Part 9:
Angel kissed Tiama's head and she stirred in her sleep. Her thumb crept up to her lips and her bear was pulled closer to her body. Angel smiled and quietly left the room. Cordelia was waiting outside in the office and looked at Angel when he entered the room, a solemn look on her face.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, her voice quiet.
"I'm going to see her." Angel grabbed his coat and headed towards the door.
"Are you going to have your mobile?"
Angel nodded. "But don't call me unless something happens to Tiama or you. Work can wait for one night, this is more important."
Cordy nodded. Angel was surprised. He had expected her to make at least one comment about the money factor of having a night off, but she keep her mouth shut. He appreciated that.
Cordy gave him a small smile as he headed out the door. "Good luck. And if you get the chance? Tell Buffy I said hi."
Angel nodded and left, heading into the cold night, straight to his one true love.
****
Buffy looked at her ceiling, tears in her eyes. Her father had tried to come in and talk to her but she had ignored him and locked her bedroom door. She couldn't believe her father had sprung this on her, today of all days! Of course, he had no idea that this was the worst day of her life but still…
There was a knock on her door and Buffy groaned. "Go away!"
She sighed and her thoughts turned back to the topic they had been on all afternoon. Angel. She still couldn't believe that he would do that to her. Having a baby with another woman, (And she looked about three so it must have been even while we were together, She thought which infuriated her even more.) was bad enough, but lying about it? Another knock came at the door and her father's voice was heard.
"You have a visitor Buffy!"
"Well I don't want to see anyone!" Buffy yelled in reply.
"It's Angel!" Hank called and listened to the silence that followed. He turned to Angel and smiled sympathetically. "She's had a bad day."
"I'll say." Angel muttered under his breath.
"Pardon?" Hank asked.
"Never mind." Angel looked towards Buffy's door, wondering whether she would see him or not. Slowly the door opened and Buffy stood there, her eyes red from crying. She turned to face her dad and her voice was quiet when she spoke.
"We need to be alone Dad." Hank nodded and turned to leave but not before giving his daughter a worried look and shooting Angel daggers with his eyes. He had figured that Angel had something to do with why his daughter was so upset and was not too happy about that fact. Buffy waited until Hank was out of earshot before speaking.
"I'm still mad at you, you know."
Angel nodded. "You have a right to be." He said quietly. "But I haven't come here to fight, I've come here to explain."
Buffy nodded, her face stern, trying to hide her feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her. "So explain."
Angel looked around nervously. "Not here. Is there somewhere quiet we can go?"
Buffy laughed humorously. "What, do you think that I will cause a scene?"
Angel looked at her. "Yes." He said simply.
"Well, ok." Buffy replied, unsure whether she was making the right decision in going with him. "We can go to the park down the street."
Angel nodded and followed Buffy downstairs. She insisted on sneaking out of the house, something he didn't like doing, but did it anyway, considering she really didn't want to see her father and at this point, neither did he.
They reached the park, both of them walking in silence the whole time. Just as they reached the park bench and Buffy sat down, Angel finally spoke.
"I didn't mean for you to find out that way."
Buffy nodded. "I know you didn't." Her voice was soft; her eyes fixed on the ground. "But do you want to tell me the truth now?" She looked up at him and her heart ached.
"I did Buffy." His eyes showed his honesty and Buffy knew that he wouldn't lie to her. She looked back down at the ground. She had no idea how she had thought he would in the first place. But it still didn't make any sense. How could she have had a baby and not know?
"I know what you are thinking Buffy." He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "But it's true." He sighed. "I have to tell you something Buffy, something you're not going to like. I was human."
"What?" She cried. "Angel, why would I not like that? That's great news! But why are you talking in the past tense?"
"Because it was only for a day – a day that never happened."
"Huh?" Buffy said, completely confused.
Angel looked at the look on her face would have laughed any other time. But not now. Now was too serious. "I turned back time Buffy. I was human for a whole day and I turned back time."
"Oh." Buffy began to understand as everything started to slip into place. "Why?" She suddenly cried. "What made you turn back time Angel? It was our dream come true!"
Angel smiled gently. "Trust me Buff, it was! It was perfect except for one thing."
"What was that?" Buffy asked, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of that one day with her Angel – a day she didn't even remember.
"I couldn't fight Buffy. We got into a fight with a demon and you were so busy trying to stop me getting killed that you could have gotten killed yourself." Angel looked at his beloved, tears shining in his eyes. Buffy looked back at him, pain in her eyes.
"We could have made it work Angel!"
"You don't know what it was like Buffy! It wouldn't have worked! It took a lot of pain for me to do it in the first place, don't make me feel guilty all over again!"
Buffy was silent, letting this information sink in. After a few minutes, she finally spoke. "I don't see how all this fits in with a three-year-old in your house Angel." Even if the baby was a product of this day Angel was telling her about, how could she possible be three?
Angel, however, wasn't listening. He was staring behind her at something. She turned around to see a startling white light and two creatures who were obviously of high importance. Suddenly she bent over, as if in pain and tears formed in her eyes. Angel grabbed her and held her in his arms as she began sobbing. Memories washed over her and she cried for the time they had had, the time now lost and for her vow – a vow that was broken.
**I'll never forget! Never!**
Angel turned to the Oracles, to thank them but said nothing. The knowing nod that the female gave him said it all. He stayed there, sitting on a park bench in the dark holding his beloved in his arms as she sobbed her heart out, remembering memories that never existed.
Her sobbing subsided after a while and Angel just sat there stroking her cheek. He kissed the top of her head and Buffy finally spoke, breaking the silence that had surrounded them for God knows how long. She turned around and looked earnestly into her lover's eyes.
"I want to see her Angel. Take me to her."
Angel kissed Tiama's head and she stirred in her sleep. Her thumb crept up to her lips and her bear was pulled closer to her body. Angel smiled and quietly left the room. Cordelia was waiting outside in the office and looked at Angel when he entered the room, a solemn look on her face.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, her voice quiet.
"I'm going to see her." Angel grabbed his coat and headed towards the door.
"Are you going to have your mobile?"
Angel nodded. "But don't call me unless something happens to Tiama or you. Work can wait for one night, this is more important."
Cordy nodded. Angel was surprised. He had expected her to make at least one comment about the money factor of having a night off, but she keep her mouth shut. He appreciated that.
Cordy gave him a small smile as he headed out the door. "Good luck. And if you get the chance? Tell Buffy I said hi."
Angel nodded and left, heading into the cold night, straight to his one true love.
****
Buffy looked at her ceiling, tears in her eyes. Her father had tried to come in and talk to her but she had ignored him and locked her bedroom door. She couldn't believe her father had sprung this on her, today of all days! Of course, he had no idea that this was the worst day of her life but still…
There was a knock on her door and Buffy groaned. "Go away!"
She sighed and her thoughts turned back to the topic they had been on all afternoon. Angel. She still couldn't believe that he would do that to her. Having a baby with another woman, (And she looked about three so it must have been even while we were together, She thought which infuriated her even more.) was bad enough, but lying about it? Another knock came at the door and her father's voice was heard.
"You have a visitor Buffy!"
"Well I don't want to see anyone!" Buffy yelled in reply.
"It's Angel!" Hank called and listened to the silence that followed. He turned to Angel and smiled sympathetically. "She's had a bad day."
"I'll say." Angel muttered under his breath.
"Pardon?" Hank asked.
"Never mind." Angel looked towards Buffy's door, wondering whether she would see him or not. Slowly the door opened and Buffy stood there, her eyes red from crying. She turned to face her dad and her voice was quiet when she spoke.
"We need to be alone Dad." Hank nodded and turned to leave but not before giving his daughter a worried look and shooting Angel daggers with his eyes. He had figured that Angel had something to do with why his daughter was so upset and was not too happy about that fact. Buffy waited until Hank was out of earshot before speaking.
"I'm still mad at you, you know."
Angel nodded. "You have a right to be." He said quietly. "But I haven't come here to fight, I've come here to explain."
Buffy nodded, her face stern, trying to hide her feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her. "So explain."
Angel looked around nervously. "Not here. Is there somewhere quiet we can go?"
Buffy laughed humorously. "What, do you think that I will cause a scene?"
Angel looked at her. "Yes." He said simply.
"Well, ok." Buffy replied, unsure whether she was making the right decision in going with him. "We can go to the park down the street."
Angel nodded and followed Buffy downstairs. She insisted on sneaking out of the house, something he didn't like doing, but did it anyway, considering she really didn't want to see her father and at this point, neither did he.
They reached the park, both of them walking in silence the whole time. Just as they reached the park bench and Buffy sat down, Angel finally spoke.
"I didn't mean for you to find out that way."
Buffy nodded. "I know you didn't." Her voice was soft; her eyes fixed on the ground. "But do you want to tell me the truth now?" She looked up at him and her heart ached.
"I did Buffy." His eyes showed his honesty and Buffy knew that he wouldn't lie to her. She looked back down at the ground. She had no idea how she had thought he would in the first place. But it still didn't make any sense. How could she have had a baby and not know?
"I know what you are thinking Buffy." He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "But it's true." He sighed. "I have to tell you something Buffy, something you're not going to like. I was human."
"What?" She cried. "Angel, why would I not like that? That's great news! But why are you talking in the past tense?"
"Because it was only for a day – a day that never happened."
"Huh?" Buffy said, completely confused.
Angel looked at the look on her face would have laughed any other time. But not now. Now was too serious. "I turned back time Buffy. I was human for a whole day and I turned back time."
"Oh." Buffy began to understand as everything started to slip into place. "Why?" She suddenly cried. "What made you turn back time Angel? It was our dream come true!"
Angel smiled gently. "Trust me Buff, it was! It was perfect except for one thing."
"What was that?" Buffy asked, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of that one day with her Angel – a day she didn't even remember.
"I couldn't fight Buffy. We got into a fight with a demon and you were so busy trying to stop me getting killed that you could have gotten killed yourself." Angel looked at his beloved, tears shining in his eyes. Buffy looked back at him, pain in her eyes.
"We could have made it work Angel!"
"You don't know what it was like Buffy! It wouldn't have worked! It took a lot of pain for me to do it in the first place, don't make me feel guilty all over again!"
Buffy was silent, letting this information sink in. After a few minutes, she finally spoke. "I don't see how all this fits in with a three-year-old in your house Angel." Even if the baby was a product of this day Angel was telling her about, how could she possible be three?
Angel, however, wasn't listening. He was staring behind her at something. She turned around to see a startling white light and two creatures who were obviously of high importance. Suddenly she bent over, as if in pain and tears formed in her eyes. Angel grabbed her and held her in his arms as she began sobbing. Memories washed over her and she cried for the time they had had, the time now lost and for her vow – a vow that was broken.
**I'll never forget! Never!**
Angel turned to the Oracles, to thank them but said nothing. The knowing nod that the female gave him said it all. He stayed there, sitting on a park bench in the dark holding his beloved in his arms as she sobbed her heart out, remembering memories that never existed.
Her sobbing subsided after a while and Angel just sat there stroking her cheek. He kissed the top of her head and Buffy finally spoke, breaking the silence that had surrounded them for God knows how long. She turned around and looked earnestly into her lover's eyes.
"I want to see her Angel. Take me to her."