Chapter 1.
That was so long ago.
Memories of the past didn't plague her thoughts as much as they used to.
During the day she was often too busy to even think about the past.
Buffy looked over to where three little girls played happily in the sand.
She smiled to herself, leaving Sunnydale, despite leaving everyone behind, was one of the best things she'd ever done.
Giving birth to three beautiful little girls was the best thing she'd ever done.
She smiled as she watched them play.
When they were born she had been amazed at how perfect and how beautiful they had been.
How beautiful and perfect they still were.
As she watched Jamila turned and waved. Buffy waved back.
The dog lying by her side stood up and walked lazily over to lie beside the girl's sand castle. Knowing that the girls were okay Buffy stretched leisurely and adjusted her bikini top, settling back into her beach chair.
At least she was finally back in LA.
It was much easier being away from everyone when she knew that they were only a few hours away.
For just a few moments she allowed her to drift.
Then suddenly she was roused from her thoughts by the sound of Hexa barking. In a second she was on her feet, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head.
Hexa had clustered the girls together and began circling them, barking madly.
Once she took a look at the 'threat', Buffy almost fell over.
Instead she moved towards the girls. "Hexa, sit down. That's enough. Good girl." Buffy reassured the anxious dog.
She knelt down in front of her children. "It's okay girls. Why don't you build me a new sand castle? I think Hexa knocked the other one down." As she spoke her hands moved rapidly.
The girls smiled at her. "A big one? All the way up to the sky?" Kalika asked, hands moving all the time.
Buffy nodded, still moving her hands. "All the way!"
All three girls chattered between themselves, each one moving her hands, as they began to rebuild their sand castle.
Buffy watched them for a second, before turning towards the people waiting. "You people scared me half to death, you know." She said to them, not unkindly.
"It's really you." One of the men breathed, sounding amazed. "We finally found you."
"Of course it's me. Who were you expecting? The tooth fairy?" she snapped back sarcastically.
Cordelia smiled. "It's nice to see you haven't changed too much."
Buffy smiled at her, "You look great. How have you been, Cordy?"
"Not bad, considering. We all missed you, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Buffy admitted. "But you do what you have to do. Sometimes that means you have to make choices. I made mine, and things have turned out really well for me, considering."
The group looked quizzically at the three girls and dog playing happily in the sand.
Angel was the first to speak. "They're yours aren't they? They're the reason you left Sunnydale."
Buffy nodded. "I couldn't be the Slayer and be pregnant at the same time. It was too dangerous for everyone. I left, yeah. I had to. I wanted to have my babies and I wanted to be able to take care of them. I couldn't have done that if I had stayed. I had to take care of my children."
"What about your responsibilities as the Slayer? What about the end of the world?" Wesley asked her.
"They could handle it. I made sure they could. Whatever they think they haven't been alone. People have been watching over them for me ever since I left. I've been watching over them since I left." she answered.
"End of the world?" Cordelia reminded her.
She paused for a second, watching the girls play before speaking. "They are my world. My everything. If I ever lost them... it would be the end of the world."
Angel laid his hand on her bare shoulder. "They're beautiful."
Buffy managed a small smile. "Would you like to meet them?"
Angel nodded. "I'd love to."
"Girls," Buffy called, "Come here for a minute, please."
The girls pulled themselves out of the sand and tore over to their mother.
"These are some of mommy's friends, girls. I knew them for a long time. Before you girls were born." Buffy begun, "This is Angel, Cordy, Wesley..." she trailed off, her hands stills moving.
Angel filled in the remaining names, "Gunn and Fred."
Buffy smiled at him, "These are my daughters Kalika, Lalita, and Jamila."
"And this is our dog Hexa." announced Kalika. "But she's mostly Mila's dog."
Angel bent down to their eye level. "It's very nice to meet you all."
"Max calls our mommy 'Angel', did you used to call mommy 'Angel'?" Lalita asked him, seriously.
Angel gave her a strange look, before replying. "No, I don't think I ever called Bu-, your mommy 'Angel'."
Buffy stifled a laugh. "Max is the girl's Auntie Max. She has a complex about angels. Her husband Logan calls her Dark Angel."
Angel smiled, with relief Buffy noticed.
"It's about time for us to head home girls. It's almost lunch time." Buffy announced.
There was an instant flurry as the girls each picked up her beach toys and towel packing them hurriedly into backpacks.
Buffy smiled, clipped a lead to Hexa's collar, and packed up her beach chair. "You guys are welcome to come up to the house with us, if you want to. It's not too far from here." Buffy said to Angel and the others as she handed Jamila Hexa's leash.
Angel looked at her, concerned, "You're not going to let her walk that dog are you?"
Buffy smiled. "Those two are a team. They're fine together. I trust Hexa completely."
"Yeah, but she'll pull... Jamila over."
"Trust me she won't. Hexa is trained beyond trained. She's a great help. I don't worry about girls, especially Mila, so much when she's around."
"Why?" Cordy asked.
"Mila's deaf. She has been since she was born. A friend of ours trained Hexa and gave her to Mila to help her out." Buffy answered her.
"I'm so sorry." Cordelia said to her.
"Don't be. Mila is a happy little girl. She's just a little different. She still has her sisters and all of her aunts and uncles, and me. She's a perfect little girl." Buffy answered, as she began to walk towards her car, somehow taking Kalika and Lalita's hands, while Lalita took hold of Mila's spare hand.
"How did you get to be so good at this?" Angel asked, looking amazed for the second time that day.
She laughed. "I've had a lot of practice."
That was so long ago.
Memories of the past didn't plague her thoughts as much as they used to.
During the day she was often too busy to even think about the past.
Buffy looked over to where three little girls played happily in the sand.
She smiled to herself, leaving Sunnydale, despite leaving everyone behind, was one of the best things she'd ever done.
Giving birth to three beautiful little girls was the best thing she'd ever done.
She smiled as she watched them play.
When they were born she had been amazed at how perfect and how beautiful they had been.
How beautiful and perfect they still were.
As she watched Jamila turned and waved. Buffy waved back.
The dog lying by her side stood up and walked lazily over to lie beside the girl's sand castle. Knowing that the girls were okay Buffy stretched leisurely and adjusted her bikini top, settling back into her beach chair.
At least she was finally back in LA.
It was much easier being away from everyone when she knew that they were only a few hours away.
For just a few moments she allowed her to drift.
Then suddenly she was roused from her thoughts by the sound of Hexa barking. In a second she was on her feet, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head.
Hexa had clustered the girls together and began circling them, barking madly.
Once she took a look at the 'threat', Buffy almost fell over.
Instead she moved towards the girls. "Hexa, sit down. That's enough. Good girl." Buffy reassured the anxious dog.
She knelt down in front of her children. "It's okay girls. Why don't you build me a new sand castle? I think Hexa knocked the other one down." As she spoke her hands moved rapidly.
The girls smiled at her. "A big one? All the way up to the sky?" Kalika asked, hands moving all the time.
Buffy nodded, still moving her hands. "All the way!"
All three girls chattered between themselves, each one moving her hands, as they began to rebuild their sand castle.
Buffy watched them for a second, before turning towards the people waiting. "You people scared me half to death, you know." She said to them, not unkindly.
"It's really you." One of the men breathed, sounding amazed. "We finally found you."
"Of course it's me. Who were you expecting? The tooth fairy?" she snapped back sarcastically.
Cordelia smiled. "It's nice to see you haven't changed too much."
Buffy smiled at her, "You look great. How have you been, Cordy?"
"Not bad, considering. We all missed you, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Buffy admitted. "But you do what you have to do. Sometimes that means you have to make choices. I made mine, and things have turned out really well for me, considering."
The group looked quizzically at the three girls and dog playing happily in the sand.
Angel was the first to speak. "They're yours aren't they? They're the reason you left Sunnydale."
Buffy nodded. "I couldn't be the Slayer and be pregnant at the same time. It was too dangerous for everyone. I left, yeah. I had to. I wanted to have my babies and I wanted to be able to take care of them. I couldn't have done that if I had stayed. I had to take care of my children."
"What about your responsibilities as the Slayer? What about the end of the world?" Wesley asked her.
"They could handle it. I made sure they could. Whatever they think they haven't been alone. People have been watching over them for me ever since I left. I've been watching over them since I left." she answered.
"End of the world?" Cordelia reminded her.
She paused for a second, watching the girls play before speaking. "They are my world. My everything. If I ever lost them... it would be the end of the world."
Angel laid his hand on her bare shoulder. "They're beautiful."
Buffy managed a small smile. "Would you like to meet them?"
Angel nodded. "I'd love to."
"Girls," Buffy called, "Come here for a minute, please."
The girls pulled themselves out of the sand and tore over to their mother.
"These are some of mommy's friends, girls. I knew them for a long time. Before you girls were born." Buffy begun, "This is Angel, Cordy, Wesley..." she trailed off, her hands stills moving.
Angel filled in the remaining names, "Gunn and Fred."
Buffy smiled at him, "These are my daughters Kalika, Lalita, and Jamila."
"And this is our dog Hexa." announced Kalika. "But she's mostly Mila's dog."
Angel bent down to their eye level. "It's very nice to meet you all."
"Max calls our mommy 'Angel', did you used to call mommy 'Angel'?" Lalita asked him, seriously.
Angel gave her a strange look, before replying. "No, I don't think I ever called Bu-, your mommy 'Angel'."
Buffy stifled a laugh. "Max is the girl's Auntie Max. She has a complex about angels. Her husband Logan calls her Dark Angel."
Angel smiled, with relief Buffy noticed.
"It's about time for us to head home girls. It's almost lunch time." Buffy announced.
There was an instant flurry as the girls each picked up her beach toys and towel packing them hurriedly into backpacks.
Buffy smiled, clipped a lead to Hexa's collar, and packed up her beach chair. "You guys are welcome to come up to the house with us, if you want to. It's not too far from here." Buffy said to Angel and the others as she handed Jamila Hexa's leash.
Angel looked at her, concerned, "You're not going to let her walk that dog are you?"
Buffy smiled. "Those two are a team. They're fine together. I trust Hexa completely."
"Yeah, but she'll pull... Jamila over."
"Trust me she won't. Hexa is trained beyond trained. She's a great help. I don't worry about girls, especially Mila, so much when she's around."
"Why?" Cordy asked.
"Mila's deaf. She has been since she was born. A friend of ours trained Hexa and gave her to Mila to help her out." Buffy answered her.
"I'm so sorry." Cordelia said to her.
"Don't be. Mila is a happy little girl. She's just a little different. She still has her sisters and all of her aunts and uncles, and me. She's a perfect little girl." Buffy answered, as she began to walk towards her car, somehow taking Kalika and Lalita's hands, while Lalita took hold of Mila's spare hand.
"How did you get to be so good at this?" Angel asked, looking amazed for the second time that day.
She laughed. "I've had a lot of practice."