lizzie chap 7

"Yes she will be a slayer but she's going to be prepared. I've been training her ever since she was 4. Now she trains two hours every day. She trains an hour in the morning before school, with Heather and now Jordan, another half an hour with them after school and half an hour with all the kids. Most of the kids know about vampires and demons since it's what their parents do for a living. Isabel, Sam and Ryan don't know but Sam is starting to get suspicious," Angel explained.

"I see you guys have a lot to talk about, I think we'll collect our kids and get out of your hair," Kate said getting up.

"You guys don't have to go," Buffy said.

"No, we should go, it's getting late," Wesley reiterated. "Is it alright if Heather stays here tonight, since she has to be here early anyways?"

"Yeah, no problem," Angel answered. "Kate, Jordan can stay too if you want."

The others left the room to collect their sleeping kids.

"No I think I'll take him home, but thanks," Kate answered. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"There must be some kid out there racking up a lot of money with all the baby sitting you must need," Buffy said to Kate.

"No, thank god Dennis doesn't mind looking after him when I'm at work," Kate said forgetting that Buffy didn't know who Dennis was.

"Is Dennis your boyfriend?" Buffy inquired.

"No my ghost," Kate clarified. "Well he used to be Cordy's ghost. When she and Wes got married she moved into his place and I took her old place. Dennis makes a great baby sitter."

"Now I've heard of everything," Buffy commented, "A ghost for a babysitter, who woulda thunk it."

"Yeah well, I should go. Bye Angel, nice to meet you Buffy." Kate walked out of the room and up the stairs.

"Ok back to our conversation, I can understand why Lizzie trains so much but why Heather and Jordan?" Buffy asked Angel curious as to why he was involving people that didn't need to be involved.

"Both Heather and Jordan want to join Angel Investigation when they are older," Angel said as he stood. "Why don't we move into the rec room."

"Sounds good to me. But finish answering my question," Buffy said as she followed him into the other room.

"I train them so they will be ready to patrol. I'm training all the kids with hand to hand and staffs, the ones who know about vamps are also training in swords and stakes, and Lizzie and Heather and soon Jordan are training in crossbows, daggers and eventually I'm going to train them in battle axes," Angel explained.

"Talk about over kill," Buffy commented sarcastically.

"I don't think so," Angel countered. "I want them prepared for whatever's out there. Even with my vampiric strength I have trouble defeating some of the demons we come up against."

"I thought you were human?" Buffy asked momentarily confused.

"I am but the powers let me keep my strength and healing abilities so they didn't lose a warrior. Just because the end of days battle is over doesn't mean that there aren't still demons out there," Angel explained.

"You don't have to tell me, I just don't see why we have to teach kids to kill them." Buffy said half-heartedly. She didn't want children having to worry about demons but at the same time she knew it was necessary.

"If we don't teach the kids who will take over when we're gone," Angel said. " I mean a good part of why you survived as long as you did was because of the scoobies. If it hadn't been for Xander you would have died at the hands of the Master."

"I did die. Remember Kendra," Buffy said pointedly.

"I meant you would have stayed dead," Angel said gently.

"I know. And I guess you're right if Lizzie has a network of friends that fight with her she's more likely to live longer as well," Buffy conceded.

"You see I just don't want our daughter to die." Angel pointed out.

"I know. But has she always known her calling. I mean you did let her have some childhood, didn't you?" Buffy asked hoping Lizzie's childhood wasn't like Kendra's. 'Poor Kendra grew up with her watcher, she never had a chance to be a kid,' Buffy thought to herself.

"Of course. Until she was about 7 or 8 I just told her that she was taking the martial arts courses to be able to defend herself. When I told her about her calling is when I started trainer on the side. Now she trains the two hours with me everyday and goes to the Dojo twice a week for an hour. She spends an hour each week training for her black belt and the other hour helping teach the younger kids. She's also on the school judo team. In between that stuff, art club and soccer she barely has any spare time." Angel said, proud of his daughter's accomplishments.

"Art club? I take it she inherited that from you because she definitely didn't get it from me. I play pictionary and people think my goat is a duck," Buffy quipped.

"She's actually pretty talented," Angel said getting up. He went to a desk and opened a drawer. From the drawer he pulled a sketchpad. "Here look at these," he said handing her the pad.

Buffy opened the book and found numerous sketches of people, places around LA and everyday things. She had seen Angel's sketches before and these were almost as good, it was hard to believe that an eleven year old had drawn them.

"Wow, if she wasn't a slayer she could be the next Monet," Buffy commented.

"I don't see why she can't be both. I do hope she gets a real education first though. I want her to have something to fall back on." Angel said as he returned the sketch pad to it's place in the drawer before retaking his seat beside Buffy.

"You think to far ahead. Plus you're forgetting that she's a slayer, she could die before she even graduates high school," Buffy said with a sad look in her eyes.

"I know, but I like to think all the training we're doing now will pay off and she'll follow in her mother's foot steps," Angel said optimistically.

"I want our daughter to live as much as you do Angel but look at Kendra, she trained for her whole life and she died within a few months of arriving in sunny dale, less than a year after she was called," Angel winced as Buffy mentioned the slayer that was killed while Angelus had control of his body. Angel recovered and said,

"But Kendra had no exposure to the outside world. I think if we combine her training with a normal life she could easily be the best slayer ever."

"I thought I was the best slayer ever?" Buffy teased.

"you are and always will be in my eyes." Angel said softly as he leaned closer to his beloved.

"What are you trying to say Mr O'Connor?" Buffy said leaning in as well.

"Only that I love you more than life itself," Angel responded, his face now only inches from her's.

"Care to proof it?" Buffy prodded.

"I'd love to." Angel said just before he caught her lips in a passionate kiss.

The kiss deepened, he pulled her onto his lap as she entangled her fingers in his gel filled hair. After a while they pulled away from the kiss breathless.

"What do you say we go to bed, my love?" Angel breathed into Buffy's ear. Buffy's only response was to kiss him again. The kiss was passionate and full of longing. Angel took this to mean that she agreed. He picked her up and began to carry her upstairs, never taking his lips off hers. He stopped in front of his bedroom door and opened it with one hand. He carried her across the threshold and shut the door behind them. He laid her down on the bed and they proceeded to lose themselves in each other in a way they hadn't been able to do since that fateful night nearly 12 years before.