Christmas Eve, 2005
"I have a surprise for you." Angel whispered to Buffy from behind as she was finishing wrapping Katie's gifts from 'Santa'.
"What?" she asked, impatient about gifts as ever.
"Come with me." He said, pulling her up and picking up Katie from the playpen. Angel motioned for Buffy to grab her coat as Angel wrapped Katie in a thick blanket and tucked her into his arms.
"Where are we going?" She asked, confused.
"Just outside." He told her.
"I'm not wearing shoes." She stated, looking at her slipper socks.
He handed her Katie then swooped her into his arms, "No longer an issue." He declared.
A moment later he walked them outside and Buffy looked up at the wonderful lights decorating their house.
"I managed to not fall off the roof this year." He said with a smirk.
She stared in awe at the lights a moment, even Katie in her arms looked up at them, an adorable little smile on her face.
Angel made sure to memorize that smile so he could forever capture it in a drawing.
"Well I'm glad you didn't fall off the roof this time, it would be kinda pathetic with no ice or snow to slip on." She burst his bubble.
He grinned is little half-smile, "Yeah, no challenge. But hey, it's starting to snow now…so looks like I finished just in time."
She watched the little flakes as they fell from the sky, she couldn't help but always think of Christmas 99 and to the freak snowstorm that saved Angel's life.
"It's perfect." She said, kissing his cheek. "Now my toes are getting cold so let's go back inside."
He carried them in and placed his wife on the couch, taking Katie from her and unwrapping the baby before she objected to being confined in a loud manor.
Once Katie was back in her playpen, Angel built up the fire, getting it roaring to chase out the cold.
He sat on the couch and Buffy snuggled up to him. His arm wrapped around her and they sat in comfortable silence a few minutes, just watching Katie as she played.
"I'm really liking your 'just us' Christmas eve tradition." She told him, "Makes life so much easier."
"It does." He agreed.
A moment later there was a knock on the door.
Angel grumbled about having to leave the warm and loving arms of his wife and walked to the door to see who was causing the interruption.
He opened the door and grinned, "Was wondering when you were going to show. Now get your butt in the house before you freeze to my doorstep."
Angel walked back into the kitchen, "Look what the snow chased in."
Buffy looked up and smiled, "Connor. I thought you were staying with friends this year." She asked, getting up and hugging her 'eldest son'.
"Whoa" The young man yelp at feeling Buffy's belly. "Man this little guy is growing quick, I swear you weren't even showing last time I saw you."
"Lies will get you everywhere." She smiled.
Angel took Connor's coat, "Hungry? Drink? Anything?" He asked his boy.
Connor shook his head, "I'm good, had dinner about an hour ago."
"So what's up with you?" Buffy asked, "You're friends ditch?"
Connor sat in the armchair as Angel slid back next to his wife.
"Yeah…well a little misunderstanding…nothing big. So I figured, well I'm come home for the holidays for once."
"You're always welcome here, holiday or not." Angel clarified.
"So umm…don't still have a room do I?" He asked, figuring it was converted since he moved out months ago to live with friends.
"We haven't touched it." Buffy told him, "Well except to vacuum, you leave crumbs." She turned to Angel, "Which he didn't get from you since you don't even leave crumbs."
He chuckled, "That would mean letting food escape…that's not an option."
"Sweet." The boy smiled, relieved he still had a place to crash.
"Was about to talk Angel into watching 'Frosty the Snowman' with me and Katie, want to join?" she asked the youth.
Connor couldn't help but hide a laugh at the face Angel made behind Buffy's back, "Yeah, why not. Might be fun in an embarrassing sit-with-your-parents-and-watch-cartoons sort of way."
Half way through the movie Buffy noticed Connor was sound asleep, his little sister just as soundly sleeping in his lap. She turned to point the adorable sight out to Angel, but he was silently snoring too.
She elbowed him.
He snapped awake, "Yeah, it was good, lets watch it every year." He said quickly, pretending he wasn't just sleeping.
"Movie isn't over yet." She deadpanned, and then pointed at their kids.
He smiled when he saw his boy and baby girl curled up together. "There's a sight I could watch forever."
She snuggled closer to him, "Yeah."
His hand rubbed her belly, feeling a strong kick he grinned, "I think Liam wants to join them."
"He can…you know in a few months…when he's actually born." She indicated.
He kissed her temple. "I hope every Dec 24 is just like this."
She yawned, suddenly feeling sleepy. "Me too." She said, letting her eyes slip shut as she listened to the cartoon playing in the background. "Except me being pregnant…we can skip that every year…" She added before dozing off.
Some time later, Angel noticed Buffy was sound asleep. Carefully he picked her up and carried her upstairs and placed her under their covers. As he moved back her hand gripped his shirt, not letting him go.
"Stay." She mumbled, half-asleep.
"Just putting the kids to bed, I'll be right back." He assured her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Reluctantly she let go and slipped back to sleep.
He collected Katie from her brother, gave the still sleeping seven month old a diaper change and settled her into her crib. "Night baby doll." He whispered, kissing her little cheek.
He quickly unmade Connor's bed and pulled some more comfortable sleeping clothes out of the drawer.
Back down stairs he nudged Connor's leg, "Come on kid, don't make me carry you to bed too." He joked.
Connor yawned and sat up, "Huh?"
"Bed, go to." Angel repeated.
Connor nodded, still half asleep as Angel guided him upstairs.
"Night Con" Angel said, giving his son a quick kiss on his head. "Glad you're home."
Angel slipped the door shut and headed to bed himself, eager to snuggle with Buffy.
Connor yawned again and changed into the clothes on his bed. It wasn't until he was under the covers that he realized his dad had kissed him.
'Ok, that's new. Actually, he's been weird all night…more…open.'
After a moment of shocked silence, he realizes he like it. Not in a sick 'I'm into my dad' sort of way, just as a son receiving love and affection from his usually awkward, emotionally reserved, father.
He fell asleep feeling lighter than he'd been all week.
January 24, 2006
Buffy placed her squirming toddler into the child seat of the shopping cart. The nine month old clutched at the toys on the carriage cover then looked around, her chocolate brown eyes big and wide at all the sights and sounds of the grocery store.
Buffy smiled at her daughter, "You love the market, don't you Katie?"
The baby clapped in response and giggled, as Buffy began her shopping.
"Dis?" Katie would ask pointing to various items, Buffy would smile and reply with the name of the item her daughter was asking about. The young girl would repeat the word, or try to, then move on to the next.
Buffy rounded the corner into the fruit and vegetable section when she heard "Buffy Summers?"
Buffy turned and noticed a group of girls, now young woman, from Hemrey High she used to be close friends with before she became the Slayer.
Jennifer Walkens, Kimberly Hannah and Nicole Bobbittson stood smiling at her, each of them displaying an air of perfection rivaling that of Cordelia Chase when she was in high school.
Her eyes widened in recognition, "O my god, I haven't seen you guys in like…forever!" she said as she hugged each one of them, an awkward task with her stomach swollen in late 3rd trimester pregnancy.
Suddenly each of the young women dropped the niceties and glared down at Buffy like something fowl on the bottom of a prized pair of shoes.
"Wow, Buffy. You…changed quite a bit." Jen commented looking at Buffy's tummy and the baby in the cart.
"Yeah, I mean…what have you done to your hair?" Nikki asked as she ran a hand over her own perfectly done locks.
"And your outfit? Gag worthy." Kim concluded.
Buffy's eyes dropped to her, what she thought was a cute and trendy maternity top and stretchy pants and her hand touched the loose pony tail on her head, she suddenly felt less than nothing, fashion wise anyways.
"Knocked up with a baby already?" Kim's belittled tone aimed at Buffy then turned to her friends, adding "Probably different fathers and no ring on her finger either. Sad really."
Buffy thought to pull her wedding ring from under her shirt. She kept in on a necklace Angel bought her for her birthday out of fear her fingers would swell and the ring would have to be cut off. It turned out, she didn't need the ring, something better walked in.
A moment later the most gorgeous man any of the three women had ever seen walked over towards them, they all smiled eager to talk with the tall dark handsome stranger.
They all looked on in shocked horror as he walked past them without a glance and kissed Buffy passionately.
"Sorry I'm late, couldn't find a place to park." Angel said to her as he wrapped an arm around her swollen waist.
Katie clapped in the cart at seeing her father, "DaDee!" she repeated and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, "Hey sweetie."
"Guys" Buffy said to her shocked 'friends', "This is my husband, Angel."
He looked at them quickly, and nodded "Hi" before returning his gaze back to his wife and child.
Buffy savored the looks of shock on the women's faces.
"Did you want me to shop while you catch up with your friends?" he asked.
"No, that's OK, we were done talking. Bye guys" she waved as she looped her arms around Angel's impressive bicep.
The three girls stood staring with their mouths open as the happy family disappeared around the corner.
Once out of earshot of her 'friends' Buffy leaned into Angel, "Thanks" she said looking up at him.
"Not often I get to rescue a damsel in distress anymore." He said with a smirk.
She smiled, "Yeah, well I guess even the best of us have our moments of damseling. I'll have to thank you properly when we get someplace more private."
His smirk turned into a full blown smile and he placed a kiss on her head.
"Do you often pick up dashingly handsome hero-type men at the supermarket?" he asked teasing.
"No, but I could make an exception, just this once." She teased back, her eyes trading wordless messages with his.
Needless to say, they finished shopping in record time.
...