Stolen Innocence
Part Four
Author: blackbeltchic
Posted: May 4, 2004
Disclaimer: see first chapter
Author's notes: Well, once again, I'm 'grounded' from the computer. It's the whole, when she grounds me, I defy her by telling her "I Don't Care" which of course makes it worse. So I don't have that much time to type stuff up, and the only time I can post is Study Hall. So I hope you don't expect to too much from me for awhile. I will still, hopefully, be producing quality chapters for you guys, just at a slower pace, because I won't have time to type them up. Give it a week or so, and then she should forget. She does that. Lucky me.
Reader Responses:
Sonia-Christina- I'm glad your liking it. I hope you will like this chapters as much as you liked the others. This chapter is just full of sweetness....I'm almost afraid I might get a cavity. Hopefully it's not too much for you!
Maybe I over-exaggerate....a little bit...
And that's all for now!! Keep up the reviews, guys!!!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
When the plane landed, it was 2 in the morning, so Buffy carefully picked up the sleeping child, while Dawn and Faith got their bags. Angel met them at the car, "It's late, you're all staying in my apartment tonight." He said, without giving them a choice, though none would have objected, sleep sounded real nice.
"She's a screamer, like Dawn," Buffy whispered, as she slowly lowered the girl onto Angel's big bed, where she would stay with the child. Faith and Dawn had the couch, and Angel said he'd find something.
"But she has your hair." Angel said without thinking.
"But she's also got a huge secret, the one I told you about. She freaked at Dawn on the plane, when she wouldn't stop pestering her, but afterwards, she started crying, and swearing that she didn't mean it. She didn't want to get into trouble, and she said please don't put me in there. I was so mad..." she couldn't express her feelings.
"Yeah, I bet."
"What could they have done to her-?"
"Wolfram and Hart isn't known for their niceties, Buffy."
"But she's just a child! There's no excuse for that, Angel!"
"Are you an Angel?" the voice came from the bed.
"Just go back to sleep, Ashleigh." Buffy urged.
"Are you?"
"Yeah, he is, just go back to sleep." Buffy said, exasperated. She so wasn't the babysitter type.
"Ok." Her breathing soon eased, and they took that to mean she was asleep.
"Why'd you tell her that?" Angel asked.
"So she would go back to sleep."
"You shouldn't lie."
"Well, you've done it enough, haven't you? I'm tired. Can we finish this some other time?"
"Sure." He walked to the door, "Good night."
"Good night." She whispered, but he was out of hearing.
~ * ~
"Buffy? Where's the angel?" Ashleigh pounced on her way too early the next morning.
"Hu-Wha?" she groaned, rolling over, and Ashleigh fell to the floor. She stood, and walked into the living room, where more people were sleeping. She quickly found the elevator, and rode it downstairs. The doors opened to a huge office, bigger than any of the rooms at her old house, besides the testing labs, but there was much more furniture here. A man was sitting behind the huge desk.
"Are you the angel from last night?" she asked, running up to him.
"Uh, ah, my name's Angel..." she grabbed his hand.
"No, you're not an angel. But that's ok, you're trying." She climbed up onto his lap. "Whatcha doing?" she asked, yawning.
"Uh, filing, and stuff." He didn't exactly know what to make of the young blond on his lap.
"That's inter-esting." She yawned once more, and laid her head on his chest. "Continue." She wasn't prohibiting the use of his arms, so he went back to work, and soon Ashleigh was asleep in his arms.
Buffy came down an hour later, and Ashleigh was still there, nestled in his arms.
"There she is." She sighed. "She woke me up, and then she left, and I didn't know where she had gone..."
"She's fine." Angel tried to sooth her. "She came down, looking for the angel from last night, and then crawled up here, and fell asleep." She looked at the tiny girl in his arms, and couldn't stop herself from thinking just how cute they looked together.
"Uh, yeah, sorry about that. And... I didn't mean to snap at you, it was just a really long day."
"I understand."
"Does this place have any good food? I'm starved."
"I would say that I'd take you to this nice little restaurant, but with her, and work..."
"It's ok, I can go by myself."
"You sure?"
"It's daylight, and I am the slayer."
"I know. Just be careful, ok?"
"I-I will." She rushed out, her feelings all bickering in her head, confusing her more than she was already confused.
~ * ~
She spent that week fixing up two rooms in the hotel, one for her and Ashleigh, another for Dawn.
The day she was finally satisfied that it was safe for a four year old, she took Ashleigh from Wolfram and Hart, and not yet having a car, they walked the blocks to the hotel.
"Where are we going, Buffy?"
"To our new home."
"Will Angel be there?"
"Uh, no. He won't."
"You don't like him close, do you?" The girl was more perceptive that Buffy realized.
""That's not it. I-uh, well, see-I...it's just complicated, ok?"
"I have a very high I.Pu. I think I'd understand."
"We used to be together, but now we can't be." She simplified it for the girl, no matter how smart she thought herself to be.
"Is it because of his soul? Things have changed. He's sad, deep down."
"That makes two of us, kid. Come on, we're almost there." She tried to discourage the topic, since it was her love life.
"He's trying, you know. And once the-it... Once it happens, things will be different."
"It what?"
"I can't tell you."
"Ashleigh." She warned, using a tone her mother had used with her often enough.
"No. Not yet." And that's all she'd say on the subject for days.
~ * ~
"We have to get it out of her, Angel. Whatever it is." She told him one night while he was visiting. Dawn was giving Ashleigh a bath. Those two got along great, and that scared Buffy slightly.
"She'll come around, trust me."
"What could they have said or done to silence a 4 year old? I can't get anything out of her, besides that afterwards, 'things will change.'"
"Do you think it could be an apocalypse?"
She nodded, "And that terrifies me. They're using a bunch of children for...whatever. And it has her so scared, she won't speak of it."
"Take into consideration that she's four years old, and granted that you may be the nicest person she's ever met, she's just met you, not even two weeks ago. Give her time to come around." She nodded, taking his words into consideration, as the blond in question ran into the room, her hair still dripping wet. A damp Dawn followed close behind.
"Angel!" she cried, clambering up onto his lap. "Read me a bed time story?"
"Uh-"
"Please?" she stared up at him with her big eyes, and an innocent face, and he crumbled.
"Ok," he sighed. She bounced up and down on his lap in glee. She held her hands out to him, so that when he stood up, he held her in his arms, her head rested against his chest, "she is definitely your sister." He said in passing to Buffy.
~ * ~
The blond ran into the room, and climbed into his recently vacated office chair, spinning herself around, squealing with glee.
"Hey, Angel, can you watch her for me, for the day or so?"
"Why?"
"I have to go job searching."
"Work here."
"I-I can't. I'm the slayer. A law firm is no place for me."
"Then start up Angel Investigations again. I'll help you, and you can run it from the hotel, like I used to."
"I-I'll think about it, ok? Bye, Ashleigh! Be good for Angel!"
"I will!" she called, waving. Angel watched the slayer go, downcast. "She'll come around," the four year old said, unknowingly copying his words for her, "she likes you, she just won't admit it yet." She scrambled from the chair. "What are we going to do?" She asked, grabbing onto his leg, and squeezing.
"Uh..."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Well, what do you think? Please tell me! Just because I'm grounded, that doesn't mean I can't get on for "homework" which always includes email!!! My....Study Hall requires me to check email...yeah, that's it...
Part Four
Author: blackbeltchic
Posted: May 4, 2004
Disclaimer: see first chapter
Author's notes: Well, once again, I'm 'grounded' from the computer. It's the whole, when she grounds me, I defy her by telling her "I Don't Care" which of course makes it worse. So I don't have that much time to type stuff up, and the only time I can post is Study Hall. So I hope you don't expect to too much from me for awhile. I will still, hopefully, be producing quality chapters for you guys, just at a slower pace, because I won't have time to type them up. Give it a week or so, and then she should forget. She does that. Lucky me.
Reader Responses:
Sonia-Christina- I'm glad your liking it. I hope you will like this chapters as much as you liked the others. This chapter is just full of sweetness....I'm almost afraid I might get a cavity. Hopefully it's not too much for you!
Maybe I over-exaggerate....a little bit...
And that's all for now!! Keep up the reviews, guys!!!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
When the plane landed, it was 2 in the morning, so Buffy carefully picked up the sleeping child, while Dawn and Faith got their bags. Angel met them at the car, "It's late, you're all staying in my apartment tonight." He said, without giving them a choice, though none would have objected, sleep sounded real nice.
"She's a screamer, like Dawn," Buffy whispered, as she slowly lowered the girl onto Angel's big bed, where she would stay with the child. Faith and Dawn had the couch, and Angel said he'd find something.
"But she has your hair." Angel said without thinking.
"But she's also got a huge secret, the one I told you about. She freaked at Dawn on the plane, when she wouldn't stop pestering her, but afterwards, she started crying, and swearing that she didn't mean it. She didn't want to get into trouble, and she said please don't put me in there. I was so mad..." she couldn't express her feelings.
"Yeah, I bet."
"What could they have done to her-?"
"Wolfram and Hart isn't known for their niceties, Buffy."
"But she's just a child! There's no excuse for that, Angel!"
"Are you an Angel?" the voice came from the bed.
"Just go back to sleep, Ashleigh." Buffy urged.
"Are you?"
"Yeah, he is, just go back to sleep." Buffy said, exasperated. She so wasn't the babysitter type.
"Ok." Her breathing soon eased, and they took that to mean she was asleep.
"Why'd you tell her that?" Angel asked.
"So she would go back to sleep."
"You shouldn't lie."
"Well, you've done it enough, haven't you? I'm tired. Can we finish this some other time?"
"Sure." He walked to the door, "Good night."
"Good night." She whispered, but he was out of hearing.
~ * ~
"Buffy? Where's the angel?" Ashleigh pounced on her way too early the next morning.
"Hu-Wha?" she groaned, rolling over, and Ashleigh fell to the floor. She stood, and walked into the living room, where more people were sleeping. She quickly found the elevator, and rode it downstairs. The doors opened to a huge office, bigger than any of the rooms at her old house, besides the testing labs, but there was much more furniture here. A man was sitting behind the huge desk.
"Are you the angel from last night?" she asked, running up to him.
"Uh, ah, my name's Angel..." she grabbed his hand.
"No, you're not an angel. But that's ok, you're trying." She climbed up onto his lap. "Whatcha doing?" she asked, yawning.
"Uh, filing, and stuff." He didn't exactly know what to make of the young blond on his lap.
"That's inter-esting." She yawned once more, and laid her head on his chest. "Continue." She wasn't prohibiting the use of his arms, so he went back to work, and soon Ashleigh was asleep in his arms.
Buffy came down an hour later, and Ashleigh was still there, nestled in his arms.
"There she is." She sighed. "She woke me up, and then she left, and I didn't know where she had gone..."
"She's fine." Angel tried to sooth her. "She came down, looking for the angel from last night, and then crawled up here, and fell asleep." She looked at the tiny girl in his arms, and couldn't stop herself from thinking just how cute they looked together.
"Uh, yeah, sorry about that. And... I didn't mean to snap at you, it was just a really long day."
"I understand."
"Does this place have any good food? I'm starved."
"I would say that I'd take you to this nice little restaurant, but with her, and work..."
"It's ok, I can go by myself."
"You sure?"
"It's daylight, and I am the slayer."
"I know. Just be careful, ok?"
"I-I will." She rushed out, her feelings all bickering in her head, confusing her more than she was already confused.
~ * ~
She spent that week fixing up two rooms in the hotel, one for her and Ashleigh, another for Dawn.
The day she was finally satisfied that it was safe for a four year old, she took Ashleigh from Wolfram and Hart, and not yet having a car, they walked the blocks to the hotel.
"Where are we going, Buffy?"
"To our new home."
"Will Angel be there?"
"Uh, no. He won't."
"You don't like him close, do you?" The girl was more perceptive that Buffy realized.
""That's not it. I-uh, well, see-I...it's just complicated, ok?"
"I have a very high I.Pu. I think I'd understand."
"We used to be together, but now we can't be." She simplified it for the girl, no matter how smart she thought herself to be.
"Is it because of his soul? Things have changed. He's sad, deep down."
"That makes two of us, kid. Come on, we're almost there." She tried to discourage the topic, since it was her love life.
"He's trying, you know. And once the-it... Once it happens, things will be different."
"It what?"
"I can't tell you."
"Ashleigh." She warned, using a tone her mother had used with her often enough.
"No. Not yet." And that's all she'd say on the subject for days.
~ * ~
"We have to get it out of her, Angel. Whatever it is." She told him one night while he was visiting. Dawn was giving Ashleigh a bath. Those two got along great, and that scared Buffy slightly.
"She'll come around, trust me."
"What could they have said or done to silence a 4 year old? I can't get anything out of her, besides that afterwards, 'things will change.'"
"Do you think it could be an apocalypse?"
She nodded, "And that terrifies me. They're using a bunch of children for...whatever. And it has her so scared, she won't speak of it."
"Take into consideration that she's four years old, and granted that you may be the nicest person she's ever met, she's just met you, not even two weeks ago. Give her time to come around." She nodded, taking his words into consideration, as the blond in question ran into the room, her hair still dripping wet. A damp Dawn followed close behind.
"Angel!" she cried, clambering up onto his lap. "Read me a bed time story?"
"Uh-"
"Please?" she stared up at him with her big eyes, and an innocent face, and he crumbled.
"Ok," he sighed. She bounced up and down on his lap in glee. She held her hands out to him, so that when he stood up, he held her in his arms, her head rested against his chest, "she is definitely your sister." He said in passing to Buffy.
~ * ~
The blond ran into the room, and climbed into his recently vacated office chair, spinning herself around, squealing with glee.
"Hey, Angel, can you watch her for me, for the day or so?"
"Why?"
"I have to go job searching."
"Work here."
"I-I can't. I'm the slayer. A law firm is no place for me."
"Then start up Angel Investigations again. I'll help you, and you can run it from the hotel, like I used to."
"I-I'll think about it, ok? Bye, Ashleigh! Be good for Angel!"
"I will!" she called, waving. Angel watched the slayer go, downcast. "She'll come around," the four year old said, unknowingly copying his words for her, "she likes you, she just won't admit it yet." She scrambled from the chair. "What are we going to do?" She asked, grabbing onto his leg, and squeezing.
"Uh..."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Well, what do you think? Please tell me! Just because I'm grounded, that doesn't mean I can't get on for "homework" which always includes email!!! My....Study Hall requires me to check email...yeah, that's it...