Distribution: If you had permission to take any of my other stories, you can use this one as well. Just let me know where it's going. Others, just ask and I will most likely give permission.
Feedback: I need it as much as I need my daily dose of B&A tapes. I love it as much as I love Angel in leather pants. I'd beg for it more than I'd beg Spike for....well, you've got the idea.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss, the WB, Mutant Enemy, (the evil)FOX, and whoever else came up with them. If they belonged to me the show would be drastically different. Please don't sue, I'm only a high-schooler without a job anyways.
Rating: Same as the show
Spoilers: Set during the third season episode "Band Candy." Spoilers for that episode, nothing else after that has happened.
Concept: What if Buffy had asked Angel for help since he's the only "adult" that's acting like an adult. This fic starts as Buffy and Snyder leave Willow and Oz and go off to find the factory and hopefully whoever's running it. Buffy stops to get Angel and things progress from there.
Author's Notes: A huge, huge thanks goes out to Shirl () for giving me the main plot idea for this fic. My muse is totally drained after 19 of these stories and Shirl had offered a while ago to help me with ideas if I ever needed them. Well, I did, and she came through in a huge way. This makes 20 fics where I've rewritten S3 episodes so B&A end up together. I'm gonna do the Graduations together, which means there's only one more to go after this! Enjoy!

"Stay." Buffy commanded Snyder as her mother's car screeched to a halt on Crawford Street.

He glared at her but remained in the passenger seat gripping his seatbelt tightly.

"Angel?" Buffy called out as she approached the mansion. "Angel?"

He opened the door just as she was about to pound on it.

"Buffy. What's wrong?" He asked as he pulled on a shirt. She had obviously caught him working out again, and found herself wishing for a second she hadn't announced her presence and had gotten to watch him again. Then other thoughts prevailed.

"You've gotta come with me. I need someone who doesn't have the mind of a teenager." She took his hand and almost dragged him towards the Jeep. She moved Snyder into the back-seat and got herself into the driver's. Angel stood outside. "You can drive?"

"Yes. Well, kinda, but that's not the point. We've gotta hurry." Buffy glared at him and he slowly got in. As she drove, she explained what was going on.

Angel's concern grew by the minute, and not just from her story.

*

Several minutes later, but not nearly soon enough for either of the car's passengers, Buffy pulled up outside the chocolate factory. Everyone got out of the car and headed towards the factory. Buffy was just about to head in when she noticed someone. Or rather, two someones.

"Mom? Giles?!"

"Go away. We're busy." Giles responded. He then did a double take. "Angel? Oh, bloody hell..." He began to move threatenly towards the vampire.

"Stop." Buffy commanded as she grabbed his shoulder. "Yes, that's Angel. He's back and in full possession of a soul. Which is not the issue right now...Mom!" Buffy pulls her mother away from her Watcher.

"Hey!"

"Where did you get that coat? Never mind. Listen..." Buffy asked her mom. Giles grabbed her arm and turns her to face him. "Back off!"

"Giles, think about this. You wanna fight me, or you wanna let me talk to my mother?" Buffy glared daggers at him and he backed down. He then pulled out a cigarette from behind his ear and proceeded to light it.

"Mom, look at me. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course. You're Buffy. Hey, look. They're, they're giving away candy. You want some candy?" Joyce is slightly out of it.

"No, I don't! And you don't need any more, either." Buffy tried to reason with her mother.

"I'm fine. I can have more if I want." Joyce said loudly.

"You are *not* fine. You need to go home." Buffy said. "Angel, help please."

Angel moved up next to her and looked at Giles and Joyce. If it wasn't so serious this would be really funny.

"Mrs. Summers..."

"You...you...I know you." Joyce reached for Angel's arm.

"Yeah, um, mom...." Buffy suddenly realizes that the last time her mother saw him he was Angelus and practically stalking her.

"You're so cute!" Joyce grinned as she leaned towards Angel to kiss him.

"Mother!" Buffy yelled as she pulls her away. "Hands. Off. My. Boyfriend." She punctuates each word with a slight shake of her mother's shoulders.

"Oh, he's your bloody boyfriend again, is he?" Giles asked. "Should have known. He comes back from hell and you two just kiss and make up, never mind that he's a vampire and ..."

"Hell? VAMPIRE?"

"Thanks a lot." Buffy glared at Giles and ignored her mother's questions. She stepped over to Giles.

"Listen to me. You need..."

"No, you listen to me." Giles interrupted. "I'm your Watcher, so you do what I tell you. Now, sod off!"

Buffy grabbed the cigarette from his mouth, threw it down and stomped it out. "Take her home."

Buffy gave Angel a look that says 'let's go' and the two of them progressed into the crowd, leaving her mother and Watcher behind. They, and Snyder, moved to follow the pair.

Buffy and Angel fought several of the guards as they attempted to stop them from giving out more candy. As they were fighting, Buffy saw Giles and her mother at the base of the dock stuffing chocolate bars into their pockets and went over to them.

"Mom!" Buffy grabbed her mother by the arms and pulled her up.

"Hey!"

"Oy! You leave her alone!" Giles attempted to pull Joyce away but Buffy only glared at him.

Angel kicked in the door to the factory and Buffy pulled her mother with them into the building. Giles followed.

"Stay." Buffy instructed Joyce as she left her in a large room. "Come on Angel."

As her and Angel moved to case out the area, Angel noticed a man with his back to them.

He pointed him out and Buffy noticed that he was on the phone and slowly approached.

"This is far out." Buffy heard Giles's voice as he entered the room full of chocolatly goodness but she ignored him as the man on the phone stopped listening and started to talk.

"Yeah, I've been out there. Town's wide open. You guys can go anytime." Buffy immediately recognized the voice and crossed her arms as she closed the distance between them. "Ethan Rayne."

He turned to face her, eyes going wide with surprise. He saw Giles behind her and his eyes got even bigger. Then Angel appeared next to Buffy and Ethan freaked.

"Might wanna hurry." He said as he quickly hung up the phone and took off at a dead run.

Buffy, Angel and Giles gave immediate chase.

Ethan darted into the maze of cases of candy bars. Buffy and Angel rushed to keep up. They made several twists and turns, finally coming around a corner to discover that they've lost him. Behind them, Giles stopped running too, breathing heavily to catch his breath.

"Where... Bloody Hell!"

"That's what smoking will do to you. N..." Buffy quipped at Giles.

"Now be quiet." Angel finished her sentence.

The two looked at each other and grinned slightly.

"Well... Where'd the bastard go?"

"Shhh." Both Buffy and Angel shushed the Watcher and then almost laughed. They were back in sync, just like they always used to be.

They both looked around and listened carefully. Buffy abruptly stopped in one corner and cocked her head slightly. Angel nodded and got on the other side of the box she stood next to.

"What?" Giles asked, but was ignored.

Buffy pretended to move on, then suddenly spun a hook-kick right into a crate. Angel yanked away a chunk of wood, reached in and pulled out Ethan's head.

"Look. A box full of farm-fresh chicken."

Ethan gave her a nervous smile, but it quickly faded as Angel pulled him out of the crate.

"So, Ethan, what are we playing? We're pretty much in a talk-or-bleed situation. Your call." Buffy glared at the man as Angel kept a hand on his throat.

"Hit him." Giles yelled. Buffy glared at him for an instant, then looked back at Ethan.

"I-I'd just like to point out that this wasn't my idea."

"Meaning...?" Angel prompted as he squeezed his neck a little tighter. "I'm subcontracting. It's Trick you want. I'm just helping him collect a tribute... for a demon."

"He's lying. Hit him! Come on, let Angelus come out to play." Giles, in the mind set of his teenaged years, was obviously thrilled to know a baddie like Angelus.

Angel just stared at him and growled. "Shut up."

"I don't think he's lying." Buffy said, looking Ethan hard in the eyes.

"You're *my* Slayer, go knock his teeth down his thr..."

"Giles!" Both Buffy and Angel said in exasperation.

Giles shut up but continued to glare at his former friend.

"What demon?"

"I don't remember." Ethan replied all too quickly.

Buffy punched him solidly in the nose. He stumbled and would have fallen if it weren't for Angel's grip on him.

Giles jumped and swung his fist through the air. "Yes!"

Buffy gave Giles a glaring look. He quickly lost his smile.

"Lurconis. Demon named Lurconis. They wanted a way to get the tribute away from people. They said the tribute was big, so big that people would never let them take it. That people had to be out-of-it. And later on, when the candy wore off, they'd blame themselves." Ethan said quickly, hoping to avoid being hit again.

"Hence, land of the irresponsible." Buffy sighed.

"So, where's Trick?" Angel asked Ethan.

"I don't know exactly."

"Hit him again." Giles said excitedly.

Angel held up a fist and let himself shift into gameface. Giles moved closer, almost beaming in anticipation.

"No! I-I-I really don't know. Delivering the tribute."

Buffy stepped closer, "Which brings us to the bonus question, and believe me when I say a wrong answer will cost you *all* your points."

Behind her Giles leapt up joyously with a huge smile on his face, anticipating a good fight.

"What's the tribute?"

"I...I don't know."

"I do." Angel said suddenly. He had been looking this entire time like he was trying to remember something.

"What?" Buffy turned to him quickly.

"Lurconis." Angel said slowly, knowing this would be hard for her to hear,

"Lurconis, well, he eats babies. Every thirty years he needs some as a tribute to him."

"Babies?" Buffy's eyes widened in shock and her face took on a sad appearance.

Angel's first instinct was to comfort her and he moved to do so, momentarily forgetting about Ethan. Ethan spied a crowbar on the table and reached for it as he advanced toward Angel, who had Buffy wrapped in his arms. Giles noticed his advance. He pulled back the hammer on his stolen Beretta and pointed it at Ethan's neck. "I wouldn't." Ethan stopped cold in his tracks.

Buffy pulled herself away from Angel and turned around to find Giles aiming the gun at the back of Ethan's head, execution style.

"Giles, give me the gun." Buffy said, keeping an eye on Ethan.

He just stared at Buffy and doesn't give in.

Both Buffy and Angel stared back. "Giles..."

He kept the gun aimed right where it was.

"Now." Buffy insisted, giving Giles a look.

After another moment Giles reluctantly gave up his weapon. Angel took it and turned to Ethan, using the butt of the gun to whack Ethan on the head. Giles cheered. The magician crumpled to the ground. Angel passed the gun back to Buffy who stuffed it into the back of her pants.

"Let's get going." Buffy finally got a plan into her mind.

Angel picked Ethan's unconscious form up and the three returned to where Buffy had left her mother. They found Joyce perched on a table, blowing bubbles with her gum.

"Come on." Buffy said, taking her mother's hand.

"Well, what about that man?" Buffy turned to see Angel depositing Ethan roughly on the floor. Giles watched in awe.

"Uh, see if you guys can find something to tie him up with."

"Um..." Joyce reached behind her and pulled out a set of handcuffs, dangling them from her thumb and giving her daughter a sheepish but mischievous look. Buffy looked over at Angel incrudoulsy, he only shrugged. "*Never* tell me." Buffy said finally as she grabbed the cuffs and headed over to Ethan.

*

A few minutes later, Buffy, Angel, Giles, and Joyce stood in a room at Sunnydale General Hospital. Buffy looked at an identification wristband left behind in one of the empty cribs. There were a few tears in her eyes at the thought of what might happen to these babies. Angel had an arm around her supportively.

Giles was outside the room talking with the nurse on duty. He came in looking rather disgusted. "She says she never saw who took them. Dozy cow."

"I *know* who took them." Buffy said firmly. "I was just hoping to get here before they were taken.

"Well, then let's do something. Let's find the demon and, and... kick the crap out of it." Giles was not his usual helpful self.

"Yeah, if we knew where they were." Angel said as Buffy began to pace the room.

Giles suddenly remembered a passage from a book and quoted it. "'Lurconis dwells beneath the city, filth to filth.'"

"What?" Buffy stopped pacing and came to a stop next to Angel.

"Ooo! I know this. Uh... I knew this. 'Lurconis' means... 'glutton'. And we'll find it, um...in the sewers."

"The sewers?" Joyce asked as she moved closer to Giles and he put an arm around her. "The babies must be so scared."

"These children are gonna die if we don't act now, okay, and think clearly. There is no room for mistakes. Besides which... you guys are just wigging me out." Buffy said as she glared at her mother and her Watcher.

"Sorry." Giles said softly.

"We'll behave." Joyce had to add.

Buffy nodded. "Giles, we're going to the sewers."

Her and Angel turned to leave and Buffy turned back to find Giles and Joyce kissing passionately.

"And don't do that!" Buffy added as she stalked out of the room. They broke off their kiss and reluctantly followed her.

*

Buffy dropped into the sewers with Angel right behind her. The Mayor and several other vampires looked up at them in shock.

"Hi." Buffy moved to start her attack, knowing Angel was flanking her. Behind her Giles and Joyce climbed down a few rungs of the ladder and dropped down the rest of the way.

As Buffy and Angel fight with the vampires, the Mayor quickly escapes down the tunnels.

Giles and Joyce run over to the table with the babies and wheel it away.

Buffy and Angel have staked several of the vamps already.

Giles and Joyce get the babies to a safe distance, where Giles leaves them and goes back to the fight. Buffy staked another vampire and then quickly moves to help Giles, who is being attacked by Trick. They all stop short when they hear a deep rumbling.

"What the bloody hell's that?"

"Lurconis, I'm thinking." Buffy says as a huge demon snake momentarily comes out of the tunnel and then quickly retreats.

Trick is unfazed. "Ordinarily, I like other people to do my fighting for me, but I just gotta see what you got."

"Just tell me when it hurts." Buffy said as her and Angel advanced on him from opposite ways.

Trick looks back and sees Angel, suddenly deciding he's in over his head. Trick makes a dash for it.

The tunnels start to rumble again and Buffy looks around frantically for a way to stop the demon. She spies a gas pipe above her and leaps up to grab it. It breaks under her weight, and gas begins to hiss out of it. Buffy angles the gas pipe into one of the torches, and it bursts into flames. She aims it at Lurconis, and the snake demon rears back and screams in pain. Buffy waves the pipe around until Lurconis is engulfed in flames. She pushes the gas pipe aside as the demon retreats back into its tunnel, screaming. Above her Trick smiles down through the open manhole. "You and me, girl. There's hard times ahead." He gets up and makes himself scarce.

"They never just leave. Always gotta say something." Buffy moans as Angel comes up beside her.

"Nice work." He comments with that little half smile she loves so much.

"You too." Buffy smiled up at him.

Angel slowly reached out and brushed some hair out of her face. Buffy felt her skin flare to life at his touch and she reached up to capture his hand, quickly kissing the palm of it before he could pull back.

Angel was filled with passion at her sweet gesture and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Buffy and Angel sitting in a tree. K I S S I N G. First comes loves, then comes..."

"MOM!" Buffy broke the kiss and yelled before her mother could go any further.

"Sorry honey. I'm just so happy for you." Joyce said with a smile.

"But Joyce, he's..." Giles came up next to her.

"I don't care what he is." Joyce said cheekily as she took Giles's hand. "He makes my baby happy, and that's all that matters."

"Speaking of babies..."

"Yeah, we should get these little guys back to the hospital." Angel said softly as he and Buffy walked over to the babies on the makeshift alter. They each reached down to pick one up. Buffy's baby cooed at her and the Slayer let out a laugh. Joyce and Giles came up beside them and they headed towards the hospital with their precious cargo. Angel drove.

*

"Really?" The Slayer screeched into the phone later the next night. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, well, with everything Giles told us, especially how Angel saved the babies and all, I thought I'd look some stuff up just in case." The redhead sat on her bed, ejecting a yellow disk from her laptop.

"This is so awesome. Thanks so much!" Buffy screamed.

"Well, I'll let you go now. I'm sure you want to find him." Willow grinned.

"Yeah, I sure do. Love ya!" Buffy's face had erupted into a huge smile as she hung up the phone.

"Love who?" A jealous voice asked from behind her.

She whirled around to find Angel sitting on the ledge outside her window. "Oh, Angel. Come on in."

Angel climbed warily into her room. "Well?"

"Well what?" Buffy asked. "Oh, the phone. That was just Willow." She said hurriedly.

"It was?" Angel believed her, but...

"Yeah. See, Giles told the gang about everything that happened last night, and since you pretty much saved the day they really can't hate you anymore. And Will decided that since you were back she should check into exactly what that spell she cast did....and didn't have." Buffy waited for the last part to sink in.

She saw it on his face a few seconds later. "You mean?"

"No clauses. No problems with you being happy." Buffy said as she began to walk slowly and seductively towards him.

He grinned and reached out to take her into his arms.

"I love you." Was his only reply.

"I love you, too." Buffy smiled as they quickly closed the distance between their mouths. "And I always will."

*

The next morning, Buffy woke up in Angel's arms. And she knew that no matter what, that was where she would be every morning for the rest of her life.

Her life with Angel.

Buffy really liked the sound of that.

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