Title: Starting Over
Author: Settiai
Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.
Rating: PG-13
Explanation: This is my story for the Whedonverse AU Ficathon on LiveJournal, and it was written for sasha b.
Warning: Because of the nature of the Ficathon, this story is completely AU. Although I've attempted, to the best of my ability, to keep everyone in character, they are all completely human. If that bothers you, then please find another story to read.
Summary: When Buffy Abrams ran away from her old life, she never expected to find love in her path.
Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.
----------
Will it break her heart?
Will she understand,
That I had to leave?
That's what was best for me and Emily.
"Me and Emily" by Rachel Proctor
----------
Buffy Abrams glanced in the rearview mirror, a smile coming to her face as her gaze focused on the three-year-old sleeping peacefully in her car seat. "Don't worry, Emily," she whispered softly. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see, my angel. He isn't going to find either of us."
After a moment or two, she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from her daughter. The slight drizzle that had been coming down for the last half hour was slowly becoming a downpour, and every passing minute made the road in front of her harder and harder to see. Her gaze drifted down to the cell phone that lay on the seat next to her, the 'low battery' sign flashing on its screen, and she let out a sigh.
"I guess we better find somewhere to spend the night," Buffy said quietly as she glanced at the gas gauge that was practically resting on empty. "We don't want to get stranded on the side of the interstate."
Her only answer was a slight rustling as Emily shifted position in her sleep.
----------
Eighteen-year-old Connor Russell rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair behind the hotel desk. "Cordy, tell me again why I'm doing this?" he asked with a sigh.
The dark-haired woman he was speaking to flashed him a grin as she collapsed on the cheap couch that was set up in the building's lobby. "Because your dad owed me a favor, and you were stupid enough to get caught sneaking in the house at four in the morning."
"But don't you have people you pay to help you run this dump?" he asked in exasperation.
"Of course," Cordelia replied mischievously, "but none of them could work this week. Fred asked for time off month's ago, Willow's not allowed to work until the baby's born, Xander's in Los Angeles for some science fiction convention until Wednesday, and Harmony… is Harmony."
"She called you five minutes before she was supposed to be here to tell you that she had a hot date and couldn't work?" Connor asked dryly.
Cordelia nodded as she met the teenager's gaze. "Exactly."
Connor let out another sigh as he glanced up at the clock handing on the nearby wall. "It's almost midnight," he said pointedly after a few seconds. "Do you really think someone's going to show up this late looking for a room?"
"When the weather's like this, you never know," Cordy replied, her eyes focusing on the pouring rain outside. After a few seconds, she smiled and pulled herself to her feet. "See what I mean?"
Connor shot her a confused look, but any questions he had were answered as the hotel's door few open and someone rushed in with what appeared to be a blanket wrapped loosely around them. He couldn't help but stare slightly, but Cordelia didn't even seem fazed by the person's strange attire.
"Welcome to the Roadside Inn," she said with a welcoming smile. "Do you need a room for the night?"
A thin hand reached out from under the blanket and pulled it down, revealing a young woman with long blonde hair. The skin around her right eye was slightly darkened, as if it had been a black eye several days earlier, and several faint bruises were fairly noticeable on the pale skin of her neck. The woman merely smiled though, oblivious to the gaping teenage boy sitting behind the counter.
"Yes," she said softly, "we do need a room."
She pulled the rest of the soaked blanket away from her, revealing a brown-haired toddler sleeping peacefully despite the woman's ragged appearance. Then she turned her gaze back toward Cordelia. "Do you think I could leave her in here for just a moment?" she asked shyly. "I couldn't carry our bags and keep her dry at the same time."
"Of course," Cordelia replied instantly. "I'll sit here and hold her for you--?
"Abr… Summers. My name's Buffy Summers," the blonde woman said quietly as Cordelia trailed off. She then gently handed the sleeping girl in her arms to the dark-haired woman. "And this is Emily."
Cordelia was careful not to wake up the sleeping girl as she carefully took her from her mother. Buffy gave her a tentative smile before wrapping the blanket back around herself and dashing back out the door, leaving both Cordy and Connor staring after her.
"I'll give you ten to one odds that she doesn't come back," Connor said the moment the door clicked shut. "Why the hell did you let her give you the kid?"
"She'll be back," Cordelia replied with a slight shrug as she shifted Emily in her arms.
Connor started to retort, but he trailed off as the door flew open again. Buffy stepped back in, the soaked blanket from earlier no longer wrapped around her. Her plain denim jeans were obviously soaked, and her light blue T-shirt was almost see-through. Water down her face as she reached up to push a few locks of hair out of her face.
Cordelia's eyes drifted down to the single travel bag that Buffy was holding, but she was careful not to comment. Instead, she merely shifted Emily in her arms and gestured toward the desk with her eyes. "I'm Cordelia Chase, and this is Connor Russell. If you sign in, I'll carry this little doll for you."
"Thank you," Buffy said quietly as she stepped toward the desk.
----------
Buffy smiled weakly as she glanced over at the twin bed farthest from the door, her eyes focusing on her sleeping daughter for a moment. Emily was laying on top of the covers, fully clothed except for her bare feet. Her long brown hair flowed all over the pillow, looking like a wave of chocolate for all its worth.
She reluctantly turned her gaze to the mirror in front of her, and her eyes moved scrutinizingly over her towel-clad body. Her wet hair hung down around her face, slightly hiding the bruises on her neck. Her entire right shoulder was dark blue, however, and when she turned to her side she could see the slowly-healing marks left by a belt.
"Damn it, Parker," Buffy whispered softly, her voice trembling with a combination of anger and hurt.
As the words left her mouth, the smiling face of the man she had married three years earlier flashed in her mind. Her hatred for him slowly began fading away immediately, but as she glanced at Emily another image appeared in her head. It was Parker once more, but this time his face was contorted with rage as he reached out and slapped their daughter. Any doubts about her anger faded away within an instant as Buffy let out a sigh.
"Shit," she muttered as she fell back on the empty bed. "Shit, shit, shit…"
----------
"I'm betting he was her husband," Cordelia said thoughtfully as she took Connor's place behind the desk. "When I asked her what her name was, she started to say one thing and then changed it mid-word."
Connor gave her a puzzled look as he pulled on his jacket. "What are you talking about?"
"Buffy Summers," Cordelia replied calmly. "I'm guessing that she's left her husband and took the little girl with her. She had all the usual signs."
"Signs?" Connor asked curiously, a disbelieving look on his face. "I thought she was kind of strange, but I really didn't notice anything too weird about her."
Cordelia shook her head, and for a moment or two she seemed lost in thought. "Bruises shaped like someone's hand, the slip-up on her name, her complete lack of luggage…" She trailed off as she realized that an eighteen-year-old might not be the best person to confide it.
"You better be getting home," she said pointedly, bringing the conversation to a definite end. "Your dad will kill me if you get in too late."
"You're probably right about that," Connor replied nonchalantly, but it was obvious to her that he was curious about what she had been saying. "Should I drop off a message for Kate on my way home? Ask her to drop by in the morning?"
Cordelia regretfully shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I've seen a lot of cases like this in the past. Most of the time, they just want a peaceful night before they head out the next day. They don't want someone to stick his or her nose where it doesn't belong."
"Okay," he said with a shrug, though there was still a slightly confused expression on his face. "I should tell Dad to stop by in the morning though, right?"
"Could you?" she asked tiredly. "And, while you're at it, could you ask him to drag my fiancé along with him? I have a strange feeling that Doyle's going to try his best to find a way to get out of working here tomorrow."
"I'll see what I can do," Connor replied with a grin. "See you tomorrow, Cordy."
"It's already after one," she said, stifling a yawn as she spoke.
Connor shrugged as he opened the door and peered out at the pouring rain. "Fine, I'll see you later today then," he called out moments before he stepped outside and let the door shut behind him.
----------
When Buffy reluctantly opened her eyes, she her daughter's curious face hovering a few feet above hers. "Where's Daddy?" a quiet voice asked inquisitively, a slight tremor in the two words.
"The two of us are on a trip without Daddy, remember?" Buffy said with a weak smile as she propped herself up. "We were thinking about going to New Orleans to visit Grandma Joyce and Granddaddy Giles."
"Aunt Dawn?" Emily asked slowly. "Aunt Faith?"
"Of course," Buffy replied gently. "Just make sure you don't call Faith your aunt in front of your grandparents. Dawn hasn't told them yet, remember?"
The little girl seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds before she grinned, her worries momentarily forgotten. As Buffy leaned back against her pillow with a tired yawn, however, Emily's bottom lip jutted out. "Hungry," she said petulantly.
"Of course you are," Buffy muttered under her breath, but she managed to keep a smile on her face. She slowly reached out and ruffled her daughter's hair before unenthusiastically pulling herself into a sitting position. "Give Mommy time to get dressed, and then we'll go get something to eat."
----------
"Thank you for choosing our establishment, Mr. Snyder" Cordelia said with a fake smile as the man standing in front of her handed his room key over. "I hope you enjoyed your stay."
He let out a "humph" before turning and walking away. "I've stayed in better doghouses," he called over his shoulder as he flung open the door and stomped out.
"I'm sure you have," Cordelia said sweetly, adding a quiet "bastard" to the end of the sentence as the door slammed shut.
She let out a sigh and sank back down into her chair. "I'm going to have an ex-fiancé if he doesn't get his lazy ass here soon," she grumbled.
"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" a cheerful voice called out suddenly, causing Cordelia to let out a surprised gasp as her eyes flew toward the doorway.
Two dark-haired men were standing in the doorway, one in his mid-thirties and the other in his late twenties. The younger man was holding two cups of coffee, and his green eyes were twinkling with mirth. He held up one of the cups and waved it teasingly in the air. "Need a boost?" he asked with a smirk.
"Smart ass," Cordelia said with a smile as she made her way out from behind the desk. She gave her fiancé a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing the coffee from his hand and taking a long sip. A grateful sigh escaped her lips as she laid the cup on a nearby table and glanced at the older man still standing in the doorway. "Thanks, Angel."
Angel let out a short bark of laughter as an disbelieving expression appeared on Doyle's face. "Now Cordy," he said lightly, "what makes you think I was the one who bought the coffee?"
"Because it's my favorite kind," she replied with a wink, "and I'm pretty sure that Mr. Incredulous here has never ordered anything other than straight black coffee in his entire life."
Angel laughed again, and after a moment or so the other man joined in as well. "That might be true," Doyle said with a slight shrug, "but you still love me."
"What can I say?" Cordelia asked, her voice surprisingly serious although her eyes were twinkling. "My tastes have plummeted since graduation."
Doyle lunged at her with a chuckle, and Cordy quickly dodged out of the way. "Get back here," he called out with a grin, just as his hand caught hold of her shirt. Instead of pulling away, she turned and wrapped her arms around him.
"I didn't say that I minded," she said softly before pressing her lips against his.
The sound of childlike laughter suddenly came from nearby, and an innocent voice suddenly called out "Kissy, kissy."
They quickly pulled apart, and both their faces burned red as they glanced over at the desk. Buffy was standing there, a thin green jacket covering the bruises that had been showing the night before. Beside her, Emily was staring at them with wide eyes.
"Miss Summers," Cordelia said sheepishly after a few seconds had passed. "I wasn't expecting you to get up this early."
"Three-year-olds can be very insistent when they're hungry," Buffy explained warily, her eyes focusing on the two men that were standing nearby.
"I can vouch for that," Angel said with a smile as he stepped up and held out his hand. "I'm Angel Russell. You met my son, Connor, last night, if I'm not mistaken. He mentioned you when he got home."
Buffy stared at his hand for a moment before shyly reaching out and shaking it. "Nice to meet you," she said softly. "I'm Buffy Summers, and this little imp is Emily."
Angel knelt down so that he was looking the little girl directly in the face. "Hi Emily. I'm Angel. Do you like pancakes?"
Emily nodded eagerly, and her eyes lit up. "Chocolate chip are my fav'rite," she said eagerly. "Daddy makes good ones. He's not here though. Mommy yelled at him, and we…"
"That's enough, Emily," Buffy said suddenly, and an embarrassed expression appeared on the little girl's face. Angel merely smiled understandingly though before standing back up. Acting as if Emily hadn't said a word, he swiftly turned the conversation back to its original course.
"I happen to have a friend who owns a restaurant, and he has a cook who makes some of the best chocolate chip pancakes in the world," he said to Emily with a smile, though his eyes were focused on Buffy's face. "If your mommy doesn't mind, I could show the two of you where it is."
"Mommy?" Emily asked hopefully as she looked upwards at her mother. Buffy stared at Angel for a moment before slowly nodding, and the girl's face broke into a wide grin.
"Thank you," Buffy mouthed as her daughter started humming happily.
"No problem," Angel replied with a shrug. "Cordelia and I were planning on stopping there for a bite ourselves as soon as someone from the day shift gets here."
His gaze met Buffy's, and for a second they seemed to be unaware of everyone else in the room. They both jumped when the silence was broken a moment or two later by Doyle's voice. "Would someone mind introducing me? I'm tired of standing here pretending that I don't exist."
Cordelia rolled her eyes as she gave Buffy an apologetic smile. "The loudmouth here is Francis Doyle, my fiancé. He volunteered to work here today since we're a little shorthanded, but I'm afraid that he doesn't quite comprehend the full meaning of the word 'tact'."
"And what does that mean?" Doyle asked indignantly as he turned to face Cordelia.
She gave him an innocent smile, but there was a puckish glint in her eyes as she spoke. "It means that you…"
Cordelia broke off as the door swung open and a blonde woman dressed almost entirely in pink walked in. "Cordy, you aren't going to believe what kind of stamina that Hamilton guy had last night!"
"Harmony," Cordelia said quickly as she glanced uncomfortable in Buffy's direction, "this isn't the best time."
Harmony Kendall continued on obliviously, her friend's words not even registering. "I mean, he's nothing compared to Spike… but, of course, that's pretty much a given. He was better than Devon though, which I thought was impossible. Would you believe that he was able to keep going for a whole…"
"Harmony," Doyle cut in sharply, causing her to trail off and glare at him in irritation.
"What?" she snapped. "Cordy and I are allowed to have girl talk. If you don't like it, then leave."
He motioned toward Buffy, who was wearing a bemused expression on her face. As Harmony followed his gaze, her face reddened.
"What's stam'na?" Emily asked innocently.
----------
"I'm so sorry about Harmony," Cordelia said for what seemed to be the thousandth time.
Buffy smiled in return as her gaze moved across the near-deserted restaurant. "It's no problem," she replied with a chuckle, "though I have to admit that your fiancé didn't seem thrilled with the prospect of working with her for the next few hours."
"He doesn't teach school during the summer," Cordelia said with a shrug, "and he's been sitting around doing nothing for the last week. He made the mistake of telling me he wanted something to do, so now he has to live with it."
Buffy laughed softly before letting her gaze drift to the other side of the room where Angel was helping Emily put together a puzzle that was spread out over an empty table. "I haven't thanked you for being so kind to me and Emily."
"I could tell that you needed someone to show you some kindness," Cordelia said with a smile.
"You were right," Buffy said quietly as she took a small sip of coffee. "The last few days have been pretty bad."
Cordelia nodded slightly, and for a few moments there was a comfortable silence between them. After several seconds had passed, however, the dark-haired woman tentatively spoke up.
"Was he your husband?" Cordelia asked softly.
Buffy choked on her coffee, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me?" she managed to cough out after a moment.
"I see the signs quite a bit," Cordelia said with a slight shrug, "and I've learned to read between the lines."
"Ah," Buffy said softly in reply, a guarded expression appearing in her eyes. She didn't verbally answer the other woman's question, but her silence was more than enough to let Cordelia know that she had been right.
"I thought so," Cordelia said gently. Her gaze drifted over toward Emily for a moment as the girl let out a laugh, and she smiled slightly before turned his eyes back toward Buffy. "Did he ever hit her?"
Buffy stared down at her coffee cup for a few seconds before letting out a quiet sigh. "Once. That's all it took to convince me to leave."
"I'm assuming that he hit you more than just once," Cordelia said softly.
For a moment, the blonde-haired woman didn't answer. She slowly moved her gaze upward though, and there was pain in her eyes as she met Cordelia's gaze. "The house was never clean enough for him," she whispered quietly. "My cooking was never good enough. Nothing I did ever came close to making him happy. He treated me like a slave sometimes, and I was stupid enough to let him do it."
She trailed off for a moment as her gaze drifted toward Emily. "I guess he gave me what he thought I deserved," she whispered after a moment, "but the moment he slapped her I knew that we couldn't stay there anymore. It almost killed me to stand there. I was so helpless…"
Her eyes watered a bit, and she quickly glanced back down at her coffee for a moment or two. Cordelia gave her a sympathetic smile before reaching over and gently squeezing her hand. "Where are you headed?" she asked softly.
Buffy shrugged as she looked up. "We were thinking about visiting my mom and step-dad down in New Orleans, but that would probably be the first place Parker -- my husband -- would look for us," she said unhappily. "And Emily and I probably wouldn't be welcome there anyway."
"Why not?" Cordelia asked in surprise.
"I was a freshman in college when I met Parker," Buffy explained. "I was pregnant before the first semester was even over, and I dropped out when I got the news. Mom and Giles practically disowned me over that, and it took me months to convince them to even come see Emily after she was born. My sister, Dawn, feels differently… but she's only seventeen at the moment, so there isn't anything she can do to help."
Cordelia shook her head slowly, and a small smile suddenly appeared on her face. "Why don't you stay here for awhile then?" she inquired softly.
"What?" Buffy asked in surprise.
"I mean it," Cordelia said with a grin. "If you're trying to hide from your husband, why not stay in a place where there are always a ton of strangers passing through?"
"Because I can't afford to stay at your motel indefinitely," Buffy shot back, but her reply seemed rather half-hearted.
"Then don't stay there," Cordelia said with a grin. "There are quite a few places around here that are for rent, and I think that I can pull a couple of strings to get you a really cheap price if you'll let me talk to a couple of friends."
"I… I'm not sure," Buffy said hesitantly.
Cordelia's eyes flickered over to where Emily and Angel were sitting. "At least think about it," she said softly.
Buffy nodded slightly, but there was still a hesitant expression on her face.
----------
Angel chuckled softly as he handed another puzzle piece to Emily. She stared at it for a few seconds, her brow furrowing in concentration, before turning her gaze toward the near-completed puzzle on the table. She reached out and clumsily pushed the piece into its spot, letting out a burst of laughter as it clicked into place.
"Good job, Emily," Angel said with a grin. "You're mother didn't mention that you were a prodigy."
She peered up at him inquisitively, and she seemed to be running her mind over the unfamiliar term. "What's a progidy?"
"A prodigy," Angel correctly her gently.
"What's a prodigy?" she asked slowly, carefully pronouncing the word.
Angel smiled before handing her another puzzle piece. "It means that you're smart," he explained.
"Ah," Emily said with a grin, "Mommy says that I am."
He nodded, and for a few seconds he sat there watching her silently. What Connor had told him the night before flashed in his mind though, and he reluctantly asked the little girl in front of him a slightly less innocent question.
"What does your daddy say about you?" Angel asked quietly, his smile fading.
Emily paused for a moment, and she seemed to be thinking about her answer. "He called me a mi'take once," she answered after a moment or two, "but Mommy wouldn't tell me what that meant."
Angel nodded slightly before forcing a smile back on his face and gesturing toward the puzzle. "Why don't you go ahead and put your piece in? It looks like our pancakes are ready."
Emily glanced over at where Buffy and Cordelia were sitting, and her eyes lit up when she saw the young waiter carefully setting several plates loaded with pancakes on the table. The puzzle was instantly forgotten as she dropped the piece she was holding and practically darted across the room.
As the little girl climbed up into one of the empty chairs and looked over at him expectantly, Angel couldn't help but laugh slightly. He stood up with a grin and made his way over to the table. On his way across the room, he passed the waiter heading in the other direction. "Andrew," he muttered under his breath, "tell Lorne to give the woman and the little girl fifty percent off. I'll pay him the rest before I leave."
The younger man shrugged as he walked on past Angel. "Whatever you say."
----------
Buffy couldn't help but smile as her daughter reached up to brush some powdered sugar off her nose, leaving a trail of sticky syrup in its place. "Emily," she said with a chuckle, "you're making a mess."
"Am not," Emily replied innocently as she put another bite of pancake into her mouth.
"Are too," Buffy shot back as she grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped away more of the syrup on the little girl's face. "And you're doing it on purpose, aren't you?"
The three-year-old merely smiled sweetly before squirming out of her mother's reach. "Nuh-uh."
"Are you sure about that?" Angel asked teasingly, moments before he managed to wipe most of the sticky substance off of her hands with his own napkin.
Emily stuck out her tongue before settling down in her seat and jutting out her lower lip. "You're mean," she said petulantly.
Angel merely grinned at her. "Oh really?" he asked. "Then I guess you don't want me to go ask the cook to make a few more pancakes for us."
The little girl's eyes lit up immediately, and she quickly took back her words. "You're nice! Nice, nice, nice! Not mean! Nice!"
As Angel laughed and stood up, Buffy stared at her daughter for a second. Emily's eyes were practically shining with happiness, and there was a broad smile on her face.
After a moment or two, Buffy slowly looked over at Cordelia. "You said you have some friends you could talk to?" she asked hesitantly.
Cordelia stared at her in confusion for a few seconds, but a large smile appeared on her face as realization struck. "Yeah," she replied, "I do."
----------
Two months later…
Buffy let out a sigh as she collapsed onto the small couch sitting in the middle of the living room, and she slowly let her eyes move over the one-bedroom apartment she and Emily had finally started considering as home. As she caught sight of the time, she reluctantly grabbed her cell phone. Taking a deep breath, she quickly typed in a number and pressed "Send" before she had a chance to chicken out.
She lay there on the couch with the phone pressed to her ear, listening to the ringing on the other end for almost a full minute. Just as she was about to hang up though, a familiar voice suddenly answered. "Hello?"
"Hi," Buffy said softly, "it's me."
There was a surprised silence on the other end for several seconds. "Beth?" the voice asked after what seemed like an eternity.
"I've always hated that nickname, Parker," she replied. "I'm going by Buffy again."
Her husband didn't say anything for a few moments, and there was a disappointed tone in his voice when he finally spoke. "I guess it's up to you," he said.
"I like to think so," Buffy replied coolly, "but that isn't why I called."
"I know why you called," he said after a moment or two. "You didn't have to file for divorce, Be… Buffy. I just lost my temper. Give me one more chance, and I promise it will never happen again."
"No," she said softly, "it won't happen again. I've got some new friends, Parker. One of them is a lawyer, and we've been talking for a while now. This is for the best."
Parker didn't say anything, so Buffy reluctantly continued. "I'm planning on asking for full custody of Emily."
"You're never get it," he said with more than a little bit of bitterness.
"That's not what my lawyer says," Buffy replied cold, "and I think that I trust his opinion more than I trust yours. Goodbye Parker."
"Don't you hang up on me, you bit…" His voice cut off as she hit the phone's power button, and she sat there in silence for several seconds. A few tears welled up in her eyes, but she merely wiped them away as she stood up with a sigh. Shaking her head, she grabbed the one-piece swimsuit that she had thrown across the back of a nearby chair and headed for the bathroom.
"Go to hell, Parker," Buffy said to the empty room as she pulled the door shut behind her. "Emily and I are starting over."
----------
Buffy leaned against the fence surrounding the Roadside Inn's swimming pool, and she let her gaze move over the crowd of people in front of her. Emily was in the pool, floats attached to her arms as she playfully splashed water at Connor. Every time she did, he dove under the water and swam to her other side, splashing her in return. Nearby, Xander, one of the hotel's employees and another of her new friends, Angel, and Doyle were playing a game that seemed to resemble volleyball.
She blinked as she caught sight of a dark blur on Angel's back, and it took her a second to realize that what she was seeing was a tattoo. Her only reaction was a slightly raised eyebrow, however, before she turned her gaze toward the people sitting around the edge of the pool.
Harmony was sunbathing near the fence, while Angel's friend Lorne was hiding under a large umbrella. His pale skin was covered in sunscreen, and he kept glancing uncomfortably around as if he didn't have a clue why he was there.
Buffy started to move her gaze onward, but the sound of someone clearing his or her throat coming from directly behind her caused her to turn around. "Come on out and join the party," Cordelia said with a grin as she balanced the plate of hamburgers she was holding in her right hand and grabbed Buffy's arm with her left. Before the blonde woman even knew what was happening, she found herself being drug away from the sideline.
"If anyone shows up and says that they're here to make an inspection, make sure you tell them that you're a guest!" Cordelia called out as she lay the hamburgers on one of the tables.
"Yeah," Harmony agreed from where she was sunbathing, "we don't want to get in trouble like we did last year."
Cordelia started to nod, but she paused and glanced over at her scantily-clad friend. "Harm," she said sweetly, "aren't you supposed to be helping Willow and Fred inside?"
"Willow said I was going to wake up the baby," Harmony replied with a shrug, "and Fred told me that I could come out and get some sun as long as I didn't tell you that she's in there making out with Wesley." As she realized what she had said, however, her eyes widened slightly. "And I'll be going back inside now."
Cordelia's smile had grown a bit forced. "That might be a good idea," she said dryly.
As Cordelia turned and headed back toward the building, Buffy quickly slipped back toward the fence. Everyone else was making their way toward the food, so she didn't think anyone would notice her movement.
And because of that, she couldn't help but jump as a familiar voice suddenly spoke from directly beside her.
"How'd the phone call go?" Angel asked quietly, drawing a surprised gasp from Buffy as she spun her head his way.
As she realized who it was, her smile faded a bit. "About as well as expected," she replied with a shrug.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
Buffy shrugged again. "It's not your fault that I made the mistake of marrying a bastard," she replied gently.
He stared at her for a moment or two before impulsively leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry," he said lightly as he pulled away, "everything will turn out fine in the end. You'll see."
He gave her a slight grin as he turned and headed back toward the pool. "Who knows what the future holds?"
Buffy's hand unconsciously drifted up to her cheek as she stared after him, and she smiled faintly as she followed him back to the party. "Yeah," she whispered, "who knows?"