Life seemed to more or less fall into its new version of normal as time went on... both of them doing their best to move forward, heal from everything that had gone down back in Sunnydale. Buffy felt as though she could almost relax again, breathe a little easier with how much progress seemed to have been made with her and Angel since shit had hit the fan and they had decided to give this another try before ruining it all, all over again.
Being a mother, being a family with Angel, completed her in ways she couldn't have ever imagined. It felt like the cliched saying everyone had said to her during her pregnancy about it would be like watching part of her heart walk around outside of her body. It may not have been the easiest journey to get her, but it had absolutely been worth it, there was no denying that.
Which seemed to be a pretty good summary of everything between her and Angel since they'd wound up back in one another's life once again.
That wasn't to say every moment had been easy but over the past couple of weeks with adjusting to having a newborn baby in her care but they had fallen into a pretty good groove with some hints of a schedule happening lately.
They had established a pretty good routine for naps and Lindsay was starting to sleep a good amount through the night which helped with some of that crankiness that had popped up beforehand on her end. Lindsey had taken a break from work to help out, she was sure it had more to do with wanting to get them out of his house more than anything else but she wasn't going to fuss either which way.
She was ready to be in their new home, too.
The house was just about move in ready, they'd already started setting up most of the downstairs with what they had to work with and had purchased new. The upstairs was dealing with the last of the painting issues and then once it was dry she was excited to get the nursery and such set up in the new house. Finally.
Of course, the downside to where they were now was a trip back to California was hanging over their heads. As good as things seemed right now, she couldn't help but worry about how it would go when they got back to Sunnydale. Angel was going already to deal with some of the case against Darla and that was enough worry... for everyone... then there was going to see their friends which was a huge aspect to look forward to. The house felt daunting though, especially to go back to it after all this time, and with Angel... she was sure no matter what there would be bad vibes about entering through that door the rest of her life.
Hell, she was half tempted to make sure everyone knew she would only enter through the house from a backdoor or something just to avoid it.
Packing up whatever was left over to bring back to their new house, having boxes and bags filled with what Xander, Willow and them had already stored away for her felt heavy in its own right as well. She would love the unpacking and putting everything in its new perfect place around the new place but it was such a step in her mind all the same. Leaving that house behind had never been easy and she'd faced it more times now than she would have ever felt prepared for.
Angel was focused most of the time on getting the house in order and when he wasn't busy with it, she ate up all the extra time they were getting to just be together as a family. There was nothing on this planet that made her heart swell more than watching Angel with Lindsay. He was just as made for this life as she, just as she knew he would be. He had been so terrified he wouldn't know how to do any of these parenting things but he was so effortlessly perfect as a father.
He hadn't said much about it but she knew their upcoming trip was making him a little anxious as well, perhaps even more than herself. Especially with the back and forth discussions they kept having about taking Lindsay or not. That town had not been kind to him, Darla being that close to their child set both of them in a tailspin, locked up or not, they worried how she would handle all the changes... but being away from her was just as terrifying.
OoOoO
Yawning, for about the tenth time, Angel rubbed his eyes, his hand patting the small back of Lindsay as she was trying to fall asleep on top of his chest. "We should get a dog."
Buffy's eyebrow raised. "A dog?"
"Yeah. Or a cat, or something, you know. Have someone for her to grow up with."
"You have never once wanted to get a pet," she laughed.
He shrugged. "I know, I just keep picturing her playing out in that big yard with a little protective dog. And with everything we've been through a little extra security like that doesn't seem like the worst idea either."
Climbing onto the bed, Buffy turned before laying down beside him, closing her eyes and picturing it her own self. "I think that could be doable," she finally decided.
"Really," Angel asked, carefully shifting to wrap his free hand around Buffy, tugging her closer until she got the hint and pillowed herself against his chest. Glancing down, he looked between the two loves of his life and briefly wondered for the hundredth time how he ever thought he could survive without this, without them.
"Ya," she whispered, gently tracing the curve of Lindsay's cheek. "But I am not in charge of the potty training," her eyes left their daughter to look up at him for a second. "That part is all you mister."
He chuckled, leaning down to brush his lips across her forehead, "Deal.".
OoOoO
As they had expected the trip to California had been no easy feat. Not yet ready to leave Lindsay behind, and knowing the backlash they would suffer from everyone if they had, this chose to bring her with them, and needless to say caring for an infant in the midst of everything else they were dealing with was draining to say the least.
Of course the gang helped. Willow, Tara, and Cordelia could hardly keep their hands off of her, though Buffy honestly wasn't sure Angel would classify that as help. Over-protective was an understatement when it came to his little peanut, and she could tell watching her be passed around had caused his blood pressure to skyrocket.
Regardless of everyone's good intentions they had quickly realized how tough traveling with a baby was, especially with switching time zones and all. Each of them felt like any progress that they had made in regards to getting her on a schedule was sure to be obliterated the time they got back home.
Luckily Xander had surprised them, he'd hired movers once their dates to visit were set in stone. By the time they arrived in Sunnydale, all of their belongings from both the house and the storage units were loaded and ready to be driven back to Oklahoma by the drivers Willow and Tara had chipped in to hire. After all the stress and worry they hadn't even ended having to step a single foot in the house. Which she was beyond grateful for, but on the night before they left Angel had asked her if she at least wanted to drive by to say a final goodbye of sorts.
Reluctantly she'd agreed, and here days later she still wasn't sure how to put into words how it felt to be sitting outside that house with both her child and her husband. Some part of her had expected to be sad, they had shared so much inside those four walls, good, bad, and ugly… That house had been witness to their highest highs, their lowest lows, and without question the most traumatic experiences of their life. They shared so many hopes and dreams behind that little square window on the corner, most of which never had the opportunity to come to fruition, but sitting there looking at those white pillars, at the physical embodiment of her past, the realization dawned on her that she wasn't losing anything, not really.
Her mother's house was not only still standing, but it was being inhabited by a couple who were not only happy but madly in love and ecstatic to finally have a real home of their own. Unlike her and Angel, there were no clouds of darkness hanging over their heads under that roof, and that's what her mother would have wanted.
Angel had turned to her, and with tears in his eyes he had asked her one last time if she was sure he was what she wanted. If she was certain that leaving Sunnydale, her childhood home, her friends was really worth it, and though there was a heaviness in her chest she couldn't help but smile as her arms flew around him, pulling him as close as she possibly could inside the vehicle. Any doubts that she'd still been holding onto seemed to drift away as she whispered how much she loved him that night, as she told him that she wanted to go home, to their home.
If she had learned anything over these last few years it was that sometimes the past truly did belong in the past. There would always be questions, or things that didn't quite make sense, but she couldn't really expect anything different knowing that their lives had been driven by such a psychopath for so long.
Their lawyers had told Angel that his presence wasn't needed at the actual hearing, but the dates aligned, and he had chosen to go. Even in handcuffs, neither of them trusted the woman in the same room as their daughter, so they had left her with Willow and Tara over at Cordy's place. Angel wasn't especially thrilled to know that Xander may be left alone with her unsupervised, but she had managed to do a little special convincing the night before and eventually he conceded.
Ten years, that was all that deranged woman got. Saying it had been a shock was an understatement, especially since both their lawyers and the arresting officers had all but assured them that she wasn't someone they would ever have to worry about again. Apparently it was true, when it came to sex crimes the law didn't come down nearly as hard when it was a woman at fault.
As terrifying and disappointing as the sentence was, her and Angel tried to look on the bright side. Darla would be forced to serve eighty-five percent of her time behind bars before she was even eligible for parole, and once she finally was released it would be considered a felony if she ever purposely contacted either of them again. Her stomach still churned when she thought of the possibility of that woman ever seeing the light of day but Angel kept reminding her that they had at minimum eight years before they truly needed to worry, and hopefully by the point the super skank would find some other poor soul to torment.
OoOoOo
Checking the new video monitor one more time, Buffy pulled it just a little closer to the bed. It was their first night in the house, and Lindsay's first night in her own room. Uncle Lindsey had thrown a fit as he helped get the last of their things moved over when he found out that they planned on her actually using her own room. He would never admit it, at least not to her but she was pretty sure he couldn't imagine his life without that little girl in it either.
He had tried everything he could think of to convince Angel to let him take her for the night, but Daddy wasn't budging. Which had ultimately resulted in a screaming match and Lindsey stomping out the house only to show back up an hour later with a brand new video monitor, that also monitored the babies breathing and the temperature in the room. Both her and Angel had tried to explain that the monitor they already had was just fine, but his stubborn ass wasn't trying to hear it, huffing and grumbling under his breath as he went about setting the new one up, triple checking it his own self to make sure all was absolutely in working order, and making sure each of them knew how to use the damn thing. Buffy had tried to explain the little one was only on the other side of their wall and it was really going to be fine... but he wasn't hearing a single bit of it.
Buffy wouldn't have been surprised if Lindsey had wound up insisting on spending the night his own self but after dragging his leave out for hours there at the end, he had in fact left to head home with probable intent to disinfect every inch of the place since she and Angel had been staying there together.
Watching the sleeping form on the screen, she did have to fight the urge to get out of the bed and go grab her up for some cuddles. Smiling, her finger danced across the screen before she did tip in her direction to take a quick peek, hearing the shower turn off as soon as she met the doorway.
Her heart felt more at peace than it had in a long time, she was so happy they were finally here. Not everything was as set up as she hoped in her mind but it was perfect, so many wonderful people had worked so hard to get them in and things set up enough for it to feel and look like home. She could already imagine all the memories they could make inside these walls.
Everything had felt so go-go-go when they had taken off for Sunnydale and as they gathered their belongings, dealt with all things Darla, and just tried to enjoy their little group of friends and family while out there, then coming home and getting items squared away or at least hurrying to get boxes in the house, in the garage, close enough to get them as needed anyhow... Now that they were here for their first night it seemed rather surreal.
OoOoO
The days turned to weeks and on into months passing them by, both so slowly at times yet flying by too fast for their liking as Lindsay grew like a weed, gathered more and more attitude it seemed by the day. The tension that came from everything Darla had put them through eased off by leaps and bounds, no longer feeling like a dark cloud hanging over their heads, always waiting for another shoe to drop. As much peace had been found with what had come to pass as was going to.
Buffy wasn't so sure if Angel would in fact ever go back into the workforce after all, after the months grew longer and how he had taken to just being at home with her and Lindsay full time. He, of course, still managed to find a multitude of various projects to keep himself busy and kept saying he planned to find something with more relaxed hours than what he had been dealing with at Wolfram And Hart but now she'd just give him a little smile and leave it alone.
She sure didn't mind the extra time together, that was for sure. It was nice to have the extra attention, the back up when she might start to feel overwhelmed, or when she was sick and she could trust he could handle holding things down on his own while she healed up. She loved being able to just randomly ask if he wanted to go do something together as family and getting those memories in, how he was there for every major milestone alongside her.
It all just seemed to fit in its perfect place.
She found being away from her friends and what had pretty much always been home easier, too. Of course she missed so many things about being out West but nowhere near as bad as she had expected. The gang had all found endless ways to stay connected, visited as often as they could, too. Lindsey had come a long way with his road to forgiveness, too. He was basically both of their go-to person, not that he overly seemed to enjoy it all the time. It was certainly different than, say, Willow or even Xander, but she had to admit he kept things interesting if nothing else.
She knew if push came to shove where his loyalty would fall but she couldn't expect much else. She wasn't sure how many chances she and Angel had in them but she sure hoped with every ounce of her being she would never have to find out.
OoOoO
"You still with me," Angel asked, rolling them back over so he was in control again. One of the many perks of not having an office to report to everyday was the ability to make love to his wife whenever he wanted. He still fully intended on rejoining the workforce eventually, but for the time being he was focusing on every second, fully soaking in all the little moments around him.
Buffy nodded, her lips returning to his neck, "Always."
Sitting back, he gently pulled her along with him. Softly guiding her legs around his waist, they each gasped at the new depth the position allowed. Her arms draped lazily around his neck, Angel's hands trailed down her body coming to rest at her hips, his fingers biting into the soft flesh, he slowly guided her movements.
It had been months and he'd only just begun to really feel secure, to really trust this universe, to believe that they weren't existing together on borrowed time. They had been through so much, marriage, divorce, memory loss, car accidents, rapes, pregnancy, a beautiful baby, the list went on and on.
Their life wasn't perfect by any means, just like every couple, and probably more than most if he were being honest, they had their good days and their bad. There had been nights full of tears, full of laughter, and everything in between. They fought, they yelled, and they screamed, but he never walked out, and she hadn't let any of her insecurities grab hold of her either. It had taken more than he ever imagined to get them here, and as much as he hated to admit it, neither of them could have made the journey alone. Lindsey, and hell of a lot of therapy had led them to this little bubble of bliss they were currently cocooned in.
He felt her legs begin to tremble, he knew she needed more, but he wanted to relish in the feel of her against him so closely for a few more moments. Her soft breast grazed against him as she struggled to lift herself off him with more force. Taking pity on her, he flipped them back around, coming back to rest above her, his hand slid between them as his lips sought hers once more.
Soft cries fell from her lips with every brush of his thumb, it had taken some convincing but Lindsey had finally managed to convince him to let their daughter go with her favorite uncle for the weekend. Angel had pretended to put up a fight, but in all reality he'd been planning on asking Lindsey to take her for a couple days anyways. He absolutely adored being a father, but there was an entire list of things he'd been planning to do to this sexy wife of his once he got her away from impressionable ears.
Her breath hitched, and he felt her inner walls flutter around him. Letting out a small groan of relief, he angled his hips just a little deeper. Not sure how much longer he could've held on, he fully let himself lose control. Pumping wildly, he felt himself swell even further inside her slick channel before tiny specks of color began flicker in the outer fields of his vision. Feeling that familiar tugging in his groin, he filled her one more time before he lost all control and exploded inside her warm depths.
Panting, he tried to keep his weight off her the best be could as reality slowly began to enclose back around them. Not that she seemed to mind, her arms, still trembling wrapped back around his neck silently holding him in place.
"That, that was wow," Buffy somehow managed between breaths.
Angel smirked, leaning down he brushed his lips across hers one more time. Looking back, he could see a million things that they could have done differently, that probably would have saved them buckets of heartache and pain. But right then, in that very moment, for the first time he wasn't sure that he would change any of it, because although there were times he wished and hoped with everything inside of him never to be repeated, they had all led them to here, and this was the only place he had ever truly wanted to be.
"Happy Anniversary Beautiful."
The End.
ButImBroken:
I need to thank my cowriter Scribes1015 for breathing so much life into Hummingbird and has been endlessly amazing to go on all these twists and turns with, I am forever grateful she asked about doing this co-writing business and made the idea of writing fun again! In the future we have some plans for a sequel for Hummingbird so keep an eye out!