Goodnight my Angel
Angel opened his eyes and looked over at his son's crib beside the bed. Flipping his legs over the side, he squinted, rubbed his eyes, and realising what he was seeing, gasped in surprise.
"Darla."
The aforementioned turned slowly away from the crib with the sleeping baby inside, and smiled at the astounded vampire.
"You're a...you're" Angel stuttered, trying to compose himself.
Darla lifted an eyebrow,
"You're," Angel started again, "Dead".
Darla shrugged, "Look who's talking".
Angel just stared at her. Darla rolled her eyes,
"Yes I'm dead, but you know how the PTB like to screw with you", she explained, "They sent me to help you figure some things out, you know, get closure."
Angel nodded. "So you're a ghost?"
"Not exactly, I'm just here. Only for now though."
Angel stood up and tentatively reached out his hand to touch her face. He pulled back on surprise; she was solid.
"See," she said, "I'm just here."
Darla turned back to the crib, and smiled lovingly at the child lying there. Angel joined her admiring their son.
"Isn't he beautiful?" she said in an awed whisper.
Angel nodded, "Yeah he is".
Darla gently reached out, and touched a small curl on the baby's head,
"I never would have imagined, that you and I could make something so beautiful. My boy, my darling boy."
Angel gazed thoughtfully into nothing for a moment, then turned to look at the captivated mother.
"Do you have a soul?" he asked, causing Darla to turn her head away from her child in surprise.
Darla thought for a minute, then shrugged.
"I don't know, I'm just me."
Angel looked confused,
"But you haven't always been so.nice." He finished weakly.
Darla shrugged again, "I'll try to explain better. I'm the me who plunged a stake in her heart to save her dying child. And I'm the me who leaned her head against your shoulder as a dying human, when you promised to stay with me so I wouldn't be alone. But more importantly, I'm his mother. That's who I am."
Angel smiled sadly.
"He needs a name you know." Darla said out of the blue.
"Huh?" Angel replied, shaken out of his thoughtful stupor.
"No son of mine is going to be called 'hey you' or the 'miracle kid' for the rest of his life, he needs a name."
Angel nodded, "I know," he said sadly, "But it's hard. You've been gone for only a day, and now I've got this tiny being to care for, all by myself. And I'm scared. I'm scared that I won't be able to raise him, and something will happen to him, goodness knows that when any of my many enemies finds out about him, they'll target him, and Wolfram and Hart already knew that you were pregnant. Right now a name for him isn't really getting through to my panic-stricken mind. I don't know what to do, I'm scared to be alone."
Darla covered his hand with hers.
"You once told me, actually you told me a couple of times, that you would always be with me, and I didn't have to be scared about being alone anymore. Now I'm going to tell you the same thing."
The vampire's mouth twitched upwards against his will.
"You have incredible friends, who will always stick by you, they are loyal and true, don't forget that. And as much as I hate saying this, I will be with you, in a way, and with him. So don't be scared about being alone."
Angel lifted her hand to his mouth, and kissed it gently.
"Thankyou."
Her eyes filling with tears, Darla looked again to the sleeping baby, and traced her hand against the little fist that was curled beside his head.
"Take good care of him, you have to promise me that. Never forget what a gift he was to us, to me. And love him, not just because he was a miracle, but because he's yours."
Angel wiped a tear from his eye. "Promise me that."
He nodded.
"Before I go, I've just got one more thing to say to you."
Darla stood on her tiptoes, and whispered something in Angel's ear. He cracked a smile.
"That's a great idea. I know he'll love it."
Darla nodded, and turned towards her son one last time. The moonlight through the window had pooled around his body, washing him in light, making him seem more pure and innocent than all the angels in heaven. He sighed a little in sleep, and moved his tiny hand, brushing against his head that was just starting to show wisps of golden blond baby fuzz. He was perfect, in every sense of the word.
Darla, the tears in her eyes starting to pool over, gazed down sadly at the little child.
"I love you little one, always will."
Gently, almost tentatively, she leaned down and kissed his tiny head.
"Goodnight my Angel."
Angel blinked...she had gone.
Angel opened his eyes and looked over at his son's crib beside the bed. Flipping his legs over the side, he squinted, rubbed his eyes, and realising what he was seeing, gasped in surprise.
"Darla."
The aforementioned turned slowly away from the crib with the sleeping baby inside, and smiled at the astounded vampire.
"You're a...you're" Angel stuttered, trying to compose himself.
Darla lifted an eyebrow,
"You're," Angel started again, "Dead".
Darla shrugged, "Look who's talking".
Angel just stared at her. Darla rolled her eyes,
"Yes I'm dead, but you know how the PTB like to screw with you", she explained, "They sent me to help you figure some things out, you know, get closure."
Angel nodded. "So you're a ghost?"
"Not exactly, I'm just here. Only for now though."
Angel stood up and tentatively reached out his hand to touch her face. He pulled back on surprise; she was solid.
"See," she said, "I'm just here."
Darla turned back to the crib, and smiled lovingly at the child lying there. Angel joined her admiring their son.
"Isn't he beautiful?" she said in an awed whisper.
Angel nodded, "Yeah he is".
Darla gently reached out, and touched a small curl on the baby's head,
"I never would have imagined, that you and I could make something so beautiful. My boy, my darling boy."
Angel gazed thoughtfully into nothing for a moment, then turned to look at the captivated mother.
"Do you have a soul?" he asked, causing Darla to turn her head away from her child in surprise.
Darla thought for a minute, then shrugged.
"I don't know, I'm just me."
Angel looked confused,
"But you haven't always been so.nice." He finished weakly.
Darla shrugged again, "I'll try to explain better. I'm the me who plunged a stake in her heart to save her dying child. And I'm the me who leaned her head against your shoulder as a dying human, when you promised to stay with me so I wouldn't be alone. But more importantly, I'm his mother. That's who I am."
Angel smiled sadly.
"He needs a name you know." Darla said out of the blue.
"Huh?" Angel replied, shaken out of his thoughtful stupor.
"No son of mine is going to be called 'hey you' or the 'miracle kid' for the rest of his life, he needs a name."
Angel nodded, "I know," he said sadly, "But it's hard. You've been gone for only a day, and now I've got this tiny being to care for, all by myself. And I'm scared. I'm scared that I won't be able to raise him, and something will happen to him, goodness knows that when any of my many enemies finds out about him, they'll target him, and Wolfram and Hart already knew that you were pregnant. Right now a name for him isn't really getting through to my panic-stricken mind. I don't know what to do, I'm scared to be alone."
Darla covered his hand with hers.
"You once told me, actually you told me a couple of times, that you would always be with me, and I didn't have to be scared about being alone anymore. Now I'm going to tell you the same thing."
The vampire's mouth twitched upwards against his will.
"You have incredible friends, who will always stick by you, they are loyal and true, don't forget that. And as much as I hate saying this, I will be with you, in a way, and with him. So don't be scared about being alone."
Angel lifted her hand to his mouth, and kissed it gently.
"Thankyou."
Her eyes filling with tears, Darla looked again to the sleeping baby, and traced her hand against the little fist that was curled beside his head.
"Take good care of him, you have to promise me that. Never forget what a gift he was to us, to me. And love him, not just because he was a miracle, but because he's yours."
Angel wiped a tear from his eye. "Promise me that."
He nodded.
"Before I go, I've just got one more thing to say to you."
Darla stood on her tiptoes, and whispered something in Angel's ear. He cracked a smile.
"That's a great idea. I know he'll love it."
Darla nodded, and turned towards her son one last time. The moonlight through the window had pooled around his body, washing him in light, making him seem more pure and innocent than all the angels in heaven. He sighed a little in sleep, and moved his tiny hand, brushing against his head that was just starting to show wisps of golden blond baby fuzz. He was perfect, in every sense of the word.
Darla, the tears in her eyes starting to pool over, gazed down sadly at the little child.
"I love you little one, always will."
Gently, almost tentatively, she leaned down and kissed his tiny head.
"Goodnight my Angel."
Angel blinked...she had gone.