After the first few nights, Buffy stopped waking up every hour to make sure he was really still there. She would dream of their last moments together, his body being swallowed by flames, and wake up in a panic, afraid that he was still gone, before looking to her right and breathing a sigh of relief when she saw him in the bed next to her in a peaceful, pain-killer induced sleep.

After a week or so, when she didn't have to remind Angel to take his required antibiotics or change his bandages anymore, she started to feel the familiar stirrings of desire each night when she would crawl into bed next to him. Angel was already dozing off when she turned out the light. He slept more like the dead now that he was alive then when he was actually dead. Buffy figured it was a combination of his human body healing itself, the medications he was on, and the mental exhaustion of adjusting to life as a living person.

No, Buffy didn't want to rush him, she thought as she stared up at the ceiling of their room at the Hyperion. He was still figuring out this new body…how much strength he still had (which was quite a lot actually, considering his injuries), what foods he liked and didn't like (Pasta good. Yogurt bad.), how much water he had to drink throughout the day to stay hydrated but not have to pee every two hours, actually having to take into consideration the weather and if a jacket was going to make him too warm, or if just a t-shirt would be too cold…

Buffy decided she had to let him do things on his terms. After all, he had been so patient with her when she had come back from the dead. Every step they took in re-establishing their relationship was up to her.

Buffy could wait. They had forever now.

Buffy was in Angel's office looking over plans for the Slayer School the group was planning on building as a place for the Slayers to live and train. She was marking up the blueprint of the training room when she looked up to see Angel casually leaning against the doorframe watching her.

Buffy stared at him with a hint of a smile on her face and asked, "What…" Even tired and still a little worn down, he looked damn good. Humanity suited him.

Angel smirked and said, "What are you doing tonight?"

Buffy looked around the office and then down at the blueprints. "This?" she said, not sounding thrilled.

Angel chuckled. "I wanna take you out. To dinner."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She asked. "Are you sure you're up for it? You've been getting tired kinda early at night…"

"Buffy, I've been stuck in this hotel for two weeks. And that was after a week in the hospital. Which was after a week…wherever I was. We have to get out of here for a night."

Buffy smiled and said, "Okay." She stood up from behind the desk and approached Angel. "As long as you feel okay," she said looking him square in the face. Angel nodded. "Okay then, I'll get ready," Buffy said as she moved past Angel's large frame in the doorway.

Angel reached out and gently grasped her arm, bringing her closer to him, close enough that she could feel his breath against her. Angel looked over her face and said with a smirk, "Wear something nice."

Buffy suddenly felt very warm. She gulped and nodded. Oh boy…

Buffy spent an unusually long time getting ready for their date. Tonight was the night, she just knew it. Why was she suddenly so nervous? They had slept together hundreds of times, probably more. Lord knows they had done it all, some things that still made her blush. Quickies, long nights, outdoors, indoors, fast, slow…they could practically re-write the Kama Sutra.

But this was her first time with a human Angel, at least the first time that she could remember…it was like a whole new experience. She wanted to be perfect for his human senses.

It was actually nice taking time to get ready. The last year was so hectic the most Buffy usually did to get ready was a quick shower, let her hair air dry, and barely put on any makeup before rushing out the door. She spent a long time in Angel's big glass walled shower, taking time to exfoliate her skin and shave every inch of her legs so they were silky smooth. She took extra time to moisturize and dry her hair perfectly. She applied her makeup as carefully as she had done when she and Angel had first started dating.

She looked herself over one last time in the mirror, hoping she had selected the right dress. It was long and black with thin spaghetti straps and a deep v-neck with a slit up the side. She wore strappy black heels that showed her red painted toes.

Buffy walked into the lobby and saw Angel standing at the reception desk waiting for her. Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn't take her eyes off him. He was dressed impeccably in a dark suit and tie, crisp white shirt underneath. She walked slowly up to him with a small smile on her face.

Angel gulped when he saw Buffy. Lately she had been so burdened and stressed between taking care of him, dealing with all the new Slayers, and trying to make plans for their training school. She was absolutely breathtaking (now that he had breath to take away) in the sleek black dress that clung to her toned body.

"You look very very handsome," Buffy said as she stood in front of him.

"You look…" Angel trailed off as he heard muffled giggles coming from somewhere in the hotel. He looked up to the second floor balcony to see a couple of the young Slayers peeking down at them before dashing off down the hallway once they realized they were busted. It must have been strange for them to see their ass-kicking lead Slayer and the mystery guy who's been holed up in one of the rooms for the past two weeks all dressed up.

Angel held out his arm for Buffy to thread hers through and they turned to head out the door.

"Well, well, look who's finally gonna get some tonight," came a British drawl from the sitting room off the lobby. Buffy rolled her eyes and Angel glared at the blonde vampire sitting on the couch. Next to him was Faith, and between them was a half empty bottle of scotch, two empty glasses on the coffee table.

"Damn, you two clean up good," Faith said appreciatively.

Angel continued to glare, annoyed that he couldn't growl anymore. Buffy tugged him out the door.

"Don't forget, you have to use protection now!" Faith yelled after them.

Buffy ignored the blush creeping up on her face as they headed out into the night and leaned over to Angel and whispered, "Is something weird going on between them?"

Angel, ignoring his own blush (another new sensation), and muttered, "I don't wanna know."

After a very nice dinner at one of LA's best French restaurants that must have cost Angel a small fortune, the couple headed back to the hotel. Buffy was glad that Angel couldn't hear her pounding heart as he held the door open for her to their room. Once inside, she placed her small bag down on the kitchen table and Angel took off his suit jacket and tie.

Buffy turned to him, butterflies in her stomach. She felt like she was 17 again. After a beat the two smiled and laughed at each other, knowing how ridiculous this was.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" Angel asked.

"Sure," Buffy said, still smiling.

She settled down on the couch and took off her heels, watching as Angel took two wine glasses from the cabinet in the kitchenette and expertly opened a bottle of red wine that was in the rack on the bar cart. Watching him do such a simple task as pop open the cork on a wine bottle brought a smile to her face. She never thought she would see him do little things like that again. She stopped herself before she started getting teary.

Angel handed her a glass of wine and settled on the couch next to her. They clinked glasses and Angel said, "To life."

"To life," Buffy repeated before taking a sip.

The two fell into an easy conversation as they finished the rest of the wine. Once they got past the nerves of what felt like a first date, it was easy. After all, they knew each other so well, so intimately. They knew each other better than anyone else, even their own selves.

After a while, Angel took the empty wine glass out of Buffy's hand and put it on the coffee table. He then stood up and tugged Buffy up with him, pulling her to his firm chest. He placed his finger under her chin, and brought her face closer to his. Gently their lips touched, just like the first time they kissed so many years ago. The kiss became not so gentle as old instincts took over.

Buffy started to push him towards the bed, tugging his shirt open in the process, eventually pushing it off his shoulders and tossing it to the floor. Angel felt the bed hit the back of his knees and he sat down. Buffy broke the kiss and while breathing heavy reached behind her to tug down the zipper of her dress, letting the fabric pool at her feet. Angel looked her up and down, surprised his newly beating heart hadn't given out by now. He reached out and ran his hand down her side, loving how she closed her eyes at his warm touch.

He placed both his hands on her small hips and with a surprising burst of strength brought her down on the soft bed so she lay on her back next to him. Angel turned to kneel beside her, and ran his hands down her body until he reached the lace of her tiny underwear. He slowly pulled it down her legs and tossed it to the floor.

"Angel…" Buffy whimpered, grasping at his biceps, trying to bring him fully on top of her. Angel knew that tone. It was her impatient, need-you-need-you-right-now-or-I'm-gonna-die voice. But Angel wasn't having any of that.

He positioned himself so he was kneeling between her legs, and leaned down to pepper warm kisses across her taught belly. Buffy moaned, still trying to pull him up. Angel shushed her and moved lower so he held open her thighs with his broad shoulders. Buffy finally looked down at him and met his eyes.

"I want to taste you," Angel whispered. They both knew what he meant, now that he had human senses.

Buffy stopped complaining.

The act itself was the same. They had been there before. And yet everything was different.

In a good way, of course.