(AN. OK, here's the next chappy peps. I wanna give a big shout out to my beta, Hellfire, she helped a ton with this chappy. Now, this chapter breaks tradition, focusing more on Angelus and buffy rather than Spike and Alaiana, hope you guys like it.! R&R)

Angelus walked into his and Buffy's chamber a satisfied smile upon his face.

He saw Buffy lying in the bed. "I'm pleased with you lover, apparently you managed to

, dare I say it, knock some sense into out daughter." He chuckled at his pun.

"She has agreed to the marriage and is with her betrothed as we speak."

Buffy looked up pale and still shaking "Thank you,"

she tried to keep the stutter out of her voice and the pain out of her eyes

she rose and walked towards him head low not meeting his eyes

"What's the matter, Buff, your precious little girl is safe?" he sneered

"But I know you your angry

Why I don't know but you are.

I just don't want her to die is that so horrible?"

Angelus reached up and traced the outline of her jaw with his figures.

"I don't want her to die either. My reason differs for from your,

but the goal is the same; I want her alive, just like you."

Buffy forced her tears down, "After she has the child you won't care, I will."

Angelus smirked, "The child will need a mother,

at least while it's still young. After that,

she's Spike's problem. Oddly enough, I don't think he'll kill her.

And believe it or not, I don't want her dead."

"But, you hate me and you hated her. I know you wanted her dead, and she would be except for that prophesy, and you wanted me dead to. If Liam had not needed me I know you would have killed me. For the life of me I don't know why you have kept me alive."

He smirked at her. "Do you honestly think that the only reason you're alive is because of Liam?" Angelus sneered. "If he was the only reason you were alive I would have killed you years ago. Liam never comes to you anymore, you don't serve a purpose for him now. Alaina, one the other hand does need you. She'll need you more in the coming months. She's never raised a child before and will need you help in that area." Then he smiled "Of course I could have got anyone to help her with that, but maybe I like having you around."

"What?" She stuttered tears coursing down her face. She needed him to tell her that in some way he did lover her. She needed him to hold her be gentle with her for a moment she needed him...

"I said, maybe I like having you around." He said as if speaking to a five year old. "You obviously don't understand that the only reason you're still alive is because

I have certain…ah...personal reasons for keeping you around."

Buffy whimpered she was trying not to cry. He looked at her. In truth, her tears no longer made him as exhilarated as they once had, they no longer gave him a sense of joy as they once had. In a way, they almost gave him a feeling of guilt. He didn't feel guilt as Humans did of course, but the feeling made him uneasy none the less.

He pulled Buffy close to him, trying to sooth whatever was wrong with her. He hated being nice, and he hated to show his best side. Especially to her. He knew when he did it reminded her of Angel, and that was what had stopped him from showing an amount of kindness to her in the past. He did not want thoughts of Angel clouding her mind, only thoughts of him

Buffy's sobs slowed and she relaxed against him letting him hold her weight. "Thank you Angelus." She reached up and pulled him to her for a kiss; knowing what he would want for this amount of kindness. Angelus kissed her back in a manner that was oddly gentle for him; for once it was not with force, but with tenderness.

She was taken by surprise, what has gotten in to him? She decided not to think too much,

she needed him, needed him to be gentle with her even if it was just for a little while.

Angelus pulled her closer to him. He wanted her, but more importantly, he wanted her to want him, wanted to prove to her, that he could be as gentle to her and as kind as Angel had been, but he could not and would not ever be Angel.

Her knees grew weak she pulled him down to the floor she could not stand on her own any longer. She nipped at his lower lip Angelus moved to where he was on top of her. This was what he wanted. Her to need him, want HIM, not soulboy, just him.

The floor was hard and cold. He took her top laying her back on the floor. She jerked back up. "Please take me to the bed. No, the fireplace." "The floors hard over there." He warned her. She pulled back just a bit and smiled. She stood on shaky legs and grabbed pillows from the love seat placing them in front of the cold fire place.

She knelt down on them. "Can we have a fire?" he kissed her. "If that's what you want." She looked at him like he had just said that he was from another planet. Never before had her wants been taken into consideration.

"Are there enough pillows here?" she asked him softly. He pulled two more from the bed. "There is now." He pulled her close to him and kissed her, moving her over on top of the pillows. She was still tense like she was waiting for him to hurt her; like he had always done in the past. She was cold even with the fire.

Angelus grazed her neck with his lips. "Do you know how unbelievably gorgeous you are." He asked his voice husky. That stopped her cold. "What did you just say to me?" "I said that your gorgeous." she smiled. "I love you Angelus."

With that said she started to cry she smiled and said it again, "I love you Angelus."

Angelus felt his body stiffen. She had finally said what he had wanted to hear.

Oh, she had said it before, but it was always forced, something she had to say.

Now, she finally said it, all on her own. There were a million things he wanted to say,

and not one of them came out as words. "Buff...I..." but he couldn't make himself say it,

not yet. So instead he kissed her. Sometimes actions speak louder than words

She whimpered softly into his mouth savouring his taste. Even though she knew that one day soon she had to kill him, she let herself enjoy the little time she had left with him. She melted into his arms letting him do most of the work; letting her body tell him all he needed to know from her.

Angelus didn't know how to put into words how he felt for her. Love wasn't something he was accustomed to feeling, and it had taken him awhile to differentiate it from the lust had felt for most girls. But that was what he felt for her, he couldn't remember when he first started to love her, but now, there was no doubt that he did.

She could feel something different about him maybe there was hope after all, a hope that perhaps she would not have to kill the man she loved. She pulled his shirt off and pulled him as close as she could. Angelus found himself confused always before it had been he who took the lead in their relationship. Now, suddenly, she was kissing him,

taking his shirt off. All he had to do was show her a moment of kindness and she was his. This was what he had wanted and desired she loved him, wanted him. Almost as much as he loved and wanted her. He wondered briefly if this could have happened sooner if he had let his guard down a bit. He pushed the thought from his mind. Best to deal with the present. She smiled against his lips, "I'm not going to bite you," she told him at feeling his shock "I want you to have me." she said waiting for him to make up his mind.

Angelus moved over to her and removed the remainder of her clothing. He bent down and kissed her before allowing his hands to roam her body. Never before had he worried about her pleasuring only his own. Now, suddenly, he found himself wanting her to enjoy this as much as he did. He was amazing her after every turn.

She flipped them so that she was the one on top she nipped and kissed along his skin. She nipped his neck biting hard enough to draw blood; she knew that in the morning there would be no mark. She smiled at him his blood still on her lips, for once she was happy to be with him. Happy to please him. She wanted him to take pleasure in her touch.

Angelus moaned appreciatively. He had never imagined that his little Buffy had it in her

to make him feel like this. Normally it was simple. A want, take, have kinda thing.

He wanted, he took, he had. This, this was foreign territory for him. This wasn't just sex, it was love. He felt like chuckling, he, Angelus was making love to the slayer, and enjoying it. He reached up to kiss her, tasting his own blood on her lips.

"I thought you said you weren't going to bite me." he teased. She blushed "Well I knew that you would like this so I knew there would be no complaints." "You have that right, lover." Angelus said drawing her close to him. "I do ?" She gave him a seductive glance.

"Maybe I should return the favour." She pulled her hair back revealing her neck. "Its yours, why not take it?"

Angelus let out a soft growl before vamping out and clamping his fangs gently into her neck. He took only a few small sips before drawing his fangs out, and tenderly licking the spot he drank from. She went shock still then relaxed moaning she could not stop the pleasure from bursting in front of her eyes, like fireworks.

"Wow," she managed to whisper, "That was amazing. how did you do that ?"

Angelus looked at her. "I'm not exactly sure." He said looking rather, uneasy.

"What's wrong, baby what's wrong?" "Nothing, just that happening, I mean I've heard about it, vampire lore and such things, but it happening isn't something I expected." He stopped for a moment to organize his thoughts. "I mean, I know it happens between two vampires, but not between a vampire and a human. It's just not done"

"What is happening exactly, to us I mean, how is it possible for a vampire bite to bring…" she struggled for the word. "Release?" He asked. She nodded, then posed her question. "Angelus are we mated? am I bound to you now?" "I think so." Angelus said. "I mean, that's what it appears to be."

"But how?" She whispered, "I thought that only vampires could mate like this" "So did I, apparently, we were both wrong." Buffy looked up at him fearfully. "Or maybe I'm not completely human, I am not aging like all of the others." Angelus looked at her. It was true, she had barley aged it the past sixteen years. "I'll have my sorcerers look into it in the morning." "So what do you have planned until then?" She said smiling shyly.

He smirked. "I think you have some idea, lover."

"No," she said teasing him, "I don't have any clue love. why don't you show me?" Even as she said it, she pulled him back towards her. Angelus was only too happy to show her exactly what he meant.

He kissed her slowly gently, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth.

He had been with her dozens of times, and yet, everything felt new.

It was as though their bodies were pulsing with an energy previously unknown to the world. She was his, and he...was hers and in that moment, that was all that mattered.