Authors notes: This chapter is the first collaboration of LadyCallie and QueenGwen. I couldn't have done it without you boo. Lets do it again k? ;) Dum dum dum, no other notes. Read, review, enjoy.

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It wasn't sound that woke Buffy, it was the lack of sound. The apartment was silent except for the sound of her breathing and the soft ticking of a wall clock in the kitchen. From her heads resting place on Angel's chest she blinked sleep from her eyes. She tried shifting into a more comfortable position and was unable to stop the whimper of pain that escaped her throat as stiff muscles protested against movement. Besides her, Angel stirred. Titling his head to better see her, he gazed lovingly down at the beauty that was spooned against his side. "Are you okay?"

"Good morning to you too," she smiled up at him, but when he didn't respond she lowered her eyes, "I think so...I should be okay..."

Angel turned on his side, supporting his head with a propped up elbow. He reached over with his free hand to caress her cheek. "I don't want a yes or no answer Buffy. I nearly lost you last night..." his voice broke slightly and the hand that stroked her face stilled. "I nearly lost you."

"Shhhh, no you didn't. I'm right here," She moved the hand on her face to her chest, directly over her heart. She watched his face as he felt her heart beating, strong and steady. His eyes closed and all the worry and fear melted away. Her hand covered his and she let herself relax.

They stayed like that for several minuets until Buffy tried to adjust her position again. She cried out quietly as jolts of fire raced through her legs and back. Angel started, growling softly. He sat up and quickly scanned the room for the cause of Buffy's pain. Seeing nothing threatening, he turned back to her. Brushing his fingers over her face, he queried, "What's wrong?"

She winced, "It's my back and my...I hurt and I can't move." She tried moving again and whimpered.

"Let me." Angel crawled out of the covers and stood up. He hurriedly fluffed several pillows and then pulled several layers of blankets off the bed, till only the comforter remained. Drawing it back, sat down next to her. "I'm going to roll onto your back okay? Stop me if it hurts too much." She nodded. Reaching under her tiny form he lifted her enough to turn her on her stomach. She flinched, but didn't cry out. He settled her down again and arranged pillows along her sides and placed with tender care, her arms atop them. Moving closer to her, he started to gently massage her back. She sighed, closing her eyes. Angel's hands slowly traveled along her back, down her arms and legs, along her shoulders and neck. He patiently worked out every knot until it softened, smoothed the kinks till they vanished. He loosened the taunt muscles until Buffy could move with out pain. He stilled his magic hands, but left them resting on her back. "Better now?"

"Ummhmm," Buffy muttered sleepily. "Much better."

Angel smiled as he started to help her move back onto her back, "Wait beloved. I have a better idea." He gathered the pillows and arranged them in a pile, then he climbed out of bed and with a quick kiss on her forehead, left the bedroom.

Buffy lay there, waiting. After a moment she turned her head, but he wasn't visible from her position. Starting to worry, she called, "Angel?"

Bare seconds later he was beside her. "What's the matter?" He had changed into a pair of dark navy cotton drawstring pants and had abandoned his shirt. He had a cream colored long sleeved button down shirt in his hand.

'Angel. Shirtless. Whoa.' Buffy shook herself mentally and she blushed slightly, "Nothing...I was just worried..." she looked up at him through her long lashes.

Angel shifted, aware of her stare. "I um, I brought a different shirt in case you want to change into something lighter." He indicated the garment in his hand.

"Oh..." she assessed herself. She really liked the sweater he had dressed her in. It carried his scent, sandalwood and ginger blended together, and it was very soft. "Can I just stay in this?"

He nodded, "Sure," then busied himself with straightening the coverlet. That finished he crawled back in bed and reached over to her. Carefully he scooped her into his arms and settled her in his arms, as he eased back against the pillows. Angel pulled the covers over them as Buffy buried her face in his neck. She lifted her hand and idly traced his facial features.

Angel sighed, feeling his love for her spread through his entire being. At the same time, he knew that whatever had caused her crumple on his doorstep was still haunting her. He knew Buffy well enough to know she would not be forthcoming if he out and out asked her what was wrong. She would feel as though she was being attacked, and the last thing Angel wanted to do was cause her more pain. "Whatever is hurting you," he ventured gently, kissing the crown of her head. "I wish I could take that burden from you. If I could, I'd protect you from everything in the world that could hurt you."

Smiling ruefully, Buffy kissed Angel's bare chest. "I know," she said, sighing. Angel could protect from all the demons and baddies in the world, but when it came to her mom….there weren't enough tomes in Giles' library to solve that problem.

"How can I make it better?" Angel whispered huskily, his lips deliciously close to her ear, tickling her and sending magnificent shivers down her spine.

"Well," she said, sighing lightly, "When I was little and didn't feel well my mom used to tell me a bedtime story." She tried to hide the pain in her voice when mentioning her mother. She looked up at Angel, unsure if he caught the emotion in her voice. His visage was unreadable.

"You want me to tell you a bedtime story?" he asked, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a slight smile.

"Why not?" she replied, her voice sounding very much like that of the little girl Angel had encountered in their dream.

"It's nearly noon you know," he chided.

"Please, Angel," Buffy begged.

The tone of her voice wrenched his heart. He sighed, "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

She squirmed delightedly, then settled comfortably beside him, her head pillowed on his bare chest. She laid her arm across his abdomen and languidly played with the drawstrings on his pants. She looked up at him, "A happy one please."

"Oh thanks. That was a big help," he said sarcastically, summoning all this mental fortitude to ignore where her hands were. She grinned at his tone. Angel smiled back and dropped several kisses on her brow. He inhaled, and while the oxygen did nothing for him, he caught the scent that was Buffy and the delicious flavor of her scent blended with his own from the sweater.

"Angel?"

He chuckled, she was getting inpatient. "Alright. How about this—Once upon a time, a long, long time ago..."

Buffy snuggled close, relaxing as Angel's soothing voice surrounded her. "Mmm," she murmured. "I like it so far."

Angel chuckled and continued, "Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there lived a beautiful princess, the most beautiful in all the land. She was lovely and kind, strong and powerful, good and fair. She was loved by all the kingdom, because of all the good things she did for them."

"What'd she do?" Buffy asked innocently.

Angel grinned, "Well, she made sure all her people had plenty to eat, were sheltered and clothed, wanting for nothing. She protected everyone within her kingdom, because she wanted everyone to be as safe and happy as she was. She often looked to her royal advisors when she needed wisdom and guidance. She also looked to her father, the King. Now, he was not her biological father, but was a father nevertheless, having married the princess's mother after her first husband died in battle." He looked at Buffy out of the corner of his eye, having felt her flinch when he said the word "mother." The wheels started turning in Angel's head.

"One day, the King went off to a royal summit, to meet with Kings from other kingdoms, so that all the land would live in peace, leaving the princess and the queen at the castle. Some of the princess's advisors went with the King, and only one advisor was left in the castle. Days went by, and the princess and queen went about their lives. But both women were headstrong and fierce and one day they got into a quarrel—"

"Angel," Buffy started, looking up at him.

"Let me finish your bedtime story," he insisted firmly, yet gently. When she did not resist, but instead returned her head to his chest, he took that as permission to continue.

"The queen and the princess quarreled so much that the princess left the castle, deciding she needed a walk in the woods to cool off. Now, winter was coming, and the days were getting shorter, so before the princess knew it, it was dark and snowy. The princess had wandered farther than she had intended, and in the dark, she was entirely lost. Frightened, the princess turned and walked back the way she had come, hoping to see something familiar."

Angel stole a glance at Buffy and discovered her eyes were closed, but by the rhythm of her breathing, he could tell she was still awake. He continued, "In the mean time, the queen grew dreadfully worried, because she feared for her daughter's safety. She knew that their quarrel had gotten out of control and all she wanted was her daughter back. Desperate, she turned to the advisor, bidding him to go and rescue the princess."

"Hey," Buffy mumbled into his chest. "Shouldn't a prince rescue the princess?"

"No," Angel said. "The advisor loved the princess with his whole heart, but he was just who he was. Nothing more. Nothing less. So he set out into the night, in search of the missing princess. After many hours, he found her, huddled underneath the tree she loved to climb in during the summer months. He remembered having many long chats with the princess in and under this very same tree. Scooping the snow-covered and sleeping princess up in his arms, the advisor assumed the princess had lost her sense of direction in the dark. She was closer to the castle than either had anticipated. He brought her back to the palace, and after the queen changed the princess out of her wet clothes and tucked her into bed, she wept in front of the advisor.

"I love my daughter," she said, sobbing. "I didn't mean to drive her away."

The advisor took her hand, "I love your daughter too, your majesty. And she loves you. When she wakes, apologize to her. You both should apologize to each other. Whatever it is that made you quarrel cannot be worth losing your special bond as parent and child. I know you only want the best for your daughter, but she is a grown woman and you need to trust her."

"I know," the queen admitted.

All through the night, the queen sat by the princess's bed. In the morning, when the princess woke, the queen took her daughter in her arms and held her, weeping and apologizing for their misunderstanding. The princess too began to weep, but they were happy tears. She loved her mother, and she was glad their quarrel was over. As for the advisor, he was glad things were mended between the queen he served and the princess he loved. From that day forward, he vowed to himself that he would not only advise her, but protect her as well, so that he would never again have to find the princess asleep in the snow. He would not fight her battles for her; not all of them at least. But he vowed to always be there for her, with nothing but unconditional love. The end."

Angel looked down and saw his princess looking back up at him, her beautiful eyes full of tears. "How did you know?' she asked, mystified.

He kissed the top of her head, "I know you." Her touched her chest over her heart, "The real you. And I love you all the more for it."

Hot tears fell on his chest as she cried. He moved down until he was face to face with her, and held her close, gently sipping her sorrow away with soft kisses.

As Sleep laced her web around the lovers, Buffy opened an eye and whispered, "Stay with me?"

Angel nuzzled her nose with his, "Forever. That's the whole point."

~*~

TBC