Don't own SG-1 or Buffy Don't own SG-1 or Buffy
Angelus was sitting alone in his underground home, tapping his fingers discontentedly. He had no one to fight- no new challenges to keep him interested in life. The hellmouth's were breeding evil merrily on their own. He had nothing, except for Buffy's children. He laughed, who would have thought that he, Angelus 'the scourge of Europe' would be so attached to the children of a Slayer.
He had watched jealously as Buffy had met Jack while working in California. Then they had fallen in love, married and moved to Colorado Springs. He had moved too, to be near his nemesis. He didn't want to examine his motives too closely.
When the first child had been born he had decided to wreak vengeance on the Slayer and take the baby and kill it. He had crawled into the window, having gotten a talisman to let him enter, and reached down to take the baby when the child awoke. The blue, blue eyes looked at him unblinkingly, into the depths of his soulless existence. Angelus had frozen, his hand over the baby. The baby had grabbed his finger, pulled it to his mouth and sucked on it, then laughed a soft baby chuckle. Angelus had fallen and never looked back.
After that night Angelus has visited the nursery often, holding the babies so they didn't cry. He didn't know that the first time Buffy had seen him with J.D. she had almost freaked. Until she had watched him rock the baby, crooning some lullaby in gaelic. He did know that Buffy had become aware of his nocturnal visits but she had never interfered. He in turn had not abused the privilege, and had kept all vamps and demonic presences away from her children.
It didn't mean that he hadn't tried to kill her every so often, but it had been more of exercise for the test of strengths. When she had gone missing 6 years ago he had been enraged and had stirred up all of the hellmouths for months. It hadn't brought her back, only caused the loss of a lot of vampires and demons and the inevitable complaints from hell.
He sighed and decided to visit Joy, he had visited last night but felt the need to stop by again. She was Buffy's youngest and his favorite. He felt something for all of Buffy's children, but didn't want to examine that too closely either.
JD was sarcastically respectful. Angelus had taught him how to track demons and such as a child and now as an adult the training was put into good use with the government. He never called Angelus but would visit politely if they met.
Bess, beautiful Bess who had chopped her hair short when Angelus had mentioned how much like her mother she looked. She was scrappy, a fighter and had joined the military out of high school. She was a superb demon hunter, but had gotten involved with his childe, Spike. Angelus disapproved, and he knew Buffy would have too but Bess had told him to take a flying leap. So he made sure Spike was aware that his actions were being watched.
Giles was the 17-year-old genius, just like Buffy's watcher. He was handsome and popular, and nice to everyone. He put up with Angelus because of the history help that was provided. He had let Angelus know early on that Angelus was only there because his Mom had allowed it, but if Angelus stepped out of line with the family then Giles would be the one to stake him. It still made Angelus laugh to remember the conversation.
Then there was 10 year old Joy. The relationship had blossomed the night she realized that her mommy and daddy were not coming home. She had been four and Angelus had held her until she cried herself to sleep. This did not best please the doctor from SGC but J.D. had taken her aside to explain and nothing more was said. At least not out loud. He had to be fair; Doc and Sam had been excellent mother figures to Joy. So had Willow before she had died. Joy wasn't lacking for a woman. She had desperately missed her father though. Daniel tried but Joy had always preferred Angelus.
The night-light was on in Joys' bedroom and he saw that Bess's car was back. Angelus sighed with relief, Bess and Spike had gone missing the day before and Joy had been terrified that they were lost forever too.
He climbed up and leaned into the open window and stopped in shock. There sitting beside Joy was Buffy. He watched the familiar twist of hair fly around as she whipped her head to see Angelus and he realized it wasn't his Buffy, but a younger version.
"Hello Angelus, we need to talk, you and I." Buffy said and Angelus smiled, "Let me see Joy first and I'll meet you in front." Buffy nodded, kissed Joy and said, "Remember what I said sweetness. Your mom is just like me. She is fighting tooth and nail to come back to you all." Joy nodded and watched Buffy with hungry eyes as she walked out of the room.
"You saw her too?" Joy whispered desperately, grabbing his arms with trembling fingers. Angelus nodded and sat in the same spot Buffy had just left. "What did she say?" he asked curiously and Joy lay back with a shaky sigh, "That she wasn't my mom, but a younger version. That Mom and Dad would've have fought tooth and nail to come back to us, that they loved us that much." Her eyes were clearer than Angelus had seen for too many years.
"Do you believe her?" He asked and watched as she nodded. "She said that a Mom would never lie about something that important." Angelus smiled, "Told you so!" and he tweaked her nose. Joy sat up again and nodded earnestly at him, "I believed you. I did. But to hear it from Mom, Buffy, oh whatever, I knew it in my heart." She sighed happily. "I'm sleepy, better see what Mom wants." Angelus nodded and listened to her quiet prayers and climbed back out of the window. He was startled to hear a baby cry and was about to go back inside when Buffy laid a hand on his arm, "It's my baby, J.D."
"Different reality, different time as well?" he asked, his eyes wandering all over her face. She looked the same as she did in high school, the night he had taken her virginity and been turned back into Angelus.
"Why did you send the demon through the dimensions?" she asked and he looked away, then turned to look down the street. He spotted Spike immediately and grinned wryly, "Do you think that you need a body guard from me?" He asked and Buffy shrugged. "You tried to kill the other Buffy."
Angelus' face turned and he faced Buffy as a vamp, "She was sleeping with Angel and had to be punished. She'll recover." Buffy shook her head and started walking down the street.
"Help me understand Angelus." She asked and he put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, walking beside her. "Joy had suffered too much in her life. I wanted to find Buffy for her. She has missed so much of Joy growing up. Of Giles and Bess and J.D. as well." His voice was frustrated and Buffy turned her amazed eyes to his face.
"You care for these kids!" her voice was amazed and Angelus shrugged uncomfortably, "No I don't." Buffy stopped him, "Yes you do. Angelus, you have a soul and just don't know it."
Angelus angrily backhanded her and she fell onto the grass, then watched as she jumped back up into fighting stance. She kicked him into the street and followed up with a roundhouse kick to his face. He punched her, then swept her feet out from under her and she lay on the ground and watched as he stepped forward to finish the kill. She smiled as he stopped and shook with frustration.
"I won't hurt Joy." He walked away and Buffy stood up and laughed, ran after him and as he turned and threw herself into his arms. "Angelus, scourge of Europe, you are something else." And she kissed his cheek then slid out of his shocked arms.
He touched his cheek in shock, looked at his fingertips, then looked at Buffy. "Why?" he whispered and she shook her head. "You'll have to discover that for yourself. Call off the dimensional demon baddie and I'll let you live." She sauntered off back to the house and he had to jog a bit to catch up. "How do you know that I will?" He asked, trying to sound arrogant.
Buffy looked at his face and smiled, "One of the Buffy's that die might be Joy's." She said simply. "Do you want to meet J.D.?"
