Chapter 2
***
The next picture was of Angel's office. He was a
detective, in fact he ran the agency, Angel
Investigations.
"And this, is Buffy Summers. My girlfriend." Angel
announced proudly to his small work force.
Fred, Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley took it in turns to
shake the small blonde's hand. It was the first girl
he had ever introduced to them, surprising them all.
"You run the café right? On the Highstreet,
George's?" Fred asked, in her Texas drawl.
Buffy nodded, "Yes, that's right." She suddenly
clicked her fingers, "I knew I knew you! Fred right?
And your boyfriend is Gunn?"
"Yes! I'm Willow's friend. You live with her girlfriend
right?"
They all became friends after that, regularly clubbing
as a large group.
The next picture was a baby scan. Buffy's fingers
traced the small image of her baby girl.
Angel opened the door to Tara's flat. He had a key.
He could hear the sound of faint crying coming from
the living room.
He quickly went in. Buffy lay curled up on the sofa.
Her heard was buried in one of Willow's handmade
cushions.
"Buffy? Sweetheart what's wrong?" he asked, he
scooped her petite frame into his arms and sat down
again, her wrapped up.
She continued shaking.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
She sat up and wiped her tears away. "Angel, I…I'm
pregnant. I'm sorry!"
His heart burst with joy.
"Really? Oh my god! We're going to be parents?"
She looked at him in a shocked way. "You're
happy?" she questioned.
"Of course I am."
She smiled, "I thought you would hate me and leave
me."
He hugged her, "No way Buffy. I love you with all
my heart. Nothing could make me happier."
Buffy wiped the tears from her eyes. She added it to
the pile. The next was both of them, sitting on a rug.
They were having a picnic. They had got a passerby
to take the picture.
Angel carefully laid the grapes out. Everything had
to be perfect. He lit the scented candles.
"Ok!" he called.
Buffy walked out from behind the tree where she
had been told to wait.
She gasped. "Angel!"
He walked up to her, "You like?"
"I love." She met his soft lips with a sweet kiss. His
hand went automatically to her rounded stomach,
where there little baby was growing inside of her.
He took her hand and led her to the rug.
"Stop." Angel said. He reached into his pocket and
brought out a small box.
He slowly knelt down. Her emerald eyes went wide
as realisation hit her.
"Buffy Summers, before I met you, my life was
meaningless. I had no particular reason to look
forward to the day. Then that day I met you in
George's, changed everything. You are my light, my
world Buffy. And now, I would love it more than
anything, if you could be my wife?"
She breathed deeply. "Yes." She said, "Oh god yes."
He opened the box and took out a small silver rind.
"This is a Claddagh ring. It comes from my Irish
Grandmother. When you wear the heart pointing
inward, it means you belong to someone." He slid it
on her finger.
Suddenly she gasped.
"What's wrong?" he asked, a panicked look on his
face.
"The baby kicked." Buffy told her, she took his hand
and placed it on her stomach again. "Well, we know
someone agrees."
Buffy placed her hand on her now flat stomach, a
faint smile at the memory. The next picture was of
Angel and her daughter sleeping together, the
following morning after she had given birth to her.
"I've got popcorn." Xander said, waggling the bag in
his hand. Anya snatched it off of him and took a
handful.
Tara look a nine month pregnant Buffy by the arm
and sat her down on the chair.
"You pick a movie." She said.
"How come she gets to choose?" Anya complained,
"She's pregnant not ill."
Buffy sighed, "You choose…ow." She bent slightly in
pain and her face went white.
"What?" Xander asked.
"She's just trying to make me feel guilty now." Anya
said.
"I had a contraction!" Buffy wailed, "Call Angel, he's
at the office."
Tara went with her in the ambulance, while Xander
and Anya went to look for Angel.
"Where is he?" Buffy screamed, as another
contraction hit her a few hours later in hospital.
"He will be here." Tara said soothingly, "Just
breathe."
The door burst open and Angel came running in
looking flustered. "I'm so sorry, I was on a case
and…."
Buffy screamed again.
"Push!" the nurse called.
Angel took her small hand and clenched his teeth as
she gripped it.
It was all worth it though, when a tiny little girl was
placed in his arms. He looked at Buffy was falling
asleep.
"Well done sweetheart." He murmured as she drifted
off.
Just before she was gone he heard her whisper,
"Katie Dawn O'Connor."
He smiled at Katie. "Aren't you proud of mummy?"
There were complications after the birth, Buffy
remembered as she put the photo down. Buffy was
slowly bleeding inside and they hadn't noticed until it
was almost too late. She had been rushed into
theatre when Angel noticed her paleness and
struggled breathing. She had died on the table, but
they managed to resuscitate her.
"Please wake up Buffy. Please, please." Angel
chanted holding her limp hand in his own. They said
she was going to be fine, so why wasn't she waking?
"I mean what do I say to you? I've got angry and
I've cried, I've begged and pleaded."
Nothing.
"Katie's a week old now. She does so much
everyday, you can't miss anymore."
He gazed at her pale face for a long moment. She
had lost so much weight over that past week.
"Buffy…" he moaned.
There was a knock at the door and the nurse came
in. She held a crying Katie in her arms.
"I'm very sorry, we've all tried everything."
Angel stood up, "It's fine." He took Katie from her
arms and the nurse left.
Angel walked back over the bed and gently jogged
Katie up and down. "Shh." He said, rubbing her tiny
back.
He looked down at his sleeping fiancé and then
placed there baby on her front. Katie screamed once
more, then put her head down and closed her eyes.
Angel smiled.
She woke up the day after. Even in the coma, she
could hear everything, but just couldn't move.
The next picture was framed. Angel was sitting by a
huge archway of red, yellow and white roses and his
wife was sitting on his lap, in her Ivory silken dress.
There eyes were locked and held declarations of love
to one another.
"You're burning me!" Buffy yelped.
Anya moved the curling tong away, "Sorry."
Willow came bursting into the room. "I found the
shoes."
Buffy breathed a sign of relief. All of the bridesmaids
tailored shoes had gone missing and they had no
others.
Anya fluffed the curls and threaded a white rose
through. "Ta da." She announced.
Tara moved back from Buffy's face where she had
been touching up on the makeup.
"Oh Buffy," Tara sighed, "You look lovely."
Buffy smiled at her best friend, who she had known
since she was a baby.
"I want to get married to Xander." Anya announced,
"He better ask me soon."
"He will." Buffy said reassuringly, "When the time is
right."
"Oh god, look at the time!" Willow exclaimed, "We
better go."
They all stood up and slipped there shoes on and
went out the door, to where the limousine was
waiting outside the front door. There was silence in
the bedroom.
Suddenly the door burst open and Buffy ran back in.
"Something blue, anything blue…" she said franticly,
rummaging through her drawers.
Tara followed her, "Earrings!" she said, holding up
some pretty sapphire teardrops.
"Hurry up!" Anya yelled.
Tara helped her affix them, before they hurried back
out again.
TBC...
Please, please leave feedback!
***
The next picture was of Angel's office. He was a
detective, in fact he ran the agency, Angel
Investigations.
"And this, is Buffy Summers. My girlfriend." Angel
announced proudly to his small work force.
Fred, Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley took it in turns to
shake the small blonde's hand. It was the first girl
he had ever introduced to them, surprising them all.
"You run the café right? On the Highstreet,
George's?" Fred asked, in her Texas drawl.
Buffy nodded, "Yes, that's right." She suddenly
clicked her fingers, "I knew I knew you! Fred right?
And your boyfriend is Gunn?"
"Yes! I'm Willow's friend. You live with her girlfriend
right?"
They all became friends after that, regularly clubbing
as a large group.
The next picture was a baby scan. Buffy's fingers
traced the small image of her baby girl.
Angel opened the door to Tara's flat. He had a key.
He could hear the sound of faint crying coming from
the living room.
He quickly went in. Buffy lay curled up on the sofa.
Her heard was buried in one of Willow's handmade
cushions.
"Buffy? Sweetheart what's wrong?" he asked, he
scooped her petite frame into his arms and sat down
again, her wrapped up.
She continued shaking.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
She sat up and wiped her tears away. "Angel, I…I'm
pregnant. I'm sorry!"
His heart burst with joy.
"Really? Oh my god! We're going to be parents?"
She looked at him in a shocked way. "You're
happy?" she questioned.
"Of course I am."
She smiled, "I thought you would hate me and leave
me."
He hugged her, "No way Buffy. I love you with all
my heart. Nothing could make me happier."
Buffy wiped the tears from her eyes. She added it to
the pile. The next was both of them, sitting on a rug.
They were having a picnic. They had got a passerby
to take the picture.
Angel carefully laid the grapes out. Everything had
to be perfect. He lit the scented candles.
"Ok!" he called.
Buffy walked out from behind the tree where she
had been told to wait.
She gasped. "Angel!"
He walked up to her, "You like?"
"I love." She met his soft lips with a sweet kiss. His
hand went automatically to her rounded stomach,
where there little baby was growing inside of her.
He took her hand and led her to the rug.
"Stop." Angel said. He reached into his pocket and
brought out a small box.
He slowly knelt down. Her emerald eyes went wide
as realisation hit her.
"Buffy Summers, before I met you, my life was
meaningless. I had no particular reason to look
forward to the day. Then that day I met you in
George's, changed everything. You are my light, my
world Buffy. And now, I would love it more than
anything, if you could be my wife?"
She breathed deeply. "Yes." She said, "Oh god yes."
He opened the box and took out a small silver rind.
"This is a Claddagh ring. It comes from my Irish
Grandmother. When you wear the heart pointing
inward, it means you belong to someone." He slid it
on her finger.
Suddenly she gasped.
"What's wrong?" he asked, a panicked look on his
face.
"The baby kicked." Buffy told her, she took his hand
and placed it on her stomach again. "Well, we know
someone agrees."
Buffy placed her hand on her now flat stomach, a
faint smile at the memory. The next picture was of
Angel and her daughter sleeping together, the
following morning after she had given birth to her.
"I've got popcorn." Xander said, waggling the bag in
his hand. Anya snatched it off of him and took a
handful.
Tara look a nine month pregnant Buffy by the arm
and sat her down on the chair.
"You pick a movie." She said.
"How come she gets to choose?" Anya complained,
"She's pregnant not ill."
Buffy sighed, "You choose…ow." She bent slightly in
pain and her face went white.
"What?" Xander asked.
"She's just trying to make me feel guilty now." Anya
said.
"I had a contraction!" Buffy wailed, "Call Angel, he's
at the office."
Tara went with her in the ambulance, while Xander
and Anya went to look for Angel.
"Where is he?" Buffy screamed, as another
contraction hit her a few hours later in hospital.
"He will be here." Tara said soothingly, "Just
breathe."
The door burst open and Angel came running in
looking flustered. "I'm so sorry, I was on a case
and…."
Buffy screamed again.
"Push!" the nurse called.
Angel took her small hand and clenched his teeth as
she gripped it.
It was all worth it though, when a tiny little girl was
placed in his arms. He looked at Buffy was falling
asleep.
"Well done sweetheart." He murmured as she drifted
off.
Just before she was gone he heard her whisper,
"Katie Dawn O'Connor."
He smiled at Katie. "Aren't you proud of mummy?"
There were complications after the birth, Buffy
remembered as she put the photo down. Buffy was
slowly bleeding inside and they hadn't noticed until it
was almost too late. She had been rushed into
theatre when Angel noticed her paleness and
struggled breathing. She had died on the table, but
they managed to resuscitate her.
"Please wake up Buffy. Please, please." Angel
chanted holding her limp hand in his own. They said
she was going to be fine, so why wasn't she waking?
"I mean what do I say to you? I've got angry and
I've cried, I've begged and pleaded."
Nothing.
"Katie's a week old now. She does so much
everyday, you can't miss anymore."
He gazed at her pale face for a long moment. She
had lost so much weight over that past week.
"Buffy…" he moaned.
There was a knock at the door and the nurse came
in. She held a crying Katie in her arms.
"I'm very sorry, we've all tried everything."
Angel stood up, "It's fine." He took Katie from her
arms and the nurse left.
Angel walked back over the bed and gently jogged
Katie up and down. "Shh." He said, rubbing her tiny
back.
He looked down at his sleeping fiancé and then
placed there baby on her front. Katie screamed once
more, then put her head down and closed her eyes.
Angel smiled.
She woke up the day after. Even in the coma, she
could hear everything, but just couldn't move.
The next picture was framed. Angel was sitting by a
huge archway of red, yellow and white roses and his
wife was sitting on his lap, in her Ivory silken dress.
There eyes were locked and held declarations of love
to one another.
"You're burning me!" Buffy yelped.
Anya moved the curling tong away, "Sorry."
Willow came bursting into the room. "I found the
shoes."
Buffy breathed a sign of relief. All of the bridesmaids
tailored shoes had gone missing and they had no
others.
Anya fluffed the curls and threaded a white rose
through. "Ta da." She announced.
Tara moved back from Buffy's face where she had
been touching up on the makeup.
"Oh Buffy," Tara sighed, "You look lovely."
Buffy smiled at her best friend, who she had known
since she was a baby.
"I want to get married to Xander." Anya announced,
"He better ask me soon."
"He will." Buffy said reassuringly, "When the time is
right."
"Oh god, look at the time!" Willow exclaimed, "We
better go."
They all stood up and slipped there shoes on and
went out the door, to where the limousine was
waiting outside the front door. There was silence in
the bedroom.
Suddenly the door burst open and Buffy ran back in.
"Something blue, anything blue…" she said franticly,
rummaging through her drawers.
Tara followed her, "Earrings!" she said, holding up
some pretty sapphire teardrops.
"Hurry up!" Anya yelled.
Tara helped her affix them, before they hurried back
out again.
TBC...
Please, please leave feedback!