Thank you for the feedback on the last chapter. I hadn't planned on putting that in there but after talking to J. August Richards I felt I needed to have a little more Gunn in this story. I got a small case of writers block while I was working on this chapter but I hope you enjoy it in spite of that.

Chapter 17: Birthday

Buffy looked around her kitchen wondering what else she needed to clean or rearrange. Her mother was coming to visit her for her birthday and she wanted everything to be perfect. Joyce Summers had been wanting to visit Sunnydale since her daughter moved there but Buffy would always come up with a reason why she shouldn't. Now she didn't have a reason and Joyce wanted to be there for her birthday. They never spent a birthday apart, just because Buffy had moved a few hours away that wasn't going to change. It also just so happened to be Angel's first full day of freedom.

Buffy looked up when she heard the front door open and shut, waiting for the person to make their way through her house. It was either: Angel, Oz or someone there to steal all of her valuables. She smiled when she saw it was her first guess. "Hey, how is your first day of freedom?"

"I don't know, this is the first time I left the house." He said making his way to give her a kiss. "Freedom sure makes a guy hungry."

Buffy watched Angel get into her fridge. "Does the place look okay?"

"Sure." Angel shrugged as he peaked his head over the refrigerator door to look around. "Why?"

"Well Mr. Jailbird." Buffy smiled crossing her arms. "My mom is coming in a few hours."

"What?" He asked shutting the fridge door.

Buffy nodded. "I couldn't tell you because you were grounded but she is coming for my birthday."

"Does that mean I won't be able to spend your birthday with you?" Angel asked her.

"It might be better for you if you didn't" Buffy laughed. "My mom isn't mean or anything it's just... the first thing she is going to notice is your age."

"Are you ashamed?" Angel joked.

"No." Buffy smiled as Angel wrapped his arms around her waist. "I just want to shield you as much as possible."

Angel narrowed his eyes at her playfully. "How bad could it be?"

Buffy shrugged. "Your the first younger guy I have ever dated and my mom is a wild card. Never know what she is going to do."

"That must be where you get it from." Angel smiled.

"Haha." Buffy smiled walking over to the kitchen counter. "Would you like to help me cook dinner for my mom tonight?"

"You arn't going to order something?" Angel laughed.

"I was thinking about it but my mom bought me cook wear for Christmas and she is going to want to know how it worked out." Buffy shrugged pulling out some shiny red pots. "I have yet to cook with them... or cook at all since she got them for me."

Angel walked up behind her, leaning against the counter. "Am I going to get roped into cooking the whole thing?"

"Most likely." Buffy nodded. "But I will watch you!"

Angel sighed taking a deep breath.

"What are you going to make?" She asked without him confirming that he was actually going to cook. She knew he would.

"Whatever is your moms favorite, I guess." He said shrugging. "But you will have to come over to my house for dinner tomorrow night."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at Angel. "Tomorrow's my birthday."

"I know." Angel smiled.

"I can't. Me and my mom are always together for our birthdays, I can't just ditch her and leave her here." She told him.

"So bring her." He told her. "I'm sure my parents will want to meet my girlfriends mom. Plus my mom said something about giving you a lame ass birthday like she normally gives me."

Buffy slapped him in the arm. "Stop it!"

"Ouch!" Angel rubbed his arm, giving her a half smile. "You know you are starting to treat me like my mom treats my dad!"

"Your dad is a lucky man then." She smiled.

"Eww." Angel made a grossed out face, pushing away from the counter. "I did't mean it like that."

Buffy laughed. "Okay, I will see if she wants to go tomorrow."

"Good." Angel smiled. "Now what does your mom want tonight?"

"She liked Italian." Buffy shrugged.

"Okay." Angel nodded. "Chicken or Beef?"

"This a wedding?" Buffy asked playfully. "Chicken."

"How does Baked Pasta Romana and stuffed mushrooms sound?" Angel asked his girlfriend.

"You can make that?" Buffy asked amazed. "I thought that stuff was only from Olive Garden."

Angel laughed. "My mom taught me. Now, dessert will be hard this late in the day so... do you want to pick something up?"

"Sure." Buffy took a deep breath. "You get started and I will go to the store." She made her way to the door way but stopped and turned back to Angel. "Can you make me Cheese Cake tomorrow?"

"Sure." He replied getting a few pans out. "Only because it's your birthday." He looked through her cupboards then called for her before she made it to the front door. "Babe! I am going to need a few things to make dinner... or everything. Do you want me to just go with you?"

Buffy nodded. "I won't know what the hell it is you need."

"Not even if I wrote a list?" He smiled.

"Not even if you wrote a list." She smiled.

"Do we really need all this?" Buffy asked setting the paper bags full of groceries on the counter.

Angel nodded putting more bags next to the others. "We should get started..."

"When you say we..." Buffy trailed off.

"I mean me." Angel nodded.

Buffy smiled kissing him. "That's my baby."

Angel laughed shaking his head and started to empty the bags.

"Music?" She asked him, turning the stereo on that was pushed against the wall on the kitchen counter.

Buffy sat on the counter watching Angel cook while listening to the radio. "You know it's pretty hot watching you cook."

"I do recall you saying that when I cooked for you at my house." He nodded as he finished preparing the Pasta and setting it to the side.

"I can not tell a lie." She smiled. She gasped when she heard the next song come on the radio. "Oh my god! I love this song! Who ever says they don't like Vanilla Ice is deranged."

"Right, because he wasn't a one hit wonder or anything." Angel smiled while he washed the mushrooms.

Buffy jumped off the counter and started to dance.

"Nice. Vanilla Ice style!" Angel laughed cutting the mushrooms and started on the cheese mixture.

"I know right! I'm so awesome." Buffy laughed jumping back up on the counter. "How long does this stuff take to cook because my mom will more then likely be here in like 45 minutes."

"Ahh, Pasta takes about 35 minutes and the mushrooms about 15 minutes in the oven." He answered her.

"So it should be ready as soon as she walks in the door?" She asked her boyfriend.

Angel nodded. "If I get everything in the oven as soon as I can."

"Oh my god!" Buffy shrieked turning the radio up louder. "Is this like old songs that rock day?"

Angel winced when he heard the lyrics to Everybody Dance Now get louder. "You mean songs that kids now days want nothing to do with?"

"Hey! I like this song." Buffy laughed.

"I didn't say I didn't like it." He told her as he started to dance around her kitchen to the song. Buffy watched him from her place on the kitchen counter until he grabbed her by the hand when C&C Music Factory said 'Guys grab a girl'. Buffy danced beside Angel to the song as he sang off key. Angel grabbed a wooden spoon off the counter as a microphone and hit a high note that was very off key. "Everybody dance now!"

Buffy laughed. "Your so awesome, I love you!"

Angel's smile fell from his face and he lowered the spoon. "What?"

"Oh god!" Buffy said turning around to leave.

"Say it again." He said in a low voice

Buffy shook her head. "I... I don't know what your talking about."

"You said it. I heard you. You said you love me. You love me." He smiled. "Say it again."

Buffy turned back around to look at Angel. She noticed his smile. A smile is a good reaction. "I love you."

Angel wrapped his arms around her waist lifting her up a few inches. "I love you too."

Buffy smiled back and kissed him.

"Shit!" Angel cursed grabbing his pants when the doorbell rang. "Why does this always happen when parents are involved?"

Buffy laughed, grabbing a light yellow sundress from her closet. "Maybe we just have sex to much."

Angel stood up, looking at Buffy seriously. "Not possible."

"Hurry." She mumbled as she kissed him, then made her way to her bedroom door.

"Buffy." He called. She turned to look back at him as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I love you."

Buffy smiled at him. "I love you too."

Buffy walked down the stairs quickly to open the front door. "Hey mom."

"Take you long enough?" Her mother smiled.

"Sorry." Buffy smiled back.

Joyce looked started as she saw a man run down the stairs and out of view into what looked like the kitchen. "Who was that?"

Angel closed the oven and hurried back to Buffy and her mom. "Sorry about that Mrs. Summers, I didn't want dinner to burn."

"And you are?" She asked him.

"Mom, this is Angel." Buffy told her mother, putting her hand on Angel's chest.

"Angel?" Her mother asked, turning to him. "I thought you would be... older."

Buffy took a deep breath and mumbled to Angel. "I told you." She turned to her mom. "Would you like a tour while dinner is cooling?"

"I'll make the salad while you do that." Angel said walking back into the kitchen.

After Buffy gave her mother a tour of the house they made their way to the dining room where Angel was setting the table. She hoped her mom hadn't seen her thong that was laying on the floor, her mother normally would have said something so maybe her mother didn't know that she and Angel had been having sex right before she got there.

"Well Buffy, I must say..." Her mother glanced around the house. "This actually looks like a house I would live in."

Buffy laughed. "Yeah well it didn't look like this when I first moved here."

"Oh, I am sure of that." Joyce watched Angel as he moved around her daughters house with ease. He seemed to know where everything was. "Buffy, could I talk to you... in the kitchen."

Buffy followed her mom into the kitchen, as soon as they were further enough away for Angel not to hear them her mother turned around to face her.

"How old is he?" Joyce asked in a hushed voice.

"Eighteen." Buffy told her mother.

Joyce looked towards the kitchen door to make sure Angel wasn't there. "Well at least he is legal. My God Buffy!"

"You mean 17 isn't legal?" She said sarcastically.

Joyce gasped. "Were you with him when he was 17, Buffy!"

"Why does it matter? He is 18 now and his parents are totally cool with it... okay not totally but I am friends with his mom." Buffy rambled.

Joyce looked at Buffy disappointed. "Your lucky you didn't go to jail! And for the record if you did go to jail I would have let you rot!"

Buffy laughed.

"Okay not really but you should know better Buffy." Her mother added.

"Lesson learned." Buffy laughed walking back to Angel.

They all sat down at the table and started to eat.

"Buffy, this is delicious!" Joyce said biting into a stuffed mushroom. "When did you learn how to cook so well?"

"Actually, Angel made it." Buffy smiled at him.

Joyce looked at Angel. "It really is delicious, Angel."

"Thank you." He nodded.

"See you tomorrow?" Angel asked Buffy as he was about to leave.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, are you sure your parents want us there?"

"Of course, my mom has been talking about your birthday all week." He told her, giving her a kiss.

Buffy hugged him. "How bad was my mom tonight?"

"Not bad." He said into her hair, then added with a small smile. "I think she has a problem with my age though."

"That whole Can I Talk To You In The Kitchen thing was about your age." She pouted. "I don't think I made it much better when I told her we were together when you were 17."

"Parents." Angel smiled.

"You better get home." She smiled back at him. "I love you."

"Love you too babe." Angel smiled brighter. "I don't think I will ever get tired of saying that."

"I won't get tired of hearing it so say it all you want." She said biting her lip.

Angel kissed her. "Just to warn you, I will be saying it as much as possible."

Joyce hurried quietly into her daughters bedroom, when she saw her daughter sleeping she stopped to look at her. She couldn't believe it had been 23 years since she gave birth to her beautiful daughter. Her whole world changed January 20th 1981, her life wasn't about her anymore, it wasn't about her husband. Her whole life became about this little girl that she brought into the world, now that little girl was all grown up and her life still revolved around the woman that little girl had grown up to be. She was a woman that would make any mother proud. She was a beautiful, smart, brave woman but still had her moments when she needed her mother, Joyce was more then happy to be there when she had those moments. After all you never stop being a mother, long after your child is 18 years old you will still be a mother. It's a life time job that Joyce wouldn't trade for the world.

"Mom?" Buffy whispered, slowly blinking her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Joyce smiled down at her daughter. "Just thinking."

Buffy laughed sleepily. "Thinking about how much I have grown since I was born?"

Joyce nodded and sat down on her daughters bed, Buffy sat up. "Mom, you do this every year."

"I can't help it." She brushed her daughters hair away from her face. "You will always be my baby."

"I know." She smiled hugging her mom. "and you will always be my mommy."

"I'm not going to cry." Joyce laughed taking a deep breath. "Shopping?"

Buffy nodded. "Another thing we do every year."

Buffy walked through the mall carrying a few shopping bags with her mom. Her mom always took her shopping on her birthday, then they would go out for lunch and ice cream.

"You know, I think this is the first time in a long time that we are at the mall together and you arn't running off after some boy." Joyce laughed.

"Mom, I have a boyfriend." Buffy told her.

"That stopped you before?" Joyce joked.

Buffy laughed. "I see your point, that was with Spike though. Things weren't very good with Spike."

"Oh, I don't know." Her mother shrugged. "I like Spike."

"Of course you do." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Now you like him, but when I first started dating him you hated him."

"Well yeah." Joyce laughed. "At first glance he doesn't look like the type of guy you bring home to mom."

"He isn't." Buffy commented.

"I learned that you have to give him a chance. He is actually a very nice young man." Joyce said looking at an outfit in a window display. "and he is your age."

"He's older than me." Buffy corrected.

"Exactly!" Her mother agreed.

Buffy sighed. "What is the difference between Spike being 7 years older than me or me being 4 years older than Angel?"

"Buffy, it's okay for a man to older then the woman." Her mother said walking into the store.

"But not for the woman to be older then the man?" Buffy asked following her mother.

Joyce nodded. "Also you were 19 when you were with Spike, not 17."

"Can we not talk about this, please?" Buffy rolled her eyes and walked away from her mother to look at a few clothes.

"Exactly how long have you been with this... boy?" Joyce asked.

Buffy rolled her eyes again, sometimes her mom just couldn't let things go. "A few months. Now can we please have a nice time? It is my birthday after all."

"I'm just interested in my daughters life." Joyce said shaking her head. "Is that a crime?"

"We are going over to his house tonight for dinner so please, please, please be on your best behavior." Buffy begged.

Joyce looked disappointed. "But it's your birthday, we always spend your birthday together now this boy comes around and all the sudden everything changes?"

"Mom, we spend the day together on my birthday." She said walking around the rack between to her mother. "At night I spend time with my friends, it has always been that way. Just this year I am spending it with my boyfriend and his family."

"Do you think you are spending to much time with this boy?" Joyce asked her only daughter.

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. Now you can either come with tonight or... not. Whatever you want but if you go then you better be nice."

Buffy waited for someone to answer the door at the Sawyer Resident. She nervously looked to her left, her mother decided to join Buffy at Angel's house for dinner. It almost made her nervous but her mom promised she would be good.

Jenny opened the door, smiling at Buffy. "Hey, Buffy! Come on in! This must be your mother."

"Jenny, this is my mom Joyce." Buffy said pointing to her mother.

"It's so nice to meet you." Jenny said shaking Joyce's hand. "Angel is in the kitchen, Buffy."

Buffy took a step towards the kitchen then turned to her mom. Giving her mother a pointed look she mouthed 'be good.' before she walked towards the kitchen.

"Your so sexy when you cook." Buffy smiled until Ethan stuck his head around the corner smiling at her.

"I agree." Ethan winked. "He is soooo sexy."

Buffy winced closing her eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Ethan told his sons girlfriend, getting into the cupboard. "He gets it from me."

Buffy glared at her boyfriend who had been laughing since she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I really am." Angel said, still laughing as he finished putting tomatoes into the salad he was making. "Your just so cute when you are embarrassed."

"Don't be mean to me. It's my birthday." She pouting, giving him a playful swat to his arm.

Angel slightly raised his eyebrows at her. "Don't be mean to me, I have been slaving over a hot stove for you all day! Happy birthday by the way."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled before giving him a quick kiss.

"Don't believe him." Jenny smiled walking into the kitchen. "He has only been here an hour."

"Not my fault! Ben called." Angel defended.

"…and you spent the whole day on the phone?" Buffy joked.

Angel nodded. "Of course. We are teenage girls after all."

Joyce glanced at Jenny as Buffy walked into the kitchen. "Your very young."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Jenny laughed.

"Your son is very young too."

"Do you have a problem with our children's age different too?" Jenny asked Buffy's mom.

"You do too?" Joyce asked. "What exactly are we going to do about it?"

Jenny narrowed her eyes at Joyce. "Are you talking about breaking them up?"

"Well we can't very well let them stay together!" Joyce exclaimed. "Your son is too young for my daughter, I know the perfect guy for her."

"You are aware that our children are in love, right?" Jenny asked.

Joyce glanced into the direction Buffy walked in. "Angel is too young to know what real love is."

Jenny shook her head. "I think we better go check on dinner."

As Jenny walked towards the kitchen she heard her husband, son and Buffy talking in the kitchen. She laughed to herself when she heard Angel tell Buffy he has been slaving over the stove all day. "Don't believe him." She smiled with Joyce walking behind her. "He has only been here an hour."

Everything seemed to be going so well, her mother didn't make any comments about her relationship with Angel. Even better, it had turned out that Angel was joking about his parents giving her a birthday like they always gave him. It was a nice quiet dinner. Angel had made Salad, Lasagna, bread sticks and the cheesecake that Buffy had asked for, luckily Angel had made the cheesecake earlier in the day. Ethan didn't agree with having cheese cake for a birthday so he had gone out and bought a cake. A birthday wasn't a birthday without a birthday cake!