A/N This is how my version of "Deep Down" should have went. Angel and Cordy kissage! ICK! I almost cried when I saw that. I did scream at the TV and threw my cross necklace at it yelling CORDY IS THE DEVIL at the top of my lungs. It was interesting to see. My mom now officially thinks I'm insane. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Angel lay on the concrete floor listening to the sounds outside of his door. Twice already he had imagined that Buffy had come in and saved him. Twice he was disappointed by his mind. The bloodlust that was now upon him was great. He had no blood left and the blood on his shirt was completely dry. Vampires couldn't die from loss of all their blood, but it was like starving for three months. Angel jumped at the sound of a bursting door and he turned to look at his door, but it was closed.



Buffy slammed her foot into the metal door of the warehouse and watched as it slammed open and against the wall, breaking the doorframe. Men lounging around stood up and turned to face her. Conner stepped up beside her and watched as two of the men fled the room. Buffy sized it up to be about fifteen people. Four girls, minus Justine, who was nowhere in the large room, and eleven men. The demons were nowhere to found or heard. This was going to be fun.

"Conner, go easy on them. They're only human." Buffy said as she started towards a large man with an axe. He threw it at her and she caught it by the staff and whipped it around in the air in front of her. A few of the men stepped up to fight her and Buffy smiled cruelly, twirling the axe blade around her. "Who wants to play?"

"I do." Justine said. She stepped from some small office room and broke through the men. "I would love to play."

"Then bring it." Buffy turned. "Conner!" Her son turned to look at her and she hurled the axe in his direction. Conner caught it with little effort and flipped it in front of him, severing a sword that a man was trying to shove at him. When Buffy turned back, Justine was throwing a punch at her. She barely ducked in time.

Justine grunted with frustration at the lithe Slayer's movements. Buffy whipped around and punched a severe backhand into Justine's stomach. The red head doubled over and Buffy brought her knee up into Justine's face, tossing her backward. The Slayer was not showing any mercy on this woman. When Justine stood up and looked at her, Buffy threw a punch at the woman's jaw, intending to break it. Justine managed to block and throw a punch at Buffy's temple. Buffy grabbed her arm and twisted, bringing the arm up and behind Justine's back. Justine cried out in pain and Buffy caused more by flipping the woman over her head. She was about to stomp on the woman's stomach to knock the wind out of her when Wesley called out sternly, "Buffy!"

Buffy turned and saw Wesley holding a very pale Angel. She started to head over to him, but Justine grabbed her leg and tripped her. Buffy rolled and popped back up. She turned and kicked Justine in the ribs ruthlessly, breaking a few of them. Justine screamed and Buffy kicked her in the head, knocking her out, before rushing over to Angel.

"He needs blood." Wesley said. "I didn't bring any."

"I didn't know we were supposed to." Buffy said. She thought about something for a second, and then said, "Put him down." Wesley did as she said and Buffy laid Angel's head in her lap. His eyes opened and he looked at her.

"Buffy?" Angel asked, barely a whisper.

"It's me. We're going to make sure your all right. I'm not going to lose you."

"You're an illusion."

"No, I'm not." Buffy looked up at Wesley. "Help me get him outside. I don't want Conner to have to see this."

Wesley nodded and helped her pick Angel up. Together, Wesley and Buffy got Angel through the fight and outside. She propped Angel against the side of the building and took his head.

"Baby, you need to eat." Buffy said gently.

"No. Not again." Angel said, a little stronger. It took its toll on him and he slumped further on the wall. He would have fallen to the ground if Buffy hadn't been holding him.

"It'll heal you quick. And I know you won't kill me." Buffy held out her hand. "Wesley, give me that knife."

"Why?" Wesley asked. "What knife?"

"The one in your jacket pocket. You've never been able to conceal stuff very well."

Wesley sighed and handed her the knife. "Buffy, don't do this. By the looks of him, he could take it all, killing you."

"Maybe, but if it'll allow him to live, then so be it." Buffy turned and listened to sounds of the fight dying down. "I need to hurry. If I'm going to do it, I need to do it now. Watch for Conner." Wesley nodded after a few seconds and turned to the door, giving Buffy and Angel their privacy. Buffy looked down at the knife hesitantly and ten brought it to her neck just above her scar.

Angel watched as she drew the blade across her skin and allowed a slight trail of blood to appear. The moment he smelled the blood, the sweet aroma of the life force of his Slayer, his face changed. Buffy closed her eyes and brought Angel's head down to her neck. She felt his tongue lap up the blood already pooled there and then he bit down. Buffy cried out just a little and Wesley flinched. Angel sucked greedily on her neck. Buffy winced as she felt a trickle fall down the back of her neck just like the last time she had allowed Angel to bite her.

"Mom!" Conner yelled. He barreled over Wesley, knocking him unconscious when he hit the wall, and tackled Angel to the ground, bringing Buffy with them. Angel's teeth were torn from her throat as she fell away from him. "Don't you ever touch her again you bastard!" Conner started to punch Angel continuously in the face. Still weak, Angel could do nothing but take it.

"Conner." Buffy croaked. She was laying on the ground, too weak to stand. He didn't hear her. "Conner, stop." Buffy tried again a little louder and her son did stop. "Please don't."

"You said he wasn't evil. You said he would never hurt us."

"I made him." Buffy tried to roll, but loss of blood made her woozy and she nearly threw up.

Conner left Angel and went to his mother. He sat behind her and lifted her so she was leaning against his chest. "Why?"

"I would have lost him."

"He would have gone completely insane from the hunger. His brain would have ceased functioning." Wesley said, getting to his feet.

"God knows we don't need two crazy vampires right now." Buffy tried to sit up, but the nausea came back and she fell back against Conner's chest. Gunn and Fred came rushing out and found Angel slumping against the wall of the warehouse, Buffy laying against Conner's chest, and Wesley trying to help Angel to stand.

Then Gunn saw the blood on Angel's lips and the open wound on Buffy's neck. "You son of a bitch!" Gunn started to head for Angel, ready to rip his head off.

"Gunn, stop." Buffy said firmly. Gunn turned to her.

"She made him." Conner said. "He would have been a vegetable if she hadn't."

"He could have killed you." Gunn said to Buffy.

"I know. And that was a chance I was willing to take to make sure Angel was fine." Buffy said. "Now help me up before I throw up on my son."

"Buffy?" Angel asked quietly from the wall.

She lolled her head painfully to the side as Conner took Buffy from Gunn and picked her up off her feet. Buffy smiled weakly. "Stop almost dying."

"Didn't mean to."

"I know. Are you ok?"

"Question is: are YOU ok? That's the fourth time you've been bitten. I don't want you to do that again."

"Then you stop almost dying."

Angel leaned heavily against Wesley as he led Angel over to Buffy in Conner's arms. He looked down at his wife and kissed her forehead. "Can we go home now?"

"Not so damn fast." Justine said behind them.

They all looked at her. She was broken and bloody. One arm was wrapped around her waist where Buffy had savagely broken a few of her ribs. Her left eye was swollen shut and she had a large cut on the right side of her jaw line. Angel stood straighter and left Wesley a step behind him.

"You're to weak to take me." Justine said.

"You really think that?" Angel asked. Justine made a pass to get past Angel, but he slammed her against the wall. "I'm not done talking."

"Fine."

"I know about everything that's been going on. So, as far as I'm concerned what you deserve rests on one answer: Did you do something to Cordelia?"

"No."

"She's lying." Fred said.

"No, I'm not."

"No way she just happened to disappear the same night." Gunn said.

"I'm telling the truth, ok?"

"I know. I can tell. Spent enough time with liars like you. What you did to me was unbelievable, Justine. But then, I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so a couple of days of bleeding and hallucinating actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective, but I did get time to think. About everything, about the world. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us." Angel said, motioning to the people behind him. "Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be. You're not a part of that. You'll never be a part of that. Now get the hell out of our town and LA. I don't want to ever see your face again."

Justine got up and ran away. When she was out of sight, Angel collapsed almost hitting the ground before Gunn and Wesley caught him.

"Angel!" Buffy called.

"All that talking really takes it out of you." Angel said.

"You need rest. You and Buffy both." Fred said.

"What we need is to get ready. Willow's coming home tomorrow." Buffy said.

"Mom, you won't be well." Conner said.

"I'll be well enough. I heal fast."

Gunn and Fred led the way to Angel's convertible. Conner laid Buffy in the backseat, her head resting against Angel's knee. Angel sat drooped against the back of the seat. The way the two were laying, there was no room for Conner. So, he got up front with Gunn and Fred.

Before they drove off, Fred called to Wesley, "Where are you going?"

"I'm done here. You all are welcome for the help." Wesley said before slamming his door shut and pealing out.

Gunn and Fred got everyone home safely. Buffy and Angel managed to undress themselves for bed, although it wasn't much. Angel only wore his boxers and Buffy in her bra and underwear. Conner covered his parents up with Dawn's help and allowed the two lovers, the two champions, to sleep peacefully almost all day Sunday. When 4:00 rolled around, the two were roused out of their deep sleep in each other's arms to get ready for Willow's homecoming.