AN: There are a lot of people around referring to Cordelia as the "former Maybqueen" btw.
Chapter Fifteen: It's Like A Dream
"He should've been here since an hour," Buffy said nervously walking up and down
at the window of her mother's house. She hadn't seen Angel since the last
weekend. He'd left on Sunday evening and an emergency case Gunn was running
had kept him in L.A. the whole week. But it was Friday night and the former
vampire had called only three hours ago that he was on his way. In fact they were all on their way because Giles was staying in Sunnydale for the weekend and they would all meet him at Willow's house where he was staying for the time.
"Calm down, honey," Joyce smiled at her daughter from her spot on the sofa where
she had been reading a book to David. The boy had fallen asleep after some time
and his head was resting in his grandmother's lap.
"Yeah, calm down mom," Ashlynn agreed, "Angel will be here soon. He loves you."
Raising a brow Buffy turned towards her daughter, "And how do you know that?,"
she asked.
"Because we talked about it. Last Sunday in the park, when you were gone with
David for a moment, I asked him, if his intentions were honest."
The former slayer was stunned for a moment while Joyce bit her lower lip not to
laugh out loud. Buffy had to clear her throat before she could speak again, "Uhm
... well ... What do you know about honest intentions?"
"Dad was talking about it. When he took us to the zoo on Saturday," Ashlynn
looked at her mother with serious eyes.
"I see," the blonde replied, biting her cheek. "Well, and Angel told you he loved me."
"Hmmm," the girl said and smiled, "he told me he loved you since you were a
teenager," now she giggled, "and then he said he would only leave if you told him so. Mom," Ashlynn asked concerned when she saw tears forming in her mother's
eyes, "are you okay?"
Buffy gave her a brilliant smile, "Perfectly fine, darling. You like Angel, don't you?"
"Yeah, he's nice. He always plays with me, he talks to me," she looked down in
her lap, "not like dad."
"Oh, darling," the former slayer walked over to her daughter and kneeled down in
front of her. "Your dad loves you very much, he's just so busy at the moment. But never doubt that he loves you."
"He said he loved me," Ashlynn sniffed a little bit, "but people who love each
other want to be with each other. And dad didn't call for over eight weeks."
Buffy stroked the girl over her head, then cupped her chin, so that she had to
look into her eyes, "Your dad had just started a new job, he has a new apartment
...."
"And a new girlfriend," her daughter remarked.
"He told you?," her mother was surprised.
Ashlynn nodded, "He said she is nice and she wants to meet me," she glanced at
the sleeping form of her brother, "us. But mom, I don't want to go to New York.
And I don't want to see this Danielle."
"But maybe she is nice," Buffy tried to improve her daughter's mood. "After all
your dad married me once and you like me too."
"Yeah," her daughter wasn't really convinced.
"And I promise you don't have to go to New York if you don't want to," the former slayer added. "Your dad will understand it. Maybe they can come here for a weekend and you can get to know each other. What do you think?"
"'kay," Ashlynn nodded.
"Better now?"
"Hmmm." It still didn't sound happy. So Buffy pulled her daughter with a sigh to
her. Over the head of the girl she met her own mother's eyes and saw
understanding there. She could remember a similar conversation between them only
too clearly.
When the doorbell rang Ashlynn pulled back and her mood had brightened in an
instant, "That's Angel. I'll go." And with this she ran to the door and pulled it open. Beaming at the former vampire, she threw her arms around his waist.
"Hey," he chuckled at the unexpected greeting and curiously looked at Buffy who
had followed her daughter. "What happened?" But the former slayer just shook her
head in the negative and her eyes were signalising him she would explain later. So he turned his attention back to the girl still clinging to him. "Ashlynn," he
said and when she looked up he reached into his pocket and produced a book for
her. "I brought you something."
"For me?," her eyes went wide with joy and she pushed the little pang away that
her father hadn't brought her anything last weekend. Angel at least seemed to
really like her. "Thank you," she breathed, holding the book with trembling
fingers. She gestured for him to bent down and when he did she kissed him soundly on the cheek. Then she turned and stormed away, "Grandma, grandma, Angel brought a book for me! Look!"
Angel chuckled again but he sobered when he saw the tears in Buffy's eyes, "Hey,
is something wrong?," he asked and opened his arms.
She went into them and they held each other for a moment. "Later," she mumbled
against his chest and then breathed deeply, "I'm so glad you are here. You don't
know what this meant to her. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied and pressed her even closer for a moment, then
pulled back. "I'm sorry we are late. It's Cordelia's fault. She couldn't decide
on a dress," he rolled his eyes and made Buffy smile. "Just let me say hello to
your mom and then we should go. I'm sure they're already waiting for us with
dinner."
"Probably," she replied and reluctantly left his arms.
He walked into the living-room and smiled, "Hi Joyce," he said and the older
woman (well, not really older) smiled back. They'd met already last Sunday when
he and Buffy had collected the kids and to his surprise she seemed very
supportive to their relationship. But then, he was human now and her major
problem with him had always been the fact that he was a vampire.
"Hello, Angel. It seems wherever you go, the females are smiling," she looked at
her grand-daughter who was flipping happily through the new book and then at
Buffy who was smiling now as well. Smiling at both of them, she added, "See you
tomorrow them."
"Bye mom," Buffy leaned down and kissed her mother on the cheek, then she and
Angel left the house.
As soon as she closed the door Angel stopped her, "Will you tell me now what was
happening in there?"
She sighed deeply and looked at him, "Ashlynn has a hard time with her father so
far away. She thinks he doesn't care for her anymore and it hurts her. I can
understand her so well, Angel, and still can't really help. Only her father could, and although I believe Brent that he loves his children ...," she trailed off.
He reached out and stroked her cheek with his thumb, "I will never understand how a job can be more important than your own family. I mean I realise that couples are getting divorced and all, but to move that far away that you can only see your kids at some weekends or during holidays," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you even more sad with this."
"No," she covered his hand on her cheek with her own, "you didn't. In fact you
did the perfect thing with your present."
"I've got something for David as well, but he was sleeping," he said and made her smile.
"How did I ever manage to live without you," she asked in wonder.
"Well hopefully you won't have to do it again," he replied and kept his voice as
casual as possible, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She had said she loved him, but he wasn't sure how she thought about a permanent commitment. The whole week he'd made inquiries about houses in Sunnydale and had finally found one, he'd looked at just before.
That had been the real reason they had been late, but he didn't want to tell her
yet. He wanted her and the children to live there with him, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for it.
"Hey," came a loud voice from the convertible, "are you coming at any time soon
or are we forced to watch this PDA the whole evening?"
They both chuckled at Cordelia's mocked annoyance, Angel pressed Buffy quickly to him, then they turned towards the car.
End Chapter 15.
Chapter Fifteen: It's Like A Dream
"He should've been here since an hour," Buffy said nervously walking up and down
at the window of her mother's house. She hadn't seen Angel since the last
weekend. He'd left on Sunday evening and an emergency case Gunn was running
had kept him in L.A. the whole week. But it was Friday night and the former
vampire had called only three hours ago that he was on his way. In fact they were all on their way because Giles was staying in Sunnydale for the weekend and they would all meet him at Willow's house where he was staying for the time.
"Calm down, honey," Joyce smiled at her daughter from her spot on the sofa where
she had been reading a book to David. The boy had fallen asleep after some time
and his head was resting in his grandmother's lap.
"Yeah, calm down mom," Ashlynn agreed, "Angel will be here soon. He loves you."
Raising a brow Buffy turned towards her daughter, "And how do you know that?,"
she asked.
"Because we talked about it. Last Sunday in the park, when you were gone with
David for a moment, I asked him, if his intentions were honest."
The former slayer was stunned for a moment while Joyce bit her lower lip not to
laugh out loud. Buffy had to clear her throat before she could speak again, "Uhm
... well ... What do you know about honest intentions?"
"Dad was talking about it. When he took us to the zoo on Saturday," Ashlynn
looked at her mother with serious eyes.
"I see," the blonde replied, biting her cheek. "Well, and Angel told you he loved me."
"Hmmm," the girl said and smiled, "he told me he loved you since you were a
teenager," now she giggled, "and then he said he would only leave if you told him so. Mom," Ashlynn asked concerned when she saw tears forming in her mother's
eyes, "are you okay?"
Buffy gave her a brilliant smile, "Perfectly fine, darling. You like Angel, don't you?"
"Yeah, he's nice. He always plays with me, he talks to me," she looked down in
her lap, "not like dad."
"Oh, darling," the former slayer walked over to her daughter and kneeled down in
front of her. "Your dad loves you very much, he's just so busy at the moment. But never doubt that he loves you."
"He said he loved me," Ashlynn sniffed a little bit, "but people who love each
other want to be with each other. And dad didn't call for over eight weeks."
Buffy stroked the girl over her head, then cupped her chin, so that she had to
look into her eyes, "Your dad had just started a new job, he has a new apartment
...."
"And a new girlfriend," her daughter remarked.
"He told you?," her mother was surprised.
Ashlynn nodded, "He said she is nice and she wants to meet me," she glanced at
the sleeping form of her brother, "us. But mom, I don't want to go to New York.
And I don't want to see this Danielle."
"But maybe she is nice," Buffy tried to improve her daughter's mood. "After all
your dad married me once and you like me too."
"Yeah," her daughter wasn't really convinced.
"And I promise you don't have to go to New York if you don't want to," the former slayer added. "Your dad will understand it. Maybe they can come here for a weekend and you can get to know each other. What do you think?"
"'kay," Ashlynn nodded.
"Better now?"
"Hmmm." It still didn't sound happy. So Buffy pulled her daughter with a sigh to
her. Over the head of the girl she met her own mother's eyes and saw
understanding there. She could remember a similar conversation between them only
too clearly.
When the doorbell rang Ashlynn pulled back and her mood had brightened in an
instant, "That's Angel. I'll go." And with this she ran to the door and pulled it open. Beaming at the former vampire, she threw her arms around his waist.
"Hey," he chuckled at the unexpected greeting and curiously looked at Buffy who
had followed her daughter. "What happened?" But the former slayer just shook her
head in the negative and her eyes were signalising him she would explain later. So he turned his attention back to the girl still clinging to him. "Ashlynn," he
said and when she looked up he reached into his pocket and produced a book for
her. "I brought you something."
"For me?," her eyes went wide with joy and she pushed the little pang away that
her father hadn't brought her anything last weekend. Angel at least seemed to
really like her. "Thank you," she breathed, holding the book with trembling
fingers. She gestured for him to bent down and when he did she kissed him soundly on the cheek. Then she turned and stormed away, "Grandma, grandma, Angel brought a book for me! Look!"
Angel chuckled again but he sobered when he saw the tears in Buffy's eyes, "Hey,
is something wrong?," he asked and opened his arms.
She went into them and they held each other for a moment. "Later," she mumbled
against his chest and then breathed deeply, "I'm so glad you are here. You don't
know what this meant to her. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied and pressed her even closer for a moment, then
pulled back. "I'm sorry we are late. It's Cordelia's fault. She couldn't decide
on a dress," he rolled his eyes and made Buffy smile. "Just let me say hello to
your mom and then we should go. I'm sure they're already waiting for us with
dinner."
"Probably," she replied and reluctantly left his arms.
He walked into the living-room and smiled, "Hi Joyce," he said and the older
woman (well, not really older) smiled back. They'd met already last Sunday when
he and Buffy had collected the kids and to his surprise she seemed very
supportive to their relationship. But then, he was human now and her major
problem with him had always been the fact that he was a vampire.
"Hello, Angel. It seems wherever you go, the females are smiling," she looked at
her grand-daughter who was flipping happily through the new book and then at
Buffy who was smiling now as well. Smiling at both of them, she added, "See you
tomorrow them."
"Bye mom," Buffy leaned down and kissed her mother on the cheek, then she and
Angel left the house.
As soon as she closed the door Angel stopped her, "Will you tell me now what was
happening in there?"
She sighed deeply and looked at him, "Ashlynn has a hard time with her father so
far away. She thinks he doesn't care for her anymore and it hurts her. I can
understand her so well, Angel, and still can't really help. Only her father could, and although I believe Brent that he loves his children ...," she trailed off.
He reached out and stroked her cheek with his thumb, "I will never understand how a job can be more important than your own family. I mean I realise that couples are getting divorced and all, but to move that far away that you can only see your kids at some weekends or during holidays," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you even more sad with this."
"No," she covered his hand on her cheek with her own, "you didn't. In fact you
did the perfect thing with your present."
"I've got something for David as well, but he was sleeping," he said and made her smile.
"How did I ever manage to live without you," she asked in wonder.
"Well hopefully you won't have to do it again," he replied and kept his voice as
casual as possible, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She had said she loved him, but he wasn't sure how she thought about a permanent commitment. The whole week he'd made inquiries about houses in Sunnydale and had finally found one, he'd looked at just before.
That had been the real reason they had been late, but he didn't want to tell her
yet. He wanted her and the children to live there with him, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for it.
"Hey," came a loud voice from the convertible, "are you coming at any time soon
or are we forced to watch this PDA the whole evening?"
They both chuckled at Cordelia's mocked annoyance, Angel pressed Buffy quickly to him, then they turned towards the car.
End Chapter 15.