Author's notes: I am so sorry this took so long! I had the idea but my muse went to Denial Land (it's really quite lovely this time of year) and I didn't write. Again, many apologies.

Special Dedication: This chapter is for Kat. Thanks to her shippy stories and threats of taking them away if I didn't finish my story. I don't know if it's "Hugs and Puppies" but it's gotta be close. Thank you Kat. Huggles to my beautiful beta QueenGwen for her beta work that I couldn't do with out and to MissKitty for her help in understanding what writing really is. J

~*~

Angel sat on a chair beside the bed, holding one of Buffy's small hands to his forehead. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear her pulse, the slow beat of it soothing him, lulling him into darkness...

~*~

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow."

Angel blinked, the bright sunlight momentarily blinding him. After his eyes adjusted, he noticed he was in a playground. A large sandbox was a few paces in front of him; shovels, buckets and other building tools lay scattered in the sand, some half buried. Several castles ruled the box, with sticks and small rocks for windows and turrets. Past the desert-in-a-box, two proud slides glistened in the sun.

"And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went. And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go."

A soft, childish voice floated in the gentle breeze, singing the familiar nursery rhyme. Angel turned, trying to locate the origin of the voice. He headed for the path that wove through the park.

"It followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day. It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules."

The voice danced ahead of Angel's quickening footsteps. As he rounded a curve in the path, the source of the voice came into view. A large metal frame stood in a slight alcove off the path, surrounded by bushes, and three swings dangled on long chains from the highest bar.

"We can't be like Mary's lamb and break the rules again Mr. Gordo. Mommy is already mad at me and I don't want you get in trouble too." At the farthest swing, a small girl was gently pushing the swing back and forth. A bright pink stuffed pig was sitting in the seat. Angel stopped just out of the child's line of sight. The girl couldn't have been more then five, dressed in a light pink sundress with large yellow and white daisies on it, her curly golden-blond pigtails flashing in the sun, her small face smiling as she pushed the swing. She looked so familiar...

"Oh my god...Buffy..." Angel was stunned. Could this tiny child be Buffy as she had been years ago? She looked almost exactly like a picture Angel had once seen in the Summers' household—it had been Buffy when she was eight, with her mother. Buffy had been grinning from ear to ear as only a child could, holding the same pig that her younger self was playing with now. Angel also recalled seeing the toy in her bedroom. The first night he had spent the night at her house, after being injured in a vampire attack, he remembered faking sleep until he was sure Buffy was sleeping, and then spending the entire night watching her. That night she had held Mr. Gordo tight to her chest while she dreamed. Angel was positive now that the child playing before him was the Buffy he loved, only years younger.

The girl continued her song as she pushed her toy higher and higher. "It made the children laugh and play, laugh and play, laugh and play. It made the children laugh and play to see the lamb at school."

As the swing rushed back and forth, the small pig wobbled on the seat, and as reached its highest peak the toy flipped backwards and fell off, landing nose first in the gravel beneath the swing.

The younger Buffy gasp and rushed to her friend. Quickly scooping the pig up, Buffy collapsed to the ground and cradled her toy. Angel was startled to see tears trickling down her cheeks as she wiped dirt off the fuzzy creature. "I'm so sorry Mr. Gordo," she cried. "I didn't mean to, please don't be angry...I'm sorry." She paused, setting the toy on the ground directly in front of her and looked deeply into its black beaded eyes. She was concentrating so hard that the unshed tears in her eyes waited for permission to fall.

Angel was confused. 'What was she doing?' It almost looked like she was listening to the toy talk and waiting for an answer. He wanted to go to her, and take her in his arms and comfort her, but he restrained the urge; this Buffy didn't know him. And he could tell she was already scared, the last thing she needed was a stranger approaching her, and embracing her.

As Angel watched, Buffy kept her attention on her toy. Suddenly her face paled, her back went ramrod straight, and her eyes got very wide. "No, no please..." All the playfulness of her voice was gone, replaced by fear. Her lips quivered, "I'm sorry. Forgive me. I'm so sorry." She reached out her hand to touch the snout of the pig, but suddenly pulled back, screaming, "I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!" Buffy staggered to her feet and ran towards the path, leaving the stuffed pig on the ground beneath the swing.

Angel jumped, startled by her reaction, then rushed to follow her. Everything in him told him that if he let her out of his sight, he would loose her. His feet pounded the sidewalk as he chased the child. Ahead, he could hear Buffy crying, "I didn't mean it! Please, I didn't mean it!" as she ran. He narrowed the distance between them; her short legs were no match for his vampyric speed. Buffy stumbled on an uneven patch of sidewalk, and fell, hard. She cried out as her dress ripped and the rough pavement tore at her hands and knees.

"Buffy!" Angel yelled, dropping to her side, his duster billowing. She was huddled into a ball on the path, her wounded hands pressed close to her chest. "Buffy, are you okay?" No answer, no reaction. It was almost as if she hadn't heard him. Carefully he lifted the little girl into his arms. Her face was streaked with tears and dust; her eyes squeezed shut against the pain in her hands and knees. "Buffy," Angel breathed, gently brushing a piece of her hair out of her face.

Buffy gasped and her eyes snapped open. And she screamed. "No! Leave me alone! Please!" She pushed at Angel, struggling to loosen his hold on her, her feet scrambled for footing. "Please!" She beat at his chest with her palms, wiggling franticly.

"Buffy, no!" Angel tightened his hold, though it broke his heart to see his beloved, even as a child, so scared of him. "Buffy please, it's me Buffy. It's Angel. Please remember..." The girl continued to squirm in his arms, and Angel continued to hold her, until she wore herself out too much to fight his embrace. Her small body trembling, her chest heaving from the struggle and her panicked run from the swings, she could do nothing but lay in his arms, sniffling.

Angel sensed her calming and he relaxed, settling himself more comfortably on the ground. Slowly he adjusted his arms so that Buffy could see his face clearly. Her hazel-green eyes filled with tears, regarded his concerned chocolate brown ones. "Hello Buffy," he said, his voice sotto, gentle yet firm.

"Hi." Her voice was watery. "How do you know my name?"

"I'm your—your mother's friend." Angel hated to lie, especially to Buffy, but he didn't want to scare her more. "Do you remember me?"

Her forehead furrowed, and her nose turned up as she thought. "No. What's your name?"

Angel smiled slightly, "My name is Angel, little one."

Buffy perked up a little, "Angel. That's a funny name."

"So is Buffy if you think about it."

She frowned, "Yeah, that's what the kids at school say. They tease me sometimes. But I just ignore them, like Mommy says to."

"That's probably a good idea. Where is your mother anyway? You're not old enough to be here alone."

Buffy sat up, "I am too. I'm five and a half years old. I can take care of myself." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Angel softened, "I'm sure you can—"

"Besides, my Mommy said she needed alone time." The small blonde beauty hung her head with such sadness as Angel had never known in a child so young. "She's kinda mad at me."

Her words and the grief behind them broke his heart. "Why would she be mad at you Buffy? Did something happen?"

The little girl fidgeted, idly playing with the buttons on Angel's shirt. "I don't know. I just came home and she was angry." Buffy looked up at Angel. "I don't like it when Mommy is mad. So I came here."

Things started snapping in place in Angel's mind. "Oh, I see," he said, being careful and gentle with his love in her dream state. "Why did you run away from the swings though?" He ran his fingers through a pigtail, enjoying the softness of her hair.

"Because," Her voice dropped and Angel leaned closer to hear her words, "Mr. Gordo said he didn't love me anymore and he wanted me to go away. He was mad that I let him fall off the swing." She rested her head against his chest, sniffling, and a small part of Angel's mind noted that even when Buffy was little she still fit in his arms perfectly.

"But why did you run away?"

"Because I was scared," her little voice exclaimed, tears threatening to spill from her young eyes once more. She continued, "Nobody likes me. Not Mommy, not the kids at school, not even Mr. Gordo!" She was crying again, slow hot tears that soaked into Angel's shirt.

Angel held her tighter. "That's not true Buffy. Your mother loves you very much. And I'm sure that if you give Mr. Gordo some time he'll forgive you."

She shook her head, "No they won't. No one will ever love me."

Angel didn't hesitate in his answer, "I love you Buffy. I always have."

The girl pulled back from his chest, and turned to look him dead in the eyes. "Angel?" He nodded, urging her to continue. "Will you take care of me?"

"Of course I will. I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

The child closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were different; older, almost. "Angel, it's so dark here. I'm scared. Where are you Angel?"

Angel frowned, "What do you mean? I'm right here Buffy."

The five year old shivered, and started to pull away from Angel. "I looked for you, but you weren't there. You didn't come Angel." Her voice sounded older and yet child-like in its utter brokenness and despair. "You didn't come."

The vampire was scared now. He grabbed the girl's shoulders and shook her, trying to break her of whatever held her mind. "Buffy! I'm right here. Look at me Buffy. I'm right here."

She was trembling strongly now and her eyes were clamped shut. "Angel where are you? I need you. Please. Angel!" Her voice was changing into the one Angel would know if he was deaf, the older voice she would grow into, not the youthful chirp she'd had as a child.

Angel cupped her face with his hands. "Buffy listen to me. I am right here. I haven't left you. I'll never leave you. Come back to me Buffy...please. I love you." His voice was so earnest, so sincere, so urgent and begging. "Come back to me!" He lowered his face until his nose was nearly touching hers. "I'm right here beloved. Come back..."

"Come back."

"Come back."

"Come back..."

~*~

Buffy gasped and lurched upright, crying, "Angel!"

Angel jerked awake, dropping Buffy's hand and falling off his chair as he woke. "What—Buffy?" He shook his head, convinced he was still dreaming. Buffy was sitting in his bed, staring at him with glassy eyes, a massive collection of blankets surrounding her. Angel blinked as he sat on the bed beside her. He reached out and tenderly brushed her cheek, her nose, her lips, her forehead. She gazed at him, following his eyes with hers. "You're alive. You're awake." Angel's voice broke, "Oh god Buffy. I was so scared...I thought I lost you—"

"Angel..." Her voice was weak, and she leaned deeply into the hand that pressed against her face. She inhaled, savoring the scent that was purely him. "Angel."

Angel leaned in and kissed her lips before moving the covers aside as he climbed in beside her. Gently, he enfolded Buffy in his arms, laying her on his chest, cradling her close. Angel felt Buffy sigh as she burrowed closer to him. He kissed the top of her head before allowing himself to drift back to sleep.

"I'll never leave you..."

~*~

Hahahaa! There you are! I will hopefully start on chapter 6 ASAP. Reviews are a nice encouragement ::hint hint:: Till next time—LadyCallie