Departure--(Pro/10) Author: Clee Feedback: pleeeeeeeeeeease? Disclaimer: joss' Distrubution: take it Spoilers: none, AU Summary: This is a response to Amanda's.

I've tweaked a lot of things around though so be warned. Buffy and Angel (he's two years older) are high school sweethearts (aww). They make love for the first time on her 17th b-day, and weeks later, Buffy finds out what protection is for (hint, hint). She runs off to LA, leaving Angel hurt and confused (didn't she love me? Tear, tear). Years later, after an incident, Buffy goes back to her old home and ends up facing her old friends. (i know is already said this on the pro but i know that someone else is doing this challenge so sorry for posting this now) * also if you want the previous parts, just drop me a note and i'll be happy to send it to ya Prologue ~ Sunnydale, CA February, 1998 ~ "Are you sure youre OK?" Willow asked worriedly. Buffy washed her mouth out once more before turning off the water. Drying the face on the towel, she nodded. "Ill be fine. Im just stressed with SATs, you know. Not sleeping that great." Willow nodded, but was unconvinced. No one was more frantic that her and even she wasnt making herself throw-up. This was the fourth day Buffy had been sick. She was fine most of the time but every once and a while, she would get nauseous and run off to the bathroom. Like now. It had been lunch and the gang was sitting, as usual, outside in the courtyard. They had taken out their food and Buffy had taken off. Willow and Angel had run after her, and if Willow knew him, Angel was probably hanging at the door. Anyone could see that Buffy was one his mind 24/7. Theyd been dating seriously for about five months, and wherever she was, he was there too. They had, as Xander and Faith said in disgust, "PDA coming out of the ass and ears." Angel and his friends were seniors, and his younger sister, Faith, and her friends were sophomores. Both groups had found common ground when the couple had started dating and now hung regularly. The two girls headed out of the womens room and were met by, thats right, Angel. "Are you OK?" he asked, anxiously. "Ill live," Buffy assured him. "Just sleep deprived. Or a bug or something." "Do you want some water or anything? Feel like eating?" he asked, sending Willow a grateful look for taking care of his girl. Willow hid a smile.

"Water, yes; food, yuck," Buffy answered as the three of them started back down the hall. "My stomachs not really handling anything too well lately." "So Ive noticed," Angel said. "Are you sure you dont need to see a doctor?" Buffy gave him an annoyed look. "Angel. I hate doctors. Im. Fine. Will you people just leave me alone for two seconds?" Angel and Willow halted, surprised at how harsh she was being. Buffy, realizing how shed sounded, sighed a little. She rubbed her head and collected herself. "Sorry," she said. "Imstressed. Im sorry." Angel gave her a small smile and took her hand in his own. "Dont worry about it." He leaned over and gently kissed her temple. "Come on. Water time." ~~~ "Im telling you, B," Faith was saying, "you dont look so hot. Maybe you should see a doc. I mean, I know your doctor-a-phobic or whatever but you keep puking and youre eating all weird." The two of them were hanging out in Faiths room that night. The group had just come back from the Bronze and it was officially the weekend. Both girls wore pajamas and were lying on the bed with the TV on. "I know," Buffy said irritably. "At least seven other people have told me that in the last forty-eight hours. Enough already." Faith grinned a little. "Right," she said knowingly, "that time of the month. I feel ya." Buffy abruptly looked away. Faith frowned slightly. "Whats the for? Have I offended you in some odd way?" "No," Buffy said. She turned to the other girl. "Look, Faith, IIm a littlewell, Im late." "Okaay," Faith said, confused. "Where exactly do you have to be at two on the morning?" Buffy swallowed. "Not late like that. Im late." A light bulb went off in Faiths head. "Oh! Oh" As the message sunk in, Buffy stood up and crossed the room, needing to move around. "Im probably just being crazy," Buffy said. "I mean, we have all these exams and stuff; I bet Im just not getting enough down time and my bodys acting all strange" "Buffy," Faith said slowly, "could you actually bewell, pregnant?" Buffy looked over at her sharply upon hearing the word that she herself had convinced her mind not to think or say. "Dont say that." Faith stood to and walked quickly over to her. "Buffy, is there any chance that you could be pregnant?" "Dont-" "No," Faith interrupted. "Get out of denial land. This is serious. Could you?"

Buffy looked away, answering the question. Both were dead silent for a long time. "OK," Faith said quietly, "scenario. Pretend you are. Two questions: What would you do?" Buffy slumped, unable to believe that she was actually having this conversation. Teen pregnancies were on TV, not her. "You cant ask me that," Buffy said. Seeing that Faith was about to protest, she said, "No. You cannot ask me what I would do with a baby that may or may not exist. I justcant." Faith considered her for a moment. Finally, she nodded. "Alright. Then, question two: It is Angels?" Buffys stomach clenched. "Or course it would be," she whispered. "You know that. Of course" Faith smile softly. She went over to Buffy. "Its going to be OK. But we need to get a pregnancy tes-" "No," Buffy said quickly. "Buffy-" Faith began warningly. "No," Buffy repeated. "I mean, I will get tested. Butat the doctor. Im not going to get one of those cheap tests at the drugstore. I want to be sure the first time. No guessing." Faith nodded. "OK. You we can make an appointment tomorrow." "Oh, and Faith? Promise me you wont tell anyone." "Buffy," Faith said hesitantly. "I dont know" "I dont know anything yet," Buffy said. "I dont want to stir everything up. Please? Nobody" "I wont," Faith said. "I wont tell anybody." ~~~ Part 2 "Angel, are you planning on coming out of that room any time soon?" Willow called worriedly. No answer. Everyone (minus Faith) was hanging out at Angels apartment the day after. They did this every Sunday: meet at someones house and just talk. Angel, however, hadnt emerged from his bedroom in the three hours theyd been there. Hed answered the front door then gone and locked himself in there. Willow frowned. "Angel! This is not funny! Are you OK?" No answer again. "Angel!" Finally, there were footsteps and the locked turned. The door opened slowly and Willows jaw dropped. The room was a mess: it had three vodka bottles lying around (all empty). The bed wasnt made and the blinds were shut tight. But the most noticeable things were the papers: they were all over the floor, crumpled and ripped. Willow looked closer at one and saw- "Oh, Angel" she said sadly. He was drawing her again. When she had first left, he had spent hours (not to mention all the trees) just holed up like this, sketching Buffy. Angel had returned his chair. She walked over to him and sighed. "AngelI know you miss her. Butits been ten years. Dont start this again. I mean, remember how you were in college? You were withdrawn. Dont do it all over again. Buffywell, I know you cared

for her-" "I saw her, Willow," Angel interrupted stonily. The redhead paused. "What?" she asked, uncertain. Angel glanced up at her. "I saw her last night. I went by the house and Faith and her were there. They were talkingI dont think that it had been ten years since Faith had last seen her." Willows jaw dropped. "Buffys back?" She thought and added; "And Faith knew all this time where she was?" Angel snorted quietly. "Looked that way." Willow was silent with shock. Buffy was back? Buffy was OK? Where had she been all this time? Why did Faith know? She felt a slight pang of hurt at the thought Buffy would go to Faith instead of her. She and Buffy had been best friends. Faith and her and been friends butnot as close as Willow and her. "Whatwhat are you going to do?" she asked finally. "They said something about Dawn and meeting her," Angel said with a shrug. "Im going to try to find Dawn." "Are you planning on confronting Buffy?" "No, Im going to talk to Faith," Angel said, standing up. "Shed be around them." Angel and Willow had driven to Faith and Willows place to find that no one was there. So they went to the only logical other place. ~~~ "Theyre here," Angel said quietly, pointing to the two cars. "Buffy has a Range Rover?" Willow mused. Angel gave her a confused frown. "I just mean her job must pay well. Those cars are expensive." Angel nodded, and they went to the back gate. They paused at the entranced and shrunk back a little so they wouldnt be seen. Some snooping before talking couldnt hurt. Faith and Dawn were back they're talking. "Please, Dawn," Faith, said. "I want to know whats going to happen to me," the girl said. "Who am I meeting?" "Your guardian," Faith said simply. "You know her but havent seen her in a long time." "Stop and tell me who," Dawn said. "Just sit down." Dawn sighed and plopped onto the bench. Faith took one more look at her and went back into the house. "Whats going on?" Willow whispered. Angel said nothing as another person came out of the house. He heard Willow gasp a little, like it wasnt real until she saw her in the flesh. The blond stood uncertainly on the porch watching Dawns face change from annoyed to shock. "*Buffy*?" she said, wide-eyed.

"Hi, Dawnie," Buffy said, nervousness playing on her face at her little sisters reaction. There was a tense paused and then Dawn jumped up and practically tackled her. Buffy was taken back by Dawn enthusiasm; she had expected anger ("Where were you?!"). "Buffy," Dawn sighed in her ear. Buffy shut her eyes. It had been so long since shed seen little Dawnie. It was hard to believe that she was fifteen. "BuffyI missed you." Buffy heard a tiny, uncharacteristic sob come from the girl and held her tighter. "Its OK, Dawnie," Buffy said. "Its OK" "Where did you go?" Dawn cried softly. "Thats what Im going to explain," Buffy said, trying to sound soothing. Dawn sniffed. "Come on, we can go inside." "No," Dawn said quickly. "I dont like going in there anymore. Without Mom" Buffy nodded shakily. "OK. WellI guess Ill just do it now." She sat her sister down on the bench and scooted in next to her. "Dawnie, when I left, it wasnt because of anyone here. I just had to go off on my own for a while; to figure stuff out." "For nine years?" Dawn said pointedly. Buffy smiled a little. "I know. After a while, I just figured that I should stay in LA and not come back. I didnt want to mess things up." "But you wouldnt have," Dawn said persistently. "We all wanted you back. You should have seen everyone after you left. I might have been young but I could tell. Did you want Ang- a person to go insane?" Buffy looked pained. "No. I didnt want anyone to go insane. But I got scared and maybe I handled it badly." "If you were scared you could have told someone. Like Willow." "Iyoure right," Buffy said. "I should have. I was too young to handle something like that one my own." "Something like what?" Dawn asked. "Buffy, youre not telling me anything." Buffy opened her mouth to say something when her cell phone rang. She glanced apologetically a Dawn before picking up. "Hello?" she said. Suddenly, a brilliant smile appeared on her face. It was the kind that Angel had seen a lot when they were dating. It only happened when she was truly happy "Hey, sweetie. How ya doing? Are you being good? WonderfulWell, Im at my old house. The one where I grew upYep, Faiths here too I willUm, you remember I told you about Dawn?Thats right, shes my sister. Were talkingNo, Im about to tell her about you, honeyYes, I will Ill be back tomorrow morning YesOK, Ill see you tomorrowLove you too." She hung up the phone. Dawn looked expectantly at her. "Boyfriend?" A pang shot through Angels heart at the suggestion. Is that why she left? To be with her new boyfriend? Had she not want to hurt him by breaking up so she just took off? Buffy laughed a little. "No. No guys in the mix right now. That waswell, that waswell, I

guess shes your niece." Dawn blinked. Then gaped. "You have a daughter?!" Buffy winced at how loud shed said it. "Yes, Dawn. Lets calm down before we blow up, shall we?" Dawn just stared at her in shock. Buffy sighed. "Her name is Alison and shes eight. Shes back in LA with a friend." Dawns jaw dropped lower. "Eight? Um, Buffy? What do you, mean shes eight?" "Uh, as in shes been alive eight years?" Buffy offered. "You know what I mean," Dawn dismissed. "If shes eight thenwell she was conceived like nine years ago soOh my God!" Buffy dropped her head a little. "You cheated on Angel and got pregnant!" Buffys head rebounded by shooting up. "I did not! How could you say that?" "Well, its common math, Buffy. Nine years ago you were with Angel. Bad Buffy!" Buffy sighed, suddenly very tired. "No, Dawn. OK, Im not some whore, thank you. I dont sleep with multiple guys. I was with Angel." Dawn stared again. "We have a daughter with him? What?!" "Dawn, I was seventeen, scared and pregnant. I didnt want to stick around to find out how pissed everyone would be so I left. It was probably not the brightest thing to do butwell, I did. And now Im happy. I dont need yours or anyone elses judgment. I came back to take care of you. Period." Dawn shook her. "Buffy, you hurt a lot of people when you left. You cant just show up, say hi and split." "Im not saying hi, Dawn. Im going to ask you who you want to stay with and then do the paperwork." Her voice took on a cool, politeness that chilled Dawn to the bone. "You can stay with Faith or Willow or Xander and his girlfriend. Faith already talked to them and they said that they would be more than happy to have you live with them. Either that or you could move to LA with me but I figured that you wouldnt want to leave all your friends." She stood up. "You dont have to decide now. Just think where you would be most happy." She reached into her purse and pulled out a card. "This has my work, home, and cell number. I have to go back home for work but you can call me anytime." She headed towards that house but paused when she reached the back door. "It was good to see you, Dawn." And, again, she was gone. Dawn slumped into her seat. A small tear trickled down her face. Willow looked helplessly between her and Angel. He was standing there, motionless. There was no expression on his face but Willow recognized that as shock. Pure. Shock. "A-Angel?" she asked cautiously. He was silent. He didnt even hear the woman next to him or realize that she had dragged him away from the gate and into his car. He didnt see the city as she drove quickly through it. He wasnumb. "Come on," Willow said, pulling him into the elevator and then into her apartment. She pushed him onto the couch. She knelt before him and stared hard into his eyes. "Angel, can you hear me?" she asked. No response. "Angel." His gaze wandered up to dizzily

meet hers. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was going to be OK. Hopefully. ~~~ A small, weary sigh was heard and then the sound of the door shutting. Angel looked up from his position in the chair at one of the people whod just walked in. His eyes narrowed dangerously. The small, but tasteful, apartment was paved in darkness, and Willow had gone off to bed hours ago. "She cant just tell me to decide who I who I want to live with!" There was yet another sigh. "Shes acting weird right now. Dont worry." She switched on the light and- Faith gasped, startled. "Oh, Angel, its you. You scared the living shit out of me." Angel sat the, sullenly staring at his sister and Dawn, who waved a little. "Um, Angel?" Faith asked. "Any reason why youre at my apartment at midnight, sitting in the dark?" "You knew," he said blankly. "Uh, knew what?" Faith said with a frown. "Are you OK?" Angel just snorted quietly. "You knew where she was all this time and you never told anyone." The color drained from Faiths face. "W-what? How did you? I dont know what youre talking about." Angel stood and walked slowly over to her. He stood toe-to-toe with her, measuring up to his full height. Faith, who wasnt usually intimidated, shrunk back a little, and Dawn bit her lip, nervously. "Dont play coy with me," he said a little too calmly. "You knew that Buffy had gone to LA, yet you kept in from the people that cared about her." "I was being a good friend," Faith insisted. "Buffy didnt want me to tell anyone!" "If someone said that they were going to shoot themselves, would you just keep quiet?" Angel asked. "Those are completely different things!" Faith denied. He smirked softly. "We didnt know if she was doing alright, if she was happy or lonely or cold..." His voice was rising rapidly. "Or dead." Faith visibly winced and she continued; "I bet her mother would have liked to known where her own daughter was before she died. Mothers worry. She probably would be able to have peace if shed known that Buffy was safe." "Angel, stop," Dawn begged, helplessly, but her plea fell on deaf ears. "I didnt want to betray her confidence," Faith said trying to sound convincing. "And you didnt," Angel said. He laughed dryly and added, "And you killed the people who lied awake every night wondering where she was." "I didnt do this to hurt you," Faith said weakly. "God damn it, Faith!" Angel said, finally snapping. "Do you have eyes? Did you see all of us after she left?" Willow had come hurrying out of her room when she heard the argument and was now standing

with Dawn, trying to coax her away. "Well, I didnt know what to do!" Faith exclaimed. "Buffy and I had never been as close as her and Willow and then she confided in meI just didnt want to let her down." Angel took a staggered step back. "I have a daughter," he whispered brokenly. "Shes eight years old and I dont even know what she looks like." Silence filled the room. Angel slumped into him self, feeling his eyes filling dangerously. After what seemed like a lifetime, Willow took Dawns arm and gently led her into her away. "Come on, Dawnie. Lets go to bed." Dawn cast a sad look in Angels direction and allowed her self to be pulled out of the room and into Willows, where she had been staying in her sleeping bag. Faith stared at her brother, seeing the turmoil in his eyes. Shed never felt worse. "I" she began but stopped when she knew that she couldnt say anything that would come close to what he needed to hear. She shut her mouth and felt like she too would cry. Angel walked slowly past her, his shoulders hunched in misery. He left the apartment quietly and Faith just stood there, unable to move away. Part 3 "Hey," she said softly as she approached him. He didnt acknowledge her presence, but Dawn hadnt thought he would. She sat down next to him and studied his face. Small bristles had appeared on his face from lack of shaving and there was the barest hint of bags under his eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Angel looked up at her, as if noticing her company for the first time. He swallowed and shrugged. Dawn gave him sad smile. They were sitting on a bench outside of Dawns school. Shed been there after school let out to study and wait for Willow to come but shed seen Angel sitting there and had come out to see him. There was silence for a while until he gazed out at the front steps. "This is where I first saw her," he said quietly. "She was so young. Its hard to believe that was almost twelve years ago." Dawn didnt have to ask whom he was talking about. When Angel talked about Buffy, he got this certain look on his face, especially in his eyes. "Im going to call her tomorrow," she said, causing him to look over at her. "Im going to stay with Willow and Faith." Angel said nothing for a while. "Why?" he finally asked. "Because," Dawn said simply. "Theyve been there for me. I was six when Buffy left. I dont even know her." "Dawn," Angel said, "I know that youre upset that she was took off and that shes making you decided this, but maybe shes just scared." "Of what? Me? She has nothing to be afraid of." "People do things when they get scared," Angel said. "She thought she was alone. Shes putting up a wall now."

"But she wasnt alone," Dawn said firmly. "She had us. She had you." She looked him in the eye. "You wouldnt have left her." "Of course not," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "But sheI dont know." "Are you mad?" Dawn asked him. He gave her a sharp look. "What?" "She left with only a note to Mom saying not to worry and that she just needed to go. Not one word to you. She didnt tell you about her child. Neither did Faith." "Im not mad at Buffy," Angel said. "Or Faith. I understand why they both didnt tell me. Im justwell, hurt. I thought that she cared enough to tell me butI guess I was wrong." "Angel, Buffy loved you. I might have been young but I wasnt stupid. Whenever you walked in the room her eyes would light up. Thats not something you can fake." "Maybe," Angel said, looking away. Dawn sighed as Willows car pulled up. The redhead got out and frowned a little. "Uh, hi, Angel. What are you doing here?" "We were talking," Dawn said. She grabbed her bag and stood up. "Are you just going to sit there and brood? You can talk to her" Angel was silent. Dawn shook her head a little and got into the car. "Bye, Angel," Willow said, sympathy clouding her voice. "See ya" She hopped into the drivers seat and drove off. Angel stared once again at the steps leading up to the familiar high school. They all had so much happen in this building. Every time he looked at it, a lump formed in his throat. He stood up and headed away. He went past his car and just kept walking. He didnt know where he was going but he knew he just needed to walk. Walk away. ~~~ "Whats wrong with him?" Willow asked, distressed. "Everything," Faith said. The group was sitting at Xander and Anyas place, wondering when Angel would finally blow up. Over the past week his condition had worsened. He stayed in his room all day, didnt eat, didnt sleep, and didnt change clothes. Then, just a few days ago, he had emerged from his room. He was wearing new clothes, had just shaved and showered, his room was neat, and he was new. He had drove off to a club and picked up some random girl. Hed taken her back to his house and well fun was had. The group had seen him leave with the unfamiliar woman, who practically screamed Im a whore, and knew what he was going to do. Hed done that for three nights in a row. So they were having an Angel Meeting. So far, no conclusion was made except that he was crazy. "Hes grieving in a not-so-good-way," Xander said. "Someone has to talk to him," Willow said. "Weve covered that," Anya, who was very bored. "Twice."

"I already said that Im not doing it," Faith said. "He hasnt spoken to me in the past week. I dont want to piss him off any more than he already is." "Well, he hates me, so thats out of the question," Xander said. "I already tried," Willow said. They all turned to look at Anya. Her held up her hands. "I hardly know him! Or her! No!" "Anya, maybe its good that you dont," Faith said. "I mean, maybe hell listen to someone whos not friends with him or Buffy. You know, so hell know what its not just his friends trying to convince him not to continue on his alarming downward spiral." "What would I have to say?" she asked suspiciously. "Im sure you can figure it out," Willow assured her, though all she could think of were doubts. ~~~ "Can I help you?" Angel asked coldly. The last person he wanted to see what Xanders weird girlfriend standing at his door right when he was about to go out. Anya gave him an annoyed look. "Yes you can. Open the door." Angel snorted. "Uh, no. Im headed out so Im afraid well have to cut our little meeting short." He tried to go past her but she punched him in the stomach. "What the fuck was that for?!" Anya walked past him and shut the door. "You were being rude." "Excuse me?" Angel said. "You show up at my house and dont let me out of my own door and Im being rude?" "Look, I dont want to be here but Xanders friends sent me," Anya said. "So then why are you here?" Angel asked. "I need to convince you not to keep acting like an idiot." Angel was about to retort but she held up her hand. "Im talking. Lets just make this quick. Xander and I are planning on having sex on back lawn and I cannot wait." Angel stared at her. Who was this woman? Anya sat on the couch. "OK. Lets begin. Youre acting weird. Youre having one-night-stands. Apparently this is not your usual style so we are worried. Youre acting like a complete asshole and you need to get in shape right now." "Well, thanks for that but-" "Not finished," Anya said. Angel sighed but was silent. "Now, you are just doing this because you are sad. When I am sad, I cry and eat ice cream. Youre handling your sadness very poorly." Angel looked away, trying to not let her words get to him. This was Anya, weirdo plus, plus, plus. "You are still in love with Fluffy," Anya continued. "You-" "Buffy," Angel corrected quickly. Anya watched his face carefully as his eyes widened. "Faith said that would break you. Saying her name."

Angel stared straight ahead, frozen in the spot. My God, he thought, Anyas right. Anyas right. He was an idiot. He felt like laughing at how stupid the situation was. Hed slept with four strange women already, and the mere mention of Buffys name had made him instantly denounce all others and consider becoming a monk. "Are you cured?" Anya asked hopefully. Angel swallowed and looked over at her. He tilted his head slightly. A bright smile appeared on her face. "Great!" She stood up and headed to the door. "That was fast and I was right! I love being right!" ~~~ "Hello?" "Uh, hi, Buffy. Its Dawn." "Oh! I mean hi. How are you?" "Im OK," Dawn said. She was pacing Willow and Faiths living room, nervously clutching the phone. She had planned on calling Buffy days ago but hadnt found the courage until now. They all had been sitting there when Anya had come back and told them that Angel was "cured." She and Xander had left together, and Dawn just snapped. Angel had been dealing badly. He was hurt and confused and resorted to becoming a cold hard jerk as his cover. Buffy had done that same. Shed been scared of what everyone would say if she told them about her baby and shed been scared about coming back years later. She realized that and knew what she had to do. "Buffy, I thought about what you-" she began. "Wait," Buffy said quickly. "Ijust want to apologize for how I acted towards you last week. It waswell I wasI was just" "I understand," Dawn said. "And Ive made a decision." She could hear Buffy swallow on the other end. "I want to live with you." Silence. "You-you do?" Buffy said. "I meanyou do?" "Yes," Dawn said. "Youre my sister and I missed you. I want to live with you." Buffy exhaled. "Dawniethatswell, thats wonderful. Im so happy." "You can come pick me up tomorrow," Dawn said. "Perfect," Buffy said. "Where will you be?" "At Willows and Faith. Every Sunday we all get together. This week were having it there." There was a pause. "Dawn" "No," Dawn said. "If you were telling the truth and you really want me to stay with you, youll pick me up where I am now." "Dawn, thats not fair," Buffy said quietly. "I know. And Im sorry."

There was a silence. "Ill see you at four." ~~~

Part 4 "Dawn, youre acting really weird today," Willow said. "Something wrong?" "Nope, nothing that matter," Dawn said quickly. She glanced once more at the clock: four-twenty. Willow frowned, unconvinced. "Are you sure?" "Yep," she chirped, too peppy. "Anyone want more to drink?" Faith asked, walking in from the kitchen. Xander and Anya didnt hear, as they were too busy arguing about something. "Angel?" Faith offered. Angel glanced up from the TV long enough to shake his head no. Hed been quiet since his conversation with Anya. He didnt even know what had possessed him to go out and sleep with all those women. All he knew was that he felt like a complete asshole. He had the guilt thing covered perfectly. The doorbell rang. Dawns head shot up as Willow went off to answer it. She jumped off the couch. "Uh, Dawn," Faith said, "whats wrong with you?" Dawn ignored her, holding her breath. She had been up all night wondering if Buffy would actually show. The moment of truth was here. Willow froze when she opened the door. She hadnt talked to this woman in so long "B-Buffy." The front door wasnt visible from the living room, where everyone was, but they could still hear. They jolted out of whatever they were doing and craned their necks towards the direction of the door. "Hi, Willow. Uh, Im here to pick up Dawn. She called me last night." "O-oh," Willow stammered, flustered more than usual. "Do you want to come in?" "No," Buffy said quickly. "I meanno. W-where is she?" "I-Ill go get her." Willow hurried back into the other room, where everyone looked at her. "You didnt tell me she was coming," she accused Dawn in a hushed tone. "Well, I wasnt sure if shed actually come," Dawn said weakly. "Well, shes sure here," Faith said. "OK," Willow said. "You three, in Faiths room. Well get Dawns stuff from mine." Xander and Anya jumped off the couch and left in a hurry. Faith grabbed her brother,

who said there in, frozen, and dragged him away. "Come on, Angel. Lets go." Willow went off to get Dawns bags, and Dawn met her sister at the door. "Buffy!" Dawn said excitedly. "Im glad you came." "Said I would," Buffy said nervously. "Oh, its OK," Dawn said. "No one else is here but Willow and Faith. You can come in." Buffy visibly relaxed and followed Dawn into the living room. "Hey, B," Faith greeted. "Hi," Buffy said with her first smile of the visit. "Didnt know you were coming," the brunette said with a pleased smile herself. "Drink?" "Im fine," Buffy said. Willow came back in with Dawns stuff. She set it down at shifted uncomfortably from foot-to-foot. Buffy hesitated a moment before going over to her. She cautiously hugged the redhead. Willow was surprised, but the fact that Buffy was here (Buffy was here!) and that Dawn was going to be happy with her made relax into the embrace, and she hugged her back. "Its good to see you, Willow," Buffy said and released her. Willow couldnt help but grin. "You too." There was a giggle heard from a different room and then someone going shh! Buffy glanced up a surprise. "Who?" "Oh," Faith said, "thats just Xander and Anya." "Oh," Buffy said. "I didnt know there were other people here" Dawn looked sheepish. "Sorry." Buffy shrugged it off. "We should really get going. Traffics going to get bad soon." "Wait," Willow said. "Xanderwell, hed love to see you" Buffy looked uncertain. "Ill get him," Faith said quickly, going over to her room. She poked her head in and whispered, "Anya and Xander, come say hi." Anya gave her an annoyed look. "Xander and I are busy making out. Why cant we just leave? Im getting horny" Faith shot Xander a glare. "Please control you mentally unstable girlfriend long enough to just say hello. Angel, you stay here." He nodded numbly. "Sure"

As Xander and Anya brushed past her, Faith stared worriedly at her brother. He was staring at the floor but his eyes werent anywhere there. He was inside himself; hed carved out his little shell and crawled right in. She heard Xanders voice and knew she had to go back or Buffy would get suspicious. She looked one more time on the broken man on the bed and shut the door. "-in LA and Im designing," Buffy was saying when she returned to the living room. "Wow, Buff, thats great," Xander said. Even with Anya, who he loved, he still wasnt blind. He could see that Buffy had grown more beautiful since they last saw her. When shed left, he had the biggest crush on her and had been "dating" Cordelia. "So, what are you doing?" Buffy asked. "I run my own carpentry business," he answered, pride filling his voice. "Thats wonderful," Buffy said with a smile. She was still filled with nervousness over seeing her old friends but now that they had started talking, she felt right at home with. And Anya and Xander seemed really lovey-dovey. "Faith." They all turned, around. There was no one there. Faith, however, could easily distinguish the voice. She cast a helpless glance at Willow and Xander. "Um, thats my alarm clock," Faith said weakly to Buffy. "Ill be right back." She ran off. When she reached her bedroom she had to restrain herself from slapping Angel. "What the hell do you think youre doing?" she hissed angrily. "She could have recognized your voice!" "Your cell phone was ringing," Angel said calmly. "Its your boss; he says it s important." "Couldnt you tell him in was in the middle of something?" Faith demanded. "Like an emergency?" "Faith, this isnt an emergency," he said with a sigh. "Like hell it isnt," Faith said. "Just take the damn phone," he dismissed, shoving the object forward. She snatched it from him and said, "Hello?Oh, hello, Mr. Sandersno, its fineuh-huhuh-huh" She walked away, towards the office area. Angel sighed and shoved his hand into his pockets as he watched her go. Faith had been working over at a law office for a few years and her boss had been driving her faster and faster. She was his personal assistant and he was always asking her to do research for his cases. Angel thought it was crazy but Faith said she liked that kind of stuff. He turned back to go into her bedroom (his hideout) but almost tripped over his own feet when he sawsomething.

Standing in the corner of the hall was Xander, Willow, Dawn and Anya. They all wore identical expression, like they were mentally saying, Noooooooo! They had just run over because, well, their guest had heard the voice and gone right over. Wonderful. Because right in front of them, stood Buffy, looking like she had just walked onto the set of a horror movie without knowing what it was. The minutes seemed to tick by, as everyone stood frozen, staring at each other. Willow and Xander stared at Buffy, Anya and Dawn stared at Angel, Buffy stared at Angel, and Angel stared at Buffy. Needless to say, there was a lot of staring in the hall. "OK, guys, Im back" The words died in Faiths mouth when she came across the group. Oh, perfect, she thought. "Welllooks like we all sort of came together anywayhaha." Her voice seemed to snap everyone out of wherever they had gone off to. Angel took a step back, as if he was trying to sneak back into the shadows like he usually did. Buffy staggered back a little, completely unprepared to see him. "Well, I know Buffys probably over the small talk thing," Faith said with a nervous laugh, "so I guess Ill just walk them out. And Angel, you need to go back totothat thing you were doing." No one moved. Dawn finally took action by grabbing her sisters arm and dragging her to the front door. The rest of the gang, minus Faith, followed them. Faith turned to Angel. "Angel" she began, not knowing what to say. He shook his head. "Ill be in your room til theyre gone." He turned and disappeared with a quiet shut as he blocked them out once again.

Part 5 ~ Los Angeles, CA June, 2007 (Two Months Later) ~ "Congratulations, us. We are officially out of school!" Dawn smiled at the younger girl and also felt like cheering. It was finally summer. She had been going to Hemery High for two months and the transition had been hectic: new campus, new friends, new teachers, new everything. Not to mention new home. Living with Buffy and Ali was definitely different from living with her mom. Buffy, she learned was a wonderful mother. She and Ali were closer than Joyce and either of her daughters ever were. She had been more motherly and Buffy was more "guiding friend." "Mommy!" Ali exclaimed excitedly, seeing Buffy pulled up. Usually, Dawn got a ride with a friend but today she had decided to meet Ali at her school and go home with them. "Hey," Buffy greeted, swooping down to plant a kiss on her daughters brown hair. She looked up and smiled. "Hey, Dawnie. What are you doing here?" "Thought I get a ride with you guys," Dawn said.

Buffy nodded. "Well, good thing I brought extra smoothies." Ali cheered as she hopped in the car and grabbed hers. Dawn smiled at her new family. Buffy was always doing this kind of thing: surprises, presents. She was truly different from the girl that had lived in Sunnydale. She had made a name for herself. She had grown up and matured. But one thing stayed the same: she was still the one Dawn looked up to. "Guess what?" Buffy said, walking into the den where the two girls were watching a movie. "I just got off the phone with Willow." Dawn looked up. She knew Buffy had kept in close contact with both her and Faith, and she always liked to know what was going on there. "And we thought that it would be fun for you to go visit," the blond said. Dawn brightened visibly. No matter how much she loved living with Buffy, she still missed everyone in Sunnydale and sometimes even felt homesick for the town and people. "Really?" she said happily. "I mean, yeah!" Buffy smiled and said, "She said you could some whenever you wanted." A small frown appeared on Dawns face. "You wouldnt be coming?" "No," Buffy said quickly. "Ihave work. I have to go to New York for a week, remember?" "Can I go with Dawn?" Ali asked suddenly. Buffy looked over at her, unsure. "What? W-why?" Ali sighed. "Do you actually think I want to spend an entire week with Kate? No way." Buffy gave her a pointed look. "Ali, Kates not that badOK, maybe she is. Butyou dont know anyone in Sunnydale. Do you really want to go there?" "Mom, you told me a lot about them," Ali said. "And I know Faith. And Dawn will be with me. Why cant I?" Dawn gave Buffy a surprised look and began to ask, "Did you even tell her about Ang-" Buffy cut her off with a quick glance and Ali didnt seem to notice. "Come on, Mom," the girl pleaded. "Not KateBe humane!" Buffy looked uncertainly from her to Dawn. "I" "Buffy, well be fine," Dawn assured her. "Faith would love to see her and I know Willow and Xander would want to meet her. Itll be great!" Buffy glanced warily from one eager face to the other. "I dont know" "And you two can sleep in here," Willow finished, waving her arm into the room. "This house is so big," Ali commented excitedly, her eyes swinging from on thing to another. "Whose is it?"

The other three people glanced at each other. "Umits my older brothers," Faith said awkwardly. "You have a brother?" Ali said, turning to the brunette. "Mommy never told me about him." Faith laughed nervously. "Uh, wellhes on vacation this week, and our apartments too small for all of us, so he said we could use it." "Where is he?" Dawn asked. "He had to go up to San Francisco for business," Faith said. Then, changing the subject, she said, "Well, you guys probably want to settle in. Sogo unpack or whatever and then you can come get something to eat." Willow gave Ali a small wave before she left with Faith. "Oh my God," she said when they were out of hearing range, "she looks just like them!" Faith nodded in agreement. "I know. Its scary how much of a mix of them she is." "And shes so cute," Willow added. "I mean, her laughaww" Faith grinned at how excited her friend was about this. When shed heard that not just Dawn but also Alison was coming, she had gone into a frenzy: making all these arrangements, planning all these activities. A few hours ago, Buffy had dropped the two girls off at the apartment, introducing her daughter to Willow, Xander and Anya. She had then left for the airport, saying that Ali should be good and that she would call. Willow had fallen in love with the girl the minute she stepped though the door. She had Buffys face and features but Angels darker hair and deep eyes. She was the sweetest girl Willow had ever met. They hadnt told Angel who was coming over; just that they were having guests. He had said that it was fine to use his HUGE house and that hed be back in a week. So thats where they were now. The house was on the border of the town and it was absolutely gorgeous. It had large windows and huge gardens. Not the most Angel-like home but it still seemed to suit him. "Oh wow" Willow said. "What?" Faith asked, looking up from her chips. "I justcant believe that shes actually here. And that Buffy OK and that Ive been talking to her regularly. I mean, three months ago I wasnt sure if Id ever see her again and now her daughters visiting. Its justwow." "You arentyou arent madYou know, that I didnt tell youAre you?" Willow shook her head. "I thought about it and I know I would have done the same. So no, Im not mad." Faith looked relieved. They hadnt really talked about the Buffy-thing, and the thought was driving her crazy. "Well, good. And I think that this weeks going to be great. Alis really fun. No moms, no dads, no angst. Just fun."

Willow smiled in agreement. "Just fun." Angel grumbled unhappily as he entered his house. This was no fun. His stupid meeting had been canceled because someone had decided to go to Tahiti for the month and hadnt bothered to tell anyone. He dumped his keys on the table by the door and headed to the kitchen. He heard bubbling laughter coming from the living room and veered off to see what was going on. He was now annoyed hed let Faith and her friends stay here for the week. It wasnt like the house wasnt big enough that they would have to socialize, but every one of his sisters friends had tried at one time or another tried to hit on him. He stopped at the living room entrance and frowned. The laughter was coming from a little girl of about ten andDawn? "Thats so cheating," Faith said to the girl, brushing her cards away. She giggled as Faith muttered to herself about losing to a not-even-third-grader. "Nope! I win again!" "You know, Faith," Willow said, "youre a sore loser." "Humph," Faith said. Dawn laughed again and grabbed the cards in a pile. "Again. I want to see your butt get kicked at least one more time." Faith gave her a withering look. Dawn shook her head and glanced up to say something to Willow whenHer jaw dropped when she saw who was standing at the door. "Uh, Dawn? What are you staring at?" Faith turned around. Willow, who also looked, let out a tiny squeak. "Hi!" "Dawn, I didnt know you were here," Angel said. "I-IIm here," Dawn said. "What are you doing here?" Faith asked. Way to ruin everything "Meeting got cancelled," he said. He glanced uncertainly at the little girl. "Um, who is this?" The three of them exchanged glances. After some silence Ali frowned. She hopped off the couch and went up to the tall man. "Im Ali." She extended her small hand to him and waited. Angel continued to frown. "Uh" "When someone introduces themselves, youre supposed to do it too," Ali said with a little smile. "Angel," he said simply.

Her smile widened. "Thats a funny name." "Thank you," Angel said. He shook her hand. He looked over at Faith with a confused expression. "Um, why exactly are you here?" he asked Ali. "My moms in New York and I wanted to come with Dawn." "How do you know Dawn?" Angel asked. Ali smiled. "Well, I guess shes my aunt but I dont call her that. Just Dawn. Aunt Dawn sounds funny, huh?" Angel blinked. Faith, Willow and Faith held their breath, ready for the worst. He just looked at the small girl in front of him, unable to grasp her words. Dawn was her auntso her mother would have to be Dawns sisterDawns sister was He stared at her. And he began to see her. The shape of her face was the same as Buffys, her mouth was a smaller replica of her moms "Why is everyone turning blue?" Ali asked, breaking the silence. "Uh" was all Faith could say at the moment. "You guys are weird," Ali said with a shrug. She turned at Angel. "Oh, are you Faiths brother? Is this your house?" Angel said nothing. He couldnt stop just staring at the little creation before him. She was Buffysand she was his. His. He wondered absently what Buffy looked like when she was pregnant. She must have been beautiful "Um, hello?" Ali said. "Whats wrong with everybody?" Willow was the first to snap out of the tense trance that they were all in. "N-nothing, Ali. Were OK. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Tired?" "Im fine. But you guys look a little pale" "Dont worry," Faith said. "Justsurprised to see Angel. And yes, hes my older brother." Ali nodded, satisfied. She looked over at Angel and smiled. "Thanks for letting us use your house. Its pretty." Angel opened and closed his mouth a few times (keen on perfecting his "Im a fish!" look) before just nodding. "Dont talk much?" Ali said. Faith laughed loudly (a little, no a lot too loudly). "Ha. Ha. No, Angels just glad to be home. Jet leg" "From an hour flight?" Ali asked pointedly. "Ali, dont be stubborn," Dawn said, a teasing hint in her voice. Ali crossed her arms across the chest. "Im not stubborn."

"Oh yes you are," Faith chimed. "You mom and your d-" "Dog!" Willow shouted. "What dog?" Ali asked, confused. "Um, your hypothetical dog," Faith said quickly, covering her mistake. "Whatever," Ali dismissed. "Can I swim?" "Sure!" Willow said, happy for the distraction. "Ill go with you." "Me too," Dawn added and they all left, scurrying out the door like a little pack of nervous mice (ah, the wonderful imagery). Faith faced Angel. "Im sorry. We didnt think you were coming back so soon." Angel swallowed and nodded. "If you want us to leave you can just say so." "N-no," Angel said, his voice quiet. "Its fine." Faith considered him for a moment. "Thank you." She stood up and started towards the door. She was about to leave but paused. "Angel, shes really very smart. You two would get along well. You cantalk." "B-Buffy probably wouldnt like that," he said, almost whispering. "Well, shes in New York," Faith said. "Ali would love to talk with you. She doesnt have a guy in her life. Maybe it would be good for herfor you." All he could do was stare at the wall. He was thinking. He had been for a couple hours already and hadnt gotten anywhere. He still couldnt believe that the person downstairs washis. Well, not his exactly, but a part of him. He had helped create her. Angel ran his fingers through his hair was shut his eyes for a moment. Hed never really thought about what it would be like to be informed that you had a child but this was certainly not what he would have wanted. He wouldnt have wanted to find out eight years after the fact but still He wondered what life would be like if Buffy had told him that she was pregnant. He liked to think that theyd be a family, maybe another child. But then again, they would never know. There was a firm knock on his door. "Yeah," he admitted them. The door opened a little and he froze in his chair. "Yeah?" Ali repeated. "How bout come in?" Despite his shock at seeing her at his door, he still raised his eyebrow. She was definitely her mothers child. "Come in." She nodded, satisfied. "Whatcha doing?" He was even more surprised when she walked over to him and leaned on his chair, peeking over his arm to see. "R-reading."

"You usually read upside-down?" she asked with a grin. Angel looked down and quickly flipped the book around. "Uh, no. Not usually." She smiled and looked around the room. "So" he said. "Umwhat are you doing up here?" She shrugged. "Just wanted to see what you going on. I dont know you yet so I have to find out. So, what do you like to do?" "I-Iwork," Angel said, flustered. "You like work?" she said, scrunching up her nose in a manner that deeply resembled Buffy. He even had to smile. "Sometimes. I read." "Upside-down," Ali finished. "Exactly. W-what about you?" "Me? Well, I like to play games. Im really good at cards. I like swimming. I like being with my mom. Shes really nice." Angel swallowed. "Tell me about her." "Well, she has blond hair and green eyes," Ali said, "and shes really smart. And shes creative. She does interior design and made my room really pretty. She likes to laugh a lot." Angel nodded. He finally got up to the nerve to ask what hed been waning know for months: "Whatwhat about your father?" Ali sighed a little. "Mommy doesnt like to talk about him. Ive asked and she gets sort of quiet and wont tell me. Then she usually goes off and sits by herself for a while or something. But Faith once slipped up and told me that I was a little like him. She said that he was nice and loved Mommy. If you ask me, I think she misses him." Angel looked down at his hands, taking him her words. God he wanted her to be right. But he wasnt so sure. If shed missed him that much then wouldnt she have tried to say hi to him when she picked up Dawn? He was so confused. He just wanted to know what she was thinking. Ali shrugged lightly. "Id like to meet him. But, I mean, he could be anyone. Not even in this country." She laughed. "He could be you!" Angel almost fell backwards in his chair.

Part 6 "Is he coming?" Dawn asked, glancing towards the upstairs. Faith sighed. "No. Hes brooding." "Still?" Willow said. "Its been two days!" "I know," Faith said.

"Hi, guys!" The three immediately brightened as Ali skipped in. "Roller coaster time!" she said happily. Suddenly frowning, she asked, "Wheres Angel?" "Um, hes not coming," Faith said. "HeHes not coming." Ali snorted decisively. "Oh yes he is." She took off up the stairs, despite weak protests from the others. Ali barged into his room. Angels head shot up from his book, though it was right side up this time. She marched over to him and pushed the book away. Grabbing his arm, she said, "Lets go." "What? I-Im not going." "Of course you are," Ali dismissed. "The boardwalk is fun!" She tugged him out of the room and down the stairs. He half-heartedly tried to resist. Faith, Willow and Dawn looked surprised when they saw him. Theyd all tried to convince him to get out of the house. Theyd spent long minutes, giving him "deep" speeches and hed still refused. Thirty seconds after Ali went up, he was down the stairs. As they headed out the door, Faith nudged him. "Looks like shes a daddys-girl already. Not good, Angel." Angel stared at Faith as she winked. He hadnt realized that was the reason that he had come. God, she was right: he had done it because hisoffspring had wanted him to. Arg! Angel gently lifted her petite body up and headed inside. She sighed in she sleep and snuggled into his chest. Angel gulped a little. She was so small Faith and Willow exchanged worried glances as they followed Angel into the house and watched him take her up the stairs. Theyd gone to the boardwalk and stayed all day. Ali had been an endless source of energy and entertainment, and at the end of the day, she just deflated, exhausted. Angel had carried her from the car and to her room. Gingerly, he laid her down on the guest bed. He removed her little shoes and jacket before pulling the covers around her. He watched, transfixed, as she got comfortable and a contented smile appeared on her face. He wondered if this is what it would be like being a father. If he would be the one to tuck her in and say goodnight. If he would get up the next morning and make her breakfast. Or would Buffy. God, he wanted to know. He wanted to be a part of her life and family. But she didnt even know that they were related, let alone that he was her father. How would she react if she found out? He liked to think that she would be happy. Angel sat there on the bed and watched as she slept. Hed watched Buffy countless times. Shed let him sneak into her room and hold her the entire night. But he would never sleep. Hed just watch. Ali looked a lot like her when she was sleeping Dawn peeked her head into the room next door to the one where she was staying. She sighed inwardly as she saw Angel sitting next to Ali, watching her with a sort of awe on his face. She knew that he was already devoted to the little girl in the bed. He would be a wonderful father,

Dawn thought sadly. Her heart went out to him. She would almost read the longing on his face as he most likely thought about how he wanted to be in his daughters life. And in Buffys Ali wandered though the seemly endless house in wonder. It the most beautiful place shed even seen. She smiled as she looked out the window. The other three girls (er- women?) water fought in the pool. She had originally come up to go to the bathroom and then head back to swim but had become so"in love" with the house that she just to take time to explore. She entered a room at the end of one of the halls. Her eyes widened. It was a library! It reminded her instantly of the one in Beauty and the Beast. It was so big and had so many books that it could have been a store. But the room didnt just have books. It also had soft couches with exquisite lamps on the small tables beside them. Ali went over to one of them and hopped on. She reached out to the table and pulled out the drawer. Inside was an old fashioned pen, some paper and an envelope. She bit her lip, considering whether or not to explore the drawers. They were Angels personal stuff But he was at his office so it wasnt like he would know She reached in and grabbed the envelope. She opened it quickly, letting the contents spill onto her lap. Ooh! Pictures! She held one up and giggled a little: it was Angel and Faith as little kids. They were in bathing suits and running through the sprinklers. Faith was obviously screaming in delight. The next one was ofher mom! Buffy was standing with Willow, Faith, Xander and an unfamiliar brunette. They all wore burgundy graduation gowns and hats and held their diplomas up. Ali set that one aside, wanting to look more at it later. She picked up the third one andnearly dropped it. It was again of the mom. But this one had another person: Angel. The two of them definitely looked younger and were both not looking at the camera. Instead, their arms were wrapped around each other and their foreheads pressed gently against the others. They both stared deeply into the others eyes and looked content. Ali was definitely surprised. She hadnt thought that Angel had known her mom. But now that she thought harder, she remembered that he always got this look in his eyes when Buffy was mentioned. Come to think of it, Ali thought, he looks kind of that that around me! She was now officially confused. The picture showed that they were close, intimate even. Dating at least. Angel had been dating her mom? She made a mental note to ask someone about it. Angel had been pretending he didnt know Buffy and she wanted to know why. "Ali? Are you up here?" Ali quickly grabbed the pictures and stuffed the back in the envelope, before jamming them in the drawer and shutting it. "Coming, Willow!" she called, getting off the couch and hurrying out of the room. "Tell me a story," Ali said suddenly. "W-what?" Angel stammered. "A story? I cant" "Sure you can," she encouraged. "Everyone can tell a bedtime story." Angel frowned a little. "UmI-IIll try" "Thats the spirit!" Ali said with a smile. She was tucked into bed and Angel sat next to her. She

hadnt mentioned her findings to anyone yet but she was an expert in bedtime stories. If she knew them, which she did, then the person telling it usually related the story to their own life. If Angel was so hung up with her mom, then Ali would soon know why. "Uh" Angel began slowly. "Once upon a time? Yeah, once upon a time there was a princess. The princess was beautiful and everyone liked her. The princess had very loyal friends who were like family to her. "Um, there was also another group of friends in thekingdom. They didnt really know the princess but then one day, they met. One of the men fell in love with her right then. They were never apart for a long time. "But then one daythe princess disappeared. The man and all of the friends searched for her but she was nowhere to be found. The man wasbeside himself with grief. He became hollow, lonely, and hurt. His friends tried to help him but no one could reach him. No one but the princess" Ali watched Angels face carefully. He was looking off into space, and his eyes had clouded over. She could tell, he had basically forgotten that she was even there, she so kept quiet. "The man healed slowly but always wondered what had become of the girl he loved. And then, as if in answer to his prayers, she returned. But not to see him. She saw her friend and sister, and the man wondered what he had done wrong to make her avoid him. And then he found out the reason she had left in the first place "They saw each other once but said nothing. They were both too stunned at seeing each other once again that no words would come. And the princess left again. And the man was crushed again. But then, months later a young girl came to visit the kingdom, and the man took an instant liking to her. And he found out" Angels voice cracked a little and he stopped. Ali, who was holding her breath in anticipation, asked, "What did he find out?" Angel looked down at her, quiet for a minute. "N-nothingI meanits late. Y-you should probably got to sleep now." Ali frowned. "But what about the story? What about the end? You have to finish it." Angel rose and backed towards the door. "Nothe storywell, I dont know what happens in the end." Ali sighed a little. "WellI think that the man and the princess are still in love. And theyre stupid for not being together." Angel swallowed. After a brief silence he said quietly, "Goodnight, Alison." "Faith, can I talk to you?" Faith looked and smiled. "Sure, Al. Get over here." Ali sat beside Faith as she switched off the TV. "Whats up?" Faith asked. "Are you OK?" "Im fineI justwell, I have a question." "Shoot."

Ali chewed on her lip before saying, "Well, I was kinda of looking around yesterday andI found something that made me wonder" "What stuff?" Faith asked. "A picture," Ali said. "Of my momand Angel. They looked prettyclose." Faith mouth formed an O shape. "I-I see" Ali frowned at her expression. "And I can also tell that everyone knows something that I dont. Whats going on?" Faith thought a moment before meeting the nine-year-olds eyes. "I thinkListen: we do know something. But I cant tell you. I want to but I cant. Your mom can. But only if she wants to. Ali, shes been through a lot, and if she doesnt think its a good idea for you to know, then you should trust she judgement. Dont push." Ali considered her for a moment. "OK. I get it." "Good." "But I just want to know one thing," Ali continued. Faith nodded her head slowly. "Were they in love?" Faith was visibly thrown by the question. "Wha? UhIdont know" "Faith, you knew- know them really well. Were they?" "Yes," Faith said finally. "Yes, they were. Very much." "And are they still?" Ali said, her voice a little quieter now. Faith looked at her for a moment. "Yes."

Part 7 The week past quickly for Angel. Ali was just soso wonderful. She was always laughing, bringing a smile to his face even when he was down. He thought that was what Buffy was probably like when she was young Faith, Willow and Dawn, however happy they might have appeared, were all dreading Saturday. They all saw how much Angel had grown to care for his daughter and knew that it would behell for him to watch her leave. And it was the same for Ali. Buffy didnt have many boyfriends, and so she had never had a male figure in her life that she could talk to like she talked to her mom. Maybe Buffy would let her visit Sunnydale sometime The days were spent swimming, playing games, talking and just enjoying each others company. Angel couldnt imagine not tucking Ali in every night. But then it was Saturday. "You all packed, Ali?" Dawn asked, concealing the regret that she felt. Ali nodded. "Whens Mommy coming?"

"Shes picking us up at Willow and Faiths in about ten minutes. Were driving over there now." Alis eyes widened. "Wait! I have to say good-bye!" Dawn gave her a sad smile. "Ali, I told you already: hes not here. He had to goto work." "ButI need to say bye" Ali said brokenly. Dawn wrapped her arm around the younger girls shoulder. "Its OK. Im sure Faith will tell him." "Its not the same," Ali said quietly. Dawn thought a moment before saying, "Well, when we get to Willows, you could write him a letter." Ali perked up instantly. "Really? I could?" Dawn nodded. "Im sure hed love that." Ali grinned happily. "OK. Ill write him a letter." The four of them stepped out of the elevator and were surprised at who they saw there. "Buffy!" Willow exclaimed. "Youre early." "I got an earlier flight," Buffy said with a smile. "How long have you been here?" Faith asked as they all went into the apartment. "Just a couple of minutes," Buffy said, turning to Ali. "Hey, sweetie." Ali grinned broadly and jumped up into her arms. "Oh my," Buffy said affectionately, "youre getting so big!" She smiled over at her sister. "Hey, Dawnie. How was your week?" "Lots of fun," Dawn sad with a smile as Ali wiggled out of Buffys arms. "What about you?" Willow asked. "How was New York?" "Hot," Buffy said with a small laugh. "No, it was beautiful. And work went really well." She paused a moment and then asked, "So, where did you guys end up staying?" Glances were exchanged quickly before Faith said, "At a friends. You dont know them." Buffy seemed to except the answer. "Well, you guys ready to head home?" Dawn smiled. "Yep." "No!" Ali said suddenly. "I need to write my letter." Buffy frowned. "What letter?" Faith and Willow also wore confused expressions. Dawn, however, had begun to panic. "Ali-" "My letter," Ali repeated. "My letter to Angel. He left early this morning so I couldnt say goodbye."

All eyes went immediately to Buffy, who stared at her daughter. She had paled slightly and wobbled a little. "W-what?" she said, hoping shed heard wrong. "My letter to Angel," Ali said. "I need-" "Ali," Dawn said, "maybe now its a good time." "But you said," Ali protested. "You said I could write to him." "I know but Buffys tired and she wants to go home." Ali turned to her mom. "Mommy, itll only take a minute. I promise. Please" Buffy jaw had gone a slack and her mouth opened and closed a little. "Ali, not now," Faith stepped in, though her eyes were on Buffy. Ali frowned at how everyone was acting: all stiff and tense. "Whats wrong? Why is everybody all quiet?" Silence. Finally, Buffy got her voice to work: "Youyou spent the week withwith" Her voice broke off and she had taken a step backwards. "Mommy, a-are you OK?" Ali asked worriedly suddenly not focused on her task and instead the fact that Buffy had gone a deathly shade of white and had staggered back a little. Willow went slowly over to her friends and said, "Buffy, maybe you should sit down or something" Buffys eyes flew from her to Ali to Dawn and then finally Faith. "Why?" she said, her voice hushed. Faith swallowed. "He has a big house. W-we thought he was going to be out of town but he came back earlya week early" Buffys vision blurred and tears threatened to spill over the lids. "Ali? You met" A quiet sob hitched through her throat, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Alis eyes swerved wildly from one person to the next. "Mommy, whats wrong?" she begged Buffy. Buffy sank down so she was on the floor. Ali went over to see and sat down, wrapping her arms around her neck. She had no idea what was wrong, but whenever something was wrong with her, Buffy would always be there to help. And now it was her job. "Its OK, Mommy," she said. "Itll be OK" The other three watched helplessly as Buffy cried quietly and Ali hugged her. Buffy had just snapped at the news, completely breaking down on the spot. Buffy never did that. Sure, she would cry at times but if she had to lose it, shed go home and do it so no one knew. But here, she cried. She cried for the man that she had loved and still did, she cried because she

hated herself for hurting him; for killing any chance of the family she had envisioned so many times. She cried for the years that shed tried not to think about him; about what he was doing; if he was happy; if hed moved on and forgotten her. But most of all, she cried for Ali. For the sweet little girl who had never known her father. She had wanted to tell her so many times: countless times. But she hadnt. And it had killed her. "Hey," Willow said softly, sitting down on the bed. She wasnt surprised when there wasnt a response from the person who lay curled up in a fetal position, her face tear-streaked. Her breaths came out shaky and ragged from all the crying shed done earlier. Willow gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe the pain that could probably never be healed. "Its OK, Buffy," she said. Buffy looked up at her through red-eyes. "It is? Is it going to be OK? Because I dontLook what Ive doneI" She shook her head. "I ruined everythingagain. I never meant to" "Buffy, you didnt ruin everything," Willow said. The blond snorted softly. "Sure." "You were hurting then and youre hurting now. You thought you were doing the right thing by leaving" "But I didnt, Willow," Buffy said. "I knew it was the wrong thing. I found out I wasand Ilost it. I couldnt think straight." "Then why?" "I honestly dont know," Buffy said. "I just didnt want to hold him backHe wanted so much to go to Brownhe had amazing dreamsI couldnt- wouldnt- stop him." "Buffy, Angel didnt go to Brown," Willow said. "He went to Sunnydale just like the rest of us." She looked up. "What? W-why? He reallyhe wanted to go to Brown" "He didnt," Willow repeated. "He got in and he didnt go. He just didnt have the will. He Buffy, when you lefthe died. We were worried he would go completely insane. "I also think a part of him was afraid to leave. Afraid that he would go off somewhere and you would need him. He was always there for you, Buffy. Whether or not he said it." Buffy pushed her fingers across her face, trying to stop the tears from falling again. "You should have seen him this week," Willow said after a moment. "How he was with herit was amazing. They just clicked. He doesnt smile a lot anymore and that was all he did when she was around. He loves her." "I knew he would," Buffy whispered. "I alwaysthought about what would happen if Id stayed. I knew that he would be a wonderful father. Id watch Ali sometimes and see little things - gestures - that reminded me of him. Theyre a lot alike" Willow nodded in agreement. "Shes a great little girl."

"She is. Icant stand this. I hurt him, I hurt my mother, my sister, my friends, and Im hurting Ali by not telling her the truth. Shes asked before and I told her not to bring it up. Im hurting her" "Then why not tell her," Willow said. "Ali thinks Angels the funniest person around. She would be thrilled that hes her dad. Why dont you just end this? Tell her about what happened. Shes mature enough to understand." "What about him?" Buffy asked quietly. "What am I supposed to do about that? If Ali knows shes going to want to spend time with him." "Then let her. Angel would love it; she would love it. I know you guys live in LA but you could work something out." "Youre right," Buffy said. After a few moments she let out a half-laugh half-cry. "How am I going to face him? What am I going to say? Hi, Angel sorry bout leaving for nine years. You want her on weekends? " "Thats not how it would be, Buffy," Willow insisted. "Then how is it going to be? Please, if you know a good way to confront a person you left while pregnant with his child, then do tell." Willow was silent, not knowing how to respond. Angel reluctantly opened the front door, where someone was knocking loudly. He sighed tiredly when he saw who stood there. "Faith." "Hi," she said. "Can I come in?" Angel raised an eyebrow at her. "You usually just push past me without even a hello." He waited for his sisters smart-ass remark but none came. "Whats wrong?" Faith motioned for him to sit. He frowned. "No thanks." "Angel, you need to sit down," Faith said. "No. Thanks." "Fine," she said simply: very un-Faith-like. "Is there something wrong?" Angel asked when she had sat on the couch. "No," Faith said. "Not really." She looked him in the eyes. "Angel, Ali told Buffy that she spent the week with you." She watched as Angels swallowed hard. "W-why?" he asked shakily. "Just kind of came up. Buffy was pretty upset." Angel visibly winced and she added quickly, "Not at you. Justsurprised-upset. She and Willow talked" "What?" Angel asked when she trailed off. After a pause she said, "Angel, Buffy wants to see you."

Angels face, changed slowly to a look of stunned panic mixed with blinding joy and horror. "Whashewhat? Are youhuh?" "She wants to see you, "Faith repeated softly. "She wants to talk about Ali." Angels mouth opened and shut a few more times before he spilled out, "She wants to seeme? Aboutshewhen?" "Tomorrow," Faith said. "She thought maybe somewherepublic." Angel dropped his gaze to the floor. "Shes really nervous, Angel," she said quietly. "You two alone after all thats happened not such a good idea. You know?" Angel nodded. "I understand," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. Faith considered him a moment before standing up. She headed to the door, knowing hed need his brood time. "The Expresso Pump around eleven." She sighed inwardly as he nodded numbly. "Bye, Angel," she added even though she knew he couldnt hear her.

Part 8 Angel sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were all white. His quickly wiped his palms on his black jeans, trying to get them to stop sweating. Dear God, this was not happening! Hed been sitting there, about a block from the coffee shop, for at least an hour, maybe more. He couldnt get out of the car. He couldnt walk over there and face her. Because if he didwell, there was no telling what he would do: cry, grab her and kiss her, yell, go completely crazy. Sure hed seen her a few months ago but that was all quick and most of it was him spying on her. Theyd never talked and now he was meeting her for coffee to talk about their child, who hed just met. This was insane. He wondered when his life got soscary. It was about when Buffy came into it. Hed been kind of a smirk-y, slink-through-the-night kinda guy and shed brought him into the sun and made him smile again. Made him laugh. She was the only one who could do that. Then again, she was the only one who could make him have breakdowns, drink too much, waste trees, become disheveled and dirty, and make him cry like a baby. Hmm. Angel looked out the window for the thousandth time. Buffys car had pulled up about ten minutes ago but he couldnt see her from here. He was cutting it close: he wanted to go in yet he didnt want to go in. But he definitely didnt want her to think that hed stood her up. It was time. Angel slid out of his car and shut the door firmly. He steadied himself for what was about to happen and crossed the street. He reached the Expresso Pump and stood. There she was, sitting in a booth, nervously playing with her drink, and talking quietly on her phone. Her entire demeanor seemed rigid and jumpy: two things that were completely unlike her. Angel felt like he was going to collapse if he didnt sit down soon. This entire thing seemed so surreal thatit was scary. With the walk of a zombie, he entered the shop and towards her table. He stopped about ten feet away from where she sat, just watching her. He couldnt make out what she was saying but he could tell she was contemplating running away. So was he. "Yes, Im fine," Buffy said unconvincingly into her phone. "Im sureyesnoIts shipping on

Tuesday?No, its OKuh-huhThats goodThanksOK, you tooOKBye." She hung up she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Shed been trying (in major vain) to distract herself from what was going on. She had so many second thoughts about what she had told Faith and Willow: seeing him. Was this the worst idea ever? Yes. What was she doing? How was she going to talk to him without having a repeat of yesterdays breakdown? And what the hell would she say? Shed though about that all-night and still came up blank. She had also wondered about how he would react. Would he be cold and angry? Would he even show up? She raised her head to look around again and almost choked on the air she had breathed in. Angel stood there, his hands shoved roughly in his pockets; his shoulder slumped. He wore his famous black pants and a gray pullover, making him lookso good. Buffy had missed his plain, yet oh so hot clothes and longed for the familiar smell of him: a masculine scent mixed with after-shave andsomething that she had never been able to pinpoint. Something dark and mysterious and at the same time, tender and romantic. She loved it. It was comfort; it was home. She hadnt been home for a very long time. It still amazed Angel that even after all this time just this small blond could still take his breath away and make him feel likeno one had ever made him fell: whole. Buffy wasshe was what he longed for and cravedvanilla, mint andthe sun. Laughter and love. She was perfect. "Sir, can I get you something?" A waitress quickly snapped them both out of their reverie. "N-no. Thank you." Angel managed to nod at her. She smiled politely at him and left. The quick interruption had made Buffy seriously consider running. Hearing his voice after all these yearsyeah. It had her wanting to cry. She loved his voice so much: it was rich and deep and sexy and comforting andeverything a mans voice should be. And it was Angel. They both sat and stood there, tense and unsure. Angel shifted from foot to foot, trying to fill the hole that was their silence. Buffy swallowed hard and re-crossed her legs, just so she could have something to do. Finally when they had said nothing for at least five minutes, Buffy opened her mouth. "Dodo you want to sit?" Angel quickly did and wet his suddenly very dry lips. And so they sat. And sat. And sat. And then they sat. They kept avoiding each others eyes, knowing that if they made contact, emotions would finally break over and be set dangerously free. It was a game: who could be the last to completely lose it and start bawling and pouring their pathetically broken hearts out to the other and get down on their knees, begging to be taken back OK, so maybe not but something this that. Who would win? "H-howhow arenever mind. This is stupid." Angel trailed off, looking down at his hands. "S-stupid?" Buffy repeated, startled that hed actually said anything. "Yes," he said quietly. "All were doing is wasting time. We dont need to make small talk. Just get to the point." Buffy, who was taken back by his harsh tone, had to fight her watering eyes. Neither said anything for a few more minutes. What was the point? When Ali could stay with him? Were they even

going to talk about her leaving? Years ago, Buffy could look into Angels eyes and know exactly what he were thinking. Maybe she could still do thatthat is if he would look at her. And he wouldnt. "A-Ang" He cut her off by looking up at her. Their eyes finally met. She immediately forgot what she was going to say and just stared at him. His eyesthey held so much pain anddesperation? Something She was ever so shocked at the amount of emotion that his eyes held. When he knew that she wasnt going to continue, Angel decided to. "What? What were you going to say?" Buffy swallowed again, trying and trying to wet her scratchy throat. "I" Angel nodded a little. "Thats what I thought." She stared at him. "W-why are you acting like this?" He shrugged. "Dont I have a reason to not welcome you back with open arms? What, did you think I was going to come over here and start crying saying how much I missed you?" Buffy expression slowly began to turn from hurt to incredulous. What this really him? "I dont like guilt," he said. "When you took off, thats all I had: lots of guilt. I mean, just because you got knocked-up doesnt mean-" And that was it. Buffy snapped, finally realizing that yes, this was him and he was actingnot good. "Stop." Angel looked up at her, pain raging. "What?" "I didnt expect you to be happy to see me again," she said quietly, her voice shaking, "but I didnt think you would be like this. I now know that II really messed up. Not about leaving, but coming back. I never thought that you would be this bitter. And" She voice broke. "I wanted her to love you. But not anymore. I dont want my daughter around someone who considers her birth, me gettingknocked-up." Buffy grabbed her bag and quickly got up. Angels eyes followed her, trying not to let their own tears spill over. Buffy, on the other hand, was all over the spilling. "Im sorry, Angel. Im so sorry. I shouldnt have just left like that. Andyeah. If I could, I would take it back. But I cant, and now were here. And I dont want Ali around you if youre going to be like this. Soif you really care about her" A tear slid down her cheek and she whispered, "get a lawyer." "How is she?" Willow rubbed her eyes a little and sighed. She looked up at Faith and shook her head slightly. "She hasnt come out of her room yet." "Do you know what happened?" the brunette asked, already sensing defeat. "She hasnt said one word. I mean, its probably better that she scream or cry than just stay quiet" "Theyre really made for each other, arent they," Faith grumbled. "Angel does the same thing." She gave an exasperated huff and said, "Good God, they saw each other two days ago! Do

something productive! I mean God! What happened? Did they make up? Did they fight? Grr!" No matter how dramatic she was being, Faith was right. She had gone over to Angels a couple of times but hed locked himself away and was either passed out drunk or he was off parading around with the ladies. No matter how bad alcohol made him, Faith wished that her stupid brother had a massive hangover as opposed to a bunch of used condoms. "Thats it," she said finally, "Im goin in. Im sick and fucking tired or them being such idiots." Willow tried to protest but Faith stalked over to her bedroom (where Buffy and Ali, who was out with Dawn, Xander and Anya were staying). "OK, B, enoughs enough." Faith walked over to the bed where Buffy tucked in, creating a tiny bulge in the covers, and flipped the blankets off her upper body, revealing her head. "Been two days. Get outta bed." Buffy just shut her eyes tighter and gripped the blanket. Willow peeked over Faiths shoulder to look at her and sighed at her state: she wore all sweats and her hair was thrown around the pillow, all knotty. "Come on, B," Faith tried to chide her. "Just say somethinganything?" There was a long silence, which Faith and Willow waited with bated breath, before Buffy opened her eyes and looked up at them. They could see her swallow and slowly opened her mouth "Hehe was so mean" She broke off, as if that one sentence had exhausted her. "The things he said" "What things?" Faith asked cautiously. Buffy met her eyes. "B-bad things. Hehe said" She shook her head and a slight tremor went through her body. "I-its private." The other two girls, who were disappointed that she had stopped, were staring at how effected Buffy was by this. Faith immediately glanced at Willow and then left. She had things to do. Faith barged in the door, practically breaking it off its hinges in the process. She stormed up the stairs and threw open another door. She growled almost audibly as she found Angel, sitting on his stupid chair, staring off into space. He turned his head slowly and wasnt surprised to see his sister there. "What the hell did you do to her?" Faith yelled. Angel was silent. She stalked over to him and stood in front off his staring-wall. "What did you do?" Angel slowly met her eyes. "Thatsthats none of your business." "Like hell it isnt!" she retorted. "No its n-" "Shut up," she snapped. "Listen, Angel, I dont know what your problem is and I dont really care. But you broke her. Every time her shes sad or she cries its always because of you. What did you say to her?" He said nothing for a long time but Faith could see his wall crumbling at the reminder of how he hurt her.

"I know she left you," Faith said, her voice a little softer now, "but its not like she took her decision lightly. And its not like she wasnt hurt also" "II said some stuff" he said finally. "Bad stuff. II actedhorrible." He voice wavered and he looked off towards the window. "I acted like Ilike I didnt care that she was back and that I wasannoyed at her for taking off while she wasknockedup." Faith stared at him. "Knocked up? Youknocked up? Are youwhat is your?" Angel swallowed and clenched his jaw. "W-why?" Faith got out. "Were youannoyed?" Angel looked up sharply. "No." She gave him a look saying, care to elaborate? "I dont why I said that. I didnt mean it. I justa got scared. I mean, there she was, right on front of me, a-and we weregoing to talk." He gave a tiny laugh. "She was right thereright in front of me and I froze." Faith watched solemnly as he ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head roughly, as if trying to shake out the thoughts. "So you decided to turn all Asshole-Angel on her?" "I-I have no idea why I said everything It all happened so suddenly andI didnt know what Id done til the end. I just saw her andtensed. I" Angels voice broke a little. "II missed her so muchI dont know how Ihow I lived without her" He looked up at his little sister. "Do you think itsstupid: the idea that youre meant for one person?" Faith was surprised at both the question and the hopeful look on his face. "U-um, I dont really know. I guesswell, I think its unlikely. There are so many people. How are you going to find that one person? Its like trying to find a needle in a hay-universe." The look had faded from Angels face, but then Faith continued. "But I also think that some people do. Its crazy though: only like, one inbillions do. Think about it: how many times have you thought you were in love?" "Once," Angel said honestly. Faith gave him a startled look. "Um, okaay. But for all the other people out thereThere are so many couples that think that theyre in love. And what happens? One cheats and they divorce. If you really areI dont know, soul mates, would that happen? I know everyone fights butstuff like that" Angel nodded quietly, thinking about that. "M-makes sense." "Do you think Buffy is yoursoul mate?" Faith asked. Angel looked up. Soul mate? That was a pretty heavy term: soul mate It wasforever. Like, after death and stuffkinda scary. But he looked Faith in the eye: "Yes."

Part 9 Buffy slammed the back door to her car shut forcefully. She sighed when she turned around to see

Faith standing there, arms crossed across her chest. Buffy shook her head and walked past her. "Dont even start," she warned. "Youre running away from this," Faith said, ignoring her. Buffy whirled around, giving an exasperated groan. "Weve been over this! A lot! Dont." Faith advanced on her. "Buffy, I understand youre hurt. I understand hes hurt. OK, we get it: everyones hurt. But running away isnt going to make everything better. Youre never going to move on and you know it. And he knows it." "My God, Faith, he completely brushed me off! What do you want me to do: go back and do it again? I mean, really: what are you saying? I know youve been telling me this over and over but I still dont get it." "You two are so right for each other," Faith mumbled. "Both with thick ass heads and stubbornness coming out of the-" "Just stop," Buffy said holing up her hand. "Im getting my daughter and my sister and were going home now. To LA, where we live. Not here; theres nothing here." Faith shook her head and gave a little laugh. "Thats where youre sorely mistaken, little B. Angels here. And we both know that thats where you want to be." Buffy rubbed her head and said tiredly, "Faith, its been years. Weve made each other consider suicide at one time or another and maybe its a good thing that were apart." "Fine," Faith said. "Go back to your hideout and do what you do. Pretend to be happy for Ali and Dawn. Go through your day and smile and curtsy to everyone and theyll think youre content with your life. But when Dawn wants to visit or when Ali asks about the nice man who she spent the week with, for Gods sake, Buffy, dont lie. Dont drop Dawn off praying that you wont have to face your past, and dont tell your kid that he was just Faiths brother but not to ask about him and then go buy her an ice-cream." Buffy followed Faith with her eyes as she walked a little closer to her. "Dont, Buffy. Because itll just end up hurting you more. Im not saying that you two need to do the whole reunited thing with the soap opera music in the back round if you dont want to, but you need some sort of closure. And if that means going back to that damn caf and screaming out your differences and how much you hate the other and how much they ruined your life, then fine. Go ahead. But just go do it." Both girls were dead quiet for a moment, never breaking eye contact. Buffy knew that Faith had gone to Angel, yelling and cursing him the whole time. She was so much more than a good friend and Buffy knew that she was right. And "soap opera" was pretty accurate as well. The Saga of Buffy and Angel: it could be a book and then a mini-series titled, Love Hurts Like Hell. It would have the violins in every scene and lots of water bottles on set so the actors could stay hydrated after all those draining sobbing-their-hearts-out scenes. Willow chose that moment to pull up, delivering Ali and Dawn from Xander and Anya to Buffy. Buffy immediately hid the distressed expression on her face and put on a smile for her daughter. Ali squealed happily when she saw her and ran over. The other three people saw the way Buffys eyes lit up when she saw Ali smile. "Hiya, Mommy!" she said.

Buffy planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Hey, baby," she said softly. She stared at Ali for a moment, a torn look on her face, before regaining her composure and reapplying her smile. "Did you two have fun at Xanders?" Ali nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Xander told lots of funny stories and Anya tried to cook and the firemen had to come!" Dawn joined her niece in that grin. "It was pretty crazy. The stove caught fire and it set off the alarm. Anya completely lost it." Buffy smiled over at her. "Xander told me this one story about two dogs that we in love," Ali said. "Can dogs fall in love?" Buffy suppressed a laugh at the innocent wonder on Alis face. "Im sure they. Any animal can." Ali gave a satisfied nod. "Course, his stories werent as good as Angels cause Angel hasnt really done that much so its funny to watch him." The smile wavered dangerously on Buffys face and it instantly looked pained and plastered on. She forced a nod. "Well, I-Im glad you had fun." She looked over at Faith and Willow and said, "Thanks for everything, you guys. II really appreciate it. Tell Xander that too." She headed to the car and Dawn and Ali followed. "Bye, Willow; bye, Faith!" Dawn said before shutting door. "Bye, Willow; bye, Faith!" Ali said, copying Dawn. "See you later!" When both were securely in their seats, Buffy turned to the two women. "I mean itthank you. You guys arereally great friends." She gave them a small smile that was obviously sad and got in her car. As the engine started and Buffy pulled out, Faith glanced over at Willow. But she was already gone. The brunette smiled a little as she saw the redhead pull down the road and out of sight. Here we go *** Willow banged her fist on the door. Angel answered almost immediately. She was relieved to see that he had cleaned up and was wearing street close. Without a word, she grabbed his arm and yanked him out of his own house. "Willo-" he began. "Do you have your car keys with you?" she interrupted. He frowned in confusion but reached into his pocket and pulled them out. "Good." She shoved him at the vehicle and said, "She just left and should be headed on the main freeway now. Speed if you have to." Angel stared blankly at her. "Umwhat?" Willow gave him an exasperated sigh and said quickly, "You know exactly who Im talking about. And youre still in love with her and shes still in love with you and blah, blah, blah. Go!" Angel blinked at her. Then, not even a millisecond went by before he was in his car and tearing down the street and toward the freeway. When he was gone, Willow slumped tiredly against the tree. Keeping up with this relationship was

like million of marathons all tied together. She was completely drained. She smiled dryly to herself when she though about the state she would be in after what was going to happen next *** Buffy looked straight-ahead and pretended to be concentrating on the road when in fact, all she could see was his face. God this was stupid. There were so many reasons that she should leave and never come back yet she had to grip the wheel to keep her hands from going wild and turning around and driving to wherever he was. She felt completely weak that she was still hung-up about a guy shed dated like, nine years ago. "Buffy." She snapped out of it and looked in the rear-view mirror at her sisters scowling face. "Are you OK?" Dawn asked worriedly. "Im been saying your name for the past few minutes." "Im fine," Buffy said. "Justyou know, safe driving; dont wanna crash." Dawn gave her a yeah-right look but nodded anyway. She sighed inwardly and turned back to Ali. They drove along the freeway with the two younger girls making quiet conversation. Ali didnt know exactly what was wrong but shed seen how much her mommy had been crying and knew she was sad, so she was trying to be extra good for her. Suddenly Buffy slammed on the brakes. Coming to an abrupt stop. "What the hell?" she said as a car swerved in front of her. She turned quickly to the backseat and asked, "Are you two OK?" Both nodded shakily. "W-what happened?" Ali asked. Buffy glanced out the window. A black convertible was pulled in front of her and forced her onto the shoulder. "Some asshole that obviously cant dri" The word died on her lips as the driver stepped out of the car. "Oh my God," Dawn said. "Its" "Angel!" Ali said happily. She instantly wiggled out of her seat of had opened the car door. "Ali," Buffy said, "dont you dare leave this-" "Angel!" Ali said and went running towards him. "-car," Buffy finished dejectedly. "Buffy, he came after you," Dawn said nudging her. "Go!" "He probably just wanted to say bye to Al-" Dawn shoved her out of the car. "Whatever." Buffy stumbled out of the vehicle and quickly righted herself. About twenty feet away Ali was laughing loudly at something Angel had said. She was securely tucked next to his hip with her little arms around his neck. Buffy stood there frozen, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. It was her daughter and herfather? And God did they look the same; both with brown hair and brown eyes. She wondered what their son would look likeMini-Angel. Angel looked up and their eyes met. And time seemed to stop. It was just her and him, staring

evenly at each other. The couple that would never really be over. And here they were. And there wasnt any freeway with cars whizzing by and there wasnt a Sunnydale and there wasnt a LA. There was only the two of them. And they found themselves only a few steps away from each other, their daughter in between their bodies: their connection. It was still hard to believe that they had created this life together and that she would one-day fall in love and do the same. Ali didnt know why Angel and her mom were staring at each other and ignoring the fact that they were on a freeway but she said nothing. She felt Angel tense a little as Buffy got this close. It was as if he was afraid. Ali looked over towards her mom and saw a matching expression on her face. Dawn was hovering anxiously by the car, craning her head to try and hear what was going on. But there were only cars. Ali kept glancing between the two people next to her, trying to get them the catch her eye or at least stop staring ahead likestone. Buffy and Angel barely realized where they were, let alone that their child was completely confused. But finally, Buffy spoke. "W-what are youwhat are you doing here?" "Driving," Angel said. Despite the situation, Buffy almost rolled her eyes. Typical Angel. "And you just happened to see us driving and decided to try and get us in an accident?" She said this but there was no anger in her voice; she was just calm. The calm before the storm "I-I didnt mean to pull over so fast," he said. "I was" "Going really fast," Buffy finished. "Something like that." After a moment, she said, her voice a little quieter, "So why did you pull over?" Angel took in a shaky breath and quickly glanced uncertainly at Ali. Dawn, who had slowly but surely inched her way toward them, said, "Um, Aliwhy dont you come back to the car with me. We couldplay something." Ali looked back and forth between them one more time and, judging by the look on both of their faces, decided that this wasnt the best time to argue. She slid out of Angels arms and Dawn took her hand. Her parents watched as they left, her head turned back to look at them. And they were alone. Another weighted silence pressed down on them and Buffys eyes, for no reason another than the fact that things had gotten so crazy in their lives that they had to reconcile on the freeway, had begun to fill ever so slightly. "Iwanted to apologize for how I acted the other day," Angel said, his voice quiet. "ImIm really sorry. I dontknow why I did" "Do you really feel that way?" Buffy asked. Angels head instantly shot up. "No! I mean, no. Buffy, II dont think that. I just gotscared and I actedbadly." She nodded. "Faith told me what you said."

"O-oh," Angel said. "AndIm sorry too," Buffy said after a moment. "I went a little overboard with the whole Imgoing-to-the-courts thing." "You had ever right to be angry," Angel dismissed. "I was an asshole." "Well, t-thank you for apologizing. It means a lot." He nodded a little as more silence descended on them. They had both looked away from each other, as if making eye contact caused them physical pain. Buffy tried to find something to say but all she could do was keep thinking about where her life had gone. When her and Angel were dating, they were both head-over-heals in love and had their dreams and aspirations. Angel, of course, had wanted to go to Brown and major in art. Buffy had only known that she had wanted more than anything to be with him and that nothing else mattered to her. She had never really thought about the future (unlike him) and didnt really have any career goals. But here she was. She was very close to becoming the VP of the company she worked for and was providing Dawn and Ali with the very best. But her life had taken a completely different path than she had ever imagined. She had been arunaway, teen-mother, whod deserted her family and friends. That was not what she had envisioned what she wrote her When I Grow-Up Essay in fifth grade. And Angel hadnt taken his paintings any further than high school. Sometimes hed take out some paper and sketch for fun but that was all it ever was. Buffy used to tell him that he would be famous someday. Hed just laugh and say some corny, romantic line like; "I dont need fame if I have you." And Buffy had always loved it. And yettheir lives werewell, there were no more chick-flick movie lines that prompted heated make-out sessions and then groundings. Angel glanced up at her and stated, "Youre going home." She nodded shakily. "Y-yeah. Weve stayed longer than we thought anyway." Angel tilted his head a little, in something that resembled a nod? Buffy gazed momentarily at his face and wished that he would smile. But he didnt and she turned around. What more was there to say? OK, everything but she sure wasnt going to stand there and cry while her daughter and sister baked to death in the car. She took barely two steps before a large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back around. Her eyes widened a little when she found herself inches from Angels face. He stared intently at her, searching her eyes for something unknown even to him. "W-wha?" she said uncertainly. He said nothing for a moment. He lightened his grip on her tiny arm, knowing that if he kept this up, circulation would become an issue. "Stay." "W-what?" Buffy said, positive hed just saidwhat? "Stay," Angel repeated, his voice holding a hint of a plea. "Stay here. Justfor a few more days." "I-IcantII have to gowork" Buffy had long ago found that being coherent when Angels dark eyes bore into your own was a virtually impossible task. This proved her even more right. All she could see was himall she could smell was himas that was there washim He shook his head. "No. Buffy" He almost groaned. God she was so close! And soclose

She glanced back at her car. "But I" She stopped and looked back at him. "W-whywould I stay, I mean?" "Because I want you to. Iwe need totalkrationallycalmly" Buffy found herself nodding, as if in a trance. "W-we dotalking is good" "A-actually no," Angel amended. "Idont want to talk." Buffy swallowed a little. "I want toI want you to stay with me." "Stay with you?" Buffy said, her voice almost a squeak. Angel nodded. "Buffy" He shook her head suddenly, voice breaking slightly. "God, BuffyI missed you so much II need you" Buffy was instantly glad that he was holding her up because her knees were no use now. "Need me?" Angels grip tightened a little and he pulled her in so that he could feel her raged breath on his nose. "Y-yes. Pleasejust stayplease?" Buffy stared up at him, replaying what was going on over and over again in her mind just to make sure she wasnt delirious or anything. And even if she waswho the hell cares? Angel wanted her to stay with him. As intogetherness. Reality be damned! Her head moved slowly: up and down and up and down. "Ill stay." Angel stared at her for a moment, letting her words sink in and take their extreme toll. He finally let out the breath hed been holding and released her limb. And shoulders slumped and his head bowed, praying that this was real. Buffydayswith him. Oh God. And for the first time, Angel knew that there really was a God up there. He had to fight himself to not scream with joy and do Xanders victory dance (*wince*). After all that self-controlling, he looked back up into the green eyes that he his been his highest high and lowest low. They stared back, waiting with baited breath for him to do something. And he did. Buffy let out a surprised gasp as she was suddenly lifted off the ground and pressed firmly to his body. And she knew that she would die happy as he held her there for a minute, content with just staring at her. Thats all he ever wanted to do anyway. "I-Im going to take you to dinner tonight," he said. Buffy swallowed hard. "Y-you are? O-okayT-thatsfine." "We have a lot to talk about," he said. "W-we do," she agreed. "But that can wait until after dinner," Angel said. "Right nowI just want to be ableto hold you again." And Buffy died all over again. She pressed her lips into a thin line, willing herself not to cry. Didnt work. "I-Id like that," she whispered as a solitary tear slid down her cheek. She nodded. "Id like that a lot."

Angel brushed the drop away with his thumb and leaned in slowly. Buffy closed her eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. And they stood there, cars zooming by, with people wondering why there were two people wrapped tightly in each others embrace right next to the busy freeway. Dawn and Ali were straining their necks to get a better look at the couple. And at that moment, they were holding each other like they had when Buffy was a young, bright-eyed fifteen-year-old and Angel was a confident, cocky junior. And they both had no pain, no regrets. They only had each other, a beautiful little girl and the future. And even if it was just for that moment, that was all that mattered. Because life *was* short and you did have to seize the day cause hey, tomorrow you might be dead! They were, after all, on a freeway. Terminus