"So why are you two here?" Anya asked, briefly gazing down at her notepad before looking back at the couple on her couch.
A few weeks had passed since Riley's return home on Halloween. Him and Buffy sat down after they left the party and had a much needed talk. She was determined to make it work between them and fix their problems, even if it meant consulting a marriage counselor.
"Well it started early last month," Riley began. "At Joyce's funeral reception, it became known to the Sunnydale population, myself included, who Liam's biological father was. He and his family started to insert themselves into Liam's life. Then two weeks later Liam's calling Angel 'Dad', stripping the title from me. Now I'm just Riley to him when I have been 'Dad' for the past eleven years. I felt my role being diminished by a guy who had no interest in his son until his secret was exposed."
"What does this have to do with your marriage?" Anya questioned. She, like everyone else in town, knew about the Summers-Giles-Finn family situation after the video was released. Angel's paternity had spread like wildfire in the tiny town. She personally was shocked that Angel didn't have more secret kids, he slept with everybody in high school - herself included.
"Since we've gotten married, I've been wanting to adopt Liam and Buffy has been giving me excuses for six years. If I were to adopt Liam now, he would hate me for taking his dad away," Riley explained to the therapist. "And for a few years I've been asking Buffy to try for a baby with me. Don't get me wrong, I love Liam, but I want a kid of my own. Sometimes I feel like my wants are being undervalued in our relationship."
"And, Buffy, how do you feel about this admission?" Anya asked, trying to establish what went wrong in the couple's marriage. Although she had a few thoughts of her own.
"Guilty," Buffy admitted, avoiding eye contact with the therapist and Riley.
"Why?" Anya questioned in a nonjudgemental manner, a skill she had perfected over her four years of being a practicing therapist.
"Because it's my fault our relationship isn't working. All because I don't feel comfortable giving Riley what he wants." Buffy hated herself. Riley didn't want much out of their relationship except to be accepted into the family by taking the next logical steps. To him that was adoption and a baby.
"Do you not want more kids?" Anya asked, writing down a few notes.
"No," Buffy said. Riley was shocked at her response as that excuse was the one she'd repeated for half a decade. "I wouldn't mind having another baby or two, I just don't feel ready."
"But you're more financially secure than you were at sixteen when Liam was born," Riley said. In his mind, there was nothing stopping them from having a baby together. The only other possible excuse Riley could imagine was too painful to be uttered; Buffy simply didn't want to have a family with him.
"Liam was unplanned, if I am to have another baby I want to be prepared for it," Buffy replied. She was in no means ready to have a baby. Her mom had just died, Angel had come back into their lives, and Buffy wanted to be there for Dawn's daughter. With everything going on, the timing wasn't right.
"Have you guys had any other martial issues before last month?" The married couple shook their heads. They really got along quite well and loved each other. Now everything felt so strained. "So it seems like the catalyst for your problems started when Angel came back into the picture. Is that assumption correct?"
Buffy couldn't deny it. As Angel's relationship with Liam strengthened with each day, Liam and Buffy's relationship with Riley was hanging on by a thread. "Yes," Buffy agreed.
Riley reached his hand out to grab Buffy's hand reassuringly. He loved her so much, but with Angel being in their lives he couldn't have her all to himself. "One last question before I close out this session. Buffy, do you still have feelings for Angel?" Anya pried.
Buffy took a deep breath as Riley held his. Her response would either make or break their relationship and Buffy was aware of that fact. She had to tread carefully. "I love my husband," Buffy said.
Riley was pleased with the answer and hugged his wife. Anya, however, did not share the same feelings as Riley. She looked from her notebook and straight into Buffy's pleading eyes, giving her the answer she needed. While Buffy was married to Riley, her heart never let go of Angel. That much was clear from the beginning of the session. Anya had given Buffy the chance to verbalize these feelings, but she failed. The relationship was doomed by Anya's standards if Riley never knew the truth and Buffy could never let go.
Meanwhile, Liam was sent to his grandparents house while Buffy and Riley were trying to salvage their marriage. What the pair did not know was that while the tried to save their relationship, Liam secretly was undermining it. "Okay! Thank you all for being here today!" Liam began, clanking Grandpa Giles' gavel calling the meeting with friends and family into session.
"Liam, what are we doing here?" Willow asked concerned. She figured something bad must have happened if Liam had to call a family meeting without his parents. Willow just hoped that Riley and Buffy were okay.
"Yeah, Niblet," Spike said. He and Faith got a call from the kid early in the week demanding they drive down to Sunnydale on a random Wednesday night with no excuse given. Seeing as this was his best mate's son, he gave Liam the benefit of the doubt. "Why take us out of sunny LA for this hellmouth?"
"I have to agree," Cordelia said as she filed her nails.
"If everyone could sit down and stop talking, then I could explain," Liam instructed. He wondered how adults did this. Just getting everyone together took a lot of work, especially while trying to keep things hush from his parents and Riley. He even had to bribe his Uncle Xander with some cookies to keep quiet. "I have called you all here for an important meeting. I want you guys to help me get my parents back together."
"Isn't that why they're in counseling?" Xander questioned. Unlike everyone else in the room, he did not catch that Liam was not talking about his stepfather but rather his biological father.
"Are you sure?" Willow clarified. She knew Angel and him had developed a strong bond this past month, but Liam had eleven years with Riley. It seemed rude to replace him.
"Yes. Mom and Dad still love each other, so why not get them back together," Liam argued. Jenny and Giles knew their grandson just wanted his family whole and not this confusing mess he was stuck in, but they weren't sure his idea was what was best for all parties involved. Buffy was still married and Angel was all the way in LA.
"Now I'm starting to see why Peaches wasn't invited," Spike whispered to Faith. That stipulation Liam told him over the phone confused Spike as well as Faith, but seeing as both Angel and Buffy were stubborn it made sense not to include them in on the plan.
"We just need to Parent Trap them," Liam explained.
"Parent what?" Cordelia asked, confused by Liam's reference.
"Parent Trap, a dazzling gem from the 1990s starring Lindsey Lohan as identical twin sisters in which they meet up for the first time at camp and switch places to get their parents back together," Xander explained to the crowd. With bewildered looks on everyone's faces, he quickly downplayed his knowledge of the movie. "Or so I heard."
"I don't think that is going to work," Dawn said, rubbing her baby belly. She had only grown more recently as her due date was fast approaching in a mere six weeks.
"She's right," Xander agreed. "You don't even have a twin."
"Now I remember why Spike and Angel always picked on him in high school," Faith commented. She did not remember Xander being this dumb or else she wouldn't have slept with him to get Spike jealous.
"I heard that!" Xander said angrily.
"You were meant to," Faith shot back.
Dawn ignored the fight brewing between her husband and Faith. She knew he would lose in a few minutes and calm down eventually. "What I meant was, your parents don't love each other. Your Dad's engaged to another woman and your mom's married to Riley," Dawn explained.
Liam silently pleaded with Spike to help him out. "The Poof called off the wedding weeks ago," Spike announced to the crowd as he lit a smoke in the home against Giles' wishes. Only a select few were aware of the broken engagement along with Spike.
"Plus Mom doesn't love Riley," Liam interjected.
"Yes, she does," Xander argued with his godson. He watched as the relationship between Buffy and Riley had developed and strengthened since high school. In his eyes, they were very much in love, "Buffy and Riley have one of the happiest relationships I know of."
"If they are so happy, then why are they in counseling?" Cordelia asked.
"Touché," Xander said, sinking back down to the couch. He had to admit that Cordelia had got him there.
"Trust me, Mom and Dad still love each other. They almost kissed on Halloween. Right Aunt Willow?" Liam needed her confirmation. On Halloween night, he had been watching his parents through window and witnessed them about to kiss before his Aunt Willow and Riley interrupted them.
All eyes were on Willow. She hated being the center of attention, especially in this moment. there was always a chance to lie, but Willow was always a bad liar. "Liam's right. If I hadn't interrupted them, they probably would have kissed," Willow admitted.
"And Liam would probably of gotten a brother," Spike snickered. Faith smacked him over the head as Liam shivered at the thought. He wouldn't mind being an older brother, but he did not need the visualization Spike implanted in his head.
"I'm in," spoke the only voice who had yet to speak his opinion. All the pressure from Willow had moved off her and onto her husband, Oz. Oz was a man of few words. He rarely spoke in large social settings and preferred to entertain his children. Oz handed the twins over to Willow as he went to say his peace. "It doesn't take a genius to tell that they're in love." Everyone in the room remained silent as they were blind to the fact. "Or maybe it does. Buffy and Angel have been making googly eyes at each other their entire lives. How you all missed it is a mystery."
Each of them thought back to every and any instance they had seen Buffy and Angel together. The two always bickered with one another, but they were there for one another whenever the other needed it. When Buffy embarrassed herself at cheer tryouts freshman year, Angel took her out for ice cream. When Buffy was getting picked on at school, Angel beat up the bullies who called her names. And when Angel gotten into his dream school, the first person he called was Buffy. Though they surrounded their relationship with pranks that resulted in annoyance and hatred for each other, it was just a front for how they truly felt.
Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them at the realization. "They do say there is a thin line between love and hate," he causally said to the group.
"How could we have been so blind?" Willow said. She felt like a horrible friend. If the roles were replaced, Buffy would have picked up on this sooner and called Willow out. Why didn't Willow see this sooner was a mystery like Oz had said.
"Angel Jr, count me in," Faith said. Angel was her friend and he deserved some happiness. She hadn't seen him actually smile in twelve years until that football game. Nothing had made Angel more happy than being with Liam and Buffy. "I'll help you get Mommy and Daddy back together."
"Us too," Dawn joined. She loved Riley and hoped they could make their relationship work, but her sister wasn't happy with him. They hadn't been as happy as she thought. Dawn was just too caught up in her own life to realize that.
"Really?" Xander asked. Dawn slapped him hard on the chest. He still wasn't one hundred percent okay with Angel entering their lives, but Buffy was his best friend. If it made her happy, then he had to go along with it. Also, he knew Dawn would make him sleep on the couch if he didn't agree. "We would love to help," Xander wheezed.
"I guess I could help," Cordelia said. It wasn't like she was busy. Work had been slow and Doyle was visiting family in Ireland. She had nothing else better to do while waiting to hear back from a few callbacks.
"Same goes for us," Willow said, holding her children alongside her husband. She could make up for her past mistakes by helping Liam out, Willow figured.
"If it gets Peaches to stop brooding, then what the hell," Spike interjected, tousling Liam's newly spiked hair. There was no doubt it that the kid definitely took after his father.
That left only one couple in the room. They had been silent for most of the exchange just listening to the arguments being made. As the older pair of the bunch, they wanted to weigh their options logically and rationally. But their family's happiness was a first for them. "Angel, Buffy, and Liam Giles has a nice ring to it," Jenny commented. "Wouldn't you agree Rupert?"
"Most certainly," Giles agreed, wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder.
"Alright, then how can we help?" Jenny asked.
Liam was surrounded by support of friends and family. He was relieved. Maybe this could actually work, he thought. There was a fighting chance that his parents could get back together. Liam pulled out a whiteboard from Giles's study with an elaborate plan fully laid out. "Operation Parent Trap is official a go," he began.