**

Buffy bounded down the hall and burst into the library, full-fight mode in effect. She startled Angel, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Giles, who were standing around the table. All heads turned toward her, but she was focused on Angel. She ran to him and practically knocked him over as she grabbed him and hugged him tightly. She backed away a little bit and inspected him closely.

"You're okay?" She half-asked, half-exclaimed.

He looked at her oddly. "Yeah..."

Buffy turned to look at the others, who were, in turn, looking at her as if she had sprouted antlers.

"But Jenny said..." she began.

"I was way off." Jenny entered the room at that moment, interrupting. "I had a nightmare. About Angel. It scared me. I ... I shouldn't have even said anything. I'm sorry, Buffy. See? He's fine." She indicated Angel with a sweep of her hand.

Angel was not convinced, adding another check to his mental 'keep an eye on Jenny' column.

Buffy scowled at her. "Don't do that, Jenny. Please. Don't scare me like that."

Xander waved his arms between them. "Uh, hello? Guys? Can we... uh, focus on me here? Plan Guy?"

Buffy turned away, shooting Jenny one last look before she joined the circle. Jenny followed close behind, watching Buffy carefully.

Angel continued watching Jenny.

**

The plan was set. Things would be in motion by that time the next night. For now, everyone was to retreat to their respective corners to charge their batteries and wait.

When Buffy and Angel walked through his front door a short while later, she was thinking about the rings they had exchanged at the docks a few days before.

Angel locked the door behind them, and Buffy plopped down on his couch, tossing her gym bag on the floor.

"Angel?" She said, looking intently at her hand.

"Mm?" had said, absently.

"Does this mean we're married now?"

He looked at her. The question surprised him, a little.

"I guess it does... yeah." He smiled. He would never had made love to her without at least that much of a commitment. He was still an old-fashioned boy, at heart. "As much as we can be, considering the small legal problem of me being dead." He sat beside her.

"And me being 17." Buffy added. Angel winced.

"And then there's that." he said quietly.

Buffy continued to stare at her ring. He took that hand and gazed at their two rings, clinking softly together, before he moved his gaze to look deeply into her eyes. He kissed her ring gently.

He whispered in Gaelic, "I love you, my wife."

Buffy smiled at him, not understanding, yet comprehending fully. She rested her palm on his cheek, caressing his face with her eyes before drawing him to her for a long, deep kiss.

Married.

He lifted her into his arms without interrupting the kiss and swept her into the bedroom. They made love more slowly, tenderly, without the desperation of the first night or the hot passion of the day after, but simply, softly experienced one another.

Buffy ran her hands down over his shoulders, his back, his waist. His skin, though cold, was soft and seemed to hum beneath her touch. Angel kissed her softly on the neck as she ran her fingers through his hair. He moved his face above hers, looking at her with great love, then kissing her softly on the lips.

"I love you", he whispered.

...his wife...

**

He was wearing his game face. This wasn't right, she knew -- they had been making love, not battling demons. Then, suddenly she was at a funeral in broad daylight. Angel was across from her, approaching the casket. Buffy looked over at him. His face was bathed in the sunlight... she started a little. He looked up at her.

"You have to know what to see." He said.

She looked at him, confused, then back down at the grave. She looked around at the other people attending the funeral and saw Jenny lifting a black veil from her face.

**

Buffy jolted awake, sitting straight up in bed. Angel stirred and opened his eyes.

"What is it?" He said with tender concern, "Are you okay?" He brushed her bare shoulder with his hand.

"Something weird is going on." She said, "And it has something to do with Jenny."

That got Angel sitting up. Buffy began to scoop her clothes off the floor.

"I know," Angel said.

Buffy stopped and turned to look at him. "What do you mean, 'you know'? What exactly do you know -- and why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't sure." He said, "I thought maybe I'd imagine that she'd been acting funny. Saying and doing odd things."

Buffy looked at him, exasperated. Waiting...

"And?" she said.

"It's not anything I can put my finger on. She's seemed really... what... skittish? lately. And the 'nightmare' incident last night?" He shook his head, "Not kosher."

Buffy nodded. "That didn't sit quite right with me, either. What do you think is up?"

Angel shrugged, "I don't know, but it makes me nervous. We have enough to worry about."

Buffy finished dressing and pulled on her shoes. "I'm going to talk to her. I know it has something to do with you. She seemed to want to tell me something before we came in to the library last night. She was pretty dire."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Buffy stopped and looked at him, his handsome features shadowed with worry.

"No, sweetie..." She leaned over and kissed him softly, "...besides, it's 10am. It probably wouldn't be the best thing for your complexion."

He grinned, realizing his error.

"Right." He said. He reached out and squeezed her hand. She pulled away, smiled softly at him, waved, and bounded out of the room.

He would have laughed if he wasn't so frightened.

**

Buffy wasted no time, but headed directly for Jenny's classroom. Her class was just leaving and Buffy could hear her calling directions to them as they hustled out.

She walked in, watching Jenny erase the chalkboard. She noticed Giles standing close by, gathering up some files and books he'd brought with him for a presentation. He noticed Buffy first.

"Oh, Buffy." he said. She ignored him, instead getting right in Jenny's shocked face.

"What's going on?" Buffy snapped, looking her in the eye.

Giles tried to get between them. "Buffy!" He cried.

"Did you do something to Angel?" Buffy said, a deadly, violent edge to her voice.

Giles knew he was missing some imperative piece of information that would somehow help the unfolding scene make sense. Of course, it was missing, and thus, he was confused.

"Buffy, calm down," was all he could think of to say.

She snapped her head around and shot him a look that made him wish he'd never seen any of this.

"Well?" Buffy yelled, turning her attention back to Jenny, who didn't show signs of backing down, despite being obviously terrified.

"There are things you don't know about Angel's curse... about the people who cast it on him." She finally said, "My people."

Giles stood with his mouth gaping, dumbfounded.

"What don't I know?" Buffy snarled.

"I was sent here to watch you. They told me to keep you and Angel apart. They have always been watching you. I'm not supposed to allow you to bring him a moment's peace."

"Jenny!" Giles exclaimed, hurt and confusion in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Rupert. Angel is supposed to pay for what he did to my people." She went on.

Suddenly, Buffy's hand was around Jenny's throat. Her eyes bulged in fear as Buffy shoved her on her back onto the desk.

"And me? What am I supposed to be paying for?" Buffy cried, tears beginning to show.

Jenny gagged.

"Buffy..." Giles said softly, pulling her hand off Jenny's neck.

"You brought the piece of the Judge. You tried to send Angel away." She accused.

Jenny only nodded.

"My god." Giles said incredulously.

"Is there anything else planned? Any other little booby traps you've set for us?"

Jenny didn't raise her eyes, but said, "I have broken my vows. Someone else will be sent to take my place. Someone who is faithful. I don't know what they will do. They know all about the two of you. They know you have become lovers. They will try to use that against him."

"Lovers?" Giles mumbled, more confused than ever, "I don't...don't... I don't think I understand..."

Buffy gave him a sheepish look, but said nothing.

Jenny rubbed her neck.

"What can we do?" Buffy asked her.

"Nothing. If he runs, they will find him. You are better off killing him now, yourself. It will be more merciful than what they have in mind for him."

**

Buffy returned to the library late that night to meet the others. She was so wound up her head hurt, and it had been all Angel could do to make her let him go, to trail the Judge until the confrontation. She had screamed at him when they parted ways, and now she felt horrible about that, too. He didn't seem overly concerned about what the Romany had in store for him, or even too surprised that Jenny had been a spy. It seemed all par for the course for him... or all part of the curse...

Buffy was infuriated. She couldn't believe that Jenny had done this to them... how the hell was she supposed to concentrate on saving the world if she had to worry about the people who were watching her back?

She sat forlornly in Giles' office, fiddling with the crossbow on her lap. It hardly seemed worth the bother, at this point... everything felt hopeless... all the joy of the past few days had disappeared, and now only fear and anger stood in its place. Couldn't she just be happy for once? Couldn't the fates just give her one little break?

Just then, Xander and Oz came crashing in, followed closely by Cordy and Willow. Giles came down from the stacks in response to the ruckus, and the boys slammed a large crate onto the desk in front of Buffy.

"Happy Birthday, Buffy. I hope you like the color." He stepped back, out of the way, and let her get to the box.

"Giles," She said, " We go to the factory first, but they might not be there. They're on the offensive. We need to figure out where they'll go."

Giles pulled a crowbar out of the cabinet and set it in the box's lock. He lifted violently, and the clasp broke easily.

"Agreed," he said, and lifted the lid.

Buffy looked into the box, "This is good."

Just then, Jenny appeared in the doorway.

"Do you, uh..." Giles turned to look at her, "Is there something I can do?"

"Get out." Buffy snapped, without even looking.

"I...I just want to help." Jenny said.

Giles looked away from her. "She said 'get out.'"

Buffy looked up at Giles, as he looked sadly into the box. Jenny turned around and left.

Xander stepped up behind them. "Do you want me to show you how to use it?"

"Yes, I do." Buffy said.

**

Author's Note: Chaos ensues. After discovering the Judge and Co. had already left the warehouse, Buffy and the gang confront the Judge, Druscilla and several dozen lesser vampires at the Sunnydale Mall. Buffy doesn't see Angel, which of course freaks her thoroughly, but she manages to keep her focus on the problem at hand. Using her spiffy birthday present, she toasts the judge, quips mightily, and sends the cleanup crew to gather and separate his pieces. Buffy does recon in the mall, trying to hunt down Dru, but she is long gone.

Angel is still nowhere to be seen.

Giles gives Buffy a ride home, and this is where we rejoin our intrepid heroine.

**

Giles pulled up in front of Buffy's house. He looked over at the Slayer and cut the engine, worried that the only sound he heard were the crickets. Buffy hadn't said a word since the victory at the mall.

"I'm sure Angel is fine..." he said, not sounding sure at all.

"You must be so disappointed in me." Buffy said morosely.

"No," he said, and Buffy turned to look at him, "No, no, I'm not."

"But this is all my fault," she insisted.

"No. I don't believe it is. Do you want me to wag my finger at you and tell you that you acted rashly? You did. A-and I can. I know that you love him. And...he...has proven more than once that he loves you. You couldn't have known what would happen... the coming months are going to be hard... I...I suspect on all of us, but... if it's guilt you're looking for, Buffy... I'm... I'm not your man. All you will get from me is... is my support. And my respect."

Buffy smiled at him through her tears. The smile lasted less than half a second.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, sounding more like a frightened little girl than Giles had ever heard her. It was hard to stomach, seeing Buffy so frightened. She had faced a world full of monsters, went head-to-head with her own death every day... but the thought of losing her one true love reduced her to a teary child.

"I don't know." he said, honestly. He patted her knee. "The gypsies can be a very dangerous group. Their hold on the supernatural is uncanny. I suspect we will have to do some very vigorous research to find a way to protect you and Angel."

Buffy nodded, the n climbed out of the car. She watched Giles drive away, and wearily headed to the house, her head bowed.

Which allowed her to run smack into Angel, who stood waiting on the front step. She gasped audibly, and jumped into his arms. Several minutes of kissing and injury inspection ensued. Angel was a mess. Much more so than Buffy.

"What happened?" She asked, "I looked for you at the mall... I thought you were following the Judge?!"

"I was... I got... a little sidetracked. Ghouls."

"Ghouls? Are you kidding?"

He shook his head sadly. "I have a feeling that's just the beginning..."

Buffy looked longingly into his eyes, and repeated her earlier question to Giles:

"What are we going to do?"

Angel shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know." he said. He took her hand, kissed it, and turned toward her door.

"But I do know that your mom made cake. I can smell it. Whatdya say?"

Buffy looked for a long time at her lover... her husband... her vampire... his life was in danger, again. Hers, too. The Kalderash were another in a long line of creatures that wanted them dead. Danger was theirs to face, every day. She smiled. They'd handle it. They always did.

Right now, there was cake to conquer.

They walked hand-in-hand into her house.

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