Chapter 8
Buffy looked around her, sighing. Behind her, Faith was jumping up and down, trying to take in as much as possible of the beautiful country side. Walking along the lane towards the inn they had booked a room at until their new house was ready, Buffy began to think about the last ten years of her life. Ten years ago, she never would have imagined that she'd one day be living in a small village in Ireland, but now, nothing seemed more fitting. From a hardened, tough young girl, running away from an abusive past, to a troubled young nurse, Buffy had matured into a 29 year old woman, and mother, and while the spark had never left her, it had been tamed somewhat. Yes, Galway was the perfect place for the woman Buffy had become, and the small house that Buffy had worked hard for over the years would be perfect for her and Faith.
One thing was for sure. Faith would never face the problems Buffy had run from. 'The only thing missing from her life is a father, and Lord knows I was better off without mine,' thought Buffy, trying to ignore the pain that she felt whenever Angel came into her thoughts. Shaking off the memories, Buffy grabbed the hand of her excited child, and steered her gently inside the inn. O'Connor's, it was called, and was part of the reason Buffy had chosen to stay here. She knew that was a fairly common name in Ireland, and besides, Angel lived in America as far as she knew, but she hadn't been able to resist booking a week there until their belongings had been safely moved into their new home. Walking over to the bar where a young redhead that reminded her of Willow was working, she received their key and lead Faith upstairs to their room. After Faith had fallen asleep, tired from the long journey from America, Buffy went downstairs, where she started talking to the young barmaid. Her name was Jessica, and she was one of the O'Connor family, daughter of Jenny O'Connor and Rupert Giles, the owner, an attractive older, British man, who had preferred his wife's side of the family, and as such named the inn for her. Deep in conversation, Buffy never noticed the man with spiky brown hair and dark chocolate eyes that had entered and gone upstairs.
"Pop! This is Buffy, our latest guest. She's stayin' here with her daughter, Faith. Come and say hello, and bring Ma with ya." Jessica's Irish brogue rang out across the bar, and Rupert and Jenny smiled at her exuberance. Walking over to the small blonde, Rupert remembered something his nephew had said to him about his stay in America. More specifically, about a blonde nurse by the name of Buffy. While Angel hadn't been very forthcoming with details, in his usual taciturn way, Rupert knew his nephew, and had caught the emotion in his voice. Shaking off the thoughts, he decided to get to know this woman – if she was indeed the blonde who had captured his nephews heart, (and how many people went by the name of Buffy anyway?) then he wanted to be around for the eventual fall-out. Especially if she had a daughter…
Within five minutes of talking to Buffy, she had captivated Rupert and Jenny. And, when a refreshed Faith came bounding down the stairs, they were all the more entranced. The Summers women wove their spell around the Giles' family, and when Buffy excused them, saying they needed their rest as tomorrow they had a long day of moving ahead of them, Rupert, Jenny and Jessica all found themselves offering their services, and that of Jessica's fiancée, Xander. After Buffy protested, Rupert insisted. After all, it was a Sunday, and they would not get much business on the day of rest. And any that they had, his nephew would take care of it. Careful to avoid mentioning Angel by name, Rupert assured Buffy that they would not take no for an answer. Smiling at her new friends, Buffy took her half-asleep daughter into her arms, and headed upstairs. For long after she had gone to bed, Rupert and Jenny sat up, as Rupert told her Angel's story of the blonde nurse in Sunnydale, his suspicions that this new young woman was indeed Angel's Buffy, and, after meeting her daughter, his thought that maybe their might be more to Angel's story that meets the eye…
Angel lay in his bed at the inn, tossing and turning. He'd felt a strange pull in his stomach since he had got back from visiting his grandmother. Trying to ignore the odd feeling, he rolled over, and eventually fell into a fitful, dream filled sleep. Only tonight, his dreams contained the normal blonde, but in the background, also out of reach, he could hear the laughter of a little girl…
