"Cage, are you okay with this?"
"You were something else in there, babe. When we get back to the room, you can tell me about it." He kissed her forehead as she leaned into him. Xander carried Buffy into his room after she fell asleep in the car. Laying her down on the bed, he couldn't help thinking. All that power in that tiny body. Who'd ever guess. Just think she's all mine. Damn Xander, what did you ever do to get so lucky.
Buffy woke up smiling. "We need to talk, huh? Come here and lie by me." She scooted over before proceeding to tell him about becoming a Slayer at fifteen, Sunnydale, her friends, Giles, Angelus, Parker, Riley, Adam, her Mom, Dawn, Glory, Dieing, Heaven, Spike, The First, being kicked out and finally closing the Hellmouth. "That's how I ended up here," she finished, snuggling closer to his strong body.
"Man and I thought I was into extreme sports. You have me beat hands down." Xander hugged her before going on to tell her about his videos, Gibbons recruiting him, the missions he had been on, Nadia and the nest of vampires they took out in France.
"Must mean we're made for each other. Well, we have a week left, what will we do to pass the time." Buffy grinned rolling on top of him. "Oh I'm sure that we can think of something."
One Month Later
"Slayer, how is the team shaping up?"
"They're ready for a real mission, nothing big just some actual field training. Where's the latest hot spot?" Buffy asked, sitting in Gibbons large office.
"Intel shows that Cleveland's having a large surge in unusual murders," Gus replied, looking at some reports.
"Sounds like a plan. We can go by the end of the week, but we'll need at least two places to stay that cover both ends of the hottest areas. I think that after our first major mission Shell and Stix will be ready to start working with a team of their own. They have good eyes and a cool heads. Robert will need at least one more mission under his belt before he's ready. Trina and K-9 aren't leader material. They'll be good as seconds, but that's as high as they'll ever go. I talked to them about it and Trina already knew but K-9 was not a happy puppy. I'd rather keep him with Cage and me. He can help us train others and we can keep an eye on him." Buffy looked at Gibbons, waiting for his reaction.
"I wondered if you were as smart at Whis said you were. I agree with you. We have a big mission that should be ready to move on in about a month. That should give the team plenty of field experience. Everything you is waiting for you in Cleveland. Are you still working on filing in the holes in the demon database?"
"Yeah, I work on it as much as I can, but you're missing loads of stuff. There are hundreds of different types not to mention the hybrids."
"How do you know this stuff?" Gus asked, curious at the information the blonde had at her fingertips.
"Part of the package. Hey, were they able to refit the guns with the wooden bullets?"
"X is at the range now with the latest prototype. If he okays them, they'll be cleared for Cleveland. Go check them out."
Xander was shooting the newly refitted guns when Buffy walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around him. He put down the gun, turning in her arms to pick her up and kiss her. "If I would have known shooting would be this much fun I'd have tried it sooner," she giggled. He growled low in his throat and attacked her throat making her laugh harder. "How are the bullets working out?"
They're great, the sights have been realigned and they added a laser for decaps," he said excitedly "You sure, you don't want a gun, babe?"
"Nope, I'll show you my favorite toy when we get to Cleveland. How it got through the airports, I'll never know. Whistler said something about not seeing what they don't understand or some other magic midget mumbo jumbo"
"Spread out but stay in contact. Keep the person on either side of you always in your sights," Buffy ordered, clasping the Scythe in her hands. The team couldn't take their eyes off it. When Buffy came walking out with it, they went to touch it. She warned them not to, of course, K-9 ignored her and got a nasty burn for it.
They moved through the cemetery until Buffy stopped then took off running; the team right on her heels behind. Ten vampires surrounded two couples who were cowering on the ground crying.
"Hey, fang face, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Buffy yelled, casually posing with the Scythe in her hand.
"Slayer, you're supposed to be on the Hellmouth," the leader snarled.
"That's the runner-up I'm the original."
Buffy leaped five feet straight out with her foot in front of her, knocking the lead vampire down and cutting the head off two on her way through. She immediately jumped to feet; the vampires surrounded her ignoring the couples completely. The Scythe was a blur in her hand. The team arrived to watch her take out the first two and moved in to get the couples to safety. Buffy moved closer, swinging the Scythe in an arc, dusting four more vampires. She kicked another away, staking the one behind her with the end of the Scythe. The remaining three moved in together; she dropped to her knees, sending the end of the Scythe into another one while sweeping the last two off their feet. She staked them in tandem before they could get up. The couples had run off while the team just stood and watched in awe. Buffy turned, walking over to Cage with a smile. "I've missed this."
"How, the hell, did you do that? You were everywhere at once," Shell asked still not sure what she saw was real.
"It's what I've been doing since I was 15 years old; what I was born to do. I'll give you the whole story back at the ranch. Let's go hunting kids."
Xander stopped to kiss her quickly. "For luck," he explained, "Sure I can't get me one of those?"
Two Weeks Later
"Gus, get in touch with Whistler or whoever. There's a Hellmouth here. It isn't as big as Sunnydale but I want it closed. You should know some powerful witches between you. There's a coven in England that helped Willow. See if someone there will help. Just make sure they agree not to contact Giles or anyone else from Sunnydale," Buffy told him.
He could see the Slayer staring back at him. "I'll see what I can do and get back to you. How's the team doing?"
"They're doing well. We had a few bumps at the start, but they're coming together. We should be ready as soon as we get this Hellmouth closed. Turns out, they were trying to open the Hellmouth to get someone out. When we stopped the ceremony, the big guys running it didn't know it had a trap doohickey in it. If the ceremony stopped for any reason, the ones responsible got sucked into hell."
Gibbons' face showed his shock. "You took out the entire Cleveland branch of W&H by stopping a spell?"
"Yep, one of those caramel things, I guess. You mess with the wrong demon; they get pissy. Guess those guys didn't read the fine print, but it's all good for us. Send someone soon before some other asshole finds another way to open it while I'm here."
"I want to welcome you back and commend you on a job well done. A maintenance team will monitor Cleveland for several months but your month there contained the problem. Closing that Hellmouth and taking out W&H are major accomplishments. You should be proud of yourselves. You've come together as a cohesive team, thanks in large part to Slayer. I'll brief her later about your next mission. It's a big one, people. One that's been in the works for a long time. You have the next two weeks off. Go relax. You've earned it," Gibbons told them.
Everybody left except Xander and Buffy who waited to hear about the new mission. "Gus, you've got something face, spit it out. There's something about this new mission I'm not going to like right?"
"You're right, the next mission is to takedown W&H's LA branch from the inside. We started this project before we moved into demon fighting, once we did so, more data became available to us. Whistler gave us what he could. The LA branch is the crown jewel, which the others are built on. The Sr. Partners are higher-level demons that are working to come back on Earth to rule. They've been forming this plan for a long time and your friend Angel's about to allow them to do just that. Will you be able to handle this given your past relationship?" Concern was written on his face, Gibbons had grown to admire and respect Buffy.
"You said it - past. Our relationship ended when he walked away. I can handle it. I sent him to hell before and I'll stop him from letting hell come to here, even if it means doing it again. Do I want to no? I hope he can be saved just like I would anyone else. But, I won't hesitate to do whatever it takes. Not like last time," she said firmly while Xander held her hand under-the-table.
"You two take a week off. It'll take you a week to go through the information before you brief the team. Slayer, we think it'd work best if you and Xander ask for jobs. Go in as a couple; luckily, you won't have to fake that. From what we know, Angel still thinks you're his, which should work to your advantage. The rest of the team will work separately, inside and out of the company." After they left, Gibbons sighed, "Please God, let this work."
"Babe are you going to be able to handle this?" Xander asked as they left the building.
"As long as you stay with me, I'll be fine. Do I get to watch you try to kill yourself and meet your friends; so they'll tell me your secrets?"
"Is that what you want to do this week?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, pulling her close as they stepped into the elevator.
"I'm sure we can find many interesting things to try." Buffy pushed him against the wall, caressing him through his jeans as she kissed him hungrily.
Buffy and Xander arrived, at their new condo, in LA. She had arranged for Spike to meet them, in about an hour. He said shaking the tails that Peaches set on him was no problem. They looked around their new home pleasantly surprised to find themselves with a beachfront view. Xander took Buffy hang gliding on their time off, hooking her on the extreme sport. They also did some rock climbing, making love on cliff tops. They brought their gear, hoping to find time while they were here, along with some surfing. Buffy went to answer the doorbell and let Spike in. She hugged him introducing him to Cage as her best friend. Spike burst with pride hearing those words. When Buffy introduced them and said that Cage's name was Xander, Spike had his usual smart-ass remarks to make. She was glad that the two most important men in her life liked each other.
Buffy explained that they needed jobs and didn't want anything to do with Sunnydale. "Slayer, you sure you want to work with Peaches?"
"As long as, we get to slay and earn money; things aren't always what they seem. You know me just skip along and whistle a song." Spike understood exactly what she wasn't saying and his eyebrows went up. Buffy walked over to him, touching his coat to remove a small square stuck under the collar. She pointed to her ears and he nodded. "I can't wait for Cage to meet Angel. I'm sure they'll get along great they're so much alike." She mimicked sticking a finger down her throat.
"Well, Slayer, better get going. See you tomorrow at the office, good luck," Spike said, grinning and shaking his head. She gave him the bug to take with him and walked him out. He dropped it, putting his cigarette out on it. "He seems like a nice bloke. I'm happy for you, luv."
"Thanks Spike. Be careful, it could get hairy and I don't want you dusty." She kissed him good-bye then went inside.
He walked away whistling. The Whistler sent the Slayer and her new man to look into Capt. Forehead's new empire. It should get interesting around here, especially when the cheerleader hears that Slayer's in LA. Yep, ought to be some show and I plan to have a front row seat.
"Mr. Angel, your 11:00 is here, a Mr. Cage and party," said a temp, filling in for Harmony.
"It's just Angel. How many times do I have to tell you people? Send him in," he sighed. Angel sat behind a large desk in full sunlight. Xander walked in first wearing khaki pants, a cream sweater and brown blazer. Angel smiled putting out his hand. "Mr. Cage, I'm Angel." His back stiffened at the woman who walked in behind him. "Buffy?" She walked in wearing a green silk dress that made her eyes look darker, her hair hung down her back in curls. She had a beautiful golden tan, which left him speechless. She's even more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Angel thought she was the most beautiful woman that he'd ever seen. Buffy seemed different. The way she carried herself with an air of confidence that he didn't remember. She was all woman and comfortable in her own skin but unaware of her affect on others, which only made her more alluring.
"Hello, Angel, how are you?" She took a seat crossing smooth tanned legs.
Angel gulped, "Why wasn't your name on the appointment?"
"Oh, I thought I'd surprise you and Cage indulged me." Buffy smiled at the other man, her eyes glowing.
Angel felt his demon surface. "What can I do for you?" He tried to keep the growl from his voice. Jealousy almost caused him to vamp out. Buffy's only supposed to look at me like that. She's my mate.
"Well, I took some time off, which is how Cage and I met. We've been doing some freelance slaying, but got tired of moving around. I thought about you running this big company and hoped that you could use the extra help," she explained, giving him an innocent smile.
"You both want to work for me?" He asked incredulously. Could he handle seeing her everyday especially with that gorilla? He knew he had Cordelia but that was just until his Shanshu. He always expected to go to back to Buffy that she would be waiting for him.
"Angel, are you all right? Did we catch you at a bad time? We can reschedule if you'd like." She put the right amount of concern in her voice.
"Oh, no. Sorry just had a long night. I'm sure I can find something for you here. We'd be lucky to have you on our team, Buffy. Cage, was it, if Buffy vouches for you, then you must be good, so welcome onboard. I'll have my secretary take you down to personnel to fill out paperwork and you can start tomorrow." He smiled at Xander, but it didn't quiet reach his eyes.
"Thanks, Angel." Buffy kissed him on the cheek. "We'll get out of you hair, now. Oh, I almost forgot, thanks for giving Spike a job, it means a lot to me." They walked out and Angel watched them through the blinds. Xander picked Buffy up spinning her around before kissing her. Men stared at her while women admired him. Angel closed the blinds angrily. "He's gone now, but you can kiss me again just to be sure," Buffy whispered to Xander who pulled her close to into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Buffy, is that you?" Harmony asked as she returned to her desk.
"Hi, Harmony, longtime no see."
"What are you doing here and who's that? You aren't here after my Blondie Bear are you?" Harmony asked looking Xander over.
"I'm going to be working here. This is my boyfriend Xander Cage, and no, Spike and I are just friends. You work here?" Buffy replied, trying not to roll her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm a working girl. I'm Angel's secretary. Cordy got me the job," she said proudly.
"Congratulations, oh you're supposed to take us to Processing"
"Sure follow me." Harmony led them to the elevators.
They got on the adjacent elevators as Cordelia got off. She did a double take, shaking her head. "Angel, I thought I just saw Buffy getting on the elevator," Cordy said as she walked into the office. She saw him staring out the window, brooding. Damn, it was that blonde bitch. She thought, ignoring her own dyed locks. "Angel, did you hear me."
"Yeah Cor, it was Buffy and her boyfriend. I gave them jobs starting tomorrow," he told her over his shoulder.
"What are we running here a halfway house for Sunnydale rejects," she asked loudly hands on her hips. "Did you tell her you're with me now?"
"Cordelia, didn't you hear me? She came with her boyfriend."
"Men can be so stupid. That's the oldest trick in the book to make the old boyfriend jealous. I bet he's gay or she paid him to act the part."
"I don't think so. Anyway why do you care?" he asked finally turning around to face his lover.
"She's always hurt you in the past, and I won't let her do it again. Call her and tell her you changed your mind. You do it or I will." She threw her chest out, stalking toward him.
"No, I gave her the job and you aren't going to interfere. We may sleep together Cordelia but you don't own me. No one tells me what to do. Don't push me again," he snarled, clenching his hands together in anger.
She pushed him into his chair, crawled onto his lap and started kissing him, biting his neck grinding her hips against him. "I love you, Angel. I'm scared that I'm going to lose you." She pulled her top off then pulled him to her breasts.
He quickly bit into her nipple drawing blood; she gasped as an orgasm hit her. Her hips rocked harder against him; he thrust up against her. She put her hand between them freeing him from his pants and in one smooth move, he slid inside her. She rode him for all she was worth, causing him to moan, pulling him away from her breast, she gave him her neck. He bit into it, drinking heavily, causing Cordelia to smile. I know how to handle my man.
Angel drank from Cordelia, but his thoughts went to a different time, a different neck. A tiny and delicate neck offered freely; her breasts full against his chest; her breath came in pants as they climaxed together. Buffy saved his life that night whenever he drank from Cordelia that night always filled his mind. Cordy's breasts, though beautiful, always seemed too large, her body too tall. He had to use all his control at times not to scream Buffy's name, especially today.
"I love you, baby," Cordelia purred.
"Me too," he replied.