Three weeks later:
Buffy was taking rhythmic breaths as she waited for the contraction to end before climbing out of bed and heading down the hall. "Angel," she called as she opened his bedroom door and saw him sit up, look at her curiously. "I think I need to go to the hospital."
He rolled out of bed, ran a hand through already ruffled hair, and Buffy took a moment to look at him with appreciation before sliding arms around her stomach. "I thought it might be a false alarm, but I've been having contractions for a while now."
"And you didn't wake me up?" he asked with disbelief.
"I didn't want to bother you," she answered.
He scowled and rubbed at his forehead before pulling on a t-shirt and walking to her side. "Alright," he murmured as he reached out to lightly touch her back, "let's go to the hospital Buff."
Five and a half hours later, the doctor was telling her to push, and Angel offered his hand. She looked at it, glanced up at him... pain hit, and she grabbed it as hard as she could.
It was a boy with brunette hair, and Angel barely spared him a glance.
"Alright," the doctor spoke up a couple of minutes later. "Here comes the next one."
Buffy took rhythmic breaths as she stared at the ceiling.
"Come on..." Angel murmured, and watched as she turned to look at him with tear filled eyes. "One more time," he encouraged quietly.
She swallowed, concentrated on her breathing... took a few seconds... pushed, and a second cry filled the room before she went limp. Angel shifted damp hair off her face before glancing over at the little blonde girl the nurse was cleaning. Unable to stop himself he walked over to watch before reaching out expectantly when she was done. The older woman handed her over, and he moved to sit in a chair.
"You've got one of each," the doctor stated cheerfully as he walked over to her with Alex, and Buffy slowly sat up before reaching for him. The little boy looked at her with bright eyes, and she gave a sad smile before looking up when Angel sat on the edge of the bed.
"She's blonde Buffy," he murmured in awe. "She's going to look like you."
Her attention shifted to the little girl and she reached toward her with a faint smile. "Hi Ann," she murmured as Angel turned to look at the boy.
"You're still calling him Alex?"
"Yeah." She looked up when the door opened.
"There are my grandkids," Pete Abrams stated as he walked in and looked at Alex before studying Ann. "I told the hospital I expected to be contacted when they were born... and it looks like I got here just in time." He gave a shake of his head. "You sure saved my son's bacon. I was going to disinherit him if he didn't give me a grandkid."
A knot tightened in Buffy's stomach. "I lied. They're not his."
"Well you can bet there's going to be a DNA test... but if they're Parker's they'll be well taken care of."
Angel turned toward him with a scowl. "Until we know, why don't you leave?"
"I've just about had enough of you boy," the older man stated threateningly, and Angel gave a slow cruel smile.
"You own furniture stores don't you?"
"The best there is."
"Tell me, are you having a little trouble with your suppliers?"
He scowled. "A minor one I assure you."
"Only minor because it just started. In a few weeks, I think it's going to be major. I think it might cause your company to fold."
The older man snorted. "Like you would know anything about finances." He turned toward Buffy. "I've already got a judge-signed court order for paternity tests, and this hospital's aware of it. You can bet if these kids are Parker's we'll be seeing you in court." He shot Angel a hard look before leaving.
"It's just a DNA test Buff," Angel murmured as he stared at the door Abrams had just closed before getting to his feet and handing Ann to the nurse. "I've already given blood for it." He turned back to her. "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I mean, ice cream or maybe a hamburger?"
She looked up through a veil of tears before giving a shake of her head. "All I want is to go home."
"Tomorrow," he promised. His gaze shifted to Alex thoughtfully. He had Liam's brunette hair, but then so did Parker. A moment later, he glanced at Buffy. She was wiping at tears, and he frowned before starting toward the door. "I think you're going to have a lot of company in a few minutes, and they're not going to want to see me." He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob before turning back. "I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll go home."
She nodded and watched him go with an aching heart before turning her attention back to Alex and Ann.
Angel woke to crying babies and scowled before looking at the alarm clock. It was 1 am, and he dropped back onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling before getting up and heading toward the nursery.
Buffy glanced up when he walked in. "Sorry," she murmured before turning her attention back to the brunette she was feeding. "I've never had to deal with two before."
He walked to the crib and looked down at Ann before sighing and picking her up. She looked at him with tear filled eyes, and he walked over to look out the window as he tried to soothe her.
"I suppose we won't have them much longer," Buffy stated.
"You're the mother," he answered. "At most, it'll be joint custody... and to tell you the truth, I don't even think it'll be that." He turned to her. "I think Pete Abrams is going to walk away, and if he hasn't already figured that out, he will shortly."
"Why would he? You didn't."
He was silent before giving a snort. "Abrams is a big fish in a small pond Buffy. My family's more powerful than his can *dream* of being. As far as comparing the situation we had with Liam to this one, it's not even close."
She didn't respond, and he walked over to the rocking chair she was in and crouched down beside her. "I know you don't believe me, but I loved you then, and I love you now. I can't change the past Buffy. I can't go back and talk you out of signing our annulment, and I can't change that I took Liam away from you, or that..." he broke off not wanting to mention that Liam had been turned against her. He looked up and met her eyes. "I promise you, you'll never lose these two."
"I wish I could believe that," she answered, and Angel frowned before walking back over to look out the window.
"You don't have to trust me," he finally answered, "but believe me when I tell you I can financially *ruin* Abrams... The money Parker wants to inherit... There won't be any of it left if they decide to fight for the twins."
Five days later, Angel got home from work and walked into the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed Buffy was sitting at the table crying, a large manila envelope in front of her. Food forgotten, he slowly sat down before reaching to slide the unopened envelope across the table. Her hand came down on it and she pulled it back before collapsing over it with a sob as she cradled her head in her arms. Angel took a breath.
"I need to know," he stated quietly. "We both do."
It took a minute, but she slowly lifted her head and looked at him. He met her eyes. "Trust me," he ordered quietly. She swallowed before getting up to look out the kitchen window, her back to him as he reached for the envelope again, broke the seal, and pulled out the two papers inside. He closed his eyes, took another breath before glancing over them. The word 'results' got his attention, and he carefully read the two short sentences after it before lowering his head to stare at the table for several long seconds.
"Angel," she started in a wavering voice before going silent and turning back to the window as she tried to muffle her sobs.
He got to his feet and walked over to wrap arms around her waist before placing a firm kiss on top of her head. "Don't ever leave me," he murmured. "I love you, Buffy."
She stared blindly out the window as he released her and left the kitchen before slowly turning toward the papers he'd left on the table.
She found him in the nursery ten minutes later, standing over Ann's crib, and she couldn't stop more tears from falling as she walked up to him. He turned to her, and she dropped her eyes before wiping at them with the crumpled tissues in her hand.
"I love you," he restated firmly before reaching out to tug her against him.
"The twins are Angel's?" Willow asked with surprise as they sat at her kitchen table.
"Yeah." Buffy nodded.
"And how do you feel about that?" she asked carefully.
"I love him..." she answered without looking up, "and he wants to raise them together." She wiped at tears before looking up helplessly.
Xander rubbed at the back of his neck before giving a shake of his head. "I guess it's good they're not Parker's."
"I know," the blonde agreed as she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, put the cup back down, took a breath. "Angel asked if he could buy into the art gallery. He doesn't want to work at the factory for the rest of his life."
"Can't blame him for that," Xander answered. "I don't think he fits in all that well."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I told him he could if he wanted to take the chance."
Silence fell. "So you're okay with this?" Oz asked.
"Yeah." She nodded and wiped at tears.
And Liam?" Anya asked.
Buffy took a pain filled breath and swallowed as she studied the table. "I don't know," she answered tiredly before giving a shake of her head. "Maybe in time..."
Angel parked in the driveway before grabbing the carrier out of the passenger's seat. He slid out of the car before opening the back door and beginning to free Ann from the seat she was strapped into. A moment later, he strapped her into the carrier before walking around to get Alex.
He was walking onto the front porch when the door opened, and he smiled at Jenny before carefully maneuvering inside. There was a heavy wood entrance table off to his right and he placed Ann's carrier on it before walking farther into the room. Giles was walking toward him with his arms out, and he handed Alex over before glancing back to see that Jenny was talking to Ann quietly. He looked up when Holtz walked over to him.
"Are you sure they're yours?"
The brunette reached into his coat pocket for the test results and handed them to his uncle before walking over to look out the window... and Holtz dropped the paper on the coffee table a few seconds later. "What are you going to do?" he asked grimly.
"What I've been doing."
"It would be nice to have you back at Triad." He waited for a response.
"Maybe," Angel answered without turning from the window, "but right now I need some more time off... and I may never go back full time."
"So you want to move to the top of the ladder?" Giles asked with a smile at his brother-in-law.
Angel shook his head before turning toward Giles with a self depreciating smile. "It would be a change. Right now I'm pretty much on the bottom rung."
Holtz shook his head with irritation. "Put her in a house... hell, live with her, but end this charade your playing and come home."
"That would put me right back where I started."
Silence fell.
"Are you happy?" Giles asked.
"Yes," Angel answered with a slow smile that glinted in his eyes.
"And that means something," Holtz answered, "but what about Liam?"
Silence fell, and Angel rubbed at the back of his neck for several long seconds. "I'm willing to do some work on the house and send him to Chadwick... but I don't know what I'm going to tell Buffy."
"And the twins?" Holtz asked. "You're not planning on sending them to public school are you?"
Silence fell and Angel gave a slow shake of his head. "I'm not sure that's my decision to make."
"It should be," Giles answered with a hint of censure. "They need to be raised with their inheritance in mind, to do otherwise would be negligent."
Angel didn't reply, and Holtz studied him. "I take it you'd be happy if Alex or Ann married someone penniless?"
"No."
"Then maybe you'd be happy if they had 'friends' that either resented them for their wealth or expected gifts?"
Angel turned to him with cold eyes. "I think you know the answer to that." A moment later, he looked away with frustration. "So you're telling me I need to choose between my children and Buffy?"
"No," Holtz answered. "You can have both, but you need to reclaim your birthright, and let the girl know *all* of the children will be raised in our world, not hers."
Buffy looked up when Angel walked into the house three weeks later, slid out of his coat before walking over to stand in front of her with two tickets in his hand. She frowned, took them, before looking up with disbelief. "Tickets to the Langdon's charity event?"
"Nest Welding gave out twenty of them. They drew names."
"You're not... I mean, are you going?"
He shrugged. "We were told if there were empty seats at the table, they were going to start firing people that didn't show up."
Buffy scowled and stared at the tickets. "That's not going to be fun."
"Then you'll go with me?"
Her eyes narrowed and she dropped the tickets on the sofa. "It's Friday night. I work until two am."
He rolled his eyes. "Take the night off."
"Angel," she hissed as she watched him sit in the recliner.
"Go with me. I mean, it's not like I have a lot of people I can ask. There's no way my friends will sit at the Nest Welding table... and I doubt Liam will want to go."
She crossed her arms and glared. "Can't you give them to someone else?"
"My name's down as receiving tickets, they expect me to be there Buff."
"I don't have anything to wear."
He snorted. "According to the group going, the official outfit for our table will be jeans and t-shirts."
"You're kidding?"
"No... They're not happy about having to go. I think they're trying to make a statement." His eyes glinted with amusement.
Buffy shook her head and studied him. "You know it's going to be a nightmare don't you?"
His lips twitched up. "Does that mean you'll go?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're going to owe me for this."
Angel watched as the valet drove his car farther into the parking lot before looking down at Buffy. She was wearing a dark green long sleeved shirt with a v neck, black jeans, and chunky black boots. If he didn't know better he'd swear she'd never been pregnant. "You look great," he repeated his earlier compliment.
She glanced up at him with a scowl before giving a shake of her head as she looked him over. He was wearing a black 'Nest Welding' t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. "You look good too," she answered as she looked at the way his shirt hugged him, his perfectly spiked hair.
He grinned and his eyes lit up. "Ready?"
She glanced at her watch and sighed. "Three hours and we can leave right?"
"That's the plan," he murmured as they started walking to the door.
"Hello Mr. McCormick," the doorman pulled it open with a smile.
"Hello Jim," Angel answered as they walked into the building.
"Good luck sir," the middle-aged man murmured before he let the door close.
Buffy glanced at the guy beside her. "Looks like you've got one person on your side.
Angel glanced down to meet her eyes. "Looks like it," he agreed before walking over to the receptionist and handing her his tickets.
"Good evening Mr. McCormick," the older woman greeted carefully as she looked him over. "I believe your table's on the left."
"Thank you, Mrs. Johnson." He slid an arm around Buffy's back and his eyes glinted with humor as he looked at the table she'd directed him to. Everyone there was in jeans and t-shirts, and he looked down at Buffy. "I hope you don't feel overdressed."
She shot him a look before they made their way over to the table.
"Hey Buff," Riley murmured as she took a seat beside him. "How're the twins doing?"
"Good," she answered, but I'm looking forward to having them sleep through the night." She glanced at Angel. "It's supposed to get better at some point."
Angel grinned. "I can hardly wait."
Forrest glanced at them. "How's your store coming along?"
"Good. Pretty much just have the walls to do... and Lorne's going to help stock it."
"Well I for one wish you luck," Forrest answered before giving a shake of his head. "You might even have to let McCormick manage it for you. I mean, the guy sucks as a welder Buff."
"You just can't handle that I beat your rate on egg baskets can you?" Angel asked as he looked at the other man.
Forrest snorted. "I still think you padded the count."
Angel rolled his eyes, and Buffy glanced at Forrest. "How's Elizabeth?" she asked about his sister.
"She's getting married in June. I've only met the guy once, but he seems nice enough." He shook his head. "Mom's already pushing her for grandkids."
"Better her than you right?" Ben asked with a wide smile.
"Oh yeah," Forrest agreed before looking at the woman beside him. "I mean, not that I don't want them, Brenda."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Keep digging that hole deeper," she muttered with a scowl.
Nina walked over to the table with a blonde guy at her side and took a seat.
"You made it." Riley looked at her with a smile.
"Yeah." She shook her head. "And now I'm ready to leave."
"Not till we eat," Tom told her as he looked over the other tables before shaking his head. "There are definitely places I'd rather be tonight."
"I'm pretty sure that goes for all of us," Ben stated. "Probably even McCormick."
"I know Willow and Oz would like us to be someplace else," Buffy answered. "They've got our kids."
Ben shook his head. "Maybe he would rather be here," he muttered.
His wife slapped his arm. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing," he quickly answered. "I love... changing diapers."
Twenty minutes later, Angel glanced over his shoulder when his name was called, the woman that growled it standing with her arms crossed as she looked at him with irritation.
"Good evening Darla," he greeted.
"We want to talk to you," she bit out before turning to walk away.
Angel glanced at Buffy. "I've been summoned," he murmured with amusement. "Want to come?"
"No," she answered.
He got up. "Hold my seat will you?"
She shot him a look and nodded before he turned away, and they all watched as he walked to a different table, watched as his friends got up and circled him, looked him over. He held out his arms, glanced at his outfit, grinned. Gunn laughed, slapped him on the back. Doyle shook his head. Lindsey watched with amusement, Spike rolled his eyes. Darla, Dru, Lilah, and Cordy looked him over with scowls. They were joined a few minutes later by Giles and Holtz. Angel talked to them, heads turned, there were whispers across tables.
Ben shook his head. "Is he one of us, or them?"
Riley glanced over the room, noticed the people intently watching Angel's exchanges with his uncles, his friends. Nest walked up, slapped him on the back, said something to Holtz and Giles before moving on. "I don't know," Riley finally answered. "He *looks* like one of us."
Buffy took a sip of water. "They're his high school friends and uncles," she murmured as she set the glass back on the table and studied it.
"The only ones I recognize besides Nest, are Holtz, Giles, Gunn, and that white haired little shit," Tom muttered.
Buffy couldn't stop from smiling at him before looking up a couple of minutes later when Angel walked back over. "I'm pretty sure they think I need an intervention," he told her with amusement in his dark eyes. "Dance with me?"
"You want to dance?" she asked as she glanced over the almost empty dance floor before doing a quick scan of the room and the people watching.
"Yes." He glanced at the dance floor, glanced back at her. She was looking at the other tables with a frown, and he snorted. "I can name most of the people here," he stated quietly. "I can tell you which ones are drunks, cheating on their spouses, or gambling their fortunes away, which ones are here because it's a fashion show, and which ones are here trying for social status." He looked at her meaningfully. "Now," he murmured as he studied her, "Dance with me?" She sighed and got to her feet, and he shifted an arm around her back as they headed toward the couples that were dancing.
"She's lucky," Nina murmured as she watched.
Ben snorted. "He *took* her kid."
"Yeah," she agreed, "but to have an ex come back after seven years means something. I mean *seven* years in, and they get back together... Have more kids..." She shook her head. "It means something," she murmured.
Brenda turned to watch them thoughtfully before glancing back at the table. "Weren't they married?"
"I'm pretty sure Buffy signed an annulment," Nina answered as she watched them dance before looking back at the table and giving a shake of her head. "Angel must not have appreciated it since he took the kid."
Ben's wife watched the dance floor before bumping her husband. "I want to dance."
"Here?" he asked with a scowl.
Riley snorted. "That guy can't dance."
Connie looked at him. "You don't like his boot stomps?"
"There's nothing wrong with my dancing," he answered indignantly.
"Sure there's not," Forrest answered with an eye roll.
Connie gave a shake of her head before grabbing his wrist and dragging him to the dance floor.
A couple of months later, Buffy woke to the now familiar sound of babies crying. She stared into the darkness for a long moment before climbing out of bed to check on them... and stopped in the doorway to the nursery when she saw Angel was already there. He pulled his dirt covered t-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor before walking over to pick up Alex. A moment later, he turned to the door as if expecting her to be there. "Good morning," he murmured in a tired voice before sitting down in a rocking chair with his son.
"Morning," she answered sounding just as tired as she reached into the tiny refrigerator to get out two bottles of milk and set them into the microwave to heat. A few seconds later, she walked over to hand a bottle to him before going over to scoop up Ann. "How was work?"
Angel snorted as he dropped his head back against the rocker. "I worked beside Riley. My fan disappeared at lunch, and he shut my machine off at last break. It took me five minutes to realize I didn't need a mechanic."
Buffy smiled as she settled into her rocking chair. "Probably just an initiation. You're full time now."
"Yeah, and I'm not sure how I feel about that," Angel replied with a scowl before glancing at her. "I talked to the supervisor, and he thought in another week we'd be back to one shift instead of three." A companionable silence fell before he broke it, "I don't have to go back until Sunday at 8. What about you?"
"I go in Saturday night from 7 till 2, but that's it." She hesitated before wrinkling her nose. "Well... I mean, I'd like to do some painting at the gallery." She shook her head and glanced at her daughter. "I wish I'd been smart enough to do the walls before the floor, but Xander had the free time, and I thought the floor would be the harder of the two."
Angel frowned before turning to look at her with disbelief. "Buff..." he broke off.
"Yeah I know," she answered with a roll of her eyes.
Silence fell. "I suppose we can find some tarps," he finally murmured and some blankets to set the ladders on."
She slowly lifted her head to look at him. "We?" she asked.
"Well yeah. I'm paying off half the loan, and don't have anything better to do. Besides I enjoy painting," he stated with a scowl before dropping his head back onto the chair.
She watched him with a smile before it slowly melted. "Um... Spike called earlier."
"What did he want?"
"Some of them are taking Liam to the beach Sunday. I'm pretty sure he was inviting you to go with them."
Angel stared into the darkness before glancing at her. "I think we should go."
"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be welcome."
He snorted. "Liam needs to meet Ann and Alex. Even if he doesn't want anything to do with them, we can still go and enjoy our day off."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Angel, a day at the beach with your friends is not something to be enjoyed."
"We can pack some food, park the kids under a beach umbrella and spend some time with Liam."
Buffy shook her head. She wasn't looking forward to going, but she wanted to try to be in Liam's life. "Looks like we're going to have a busy weekend."
He smiled. "I don't know about you, but I'm all for sleeping in this morning. I'm pretty wiped out right now."
She watched as he slid a towel over his shoulder and patted Alex's back. "Angel."
"Hmm?"
"Are you sorry they're yours?"
He shook his head with irritation before turning to look at her. "They're beautiful Buffy. I wouldn't give them up for the world." A moment later, he lowered Alex back into the crib before walking over to kiss the top of her head and pick up his dirty shirt. "I'm taking a shower and going to bed. "Night Buff."
"Night," she murmured as she looked after him with tears in her eyes.
Angel glanced critically over the wall he was working on before setting down the can of paint and starting to move his ladder. An exclamation from Buffy had him looking her way. "What?" he asked.
She stared at the ceiling before turning to look at him, and he couldn't stop from laughing at the large splash of crimson paint on her forehead. She shook her head in mock annoyance. "Laugh it up over there," she muttered before going back to painting.
He grinned before stretching and turning to look at the wall he was working on. "What do you say we finish these two walls, grab something to eat, and pick up our kids?"
Buffy nodded. "It sounds good. Will and Oz can probably use a break, and my arms have just about had it."
He shifted the ladder over, picked up the paint can, and climbed back on it. "Yeah, mine too," he agreed. "And I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I'd close my eyes and all I'd see was welding sparks." He shook his head. "I don't know why my shirt hasn't caught on fire yet."
Buffy stopped what she was doing to glance at him. He was carefully painting around the white molding at the ceiling. A moment later, she turned back to the wall she was working on. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him and the twins in her life. After years of everything going wrong, it looked like finally, after everything, things were starting to go right.
Forty minutes later, she was wiping at the paint on her hands as she looked over the wall. "It looks good."
"Yeah it does," he agreed before he caught his arms around her waist and leaned down to her ear. "Maybe we can let the kids wait a little longer."
She turned toward him before sliding her arms around his neck when he leaned down to kiss her. Several seconds later, she reluctantly broke it. "Will's got plans... It's her dad's birthday."
He frowned and released her before walking over to make sure the lids on the paint cans were sealed and the brushes were cleaned. "You know Buff... I like my room, but I'd be willing to move in with you if you'd let me."
A silence fell, and she used a paint splashed hand to push hair behind her ear. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
He turned to meet her eyes. "I love you," he stated quietly.
She took a breath as tears gathered. "I've always loved you, Angel... even when I didn't want to."
"I know the feeling," he muttered as he took a last critical look over the freshly painted wall before walking over to intertwine their hands and start tugging her toward the door.
They slept late on Sunday morning before getting up and having a breakfast of coffee, toast, eggs, and bacon. Buffy packed the picnic basket while Angel fed the twins, and while she was doing the dishes, he grabbed a dishrag and dried them.
An hour and a half later, they were laying on a blanket under a beach umbrella, and Buffy couldn't stop a smile when she noticed Angel was sleeping. A few minutes later, she wished she was when his friends started arriving.
Spike was the first to come over. He glanced at her before looking at the twins. A couple of moments after that, he bumped Angel with his foot. "Come on mate. We're playing volleyball and we need you to play."
Angel scowled before slowly sitting up. "The net's not even up yet."
"You're right. Why don't you come help?"
The brunette rolled his eyes before looking at Buffy. "You want to play in my place?" he asked quietly.
"No."
He grinned at her, his eyes flashing with amusement before he got to his feet. "Then I guess I'll have to," he murmured as he watched them unload blankets and coolers, carry the ball and net onto the sand. He turned back to her. "Hold down the fort. If the little demons give you too hard of a time come get me okay?"
She nodded and watched as he walked over to where Doyle and Spike were working with the net. A moment later, she glanced tiredly at the twins. They were sleeping, and she decided to try to get some sleep as well.
"Hi, dad."
Angel turned to his son before picking him up and swinging him around. "Hey. How are things going?"
Liam grinned as Angel set him down. "I got an A in math."
"That's good," he murmured as he reached out to ruffle his hair.
Liam scowled and stepped out of reach before looking toward Buffy. "Uncle Rupert said the twins are yours."
"Yeah," he agreed with another smile. "Do you want to meet them?"
Liam was silent before shrugging and staring at the sand. "Why don't we all move into our old house?"
"I like the limestone better," his dad answered. "I mean, it might need some work. I was thinking about new windows, maybe a patio in the back... landscaping." He shrugged. "You could help me figure out what it needs if you want." He crouched down closer to his son's height. "Maybe you could even move in with us over spring break."
Liam frowned. "You're going to fix it up?"
"Yeah."
"But you don't want to go home?"
"No."
"That's your dad," Cordelia broke in as she walked over and spread a blanket on the sand before turning to Angel. "You realize you need to hire a nanny, don't you? I mean, how are you going to do that on a grease monkey's salary?"
"Hey," Gunn broke in as he set down a cooler. "I take exception to that."
Fred laughed. "I don't know... I can never keep your clothes clean."
Cordy scowled and shook her head. "What is it with guys and dirt?"
"Not all of us are rolling in it Luv," Spike broke in. "Lindsey and I are clean as can be."
Gunn snorted. "And not very useful if you need your car fixed."
"That's what we've got you for," Lindsey threw in with a grin.
Angel shook his head as they started setting up the nets before picking teams. The ball went into play and everyone began to concentrate on the game.
"How'd it go?" Buffy asked several minutes later when he walked back over and sat down.
"We lost, but it made Liam happy. He was on the other team."
"I've noticed that the last few years," she answered before shifting on the blanket. "What time is it?"
"1:30." He glanced over the water before laying down beside her, shifting onto his side, onto his elbow. "I was talking to Liam about moving back into the limestone."
She opened her eyes and stared up at the umbrella. "And?"
"And he might be interested."
The blonde sat up, ran a hand through her hair. "I'd like that."
"Me too." He gave a faint smile before sitting up and looking at the water. "I told him the house was a little run down and we might be able to fix it up."
She stared at the water. "It doesn't need a lot of work does it?"
He shrugged. "It could use some new windows... a patio, some landscaping... maybe an extension," he added casually. "The limestone would have to be matched... and we'd need to have plans drawn up."
She took a breath. "You want an extension?"
"There's five of us... we're going to need the space, and Liam's not going to want to listen to Alex and Ann cry all night." He gave a shake of his head, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Between working on the house and sending Liam to Chadwick, I might have to try to get my old job back." He glanced back toward the water before letting a calculated silence fall. "It's not that big of a deal is it?"
Not that big of a deal except for the sudden unease she was feeling, the tightening in her stomach, the memories of all the pain they'd been through. Exhaustion settled over her and she took a breath and forced a smile. "No."
"Good." He reached for the picnic basket and pulled out ham and cheese sandwiches, potato salad... apple pie, held a plate out to her. She looked at him searchingly as she took it and watched as he avoided her eyes before he started to fill his plate.
She still felt uneasy a few hours later when she walked into the house with Alex in her arms, and she headed up the stairs before carefully settling him in a crib. Angel walked in, and she listened to him murmur to Ann before rubbing at the back of her neck and tiredly starting to leave the room. She stopped when he wrapped arms around her waist.
"You've hardly said a word since we ate Buff. Is something wrong?"
"No. I'm just tired."
Silence fell as his head dropped down to rest against hers, and she stared at the wall as he stared at the floor with narrowed eyes. "I've been thinking about trying to paint again Buff... Maybe I could turn my old bedroom into a studio... I mean, as long as you'd be willing to help me try to sell some pieces."
"You know I will."
He shifted to place a firm kiss on top of her head before glancing at his watch. "Sounds like a plan, but in the meantime, I've got to be at work in three hours... and I'm still beat." He hesitated before releasing her. "If I try to get some sleep will you wake me at five?"
"Yeah," she answered and watched as he started to leave the room. She shifted hair behind her ear before heading downstairs.
Pandora was sleeping on the recliner, and Buffy glanced at her before picking up the picnic basket Angel had left inside the door. She unloaded it in the kitchen and then spooned up a bowl of ice cream before walking out to sit on the sofa, switch on the tv... lower the volume. She took a breath and tightly closed her eyes before starting to check through the channels to see what was on.
The end