Buffy had to take a break before going into the next room to collect her thoughts and emotions. She felt as if every secret part of her had been exposed, stripped raw and left in the air. She was terrified and yet at the same time comforted by what she had seen in that room. The vision, no, she couldn't call it a vision because that wasn't what it was. She hadn't just seen that fantasy, she had been part of it, she had felt, seen and heard everything as if she were there, in that room waking up in the arms of the man she loved.

It had been the most beautiful morning of her entire life and it wasn't even real. What's more, she wasn't even sure if it were real to him. If that had been Angel, her Angel than that would mean that waking up with her after the first time they had made love was his fantasy, his true heart's desire.

If it were Angelus' fantasy, if that had been something he had fabricated..... She shuddered with involuntary revulsion. It was where the terror and feeling of being stripped naked had come from, overtaken her and forced her to catch her breath before braving the next room.

She knew who Angelus was, knew what he was capable of, how evil he was, but this was different. That fantasy, had been the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced and the idea that Angelus may very well know her enough to fabricate something so amazing not only terrified her, but disgusted her to a degree she had never even thought possible. Like it or not, she knew something now that she would never be able to forget. She knew that even when she was with Angel, when he held her in his arms, when he looked into her eyes and told her he loved her, Angelus would be there too.

She had been able before, to separate them into two separate people. Angel was the man she loved, whereas Angelus was the evil demon, incapable of any humanity whatsoever. But that wasn't true and she couldn't ignore it any longer. Every time she looked at Angel, she knew she would also be looking at Angelus. They shared far too much to be separate entities and yet, she couldn't stop loving Angel, regardless of how much a part of Angelus he was.

The challenge wasn't even over yet and already she was shaking with emotion so overwhelming she thought it might devour her whole. She looked to her left and saw the second door looming in front of her. Just walk in, her mind told her. This isn't even the hard part. The hard part will come when you have to decide who is Angel and who is...just walk in.

She nodded, and stood up, squaring her shoulders and preparing for the sight she would meet within. For better or for worse, it would be over soon.

Angel had only been gone from the bed for a moment and it already felt empty. Sighing, she attempted to see into the kitchen where he was currently procuring ice cream for the two of them upon her request.

"What kind did you want again?" Came Angel's voice, muffled obviously by freezer door that he had his head in.

"Peanut butter, preferably crunchy!" She called back, hoping he had that in his fridge. She had no idea just how long he had been human, but she doubted that he had had the time to make a trip to the grocery store with everything else that had been happening. If there was any ice cream there, chances are it belonged to Cordelia.

"I got it!" She heard Angel's voice clearer now, indicating he had closed the fridge and was on his way back to the bed. She smiled with a mixture of amusement and love as she watched her naked Angel make his way back to the bed, arms filled with all manners of items needed for eating ice cream.

She smiled partly in surprise because of the warmth she felt next to her when he slipped into bed beside her. She wasn't used to feeling Angel's presence next to her as a warm, living breathing person and every time it happened it sent a tingle of pleasure all through her being.

"The perfect yum," she said with a smile as he fed her a spoon of ice cream. It tasted heavenly and the fact that Angel was feeding it to her with a wicked twinkle of yearning in his eyes, only made it that much better. "Mmm, this is a dream. You're human for like a minute, and already there's cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip in the fridge!"

"God I love food!" Angel exclaimed, his handsome face alight with happiness as he savoured the human pleasures all too long denied from him. He watched in anticipation as Buffy took the opportunity to feed him a spoonful of ice cream.

"Food is good." She said warmly, and kissed him before the taste of the ice cream left his lips.

She could hardly believe that they were here, sharing this moment the way they were. It was so normal and at the same time so incredibly miraculous to be laying together, sharing ice cream in bed like a normal couple would. She had only ever dreamed of something this wonderful.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about chocolate and peanut butter before?" Angel was wondering. He seemed so innocent now, so wonderfully lighthearted. She wanted to laugh out loud and the beauty of it, but kept it inside. Instead, she smiled and spoke softly.

"Well, I figured if your vamp taste buds couldn't really savour it, it would only hurt you to know, you know? By the way, I am over the whole 'needing to be mature' thing." She met his eyes and although her lips smiled, there was a seriousness in her tone that couldn't be mistaken. "That time you just spent in the kitchen? That was time enough apart."

"Too much," he agreed, smiling that incredibly sexy half smile of his and then leaning into kiss her once more.

Their lips met, and for a moment, everything was gone and only the two of them remained. It wasn't until she felt him flinch slightly that she noticed some of the ice cream had dripped form the spoon onto his chest.

Angel laughed a sheepish laugh and stared at the ice cream as if trying to figure out what to do with it.

"OK, mortal coordination leaving something to be desired."

"Wrong," she said, a seductive tone entering her voice without even intending it. Her heart sped up as she leaned down to the ice cream and licked it from his chest, reveling in the warmth and humanness his bare chest exuded. "It's just right."

Again Angel laughed and it was a sound she knew she would never tire of. Pulling her into a kiss, she allowed herself to be carried away by her emotions, as well as her body responding to his the way two human beings deeply in love with each other would.

Later on, Buffy lay with him, listening to the sound of his heart beating and loving every second of it. They were calmer now, but no less aware of the miracle they had been given.

"It's a good sound." She whispered gently. "Thump-thump. Thump-thump."

"It feels pretty amazing," Angel admitted. He loved the feel of just laying there, with Buffy cuddled up next to him, her lips touching his chest lightly as she spoke, the two of them without a care in the world. It was more than he ever could have asked for.

"I'm so glad we didn't logic ourselves out of this." She was saying. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, her own suddenly full of doubt and worry. "We'll make it work, right?"

"We will." Was Angel's short, but intense reply. There was no way he was going to give this up. Not without a fight anyway. They had it easy now. The hard part was behind them.

"I'm so sleepy," she murmured contentedly. "But I still want..."

"What?" Angel's heart leapt slightly at the idea that she may still want more from him physically. Even though he was tired, there was no fiber in his body that would not respond to her if she willed it. "You couldn't possibly...not that I wouldn't..."

"No," she replied tracing circles with her finger on his chest. "No, I'm spent. Pleasantly numb even. You?"

"For now." His reply was calm, but gentle and promised more passion-filled nights to come. He was loving the idea that they had all the time in the world to enjoy each other, risk free.

"I want to stay awake," Buffy admitted, even as her eyes threatened to close from sheer exhaustion. "So this day can keep happening."

His heart was so full of love for her, he honestly thought it might burst. She was so tender, so sweet and soft in his arms. She was his, and he could give her everything she deserved now, everything she had always wanted. There was nothing stopping them.

He kissed her forehead with a reverence bordering on the spiritual side.

"Sleep." He whispered, "we'll make another one like it tomorrow."

"Angel?" She murmured, her voice getting progressively sleepier. "This is the first time I've ever really felt this way."

"What way?" He wondered, curious as to what was in her heart.

"Just like I've always wanted to." She told him, nestling closer to him, wanting to be as close to his heartbeat as possible. "Like a normal girl, falling asleep in the arms of her normal boyfriend. It's perfect."

Without warning, he felt tears threaten themselves, as he realized that with something as simple as a heartbeat he had been able to give her everything she had ever wanted, everything being the slayer had denied her.

He couldn't respond for fear that his voice wouldn't comply with his emotions. Instead, he fought back the tears of joy, kissed the top of her head once more and watched as she fell asleep in his arms, a smile on her beautiful face mirroring the one on his own.