Title of Chapter: Conversations
Author's Notes: Thanks to all those who've reviewed. Gracias. mystjade, I would give you more Willow/Oz action, but I don't particularly write them well, specifically Oz, hence they are far and in between. rIcHgRl thanks for quelling my wonderings in regards to 'Simple Plan'. Preciate it. C'est Magnifique, not even close, or maybe close enough. Need to keep you on the edge and all. Hee hee! ChampionOfLight, glad you enjoyed the A/N's. I was wasted during a few of them. Regan, Buff buff and all you other 'update soon' individuals. Here ya go. Another chapter, sooner than originally planned.
Author's Note 2: This lil diddy of a fic should be wrappin up in 1 or 2 more chapters. Promise!
"What exactly are you trying to tell me Rose?"
Endlessly time passed by it seemed, but she had to tell him… or did she? It wasn't too late. She could easily change her story around, or just leave. Turn around and walk out of the room. She suddenly became obsessed by the fear that Angel would read the truth in her face and stop her from leaving with a barrage of questions she would never be able to answer. But the questions swirled in her mind like dry leaves in an autumn wind. "I don't know exactly what I'm telling you myself. All I know is that your mother and Jillian McKay had an affair and that in itself leaves to a profusion of assumptions".
A weighty silence fell between the two. Head held low, Angel's brow creased in contemplation. He began to go over everything in his head. His childhood. His parents' behavior around him and his sister. Was it all a false pretense, created by the two, his mother and father to show the world, to convince themselves that they had a great marriage? Were his happy memories just really all a lie? He searched his brain, dug far deep into his memories for any indication to correlate with what he knew now. Sensing the intent gaze that laid on him for the past few seconds, he raised his head to meet the caring eyes of Valrose. "Stay here", he rounded off, finally breaking his brooding silence, rushing by her and out the door, closing it on his way out.
Hurried feet took him down the long hallway, around the corner and to the elevator, carried him in, led him out two floors down and placed him at the threshold of a closed door. Not bothering to knock, he grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open, walking in, a fierce determination etched into his features. "Buffy's parents… her real parents; who are they?" he demanded, not caring that his tone was both hard and severe and not one to be used with the person sitting calmly at a desk directly in front of him.
"Angel, nice of you to drop by", William Preston returned, disregarding Angel's question all together, raising from his chair and making his way around the oak wood desk he had specifically shipped in from Germany, to stand by the side of the younger occupant. "I was just discussing your whereabouts with a colleague. Seems that your dealings with the Trenton case has garnered you some very high praise and a few admirers", he paused for a bit to take in the severity of the creases adorned on Angel's forehead, then went on feigning clueless-ness to what might be troubling the young lawyer. "Work related of course", he finished with a lazy grin.
"Mr. Preston", Angel began, his jaw tightening, turning around to keep a visual on his employer as he pulled open the cabinet door to the small bar, grabbed a bottle of chardonnay and poured himself a drink. "Did you hear what I asked you"?
Taking a sip from the glass in his hand, William turned to regard Angel. "Yes, I believe I did hear your question. Had something to do with Buffy's parents I recall… correct?"
"Yes it did"
"Ah, I see," William murmured, his voice leveled giving no indication of his meaning. "So, you're curious as to whom gave birth to this young woman who've and I'm assuming here, that you've only met once at my house if I recall", he finished, his intrusive gaze dragging to the left to lay upon feminine hands curling the edge of the door frame to his office.
Seconds followed, and Angel turned to the sudden creak of a door to see Valrose entering, her eyes darting from one man to the next, unsure now, if coming down to this office was what she should have done. It however was too late for second guesses.
"I'm sorry to barge in," she started, her gaze falling on Angel. "I know you asked me to stay downstairs but…" she faltered and her eyes inevitably made its way back to Mr. Preston. "I'm really sorry. I had to tell him. I… he and Buffy…"
"It's ok Rose," William interrupted, his hand raised to quiet her words. "Can you give Angel and I some private please. You can go back down to work".
Valrose took in those words, back stepping out the door she so recently entered, giving Angel a last fleeting look of sympathy and a plea for forgiveness, before extending a hand to take the doorknob in her palm and pulling it closed. Standing outside the door, she lowered her head in reflection of the past 2 hours and hoped Buffy would extend a hand of forgiveness as well.
"Willow, hey. What are you doing here? I thought you had a breakfast thing with Oz"?
"I did, but I've been thinking that of all the time we've been here, you and I haven't really spent that much time together and I felt guilty. I'm your best friend, and I really haven't been there for you, especially during a time like this. I don't even know how things are going," the red head finished with a look Buffy had to smile at.
"Well that's good, cause I really need you right now," Buffy muttered, trying her best to hold back tears, stepping up to her friend and throwing herself intoher best friend'sarms. Dried eyes became a waterfall, and Buffy held Willow closer taking comfort in the embrace.
Willow tightened her hold on Buffy, mentally battering herself for her lack of awareness of what Buffy had been going through these past few days. She'd been so caught up with Oz, that her best friend 'something is wrong' meter was malfunctioning. This morning, she'd gone up to Buffy's room to check up on her, see what was the what, and when no sign of her was present, Willow had decided to call Oz, reschedule to breakfast, headed downstairs where she sat in the lobby for the past few hours waiting for Buffy to show up.
"What happened"? Willow finally verbalized, breaking the embrace to take Buffy's tear stained face in her hand.
"Nothing," Buffy choked out. "That's the problem". "No one is willing to help me, no one seems to know anything and the one person that I thought could help me, refuses to".
"What? What do you mean?"
"I mean… remember that midwife I've been trying to get a hold of for the past few days. Well, I finally got to talk to her face to face, and she refuses to tell me what she knows, and I know she knows something, but she just won't tell me". Shaking her head to heave off her annoyance, Buffy fixed her eyes on Willow. "This is just so frustrating. To be so close to having these questions, that you've had since you can remember, answered, yet coming up short. And to make matters worse", Buffy continued lifting her hand in aggravation, only to fall back into the couch that sat at a corner of the lobby, "is that Angel managed to show up at the hospital, and there I was, a complete wreck, and I treated him awful and I didn't even mean to and after all that's gone between us, he must think I hate him, which of course I don't, but…"
"I'm sorry, but can you go back a few words and start from there," Willow interrupted.
"What?" Buffy raised her head to gage Willow's question
"All that's gone between the two of you? I'm pretty sure I was present most of the time you're encounters happened and it wasn't an 'all that's gone' sorta deal, unless you've neglected to do some serious sharing, by the way, which is stated in the rule book of 'best friends' to share every and all details that takes place between said best friend and hot guy best friend might or might not have the hots for".
"Oh, so you have that rule book too huh? Did you by chance read the passage where it states that said best friend should make the effort to inquire some?"
Willow raised her hand to consent to defeat. "Ok, fine, I give, and I'm really sorry. Beyond sorry even, but I'm here now and I'm inquiring so spill"
With the trail of tears still evident on her face, Buffy laughed. "Well, I guess I should start off with the big thing. Ah… Angel and I…"
"No way. Really. That's… Wow! When?"
"That night you asked me to go to the Bronze with you and Oz and I said no".
"Wow"
"Yeah, I know"
"So…"
"I kinda got freaked out by the whole thing. I do technically have a boyfriend and as technical as it can get, I cheated on him with Angel."
Flopping down next to Buffy on the couch, Willow put an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, that technical stuff kinda stinks sometimes doesn't' it".
"Beyond the telling of it"
Relaxing into the contours of the sofa, Willow sighed as her eyes took in the solemn expression on her best friends face. "So, what do you want to do now?" she asked, ready to abide by whatever came out of Buffy's mouth.
Eyes slipping closed, Buffy mulled over those words. 'What to do now' indeed. She had no desire to meet up with Valrose again. Their conversation earlier that day was far more trying than Buffy had imagined it would be. To be honest, it took quite a lot out of her and she lacked the want to repeat it. Features grim, Buffy came to the conclusion that perhaps her father had been right all along. Her quest to find out the actualities of her heritage was simply imprudent especially when both he and Joyce had provided for her so well. With that final assessment, she sat still, eyes closed, waiting for that great weight to modify its unremitting dwellings upon her slender shoulders. She sat and waited. Nothing happened. The weight still remained. That need to know still lingered. The want was there. The desire stayed gingerly resting on her shoulder, front and center. Sighing softly, she came to another conclusion. Her father may have been right, but that didn't change the fact regardless, it was something she had to do. Something she needed to know, if only just for her own knowledge and contentment. And trying was contentment enough for her. If anything, when she looks back to this time, when the questions of her heritage swirl in her head, she can quell them with the verity that she tried. With those last words speckled in her thoughts, she slowly lifted her lids as heavy as they were and opened her eyes.
"I think it's time for us to go home".
Eyes narrowing, William gawped in Angel's direction. "So what exactly did Rose tell you?" he asked, slowly and deliberately turning his back to Angel to take in the view outside the window.
Jaws tightening, Angel took steps, until he found himself by William's side. He turned, his gaze landing upon the man he came to admire quite a bit over time, despite his hardnosed reputation, which if Angel was honest with himself, was earned. "She told me Buffy's real reason for being here. She also told me that my father and Buffy's mother were together at one point in time," he released with a heavy sigh and figured if he wanted answers from William, his best chance was to be forthright. "And since Buffy and I have been…", he paused, thinking of the best possible wording to follow "…together as well", he settled with, "you can see why I'm very adamant about knowing the answer to the question I'm going to ask once again". "Who are Buffy's parents"?
A thick silence enveloped the room, the sound of the leaves from the trees flapping in the wind outside the window, the only sound to be heard. For an endless moment, Angel's question hung in the dry air waiting for someone to show it attention. Finally, though suddenly, that silence was broken. "Your father was faithful, extremely and utterly faithful and loved your mother dearly. I don't want you to ever doubt that", William finished, turning his gaze on Angel. "And I know what Rose told you and she believes what she knows to be the truth. After all, your mother herself revealed this all to her I'm sure". A soft laugh, hardly audible to the inattentive ears, escaped his lips. "I however did try to explain the reasons behind their friendship, and let it be known, a friendship is all it was, to your mother, but she was hard headed as ever and refused to believe me, not that I blame her of course. I wasn't the trustworthiest of people, in your mother's eyes.
Angel took this all in, waiting a few seconds before he spoke. "I don't understand", he said simply.
"Of course you wouldn't", William returned, taking this moment to gently lay a hand on Angel's shoulder. "And to be truthful, you don't need to understand. This is something that was between your mother, father and I and it's going to stay that way, but for your own fulfillment, I'll tell you this. Your father and Buffy's mother were simply friends. Nothing romantic in nature happened between them, which obviously leads to the answer to your question. With that, I must say that whatever relationship you and Buffy have regardless of what I just told you, I'd really think twice about taking it any further".
Relief washed over Angel. Buffy and he were not related and his father never cheated on his mother. But even before he could take any comfort in those revelations, there he was confronted with something else.
"Why"?
"Because", William began before the ringing of the phone cut him off. Sighing once, he walked over to his desk and retrieved the phone and put the receiver to his ear. "Hello", he answered. The aggravation building, William gritted his teeth and listened to the person on the other end as his gaze brushed over to the dark haired lawyer, who was trying his best to feign aloofness, but failing miserably. Angel observed the exasperation in Williams's features as he talked on the phone, though the question of why William of all people had seemed against the liaison between Buffy and he, still loitered in his head.
"Wait a second. Where specifically are you?" William continued with the phone conversation, his eyes tearing away from Angel, his focus now completely engulfed with what was being said on the other end of the phone line.
Hissing into the phone with annoyance, his heart increased in rhythm, William turned his eyes to Angel for a brief second once again, only to turn from him in the same manner as before. "I told you I had it under control", he spat his voice lowered, though it did little to deter the conversation from reaching the ears of the only other inhabitant of the office. Eyes slipping close as a grimace washed over his features, William sighed into the phone. "The Preston Inn", he exhaled before hanging up the phone, turning to Angel and noting his lack of ease dropping without detection techniques.
"I was never really any good at that far back as I can remember"
"Yes, it's quite obvious, though regardless, I bet you're wondering what all that was about", he ended, glimpsing back at the phone. But I'll do you one better. You've been told who Buffy's mother is, but I bet you are also curious as to who her father is as well?
Eyes widening, Angel felt his muscles tighten. His thoughts drifted back to only a few hours ago and his encounter with that woman who in such a short period of time had the ability to make his heart race, just by the mention of her name alone. He remembered her devastated look as Rose had walked away from her, the sadness in her eyes, in her demeanor when he had tried to comfort her with little success. This, finding out what he knew now and what was about to be revealed to him, he inferred, would mean the world to her. And with that, he said, "Tell me".
To be continued…
bitch slaps a few readers
To think that I would have Angel and Buffy be half siblings? Disappointed I am in you. For shame! FOR SHAME! That is all.