Author's Note: Here's chapter 2! After this there won't be an update for probably two weeks, because I am going on vacation. I will have another chapter of Meant To Be up tomorrow or the next day before I leave though. Many thanks to Tara, Sanity Fair, lilsoccercutie55, Melanie, and Out-Of-Reality for reviewing Part 1, your comments meant a lot to me. Enjoy, and please R&R as always!

Part 2

Wednesday June 21, 2020

The next morning Buffy woke up to the sound of the alarm clock. She groaned and reached to turn it off. She rolled over to face her husband.

"Morning beautiful," he said quietly.

"Morning," she replied. "What are you doing today?" she asked.

Angel shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll do something with Connor, then I have to drive him back to LA. You?"

"Tracey and I are going shopping," Buffy replied. She reached for her robe and pulled it on over her naked body. Serena had to get ready for school. "I'll see you downstairs." She headed out of the room and down the hall. She opened the door to her daughter's room. "Serena, time to get up."

Serena grunted and rolled over. "Already?"

"Yup. Were you up late last night with Tracey?" Buffy asked with a frown.

"No. But how would you know? You were too busy doing God knows what with dad," Serena replied sleepily.

Buffy blushed. "Just get up."

She turned around and walked back down the hall. Tracey came out of the guest room, her satin eye mask on top of her head. "Hello," she said with a yawn. "Do you always get up this early?"

"Yeah. Serena has to be at school in an hour."

"Yikes. That's early. Oh, I called Willow last night. She and Tara are meeting us here at nine to go shopping," Tracey said.

"Great!" Buffy said. This was just what she needed, a girls day with her friends.

Serena trudged past them in the hallway on her way to the bathroom. "Morning Aunt Tracey," she said with a yawn.

"Morning diva!" Tracey replied.

"I'm gonna go shower too," Buffy said. "I'll be down for breakfast."

She went back to the bedroom. Angel was still in bed. She entered the master bathroom and prepared the shower. She dropped her robe and stepped in. She loved showering. The warm water flowing over her skin was the perfect way to forget about everything.

She jumped slightly when the shower door opened behind her, and her husband stepped in. "Room for me?" he joked.

She smiled. "Wash my back."

Her eyes closed as his hands massaged her shoulders. Then she felt his lips leaving a trail of kisses down her back. She moaned.

"Angel, we can't. I have to cook breakfast, we have company."

"They can wait," he said, turning her to face him.

Buffy pulled away. "No, I'm sorry. Not now." She reached for the shampoo.

Angel was a little disappointed, but took the bottle from her hand. "It's okay. Let me." He squeezed some into his hands and rubbed it into his wife's hair.

"I think I've gotten spoiled," Tracey said, rummaging through the cabinets. "I barely remember how to cook."

"Mom was supposed to do it, but I guess her and dad got carried away in the shower again," Serena said with a sigh.

Connor came downstairs and joined them. "Good morning. Where's dad?"

"In the shower, doing God knows what with my mom," Serena said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Connor said, sitting down next to his half sister.

At that moment Buffy and Angel entered the kitchen. "What are you talking about?" Buffy asked.

"What you guys were doing in the shower," Serena replied. They both turned bright red.

"So, are pancakes good?" Buffy asked quickly. Everyone laughed.

"Buffy, are you ready?" Tracey called.

Buffy ran down the stairs. "Are they here?"

"Not yet. Let's go outside and wait."

Angel and Connor came in from the other room. "Bye," Angel said, giving her a kiss.

"Bye Buffy," Connor said. Buffy gave him a quick hug.

"Remember, you have to bring you girlfriend for dinner!" Buffy reminded him.

"I will."

"They're here!" Tracey called from outside. Buffy waved goodbye and ran outside. Willow and Tara had gotten out of the car and were joyfully reuniting with Tracey. "It's so great to see you guys!" the actress squealed.

"You too!" Willow replied. "Hey Buffy!"

"Hi guys! Great to see you."

Tracey adjusted her hat and sunglasses. "Let's go shop till we drop!" The four girls climbed in the car, with Tara driving. They started off down the street.

They were in the heart of Sunnydale when Tracey groaned. "Dammit!"

"What?" Tara asked nervously.

"It's the damn paparazzi!" Buffy turned around, and sure enough, there was a van from the local news station close behind them.

"Try to lose them," Tracey said, slouching down in the backseat.

"W-what?" Tara said frantically.

"Step on it!" Tracey said impatiently.

Tara slowly pressed down on the gas and they zoomed off down the street. "Turn there!" Willow said, pointing to a side street. Tara turned the car quickly. The van was a little further back now. Tara turned down another side street, and then quickly turned again. They pulled into a driveway and stopped. Everyone was breathing a little hard from the thrill. Then they saw the van zoom right past their hiding spot.

"All right! Now THAT was fun," Tracey said.

Tara giggled. "That was sort of fun."

"Do you always get chased when you go out?" Willow asked.

Tracey shrugged. "Usually. But you get used to it. It's still fun to outrun them sometimes though. I've gotten more than one speeding ticket fleeing from the media."

When the coast was clear they pulled out and drove the rest of the way to the mall. They parked the car and entered. "So ladies, where to?" Tracey asked.

"Let's hit Macy's," Buffy said. They entered the big department store. The juniors department was directly inside the door. Buffy sighed. "Remember the days when we were young and shopped in here?"

"Fondly," Tracey replied. She smiled. "Remember the time I took you shopping for something to wear on your date with Angel? And we got you that little red dress?"

Buffy grinned. "Yes. I still have that. It would probably fit Serena now. Not that I would ever in a million years let her wear it," she clarified. That had been so many years ago. She still remembered every detail of those first days when she was reunited with Angel. Coming in from the rain, breaking down and telling him she wanted him, making love all night long...

"Buffy, wouldn't this be adorable on Serena?" Willow said, interrupting Buffy's thoughts. Buffy snapped out of it and looked at the green top Willow was holding up.

"Yeah. I think she would like that," Buffy said. They looked around a little then took the top to the register. Buffy pulled out her credit card and waited for the transaction to go through. She noticed that the sales clerk, a woman a little older than them, was staring at Tracey suspiciously. Tracey was wearing a hat and dark glasses, but still recognizable.

"Oh my Lord, you're Tracey Edwards!" the woman said shrilly. Buffy winced as everybody in the store turned and stared at them.

Tracey sighed. "Yes. That would be me. But I was trying to have a quiet day with my friends, so it would have been nice if you didn't announce my presence to the entire store."

The woman didn't seem to hear her. "Oh my, I am the biggest fan of your movies!"

By this point the crowd was moving closer, and people were pointing and whispering. Tracey sighed again and turned to face them. "Okay, if you want autographs, let's form a line please."

Late that afternoon the four girls entered Buffy's house. "Well that wasn't exactly how I planned today," Tracey said, collapsing on the couch.

Serena came in from the kitchen. "Hey, how was your trip to the mall?"

"Exciting. First Tara outran some paparazzi, then the sales clerk in Macys recognized Tracey, and she had to sign autographs for the entire store. From then on, everywhere we went they closed the store just for us, and the mall manager asked Tracey to do an ad campaign," Buffy replied.

"Which I am not doing, by the way," Tracey replied, sounding exhausted.

Serena raised her eyebrows. "Sounds interesting."

"How was school? Where's your dad?" Buffy asked.

"Fine, and driving Connor to LA. He should probably be on his way back by now," the teen said.

"Serena, look what we picked out for you," Willow said, holding out the Macys bag. Just then the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Buffy said, heading for the kitchen. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, is there a Buffy Summers there?" asked an unfamiliar male voice.

"This is she. Who is this?"

There was a brief pause. "This is Tim Williams. You don't know me, but you knew my aunt. Janice Strang?"

"Oh yes, I've known her for years," Buffy said, brightening at the mention of her former mentor's name.

"Yes, she mentioned you often. I'm sorry, but I have some bad news. My aunt passed away on Sunday."

The words hit Buffy like a knife to the heart. She felt a little dizzy, and she grabbed a hold of the counter to steady herself. That can't be. She's only 65! Buffy thought to herself.

"Miss Summers? Are you there?" he asked kindly.

"Y-yes," Buffy said faintly. She cleared her throat. "W-what happened?"

"It was a heart attack. The doctors say she died instantly. I am her only living relative, so I am handling her estate. She talks about you all the time, and there were some things in her house that she wanted you to have."

Buffy sank to the floor. "Okay." She took a jagged breath. "She...she was there for me when no one else was. She inspired me to become a writer."

"Have you been in touch with her lately?" he asked gently.

"Yes. She...she always sends a gift for my daughter's birthday. And I talked to her a few weeks ago. She was fine."

"Yes, it was very sudden. I'm sorry to be giving you such bad news, but I figured that you should know. My aunt thought very highly of you."

"She was an amazing woman," Buffy said softly. She felt the tears begin to fall.

"I wish I had gotten to know her better myself. I live a few hours away...well, I'll be sending the things she left to you."

"Yes, thank you. And I'm very sorry."

"I know. Good night."

Buffy dropped the phone and stared at the wall. She felt like she was in some horrible nightmare. Professor Strang had made her everything she was today. She had encouraged her to go to Columbia, she had inspired her to become a writer, and she had supported her for her entire life, even during her time in North Dakota when she'd been so alone. It seemed like her death had closed the door on a part of her life.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Tracey asked, coming into the kitchen. "Who was on the phone?"

"It's Professor Strang," Buffy replied slowly. "She...passed away."

"Oh no," Willow said softly.

"Honey, why don't we go upstairs for a minute," Tara said, taking Serena's arm. She reluctantly followed her, glancing at her mother with shock and concern.

"What happened?" Tracey asked. She sat on the floor and put her arm around her friend. Willow did the same on the other side.

"Heart attack. That was her nephew. You know she never mentioned a nephew, they must not have been very close," she choked. "I just talked to her a few weeks ago. She was perfectly normal. She asked me about Serena, what she wanted for her birthday." The tears were flowing steadily down her cheeks.

"I remember her, from your wedding, and the movie premiere," Tracey said softly. "She was very kind to me."

"She was kind to everyone," Buffy said. She wiped the tears with her sleeve. "I'm sorry I got this worked up-"

"Don't you dare apologize!" Willow scolded. "We know how much you looked up to her."

"We had such a nice day," Buffy said sadly. "So much for that."

"Is there anything we can do?" Tracey asked.

Buffy nodded. "I'd actually like to be alone for a little while."

Willow frowned. "I don't know if that's the best idea right now."

"Serena will be here. Please, you've done enough," Buffy said.

Willow nodded slowly. "I'll get Tara."

Upstairs, Tara and Serena entered the younger girl's bedroom. She sat on the bed, appearing lost in thought. "I met her," she said suddenly.

"Professor Strang?" Tara asked.

Serena nodded. "When I was twelve, and we took that trip to North Carolina to visit Stacey and her family. We had lunch. She was really nice to me. She always sends me a birthday present. Last year it was a book of poems." She smiled sadly. "I love poems. Like my dad."

Tara put her arm around the sad girl. "It's very sad, what happened. But I think your mom needs you to be strong right now. This is really hard for her. P-professor Strang was there for her when she was very alone."

Serena nodded. "I know, who am I, all teary eyed because I met the lady once, and my mom knew her for years."

"It's okay to be sad when a good person leaves us," Tara consoled.

Willow knocked on the open door. "Tara, Buffy wants to be alone right now. We should go."

Serena stood up. "How's mom?"

"She's been better," Willow said. "Bye Serena."

"Bye." Willow and Tara smiled sadly and left.

Tracey hugged the two girls in the hallway. "It was great seeing you guys again. Check in on Lynn- I mean Buffy for me, okay?" Tracey still called her friend Lynn sometimes. Old habits die hard. That had been the name she had been going by when Tracey had met her, after all.

"We will. Bye," Willow said. They parted ways.

Tracey entered Serena's room, and set her hastily packed luggage down. "Bye diva. I'll call tomorrow and check on your mom."

"Bye Aunt Tracey." Tracey followed Willow and Tara. They said goodbye to Buffy, who convinced them again that she was okay, and then they left, Willow and Tara in their car, and Tracey in a cab. She'd given her limo driver the day off.

Downstairs, Buffy sat on the couch, deep in thought. She strained to remember images from her classes in North Dakota, where the kind older woman had taught her so much. But the images were blurred. Remembering something, she crossed the room to the shelf of photo albums. She scanned the row and selected the decorated white one from her wedding day. She flipped past the photos rapidly until she found the one she was looking for. It was her and Professor Strang, all smiles, at the reception. Buffy realized that this was probably the only photograph she had of her, other than her college yearbook. But that was just a black and white photo. This was the Professor she remembered: the kind, smiling woman who had inspired her so much. She smiled. That had been such a wonderful day. Everything had been perfect.

She went to replace the album, and a sheet of glossy paper fluttered to the floor from the shelf. She bent to pick it up. She turned it over and her heart stopped. She closed her eyes as a flood of pain washed over her. She fingered the sonogram, and let her mind bring her back to the day it was taken.

November 5th, 2014

"Well, everything appears to be perfectly normal," the doctor said, as she scanned the machine over Buffy's stomach.

Buffy grinned and squeezed Angel's hand. "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Do you want to know?"

"Yes. We were surprised with our first, and my friends will kill me if they have to have a yellow or green themed shower again," Buffy said with a laugh.

"Well, it appears that you are carrying a healthy baby boy," the doctor said.

Angel stared at the screen. "He's so small and perfect." He looked at Buffy. "We're going to have a son!"

"I know," Buffy whispered.

Later, they drove home in the car. "So, now that we know the sex, any thoughts on a name?" Angel asked.

Buffy smiled. "Well, I had an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"What?" Angel asked.

"I was thinking...that maybe we could name him Liam. You know, after you."

Angel smiled. "Wow, that would be great. I'd love that."

"We're going to have a son! Everything is going to be so perfect," she said happily.

Present

Buffy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. She quickly replaced the sonogram among the albums.

"Buffy?" Angel called softly.

"In here," Buffy called back.

Angel came in to the room, a sad expression on his face. "Come here. I'm so sorry."

Buffy melted thankfully into his arms. "Let me guess. Tracey?"

"She just wanted to make sure I knew," Angel said quietly. "Now, whatever you need, just tell me. If you want to go to North Dakota for the funeral, I can make all the arrangements-"

Buffy shook her head and stepped back. "No. She wouldn't expect me to go. I don't want to leave Serena. But it would be nice if we could send flowers."

Angel nodded. "Done."

"I think I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap. I'm suddenly very tired," Buffy said softly.

Angel rubbed her shoulders, concern etched on his face. "Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "Just order the flowers, okay? Get the nicest thing they have, I don't care how much money." He nodded.

"If you want to talk later, I'm here," he said kindly.

Gee, that's funny, you'll talk to me about this, but you still haven't talked to me about losing our own son, and it's been over five years! "Okay." She turned away, then remembered something. "When you talked to Tracey, did she...say anything else?"

Angel frowned. "No. Why?"

Buffy forced a smile. "Just wondering." She had to be sure that her friend hadn't mentioned Buffy's desire to discuss Liam, because right now that was the last thing she wanted to do. She headed upstairs without another word.

She entered the bedroom and sat down on the bed. For a moment she did nothing. Then she became aware that Serena was watching her. She looked up at her daughter. "Hey mom. Are you okay?"

Buffy trembled. "No. I'm really not."

Wordlessly Serena walked over to the bed and put her arms around her mother. They sat there for a very long time, unmoving. Buffy realized with a start how similar it was to what her daughter had done on that terrible night.

March 30th, 2015

It was well after midnight when Buffy and Angel returned home. They hadn't spoken a word since they left the hospital. Buffy felt as if she were moving in slow motion, like this was all some terrible nightmare and she would wake up and feel Liam kick and everything would be okay again.

Her mother came to meet them from the living room. "Buffy! There you are. I was so worried, you were gone a really long-" she stopped, noticing the expressions on their faces. "What happened?"

"Joyce, we can't talk about it right now. Can you please just go," Angel said flatly.

Joyce frowned with concern. "Buffy? What happened?"

"Mom, please just go," Buffy said, trying to stop the tears from falling. "I just can't right now."

Joyce looked helplessly at Angel. Finally, Angel took her arm. "I'll tell her. Go to bed Buffy. It's late." He spoke tonelessly, and his face was glazed over, expressing no emotion. She watched as he lead a bewildered Joyce outside. Buffy sank to the ground as she heard Angel speaking softly, painfully. She heard her mother make a strangled noise. Angel spoke for another moment, her mother argued quietly, and then finally she heard her car start, and disappear down the street. Angel reentered the house. Buffy looked up at him. Her tears caught in her throat and she brought a hand to her mouth. She began to sob loudly. Angel sank to the ground and put his arms around her. They stayed there like that for a few moments. Buffy felt moisture on her shoulder and realized that Angel was crying as well. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him cry. She actually didn't know if she ever had.

"Mommy?" Serena asked from the top of the stairs. The small 9 year old watched her sobbing parents sadly, holding her stuffed animal and playing with the hem of her nightgown.

"Come here baby," Buffy sobbed. Her daughter walked to her, not saying another word. Buffy could tell that she knew, that somehow she could sense what had happened and knew that it was best to be quiet. She was so wise for her age. Buffy pulled her into her arms between herself and Angel, and the three of them sat there for a long time, even after the tears ceased to fall.