A CHILD WITH HER EYES
How many years did they follow different directions? Ten? A decade that seemed like eternity to Angel. They went their separate ways the moment he left Sunnydale, and yet he could not stop thinking about her: Buffy. His love of a lifetime, lovers intended, but who never managed to get together. Why? Because of his curse.
Angel was not an ordinary man. He had long ceased to be a man. He was a bloodthirsty vampire, who, after centuries of cruelty, was cursed with a soul. His penance was to wander for eternity, suffering from the pain it inflicted upon others. Until she came.
Buffy was a 16-year-old girl when they first met. A girl, still, with a huge duty. She was the vampire slayer. How sad it would be. Fall in love with the only one he should hate. The one to whom hunted his kind. By fate, Buffy loved him too, and on her 17th birthday, she brought back the terrible Angelus. When his soul was restored, they still tried, but both knew that they would never be together, at least not then.
Then there is a hope, the Shanshu prophecy. Angel clung to that, his hope of becoming human again and being able to live with the love of his life. But it was not easy, and nobody said it would be. Angel fought, made friends and enemies along the way. He lost important people, and won others.
He came very close to giving up, but then, one day, a miracle! After the most terrible of his battles, he finally received his reward. He was human again. Angel took a few months to discover whether humanity was a blessing or a curse. In the end, he decided that his new life was what he wanted it to be.
With just over two-and-a-half years since they last spoke, Angel was still reluctant for a few months, but with the help of her friends, he decided it was the long-awaited time to revisit Buffy. He did not tell her that he became a human, nor did he say he would see her. It would be a surprise. As a poker game, it would be all in. Everything, or nothing.
And there he was ...
"I'm coming!" Buffy yelled from the other hallway as the bell rang a few times. "Who would it be at that hour?" She asked as she ran to answer.
She opened the door and had to blink a few times. She did not know if it was a dream, or if it was real, but standing at her door, no one less than ...
"Angel!" She smiled.
"Buffy ..." Angel gave her a half-smile, still a little embarrassed to be there.
Buffy watched him from top to bottom. Angel's hair was perfectly lined, with no strings out of place. He had a bouquet of yellow flowers in his hands. He wore tailor's pants and a shirt. His perfume took over as soon as she opened the door. Angel was as incredible as Buffy remembered.
And about her? Buffy knew that she had aged for a few years, after all time passes for all mortals. Worse than age, it was her dress. She was in a pair of flannel pajamas, her hair unkempt and without makeup. Realizing her condition, she hurried to close the door, in front of a very surprised Angel.
She ran into the bedroom, opened her wardrobe, and picked up her best black dress. She dressed in a hurry, and as quickly as she'd changed, she straightened her hair and wiped a lipstick. It was the best they could get in such a short time, but it was better than it had been before.
She returned to the living room and opened the door, but Angel was no longer there. Buffy ran out of her apartment, just pushing the door behind her, and ran outside. She descended the few flights of stairs with her still agility of slayer, and ran to the street. Outside her building, she saw the figure of Angel across the street, moving farther and farther away.
"Angel!" She screamed and ran to him. Angel stopped by shouting his name, and all he saw was Buffy running to him, before the blonde played in his arms. Since he was human now, and not as strong as before, he could not hold her.
The two fell to the ground, with Buffy on it. The blonde started her apology, but then she felt the warmth of his skin. She pressed her ear to his chest, and to her surprise, there were heartbeats in there. She did not need words to understand, and so she laughed. She laughed a lot, surprised.
She laid a kiss on his lips, and he would not mind being together, except they were out on the street, and the pedestrians would stare at them like drunks. Buffy got up, and taking Angel's hand, led him to her apartment.
Buffy did not want to be mature. Not when, after so much time and so many mismatches, they could finally be together. Not that night, where her dreams of Angel became real. He was human and was there for her. May the questions and their answers be for tomorrow. She knew that Angel had a lot to tell, and so did she, but not tonight. That night was made for lovers meant to be together.
Hand in hand, they returned to the apartment. They entered and Buffy closed the door behind her. Angel tossed his coat across the floor, and kissed her again as she felt a third presence with them. He stopped, and they both turned to the hall.
A six-year-old girl watched them with curiosity. She had blond hair like Buffy's, the same green eyes, and she wore pink pajamas, holding a pink plush pig. Angel watched quietly as Buffy walked over to the girl and caught her in her arms. She gave him an awkward half smile and said:
"Angel, this is Iris." She paused. "My daughter ..."
"Time to sleep, my dear." Buffy said to Iris.
Angel could hear them, standing in the hallway. The girl asked about him, and Buffy asked vague questions, saying that it was too late for conversations. A little later the girl went back to sleep and the blonde left the room, closing the door behind you. She stared at Angel, who was quietly interrogating her with his eyes.
"I think I owe explanations."
"Do you?" He returned. "When were you going to tell me you had a daughter? And her father?"
"It's late, Angel." She sounded really tired. "Leave it for tomorrow."
Angel had no choice but to agree. As the night between them had fallen apart, he ended up sleeping on the couch. It was even comfortable, considering he had slept in worse places. He settled himself on the couch, but his mind was too crowded to sleep. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.
The sun beat on his face when he woke up. The curtains were open, and light was running through the house. He still had his fears about sunlight, but the fear of returning to being a vampire was ever more distant. When he opened his eyes, he saw Iris standing in front of him, watching him with curious eyes. He smiled sheepishly at the girl.
""Hi. It's Iris, right?
"Are you a Mom's friend?"
Angel nodded, sitting down on the couch. He rubbed the sleep from his face, then stretched his aching muscles. He was growing old, he thought.
"Iris ..." Buffy's voice came from another room. "Come eat. You still have to go to school."
"But ..." The girl grunted and pouting, however, ran to the kitchen where her mother should be.
Angel stood and slowly walked over to them. Iris was sitting while Buffy served her pancakes. Buffy smiled.
"Sit with us. Everyone woke up a little late today."
Buffy acted as if it were another normal day in her routine. Angel was reluctant to obey, however, Buffy's gaze convinced him once and for all. She sat down next to Iris and the three of them had breakfast, with Iris filling it with a child's questions. Half an hour later Iris went to school, leaving the two adults in the apartment.
Angel and Buffy sat facing each other on the couch. Buffy held her hands while Angel remained silent, waiting for Buffy to speak. The blonde heaved a heavy sigh.
"I saved Iris's father from some vampires. I felt alone, and then we started to date. His name was James. A month later I knocked on his door to say I was pregnant. Although his family would not accept it, James supported me in everything. We even thought about getting married..."
She paused, and Angel wiped away a solitary tear that kept coming down her face.
"Where is he?"
"James was in a motorcycle accident. He left two days before Iris came into the world. His family never liked me, so they did not even look at Iris."
"Does anyone know about Iris?"
"Just Dawn and Willow."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"After so many years, I couldn't run to you. I had to turn myself. Today I know I was a coward for hiding Iris. Now it's too late."
"It's never late. I came to look for you with the hope that we would stay together and I don't intend to leave."
Buffy laughed, amid a few other tears that kept falling, so Angel hugged her tightly. She was in home.
"Are you staying? With us?"
"Always." It was a promise he would be more than happy to keep. After so many years, he was truly happy, and nothing would hinder his happiness.
Iris arrived from school and her mother's friend was still there. Buffy called her into a corner, as she had some things to say. She and Angel would be together, but they knew they would have to go slow.
"Iris, you know that Angel is a friend of mine. He will be staying a few days in the city so you'll see him a lot here. So I've been thinking that maybe you wanted to get to know him better. What do you think of the three of us going to the park on Sunday?"
Angel smiled as he watched the scene between mother and daughter. He was happy because he had everything he wanted. He was human, had Buffy and now a family. He loved Buffy, and would love her daughter as his own. Maybe in the future they would have their own children, but at the moment, it was much more than he could wish for.