Chapter 16- Back in the swing of things

-Angel-

I'm taking her patrolling tonight. It's the first time since she's been turned. Giles says things have been slow. I'm hoping to start her out easy. She has no idea how much the demon in her is going to love killing.

We start out in Weatherly Park. It has always been a feeding ground for vamps. There seems to be a never ending line of teenagers and homeless people there. Buffy and I walk hand in hand.

"Thanks for working things out with Xander." Buffy says.

I shrug. "We're not best of friends, but I think we can get along for your sake."

"Xander is just unreasonably protective. I don't know if he'd like anyone I went out with." She says.

"He liked Riley, or at least he seemed to." I point out.

"Okay, so maybe Xander wants the same thing for me that you wanted all those years, normal. I didn't want normal then and I don't want it now, even if I could have it. I want you, Angel. I always have."

I stop and place my hand on her cheek. She will never know how beautiful she is to me. Physically, yes but it's more then that. It's her soul shining through her eyes, speaking to mine that makes her so precious.
We're interrupted by a shrill scream. Buffy and I both sprint toward the scream and run right into a group of four vamps, surrounding a couple sitting on a bench.

"Hey, the pickings look slim. You guys must be getting really desperate." Buffy says, distracting them from the couple on the bench. The vamps turn toward us.

"Slayer," one of them hisses. "We heard you died."

Buffy looks down at herself, "Actually, I think I might have gotten an upgrade." She slips into vamp face and takes up a defensive fighting stance.

I take care of the people, rushing them out of there. "Go home, run."

Buffy becomes a blur of blonde hair, kicks and punches, side kick, roundhouse, snap kick, stake, jab, hook, stake, pop, ignore the pain fall with it, sweep, roll up, roundhouse kick, crescent kick, stake, right hook, uppercut, stake. She is fluid grace and raw power. She grins at me in full vamp face and the demon in me acknowledges her beauty.

"Wow, that was, well that was just more fun then it used to be."

I nod, not sure whether to be afraid or glad for her. "Feels good to come out here and work some things out with your fist and feet."

We make the rounds of Sunny Rest and some of the alleyways on Main Street. Two more vamps come to the same swift and dusty ending the ones in the park did. Buffy sticks her stake into her back waistband. She turns and slips her arms around my waist and gives me her best pouty look.

"Bored now. Take me home?" She stands on tiptoe and slips her little hands, cold little hands now, behind my neck. She tugs my head down to hers and captures my mouth with a kiss. She teases my mouth and then crushes my lips with a bruising kiss. I make that little purr/growl noise in my throat that drives her crazy.
I back her up against the wall, my body pressed against hers. She slides one leg up and wraps it around mine. I grab her behind the knee and pull her closer. She throws her head back and the sight of her pale throat in the moonlight is enough to make me groan. I nip at the delicate skin there, stopping at my mark. I bite her with my blunt teeth. She arches up into me. I struggle to keep control of the demon, to keep from slipping into vamp face. I push back against the wall and turn away from her. I am taking deep ragged breaths.

I feel her hand on my shoulder.

"Angel, what's wrong?"

I shake my head, unable to actually form words at the moment. It's so much so fast. Buffy is an addiction. I can only akin it to a druggie that has quit and suddenly started again. It's so much so fast I have to slow it down just to be able to make it through the next moment. I turn around and fold her into my arms. I rest my cheek against the crown of her head and breathe her in. Her arms wrap around my waist and squeeze tightly, assuring me she is there. She is alright.

"Kind of intense, huh?" She murmurs into my chest.

"Kind of doesn't begin to describe it." I smile as I say the words. "Come on, let's go home."

*

-Buffy-

The council is coming today. They heard Glory was dead and called Giles. He avoided them for a little while, but he eventually had to tell them what happened to me. They want to evaluate me, whatever the hell that means. They probably want to arrange a drill where they call out some commands in German or some other language they know I don't understand.

I've been pacing the mansion since three this afternoon, just waiting for the sun to go down. I add clock to my list of things to get for Angel's house. I go to the window and crack the drapes. I'm rewarded with a smoking burn on my fingers.

"Ow!" I yell in frustration more then actual pain.

Angel takes my fingers in his hand and examines them. "They'll be healed in just a little while. You snatched your hand back fast enough."

I scowl. "Maybe I should call Giles. The sun is taking an awfully long time going down. Maybe some demon goddess did something to slow the ascent of the sun or stop it or something."

Angel chuckles. "Buffy, the sun is setting at the usual rate." He closes his eyes a moment. "I can feel it. You have another half hour or so to wait."

"How do you know that?" I ask, almost rebelliously.

"Close your eyes. You can feel that it's still daylight. You can feel that the night is approaching. As you get older you get more accurate but you can feel it coming now if you pay attention."

"Is this like my vampy spidey sense thing I was supposed to get? Because you know the only vampire I could ever feel was you. Giles kept insisting I just wasn't paying attention to it." I say.

Angel chuckles again. "Trust me, this is a survival instinct, you'll develop it as you get older and if you don't, I'll always be there to remind you that the sun is coming." He smiles at me and my stomach flip flops.

"How do you do that?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his neck and forgetting about the watcher's council for a moment.

"Do what?" He asks pulling me closer.

"Make my stomach flip flop with just a smile."

"Magic." He says placing a kiss on my forehead.

I purr. "Your own special Angel magic."

"Truthfully, I think it only works on you." He confesses.

"That's all it ever has to work on." I smile at him and lightly kiss his lips. The kiss turns deeper as it always does. He's halfway undressed before we both pull away shaking. He turns his back to me and buttons his shirt with shaky fingers. He clears his throat.

"I think it's safe for us to go out now."

And completely necessary because if I spend one more moment in this room with him I'm not going to be able to stop.