Chapter 14 The Next Step
A/N: This is a short chapter but it's needed before we get into some craziness. Enjoy.
Angel woke up and saw Connor and right behind Connor was Buffy. He didn't want to go to work after last night. At least he didn't have to go into the office until noon and can hang out for a little bit. Buffy's birthday party was ruined with the news that Angelus is free. Angelus wasn't coming here not yet. But just in case he needed back up. Angel sat up and sighed and looked at the time and had about three hours before he needed leave. Angel got out of bed and headed downstairs.
Connor woke up and noticed Angel was gone and looked to his mom. He smiled and then scooted out of bed and reached for the doorknob and opened it. Once the little boy started to walk and learned how to open doors no place was safe. Connor walked down the hall to the stairs and got on all fours and took each step carefully. He made it to the bottom and headed to the kitchen where he found Angel.
"Angel!" Connor greeted him and Angel turned around and smiled. "You go work?" He asked and Angel nodded and Connor didn't look happy. If the little boy had his way his mother and Angel would stay home all day and play with him. If Angel had his way he would stay with Connor all day everyday. Connor walked up to him and stayed at his feet. Angel looked down and Connor reached out and Angel picked him up and Connor held him. Angel just took a moment to hold him. Angel has fallen hard for this little boy.
Spike and Gunn followed Angel to his office and once they were inside Angel shut the door and the two knew something was up. Angel walked to his desk and sat down and Gunn and Spike took the two seats in front of Angel's desk.
"What's up mate you look…exhausted." Spike stated and it was true. Angel was up most of the night watching Buffy and Connor sleep. He knew better that Angelus wasn't going to show up that night but he still couldn't sleep and was worried. Buffy and Connor were his life now and nothing would hurt them.
"I'm going to tell you two something because I will need help but this is huge and no one can know about it not now." Angel started and Spike and Gunn nodded understanding the tone Angel gave off. "There's a secured file that came to us about a year or two ago and I have been given permission to open it."
"Secret service type file?" Gunn asked crossing his arms.
"Federal Marshal, FBI, Witness Protection type file." Angel answered. "I also need you two not to…freak out either." Angel stated and his two friends nodded. "You two heard of Angelus O'Reilly?"
"Yeah," Spike didn't seem all that thrilled hearing that name. "Bloody pouncy killed two friends when I was working for New York."
"Heard of him isn't he like the bad ass mafia leader? Killed like over forty people?" Gunn asked and Angel nodded. "Ok what about him?"
"He escaped yesterday," Angel had no tone it was just plain and Spike looked more than crushed and shocked. Gunn understood that an escape convict was never good but from what he has heard about this convict the last thing New York needed was him back on the streets.
"They'll find him right?" Gunn asked.
"It's not good that he's free but he's in New York we're in California," Spike stated. "Unless we have a witness living here."
"We do," Angel answered. "Angelus will wanted to murder the ones who have or will testify against him. The one on the top of his list is the one who turned him in and that person lives here in Sunnydale."
"Well if I meet the person remind me to say thank you for turning him in." Spike added.
"He'll kill others but he wants this one person dead and it's our to protect her." Angel explained.
"Her?" Spike asked. "Helping a damsel in distress, who's the lady?" Spike asked and Angel had to tell them.
"Buffy." Angel answered and both Spike and Gunn looked beyond confused.
"Wait, wait, wait," Gunn was confused he wasn't sure if he heard that right. "Buffy? Buffy as in your Buffy? Buffy Summers? Your girlfriend?" Gunn asked making sure there wasn't another Buffy. Angel didn't say anything as Spike still sat their confused. "How in the hell happened?"
"Wait, Buffy turned Angelus over? How?" Spike asked.
"Buffy is Angelus' ex-wife." Angel answered clearly and both their jaws dropped. "Her real name is Elizabeth and she saw Angelus murder three people."
"Wait, wait so that makes Connor…Angelus' son?" Gunn asked and stated trying to understand.
"Mate you're banging a mob boss's wife…nice." Spike commented but Angel looked less than amused.
"Buffy married a mob boss?" Gunn asked. "Buffy married a mob boss." He stated now.
"Yeah we know." Spike said and Gunn looked to him.
"Just trying to wrap my head around it." Gunn added and Angel sighed. "Not only are you doing it with the mob boss's ex-wife which I'm pretty sure he'll kill you for that but you're like raising his son."
"You'll be number one on his hit list if he finds out." Spike added.
"Thanks," Angel deadpanned.
"Sorry mate we just…what do you want us to do?" Spike asked seeing how Angel was looking upset, mad, frustrated and a little lost.
"I want you to watch out for our friends. They can't know about this not yet." Angel answered.
"You think Angelus will come to town?" Gunn asked.
"If he does then we have permission to shoot to kill." Angel answered.
"Sounds reasonable." Spike added.
"This is serious ok." Angel had to make sure they knew just how serious this was. Angel took out the file he got from Buffy and it was time to explain who Angelus was and what they might come up against.
Buffy was with her mother and gave Joyce the bad news. For about five minutes Joyce cried uncontrollably about it. She then had to hold Connor for another five minutes and then had to hold Buffy for another five minutes. Then she started to talk about packing up and leaving but Buffy managed to calm her down. Buffy reminded her mother that they had Angel and that Angelus wasn't coming here there was no way at the moment. Joyce decided it was time to tell Giles what was happening. Buffy had to remind her that she needed to be careful who she told.
After being with her mother Buffy was home and started to get dinner ready. Cordelia and Doyle were coming over any minute. Buffy stood at the counter and stood still. It now just hit her Angelus was free. Her heart pounded thinking about it. He was free in the streets, walking around and probably trying to find her. She wanted to cry about it, she wanted to scream and run. This was her nightmare since Angelus was put into jail. He would come after her and she now went through her mind what she might have left behind. She would have to be looking over her shoulder, clean her tracks hoping she didn't leave some grimy scrap of information behind.
As she was in thought, deep thought she jumped at the knock at the door. She almost screamed and burst into tears and then looked to Connor as he went running to the door to wait and greet who ever it was. Buffy opened the door and calmed herself down as it was Cordelia and Doyle. She let them in and they started to talk and Buffy had to push aside Angelus.
As Buffy and Cordelia finished up getting dinner ready Connor came down the stairs and that wasn't always a good thing. Connor's toys were mostly downstairs so he didn't always have to go upstairs. Once he wakes up from his nap it's instant pandemonium and for one little boy he was loud and Buffy forgets it was ever even quiet when he wakes.
"What were you doing upstairs?" Buffy asked and Connor had that look that he was up to no good. "Connor?"
"Na, na, nothing." Connor answered but Buffy wasn't convinced. Cordelia and Doyle smiled knowing this was going to be them soon.
"What were you doing upstairs?" Buffy asked again. "Show me?" She asked and went upstairs and Connor followed. Connor has on a number of occasions taken all the toilet paper off the roll, colored on the wall and taken everything out the garbage cans from the bathrooms and tossed the trash everywhere. Buffy then saw her and Angel's door opened. "What were you doing in there?"
"Nothing," Connor answered.
"Show me where you were," Buffy walked into her and Angel's room looking around seeing what was at Connor's level that could be destroyed. "You didn't do anything naughty?" Buffy asked looking down at her son and he looked up at her and shook his head no. Buffy escorted him out and looked into the other rooms and everything looked ok. The two then headed downstairs and back into the kitchen. "Catastrophe avoided for now." And Cordelia smiled as Connor ran to the window in the living room to see if Angel was home. He knew Angel should be back soon.
"So uh Buffy," Doyle started. "Cordy here has been crying during action movies, did you cry a lot during pregnancy?" Doyle asked and Cordelia sighed and Buffy smiled.
"I cried at the Sham Wow commercials." Buffy admitted and then Connor came running into the kitchen. "It's that magic hour,"
"What's the magic hour?" Doyle asked.
"Connor's crazy and I'm exhausted." Buffy answered as Connor was running around the house and Doyle reached for the little boy and he giggled running away. "Got school and daycare tomorrow so have to get all of tomorrow's stuff ready. Connor gets a bath tonight; make sure he has his clothes ready. Oh and tomorrow I'm taking my class on a field trip because I'm crazy." Cordelia giggled and then Connor peaked his head around the corner and laughed as Doyle went after him.
"Being a mom is a full time job." Cordelia and stated and Buffy agreed as they set the table together. "So you and Angel gonna have one of your own?" And Buffy looked up and she hasn't had that thought before. Have Angel's child? Part of her smiled and wanted to say yes but another part was screaming no too afraid because Angelus was on the loose.
"Maybe…" Buffy answered because it was a maybe. "I mean I don't know it's still a little too soon."
"Angel is so in love with both of you and I can see him asking you to marry him." Cordelia seemed happy thinking about it. "Would you marry Angel?" Again Buffy wanted to say yes but she's been married once and it failed. She knew it wasn't her fault but still it failed.
"Baby steps," Was Buffy answer for now and Cordelia smiled.
"Angel's home," Doyle said as he came back into the kitchen.
"Angel home! Angel home!" Connor yelled informing the people of the house. Connor was standing on the couch looking out the window facing the front yard and he saw Angel's car. "Angel home!" He said again seeing Angel get out of the car. Connor got off the couch and ran into the kitchen. "Angel home!" Connor said again just in case they didn't know.
"I know a million people just told me." Buffy said and the front door opened and Angel came in.
"Angel!" Connor cried out with a smile and ran to his arms. Angel reached out and held him and Connor looked more than content. Everyone else greeted him and he could smell dinner and was hungry. Angel smiled seeing Cordelia and her little pouch she was getting. He was going to be an uncle and was excited. Angel set Connor in his high chair and put his bib on as dinner was about to be served.
Cordelia and Doyle left for the night as now it was time to get Connor ready for bed. Buffy would make sure most of Connor's stuff was packed for tomorrow while Angel gave him a bath. Once that was done both Angel and Buffy played with Connor in his room hoping to wear him out a little more. After playing some type of chasing and tickling game Buffy picked up the random toys as Angel put Connor to bed. They both said good night to him and Angel went back downstairs to check the locks and everything else.
Buffy went to her bathroom to take a shower and hoped it would relax her. Last night was horrible and it wasn't supposed to be. She wondered what it would have been like it Angel hadn't been then. She would have lost it completely and probably would have ran. But thank god she had Angel. Buffy let the water hit her and didn't realize Angel had come into the bathroom let alone into the shower stall. She then felt his hands and smiled a little. Yes thank god for Angel.
Buffy felt him press himself closer to her she smiled as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her bare shoulder and up her neck. Buffy then turned around so she could see him and he leaned in for a kiss, a deep kiss. He missed her all day even though he only worked for about five hours. He finds when he goes to work he misses Buffy and Connor and wonders what they are up to all the time. But with Angelus out there he would not let them out of his sight if he could help it. He finally found someone to love well he got more than he could ask for he got two people to love and he wasn't going to give that up.
Buffy found someone to love too. She thought she knew what love was with Angelus but it was nothing compared to Angel. This was love, when you wake up and you smile seeing that person next to you. When you can't wait for them to come home and just hug you. When they smile and your heart melts and when they touch you it's like there's fire in your blood. Every time you see them you go weak at the knees and you get nervous and happens every time you see them. Where all you want to do is give them everything, body, heart and soul. That's love and these two had it.
Angel pulled Buffy closer so there was no space between them and with the hot water around them it only helped with the mood. For a moment Angelus was not on their minds just each other as he pressed her against the shower wall and slipping inside. Buffy closed her eyes letting everything wash over her and held onto Angel. She knew if Angelus found her Angel would take care of it somehow. He's already proven that he was ready to protect her and he'll do it again.
Buffy was in bed knowing she would fall asleep soon. Her body was tired from the stress but the little shower she took with Angel would help with sleep. Angel crawled in next to her pulling her close as she rested her head on his chest, the best pillow in the world. He wrapped both arms around her and for her it was the safest place in the world.
Angelus was sitting alone smoking a cigarette and was staring at something a photo. It was a wedding photo of him and Elizabeth. They were kissing each other and that moment caught in a photo was the happiest moment for him. He was happy with Elizabeth. She fulfilled something that he needed and for a moment when they first married he thought about leaving the mafia. For a moment he almost gave up that life but didn't. But he was too proud and arrogant to admit it was his fault for the failed marriage and being convicted not Elizabeth. But she ran, she ran away with his son a son he never got see. You don't do that to anyone and he will have his revenge somehow.
Did he want to kill Elizabeth for what she did? A part of him did but another part hoped that she would reconsider and they got back together. As he looked to the picture a door opened and Angelus looked up taking one more puff of the cigarette and tossed it and walked over to Lindsey. Lindsey set down papers and Angel looked to them. They were copies of birth records. He wanted to find his son and maybe from there find Elizabeth so he sat down and looked for the name Aiden and that name be attached to a date in March to woman named Elizabeth.
So Angelus is searching…not good not good. Also some questions were asked that I'm sure all of you have asked. Will Angel and Buffy want a child of their own? Will they get married? Hmm we'll see. So what's next?
There's more coming but if you want more insight to this chapter and ask further questions or just chat go to TheBuffyAngelWhedonVerse forum under A Life to Live Up Until Chapter 13 topic and you'll get more. I'm doing this for all my chapter updates for this story and my story Aurora the sequel to The Gift so for those reading that got a chapter insighter stuff for that too. Feel free to post questions there too.
More to come soon and thanks for reading. Comments and reviews are as always welcomed.