6. A Talk and Privet school

AN: Was the last chapter that bad? I got no reviews. So I despretly need reviews this time. This chapter is divided into two separate smaller stories: A Talk, and Privet School.

2015- Stella is 14

A Talk

If you were on the Santa Monica boardwalk at 1 am on June 14th 2009, you would have seen a couple sitting on a picnic blanket.

An older woman, kissing her young lover in the dark. You might wonder why they were there in the dark. If there love, was forbidden, because of there age difference. But then you would see the young man eye's: dark, and deep, museum worthy eyes. Was he really young? Or was it just the light playing tricks on you.

If you listened to them as you passed them by, on your nightly jog, or on a pizza run, drunk or sober, you would have heard theses word's (after there lips parted) "what comes next?"

You might have believed the question to be rhetorical, if you heard it out of context, you would have been under the impression that it was trivial.

The question was none of the above. It was a women (willow) asking a man (angel) how they should raise a child (Stella), that was not there own. Should they tell there daughter, about her biological father (Spike) had gone all the way to Africa to a get chip (his one link to humanity) removed from, his scull after Buffy had dumped him?

How spike killed Buffy's friends off one by one. First Zander and Anaya as they walked down the aisle. Then Dawn as she left her school. Finally Giles as he left his girlfriends house one Saturday morning. He tried to willow, but her magic, and Buffy kept her safe.

Then he killed Buffy. He killed her because he could. He killed her because she had denied him access to Stella, his daughter who had loved once. He killed her because she had broken up with him (if not for their break up he would have never gotten the chip removed). Spike killed her because he had loved Buffy once, yet she had never loved him.

How could two parents tell the child that they loved but did not make, that her father was now a monster?

Sometimes Angel wanted to tell Stella, sometimes Willow did. But they both always knew that it wasn't the right time, that it never would be. So after a few minutes they returned to something they did understand kissing.

To most passerby's that was all that they would ever be, an odd couple who didn't have a worry in the world, and liked to kiss and eat in the wee hours of the morning.

Angel POV

I was sitting in the coffee bean and tealeaf (a coffe shop chain) on the corner of Tyler and pine. Sipping a gold coast blend, and drawing in my notebook. It was another picture of Buffy of course, although this time I had turned her into a fairy, complete with a rose petal bikini.

Stella should be out of her scrapbboking class in a half an hour, and I was stuck here in till then. I flipped the notebook pages searching, for the next blank page.

After I found it, I began to draw willow. She was admittedly more real, raw, and harder to draw, but just as beautiful. I drew her face first, then her body, clothed in a fifty's waitress uniform. Then on a whim I added the words eat at martyrs in a retro font to the top of the paper.

"Excuse me" A man's voice, interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes" I said in a tone of voice that made it very clear that I was not a person, who casually chatted with strangers.

'I couldn't help but notice your drawings, they are beautiful"

"Thanks" I said in a gruff voice

"Have you any formal training?"

I was tempted to say does Le Academy in Paris during the 1930's count? Instead I said no. He was probably, trying to recruit me to teach at some cheap, last-a-week art school.

"I know this might seem a little odd, but would you like to try your hand at advertising? I pay well."

"Excuse me" I said, taken aback.

"My names Jake Comber. I run an, advertising company called Your Face Hear, We need a good artist, hears my card." He handed me his car and I nodded

"Maybe someday,"

That's when Stella arrived, her class had let out early because, ms marquiz, had a bit too much bud lite, for lunch.

Willow, POV- AN Remember Willows pet name for Angel is Liam

Liam woke me up in the middle of the night with all his tossing and turning. Finley I rolled over, and kissed him. he quitted down for a second, and I started to drift off to sleep when he spoke "IT'S bothering me, Stella gets accepted to the best private school in California, and we can't afford it. that makes us the worst parent's, in the history of bad parents."

"No, " I said. "We will let spike take the title of worst parent" immediately after the word's exited my mouth, I regretted them.

Instead of apologizing profusely (I had tried that before it hadn't worked) I said "We are just moral that's all. If only we could use are secret super powers then she would be head girl, me with my super hacker poweress, and you with your vamp strength, could be expert thief's"

"Actually" Liam said "I am not the best thief in the world, but mugging's never out of the question"

"Well there's always robin hood"

Angel didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. There was a momentary lull, and then his body began to shift again, if angel was an expert at anything it was brooding.

"I got a job offer last week, before Stella was accepted" His voice broke the silence. "I got Cordy to check up on the company online, and they are legitimate. So I phoned them up, and enquired about my starting salary. " there was a minute long pause. "It would be about, 45 thousand, Dollars a year, to start. Now I know that's not enough even with the partial scholarship. But I have a little saved away."

Liam paused, usually I'm the one who rant's. But I guess a lover that occasionally steals my shtick isn't that bad "What is the job?"

"Advertising, I would draw pictures to illustrate ad campaigns"

I nodded, He should take the job, In spite of his reluctance, he could help the helpless on evenings and weekends. He might even enjoy the change after so much, demon slaying, and stalker stopping monotony.

"I can always get a job too." I paused for a second, and then I remembered the obvious conundrum "But Angel how are going to go to work, you'd get sewer all over your business suit".

I could feel Angel smile in the dark "that's the best part, my new boss was willing to let me work from home."

Next Chapter: Stella's POV, Spikes return, and a move. Please review this chapter to read the next one.