Chapter 7

Buffy watched from across the street as a moving van pulled up to the hotel across the street. She actually was a little excited; someone was actually going to renovate that place. She knew it would be magnificent when it opened eventually and would love to see it when it was done. She smiled when Joy came running yelling "Momma they're coming they're coming". She jumped into her arms and watched with her the commotion going under them. They watched as a tall black man got out of the car followed by a shy looking brunette, a rugged man and from a distance a very beautiful lady with long brown hair. She smiled down at her bouncy nearly 5 years old and ruffled her long curly hair. She got up and said "Come on we can meet them tomorrow if your good ok?" Joy smiled at her mom and said "Promise". Buffy nodded and said "Yeah but we are meeting up with Kat and Little Tristie today remember?" Joy looked deep in thought and then said "Oh yeah the baby. Can I hold?" Buffy shrugged and grabbed their coats and said "Never know if you're good, and keep your clothes on this time?" She muttered under her breath "Love to know where you get it from cause it defiantly isn't me".

Next day:

"Joy come back here and put your top back on" She practically screamed as the child threw her top on the ground and was rushing past the hotel on the way to the gym. Buffy sighed with relief as the tall black man scooped her up and said "Hey I think their laws against that?" Joy stared in shock at the tall man and said "Momma" Buffy caught up and took her off him and Joy immediately buried her face in her mom's hair.

Buffy smiled at him and he said "Hi I'm Gunn." Buffy put her hand out and said "Anna and this is Joy we live across the street". Joy looks at he mom talking to him and shyly puts her head out and says "I'm Joy Angelic O'Connor" He smiles at her and says "Well isn't that a pretty name, I'm Charles Gunn". She screws her face up and says "Why do you go by gun then?" He shrugs and turns his attention back to Buffy and smiles. Buffy smiles shyly and says "Thanks for that, the kid just doesn't know how to keep her clothes on." He shrugs and says "Yeah I heard of kids like that, the person I work for told me he was like that as a kid." She smiles and says "Yeah, so what do you do, if you don't mind me asking?" He smiles and says "No that's ok, we run a private detective agency, you might have heard of it... Angel investigations?" Buffy gasps at the name but quickly puts it down to coincidence because she sent Angel to hell, so no way it could be the same. She shakes her head and says "No sorry (looks at her watch) oh shoot I have to get to work and drop Joy at the play group." He smiles at her and says "Hey well if you ever need a sitter I'm always around and maybe you know coffee after wards". She smiles at him and says as she walks always "Maybe, Charles Gunn."

Gun watches her walk off and yells after her "I take that as a yes Anna O'Connor". He is startled as Angel yells' "Gunn". He walks back in and says "Your up early" Angel shrugs and says "Who were you talking to, her voice sounded familiar." He says "This really hot mother, she is yah high brown hair up to her shoulders, real cute figure. Has a little girl with brown hair too, real cute talker. The mother is Anna O'Connor. Why you know her?" Angel looks thoughtful but shakes his head.

Chapter 8

Buffy and Gunn had been hanging out a lot lately although she had yet to go in the hotel. He had accepted that she wouldn't date him but like most he liked her and had fallen in love with Joy. He loved playing with the kid and tonight Buffy had to have a late gym class so he had offered to look after her. So he was in lobby playing with her when Cordy and Angel came down the stairs.

Cordy looked at her and said "So I'm guessing the famous Joy has graced us with her presence but still no mummy." Gunn frowned and said "She's been busy leave her alone." Cordy shrugged and said "What too busy to meet the friends of her friend." Gunn shrugged and Joy looked up at the two people but couldn't help staring at the man. She could feel that vibe she got that her mummy said meant bad people but for some reason he didn't scare her.

She walked up to him and tilted her head and said "You have a bad man inside don't you; momma says that I should run when I get the tingly but you're different". Angel looks at her shocked and says "tingly". She smiles at him and touches her neck and says "my neck it tingles". Angel looks at Gunn shocked and Gunn shrugged and said "Told you she was special." Joy looked at him and said "Uncle Gunn momma said we could have peppermint choc chip." Gunn looks at shocked and says "Oh no she didn't I specifically remember her saying whatever you do don't give her the ice cream". She pouts her Buffy pout and Angels sees this and wonders out loud "She reminds me of someone".

Gunn says "Yeah I get that a lot too". They shrug and Joy goes over and grabs his hand and says "You haven't intro um told me who you are yet." He smiles down at her and gets on one knee and says "I'm Angel". She shakes her head and says "Full name". Gun shrugs at him and says "kids got a thing for the full names!" Angel says "Liam Angelus O'Connor". Joy tilts her head and says "Your middle name and last name are like mine". Angel smiles and says "A lot of people have my last name". She smiles and says "I'm Joy Angelic O'Connor, Momma said I was her joy." Cordy looks at Angel but doesn't voice her opinion as Buffy wasn't a topic to be broached, since she was dead and all.

After that they watched the movie Joy brought with her, she made them watch it three times, after all what kid doesn't love the little mermaid.

Meanwhile Buffy had sustained a cut below her eye by a vampire and she was doing her best to fight them off. She was just beside the Hyperion but didn't seem to be having much luck. She was thinking of running when suddenly someone jumped behind her and started killing the vamps. She managed to kill the last one and when she turned around she went extremely pale. He hadn't noticed her yet because her hair was hiding her but she sure as hell knew him.

She whispered "Angel". His name made him suddenly look at her closely and if he had a heart it would have stopped. He said "Buffy". She ran at him and threw herself in his arms saying "Oh my god I'm so sorry." He clutched in his arms as they both fell to the ground tears falling out their eyes as they clung to one another.

Buffy pulled back and looked him in the eye and pulled her hand out of his and touched the side of his face. She whispered "Your really here? It isn't my imagination playing with me?" He leaned in and kissed his softly on the lips and leant his forehead to hers and said "I could say the same; they told me you were dead Buffy". She leant and kissed him back and rolled her tongue across his lips asking entrance which he gladly granted. They suckled and nipped until she pulled away and said "How are you here?" He looked into her eyes and said "I don't know, I just found myself on the ground in the mansion after being in ... well you know." She bit her lip and said "Oh god I'm so sorry Angel." He kissed her trying to put all his love into that kiss because even tough it had been nearly 5 years he still loved her like it was yesterday. She pulled back breathless and he said "Shh you have nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all." She whispered "But I sent you to..." He kissed it away and said "You had to, to save the world". She muttered "But..." He kissed her again and said "no buts, come on let's get you cleaned up and you can tell me why you are here".

She walked with him and when they reached the Hyperion doors she didn't even realize where they were because of the shock. She did however realize when I soft body cam barreling into her yelling "Momma Momma you'll never believe what we've done".

Angel looked at her shocked, thinking the child mustn't have seen who it was.

Buffy knelt down on reflex and didn't realize what she had done until it was too late "And what was that my Joy". She quickly put her hand to her mouth as she realized it and looked up at Angel and down at Joy again who was trying to tell her what they had done. Angel then said "Now I know who she reminded me of...you". Buffy sighed when she realized he hadn't guessed. She picked Joy up and said "Yeah well so you've met the reason I didn't go back."

As much as she wanted to be with the father of her child, it suddenly hit her that she couldn't. They couldn't and it would only hurt him to know about Joy's parentage wouldn't it. Or did he deserve to know his child?

She stared at Joy who was watching her contently when Gunn came and said "Yo Anna your back, you met the boss." She smiled and said "we've met." Gunn looks at her confused and says "You have". She nods and says "Yeah and its Buffy". He looks at her strangely and she hears "Buffy Buffy here but I thought she was dead (Cordy comes around the corner) and your not Buffy what brings you here alive".

She smiles and says "Cordelia some things don't change and to be childish I was here first." Cordy looks her up and down and notes the child in her arms and says "So I see". Joy decides to speak up and says "Momma you should tell him". Buffy looks at her child startled "How did you". Joy smiles ands says "The people in gold told me, she said something about it being permanent." Buffy looks even more shocked and everyone else looks extremely confused.

Buffy asks quietly "You sure baby?" Joy nods and Buffy turns back to the group still standing there a little shocked. She looks at Angel who seems to want to ask a question so she says "What?" Angel looks at her curiously and says "Golden people wouldn't mean the Oracles would they." Buffy looks at him curiously this time and says "How do you know the oracles?" Angel shrugs and says "Been to ask a few questions lately, how do you?" She grinned and said "Beat a few demons found out about them, got curious went and meet them once. They wouldn't exactly let me back in." Angel laughs and Buffy's grin turns into a smile. She made Angel laugh.

Joy tugs her sleeve and she realizes she got a little sidetracked.

She nods at her and turns back to Angel and says "Don't suppose you have somewhere we can talk a little more privately." He looks at the group around them eavesdropping and nods her head and walks to the stairs. She follows and Cordelia can't help but call to them "Don't make him lose his soul". Buffy smiles at this and when she is about to go up the stairs with Joy, Joy stops her. Buffy looks at her and says "What". Joy shakes her head and says "I stay with Gunn." Buffy sighs and says "Ok baby you stay with Gunn." She puts her down and Joy runs back to Gunn who opens his arms and catches her.

Buffy continues up the stairs slowly to face her only lover. She gets to his door and can't help but smile when she goes in. It is purely Angel through and through, even the smell is him. Angel is sitting in a chair with a chair facing him; she goes and sits in it. He gives her a reassuring smile before saying "Ok tell me". She bites her lip a little and says "Well when I left the house to well you know, mom she told me that if I left to never come back, so I er didn't". Angel looked at her incredibly and said "You and I both know there is more to the story then that, like the part sitting down stairs. And stop feeling guilty it is written all over your face, it has been 4 years Buffy." She nods and says "Ok so well I moved here, everything sucked, I had a job at this crappy café and a really small apartment and then I ran into Lily. (Angel interrupts with "Lily") Yeah Lily was in that cult that worshipped Vampires, you remember (Angel says "err Yeah sure") Anyway she came back to the café later and her boyfriend was missing so I helped her find him, what I found was an old man dead that had the same tattoo her boyfriend had. So I worked out this occult thing was doing something to these people.

So I went and confronted them and found this creepy guy pushing Lily into this black tar stuff. So naturally I jumped in with her, and bam I'm in hell. (Angel interrupts and said "What") Shh I am getting there, so the man hits me in the head and I black out and wake up in a cell. Lily goes on about how we're in hell and I told we aren't and the guy says "Hell is where there isn't any hope and hey no hope" of course it wasn't exactly that because hey 4 years ain't going to remember. Anyway so I get to this line up and they are making people say they are nobody so when they come to me I go "I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and I kick their butt. Any way we got out of there with quite a few people and I let Lily take my name and apartment and job because I wanted to go home. (Angel interrupts again "But you didn't so...") I am getting to that, I had being feeling ill lately and I figured I should check in with the doc before I head home, just in case. So I get to the doctors he does a physical and makes me pee in a cup and all that and ick blood, horrible but I had blood taken out. He told me I really should hang around for a couple of days for the results so hey I did... I bunked with Lily and then went and got the test results. I got to say when I opened them and found out I was pregnant big culture shock. I called up Willow but didn't have the nerve to tell her, so I have been calling up ever since trying to but not finding the right words. Tell me how do you tell your best friend that you're pregnant but you don't know how because the only guy you have ever slept with is an evil blood sucking vampire with a soul that is in hell."

Angel looks at her shocked and said "You've only ever slept with me". Buffy gave him a strange look and said "Well duh the kid is nearly 5 work out the dates, plus it didn't seem right after she was born". Angel looks extremely pale even for a vampire and he says "She's mine". Buffy bites her lip and reaches over to hold his hand and says "You just have to look at her to know she is yours and mine". Angel takes an unneeded breath and says "We have a child".

Buffy smiles and says "There's more". Angel looks up and says "More". Buffy nods and says "Joy when she said permanent she was talking about your soul, I am guessing but you will have to ask the oracles seeing as I am banned from there." He nods and then leans in to kiss Buffy who is more then happy to be on the receiving end. She crawls into his lap and he continues to explore her forgotten mouth. She sighs happily when draws her closer to him but back off for a second to say "So your happy right even though it's been 5 years, you (whispers) still want me" He smiles and instead of answering brings her into a mind blowing kiss and pulls back so she can have air and says "What does that tell you". She grins and he says "Still my girl?"

She smiles softly and says "Always".

Buffy turned around to give Angel another kiss when suddenly she looked down and saw a piece of wood sticking through his chest she went to touch at the same time saying "Angel?" She watched horrified aw he turned to dust. Behind him was well another her grinning crazily at her. The other Buffy than said "You think you know what is to come, what you are, you haven't even began. Get home before Dawn.. Death is your gift."

Then the other Buffy disappeared and Buffy awoke with a start.

############################################################################ ####### Author note: Hmmmm twist, now let's see, did she dream the whole thing.. Or just part of it!! If you really wanted it to finish now stop reading at Always.