Title: Who's next 4/?

Arthur: Christen Hays (PurplehaysC@netscape.com)

Disclaimer: These Characters belong to Joss Whedon, except Tiama and anyone else you do not recognize.

Distribution: Take it, but let me know. If you have any of my other fics, go ahead.

Comments: this is my first fanfic so please be gentle! And I want all the comments good or bad you have!  (Oh I got this idea from reading Child of Love so who ever wrote that thanks)

As Angel walked into his room, he suddenly had tears running down his checks. He sat down on his bed and looked at the only picture of Buffy he had. He missed her so much and it was hard for him to accept that he would never see her again. He couldn't possibly understand why she had to die. She saved innocent people's life for heaven's sake. And she has to die. His heart yearned for her. All the sudden the room got really cold and he thought he heard someone whispering his name. The picture fell out his hands. "Buffy?" He thought he felt someone's hand on his check. He asked again. "Buffy?" The he felt what seemed like someone wiping his tears away from his face. "I know it's you Buffy." He sat quiet waiting for a response. He started to hear a whispering again, "I miss you Angel."

"I miss you too Buffy."

"Please don't cry…. Be strong…. Tiama needs you."

"I know Buffy. I'm trying. I really am."

"I know you are. I love you…." He thought he felt her kiss him. "Bye Angel."

 "Buffy… don't go." But it was too late. He could tell she was gone. The room was getting warm again and he started to feel tears falling down his checks and the taste of the salty tears in his mouth. And that is when he knew that there was no way that his he would ever forget her, his first and only love.

Willow, Oz, Xander, Cordelia, Spike, Wesley, Gunn and Giles were walking down the hotel looking for Damon. "I'm sure he's here some where's and it's not like anything could happen to him here." Cordelia said.

Wesley looked at her. "That's not entirely true…." She elbowed him and Oz glared at him.

Xander spoke up, "You know he might just be checking the place out and trying to pick which room he's going to stay in." He said hoping to cheer them up.

"Yeah, Cordelia where was Angel planning on us staying? He was rude enough to leave with out tell us where we were supposed to go." Spike said annoyed.

Willow glared at him. "There are more important things to worry about then where you are staying. Spike! In addition, give Angel a break. He's just found out the love of his life is dead and he's a little upset!" Spike shut up after that.

Oz called out his son's name again. "Damon! Damon!"

Damon was sitting on Tiama's bed making out with her again, when he heard his father call his name. "Tiama, that was my father. I have to go."

She looked at him. "You sure you don't want to leave?"

He looked right back at her. "Believe me I don't want to leave but I have to before my parents find me in here." He smiled at her. "Good night." He kissed her again.

"And a good night it is too." He smiled at her and walked out of her room. He found his parents around the corner. They were very glad to see him. He didn't realize that he had some of Tiama's lipstick smudged on him. Xander signaled to him to wipe his mouth and he did.  Cordelia noticed where he was coming from but she did not say a thing. She just smiled. She knew Angel was not going to like the fact of Tiama and Damon dating but she was just happy that Tiama had finally found someone else.

Willow was the first one to ask where he'd been. He shrugged. "Just checking out this old hotel. It's pretty cool for an old place."

Oz looked at him. "Next time just don't leave with out telling us ok? We're all really worried."

"I won't dad I promise. So have yall decide where we are staying?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "We would have but you had to go off and gets your insane parents worried."

Damon looked at him. "You know it's good to know you care about me Uncle Spike. Well I want a room around the corner the rooms around there are nice."

Cordelia almost cracked up laughing. "Actually the rooms over here are better. Wesley will show you. I want to talk to Damon first about the rules that Angel has." He looked at her worried.

"Ok, Wesley led the way.  I'll catch up with you guys later. I think I should hear these rules too. I won't want to break them and make dead boy mad." Everyone laughed.

"Ok follow me." Willow, Oz, Spike, Gunn, Giles and Wesley headed off on their way.

Once they were gone, Damon looked at Cordelia. "So what are these rules?" He seemed annoyed.

"Well first and for most don't make out with his daughter with in 500 feet of him." Cordelia said

He rolled his eyes. "I don't even know you and your given me love advice. Why should I listen to you?"

Cordelia looked at him annoyed. "You're right you don't know me. But I would listen to what I have to say because I know how over protective Angel is of his only child and I also know what Angel can be like when he's a vampire and what he does to people. And also I'm very glad to see Tiama finally happy because she's like a daughter to me and I don't want to see her father's temper ruin her life because it will if yall aren't careful."

Then Xander spoke up. "Damon I would listen to her she knows what she talking about. She's a very smart girl. But if you don't want to listen to her then at least listen to me. I also know how bad Angel can be and I don't want to see you hurt and if you really care about his daughter then you will try to take care of her not get her in trouble. We're not saying that there is anything wrong with dating her it's just that we won't you to be careful that's all ok?"

Damon was finally smiling. "So how exactly do I see her without him seeing me?" He was looking at Cordelia now.

"Well with both of us helping you it shouldn't be that hard." She looked over at Xander. "Do you want to help?"

He smiled. "Anything for love." He looked over at Cordelia and Cordelia blushed but turned her head and walked over to Tiama's room to tell her the news.

After Willow and Oz got to their room and everyone had left, Willow looked at Oz. "Would you mind bring in everything by yourself? I want to go talk to Angel."

He smiled. "I don't mind at all. I just hope he's ok because I know I wouldn't if I lost you."

She smiled back at him and gave him a small kiss on the check and whispered. "Neither would I."

Willow knocked on Angel's door. It was already half-cracked. "Angel?" She saw him sitting on the edge of the bed holding a picture of Buffy to his heart. She could tell he had been crying. When he heard her voice her turned to her. "Willow can you please leave me alone?"

His voice almost cracked when he said that. She looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Angel, you don't need to be alone right now. I know you're hurt and so am I. Right now the best thing you can do is not be alone."

He looked at his old friend and knew that what she was saying was true. "Willow, you know what I want to do right now? I want to find what ever human or demon did this to her and kill him and then kill myself just so I can see her."

She looked at him and felt so sorry for him but to lighten up the moment she said. "Well I only see one problem with that and that would be that you are already dead." She saw him smile.

"Oh Willow I've missed seeing you. You always knew how to make me smile. No wonder you and Buffy were best friends."

She smiled and sat down on the end of his bed. "I've missed you to Angel and so did Buffy. She's always loved you know that?"

He smiled back at her. "And I've always loved her. I just wish we could have been together. We could have been a family."

She looked at him shocked. "Who could have been a family?"

Angel tried to sneak out of it. "I meant that we could have gotten back together and Buffy could have been Tiama's step-mother."

She looked at him strangely knowing that there was something that he was not telling her. "I still can't believe that you are a father. When we're you human? I mean you had to be to conceive her right?"

He looked at her shocked and tried to think of a reasonable excuse. "Yes, I would have to be if she wasn't adopted. Her mother and I decided to adopt kids since I can't conceive kids. Most people don't always get kids that they automatically like but we were very like. In many ways."

Will smiled. "That so sweet. I'm very happy for you. I know that the mother is dead and it's probably hard for you to talk about her but what was her name?"

"Kate and before you ask she died in duty she was shot by this guy who was robbing a bank. She was trying to stop him but she was shot. She was a police officer." Angel looked at her hoping that she believe what he what he was saying.

She looked at him having trouble believing what he was saying and knowing that there was something, he was not telling her and that he probably would not ever tell her. She decided that whatever it was he would tell he when ever he was ready to.  "I'm sorry to hear that Angel. Look I am going to leave you alone but if you need to talk you know where to find me. Right?" She got up.

"Of course. Thanks for listening. It was a big help. And Willow it's good to see you again." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Same here. I missed having you around. The group just was not the same when you left. Nothing was." She opened the door but before she left she turned around and said, "elle teame. (Which means she loves you in Spanish) who ever named you child Angel knew something." Then she closed the door. As the door closed, Angel felt the tears start to fall again.

Tiama was sitting on her bed thinking about the events of the last two days. In the last two days, she met her mother, she found out her mother was dead and she fell in love. Some how this had to all connect and make sense. She laid her head back on the pillow, and thought about her mother and the fact that she was dead. She was never going to get to really know her. Her father had always told her that she would get to meet her and that they would, some day be a family. She had made the same wish that she would have a normal family for as long as she could remember. "Why couldn't that have happened! All I wanted was to have a mother and father! That was all." She screamed up to the heavens. She grabbed one of her stuff animals and threw it across the room. She was staring up at the ceiling trying not to start crying but she could not help it. Her mother was dead and she never had gotten a chance to really meet her. She turned over and put her face into the pillow.  She did not even realize that someone had entered the room. All the sudden there was a hand on her. And she heard her voice. "Sweat heart, it's ok to cry."

Tiama turned over and saw her mother sitting on her bed.  She backed away. "What are you doing here? You are dead. You can't be here."

Buffy looked at her sadly. "You're father's dead and he's here isn't he?"

Tiama nodded. "But that's because he's a vampire. But why are you here?"

 "That's right but I'm not here because of that I'm here because of you."

"Me, why me? You never saw me when you were alive so why now that you are dead do you want to see me?"

She smiled. "Because you're my little girl. In addition, because I never got to spend time with you when I was alive. And because I love you."

Tiama loved hearing her say that. "You love me? Really?"

Buffy laughed. "Why shouldn't I? You are my daughter." 

Tiama hugged her. "I love you too and I've been wanting to hear you say that forever."

Buffy hugged her back and then got up. "Now we do have something else to talk about. You know about what the Oracles said?"

Tiama nodded and then got up too. "What did they mean when they said I would be a slayer were they serious?"

"Very, and you want just be a slayer you will be the slayer."

Tiama looked at her shocked. "The slayer? Like you? This is a joke right?"

"No, this is defiantly is not a joke. The Oracles do not have much of a sense of humor. In addition, I am not the slayer any more because of me being dead and all. You are. In addition, you do not have much of a choice. Being called to be the slayer is an honor." She turned away from her.

"If it so much of an honor then why do you have s much trouble calling it that? Didn't being the slayer take away some freedom that you wanted. Like the freedom to love my father." She was next to her now, was now facing her, and could see she was crying. Tiama looked her right in the eyes. "I am not going to have the right to love whoever I want taken away from me. You shouldn't of had it taken away from you and neither should I."

Buffy looked at her daughter and tried to smile. "You have the will of your father and mine I can see that. In addition, yes there is some down side to being the slayer. However, if I were not the slayer then I would never have meet you father and you would never have been born. Please Tiama, at least think about it for me."

"I will. Just for you." However, before she could say the last words her mother was gone. She turned around and saw Cordelia standing there.

"Who were you talking to?"

Tiama smiled. "Talking to? I was not talking to any one. There's no one here is there?"

Cordelia looked at her curiously. "No there isn't, but that doesn't mean that you weren't talking to someone. I've know you since you were 3-years old and I know better than to trust you especially just because I can't see what ever or whoever you are talking. Remember the demon that you hid in here?"

Tiama sighed. "Of course I remember that! How could I forget, I was grounded for like a year for that. And I was only six when that happen and I know better than to do that now."

"Oh you do so you aren't hiding anything or anyone from me right?"

Tiama did not know what to say. "Well…."

Cordelia smiled. "That's what I thought. And just in case you were wondering I know about you and Damon and he knows I know and Xander and I are going to help yall hide from you father."

"Um thanks. And who's Xander again?" Tiama asked curiously because when she saw her aunt say his name her eyes light up.

"Xander is an old friend and I know that tone and don't use it on me, young lady."

"What tone?" Tiama tried to say innocently.

"Oh, don't act so innocently. You use the same tone whenever you talk about Wesley and I. It's that, "my aunt's got a c rush" tone. And I'm not"

"So he's not even a crush?"

Cordelia laughed. "No, and you need to go bed."

Tiama smiled. "You're changing the subject. Why? Did you two kiss or something?"

"No! That is none of your business. We have been though this before. My love life is none of your business."

Tiama squealed. "So there is some "love" between you two! I knew it and if you can be involved in my love life then I can be involved in yours."

Cordelia sighed. "I'm the adult so I can be involved in you life. It is either your father or I. and last time I checked you father's is not the best person to get involved in this. And there is no use is there? You're not going to get this idea out of you head or you?" Tiama shook her head. "I didn't think so. You know you are and I hate to say this, more stubborn then both of your parents. And that is not a good thing." She looked at Tiama and could tell she had hit a sore spot. "I'm sorry."

Tiama looked at her. "For what?"

"For everything. For you not being able to met you mother, you not being able to have a mother and for the fact that you mother never got to see what a wonderful daughter she has." She was about to cry.

"Aunt Cordelia, none of this is your fault. And I am fine. I promise you. I know you can tell when I'm lying and can't you see I'm not?"

"Yeah, you defiantly not lying. Um… Goodnight Tiama." She got up. And as she was about to turn out the lights Tiama said, "Good night, Aunt Cordelia. And just to tell you I have always had a mother, thanks to you. You might not have chosen to raise me but you did and I could not have gotten a better mother if I had hand picked you myself. I love you, Aunt Cordelia."

Cordelia had tears running down her checks. "And I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. I love you, Tiama." She turned off the lights, closed the door, and cried.

~end of chapter 4~