PART FIVE
"Hey, guys," Angel said as he approached the table. His eyes never left Buffy. She looked great. He hadn't really had a chance to study her the previous night.
Her hair fell in careless waves around her shoulders. She wore a black turtleneck sweater with blue jeans. He actually thought she'd never looked better. The young high school girl was long gone. In her place stood a woman. A woman he almost didn't recognize anymore. She looked a bit more relaxed than when he'd last seen her, but there was something about her eyes…
"Hey, Angel!" Willow said, smiling at him. She glanced furtively at Buffy, who sat silently. "How are you? Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She realized she was babbling and stopped. "Come sit down!"
He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Willow." He sat down next to Buffy, leaning across her to talk to Willow. "How are you?"
"Well, um," she looked around at her friends, "I'm good. Better now. Getting there."
Angel's brow furrowed, confused. "Well, that's good," he said, deciding it was better not to ask. He sat back and looked across the table at Xander and Dawn. "Xander," he said, nodding his head in greeting.
"Dead Boy," Xander nodded back.
"Don't call me that."
"You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks…" Xander shrugged, a small smile appearing on his face.
Angel glared at him but let it drop. "Dawn, how are you doing?"
"Fine." She went back to studying, quickly losing interest in the source of tension in the room.
"Why does it feel weird in here now?" Anya asked suddenly. "Why is it quiet?"
"An…"
"What, Xander? Was I not supposed to say something? Because I'd much rather talk about the wedding than sit in this weird silence."
Xander looked at the others and shrugged helplessly. "What can I say? She takes the 'honesty is the best policy' very seriously."
"Anya, right?" Angel asked, looking at her with slightly wider eyes than usual.
"At your service," she said, sitting up proudly. "Well, only if you want to buy something. Otherwise, I'm just at Xander's service, really. We don't share." She looked over at Xander lovingly.
Angel finally turned to Buffy, his expression completely confused. She smiled at him, putting one hand on his arm. "You get used to it."
"I hope not." He put a hand over hers. "How are you?"
She looked at his big hand covering hers and sighed. "I'm okay. Things can always be better but…I'm dealing." She looked into his eyes. The concern there enabled her to pretend, for just a moment, that the past years hadn't happened, that they were still together and happy.
Xander cleared his throat loudly. When that didn't work in getting their attention, he tried again. "Buffy?"
"Huh?" she asked, not breaking eye contact with Angel.
"Um, don't we want to know why Dead Boy's here?"
That got their attention. Angel turned to Xander and glared again. "I said not to call me that."
Xander held up his hands, all innocence. "Call you what?"
"You know what."
"And you guys think I'm immature," Dawn remarked, not looking up from her textbook.
Buffy smiled. "Dawn's right. Act your age."
"If he acted his age, he'd decompose."
"Xander…" Buffy said warningly.
"Okay, okay. I'll shut up."
"So why are you here?" Anya asked. "Are you and Buffy getting back together?"
"Anya!" Willow cried, shaking her head.
"An, honey," Xander said. "Didn't you have some new books to put on the shelves? They won't sell in their boxes."
"Oh, yes. And that would mean no money." She got up and headed to the back of the store. "I'll be right back. If someone comes in wanting to spend money, greet them for me." She disappeared into the basement.
"Thanks, Xand," Buffy said.
"No, prob, Buff." He met Angel's eyes. "So, what's up?"
Before he could respond, the bell rang again.
Xander's eyes widened as Cordelia entered. "Cordy?"
She started to say something when Spike's smoking blanket squeezed by her. "Out of th' way!" He stood just in front of Cordelia and shook his blanket out. "Gonna need a new one of these soon. Damn thing's getting' all holy."
He looked toward the table at the people staring behind him in shock. He turned slightly and noticed Cordelia for the first time. "Ah, the cheerleader. It's a bloody reunion!" He started toward the table. He met Angel's glare head on. "Peaches," he said, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "Figured I might find you here."
He sat down next to Dawn and looked across the table at Buffy. She still had her gaze locked on Cordelia. In fact, the whole gang, besides Angel, couldn't seem to look away. Xander's mouth had dropped open. "Gonna catch flies like that, whelp." When Spike got no response from his comment, he glanced back toward Cordelia. "What is—oh."
Cordelia hadn't moved from the entrance to the shop. She watched the rest of the gang quietly. The bundle in her arms must have felt left out and started crying. Cordy looked down at the bundle and smiled, bouncing up and down. "Shhh…" she said. She pulled a bottle out of the crook of her arm and tried to give it to the baby. He would have none of it. He cried louder, waving his little fists in the air.
"What's that?" Dawn asked.
"Angel," Cordy said.
He got up from his seat and went to take his son. Cordy handed him the bottle and took his seat next to Buffy. "Hey, Buffy. How's life?" She thought a moment. "Or return to life?"
Buffy was staring at Angel, eyes wide. He looked down into the bundle and let his features morph. The baby stopped crying almost immediately. Angel bounced him up and down and made little cooing noises, his eyes glinting yellow.
"Cordy?" Xander asked, almost pleadingly.
"Hey, Xander." Cordelia flashed him a smile, showing her pearly whites. "How's the demon chick?"
Xander nodded toward the basement. "Fine. Downstairs," he replied absently. "Um, Cordy?"
"What is it, Xander?" she asked impatiently.
Willow leaned across Buffy, who was still transfixed by the site of Angel holding a baby. "I think what Xander's trying to say is what's that?" She pointed to the father and son.
"Didn't I already say that?" Dawn asked. "Nobody ever listens to me."
Cordelia ignored her. "That is a he. And his name is Conner."
"Conner," Buffy said softly to herself. She tore her eyes away from Angel and looked at Cordelia. "Is—"
"When did you get knocked up?" Spike asked, giving Cordelia an appreciative once-over.
She glared at him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out killing someone?" She looked at Buffy curiously. "Or in an urn somewhere?"
Spike just grinned and sat back, crossing his arms across his chest. "But then I'd miss all the fun."
Angel looked up from Conner as he approached the table. His human features reappeared. "What are you doing here, Spike?"
"Again, the fun." He pushed his chair back to balance on two legs and put his boots on the edge of the table. "What are you doing here, poof?"
Angel was about to answer when the basement door opened. Anya struggled with a box and finally just dropped it and started pushing it along the floor. "Did I hear the bell? Do we have a customer?" she asked, not looking up.
"Not unless you sell kiddie toys," Spike replied.
"What?" Anya asked, standing up from the box. She saw Cordelia. "Oh. Hello, Cordelia." She stepped closer to the table, standing behind Xander.
"Anya." She looked at Anya's possessive stance and laughed. "Not even," she said, glancing at Xander.
Anya relaxed only slightly. She turned toward the bundle in Angel's arms, which was currently making a strange gurgling noise. "Is that a baby?"
"Looks like it," Cordelia said.
Anya glanced at her briefly and walked over to Angel. "I've taken a higher interest in babies. With the wedding plans and all." She reached out a hand. "Does it speak?"
"Wedding?" Cordelia said, surprised. She looked at Xander.
Willow stood and went to stand near Angel. "He's so little." She touched one small hand. "Look how tiny!"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Of course he's little. He had to come out, didn't he?" She went back to studying her textbook.
Willow glanced at Dawn with a hurt expression. She sighed and went to sit back down.
"You're getting married?" Cordelia said to Xander.
"Can I hold it? I'd like to see how it feels."
Angel looked at Anya with a certain amount of fear in his eyes. He couldn't think of a nice way to turn her down, so he nodded. He handed Conner carefully over, remaining as close as possible without actually touching.
Anya looked seriously down at the baby in her arms. A small smile touched her face. "Xander, look. I think I would make a fine mother. He looks quite content. When can I have one?"
Xander blanched. "Um, An, honey. The marriage should come first."
"Of course. You're right." She spoke to Conner. "If I had one of you too soon, the sex would stop. I'd be fat and wouldn't be able to see my feet. And Xander wouldn't want me anymore."
Spike scoffed. "The whelp's not exactly picky, ducks."
Xander glared at him. "Shut up, bleach boy."
Spike grinned. He looked across the table at Cordelia. "You look good pretty good. For just having a bit and all." He leered at her chest. "'Course, always thought you could use a little more up top."
Angel took a menacing step toward Spike's chair.
"Angel, no," Cordy said.
He relaxed slightly and resumed his hovering position over Anya and his son.
"Cordelia?"
Cordelia looked at Willow. "Yeah?"
"Was it Wesley?" Willow asked.
"Was what Wesley?"
Willow looked around the table to see if she was the only one confused. Xander nodded at her encouragingly. "Um, the father? Is it Wesley?"
"Oh, God. Like I'd sleep with him!" She laughed. "He's not mine."
Buffy shook her head, breaking herself from what appeared to be very deep thoughts. "Wesley's not yours?"
"No. Conner's not mine."
Buffy's brow furrowed. "Oh." She didn't know what else to say.
"Then who—"
"Xander, he looks like Angel," Anya said, looking from father to son.
"What?" Buffy said slowly.
"He's mine."
Buffy looked at Angel, shocked. Her eyes glistened. "No. No, that's not possible." She stood up from the table, shaking her head. "There's no—"
"He's mine," Angel repeated, taking a cautious step toward Buffy. "I'm sorry—"
"No. I—I can't." She turned from the table and hurried to the training room in back. She closed the door hard behind her.
Angel made a move to follow, but Cordelia stood and blocked his way. "Don't. Give her some time." He stopped and looked at her. "She's in shock."
He nodded and went to take Conner from Anya. She smiled at the baby again. "Thank you, Angel. It was a pleasant experience." She went over to the box she had brought up from the basement and began removing books.
"Angel."
He looked at Xander, surprised at the use of his name. The look on Xander's face made him pause before asking, "What?"
"What the hell is going on?
▪ ▪ ▪
TBC
"Hey, guys," Angel said as he approached the table. His eyes never left Buffy. She looked great. He hadn't really had a chance to study her the previous night.
Her hair fell in careless waves around her shoulders. She wore a black turtleneck sweater with blue jeans. He actually thought she'd never looked better. The young high school girl was long gone. In her place stood a woman. A woman he almost didn't recognize anymore. She looked a bit more relaxed than when he'd last seen her, but there was something about her eyes…
"Hey, Angel!" Willow said, smiling at him. She glanced furtively at Buffy, who sat silently. "How are you? Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She realized she was babbling and stopped. "Come sit down!"
He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Willow." He sat down next to Buffy, leaning across her to talk to Willow. "How are you?"
"Well, um," she looked around at her friends, "I'm good. Better now. Getting there."
Angel's brow furrowed, confused. "Well, that's good," he said, deciding it was better not to ask. He sat back and looked across the table at Xander and Dawn. "Xander," he said, nodding his head in greeting.
"Dead Boy," Xander nodded back.
"Don't call me that."
"You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks…" Xander shrugged, a small smile appearing on his face.
Angel glared at him but let it drop. "Dawn, how are you doing?"
"Fine." She went back to studying, quickly losing interest in the source of tension in the room.
"Why does it feel weird in here now?" Anya asked suddenly. "Why is it quiet?"
"An…"
"What, Xander? Was I not supposed to say something? Because I'd much rather talk about the wedding than sit in this weird silence."
Xander looked at the others and shrugged helplessly. "What can I say? She takes the 'honesty is the best policy' very seriously."
"Anya, right?" Angel asked, looking at her with slightly wider eyes than usual.
"At your service," she said, sitting up proudly. "Well, only if you want to buy something. Otherwise, I'm just at Xander's service, really. We don't share." She looked over at Xander lovingly.
Angel finally turned to Buffy, his expression completely confused. She smiled at him, putting one hand on his arm. "You get used to it."
"I hope not." He put a hand over hers. "How are you?"
She looked at his big hand covering hers and sighed. "I'm okay. Things can always be better but…I'm dealing." She looked into his eyes. The concern there enabled her to pretend, for just a moment, that the past years hadn't happened, that they were still together and happy.
Xander cleared his throat loudly. When that didn't work in getting their attention, he tried again. "Buffy?"
"Huh?" she asked, not breaking eye contact with Angel.
"Um, don't we want to know why Dead Boy's here?"
That got their attention. Angel turned to Xander and glared again. "I said not to call me that."
Xander held up his hands, all innocence. "Call you what?"
"You know what."
"And you guys think I'm immature," Dawn remarked, not looking up from her textbook.
Buffy smiled. "Dawn's right. Act your age."
"If he acted his age, he'd decompose."
"Xander…" Buffy said warningly.
"Okay, okay. I'll shut up."
"So why are you here?" Anya asked. "Are you and Buffy getting back together?"
"Anya!" Willow cried, shaking her head.
"An, honey," Xander said. "Didn't you have some new books to put on the shelves? They won't sell in their boxes."
"Oh, yes. And that would mean no money." She got up and headed to the back of the store. "I'll be right back. If someone comes in wanting to spend money, greet them for me." She disappeared into the basement.
"Thanks, Xand," Buffy said.
"No, prob, Buff." He met Angel's eyes. "So, what's up?"
Before he could respond, the bell rang again.
Xander's eyes widened as Cordelia entered. "Cordy?"
She started to say something when Spike's smoking blanket squeezed by her. "Out of th' way!" He stood just in front of Cordelia and shook his blanket out. "Gonna need a new one of these soon. Damn thing's getting' all holy."
He looked toward the table at the people staring behind him in shock. He turned slightly and noticed Cordelia for the first time. "Ah, the cheerleader. It's a bloody reunion!" He started toward the table. He met Angel's glare head on. "Peaches," he said, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "Figured I might find you here."
He sat down next to Dawn and looked across the table at Buffy. She still had her gaze locked on Cordelia. In fact, the whole gang, besides Angel, couldn't seem to look away. Xander's mouth had dropped open. "Gonna catch flies like that, whelp." When Spike got no response from his comment, he glanced back toward Cordelia. "What is—oh."
Cordelia hadn't moved from the entrance to the shop. She watched the rest of the gang quietly. The bundle in her arms must have felt left out and started crying. Cordy looked down at the bundle and smiled, bouncing up and down. "Shhh…" she said. She pulled a bottle out of the crook of her arm and tried to give it to the baby. He would have none of it. He cried louder, waving his little fists in the air.
"What's that?" Dawn asked.
"Angel," Cordy said.
He got up from his seat and went to take his son. Cordy handed him the bottle and took his seat next to Buffy. "Hey, Buffy. How's life?" She thought a moment. "Or return to life?"
Buffy was staring at Angel, eyes wide. He looked down into the bundle and let his features morph. The baby stopped crying almost immediately. Angel bounced him up and down and made little cooing noises, his eyes glinting yellow.
"Cordy?" Xander asked, almost pleadingly.
"Hey, Xander." Cordelia flashed him a smile, showing her pearly whites. "How's the demon chick?"
Xander nodded toward the basement. "Fine. Downstairs," he replied absently. "Um, Cordy?"
"What is it, Xander?" she asked impatiently.
Willow leaned across Buffy, who was still transfixed by the site of Angel holding a baby. "I think what Xander's trying to say is what's that?" She pointed to the father and son.
"Didn't I already say that?" Dawn asked. "Nobody ever listens to me."
Cordelia ignored her. "That is a he. And his name is Conner."
"Conner," Buffy said softly to herself. She tore her eyes away from Angel and looked at Cordelia. "Is—"
"When did you get knocked up?" Spike asked, giving Cordelia an appreciative once-over.
She glared at him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out killing someone?" She looked at Buffy curiously. "Or in an urn somewhere?"
Spike just grinned and sat back, crossing his arms across his chest. "But then I'd miss all the fun."
Angel looked up from Conner as he approached the table. His human features reappeared. "What are you doing here, Spike?"
"Again, the fun." He pushed his chair back to balance on two legs and put his boots on the edge of the table. "What are you doing here, poof?"
Angel was about to answer when the basement door opened. Anya struggled with a box and finally just dropped it and started pushing it along the floor. "Did I hear the bell? Do we have a customer?" she asked, not looking up.
"Not unless you sell kiddie toys," Spike replied.
"What?" Anya asked, standing up from the box. She saw Cordelia. "Oh. Hello, Cordelia." She stepped closer to the table, standing behind Xander.
"Anya." She looked at Anya's possessive stance and laughed. "Not even," she said, glancing at Xander.
Anya relaxed only slightly. She turned toward the bundle in Angel's arms, which was currently making a strange gurgling noise. "Is that a baby?"
"Looks like it," Cordelia said.
Anya glanced at her briefly and walked over to Angel. "I've taken a higher interest in babies. With the wedding plans and all." She reached out a hand. "Does it speak?"
"Wedding?" Cordelia said, surprised. She looked at Xander.
Willow stood and went to stand near Angel. "He's so little." She touched one small hand. "Look how tiny!"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Of course he's little. He had to come out, didn't he?" She went back to studying her textbook.
Willow glanced at Dawn with a hurt expression. She sighed and went to sit back down.
"You're getting married?" Cordelia said to Xander.
"Can I hold it? I'd like to see how it feels."
Angel looked at Anya with a certain amount of fear in his eyes. He couldn't think of a nice way to turn her down, so he nodded. He handed Conner carefully over, remaining as close as possible without actually touching.
Anya looked seriously down at the baby in her arms. A small smile touched her face. "Xander, look. I think I would make a fine mother. He looks quite content. When can I have one?"
Xander blanched. "Um, An, honey. The marriage should come first."
"Of course. You're right." She spoke to Conner. "If I had one of you too soon, the sex would stop. I'd be fat and wouldn't be able to see my feet. And Xander wouldn't want me anymore."
Spike scoffed. "The whelp's not exactly picky, ducks."
Xander glared at him. "Shut up, bleach boy."
Spike grinned. He looked across the table at Cordelia. "You look good pretty good. For just having a bit and all." He leered at her chest. "'Course, always thought you could use a little more up top."
Angel took a menacing step toward Spike's chair.
"Angel, no," Cordy said.
He relaxed slightly and resumed his hovering position over Anya and his son.
"Cordelia?"
Cordelia looked at Willow. "Yeah?"
"Was it Wesley?" Willow asked.
"Was what Wesley?"
Willow looked around the table to see if she was the only one confused. Xander nodded at her encouragingly. "Um, the father? Is it Wesley?"
"Oh, God. Like I'd sleep with him!" She laughed. "He's not mine."
Buffy shook her head, breaking herself from what appeared to be very deep thoughts. "Wesley's not yours?"
"No. Conner's not mine."
Buffy's brow furrowed. "Oh." She didn't know what else to say.
"Then who—"
"Xander, he looks like Angel," Anya said, looking from father to son.
"What?" Buffy said slowly.
"He's mine."
Buffy looked at Angel, shocked. Her eyes glistened. "No. No, that's not possible." She stood up from the table, shaking her head. "There's no—"
"He's mine," Angel repeated, taking a cautious step toward Buffy. "I'm sorry—"
"No. I—I can't." She turned from the table and hurried to the training room in back. She closed the door hard behind her.
Angel made a move to follow, but Cordelia stood and blocked his way. "Don't. Give her some time." He stopped and looked at her. "She's in shock."
He nodded and went to take Conner from Anya. She smiled at the baby again. "Thank you, Angel. It was a pleasant experience." She went over to the box she had brought up from the basement and began removing books.
"Angel."
He looked at Xander, surprised at the use of his name. The look on Xander's face made him pause before asking, "What?"
"What the hell is going on?
▪ ▪ ▪
TBC