Disclaimer:
see prologue
A/N: I know some of you thought that was the
end. Did you really think I could keep
Buffy and Angel apart?
A/N2: Sorry
if I get the American age/grades/school levels mixed up, I'm Canadian so I go
with what I know.
September 6, 2011
Lizzie
bounded in the front doors of the hotel.
"Hey Cordy
is Dad busy?" She asked the woman behind the desk.
"Nope, you
can go in." Cordy smiled, "and happy birthday." She wondered what Angel's
daughter was so excited about, true it was her birthday but it was more than
that.
There was a
knock on Angel's office door.
"Come in"
he called. Lizzie entered. "Hey
Pumpkin, how was you first day at school?"
"It was
good. My computer teacher is so
cool. She talks to us like we're real
people and she really nice. I can
actually understand her; she doesn't go into techno babble. And get this, I went back to talk to her
after school about the homework and I saw her surfing a Wiccan website. She's a techno-Wiccan."
"How do you
know she wasn't just surfing?"
"I asked
her straight out and she told me. Miss
Rosenberg is so cool and honest and nice and she doesn't treat us like
kids. I think I'm really going to like
her class."
Angel
thought the person had sounded familiar but when Lizzie mentioned her teacher's
name he knew exactly who it was. He had
to get Lizzie out of the office so he could try and catch Willow at the school
before she went home.
"Lizzie did
you say you have homework?"
"Yeah,
really sucks that they give us homework on the first day of school, not to
mention on my birthday. But what can
you do?"
"Go get it
done and then we'll go out and pick up the cake and buy some ice cream to have
for dessert after supper. Ok?"
"Sure Dad,
see you in a bit." She bounded out of
the office and up the stairs to her room.
As soon as
Angel was sure that she was out of hearing range he dialled the school's number.
Ring,
ring..
"Lincoln
Middle School."
"Yes, can
you tell me if Miss Rosenberg has left for the day yet?"
"No she
hasn't, may I ask what this is concerning?"
"My name is
Mr. O'Connor, my daughter Lizzie is in one of her computer classes."
"Just a moment
sir, I'll have her paged." The line was
silent for a few minutes and then a familiar voice spoke.
"Willow
Rosenberg."
"Willow,
it's me, Angel."
"Angel?
They said it was a parent of one of the kids in my class."
"Well I am,
Lizzie came in today raving about her computer teacher. When I realized it was you she was raving
about I decided to call. I haven't
heard from any of the Sunnydale crew for a long time, except for Giles."
"Whoa,
Angel, back up a minute. What do you
mean you have a daughter in my class? I
thought that was impossible."
"Remember
when Buffy got pregnant freshman year of college?"
"Yeah, but
what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, I
know Giles said that he had my consent and that he found a good family for her
but the truth is I had him bring her to me, she my daughter after all. I've been raising her ever since."
"Does she
know what you are?"
"What I
was, I'm human now, have been for almost 6 years. But yes, she knows, and she knows about all the other things that
go bump in the night."
"You're
human? Wow, that is so cool. It would
be nice to see you again we should get together sometime. You, me, Tara and Lizzie." Willow wanted to ask why Buffy didn't know
but she decided that it was better to do that face to face.
"Why don't
you guys come over for dinner tonight?
It's Lizzie's birthday so everyone in the office and their families are
having dinner here. It's sort of a
tradition."
"That's
sounds wonderful, just let me call Tara and run it by her. Give me your number and I'll call you back
in a few minutes."
Angel gave
her the phone number and they hung up.
A few minutes late Willow called back.
"Hi, Angel,
it's me. We can make it, what time do
you want us there?"
"Well,
dinner's at 6 so why don't you get her for 5:30 so we have some time to talk
before the other get here?"
"Ok, sounds
good. Should I bring a birthday
present?"
"You don't
have to but if you want to."
I do want
to. How do we get to your place?"
Angel gave
her the directions; they said their good byes then hung up. Angel sighed, he hadn't spoken to any of the
Scooby gang in a long time, it would be nice to catch up with the goings on in
Sunnydale. He talked to Giles periodically
but he didn't really know anything except what was going on demon wise. He put those thoughts aside and got back to
work on his latest case.
A while
later Lizzie came back downstairs. She stuck her head in her father's office.
"Hey
Dad. Heather's here so can we train now
so we only have to do the half an hour a after supper with the others instead
of the whole hour?"
"Yeah go
get your work out clothes on, I'll be there in a minute. But what about the
cake and ice cream?"
"Let Cordy
get it. Tell her I want vanilla ice
cream, it goes best with the chocolate cake."
"Ok, I'll
tell her."
Lizzie and,
Cordy and Wesley's older daughter, Heather were both training to join Angel
Investigations when they were older.
All the kids of the member of AI
trained in the martial arts.
They all were trained in hand to hand, and staffs. All but Cordy's two youngest Isabel and Ryan, ages 7 and 4, and Gunn's youngest
Samantha, age 5 were trained with stakes and swords, they didn't know about
vampires yet. Because Lizzie and
Heather want to join AI and patrol they were also training with crossbows,
daggers and eventually they would train with battle-axes. The two girls, ages 11 and 10, trained an
hour and a half each day, half an hour before school and an hour after. The other kids trained for half and hour
after school.
Angel got
his work out clothes on and went to help the girls train. He spent most of his time helping Heather
since Lizzie had inherited her mother's strength, senses and heightened
reflexes. Once the half an hour of
training was done they had just enough time to take showers before Willow and
Tara arrived.
Angel was walking down the stairs
just as Willow and Tara entered the front doors of the hotel.
"Willow,
Tara, how are you?" Angel asked as he gave Willow and hug and shook Tara's hand
since he had only met her once before.
"We're
good." Willow responded, "why doesn't Buffy know you're human?" She didn't
waste any time getting to the point.
"Why don't
we go into my office and talk?" He led them to his office. "I guess the reason
Buffy doesn't know is because Giles never told her. When I got my shanshu, that is when I turned human, the first
thing I thought of was to call Buffy.
Then I remembered that Giles had told me she had a fiancé and was
happy. So I called Giles instead. I told him what had happened and that it was
his choice whether or not to tell Buffy because I didn't want to ruin her
happiness. I guess he didn't tell her."
" Well
maybe Giles thought she was happy, and I guess she was to a degree, but never
as happy as she was with you, Angel.
Anyways her and Chris, that's her husband, are getting a divorce. He didn't know about the slaying, he sleeps
like a log so she was able to sneak out of the house to go patrolling. When he wasn't sleeping she would just tell
him that she was working the night shift, she's a police officer. She was retired from slaying officially when
she turned 30 but the new slayer is a slow learner so she still patrolled a few
nights week. One of those nights, about
6 months ago, a neighbour noticed her sneak out and meet Xander to go
patrolling. He figured she was having
an affair and told Chris what he saw.
Even before that night Buffy had already decided to file for divorce
because she realized she could never love him the way she loved you. She thought that it was unfair to him and
she felt like she was betraying you.
When she filed he asked if there was another man and she said yes,
meaning you of course. He asked her how
long it had been going on and she told him that you had started dating when she
was in high school, she was going to say that she hadn't seen you in 11 years
but he wouldn't let her finish. Then he
got really mad yelled at her and said the kids probably weren't even his. He's given her complete custody and has said
that he never wants to see them again. He doesn't even say hello to them when he sees them at school,
he's a teacher there. She's living with
Giles right now. I really think she
deserves to know since you are the reason she got a divorce so there's no
wondering if she still loves you."
"I don't
know, Willow, what if she's mad at me for not telling her?"
"Just tell
her what you told me about telling Giles, hopefully she'll understand."
"Ok, I'll
call her right now." Angel conceded, "Cordy's here and Wes should be here by
now too. You guys can talk to them and
catch up while I call Buffy. Cordy's at
the front desk, just ask her to show you to the rec room." The two women left the office and headed
towards to front desk and a very surprised Cordelia.