7. After Effects
They scrambled apart, Buffy rapidly re-buttoning her blouse. In the sake of making haste, her bra was left tangled around the emergency break.
Angel yanked open the door of the car and stood aside to let Buffy crawl out. He grimaced and pushed his hand against the front of his jeans to shift his erection. To himself, he cursed the Uezuet demon back to hell.
When Buffy stilled beside him, he looked to see if she was ready. She gave a small nod and they strode off towards the house the demon was currently occupying.
"Are we going with loud and proud or stealthy and wealthy?" Buffy whispered to Angel.
"Wealthy?" Angel's forehead creased and one side of his lips pulled up and back in confusion.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I couldn't think of another word that rhymed with 'stealthy'."
Angel bit his bottom lip to suppress a laugh. He placed his index finger against his smile as a sign of his choice.
His vampire attributes still allowed him to move silently despite the size of his frame and the chunky black boots he was wearing.
Buffy followed behind him in a crouch. When was the last time she let a man lead her into a hunt? It'd been a very long time. She was always such a take-charge kind of girl. But now, watching Angel in command she felt a thrill ripple through her body. He was all-man and in control. She felt the power roll off him and her feminine side slid to the forefront.
Angel was quite possibly the only man that had ever made her feel like a normal woman. She'd been with other brave men but he was different. He didn't hesitate. He was bold, decisive and assertive. His imposing nature made you take notice and women and men alike would revel in his masculinity.
As noiselessly as possible, Angel turned the latch and pushed the door open. Buffy followed him inside and paused to listen. Neither one could hear movement inside the house.
Angel looked at Buffy and gave a quick yank of his head towards the kitchen. Swiftly, he eased over to the room with Buffy only a few paces behind. When he stopped abruptly she almost ran into the back of him.
He looked down over his shoulder and shook his head.
"He got the medicine already?" Buffy whispered.
Angel's lips set into a firm line as he glanced around the room. Closing his eyes he drew in a deep breath of air.
"He's not in the house." When he spoke in his normal volume, Buffy started.
Recovering quickly she turned to trace their steps to the door. "He couldn't have gotten far."
The air was cooling now that night had fallen and Buffy was briefly reminded that she had left her bra in the car. The night breeze swayed her silky blouse.
Though it had been years since they'd worked together, they seemed to slip right back into their old style of teamwork. He floated to the west side of the lawn; she to the east. There wasn't a need for words as they canvassed the area because they had an uncanny ability to communicate through subtle looks and movements.
Angel watched Buffy from the corner of his eye. The breeze was blowing soft tendrils of hair around her face and the silky blouse was pressed against her skin. He could see her nipples straining against the shirt and he wanted nothing more than to take them into his mouth again.
"How fast could we track and kill this demon?" he wondered.
He peered at Buffy as she turned her back in his direction and walked down the length of hedges, searching for clues as to which route the Uezuet might have taken. Engrossed in the natural rhythm of her movements he didn't hear the crunching sound of a twig behind him until the demon was within reach.
Spinning around with lightening speed, he caught the arm of the Uezuet demon as it hung in the air over Angel's shoulder, poised with a hatchet.
"Now, I just don't like it when demons try to chop off my head." Angel's face contorted into a fierce snarl as he twisted the beast's arm.
The demon growled as his arm bent behind his back moments before Angel's skull collided into his. Disoriented, the Uezuet stumbled backwards and blinked his bleary eyes.
Buffy's hands were there to catch him. She gripped the back of his shirt and smiled up at him as he gave her a murderous glare. "Hi Bob." Looking around him at Angel she reprimanded, "We're not supposed to hurt the human body, remember?"
Angel ran a hand through his hair and looked sheepish for a moment. "Instinct. Sorry."
Bob pulled out of Buffy's grasp and was turning to grab her when Angel's fist slammed into his cheekbone. The demon slumped to the ground at their feet and lay there unconscious. A red bruise began to immediately discolor his cheek.
Buffy braced her hands on her hips and looked disapprovingly at Angel.
"Sorry. I told you: instinct."
"Can you find something in the house to tie him up with?"
"Sure." Angel sauntered to the house and came back moments later with a handful of string. It had round plastic knobs attached to the ends. "From the window blinds. It was the fastest thing I could find."
Buffy nodded. "It'll do."
Angel rolled the demon/man over so that Buffy could tie his wrists together. "Let's get him to Giles as soon as we can."
Buffy lifted his feet and wrapped her arms around his ankles while Angel scooped his arms underneath the demons.
They struggled over to the SUV and dropped him on the ground long enough for Buffy to pop open the back hatch. Lifting him again, they laid him on his side in the cargo area.
Buffy reached overhead and pulled the door down before she looked up into Angel's face. Her breath was slightly labored from the effort of hauling the adult male body. "We'd better hurry. Who knows how long he'll be out."
They walked to their respective sides of the car and slid into the seats. Buffy was strapping herself in with the seatbelt when Angel cranked the motor and moved to release the emergency brake.
He smiled as he looked at the lacy bra tangled around it. "You might want to put this on before someone finds it."
Buffy stared at him with wide eyes as he lifted it to his face. Gently he pressed the bra against his nose and smelled it. He grinned wickedly as he winked at her. "Or you could just let me keep it."
Buffy giggled softly and playfully slapped his arm before snatching the bra from his hand. A red blush swept over her cheeks. "Oh, hush."
Laughing softly, Angel placed his hand on the headrest of Buffy's seat and twisted his body to look out the rear window as the car reversed out of the drive. Buffy quickly and deftly slid the bra back onto her body while leaving her shirt on.
"It amazes me how women can do that." Angel commented off-handedly as they drove through the quiet suburban night.
"What?"
"Remove and put on their bras without taking off their shirts."
Buffy arched a brow. "You've been to alternate dimensions and you think that's amazing?"
"Well, I should say it's about time." Giles walked onto the porch and rested his hands on his lower back as he looked down his nose at Buffy.
"Geez, sorry the Uezuet didn't want to stick to your schedule." Buffy pouted.
Angel had backed the car into the driveway so it'd be less obvious to any passerby that they were removing an unconscious man from the trunk.
Giles helped them carry the demon through the house to the back patio where Dawn was waiting. She was reclining in a lounge chair reading a magazine by a group of citronella candles.
"Hey guys." Dawn said as she looked up from the article she was perusing. "Is that the demon? They come in much better models these days." She gave an appreciative once-over to the cute human body the demon inhabited.
Buffy looked at the candles then up at Giles. "Will citronella candles help the spell?"
"No but they'll help save us from the mosquitoes that are the size of bloody bats." His face displayed his disgust at the pesky insects.
The large patio was made of dark red brick pavers and five lounge chairs, one of which was occupied by Dawn, fit quite comfortably. A small table was tucked between two at the far corner of the patio. The top was covered with dishes of herbs and scraps of paper covered in ancient text.
The Uezuet sat slumped in a chair near the spell supplies while the group looked at one another.
"So, let me explain how this will work." Giles began filling Dawn, Buffy and Angel in on the steps he would have to take during the exorcism and the role that each of them would need to fulfill to make it a success.
Buffy stood with her head cocked to the side as she listened to Giles instruction. Movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. The Uezuet demon had woken up and was pulling his arms away from his body in an attempt to break his restraints.
"Oh no Bob. You've got to stay put like a nice little demon." Buffy headed to the demon to tighten the rope around his wrists.
Just when she was within reach the rope snapped and the Uezuet leaped to his feet with his arms stretched out to his sides. He looked like a frat boy who'd just got into a drunken brawl. The left cheek of his face was swollen and bright red from the punch Angel had given him earlier. But Buffy knew better.
"Hello slayer." The demon drew both of his arms in and punched straight into Buffy's chest with both fists. Pain assailed her every senses as her body went flying backwards, doubled over with her arms and legs stretched out in front of her.
Angel stepped in front of her body and the force of their collision sent him to the ground.
Dawn let out a short, stunned scream. "Buffy!"
Buffy had a sudden strong wave of nausea as her body began its fight against the pain. Shaking her head to clear it, she struggled to stand as quickly as possible and Angel helped lift her.
The Uezuet leered and began moving towards Dawn before Giles stepped in front of her blocking her path. The demon laughed and pulled his arm back to strike him but froze when Giles began chanting in Latin.
Angel lunged for the demon who turned and met him with a snarl. They crashed together like two wild beasts, punching and kicking with everything they had. Angel was a formidable opponent but the demon was landing severely strong blows.
Buffy felt panic begin to bubble up inside of her. Angel may have vampire strength and healing but he was human and he could be damaged. She watched as the demon landed a kick to the side of Angel's face. His head twisted to the side and blood sprayed from his mouth.
Rage overwhelmed her. The woman inside her roared at the evil that dared to hurt the people she cared about and an answering cry came from the slayer inside who was born to protect them.
Buffy vaulted across the pavers and tackled the demon. Within seconds they were both on their feet again facing off against one another.
No longer thinking about protecting the human body, Buffy rammed her right fist into the demon's side then rapidly delivered two kicks into the same side. With each gush of breath the demon expelled Buffy felt satisfaction grow within her depths.
The demon landed a blow across her face and she spun around. Lights danced before her eyes and the strength of his blow pounded through her head.
Angel erupted and flew at the demon with a vengeance. Bob fell to ground from a commanding strike. Standing over his body, Angel grabbed his shirt and hauled the demon up until his face was inches from his own. His eyes were dark, narrow slits as wrath poured from his body.
"You don't get to touch her." He yelled.
"Giles, you can finish the exorcism any time now." Buffy panted as she moved to grab the demon so that she and Angel could hold him together.
The demon's eyes flew to Giles and then to the table containing the ingredients for the spell. With all the power Giles had warned them he possessed, he shoved Buffy and Angel back several feet.
"NO!" Giles yelled out as the Uezuet grabbed the contents of one of the dishes and ran for the gate of the yard. Angel and Buffy took off behind him.
They chased the demon for several blocks, jumping over fences and dashing around parked cars. As they rounded a house at the end of a street they saw the lights of a small urban area ahead.
The demon didn't bother to look behind him to see if they were following and he maintained a strong thirty feet lead on them. Buffy wondered where he was headed.
As the chase pulled them closer to the lights a restaurant came into view. There was a large outdoor eating area dotted with circular tables of people laughing and talking over plates of delicious food. In the corner of the area adding ambiance, was a large concrete fire pit with dancing red flames.
The demon began to slow down as he came nearer the dining area. Buffy and Angel immediately realized what he meant to do but there was no way they would reach him in time.
Angel was also aware of all the people in plain view of the fire pit. He placed his hand against Buffy's arm and slowed her down till they were stopped. They stilled just as the demon reached the fire pit. Finally, he turned and looked at Buffy and Angel as he dropped the ingredients of the spell into the pit.
The fire made a loud crackling noise and the flames shot blue for a second. The crowd of diners gasped and stared at the demon that to them looked like an average man. Bob paid them no attention. He gave Buffy and Angel a grin and turned and ran past the building into a crowd of shoppers on the other side.
"Should we follow him?" Buffy panted as they stared at the fire pit.
A car pulled up to a stop behind them. "No." Giles said as he and Dawn climbed out of his rented sedan. "That was all the agrimony I'd been able to find in Atlanta. I'll have to have some sent in to complete the exorcism."
"Damn." Angel muttered.
Dawn rushed over to Buffy and wrapped her hands around her sister's face. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes." Buffy gave her a small smile that she didn't feel. Nothing made her angrier than the bad guy getting away.
"Come on. I'll drive you two back to the house." Giles motioned towards the car.
They all piled inside and rode in silence on the way home. Buffy mused that the distance seemed much shorter when you were driving rather than running it on foot.
Giles remained in the car as Buffy, Angel and Dawn exited.
"Aren't you coming in?" Buffy asked. She leaned down to peer at Giles through the open window.
"No. I best get back to my hotel room. I'll need to make some calls to have supplies sent in."
"Okay. See you tomorrow." Buffy began to back away.
"Buffy?"
"Yes?" She leaned back down again to look at Giles.
"I know he got away but you did a good job tonight. Don't be too hard on yourself."
Buffy was touched by his sweet words that somehow he knew she needed to hear. "Thank you."
After a moment's hesitation Giles added, "Tell Angel he didn't do so bad either. Good night."
Buffy just nodded and straightened as Giles set the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway.
When she turned to walk inside the house, Angel was waiting for her on the porch.
"I heard." He simply said.
Dawn met them in the kitchen. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine Dawn. You know my bruises will be gone by the morning and nothing's broken." Buffy waved her hand at her little sister.
"Okay." Dawn still looked a little unsure. "I'm going to bed then. This night has just been too exciting for me."
"Good night. I love you." Buffy said.
"Love you too. Good night Angel." She waved at him before she turned and headed out of the room.
"Night." He called after her.
Angel watched as Buffy stepped up to the sink and turned the hot water tap on. The running water splashed against the stainless steel of the sink and the quiet space was filled with soothing white noise. She let it warm up while she pulled a clean cloth from a nearby drawer.
Soaking it through, she ran it over her face and arms. She trembled as adrenaline still pumped through her system; a side effect of the agitation caused by the fight and ensuing chase.
When she had rinsed the cloth and soaked it again she turned to Angel. "Let me help you with that cut."
Angel didn't move but watched her as she came over to him and lifted the cloth to his face. She gently wiped the dried blood away from the corner of his mouth where it had pooled when the demon had punched him.
Though he stood motionless, Angel felt on-edge. His cells seemed to strain against his own skin and his stomach knotted in an anxious twist.
Buffy stilled as her eyes traveled north from Angel's mouth to lock onto his gaze. Her hand released the cloth at the same moment that Angel wrapped his arms around her. In an instant, his lips covered hers and she was pushing her body against him.
Angel kissed her with every thing he had inside him. His lips pressed and bit and pulled and sucked. Buffy returned it all with fervor. He felt her tongue slide over his lips before entering his mouth to rub against his own. They moved against each other in frenzy, the blood coursing through their veins allowed nothing less.
Buffy felt her body beginning to swell and ache with desire. She rubbed herself against Angel in an attempt to relieve it. Moaning, his head drew back and he looked at her with a dark, seductive gaze as he lifted her body into the air. Knocking a basket of utensils off the breakfast bar, he sat Buffy down on the edge. The utensils clanged in the hushed room.
Buffy laughed softly. "Shhh…we don't want to wake up Dawn." She whispered before her hands wrapped around Angel's face and drew him close again for another kiss.
Angel's hands ran over Buffy's thighs and squeezed roughly as his mouth progressed to suck on her throat. His hips were tucked between her legs and he strained against her when he felt her link her ankles behind him. Pleasure rippled through him when Buffy moaned as his tongue licked over the soft skin behind her ear. Encouraged, his teeth nipped and tugged.
Buffy tangled her hands in his hair and pressed the back of his head. Angel felt himself grow harder from Buffy's unspoken demands. He bit down on her neck. When she gasped out loud he covered her mouth with one hand while his other slid around her body to cradle her bottom.
He again bit down and rotated his hips against her. His cocked strained painfully against his jeans and when he felt Buffy's tongue against his palm he thought he might come from want.
Angel straightened and watched Buffy take two of his fingers into her mouth. His eyes were transfixed as her delicate lips wrapped around them and drew them deep over her wet tongue.
"Damn, you're sexy." He whispered reverently.
Buffy smiled wickedly. Knowing she could turn Angel on gave her a wild sense of gratification.
Recapturing her lips, they lost themselves to the kiss. Buffy's mind gave a few small shouts of protest that she should stop before it went to far. It had only been a couple of days and things were moving awfully fast. And this wasn't just any man that was pulling her blouse down and taking her nipples into his mouth. It was Angel. And events with Angel were never simple.
She couldn't think any more as his tongue slid over her right nipple. Buffy panted as she felt the cool sensation of the air on her wet skin. He helped her remove his t-shirt and she felt another wave of desire as she ran her hand over the soft skin of his chest. His muscles curved underneath her fingertips.
Angel leaned into Buffy and their chests grazed one another. Hot currents shot through them as the sensation of skin on skin overwhelmed them. Angel palmed the center of Buffy's body and she rotated her hips against him.
"Oh my…Angel. You're so warm." Buffy's words were barely more than a groan as she ran her hands over the muscles in his back. She couldn't get over the feel of him. There was nothing on the planet that felt better.
"Do you like that?" He whispered directly against her ear and Buffy shivered as his breath tantalized every nerve ending she had.
She wasn't sure whether he meant the heat of his skin or the feeling of his hand pressing against her center. She decided her answer would work for both.
"Hell yes."
Angel chuckled softly. He began to unfasten her pants and delighted when Buffy lifted her hips to help him remove them. As they fell to the ground he paused for one moment to look at her and was taken aback by how beautiful she was. Her skin was flushed and her sweet breasts rose and fell in heavy breaths. Her hair was disheveled and she met his gaze levelly. Gone was the insecure girl who had given him her most precious gift. The Buffy before him now was a woman strong and sure.
Buffy watched as Angel observed her. She trembled underneath his hooded gaze. His eyes were dark and heated. If she didn't know him better, she'd almost be afraid. Maybe the sweet and gentle lover of her youth had changed. The man standing in front of her now looked like a warrior ready to conquer.
Angel kissed her before trailing his lips down her body. Buffy leaned back on the counter top and braced herself on her arms. She gasped when he blew softly against her torso. Her hands reached for him to pull him close again but Angel resisted and instead splayed a large hand over her stomach and pushed her gently back.
Wrapping a large hand around the underside of her thigh, Angel lifted Buffy's leg. He trailed kisses down the inside of her thigh, stopping occasionally to suck and nibble on her skin. Buffy wiggled on the counter and moaned softly.
Angel could feel the heat of her and smell the scent of her want. He was beyond thinking. Laying her leg over his shoulder, he pressed his lips against her center.
Buffy's arms flew above her head to grip the edge of the counter and she cried out loudly as she arched her back.
Angel covered her mouth with his large hand. "Be quiet." He commanded.
His tongue swept over her. He licked and probed and teased while Buffy writhed and gasped muffled sounds into his hand. When he took her clit into his mouth and sucked gently, he slid two fingers inside of her.
Buffy sat up quickly, her slayer strength making it impossible for him to hold her down. He looked into her eyes as his mouth worked over her body. She breathed heavily and slid one hand into the back of his hair. Tugging roughly on the strands, her head fell back on her shoulders.
Lust shot through Angel as he felt Buffy switch from pulling to pushing. He moaned against her as he increased the pace of his fingers. Buffy began to rotate her hips faster and Angel pulled back slightly to allow her to take control.
"Angel…I…"
His eyes narrowed as he watched Buffy's body shake and twitch. Her eyes dropped closed as she cried out in orgasm and her hands roughly pulled at his hair making him draw a quick breath through his teeth. Angel felt her body spasm around his fingers and kept them moving slowly until the wave had washed over her completely.
Buffy wheezed and watched Angel as he stood to place himself in front of her again. His hips fit snugly against her. Tilting her head back, he kissed her roughly and nipped at her jaw.
"Come on." Angel lifted Buffy from the bar and set her gently on the floor. "Bedroom. Now."
They stumbled down the hall as they kissed and rubbed against one another- a tangle of limbs. Buffy didn't even stop to think about how awkward it would be if Dawn should open her bedroom door at that moment.
They staggered into her room and Buffy pulled him by the belt to the bed where they toppled into a heap of skin and heat.
Again, their movements became frenzied. Angel tried to help Buffy unbuckle his belt but she knocked his arms out of the way. He grinned at her impatience. He needed to be inside her soon.
Buffy kneeled in front of Angel. She watched his face as she slid his leather belt out of the loops and let it fall the carpeted floor. He looked down at her and let his arms hang to his sides. Buffy pressed her hand over the hard bulge on the front of his jeans and ran it up to the button at his waist.
Suddenly, Buffy slowed her motions. She unclasped his jeans and slid the zipper down at an achingly slow pace. Angel forced himself to hold his eyes open when she tucked her fingers into the waistband of his briefs and pulled them down with his jeans in one swift motion.
Angel sucked his breath in through his teeth and his eyes clenched shut as Buffy took his stiff cock into her small hand.
Buffy licked her lips as she ran her hand up and down the shaft. She'd forgotten how well endowed he was.
Looking up into his face, she watched him as she slid her hand down to the base of his length and gently squeezed. His moan told her she was doing something right so she repeated the action.
Angel fought to hold still as he watched Buffy lean forward and flick her tongue over he tip of his shaft, gathering the bead of moisture protruding there. When she wrapped her lips over the whole head his hands flew to her hair. He gathered the golden strands into his palms and held her tight as she moved her mouth over him.
"Holy fuck." Angel moaned. He tilted his head to the side so he could watch her mouth and arching his back, he bucked his hips to meet her. Buffy groaned at his velvety texture and the vibrations sent a chill over his body.
He was too much for her mouth all at once so to compensate; Buffy lifted him up and ran her tongue up the underside of his cock before once again gently sucking the head.
Angel pulled back from her. "Come here baby."
Buffy's heart swelled at his endearment. She let Angel lay her back on the bed and sighed at the unparalleled sensation of his naked body against her when he stretched out over her.
Angel didn't think he'd ever felt anything better than Buffy. Her skin was soft and smooth and her nipples raked against his chest. Bracing himself on his left arm, he kissed her while stretching his right palm over her core. He rotated his hand against her once and then dipped his fingers inside her.
Buffy broke the kiss and gasped as she dug her fingers into his hair. "Angel, I want you inside me."
Without hesitation, Angel positioned himself above her. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before staring straight into her eyes and burying his cock inside her with one stroke.
Buffy gasped loudly and stilled, letting her body adjust to the width and length of him.
Angel froze and squeezed his eyes shut. "Holy fuck, you're tight." His breath wheezed through his clenched teeth.
Buffy began to move against him and Angel responded. He withdrew and sank into her again, over and over. Her body was slick for him and he slid in and out with ease.
Encouraging him to move faster, Buffy slid her hands around to press against his ass. Angel groaned and shoved deeper. She bent her knees and lifted her hips and Angel buried himself to the hilt. Pausing while he was fully inside her, he rotated his hips against her and rubbed her clit.
Buffy moaned and raked her nails over his shoulders. Angel drew a quick breath and pounded into her harder.
Without warning, Buffy slid away from him. Angel paused for a moment in confusion but Buffy just smiled and turned to her back to him.
On her knees at the edge of the bed, she pressed her back against Angel's chest. He couldn't believe her lack of inhibition, her abandon. She most definitely was a woman now. She knew what she wanted and he was perfectly fine with that.
Reaching around her, he grabbed her small breasts and pinched her nipples. Tugging on them roughly, he sank his teeth into her neck. Buffy closed her eyes and lost herself in his control. She felt him rub his cock against her ass and wrapped her right arm around his head.
Angel growled, a sexy vampire-like growl directly in her ear and with a hand splayed between her shoulder blades, pushed her down. Buffy didn't protest and slid her legs apart, waiting for him to enter her again.
Laying flat on her belly, she felt Angel guide the head of his cock inside of her. When he leaned down and fully slid into her, she sighed from the pleasure.
Pressing himself into her back, Angel forced himself to be still. "Is this what you want?" he whispered in her ear as he slowly withdrew and sank into her again.
"Yes." Buffy whimpered.
Angel nipped at her neck and Buffy panted.
"Tell me." Angel's voice was strong, firm and commanding.
"Deeper." Buffy whispered.
Angel thought he was going to lose his mind from the pleasure. Her body was so tight and wet around him.
Sliding deeper inside her, he bit her neck again.
"Harder." Buffy pleaded.
Angel succumbed to her request with the stroke of his cock and the bite of his teeth. He buried himself fully inside her and bit hard on her neck. This time, he didn't withdraw his teeth as he pulled out of her and sank back in.
Buffy moaned and began to writhe beneath him. "Angel."
He knew she was close to coming. Leaning back, Angel stood again at the side of the bed and wrapping one arm underneath Buffy's hips, lifted her to her knees.
"I want you to come Buffy." And he grabbed her hips and began to pound into her.
His strokes were hard, fast and deep. Angel thrashed into her body as his fingers pinched into her soft skin.
Buffy reached behind her and grabbed one of his hands. Leading it to her hair she moaned his name.
"Fuck." Angel moaned at Buffy's unbridled passion. He tugged on her hair as his hips thrust forward to meet hers.
He felt her body tighten and spasm around his cock as she cried out his name and he couldn't hold back.
Angel roared as he came inside her.
Author's Note: Okay. I know I'm no Shakespeare. And I know this needs lots of editing but I have a raging headache and I just can't review it anymore for awhile. Sorry for any mistakes or if the chapter sucks. (But I know several of you have been waiting a long time for a new chapter.