September 1, 2008 – Father of Mine
"I demand to see Buffy and Dawn Summers!" The man in a tan jacket and an over demanding demeanor once again shouted to an increasingly annoyed Xander.
Ten minutes ago this guy had just stormed into the front lobby of Angel Investigations and demanded to see the Summer's girls without cause or explanation. Xander had happened to be in the lobby and was now wishing he hadn't been so he wouldn't be dealing with the angry man standing across from him.
"Listen Buddy, I told you they are not available right now and even if they were I can't go letting just anyone waltz into this building without permission." The one-eyed young man firmly stated, determined to not let some random stranger push him around.
Being slayer headquarters, security into the building was tight as it could get.
"Is there a problem here?" Angel asked as he walked into the reception area, his sensitive hearing having heard elevated voices while he was bringing the kids outside to play in the grass.
"Hey Boss." Xander emphasized the leadership word, hoping this annoying prick would listen to Angel at least and take a hike. "Would you mind telling this guy we don't allow strangers into the building without an appointment? Especially rude ones."
Angel's eyes narrowed as his nose recognizing a familiar scent coming off the guy. Dark brown eyes scanned over the man a moment, examining his features. White male, dark brown hair, blue eyes, early 50's.
"Xander." Angel spoke, eyes still on the red-faced man fuming in the reception area, "Please get me the form for a visitor pass."
The Scooby almost chocked on his surprise, "What? A pass? Why? Who the heck is this butthole?" He managed to curb his swearing with the kids present.
The living vampire turned his un-trusting eyes away from the man to look over at his co-worker, "Hank Summers, Buffy and Dawn's father."
Katie looked up questionably at her daddy as she stood grasping his hand, then at the man standing in front of her, "You're my mommy's daddy?"
Upon hearing her question, Hank Summers looked over shocked at the little girl holding Angel's hand, then at the toddler perched on his hip. His eyes widened as he took in the boy's features, almost a perfect replica of Buffy's when she was little, but as a boy.
"Wha-what?" Hank stuttered, once again looking between the two young children, then up at Angel in denial. "No, my daughter doesn't have children, she's too young and isn't even married."
"Someone's got a bad case of the denials" Xander sang to himself, but loud enough to hear.
"May I ask exactly what your purpose here is Mr. Summers?" Angel asked, already regretting coming downstairs and having the misfortune to meet his until now missing father-in-law.
"My purpose is to see my daughters, and how the hell do you know my name?" He snapped.
"You haven't cared to know anything about them in years, what's so special about finding them now?" Angel insisted, more needing to know for Buffy's sake that his own. Personally, he thought any man who would abandon his children, no matter how old they were at the time, was the lowest of the low. Angel couldn't imagine abandoning his family, the thought of not seeing his children for years was a nightmare.
"Who the hell are you to ask me something like that!" Hank snapped again.
Angel narrowed his eyes and replied testily, "I'm Buffy's husband."
Hank paled a little, his mouth working in surprise but no words escaped. After a moment, he shook his head, "No, no more of this garbage." He stated stubbornly, "I'm not leaving this office until I speak to my daughters."
"You want to talk to us now? Wow, that's new." Buffy's voice commented in a tense strain from behind him.
Hank whirled around, caught off guard as the two young women in question entered into the building from the front door behind him.
Buffy caught her husband's eyes a moment, silently asking him if this guy that looked like her dad checked out. She kept a hand on Dawn's arm to keep the younger Summers from rushing ahead to greet Hank before Buffy knew what to make of him.
Angel nodded, letting her know Hank passed his demon senses, at least the guy smelled right and didn't show any signs of being non-human.
Turning her hazel-green eyes passed to her from her mother to the wide blue ones he'd passed on to Dawn, she broke the sudden silence. "Now that's the dad I know, we're expecting something but not a word from you."
He was caught looking them over, seeing how much his children had grown since he'd last seen them. He was shocked at how womanly they'd become in the years of his absence. After a moment, he registered what Buffy had said and looked up at her, taking in her defensive stance and crossed arms. He knew she was pissed at him, even without seeing the grimace of her lips and narrow slits of her eyes.
"I deserve that look, I know." He admitted, feeling his anger of being denied seeing Buffy or Dawn crumbling under the onslaught of their stony glances.
"Not arguing." Buffy muttered, still waiting for what he had to say after all this time.
"Listen Buffy, Dawn, I just want you girls to hear me out, that's all. You have every right to know where I've been these last few years and why I haven't been here for you. From what I've heard about this business you run, I think you might actually believe me."
Dawn tapped her foot impatiently, her previous child's instinct to run and hug him was long gone and she was above curious to know why he'd suddenly vanished from her life. Not that she'd ever technically met him before if she really thought about it, she wasn't created until after he left, but she did have memories of him and to her relief he seemed to know and remember her too.
"So what's the big news, Dad?" Buffy asked with a thick sarcasm, "You get tired of Spain? Did your secretary finally kick you out? Need money? Or did you just bump your head and suddenly grow a conscious?" Venom was practically dripping from her lips as she spoke.
"Not here." He stated, looking around at the small group of people who were milling about in the ground floor office.
"Fine, my office, upstairs." Buffy ordered, not looking at him as she headed to the elevator with Dawn following a step behind.
Hank hesitantly followed, feeling like his steps to the elevator were a 'walk-of-shame'.
As soon as the doors opened, the three entered the car and rode in an oppressive silence to the top floors.
Once upstairs, Buffy stormed out and directly to her office as the two behind her struggled to keep up.
A few minutes later they were in her office, Hank's blue eyes scanning over the weapons and pictures decorating the walls. His eyes kept coming back to the drawn images of the two toddlers and photos with the dark haired man he'd seen downstairs.
The office door opened and Angel slid into the room, his eyes quickly looking to Buffy's for an approval.
At her nod, he closed the door behind him and joined them in the middle of the room.
Hank felt the hairs of the back of his neck prickle as Angel stood a few steps behind him, like a large menacing shadow.
"This is only for the two of you to hear." He said looking at his daughters and not at the threatening man behind him.
"He stays." Buffy stated in a tone that meant she wasn't going to be persuaded otherwise.
Risking a glance behind him, he found Angel's dark eyes boring a hole into his back.
"Well?" Dawn asked, more than ready to know the reason their dad bailed on them.
Hank Summers turned to look at her, then at Buffy. His eyes dropped to the floor a moment as he tried to gather his courage.
"I um…" He stuttered, suddenly unsure how to tell them, how to even begin to explain.
He shut his eyes and swallowed, then just forced his mouth to move. "She was a Sayona demon."
"Who was a what?" Buffy asked suddenly off guard, wigged he even knew what a demon was, never mind a specific type.
"My secretary, Melissa." Hank answered, looking embarrassed.
"What kind of demon is that?" Dawn asked, unfamiliar with that species although she spent hours almost daily learning and researching.
"Soyona are a type of trickster demon, they are known for luring men to be unfaithful and stealing their willpower. They're beautiful and seductive, making them nearly impossible to resist." Angel supplied.
Buffy sent him a look, "And how would you know that?" She was a little worried about how quickly her husband had answered, aware that if it was a commonly known demon species, Dawn would have read about it.
"It's not from experience." He defended; looking a little annoyed at her accusing expression.
Hank looked between his eldest and the dark haired man across from her, watching with a father's eyes the body language and gestures his daughter used when speaking to him. If the wedding photo of them together on her desk across from him and the matching silver Claddagh bands of their fingers wasn't enough proof they were a couple, the way they had a silent argument was.
With a huff aimed at Angel that said, 'we'll pick this up later', she turned back to her flesh and blood father. "How long have you known your secretary was a Sony demon?"
"Soyona" Angel muttered.
She threw a look at her spouse but immediately turned her gaze back on her father.
His eyes downcast, "I just found out a few months ago, when she...she died." He looked up at his children, "I got quite a shock when I tried to book a flight to Sunnydale just to discover the whole town was swallowed by a giant sinkhole. It's taken me months and a mile long list of private detectives to track you two down."
"Why?" This time Dawn was asking. "Why look for us now? After all this time?"
"Why?" He repeated back, "You're my only family, that's why. That demon bitch used me, had me under her damn spells for almost 10 years. I know I can't blame all my faults on her, but I know I wouldn't have gone as far as I had without her influence." The wind seemed to have gone out of his sails by then and his next words came out slower and more forced. "She used me." He let out a sigh, "No, that isn't entirely right, I let her use me." He jammed his hands deep into his pockets as if he were looking for a better explanation to materialize within. "I think on some basic level I knew what she was, not a demon per-say, but dangerous. I knew I should have been there for you, for your mother, but I let Melissa's…I let her control me. I lost everything I had because of her."
Angel piped in, "How exactly did this Melissa die? Sonyona are fairly hard to kill."
Hank looked up at him, unhappy about now having to answer the question. He looked to his daughters and saw the question reflected in their eyes too. Sighing, he took a deep breath and recalled the event. "Melissa and I were in taking a romantic stroll one night along the river, it was warm out and the reflection of a sleeping Madrid was breathtaking over the water. We were lost in our own little world, until something came out of the shadows. I never saw what it was, but Melissa moved to stand in front of me, she spoke to it, even hissed at it. I'm pretty sure they were fighting over me, I think...I think whatever it was wanted...to kill me...even eat me."
He paused looking uncomfortable.
"They fought and Melissa died saving you." Angel supplied.
Hank shook his dark head, "She died saving her toy! I found Melissa dying, her body was...changing. I finally saw her true face, knew she wasn't human. At the moment of her death, she...melted." He took a deep breath. "Her cloud of deceit began to clear and for the first time in years I had my own mind back. I was grateful to what killed her, I hadn't even known I was a slave until that moment, and I was finally free."
He looked up at them again, "I had feared you two had died in Sunnydale, it wasn't until a few weeks ago one of my contacts sent me a picture of you here in Ohio, I didn't even think about it, I was already on the plane and calling every detective agency in the book." His lips pulled back as a slight chugged escaped, "Little did I know, one of those turned out be be your own company."
They were all silent for a few long seconds.
Shifting from foot to foot, Hank continued, "Look, I don't expect to be welcomed back into your lives, for things to be as they were, but I just… I had to see you again…to see with my own eyes you were alive and well...and I needed to apologize to my girls, to give you the explanation you deserved."
Dawn stood beside Buffy, her eyes teary with emotions. She'd never really met the man baring his heart to them now, but she remembered him none-the-less. She could recall the bedtime stories and trips to the park, inside jokes and tickle-fests, birthday parties and holidays. In her memories, Hank had been a wonderful father to her before her parents divorce and his resulting absence for their life.
"Daddy." The younger Summers found herself saying as she moved forwards, suddenly finding herself wrapped in his arms and cuddled against his warm chest. Everything about him felt right, the way his hands glided over her back in a soothing motion, his scent reminding her of her childhood, the soft words he whispered into her ear as he held her close.
Buffy stood watching with a pensive stance. A part of her wanted to join Dawn in forgiving their father, the other part was still furious with him.
"Don't over think it." Angel suggested from beside her, "Sometimes you just need to go with your first instinct."
Buffy turned to look at him, but he wasn't fooled by the hard shell she was wearing. He knew she wanted to do just what Dawn had done, to go to him and help the wounds he left begin to finally heal.
"He abandoned us." She stated defiantly.
"As he just pointed out, it wasn't entirely his fault." Angel reminded her of the demon controlling him.
She threw back, "His side of the story, we have no proof."
Angel didn't try to push the subject anymore; he could see her mind was set already. He was silent a moment before he said, "No one says you have to forgive him, but at least give credit to the fact he's asking, forgiveness isn't easy to ask for." He met her eyes as she turned to look at him. "I never thought I could forgive my father for what he'd done to me growing up. I thought I hated him, hell I even killed the man to prove it." He looked down a moment, gathering his scattered thoughts. "But to be honest, the anger I'd carried weighed far more than the forgiveness I traded it for."
He gave her hand a squeeze and pressed a single kiss on her forehead, letting her know he'd support her whichever she decided, then quietly retreated from the room to give father and daughters some privacy.
She watched Angel leave, his words swirling in her mind. Her eyes focused on Dawn and her father talking quietly, seeing the smiles easily trading between them and feeling a sharp prick of jealously over being left out.
Her feet moving forward surprised even her. As she stopped a few feet from Hank, he and Dawn paused to look over at her.
Buffy shook her head, "I'm really upset with you and I…I can't just forget."
The older man looked down with an understanding but dejected nod.
He was surprised when Buffy's arms tightened around him and she spoke, "I haven't forgotten about going ice skating, or of story time, or going to the park or beach when I was little. I remember you teaching me to ride a bike and to swim, and taking Dawn and I for ice creams after dinner." She pulled back to look up at him, "I just wish all my memories of you weren't so outdated."
He wrapped his arms around his oldest, "If you'll let me, we can start making new ones as soon as today."
She relaxed against his chest and nodded, Dawn sliding in beside her. "I'd like that, Daddy." The anger wasn't completely gone, but she was willing to give him a chance.
Until that very moment, she never even realized how much she'd wanted this second chance with him, especially now she was a parent herself. Buffy would never get to trade stories or talk about parenting with her mother, but the opportunity to introduce her children to their one remaining biological grandparent had been a deep down wish for her.
…
Angel peeked into the room and a soft smile pulled at his lips when as he watched his wife hugging her father.
He was glad she was finally getting the chance to heal the scar across her heart she'd been carrying since she was 16. He still remembered the devastated look on her face when she told him her father had cancelled their traditional ice skating birthday trip as if it happened yesterday.
He sincerely hoped Hank wouldn't repeat that soul-crushing blow, because if he did, Angel vowed he'd make sure than man could never hurt Buffy or Dawn ever again.
…
The Summers family reunion took place over the next few hours, just Hank and his girls talking about the old days, when times were happier.
Dawn was laughing, "I remember that time we tried filling the bathtub up for the goldfish?"
Buffy smiled and laughed too, "Yeah, mom was so mad."
The temperature of the room suddenly changed as they all fell silent and remembered Joyce.
Hank finally broke the silence, "I'm so sorry I didn't attend the…" His words trailed off, unable to say the word 'funeral' in front of them. It had only been recently he really felt the reality Joyce had died sink in, that he realized his children were alone in the world now.
"We managed." Buffy dismissed quickly, not wanting to go down that road.
Buffy swallowed hard, thinking of Joyce always brought a lump of emotion to her throat. She wished so many times her mother had been able to meet her grandchildren, could have been to her wedding, watched Dawn graduate high school. "Mom was so strong and made the best of everything over the years for Dawn and I." With watery eyes she continued, "Loosing her was horrible, but Angel has helped me realize her strength is inside me too, and I live everyday blessed to have had mom for as long as we did."
Dawn swallowed her own lump and agreed.
"Still." He continued, needing to say the words, "I wish I'd come not only to show my respect, but for you both, it was a trying time and I should have helped you thought it. Joyce was...well she was an amazing woman. She and I had a lot of good memories together, and might have made many more if that demon witch hadn't interfered."
After a brief pause he continued, "Despite the fact I feel terrible about missing everything, I'm proud of how well you two handled your lives. I mean, look at you Buffy, you're all grown up; you're a beautiful woman, a business owner, married and have two great kids of your own. And my little Dawnie, you aren't so little anymore, gees you're damn near as tall as me now! I still remember that little freckle-face munchkin running between my legs with that teddy bear you wouldn't put down, what was his name? Hoppie? Hoolie? My god, I really have missed out haven't I?"
Dawn blushed a little, remembering that Teddy bear was actually a demon sent to kill Buffy when she'd first become the slayer. "Hoopy." She recalled, wondering what ever happened to her executioner turned defender.
After a few quiet moments of silence for the late Joyce Summers, Dawn brought up another random memory to lighten the mood and get the conversation rolling again.
...
When the conversation lulled again, "So, where are you staying?" Buffy asked her father, curious to know how long he was planning to stay in town this time.
Hank shrugged, "I have a motel nearby."
"That's not necessary, you can stay in our house." Buffy offered, a little eager to be sleeping under the same roof as her dad again. "Connor just went back to college, you can stay in his room."
"Connor?" Hank asked, unfamiliar with the name.
'Oops.' Buffy thought, 'here comes an awkward moment.'
"He's Angel's son, from a um... previous relationship." Buffy answered. She loved Conner like her own, but somehow talking about him to her dad made her nervous.
"Oh." Hank blinked, looking uncomfortable and suspicious. "and what about the boy's mother, does your husband still see her?"
Buffy shook her head, "No, she died giving birth to Connor." Its both true, and a heck of a lot simpler to say than bringing up all the vampire parts of the story that went with Darla and Angelus's past.
"So this Angel feller was a single father when you met him?" Hank assumed.
At this moment in time, Buffy had no intention to go over the complicated events surrounding Connor's mystical conception and birth, not to mention how he was a teenager when in fact he was technically born only 6 years ago.
"Hey." Dawn broke in when she noticed her sister's need to get off the touchy subject, "Why don't we go out to dinner tonight, all of us. I can ask my boyfriend to come..."
"Boyfriend?" Hank snapped, eyes wide, "My baby girl has a boyfriend?"
Dawn turned to look at her father with false shock, "Oh I see, Buffy is married with kids and that's fine, but I have a boyfriend and you'll all 'What!'"
There was a moment of silence, then all three laughed.
"I'm sorry Dawnie, I didn't mean it like that. Of course you have a boyfriend, look at you. You're a lovely young woman, smart and funny, it's small wonder you're not married already." Hank admitted, glad his two girls had men who loved them in their lives.
The younger Summers blushed, "Dad, I'm twenty one years old, that's still a little young for marriage."
"Age means nothing if you find the right guy." Buffy spoke up, thinking how she was only sixteen when she'd met Angel. Granted that hadn't turned out to be happily-ever-after at the time.
"You were twenty-three and pregnant when you got married." Dawn jabbed.
Hank turned to look at his oldest, "Buffy, a baby is a poor excuse to get married..."
"Dad, It wasn't like that." Buffy shot back, not wanting her father to get the wrong idea about Angel, "Ok, so yeah, Katie was a bit of a whoops, but Angel and I met when I was sixteen. We dated on and off for a while before he um...we split up for a lot of reasons, but when we got back together, we both knew we were in this for the long haul. He didn't propose because of the pregnancy, and I would have married him even if I hadn't been carrying Katie."
Hank nodded, "Ok, well as long as you weren't forced into anything." After a moment, he look confused then asked, "Hey wait a minute, how old is this Angel of yours? If he's got a son nearly your age, what the hell was he doing dating my 16 year old daughter, he some kind of pedophile?"
Buffy cheeks flashed red, "Angel's um...yeah he's a bit older, but don't make a big deal about it dad, he's my husband and a great father to our kids."
"What's his last name?" Hank demanded, already not liking what he's heard about this guy that married his firstborn. There was something about Angel that made Hank nervous, already he didn't like the guy.
The color on Buffy's cheeks deepened, "Um, well he ah..." She wasn't going to come right out and say, 'well dad he doesn't have one because he's a two-hundred and fifty something year old ex-vampire', so she lied as quick as she could. "He um, grew up an orphan, so he didn't have one. When we got married, he took my last name."
"Is that right?" Hank commented, "So he's Mr. Summers too then?"
"Technically." Buffy agreed, "But he isn't fond of people calling him that, so please just call him Angel."
"Why's that? Is there a problem with our last name?" Hank question, "Is it not good enough for him?"
Not enjoying being drilled about her spouse, Buffy decided to move the topic off Angel. "No dad, he just doesn't like the formality. Anyways, why don't I go get Katie and Liam and you can met your grandchildren."
His dark blue eyes suddenly lit up, "Well, I think I could stand for that." He said with a smile.
Excusing herself, Buffy left her sister to entertain their dad as she headed down the hall to the nursery/playroom.
Upon entering, she found her spouse was missing, but the kids were in good hands. "Hey Willow." The blond greeted her best female friend, who had been keeping Katie and Liam occupied for the last hour or so. After greeting her kids, she sat beside her friend on the floor and watched with a mother's eyes as the two little ones resumed playing.
"Hey Buffy!" The redhead greeted in her usually bubbly way, her smile lighting up her face, "How are things going with your dad? Is he as you remembered? It's not weird and awkward is it? I hope not. Did he tell you why he was a poop face this whole time? Or am I being too intrusive, I don't want to be intrusive."
The eldest slayer grinned at her friend's rambling words, "You're not intruding Willow. I guess dad hadn't purposely bailed after all, turned out his girlfriend was a mind-controlling demon. She died recently and...well he got his free-will back and came looking for us. We've been talking for hours and so far everything is going great. I was just coming in here to get the kids so dad could meet them. Actually, I wanted Angel to come too. Where is he? I thought he was finished classes for the day." She asked, curious as to where he'd wandered off to.
Willow had taken all that in with her mouth almost on the floor, "The secretary was a demon! Oh wow, that's...wow. Well I'm really glad he wasn't just being a poop-face, as for Angel, he borrowed Oz to go work on some special werewolf training session or something. Between you and me, I think they're just off hiding somewhere and talking about guy stuff." Willow shared her suspicions.
"I can see either happening." Buffy replied, knowing Angel and Oz had gotten fairly close over the last few years. True, they didn't really 'hang out' too often, but whenever they found themselves sharing company, both seemed pleased about it. Buffy was certain it had something to due with both men having demons sharing their bodies and having to constantly find that balance between the men and beasts within them. It wasn't the most common condition, and she knew they both had issues with it sometimes, so even though they could both be taciturn to the extreme at times, she was glad they'd bonded in a way neither she or Willow could ever really understand.
"Hear that Katie!" The Wicca addressed the almost three and a half year old, "Looks like you'll be meeting your grandpa Hank real soon." Looking back to Buffy she explained, "Katie had been asking to go see him ever since Angel spoke to him this morning."
"She's a curious little devil." Buffy agreed towards Willow, taking her daughter's little hand in her right and her son's in her left. "Ok munchkins, let's go see grampa Hank."
...
Hank's eyes lit up when Buffy returned with his grandchildren. He'd seen them for a few brief minutes when he'd first run into Angel, but now that he really knew they were Buffy's blood they somehow seemed far more beautiful.
His attention was drawn right to the little boy, who looked so much like his mother it was startling. "Wow Buffy, this little guy is the mirror image of you at that age."
"Hi Grampa Hank." Katie walked right up and introduced herself, eager to get to know the man she'd learned almost nothing about. With the exception of Giles, she'd never had grandparents and was very curious about her mother and aunt's daddy.
Hank took his eyes off the little boy hiding behind his mother's leg and down at the toddler standing before him. The very first thing he noticed was how much the child looked like her father, which immediately dampened her appeal in Hank's mind. "Hi there." He responded politely, "and how old are you?"
Katie held up one hand, three fingers up, "This many."
"Wow." Hank feigned interest, "You're a big girl."
Looking right into his eyes, Katie cocked her head and asked, "Are you repacing grampa Giles? Cus I like grampa Giles, even if he is old and stuffy."
If Buffy had been drinking something at the time, she knew she'd have spit it out or choked on it. The mother in her was appalled, but deep inside, a part of her was laughing. 'Who the heck taught her that?' she fumed to herself, praying she never repeated the words to Giles himself.
"Honey, don't say that about Grampa Giles, it's not nice and would make him very sad." She told the little girl calmly, hoping she would forget the 'old and stuffy' phrase and never speak it again.
Hank looked at his daughter a moment, "I thought you said Angel was an orphan?" Believing Giles was Angel's father.
She felt her cheeks burn, "Giles is..." She tried to find an answer in her head but was having trouble keeping the man she'd thought of as her father these last 10 years in a non-supernatural related connection. "He was my librarian." She fumbled out dumbly, and at Hank's raised eyebrow she continued, "He taught me a lot over the years in High school and well...he was like a father to me."
A well of embarrassment knotted in her gut when she saw her father's eyebrows pull down in hurt. "Oh" He muttered, feeling like he'd been replaced.
"Giles didn't replace you dad, he...he was just there when I needed someone to keep me focused on what I needed to do." She paused and though about everything her watcher had done for her over the years, "He never had a family of his own and well...I needed a father figure while you were...occupied."
The middle aged man nodded, feeling foolish for feeling betrayed, "No, you're right. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you Buffy, but I'm glad someone was. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to meet this Giles."
Buffy smiled, "I'm sure he'd like to meet you too. I'll set up a coffee date for the four of us, Dawn would like to come too, she and Giles got pretty close over the years too."
Katie and her little brother had lost interest when the conversation wandered, so had resumed play mode until Buffy got their attention back. "Liam honey, do you want to meet Grampa Hank?" The youngest Summers was still hiding behind him mothers leg when he was addressed. The little boy looked over at the strange man that had been talking to his mommy then shook his head 'no'.
"He can be shy." Buffy apologized to her father while picking up her son, "This is mommy's daddy, he won't hurt you sweetie."
Buffy sat on the couch beside her dad as Liam watched from her arms, his hazel-green eyes scanning over the man sitting beside him.
"Hi Liam, that's a nice name." Hank smiled at the boy, seeing Buffy in his face.
"Tell grampa that Liam is your daddy's middle name." Buffy tried to get her son into opening up, but the child remained on lock down.
"Liam doesn't talk much." Katie said to her grandfather as she came to stand in front of him, "But I like talking, I'll talk to you Grampa."
"Aren't you the sweetest little thing." He replied, looking her over again. As much as her appearance screamed Angel, her personality was so totally her mother at that age. Always smiling and chatting and saying hi to anyone who would walk by. "You're just like you're mom was at your age." He turned to look at his daughter, "You're mother and I were always afraid you would be kidnapped since you would smile and talk to anyone you met."
Buffy's cheeks turned scarlet, "That's my Katie, friendly and outgoing as can be."
"Do you know any stories?" Katie asked, getting bored and wanting to do something fun.
"Story?" Liam asked from his mother's lap, pulling his thumb out of his mouth long enough for the word to form before shoving the digit back in.
Seeing he found an opening, Hank grinned and thought of a tale he used to tell his daughters where they were small. "You're in luck, I used to tell your mom and aunt this story all the time."
Almost immediately, Buffy knew the story he was telling, remembering it from long ago. A smile slid across her face at the memories it brought back and she leaned back and listened with her children as her father grew animated as he spoke.
...
By the time the story was over, both Liam and Katie were in his lap.
Their eyes big and wide, "Tell it again! Please! Again!" Katie begged as soon as it was over, already ready to hear a encore.
Hank chuckled nervously, really needing a drink of water to cool his parched throat.
"Grampa will tell it again, but not right now." Buffy interrupted, saving her father having to tell the kids 'no'.
She flashed him a smile and thanked him with her eyes. Turning her attention back to the little ones, "Are you guy's hungry?"
Liam jumped down off his grandfather's leg, "Yes!" He yelled, startling Hank. He hadn't seen the boy so energetic yet and this had only been the second time he'd heard his grandson speak.
"Will you join us?" Buffy asked her father.
"I'd love to." He smiled, taking the hand Liam offered him.
...
Angel paced the elevator until it dinged open at the offices on the top floor. The few hours he'd spent training with Oz had gone by in a flash, he'd hoped Buffy wasn't waiting for him too long. He immediately went to the playroom and found it empty. Thinking nothing of it, he went to his wife's office and walked in, "Hey, sorry I'm late..." He stopped when he realized no one was there.
Listening now, he noticed his wife and children's heartbeats were absent from the immediate area, but their scent lingered so he knew they'd been here recently.
Furrowing his brow, he wondered where they'd gone. Buffy's classes were over and knew she was scheduled to have the kids. Pulling out his cellphone, he dialed Buffy's number and waited. A second later the phone rang from the table beside him. Frowning he hung up and looked at his wife's phone before pocketing it, wondering why she'd left it in her office instead of bringing it with her. He checked his phone again and went to his office to find any notes she might have left.
When nothing was discovered, he grumbled and pulled his phone back out, dialing Dawn to see if she knew where his wife was.
"Hello?" His sister-in-law sounded happy as she answered.
"Dawn, it's Angel. Do you happen to know where Buffy is?"
"Hey Angel, yeah, she's right here, hold on." There was some noise in the background, what sounded like silverware on dinnerware and light conversation before Buffy's food filled mouth came over the line, "Hey honey, sorry I forgot to grab my phone. Dawn and I took the kids and dad out to dinner, I hope you don't mind."
Angel had been coming to collect his family to do just that, but shook his head, "No, that's fine, I just wanted to know where you were. Besides, Oz and I grabbed a bite." He lied, not wanting to ruin her happy moment. "Have fun, I'm heading home now so I'll see you when you come back."
"Ok, oh and I took the SUV so you'll have to hitch a ride home with Will and Oz, sorry about that I completely forgot." She said sounding embarrassed.
"Not a problem." He assured her, "I love you."
"I love you." Buffy told back him before he hung up.
Stuffing the phone back in his pocket, he huffed out a sigh and grabbed his coat from his office.
Oz and Willow had left a little while ago, so knew he wouldn't be getting a ride from them. He decided to walk home, it was only a few miles and he figured the exercise and fresh air would do him good. He grabbed some cheap fast food on the way and ate as he walked, not in the mood to sit and eat at a restaurant by himself.
...
Hours passed, he'd been waiting patiently but was getting worried when it was nearly bedtime for the kids and Buffy still wasn't home.
He was out the door and meeting her at the SUV when it finally pulled in the driveway, he was a little discouraged when Hank stepped out of the driver's seat.
"Hank." He greeted, trying to hide his distaste for the man as Buffy jumped down from the passenger seat and went to release the kids from the back seat.
"Angel." Hank returned with the same emotion.
"Daddy! I had choc cake and ice cream!" Katie cheered as Buffy released the tot from her car seat and she raced over to her father.
Picking his daughter up, Angel grinned, "You did? Did you save me some?"
"Nope, I ated it all up." Katie declared without an ounce of remorse. "Besides...it would have gotten all mushy and melty if I didn't." She reasoned.
"Can't have that." Angel agreed, but still it would have been nice to eat cake.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to be so late, but we got caught up talking and forgot the time." Buffy said as she stood beside her dad, Liam walking beside her and talking his grandfather's hand while rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn.
"Not a problem, as long as you had fun." Angel replied, wondering exactly when Hank was leaving.
Buffy looked at her dad a moment then took a few steps to stand beside her husband, "Dad, could you take the kids inside while I speak to Angel for a moment?"
Angel didn't like that idea one bit and turned his questioning eyes to his wife.
"Sure thing sweetheart." Hank replied, but it was Katie who took his hand and declared she was going to show him her room.
When they entered the house, Angel looked to his wife. "So what do we need to discuss in private?"
"Nothing really, I just wanted to tell you I invited my dad to stay with us, Connor just moved back to college so I figured he can sleep in his room for a few days or so." She watched his eyes and didn't care for how they narrowed slightly, "And you're mad, I'm sorry I know I should have told you earlier and I meant to, but he's my dad and we have the room."
"We know nothing about this guy and you want him in our house?" He replied, a little shocked since only hours ago she practically hated the man. He'd wanted her to give her father a chance, not a key to their house.
"Angel, he's not some stranger, he's my dad." she repeated, annoyed at her spouse for being suspicious of her own father.
Seeing any more words from his mouth would only cause a fight, he nodded his head, "Ok, fine. He's welcome to stay in Connors room for a few days."
"Thank you." She smiled and leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek.
He still didn't like the idea, but relented to his wife's smile.
...
Angel found himself with little to do as Hank was helping Buffy get the kids ready for bed. Silently trying not to brood, he pulled Connor's sheets off the bed and replaced them with a fresh set. After, he cleaned his son's room a bit and moved some of the magazines and books into the closet to make it more presentable as a guest bedroom.
He was just finishing when Hank entered the room, a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder. "So this is your son's room?" He questioned, looking at a few college-boy aged posters on the wall and decorations.
"Yeah, he's a senior at Stanford." Angel replied with pride, "Straight A student, valedictorian of his class."
"That's nice." Hank replied, not at all interested in his daughter's husband's spawn.
Angel grit his teeth at the pass-over but said nothing.
"So Mr. Summers." Hank addressed the dark haired man he was sizing up, "How old are you exactly?" Ever since Buffy admitted to him she'd met Angel at 16, he really wanted to know how far that relationship had gone while she was a minor.
"Doesn't seem like your business." Angel retorted, not knowing exactly where Hank was going with the question.
"It became my business where you started a relationship with my 16 year old daughter, there are no statute of limitations when it comes to statutory rape you know." At this point, all Hank cared to know was Angel would have been at least in his late 20's when he'd met Buffy, which was more than enough to file charges.
"Excuse me?" Angel all but growled, "Listen Hank, I understand you're upset over missing the last 10 years of your daughters lives, but Buffy is an adult now, we don't need you nosing into our business. Yes, she was young when we met and I'm a lot older than her, but we love one another and our marriage is solid. I will not have you disturbing that."
"Is that a threat?" Hank shot back, the hairs on his arms prickling.
"No, but it can be." Angel forced his demon to remain hidden, he knew seeing him vamp would really cause issues with his father-in-law.
"I swear, I best not learn you forced yourself on my daughter, that you took advantage of her when she was too young to know better." He knew it, this prick must have slept with her.
Angel grinned inside at that, but keep his face neutral. The Angelus in him was surfacing at an alarming rate. "So is that was this is about Hank? You're upset you missed the 'birds and bees' talk with your daughters? If you're so determined to know, than yes Hank, I was her first. I'm not her only, but I will be her last."
Hearing it was a lot worse than he'd thought it would be. Hank Summer's cheeks were flame red in both embarrassment and anger. "How old was she when you seduced her?"
"The night of her 17th birthday." The living vampire answered calmly, not willing to reveal any details about the results of that night's passion and what the consequences were for is soul.
Hank gasped at the thought of his little girl being lured in while still an impressionable teenager, he should have been there to protect her from the pedophile standing before him, "She was too young to know what she wanted, you should have known better! I should call the police right now and have them arrest you...as a pedophile!"
"It was her choice to make Hank. She was willing, I forced nothing and I gave her every opening to stop if she'd chosen to." Angel admitted, remembering he'd told her that maybe they shouldn't. She'd told him to shut up and pushed him down onto the bed with her lips locked to his, of course she hadn't known what to do after that, but he'd shown her.
"And you've been with her ever since then?" Her father questioned, wanting to know the extent of the relationship.
Angel swallowed, "No, I haven't been. There were circumstances that broke us apart. We dated on and off but..."
"But what?" Hank insisted.
"Bad timing, Karma, shit luck...call it what you want." Angel admitted, "Buffy deserved more than I could have given her at the time, I left to give her a chance at a better life."
Hank jaw tightened, "You took what you wanted and abandoned her. Heartless pricks like you are all the same, you'll get bored eventually and leave my daughter a single mother."
"No, I won't." Angel stated. "I've had a lot of strikes against me over the years Hank, but the circumstances are different now. Buffy literally own my soul, everything I do, I do for her and for our family. What I have with her now means more to me that anything else on this Earth. I know I caused her pain over the years, but I will spend the rest of my life making that up to her."
"I still think I should call the cops on you." The irate parent ground out.
Angel's eyes narrowed again, "Listen Hank, I know you hate me for taking your firstborn's innocence. Regrettably it wasn't immediately, but I did make an honest woman out of her. Of all the woman you've bedded over the years, how many actually meant anything to you? For me, it was one, the one currently in my bed. Judge me how you want, but you will not judge Buffy for her choices. I love her more than anything and if you want to be a part of her life again I'd be happy to welcome you, but so help you, you hurt her again...I will end you."
Hank studied the tall, dark haired man looming over him, and although he still didn't like him, he did believe him. It took a lot for a man to admit to a father about sleeping with his daughter, and Angel had confirmed it without a shred of guilt. Hank hated to admit it, but the creep did seem to be devoted to his daughter and had no problem saying it...or threatening him about it.
Hank didn't say anything out loud, but nodded his head, giving Angel his silent approval as his daughter's choice of husband...for now. Although, he personally hated the prick, he was respectful that Angel was owning up to his past indiscretions and spoke about his child like a queen. Hank had no doubts that Angel would go to great lengths for his daughter. Also Buffy couldn't praise the dick more.
Angel nodded back, internally relieved he passed the 'dad' test but still on edge about the guy. "Night." He bit out as he left the man alone in his son's room.
...
Buffy was just getting into bed when he husband entered their bedroom. She instantly could feel the tension in him, even from across the room. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked worriedly as she sat up and watched him closely.
"Nothing." He sighed out, still wondering if he should have said so much of their personal history to Hank a few minuets ago, especially about Buffy's sex life.
In a second she was out of bed and standing beside him as he was unbuttoning his shirt. Slapping his hands away, she resumed the task of undressing him while interrogating him for the cause of his tension. "That's not your nothing face, so don't lie to me about it."
"Sorry." He replied with a slight grin, humored over how well she could read him.
"What's the smile for?" His wife asked as she slid his shirt off.
"I like when you undress me." He answered, pulling her closer and leaning down to kiss her neck.
She almost let him get away with it.
After a moment she pulled back, "Ok Mr Distraction, nice try, but my hormones are too tired to be fooled tonight. What's bothering you?"
He'd been hoping kissing her neck would have worked, but he could already tell he wasn't getting laid tonight, she wasn't kidding about being tired. Now he felt bad she'd gotten out of bed to speak to him. "It really isn't anything Buffy." He admitted, slipping his sweats on over his boxers and walking with her to their bed, "I just...I spoke with your father for a few minutes."
Buffy was on alert, "And?"
"Pretty sure he hates me." Angel admitted, in fact, he knew it.
"He does not." Buffy denied instantly, sliding next to her husband under the covers, "Dad just doesn't know you yet and he probably feels intimidated about not being the only guy in my life anymore."
'Fat chance.' Angel thought but said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right." Buffy grinned at him.
"Always." He grinned back before planting a chase good-night kiss on her lips.
She settled against the warmth of his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. After a few moments, he heard her heartbeat slow in sleep, but for him rest remained elusive for a long time.
...
The following morning Angel found his job of making breakfast to be already in progress by Hank.
Buffy breezed by him like a kid on Christmas, "You're making you're famous blueberry omelets?" She asked excitedly to her father as she took a deep breath of the kitchen's aroma.
Angel shrugged and headed into the living room, figuring he had more time to spend with the kids before work now he wasn't busy cooking.
He was barely settled when, "Angel?" Buffy call his name from the kitchen as she walked into the living room and stood beside him.
"Yeah?" He asked, holding the toy truck Liam had handed him a few moments before.
"Can you do me a favor? Katie soaked the bathroom floor in her room when I was bathing her, could you wipe it up for me? Thank you!" She rushed without pausing for him to answer, then planted a quick peck on his cheek.
She took the kids into the kitchen with her to "sample grampa's world famous blueberry omelets" and Angel was left standing alone in the living room with a toy truck in his hand. Sighing, he put the toy in the toy box and headed upstairs to dry the floor.
Once he finished up the bathroom, he arrive back down stairs to find breakfast was over and it was time to head to work.
There were no leftovers.
He frowned and ignored the rumble in his belly.
Snagging a poptart from the cabinet, he grumbled and headed out the door where Hank was helping Buffy load the kids into the SUV.
He opted to take the GTX.
"Don't be ridiculous." Buffy warned at him with her hands on her hips when she noticed her spouse was being anti-social. "Angel, we're only driving a few miles, you can ride with us."
Being as sincere as possible, he countered, "We'll have more options available with two cars, like if you want to go out with your dad, I can take the kids to get ice cream. And besides, I haven't spent much time with this little lady in a while, she's getting lonely." He flashed with wife a grin.
"Ok, fine. I'll see you at work." Buffy signed out, sounding annoyed as she jumped into the SUV and Hank easily piloted the large vehicle out of the driveway and around the corner.
Angel scowled, 'Great, she's mad at me and I haven't even done anything worth being mad about.'
...
Usually, Buffy and his schedules afforded them time to see one another during the day, but much to Angel's annoyance, he discovered all her breaks were occupied spending time with Dawn, her father and the kids.
He was beginning to feel left out.
'Don't be an ass, she'd not purposely ignoring you, she's just getting re-acquainted with her father.' He told himself as he sat in his office, bored, while waiting for his next class to start. 'It'll wear off in a few days.'
...
Angel had just finished brushing his teeth that night when Buffy slipped into the bedroom. He smiled when he saw her, as he usually did, hell just looking at her made him happy. He'd barely seen her all day and for the second time in as many days she'd gone out to dinner with her sister, father and taken the kids. He was looking forward to catching up with a little husband and wife time. "Hey beautiful." He greeted, walking over to wrap his arms around her and give her a kiss.
Before he was even close enough to touch her, Buffy yawned heavily with a hand over her mouth, "Hi." She replied, sounding beat as she bee lined to her PJs then into bed.
He stood where he was a moment, silently accepting the fact it wasn't likely he was getting any tonight. "Have fun with your dad today?" He questioned as he sat down on his side of the bed and slipped under the covers beside her, flipping off the light switch.
"Yeah." His wife replied, sliding closer and resting her head on his chest to use as a pillow, "I finished classes early and we went to the zoo, it was magical."
He was glad he'd shut the light, he didn't want Buffy to see the disappointment that filled his face. He'd been thinking about taking the kids to the zoo for weeks now, looking forward to seeing their little faces light up seeing all the animals for the first time. It had been his Saturday plan. "That's nice." He replied in as controlled of a tone as possible, faking a yawn to help hide the fact he was bummed out.
As it turned out, his actions were a moot point, Buffy was already asleep.
Sighing, he shut his eyes but laid awake for a while before he finally fell asleep.
...
It had been three days now that he'd been on the side lines of Buffy's life and been completely bored out of his mind without the kids to distract him. He was looking out the kitchen window into the backyard, noticing the leaves on the giant oak out back were turning a rich gold. A good many had already fallen, leaving the outlines of the branches clearly visible. Angel's dark eyes at first looked to the leaves, grumbling about having to rake them, then thinking it would be fun to watch the kids jumping in the piles.
After a moment, his eyes climbed upwards and he studied the layout of the tree itself. Thinking, he headed outside and took a closer look. Walking around the tree, he visualized it in his mind, adding lines and calculations.
"That could work." He said out loud, picturing in his head a great project idea to help fill all this unwanted free time.
Pulling his cellphone from his pocket, he dialed Xander's number.
"Xander." Angel addressed when the call was answered, "I need you to get me in touch with a good lumber supplier."
...
The days went by, the next just like the last.
Angel spent far more time working on his pet-project than he would have liked, solely because there wasn't much else to do.
Hank planned a weekend trip for the family to some theme park, then Buffy thought of a few places to bring the kids for day trips.
Angel hadn't payed much attention to the details, he stopped once he knew he wasn't on the invitation list.
He was certain it wasn't intentional and he figured if he pushed the issue he'd be invited along, but he didn't want to impose. He wanted to give his wife the time she needed to reconnect with her father after all these years. As a bonus, he didn't have to spend hardly anytime in Hank's company.
Truth be told, he did notice her a lot happier over the last few days.
He only wished some of the happiness had been caused my him.
...
A few more days later.
After an endlessly long and boring day, Angel slipped his hand under his wife's top and ran his fingers down her side, hoping to get something romantic in the works.
It had been too long since he laid his lips over her body and tasted her smooth skin, smelled the intoxication of her arousal, heard the wild rhythm of her racing heart or felt the heat of her depths from within.
He wanted to know his wife still loved him, and he wanted it in body language.
In response to his touch, she giggled at the ticklish sensation and trapped his fingers in hers, capturing his arm and holding it around her waist.
Grinning, he leaned forwards and brushed his lips along her neck, leaving a light trail of kisses up to her ear.
Again he was rewarded with a giggle, but not the words he was hoping for, "Ok, knock it off now, I'm trying to sleep."
Not to give up so easily he scooted closer, and repeated a phrase she'd often told him when he was trying to sleep and she got frisky, "You can sleep…after." He used his arm she was holding hostage to slide her flush up against him before resuming his trail of kissed on her neck.
"Angel, not tonight." The words weren't with that sexy little undertone she had when she was toying with him, but the 'I really mean knock it off before I whack you' tone.
"Why not?" He protested, a little miffed he was getting nothing again, for like the 7th day in a row, pretty much from the moment Hank Summers invaded his life.
Sighing she turned to him, "Because I'm tired, and besides, my dad is just across the hall."
"You're a married woman and we have two kids." Angel retorted, "I'm pretty sure your dad knows we have sex."
Even in the darkness of their bedroom he could see the flush appear on her cheeks. "Angel." She hissed out, annoyed at his crassness. "He's my dad!"
"And what do you think was going on between him and your mother for that to happen?" He added sarcastically. "it's wasn't tea and crackers."
"Oh my God, what is wrong with you?" She whispered in a harsh tone, appalled and pulling away from him.
"Forget it." He muttered, forfeiting another hope of making love to his wife. He'd been shot down constantly over the last week and was feeling pretty unloved and unwanted. He was really feeling like Hank had replaced him. Both annoyed and needing to vent, he rolled over and got out of bed, hastily looking for a shirt to slip into.
"Where are you going?" Buffy demanded when she felt him leave the bed and heard him rummage for clothing, for a moment she was afraid he was leaving her.
"For a walk." He bit out as he grabbed a pair of socks from his drawer.
Before she could ask anything else he was out the door.
...
TBD