Chapter Thirty

Author's note: Hello all! I'm back from vacation and I am tan and ready to write the rest of the story!

First off I'd like to thank Thelionessrules, naiya-isis, Kari and Kristine for you reviews. Thank you all for still sticking with me!! Naiya-isis, I am honored that you are enjoying the story even though you aren't a fan of Angel and Buffy. I'll talk your review as a huge comment!

I did an outline of the rest of the story. There are a few more twists left in the story. I really hope that people stick with the rest of the story and are surprised by the surprises.

Anyway, enough from me. I'll get onto the story. LM

PS: This chapter is still rated PG. I wanted to warn of some very mild use of language.

"What?' Buffy asked a little surprised by Xander's comments. "He really did?"

Xander nodded. Tara had told him and Anya that Buffy missed spending time with them, especially separately. Both Xander and Anya made the effort to spend time with their friend. "Yes, he did. Are you going to get a milk shake with your lunch?" Xander asked while making his final lunch decision.

"No milkshake for me. What did he say to you?"

Xander took a deep breath. He had promised Angel that he wouldn't say anything about their conversation to Buffy. The topic kind of slipped out by accident and Xander was sorry that it had. "All he did was ask about you. He asked if you were interested in anyone, or if you were seeing anyone."

Buffy sighed. "Is that all? What's the big deal about that?"

"Well, there was on more questions. He asked me you'd be interested in seeing him again."

Buffy laughed. "What? What did you say?

"I said I didn't know."

"And what did he say?"

Xander took another deep breath. He didn't like to be drilled for information form one of his best friends. He also knew that he would be drilled later that night by his older brother.

Xander sighed as the waitress came over and took their orders. As soon as she was gone, Buffy repeated herself. "What did Angel say?"

"He asked if I'd find out for him. Of course I was supposed to find out without telling you that he said he's interested in you. So if you could act surprised if he talks to you about this. I'd appreciate it. Also, please try and keep your answer simple. I'd appreciate that too."

Buffy didn't know what to say. Other than listening to Tara randomly teased her about Angel, she hadn't really thought of him. She did enjoy talking to him a few times.

"So what so you think?" Xander asked sipping his milkshake that the waitress had just brought to his table.

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know."

"I knew this wasn't going to be easy. What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I didn't give it much thought. I don't know how I feel about Angel, at least in a way other than a friend. He has been there for me even though we grew apart for sometime. He was even though for me when everything happened with," Buffy's voice drifted as she thought of Riley. "him and that whole thing. We had a great time talking the last few times we talked. He even stopped by for my birthday. That was a surprise even though I told him about it." It was true. Angel had showed up at her family birthday party. He had bought her flowers for her birthday. She hadn't thought of his gift as being anything other than a sign of friendship. "I think I really need to think about this."

Xander expected Buffy's answer. He wasn't going to pressure her into making a decision right there. He nodded his head and changed the subject.

"Where are Amy and Connor?" Dawn asked Faith as they finished dinner.

"He had a doctor's appointment and then she is going to her parent's house. Sorry you guys were just stuck with me tonight," Faith explained.

"It is a pretty cruddy deal but I guess we could deal with just you," Buffy sarcastically stated.

Faith chuckled. She was good with come backs but didn't have the time to come back with one. A knock at the door interrupted them.

"I'll get it," Joyce said. "It's probably your father. He forgot his keys this morning. I found them on the floor when I got home and he had that big school committee tonight."

Joyce made her way to the front door. From the kitchen the girls could her Joyce from the door. "Did you forget some-?" Joyce stopped in the middle of her sentence. She was flabbergasted.

The girls couldn't hear Joyce talk any more. Dawn caught a glimpse of her mother from her seat in the kitchen. She looked like she was in shock.

"Mom, who is it?" Dawn yelled but got no response. "I'm going to check on her."

A few minutes had gone by. Both Buffy and Faith heard nothing form the other room. "I'm kind of worried about what's going on at the door. It can't be good news. I can't see or hear anything. I'm going casually into the family room to see if I can hear anything." Buffy explained as she got up.

Faith also got up and followed Buffy to the next room. "Are you being nosey B?"

"Well, yes and no. I told you, this can't be good."

Buffy and Faith sat in the room on the sofa. Joyce had gone outside on the porch and Dawn stood at the door watching the people on the porch.

"What's going on Dawnie?"

"Well mom was upset and almost cried. That's when she told me to go into the house. She and that man were arguing but I couldn't make anything out. Then Dad pulled into the driveway. He and that man talked and shook hands and then mom started crying and dad held her hand and oh no!" Dawn said as she too ran to the same sofa that her sister and Faith sat on. "All three of them are coming into the house right-" the opening of the door interrupted her.

"Hi daddy," Dawn greeted Rupert softly.

"Hi Dawn," he said with a faint smile. He was still holding Joyce's hand. Joyce looked sad but irritated. Everyone in the room couldn't help but glance at the stranger in the room.

"Well, this looks like a family thing. I'm going to split," Faith whispered to Buffy as she started to stand up.

"Faith, please stay. This has something to do with you too." Joyce said sounding a little angry. Joyce made her way from her husband to the three young women in front of her. "Dawn, I know you don't know who this man is. You are too young to remember him but maybe Buffy remembers him."

Buffy started at the man. She was about to shake her head no until two memories flashed back. She remembered being a young child swinging on a swing and the man pushing her. Then she remembered when she and Angel made the trip back to LA to see Stacey's grave. Angel stopped across the street from where this man lived. She too was filled with a little anger. "You're Hank Summers.'

"What?" Dawn asked in disbelief.

Silence filled the emotional filled room. Buffy was both sad and angry by the presence of her birth father standing in her living room. Dawn was plain old angry. He never tried contacting them before, she wondered what he wanted no. Joyce was also feeling very similar feelings as Dawn. Rupert wondered what kind of mess Hand was going to create and leave behind. Rupert hated seeing his wife and daughters upset and he knew after this visit they all would be very emotional.

Then there was Faith. She thought she was intruding, but Joyce had insisted on her staying. She couldn't imagine what Buffy and Dawn were felling. Her father had left her and her sister too. She figured, liked Buffy and Dawn, she would be filled with feelings of rage, hate and sadness.

"Wow, you two are almost grown-ups," Hank said calmly and offering a smile.

"Funny things happen when you leave your children and then come back a billion years later. What did you expect? Did you expect to see us in diapers?" Dawn snipped.

"I guess you're right Dawn. It has been along time." Hank replied.

After staring at Hank for a few minutes, she stormed out of the room. Seconds later the house shook with the slamming of her bedroom door.

"I guess this is a little harder than I imagined it would be." Hank commented.

"You guess this is hard? You guess so? You left mom with two young children while she was finishing school and worked full-time. She had to drop out of school; and only recently finished her degree. You never tried to help us out or stay in touch with us. I hated mom and my father. I especially hated mom because I thought she made you go away. The only time in my life that I tried to get in touch with you, you told me that Dawn and I were children that you never wanted. Did you know that was the first time Dawn ever heard your voice? How the hell did you expect things to go?" Buffy calmly explained.

"Buffy," Hank said also calm," please don't speak to me like that. I am you're father."

"You know you have a lot of nerve. You are not my father. My father is standing near my mother and holding her hand. My father will be here to comfort me and my sister while my mother is alone in their room because she will be crying. My father, Rupert Giles, may not have helped to create me but he has raised me and Dawnie. Where were you when my best friend and I got into a car accident and she died and I was unconscious for days? Or when Dawnie was diagnosed with a learning disability? Or when I was being beaten and raped by my boyfriend who I killed in self defense? We haven't even touched upon all of Dawn's father/daughter dances through the Girl Scouts. We haven't talked about all of her dance recitals and her concerts. She has a really beautiful voice you know. Mr. Summers, you are wrong. I'm going to tell you this again, Rupert Giles is my father. You are nothing more than a glorified sperm donor to me." Buffy exploded but still remained calmed and composed.

The room was silent again. No one had ever heard Buffy speak like that before. Everyone was taken back and didn't know how to respond. Hank once again chose to begin another conversation.

"You must be Faith."

Faith shook her head and gave Hank a weird look. "Dude, you're kind of scaring me. How did you know my name?"

"I knew your name because your mother and I knew each other. I had no idea that you knew Joyce and the girls. This was a pure coincidence."

"What are you talking about? How did you know my mother?" Faith demanded. She was way less collective than Buffy was.

Hank nodded. He knew this wasn't going to be a good sight. He felt a lot of screaming and yelling coming. This conversation was going to be more intense than the previous conversations with Buffy and Dawn. "I knew your mother. I-well- I was involved with her before and during the same time I was engaged to Joyce. Neither knew about each other."

"What! Man, you've got to be kidding me." Faith knew what this man was trying to say to her. "Didn't you break up with Joyce because you cheated on her too?"

All Hank could do was nod sheepishly.

"Man, didn't you ever hear the saying, 'keep it in your pants'? I don't believe this!"

"How is your sister?" Hank dared to ask.

"Dead, just like my mother. At eighteen I was alone raising Heather's child, being a child myself. I gave up going to college to raise him. I don't have any family and-and I've got to get out of her. Joyce thanks for dinner. B, I'll catch you later." Faith said as she too stormed out of the room and out of the house. Within a matter of seconds the sound of her peeling out of the driveway echoed through out the neighborhood.

"This is going to be a shorter visit than I expected it would be," Hank said.

"With all due respect Mr. Summers what did you think would happen? Again, I must remind you that the last time I spoke to you; you told me that my sister and I were children that you never wanted. You dropped a bomb on Faith and us." Buffy stopped for a minute. "Wait a minute, Faith is my sister? I have another sister? Oh my God." Buffy paused to try and take her statement in before continuing. "How did you expect us to react? Did you expend us to stand here with open arms and welcome you into our lives? You just marched into all of our lives and gave us all some very big news. If I may ask, why?"

"Why what?" Hank asked sadly. He was choked up. He too was absorbing everything that was happening around him.

"Why now? What makes this time more important from when you left?"

"I wanted to see you, get to know you guys a little bit. I wanted to introduce you to your other siblings before-before." Tears filled his eyes. "I have regrets. Leaving you Joyce, leaving the girls. I wonder how things would have been if I wasn't such a bastard. I wanted to talk to you and get in touch with you because, well, I have cancer and I'm not going to get any better. I wanted you to remember me as something other than the bastard that left your mother and you and Dawn so many years ago. I wanted to be part of your lives."

No one said anything. Buffy stood up and grabbed her keys and left the house. Unlike Faith's departure, she didn't speed away.

She wanted more than anything to talk to William. She and William had shared countless conversations about their absentee fathers. She wanted to cry to him, talk to him about what happened in her house and have him help her get over it.

She pulled I into his driveway and was pleased to see his car in the driveway. Angel's car wasn't there so she could have some privacy with William.

Buffy parked her car and ran towards the front stairs and rang the bell over and over before the door opened.

"Can I help-Buffy. Are you all right?"

"Angel? Where is William?"

"He took my car to get a new battery. He left his lights on last night and killed his battery. Are you all right?"

Instead of pouring her heart out and crying and putting up a fight, Buffy lost it. She put her head in Angel's chest and let her tears flow freely into the cotton of his t-shirt.

Angel just held onto Buffy and embarrassed her. He automatically thought something was wrong with someone in her family. He wondered if Joyce, Rupert and Dawn were all okay. He knew that Buffy would tell him when she was ready but she was falling apart. He wanted to know what made her so upset. "Buffy, look at me. What is wrong? Is it your parents? Dawnie?"

Buffy shook her head still in Angel's chest. She didn't say anything until she pulled away from his chest and wiped her eyes.

"It's my father he-"

"What's wrong with Rupert?" Angel asked trying to understand what was going on in Buffy's world.

She just shook her head. "Not him, my biological father. The guy we saw that time we went to LA. He was outside with the kids when we saw him in the yard."

Angel nodded. He knew what she was talking about. "Your biological father?"

Buffy looked at Angel before she spoke. "Yes. He showed up today and he dropped all this news on us. He is dying and I have siblings I didn't know I had." Buffy paused and thought of Faith for a minute before she continued. "Faith is my sister."

"What?!" Angel said really confused.

"Yeah, I know. I don't-can't talk about it right now. I'm sorry I bothered you. Please have William call me on my cell. I'm not going home, so."

"You're right you're not going home, your going to stay here."

"What?"

"Buffy, you're all stressed out, for a good reason. You are a wreck and I can't let you leave like this. You need to just hang out and calm down. Would you like something to drink? Eat? Read? You want my lap top? It's yours if you want it."

Buffy smiled. She knew what Angel was doing. She wiped the last stray tears away from her face. "I'm fine thank you. Could I just lay down for a minute on the couch? My head hurts from all that crying."

"No," Angel replied. "I do insist that you lay down in my room."

Buffy looked around. She saw piles of work around Angel's lap top. "I can't. You have so much work to do."

"That's the good thing about the lap top, you can do work from anywhere. I was actually doing my work in the dining room. My bedding is clean; I just washed it this morning. Now please, go relax and lay down."

Buffy gave Angel a big hug and looked up at him with her almost dried green eyes. "Thank you."

Angel hugged her back. "Really, it's no problem. I'll walk you there."

"I'll only lay down for twenty minutes," Buffy said.

"Please take your time." Angel said as he lead Buffy to his room. "If you need anything please let me know.

Buffy nodded and laid down. Within seconds she was out like a light.

Angel called the Giles' house and spoke to Rupert. He let Rupert know that she was safe at Angel and William's and that she was resting. Before hanging up the phone, Rupert thanked Angel for his care and concern.

After forty minutes, Angel checked on Buffy. She was still fast asleep and hadn't moved from the position she was in when he left the room. Angel watched Buffy as she slept. He knew that she was filled with so much hurt and pain. It saddened Angel to know there was nothing he could do to make her all better.