Part 6:
"B-Buffy!" Angel stammered. His surprise showed clearly on his face and he went to speak again but was interrupted by a yell. Buffy watched, in complete astonishment as a little girl came running in from the other room and ran straight to Angel, burying her face in his pants. The look on Angel's face turned from one of surprise to one of guilt in a matter of seconds. He looked down at the small child wrapped around his legs then turned and yelled into the other room. "What did you do to her Cordy?"
"Nothing!" The reply came back. "I just put on a tape for her!"
Angel looked annoyed and Buffy just stood there, still in shock that there was a 3-year-old in Angel's house.
"Well what tape did you put on for her?"
"Nothing that should scare her!" Cordy yelled back. "I put on the Labyrinth for crying out loud!"
Buffy made an "Oh" noise and bent down so she was the same height as the little girl, whose face was still buried in Angel's pants.
"It was the goblins, wasn't it?"
The little girl's tear streaked face slowly looked up to see who was talking to her. She nodded, a sob escaping.
Buffy smiled and nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, they used to scare me too! But do you know what? They're not that bad! Do you know what I used to do when they came on?" The little girl shook her head, and she slowly began to calm down. Nothing like a change of subject or a story to stop a kid crying! Buffy thought.
"Well, I have a stuffed toy, called Mr Gordo. I used to hug him and he used to protect me. I imagined that he had magical powers and that if any of the goblins came to take me away, he would stop them! Do you have a toy like that?" The little girl nodded again, a smile creeping over her face. "Well why don't you go and get it and give it a BIG hug and then maybe Cordy can put a better video on for you." Buffy looked up at Angel, to see a look of surprise and amusement on his face. She stood up. "What?"
"Since when have you been so good with kids?" Angel asked.
Buffy started to reply but was interrupted by a little sob from Tiama.
"Hey! What's wrong sweetie?" Buffy asked, bending down to Tiama's height again.
"My…::Sob::…Andy bear…::Sob::…isn't…::hiccup::…here!" Tiama said, a tear running down her cheek.
Buffy smiled. "Maybe if you asked Angel here, he might go and get it for you!"
"On no he won't!" Cordy called. "He has too much work to…Buffy?!" Cordelia looked at Buffy in surprise then a look of guilt flashed over her face as well.
"Hi Cordy!" Buffy replied, standing up again.
"What are you doing here?"
"Great welcome! Thanks Cordy, glad to see some things never change!" Buffy said sarcastically.
"Oh! You know what I meant!" Cordy said. "It's good to see you and all but why are you here? I mean, I didn't except to see you here all things considered." She nodded her head in Angel's direction vigorously but Angel didn't notice, he was too busy talking to his daughter.
"Will you Daddy?" Tiama asked, looking shyly at her father. Angel went to answer, a smile spreading across his face but he was interrupted by Buffy's confused cry.
"Daddy?!" She cried looked at Angel with pain on her face. "Since when he you had a daughter? Or was this something you 'forgot' to tell me?"
Buffy looked at Angel, pain and anger clear on her face. "Whose is it? Huh? You're just standing there! I want an answer Angel! I at least deserve that!" Tears filled Buffy eyes and her vision was blurred. She looked towards the only man she had truly loved and saw her pain reflected on his face. Cordelia quietly moved towards Tiama and picked her up. After casting Angel a sympathetic glance, she left the room, a wide-eyed Tiama in her arms. Angel and Buffy could hear her inquisitive questions as Cordy shut the door but neither of them registered them.
"Whose baby is it Angel?" She asked again, her voice now a whisper.
Angel looked at his beloved, pain at having to tell her this way clear in his eyes. The volume of his voice matched hers when he replied…
"She's yours Buffy."
"B-Buffy!" Angel stammered. His surprise showed clearly on his face and he went to speak again but was interrupted by a yell. Buffy watched, in complete astonishment as a little girl came running in from the other room and ran straight to Angel, burying her face in his pants. The look on Angel's face turned from one of surprise to one of guilt in a matter of seconds. He looked down at the small child wrapped around his legs then turned and yelled into the other room. "What did you do to her Cordy?"
"Nothing!" The reply came back. "I just put on a tape for her!"
Angel looked annoyed and Buffy just stood there, still in shock that there was a 3-year-old in Angel's house.
"Well what tape did you put on for her?"
"Nothing that should scare her!" Cordy yelled back. "I put on the Labyrinth for crying out loud!"
Buffy made an "Oh" noise and bent down so she was the same height as the little girl, whose face was still buried in Angel's pants.
"It was the goblins, wasn't it?"
The little girl's tear streaked face slowly looked up to see who was talking to her. She nodded, a sob escaping.
Buffy smiled and nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, they used to scare me too! But do you know what? They're not that bad! Do you know what I used to do when they came on?" The little girl shook her head, and she slowly began to calm down. Nothing like a change of subject or a story to stop a kid crying! Buffy thought.
"Well, I have a stuffed toy, called Mr Gordo. I used to hug him and he used to protect me. I imagined that he had magical powers and that if any of the goblins came to take me away, he would stop them! Do you have a toy like that?" The little girl nodded again, a smile creeping over her face. "Well why don't you go and get it and give it a BIG hug and then maybe Cordy can put a better video on for you." Buffy looked up at Angel, to see a look of surprise and amusement on his face. She stood up. "What?"
"Since when have you been so good with kids?" Angel asked.
Buffy started to reply but was interrupted by a little sob from Tiama.
"Hey! What's wrong sweetie?" Buffy asked, bending down to Tiama's height again.
"My…::Sob::…Andy bear…::Sob::…isn't…::hiccup::…here!" Tiama said, a tear running down her cheek.
Buffy smiled. "Maybe if you asked Angel here, he might go and get it for you!"
"On no he won't!" Cordy called. "He has too much work to…Buffy?!" Cordelia looked at Buffy in surprise then a look of guilt flashed over her face as well.
"Hi Cordy!" Buffy replied, standing up again.
"What are you doing here?"
"Great welcome! Thanks Cordy, glad to see some things never change!" Buffy said sarcastically.
"Oh! You know what I meant!" Cordy said. "It's good to see you and all but why are you here? I mean, I didn't except to see you here all things considered." She nodded her head in Angel's direction vigorously but Angel didn't notice, he was too busy talking to his daughter.
"Will you Daddy?" Tiama asked, looking shyly at her father. Angel went to answer, a smile spreading across his face but he was interrupted by Buffy's confused cry.
"Daddy?!" She cried looked at Angel with pain on her face. "Since when he you had a daughter? Or was this something you 'forgot' to tell me?"
Buffy looked at Angel, pain and anger clear on her face. "Whose is it? Huh? You're just standing there! I want an answer Angel! I at least deserve that!" Tears filled Buffy eyes and her vision was blurred. She looked towards the only man she had truly loved and saw her pain reflected on his face. Cordelia quietly moved towards Tiama and picked her up. After casting Angel a sympathetic glance, she left the room, a wide-eyed Tiama in her arms. Angel and Buffy could hear her inquisitive questions as Cordy shut the door but neither of them registered them.
"Whose baby is it Angel?" She asked again, her voice now a whisper.
Angel looked at his beloved, pain at having to tell her this way clear in his eyes. The volume of his voice matched hers when he replied…
"She's yours Buffy."