"Toothbrush?" Buffy asked.
"Check," Liam answered.
"Pjs?"
"Check."
"Extra underwear?"
"Check!" Liam exclaimed, tired of his mother going through each individual item on her checklist. "Can I go in now?"
"Okay," Buffy relented, pulling Liam's pillow and small suitcase to the porch. "Can you ring the doorbell please?"
Liam nodded and eagerly rang the doorbell. Then he proceeded to ring it again and again and again until someone answered. As Liam fixated himself on the button, Buffy stared at the home she used to live in. It seemed like nothing had changed on the exterior. There were a few more plants surrounding the porch and a slight crack in the floorboards, but otherwise it looked the same.
Angel hurried to the door, excited for the father-son filled weekend and of course to stop Liam from incessantly pressing the doorbell. That was definitely a Buffyism Liam picked up, Angel surmised.
When Angel opened the door, Liam stopped pressing the button as Angel scooped his son into his arms causing Liam to drop his backpack to the ground. "How's my favorite kid?" Angel asked.
"I'm your only kid, Dad," Liam replied. Buffy internally shivered. She doubted that Liam's title as only child would soon be revoked once Angel married Kate.
"I guess you're right," Angel said whilst lowering Liam onto the ground. Liam ran past Angel and into the living room as Buffy tried to take care of Liam's belongings. "Do you need any help?"
"Can you grab his backpack and pillow?" Buffy asked, handing Angel the discarded backpack and Liam's pillow. He held the door open for Buffy as she made her way into the living room with Liam's suitcase.
Once she dropped the suitcase in the living room, Buffy noticed very little change to the home. Though the pictures had changed and so had the decorations, all of the old furniture remained the same. Everything was exactly where it was six years ago.
"Can I get you anything to drink? We have tea, water, lemonade, soda..." Angel offered. He had to admit that it was strange having Buffy back in the house they once shared with her being a guest in her own home.
"I'm good," Buffy responded curtly, continuing to take in her surroundings.
"Remind me again where you are going?" Angel asked, scratching the back of his neck. Last week, Buffy had asked Angel, without much detail, if he could have Liam for the weekend while she went out of town. That was all the information Buffy divulged.
"I don't know. Willow wanted to surprise me," Buffy lied, however she would never let Angel know that, unless the timing was right. The trip her and Willow had planned out was a weekend full of job interviews and house/apartment hunting throughout the state. Buffy needed a fresh start and Sunnydale was making it extremely hard for her to have that fresh start.
Buffy turned her attention back to her five-year-old, who was just as excited as his father for a guys weekend. "Now you're going to stay with your dad all weekend and he's going to drop you off at school Monday. I'll pick you up that day after school in our normal spot. Okay?" Buffy explained.
Liam listened to his mother and replied, "Okay."
Buffy bent down to Liam's level and hugged the dear life out of him. This was the first time she would actually spend slightly over two day without him and it freaked her out, she just hoped Liam would give Angel the note with her lengthy instructions in case of an emergency. She kissed the top of his head and whispered, "I love you so much. Please be good for your dad."
"I promise, Mommy," Liam said, not yet loosening his grip on his mother. One more minute was all he needed. Or maybe two.
"Sweetie, you're going to have to let go," Buffy said, trying to escape her son's clutches.
"I don't want you to go. I want you to stay with me and Dad," Liam argued with tears forming in his eyes. Though he was excited for his weekend alone with his dad and looking forward to it, he thought the weekend would be better if the three of them spent it together.
"You know I can't do that." Buffy began to second guess her weekend away with Willow. How would Liam deal with moving away from her parents, his new friends, and Angel? This fresh start may have been a bad idea, after all there is housing and jobs in Sunnydale.
Buffy looked down at her watch. Willow would be at Joyce's in a couple of minutes. She really had to go. Buffy looked over at Angel, hoping that he would aid her in extracting their son off her. Angel didn't miss a beat.
He pulled Liam away from Buffy and held him in his arms as Liam tried to break free. Buffy slowly backed away from the pair as she went from the living room to the front door and then to the car. Angel, still holding Liam, followed Buffy's movements so Liam could at least see his mother blow him a kiss and wave goodbye.
Once Buffy left, Angel took Liam back inside and sat him on the couch. Liam sat quietly, suddenly uninterested in spending time with his dad. Nothing Angel could do would replace the void Buffy left.
Angel sat down, opposite to Liam, and stared at his son brooding. It was uncanny how much Liam took after him and Buffy at the same time, Angel thought. Though the brooding was inherited from Angel, Liam did so with his piercing green eyes that reminded Angel of his ex.
"So what do you want to do?" Angel asked, believing Liam had the entire weekend mapped out.
Liam shrugged.
Angel slouched back into the couch and ran his hand through his hair. He had craved this alone time with his son, but he didn't know how to act around him. Despite their genetics, they were still strangers. The only time they spent together was with Buffy and the information he learned about Liam was from Buffy.
"Well, typically Kate and I would be going out tonight, but with you here and Kate working a late shift, I guess I'll have to come up with something else," Angel said, searching for an idea in the back of his mind. Thankfully, the phone rang, pulling Angel away from the already awkward conversation.
"Hello?" Angel answered.
"Peaches! Good, you picked up! Seeing as you are all by your lonesome tonight with Kate on the job, why don't you come over for a game of poker with the guys tonight?" Spike offered.
Usually, Angel would have jumped at the chance to have a guys night, but poker with his son did not seem like a wise notion. He doubted Buffy would be in favor of exposing the world of gambling to their young and impressionable child. "I can't, I have Liam for the weekend," Angel explained.
"Wow, Buff's really loosening the reigns. No need to fret, we'll bring the game to you!"
"Spike, I really don't think that's-"
"Sorry Peaches, it's already a done deal. See you later. We'll bring pizza over for the munchkin."
"Spike!" Angel tried to protest, but Spike already ended the call. "And he hung up on me."
Angel set his phone down on the coffee table and turned to the small child. "Looks like it won't just be the two of us tonight," Angel commented.
"I fold!" Doyle announced, slumping down in his chair then proceeding to take a swig of his beer.
"Does that mean I win?" Liam looked up to his dad for clarification. He caught on to the game quickly as he helped his dad win a few hands. This was his first game on his own without Angel's guidance.
"Yeah, Buddy," Angel smiled, tousling Liam's dark hair. Liam reached across the table and took the potato chips, pretzel sticks, Hershey kisses and M from the center. Due to Liam's involvement, Angel requested that they did not play with actual money. Buffy would have definitely rung his neck for that.
"Are you sure you've never played before?" Spike questioned leaning on the table. He couldn't fathom how this sheltered five-year-old was a pro at cards.
Liam nodded his head and reached over into the pizza box for another slice. He didn't understand why Spike and the other guys kept asking him that question. Liam thought it was an easy fun game.
"Are you sure?" Spike pestered.
"Leave the kid alone, Spikey. He just has good genes," Angel said proudly.
"Just because he looks like you and you are a notch above mediocre when it comes to cards doesn't mean you have good genes," Doyle joked, causing the rest of the other guys to chuckle.
"Who said I was talking about me?" Angel commented, causing the guys to furrow their eyebrows at the dark-haired man. "Buffy's a pretty good card shark."
"Oh yeah," Xander remembered and leaned over next to Liam. "There was this one time in college where your parents, myself, Spike, Willow, and my ex-girlfriend Anya were playing a game of poker. And Anya was by far the best poker player I've ever seen, so I was expecting her to kick my butt. Then, out of nowhere, your mom wins the first hand and then the second, the third, the fourth and you get the point."
"I lost a lot of money that night," Spike grumbled. It was not one of his proudest moments. He hated losing, that's why he played against the guys at Willie's. Spike knew he could always win big.
"And do you want to know the best part?" Xander continued. Liam was immersed in Xander's story. He liked to hear people talk about his mom especially after hearing her tell so many stories about the people in front of him. "It was her first time ever playing poker."
"You know you're a lot like her. You're Mom, I mean," Angel clarified.
"Mom says I'm a lot like you," Liam retorted.
Angel couldn't disagree with Buffy. Liam took after his father in looks, intelligence, and even his brooding style, but Liam had one thing Angel never could measure up to. Liam had Buffy's heart. It was the first thing Angel fell in love with once he got to know her.
"It's just like the old days. Angel can't go a game without bringing up Buffy," Doyle commented. When Angel, Spike, and Wesley joined the Department around the same time as him, the newbies all gathered around for a weekly poker game. There was never a week that Angel could go without talking about Buffy. In fact, the guys knew he was going propose long before Angel actually did.
"Speaking of which, where is Buffy?" Wesley, another fellow officer and Giles' nephew, asked.
"She's in LA looking for an apartment and job with Willow," Xander answered.
Buffy had filled him in on what was going on at his weekly meet up with her and Willow. Since Buffy's return, the core three had met up regularly as she did not want to miss any more time with her friends. What Xander did not realize was that what Buffy told him and Willow, she told no one else except Cordelia and Faith. Xander just assumed Angel knew because Buffy's decision ultimately would affect Angel's life.
Angel's grip on his beer bottle loosened at Xander's words, causing it to fall to the ground and smash. In response to the loud noise, Liam jumped out of shock. "What did you say?" Angel implored, hoping he had heard incorrectly.
With all eyes locked on him, Xander gulped. "Buffy didn't tell you?" Xander replied.
"Why don't I take Liam upstairs," Wesley offered. The way this conversation was going was not one Liam needed to hear even if he was aware or unaware to what was happening around him. This conversation needed to be had with Liam was not one he should know because of hearsay. Wesley knew this is a discussion that should be had with both parents once they talked about it.
Wesley stepped around the broken glass and took Liam upstairs to the room Angel put together for him. It was always intended to be Liam's room. When Buffy and him got engaged, she had set it aside for it to be a nursery. It was too bad it never got used as such.
Angel went to the hall closet silently to find a broom to clean up his mess. While doing so, Angel tried to wrap his head around what Xander had said. Buffy was leaving Sunnydale and didn't even bother to tell him.
"Liam's teeth are brushed, his pajamas are on, and he is fully tucked into bed," Wesley announced walking down the stairs. The room was quiet and tension was in the air. "Did I miss anything?"
"I don't know, I think Xander about covered it," Angel spat.
"I thought she told you," Xander tried to explain. He wouldn't have told anyone if he had known; however, there was this vague memory of Buffy saying, "Do not tell Angel." But that could have been something else. He was confident she had said that before.
"Who all knows?" Angel asked, crossing his arms. He wondered how many people knew before him. He should have been the first person she consulted with. They would have to plan arrangements with Liam if Buffy did move away.
"Willow, Faith, Cordelia, and myself. Oh! And Joyce and Giles. And I guess you guys now."
"Faith knows?!" Angel turned his attention to Spike. Depending on the day, Faith could be either the most tight-lipped person or found gossiping in the corner.
"She told me nothing," Spike assured, throwing his hands up to show he was innocent in all of this. He did not want to get on Angel's bad side.
"Why is she leaving? Her family's here. I'm here. Does she expect to take Liam away from me? I just got him, I can't lose him," Angel rambled. He felt as if the whole world around him was crashing down. Though this was nothing in comparison to the day Buffy was taken, this had to be second.
"She's not doing it on purpose," Xander defended. Buffy was a smart girl who loved more than any other person he knew. Her entire life had been dedicated to doing what was best for other people. For once she was doing what's best for her and Xander supported her in that endeavor. She deserved happiness in her life.
"What do you mean?" Angel questioned. He was too blind to see that Buffy wasn't trying to hurt him by taking Liam away.
"I mean this past month was not exactly what she expected. After being kidnapped and imprisoned for six years, she comes home and finds that the life she thought she had waiting for her was no more. And you're not helping that transition," Xander explained.
To say Xander was furious at Angel was an understatement. Deep down, Xander knew Angel didn't deserve Buffy or her love, but he buried those feelings when it appeared Buffy and Angel were in it for the long haul. And since then, they seemed to get along, not only for Buffy's sake, but Cordelia's. It wasn't until Buffy returned that the old animosity Xander had for Angel started to resurface.
"How so?" Angel was all ears for what Xander had to say. He doubted it would be anything of substance since it was coming from Xander, but he was curious to see what he meant.
"I don't know, maybe the fact that you're getting married to a carbon copy of Buffy," Xander suggested.
"Kate is nothing like Buffy," Angel argued. Kate and Buffy were two separate people with differing personalities.
"For starters, they're both blonde, tough as nails and care for their parents. Remember when Buffy almost quit college because her mom had a brain tumor." Xander and Angel had been by Buffy's side through the entire ordeal. Joyce's condition took a toll on Buffy's health and schoolwork. When she wanted to quit, they forced her to stay. "This doesn't even include the fact that you are still living in the house you bought with Buffy with Kate. Plus your wedding is set on the same date and from what I've heard, Kate's dress is a dead ringer for Buffy's. And you're flaunting this in front of her by guilt tripping her to spend time with Kate under the guise of 'developing a relationship with Liam's soon-to-be stepmom.' No wonder she feels replaced."
Angel stood in silent questioning himself. Had he really made Buffy feel that way? He never wanted to hurt Buffy, but he had and that killed him.
"Look you've moved on. Buffy's obviously trying to move on," Spike said trying to soften Xander's harsh, but valid, criticism. He wanted his best mate to realize his mistake but Buffy's happiness superseded that. If she was trying to move on than rather live in the past, Spike wouldn't be the one to stop her. "That's probably why she's trying to leave Sunnydale. It's too hard for her to stay here."
"This is what's best for her," Xander said, placing a hand on Angel's shoulder. "She's trying to let go."
"But what if I can't," Angel admitted.
