Disclaimer: We're here! Finally! Any characters you don't recognise are mine. Buffy and Angel aren't. *Sigh *
Rating: PG
Epilogue:
"I am completely and utterly full now." Buffy sighed, sitting back from the table. It was covered in every sinful food that they could think of.
"I have to say, I still like this deal we got from Dad. We can eat what we want, and it doesn't affect us in any way." She plucked at some of the chocolate covered strawberries still lying on the table, nibbling at one.
"Except for the ice-cream." Angel agreed, grinning. Buffy nodded, smiling herself.
"Except for the ice-cream. By the way, did you get the lift fixed yet?" She licked the chocolate off her fingers, knowing Angel was watching. He growled at her.
"What?" She asked, all innocent.
"The lift won't be fixed for another two days, and you know it." He looked at the wedding ring on her left hand and wondered what had made him marry this insufferable tease of a woman.
"Cause ya love me!" She grinned, answering his well known look. She had been teasing him for years, since he came back from hell. Before the teasing was all there could be, but now it was a means to an end. One they both enjoyed. Angel sobered briefly.
"Have you noticed there's been a drop in demon numbers recently? Or rather, demon killings?"
"I have. I think CeeDee and Marqu are growing up a little." She paused for a time, remembering. "I just wish Giles and the Gang were here to see it finally happen." She grew melancholy. Angel got up and moved around the table.
"They were content to know that it would, and we would be there to make sure it would. When we see them again, we can tell them that." Buffy looked down at where their hands joined, then up into his eyes.
"I didn't realise you believed in heaven."
"I have to. Otherwise, what was my fight for? Besides, I've already seen hell, and there are always opposites. So there has to be a heaven. And from what I experienced, it's going to be very much like paradise." A door banged shut behind them, and they both listened to the sound of running feet. A small blonde girl came running around the table and crashed into both of them.
"Mummy!! Alex won't leave me alone! He keeps trying to cut my hair!"
"Was not!" Alexander objected from the otherside of the table, hands behind his back. Angel just looked at his older son, who shuffled his feet, then put the scissors in his hands on the table.
"See! Told ya he was!" Cordelia poked out her tongue at her older brother, who turned red in fury, and darted around to hit her. Angel stood up and grabbed his son, hauled him over his shoulder and walked out of the room.
"Cordelia, never poke you're tongue out, it's not nice."
"You do, Mummy. I see you poke your tongue out at Daddy all the time."
"That's different." Buffy excused herself.
"Why?"
"Because I'm an adult."
"Why?" Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. Three year olds' were hell.
"You chose to have her, Mum." She heard Carmen say from behind her. She looked at her oldest daughter, now in her forties, and smiled.
"I missed having you around, badgering me."
"Carmen!" Cordelia cried, releasing her mother to hug her sister's leg.
"Hey, spud." Carmen said, giving her back a rub.
"Is Wesley here?" She asked.
"Out the back with Alex." Cordelia gave a squeal and went seeking her favourite nephew, who happened to be a few years older than she was. Carmen looked at the table, still groaning underneath the weight of all the food.
"You two at it again?" Carmen asked, plucking a prawn from the bowl in the middle. Buffy grinned and shrugged.
"Well...." Carmen looked at her mother, still looking as young as Carmen's oldest, who was only twenty-three. She was blushing like a school-girl.
"You'd think, after almost fifty years together, you two would be at least squabbling every now and then."
"Sorry, honey. No can do." Angel said and plopped a kiss on his daughter's crown.
"Hey, Dad." Carmen said, cuddling in to his chest. "What's doing?"
"Not much this week. Pretty quiet, in fact. Your mother's been training the latest second Slayer. Reminds me a lot of your mother when she was her age."
"How's she holding up?" Carmen asked, sitting down. She watched as her father, who still looked like he was in his mid-twenties, sat down and reached for her mother's hand. It was instinct. Carmen was almost sure they weren't even aware of the fact that whenever they were together, they touched in some way. It was nice, sweet. She remembered times when she'd introduced her mother and father to friends, always by their names, and they were asked how long they'd been together, or when they were getting married.
"She's doing fine." Buffy answered her daughter's question. "A little slow on the rebound, but otherwise, she'll be a very good slayer. Where's Ron?" Buffy asked her husband.
"He's out with Alex and Wes. They're playing that new game, what did they end up calling it?"
"Ricket." Carmen supplied.
"That's right." He clicked his fingers.
"Ron is very like his father. Oz loved the twins. Have you heard from Rob yet?" Buffy asked her daughter.
"He's coping. Losing Jaria like that hurt him. I think Ron said that he was with some Council friends, in Italy somewhere. He should be back soon, he's got Maria to start training now."
"Poor Robby." Buffy said softly, feeling for her godson. Where Ron had taken after Oz, Robert had taken after Willow, down to the wicca power and computer know-how.
"He'll be okay, Buffy." Angel reassured her. "He's got us and his brother. And soon he'll need to start fighting again. We have to have Maria ready for that. It may be quiet, but it ain't dead yet."
"I know. Jaria was such a good Slayer. Argh! Can we change the subject?"
"Sure. I ran into Mark today." Carmen offered.
"Really? And how is he?" Angel asked
"Good. He was really happy. He's Captain Windham-Price now, if you can get your mind around it."
"Mark made Captain? That's really good!"
"Where's he stationed?" Angel wanted to know.
"Some mountain base. Cheyenne or something. Something to do with sattelites." Angel frowned, he'd heard of that place before.
"Cheyenne? Sounds Indian." Buffy said.
"It is." Angel started slightly as he felt his personal alert code go off. He pressed his hand to his wrist, shutting off the alert vibration, and turned to his wife.
"Time to go to work?" She asked. He nodded, and they stood up as one.
"Can we leave Alex and Cordelia with you until we get back?" Buffy asked Carmen.
"Go ahead, Mum. We'll see you in a few hours." Carmen glanced at the table, saw the left over finger foods, the champagne, and looked back at her parents. "Tell you what, we'll take the kids for the weekend. You have some time to yourselves. I'll put a freeze on the table, and you can...finish this off when you get back." She was rewarded when her parents smiled at her in gratitude, then disappeared. As always, she'd never know what they were fighting until they came back. But they always did, so she put the freeze on the table and went out to join the game of Ricket, which was getting louder by the minute.
Rating: PG
Epilogue:
"I am completely and utterly full now." Buffy sighed, sitting back from the table. It was covered in every sinful food that they could think of.
"I have to say, I still like this deal we got from Dad. We can eat what we want, and it doesn't affect us in any way." She plucked at some of the chocolate covered strawberries still lying on the table, nibbling at one.
"Except for the ice-cream." Angel agreed, grinning. Buffy nodded, smiling herself.
"Except for the ice-cream. By the way, did you get the lift fixed yet?" She licked the chocolate off her fingers, knowing Angel was watching. He growled at her.
"What?" She asked, all innocent.
"The lift won't be fixed for another two days, and you know it." He looked at the wedding ring on her left hand and wondered what had made him marry this insufferable tease of a woman.
"Cause ya love me!" She grinned, answering his well known look. She had been teasing him for years, since he came back from hell. Before the teasing was all there could be, but now it was a means to an end. One they both enjoyed. Angel sobered briefly.
"Have you noticed there's been a drop in demon numbers recently? Or rather, demon killings?"
"I have. I think CeeDee and Marqu are growing up a little." She paused for a time, remembering. "I just wish Giles and the Gang were here to see it finally happen." She grew melancholy. Angel got up and moved around the table.
"They were content to know that it would, and we would be there to make sure it would. When we see them again, we can tell them that." Buffy looked down at where their hands joined, then up into his eyes.
"I didn't realise you believed in heaven."
"I have to. Otherwise, what was my fight for? Besides, I've already seen hell, and there are always opposites. So there has to be a heaven. And from what I experienced, it's going to be very much like paradise." A door banged shut behind them, and they both listened to the sound of running feet. A small blonde girl came running around the table and crashed into both of them.
"Mummy!! Alex won't leave me alone! He keeps trying to cut my hair!"
"Was not!" Alexander objected from the otherside of the table, hands behind his back. Angel just looked at his older son, who shuffled his feet, then put the scissors in his hands on the table.
"See! Told ya he was!" Cordelia poked out her tongue at her older brother, who turned red in fury, and darted around to hit her. Angel stood up and grabbed his son, hauled him over his shoulder and walked out of the room.
"Cordelia, never poke you're tongue out, it's not nice."
"You do, Mummy. I see you poke your tongue out at Daddy all the time."
"That's different." Buffy excused herself.
"Why?"
"Because I'm an adult."
"Why?" Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. Three year olds' were hell.
"You chose to have her, Mum." She heard Carmen say from behind her. She looked at her oldest daughter, now in her forties, and smiled.
"I missed having you around, badgering me."
"Carmen!" Cordelia cried, releasing her mother to hug her sister's leg.
"Hey, spud." Carmen said, giving her back a rub.
"Is Wesley here?" She asked.
"Out the back with Alex." Cordelia gave a squeal and went seeking her favourite nephew, who happened to be a few years older than she was. Carmen looked at the table, still groaning underneath the weight of all the food.
"You two at it again?" Carmen asked, plucking a prawn from the bowl in the middle. Buffy grinned and shrugged.
"Well...." Carmen looked at her mother, still looking as young as Carmen's oldest, who was only twenty-three. She was blushing like a school-girl.
"You'd think, after almost fifty years together, you two would be at least squabbling every now and then."
"Sorry, honey. No can do." Angel said and plopped a kiss on his daughter's crown.
"Hey, Dad." Carmen said, cuddling in to his chest. "What's doing?"
"Not much this week. Pretty quiet, in fact. Your mother's been training the latest second Slayer. Reminds me a lot of your mother when she was her age."
"How's she holding up?" Carmen asked, sitting down. She watched as her father, who still looked like he was in his mid-twenties, sat down and reached for her mother's hand. It was instinct. Carmen was almost sure they weren't even aware of the fact that whenever they were together, they touched in some way. It was nice, sweet. She remembered times when she'd introduced her mother and father to friends, always by their names, and they were asked how long they'd been together, or when they were getting married.
"She's doing fine." Buffy answered her daughter's question. "A little slow on the rebound, but otherwise, she'll be a very good slayer. Where's Ron?" Buffy asked her husband.
"He's out with Alex and Wes. They're playing that new game, what did they end up calling it?"
"Ricket." Carmen supplied.
"That's right." He clicked his fingers.
"Ron is very like his father. Oz loved the twins. Have you heard from Rob yet?" Buffy asked her daughter.
"He's coping. Losing Jaria like that hurt him. I think Ron said that he was with some Council friends, in Italy somewhere. He should be back soon, he's got Maria to start training now."
"Poor Robby." Buffy said softly, feeling for her godson. Where Ron had taken after Oz, Robert had taken after Willow, down to the wicca power and computer know-how.
"He'll be okay, Buffy." Angel reassured her. "He's got us and his brother. And soon he'll need to start fighting again. We have to have Maria ready for that. It may be quiet, but it ain't dead yet."
"I know. Jaria was such a good Slayer. Argh! Can we change the subject?"
"Sure. I ran into Mark today." Carmen offered.
"Really? And how is he?" Angel asked
"Good. He was really happy. He's Captain Windham-Price now, if you can get your mind around it."
"Mark made Captain? That's really good!"
"Where's he stationed?" Angel wanted to know.
"Some mountain base. Cheyenne or something. Something to do with sattelites." Angel frowned, he'd heard of that place before.
"Cheyenne? Sounds Indian." Buffy said.
"It is." Angel started slightly as he felt his personal alert code go off. He pressed his hand to his wrist, shutting off the alert vibration, and turned to his wife.
"Time to go to work?" She asked. He nodded, and they stood up as one.
"Can we leave Alex and Cordelia with you until we get back?" Buffy asked Carmen.
"Go ahead, Mum. We'll see you in a few hours." Carmen glanced at the table, saw the left over finger foods, the champagne, and looked back at her parents. "Tell you what, we'll take the kids for the weekend. You have some time to yourselves. I'll put a freeze on the table, and you can...finish this off when you get back." She was rewarded when her parents smiled at her in gratitude, then disappeared. As always, she'd never know what they were fighting until they came back. But they always did, so she put the freeze on the table and went out to join the game of Ricket, which was getting louder by the minute.
