Sorry about the last chapter not posting right. I was in a hurry to get it up before I went away for the weekend and didn't realize something went wrong. Here is the correct version.
In the last chapter --
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Angel turned and looked all around the room. Then he did it again, but he still didn't see Buffy anywhere. She was missing.
.
.
He looked again, more desperately. Mrs. Bettis the social worker came out of the office and stared suspiciously at him. Angel turned away and went to the other end of the room and back quietly and quickly searching. Still no Buffy.
"Is anything wrong?"
Angel jumped. Mrs. Bettis had come up behind him. "No, nothing's wrong," he said quickly. If he told her the truth about Buffy being gone, she might reopen her investigation into their situation. He walked away from the woman and stopped in the hallway. He had seen no sign of Buffy. Was it worth the risk to ask for help? What if she had been kidnapped? No, no one would steal a child out of a police station. She must have wandered off on her own. Where could she have gone?
She wasn't in the hallway but the front door was jammed open so two workers carrying supplies could cart their boxes in. Angel ran to the door and looked out. Buffy wasn't on the sidewalk in front of the building. He turned to go back inside and ask the police for assistance after all and then he saw Buffy. She was outside down one block and in the middle of crossing a busy street.
"Buffy!" Angel yelled. She was too far away to hear him, though, and a garbage truck was bearing down on her. Angel started to run, knowing he was too far away to reach her in time. He darted out in the middle of traffic and felt a car's bumper whistle past right behind him. Ahead, a horn blared and brakes screeched. There was no sound of a collision and Angel kept moving without checking traffic, hoping Buffy had somehow escaped injury. Finally he reached the other side of the road and turned to look back for Buffy. If she had kept moving and not been hit she should be nearby.
He didn't see her anywhere at first. Then he heard a voice calling, "Angel, come look!"
He whirled around. Buffy was standing calmly in front of a store window down the block. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp when Angel ran over and grabbed her but he held her firmly. "Buffy, are you all right? What were you doing? Didn't anyone ever teach you to look both ways before crossing a street?"
"I did," she informed him.
Satisfied that she was unharmed, Angel finally set her down but retained a grip on her hand. "I bet whoever told you that forgot to add the part about not crossing if anything's coming. Why did you leave the police station anyway? Didn't I tell you to wait there?"
Buffy just pointed at the nearest store window. "Puppy."
Angel looked in disbelief at the pet store with the large display of puppies. "You disobeyed me and crossed a dangerous, busy street just so you could look at some dogs?"
"I want that one," Buffy continued, poking her finger against the glass and indicating a white puppy with black spots that was staring out the window at them. "I want that puppy."
"You ran away and scared me half to death and now you want a Dalmatian puppy in return? No." Angel was determined to be firm on this point. Buffy had to learn that her actions had consequences and she couldn't get away with being disobedient. Besides, he knew who would be stuck doing all the work if they bought a puppy.
Despite Buffy's protests, Angel led her back home and didn't give in. Not even when she cried and begged as he put her to bed.
The next morning, much earlier than Angel liked, someone knocked on his door and woke him up. He dragged himself over to see that it was Cordelia and she didn't look very happy.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you getting me up so early?"
"It's Buffy," Cordelia announced. "Do you know that she cried herself to sleep last night?"
Angel felt just a little guilty but then he reminded himself of how Buffy had behaved. She thought if she whined and cried she could get whatever she wanted. So far this method had worked for her. "Cordelia, are you aware that Buffy disobeyed me last night?" He gave her the whole story.
"All right, no puppy," Cordelia agreed. "At least not a live one. Did you try getting her a stuffed one instead?"
Angel hadn't thought of that so Cordelia left Buffy with Wesley while she went out to the store. Angel stayed upstairs, not wanting to face Buffy without a substitute for what she wanted. After a half hour Cordelia returned and handed him the stuffed Dalmatian.
Angel went downstairs trying to look like he had forgotten the puppy incident. He hid the stuffed one behind his back and hoped he wouldn't have to use it. In the lobby he found Buffy listlessly sitting beside her Barbie house, ignoring Wesley's attempts to play with her.
When he saw Angel, Wesley gave up. "Good luck," he said as he walked away.
Buffy's reaction to Angel was somewhat different. Her eyes welled with tears and she turned away, refusing to look at him.
Now Angel really felt guilty. Maybe he had been too hard on Buffy. She was only four, after all, and her life had been turned upside down. "Buffy," he cajoled, "I have something for you." He pulled the stuffed puppy out from behind his back and showed it to her. "It's a puppy, see?"
"Not a real puppy!" Buffy insisted. She refused to take it from him so Angel set it down beside her.
Buffy's attitude did not improve. She neither played with the stuffed puppy nor kicked it away. She just ignored it. She also ignored Angel. It was the one thing that could make him feel even worse.
Despite how he felt, though, he couldn't just give in and buy Buffy a live puppy. It took a lot of thought but finally Angel came up with a solution he was sure was work. Everyone would be happy again or at least speaking to each other and he wouldn't need to get the puppy.
He went back over to Buffy. "Look, you did something wrong last night when you didn't stay where I told you. You know that, right?" He waited until Buffy eventually nodded. "And you know you shouldn't have crossed that street alone. I understand why you did it but it was still wrong. I'm going to make you a deal now. If you can behave yourself all day, until it gets dark outside, and this means no whining or pouting or pestering any of us or bothering our clients, then you can have the puppy. If you can't behave that long, then no puppy."
Buffy listened intently and nodded. She seemed confident.
So was Angel. There was no way Buffy could behave perfectly for a full day. Absolutely no way. It was too much to ask of any child, especially her.
As dusk approached that evening, Angel was forced to revise this opinion. Buffy had behaved like a model child. She had quietly watched television and played with her toys and done exactly as instructed with no exceptions.
When it was clearly dark outside, she marched up to him. "Where's my puppy?"
Angel looked at Cordelia for support. "Well, about that, there's a little problem."
"You promised," Buffy reminded him.
No support from Cordelia. She shrugged. "Buffy has a point, you know. And you trapped yourself this time."
"Yeah, but who would have ever thought she could behave for so long? Her track record is horrible." Angel looked back at Buffy's expectant face. "I am so stupid. All right, let's go."
Triumphantly Buffy ran to get her coat. All the way in the car on the way back to the pet store, she could talk of nothing else but the puppy. Resigned to his fate, Angel parked outside and led her into the store. The desired puppy was still part of the window display and the owner pulled it out for them.
Of course they couldn't leave with just the puppy. No, they also needed a collar, a leash, food, a dog bed, a brush, boxes of treats, bones, dog shampoo, cleaning supplies a training booklet, a blanket, several varieties of toys, and a few other odds and ends. The extras cost almost as much as the overpriced dog did.
After picking up what seemed like every dog supply in existence, Angel managed to get Buffy and the puppy back into the car and home. Back at the hotel, he got Buffy, the dog, and a box of newly bought junk inside and then watched as the puppy immediately squatted and peed in the lobby.
Angel looked at Cordelia, who was watching while making no effort to help. "It was your decision," she reminded him.
He looked at Buffy. She was playing tug of war with the puppy. That left him to clean up the mess and scatter newpaper all over the lobby floor. By the time he was done, Cordelia was talking to Buffy.
"So have you thought of a name for the puppy?" she asked.
"Yes," Buffy replied. "Lassie!"
"But it's a male dog," Angel pointed out. "Lassie is a girl's name."
"That's right, ANGEL," Cordelia emphasized. "And your point is?"
"All right, fine," Angel gave in. "But I still say there are more appropriate choices. Hasn't she ever seen 101 Dalmatians? What about Lucky, or even Spot?"
"Buffy, you watched Lassie on TV right?" Cordelia asked. "Why do you like her?"
"Because she saves people," Buffy replied, trying to interest her puppy in chasing a ball.
Cordelia turned back to Angel. "See? She has a good reason."
He looked over at the puppy, which seemed to be playing nicely with Buffy. "I can live with the name, but I have a feeling this dog is going to be nothing but trouble. Wait and see."
In the last chapter --
.
.
Angel turned and looked all around the room. Then he did it again, but he still didn't see Buffy anywhere. She was missing.
.
.
He looked again, more desperately. Mrs. Bettis the social worker came out of the office and stared suspiciously at him. Angel turned away and went to the other end of the room and back quietly and quickly searching. Still no Buffy.
"Is anything wrong?"
Angel jumped. Mrs. Bettis had come up behind him. "No, nothing's wrong," he said quickly. If he told her the truth about Buffy being gone, she might reopen her investigation into their situation. He walked away from the woman and stopped in the hallway. He had seen no sign of Buffy. Was it worth the risk to ask for help? What if she had been kidnapped? No, no one would steal a child out of a police station. She must have wandered off on her own. Where could she have gone?
She wasn't in the hallway but the front door was jammed open so two workers carrying supplies could cart their boxes in. Angel ran to the door and looked out. Buffy wasn't on the sidewalk in front of the building. He turned to go back inside and ask the police for assistance after all and then he saw Buffy. She was outside down one block and in the middle of crossing a busy street.
"Buffy!" Angel yelled. She was too far away to hear him, though, and a garbage truck was bearing down on her. Angel started to run, knowing he was too far away to reach her in time. He darted out in the middle of traffic and felt a car's bumper whistle past right behind him. Ahead, a horn blared and brakes screeched. There was no sound of a collision and Angel kept moving without checking traffic, hoping Buffy had somehow escaped injury. Finally he reached the other side of the road and turned to look back for Buffy. If she had kept moving and not been hit she should be nearby.
He didn't see her anywhere at first. Then he heard a voice calling, "Angel, come look!"
He whirled around. Buffy was standing calmly in front of a store window down the block. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp when Angel ran over and grabbed her but he held her firmly. "Buffy, are you all right? What were you doing? Didn't anyone ever teach you to look both ways before crossing a street?"
"I did," she informed him.
Satisfied that she was unharmed, Angel finally set her down but retained a grip on her hand. "I bet whoever told you that forgot to add the part about not crossing if anything's coming. Why did you leave the police station anyway? Didn't I tell you to wait there?"
Buffy just pointed at the nearest store window. "Puppy."
Angel looked in disbelief at the pet store with the large display of puppies. "You disobeyed me and crossed a dangerous, busy street just so you could look at some dogs?"
"I want that one," Buffy continued, poking her finger against the glass and indicating a white puppy with black spots that was staring out the window at them. "I want that puppy."
"You ran away and scared me half to death and now you want a Dalmatian puppy in return? No." Angel was determined to be firm on this point. Buffy had to learn that her actions had consequences and she couldn't get away with being disobedient. Besides, he knew who would be stuck doing all the work if they bought a puppy.
Despite Buffy's protests, Angel led her back home and didn't give in. Not even when she cried and begged as he put her to bed.
The next morning, much earlier than Angel liked, someone knocked on his door and woke him up. He dragged himself over to see that it was Cordelia and she didn't look very happy.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you getting me up so early?"
"It's Buffy," Cordelia announced. "Do you know that she cried herself to sleep last night?"
Angel felt just a little guilty but then he reminded himself of how Buffy had behaved. She thought if she whined and cried she could get whatever she wanted. So far this method had worked for her. "Cordelia, are you aware that Buffy disobeyed me last night?" He gave her the whole story.
"All right, no puppy," Cordelia agreed. "At least not a live one. Did you try getting her a stuffed one instead?"
Angel hadn't thought of that so Cordelia left Buffy with Wesley while she went out to the store. Angel stayed upstairs, not wanting to face Buffy without a substitute for what she wanted. After a half hour Cordelia returned and handed him the stuffed Dalmatian.
Angel went downstairs trying to look like he had forgotten the puppy incident. He hid the stuffed one behind his back and hoped he wouldn't have to use it. In the lobby he found Buffy listlessly sitting beside her Barbie house, ignoring Wesley's attempts to play with her.
When he saw Angel, Wesley gave up. "Good luck," he said as he walked away.
Buffy's reaction to Angel was somewhat different. Her eyes welled with tears and she turned away, refusing to look at him.
Now Angel really felt guilty. Maybe he had been too hard on Buffy. She was only four, after all, and her life had been turned upside down. "Buffy," he cajoled, "I have something for you." He pulled the stuffed puppy out from behind his back and showed it to her. "It's a puppy, see?"
"Not a real puppy!" Buffy insisted. She refused to take it from him so Angel set it down beside her.
Buffy's attitude did not improve. She neither played with the stuffed puppy nor kicked it away. She just ignored it. She also ignored Angel. It was the one thing that could make him feel even worse.
Despite how he felt, though, he couldn't just give in and buy Buffy a live puppy. It took a lot of thought but finally Angel came up with a solution he was sure was work. Everyone would be happy again or at least speaking to each other and he wouldn't need to get the puppy.
He went back over to Buffy. "Look, you did something wrong last night when you didn't stay where I told you. You know that, right?" He waited until Buffy eventually nodded. "And you know you shouldn't have crossed that street alone. I understand why you did it but it was still wrong. I'm going to make you a deal now. If you can behave yourself all day, until it gets dark outside, and this means no whining or pouting or pestering any of us or bothering our clients, then you can have the puppy. If you can't behave that long, then no puppy."
Buffy listened intently and nodded. She seemed confident.
So was Angel. There was no way Buffy could behave perfectly for a full day. Absolutely no way. It was too much to ask of any child, especially her.
As dusk approached that evening, Angel was forced to revise this opinion. Buffy had behaved like a model child. She had quietly watched television and played with her toys and done exactly as instructed with no exceptions.
When it was clearly dark outside, she marched up to him. "Where's my puppy?"
Angel looked at Cordelia for support. "Well, about that, there's a little problem."
"You promised," Buffy reminded him.
No support from Cordelia. She shrugged. "Buffy has a point, you know. And you trapped yourself this time."
"Yeah, but who would have ever thought she could behave for so long? Her track record is horrible." Angel looked back at Buffy's expectant face. "I am so stupid. All right, let's go."
Triumphantly Buffy ran to get her coat. All the way in the car on the way back to the pet store, she could talk of nothing else but the puppy. Resigned to his fate, Angel parked outside and led her into the store. The desired puppy was still part of the window display and the owner pulled it out for them.
Of course they couldn't leave with just the puppy. No, they also needed a collar, a leash, food, a dog bed, a brush, boxes of treats, bones, dog shampoo, cleaning supplies a training booklet, a blanket, several varieties of toys, and a few other odds and ends. The extras cost almost as much as the overpriced dog did.
After picking up what seemed like every dog supply in existence, Angel managed to get Buffy and the puppy back into the car and home. Back at the hotel, he got Buffy, the dog, and a box of newly bought junk inside and then watched as the puppy immediately squatted and peed in the lobby.
Angel looked at Cordelia, who was watching while making no effort to help. "It was your decision," she reminded him.
He looked at Buffy. She was playing tug of war with the puppy. That left him to clean up the mess and scatter newpaper all over the lobby floor. By the time he was done, Cordelia was talking to Buffy.
"So have you thought of a name for the puppy?" she asked.
"Yes," Buffy replied. "Lassie!"
"But it's a male dog," Angel pointed out. "Lassie is a girl's name."
"That's right, ANGEL," Cordelia emphasized. "And your point is?"
"All right, fine," Angel gave in. "But I still say there are more appropriate choices. Hasn't she ever seen 101 Dalmatians? What about Lucky, or even Spot?"
"Buffy, you watched Lassie on TV right?" Cordelia asked. "Why do you like her?"
"Because she saves people," Buffy replied, trying to interest her puppy in chasing a ball.
Cordelia turned back to Angel. "See? She has a good reason."
He looked over at the puppy, which seemed to be playing nicely with Buffy. "I can live with the name, but I have a feeling this dog is going to be nothing but trouble. Wait and see."
