Finding Family
By: Miya
EMAIL ME AT:violetsilver@edsamail.com.ph
DISCLAIMER: I so don't own Angel, Buffy and all the other people except Tai. You know who owns them. The person who keeps spinning our heads with fake guest lists and whatnots. Joss Whedon aka Evil Genius Guy and the other people who owns them owns them.
SPOILERS: Some of season 4 of Buffy and a bit of season 1 of Angel. And "The Body". Yeah that's about it.
RATING: PG-13, since I will curse here.
DEDICATION: Yay, three D's! No more 3 D's. Weird. Um, to Sarah and David, be Buffy and Angel for real!!!!
Oh and yeah, FEEDBACK! Please!
I stepped off the bus hesitantly. I am so nervous. I don't know how I'm going to do this. Hi, my name is Tai and I'm looking for my father, as well as a friend of my mothers. It's night and it's cold. LA definetly looked different from TV. I walked into an alley. I am totally lost.
"Fresh meat." I heard a voice. I turned and saw a hideous looking thing. It grabbed my neck and tried to twist it.
"Let her go." Another voice said. Suddenly I was free and the ugly thing was dust.
"Are you okay? What's your name?" I looked at my rescuer's face. He was smiling a gentle smile.
"Yeah, just a little shaken up. I'm Tai. Tai Wittman. I'd like to know yours, so you know, I can thank you."
"The name's Angel." I inwardly felt shocked at what he said. He's one of my mother's friends. At least I think he's one of them.
I debated on what to say. "Um, I need your help. I was supposed to look for a few of my mother's friends and I think you're one of them." Angel stared at me and then said, "Do you have a place stay? 'Cause if you don't, stay with me."
I nodded. "Thanks. It'll be kinda hard to look for a place to stay."
Angel took me to a hotel. There were three other people there. Oh yeah, and a wolf.
"Go ahead Tai. Tell us your story." Angel said.
I breathed deep and began.
My mother is dying. Her doctor told my brother, Dav, and me that she has cancer. They didn't bother to tell what kind. It was weird going into her hospital room and seeing her like that. She was always the strong one. Raising me alone for 5 years then Dav and me after Simon, my step-dad, died. Now mom's gentle determined face is pale. Deathly pale. Her voice is now raspy, where once upon a time it was like music.
When she found out later that she was terminally ill, she didn't cry. This shocked everybody. Not me though. Instead, mom told me to come near her. She told me to go all the way to California. She wanted to say goodbye to her family and friends.
I was scared. But I knew I shouldn't let her down.
My aunt, mom's friend, Jasmine told me that my mother met my father in California. That maybe I should find him, so she can say goodbye to him too.
Mom gave me a list and told me to go first to LA, then to a smallish town called Sunnydale. I told her I loved her, then she cried as I was leaving.
I didn't notice it but I was crying when I told them my story. The woman there came to me and hugged me.
"It's okay Tai. My name's Cordelia by the way. And that guy sitting next to me is Gunn. And that's Wesley over there. That wolf is Oz, he's a were-wolf." She introduced the people to me. Then Angel spoke, "Tai, who is your mother?" I looked back at him, sheepishly. I was so caught up in my emotions that I forgot to tell them who my mother was.
"Her name's Buffy. Buffy Summers." Angel then collapsed to the floor.
Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley ran towards Angel. I stood back, afraid.
"What's wrong?" I say. Angel was now crying. I went nearer and he kept murmuring, "Buffy. No. Why Buffy?"
I was shocked. Is Angel and my mother really close? I asked myself. "Angel, are you okay?" he looks up at me and sighs. He tries to get up but falls again. I offer my hand and he took it.
"You're strong, like your mom." He says quietly.
"Everybody says that. I never ever believed them. Are you sure you're fine? I mean you just collapsed like that."
He stares at me, his eyes full of sadness. Then I felt his arms around me. I don't know why, but suddenly I lost it. I cried so hard. A part of me felt that I was safe in Angel's arms. In fact it felt so familiar. Like I know him.
A few minutes later, all of us were sitting in the table. Plus Oz who had turned back into a human.
"Aren't you weirded out by all of this?" Cordy asked me.
"With what? Werewolves? Guys who have cold hands because they're vampires? No. My mom told me all about them. In a way."
"How did you know Angel's a vampire?" Wesley asked. "Easy. I saw his face while he was fighting." That seemed to satisfy them.
I stood in front of the bed. My eyes were already drooping. Suddenly, a voice said, "Are you fine with this room?" I turned and saw Angel. I nodded yes. I was so tired I couldn't even speak.
He smiled and stroked my hair. "Goodnight Tai. Sweet dreams." There was a lot of emotion in his voice. I could sense it.
"You love my mom very much don't you?" he looked at me, confused. And sad.
"Yes, very much."
I stared into his eyes. I saw my eyes looking back at me. Could he be my dad? I asked myself. I wanted to tell him what I thought. Ask him if he was my father, I mean he did say that he loves mom. But I kept my feelings to myself. I don't wanna embarrass myself.
"My mom always talked about when she was in high school and college. She said a lot about this guy. At first I thought he was my dad. Well I still don't know. She never told me."
His eyes searched my face. Probably trying to figure out what I was trying to figure out. "Your mother was a very good friend of mine." He said sadly. "Why the past tense?" I asked curiously. His eyes did that tortured looking thing he did earlier. "Did you guys have a fight before she went to Ayers?" Angel sat down on the couch.
"Tai, why don't we talk about this tomorrow? You need to rest." Damn! He wants to duck out of my question. "No! Tell me now. Please. It'll kinda help sleep. There are so many things my mother doesn't tell me, us. She keeps saying all these stuff about her past but they're always so cryptic. Please tell me about her. When you knew her." he breathed deeply. "Buffy helped me through everything. She helps people. I bet you know that. But not just as a Slayer, but as a person. Without her I could've died. She was, and still is the very reason why I live. But I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. I keep leaving, and she keeps hurting. She hates me. I know that."
"No she doesn't. She asked me to find you. And everyone else. Thanks. Goodnight."
I slept soundly, but what Angel said kept haunting me. Maybe he is my father. I wish he were. My mind kept thinking how I'm going to find the others. How in the world am I going to find people I don't know, in a place I have never heard of, and tell them my mom wants to say goodbye to them?
The next morning, I was awakened by the smell of bacon cooking. I padded down to the kitchen and saw Angel cooking. Wow he's gorgeous, in a way, and he cooks too.
"Morning." He said. "Yeah. You too. What are you doing up? Aren't vampires supposed to sleep during the day?" he smiled then nodded. "I couldn't sleep. Besides that, I'm also unique." "Sure you are. It's like have a soul." I say sarcastically. "Actually, I do." My face turned beet-red. Boy I'm doing great.
Angel set a plate in front of me. I mouthed thanks. Cordelia, Gunn, Wesley and Oz came in.
"Hey Tai. How're you doing?" Gunn asked. "I'm great. Rested." I turned to Angel. "I need help Angel. I need to find my mom's other friends. They're in this town called Sunnydale. I need to get there fast. My mom, I hate to say this, may not have enough time."
Angel looked at Cordy, then to Wesley, then to Oz. "I was thinking the same thing Tai. Get your stuff together. We're gonna leave come nightfall. Cordy, can you call Giles and tell him we're on our way? Tai, would you like to take a walk through the good parts of LA?"
"Sure." Cordy came back from the phone. "He said fine. I'll take you around Tai." My head was reeling from the fast development of things. But hey, I get to fulfill my promise to mom.
"I never knew LA was so big. I always thought it was like a small town." Cordelia looked at me, shocked. "Well you're the only one I know who thought that." I laughed. It must've sounded hollow for Cordy put her arm around me and said, "Don't worry. Your mom's gonna get through this. If there's one person I know that can cheat death, it's Buffy. And Angel but he doesn't count." We sat at a table in a sidewalk restaurant. "Cordy, how did you know my mom?" "She was the new girl in school and I was the most popular girl. I offered her a friendly hand. She hanged with losers; I mocked her. Then we became friends" I smiled at the thought of my mom as a loser. She could never ever be a loser.
After a few minutes of gossiping, I finally worked up the nerve to ask her about Angel and my mom.
"Cordy, how does Angel know mom? He seems so… I don't know, emotional toward her." she took a deep breath. "It's sort of a long story kiddo. And I doubt you'll appreciate it."
I was crestfallen. "Why won't anyone tell me? I have the right know!" I blurted out. Cordelia looked at me shocked. "You do have the right Tai. But maybe you need to hear this from your mother." She tried desperately to calm me down. "But she can't. My mother's dying Cordelia! Where have you been? She can't possibly tell me anything!" I broke down in tears. "Oh Tai, I'm sorry. But your mother and Angel can tell you more. And they can give you answers to all of your questions. I'm pretty sure of it." I calmed down a bit. She was right. If my mom can't answer me, I'll force Angel to tell me everything.