Hours Later
Master Bedroom
Opening her eyes with a start, Buffy took in her surroundings wondering if last night was a dream she had liked so many times before.
She rolled over to Angelus lying beside her. He balanced his head with his hand as he watched her sleep with a twitching smile.
Blushing under his gaze, Buffy faced him and held the bedsheet tighter around her naked body. "What? Do I have funny bed hair or something?" She self consciously ran fingers through her mussed hair.
Angelus' smile grew bigger. He reached out a hand and tenderly tucked it behind her ear. "Ye're beautiful," his whispering voice sent a shiver of desire down Buffy's spine.
Scooting closer to him, Buffy held a hand against his cheek and leaned in, placing a loving kiss over his mouth.
Angelus' arm wrapped around her back and grinned into the kiss. After years of misery, finally, he had something worth smiling about. He couldn't sleep a wink unable to tear his eyes away from her in fear that she'd disappear again.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The piercing ring of the cellphone on the nightstand charger broke the escalating kiss.
Moaning into the kiss, Buffy didn't want to break away from him but she knew she had to.
"I'm sorry, I have to answer that," she told him regretfully before pulling away.
Angelus smirked slightly disappointed. He watched as Buffy turned away from him to reach for the cellphone.
He outstretched his arm and ran a hand down her naked back, following the line of her smile to the small of her back.
Without looking back at him, Buffy swatted his hand away, which made Angelus chuckle.
"Hello?" Buffy held the cellphone to her ear.
Only able to hear the muddled muffles of a voice on the other end of the phone call, Angelus distracted himself by taunting his lover.
Pressing his front against her backside, Angelus placed teasing kisses on her shoulder. He pushed away the long strands of her hair to expose her neck to him. He began to pepper her neck with his kisses.
Buffy looked over her shoulder and shot him an amused look then shooed him away as she continued her conversation, "Anya, expect a phone call from Mr Snyder. And keep the Book of Kells out on display," she ordered the assistant researcher.
Angelus laid flat on his back and lightly drummed his hands over his chest. For the first time, he examined the room he was in. It wasn't like their bedroom at Ronan Castle. But this room was spacious enough. He liked the large windows that looked out to the bustling city. The furniture was traditional or what Buffy would call, 'vintage'.
Turning his head to his left, Angelus noticing a framed photograph placed on the nightshade beside him. He sat up and picked up the frame to examine it.
Angelus' brows pinched together as he stared down at a small boy with bright blue eyes and dark brown shaggy hair that fell over his forehead and brows. The boy sat seated on the floor with a guitar in his hands and grinned at the photographer.
There was a familiarity about the boy that struck Angelus. The closer he looked the more obvious it became. Though the eye colour was different the shape of the boy's eyes were identical to Angelus. They even shared the same bright hypnotic smile.
It was then Angelus realised that this boy was Buffy's.
He tore his eyes from the photograph to Buffy.
Feeling Angelus' intense gaze on her back, Buffy looked over her shoulder to Angelus and noticed the framed photograph in his hands. She took a deep breath and said into the phone, "Anya, I'm gonna have to call you back." Buffy hung up the phone and placed it back onto the nightstand.
"What is t'is?" Angelus asked, holding up the photograph.
"It's called a photograph. There's a thing called a camera and it, uh, captures an object… or a person's likeness using light." Buffy struggled to explain something so common to the modern world.
Not quite understanding her explanation, Angelus let it go then swallowed looking back down at the photograph of the boy. "Who is t'is?"
Buffy shifted on the bed to face him fully. She kept the bed sheet over her body and looked Angelus in the eye as she said, "His name is Liam Connor."
Frowning, Angelus narrowed his gaze over her, "Liam?"
Swallowing the emotion beginning to clamp in her throat, Buffy softly smiled with a nod, "Yeah... I named him after his father."
Surprised, Angelus looked back down at the photograph again and stared at it harder trying to find any sort of evidence that would connect him to his gorgeous little boy that shared Buffy's blood.
"He has your dark features and your chin… and your nose—thank god," Buffy smiled to herself.
Angelus looked at Buffy then back down at his son, Liam.
"I 'ave a son?" Angelus whispered in awe. A son? Ye're a father. I 'ave a son… wi' Buffy. We 'ave a son, Angelus inwardly processed.
Teary-eyed as she watched Angelus memorise every detail of the seven-year old's face, she nodded, "Yeah, you have a son."
Rubbing a hand over his face, Angelus lifted his eyes to Buffy and asked, "What's he like?"
Moving to sit beside him against the bed's backboard, Buffy leaned against him, looking at the photograph from over Angelus' shoulder. "He's funny… and he loves to read and draw—he's quite creative which makes it certain that he's yours," she smiled. "I mean, I can't even draw a straight line."
"T'at's true," Angelus teased, "ye 'ave no creative talents."
Buffy playfully nudged his arm, "You don't have to be a jerk about it."
Angelus smiled and turned his gaze back to the photograph, "Tell me more about my son," he requested.
Laying her head over his shoulder, Buffy continued to describe their child, "He's so smart. He's a little guitar prodigy." She looked at Angelus, watching him trace the lines of Liam's face with his index finger. "He has the biggest heart. The ringleader with all of his friends. He's a lot like you."
Angelus reverted his attention back to Buffy.
They shared a smile letting their happiness of finding each other again sink in.
Leaning closer to her, inches from her lips to kiss, Angelus lovingly smiled at her, "I always knew ye'd be a wonderful mother."
"How could you have possibly known that? I could be the worst mother of all mothers."
"I highly doubt t'at," Angelus chuckled. "Look at t'is," he held up the framed photograph. "T'a smile on t'is boy's face is not one of neglect. I 'ave no doubt in my mind, Buffy Anne O'Connor, t'at ye are a sensational mother to my son."
Rubbing the tip of her nose against his, Buffy looked deeply into his dark brown eyes, "It's been a long time since I've heard that."
Pinching his brows together in confusion, Angelus asked, "Heard what?"
"O'Connor," she answered.
Tucking a piece of her long hair behind her ear, Angelus let his finger slip from her hair and ran the back of his finger down to cheek to her chin. "Ye're an O'Connor, Buffy—Always," his eyes dropped to her softly parting mouth for a moment then lifted his eyes back to reach her gaze.
Closing the small space between their mouths, Buffy fell into a long and slow kiss, confirming their love that was once divided. They took their time re-exploring the crevasses of their mouths.
Her hand held against his cheek as they deepened the kiss when it became more fervent. Angelus stumbled as he tried to place the photograph back onto the nightstand without breaking the kiss but the frame accidentally fell to the ground.
A crash of glass shattered to the floor.
Angelus' eyes widened immediately apologetic and tried to break away from Buffy to rectify the situation, but Buffy's hands holding his face stopped him from moving.
"Leave it. We'll deal with it later," she said quickly then continued to passionately kiss him.
Angelus grinned into their kiss. An arm wrapped around her back while the other tore the bed sheet that covered their naked bodies away. Angelus lowered her onto her back.
Morning
Drusilla's Loft
Kitchen
Sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal placed in front of him, Liam's eyes were on the strange woman his father had been seeing some time now.
The seven-year-old's bright blue were on Drusilla as she twirled and pranced around the kitchen to a gothic sounding cello playing in the background.
Liam didn't want to think too hard about the odd dark-haired woman his father is infatuated with—mostly because he was still holding out hope in his parent's reconciliation, Liam chose to dislike the woman dancing in the kitchen and blabbing to the 'stars' in the ceiling.
"Did you have fun last night?" Spike looked at his son across the table.
Shaking out of the look on his face as he stared at the bizarre woman, Liam looked at Spike and shrugged, "Yeah," he replied.
"You'll need to practice that song I taught you," Spike sat back in the chair as Drusilla came up behind him and slid her hand down the front of his chest.
Shrugging again, Liam did not particularly care for the hard rock song Spike had taught him last night as an attempt to bond with him. Liam stopped trying to tell his father that he was not interested in that sort of music but classical music. He enjoyed the technical complexity of classical music.
"Uh, okay, Dad," Liam said.
Spike released a heavy breath, the boy was only seven and it was already hard to communicate with him. He was trying and knew how hard this transition was between his parents together and now they were divorcing. It is a strange and confusing time for the child.
Feeling the urge to somehow make it up to him, Spike looked at his son and said suddenly, "How about we go to the music store."
Liam raised his brows high up his forehead knowing what Spike was trying to do. Unsure how to express himself to the seven-year-old, Spike reverted to taking Liam to the music store and buying him another guitar.
Afternoon
Pratt's Residence
Kitchen
"Mmm," Buffy moaned against his mouth as Angelus held his arms around her, kissing her thoroughly. He lifted her from the floor to seat her onto the top of the counter. Angelus' mouth moved from her mouth to her neck, making her laugh as his tongue tickled her skin. "Angel, we have to stop."
Drawing back his head, Angelus frowned with confusion, "Why stop, lass. We've got… two hundred and… many years to make up for," he wagged his brows, cupping her cheek and kissed her again.
Breaking the kiss, Buffy lazily draped her wrists around his shoulders and entangled her fingers through his short dark hair, "This is an embarrassing display of a grope fest."
Thinking about it for a moment as Angelus' fingers began to slide up and under Buffy's knee-length skirt he thought about it, "Aye, I guess t'is is quite embarrassin', huh?" He flashed her a juvenile smug smile and crushed his mouth against hers again.
Falling back into the kiss, Buffy circled her legs around his waist, drawing him closer. She could feel the hardness in his trousers pressing into her.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Angelus muttered, breaking the kiss.
Buffy frowned, "What?"
"What do we tell Liam?"
With a concerned frown, Buffy released a heavy sigh and covered her hands over her face remembering their son.
"Uh, the truth, I guess.." Buffy replied, unsure what the hell they should do in this situation.
Angelus slowly nodded in agreement then asked, "How much of t'a truth?"
"All of it… Some of it… Most of it…" she shrugged. "I'm not sure. But you're right, he has to know. You're his biological father and Liam should know that." Buffy said aloud and came to terms with what she had to do. "I'll do it."
"Buf—"
"—No, no, I-I'll do it. It's—this is my responsibility."
"Buffy—"
Holding her hands around his neck, forcing Angelus to look at her, Buffy gently smiled and said, "This needs to be done. And I need to do it. I want Liam to know you…" she stroked the pads of her thumbs to his cheekbones. "You're his father."
Covering her mouth with his own, Angelus held her tightly into him. Their tongues slipped into each other's mouth, sinking deeper into the kiss and never hearing the front door open and close.
Lost in each other, neither Buffy for Angelus noticed they were no longer alone.
"Mom?"
Breaking the kiss, Buffy's eyes snapped open to Angelus' face and whispered, "My God." Peeking over Angelus' broad shoulders, Buffy looked at Liam, "Liam,"
Slowly distancing themselves, Buffy slipped off of the counter and fixed her skirt then looked at her son's wide expression. She raised her gaze to Spike's fuming face.
"Well—" Buffy began but was immediately interrupted by Spike's anger.
"—Who the hell is this?" Spike demanded to know.
Exchanging a look with Angelus, who was glaring daggers at the soon-to-be ex-husband, Buffy sighed heavily and opened her mouth to respond when Spike angrily interrupted her again.
"What are you doin', Buffy? Sleepin' around? What is this?—Payback?" He asked her accusingly, stepping around Liam, towering over Buffy.
"Spike, can we please discuss this outside?" She asked him calmly.
"No! I want to discuss it now!" Spike turned his glare to Angelus. "Who the hell do you think you are? That's my wife!" His fists were tight at his sides, ready to punch the strange dark-haired man.
Angelus remained quiet and held his hands into his trouser pockets.
Pursing her lips together, Buffy grabbed Spike by the sleeve of his leather duster and pulled out of the kitchen and into the living room leaving Liam and Angelus alone in the kitchen.
Liam and Angelus stood awkwardly, unsure what to say or do in this sort of situation.
Angelus felt as if his heart was going to pound out of his chest. Standing before him was his son—the product of the love he shared with Buffy—his greatest achievement.
Lowering his gaze to the two guitar cases in Liam's hand, Angelus swallowed and asked lamely, "Do you play an instrument?"
"Guitar," Liam replied. He looked down at the second guitar case in his hand, "My dad bought me another guitar today as an attempt to bond with me."
"Oh," Angelus swallowed.
Putting down the guitar cases, Liam walked over to Angelus, holding out his hand. "I'm Liam."
A small smirk tugged at Angelus' lips and accepted the boy's hand. "Angelus. But you can call me Angel—if you'd like. Your mother does..."
Liam eyed Angelus for a moment, finding something very familiar about him but feeling suddenly vanished when he became distracted by his parents' loud argument in the other room.
Living Room
"Didn't take you long to move on, did it?" Spike said spitefully, which instantly drew Buffy into the attack.
She angrily glared at him and held her hands onto her hips, "What did you think would happen?—That I'd be crying over you for the rest of my life? Please, can you be any more hypocritical?" She sneered.
"That's not fair!" He tried to argue.
"Not fair? Okay, Spike, let's talk about what's not fair. What's not fair is that you put the entire blame of what went wrong in our marriage on me! Because you, the man that's been having an affair for the last seven years is only the victim in all of this," sarcasm dripped venomously into her words.
Taking a step towards her, standing tall over her head, Spike commanded, "I don't want that man anywhere near Liam."
"That's not your decision, Spike."
"I'm his bloody father!"
"So is he!" As soon as the words came out, Buffy paused in realisation for what she had just said.
Spike's face fell as it dawned on him, the man that had gotten between his and Buffy's entire relationship for the last seven years was standing in his kitchen—talking to his son.
"Are you…" Spike's blue eyes darkened, "... Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? My side of the bed isn't even cool yet and you long lost lover that left you is back!—In my house! What the fuck are you playin' at, Buffy? Were you whorin' yourself out to this asshole? "
Buffy's hand shot out and slapped Spike hard across the face. "You're not in the position to be talking about whores."
Clenching his jaw, trying to control his rage, Spike said through gritted teeth, "Liam is not goin' anywhere near that fuckin' bastard. I mean it, Buffy."
"Or what? Angel has every right to know his son, Spike."
Releasing a bitter laugh, Spike glared at Buffy, "So what now? He's back and I'm out?"
Calming down, Buffy shook her head, "I never said that."
"He's my son, Buffy." He stepped closer to her, feeling the need to be possessive. "And you are my wife. Angel can't come here and steal everythin' that's mine."
Buffy looked at him darkly and said with a biting voice, "He can't steal something that isn't yours anymore."
Spike's face twisted as he processed her words.
Kitchen
Still standing across from one another as the fight continued on, Angelus struggled to do something to distract them from the heated argument.
He can see the words of anger were beginning to affect the seven-year-old, now that his parents were fighting with words that were used purposefully to hurt one another.
"I'm his bloody father!" Liam heard Spike yell.
"So is he!" Buffy angrily shouted back.
Liam's eyes widened and shot up to Angelus' face in disbelief.
They stared at one another. Neither knew how to respond, almost forgetting to breathe.
Angelus swallowed.