Rating: PG

Warning: None really, except for some strange stuff.

Summary: Angel adapts to living as a puppet at 'Slaywarts'. A new enemy is lurking about and he is super mysterious.

It's a Puppet's Life

Part Six

By Marie Nomad

Buffy sat at her desk as always with a hot cup of tea next to her computer.

Dear Journal:

Six days passed since the Star Wars Convention. Too much weird things happened since then. Darth Vader lurking around making the girls nervous and he kept on making less sense as time passes by. Emma Wyndam Pryce, the goth who also hides in the shadows despite the fact that sunlight would just make a bad sunburn for her. She seems to be more of a vampire than Spike and he's a real vampire. Okay, that makes little sense but it's true.

Angel, well, Angel and I had been trying to figure out what is going on with our relationship. I mean, we're friends but I wondered if I should try to move ahead. It's not like that there's the curse excuse any more. At least, I don't think so, unless Angelus can exist in puppet form. Awww… that would be a cute but very evil. Okay, get that out of your head, Buffy. I don't know what he has for me but well, it's worth a shot. But, what can I do with a puppet?

Anyway, right now, we're trying to figure out what kind of game to challenge Darth Vader to. We all agreed that it will be a non-violent game that doesn't involve physical challenges. Unfortunately, everyone has different games they want to try out. I'm going to check out what they suggest.

And try to figure out what to do with Angel.

XXX

Buffy got off of her computer. She laid her head onto the desk. "Are you okay?" Willow asked as she knocked on the door.

"Oh… just the usual chaos." The slayer muttered as she raised her head up. "Any luck with the ring?"

"Nothing. It's made with the right materials but it just hasn't been activated. The Charmed ones are coming over to look over the ring themselves." Willow said as she smiled, "You don't look so good."

"Work, chaos, and my social life." Buffy rubbed her head. "When will it end? Just when things get quiet, relatively for us, bam! This happened! Why can't things be normal for me and Angel?"

"Since when are things normal for the two of you?" Fred asked as she came through the door. "Hi. I kinda overheard things sorry. So, you and Angel haven't… gotten together yet?"

"Yet?"

"Everyone has been betting on when you two will go back together." Fred explained, "Illyria, the students, Spike…"

"What makes you think that I'm interested in Angel in that way?" Buffy asked, "What we had is complicated."

"I know but I am with Spike and I have no corporeal form which makes things very interesting." Fred said as she blushed.

"Ew." Buffy crinkled up her nose at the imagery. "I can get what you're trying to say but Angel and I… we did love each other but a lot has changed since then. We went to others and the puppet thing… it's not like that I'm bothered by that. It's just that…"

"It's complicated." Willow nodded again. "We get that."

"Good, because right now, we have other maters to deal with. Meaning Darth Vader and the magic ring." Buffy said as she skillfully guided the talk to something else. "Where's Illyria?"

"Oh, she's meeting up with some… friends." Fred replied as she looked around.

"What kind of 'friends'?" Buffy asked. She didn't know Illyria well but from what she could understand, the ex-god was not the type to just make friends on a whim.

"Oh, just some people she met on the Internet." Fred waved off and then she stared out. "Oooh, I gotta go. Later." She walked through the door.

XXX

Gunn stared at the store in front of him. Emma had managed to get another business together. It was a coffee shop but it wasn't not like the coffee stores he had seen before. For one thing, the windows were tinted dark so one had to squint to see what was going on inside. The other was that it had a huge tent overhead to keep out any sunlight from the door when it opens. He knocked on the door and Emma poked her head out.

"Ah, Gunn, checking to make sure I haven't done anything evil?" The woman said as she opened the door fully and let him in.

"Nah, Spike sent me to see if you got the stuff yet."

"Just a moment. I need to get some things worked out first. What do you think?"

Gunn studied the place. Now, it looks like a coffee shop with newspapers, books, various breakfast treats, and even a cappuccino machine. "It's a coffee shop."

"With a vast assortments of beverages for every nightwalker." Harmony said as she appeared from behind the counter.

Gunn's jaw dropped at the sight of the vampire. The last he heard of the blond, she was fired by Angel and sent out of LA. How did she end up in Cleveland of all places? "Hey, Harm. What are you doing here?"

"I'm working here, what else? It's not as glamorous as Wolfram and Hart and Cleveland is so dull outside of all the evil stuff but it pays great, I am going to meet some cute vampires, and I get all the blood I want for free!" Harmony exclaimed as she hugged Gunn. "You look great!"

"You too. You know that Buffy and the Slayers in training are in Cleveland right?" Gunn guessed.

"Uh oh." Harmony said as her eyes widened, "That's not a good sign. Buffy will so kill me."

"Hey, it's cool. I'll tell Buffy and I'm sure that Angel will make sure that no one would dust you." Gunn said as he grinned at her. "You're not bad for a semi-evil vampire."

"Aw thanks. So, how's Spike and Angel? I heard they lived through the big fight." Harmony asked as she beamed.

"Oh, they're good. Spike and Fred are together, Fred's back as a ghost kinda and Angel's on his way of getting his Shanshu thing going." Gunn explained.

"That is such a relief. I was worried about the boss. I mean, I don't know if I could handle Spike as a human, he would get all old. Gah. Oh well, is Angel human yet?"

"Not quite but he's getting there. I'll tell him that you're okay."

"Glad to know someone miss me." Harmony said as she twirled her hair.

"Harmony, we have to get ready for the night hours." Emma said as she came up. "We have to get our inventory straightened out and get this place ready for the big opening. Oh yeah, I still have to get those goddesses to cast the spells so there won't be any killing here by either slayer or vampire. I don't want my place to be a battle scene by either side."

"That will go well with Buffy." Gunn said sarcastically, "I'm not too comfortable with you dealing with evil soulless vampires on a constant basis."

"You worked in the very depths of evil for a year and even had your brain tweaked by them." Emma said as she crossed her arms. "We both work in the belly of the beast. I happen to make sure that I don't sign contracts that involve me selling my soul or alter my brain in a permanent way."

Gunn frowned at her; as much as he hated to admit it, but the girl was right. While Emma had cavorted with vampires on a constant basis, she had never been turned and she never let them alter her body in any way. He had sold his soul to the devil so to speak but he's fighting to redeem himself every day working for a place that actually does good. "I'm working on it. But it's dangerous working with vampires."

"I know. I know. But, if vampires don't feed over here then they would feed on the streets and at least the blood here wasn't given by deadly means." Emma said as she looked over the inventory.

Gunn sighed. The girl was right again. These vampires would just feed off of the street if they weren't given blood like this. "Oh, how do you get the blood?" Gunn asked.

The girl shrugged. "If I tell you, I may have to make you sign a confidentiality agreement resulting in the sacrifice of your first born child if you ever break such agreement."

Even a man who hasn't had a brain upgrade would've seen the pain there. "Ouch."

"Anyway, the grand opening isn't for another week. I have the stuff that we need to practice the game with."

"Good."

XXX

Angel sighed as he and Phoebe of the Charmed ones talked while sharing a cup of coffee. "I really don't know what to do. I don't want to go through this again. I went through scenarios and they all just point to failure." Angel said as he looked at his coffee.

"Hey, I've been there. I can understand your fear."

"Yeah, so what should I do about Buffy? I'm not in the best position to have a relationship with anyone. I mean, Buffy deserves someone confident, funny, and… tall." Angel said as he looked around.

"Well, maybe you can start out small. No pun intended." Phoebe said, "Go out, have some fun. Go out for dinner, you can eat again. Or at least Breakfast."

Angel hit his head on the table. "Breakfast… maybe. It's just that… I don't want to hurt her again."

Phoebe sighed. "I understand. You see, I used to be married to this half-demon named Cole Turner. I was good, he was evil but we had great sex together. Until… he was turned evil again and became the Source of All Evil. After we vanquished him, he came back insane and I couldn't do it again. I was too afraid to go back to him even though that I love him. Sometimes, I wondered what would have happened if I had given him another chance, that I try to help him out. Now, he's gone forever."

The puppet put his hand onto hers. "I'm sorry."

"I'm over it. That's why I'm an advice columnist. What I'm saying is that you should go ahead and try it out. If it doesn't work out, then don't try to force it out." Phoebe said, "Maybe that's the way for you to complete your shanshu thing. Like in the fairy tales."

"I… doubt it. My life may be filled with demons, monsters, and even gypsy curses but this is not a fairy tale." Angel said as he looked down again. "But, I will try to give it a shot."

"About time!" Gunn yelled and Phoebe punched him in the stomach.

"Sorry, reflex." The girl said as she got up. Gunn fell over and held his gut.

"That's okay. I'm used to it from dealing with super strong teenagers." The guy said, "Angel, Emma's here with the stuff. We need a fourth for the poker game. Wanna join in? You got a great poker face."

"No thanks. I have stuff to do."

"I have to get back to work soon in San Francisco and check on the ring." Phoebe said as she got up. "Bye, guys. Good luck, Angel."

"Thanks, I'll need it." Angel sighed as he got down onto the floor and made his way to Buffy's office.

XXX

"I understand your hesitation but the time is coming soon." Alpha said as he and Illyria were sitting alone on a high cliff.

"I wish to regain my former glory but I am needed at the school. Darth Vader is threatening Wesley's sister and I must defend her." Illyria said firmly.

"Illyria, I'm sorry but there is something that I must tell you. Darth Vader is-" Thunder echoed throughout the sky.

The demon got up angrily. "You're lying! That is not possible!"

"I am not lying. You know that." Alpha said firmly, "But you know it too but that human part of you denied it. That is why you must join us and regain your former rank as one of us. Your place in this world is with us."

"I will think about it. Take me home!" Illyria demanded.

"Just remember what I said." Alpha waved his hand and Illyria appeared back in Slaywarts.

"Ria!" Fred came up to her. "What happened? You were upset, I sensed it."

Illyria tilted her head. "I found out disturbing. I do not wish to let you know." The ex-god tucked the knowledge far into her mind. While they can sense each others emotions and feelings, Illyria's mind was harder to read into than Fred's.

"Okay, but, why?"

"It might kill you."

XXX

Paige stared at the ring and fingered it. "Well, it's a ring. It doesn't look that familiar. I could check it at the Magic School."

"That would be great." Buffy said as she stared at the ring. "I just wish I know more about Darth Vader."

"Maybe Darth Vader is really an avatar." A man said as he came up. "Or at least an agent for the Avatars."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked.

"Agent Kyle Brody, I work with the Charmed ones." Kyle said as he held out his hand. "Buffy, I heard a lot about you from Riley."

"You knew Riley?"

"We worked together for a while." Kyle looked at her. "Anyway, I understand that you had an encounter with this 'Darth Vader' at least twice. Is there anything you can tell me about him?"

"That he is a klutz and loves to play the accordion. He hates both good and evil. Oh yeah, Angel thinks that he may have been English once and had a grudge against the Wyndam Pryce family. Nothing more than that." Buffy said as she shrugged.

"Well, you better be careful. The Avatars are evil and powerful. You never know where they may be hiding." Kyle said as he looked around.

"I'm used to it. Evil hiding out in plain sight, yeah, been there done that." Buffy said as she shrugged.

"Hey, guys!" Emma said as she came up. "Spike and I are setting up a practice poker game. We need a fourth."

"I have stuff to do." Buffy shook her head. "You won't be gambling right?"

"Just practice stuff."

"I'll join." Paige said, "I haven't played poker in a while. Come on, Kyle."

"No way, we have to do our job." Kyle refused.

The witch pouted, "You promised that you won't be overobsessed with the Avatars even though they killed your parents. Yadda yadda. Let's go." Paige pulled on his sleeve and orbed out of the room.

XXX

Buffy sighed as she went down to the office. So far, the Charmed ones have not given her any answers, although Paige had been helpful in giving her advice about her love life. She put her hand on the doorknob when she heard Angel's voice.

"I know that we agreed to wait until you're done baking and all… no cookie metaphors."

Curiously, she cracked the door opened to see Angel talking to her stuffed Ewok in her chair.

"Look, I was wondering if we could have some breakfast. No, that won't work." Angel said as he shook his head.

"Are you asking the Ewok out?" Buffy asked as she came in.

"Buffy!" Angel jumped and then looked at the stuffed toy. "I swear, I can explain. I mean, this isn't what it looks like."

"Splain." Buffy crossed her arms as she chuckled.

"I was wondering if you would like to… go out on a date some time? Maybe after we fight Darth Vader or better yet before. Like dinner or coffee or… maybe even a movie." Angel babbled on.

Buffy pondered. So, he seemed to want to try to move forward too. "Sounds like fun. Maybe, we can have some dinner here about eightish?"

"Yeah! I mean, that's cool." Angel said as he calmed himself down.

"Good. It's a date."

"A date."

"I… better get ready." Angel said as he inched away. "Thanks. A lot." He dashed off and Buffy looked at the Ewok.

"Thanks for the help."

XXX

The room was shadowed as Emma shuffled the deck. She, Gunn, Spike, Paige, and Kyle were sitting around. "You know, I wasn't expecting this when I agreed to this." Paige said as she looked around.

"I've heard of this in rumors but I didn't know they exist." Kyle said as Emma started dealing out the cards.

"Okay, regular free for all. Everyone put in your bets." The girl said.

At once, Gunn, Spike, Paige, and Kyle got out a kitten from the basket and put it into the center basket. "I missed Kitten Poker." Spike said as he patted the kitten.

"It's only been a couple of months; I've played my fair share too." Gunn said as he looked at his cards. "I bet one tabby." He put in another kitten.

"I stopped playing kitten poker when I became a champion for the helpless. I figured that I had to give up some bad habits to be a good guy, like smoking, playing kitten poker, and drinking human blood." Spike explained as he put in a kitten.

"Just keep it up." Emma said as she looked at her hand. "I fold."

"I never thought that I would be playing kitten poker with a vampire. No offence." Paige said as she put a cat in. "Can I keep any kittens I win?"

"Sure, I'm saving them for my coffee shop. I can hand out a few." Emma said as she shrugged.

"What do you use kittens for?" Kyle asked as he put in a kitten. "And I raise another." He put in another kitten.

"Demon snacks." Emma answered as the others put in another kitten.

Paige paled. "You use kittens as demon snacks?"

"It's not like I eat them myself and I take real good care of them." Emma explained. "Everyone has odd tastes. Think of it as controlling the stray cat population."

Paige stared at her. "Are you sure that you're not a demon?"

"She's human. Not a trace of demon in her." Spike answered as he picked up a card.

"I… I can't do this." Paige pulled away. "This is just…"

"I understand." Emma held up her ring. "I have a back up player."

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy asked as she came up and saw the group. "You're playing kitten poker, again?!"

"It's just a little practice for tomorrow." Spike said, "Besides, it's not real kitten poker. Emma is loaning them out for us to use."

"No kitten poker." Buffy ordered as she picked up the cage and handed it to Emma. "Look, Emma, I can understand the blood habit, the dark clothes, and this tendency to stay away from the sun but no kitten poker."

"Yes, Ma'am." Emma sighed as she put away the cards. "What about Blood Rummy?"

"No demon games."

"Fine, I'll just play some ultraviolent video games that involve stealing cars and murdering people with Illyria." Emma said as she got up.

"You do that." Buffy sighed as she rubbed her head. "Oi…" She glared at Gunn. "And why did you go along with that? It's kittens."

"I played kitten poker before with my clients when I was with Evil Inc. It's not real kitten poker." Gunn said. "So, what are you and Angel going to do for dinner?"

"We don't know yet." Buffy replied and then frowned at him. "How did you know?"

"It's impossible to keep a secret here in Slaywarts."

"Of course."

"You can come over to the P3 in San Francisco." Paige offered, "It's just a hop skip and an orb from here."

"No thanks. We need someplace private and Angel hates night clubs."

"What about my coffee cafe? We are on the verge of opening and we have everything set up." Emma said as she raised her hand.

"Coffee cafe?" Buffy repeated, "How did you get a coffee cafe?"

"Oh, my insurance check came in and I managed to get a good deal on this place. You can use it if you want."

"Well, it's nice to see that you have something less dangerous than a vampire bar. Wait; is this a vampire coffee cafe?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, in fact these kittens are from that shop as demon treats. Like chocolate cake for humans." Emma said as she shrugged. "Is that a problem?"

"I am not taking Angel to a vampire coffee café. I know that vampires don't eat fluff unless there are fluff eating vampires out there but I can't let him get attacked by any vampire that would want him dead or turned into Angelus."

"It's not opened yet and Belthezar and Harmony can protect him if any vampires decide to come in."

"Harmony?!" Buffy repeated, "That vampire ditz?!"

"Yeah, she's my cashier and manager. She had a great resume, a recommendation from a… highly respected law firm and she had not eaten anyone for a year."

"That's not the point. Harmony was evil. She had eaten her family!"

"What vampire hasn't for their first meal?" Emma asked as she shrugged. "I promise if she eats any humans, she will be fired."

"That is so comforting."

"Emma, you said Belthezar." Paige repeated as she looked at her. "Who is he?"

"A demon of mine, given by this guy who had to pay a huge tab." Emma held out her ring. "Let me call on him. Belthezar." She called to him and the demon appeared.

"You rang?" He looked at Paige and stepped back. "Paige."

"Cole?! You're alive! Again!" Paige got up, "I swear, if you get anywhere near Phoebe…"

"I can't. My master controls me. It's part of my punishment for what I did." Belthezar said.

"You know this demon?" Kyle asked his girlfriend.

"Yeah, he's my ex-brother-in-law."

"That thing was Phoebe's husband?!"

"He looked more human than this." Paige shivered. "He tried to wipe me out of existence by altering space and time and made this weird alternate world. I don't get how you do it but…"

"I can't do that, my power is less than before. After I used the power that the Avatars gave me to alter reality, I was cursed to that ring and trapped in this form. I don't want to see Phoebe like this. I… I was wrong. I'm sorry. Don't tell her."

"Well, it's not your fault that you got insane, you did try. Don't worry, I won't tell Phoebe about this." Paige said.

"You had been granted power by the Avatars themselves." Kyle said as he came up. "Can you summon them?"

"I don't have the power any more. I don't know where they are. I only had the power for a little while before I decided to alter the timeline to get Phoebe back. When I got there, I lost the power and became Belthezar again. I don't know much about them. They say that they are beyond good and evil. I didn't get a good chance to figure it out. I was insane at the time. Sorry."

"No, you've been helpful." Kyle said and then Phoebe's voice rang out.

"Paige! We have to get going!"

"Belthezar!" Emma whispered and the demon vanished and the group watched Phoebe come in.

They stared at her and the woman asked, "What did I miss?"

"Oh nothing. Just some disturbing revelations about demons and kittens." Paige said as she got up. "I'm all set to go. Right, Kyle?" She stared at him.

"Sure." The man got up as well. "I have to follow up on my lead anyway."

"Good luck and we'll find out more of that ring." Paige took Kyle and Phoebe's hands and orbed out.

"That was interesting. Let's think up some games that doesn't involve kittens, blood, or anything else demony. We may have to test all of them out." Buffy said as she sat down with a pad and paper.

XXX

"Feel my vengeance evil car thieves!" Illyria proclaimed as she and Emma played on the Gamecube.

"We are the car thieves." Emma said as she fiddled with the controllers.

"I wish to do violence against the giant ape."

"Okay, switch games."

XXX

Xander glared at Gunn over the scrabble board. "That is not a real word!" The former carpenter exclaimed.

"Yes it is. Quitclaim deed is a real property deed which transfers (conveys) only that interest in the property in which the grantor has title. Commonly used in transfers of title or interests in title, quitclaims are often made to family members, divorcing spouses, or in other transactions between people well-known to each other. Quitclaim deeds are also used to clear up questions of full title when a person has a possible but unknown interest in the property. Grant deeds and warranty deeds guarantee (warrant) that the grantor has full title to the property or the interest the deed states is being conveyed, but quitclaim deeds do not warrant good title." Gunn quoted. (Yes, that's a real legal term from ). He paused and held his head. "Ow."

Xander rubbed his head. "I hate lawyers."

XXX

The music beat as Spike danced on the music video game with Andrew. The others watched as the lights flashed and the vampire swung his hips and stayed with the beat. "Go Spike. Go Spike!" The teenagers chanted.

Buffy and Angel watched. "Why don't you go up there?" Buffy asked. "I mean, you could do great."

"I don't dance." Angel said as he tried to picture himself dancing on that platform.

XXX

Andrew's fingers twitched as he looked at the field. He was against a Cyclops, a witch, a gargoyle, and a zombie. Finally, he unleashed a trap.

"Ah ha! I got it!" The man flipped his card over and revealed his face down card. "All of your monsters have only half their attack points now! You lost your life points!"

"Damn!" Faith snapped her fingers.

XXX

Spike stared down at Angel. "This is it. I will beat you down."

"Just try me." Angel dared.

The vampire took the basketball and dribbled it down the court at semi-prenatural speed. Angel ran passed him and snagged the ball. He was smaller and hence dodged faster. He dribbled the ball down and Spike picked him up and tossed him into the basket.

Angel looked around to see himself in the net. Spike laughed as he caught the ball. He looked at Buffy, Illyria, and Fred who were watching. "Does that count as one or two points?"

The puppet tensed up, pulled himself out, and jumped from the basket. "Die!" He landed on Spike and bashed his fists into his head.

"Hey!" Spike spun around dropping the ball and tried to pull him off.

XXX

Buffy looked at the card and then at Spike who was nursing a black eye. "Okay, Spike, what is the generic name given to Americans who left this country to live in Europe?"

"The expatriates. I used that word myself a few times." Spike replied.

"That was too easy." Gunn said.

"This is coming from the guy with enough legal knowledge to choke a cow." Buffy muttered. "This isn't good. We've tested out just about every game that doesn't deal with demons and nada. We can't use physical games since Darth is super strong. The only chance of defeating Darth Vader is these intellectual games."

"There is one game that we could try out." Angel said as he nodded. "Remember, Darth Vader is a klutz. Hopefully, it's not an act to lower our guard. We need to attack that weakness."

"What is that game?" Emma asked.

XXX

"This is kinda kinky." Gunn said as he stretched his foot. "I can't hold this for long."

"Neither can I." Emma moaned as she felt cramps in her back.

"Relax, just hold on." Spike said as he adjusted himself.

"Easy for you to say, you don't get cramps." Gunn snapped.

"Well, there are some perks to being dead."

"Left foot blue." Angel said as he watched the group play Twister. Gunn and Emma tried to move their feet and ended up collapsing on top of each other.

The two humans stared at each other and finally Emma said, "You can get off now."

"Right." Gunn got up and helped her up. "Sorry about that."

"I don't mind."

Spike got up and said, "Oh yeah! That was great."

"You are incredibly limber." Andrew commented, "Is it a vampire thing?"

"I've been on the rack and been tortured for days on end. That game was nothing." Spike said as he rubbed his shoulders.

"Then, it's settled, the game we will use to decide the fate of the world is Twister." Buffy said as she got up. She looked at the clock and cursed, "Damn it. It's 7:30! I have to go! Date." She and Angel rushed off.

"About time." Gunn said.

XXX

Buffy and Angel sighed as they sat in her car parked out in the deserted parking lot. In their laps were burgers and fries from the all night Fast Food Shack. "Sorry it's not any better. I think that they might stare at us if they see a puppet eat." Buffy said as she ate her burger.

"Not at all. I like the privacy." Angel looked down at his burger. "Say, I think that this is the first dinner date we had. I mean, a dinner that involves the both of us actually eating."

Buffy paused and nodded. "Yeah, it is. Oh no."

"What?"

"We are alone together on a date in the middle of a deserted parking lot which is in the middle of the Hellmouth." Buffy pointed out.

Angel's jaw dropped. "You don't think…" The two looked around.

"We could- No! I won't jinx it! The whole irony conversation thingy." Buffy said as she shook her head. "Is it bad to expect a demon to attack us just as we are actually happy?"

"Not really, I was half expecting it but I didn't want to jinx it either." Angel said as he lifted his coat to reveal a knife.

"Right."

"Yeah."

Unseen by the two, a huge green demon lurked behind the bushes. He licked his lips as he walked towards the car only to be stabbed in the back by a sword. The demon turned around to see a bleached blond man in black looking at him. "Do you mind leaving the two lovebirds alone?"

Angel and Buffy sat there eating as just a few yards away, Spike and the demon fought. "Anyway, Buffy, I know that you're not done baking yet." Angel said, "But, I was thinking that, how do you know when cookies are done when you don't do a taste test?"

"Not the cookie metaphor again." Buffy sighed, "I just thought of that on a spur of the moment."

"Sounds pretty rehearsed to me." Angel said as behind the car, the demon stepped forward only to be pulled back by Spike. "Although, I'm not fully ready to start eating yet, I wouldn't mind a taste test."

"How can you not fully start eating yet?" Buffy asked as Spike punched the demon with his bare fists.

"I…" Angel looked down. "Well, I'm not atomically correct. Puppet thing."

Buffy's jaw dropped. "So, you can't… eat my cookies."

Spike got up and started to walk away only be to dragged back by the demon. He grabbed a huge rock and started bashing the creature with it.

"Yeah. I didn't want you to find out about this because it's embarrassing." Angel said as he looked down.

The demon got up and flung Spike to the side.

"I don't blame you. But, that doesn't matter. We both had been through a lot of changes so we have to start out slow." Buffy said as she put her hand onto his head.

Spike jumped back with his game face on and ripped off the demon's head. The headless demon grabbed him and started bashing his chest.

Angel just looked down. "I'm patient. I have to warn you, I don't know how long it will be until I become a real guy again."

"I can wait in the meantime; we can take small bites until you can fully eat again." Buffy said confidently. Angel paused and then looked behind the car just after Spike pulled the demon's body into the bushes. "What?"

"I was half expecting some vicious demon to attack us by now. It's that every time we had a chance to pour our hearts out, something happens." Angel said, "I'm paranoid."

"I don't blame you." Buffy said as she put on her seat belt. "We better go." She said as she turned on the car and drove off. As the car pulled out of the parking lot, Spike stepped out of the bushes. His coat was ripped up and he was sporting bruises that will last several days.

"The things I do for Buffy." He grumbled as he limped off.

To Be Continued…