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Part 7

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"Will you shut up!" Cordelia hissed just loud enough for Doyle to hear.

"What?" he asked, still not lowering his voice.

"The entire world could hear you as loud as you are yelling!" Cordy whispered harshly. "We are trying to sneak in here! Key word being sneak which means shut the hell up!"

"Now I know what they mean by not a 'morning person'," Doyle mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that," she snapped back at him as she poked her head through the door at the landing of the stairwell.

"Can we jus' get this over with? I don't know what we're doin' here anyway," he grumbled, following his fiancée through the door and into the apartment.

"Well, I don't hear any shouting so that's a good sign," she said quietly and walked further into the room, looking around as she did so. "And it doesn't look like they managed to kill each other. Another good sign."

Doyle sighed, shaking his head as he did so. He loved Cordy; truly he did, but she could drive a man nuts sometimes. "Don't ya think we've interfered enough already?"

Rolling her eyes, Cordelia ignored the question and continued looking around the living room for any sign that things weren't going as she'd planned. It all looked okay so far, no signs of a fight where objects were thrown. The couch looked a little rumpled, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. So far, she could see nothing to make her worry.

The absolute silence in the apartment was unnerving though. There wasn't a single sound to be heard. So either they'd somehow managed to kill each other or they'd found a way to escape and weren't even in the apartment. Of course, there was a third option, and that was the one she was rooting for. It involved them being together in Buffy's bedroom. Hopefully sleeping, because Cordy really didn't want to walk in on nakedness.

"I just don't want them to screw this up," she finally answered Doyle's previous question. "They're both so damn stubborn."

"Cordy," Doyle chastised. "They need ta work this out on their own."

"And they will!" came Cordy's exasperated rebuttal. "I'm just making sure they do it right. Now if you're not going to help then go back downstairs with the others and stop bothering me!"

"Fine. I'll shut up. Are ya happy now?" he shot back sarcastically.

"Immensely," Cordy replied with a glare in his direction.

Careful not to make any noise, she crept down the hallway toward Buffy's room. Just before she reached the open door she motioned for Doyle to wait behind her and to be quiet. As soundlessly as possible, Cordy poked her head just far enough to see into the room. When she peeked back at Doyle, a huge grin lit up her entire face.

"Well?" Doyle prodded impatiently. As much as he was getting on Cordy's case for interfering, he also wanted to know how things were going between his friend and the now ex-vampire.

"Shh!" she hushed him quickly.

Turning back to the door, Cordelia once again peeked into the room. She couldn't help but grin at what she saw inside. Buffy, her best friend in the whole world, lay curled against Angel, a peaceful smile on her face that Cordy hadn't seen in years. It brought a tear to her eye to see them together as they always should have been.

She simply stared at them for another minute before remembering that Doyle was standing nearby waiting. Looking a bit harder, she noticed that the two in bed appeared to be dressed so she stepped over a foot and waved Doyle to join her. He hesitated for a moment but then walked over next to her. Once he saw what made her so happy, he too, found the need to smile widely.

"Ya did good, Princess," he leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"Of course!" she agreed happily before a wicked smirk formed on her face. Facing Doyle, Cordy lightly shook the sleeping little girl in his arms.

"What?" Ashlynn mumbled sleepily, looking up at Cordelia with her big brown eyes.

"Look, Sweetie," she said and pointed toward the bed where Buffy and Angel were sleeping soundly.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the little girl shrieked, wiggling out of Doyle's arms before he could stop her. The moment her tiny feet hit the floor, she took off for the bed and leapt onto it.

The occupants of the aforementioned bed startled when the mattress bounced and shook from its newest guest. From her spot sprawled across Angel's muscled chest, Buffy's eyes snapped open, instantly aware of their unexpected visitor. She heard Angel mumble something that had the word 'sleep' in it, but she wasn't quite sure what the rest of the sentence had been. Before she could ponder that much further, she realized that the bed was still shaking.

Frowning in annoyance, Buffy lifted her head and found herself staring into the deep brown eyes of her giddy, and very awake, six year old daughter. She blinked her eyes slowly, trying to process what she was seeing. When her lids fluttered open again, the little girl was still there watching her expectantly.

"Ashlynn?" Buffy spoke in confusion.

Hearing the name of his daughter mentioned, Angel finally tore open his tired eyes and was surprised to find the girl in question bouncing happily on the end of the bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Cordy and Doyle both standing in under the doorframe, smirking at the scene before them.

"Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!" Ashlynn squealed excitedly before crawling further up the bed so that she could squish herself between Buffy and Angel.

"Hi, honey. What, uh, what are you doing here?" Buffy questioned, shifting over some to make more room for her daughter.

"We decided to come back early to make sure everything was okay here," Cordy explained as she stepped into the room.

Buffy jumped slightly at the brunette's words, not having noticed her presence before. She looked up and saw her best friend standing there staring at her with a barely contained grin on her face. Rolling her eyes, and knowing Cordy would never shut up about her successful plan, Buffy sat up in the bed with a sigh.

"Everything's fine," she answered evenly.

"Uh, huh. I can see that," Cordy responded in amusement, looking pointedly at the rumbled bed.

Rolling her eyes for a second time, Buffy was about to reply but before she could, she was interrupted by Ashlynn.

"Are you going to stay, Daddy?" the girl asked timidly, looking at Angel with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

The pleading quality of her voice made Angel's eyes water. For a moment, he only gazed lovingly at her. He'd missed so much of her life, but yet she already trusted him implicitly. It was a humbling feeling. With all of his heart, he wished that he could have been there for Buffy during her pregnancy and all the troubles that resulted, and he wished that he could have see her grow plump with their child, and see the birth and each and every milestone that followed. The past couldn't be changed, however. He was here now, though, and that was what really mattered.

"Yes," he finally replied, pulling Ashlynn into his arms and hugging her tightly. "I'm going to stay.

Ashlynn smiled brightly at him, curling against his lean body. "Forever?" she asked.

"Forever," Angel promised, kissing the top of her head.

Buffy watched the entire scene with happy tears rolling down her cheeks. This moment was everything she had dreamed of for so long. And now it was coming true. Angel was back, and human. They had their daughter, and now they were going to be a family. A real, true family.

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"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary," Willow teased, plopped down on the stool in front of where Buffy was refilling her glass of diet cola.

They were all gathered down in the club, preparing for its opening in an hour. After finally getting to leave the apartment, the whole gang had converged on Buffy and Angel wanting to know if things were okay. Buffy had begrudgingly thanked them for the interference once she'd assured them that she and Angel were fine and that they had worked things out.

Buffy shook her head and grinned at the same time. "I'm just happy."

Laughing, Willow clasped one of Buffy's hands. "I'm glad things worked out between you and Angel. You both deserve it."

"Thank you," Buffy accepted graciously.

"Hey Buff," Oz greeted, walking up to Willow. "Sorry to interrupt, but Lorne needs your help with something, Willow"

"Okay. Talk to ya later Buffy!"

Buffy smiled as she watched them walk away hand-in-hand. They were so cute together. She was so glad the people around her were happy.

Turning around to grab a straw, Buffy jumped when she found Lindsey leaning on the counter behind her. "Lindsey, sheesh! You scared me."

"Sorry," he apologized, grinning as though he didn't really mean it.

"What's up?" she asked, unwrapping her straw and putting it in her glass.

"I just...," he started, sighing as he thought about all the changes that had happened lately.

"What?" Buffy prodded seriously, facing the man who had been her sort-of boyfriend for a long time.

"I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you," he explained sincerely, swallowing his pride at having lost the woman he'd wanted for so long.

"Lindsey..." Buffy placed a conciliatory hand on his arm.

"You don't have to say it, Buffy," he cut off her upcoming words. "I've known for a long time that I never had a chance. I just...I tried not to see it."

"You've been a great friend, and I hope you know how much I appreciate it. I don't want that to change," she told him honestly.

"I'll always be your friend, Buffy," Lindsey replied, smiling as he pulled her into a hug.

Buffy hugged him back, happy that he seemed to be accepting everything gracefully. She knew it couldn't be easy for him. For so long he'd hoped that she would give him a chance, but her heart just wouldn't let her. Now, she supposed, it had been for the best. If they had been together when Angel returned, she didn't know what would have happened. And this way, they could remain friends without all the animosity.

"Do me a favor?" Lindsey asked, pulling away to look into Buffy's eyes.

"Anything," Buffy promised.

"Just be happy," he requested.

"That, I think I can do," she answered with a chuckle.

"Good." Lindsey nodded, and released Buffy from the hug. "Okay, I better finish getting set up for the show tonight."

"Okay, if you need anything, let me know," Buffy offered, squeezing his hand to let him know her offer extended to more than just setting up for the show.

As Lindsey walked away, Buffy heard Angel speak from nearby.

"Hey."

"Hey," she greeted, smiling brightly.

"Everything okay?" Angel asked, glancing towards the stage where Lindsey was getting his equipment ready.

"Yeah, fine," she assured him, looking at him curiously. Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she realized what was going on. "You're jealous aren't you," she teased.

"No," Angel denied, glancing at Lindsey again. "Okay, yes."

"Angel." Buffy took one of his hands into hers. "There's no reason to be jealous. Lindsey is a friend, a good friend. I hope you can accept that."

Angel sighed, knowing he was being a bit over reactive. "I know. I'm sorry. I know he's just a friend, and I'm okay with that."

Just as Buffy was about to reply, Ashlynn ran up to Angel, latching onto his right leg. "Tag! You're it, Daddy!" she shouted, giggling at the same time.

"I'm it, huh?" Angel laughed. "Guess I better try and catch you."

Ashlynn shrieked and took off across the room with Angel chasing after her. Buffy laughed, shaking her head at the duo.

"They already act like they've known each other forever," Cordelia said as she walked up to Buffy.

Watching Angel chasing Ashlynn around the empty club, Buffy couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face. "Yeah. I'm glad. I wasn't sure how she would react to him."

"She's a smart kid," Cordy pointed out. "I think she understands that he would have been here if he could have."

"Yeah," agreed Buffy.

"And now he can stay here with you two," the brunette went on and then looked at Buffy expectantly.

"What?" she questioned, confused at the wondering gaze.

"What was all that ignoring each other bit about?" Cordy asked the foremost question on her mind. She was still a little baffled over how the two had reacted after Angel's return and subsequent newfound humanity.

Sighing, Buffy sat her glass down on the counter and turned to lean against the sturdy wood. "I was just angry I guess."

"Angry?" repeated Cordy.

"It just all sort of hit me at once, what happened back in Sunnydale and the current stuff," she explained hesitantly. "I was just angry and hurt that he couldn't seem to ever let me be involved in decisions that affected us both. I mean, I understand why he left in the first place, but he just did it without bothering to talk to me."

"That was a long time ago, though," Cordy added in.

"I know, but it still hurt, especially after he just reappeared the way he did," Buffy continued, glancing behind her where Ashlynn was giggling as Angel tickled her. "And then with the Oracles...he wasn't going to take their deal despite the fact that I wanted to. It was like it didn't matter to him what I thought."

"I can see how that would bother you," replied Cordy with a small nod of her head. "So I take it you got everything worked out?"

"We talked," Buffy said evasively.

"Talked? Is that all?" Cordy pressed.

"I don't know what you're referring to," Buffy answered, blushing minutely, and avoiding Cordy's eyes.

"Oh come on! I'm your best friend! You have to tell me!" Cordy pleaded forcefully.

"Ok, fine," sighed Buffy in exasperation. "There was some talking, a lot of talking actually, and some...other...stuff."

"Uh, huh. I knew it! You got lucky!" she chirped, grinning at the blonde.

"If you must know, yes," Buffy answered with a roll her eyes.

"So, how was it?" Cordy wanted to know, leaning conspiratorially closer to Buffy.

"Why are you so curious about my love life?" she shot back.

"Buffy! You've lived like a monk the last like five years," Cordy answered as if it explained everything.

"You're point?" Buffy asked curiously.

"I wanna know if it was worth it," prodded Cordy.

"I'm not gonna answer that," stated Buffy defiantly.

"I'll take that as a yes," she smirked victoriously.

"Don't you have something you should be doing?" Buffy suddenly changed the subject.

Frowning at Buffy's avoidance, Cordy then sighed and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I do, but that doesn't mean this conversation is over!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Buffy chuckled, rolling her eyes.

Cordelia laughed as well then raised an eyebrow when she saw something curious on the other side of the club. "Well, that's interesting."

"What?"

"Those two," Cordy answered, pointing across the dance floor to where Lindsey and Faith were talking and laughing comfortably with each other. "They look quite cozy."

"So?" Buffy questioned, eyeing Cordelia in confusion.

"It doesn't bother you?" she prodded.

Thinking for a second, Buffy then shook her head. "No. I never felt that way about him. He's just a good friend."

"They'd certainly be an interesting pair, but anyway, I better get to work before Lorne starts getting all testy," the brunette grumbled.

As Cordelia started to walk away, Buffy reached out and touched her arm. When the brunette turned and looked back at her, Buffy spoke again. "Thank you for everything Cordy. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"That's what I'm here for!" Cordy responded just before strolling off elsewhere in the club, the sincerity in her voice belying the light-hearted statement.

Buffy chuckled at the brunette's self-satisfaction, reaching over to pick up her abandoned glass of soda. When she did, she saw Giles hovering a few feet away, looking as if he was trying to gather the nerve to approach her. She wasn't surprised. She'd known sooner or later he'd want to talk to her. Personally, she'd been hoping it would be later, but it seemed as though she wasn't going to be able to avoid it any longer.

"Giles," she said, facing him fully and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Buffy, I, uh, was wondering if perhaps I may speak with you," he requested nervously, avoiding eye contact.

Her first instinct was to say 'no' and then walk away, but Angel's words from the day before echoed in her head. She was trying to run away from her problems again. As much as she wanted to not have this conversation, Buffy knew she had to. It was the only way to truly put the past behind her.

"Fine. Let's go up to the offices," she answered after a few more seconds of deliberation. And then without waiting for him to reply, she turned and headed for the stairs, rather than the elevator since it would give her a little more time to prepare herself.

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TBC!!