baby, cleaning the house... and trying to stay awake the day before.

Angel came home and helped Buffy make pasta for dinner. Together, they gave their son a bath and put him to bed. Buffy was watching TV when Angel came downstairs and informed her he had a surprise all set up. She let him lead her up to their master bathroom and gasped when she found the room lit with a dozen white candles. The bathtub was filled with water and Angel had sprinkled red rose petals over the surface.

Buffy gave him a grateful smile, telling him how wonderful he was once again, before stripping out of her clothes and stepping into the warm tub. Angel played a CD with calming music for her before leaving her alone in the room to turn the bed down.

He felt a bit guilty, knowing that he was only being so kind to her to get her into bed, and he realized that he should do this sort of thing all the time, just because he loved Buffy and she was tired and overworked because she spent the day taking care of their son. Seeing how much she enjoyed his small romantic gestures opened his eyes to a habit he needed to learn. Spoiling his wife.

After twenty minutes, the water was cooling and Buffy was pruning. Angel brought her a big, fluffy towel and helped her stand in the tub before wrapping the towel around her.

She walked into the bedroom and found her favorite nightshirt laid out on the bed. After she had put it on, Angel sat on the edge of the bed and her sit with her back to him between his legs so he could brush her hair.

Angel realized amusedly that she fell asleep that way. He laid her down in bed and covered her with blankets before climbing in beside her. The little checklist was trash, as far as he was concerned. Sex was not a priority, making his wife happy was.

Buffy was kneeling on the living room floor, half watching Oprah as she changed Jacob's diaper, when her husband walked in the door.

"Hey... Not that I'm not happy to see you... but why are you home at four?" she asked as she struggled to her feet while holding the baby.

Angel walked over to her, kissed her swiftly, and revealed a bouquet of roses from behind his back. "I'm here to give you a fabulous night."

Buffy's entire face brightened when she saw the roses. Quirking an eyebrow, she asked "Oh really?"

"Yes, really." Angel replied, taking the baby from her. "Why don't you go get changed and get a bag ready for Jake... you and I are going to dinner and movie and he is spending the evening with his grandparents and uncle."

Buffy grinned. "You're the best!"

"Honey, he looks stupid!"

"Angel! He looks adorable, shut up!" Buffy argued as she put thicker socks on Jacob's feet.

Angel frowned down at his son. Buffy had just put a cap on him. Angel was fine with that, it *was* chilly out and he didn't want the baby to get sick... But it was a Winnie the Pooh cap and there was little bear ears that also looked kind of like horns on the top of the cap. Ridiculous! But Angel knew better than to argue with Buffy. It probably wouldn't traumatize Jacob for the rest of his life and she seriously did like it.

With a sigh, Buffy picked the baby up and looked at Angel. "We're all ready."

Angel was once again amazed that a tiny little baby could need so much stuff. He lugged around the bassinet because Buffy insisted Jacob needed something better than his carrier to sleep in before they picked him up from Joyce's that night. Meanwhile, Buffy held the baby, his diaper bag, and her purse as they went out to the car.

After they finally got loaded into the car, they set off to Joyce and Giles'. Never in a million years would Angel have guessed that Buffy would have such a hard time leaving their son with her own mother. He knew that it was the first time that Jacob would be left with neither parent, but still... he had figured that Buffy trusted her mother just as much as she trusted him. Joyce just smiled and told him Buffy was being completely normal before taking her grandson and showing her daughter the baby would be okay.

After Buffy had checked to make sure Giles had her cell phone number three times, and kissed Jacob on the head many times, Angel was able to drag her out the door, feeling terrible about the tears she was trying to hide.

Buffy made a call to her mother's when they got to the restaurant, found out Jacob was doing just fine... and began to relax. They actually enjoyed their dinner, happily discussing whatever they wanted without worrying about talking too loud and waking the baby, or trying to eat while holding the baby... or being interrupted by their ever intrusive family.

When they got to the movie theater and took their seats, they still had fifteen minutes before the film was set to begin. Angel could tell Buffy was still thinking about the baby, so he suggested she call Joyce again. That time, Joyce was about the get Jacob ready for bed, so she put the phone to his ear and let Buffy talk to him. Buffy was ever so pleased when Joyce informed her that Jake had a huge smile on his face.

Shortly after, the movie began. Angel was pleasantly surprised with it. He'd let Buffy decide what to see, and she'd picked 'The Green Mile'. Angel knew Stephen King was big on horror movies, so when this one... wasn't... and instead was a thought provoking and moving film... he was taken aback.

Since the movie was over three hours long, it was late when they got out. Buffy was practically half asleep when they picked up Jacob and thanked Giles and Joyce profusely for babysitting. Ever the proud grandmother, Joyce reassured them that she would be happy to do it again, anytime.

Buffy awoke with a start, glancing at the clock and finding it to be half past two in the morning. Jacob should have woken her by now to feed him. Turning her head to Angel's side of the bed, she found herself alone in bed. She was about to jump out of bed to see if everything was okay, when she saw Angel walk into Jake's room on the babycam.

"Shh... it's okay Buddy." Angel assured his tiny son as he began feeding him the bottle. The infant took to it immediately, his hungry little mouth swallowing the milk as fast as possible. "That's a good boy, Jake. Let's not wake Mommy. She's tired. How about we give her a break?"

Buffy smiled as she lay on her side in the bed, still facing the small monitor, so she could watch her husband in a white t-shirt and pajama bottoms holding their little baby in his arms.

It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen.

After a few moments, Angel settled a now sleeping Jake in his crib and went back to the bedroom where he assumed his wife was sleeping. When he found her lying awake in bed with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you." she told him softly as he joined her in bed.

"Buffy, he is my son too... taking care of him is not all your responsibility."

"I know... but you do special things for me because you know it's not easy to take care of him... I want to do special things for you too." She told him as she rolled onto her belly and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

After a moment, she deepened the kiss and began tugging at the bottom of his shirt, starting to pull it up his chest so that he could pull it over his head. Angel was overcome with sensations. He so easily lost himself in her.

Rational thought managed to break through, however, when Buffy broke their kiss to pull his shirt off, followed shortly by her nightshirt.

"Whoa... Buffy, sweetie, you don't have to do this. I know you're tired, you're not in the mood... we can wait."

Buffy rolled her eyes and straddled him. "Angel, shut up. I'm in the mood." She informed him, before rubbing her now wet center against his growing erection. "*Very* in the mood."

Angel was torn and she was not helping things. A part of him felt like he should be strong and noble and stop her... but then another part of him said she was a grown woman and wouldn't do this if she didn't want to... and she *really* seemed to want to....

Before he knew it, they were both completely naked and Buffy was stroking his length with some of the Astroglide he had bought when doing research for having sex after having a baby. She then gave him a purely female smile before lowering himself onto his erection.

She sat still for a moment, letting her body readjust to having him inside her. Angel lay still beneath her, content to let her set her own pace while relishing the feeling of being inside her once again. Slowly, Buffy began moving... up and down... occasionally rolling her hips. Angel placed his hands on her hips, then stroked them over her back.

As the pressure began building inside her, Buffy placed her hands on Angel's chest, using him for leverage so she could thrust herself more forcefully on her husband. Angel began to lift his hips to meet her halfway. Both of them were hyperaware of the sleeping infant in the next room, and the importance of keeping their voices down so as not to wake him.

Buffy felt herself explode, so she collapsed on her husband's chest so that he could muffle her cries of ecstasy. When Buffy's muscles began to contract around him, Angel released himself, biting his own lip as he spilled his seed deep inside her.

For a long while, they lay tangled together in bed, lazily giving each other sweet kisses, before drifting off to sleep. It had been magical... and it would very possibly be a *long* time before they could do it again...

The End

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