Disclaimer: The characters of Tracey, Serena, and any others that you don't recognize belong to me, as does the original concept of this story. Everything else belongs to Joss Whedon.

Rating: PG 13 for now

Pairing: B/A, little bit of W/T, X/A, G/J

Author's Notes: Here it is! Finally. The sequel to The Good Life. Please take a moment to read this before you read. You may want to reread TGL first, especially the last chapter and epilogue.

This takes place 15 years into the future. And be warned, parts of this won't be exactly happy. I want to try out some new things with this fic. Flashbacks will be used a lot, so keep track of what year we are in. The main plot of this is that 15 years later Buffy and Angel are still leading a seemingly perfect life, but memories of the past and new problems make it difficult. The last 15 years haven't been perfect, and you will find out more as I continue to write. I am not going to reveal everything at once here, so be patient. And also, there is another twist coming that will be a major part of that plot that isn't even hinted at in this chapter. So please R&R, I am dying to know what everyone thinks. I spent more time on this chapter than I have on any chapter since TGL, it is also a lot longer than most of my recent chapters have been. So, enjoy!

Part 1

Tuesday, June 20th, 2020

Sunnydale

Buffy Summers O'Leary sat in the kitchen of her home, making out bills. She did it almost absentmindedly, lucky that she had never had to worry about money. With the success of the book and movie versions of Forbidden Love, she and her family had pretty much been set for life.

She finished the last bill and sealed the envelope. She stood up with a sigh and walked outside to place them in the mailbox for the mailman to take the next day. Their house was on the outskirts of Sunnydale, in a nice, quiet neighborhood. It wasn't colossal, but they had plenty of space. It was perfect for the three of them and the occasional visitor.

She headed back inside, glancing at the clock. 2:30. Serena would be home from school soon. It was her last week of classes. She was finishing her freshman year at Sunnydale High. Buffy sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair. Angel was in LA, helping Cordy and Wes with a case. He had promised he would be back tonight, and Buffy hoped he stayed true to his word. The last 2 days had been really boring without him. It happened every once in a while, Angel going to LA to help with Angel Investigations. Buffy wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed like more often in the past five years. So she would spend most of her days here, alone. Usually she would sit in her office and stare at the computer, making good on her promise to her publicist that she would "try to write something." But no ideas had come to her since the book of short stories she had published 6 years ago. And those weren't even original ideas really, they were all based on adventures she had during her first years in Sunnydale. She had accepted a long time ago that she could only write something that was based on the truth, and that she sucked at original ideas. But her publicist hadn't given up so easily.

A lot of times one of her friends would come over for lunch. Willow and Tara, her mother, occasionally Tracey, when she wasn't working. Anya used to come by a lot while Xander was at work, but since the birth of their second child last year she hadn't seen her as much.

Her thoughts reminded her that Tracey was coming to dinner tonight. She had just wrapped on her latest film, and had a rare few weeks of free time. She sighed as she realized that she didn't have much food in the house. Oh well, they would just have to order in. She remembered the article that she had wanted to show Tracey, and headed through the house towards her office to get it while it was on her mind. She had been going through her scrapbook the other day, and had found a magazine article with a photo of her and Tracey back from when the film version of Forbidden Love had come out. They looked so young, and she knew that she and Tracey would enjoy a good laugh over it.

She entered her office and switched on the light. The small room held her desk and computer where she had typed her book all those years ago. The rest of the room didn't contain much, just a few filing cabinets and an overstuffed chair. But it was the walls that were crowded. Back when she had been in her peak, Buffy had taken to framing everything, and hanging it in here. Above the computer there was a large movie poster featuring Tracey and the actor who had played Devon. The other walls housed magazine cutouts, certificates, her college and high school diplomas, and several awards the novel had won. She smiled slightly. This room represented a time in her life that had long been over.

She walked to the desk and opened the bottom drawer to get the article. She froze when she saw the contents. She slowly picked up the stuffed green bear. It was amazing how one glimpse of an object that was seemingly insignificant could bring back so many memories.

Buffy hugged the stuffed animal close, suddenly overwhelmed by the emotions it inspired. It had been 5 years now, and the memories of the darkest time in her life remained as if it were yesterday. She still often thought of how different her life might be today if things had turned out differently. Her mind wandered back to that night, nearly 6 years ago.

September 16th, 2014

"I can't stand this waiting!" Buffy said, pacing nervously around the bedroom.

"Only another minute," Angel said just as anxiously.

"I wonder what Serena will think. I mean, if I am," Buffy said. "I mean, she's 9 years old now."

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Angel said. "Just like us." They both jumped when the timer clicked off in the bathroom.

"Are you ready for the moment of truth?" Buffy said, trembling.

Angel smiled and took her hand. He lead her into the bathroom, and after a moment's hesitation he picked up the small monitor. He grinned and held it up for her to see.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked. He picked her up and they hugged.

"We're having a baby!" he said happily. He put her down and they kissed passionately.

"This is so wonderful," Buffy said. "Now our family will be complete."

"Mommy, what's going on?" Serena asked from the hallway. The 9 year old was standing there in her nightgown, staring inquisitively at her grinning parents.

Buffy walked over and took her daughter's hands. "Honey, your father and I have some news." They sat down on the bed. "You're going to have a little brother or sister!"

Present

The sound of the door opening jarred Buffy back to reality. She took a deep breath and replaced the stuffed animal, remembering to grab to article as well. She hurried back out to the kitchen, where her beautiful daughter now was.

"Hi sweetie, how was school?" Buffy asked, trying to smile.

"Same as usual," she said boredly. Her long dark hair hung straight, and her brown eyes were sparkling, as they often were. She was a beautiful girl. Whenever Buffy looked into her eyes she could almost see Angel looking back at her. "But oh my God, I am so mad at Nancy Gordon. The little brat didn't believe that Tracey Edwards was my honorary aunt."

Buffy smiled. Her daughter's drama queen like attitude reminded her of herself at her age. "Well, Tracey is coming to dinner tonight. You can have her sign an autograph, and show it to this Nancy yourself."

Serena smiled, satisfied. "Cool. Oh, and Liz is having an end of school party this Friday. A sleepover. Can I go?"

"I don't see why not. But you have to study this weekend. You have exams coming up," Buffy reminded her daughter. "Who else is going to the party?"

The one thing that worried her about Serena was the fact that she didn't have many friends. Liz Chester had been her best friend since sixth grade, and the two were practically inseparable. But other than that, Serena didn't have any close friends. There were a few other girls that she was friendly with in school, but Liz was the only one she ever hung out with otherwise, except at parties where more people were invited. Buffy and Angel liked Liz. She lived in town near Buffy's old house on Revello Drive, and her parents were very nice. Buffy had done lunch with her mom a few times, and Liz had a lot in common with Serena. They both had the same slightly eccentric fashion sense and choice in music, and took the same classes. But Buffy still wished that Serena would make a few other close friends, for her own sake.

"Just Mary-Beth and Stacey," Serena said, naming two of the girls with whom she and Liz hung out with in school. Buffy nodded, a little disappointed.

"What do you want for dinner tonight? I think I'm going to order in because Tracey's coming," Buffy said, flipping through a stack of takeout menus from the drawer.

"Doesn't matter to me. Is Dad coming home tonight?" Serena asked.

"He said he was going to be," Buffy said. She tried to change the subject. "So are things crazy in school? With the end of the year and all?"

"A little. Everyone's kind of hyper. I heard that the Seniors have something really big planned for Prank Day this Friday," Serena said, sounding kind of excited.

Buffy smiled wryly. "We never did a Senior Prank. We were too busy trying to stop hellhounds from attacking the prom."

Serena knew about everything, and had known for almost 5 years now. Buffy and Angel had waited a while to tell her, because neither of them wanted to scare their only daughter. But they had eventually filled her in on everything, from Buffy being the slayer to Angel being a former vampire. At first she had been a little scared, but had accepted it fairly quickly, and even allowed Angel to give her some basic defense training. The only part she didn't know was about the curse. They had made it sound like they just couldn't be together because he was a vampire and she was a slayer. Buffy knew that her daughter didn't need to know that her mother had lost her virginity at age 17 and then her father had gone on a killing spree.

As for slaying, Buffy had never really gotten back into it. Sure, if she ran into a vampire she would take care of it, and she always kept Mr. Pointy by her side. But she never patrolled anymore. She hadn't since that awful night years ago. While she was in New York Giles and the gang had gotten quite capable, so she was rarely needed. Angel still did his part, helping Angel Investigations and patrolling occasionally. But they were both getting old. Buffy was 39, and her slayer reflexes weren't what they used to be. Angel still did okay, but Buffy could tell that he was sore a lot more often after a fight. She knew that the day would come when he would have to stop once and for all, but he was still determined to do his part, even though his shanshu had been long since rewarded. Besides, she had a feeling that her life would never be rid of vampires and demons.

Serena laughed. "Yeah, your high school experience was a little on the crazy side."

"Tell me about it," Buffy replied. The phone rang, and Buffy went to answer it. "Hello?" she said, hoping that it was Angel, telling her he was on his way home.

"Hey girl, it's Tracey," replied her friend. "I'm heading over to your place soon. I was wondering if I could stay the night. I want to give my driver the night off. And maybe tomorrow we could go shopping or something, maybe get chased by some paparazzi. Could be fun!"

Buffy laughed. "Sure, you're always welcome to stay here."

"Knew I could count on you. Later!"

"Bye," Buffy said, hanging up. She turned back to her daughter. "That was Tracey. She's going to spend the night here."

Serena's eyes brightened. She liked Tracey a lot. "Yay!"

"Do you have homework?" Buffy asked.

Serena shook her head. "Nope. The teachers are getting kind of lazy. We've just been reviewing for finals."

"Great, then you can help me get the house ready. Can you run up to the guest room, and make sure it's ready for Tracey?"

"Sure," Serena said, sliding off her stool. She headed upstairs.

Buffy smiled after her. She loved her daughter so much. Serena was all that had kept her sane 5 years ago, and all that kept her sane even now. She was really looking forward to the summer, when Serena would be home with her. Angel had mentioned maybe taking vacation. Maybe they would go to Hawaii again. They had loved it there.

The phone rang again, and she leapt for it, praying that it was her husband. "Angel?" she asked breathlessly.

"Hi baby," Angel said. Buffy smiled, relieved.

"Hi! Where are you?" she asked.

"On my way home. I'm bringing Connor with me. He hasn't been for a visit in a while. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. Tracey's coming for dinner tonight, too, and she's staying over" Buffy said.

"Oh, that's nice. Well, we'll be home soon. Say hi to Serena for me."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up, and groaned inwardly. She liked Connor, she really did. But she had been looking forward to a quiet evening with her family and one of her best friends. And besides, they only had one guest room. She bit her lip. She would just have to put Connor in the other room.

She headed upstairs, where she ran into Serena coming out of the guest room. "Hey Serena, your dad called. He'll be home soon, and he's bringing Connor."

"Cool!" Serena said happily. She was close to her brother, and didn't get to see him as often as she would have liked. "I'm gonna go to my room now," she said, prancing off down the hall.

Buffy watched her go and then walked to the closed door at the end of the hallway. She hadn't opened this door in a really long time. They hadn't had the need for another guest room. She slowly opened the door.

The room was pretty bare, just a spare bed that used to be in Serena's room, and a cabinet they had moved in from downstairs. But as Buffy stared into the room she saw it as she had years ago.

March 29th, 2014

"Don't you just love it?" Buffy asked happily.

"It's perfect," Angel said.

"Mom and Serena helped me pick it out. Serena loved the moon and stars theme," Buffy said, admiring the new nursery.

"It's perfect. I think little Liam will love it," he said, touching his wife's growing stomach.

"I think so too," Buffy said. She kissed her husband gently. "Just three more months. It's been going by so fast."

"Soon he'll be here with us," Angel said, putting his arms around his wife. "And our family will be complete."

Present

Buffy came back to reality, shaking her head to clear the memories. Shaking slightly, she walked over to the bed and straightened the sheets. She brushed the dust off the dresser with her hand. It would just have to do. She hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"I'm home," Angel called, entering the house a while later.

Buffy ran into the kitchen, a smile on her face. "Hi!" They kissed quickly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Connor walked into the kitchen behind his father, not wanting to ruin the moment. "Hey Buffy."

"Hello Connor," Buffy said, giving her stepson a hug.

"Dad!" Serena said, coming in to greet them.

"There's my favorite girl," Angel said, giving his daughter a hug.

"Hey kiddo," Connor said, greeting his younger sister. She gave him a hug as well.

"So what do you guys want for dinner? Tracey will be here soon," Buffy said. "Is Chinese okay?"

"Sounds good," Connor agreed.

"Angel, why don't you bring Connor upstairs. I already got the guest room ready for Tracey, so he'll have to stay...in the spare room," she said, looking down.

Angel's eyes clouded for a moment. "Okay." Connor picked up his bag and followed his father.

Serena stared at her mother. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Buffy lied.

Serena gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you thinking about Liam?"

Before Buffy could answer, they were interrupted by a stretch limousine pulling up outside. The driver opened the door, and Tracey climbed out, talking angrily into her cell phone. "No, Miranda, it is not okay. Call them and see exactly what they plan to say about me. And don't call me back unless it's good news." She hung up the phone and turned to the Summers girls. "I don't believe this! They are doing a freaking E! True Hollywood Story on me! Those things are for people that are washed up! Done! Finished! And who knows what lies they are going to be spreading about me! And Miranda is trying to tell me it is all okay!" Tracey exclaimed, exasperated.

Buffy smiled wryly. "Hello to you too."

Tracey smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. Come here," she said, giving her friend a tight hug. "And where's my little diva?" She gave Serena a hug as well.

"Have a good night Ms. Edwards," her driver said quickly, depositing her Louis Vuitton luggage inside the door.

"Night," Tracey said. "But really, I think I need a new agent. I mean who does she think she is? She's all 'oh, there's nothing bad they can say about you' but what about the thing with Josef? Who knows what kind of crazy spin his people are going to put on our breakup," Tracey continued. They entered the house and took a seat in the living room.

"But Miranda has done a lot of great things for your career," Buffy said. Miranda was Tracey's agent.

"I know. So where's Angel?" Tracey asked, taking off her jacket and designer sunglasses.

"Upstairs. Connor's here too," Buffy said.

"Awesome. So what's up with you, diva?" Tracey asked, calling Serena by the pet name she had created for her.

"Not much. Almost done with school," Serena said happily. "Oh! That reminds me. There is this girl at school who didn't remind me when I said I knew you! Can you sign an autograph for her?"

"Sure! I have some pictures in my bag," Tracey said, opening her Coach purse.

"I'll be right back," Buffy said, heading to the kitchen. She smiled to herself. The one thing she loved most about Tracey was the fact that fame hadn't changed her. She was still the same old Trace, just with designer clothes and a personal chauffeur. And a multi million dollar mansion in LA. But she was still the same girl Buffy remembered from New York.

She called and ordered some Chinese food. A little while later it arrived, and they sat down for dinner.

"So how did your latest movie go, Tracey?" Angel asked politely.

"It was good. I enjoyed filming it. I liked the director," Tracey said. Noticing everyone's expressions, she quickly corrected herself. "Not like that, though. Believe me, I am so never falling for a director again." She said the word director as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Tracey had fallen in love with Spanish director Josef Callandro while filming one of her early films. They had married only 6 months after meeting. Serena had only been two years old then. Buffy remembered the wedding quite clearly, as she had been Tracey's maid of honor. It had been lavish and expensive, but the marriage had only lasted a few months after that. Josef had dumped Tracey, claiming to have fallen in love with some 19 year old Spanish girl that had been an extra in one of his films. They had divorced shortly afterwards. It had been hugely public, on the cover of every magazine at the checkout counter. Tracey had been a mess for a while afterwards, but she had recovered. Since then she had dated a few guys, but nothing that serious.

"What's your next project?" Connor asked.

"I'm filming a movie in New York. Romantic comedy. I'm going to play a mother of two whose husband died, but then she falls in love with her neighbor. Not the most original story, but they offered me a lot of money and we should be able to bang it out pretty quickly. Then I can move on to something else," Tracey said.

"That's nice. Connor, why don't you tell everyone your news," Angel said.

"Well, I'm seeing someone," Connor said slowly. Everyone's heads turned.

"Really? That's wonderful," Buffy said. Connor was 31 and yet to have a serious relationship lasting more than a month.

"Yeah. Her name's Olivia. She came to Angel Investigations about a month ago. Her ex was a vampire and he was stalking her. I dusted him, and then we went out on a few dates. It's going pretty well," Connor said, although he was trying not to get his hopes up. Most of the women he'd dated had left him after a few strange occurrences, but he really liked Olivia, and she didn't seem to mind his line of work.

"That's wonderful. We have to meet her," Buffy said.

"You will, soon," Connor promised.

They finished dinner shortly. Serena and Connor went upstairs so she could show him her latest sketch. Serena had a gift for art, much like her father. Angel went up to unpack from his trip, and Tracey helped Buffy clean up in the kitchen.

"Are you okay? You seem a little distant today," Tracey asked, concerned.

Buffy sighed. "I'm okay. It's just....it's nothing."

"Honey, we're alone now. You can tell me." They sat down at the kitchen counter.

"I know. Well...I've been remembering a lot of stuff lately. And it's affecting me," Buffy said carefully.

"What stuff?" Tracey asked quietly.

"Mostly about Liam. He would have been 5 years old this week," Buffy said softly.

"Oh, sweetie." Tracey wrapped her arms around her friend. "I had no idea that was still affecting you so much."

"It does. I try not to let it, I've tried to put it all behind me but it still does," Buffy blurted.

"Have you talked to Angel about this?" Tracey asked.

Buffy shook her head. "We've never talked much about him. He never seemed to want to. And lately he's been going to LA a lot...I feel like he's avoiding me."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true," Tracey reassured. "Angel loves you and Serena more than anything."

"I know. But I can't help feeling like there's been this invisible wall between us ever since Liam," Buffy confessed.

"I think you need to talk to him. You've said yourself that Angel has never been one for expressing emotions. I'm sure he's feeling just as lousy as you do, but he doesn't want to show it."

"Maybe I will try and talk to him," Buffy said.

"You should. It's not healthy to keep things closed up inside," Tracey said sympathetically. "Maybe if you and Angel really talk about what happened you will be able to finally move past it."

"I hope so," Buffy said. "Today I was in my office, and I found this teddy bear that Angel bought for the baby when he found out I was pregnant. And everything just came rushing back."

"I thought you got rid of everything," Tracey said.

"Yeah, Angel thinks we did. But I kept that. I guess I just wasn't ready to let go of everything."

September 29th, 2014

"I'm home!" Angel called. He hid the stuffed animal behind his back.

His wife came into the room and gave him a kiss. "I missed you."

"I got something for the baby," he said, handing her the stuffed green bear. "I saw it in the window, and I just couldn't resist."

"It's adorable!" Buffy said, hugging it tightly. "Thank you sooo much." She gave him a kiss.

"Well it's technically for the baby," Angel joked. "But I think I have something for you too."

"And what would that be?" Buffy asked seductively. She shrieked as he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

Present

"That reminds me, I found this today," Buffy said, trying to distract herself. She handed Tracey the cut out article.

"Oh my Lord, we look so young!" Tracey gasped. "What happened to us?"

Buffy laughed. "I don't know."

"I found a few gray hairs the other day," Tracey whispered. "I'm scared, Buffy. I am getting old. Soon no guy is going to want me."

"Don't talk like that," Buffy said. "You're still gorgeous. And famous."

"And divorced," Tracey added dryly. "Rather publically, I might add."

"You will find a guy who loves you for who you are, just like I did," Buffy said.

Tracey smiled. "You're sweet. Speaking of true love, I think you need to spend some time with yours. So you go, and I'll hang out with Serena."

"Okay. It's been nice talking to you. And maybe tomorrow we can go shopping or something," Buffy said. "I could invite Willow and Tara to come."

"That would be great. I haven't seen them in forever! Now go," Tracey said firmly.

Buffy smiled. "Good night." She headed upstairs, and almost ran into Serena and Connor, who were coming down.

"Oh, hey. I'm going to go see your dad, why don't you guys hang out with Tracey?" Buffy said.

Serena smiled knowingly. "We'll occupy ourselves."

Buffy smiled at them and proceeded to the master bedroom. Angel was inside, unpacking his suitcase. He looked up when she came in.

"Hey! There you are. I couldn't wait to get you alone. I missed you so much." He walked over and gave her a long kiss.

Buffy hesitated. She had been planning to talk to him about Liam. But Angel obviously had other things in mind. Not that she objected...

"I missed you too," she said. "Now why don't you show me how much."

He picked her up and carried her to the bed. She relaxed in his arms, but couldn't help but listen to the little voice in the back of her mind that said that even making love wasn't quite how it used to be. It was still great, but when Buffy thought of all the times before Liam, it didn't really compare. She tried to shove the thoughts from her mind as her husband kissed her again.