A.N. I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It had been a good night for Buffy. Something she had longed for, dreamed of is back in her life. It may sound needy but with him she felt peace. She has tried dating but they never last long. The last guy she dated, James turned out to be a conscientious objector. He had seemed fine with her being in the army but when he told her that she is a war criminal because of the war on terror, she was ready to kick him in the ass. James needed to be sent to Iraq to learn what really happens and it's the fighters that do the most damage. The worst is the IED that are everywhere. They kill the most and it does not discriminate.

If asked why she never received any mail, care packages, friends and family there when she returned she would say "They did not support me joining the army."Buffy was not the only one, she knew several on base who had that problem too. Her roommate Christina had tried to pry why they did not support her in the army but Buffy said "It's personal."Now for her not having any luck with dating, she was not alone. She did socialize when she had the time but her job kept her plenty busy.

The last social function she went to was a wedding for one of the guy's in her unit. His wife had asked her to be a bridesmaid and she chose the dress from hell. It looked like a deranged version of Barbie ' s prom dress. The men in the wedding party could not stop laughing. They had it easy. They could wear their dress uniforms. After the wedding, Buffy got together with bridesmaids and they ran over the dresses repeatedly with jeeps.

The day went as usual with a PT test which was a breeze. She got to go to the gun range and do some shooting in. Then there was intel coming in from Afghanistan about a mass attack from the Taliban against the US and Canadian forces. It was in agreement and her commanding officer Major Andrew Rabb had agreed. The US needed to go on a harsh offensive to neutralize the Taliban. Buffy was done at six. She grabbed a quick bite to eat before meeting up with Angel.

Angel saw Buffy and she looked tired. "How was your day?"

"Long, I have been up since 06:00 hours. I should not complain. When I have been deployed I have been up four days straight before. This is nothing."

Buffy maybe petite but she packs a powerful punch. Angel just needed to be near her. It had been so long. When they went walking near the cemetery, they spotted a demon. Buffy went after the demon and she killed it.

Angel watched her and the style she fought was even more deadly. He knew it was the military training. "You know you could have let me help you."

"Sorry Angel. When I see vampires and demons I get tunnel vision. Sometimes I go after the enemy without thinking. It has gotten me chewed out by my commanding officers a few times like when I was in Iraq and I wrestled an IED from a woman who was looking to bury one in the road. I did not defy any direc orders but my commanding officer read me the riot act."

Now Angel officially hated what she does. This is worse than slaying in the danger department and he was helpless to help her. He was going to do his damn best to make sure she does not re-enlist. Buffy had the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Valorous Unit Award, Iraq Campaign Medal. He had something bigger to worry about and that is Afghanistan. He would have to come clean about being her husband soon.

He decided to go for the kill and kiss her. It felt nice to be able to do that again. "I was not out of line was I Buffy?"He did feel worried for a second . "Not at all Angel."A big sigh of relief came over him. It was longing that did it. There was something else. In the vampire world they have mates. Angel knew Buffy is his. He knew it all along. The haunted look in her eyes bothered him the most. He knew she was haunted with what happened with Giles, her mother, and her friends. He knew going back their will cause her more pain. Then the deployment to Iraq is haunting her. More happened over there than what she said. He did watch the news and being so far away put it out of mind. He has seen so many wars around the world in his 246 years that he knows will blow over eventually.

The worst ones were world war 1 and world war 2. He did not take a side but when he saw the brutal experiments the Nazis were doing, that made him sick. He ended up rescuing Spike. Spike may be a piece of shit but no one deserves that.

"Buffy, there is something that I must tell you. You deserve to know the truth. The night when I put the ring on your finger it meant something else. It means we are married in Irish tradition. I had the marriage registered in Ireland then transferred it over here in the US."

Buffy was shocked but was happy. To ease his worries she gave him a kiss. "I guess you are fine with it."

"Angel, I am more than fine but the army is going to have to know. What is your plan because it's not something that I can hide well. It could get me into trouble."

Angel had expected something like this. "Don't worry, my actual year of birth is not on the certificate. Are you allowed to live off base? If you are I was thinking you would live with me. "

Buffy began to think. "You will need to be registered to have an i.d. card and for you to come on base. I would list you as my emergency contact in case of anything happening and with what I do the stakes are high. No, I don't have to live on base but live close by. I live in a dorm right now."

Everything was coming together nicely. "I want to do this Buffy more than anything. Let me worry about the details and I have our trip to Ireland planned."

A couple of weeks off would do her some good. "Buffy, did they say how long the deployment to Afghanistan is going to be?"As long as Buffy is putting herself at risk for the country, he will never stop worrying for her.

Buffy knew he was not going to like it. "Nine months to a year and before you ask I am not going to re-enlist when my three years are the up. Who knows how many more deployments I will have by then?"

Angel did not want to think about it because these next few years are going to be the toughest for the two of them. He just got her back and now she will have to go away again not something he likes.