2011

Sunnydale, California

Downtown: Couples Therapy Office: Session 2

Now pushed past her initial shock upon hearing the information about Mr and Mrs O'Connor's consistent sex life, Cordelia quickly pieced the couples movitives.

"Okay, we're going to do another exercise." Cordelia clasped her hands together. "This is an 'at home' exercise. It's celibacy." She began to smile at Angel's immediate irritation and Buffy's bewilderment. "Do you have a guest room?"

Angel nodded.

"Great! For two weeks, I don't want you two to touch each other, kiss, or sleep in the same room together. When you want or need to communicate with each other, you will use your words." She carefully told the couple, understanding that this would be a challenge for them.

"Sex has never been a problem for us." Angel glanced at Buffy.

"No, it's not the problem but what you're engaging in isn't healthy," said Cordelia, holding her chin in her hand.

The couple stared at the therapist, totally flummoxed. Sex was the only thing they still agreed upon. They didn't have to talk or think about anything. Only feel.

Exhaling a breath, Cordelia leaned forward and explained, "I mean, yes, sex is very healthy, but your reasons aren't. In fact, it's incredibly toxic. You're not experiencing intimacy together. Your motives are separate. You're fulfilling a need and you're using sex as a tool of convincence, versus having an emotional conversation. Let me ask this." Cordelia could see by the expression on their faces she was hitting a cord. "When you're together are you thinking about how much you love and desire each other?"

The spouses remained silent, looking away from the therapist.

"You might as well find a random person at a nightclub." Cordelia said, letting the gravitus of her words sink in. "Sex isn't the problem but the lack of intamcy is. So, in place of sex, I want you guys to do the soul gaze." Cordelia smirked when Angel rolled his eyes. "You sit and face each other. Sit close enough that your knees are nearly touching and for five minutes, just look into each other's eyes. There's no talking. Just looking."

Buffy exhaled a breath and slowly turned her eyes to see Angel's reaction to the exercise. He was dreading it as much as she.

Later

Crawford Street: O'Connor Residence

Opening the door of the homely mansion, Angel lifted his gaze to Buffy, hanging up her coat and purse on a hook.

His eyes dropped to her backside. Buffy is quite a slender woman; fit and tight. She did not have an hourglass figure or a round backside or large breasts, but everything was still perfectly sized and very firm. She is a very beautiful woman as well.

In fact, Buffy was the only woman to ever take his breath away at first sight. Instantly upon meeting her, Angel knew that she was 'the one'.

Despite what their relationship may look like now; damaged and incompatible, Angel is still very much in love with his wife. It agonised him to see her so unhappy.

They were both miserable.

It felt as if he was standing at the bottom of a great big steep hill. He held the weight of guilt on his shoulders. Every time he tried to climb up this hill to Buffy, standing at the top; she pushed him down and he rolled back to the bottom.

"You hungry?" She asked, her lipsy soft voice tore him from his mind.

Angel lifted his head and frowned. "What?"

"I'll call something in if you're hungry." Buffy said.

"Whatever you want." He said dismissively and stepped around Buffy, heading into the back office.

Buffy pursed her lips together watching him as he closed the office door behind him.

Shaking her head, Buffy headed up the stairs, once again wondering if any of this was still worth anything anymore.

Night

Angel's Office

Turning the knob of the closed office door, Buffy stood in the doorway watching her husband, who hadn't even looked up from the padfolio in front of him.

Stepping inside of the office, Buffy crossed the distance to his desk.

"Hey."

Angel lifted his head from his work at the sound of Buffy's voice. He put the pen in his hand down and sat back in the leather desk chair as Buffy leaned back against the edge of the desk.

"Did you want to try out that soul gaze thing?" She asked.

Angel's first instinct was to roll his eyes at even the slightest mention of the soul gaze exercise but he could see the hope in her eyes that he'd cooperate.

"Sure."

Sitting on the desk, Buffy released a deep breath and slowly relaxed as she stared into his eyes.

Nearly three and half minutes passed as Buffy and Angel stared deep into each other's eyes. It had been far too long since they've done such a thing.

Buffy felt so exposed and naked.

The desire she felt for him to fulfill her needs was beginning to cloud her better judgement on the situation. She reached for Angel's hand and slid across his lap, circling her arms around his neck and dipped her head down, capturing his mouth. Her fingers immediately began to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt, desperate to touch his muscular chest.

The kiss quickly deepened. Buffy's fingers laced into his thick dark hair. Kissing him, feeling his hands touching her and soon his cock inside of her took away the numbness she otherwise felt every minute of every single day.

Angel understood how she felt because he was right there with her. It was easy to turn to one another and turn off their minds while they head sex together.

A moan escaped from Buffy lips. Angel's mouth moved from her neck and began to kiss the column of her neck to her collarbone. His hand moved up under her shirt; one hand touching her back and his other hand, palming her bra-covered breast.

The therapist was right, they leaned into sex too much and not for the right reasons. Buffy used him to fill the numbness she felt and he… Buffy didn't want to know his reasons.

Breaking the kiss, Buffy pulled back. "No, Angel, we really shouldn't."

Pushing her hair from her face, Angel kissed her shoulder. "Are you telling me that you want to do this celibacy thing?" He began to smile, knowing her reply. He proceeded to unsnap her bra when she pulled herself from his arms entirely, which surprised him.

"I don't want to do this celibacy thing. I want you, Angel. Being with you... makes things... simpler. For a little while." Buffy stood from his lap, distancing herself from him. "But the therapist is right. We rely on sex too much."

Angel rolled his eyes. "There is nothing wrong with us having sex, Buf. It's perfectly healthy."

Disagreeing, Buffy shook her head. "It's not. We're using each other. We need to be able to have a conversation again. We need to be able to look into each other's eyes for five minutes without one of us jumping each other. I think we should at least try it. Please? It's two weeks."

Sitting back in the chair as he exhaled a weighted breath, Angel rested his chin in his fist. "If that's what you want."

"It is."

"Okay. Then I guess, I'll get my things and go into the guest room."

"You don't have to be the one to go in the guest room."

Angel smirked. "Like you were gonna give up the California king?"

Buffy rolled her eyes, standing from the desk.

"Yeah, I thought so…" The blood in Angel's body rushed to his cock at the sight of Buffy's curved smile.

They weren't going to have sex for two weeks, he reminded himself and began to think that it was good idea that he'd sleep in the guest room. Every fibre of his being tingled with desperation to reach out and take her into his arms but she was resolute about this.

"G'night." Buffy opened the office door and closed it behind her.