This story begins 5 years after Buffy finale (aka 4 years after Angel finale), Gunn like the other's survived the big battle thanks to Buffy and slayers, who took off after the fight and did not make any contact with Angel or Spike. Spike and Angel and Harmony are no longer vampires but are still immortal.
It was Buffy's twenty-seventh birthday, also her first one back in LA (they had bought a house in the suburbs)and Dawn had decided to make her breakfast in bed, with the help of Anna, she was only four, well ok, almost five,but Dawn had promised her that she could help. She couldn't believe that the Immortal wasn't going to be there for her sister's birthday.
"Auntie Dawn, do you think mommy will like my present?" Anna asked holding up a drawing she had made.
"She'll love it, but remember we have all the other presents to give her too."
"Yes."
"But you know what I think she's gonna like your picture best."
"Right, I think that's everything ready," Dawn said adding the finishing touches to the breakfast.
"Yay! I'll go wake mommy up," Anna said, running ahead of Dawn.
"Mommy, mommy, wake up, it's your birthday!"she shouted with enthusiasm.
"I'm up sweetie," Buffy said using her hands to push herself up into a sitting position, "Come sit next to mommy."
Anna complied to her mother's wish.
"Mommy?"
"Yes sweetheart?"
"I wish daddy was here."
"I know sweetie, I wish he was here too, but you know he can't be."
"Mommy I love you."
"I love you too Anna," Buffy said, giving her daughter a hug.
"Right, I think it's time for you to open some presents," Dawn said.
"My favourite part," Buffy said happily, letting go of Anna who then jumped down off the bed and into the living room to retrieve the picture she had made for her mother.
In the heart of the city the fang gang were sitting in the main office of the Hyperion waiting for the phone to ring, demon activity had taken a dip of late and Cordy hadn't had a vision in a while, although if she had they wouldn't have known anyway as she and Doyle had not returned from their honeymoon yet. Spike and Angel were in the basement training up on their sword fighting skills, Harmony as ever was sitting behind the reception desk filing her nails, Fred, Illyria, Wesley, Gunn were out for the day. That second Spike and Angel came up from the basement, laughing about something or other, they had become brother-like over the past four years.
"Hey guys, would like some doughnuts, I just bought a fresh batch, all jelly of course, I mean what is the point in even getting the other flavours when everybody only ever wants jelly, you know," Harmony said in her usual happy-go-lucky way.
"Sure," Spike said grabbing one, Angel doing the same.
"So any calls," Angel asked, dying to kill something.
"Nope, well yeah actu..."
"What is it?" Angel interrupted.
"Cordelia called, she said that she and Doyle would be coming back tomorrow, oh and Fred wants to know what the guys should bring back for dinner," Harmony finished.
"Well..." Spike began.
"Oh, and also Connor is coming over later, he wants to spend some time with you Angel, thought that the two of you could do some father son thing, ooh maybe he knows where the demons are hiding and he wants you to slay them with him," Harmony rambled.
"Ok then, why don't we go out to dinner tonight, I'm kinda sick of fast food right now," Angel said.
"Me too actually, I don't think I could even look at another pizza," Spike agreed.
"There's something I never thought I'd here you say," Angel said smirking.
"Ok, so we're decided, I'll phone Connor and the guys to tell them the plan," Harmony said, rolling her chair over to her phone, "Wait a second, there was something I was supposed to tell you, god what was it, I know this..."
"Harmony what is it, was it important?" Angel asked.
"Come on Harm, it can't be that hard to remember what it is, your head hasn't exploded. Yet."
"Shut up Spike, you're distracting me."
"Harmony just ignore him and try to remember."
"That's it, I know why the demons have gone into hiding."
"Why?" Spike and Angel asked in unison.
"Well duh, the Immortal is in LA and you know how twitchy the other demons get when he's in town."
"And how long has he been here?" Angel asked.
"Well lets see I met this vamp like two months ago and he told me about him arriving, so two months, probably."
"So you're telling me that the Immortal has been here in my city for two whole months and you knew the whole time and you didn't even mention it," Angel said, anger becoming apparent in his voice.
"I didn't mean to keep it from you it just slipped my mind, it's not my fault, you know I have to remember a lot of stuff and it was just an accident, please don't fire me," Harmony pleaded.
"He's not gonna fire you Harmony, are you Angel?" Spike said turning to his grandsire.
"No," Angel said huffishly.
Buffy, Dawn and Anna had just come back from the movies. When they got in the door they found the Immortal sitting on the living room couch.
"Happy Birthday Buffy," he said.
"Hiya honey," Buffy said putting Anna down.
"Come on Anna lets go get you your bath," Dawn said taking her niece's hand.
"Why is the Immortal back? I thought he was away on business," Anna said as she walked up the stairs with Dawn.
"I don't know sweetheart."
"I don't like him, I want daddy back."
"You know he can't come back, besides I thought you liked the Immortal,"
"I don't like him anymore, he's never here, he doesn't do anything with me and mommy anymore."
Meanwhile back down stairs Buffy and the Immortal were talking.
"Buffy, I'm going to go back to Rome, not right now but in a couple of months, I have some business to attend to there, but I won't be gone for long I will try and get back as soon as I can."
"Ok. I'm gonna go check on Anna, see you later," she said before getting up of the couch.
The Immortal stood up as well, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him to give her a kiss. When he pulled back he said goodbye and then headed for the door to go back to his own place. Buffy sighed and started to ascend the stairs. Another day was done and all she had accomplished was turning a year older, she had to get a job or a hobby or something, well anything really would do, just something that didn't require slaying.
Darla woke up suddenly. She started to make her way out of her room, glimpsing at Lindsay's door on her way past.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she said running to the bathroom, it was another round of the twenty-four seven morning sickness, god that was always the worst part of the pregnancy, well apart from the actual giving birth.
When she had finished puking her guts up she walked back her bedroom. Once the door was closed she looked down at her tummy, placing her hands on it and running them over it lovingly.
"Tomorrow we're gonna pay daddy a visit."
