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Part 3
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Author's Note: The song used in the last scene of Part 3 is 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' performed by Elvis Presley, written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman.
~two weeks later~
Doyle stood outside the girls' apartment and retrieved the key from his pocket that they had given him to unlock the door. In the two weeks since he'd revealed his presence and mission to them, they'd come to trust him. So instead of having to knock every time he came to their apartment, they gave him a key so that he could just let himself in.
Since their first meeting, Doyle had spent a lot of time with the two friends. When the Powers had first thrust this mission upon him, he hadn't been all that enthusiastic, but he was quickly growing to enjoy his time around Buffy and Cordy, especially the latter. There was just something about the feisty brunette that he liked.
The three had quickly come up with a system to help keep Buffy safe. Pretty much, it solely involved making sure Buffy did not go anywhere alone, particularly at night. So Doyle often found himself walking her the few blocks to and from work, or to various places she needed to go. The blonde-haired Slayer had put up little fuss over the invasion of privacy, thinking more about the safety of her unborn child than of her own comfort and freedom.
So far, they had not encountered any real threats to either Buffy or the baby. A few vamps had come across their path, but they had been easily dispatched. And then there was that one time when Doyle had heard something in an alley and had gotten worried, only to find it was a cat digging through a trash can. The two girls were still bringing that up and teasing him. He was just glad that things had been quiet and that there hadn't been any major dangers to face.
Doing as had become habit, Doyle unlocked the apartment door and strolled inside. He didn't have any particular reason this night to stop by other than to see if they needed anything, and as a bonus he'd get to spend some time with Cordelia. He knew it was probably useless to think that the brunette girl would ever go out with him, but he could silently hope so at least.
"Hey, princess!" he greeted Cordelia once he entered the living room and saw her sitting on the couch.
Cordelia stopped filing her nails and glared at him. "How many times do I have to tell you NOT to call me that!"
Doyle only grinned at her in response and took a seat on the couch next to her.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Cordy huffed, not wanting to examine why it was he could get to her so easily.
"Just wanted ta stop by and make sure everything was okay up 'ere," he replied with a shrug. "Where's Buffy?"
The annoyance she felt at the obnoxious half demon left Cordelia's eyes at the question. She looked at Doyle for a moment before casting her gaze toward the closed door to Buffy's room.
Doyle frowned at Cordy's non-verbal response and looked in the same direction she was. It was then that he caught the soft strains of music coming from behind the Slayer's bedroom door. He listened for a moment before realizing what the song was.
"Is she listening to Elvis Presley?" he questioned, slightly bewildered.
"Yeah," Cordelia sighed, sympathy for her friend filling her eyes.
"Uh, no offense to The King, but why?" Doyle asked and then clarified his words. "I mean, Buffy doesn't strike me as the type ta listen ta Elvis."
"She's not, at least not usually," Cordy relayed, staring at Buffy's door. "She heard this song a few weeks ago when we were watching the movie 'Elvis and Me' on VH-1."
"Oh....okay. So, uh, why then is she locked up in her room listening to Elvis then?" a perplexed Doyle inquired.
If he wasn't mistaken, he thought he could see a hint of tears in Cordy's eyes. And that was utterly surprising to him. The brunette didn't strike him as the type to cry in front of other people.
"She, uh...," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "She felt the baby kick for the first time today."
"Oh," Doyle replied slumping back on the couch, suddenly understanding the situation.
"Yeah," Cordy answered, looking back at Buffy's door. "I think it made the pregnancy seem more real than it was. Not that it wasn't before, but...well, you know what I mean."
"I do," nodded Doyle as his eyes too looked toward Buffy's door. "And it made her think of him, right?" Between what he had already known, and what Cordelia had told him, he was well aware of what had gone on between the Slayer and the vampire with a soul.
"I think so. She didn't say it, but how could it not?" Cordy stated softly. "We were just sitting here on the couch when it happened. She was so happy when she felt it....and then there was just this look in her eyes. She ran off to her room and has been in there ever since. I think she has that song on repeat."
"Man, that's rough," stated Doyle, feeling sorry for the poor girl and the endless sorrows she seemed to be subjected to. He wished there was something more he could do for her, but he couldn't. His hands were tied when it came to this situation.
Cordelia tore her gaze away from Buffy's door, knowing there was nothing she could do for her right now and looked at the man sitting next to her. A frown formed on her face when she saw Doyle staring at her wearing a rather odd expression.
"What?" she questioned loudly.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," Doyle mumbled, realizing he'd been staring at her.
"Do I have something on my face?" Cordy asked worriedly.
"No," he shook his head. "It's just...well, I just don't get yer."
Cordelia opened her mouth to reply to the strange statement, but found herself oddly without something to say for a moment. Her brow furrowed as she tried to understand the implications of the half-demon's words, but came up blank. "Umm, okay..."
"I mean, I don't know everything that 'appened in Sunnydale since Buffy moved there, but I do know yer two were never really friends," he explicated, hoping what he had said had come out as least offensively as possible.
"No, we really weren't," Cordy conceded, wondering what Doyle was getting at.
"And I know yer weren't exactly...nice...to her most of the time," he went on, watching the brunette with a curious eye. "Yet, 'ere you are, sharing an apartment with her, and concerned for her well-being."
Cordelia's expression instantly changed as Doyle's statements reminded her of things in her past. She knew very well the person she used to be, and why she was no longer like that. It was still hard for her to forget the reasons she had left Sunnydale behind her.
"I-I...," she stuttered, and then trailed off. The hurt of her situation reflected in her eyes before she cast them away from the man she hardly knew and generally found to be obscenely annoying.
"Hey, princess," Doyle started, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm not gonna judge you. I'm just curious about how you two ended up 'ere together."
The former cheerleader sighed and looked back at Doyle. She smiled weakly at him, mildly touched by his concern. So she told him about her own reasons for leaving Sunnydale, about how she'd lost everything because of her Father's neglect in paying his taxes, and about how all of her so-called friends had shunned her once she was no longer rich. And she told him about how she and Buffy had ended up venturing out on their own together.
To his credit, Doyle only listened, not passing judgment as she mentioned the contemptuous past she had with Buffy. It was easy for him to understand what had drawn the two girls together. They'd both lost pretty much everything, but in that process, they'd found a friendship that had never before existed. He was glad they had. They were good for each other. And on the plus side, the girls' friendship, along with his mission to protect the Slayer, gave him a chance to get to know the enigmatic brunette.
They sat in silence for a few moments after Cordy had finished her story. Letting people in was still such a foreign concept for her. And never mind the fact that she was sharing an actual conversation with Doyle, the obnoxious half-demon with no fashion sense whatsoever. She really didn't want to examine that fact at the moment.
Doyle, sensing her need to take the focus off her, switched his attention back to the beleaguered Slayer who was still locked away in her room, listening to Elvis on repeat. "Do ya think she'll be okay?"
"I don't know," Cordy shook her head. "I honestly don't know."
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
//Are you lonesome tonight,
do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
Does your memory stay to a brighter sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart? //
Lying on her bed, Buffy stared out the small window at the half moon rising in the night sky. Her right hand rested lightly on the small bulge of her abdomen, waiting in anticipation of feeling the small flutters again. That's all it had been earlier, just a small flutter. But she had felt it, and it had been wonderful, and excruciating all at once.
//Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight? //
For one short moment after she'd felt the movement of her child, she'd wanted to run to Angel and tell him. She wanted to have him place his large, strong hands on her stomach and feel the miracle that was their child. But then she remembered. Angel was gone. And she'd never be able to share this experience with him. He'd never even get to know that he was going to be a father, that they had created a tiny life on that forbidden night they had spent together.
//I wonder if you're lonesome tonight
You know someone said that the world's a stage
And each must play a part.
Fate had me playing in love you as my sweet heart.//
The instant she realized she couldn't go to Angel, the excitement and wonderment of feeling the slight flutter of her child had vanished, replaced with heart-wrenching misery. She hadn't even been able to excuse herself from the movie she'd been watching with Cordy. She'd just run off, needing the safety and solitude that her tiny bedroom provided on a nightly basis.
//Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
Then came act two, you seemed to change and you acted strange
And why I'll never know.//
Now, she lay on her bed, willing herself to make it through this. She knew, though, that it wouldn't ever get better. Her body was changing more and more every day because of the child within her, and each change was a painful reminder of the man she loved. She also knew too that even after the baby's birth the sadness wouldn't go away. What if her child was a boy that looked just like his father? Or what if it was a little girl with her father's big brown eyes?
//Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
And I had no cause to doubt you.
But I'd rather go on hearing your lies
Than go on living without you. //
Rolling over, Buffy stared at the cd player sitting on her night stand. The soft melody of Elvis Presley's 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' echoed through her ears. There was just something about the song that called to her. It had ever since she'd heard it a few weeks ago while watching a movie. Since entering her room, the song had been playing on repeat as she had laid there staring out at the night sky.
//Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then make them bring the curtain down. //
Reaching over to her night stand, Buffy finally turned off the cd player and rolled back over on her bed. She pulled the covers tighter around her body, trying to fight off the inner chill that seemed to have settled over her. Slowly, her eyes drifted shut as she watched the moon rising in the sky, wondering if her Angel was out there somewhere staring at the same thing.
//Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?//
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TBC!!
Part 3
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Author's Note: The song used in the last scene of Part 3 is 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' performed by Elvis Presley, written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman.
~two weeks later~
Doyle stood outside the girls' apartment and retrieved the key from his pocket that they had given him to unlock the door. In the two weeks since he'd revealed his presence and mission to them, they'd come to trust him. So instead of having to knock every time he came to their apartment, they gave him a key so that he could just let himself in.
Since their first meeting, Doyle had spent a lot of time with the two friends. When the Powers had first thrust this mission upon him, he hadn't been all that enthusiastic, but he was quickly growing to enjoy his time around Buffy and Cordy, especially the latter. There was just something about the feisty brunette that he liked.
The three had quickly come up with a system to help keep Buffy safe. Pretty much, it solely involved making sure Buffy did not go anywhere alone, particularly at night. So Doyle often found himself walking her the few blocks to and from work, or to various places she needed to go. The blonde-haired Slayer had put up little fuss over the invasion of privacy, thinking more about the safety of her unborn child than of her own comfort and freedom.
So far, they had not encountered any real threats to either Buffy or the baby. A few vamps had come across their path, but they had been easily dispatched. And then there was that one time when Doyle had heard something in an alley and had gotten worried, only to find it was a cat digging through a trash can. The two girls were still bringing that up and teasing him. He was just glad that things had been quiet and that there hadn't been any major dangers to face.
Doing as had become habit, Doyle unlocked the apartment door and strolled inside. He didn't have any particular reason this night to stop by other than to see if they needed anything, and as a bonus he'd get to spend some time with Cordelia. He knew it was probably useless to think that the brunette girl would ever go out with him, but he could silently hope so at least.
"Hey, princess!" he greeted Cordelia once he entered the living room and saw her sitting on the couch.
Cordelia stopped filing her nails and glared at him. "How many times do I have to tell you NOT to call me that!"
Doyle only grinned at her in response and took a seat on the couch next to her.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Cordy huffed, not wanting to examine why it was he could get to her so easily.
"Just wanted ta stop by and make sure everything was okay up 'ere," he replied with a shrug. "Where's Buffy?"
The annoyance she felt at the obnoxious half demon left Cordelia's eyes at the question. She looked at Doyle for a moment before casting her gaze toward the closed door to Buffy's room.
Doyle frowned at Cordy's non-verbal response and looked in the same direction she was. It was then that he caught the soft strains of music coming from behind the Slayer's bedroom door. He listened for a moment before realizing what the song was.
"Is she listening to Elvis Presley?" he questioned, slightly bewildered.
"Yeah," Cordelia sighed, sympathy for her friend filling her eyes.
"Uh, no offense to The King, but why?" Doyle asked and then clarified his words. "I mean, Buffy doesn't strike me as the type ta listen ta Elvis."
"She's not, at least not usually," Cordy relayed, staring at Buffy's door. "She heard this song a few weeks ago when we were watching the movie 'Elvis and Me' on VH-1."
"Oh....okay. So, uh, why then is she locked up in her room listening to Elvis then?" a perplexed Doyle inquired.
If he wasn't mistaken, he thought he could see a hint of tears in Cordy's eyes. And that was utterly surprising to him. The brunette didn't strike him as the type to cry in front of other people.
"She, uh...," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "She felt the baby kick for the first time today."
"Oh," Doyle replied slumping back on the couch, suddenly understanding the situation.
"Yeah," Cordy answered, looking back at Buffy's door. "I think it made the pregnancy seem more real than it was. Not that it wasn't before, but...well, you know what I mean."
"I do," nodded Doyle as his eyes too looked toward Buffy's door. "And it made her think of him, right?" Between what he had already known, and what Cordelia had told him, he was well aware of what had gone on between the Slayer and the vampire with a soul.
"I think so. She didn't say it, but how could it not?" Cordy stated softly. "We were just sitting here on the couch when it happened. She was so happy when she felt it....and then there was just this look in her eyes. She ran off to her room and has been in there ever since. I think she has that song on repeat."
"Man, that's rough," stated Doyle, feeling sorry for the poor girl and the endless sorrows she seemed to be subjected to. He wished there was something more he could do for her, but he couldn't. His hands were tied when it came to this situation.
Cordelia tore her gaze away from Buffy's door, knowing there was nothing she could do for her right now and looked at the man sitting next to her. A frown formed on her face when she saw Doyle staring at her wearing a rather odd expression.
"What?" she questioned loudly.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," Doyle mumbled, realizing he'd been staring at her.
"Do I have something on my face?" Cordy asked worriedly.
"No," he shook his head. "It's just...well, I just don't get yer."
Cordelia opened her mouth to reply to the strange statement, but found herself oddly without something to say for a moment. Her brow furrowed as she tried to understand the implications of the half-demon's words, but came up blank. "Umm, okay..."
"I mean, I don't know everything that 'appened in Sunnydale since Buffy moved there, but I do know yer two were never really friends," he explicated, hoping what he had said had come out as least offensively as possible.
"No, we really weren't," Cordy conceded, wondering what Doyle was getting at.
"And I know yer weren't exactly...nice...to her most of the time," he went on, watching the brunette with a curious eye. "Yet, 'ere you are, sharing an apartment with her, and concerned for her well-being."
Cordelia's expression instantly changed as Doyle's statements reminded her of things in her past. She knew very well the person she used to be, and why she was no longer like that. It was still hard for her to forget the reasons she had left Sunnydale behind her.
"I-I...," she stuttered, and then trailed off. The hurt of her situation reflected in her eyes before she cast them away from the man she hardly knew and generally found to be obscenely annoying.
"Hey, princess," Doyle started, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm not gonna judge you. I'm just curious about how you two ended up 'ere together."
The former cheerleader sighed and looked back at Doyle. She smiled weakly at him, mildly touched by his concern. So she told him about her own reasons for leaving Sunnydale, about how she'd lost everything because of her Father's neglect in paying his taxes, and about how all of her so-called friends had shunned her once she was no longer rich. And she told him about how she and Buffy had ended up venturing out on their own together.
To his credit, Doyle only listened, not passing judgment as she mentioned the contemptuous past she had with Buffy. It was easy for him to understand what had drawn the two girls together. They'd both lost pretty much everything, but in that process, they'd found a friendship that had never before existed. He was glad they had. They were good for each other. And on the plus side, the girls' friendship, along with his mission to protect the Slayer, gave him a chance to get to know the enigmatic brunette.
They sat in silence for a few moments after Cordy had finished her story. Letting people in was still such a foreign concept for her. And never mind the fact that she was sharing an actual conversation with Doyle, the obnoxious half-demon with no fashion sense whatsoever. She really didn't want to examine that fact at the moment.
Doyle, sensing her need to take the focus off her, switched his attention back to the beleaguered Slayer who was still locked away in her room, listening to Elvis on repeat. "Do ya think she'll be okay?"
"I don't know," Cordy shook her head. "I honestly don't know."
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
//Are you lonesome tonight,
do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
Does your memory stay to a brighter sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart? //
Lying on her bed, Buffy stared out the small window at the half moon rising in the night sky. Her right hand rested lightly on the small bulge of her abdomen, waiting in anticipation of feeling the small flutters again. That's all it had been earlier, just a small flutter. But she had felt it, and it had been wonderful, and excruciating all at once.
//Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight? //
For one short moment after she'd felt the movement of her child, she'd wanted to run to Angel and tell him. She wanted to have him place his large, strong hands on her stomach and feel the miracle that was their child. But then she remembered. Angel was gone. And she'd never be able to share this experience with him. He'd never even get to know that he was going to be a father, that they had created a tiny life on that forbidden night they had spent together.
//I wonder if you're lonesome tonight
You know someone said that the world's a stage
And each must play a part.
Fate had me playing in love you as my sweet heart.//
The instant she realized she couldn't go to Angel, the excitement and wonderment of feeling the slight flutter of her child had vanished, replaced with heart-wrenching misery. She hadn't even been able to excuse herself from the movie she'd been watching with Cordy. She'd just run off, needing the safety and solitude that her tiny bedroom provided on a nightly basis.
//Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
Then came act two, you seemed to change and you acted strange
And why I'll never know.//
Now, she lay on her bed, willing herself to make it through this. She knew, though, that it wouldn't ever get better. Her body was changing more and more every day because of the child within her, and each change was a painful reminder of the man she loved. She also knew too that even after the baby's birth the sadness wouldn't go away. What if her child was a boy that looked just like his father? Or what if it was a little girl with her father's big brown eyes?
//Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
And I had no cause to doubt you.
But I'd rather go on hearing your lies
Than go on living without you. //
Rolling over, Buffy stared at the cd player sitting on her night stand. The soft melody of Elvis Presley's 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' echoed through her ears. There was just something about the song that called to her. It had ever since she'd heard it a few weeks ago while watching a movie. Since entering her room, the song had been playing on repeat as she had laid there staring out at the night sky.
//Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then make them bring the curtain down. //
Reaching over to her night stand, Buffy finally turned off the cd player and rolled back over on her bed. She pulled the covers tighter around her body, trying to fight off the inner chill that seemed to have settled over her. Slowly, her eyes drifted shut as she watched the moon rising in the sky, wondering if her Angel was out there somewhere staring at the same thing.
//Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?//
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TBC!!