Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel or any of the characters mentioned in either cannon.

Author's Note: Thanks Lady Mac for the beta job. Sorry for the wait! The previous chapter was actually supposed to be titled, Chapter Three. This is the real Chapter Four.

The Real Ch. 4

"You were kissing her Angel!" The tears stained her cheeks as more welled up and spilled over. She could not get a hold of herself.

"It wasn't like that Buffy. Nina and I ... It was just … It ended." Angel stepped toward his girlfriend, reaching his hand out for her to take.

"It didn't look like you ended it to me." Picking up a vase, Buffy threw it in Angel's direction. It nearly clipped him, but Angel had managed to side-step it.

"Buffy, don't be irrational. You're an adult now. Act like one."

How many times had he made comments about being immature, bratty, or had made decisions for her? Too many.

Laughing bitterly, she remembered their discussion about cookie dough. Buffy had returned to allow him to enjoy the new cookie her, but had found him dating Nina. Angel could not pass up the chance to be with Buffy again so he had called it quits with the young werewolf… or so he had told her.

"Should I act like you then… and just go around sleeping with all of Los Angeles?" Her insecurities were coming out to play.

Offended by her comment, Angel tried to focus on setting an example as the adult in the relationship instead of firing back at her.

"Ninnna, I lov-" The horrified look on Buffy's face made Angel pause long enough for the name to register. He had been trying to explain the kiss with Nina, but had called her the wrong name instead.

Jerking back like she had been struck, Buffy swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I hate you."

Before Angel could react, Buffy fled out of his office and into the sun where he could not follow.

Buffy woke from of the dream with a frown on her features and Lindsay's arm around her waist. The snoring meant her husband still slept and she could not bring herself to sleep any longer. Lindsay had moved the family to New York since removing Angel from her mind once again, but no matter how hard he tried … he couldn't remove Angel from Buffy's heart. When the dreams began for the third time, Buffy said nothing. She couldn't handle losing him again. With a bravado only a former slayer could muster up, Buffy played the happy wife and had allowed the move.

A part of Buffy had been hopeful. Maybe losing Angel would allow her to have that happily ever after. It hadn't. Buffy had become numb aside and she wore a permanent, forced smile on her face daily so that her daughter Ava or husband would not worry. The dreams had returned only recently after Ava had started pre-k and left Buffy alone with her thoughts.

Crawling out of the bed, Buffy pulled on her robe. She could remember his face and his name but only after first waking up. She felt no real connection to the name that he called her. Buffy. What kind of name was that anyway? Then again, she did not fee l anything for the name Sadie either. The battle of remembering and forgetting on a daily basis wore her down daily, but still she held on.

Leaving her bedroom, Buffy closed the door behind her and walked down the hall to check on her daughter. Hearing a whimper, Buffy hurried toward her daughter's room. Ava favored her mother in having nightmares. She always talked of the bad men, the monsters with the funny faces. Pulling the robe tighter, she heard the breaking of glass. Panicking, Buffy snatched open the door.

"Mommy!"

And then her world went dark.

Leaving the small diner and his friends behind, Angel felt the familiar urge to head to the liquor store. It had been five years since Buffy's death and every day was a struggle. There was a point where he nearly went completely under, going deeper into despair than he ever had. It wasn't the thought of her death that had bothered him so. It was the belief that she was still alive and wondering if she was somewhere suffering, enduring an ongoing torture.

Shaking it off, Angel considered patrolling or heading back to the apartment that he shared with Spike and Cordelia. The two had been the most willing to move away from Los Angeles even if it meant a whole new city for Angel to try to find Buffy in. It was a change even though they had a feeling, he'd still be the same lost Angel.

The decision was made for him when he heard the fight breakout. Angel's legs carried him in the direction of the scene. A gust of wind, the ruffling of trash, and then a pink ribbon sifted through the air in his direction. Innocence. Snatching it out of the air, Angel knew he had to be quick. It belonged to a child.

Rounding the corner, Angel stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him. There stood a little girl dressed in a ballerina tutu pajama set holding a stuffed animal in one hand and a makeshift cross in the other as she faced off a group of fledglings.

Blonde curls, chocolate eyes that mirrored his own, and the most adorable button nose greeted him as he stepped forward. Holding a finger over his lips to silence her, she nodded and Angel almost sighed in relief. At least one girl in the world took his advice to heart.

"I don't know who you are misters, but my mommy says you're not real so go back to the movies. My mommy says you give me scary dreams. No good. No good at all. Besides, I can't talk to strangers. You're bad things." Wagging her finger at them, she dropped the make-shift cross accidentally.

Her pout formed into an O as she mumbled out, "Uh oh."

Before the wood could hit the ground, the fledglings lunged, but so did Angel.

Wide eyed, Ava backed away from the monsters as the fight neared her. Noticing it, Angel hollered out in a panic, "RUN!"

And she did.

Running as fast as her little legs could carry her, she felt tears spring to her eyes. They had hurt her mommy. Looking in every direction, Ava felt herself begin to get scared. All of the buildings looked like hers. How was she ever going to get home?

Hearing footsteps, Ava spun around and hid behind the stuffed animal. "Don't get me."

Angel squatted down in front of Ava, his eye cut from the fight. It had been a bit more difficult to fight off the group than he had realized. Having defeated most of them, a few ran, and Angel's only desire was to find the girl instead of chasing after vampires.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Peaking from behind the stuffed animal, she stared at him curiously. The yellow eyes and vamp visage did not scare her one bit. Reaching out she touched the wrinkles on his forehead.

"You're all wrinkly and you got a boo boo."

Startled by the sweet touch, Angel's visage melted away to reveal his human face.

That earned him a shy smile as she held out her stuffed animal.

"Do you need Mr. Pickles? He makes me feel better when my tummy hurts."

Angel stared down at the pink stuffed pig and could not find his voice.

"Are you a good vampire like Twilight? DO YOU SPARKLE? I like sparkles."

Cordelia had forced him to watch Twilight and the comment made Angel grimace like he was in pain.

"No. No, I don't sparkle, but I'm the good guy."

Ava giggled as she snuggled to the stuffed pig. "I can tell. My name is Ava. What's your name? I'm four you know." Ava held out four fingers proudly.

"Angel."

Going quiet, Ava inched closer to him and studied him quietly. She looked as if she were making an intense decision about him.

"Pretty name."

Angel exhaled. She reminded him of another blonde that had said the same thing.

"Thank you."

Ava jumped excitedly as she made a new discovery. "Guess what, Angel?"

Angel observed their surroundings, not entirely feeling safe with them out so late. "What's that?"

Noticing him looking away, she stomped tapped her foot impatiently until finally turning his face back so that his attention was fully on her.

Angel chuckled at the force and demand behind the small hand. All women were impatient it seemed.

"You're not a stranger no more. And I'm not a stranger and Mr. Pickles likes you." Nodding as if it were a matter of fact, she held out her hand for him to take as she lowered it from his cheek.

"I need ice cream to think. Two scoops." Holding up two fingers once her pig was tucked back under her arm, she squeezed Angel's hand. "That's how many. TWO."

Angel began to walk toward the diner with her. Maybe his friends could help. He had no idea what to do except to start with what the young blonde demanded… Two scoops of ice cream.

"Two scoops huh? You must have a lot to think about." He smiled as he looked down at her.

"Yep! I need to find my mommy. She misses me." Yawning, she sagged against him tiredly as they walked.

Realizing how long the journey was to the diner, Angel paused so that he could scoop her up. He didn't think her little legs could make the journey.

"Bout time, I thought I had to do alla the work." Her head dropped on his shoulders as she closed her eyes. "Two scoops."

Angel smiled as he realized something that surprised him. The toddler smelled just like Buffy had … vanilla and sunshine. And for the first time in five years, he felt genuinely happy.

Sliding into the booth that occupied his friends, Angel held tightly the sleeping Ava. Cordy looked up from her shake and felt faint. Angel had finally lost his damn mind.

"Have you lost your damn mind!"

Angel shushed Cordelia and rubbed Ava's back. From the sound of her heart beat, she was still sleeping soundly.

"Uh, Peaches." Spike felt a little weary to question Angel's motives, but he agreed with Cordelia even though it pained him to do so.

"You go out for a drink and come back with a ballerina. I really hope there's no connection there, mate."

Frowning at his friends, Angel's explanation was put on hold when Ava began rubbing her eyes sleepily. Head still on his shoulder, she peered at Spike. "Your voice is funny."

Chuckling, Angel reached for a menu as Ava snuggled more closely to him still clutching Mr. Pickles.

"And your hair …" Her nose crinkled like Buffy's and she tried to think of something nice to say.

"What's wrong with my hair and my voice?" Spike's hand went to his bleached hair.

"Mommy says not to say nothin' if you don't got nothin' nice to say."

Cordelia's laughter joined Angel's and soon all three of them were laughing. It had been a long time since the three could truly laugh together.

Shifting in Angel's lap, Ava perched herself up so she could stare at Spike. Her pig was placed on the table and her head rested on her arms that were also on the table.

"Angel…I want ice cream."

Realizing he had forgotten to ask her what flavor, he handed her the menu.

"Do they got Cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip?"

No one but Angel remembered the significance of that ice-cream but Angel.

"You know what …" Angel placed a twenty down on the table, the memory of Buffy becoming too much for him to hold it together any longer.

"Let's go get you some." Angel knew for a fact that only a select few grocery stories carried it. And luckily for Ava, it stayed stocked in his fridge. He was a sucker for torturing himself.

"Uh, what's your name?" She pointed at Spike.

"Spike."

Wrapping her arms around Angel's neck, she giggled.

"Your name is funny, too."

"Hey!"

Angel slid from the booth and looked down at his friends. "I'll explain in the morning. I need you two to help us find her mommy."

Cordelia looked weary of it, but resigned. "Fine. But, I'm not coming first thing. I'm sleeping in. I need my beauty sleep."

Spike just nodded, his attention on Ava who made funny faces at him.

Waving bye to Cordy and Spike, Ava watched the two as she and Angel walked away.

"Angel? Where are we going? Do they really got ice cream? I want two scoops. TWO scoops."

Angel felt amused, but still worried stayed present in the pit of his stomach.

"I have you a whole pint to get two scoops out of okay?"

"A WHOLE PINT? Like, it's never been open? Ever, ever?" Wide eyed and clearly amazed, she reared back to look at Angel's expression.

"Yes mam. A whole pint"

"Wow." Shaking her head like the idea of it was crazy, she covered her mouth with her hand. "My mommy… you know, the sides, like around the middle of the thing, she eats those. I get the middle."

Headed for his apartment down the block, Angel remained quiet, but listened intently.

"Does your mommy let you eat ice cream this late?" After climbing the stairs, Angel pulled the keys out of his pocket before unlocking the door and walking inside.

"Noooooo." Ava looked defeated with her pout, but was far from it.

"But, it's better than breakfast time, right?"

Caving, Angel set her down on her feet and led her to his room. "Let's turn you on some television and you get eat your ice-cream, but then you got to sleep. Deal?"

Nodding, Ava climbed on the bed and worked at tucking Mr. Pickles in before she herself got settled in. "All done."

In the process of turning on the cartoon channel, Angel turned around to see her in the middle of his bed looking quite proud.

"I'll be right back with your two scoops."

Yawning sleepily, she smiled with a nod and then turned her attention to the animated show he had turned on for her.

Closing the door behind him, Angel journeyed to the kitchen as Ava relaxed in his bed.

In her mind, he had defeated all the bad men, but in his … he knew some had run off. Luckily for her, they didn't know where he stayed or who he was. Fledglings weren't the brightest.

Returning to the bedroom after retrieving her ice cream, Angel was surprised to find her fast asleep again.

Setting the bowl down on the nightstand, Angel took a seat on the end of the bed. For the two of them, it had been a long night, but Angel knew he wouldn't rest at all. Watching over Ava as she slept, Angel stayed by her side to make sure nothing else happened to her. In the morning they'd work on finding her mother.