Angel groaned as Fred came around him. It was the most wonderful feeling ever - knowing she was always going to be his, no matter what happened between them. There would always be a bond there and nothing could ever break it. Giving her a soft kiss, he slipped out of her and laid beside her. He wanted to give her some space, knowing all of this was difficult on her. It was hard on him too.

“We should get some sleep, Fred. I’m going to have to find a way tomorrow to get some more blood. Maybe we can get the grocery store to deliver us some more meat,” he said as he reached over and ran a hand through her hair. The demon inside of him prodded at him, daring to see how far he could push her but Angel wouldn’t succumb to it.

Instead, he pulled the blankets over them and pulled Fred into his arm. “I promise things will get better for you, Fred,” Angel whispered. And it was a promise he intended to keep, no matter what. “I love you, Fred, and nothing will ever change that. Ever.”

When Angel pulled out of her, Fred moaned softly, feeling her neck and herself still throbbing. For a moment, she lay there, knowing that if she could still breath, she would have panting from the intensity of what had just happened. She knew, though, that if she was still human, what had just happened wouldn't have. It was almost a trade off.

When he suggested they finally get some sleep, she nodded, tilting her head toward him and closing her eyes as he ran his hand through her hair. He could excite her and calm her like no other. Knowing that she belonged to someone so completely was both dizzying and frightening and amazing all at the same time.

"Ordering from the store sounds like a good idea," she agreed, knowing that she would hungry soon enough. The demon always got hungry. It was something she had learned very quickly.

But for know, the demon was satiated, from the blood and sex, so when Angel pulled her into his arms, she snuggled against him. She knew he was right - she could already feel that things were getting better. Her trust and love for him would never waver, and maybe this was what they needed, to get away from the others so she wouldn't feel judged and could adjust with Angel's help.

"I know it will," she told him softly as she closed her eyes. "I love you too. Always. My Angel."

Soon, she finally fell into a deep sleep, curled up against her Sire.

The following morning, Angel woke up and quietly slipped out of the bed. He didn't want to disturb Fred so he slipped into the bathroom and took a quick shower before coming out to call the local grocery store. After a few moments, he had ordered them more meat, and a bag of charcoals so they wouldn't think anything. He had to explain to them they were going to grill them on the old grill at the motel.

When he was finished with the call, he stood by the door, listening for them to arrive. Once they had, Angel cracked the door open and slipped the money out through the crack. The delivery boy just shrugged and slipped the three bags to Angel and left. Shutting the door behind him, Angel took the bag and sat it on the bedside table.

"Fred," he said, slipping back into the bed. "Why don't you get up and take a shower before having something to eat. You can sleep more before we go out for the night."

When Angel slipped out of bed, Fred curled up underneath the covers, feeling exhausted. She could still sense the presence of her Sire nearby even though he wasn't right there any longer, and it was enough to lull her back to sleep for a little bit longer.

A while later, she woke up when she heard the room door open, the smell of the meat drifting over to her as Angel paid for the delivery. Sitting up, she looked at the bag longingly before tearing her eyes away to look at him. It was so strange that she was actually craving things like blood and raw meat, but she knew that it was better she get used to it.

When he suggested she showed, she nodded, feeling a bit ucky. Leaning over, she kissed him softly, the way she always had before, and crawled off the bed to go into the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, she closed her eyes as the water cascaded over her. She had been so worried that things wouldn't feel the same, but she was realizing how amazing it was that everything felt just than much more...intense, even water on her skin.

After shampooing her hair and washing herself, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel after drying herself off. Walking back into the main room, she joined Angel on the bed. By now, the demon was stirring, wanting to be fed.

"I'm hungry," she told him. "Could I have something to eat now please?"

While Fred was in the shower, Angel went over and picked up the phone book. He turned to the maps section to find where the meeting place was at. It'd been at least seven decades since he'd been in New York City and knew that it had changed. He looked over the maps until he found the meeting place, and then he groaned. It was in a warehouse district near the Hudson River. He didn't know if he wanted to take Fred down there, knowing it would be dangerous.

When he heard the water turn off, Angel placed the phonebook to the side and smiled when Fred came out. He was about to tell her he'd found the meeting place when she suddenly asked to eat. And the way she worded it made it sound as if he'd been denying her food. Frowning, he cupped her face and tilted it up so he could look in her eyes.

"Fred...I know this is hard for you and I know you think you need to have permission from me because I'm your Sire. You don't. You never have to ask me permission to do anything," he said as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "You're my Fred first and foremost. The woman that I love. The fact that you're also my Childe comes second to everything else, okay?"

Angel leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. "I love you," he whispered before softly kissing her. He then leaned back so she could eat if she wanted to.

"I..." Fred started to say, looking into his eyes, pausing for a moment as his thumb ran over her lips. "It just came out. The voice inside keeps telling me that I need to ask permission. Sometimes it's hard to ignore it."

But knowing that he still saw her as his Fred, that he loved her because of that, not just because he had sired her helped. She knew she'd slip up from time to time, but she knew that because Angel loved her that he'd help her. He wouldn't hurt her and he wouldn't punish her because he wasn't like that, and she was grateful for that.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she melted in his kiss, cupping her hand to his face. "I love you too," she told him softly when they parted.

Looking over at the bag, she reached over and picked it up, taking out the meat inside. After sliding into her vampire face, she sucked a couple of pieces dry, feeling immediately better as she did, the hunger abating. Once she finished, she wrapped the leftover meat back up and licked her lips a bit - it was still weird in a way to need blood the way she did now, but she was getting used to it.

"Definitely feeling...better now." She couldn't say human since she wasn't that anymore, but at least when she was fed, she could sometimes forget that she wasn't...for a little while. It made it a bit easier. Stretching out slightly, she cuddled up against Angel, resting her hand on his chest and her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"What time do we have to leave to meet with Gwen's friend?" she asked, her eyes falling close.