Chapter 24

Gru walked into the lobby carrying a tray decorated with greens and two glass-mugs on it.

"Hi. What you got there?" Cordy asked.

Gru set the tray down. "Well, I know you had grave concern for Buffy and Angel's welfare, so I made some Mock-Na."

"Oh. Mock-Na. Which is..?"

"A soothing brew to relieve tension."

"Ah. Kind of looks like muddy water."

"Yes!" Gru picked up a mug and smelled it. "The mud gives it body and flavor. Of course there is no Plockweed in this dimension, so I made due with creeping fig and sour cress in the garden. Though it is not true Mock- Na, it is very close to the real thing."

Cordy smiled brightly. "So it's mock Mock-Na."

Gru offered her a mug. "Please."

Cordy took it with a smile and took a tiny sip. "Well, that's, ah... I mean, I can feel the tension draining already." She handed the mug back to Gru. "And a little sediment going down the wrong..." Cordy coughed a little then smiled at him brightly. "Hmm, tasty."

"And might I further relieve you by at first gently then more rapidly rubbing your Schlug-Tee?""

Cordy looked at the grin on his face. "Ah, I don't really... um. Maybe later at home." She saw Gru's smile melt away and stepped up close to him. Cordy whispered, "I don't feel comfortable doing it in the office, Gru."

"Doing 'it?'"

"Sex."

"Oh, you wish to have sex?"

Cordy threw a quick look around. "What? No! Shh!"

"I was proposing a massage of your Schlug-Tee, your tense neck muscle, but it is always an honor to make sex with you." He smiled then leaned closer and whispered, "Later, at home. I understand perfectly."

Cordy stared straight ahead. "Angel."

Gru pulled back with a sigh. "Is not who I am, princess."

"I know. He's back."

Cordy walked past Gru out into the lobby where Angel stood.

"You didn't happen to hear..."

"Hear what?"

"Good. So, how did it go? Where's Buffy?"

"Buffy's at her dad's house. I found Holtz."

"And?"

"I didn't kill him."

"Maybe you're growing as a person. What did you do?"

"We talked."

"About Conner, ah, Steven."

"Yeah. Did he come home?"

"No, he's still out with Gunn and Fred. You said home."

"Yeah. It's a long story, but Holtz wants what's best for him."

"And what's best for him is living with you and Buffy?"

Angel smiled just a bit and Cordy threw her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "That's great! Oh, my god, I'm so happy for you. And Buffy!"

Cordy pulled back and she and Angel smiled at each other, while Gru leaned against the counter, sipping Mock-Na, and watching them. "Yes. It is a happy time."



Angel opened the door to one of the rooms and turned on the light. "This one might work better. He'd have southern exposure. Not too close to Buffy and I's room. I don't want him to feel like I'm hovering."

Cordy watched from the door with a smile as Angel walked around straightening up the room.

"But not too far. I wanna keep an eye. What do you think?"

"I think it's just as good as the last five we looked at. It's not about the room; it's about Conner... I still can't get used to calling him Steven."

Angel sat on the bed "Neither can I. It's what Holtz... it's what he wants to go by."

"Okay, Steven, Conner, whatever. But, it's about your son living with his mother and father, getting to know them."

"I don't even own a TV. He's gonna wanna watch TV. Not too much, I mean, after homework and chores. He's gonna need clothes, weekly allowance... What's good nowadays? Fifty cents, a dollar?"

"Yeah. If you're Tom Sawyer painting the fence."

Angel dropped back down on the bed. "See? I'm so out of touch. He's gonna hate me and love Buffy."

Cordy came to sit next to him. "No, he's not. He's gonna love you both equally."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're you and Buffy loves you. If Buffy loves you, then I'm 100 percent sure Steven will too."

"Me. A vampire."

"You, a vampire."

"Who drinks blood and is older than everybody he knows put together."

"You're all those things, plus tight with a buck. But none of that matters."

"Why not?"

"Because you have the biggest and best heart of anyone I've ever known. He's a smart kid. He'll figure it out. If he sees how much Buffy loves you, then it's gonna be all right. He'll learn to understand you better."

Angel looked at her and she gave him a smile. "You really..."

"Aren't I? Feeling better, or do you need to keep looking at rooms?"

"Both. And I need Buffy to get here to help."

Lorne said from the open door, "Hey, he can have mine."

"What do you mean?" Cordy asked

"Leaving on the midnight train to Georgia. Actually it's the nine eighteen flight to Vegas tomorrow, but where is the poetry in that?"

"Is this because of Conner? Steven." Angel asked.

"This is because of me. A buddy of mine has a club just off the strip, and he needs a singer and a seer. I could maybe do a little good."

"Well, what about rebuilding your club here?" Cordy asked.

"That's a great idea, pixie-cat. Except every time I do, you all seem to destroy it."

"It was only three times."

"You know, I got the big love here, and I'm grateful for the hospitality, but it's, it's time to move on."

Angel stepped closer. "But some of this is because of..."

"The not so little nipper? I'm not gonna lie. Kid's in the mix. Clearly not loving the demon kind. And, and I know it's the way he was raised, and I loved that little baby. I just wouldn't, ah..."

"What?" Cordy asked.

"Turn my back on him any time soon."



Gru was lying on the settee in the lobby. Gunn and Fred hurried in from outside. "Nobody's here." Gunn said.

"Good." Fred said.

"Bad. We got to find Buffy and Angel and tell them we screwed up." Fred looked at him. "Okay, get your point."

"Where is everybody?"

Gru got up. "I'm here. Cordelia and Angel are upstairs trying out bedrooms." Gunn and Fred stared, then looked at each other. "For Angel's son."

Fred and Gunn both said, "Oh."

They heard voices from upstairs. Cordy and Angel walked down the hall together.

"I'm not telling your sixteen year old boy that. Besides, you have Buffy for that!"

"Well, someone has to make sure he knows the facts of life. Mine and Buffy's track record with the whole man/woman thing isn't, you know... I don't wanna use the words 'tragic farce' but..."

They turned to walk down the stairs into the lobby.

"Why not? You're still telling him."

"You could help Buffy fill in the blanks. He's gonna have questions. Like, what do you do with a woman's Schlug-Tee again?"

Cordy gasped. "You and your vampire hearing! Next time you eavesdrop I'm gonna..." She took a hold of his ear and whispered into it as the others watched.

"Easy there, sailor! You use that kind of language at home?" Angel walked over to Gunn and Fred. "Where is he?"

"Ah..." Fred started.

"He ran away. He overheard us saying you were going to Holtz." Gunn finished.

"Then that's where he went."

"We were just there. We didn't see either of them."

Angel sighed. "All he's gonna find is an empty room. He won't know what's happened." "What's happened?"

"Holtz left. He wants Steven to live with Buffy and Angel." Cordy informed while Angel beamed slightly.

"That's good! As long as we find him and tell him before..." Fred started.

"He's here." Gru finished.

"How can we tell him before..." Cordy started. Their heads turned as the door opened and Steven walked in. "Oh."

Angel took a few steps closer to Steven, who had stopped at the top of the landing. "Hey. You all right?"

"I went to see my... He wasn't there." Steven said.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. He's, he left, Steven. He gave me this letter to give to you." Angel handed him Holtz' letter and Steven read it.

"He says my place is here now, with you and mom."

"It wouldn't have to be forever. Maybe just, give it a try for a while."

Steven looked up after a beat. "Okay. We'll give it a try."

Just then Buffy walked in. "Hey Steven sweetie!"

Steven turned and gave her a hug.

Buffy beamed and hugged back. When they broke apart, she had her arm over his shoulder. "Oh, hey. There is someone I want you to meet."

"Who?" Steven asked.

"Come on. I think she's up in her room." Buffy said, leading Steven up the stairs to Dawn's miniature apartment, Angel right behind them. Buffy knocked and after a minute, the door opened.

"Yeah?" Dawn asked. "Hey Buffy! Hey Angel!" Then she noticed Steven. "You must be my nephew Steven. Hi, I'm Dawn."

Dawn held out her hand and Steven looked at Buffy who nodded slightly. He looked back at Dawn then took her hand. "Hi. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Dawn, do you want to help Buffy and I show Steven to his room?" Angel asked.

"Sure! Did you guys paint it all up like you did mine?"

"No, we didn't have time. We will though. Don't worry. But your home is really in Sunnydale. This is just our summer home, sort of."

They walked down the hall and stopped at a door three doors away from Dawn's room. Angel opened the door and let Steven in. Buffy and Steven squeezed through the door together because he wouldn't leave her.

Steven remembered what Holtz had told him not long after he had talked to him about Buffy. "Protect her like he protects her. She loves you both very much and she will make sure no harm comes to any of you, but she needs protecting too sometimes. From what I was told, her mother died last year and so did she. Protect her son."

Buffy led him to a chair and he sat down.

"I'm tired and I'm sure you probably are. So we're gonna let you settle in here and your dad and I are gonna be in that room right next to Dawn's. It's 217." Buffy said.

"Ok." Steven said.

"Do you want anything?"

"No. I'm fine."

"All right, but you know where Angel and I are." Buffy leaned down and kissed Steven on the top of his head then crouched to look him in the eyes. "I love you Steven. I'm sorry we didn't try harder to get you out sooner."

"No, please don't be."

"Can't help it." Buffy stood and started to walk out with Dawn and Angel. She was halfway out the door when Steven's voice stopped her.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too." And he meant it.

Buffy smiled at him and said goodnight. She walked out and down to Dawn's apartment where they said goodnight to her. Angel led Buffy into their room. They got in and shut the door, turning to each other. Buffy smiled at him and he smiled back, throwing his arms around her waist and spinning around with her. For the first time in days, they were the two happiest people on the earth. Buffy kissed him and he led her over to the bed. They made love a few times, making sure to be quiet in case Steven or someone else wanted in the room to talk. They laid there, happier than they had been in a long while. Hopefully they could keep it that way this time.