A/N: I'm an English writer, have seen none of Season Five, and have spoiled
myself just this far to write it. I have vague impressions of there being a
character named 'Eve' via Jen, but I'm not including her, because I have no
handle on her character.
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"Uh, Angel?" Fred said slowly, secretly wondering if she'd gone mad in the past five minutes, 'cause everyone knew that Angel was a vampire, bar changes through other dimensions of course, and-
"Yeah?" he said, distracted. She was still asleep, her eyelids fluttering in a dream as he watched. He reached out, and his knuckles grazed her silky brown hair, and slid across her cheek, her skin baby smooth and soft.
Wesley coughed discreetly.
"Angel?"
"What?" the vampire turned around.
"I think what they're trying to say, Peaches, is who the hell is that kid, and why is she in your office," Spike drawled from half in Angel's desk, half out.
""You missed the explanation," Wesley removed his glasses. Fred nodded.
"There was an angel."
"Am I missing something, or are you all very stoned?" Spike stared at them.
"Well, you do disappear a lot," Wesley muttered.
"She's my-"Angel looked from face to face. "I was human. For a day. Buffy was- She was there. But I took it back. The Oracles told me that if I remained human," he looked away. "Buffy would die, trying to protect me. I couldn't let that happen."
Spike raised his eyebrows.
"You got your humanity back, and you turned it down?" he said in disbelief. Angel met his eyes.
"She would have died," he said, daring the other vampire to question his reasoning.
Spike thought about it, and the blonde Slayer came to mind. He would -had- died for her.
"So she's what, exactly? Redemption come a-calling for you?" his voice was thick with resentment. His grandsire seemed to get everything, without earning it. Spike's soul had been won, rather than given.
"More than that. She's my daughter," Angel answered, looking back at the little girl. Spike's eyes widened, but he was quiet, comtemplative.
"She's waking up," Wesley observed, as the child stirred. Spike shot him a disparaging look with some of his old vigour.
"Oh very smart. They pay you for that?"
Angel crouched in front of her as she yawned, and blinked. Big hazel eyes focused on his face, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes with tiny balled fists.
"Hi," he said softly. Her little face was deathly solemn.
"Hi."
They'd come to a raging halt. He tried to think of how to start a conversation with his daughter, 'hey, got milk?' didn't seem to be the greatest of openings. What did four year olds talk about, anyway?
"Where's Jory?" she asked.
"She went. Said you knew how to find her," he answered gently. She nodded.
"Uh huh. Are you him?"
"Him who?" he asked, frowning. Spike muttered something across the room. She giggled. He was funny.
"My daddy. Only not, 'cause Jory said you weren't the daddy I had before. He went away," she fiddled with the edge of her dress. "I don't remember him much. I was real little, and small. I'm big now, Jory says. You look like how I remember him, though."
"Yeah," Angel agreed, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Jory said I had to call you 'Angel' 'cause that was your name, not Daddy, but you're really like him," she said, cocking her head on one side, studying him. "Are you sure you're not really really my daddy?"
He was about to shake his head, but she was looking at him, big eyes full of hope, her hands tight on the hem of her dress.
"I guess I am," he said finally, trying and failing to say no to her. She beamed, and threw her arms around his neck.
"I knew Jory was wrong," she whispered. "She's wrong a lot, but don't tell her I said. She gets reeeal mad if I say she's wrong," she confided. She yawned again, and snuggled into his shoulder. He held her awkwardly, but she curled close, and fell back to sleep. He straightened up, carrying her.
"And Peaches wins through again," Spike drawled.
"Can it, Casper," Angel shot, over the top of Bryn's head. "If you don't like it, hey, go haunt someone else."
"You know," Spike answered, with a tight smile. "I think I will."
He flickered out of view.
"So, where are we going to put her?" Fred asked, with a frown.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jory watched the vampire's friends discuss where Bryn was going to stay. She was going to miss the kid, even if Bryn hadn't made life exactly easy on her.
"Hey Jor, assignment," Reed greeted her, with a grin. She sighed, and nodded.
"Hey, you're not down about her, are you?" he asked, a worried look on his face. "Jory, you knew it was gonna happen. She's been with us for two years and it was only ever temporary."
'I know," Jory nodded, still watching the figures. "Still, I'll miss her. I don't even know if she can reach us anymore."
"She's one of us, even if she is his daughter," Reed said, looking around at the hundreds of figures they could both see. "She'll always be able to come here."
"I guess," the girl agreed reluctantly, and in a moment, they were gone.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Next chapter, Bryn has settled into the Hyperion, and with the Fang Gang. Less of the little cutie, and more of the hellion she actually is!
REVIEW!!!
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"Uh, Angel?" Fred said slowly, secretly wondering if she'd gone mad in the past five minutes, 'cause everyone knew that Angel was a vampire, bar changes through other dimensions of course, and-
"Yeah?" he said, distracted. She was still asleep, her eyelids fluttering in a dream as he watched. He reached out, and his knuckles grazed her silky brown hair, and slid across her cheek, her skin baby smooth and soft.
Wesley coughed discreetly.
"Angel?"
"What?" the vampire turned around.
"I think what they're trying to say, Peaches, is who the hell is that kid, and why is she in your office," Spike drawled from half in Angel's desk, half out.
""You missed the explanation," Wesley removed his glasses. Fred nodded.
"There was an angel."
"Am I missing something, or are you all very stoned?" Spike stared at them.
"Well, you do disappear a lot," Wesley muttered.
"She's my-"Angel looked from face to face. "I was human. For a day. Buffy was- She was there. But I took it back. The Oracles told me that if I remained human," he looked away. "Buffy would die, trying to protect me. I couldn't let that happen."
Spike raised his eyebrows.
"You got your humanity back, and you turned it down?" he said in disbelief. Angel met his eyes.
"She would have died," he said, daring the other vampire to question his reasoning.
Spike thought about it, and the blonde Slayer came to mind. He would -had- died for her.
"So she's what, exactly? Redemption come a-calling for you?" his voice was thick with resentment. His grandsire seemed to get everything, without earning it. Spike's soul had been won, rather than given.
"More than that. She's my daughter," Angel answered, looking back at the little girl. Spike's eyes widened, but he was quiet, comtemplative.
"She's waking up," Wesley observed, as the child stirred. Spike shot him a disparaging look with some of his old vigour.
"Oh very smart. They pay you for that?"
Angel crouched in front of her as she yawned, and blinked. Big hazel eyes focused on his face, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes with tiny balled fists.
"Hi," he said softly. Her little face was deathly solemn.
"Hi."
They'd come to a raging halt. He tried to think of how to start a conversation with his daughter, 'hey, got milk?' didn't seem to be the greatest of openings. What did four year olds talk about, anyway?
"Where's Jory?" she asked.
"She went. Said you knew how to find her," he answered gently. She nodded.
"Uh huh. Are you him?"
"Him who?" he asked, frowning. Spike muttered something across the room. She giggled. He was funny.
"My daddy. Only not, 'cause Jory said you weren't the daddy I had before. He went away," she fiddled with the edge of her dress. "I don't remember him much. I was real little, and small. I'm big now, Jory says. You look like how I remember him, though."
"Yeah," Angel agreed, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Jory said I had to call you 'Angel' 'cause that was your name, not Daddy, but you're really like him," she said, cocking her head on one side, studying him. "Are you sure you're not really really my daddy?"
He was about to shake his head, but she was looking at him, big eyes full of hope, her hands tight on the hem of her dress.
"I guess I am," he said finally, trying and failing to say no to her. She beamed, and threw her arms around his neck.
"I knew Jory was wrong," she whispered. "She's wrong a lot, but don't tell her I said. She gets reeeal mad if I say she's wrong," she confided. She yawned again, and snuggled into his shoulder. He held her awkwardly, but she curled close, and fell back to sleep. He straightened up, carrying her.
"And Peaches wins through again," Spike drawled.
"Can it, Casper," Angel shot, over the top of Bryn's head. "If you don't like it, hey, go haunt someone else."
"You know," Spike answered, with a tight smile. "I think I will."
He flickered out of view.
"So, where are we going to put her?" Fred asked, with a frown.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jory watched the vampire's friends discuss where Bryn was going to stay. She was going to miss the kid, even if Bryn hadn't made life exactly easy on her.
"Hey Jor, assignment," Reed greeted her, with a grin. She sighed, and nodded.
"Hey, you're not down about her, are you?" he asked, a worried look on his face. "Jory, you knew it was gonna happen. She's been with us for two years and it was only ever temporary."
'I know," Jory nodded, still watching the figures. "Still, I'll miss her. I don't even know if she can reach us anymore."
"She's one of us, even if she is his daughter," Reed said, looking around at the hundreds of figures they could both see. "She'll always be able to come here."
"I guess," the girl agreed reluctantly, and in a moment, they were gone.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Next chapter, Bryn has settled into the Hyperion, and with the Fang Gang. Less of the little cutie, and more of the hellion she actually is!
REVIEW!!!