The Love of An Angel Chapter 2 By Disguised Diva

Angel O'Hara watched over the harbors as the sun rose, turning the sky orangey red. It would have made a beautiful painting, or photograph for that matter. A lone man staring in awe at the sunrise for the first time in 250 years. "Hey!" a familiar feminine voice called, from where she parked her Jeep. Waving, she hurried over to him, her blond hair perfectly highlighted by the sky. "What could be so important that you wanted to meet here so early?"

"Sunrise," he answered. She sat next to him on the piece of driftwood. "I guess I forgot how early you'd need to leave."

"Well, now that I'm here, what'd you wanna talk about?" she looked at him.

"How's Riley?" he changed the subject. She noticed, but said nothing. She always noticed.

"He left," she admitted. "Actually, I did. But he left Sunnydale."

"I'm sorry," Angel said sincerely. Over time he'd accepted that Emma needed a father, even if she didn't have one biologically, and that Riley could support them in a way he hadn't been able to 5 years ago.

"I'm not. It wasn't working," Buffy shrugged and smiled a little. "He was overly jealous, and I needed space that I couldn't get with him. We fought a lot."

"You did get married pretty early," Angel nodded.

"Understatement. I was 18. I was so not ready. Especially not with him," she shook her head. "He didn't even really know me."

"So what ended it?" he asked.

Buffy sighed. "Everything," she answered cryptically. "I found an enrollment slip, for the reserves. He was going back to the army. And he was never going to tell me. He said he tried to, but. if he'd said 'hey Buffy. I'm going to go enlist in the military and die' I would have listened, you know? After that I left. Took Emma to my mom's house, and I saw him a few times afterwards. we tried to work things out, but when he got summoned up, he asked point blank if there was anything worth coming home to, and I said no. We settled the divorce by mail. I haven't seen him since," she looked away. "But what about you? What've you been up to?"

"I gave Cordelia away last month," he said.

"I know. I was at the church, but it was really late, so I took Emma home before the reception," she reminded him. "That was incredibly nice of you, by the way."

"I was touched that she asked me," Angel replied, pushing the compliment aside. "Doyle's good for her."

"And business?" Buffy asked. "What have you been doing since the fight?"

"I paint a lot," he answered. "Doyle kept the business open, and I help out sometimes. You?"

"I finished school, but I'm studying to be a psychologist, so I had to go back. I write," she admitted. "And I'm skating again. I'm a little old, but I've actually won a few competitions, minor ones."

"That's great," he'd known all that. Even her 'minor' competitions had been covered in the papers, and the rest he'd gathered from Cordelia. "Sounds like you're good."

"I am," she smiled. "I miss it though. Slaying. I complained about it, but. it felt good. Knowing I was making a difference. There's still a demon every once in awhile, but it's no where near as often. I miss knowing I was saving the world."

"At least now you know you'll make it through the night," at least I know you will, he thought.

"Yeah, and it's better for Emma, but. something's missing," she turned to him, and their eyes met. All he had to do was lean a little closer. let their lips just meet and it would be perfect. He blinked.

"Do you want to get breakfast?" Angel asked. Buffy smiled, but shook her head.

"Not until I do something," she answered.

"What?"

"Kiss you," she told him, and then she leaned in, and let their lips meet in a perfect moment that just sort of froze the world for those few seconds, they way their kisses always had. Nothing else and no one else mattered.

She was older now, wiser, and young and carefree at the same time. She was her, unequivocally and irrevocably. She was the scared little girl who'd given her entire heart to him so long ago, and the woman who'd been through divorce, and was now a single parent. She was the girl somewhere in between, lost and scared and unhappily married. She was everything she'd ever been, and more so than ever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two Weeks Later

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Buffy and Emma sat together on the sofa, Buffy braiding Emma's hair. Over the past few weeks, Buffy had been skating early in the morning, going to school, meeting Angel for lunch, then coming back her to play with her daughter. Today was different. Angel had moved back to Sunnydale for half the week, and he was coming to celebrate with them. Buffy was not cooking, she'd ordered in from a nearby restaurant that Willow had recommended. Angel was bringing dessert.

The doorbell rang and Buffy frowned. "He's early," she muttered.

"Is that your angel Mommy?" Emma looked at her. Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, it is," she laughed.

"Then go let him in!" Emma cried. Buffy nodded.

"You're right," she smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the door. Pulling it open she blinked to see her mother standing their, tears streaming down her face. "Mom? Mom what's wrong?"

"Gamma! Gamma!" Emma cooed, jumping into her grandmother's arms.

"Honey, it's Rupert," Joyce looked her dead in the eyes. And Buffy got the chilling feeling that 'dead' was dead on.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"He. the doctors said it was a heart attack. He's in the hospital. They keep saying he'll be okay, but God, he's so still," she sobbed. "He's never that still!"

"I'm not here, I'm not here, I'm not here," Willow said walking through the house. "Just forgot something in the kitchen. oh! Hi, Mrs. Summers. I thought you were Angel. oh god what happened?"

"I have to go. Willow, can you tell Angel I'm at the hospital?" Buffy asked quietly, her voice shaking. "Mom you shouldn't drive."

"And you should?" Joyce shook her head. "We're both shaky."

"I'll get Oz, he can drive you. Who's in the hospital?" Willow looked at her friends stricken faces, and Mrs. Summers tear stained eyes, and gasped. "No. Not Giles. No."

"I. we should go," Joyce whispered. Willow nodded and ran to get Oz.