Buffy snapped out of her ample trance and tried to cover it up with a strong hug around the vampire, "I missed you so much…and…" she pulled back quickly. "And…you never told me about Lara!"
Angel let out a long breath as he tried to look inside. "Can I come in Buffy? I'm sort of in a hurry."
"Sure." Buffy said as she opened the door and let him come in. "Angel. I met someone yesterday. And I'm pretty sure you know about her. Our daughter. Lara."
Angel nodded. "I know. That's why I'm here. Lara ran away and I knew that she was coming here. She wanted to meet you but…well she wasn't aloud too. You're not supposed to know about her…the powers that be made it clear."
Lara appeared in the room and stopped dead in her tracks. "Daddy! I-I can explain. I w-was just getting to know um…the slayer. I'm sorry I ran away. Lots of demons to be killed, right Buffy?"
Angel kneeled beside Lara. "Sweetie, I told you the information could hurt your mother. It's not everyday you find out you have a daughter born with magic powers."
Buffy raised her eyebrows in shock. "She has magic powers?"
Angel turned to Buffy, "She can freeze time, hear thoughts and distract her enemies." He turned back to Lara. He looked into her shiny blue eyes and noticed them start to well with tears. Perhaps they were from fear, he thought, but Lara was never usually afraid of anything. "Lara, I want you to get in the car now. I'll be there in a little to drive you home okay? Your mommy and I need to talk about some things, okay?"
Lara frowned, "But mom was going to take me to the mall."
Buffy smiled at her daughter, "It's okay Lara, I'll go with you some other time."
Lara smiled back, "Okay. Bye daddy. Bye mom." Lara grabbed her bag from on the floor, gave her mom a huge hug, and ran out the door as quick as lightning.
Angel and Buffy shared a long silence looking around and at each other. Buffy felt like yelling at him but she knew it would be irresponsible to act so crazy. She was an adult now and she should act like one too.
Angel stuttered after the unbearable silence, "I-I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I promise."
"It's hard for me to think about us having a perfect moment. But I want to remember Angel! You could've at least given me that."
Angel nodded, "I'm sorry Buffy. That wasn't my decision. The Powers that be wouldn't allow it."
Buffy stuttered, "B-but…but I'm not destined to be with you. What happened…. it was an accident! Now I have to face being a parent with you for the rest of my life, but I won't actually be with you?"
"Buffy I-I do want to be with you. You know I do. It's just, it's not…I can't go back on my promise to them. I made them turn back time because without me being immortal, we would have never survived the upcoming battle." Angel crossed his arms nervously, looking around, his cheeks as red as a tomato.
Buffy pursed her lips, "So you're telling me that you took back that special day just so you could protect me? Angel I don't need protection! I'm the slayer! I can take care of myself! I don't need a bodyguard following me everywhere I go. And if I choose to have one, it would never be you. So don't try and act like my savior. Cause' you're really not." Buffy glared into his eyes for a few moments before running angrily upstairs.
Angel tried to call out her name, but she had disappeared into her room and he stood there feeling regret and guilt rise up inside his body.
Lara walked briskly to the door and stared at the abandoned room, "You coming Dad?"
Angel's head dropped lower, his mind repeating Buffy's words like a broken record. "Yeah, I'll be right there."
Lara looked at her father as if trying to read his thoughts. "You know if you weren't a vampire you'd make my powers a little less complicated." Lara rolled her eyes with frustration as she walked back to the car.
Angel cracked a smile but the words continued to play in his mind and he knew there was no way Buffy would come to L.A. without his forgiveness. He had to do something about their situation.
Angel thought about his next move, as if strategizing how to ask a girl out. He paced the floor, his long coat swishing back and forth.
Finally, he stopped, standing completely straight. His eyes looked warm as if he had finally figured out a really difficult math problem.
He slowly trudged up the stairs so he wouldn't make a commotion, which was hard since the stairs he walked on were a little squeaky.
He approached her door and knocked lightly upon it, grimacing with hope Buffy wouldn't smack him in the face as soon as she opened it.
The door disappeared with a swift blurry motion and Buffy stood across from him her arms folded, her blonde hair lightly bouncing around her shoulders, "What do you want?"
Angel replied, "Buffy I'm sorry."
"Does it make you feel better to say that or is it just supposed to make me feel better?" Buffy said angrily.
"Buffy I know what I did. I know it was wrong, but on that day you agreed that it was best for the both of us if we turned back time. Sure you weren't ecstatic about it. Neither was I. But it was a life or death decision and we agreed to take it together."
Buffy could sense he was lying about some of this. She raised her eyebrow inquisitively, wishing she could read his thoughts. "So, I actually made the decision with you, did I?"
Angel opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He thought about it for a second before opening it again but the voice inside of it remained mute. Buffy enjoyed watching Angel fumble around for words. It made her feel superior to him, and it also meant that she was right. Angel finally spoke. His eyes looked as if they were about to fill with tears, "Buffy like I said, I'm really sorry for not telling you this sooner. But I swear, if I had had a choice, if things had gone better, I wouldn't have taken back the best day of my entire life, and I definitely wouldn't have excluded you from it either."
Buffy took in his words, fishing for a false word in his sentence to prove him wrong, but she realized all he said was reasonable, and she herself let a tear of admiration pass her cheek. "I forgive you." She smiled sweetly and Angel's eyes widened in surprise. "I understand that your decision was difficult. Heck I'd probably do the same if I had the choice."
"Really?" Angel raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Buffy smirked, "Nah, but I would consider the decision if somebody explained it to me a billion times."
Both laughed at the warm and friendly joked and the two finally felt comfortable again. Buffy smiled after wiping the tear from her left cheek. "So are you going to keep Lara out there all day?"
Angel smiled as his eyes went from the front door to Buffy. "Actually I was kind of hoping you could come with us. If it's not trouble for you of course."
Buffy nodded, "Sure, as long as Dawn, Willow, and Xander can come with us then I'm fine."
Angel agreed to her request and the two started down the stairs towards the front door.
Buffy halted quickly before going out, "Shouldn't you take the sewers? It's daylight."
Angel chuckled underneath his breath, "I thought you might say that. I know a warlock who temporarily charmed me so I could walk in daylight. He knew I was worried about Lara so he did me a favor."
Buffy nodded, "Okay, that makes sense. So…we don't have to worry about finding you a tribal box for you ashes?"
Angel laughed as they walked out the door into the gleaming sunlight.