Part Two

Buffy woke up to find Angel next to her, she was in their room she knew, with a certainty. He was watching her and grinned broadly when she opened her eyes, 'Hey sleepy head.' He chided her gently.

'Hi.' She said and found it possible to do anything but smile at him, well except reach over and kiss him. A small boy who ran into the room and jumped onto the bed interrupting them. He tried to burrow in the covers between Buffy and Angel, laughing Angel helped him in. But then the harrowing echo of a gun sounded and the boy collapsed. Buffy jumped up trying to get at the person who had shot him enraged with anger. But she couldn't see the face of the gunman.

Buffy woke up gasping for air. Riley stirred beside her, reaching up to try and soothe her. Buffy pulled away from him and curled with her legs tucked up inside her arms, trying to slow her heart rate.

'Buffy, what's wrong?' Riley kept on saying.

'N-nothing.' She stammered. 'It was just a dream.' She could tell he didn't believe her but there was no way she could explain that she'd dreamt about waking up next to her ex. He wouldn't exactly be pleased. And she already had to walk on tiptoes around the Angel subject; she didn't know why Riley took Angel so personally.

She could see the muscles working in Riley's cheek as he tried to hold back his words. Buffy leant back into the bed, and pretended to go back to sleep until Riley stopped watching her and fell asleep himself. Then silent as she could she snuck out of bed, pulling on her clothes she looked around for anything she might need. After a moment's thought she picked up her cross bow and her phone.

Buffy headed across the City Park, taking a short cut to one of the cemeteries. Halfway across she got the feeling again. The feeling that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on their ends, the feeling that stirred something that made her stomach do flips. The feeling that Angel was near. Anger made her keep walking on; he hadn't exactly been friendly when she'd last talked to him. If he was here she had to be in danger. She casually vaulted the wall and started her patrol of the cemetery.

A rustling sound in the trees alerted the presence of people nearby, she walked cautiously toward it, ready for whatever Vamp or Demon stood behind it. She wasn't however expecting Angel to come out, especially not holding a baby.

'Buffy.' He said she stared in shock taking in his features, he looked tired, but there was a slight difference in his eyes, almost like one of the heavy layers of sorrow had been lifted. It hurt Buffy that he'd been able to work through some of his problems without her. She always thought one day he would realise that he couldn't do anything without her but get sadder, the way she had.

'Angel.' She breathed, he was so perfect, but where did the baby come from?

'Buffy.' He replied and stepped toward her, she stood still, begging him to take her up in his arms but not able to do so herself.

'I hate to interrupt the reunions,' a voice cut in, 'but we've got stuff to do.' The voice belonged to a black man stood to the right of Angel, she noticed after a second that there was a girl next to him and on the either side of Angel stood Cordy and Wes.

'Wow. You should've told me it was a group gathering, I would've brought the Scooby gang.' Buffy said, trying to look away from Angel, but finding it rather difficult.

'Yeah, you could have brought Riley.' Cordy said snapping Buffy back to attention stepping back she looked quickly away from Angel and started inspecting the ground.

'Why are you here?' Buffy asked, her voice quiet. You just forgot your boyfriend Buffy. You need to get away from Angel, before something happens.

'Cordy had a vision.' Angel replied huskily.

'And I was in it. So you turned up unannounced. Again' Buffy hated the harshness in her voice and she hated the pained look he was getting in his eyes. 'I can take care of myself, Angel. I'm not in high school anymore, I can make my own decisions.'

'Buffy, I would have told you I swear but you weren't answering your phone.'

'So? You could have talked to Giles, or Willow. You don't just turn up.' She stepped forward as she said that and suddenly realised how close his body was to hers.

'I'd rather talk to you.' His voice was so sweet and gentle.

'Ahem, guys hate to interrupt but we sort of need to get this all out in the open before sunrise. One of our company is still combustible you know?' Wesley interjected

'I've got a few hours.' Angel replied simply his eyes still on Buffy. 'What did you see, Cordy?' Angel sighed as he tore his eyes away from Buffy and turned to face her.

'I saw, Buffy and you and Connor, and someone killed Connor.'

'Ok, I saw that too.' Everyone turned to Buffy. 'What? I was asleep and I dreamt that and I tried to see who killed the boy but I couldn't see who it was.' She looked down at Connor. 'That's the boy isn't it?'

Angel passed Connor to the girl and tried to step in and hug Buffy. But she moved away. He stopped, and tried to explain. 'Buffy, Connor is my son.' Buffy couldn't comprehend his words.

'Your what?' Angel just looked at her. A cold chill passed through her body 'I can't believe you!' She shouted, 'how the hell did you get a son!' She broke down 'Tell me it's adopted.' She whispered, and sunk down to the ground Angel sat down next to her and tried to reach out, she responded instinctively and buried herself in his coat, crying bitter tears over him.

When Buffy woke up she thought she was dreaming again. She was enveloped in Angel's red velvet sheets. The memories of her seventeenth birthday flooded back to her, she found it impossible to forget the memories. And then as now, she awoke with no one beside her. Noticing that someone had dressed her in one of Angel's silk shirts, she headed into the kitchen type area to see Angel feeding his son. As soon as she saw them the sad realisation that she could never repeat the events of that particular birthday came back to her.

'What's his name?' She asked, causing Angel to look up startled.

'Connor.' He replied softly. Slowly Buffy walked over to Connor and looking over him saw that his eyes were a deep brown, full of understanding and depth.

'He has your eyes.' She whispered quietly. Slowly she sat down at the table and fiddling with the rings on her fingers she looked everywhere but at Angel.

'Buffy. I need to explain.'

'What why you left me so I could have a normal life and then had a lot more luck at it then I have?' She was bitter and she could hear it in her voice but she didn't care, he had betrayed her.

'I was trying to protect you.' He whispered.

'And ended up with a child?' She looked at him amazed that he could say that.

'Remember when you made me kiss Faith, so that she would think I was evil.'

'Yes.'

'Well it was sort of like that. Darla, she went after everyone I cared about. So I tried to make her think I didn't care about you.'

'You know, I always found staking vamps out to get my friend's works quite well.' She couldn't contemplate his audacity. How dare he say he slept with someone to protect me?

'It wasn't that simple Buffy, She had Dru and a whole gang of evil lawyers on her side.' He had put Connor down and reached out to touch her hand, she flinched and pulled away. 'I don't know how it happened but even if his mother was a bit nuts he's mine and I'm not just going to desert him because I'd prefer it if you were his mother.' The words sunk into Buffy and she looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes.

'I want him to be mine too.' She whispered softly and leaning into Angel started crying again. She fell asleep in his arms, and Angel carried her back into his room. A moment later a phone started ringing. Fearful that it might wake Connor or Buffy Angel hurriedly searched his pockets for his phone, only to find that it wasn't ringing. Puzzled he looked around the room and remembered Buffy's clothes. Hurriedly he started searching through the pockets eventually he pulled it out and worked out how to answer the call.

'Hello.' Angel said expecting it to be one of the Scooby gang.

'Who is this?' Riley asked, confusion apparent in his voice.

'It's Angel. Do you want to talk to Buffy? It's just she's asleep.' Angel tried to explain, realising a second later what it might sound like. 'She was tired after patrol so she stayed at my apartment.'

'I see.' Riley's voice was ice cold. 'What exactly are you doing here?'

'I'm looking out for her.' Angel replied, his voice steady as steel, Riley was such as idiot, Angel would be looking out for Buffy till the end of the world.

'I thought that's what I was here for.' Riley said sharply and Angel bit back his intended comment.

'You're here to make her happy.' Angel replied his voice was deadpan. 'I want her to be happy.' His voice was threatening to go tight with emotion so he tried to wrap up the conversation. 'Do you want me to give her a message?'

'No. I just wondered where she was. I'll see her soon.' Riley said and hung up.

Angel turned back to Buffy to see her still asleep on his bed, she was dreaming and twisted around so that he could glimpse the way she smiled in her sleep.