Lizzie chap 5

While all that was going on in LA Buffy had managed to get herself and her kids packed and into the car. Jenny was still asking questions about Angel.

"Do you still love Daddy Angel?" Jenny had started calling him Daddy Angel as soon as Buffy had told her his name.

"Yes I do baby, I never stopped."

"Then why did you marry Daddy?"

"Because it was dangerous for Angel and me to be together. That's changed now. Actually it's been changed from since before you were born but I didn't know because Grandpa Giles didn't tell me."

"If you haven't seen him in so long how can I have a sister?"

"A long time ago the thing that made it dangerous for us to be together went away for a day. A little while later I had your sister. I knew that Angel was her father. I wanted to put the little girl up for adoption and told Grandpa Giles to get Angel's permission. I thought he did, and I thought that she went to a nice family, someone I didn't know. I never even saw her. It turns out that Grandpa Giles took your sister to her father. Angel's been raising her ever since. Today your sister, Lizzie, turns11."

"Why'd he call today?"

"It turns out that your Aunty Willow is Lizzie'teacher. She told Angel that you Dad and I were apart and convinced him to call. Now what do you think we should get your sister for her birthday? I think we should get her two things, one from you and Davey and one from me."

"I want to get her a stuffed animal." Jenny decided.

"Me too." Piped up Davey from the back seat. He had been listening to the conversation between his mother and sister.

"Ok, a stuffed animal from you two and I think I'll get her a gift certificate for music since we don't know what she likes."

Buffy turned the car into the parking lot of the Sunnydale mall and quickly got her kids out. The first stop they made was at the music store for a gift certificate and then they went to the toy store to pick out a stuffed animal. The kids decided on a stuffed pig that, coincidently, looked a lot like Mr Gordo. The entire shopping trip took less than ten minutes then they got back on the road.

Back in LA

The kids had finished their spaghetti and devoured half the cake. Lizzie had opened her presents and now it was time to get down to work. Angel divided up the tasks.

"Gunn, go to the hardware store and get the letters for the names Buffy, David and Jennifer, and get an and sign. After you get back add the Buffy to my door, change client 1 to David, that's the one that joins with mine, and client 2 to Jennifer. Cordy make room in my room for Buffy's stuff and maybe make it a little more Buffy friendly. Wes, get the two rooms at the end of the hall ready to be turned into client rooms to replace the ones we're using. Teresa, Kate, Willow and Tara get the kids rooms ready. Ryan, Sam and Izzy you guys clean up the rec room and make some room in the toy box for Jenny and Davey's toys. The rest of you kids have to train for half an hour and then after your showers you can help whoever needs helping."

The group split up to perform their assigned tasks. As the others were leaving Jordan approached Angel. "Uncle Angel, I'd like to join the special training to join AI when I'm older."

"Have you talked to your Mom about this?" Angel asked.

"Yes he has," Kate said coming up behind her son, "and I said it was ok."

"Ok Jordan, Lizzie and Heather have already done their special training for today but you can join us bright and early tomorrow morning at 6:30."

Jordan gulped, "Six thirty? That's early."

"If we practiced any later you kids wouldn't get to school on time. If you want to be a member of the team you'll have to play by the rules. Now go get changed for training."

Jordan ran to his room to get changed. Angel went to get changed himself.

2 hours later

Everyone was finished their assigned tasks. There were two rooms upstairs ready for children to move into, Angel's room was 'Buffy friendly', the rec room was clean and, Buffy and the kids had their names on their respective doors just like everyone else and there were two new client rooms. Everybody, except Lizzie, was sitting in the rec room talking about the good old days back in Sunnydale, well Angel, Willow, Wesley, and Cordy were talking and everybody else was listening. Lizzie was sitting by the front window of the hotel holding the picture of her mother off her bedside table. She was staring out the window watching for her mother's car. Willow had told her it was a blood red suburban with a thin silver stripe down the side. Just as Lizzie saw the car coming down the street Angel stood up in the other room and said simply, "She's here." He left the others and walked briskly toward the front of the hotel.

"Huh? How can he know that she's here, he doesn't have vampire hearing anymore?" Gunn asked no one in particular.

"Well you know how spiderman has spidey sense, Angel has Buffy sense and Buffy has Angel sense. They can always tell when the other one is around even if they don't see them." Willow explained.

Angel entered the lobby just in time to see Lizzie running out the front doors.

Buffy pulled up in front the Hyperion, just as she stepped out of the car a young girl ran to her. The girl latched her arms around Buffy and said, "Mommy," in a small voice. Buffy hesitantly put her arms around the girl and said, "Hi Lizzie."

"Lizzie do you think you could detach yourself from your mother long enough for us to say hello." Angel said coming up behind his daughter.

"oh, sorry Dad." Lizzie let go of Buffy.

"Angel," Buffy breathed

"Buffy," he replied. He could say her name like nobody else could. The one word carried a thousand emotions and meanings.

They stared deep into each other's eyes seeing only the love they had for each other and the longing intensified by 11 years apart. They moved toward each other, Angel grabbed Buffy by the waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her, softly at first but then deepening the kiss with the longing of 11 years. She lifted her hands, entangling them in his hair and pulling him closed to deepen the kiss even further.

Lizzie, somewhat embarrassed at witnessing the scene, turned her attention to the little girl who had gotten out of the car after Buffy.

"Hi, you must be Jenny," she said crouching down so she was at eye level with the five year old. "I'm your sister, Lizzie."

Lizzie glanced at her parents who were still engaged in the passionate kiss. "What do you say we leave these two love birds alone and go inside?"

"Ok," the girl responds, giving her mother and Angel a disgusted look.

"What about your brother?" Lizzie asked, motioning to the small boy sleeping in the car seat in the back of the car.

"Oh, he can sleep through aaaanything." Jenny exaggerated.

"Ok, come on." Lizzie said standing up and taking Jenny's hand in her own.

She led the small girl through the front doors of the hotel. And towards the rec room located on the other side of the lobby.

"Wow, you live in a hotel?" Jenny asked in awe.

"Yeah. I know it looks really big but you'll get used to it. Let me introduce you to everyone." Lizzie said to the small girl as they entered the rec room. "Everybody this is Jenny. Jenny these are the people that work with my Dad. That's Wesley and Cordy and their daughter Heather, she my best friend. That's Gunn and his wife Theresa, that's Kate and I think you already know Willow and Tara. Faith works here too but she's out right now."

"Hi," Jenny said shyly and waved.

"Hehmm," Wesley cleared his throat loudly, "If you don't mind me asking, where ARE Angel and Buffy."

"They're still outside getting reacquainted or rather their lips are getting reacquainted." Lizzie quipped.

"Oh, I, uh, see." Wesley responded slightly embarrassed by the response to his question.

Angel and Buffy entered the rec room, he had one arm around her waist and the other one was carrying a small boy.

"Look who I found outside." Angel said, a goofy grin plastered on his face and his eyes shining with love.

"Hi Buffy." Cordy said getting up to give the former slayer a hug.

"Hi Cordy."

"It's good to see you again, Buffy," Wesley said giving her a friendly smile.

"You too, Wesley." She turned to Willow and Tara, "Wil, I don't know how I could ever thank you enough. If it wasn't for you I might never have found out that Angel was human."

"Your welcome Buffy," Wil got up and enveloped her friend in a bear hug. "Least I could do after you saved my hide so many times."

"Uncle Liam," Heather piped up, "Can we eat now? I'm really hungry."

"Yeah we can eat as soon as Jenny and Davey get to bed." Angel answered, "Lizzie why don't you show Buffy where Jenny and Davey's rooms are." He passed Davey to Buffy so he could get to food ready.

"Sure Dad." Lizzie said leading her mother and Jenny out of the room. Jenny looked tired so Lizzie picked her up and carried her up the stairs. When they got to the top of the stairs Lizzie pointed out the rooms.

"This is Jenny's room, right at the top of the stairs. The next one is Davey's room and it has a connecting door into you and Dad's room. On the other side of your room is my room, it has a connecting door to but we don't use it anymore. Next to mine is Heather's and then her sister Izabel who's connects to Aunt Cordy's and Uncle Wes's room. On the other side of their room is Ryan's room. On the other side of the hall is Sam's room and then Gunn's and Theresa's, then CJ's. Next to CJ is Jordan, they're best friends just like me and Heather. Then's it's Jordan's mom Kate. And right at the end of the hall is Faith's room."

"Just a minute, Faith works for Angel. Faith as in renegade slayer that went to jail Faith?" Buffy asked shocked. Buffy quickly glanced at her younger daughter who luckily hadn't heard the question because she had fallen asleep in her sister's arms.

"Yep. She's really changed. She got out on parole last year and has been working here ever since. She wasn't down stairs because she had a dinner with an informant that she couldn't get out of, she should be back soon though."

"So does everybody live here?" Buffy asked. It was a reasonable question considering they each had their own room.

"No, just me, Dad and Faith and now you, Jenny and Davey. The other's just have rooms for when they have to work the night shift or if the kids have to stay here while their parents go out on a case."

"We'd better get these two to bed." Buffy said in a low voice. "You take Jenny into her room. She's already in her pj's so just take her shoes off and slip her under the covers. If she wakes up tell her I'll be in in a minute to say goodnight."

Lizzie nodded as she slowly opened the door to Jenny's room with her free hand. She took her sister's shoes off and tucked her into bed. Her movements were slow and smooth so she didn't wake the sleeping child. She had a lot of practice putting sleeping children to bed because both Sam and Izzy had a habit of falling asleep on the couch downstairs. She kissed her sister lightly on the forehead and quietly slipped out of the room. She joined up with Buffy in the hall way and they headed down stairs. Just as they were about to enter the rec room to join the others they heard the front door open. Lizzie automatically turned around to see if it was a client. She sighed with relief to discover that it was just Faith returning from her dinner; she didn't want her Dad's special night to be ruined by an emergency case. Buffy had turned around too. A look of surprised crossed Faith's face.

"B? What are you doing here?"

"Lets just say fate finally decided to give me a break and let me know about Angel being human."

"Huh? What d'ya mean?"

"Turns out my new computer teacher is Willow. She told Dad that Mom was divorcing her husband because she was still in love with Dad. Willow convinced him to call Mom and here she is." Lizzie explained. "It's the best birthday present ever."

"Buffy, Lizzie what's taking you guys so long? The spaghetti's getting cold." Cordy called out from the dining room.

"Coming." Lizzie called back. "Come on you two can play catch up while we eat." She dragged her mother into the dining room so they could chow down.