The following day, Buffy glanced around the empty Med-Ward. Cassidy stepped out to make a personal call, Angel was running class and Willow and Oz had taken the kids to the park for a change of scenery.
For the first time in days, she was finally alone.
Looking around suspiciously one last time, she carefully used her arms to sit up. There was pain, but it wasn't unbearable.
As gently as possible, she swung her legs out off the edge of the bed, biting her lip at the pulling sensation in her abdomen. Inch by inch she worked her stiff body over until her feet touched the floor. 'Ok, kinda really hurts.' She gritted out a tight breath, having to hunch to keep her middle from screaming.
'This is what I get for laying in bed unmoving for eternity.'
Shuffling across the room, she managed to reach a wheelchair that was parked in the corner. Claiming it, she carefully and awkwardly sat down and leaned against the backrest, her body let out a sigh of relief once she was no longer using her too tender belly muscles.
Getting orientated, she gripped the wheels and rolled to the Med-Ward entrance. The big doors silently swung open when she hit the automatic button and she rolled out into the hall.
Glad she was still alone; Buffy wheeled herself towards the containment cells. She knew her husband would be furious when he found out she'd gone to see her father, especially alone, but she'd deal with his tantrum later, she needed to speak with one Hank Summers.
...
"Jen, you need to squat lower, in a real fight that blow would have taken your head off." Angel addressed a student as he made his rounds, dishing a mix of praise and constructive criticism wherever necessary. "Beth, use both arms and don't forget to breathe."
He heard the training room phone ring as he was showing one of his newer students the correct form when swinging an ax, but didn't think much of it until one of the students answered and yelled that it was for him.
Immediately his thoughts turned to Buffy, or that something had happened to the kids. Moving quickly, he jogged over to the phone and took it from the student, "Angel."
"Hello Mr. Angel, Sir, this is Nancy…at the containment cells…you umm..wanted us to call you immediately if anyone tried to see Mr. Summers."
The hairs on the back of his neck rose, "Yeah, I did. Who?" He demanded, very much upset already at whoever was disobeying a direct order. He'd blatantly explained to everyone to keep away from him, especially Dawn. He was still pissed at her for releasing Hank into the Med-ward a few days ago, which got him a sore and bruised throat and more importantly risked Buffy's life.
"Your wife, Sir."
"What about my wife?" Angel asked, confused and thinking he must have misheard the girl.
"Your wife…Buffy I mean…is the one here to see Mr. Summers." The young slayer repeated, hoping he wouldn't get mad at her. None of the slayers liked when Angel got mad, they could sense his demon and most were intimidated by it.
Angel blinked a few times, holding the phone to his ear. 'She's out of bed?' He thought before his anger took control. Without another word he slammed the phone back onto the hook and growled out that class was dismissed as he stalked out of the room.
The girls stopped training abruptly and watched as he disappeared out the door.
…
"I'm sorry Mrs. Summers, but Angel's orders are no visitors." The slayers standing before Buffy explained as one shook her dark head.
Buffy nodded before putting on her grown up face, "I'm here to see my father and you are going to let me in." She repeated with a sweet smile.
"But…Angel said…." The pink haired girl tried again, looking unsure.
"I know what Angel said, but keep in mind I can beat Angel up. So open this door before I get angry." The eldest slayer ordered.
The two guards exchanged a look, trying to decide if they would rather deal with their 'Queen' Slayer or her living vampire husband.
Nancy thought back to a sparring session she'd once witnessed between Angel and the little slip of a woman sitting in the chair before her, the blond had sent him though the ringers.
"Call out if you need anything Mrs. Summers." Nancy spoke as she opened the door with her key and held it so Buffy could wheel herself in.
"Thank you, you made the right choice." Buffy smirked to herself as she entered the Prison-ward.
…
Hank was lying on his stiff cot, staring off blankly at the ceiling. He heard something wheeling down the corridor and figured it was his daily meal. 'Great, water and bread again…nothing worth getting out of bed for.'
He turned when he heard a throat clear, his blue eyes widening in shock as his elder daughter sat staring at him from a wheelchair, her arms folded across her chest as her mouth pulled down in a frown.
"Buffy! Oh thank God you're awake!" He jumped up and rushed over to the bars, greedily drinking in her much healthier skin tone than the pale and sunken look when he'd last glimpsed her in the Med-ward a few days ago. "You look good." He added, his eyes focusing on the chair she was sitting in, suddenly nervous and thinking she was paralyzed.
"Father." She addressed, her tone straight and toneless.
"Are you…you're not…oh God baby I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." He shook his head and dropped to his knees at the bars in front of her, tears burning his blue eyes.
"No, you just meant to kill my husband." She shot back, purposely not addressing that fact he thinks she might be paralyzed. 'Let him suffer a little more.'
Hank lowered his head, "Please Buffy, I didn't know."
"Didn't know he was my husband? Funny, I thought with the wedding rings, living together, having kids, calling him my husband, the pictures of our wedding…you would have figured it out." She knew what he'd meant, but she wanted to twist the knife a little.
"I didn't know that you…that you already knew about him being a demon." He forced himself to say, the words were still hard to swallow even after having chewed them over for days.
"Angel is NOT a demon." Buffy countered, "Yes, he HAS a demon in him, but he isn't one, he's as human as I am Dad, and if you can't accept that of Angel, then you can't accept the same for me. I have a demon too, as I told you, it's not the same as Angel's, but it is a part of me, it's what makes me a Slayer, it's who we are."
Hank looked back at his little girl, his eyes filling with tears, "I'm so sorry Buffy, I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you...I just…I thought you'd been trapped by a creature like I was…I didn't want you to suffer like I did with Melissa. I love you Buffy, you're my daughter, I just wanted to keep you safe."
"Yeah, you kept me real safe Dad." She spat, holding her hand over her injured belly.
For a brief moment, she thought about what would have happened if she'd been pregnant, the scene played out before her eyes. Hank would have aimed the gun, and in order to protect her unborn, she wouldn't have been able to jump in front of Angel to shield him. Her father's bullets would have gunned him down in cold blood, leaving her life an empty misery.
She quickly pushed the thought away.
His tears increased, "I'm a terrible father, I know that. Please baby, call the police, have me tried for attempted murder, I deserve no less."
Buffy would have replied, but there were raised voices down the hall, she could literally feel her spouse's anger as he argued with the guards. 'Great, as much as I love him, now is not the time for Angel to be all growly and pissed.'
In a few seconds, he banged open the door and stormed down the hall to stand in front of her wheelchair, "Damn it Buffy, what the hell are you doing in here and why the hell are you out of bed?"
Calm as a cucumber she replied, "I'm speaking to my father, which I cannot do from my bed in the Med-ward while he's locked up in here."
Angel growled threateningly, his eyes glaring at his wife, "I told you not to come here, that he wasn't allowed to see you."
She countered right back, "I love you, but you don't tell me what to do. I'm your wife, not your dog, I don't take orders."
The raging living vampire turned and slammed his fist into the wall, his demon was livid. He'd spent 4 days terrified she would die, now his wife was just smugly brushing off her near death to sit and chat with the guy who tired to kill her.
Buffy winced and bit her lip at the crunch his knuckles made again the cement, a telling sign there was defiantly damage done, and not just the fist shaped imprint in the wall.
After a long tense moment of watching her lover's stiff back and hostile stance, she asked, "Are you done?"
He slowly turned to look at her, a scowl dominating his demonic face, "For the moment."
Hank stood against the far wall of his cell, his face stalk white at his daughter's husband's reaction.
Buffy wasn't pleased at the direction this meeting was taking, she'd come down here to prove to her father that Angel was a good man; however his best side wasn't exactly shining at the moment.
"Are you ok?" She asked, wanting to see how badly he'd hurt his hand and help relieve some of his rage. Her intentions hadn't been to anger him, but now she could see she'd done exactly that.
"I'll live." He bit out, still too worked up to relax, especially now that his knuckles were throbbing.
Neither spoke for a time, even Hank sat quietly on his bed with wide blue eyes as the tension threatened to smother the three.
Finally Angel spoke softly, "You're not healed yet, you shouldn't be up."
"I'm not up, I'm sitting." Buffy countered, unable to help herself. She knew if she kept pushing buttons he'd eventually fold.
He shook his head at his impossible wife. "Buffy, I'm not going to let you strain yourself and end up needing another surgery."
"The only thing being strained at the moment is my patients. Now please come over here so I can see your hand." She countered, holding her own hand out to him.
He didn't move for a few long moments before he slowly came to stand beside her wheelchair, when she looked up at him he squatted down so she wouldn't have to stain her neck.
She reached out and ran her fingers along his tense jaw, "I'm sorry I upset you, I just wanted to talk to my dad for a few minutes."
He didn't pull away, but he didn't lean into her touch either, "You shouldn't have left the Med-ward, you're not fully healed yet. You didn't have to risk hurting yourself; I would have helped you in a few days when you're stronger."
"I know you would have, but I wanted to do this alone…I shouldn't have gone behind your back, I'm sorry for that, but I'm not going to apologize for talking to my father, you have no right to deny me that."
He grumbled something she didn't catch, but after a moment he let out a heavy sigh, "I know." After a second he added, "But I am still mad you left the Med-ward without permission, Cassidy will be even angrier."
"But you love me so you'll both forgive me." She adding, hoping at least.
He thought it over a second before replying, "I do, so there's a high possibility."
She let a small smile out at that before her eyes caught his bleeding fist, her smile dropped as she held out her open palm, "Can I see your hand now?"
After a slight pause, he placed his damaged appendage in hers.
Buffy swallowed hard before looking into her lover's golden eyes, "Please have Cass look at this." All Buffy could see what blood and torn skin, she wanted the Medic's opinion.
He nodded, his eyes not meeting hers, "Yeah, I will."
She moved her hands to cup the sides of his face, "Please don't be mad with me."
Finally his golden eyes met hers, "I'm not." He turned his demonic gaze to Hank, "It's him I want to rip in half."
"But you're not going to." Buffy didn't ask as a question.
"No, I'm not, but only because I know it would hurt you." He answered; making damn well sure Hank heard him. He wanted the guy to know he'd be a puddle of red by now if it wasn't for Buffy's feelings.
She turned her lover's gaze back toward hers, "Thank you, now please my love, I want to talk to my dad alone. I promise I'll be right back to the Med-ward when I'm done."
She saw the desire to argue in his eyes, but the Angelus in him kept silent. Standing, he looked thought the iron bars at his father-in-law, "If you ever hurt her again, I swear you'll be begging me to kill you when I'm done." He turned to look down at his wife, "We'll talk after."
She nodded slowly, "Yeah, we will."
For a moment, she thought he was going to walk away just like that, but he turned back towards her and bend down, placing a single kiss on her crown of golden hair. "Be careful Beloved, don't over tire yourself."
Her lips twitched upwards; glad he wasn't holding a grudge. "I'll be careful, I promise."
He turned his eyes to Hank, gave a growl, and then left is wife alone with her father…with the man that nearly murdered her.
…
Buffy twisted and knotted her fingers together, not sure how she was going to get her father to see the good in Angel after that demonic display.
"He really does love you." He father's words startled her out of her thoughts.
"What?" She questioned, confused, that was the last thing she expected her father to say.
Hank leaned against his cell wall, "As a guy, I should have seen it sooner, but I…I didn't want to. He wears his emotions on his shelve for you, he's possessive and protective of you, he came down here furious with you…and couldn't stay mad at you for more than a minute, even though I'm your father he's jealous you're spending time with a guy that isn't him, even though he's uncomfortable with you talking to me he compromised and trusted you because you asked him to, he's not afraid to publicly display affection for you and he respects your wishes. That's guy-speak for he's absolutely head-over-heels for you."
Buffy felt her cheeks redden, feeling a little embarrassed and exposed as her father spoke about her husband's affections. "I um…yeah, I know how Angel feels about me Dad, I feel the same about him. I just…didn't expect you to."
"I came to Ohio looking for the fifteen year old girl I left behind, I was so focused on finding who you'd been, I'd convinced myself when I found out my little girl was a mother and married that it was just I lie, that I could still get my little girl back. I could tell there was something 'different' about Angel, so naturally I only looked for the negative about him. I think it was mostly jealously at first, he became 'the man in your life' and I felt I wasn't needed anymore. Then when I found out about the vampire stuff, well I jumped to conclusions and made myself believe he was using you…which made me want to…save you." After a second he looked down at the floor of his cell, "And boy did I ever f*ck that up."
"I can't argue that." Buffy agreed, unsure how she felt about her father at the moment, she knew she wanted to talk to him, but anything beyond that was far from decided.
"I can't apologize for this baby, I went too far to be forgiven, and I see that now too. I could try and blame this on Melissa too, but I can't use her as my excuse forever. I was stupid and rash and because of it I almost killed my own child."
"Dawn told me about what happened between you and Angel when I was unconscious." She told him quietly, "She was devastated over it and now my husband isn't speaking to my sister."
Hank's lips pressed together in a thin line, his eyes still on the floor. "I deserve worse than a broken hand. Maybe you should just let Angel kill me. It would be justified."
Buffy shook her head, "Murder is never justified, no matter how you look at it. Angel's not a monster, he has a soul, he's a man dad, a human and my lover; he's not my headsman. We both kill when we have to, but I could never ask him to kill someone. The scary part is, I know I could convince him to if I tired hard enough, but I also know it would end up destroying him. I wouldn't do that to my husband; I love and respect him too much."
Slowly Hank nodded, "I understand. What you share with him, it's a rare thing, a love that strong. Don't get me wrong, I loved your mother, but that love was nothing compared to what you have. Truth be told, I'm both happy for you, and jealous."
"Maybe you'll find someone some day." The words were just as surprising for her to say as it was for him to hear.
Hank looked at his daughter not understanding, "Not likely in jail."
"I'm not reporting you to the police, nor will anyone here physically harm you." Again, her words just came out.
"You're forgiving me?" He asked, shocked and feeling hopeful.
"No, I'm not." She denied, "You tried to destroy my marriage and plotted to out right kill my husband, from this point on, you will be a stranger to me. You are unwelcome in our home and are no longer considered our family. I'll have your things collected and brought to you immediately."
Hank's mouth dropped open like he was about to protest, but quickly shut it again. As the words sunk in, he dropped to his small cot. "I…I suppose that's better than I deserve."
"Yes, it is." Buffy continued, "I'll hold nothing against Dawn if she still wants to see you, but that will be completely her choice." After a second she added quietly, "Maybe in the future you can slowly earn back some of the trust you destroyed here, but not yet." She touched her stomach, "The wounds you created are still too raw."
He nodded, tears stinging his eyes. "I love you Buffy."
She felt her own eyes grow watery, "I…know you do, and that's why I'm letting you go." She wiped her face and sniffled her now running nose, "Goodbye Hank."
With that said, she turned and wheeled away. As she did, the irony struck her that now it was she who was leaving him.
…
Buffy was barely though the Med-Ward doors when Angel was at her side, "Buffy, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" He could both see and smell her tears and he was worried she'd hurt herself.
"Angel, I'm fine." She dismissed as she tired to free herself from his hand on her wheelchair, not wanting to get him worked up again. His face was human but the demon wasn't far below the surface.
"You don't cry when you're fine." He stated as he knelt down in front of her to block her forward momentum, contemplating beating the reason his wife was crying out of Hank Summers.
"Please Angel, I'm just emotional and tired, help me out of this chair?" She pleaded, looking into his eyes and transmitting 'I'm not hurt, don't go all 'grr' and start ripping shit apart'.
He read her eyes and slowly nodded, "Alright." He relented, easily scoping her slight weight into his arms and carefully easing her back into her bed, being mindful of her healing wound.
"Lay with me?" She asked, feeling needy for him at the moment.
Picking up on her hunger for touch and unable to deny her, he slipped into the small cot and she snuggled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her, keeping her drawn in close.
They lay wrapped in one another for a while, not talking with words but with touch and connection. She wrapped her fingers around his uninjured hand, her thumb worrying over his knuckles as he ran his bandaged hand lightly down her arm in a soothing motion.
After a while she took a deep breath and told him what she'd said to her father before he arrived and after he'd left.
When he didn't immediately respond, she turned her head to study his face, "Was I too rough or too lenient? Damn, I should have asked your opinion first. I didn't even think…I was just so mad at him, but at the same time, I wasn't…god I don't know."
Angel leaned down and kissed her forehead as he continued to message her arms, "Relax Beloved, you did nothing wrong. Yes, he's your father, but he also betrayed your trust and damn near killed you in the process, anything less than death is too lenient in my eyes, but again, he's your father, you can't help but love and want to protect him. My personal feelings aside, I think you made the right choice. You passed a judgment that will hurt him but won't condemn him forever. I can't say I agree with giving him even the hope of a possible very distant future with us, I don't think he'll ever stop being a judgmental prick."
Buffy sort of smiled at that as she snuggled closer, absorbing her husband's strength and warmth. After a moment she told him what Hank had said about seeing the love between them now.
Angel gave a un-humorous snort, "Oh well that makes all the difference, let's invite him to Thanksgiving." He said in as sarcastic a voice as possible.
"Angel." She chastised, giving him a bland look.
"To be honest Buffy, I don't give a f*ck what he thinks about us, I know I love you and that love you love me. That's all the approval I need."
She turned her head and kissed his cheek, "I know. I just…I don't know…I liked having him in my life. Maybe I was hoping someday I could forgive him and I'd have my dad again."
Angel kept his dark eyes focused on the ceiling above him for a few minutes as they laid together is quiet companionship. Finally he spoke, "He did all the right things for all the wrong reasons."
Buffy turned her head to look at him, "Are you actually defending my dad now?"
He shook his head, "No. I'm just pointing out that…sometimes a right choice can be made based on the wrong facts."
"Like what?" She inquired, catching his eyes and holding them.
Angel took a deep breath before he spoke, "I misinterpreted a vision from Cordy once, and I ended up killing a demon that was actually on our side. I managed to save the girl he'd been protecting, but at the end of the day, I killed an innocent based on bad information."
"Angel, you can't blame yourself for that, you were only doing what you thought was right." The second she said the words she knew exactly what Angel had meant, she instantly put her father in the same situation. She took a breath and let out a sigh, "My dad thought he was protecting me from a demon…"
"He was half right." Angel attempted at humor. "And any father would be smart to keep me away from his daughter." He added with a sexy smile.
"Don't start." She lightly smiled, the gears in her head still spinning too fast to really process anything.
"Why don't you rest for a while, you've had a lot more excitement than normal today." He suggested, kissing her cheek.
"Why, where are you going?" He hadn't moved, but she could tell by his tone he wasn't ready to take a nap.
"Honestly, I need to go hit something. I cut my earlier class short today but I can still make my last two." He admitted.
"You broke your hand." The blond pointed out, not about to let him go break it more.
"I bruised it." He clarified, "Cass assured I only had two fractures, and they were small and are already healed by now."
"Angel." She warned, using her eyes to ask him not to go.
"Buffy." He countered right back, letting her know with a glance he needed to physically work out some of the stress from earlier.
After a moment of staring him down, she relented, "Ok, fine. Go vent. But come back as soon as your classes end."
He grinned, "Try and keep me away." After standing, he leaned back over and pressed his lips to his wife's, "Rest now, if you need anything, my cell is always on."
"Is it charged?" She asked, it wouldn't be the first time he forgot to charge it or even turn it on. 260+ year olds and technology weren't always the best of friends.
Checking the phone, he assured it was ready to receive a call if needed.
"Be safe, if you come back with that hand more broken I'm having Cass cuff you to the bed next to mine." She threatened. She was so very done with him being hurt this week.
He smiled and kissed her cheek, "I'd rather be cuffed to your bed."
She swatted him as he headed off, a wolfish grin on his lips.
…
After a nice and restful three hour nap, Buffy woke to Cassidy talking and leaning over an occupied bed. For a moment she though Angel was hurt again, but she quickly noticed the patient was a young slayer.
She watched quietly as the medic wrapped a bandage around the girl's arm, giving instructions on how to keep the wound clean and what to and not to do for a few days. The brunette slayer nodded, looking both annoyed at being treated and embarrassed for needing it. Once she was done, Cassidy dismissed the girl and turned to look over at Buffy. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."
"That's ok; I needed to wake up. What happened? Is she ok?" Buffy asked, she didn't know the girl, so she wasn't one of her students. She tried to meet all the slayers, but there were just too many and they rotated too quickly for her to pin a name to every face.
"She'll be fine, it was a glorified scratch." Cassidy assured, "There was a little training mishap in Spike's advanced swordsmanship class. As much as I hate seeing the girls get hurt, I'm also glad for it, it teaches them far better than words alone what happens in a real fight and motivates them not to let a blow land again."
Buffy nodded, she knew very well what it felt like to get hit, and how well of a motive it was to not get hit again.
Cassidy spoke while she turned to clean up the soiled bandages on the cot the girl had been sitting on, "Angel came down after his class to check on you, but you were asleep still and wanted to let you rest. I shooed him off to get something to eat instead of sitting down here like a lump for the 30 minutes before his last class."
Buffy smiled at that, "Thank you. Anything else happen while I was out?"
Cass stopped and looked over at her, "Angel had…had Hank released."
Buffy swallowed and nodded slowly, she had basically said that was what she wanted. "Is he still here?"
"No." The redhead informed her, "He was immediately escorted out and banned from the building until further notice. Dawn collected his things from your house and drove him to a motel across town. I um…treated his hand before he left."
Neither Hank nor Angel had directly said it to her, but it didn't take much to wonder how Hank's hand had been broken to begin with. She'd seen the white cast on his right hand when she'd spoken to him but hadn't asked about it.
It was something in Cassidy's tone that made her asked about it now. "Will he heal?"
The medic sat on the cot beside her, a solemn look on her face, "There were numerous fractures and the injury wasn't property treated immediately. If everything goes perfectly from here on out, he might regain 50% usage of his fingers and 70% of his wrist."
Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Ok."
"I'm sorry Buffy, I should have treated him sooner, but I hadn't been informed of the injury and I…" The doctor tried, feeling like she failed.
Granted, she'd been too absorbed in Buffy's surgery for the first nearly 12 hours and then spent much of her time dealing with both the eldest slayer and her spouse. It hadn't been until Hank entered the Med-ward, almost 4 days after the initial injury, that she'd seen the half-assed bandage and was able to spend some Medically useful time realigning bones and muscles to properly cast it.
Cutting her Cassidy's guilt, "No, don't apologize, you did everything right. There will be no blaming here, Hank did this to himself and can only thank you for any positive prognosis."
The red head nodded, "Untreated would have left him with almost no dexterity or feeling, so if you want to compare 50% to 5% I guess it sounds good." She commented more to make herself feel better.
"Speaking of hands, did Angel let you check his?" Buffy asked, wanting to know he hadn't pushed himself too far…again. It was a specialty of his which drove her nuts.
"He did let me look…for roughly 10 seconds" She answered, her lips quirked up a little, "Think that was a record for him."
"And it looked ok? It wasn't swollen or infected?" Buffy asked, wanting details more than funny business when it came to her lover's health.
"He's fine Buffy, still a bit bristly, but physically healthy." Cassidy assured the slayer.
Buffy nodded, knowing Cassidy would be honest with her if there was anything wrong with her husband health wise, the medic took injuries very seriously and never played anything up or down, she told it how it was, plain and simple.
A short while later Willow and Oz retuned from the park and came down with the kids to spend some time with her and help keep her distracted from the infinite boredom of the Med-ward.
All thought about Hank faded as she playing with her children and talked to her best friends.
…
Buffy realized she'd fallen asleep when she awoke to Angel and Cassidy having a quiet argument across the room.
The two whispered back and forth with one another before Cassidy shook her head and threw up her hands in defeat, "Ok, fine."
Angel turned away, that satisfied smirk he wore when he got his way was lounging across on his lips.
"What was that about?" Buffy asked as he came to sit on the bed side her, eyeing him suspiciously.
"We're sleeping on our bed tonight." He grinned at her.
"I'm being dismissed? Really?" She asked excitedly, she knew at-home-bed-rest would be the compromise but hardly cared at the moment if it meant she was getting the hell out of the Med-ward.
"Really." He agreed, grinning as she pulling him down for a 'victory kiss.'
Cassidy was oozing annoyance at being 'persuaded' to release Buffy earlier than she'd been planning, no so much because the Slayer wasn't ready to go home to finish recovering, but because she knew once Buffy got home she'd be more likely to push herself than in the Med-ward.
Angel helped his wife dress and lifted her into the wheelchair so she could proudly wheel herself out while he carried their stuff and herded the kids.
"I'm so happy to be going home, I feel like we haven't slept in our bed for months." Buffy exasperated as Angel helped her into the passenger seat of the SUV and buckled her in after he'd done the same for the kids.
"Just over a week, a very long week." He corrected, briefly thinking back to those 4 days of just waiting to hear that Buffy would live. 'Shit, was that really only 4 days ago she woke up? Maybe Cass was right…'
"Hey, don't go visiting Broodville on me, we're going home, I'm in the car and we're not changing our minds now." She finished by kissing him then demanded, "Get in the car and take me home."
He laughed and kissed her briefly, "As my lady commands." He shut her door and moved around to the driver's side.
She turned her eyes to the rearview mirror as Katie and Liam both chorused "Yucky" when they saw their parents kiss. "Daddy kisses are not yucky, they are very yummy."
…
Sitting on her couch was pure bliss. Hell, at this point, anything that wasn't a cot was pure bliss.
Even the chicken soup she'd had for dinner had tasted especially blissful when it was eaten at the kitchen table with her family.
"How are you doing?" Her husband asked as he seated himself beside her, finally sitting after making dinner and cleaning up the mess the kids had made eating it.
"Perfect. I missed this." She answered, leaning against him as they watched their children get reacquainted in their toys.
She wrapped her fingers around his hand, the one he's punched the wall with, and looked it over for any lasting signs of abuse.
He closed it around hers, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand, "It's healed, I promise."
She nodded but found herself thinking of her father's hand, realizing he was crippled for life.
"Are you mad about Hank?" He ventured, he knew the moment he'd done it that Hank was going to lose a great deal of mobility in his hand, and it had mostly been the point so he'd never be able to pull a trigger again. Hank was lucky Angel hadn't been holding a knife at the time; he would have lost everything below the wrist…if not more.
Buffy raised her head off his shoulder and looked up at him; there were no accusations in her eyes. "No. Hank made his choices, he's going to have to learn to live with the consequences."
He kissed her forehead and they sat watching the kids play for about an hour before Angel pulled away to give the toddlers a much needed bath and tuck them into bed. "You want to watch TV?" He asked, reaching for the remote so she'd have something to do while he was upstairs with the kids.
She nodded, "Yeah, I could use a little mindlessness for a while."
Katie and Liam kissed their mother goodnight before Angel brought them upstairs, then Buffy sat back and flipped around for a while before settling on a rerun of Passions.
She grinned, thinking it had been too long since she caught up on the endless drama that was a TV soap opera.
…
"Not you too." Angel commented as he came back down about an hour later and plopped down beside her, the kids were tucked in for the night and he was finally free to spend some quality time with the Mrs. "Bad enough Spike got Faith hooked on this show too, please don't tell me my wife's a Passion's junkie too?"
"Not a junkie, but I do like to watch casually. Have you ever even seen it? You might like it." She teased.
"No thanks." He shot down immediately, "I live a dramatic enough life, I don't need to watch it on TV too. Besides, I've been forced to listen to enough of Spike's or Faith's rants by now I could probably write a script."
Buffy smiled and leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her, "Ok, so no Passions, what do you want to watch?"
"I we could always act out a Passions scene live." He smirked at her, kissing her neck.
"I like the way you think." She agreed, turning her head so he could more easily kiss her scar.
After a few heated moments, he scooped her up into his arms.
She yelped and laughed as he carried her upstairs.
The bedroom wasn't his destination, but the joining bathroom.
"What are we doing in here?" She asked, eyeing the bed longingly.
"Running you a bath." He answered, settling her down on the sink so he could fill the tub.
Smirking she asked, "How about a shower, and you can join me?"
He turned and sent her a wicked grin, "I was planning on joining you either way."
"I though you said no sex until I was fully healed?" She question with a teasing smile.
"I did and we not." He answered back, checking the water temperature for the shower.
"We're not having sex?" She questioned, her shoulder slumping in disappointment.
"Nope." He replied casually, "But I am stripping you naked and washing every inch of you, inside and out."
She felt her belly muscles tighten in desire, which actually kinda hurt due to the stitches in her abdomen. 'Ok so maybe he's right about the sex being a bad idea…even though I really want it, especially knowing my sexy spouse will be gloriously naked too.'
When the showerhead was steaming, he walked over to her with a predatory smirk, "Time to get those clothes off."
…
Buffy was in heaven, she was warm and soapy and her lover was running a facecloth over every part of her body. Then again, she was in hell because she couldn't persuade him to make love to her.
Her body was humming for him but he just wouldn't play the tune.
"Angel." She pleaded, "Make love to me."
"Gladly." He agreed, but killed it by adding, "When you're fully healed."
She pouted but he was firm on the subject, she notice he was rather firm a little more south too. She couldn't blame him, she was naked and he had been running his hands over her bare wet skin in a very intimate way.
"Can you get my razor please?" She asked, flashing those big hazel-green eyes at him. Although she did need to shave, she just wanted him to turn away from her for a moment.
"You want me to shave you?" He asked, a bit intrigued by the idea.
"Just get it, please." She asked, not sure what she thought about having her lover shave her.
Once he was turned away, she quickly dropped to her knees. She didn't need her stomach muscles for it and she knew if she'd done it while he was watching he would have grabbed her.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw her drop, and for a second he thought she's passed out, "Buffy!" He spun, looking alarmed.
Her lustful smile alleviated his fear and called to a different basic response.
She reached out and slipped her soapy hand around his length, gliding her hand up as he gasped. "My lower body may be off limits to you, but there is nothing wrong with my mouth…and I want you in me."
He blinked a moment, clearly she'd thrown him for a loop as he'd never even thought of that, he'd figured he'd just have to wait until her body was ready. "Uhh…ok." He replied a little dumbly as the blood in his brain fled south.
With a wicked grin, she grabbed his legs and pulled him closer.
She liked the hungry look in his eyes as she batted her eyelashes up at him and the water running sexily down his chiseled body.
Watching him, she gripped his swelling interest and glided a soapy hand up and down a moment, feeling his muscles tense. Knowing she had his full attention, she leaned in and kissed his tip before running her tongue along his length.
He groaned as she gently drew him into her, her fist wrapping around his base as her lips squeezed his tip.
He braced his hands against the wall above her, and planted his feet against the sides of the tub, concentrating hard on not letting his hips push against her which would cause her sore stomach muscles to work to keep her upright.
Buffy loved what she was doing to her husband, she could feel his body building as she sucked and squeezed and rubbed. His growls of pleasure only made her more aroused, his whole body was stiffening under her assault as he tried hard to control his release.
In the end, he was no match for her mouth. He came hard as she sucked him like a lollipop, her name escaping his mouth as she swallowed him down, eagerly searching for more.
He took a step back before dropping to his knees before her, his mouth rocketed to hers as he pulled her against him.
"Mmm." She hummed out as he made love to her mouth with his tongue; she knew how much he liked the taste of himself on her lips.
Finally she had to breathe and turned her head, surprised to find herself in his lap as they sat on the shower floor.
Her desire had only gotten worse; she was beginning to ache for him. "Angel, I need you."
He knew it already, the scent of her arousal wasn't diminished even slightly by the water, and it was driving him nuts. He didn't response with words, he just lifted him right index finger and placed it over her lips. Slowly, he moved the fingers down, trailing them down her neck and over her stiff peaked breasts, lower and lower, gliding lightly over her healing scar and down to the apex of her thighs.
She breathed in as his finger tips brushed the sensitive blond hair around her opening, her hips rocking slightly for more.
Gently, his finger continued further, putting teasingly light pressure on her tingling nub before moving past and sinking into her heated channel.
He groaned lustfully at the sensation, feeling her searing heat and drenching wetness made the water of the shower feel cold by comparison.
He was testing her, she knew, looking for signs of pain or discomfort from his fingers before even contemplating entering her with something far larger.
She moaned as he slipped a second finger in, his dark hooded eyes studying her face for any signs of pain. She could feel his rousing manhood pressing against her lower back, aching to be where his fingers were, as she lay draped in his lap, her back to his front.
His long talented digits were slowly rubbing her favorite spot inside of her, the ache within was growing stronger as his steady motions built and built and built.
His other arm wrapped around her chest, locking her against him and keeping her still as he leaned in and brushed his lips over her scar.
Slowly, his thumb gently coaxed her oversensitive nub and she gasped at the mix of pain and pleasure she felt as her stomach clenched.
Suddenly, the intimacy was ended. He's seen her wince in pain from the stitches across her abdomen and immediately his hand released from within her, "I'm sorry, you're not healed enough yet."
Buffy sighed as she melted against him, her body still wanting more but knowing she wasn't going to get it. She was grateful he left out the big fat 'I told you so.'
"No, I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling bad and a little embarrassed for not being able to continue, she'd really wanted to make love to him.
"Don't be Beloved, you've done nothing to be sorry for." He replied, kissing her ear.
He didn't need sex from her, he just needed her, and while she was locked in his arms he was still have happiest man on the planet.
They sat there a moment, letting the cooling water rain down over them before his own arousal was lowered enough for him to stand, easily bringing his wife to her feet with him.
"Might as well turn the knob to cold now." She muttered, annoyed and ashamed at herself for trying and failing at getting more that she could handle.
He leaned down and kissed her, "Don't brood Buffy, it doesn't become you, beside you've done nothing wrong."
"I can't have sex with you…how is that not wrong?" She gloomed.
Despite her seriousness, he did smirk at how adorable she looked, standing there soaking wet and wearing nothing but a pout.
"The anticipation is half the fun." He insisted as he shut the water and pulled a big fluffy towel off the hook, quickly wrapping it around his wife and picking her up out of the shower.
"I can walk." She grumbled as he set her down. Her scowling helping him kill any lasting arousal.
"I know you can, I just like holding you." He admitted, kissing the top of her head before grabbing a towel for himself and patting dry.
Standing there wrapping in her towel and being all mopey, she looked so much like a child. 'She's 27 years old.' He told himself, 'and there is nothing childlike about her under that towel.'
He wrapped his towel around his waist before moving beside her, he leaned own and wrapped his arms around her, "Can I dry your hair?"
She stiffened from his embrace before relaxing and nodding her consent.
He smiled and kissed her cheek, "Good, I like touching your hair."
'Does he?' She wondered, he'd never said it before, although he had on occasion offered to brush it for her, but she'd just laughed at him and done it herself. She had watched him rather amused while he brushed and braided Katie's hair a few times. Her braid was a little lopsided but the two year old hadn't cared.
She walked over to the sink as he collected her brush and plugged in the hairdryer.
Buffy stood quietly, holding the sink for support as he brushed and dried her hair. She was enjoying the feeling of intimacy without anything sexual. She was half asleep despite the roar of the hairdryer in her ear when he shut the machine and spoke quietly, "All done."
Before she could turn, she found herself scooped up and brought into the bedroom. Gently he stood her by the bed and began to unwrap her towel.
She held it tighter and stepped back, away from him. After being in the towel so long, she found herself not wanting to part with its tight fluffy comfort.
"I'm just going to dress you in your PJs Beloved, and then we're going to sleep." He told her, looking into her eyes for approval.
After a moment she nodded, letting the white cotton drop to her feet. She was still mad at herself for not being able to make love to him, the last thing she wanted was her bare body getting him turned on again if she couldn't do anything about it. 'Well, I can do one thing...' She thought, remembering the taste of him on her tongue. 'Ok, don't go there, that path leads to lots of disappointing getting-turned-on-but-can't-have-sex.' After a second she looked down at her abdomen, 'So my dad and his lingering effects are still slashing my sex life...and he doesn't even live here anymore.'
In the dim bedroom lights, looking down at herself, her nipples tightened instantly from the rush of cooler air against her now exposed skin as the warmth from the towel quickly dissipated.
The incision from her surgery stood out starkly against the rest of her smooth skin, the black stitches looking raised and unsightly against her otherwise smooth skin.
Angel watched her eyes, not liking the frown that pulled down her lips as she looked at herself. He held up one of her fuzzy shirts and she slowly raised her arms so he could slide it over her head. He then helped her into a pair of undies before slipping a matching pair of fuzzy pants up her bare legs.
"I think I like dressing you almost as much as undressing you." He grinned at her, kissing her cheek.
She gave his a weak smile, but it didn't meet her eyes.
He halted her when she went to move towards the bed, gently raising her shirt to see her healing scar.
"Angel, don't." She quickly denied, not wanting him to look at the ugly mark ruining her body.
"Just wait here a moment." He stood and disappeared into the bathroom for a few seconds before returning with the first aid kit. "Let me bandage this, Cass made me promise to keep it covered as much as possible."
'Yes, cover it up, it's ugly.' She thought to herself.
Seeing how uncomfortable she was with her body now, he knelt and looked up at her as he leaned in and kissed the line of stitches, "Buffy, you have nothing to be ashamed of."
Her mouth had dropped open as he kissed her belly, feeling a mix self conscious and paranoid before his words caught up to her ears.
After one last kiss, he delicately wrapped a linen cloth around the wound after applying a thin layer of antiseptic.
While he was still kneeling in front of her, she forked her fingers though his dark damp spikes, "I never asked Cass if it would leave a scar."
Slowly he stood and leaned down to brush his lips along her ear, "It doesn't matter; you're beautiful with or without a scar."
"It's ugly." She denied, not wanting her body to be anything less than perfect for him.
He looked down into her eyes, "Are my scars ugly? Do they make you love me any less?"
"What? Of course not, you're…" she stopped and looked back at him, "Ok, point proven, I love you, scars and all."
Smiling again, she leaned closer and brushed her hand over the thin white line on his side where Cerberus's sword pierced though him, then brushed her thumb over the little hole in his palm where Ethan Rayne's bullet tore threw it. She moved behind him and brushed her lips over the small scar hidden on the chest of the Gryphon tattoo on his shoulder blade, where Graegus's henchman shot him. "Ok, take that back, I hate your scars; they constantly remind me how many people have tried to take you away from me." She pouted as she leaned again his warm skin, not wanting to keep looking at all the reminders of injuries that nearly killed him.
"A scar is merely proof you are stronger than what hurt you." He told her quietly, turning and wrapping his arms around her.
She leaned into his touch, letting his love chase away her fears and negative feelings. It was hard to feel insecure and ugly when you had someone hugging you and whispering they love you into your ear.
He gently lifted her and placed her onto their bed, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Aren't you joining me?" She asked as he moved away.
He was walking over to his dresser as he answered, "Most defiantly, but I need some clothes first."
She had forgotten he was only wearing a wet towel, and then her mind caught up and she smirked, "I prefer you not wearing anything when you're in bed with me."
He chuckled and he gave her a quick peep show as he changed into boxers and sweatpants. He ran the towel over his head a few times to clear away any remaining moisture before collecting both wet towels and hanging them on the bathroom hooks. When he was finished, he shut the bathroom light and crawled into bed beside her, "Mmm, finally."
She smiled and thought the same, looking forward to sleeping in an actually comfy bed with room to move, not that she'd be moving much when she had a perfectly yummy hubby to pillow against but couldn't make love to.
She heard him chuckle and asked what was so funny.
"Usually I prefer you naked in bed too, but I like these Pjs, they make you extra snuggley." He drew her fuzzy covered body closer and nuzzled her neck.
"Is that all you want me for, my snuggliness?" She teased.
"No, I want you for your everything." He answered and kissed her cheek, "But I'll settle for snuggliness tonight."
"Snuggling is good." She yawned and buried her face in his warm skin, his heartbeat slowing under her ear.
"Very." He answered, already half asleep.
A moment later, both were lost to the world.
...
Buffy was sitting in her office, the plush executive chair felt wonderful beneath her.
Angel had been planning for them both to stay home that day, but as much as Buffy loved being home after a week away, she didn't want at-home-bed-rest. She knew Angel would have kept her in bed most of the day and when he wasn't laying naked beside her, bed was the last place she wanted to be.
At least in the office she could work. There were reports to read on the Hellmouth activity in Cleveland, budget and office forms to fill out, planning training routines for her classes, outlining patrol rotations...enough horribly boring things to keep her busy...for a few hours at least.
Mostly, she didn't want Angel missing his classes, she knew he enjoyed teaching the young slayers and the constant moving helped keep him both fit and sane. Having a demon in him also meant having energy in excess at times, too much downtime and he was left with the jitters. He already spent the majority of a week relatively motionless, he needed to burn some of that extra energy. Normally Buffy would have helped relieve him of it in the bedroom, but since that was off the menu for a few more days, she knew working out with the slayers would keep him content.
It was barely 10am and she was already doodling on her calendar, bored out of her mind.
Giles had volunteered to take the kids with him to get a book from a store across the state, both for company and since the toddlers loved long car rides. They weren't due back until early evening.
Buffy carefully stood and paced a moment before deciding she was going for a walk. 'How strainful is a walk?" She had promised both Angel and Cassidy she'd take it easy, but sitting in her office was driving her about as mad as lying in the cot in the Med-ward. She wasn't built to be idle, like Angel, her energy consumption needs were higher than most being a slayer.
It wasn't long before she found herself down in the training room, Faith was leading the class she was missing.
She watched from the doorway for a few minutes before her presence was made known, the class paused as her students greeted her and wished her well; a few hugs were exchanged before Faith got them back to training.
As the young woman worked on learning blocks and lunges, the two eldest slayers struck up a conversation. "How you doin B? Almost ready to take your classes back?" The brunette asked, eager to be rid of the extra work load.
Buffy smiled and shook her head, "I'm doing ok, I hope I'll be back soon. Being idle is torture."
"Try a year in a coma." The former dark slayer jabbed.
"I'll pass, 4 days was enough for me." The blond frowned as she noticed one of the trainees doing the moves wrong, "Maggie, straighten your back and turn left then right."
The girl quickly got into correct form and continued the exercise.
Faith smirked, "Hey, maybe you can start back up today. Not like you need to fight, the girls do that, you can just yell at em when they screw up."
Buffy thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Yeah, I think I will. Cass and Angel wont like it, but I need to do something more constructive than paperwork."
Faith smiled, "Great, I get a break before my class then, later B." With that said, Faith vanished out the door.
Buffy rolled her eyes but smiled, she couldn't blame her sister slayer, with both her own class to run and covering Buffy's she had like 10 minutes to herself over the past week.
Putting on her trainer face, Buffy walked the perimeter of the room and carefully watched her student's movements, correcting where she needed. For the first time in days, time went by quickly and enjoyably.
...
When her class was finished, she spent a few minutes catching up with some of the slayers and going over training drills before she found herself standing in the doorway to Training Room 4, where her husband was in the middle of an Advanced Close Quarts Combat session.
She watched the small group, only 10 students excluding Angel as they paired up and he demonstrated a few moves that would hopefully keep the girls on the winning side of a fight.
"Ok, let's try all the new moves at once and sped up. Jane, you and I will demonstrate the new block and twist first, then the rest of you will follow suit." Angel explained as he stood in front on the group with Jane. The girl couldn't have been more that 15, one of the youngest in his class, but Buffy quickly found out why he'd asked her. She was fast.
"Go." Angel cued, and the fight began.
Buffy was surprised at how real it looked as Jane flew at her spouse with a roundhouse kick that could have sent him sailing had he not blocked and twisted aside, the leg harmlessly gliding past him. The young slayer came again, this time with a fist and he repeated the move in the opposite direction.
"Next set." Angel called out in motion, Jane dropping to the ground with a side kick as Angel back-flipped over her, he took on the aggressor roll next and she mirrored his previous move as she flipped away from the blow.
Buffy was impressed, and much enjoying watching her husband's toned body move with liquid grace as he danced along with his student. Other than sex, watching him fight and train was the next best thing about his body. 'He lost some weight.' She noticed after a few long moments, the days without eating had taken their toll on him.
"Last set." The living vampire called as he rammed a fist towards Jane, the blond with purple highlights dropped to a knee and shot forwards, plowing into Angel's legs. He went down into a roll and popped back to his feet, turning to face her as they repeated the move in reverse.
"Perfect." He congratulated as the exercise finished. "Now the rest of you, start slow and add speed as you catch the rhythm. In a real fight your opponent isn't going to wait for you, you need to be ready at all times."
He watched them a moment before he turned his eyes towards his wife, having felt her presence earlier and knew she was watching him. "What are you doing down here?" He cautioned as she came over to stand beside him.
"Enjoying the show." She smirked, liking the way his sweat was pasting his blank tank to his chest, his muscular arms deliciously exposed.
"Got bored?" He asked, not needing an answer and also not missing the way his wife was eating him with her eyes.
Buffy shrugged, "I kinda might have gone for a little walk and ended up down here in time to lead my class."
At his accusing gaze she added, "From the sidelines, no hands on, just commentary."
He shook his head in disbelief and let out annoyed breath, "You are one frustrating and impossible woman."
She leaned against his heated body, "But you love that about me."
He chuckled and kissed her temple, "For some crazy reason I can't get enough."
"Must be the crazy part." She jibbed, running her hand down his forearm.
"Must be." He agreed, before tearing his eyes off her to watch his students. As much as he'd rather flirt with his wife, he was responsible to keep these girls safe and educated.
Seeing she was only distracting him when he should be focused on the girls, "See you after class?"
"Yeah babe, be up in a half-hour or so." He answered half paying attention, already moving towards one of the girls, "Beth, start with a kick block then punch block."
Buffy watched him resume trainer mode a moment before heading back upstairs to wait.
For all she didn't do so far today, she found she was really tired.
Back in her office, she sat in her swivel chair and spun in a lazy circle a time or to, wondering what to do with herself for thirty minutes. 'I'll just shut my eyes for a second.'
...
Buffy woke up wrapped in the sheet of her pull out couch. 'What the heck?' She wondered, not remembering pulling it out. 'I sat down and rested my eyes for only a second.'
The clock on the wall suggested more like four hours.
"Shit." She quickly untangled herself and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
Once her bed head was slain, she slipped out of her office and next door into Angel's.
He was facing the windows behind the desk, on his cellphone with someone, when she walked up next to him.
"Actually, she just came in if you want to talk to her." He said into the phone as he turned around.
She gave him a questioned glance as he handed the device to her, "Giles." He offered.
Taking the phone she quickly asked, "How are my babies?"
Angel watched her with a slight smirk as she spoke animatedly with her watcher, grilling the poor man on everything that happened since he left with her children that morning.
When she knew everything she needed to know, she wished him back soon and disconnected.
"He'll be back around 6pm, so about two more hours of driving. He'll stop and get them Friendly's for dinner, so we'll have a kid-free meal tonight.
He was still just watching her with that smirk.
"What?" She asked, feeling self conscious.
"I love you." He smiled, standing and wrapping his arms around her.
Instantly brightening, she kissed him when he leaned down. "I love you."
After their kiss, he looked down at her and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "You were sleeping like the dead when I came up to your office, I almost called Cass to come check on you."
"So you're the one who put me to bed." She'd figured as much, now she knew instead of assumed.
"Is there anyone else I should know about?" He teased with that wolfish grin again.
"Just you." She assured back, accepting his kiss, "Mmm, always you."
And of course when their kiss was deepening that's when her stomach growled loudly in neglected annoyance.
They broke apart, her with her cheeks burning as he chuckled, "That's what you get for sleeping though lunch."
He slipped his fingers though hers, "Come on, let's go eat."
"Are you hungry now?" She asked as they headed for his office door.
He just raised an eyes brow at that.
"How could I forget, you're always hungry." She laughed as they headed for the elevator.
"And not always for food." He grinned under his breath.
…
As they rode the elevator down, Buffy bit her lip and chewed over her thoughts a moment before suggesting, "I talked with Dawn this morning, about why she brought my da…Hank…into the Med-Ward, and she wants to apologize to you, for what happened."
Truth be told, Buffy was mildly horrified Hank had come so close to dealing a serious blow to her husband, she was shocked to learn how weak Angel's demon had been during the brief fight.
"I'm not interested in an apology." Angel shot down immediately, his stance completely changing from relaxed casual to defensive in half a floor.
"Angel, she's my sister." Buffy countered, frustrated with her spouse's complete lack of forgiveness when it came to her family.
"Little-Miss-Former-Key released a dangerous criminal from the containment cells which risked both our lives." He fumed, "She can shove her apology up her arse until I know whose side she's on."
"Damn it Angel, this isn't a war, there are no sides." Buffy accused, "I'm not going to just kill off my father and sister like you did yours!"
His mouth dropped open in shock as did hers, except his eyes flashed yellow as her hands shot to her mouth as if she could stop the words that already came out.
"I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean that." She rushed out, not believing she just threw that back in his face. His demon killed his father in a power play, his mother and little sister as a bonus, that hadn't been at all what she'd meant.
"If you didn't mean it you wouldn't have said it!" He growled out, anger rushing in to smoother the knife in his heart.
The second the elevator doors spread he shoved though them, slamming the doors apart before they completely opened.
"Angel! Wait!" Buffy tried to grab his arm and pull him aside so they could talk.
"Don't f*cking touch me." He growled, ripping his arm free and stalking quickly away from her.
Buffy stood there stunned as he stormed off away from the cafe and down the stairs.
'What did I just do?' She thought miserably to herself, feeling the sting of tears in the corners of her eyes, 'Why did I open my big flapping mouth?'
She looked at the cafeteria doors but her apatite was long gone.
'Just like Angel.'
...
TBC...