Fixing A Broken Wing

Repost of chapter 1 – it's been slightly revised.

Connor ran around the house naked with his tiny, recently cleaned tushy wiggling. The boy was pretty fast for a two year old. Angel often had trouble keeping up with him as a single parent. He stopped to get a breather, resting his hands on his knees. Outside the mailbox could be heard opening and closing. After he looked at his son, who was now more relaxed and sitting on the floor, Angel decided to go to the door and get the mail. He opened the door and just seconds later, a giggling Connor was out on the pavement.

"Connor, no!" Angel yelled, his eyes wide with fear. Connor could get hit by a car. "Get back here!"

Buffy Summers, a beautiful and graceful young woman was walking down the block when she saw a naked little boy running in her direction. She stopped and kneeled on one knee. She put her hands on his tiny shoulders and said, "Hey there little fella... Where're ya heading?"

The boy just giggled. Angel ran down the steps and scooped Connor into his arms. Buffy got up. "Don't do that again." He said, firmly yet the concern showed through. Then he looked at the blonde woman. "Thanks for grabbing hold of him. It would have killed me if he got hurt."

"The little guy too much to handle?" Buffy laughed which warmed Angel's heart.

"Yeah, he is. He can be a handful at times. It's hard to raise him by myself."

"Oh. . You're a single parent?" Buffy asked with much interest.

"Yeah, his mother kind of bailed on us. You probably wouldn't be able to imagine how hard it is raising a two year old by yourself."

"I'm a single parent myself, actually. My Dawnie is the same age. She's not as energetic I don't think, but she can be cranky... And she growls at people and other kids."

"I'm Buffy. Buffy Summers." She extended her hand to him.

He smirked. "What an interesting name. My name's Angel O'Callaghan," he said, shaking her hand with a firm grip.

His hand touching her made her tingle inside, sending warm sparks through her body and straight to her heart. "Angel... that's an interesting name too." Her smile grew wider. "For a guy."

"What can I say... I'm in touch with my feminine side."

"You're also quite charming," she quietly said.

"I am, am I? Well, you happen to be so beautiful that I think if anyone should have the name Angel it should be you."

Buffy smiled, shyly. "Thanks . . . And who is the little guy?"

"Oh, that's Connor. Conner say hi." Angel looked at Conner.

Connor giggled as he waved his little hand. "Hi-i-i-i."

"Awe... He's so cute! Hi Connor," she waved back at him, then turned back to Angel. "So, uh... I'm not doing anything this weekend. Do you want to maybe go out somewhere?"

"You mean like on a date?" she nodded and he smiled. "How about dinner then, say Friday at 7 o'clock?"

Buffy smiled, "Great, I'll have my friend Willow watch Dawn. If you want she could watch Connor too."

"That's perfect. I'll bring him over to your house... where do you live exactly?"

"Right down the block. House. number 1630. " Buffy added, "Walking distance."

"Convenient." Angel smiled.

"Yeah." Too bad his house isn't right next to mine, maybe then I'd be able to peak inside his bedroom when he's changing or when he's coming out of the shower or... she thought, grinning, Naughty Buffy.

Out loud she continued, "I'll give you my number this way you can call me and give me details on where we're going, so I know what to wear."

"I know exactly where I'll take you. Just dress very nice."

"Okay." Buffy smiled and then dug into her bag, pulling out a pen and paper. She wrote her number and held in front of her. "Here..."

Angel examined it almost as if he were memorizing the digits, incase the paper was destroyed.

"Thanks, Buffy."

"Well, I better get home." She wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek, but didn't. Angel felt like kissing her on the lips. They looked so soft and... Buffy stepped a little closer, taking a quick glance at his lips and then his eyes. "So, I'll be seeing you Friday then."

Quietly he confirmed, "Yeah."

Buffy licked her dry lips. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I." Angel blinked. He really wanted that kiss. A little bit closer and he could do it. Of course Connor was a little in the way. Kissing Buffy in front of him, maybe wasn't such a good idea.

She really didn't want to leave, but they couldn't just stand there all day, so she did what she felt needed to be done. "See ya," she said, pecking him on the cheek and quickly walked away, waving to him from a distance.

Angel grinned like a baby. "She kissed me, Connor."

The following day Willow and Buffy sat in the kitchen drinking coffee. Dawn was safely tucked away in her little Barbie bed, which had a short gate to keep her from falling off. "Buffy, it's been twenty minutes and you haven't said a word besides, 'hey, Will come in. I'm glad you're here!'" Willow laughed. "Would you mind telling me why you're so glad to see me?"

Buffy sighed, dreamily. "I think I've met the guy of my dreams."

"Ooh, do tell." The sweet woman with short, red hair grinned, her eyes wide with anticipation and excitement. Ever since Buffy had the baby and her last boyfriend also known as the delinquent father ditched her, she didn't have time to seek out a relationship. Plus her heart was wounded like a bird with a broken wing. Buffy's wing was broken and she couldn't fly anymore. Willow was like the vet, always trying to fix her best friend's heart, pushing her to move on and live her life. Often, Willow tried to set Buffy up on blind dates, but eventually gave up, yet still hopeful that Buffy might one day be able to reach out on her own.

And she did. "His name is Angel O'Callaghan."

"Irish..." Willow mumbled, pleased.

"Yup. He is so gorgeous. He's sweet, funny, very charming and..." she sighed. "Did I mention hot?"

"Sort of... I think gorgeous covers that." Willow grinned, happy that her friend found someone new. "Could this be love at first site?"

"Mmm... Possibly!" Her face lit up with happiness. "We're going on a date tomorrow night at 7 o'clock. Which is why I need you to help me pick out a dress. Also, would there be any chance you could baby-sit Dawn and Angel's son Connor?"

"He has a son too?" She exclaimed, "This is so perfect! How old is he? And yeah, of course I'll baby-sit."

"Thank you so much, Will." Buffy looked relieved since she kinda already told Angel she would. "He's also two. He's a really sweet kid. I'll warn you though... I think he has more energy than Dawn."

Willow looked at her proudly, "Oh, don't worry. I can handle myself with the little rascals. I can't wait to meet this guy. Now, let's go up to your room and find something nice for you to wear."

Five minutes later and a bed covered in dresses on hangers, Buffy yelled, "Oooh! Nothing's right. They're either too dressy or not dressy enough."

"Did Angel say where he was taking you?"

"No." Buffy frowned, feeling helpless. "He just said to dress very nice. Guh! Don't guys know they have to be more specific than that?"

Her friend stated simply, "He's just a guy." Calmly, Willow continued, "So we need a dress that is in between pretty nice and very fancy. A dress that if you go to a place that isn't so fancy you won't look overdressed and one that won't make you look underdressed if you go to a super fancy restaurant." She sighed, admitting defeat. "We need Cordelia for this one."

Pouting, Buffy squinted at her. "I was afraid you would say that. You know how she shops, whatever she picks out usually tends be way expensive."

Wearing her resolved face, Willow said, "You want to look just right for your date or not?"

Still pouting, she sighed. "Oh, fine. We'll call Cordelia."

Buffy picked up the phone and stared at it, as if hoping a new plan would arise. Then she looked at Willow who waved her hands around for her to go on. Buffy dialed the number. A few seconds later, "Hey Cordelia, It's Buffy... ... Not much except that I have a date . . . . . Angel O'Callaghan and yes, he is a total hunk. I have a favor to ask of you. ... Will you come with Willow and me to help me look for a dress?"

Buffy grimaced, holding the phone away from her ear as Cordelia screeched in excitement. She was so loud, even Willow could hear her say, "Oh my god this is so great... We're going to have so much fun and I'm going to find you the best dress. You won't regret it!"

Buffy chuckled. She won't, but her wallet probably will. "Thanks Cordy. We'll see ya in a little while? ... ... 'Kay, bye!"

She looked at a very amused Willow. "I take it she was excited about the job?" she joked.

"Oh, very." Buffy smiled.

Later, that afternoon at the mall the girls spent a long time in the lady's dress department. Willow was sitting in a comfy chair with Dawn in her lap and watched as Buffy picked dress after dress and every single one got shot down by Cordelia. Buffy pulled out a pretty light blue, dress which went down to the ankles. "What about this one?" She asked, tiredly.

Cordy shook her head, "Nuh-uh. You need a dark dress like navy or black... or like a soft red," she found an all black dress. "Here, try this on."

Taking it from her, Buffy went inside the dressing room and changed into it. It looked perfect on her. The dress was a little past the knees. The hem of the skirt was diagonal from her right knee to just below the left knee. The sleeves stopped at her wrists an inch from her hand. The top left her shoulders exposed.

While she changed Cordelia found another dress that seemed just right for her friend. She held onto it as Buffy came out of the changing room.

"Wow, that looks gorgeous on you, but I have a feeling this is the one." Buffy sighed and accepted the newest selection.

She tried it on and looked in the mirror quickly before coming out. She swirled around for her friends with a big smile on her face. The dress's hem ended right at her knees. From her hips to the bottom it flared outward. The top had a cowl neckline, wrapping around the back of her neck. It left her whole upper back exposed. The dressed fit her nicely, exposing her silky, smooth skin in all the right places and snug in just the right places, showing off her beautiful curves perfectly.

Willow gushed, "Oh, Buffy you look amazing!"

"It's perfect," Cordelia grinned appreciatively. "This is the dress you are getting. Now, you can go change."

With a satisfied grin on her face, Buffy went back inside to change into her own clothes. She came back out holding the chosen dress in one hand and put the other on the rack. "How much is this?" Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she read the price tag. She showed it to Willow, who mouthed 'wow'. "200 dollars... I don't know if I should spend that much."

"C'mon Buffy, this dress is so right for you. Okay, I'll pay for half of it if you want. Consider it like an early birthday present."

"Okay!" Buffy chirped and let out a small chuckle. "If you're paying for half of it then how can I resist?

Once they paid for the dress Cordelia said, "Now we need to get you shoes to match."

Willow smirked, "I knew this was coming. Buffy are you ready?"

She smirked and laughed, "Yup, let's go shoe shopping."