Xander and Cordelia were sitting on the couch at the Bronze discussing baby
names.
"Lisa?" Cordelia asked.
"No, that's too common."
"How about Rachel or Cassie?"
"Why are you only picking girl names?" Xander asked. "If it's a boy we could name him after Angel."
"There is no way I'm naming my kid Angel. I don't care who he's named after. What do you think about Eric?"
"Still too common."
"Fine! How about Bernard?" she said sarcastically.
"It's just a name I'm okay with whatever you choose," Xander said finally, ending the conversation.
"Angel, I can't do this," Buffy said. Angel had driven her two hours to LA just so he could take her horseback riding like her mom had done. He didn't mean to make her upset; he just wanted to do something special for her. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You know my mom and I used to ride all the time,"
"And you make it sound like you loved it."
"I did."
"Then why are you so upset?"
"Because she's dead!" Buffy yelled.
"Dammit Buffy, it's been seven months and you act like she died yesterday."
"Are you telling me to get over her and just forget?"
"No, I'm telling you to move on. You can't spend your whole life thinking she's going to come back."
"That's easy for you to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You live the perfect life. You're in college, you're artistic and you have everything going for you."
"How con you say that? You don't know anything about me, about my life."
"Then tell me."
"Fine. My dad was a coke addict. He left my mom and I when I was two. When I was five my mom ran off with some guy and I never saw her again. I was put into foster care. I grew up moving from home to home. I never had time to make friends before I had to move again. Not so perfect, huh? At least you have your dad."
"I. I'm sorry," she said after a moment.
"Let's just go," Angel said as he opened the door to his car.
"Don't." Buffy grabbed his arm.
"I thought you didn't want to do this."
"I changed my mind."
"I don't want your pity. Don't do this just because you feel bad for me."
"I'm not. You're right I need to let go. Maybe. I don't know, maybe this'll help."
Angel wrapped his arm around her waist, kissed the top of her head and they walked to the two horses that were waiting.
A day later Buffy sat on the couch in the living room doing her homework. Like most nights, her dad had to work until early morning. She heard a knock at the door and got up to see who it was.
"Angel? What are you doing here?"
"Cordelia's in labor."
"What? She's two months early!"
"I know. We have to hurry, Willow's waiting in the car."
Buffy quickly scribbled a note to her dad, hung it on the refrigerator, and stuffed her books in her backpack. "Okay, I'm ready."
"You forgot one." Angel held up her AP Psychology book.
"Thanks," Buffy said as she grabbed it from him and hurried out the door.
In the car, Willow had taken the front seat either so she could sit as close to Angel a possible or piss Buffy off, both reasons worked. "I don't see why she had to have the baby tonight," she said.
"I'm not sure she had a choice in that," Angel responded, dryly.
She ignored him. "I had a date tonight. Any other night would have been fine, just not tonight."
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"You could make it up to me," she said as she placed a hand on his thigh.
"No, I can't." Angel moved his leg out of her reach and looked at Buffy in his rear view mirror. She was looking out the window and biting down, angrily, on her lower lip.
"Fine, but you don't know what you're missing."
"And I don't want to know."
"Whatever. It's not like you're getting anything from her," Willow said, indicating to Buffy.
"I don't want anything like that from her."
"I'm right here guys, you don't have to act like I'm not," Buffy interrupted.
"Good, cause we're ending this conversation," Angel said and they drove to the hospital in silence.
When they arrived in the hospital waiting room, Spike and Drusilla were already there.
"Hey."
"Xander's in with Cordy." "Thanks," Angel said and turned to Buffy. "I'll be right back."
Buffy sat down with her books and started to continue her homework.
Two hours later Buffy sat alone with Angel in the waiting room. Willow, Spike and Drusilla had gone to the cafeteria. Angel was drawing and Buffy was leaning on his shoulder watching him.
"Willow was right wasn't she?" she asked.
"What are you talking about?" Angel put his pencil down.
"You want more than I'll give you."
"Didn't we just have this conversation a week ago?"
"Maybe."
"And what did I say then?"
"I know. It's just that I see all these girls throwing themselves at you, girls who want to give you more than I want to."
"I don't want them. I'm sick of them."
"How many girls have you dated?"
"Do you really want me to count?"
"Are you bragging?"
"Maybe."
"Was Darla the only one you were serious with?"
"Not the only one." Angel wrapped an arm around her and played with her hair.
"Who else?"
"You." He smiled.
"Tell me more about Darla."
Angel sighed. "Darla is a selfish bitch and I really don't want to talk about this now."
"That's pretty harsh. You guys must have been pretty serious."
"We were."
"Do you think you'll ever forgive her?" She pulled his necklace out from under his shirt and began to play with it.
"If you're asking if I would ever date her again, the answer's no. Don't you have homework?"
"You sound like my dad."
"I just don't want to talk about this."
"Then what do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing."
Buffy lay down resting her head in Angel's lap and quickly fell asleep. He draped his jacket over her and continued to draw.
An hour later Xander came in smiling. "It's a girl! You want to see her?"
"Yeah, we'll be in in a minute," Angel said as he woke Buffy.
Pretty soon everyone surrounded Cordelia's hospital bed. "That was the worst experience of my life," she said, explaining to Willow.
Buffy looked over to the incubator, where the baby lay. On it was the birth certificate.
Name: Tiffany Harris
Date: April 22, 1999
Buffy didn't read on to the medical stuff, she just smiled at the name. She knew Xander obviously didn't choose it.
"We'll be right back," Angel said as he grabbed Buffy's hand and walked out. Once they were outside of the room and out of sight he pulled her in close for a kiss.
"What was that for?" Buffy asked when she finally pulled away for air.
"Do I have to have a reason to kiss my girlfriend?"
"No, it was a little spontaneous, though."
"I didn't know how much more of Cordelia's complaining I could take. Kissing you is a lot more fun."
"It is, isn't it?" Buffy said and kissed him again.
"You want to go get something to eat?"
"Uh huh."
It was a little after one in the morning, when Angel dropped Buffy at her house. He had just parked his car in front of his apartment when something in the passenger's seat caught his eye. Buffy had left her notebook. He was about to turn around and drive back to her house, when he realized her dad would probably never let him near her again. He flipped through the pages. He noticed the back coved was covered in doodles. She had written, "Buffy + Angel forever," and drawn hearts all over it. Angel smiled as he tucked it in his jacket and got out of the car.
.
"Lisa?" Cordelia asked.
"No, that's too common."
"How about Rachel or Cassie?"
"Why are you only picking girl names?" Xander asked. "If it's a boy we could name him after Angel."
"There is no way I'm naming my kid Angel. I don't care who he's named after. What do you think about Eric?"
"Still too common."
"Fine! How about Bernard?" she said sarcastically.
"It's just a name I'm okay with whatever you choose," Xander said finally, ending the conversation.
"Angel, I can't do this," Buffy said. Angel had driven her two hours to LA just so he could take her horseback riding like her mom had done. He didn't mean to make her upset; he just wanted to do something special for her. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You know my mom and I used to ride all the time,"
"And you make it sound like you loved it."
"I did."
"Then why are you so upset?"
"Because she's dead!" Buffy yelled.
"Dammit Buffy, it's been seven months and you act like she died yesterday."
"Are you telling me to get over her and just forget?"
"No, I'm telling you to move on. You can't spend your whole life thinking she's going to come back."
"That's easy for you to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You live the perfect life. You're in college, you're artistic and you have everything going for you."
"How con you say that? You don't know anything about me, about my life."
"Then tell me."
"Fine. My dad was a coke addict. He left my mom and I when I was two. When I was five my mom ran off with some guy and I never saw her again. I was put into foster care. I grew up moving from home to home. I never had time to make friends before I had to move again. Not so perfect, huh? At least you have your dad."
"I. I'm sorry," she said after a moment.
"Let's just go," Angel said as he opened the door to his car.
"Don't." Buffy grabbed his arm.
"I thought you didn't want to do this."
"I changed my mind."
"I don't want your pity. Don't do this just because you feel bad for me."
"I'm not. You're right I need to let go. Maybe. I don't know, maybe this'll help."
Angel wrapped his arm around her waist, kissed the top of her head and they walked to the two horses that were waiting.
A day later Buffy sat on the couch in the living room doing her homework. Like most nights, her dad had to work until early morning. She heard a knock at the door and got up to see who it was.
"Angel? What are you doing here?"
"Cordelia's in labor."
"What? She's two months early!"
"I know. We have to hurry, Willow's waiting in the car."
Buffy quickly scribbled a note to her dad, hung it on the refrigerator, and stuffed her books in her backpack. "Okay, I'm ready."
"You forgot one." Angel held up her AP Psychology book.
"Thanks," Buffy said as she grabbed it from him and hurried out the door.
In the car, Willow had taken the front seat either so she could sit as close to Angel a possible or piss Buffy off, both reasons worked. "I don't see why she had to have the baby tonight," she said.
"I'm not sure she had a choice in that," Angel responded, dryly.
She ignored him. "I had a date tonight. Any other night would have been fine, just not tonight."
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"You could make it up to me," she said as she placed a hand on his thigh.
"No, I can't." Angel moved his leg out of her reach and looked at Buffy in his rear view mirror. She was looking out the window and biting down, angrily, on her lower lip.
"Fine, but you don't know what you're missing."
"And I don't want to know."
"Whatever. It's not like you're getting anything from her," Willow said, indicating to Buffy.
"I don't want anything like that from her."
"I'm right here guys, you don't have to act like I'm not," Buffy interrupted.
"Good, cause we're ending this conversation," Angel said and they drove to the hospital in silence.
When they arrived in the hospital waiting room, Spike and Drusilla were already there.
"Hey."
"Xander's in with Cordy." "Thanks," Angel said and turned to Buffy. "I'll be right back."
Buffy sat down with her books and started to continue her homework.
Two hours later Buffy sat alone with Angel in the waiting room. Willow, Spike and Drusilla had gone to the cafeteria. Angel was drawing and Buffy was leaning on his shoulder watching him.
"Willow was right wasn't she?" she asked.
"What are you talking about?" Angel put his pencil down.
"You want more than I'll give you."
"Didn't we just have this conversation a week ago?"
"Maybe."
"And what did I say then?"
"I know. It's just that I see all these girls throwing themselves at you, girls who want to give you more than I want to."
"I don't want them. I'm sick of them."
"How many girls have you dated?"
"Do you really want me to count?"
"Are you bragging?"
"Maybe."
"Was Darla the only one you were serious with?"
"Not the only one." Angel wrapped an arm around her and played with her hair.
"Who else?"
"You." He smiled.
"Tell me more about Darla."
Angel sighed. "Darla is a selfish bitch and I really don't want to talk about this now."
"That's pretty harsh. You guys must have been pretty serious."
"We were."
"Do you think you'll ever forgive her?" She pulled his necklace out from under his shirt and began to play with it.
"If you're asking if I would ever date her again, the answer's no. Don't you have homework?"
"You sound like my dad."
"I just don't want to talk about this."
"Then what do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing."
Buffy lay down resting her head in Angel's lap and quickly fell asleep. He draped his jacket over her and continued to draw.
An hour later Xander came in smiling. "It's a girl! You want to see her?"
"Yeah, we'll be in in a minute," Angel said as he woke Buffy.
Pretty soon everyone surrounded Cordelia's hospital bed. "That was the worst experience of my life," she said, explaining to Willow.
Buffy looked over to the incubator, where the baby lay. On it was the birth certificate.
Name: Tiffany Harris
Date: April 22, 1999
Buffy didn't read on to the medical stuff, she just smiled at the name. She knew Xander obviously didn't choose it.
"We'll be right back," Angel said as he grabbed Buffy's hand and walked out. Once they were outside of the room and out of sight he pulled her in close for a kiss.
"What was that for?" Buffy asked when she finally pulled away for air.
"Do I have to have a reason to kiss my girlfriend?"
"No, it was a little spontaneous, though."
"I didn't know how much more of Cordelia's complaining I could take. Kissing you is a lot more fun."
"It is, isn't it?" Buffy said and kissed him again.
"You want to go get something to eat?"
"Uh huh."
It was a little after one in the morning, when Angel dropped Buffy at her house. He had just parked his car in front of his apartment when something in the passenger's seat caught his eye. Buffy had left her notebook. He was about to turn around and drive back to her house, when he realized her dad would probably never let him near her again. He flipped through the pages. He noticed the back coved was covered in doodles. She had written, "Buffy + Angel forever," and drawn hearts all over it. Angel smiled as he tucked it in his jacket and got out of the car.
.