Title: The Truth Hurts

Author's note: Been a while huh? Yeah, I know. I suck. Just try and refrain from throwing any large objects in my general direction. Evil glares will do quite fine. I'm very open to them.

Time for a little memory jog, also known as previouslies. Last week... ok, give or take a few months, on 'Family Ties' –

Thoughts were now currently running rampant within Angel's mind. What was he doing? She's up there with her boyfriend and father for crying out loud. He shouldn't interfere. Let her be. It wasn't his place to come between Buffy and Riley and it definitely wasn't his place to drop the bombshell of news he had learned from Mr. Preston on her, especially considering the circumstances.

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"Honey, is there something wrong", came a voice from behind her. Angel looked up to see both Riley, wheeling a suitcase from behind and Buffy's father make their way to stand at her side. He'd been so caught up in seeing Buffy that he'd only just notice now her two companions.

---

Angel looked down at her and wished he could take her in his arms right there and then and save her from the pain that was about to hit her dead on. "I don't think it's my place to tell you Buffy", he told her, lifting his head, his eyes landing on Hank Summers who by now was filled with rage, his jaw tight with fury.

"You son of a bitch!" And before anyone could react, Buffy found herself being moved aside and Angel found himself on the floor, his lip busted and Mr. Summers standing directly over him. "This has nothing to do with you. Stay the hell out of my affairs, do you hear me".

The lobby fell silent as hotel staff and guests alike slowed to look at the man spread out on the recently buffed floor. After an initial shock, a flutter of whispers commenced, all asking the same questions. 'What's going on?' But since no one felt it was there right to interfere and barge into affairs they had nothing to do with, the whispers continued from a far, answers to the questions of variations being uttered.

Hank Summers growled his disapproval and took two hulking footsteps toward Angel, whom he was dead set on pummeling. Angel, for all his seeming nonchalance, quickly picked himself off the floor ready to defend himself if it came to that.

"Daddy!" Buffy screamed, running over to stand between her father and Angel. "What are you doing? What the hell is going on and what the heck has gotten into you, she let out aggressively.

Mr. Summers eyes were red with fury, all his focus on the man he had so recently punched. His nostrils were expanding and receding like twin bellows, his rage he suddenly found harder and harder to control.

"Honey, get out of the way so you don't get hurt", he told his daughter eerily calm.

"Um, lets see… no! I won't get out of the way so you two can act like two cavemen and commence in a beating the hell out of each other ritual. Firstly, Angel hasn't done anything to deserve this and secondly, you're turning two shades of red and I'm just afraid you're going to give yourself a heart attack. So lets just go back upstairs to the hotel room and I can get you something to drink".

"Yes Yes. Best idea I've heard all week", Willow jumped in, making her way to stand to the side of her best friend. "Mr. Summers, you really don't look too well."

Settling down and getting control of his emotions, Hank Summers looked to the two young women in front of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like this. I assure you that I'm perfectly healthy. I'm fine. I think it best if we all just gather your belongings and just head home right now."

Buffy turned a glance in Angel's direction. The words he spoke earlier playing over in her head.

'I think your daughter has the right to know the truth about who her real father is'.

Swinging her gaze back to her father, she said "Sure. But first, tell me what Angel's talking about".

"What's going on"?

"Dunno. I was in the back when everything went down. Hey Charlize, what happened?"

"Drama, that's what. Lots and lots of it"

"Ok, well then spill or do we have to beat it out of you"

"Lets see. I was at the front desk, when I noticed a little commotion happening. Some words were exchanged between Angel and the older fella. Couldn't really hear everything, but it has something to do with that blond chick over there. The little petite one next to the red head. Apparently, the older dude is not her real father and Angel seems to know who is. I'm thinking Angel was planning on spilling that bit of information and older guy wasn't having any of it."

"Who's the cutie in the bunch?"

"Not sure. He came in with the older guy today. Could be his son, though the way he's looking, or rather undressing the blonde chick with those sparkling dark eyes of his, I'm thinking, he's not her brother. Could be a boyfriend or a potential one".

"Hmmm! Boyfriend you say? Wonder why Angel is looking at her the same way he is. You guys, I'm sensing a love triangle here."

"Love triangle?"

Yah! Stop looking at me like that. I can sense this stuff. Remember in grade school when you were dating Logan Powell? Now, remember when I told you to be watchful because I thought he might just have the hots for Veronica Meyers? Wasn't I right? And didn't that little bitch steal your man at that? Exactly, so believe me when I say, I can sense this stuff"

"You know, she just may be right. Christine and I were gossiping the other day and she mentioned that Angel stopped by the hotel a few days ago. Said he went up to some girls room and didn't leave until the next morning. I'm guessing the girl in question was little miss blonde gal over there."

"Oh my"

"Yeah, my sentiment exactly. Only thing better would be if Cordelia was here right now. The drama would increase ten folds"

"You're kidding me. She's still into him after all this time? I thought she got over that by now?"

"Nope. That girl will forever be in love with Angel, not that I can blame her. He's mighty sexy"

"Ain't that the Gods living truth"

"Quiet. Something is happening"

"What? What's happening?"

"Well if you'd shut it, maybe I can listen and find out huh"

"Holy crappers! Did she just…"

"Yep. She slapped him alright. If my eyes didn't see it, then my ears sure heard it"

"Damn. She just slapped the other one too. She's on a roll. You think if I cross my fingers, she'd go for a third and slap the boyfriend too?"

"Oooh, she's storming off. Ten bucks says the red head follows her"

"No way. My money is on Angel"

"Forget that… Daddy Dearest is gonna be the one to follow".

"Ha! Ya'll owe me 10 dollars each. Everyone knows that it's always the 'girlfriends' that follow to lend the supporting hand. What movies have you guys been watching?"

"Not the ones you have, that's for sure"

"Obviously. Oh look. The stare off contest just started. It's just like the male species to glare down each other as if it's gonna prove some sorta point."

"You think we're gonna have a brawl on our hands. I'm telling you, the face on all three of them are fierce and kinda scaring me a bit. Charlize, do something"

"Me? Why don't you do something. You work here too you know".

"Oh for the love of bunnies. You two are impossible"

With that, Marry-Ann excused herself from her two friends, quickly making her way over to the three men standing in the foyer, the stench of their animosity filling her nostrils.

"Hi there", she spitted out nervously coming to a halt at Angel's side. "You've got a phone call… back there… away from here", she finished with a nervous giggle.

"From who?" Angel asked

"I'm gonna say your um… sister. Yep, that works"

"Something wrong?"

"Don't really know, so why don't you just come with me and you can talk to her yourself and find out."

Mary-Ann led Angel away with a sigh of relief. He was probably gonna have her head when she told him that there was no phone call, but she figured, it was better than the alternative.

Buffy cried her eyes out in her friends' arms. The second time today that she found herself doing it.

"He knew all this time and never told me. I can't believe he would keep that from me. How dare he."

"I know. And I want to tell you that he might have a good reason for it, but I can't even think of one that would excuse what he did. But at the same time, he's your father Buffy and you can't hate him."

"Oh, I can hate him. I can hate him pretty good. In fact, I'm hating him a whole bunch right now."

Rising from the bed, Willow walked over to the dresser, pulled a handkerchief from the draw, gave it to Buffy who blew into it with ferocity. "Thanks"

"No problem. That's what best friends are for".

A silence permeated the room as the two sat on the bed, Buffy's head resting on Willow's shoulder. They sat there for a while in quiet until a knock at the door was heard.

"Go Away", Buffy yelled in aggravation.

"Buffy, sweetie. Open the door please. We need to talk", came the voice of her father, standing outside her hotel door. Willow looked to Buffy who in-turn gave her friend a 'don't you even think about it' look. The red head however disregarded the look and walked over and opened the door.

Hank Summers strode into the room. "Willow, do you think we can have a moment?"

Taking the hint, Willow excused herself from the room, leaving daughter and father alone.

"So, let me guess. You've come to give me some lame excuse as to why you kept the truth from me all this time, is that it? Cause you know, if it is, save yourself the time cause I really don't want to hear it", Buffy said with as much venom as she could muster.

"Honey, you may not want to hear it, but right now, that really doesn't matter, cause I'm afraid I'm gonna have to tell you. There really isn't anyway around this. I never wanted you to find out this way and in all honesty, I never wanted you to find out at all."

Letting out a gasp of astonishment, Buffy eyed her father in disbelieve. "Is this your idea of an apology? Cause let me tell you, it's sucking like hell big time. All this time, after I've asked you directly about my biological parents, you lied to me and said you didn't know, when in reality, you knew all along and never planned to tell me at all. Am I close?"

"You're actually more than close. You're pretty much accurate. I never wanted you to find out and if circumstances hadn't played out the way they did today, I would have continued to keep the truth from you. The reason being, that the truth will probably hurt you far more than the lie you were living did"

"Come again?" Buffy said confused. "If you're going to tell me that my real father is dead, then don't worry about my feelings. I'm a big girl. I can take it. I've pretty much come to terms with that possibility, so whatever it is you need to tell me, just say it and get it over with."

Hank Summers stood silently still, looking into the face of the daughter he raised since she was a baby. The face of the woman he loved dearly with all his heart. The face of his little girl he vowed to protect from the first moments he laid eyes on her. It killed him now that he was about to break that promise. He could no longer protect her from the truth and it broke something in him deep down. And for the first time since he lost his wife, he cried.

Buffy Summers in all her many years living had never witness what she was at this very moment. Her father was crying in front of her. Real tears. Tears born from real emotions. It was something foreign and it frightened her to the core. "Oh God. Tell me now"

He took a hand to his face, wiping away the tears that had fallen, before looking to his daughter once more. "Buffy, your father isn't dead. He's alive and well and has been a part of your life since birth. He's been there for your first words. Your very first birthday. He was there the day you learned how to ride a bike and he was there to help you up when you fell off. I was there when you had your first boyfriend and when you graduated from college. And I was there when you got your first job and when you got your first promotion and I'm here right now."

The sudden change from 'he' to 'I' wasn't lost on Buffy as her world went into a tailspin. Her brain became numb, all feeling in her limbs gone. She plopped down on the bed, with her head hanging. This wasn't happening she told herself. This can't be happening she pleaded.

"Honey, I'm sorry", she noticed her father kneeling at her side. "I hope in time, you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. It was my decision to keep the truth from you. Your mother…"

"Oh my God. Mom knew?"

"No, your mother didn't know. She had no idea, but that doesn't matter because she loved you as if you were her very own."

Buffy raised from the bed, knocking her father aside who had still been kneeling by her side, in a fit of rage. "What do you mean it doesn't matter. Of course it does. It matters because you not only lied to me, you lied to mom too. You lied to both of us?"

Hank Summers rose slowly from the floor, lacking the strength to try and defend himself. Firstly, he realized he couldn't. There was nothing he could say to make himself not seem like the bastard he was. He knew it and he could tell that Buffy knew it as well. Never-the-less, he had to try. "Sweetie, you don't understand. It's complicated. Things were complicated back then".

"Try me"

That, he hadn't expected, but apparently, she wanted to know and he'd be damned if he'd lie to her anymore. The truth may pain her greatly and possibly destroy what bond they have left, but there she stood, tall, hands crossed at her chest wanting to know, so he figured he'd tell her everything, starting from the beginning.

"Your biological mother was 17 when I first met her. She was lovely. Just an image to behold. You look strikingly like her. Her name was Jillian McKay and she lived in this small town. I do remember the first time I saw her. I was quite smitten from the start."

"And where was mom in all this?" Buffy interrupted, the rage in her eyes burning deep making them flicker with heat.

Hank exhaled heavily and answered. "Your mother was home, waiting patiently for me to come back from a routine business trip. She never knew about Jillian.. I loved Joyce very much. I did, but I found myself drawn to Jillie. That's what I used to call her. Jillie. She was so delicate, so young and things happened so fast. The next thing I knew, I was falling in love with her. And then before long, she became pregnant with you".

Hank tried to gage some sort of reaction from his daughter, but all he saw was hatred and anger all directed towards him. He couldn't really blame her one bit, so he continued. "She wanted to be a family, but I couldn't give her that. There was Joyce and I couldn't leave her no matter how great my feelings were for Jill. I loved your mom and I loved Jillie and I had to make a choice. So, I told Jill that I wanted nothing to do with our baby… you, and that once you were born, I'd have my lawyers find you suitable parents who would love you like you were their own."

"Why didn't she just raise me on her own? Why didn't you let her do that?" Buffy cried, heavy tears cascading down her face.

"Buffy, by that time, she was only just 18 years old. She had no family, no job, no real way to support herself, let alone a child."

"So what? She just let you take me away from her like that without a fight? Did she even want to be a part of my life? Did she see me after I was born? I don't understand how you could have a child and just forget about them like that. I don't…"

"Buffy, honey…Jillian died giving birth to you. She didn't forget about you at all. She loved you more than life itself. If there is one pure truth in this world, then it's that. Your birth mother, she loved you very much.

Suddenly, the room began to recede in on Buffy and it became a battle to breathe. "Oh God. I need air". With that, she ran from the room, leaving her father in a state of self- loathing.

To Be Continued…

Ok, so there ya have it. The mystery is solved. Now tell me, did anyone see that coming? Come on, show yourselves and I'll give you a shinny penny. Ok, fine. A shinny quarter, you little greedy miscreants. Sheesh! And um, remember when I said this would be the last chapter? I lied, cause well, I'm a liar. It's a thing I do. You guys should know that by now. But on the real tip for shiznizy, the next chapter is definitely the last one