-Flashback-
Things were very different from how they had ever been for Buffy. Normally she knew exactly what she was doing and even if she didn't, she was really good at pretending she knew. But now, everything had changed. She had been brought back from Heaven by her friends because they had thought she was in hell. Her sister now lived in London with Giles and they had all agreed it was best for Dawn, especially now with Buffy barely being able to take care of herself. Then she had gotten a phone call from him, her Angel. Although he wasn't technically hers anymore she didn't care. He had been hers for longer than they had been apart.
He had called to see how she was. He wanted to see her. She jumped at the chance and while she knew Giles was upset with her, she needed to see him. So she got in her car and met him at a seedy hotel between LA and Sunnydale. It was a gross place that looked like it was going to fall apart but it was good because it was abandoned it seemed. The only people there were the people who owned it. It was really good for Buffy because she didn't want to be around a lot of people. Not right now anyways. When she had pulled up to the hotel, he was already there, leaning against his car. She smirked a little thinking about all the time she say him standing that way. It reminded her of the good old days.
She climbed out of the car and took a minute to really look at him before she took a deep breath and walked closer. She was met half way by Angel who took long strides to reach her. He wrapped his strong arms around her and she leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of her ex lover's arms wrapped around her. She cried softly into his chest. She hadn't meant to, in fact that was the last thing she had meant to do, but it came out. Almost like she wasn't in control of her emotions anymore. She wasn't sure if she liked that but she wasn't given a chance to think about it before he swept her up into his arms and cradled her to his chest. He carried her to a room and used the key he was given by the owner to open the door and he walked into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. He laid her on the bed and pulled his leather duster off before lying next to her and letting her cry on his chest again just holding her.
It wasn't long before she felt something wet on her head. She looked up slowly and saw him, her Angel crying just like her. She pulled back from him and moved her hands to cradle his head. She kissed his forehead softly and used her thumb to wipe his tears as she is pulled closer to him, by Angel, who had wrapped his arms around her waist. They lay like that for a few hours not talking about anything. Everything was too fresh for both of them.
-End Flashback-
She was standing in the basement of the Hyperion. Angel's hotel. She looked over and he was next to her, holding her hand. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
"It's going to be ok Buffy we will get through this." He told her. She nodded mutely. She had been quiet since they passed the sign welcoming them to LA. She was honestly scared.
She knew Angel had his own friends and his own life now and she already felt like she was pushing her way into it. He pulled her upstairs and they heard Cordy and Wes. They seemed to be imitating Buffy and Angel, she knew it was true when Cordelia yelled out "Yes, Angel?" Angel and Buffy watched them. She didn't say anything just watched, Angel waited for her to say something witty and announce their arrival. But after a while when she didn't, he knew she wasn't going to.
"How about you both bite me." He finally stepped in. They were being rude, whether they meant to or not. Buffy really didn't need that right now. He was more then a little annoyed with them.
"How'd it go?" Gunn asked, not realizing Buffy was there, no one had seen her yet because she was practically hiding behind Angel.
"It went." Angel responded, grabbing Buffy's hand again and slowly pulling her more into the lobby. "Buffy this is Gunn" he pointed at Gunn "and Fred." He pointed at the new member to the group.
"Buffy?" Wes asked before anyone else could say anything else. Gunn glanced and Buffy and saw she seemed really scared, and nothing like the girl he had been told about.
"Hey Buffy it's nice to meet you." He said making sure to be more friendly. He saw the looks Fred was giving Buffy and he knew it wasn't helping. He stood up and held his hand out to her. Buffy glanced up at Angel and then took a small step away from him and towards Gunn. She hesitantly moved her hand out and shook his softly. He sent her a smile and she smiled back softly.
Cordelia could tell something was really wrong. She would be the first person to tell you that Buffy and Angel together was bad, but something was really wrong with Buffy. She could easily see it. She waited a minute before she decided what she was going to do. She moved closer to Buffy. She pulled the blonde slayer into a hug. "Hi Buffy." She said in a soft voice and she really meant it. Obviously Buffy wasn't ok or she wouldn't be here. She trusted Angel.
Buffy was really surprised when Cordelia hugged her. The two had never been the best of friends but she really needed friends right now so she was thankful for Cordelia's hug. "Hi" she returned. She knew everyone was watching her. So when she pulled back from the hug, she put a fake smile on her face. She really didn't know what to say to anyone. Angel grabbed Buffy's hand and squeezed it softly. Buffy looked around the room and her eyes landed on Fred, who seemed shy yet she was giving Buffy a weird look she couldn't interpret.
"I'm going to go show Buffy where she will be staying then we are going to get some Ice cream." He looked at Fred. "You wanna get some ice cream?"
Fred's smile got huge and Buffy raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure how she felt about Fred yet. "I like Ice cream!" she exclaimed.
Angel nodded and grabbed Buffy's bag with his free hand and led her to the stairs. She followed him. Once they were upstairs Wesley could be heard. "What is he thinking?" Wes obviously thought he was being quiet but they had both heard him. Buffy stiffened up and Angel stopped and looked back at her.
"Buffy he's just confused. Come on." He pulled her to his room and opened the door for them. Like the gentleman he was, he let her walk in first and followed her. Buffy looked around the room and smiled a little. "This is your room." She commented quietly. He nodded and set her bag by the closet. "I thought it would be more comfortable. If you'd rather I can have Cordelia make you a room up." He told her.
She quickly shook her head. "No Angel we are two adults, we can both sleep in the same bed and not…" she trailed off. She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. She felt the bed move and looked over seeing Angel sitting next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. She smiled softly but pulled back. "Come on. Let's go get that Ice Cream." She put a fake smile back on her face and he sighed. He wished she would open up to him like she did at the hotel.
-Flashback-
Angel was still holding Buffy in his arms an hour or so later. They both stopped crying awhile ago and now were just cuddling on the bed. She had just finished telling him everything that had been going on with her since they last talked and he had already filled her in on his life. She looked up at him hesitantly.
"I don't know what to do." She said quietly. "I can't just go back there and pretend they didn't hurt me. Because they ripped me out…" she looked down. "Out of heaven." She wiped her eye feeling tears building up again. She was tired of crying.
He nodded trying to be understanding. He just didn't know what to say. He had died and come back but he had been happy to be back, he wasn't ripped out of Heaven. "Come stay with me." He blurted out before he could even think about it.
She sat up and looked at him like he was crazy. "Angel… I can't." She said not really knowing why she couldn't.
"Why not? You said you can't go back there. So don't. They handled the Hellmouth while you were.." he stopped from finishing his sentence. He couldn't. "It wouldn't have to be forever..Just for now." He said looking at her. He wanted to take care of her, help her get past this hard time.
She waited until he was done speaking before she looked up. "I guess a small trip couldn't hurt." She saw Angel smile and she couldn't help but smile back. She hadn't seen him smile in forever and she had really missed it.
-End Flashback-
Angel, Buffy and Fred were walking around in the dark sewers. Buffy and Angel were scanning the sewer as they walked along. Fred and Buffy both had Ice Cream Cones in their hands. Buffy couldn't say no to Ice Cream. She had ordered Double Fudge Mint Chip and when she did, Angel froze, she didn't notice it though. Fred had gotten just chocolate.
"This has been the best night ever! First there's you two taking me to ice cream, then there is the ice cream, then that monster jumps out of the freezer and you're all brave and "Fred, watch out!", and then we get to chase it down into the sewers, which are just so bleak and oppressive and - homey. And, and I could build a condo down here." Fed said talking to Angel. Fred had actually talked to Buffy a little and she couldn't help but like the blonde.
"I'm glad you're having fun." Angel answered smiling a little at Fred. He knew it was a little weird between her and Buffy but he wasn't sure why.
"You think maybe the monster just wanted a sugar cone?" Buffy asked sarcastically. She really didn't want to fight any demons right now. She just wanted to finish her cone and then head back to the hotel and rest. Demons didn't seem to want her to do that though.
"I doubt it. Durslar beasts don't usually come above ground like that. They tend to stick to the sewers." Angel responded grabbing Buffy's free hand. He liked knowing she was next to him. It was kind of like all the times they had gone on patrol in Sunnydale.
"Lucky stiffs. They get to lead lives of mysterious sewage while I'm just plain ol' boring ol' Fred." Fred piped in taking a lick from her cone. Buffy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Boring? That's not a word I'd use for you." She said looking at Fred with a small smile. She meant it in a nice way. She was really trying to be nice and bond with everyone at Angel Investigations. She wanted Angel's people to like her and she knew it was going to be hard enough because they knew about Angel's soul and what happened the last time Buffy and Angel got really close.
"Fine. Nutty-ol'-goonie-bird-up-in her-room-doin'-nothin'-but-moochin'-off-Angel Fred. I swear I don't know how you all put up with me. I practically need flashcards to understand my" she looked a little past Angel "pretty crystals. Oh, look. They're everywhere."
She moved closer to really get a good look at them. They heard a dull roar sound and Fred jumped.
"It wasn't me!" Fred insisted as she moved closer to Angel. Buffy noticed this and her eyes narrowed. She couldn't help but wonder why girls always got so attached to Angel. Then she looked up at her Ex Lover and she knew exactly why.
"We must be near the Durslar's lair. Why don't you head back on to the hotel. I can take it from here." Angel said looking at Fred and Buffy. Buffy raised her eyebrow.
"You don't really think I'm leaving you alone with a possible pack of those demons right?" She asked him crossing her arms which he knew meant she meant business.
Angel sighed. "Durslar beasts are pretty Faulknerian. Lotta sound, no fury. Besides I would feel a lot better if you could take Fred back to the hotel." He looked at Buffy pleading and she glanced over at Fred before sighing and nodding, accepting what her Ex wanted. "Think you can find your way back okay?" he asked more to Buffy.
"I think so. 128 meters back, eastward fork, 207 meters to the southward fork, hang a right, 12 meters in... I'm just being a big nerd again, aren't I?" Angel nodded and Buffy laughed a little. Angel looked at her and smiled happy that she was laughing.
"Come on Fred." She gave Angel a small hug and whispered in his ear, "Be careful." She pulled back and he nodded. She grabbed Fred's arm softly and started to lead her out of the sewer. "Are you sure you can handle this?" she asked turning around suddenly to face Angel. She hated leaving him to fight alone.
"I'm fine!" Angel responded with a laugh and a wink at Buffy. She took a deep breath and nodded. She led Fred out of the sewer. Once they were out, Buffy let Fred lead the way. She didn't exactly remember how to get back to the hotel. Buffy took a minute before she decided to say something.
"So Angel told me he saved you." She said looking at the brunette.
Fred jumped excitedly and smiled starting to divulge into the story of how Angel saved her. She told the short version of it. Once she was done telling the story, Buffy nodded and looked at the ground. Angel really did have a amazing life without her around. She was messing it up.
"Something was always missing though." Fred said. Buffy looked up, confused about what she was talking about, she had tuned her out a while ago.
"With Angel." Fred said looking at Buffy. "I never noticed it til you came into the hotel with him. He looked so…different, much more relaxed, happy." She looked down not liking what she was saying. She wanted Angel to fall for her. "You make him like that Buffy. It's Good." She said. Buffy nodded. She looked up and saw they were at the Hotel.
"Um Fred.. Are you ok to go in by yourself? I think I'm gonna take a quick sweep around the neighborhood, I'm kind of antsy, it's a slayer thing." She said wringing her hands. She really just needed some time to think to herself.
"Sure..of course. Its right there." Fred laughed a little nervously. Buffy made her nervous. She went inside and once she was at the door, she turned and waved at Buffy, Buffy gave her a small smile and waved back before she turned around and started walking around the block.
………………………………………………………………………...
"Five years of not knowing whether your daughter's alive or... Well, how could we just let it go?" Trish said sitting in front of the desk, talking to Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn. Trish and Roger were Fred's parents.
"So we hired the private eye." Roger filled in for his wife. They were talking about the letter Fred had sent them, without a return address.
"And he tracked her down through an un-addressed envelope? We could do that." Gunn was shocked that the PI had been so efficient.
"Wait til you guys hear what happened at Haagen Dazs! Ordinarily these things don't put up much of a fight, but this one? Hoo! I think I'm gonna have it..." Angel yelled excited as he came into the office, alone. He was carrying a demon head. "mounted…. Hello." He slows down and hides the head a little when he sees Fred's parents.
"Angel. you're…alone. And - and you brought ... a prop! From your movie!" Cordelia supplied, turning to Fred's parents. "This is Angel…. Angel makes monster movies. Angel, these are Fred's very normal parents." She said giving Angel a look to cover the demon head.
"Ah…. Fred has parents." Angel said sounding surprised. He knew she had parents but they had never been mentioned or even hinted to so Angel wasn't sure what their story with Fred was. "Well it sure is - nice to meet you both." He said putting a smile on his face. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this situation.
"Ah. Son, you-your prop is dripping." Roger said pointing at the prop behind Angels back. Angel turns and sees a puddle of green blood that dripped from the demons severed neck. Angel laughed a little nervously.
"Oh, yeah. This" he swings the demons head a little by its hair. Fred's parents ducked and backed away "fake. You know, a little glue, paper machee..." he trailed off throwing the head behind him. They hear a loud crash as it breaks something made of glass in the lobby. "possibly some lead. So, Fred's parents - we've heard so - much... Well, uhm, sure is nice to meet you folks." He said holding his hands in front of him.
"No address anywhere on the envelope?" Gunn asked again, still not sure if he believed that there was no return address. It seemed crazy to him.
"No. None." Roger replied turning his attention back to Gunn long enough to answer the question. He then looked back at Angel. "Do you know when Fred will be back?" Roger and Trish are obviously excited and demanding to see their daughter.
Angel looks at his group and realizes for the first time Buffy isn't there. He looks around and doesn't see her and a part of him gets really worried. "Oh, me. Well, yeah, ah, I sent her right back here..with Buffy, right before I... picked up that….prop." He looked at Cordelia helplessly.
Buffy walked into the office quietly and saw two new people. She was going to grab Angel's hand for comfort but she saw he had demon blood all over his hands. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I…I sent her inside when we got here then went for a patrol……." She trailed off seeing Cordelia shake her head.
"A walk!" Cordelia said. "This is Buffy, she's from southern California. They call walks, patrols there." She supplied lying was always easy for her. "Buffy this is Trish and Roger, Fred's parents." She said introducing them.
Buffy nodded shyly. It wasn't like Buffy to be shy but something about these people made her feel…out of place. Not that she didn't feel that way before. She could handle one of them at a time but three of them plus Fred's parents was putting her on the edge.
Angel looked at Buffy relieved. "I'm sure she's - up in her room" He saw Trish and Roger smile at each other "- right now." He said taking over for Buffy. He could see her closing up and it really scared him. He would be sure to talk to her before they went to bed that night, and with any luck she would actually let him in and he wouldn't have to push her. He hated pushing her but sometimes it was the only way he could get info out of her.
………………………………………………………………………...
"Guys - when was the last time Fred ever left the hotel by herself?" Cordy whispered to Gunn, Wesley and Buffy. Sure Buffy wouldn't know but Cordelia was trying really hard to include Buffy. She wasn't sure if she was ok with Buffy being here but she knew that Buffy needed help, she could easily see it.
"A couple of weeks after never." Gunn replied confidently. Fred never left the Hotel unless she was with Angel.
"We want our daughter." They heard Roger saying to Angel. Cordelia sighed and leaned in closer to them.
"So, what is she running from?" Wesley asked. They all look over at Fred's parents and Buffy makes sure to watch them closely. Her senses are more advanced. She saw Roger whisper something to his wife and she wished she could read lips.
………………………………………………………………………...
Fred's parents were out in the lobby talking to themselves while the team all stood in Wesley's office trying to figure out what to do.
"There's just something…off about them. I just can't figure out what it is." Buffy said as she sat on the corner of the desk. She was getting a little more comfortable around these people but she still had a guard up.
"Fred must have returned while we were in here, seen her parents and..."Wesley was cut off by Angel. He moved closer to Buffy and wrapped his arm around her lower back as he talked.
"Took off. That's not a good sign." He looked down at Buffy and she had a look of disagreement on her face. "what do you think Buffy?" he asked looking at her seriously. He wanted her to feel like she was free to give her opinion.
She hesitated before answering. "Well…when I came to Sunnydale and my dad suddenly showed up, you know when I was having those nightmares." She said to Angel and both him and Cordelia nodded. "Well I was running away from my dad because I was scared. Because I was the same girl I was when I left and he didn't seem to love that side of me…" she looked down at her hands. "Maybe…Maybe Fred is feeling the same." She offered looking back up for a minute and saw Gunn smiling at her. She gave him a small smile back and looked back at her hands.
The group was silent for a moment taking in Buffy's idea. Then Gunn thought of another part of their story.
"They said she sent them a letter. Can you picture Fred sneaking off to send a letter?" He asked glancing at Fred's parents for a second but then looking back at everyone in the office.
Cordelia made a snorting sound. "Sneaking off, right. Fred can barely tie her shoes without Mr. 'oh, you're my big, fat hero!' around." She said looking at Angel pointedly.
Angel looked at Cordelia a little offended. "You think I'm fat?" Buffy looked at Cordelia and they laughed a little before Buffy reached for Angel's hand patting it softly. Wesley cut up the joke.
"This could be a ruse, to trick us into letting them get close to her. Making it seem as though she'd initiated contact." He said, obviously worried about Fred. Buffy raised her eyebrow and was silently wondering if maybe Wes liked Fred.
"On the other hand if the letter is real and she told them not to look for her, there's got to be a reason for that." Angel said looking at the Burkles for a minute before he looked away, just as they looked into the room.
"Does Fred ever talk about her family?" Buffy asked sitting up a little more. She was getting tired and it was wearing her down more than she would have liked it to. Everyone in the room stayed silent and Buffy took this as a no. She nodded and tried to think. "Well does Anyone know where she would go?" she asked looking around the group. She was starting to get pretty worried when no one answered right away.
"We could hit all the local taco stands." Everyone looks at him like he's crazy, except Buffy who doesn't get it. "Joke!... Kind of." He shrugged and leaned against the desk next to Buffy.
"Come on, guys, think! What do we know about Fred?" Angel asked, pacing now. Buffy watched him and tried to think about everything she said in the sewer but she was talking a million miles an hour about Ice Cream and Sewers. She heard Gunn mention the Tacos again and almost laughed. She covered her mouth for a minute.
"She seemed comfortable in the sewers." She threw in. Everyone looked at her. She shrugged. "well you guys found her in a cave right? Sewers are dark and…well maybe comforting if you lived in something similar for years." She said. She started to pick at her nails so she missed the look Wesley gave her. He had sent her a proud smile. True she wasn't his slayer anymore but when she had been, she had never thought of things like that. He could tell she had matured a lot and become an amazing slayer.
"I'll head back down there, see if I can find her." Angel said liking Buffy's thought. It made sense to him. He too had thought his Ex lover had matured a lot and had become an amazing woman.
"She worked at the Public Library. There may be colleagues there she trusted." Wesley threw in as another option.
"What about them? We can't just leave them there! What if Fred comes back?" Cordy asked as she looked at the Burkle's through the window. They were sitting on the settee in the lobby. They looked over and Cordy ducked quickly.
"Oh!" she said as she ducked. Wesley waited a minute before walking out of the office, everyone followed him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Burkle, we're gonna try a few places we think Fred may have gone. Would you like to come along?" he asked them, knowing he couldn't make them come with the team but it would be better if they did.
"Ah, all seven of us? Wouldn't it make more sense to split up, cover more territory?" Roger asked looking over everyone in the group.
"Well, I'm gonna check out some of my, ah, industry contacts. So it'll just be the six of you." He said taking Buffy's hand. She squeezed his hand softly to let him know silently that they would find Fred and it would all be ok.
"Industry contacts? Why would... - Fred's not - 'making movies,' is she?" Trish asked worriedly. It was obvious she didn't want her daughter mixed up in the movie world. Even she knew how dangerous that world could be.
"Movies?" Buffy asked looking up at Angel really confused since she had missed the beginning of the conversation between Angel and the Burkle's.
"No! No, no, of course not. It's just some of these contacts they-they know things sometimes. They're, ah, underground." Angel said to the Burkle's and gave Buffy's hand a short squeeze letting her know he would fill her in later.
"Right. Uh…shall we go?" Wesley asked making sure everyone was ready. Everyone nodded and Gunn and Cordelai led the Burkle's out of the lobby. "I'll call you if we find anything." Wesley said to Angel as he walked past him. Buffy went to follow Wesley but Angel held onto her hand.
"Come with me?" he asked her. She glanced back at Wesley's retreating form and nodded. She linked their fingers and followed Angel out to the sewers. She held onto his hand as he led the way to the sewer they had been in earlier. "How are you?" he asked looking at her, his eyes scanning her. He wanted to make sure she had been ok on the patrol she mentioned earlier.
"Yeah I'm worried about Fred though." She said looking around. He smiled at her. He couldn't help it. She was so sweet. She barely knew Fred yet she was ready to jump in and help her.
"I meant with the patrol earlier." He told her stroking her hand softly. "I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry." He looked at her. She shook her head.
"Why would you think about it? We haven't been together in three years. You probably don't even think about the past.. Its all good." She said starting to walk again. He grabbed her hand more firmly.
"How could I not think about the past Buffy?" he asked her really wanting to know why she thought he didn't think of her anymore. "the past is how I met you. That's not something you so easily forget." He told her.
She sighed and nodded. "I know I'm sorry. I just… I don't know I'm probably just snapping because I'm tired." She confessed. He wasn't so sure though.
He used her hand in his, to pull her closer. "Well let's find Fred then we can go back to the Hotel and you can get some sleep." He said kissing her head and handing her a stake he had hidden in his jacket. "never know if you might need it." He said with a shrug and she smiled and made sure to hide it.
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A/N: Ok well that was the first chapter. I really hope you all enjoyed it cause I worked hard on it. Please let me know what you think. This idea came to me while laying in bed so Im not sure how good it is.