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Part 4
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"This place is beautiful." Buffy said, slightly awed by the place as Angel pulled out her chair for her.
"Only the best for our first date." Angel replied, pushing Buffy's chair in gently.
"Good deal." Buffy stated, her temperature rising at the touch of his hand upon hers. "I am really glad that you asked me out tonight." She admitted softly, earning a glowing smile from Angel.
"Me too," Angel agreed, "I wasn't sure if at first if you would go out with me. But then after much assurance from Tara, I decided that I stood a chance." Angel said, holding Buffy's hand within his own.
Buffy was about to reply when the waitress interrupted their conversation to ask for their orders. After deciding on their orders, the waitress left, but not without checking out Angel. Something Buffy did not like one little bit.
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"How's cheerleading going?" Angel inquired, twenty minutes later as their food was laid before them. He had been having a wonderful time with Buffy that night and the night was still young.
"It's going really well actually." Buffy told him, taking a sip on her apple cider. "Darla is still a pain to work with, but other then that I'm still loving it."
"Tara said you guys are going to a competition next year." Angel said, taking a bit of his spaghetti and meat balls.
"We are." Affirmed Buffy, laughing at the yummy _expression Angel was making. "The competition is in September, in San Francisco. You should come." She hoped he would. It would be wonderful to look up and see him in the crowd cheering for her and of course his sister as well.
"I'll be there." Angel promised. "You know next week I am taking our boat out on the ocean, would you be interested in joining me?" He inquired already thinking about their next date. "You could get a sun tan, while I did a little fishing, or if you wanted to you could fish as well."
"I would love that." Buffy said happily, cutting off a piece of her chicken.
"Here try this." Angel suggested, taking the fork from Buffy and dipping her chicken in the ranch sauce he had for his bread stick.
Buffy opened her mouth as Angel feed her the chicken. It was quit possibly one of the best mixture of foods Buffy had ever had. The rest of the evening was filled with Angel and Buffy feeding one another. Buffy had never felt so happy as being with Angel.
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"I'll call you later." Angel promised later that night as he pulled up in front of the Giles' house.
"My cell phone should be on." Buffy answered, hoping Angel was going to kiss her goodnight.
She didn't have to wait long, because no sooner had that thought left her mind then Angel's lips brushed against hers in a sensual action. Her toes felt like they were curling up, just like in all those cheesy chic flicks.
Pulling back Buffy couldn't help, but wear a smile, "See you later." She whispers, giving Angel one last kiss, one that ended up becoming more then a simple peck on the lips.
At last the kiss had to end, and before she knew it Angel was out of his car and like a gentlemen he walked her to her door. Giving Buffy another long passionate kiss, Angel didn't want to let her go, but when the need to breath once more became an issue for them he didn't have a choice. Watching until she was inside, both teenagers wore a similar _expression of happiness as the Giles' door closed.
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Buffy felt like skipping all the way to her room, but her parents worried voices stopped her dead in her tracks. Curiosity becoming to much for her Buffy walked into the dining room, and hid behind one of their large book cases as she listened to her mother and father's frantic voices.
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"Rupert, what are we going to do if she tries to take her?" Jenny asked urgently, sitting down at the table. She didn't want to lose Buffy to her sister. Buffy may have been Drusilla's daughter, but Dru was no mother.
'Lose who?' Buffy asked silently, watching her parents. Her heart broke at seeing the sad expressions they both wore.
"We'll get a lawyer." Rupert suggested, placing his hands on his hips. He was not going to give the golden blond, he and Jenny had raised as their own, away to someone who obviously need mental help, without a fight. "I am sure Jeffery would be more then willing to help us." He stated, referring to the family's attorney.
"Call him first thing tomorrow, Rupert, please." Jenny begged, chilling Buffy to the bone. Her mother hardly ever cried, to hear her cry was a chilling sound.
"I will," Her father vowed, "believe me, Jenny. I have no intention of giving Buffy up without a fight." He said, sitting down beside his wife and wrapped his arms around her crying figure.
'Giving me up?' asked Buffy to herself. 'Why would they have to do that?'
Leaning back against the book case Buffy tried to calm her worries. Were her parents saying what she thought they were saying? If that was the case, who was she? Elizabeth Summers face popped into Buffy's mind once again.
'Can I be her?' pondered Buffy looking at the people she thought was her parents holding one another so tightly as tears slid down their faces. Her father at the moment was issuing reassuring words to her mother that everything was going to be okay.
"We can't lose her." Jenny said softly, hugging her husband to her, "we can't."
"We won't." Rupert assured her, rubbing his dark hair wife's back.
Buffy couldn't take it anymore. Quiet and confused she left the dining room, and headed up to her bed room. The rest of the night Buffy spent tossing and turning. If she wasn't Buffy Giles, was she Elizabeth Summers? That same questioned played through her head all night. That's when she decided that as soon as the light came up tomorrow she would go to the den, and check the internet to see what it said about the Elizabeth Summers kidnapping. If that failed she would get a hold of the birth certificate she had used to get her learners permit, and go to the court house to see if it was in fact, an authentic one. It looked real to her, but Molly's mother would know.
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Part 5
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Waking the following morning, Buffy hurriedly showered and dressed. Once she was finished curling her hair, she quietly made her way down to her father's den where the family compute was kept. It was eight in the morning on a Sunday, her parents and sisters would not be awake at least for another three hours, giving her that much time to look up information on Elizabeth Summers.
Turning on the computer Buffy felt a knot in her stomach and throat. What if she found out she was Elizabeth Summers? That would mean her parents were kidnappers, and the people she had grown up to love were not who she thought they were. The Google search engine popped up, and with shaky fingers Buffy typed in "Elizabeth Summers". For the first hour and a half nothing really seemed to pop up. Buffy was about to sigh in reassurance that she wasn't Elizabeth, when a news paper article popped up on the kidnapping.
Leaning in closely Buffy began to read softly to herself, 'The city of LA is in shocked as the little two year old girl kidnapped Thursday right out of the LA Plaza. According to Joyce Summers, Elizabeth's mother, she had taken her children, William, Emily, Dawn, and Elizabeth to see a showing of the broad way play 'Beauty and the Beast.' The hectic mother claims to only of had her head turned for a few minutes to stop he two oldest from fighting, and when she turned around the two year old blond was gone. Officials have no lead as of yet. The search has been expanded for Elizabeth, Lizzy, to her family. If anyone has any information the family would greatly appreciate it. Elizabeth was last seen wearing a blue jean jumper and yellow shirt. She has golden blond hair and emerald green eyes.' Buffy finished the article, scrolling down the page.
Below the article laid a color picture of the family including Elizabeth. Buffy felt like crying when she noticed that everyone in the family had blond hair, and the mother and older sister carried the same emerald eyes that Buffy, herself, had. Once again, little Elizabeth smiled out at her with a face so much like her own.
"It's not true." Buffy pleaded to the screen as tears built up in her eyes. "It can't be." She denied clicking the page shut.
Wiping the tears that had fallen and were still falling from her sad eyes, Buffy clicked on a related page, and nearly threw up at the sight. There, in front of her, was a police sketch of what Elizabeth may have looked like at age thirteen and at age sixteen. It was her face, both of them! Closing her eyes Buffy willed herself to remain calm, but she couldn't. While printing the pictures and the news article out, Buffy cried into her hands. She hurt so much inside. How can this be happening to her? Why would the parents who had always loved her take her away from her real family? Wrapping her arms around her stomach she tried to catch her breath as the final paper finished printing out.
Dabbing her fresh tears, Buffy took the pictures and news article in shaking hands and shut of the computer. Lost, she felt so incredibility lost at that moment. As she searched the cabinet files for her birth certificate she wondered, should she ask her supposed parents about what she had found out, or should she just call the Summers up and tell them she may be their long kidnapped daughter?
Her family meant the world to her, she loved them all so much. If she was ever taken away from them, and told she could never see them again she didn't know what she would do. On the other hand, she couldn't let the Summers family continue to be in pain thinking their daughter was dead if she wasn't. Buffy needed someone to talk to, someone who would listen to her and tell what they honestly thought. As she softly hiccupped from the sobs that still came out of her, once face popped into her mind. Angel, she needed him so much now. He would under stand.
"He'll make sense out of this mess." She reassured herself, picking up the black cordless phone and hit speed dial for Angel's private line.
A tired Angel pick up on the fifth ring, just as Buffy found and took her birth certificate, "Hello," he yawned stretching his free arm.
"Hi, Angel." Buffy's sweet voice carried though the phone waking him up even more.
"Hey, Buffy." He smiled sitting up in bed. Catching a glimpse at the clock that now read nine-thirty he had to admit he was surprised she was calling this early. Never the less, it was always a plus for him to hear her sweet voice.
"Sorry to call you so early." Buffy apologized, even though hearing his voice made it all fell a little bit better.
"No problem." Angel assured her, hearing the distance sound in her voice. Something was wrong, he had known her to long not to notice. "Buffy, what's wrong?" he questioned concerned flooding his voice.
Cradling the phone to her ear Buffy wiped a slow falling tear form her right eye. It touched her and made her feel good to know that he cared about her, and would be there for her. She loved him and one day would tell him just that, but right now she needed him to hold her and listen to her.
"Can we go somewhere and talk?" she asked gently. Footsteps from above her let her know someone was awake, and she didn't want them to hear her.
Angel was already up and getting ready to go check on her, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." he promised tying his shoes. "Buffy, you can tell me anything." he told the golden blond who he had been in love with for quite some time. "I will always be here or anywhere you need me to be."
"I know." Buffy said with a little laugh. "The same goes for me." It didn't matter if she was clear across the planet, to be with Angel she bust her butt to get back to him.
"I'm on my way." Angel said once again before hanging up the phone. Grabbing his keys to his jet black jeep he was out the door.
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"Sissy, I'm hungry." Hope yawned startling Buffy.
Hanging up the phone, she folded all four pieces of papers up and placed them in her pocket, "Let's go fix you some eggs." Buffy suggested, taking the ten year olds small hand into her larger one. Hope's giggle caused Buffy to go back to her dreaded thoughts. If she was Elizabeth, her little sister wasn't Hope, it was that baby Mr. Summers had been holding in the picture of the entire Summers family.
Reaching the kitchen she began to pull out the eggs, and frying pan. While Hope sat down at the table, "May I have bacon too?" Hope asked, using some manners she had been taught at home and at her private school. Switching around in her chair she caught her big sister's nod.
"Yes, you may." Buffy replied, forcing a smile on her face so her little sister would not worry. She never wanted her family to be sad or worried, though the scary and hurtful thought bow was which family would she be force to hurt, if she was in fact Elizabeth. Putting that thought away for the time being Buffy cracked two eggs and started scrambling every now and then adding mozzarella cheese and peppers just like Hope liked.
"Morning," Faith greeted about five minutes later as Buffy was lying Hope's eggs and bacon in front of the now wide awake ten year bouncing girl, "what's for breakfast?" Faith asked, snatching a piece of bacon off of Hope's plate.
"Hey!" Hollered Hope, slapping her oldest sister's hand when she reached for another. "Fix your own." She commanded the twenty year old.
"Okay, I will." Responded Faith, patting Hope's head of dark curls. Walking over to the stove, where Buffy had started Faith's traditional omelet. "Do we have any red peppers, Bits?" she asked watching her sister add in cheddar cheese and pieces of freshly fried bacon to her omelet.
Buffy didn't move her gaze away from the pan, "There's some chopped-up ones that are left over from dinner last night." Buffy answered, flipping the omelet over. "Did you want some in yours?" She asked, finally looking up at her supposed big sister.
"Bits, what's wrong?" Faith demanded in a low tone so Hope wouldn't hear. Faith knew something was wrong with her little sister and she wanted to know, but she didn't want to worry her baby sister.
"Nothing." Buffy lied, placing Faith's food on a plate. "Here you go." Handing Faith her plate Buffy shut off the stove top.
"Nothing my butt." Faith said, calling Buffy on her answer. "Something has been bothering you for the past few days." She pointed out placing her plate on the counter.
"Faith, I'm fine." Buffy snapped, instantly feeling bad when she saw the hurt look cross Faith's face. "I'm sorry." She apologized honestly. "I have a lot going on at school right now, and it's starting to get to me." She lied again.
"It's okay." Faith assured her, not buying Buffy's explanation one bit. She was really worried now, Buffy was not someone who snapped at others like she just did her.
The sound of a knock at the door saved Buffy from having to say anything else, "That's Angel." She said, quickly taking off her apron. "Let Mom and Dad know I'll be home before one." She instructed before leaving the kitchen to get the door and leave.
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