Fire and Ice

The funeral took place four days later at Saint Matthew's Catholic Church in the heart of Sunnydale. Angel took on the responsibility of making the funeral and burial arrangements for his mother, as well as procuring the BINGO hall in the church's basement for the bereavement breakfast.

The mass began at ten o'clock, and Angel and Melissa were surprised to see so many people there paying their last respects to Mrs. Riches. Several of her doctors, old high school friends, acquaintances, as well as some of Angel and Melissa's friends showed up at the mass. Both children said a few words about their mother; Angel, Xander, Mrs. Riches' brother Steven, her nephews Robert and James, and Carl Morgan - a former boyfriend - were the pall bearers.

At noon, everybody headed downstairs for the brunch, which had been sponsored by the Sunnydale Women's Club. Family and friends offered their condolences to Adrienne Riches' two children.

"She was such a lovely woman," Grace Hancock stated when she shook Angel's hand. "Always willing to help out a friend in need. Her death was such a shock to me."

He nodded. "I know. Thank you for coming, Mrs. Hancock."

"I had to; I could never *not* come. I loved Addy like a sister. She was so proud of you, Angel. Her son, the famous writer."

"I would never go that far. If it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Well, you and Melissa will keep making her proud. I just know it. Be sure to call if you need anything."

Angel gave her a hug. "Thank you. I will."

That went on for an hour, different people coming forward to wish them good luck. It got to the point where Angel simply wanted to run away from everybody. He couldn't take it anymore, and decided to go outside for some fresh air.

Thirty feet from the door, he heard someone call his name. Inwardly, he groaned. Slowly, Angel turned around to see who it was.

Then he saw her. Buffy; his love, his goddess, his inspiration, his beloved. She stood in front of him, standing out like a new penny amongst all the other dull ones. The six years only added to her beauty, if it was possible. Her hair was several inches longer, falling well-past her shoulders in soft curls; her green eyes sparkled and shined like emeralds in a mountain of rock. The only difference he could see was the addition of perhaps ten or fifteen pounds, but on Buffy, the extra weight only enhanced her natural beauty.

"Buffy," he said after a short pause. "I didn't realize you were even here."

She nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. It had taken her a long time to work up the nerve to approach Angel. Somehow, she'd expected him to be completely different from the Angel she remembered, but he wasn't. Everything was the same - his hair, his face, his eyes and nose and lips…everything.

"I had to come. I guess, in a way, I'm representing the Summers family. My dad had an important business meeting he couldn't get out of."

"Oh."

Buffy exhaled heavily. Talking to him was harder than she thought; she felt like she was eighteen all over again. "Angel, I wanted to offer my condolences in person. Cards are so tacky, and your mother deserved better than that. She was such a lovely person."

Angel nodded in agreement. "Yes, she was."

"Look, I don't want to pry or anything, but how did it happen? The newspaper said it was a short illness. She never told me she was sick."

"Sudden massive heart attack," he disclosed. "Missy found her unconscious in the living room. A few minutes after I got there to the hospital, she had another one. And she…" The sentence trailed off.

"I'm so sorry," Buffy apologized. "Your mom was like a second mother to me. I loved her like she was my own mom."

"I never knew you were so close to her."

She gave him a heartfelt smile. "The last few years we were. I would stop over once a month and visit with her. We'd spend hours at the kitchen table just talking and catching up."

"Mom never mentioned it to me."

Suddenly, a little girl ran up to Buffy and began pulling on her long black skirt. The girl had long brown hair and green eyes just like Buffy's.

"Mommy!"

'Mommy?' Angel thought. 'Why is she calling Buffy "Mommy"?'

Buffy bent down to her level. "What did I tell you about yelling?"

The girl pouted. "Not to."

"Good. Now, what do you want?"

"Can I have a brownie? It won't spoil my dinner, I promise."

"No. We're not here to pile up on junk food, we're here to say good-bye to Grandma Adrienne. I told you to behave yourself, Abrielle. You are being rude," Buffy sternly said.

She frowned and hung her head. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

"Aren't you going to say hi?"

The girl thrust out one little arm toward Angel. "Hi. I'm Abrielle Summers."

Angel took her hand. "Hiya. My name's Angel."

She giggled when he kissed the back of her hand. "I know who you are, Silly. You're the man in the picture with Mommy. It's in her bedroom on top of her dresser, next to the picture of me."

"Really?" 'Okay, this is more than a little strange. I'm talking to Buffy's daughter. God, Buffy has a daughter.'

"Sweetie," Buffy started. "This is Grandma Adrienne's son. Melissa's brother Angel."

"I like Melissa. She gives me candy," Abrielle stated. "Do you have candy?"

Angel couldn't help but smile at her. Buffy's daughter was so adorable. "Not right now I don't. But if you want, I bet I can scrounge some up for you later. What do you say?"

Abrielle's face lit up like a light bulb. "Really? You will?"

"Sure. Just have your mom drop you off at my mother's house and I'll hook you up with more sugar than your body can handle."

Buffy watched and listened to Angel's conversation with her five-year old daughter. He was sweet and kind to her; didn't talk down to the girl, which impressed Buffy. Most guys wouldn't do that. 'Angel would make a great father,' she thought to herself. 'Abrielle loves him already.'

Abrielle looked up at her mother. "Can I, Mom? Mr. Angel said I could come over later."

"We'll see, honey. Why don't you ask Aunt Cordelia to get you a cup of 7Up. Mommy needs to talk to Mr. Angel," Buffy said to her.

"Okay." Abrielle ran over to where Cordelia was sitting.

Buffy smiled at Angel. "I'm sorry about that. She doesn't usually act that way."

"She's a beautiful girl."

"Yeah, she is. Very precocious, though. Too damn smart for her own good, if you ask me."

"How old is she?" Angel wanted to know.

"Just turned five in May." She took a deep breath. "Angel, would you like to get a cup of coffee sometime? We can talk and catch up on each other. It's been so long."

He didn't answer right away. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but so much was happening, he didn't think he could handle a date with his ex-girlfriend. Especially when he still believed she wanted nothing to do with him. "I-I don't think so."

"Oh." She only nodded.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you, Buffy, or with your daughter. Right now, things are kinda crazy, and I hope you understand that. I don't think I'll be in Sunnydale for very long."

"When are you going back to New York?"

"As soon as everything is settled here, I'm leaving," he told her. "I have a deadline."

"Well, if you do decide you want to get together, give me a call. I'm still living at home with my dad."

Angel gave her a strange and confused look. "You're not married to Abrielle's father?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. He…he and I never married. Anyway, I won't keep you, I'm sure there are other people you want to talk to. Take care. If you ever need me, don't hesitate to call."

Without even thinking about it, Angel gave her a tender hug. Just knowing she still cared about him meant a lot. More than she'd ever know. "Thank you, Buffy."

In his arms for the first time in nearly six years, Buffy felt all her feelings for him resurface. 'I still love you so much, Angel.' She'd seen his interview on Rosie O'Donnell the week before and knew that he was single. Deep in her heart, Buffy hoped there would still be a chance for them.

***

"How are you holding up, Missy?" Xander asked Melissa when he finally had a chance to speak to her privately.

She shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. It's been really hard to deal with."

"I wish I'd been here for you and Angel. They've been keeping me extremely busy in L.A. with that new movie coming out." Xander worked as a contractor for a major studio in Hollywood.

"That's okay."

He glanced over at Angel, noticing he was talking to Buffy. "Wow. I didn't know those two got back together."

"They didn't," Melissa said when she saw who he was talking about. "She came to the funeral because she and my mom got close in the past few years."

"That was nice of her."

She agreed. "Yeah, it was. Buffy's not so bad once you get used to her."

"Too bad, though."

"About what?"

"Them. That they're not back together. Two people who are obviously meant to be together and they can't be. Buffy and Angel are still in love, you can tell," Xander observed.

She looked closer at her brother and his ex-girlfriend. "Yeah, I guess they still are."

***

"'Bill and I are sorry for your loss. You have our deepest sympathies and we have arranged for a mass to be said for your mother on August sixth at eight in the morning'," Angel read aloud from one of the many cards that had been sent to the house in the days following the funeral.

"Who's that one from again?" Melissa asked her brother. She was keeping track of the people they had to send thank you cards to.

Angel looked at the return address on the envelope, reading it off for his sister. "William and Audrey Kwitowski. 436 Headington Court. Sunnydale, California. 90021."

"Got it."

He reached for the next card in the pile. There was no return address. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed after reading the card.

"What is it?"

"I cannot believe that man has the gall to send a condolence card after all he's done to us."

Melissa didn't know who he was talking about. "Who, Angel?"

"Our father." The bitterness was apparent in his voice, even fourteen years after Luke Riches left them. "The bastard."

"What did he write?"

"'Melissa and Angel, I am heartfully sorry about Adrienne's death. Whether you want to believe it or not, I truly did love her and will miss her every single day. Though we had our differences, I loved her more than anyone else in my life, aside from you kids. She gave me two beautiful children, I could never forget that. You two are in my prayers. Love, you dad.'" Angel paused. "How can he even call himself our dad? He abandoned us when we were just ten years old, forcing us to grow up without a father figure. Apparently any asshole can be a sperm donor and call himself a father."

"Do you ever wonder if Mom forgave him for what he did?" she wanted to know.

He frowned. "Knowing Mom, she probably did. She had such a forgiving soul. But I'm willing to bet it didn't happen until the end."

Melissa sniffled. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"I…you were with her right before she died. And it's been weighing on my mind for the past few days. What did she say to you? What were her last words?"

Angel bit his lip. "She knew. Right up 'til the end, Mom never acted naļve about her condition. It was the end and she knew it; never tried to be strong for us. She talked about love and not giving up on true love even when things get tough."

"Oh."

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question."

"Okay."

"Who is Abby?"

The question threw her. "A-Abby?" Melissa stuttered. "Mom mentioned her? What exactly did she say about her?"

"Nothing. Well, hardly anything at all. That's why I was hoping you'd know. Mom just said that I have to take care of her. And I can't take care of someone I've never heard of. Who is she, Missy?" Angel asked. "Why do I have to take care of her?"

She couldn't make eye contact with her brother; she felt too ashamed about keeping the truth from him for so long. "Abby is your daughter."

***

Buffy walked into her daughter's bedroom, finding Abrielle sitting at her desk drawing a picture. The sight brought a smile to her face and filled her heart with joy. There was nobody else she loved more than her five-year old daughter.

"Whatcha drawing?" Buffy asked, walking over to her.

"It's a picture for Mr. Angel. I wanna give it to him when we go to his house for the candy," Abrielle replied.

"That is so sweet of you. I'm sure he'll love it." She glanced at the paper, seeing the three stick-figures holding hands. "Who are the people in the picture?"

Abrielle held it up. "Me and you and Mr. Angel. We're gonna be a family."

"I don't know, honey. Mr. Angel might have other plans. He might not want to be a family with you and me. I'm sorry, Abrielle."

"But you love each other. He's going to be my daddy," she stated.

"Who told you that?"

"Grandpa. I asked him. And you and him were talking about Mr. Angel after we said good-bye to Grandma Adrienne. Grandpa asked if you still loved Mr. Angel and you said yes. And you were crying in the shower that night and said his name. You love Mr. Angel, don't you, Mommy?"

Her daughter's intelligence astounded her. For such a young girl, Abrielle certainly knew what was going on around her. "Yes, I do love him. But I don't think he loves me back."

"But he has to! I want him to be my daddy!" the little girl cried.

Buffy swallowed the tears she felt coming. "You have a daddy."

"Then why doesn't he come to visit me? All my other friends have daddies. I'm the only one who doesn't have one."

'Yes you do, Abby,' Buffy said. 'He just doesn't know it yet.'

***

Angel blinked when Melissa told him who Abby was. "What did you say?"

"She's your daughter," Melissa replied.

He shook his head. "No way. That's not possible. I don't have a daughter, I *couldn't* have a daughter. I'd know if I did."

"I'm not lying, Angel. I swear to God."

"No."

She stood up and without speaking a word to her twin brother, she went into her bedroom, returning a minute later with a photo album. Ripping a picture out of it, Melissa placed it in front of Angel. "Does this little girl look familiar to you?"

"It's you when we were five years old. The summer we went to San Diego."

"Look closer. Who else does it look like?"

So he did look closer. The picture was definitely of Melissa when they were five. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. But it not only looked like his sister, but another little girl he'd recently met.

"Abrielle," he whispered. "Buffy's daughter."

"You mean your daughter, too."

"I don't get it. How can that be? Buffy and I haven't been together in almost six years. How can we have a daughter?"

"She just turned five a few weeks ago, at the end of May. Do the math, and you'll be able to figure it out."

Once again, Angel shook his head. "It isn't possible. No, no, you're wrong. I can't be Abrielle's father, it must be that other guy Buffy was seeing right after I left for school."

"Then why the hell does Abby look exactly like me?"

"I don't know."

Melissa chewed on her lower lip. It was time to tell him the whole truth. "There was no other guy, Angel. I-I lied to you about it."

"You did what? Why would you do something like that?"

"I hated Buffy! Out of all the girls in this town you could have fallen in love with, you had to pick the one I was the most jealous of. I hated her for having everything I wanted," she explained. "She had everything! She was smart, rich, beautiful, had great clothes, and on top of it, a father that doted on her. Whatever she wanted, she got. It wasn't fair.

"Then she decided she wanted you. And that pissed me off more than anything. I thought she was a slut and a bitch, and once she got what she wanted from you, she'd leave you. I could see how much you loved her and I didn't want her to hurt you; you'd already been hurt so badly by Kelley.

"When you went to Boston, I assumed you'd break up with her, or she would break up with you and that would be the end of it. Buffy told me about the plans you two made; how she was going to move to Boston to be near you. I never thought for a minute that she meant any of it, I thought she was trying to lure you in even more with false promises.

"And I hated her even more for it. For having everything she wanted, everything I wanted, for playing mind games with you, and there was no way in hell I was going to let you get hurt for her own amusement. I had to stop her before she went too far. So that's when I made up that story about the other guy."

Angel didn't say anything right away. It was all so much to absorb. "Buffy…she never cheated on me?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"What did you tell her?" he demanded. "You must have told her something."

"Angel--"

"Tell me!" His patience had run out a long time ago.

"I told her the same thing I told you," she admitted. "Right before you left, I heard her tell you how afraid she was of you falling in love with someone else at Emerson. That's what I told her; that you found some other girl and were going to end it with her."

He took a deep breath. "I can't believe you're capable of doing something like that."

"I did it for you!"

"No, it had nothing to do with me, Missy. You did it for yourself."

Tears stung her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You're *sorry*?!" Angel exploded. "Do you think saying that is suddenly going to make it all better? It doesn't. I lost out on the first five years of my daughter's life because of your petty jealousy. I can't get those years back, Melissa." 'My daughter,' he thought. 'Buffy and I have a daughter. A daughter I never knew about until today.'

"I know that! You don't know how guilty I feel about it. If I'd known Buffy was pregnant, I never would have done what I did!"

He stood up. "Were you ever going to tell me about Abrielle? Truthfully, if Mom hadn't died, would you have told me?"

"Probably not." She was telling him the truth. Her mother's death had instilled a sense of guilt in her. "You know now, though. I told you about her. Now you know you have a daughter. A beautiful daughter with Buffy. All is right with the world."

"No, all isn't right with the world. You've pulled a lot of crap in the past twenty-four years, but this is the worst. You betrayed me. I always trusted you; believed you and everything you said without any reservations. And you broke that trust."

"I did it because I love you."

"Then you have a fairly contrived sense of love. Stay away from me, Missy. From now on, don't come near me. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a sister." Angel headed for the back door.

She followed him. "Don't do this. I'm the only family you have left!"

"Not anymore. I have a daughter, whose mother I love more than anything. They're my family."

"Where are you going?"

Angel turned around, glaring at his sister. The anger was written all over his face. "Where do you think? To see if I can make up for your selfishness; to see if I can be a part of my daughter's life."

***

Filled with trepidation, Angel stood on the front porch of Buffy's house. He'd been standing there for five minutes, trying to figure out what he would say. 'What am I going to say to her? "I'm sorry about the past six years and for abandoning you and our daughter?" I can't do that.'

Taking a deep breath, he pressed the doorbell, hearing the chime echo its way through the Summers house. It didn't take long for him to make out the sound of footsteps walking down the hallway. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Buffy's father.

"Mr.-Mr. Summers," Angel stammered.

The older man's eyebrows lifted slightly upon seeing his daughter's ex-boyfriend. "Hello, Angel. I suppose you're here to see Buffy."

"I am, yes."

"Please come inside." Angel stepped in. "She and Abrielle are in the backyard on the swing set. Follow me."

"Mr. Summers, I'm sure I am the last person you expected to find on your doorstep. And I know that you asked me to stay away from Buffy, but I cannot do that anymore. I know things now, and I also know that I can't stay away from her," Angel explained.

He nodded his head in understanding. "You know about Abby, I take it."

"Yes. My sister explained things to me. Believe me, sir, if I had known about her, things would be different. I never would've left them."

"I do believe you. This is my doing, not yours. I see that now. At the time, all I could associate you with was your father. I saw what he did to Adrienne and it pained me to see her like that. And I didn't want the same thing to happen to my daughter."

"You cared about my mother a great deal, didn't you?" he questioned.

"I loved her, Adrienne was my first love. You never get over your first real love. Isn't that true?" Mr. Summers wanted to know.

"Yeah."

He caught the look in Angel's eyes. It was a mixture of doubt and pity. "Oh, that's not to say I didn't love Buffy's mother; I did. Joyce was a lovely woman, a great companion and an even better mother. I couldn't have asked for more. But she wasn't Adrienne.

"The day Buffy was born, I went to the nursery at the hospital to see all the other babies. It was there that I saw you and your sister Melissa. You two had been born the day before Buffy was, and I was filled with such envy. I wished for you to be my children. I wanted to be your father, not Luke. But things just didn't work out that way.

"When Buffy first told me about you two, I wasn't exactly thrilled. My daughter had gotten what I always wanted. I didn't think it was fair for Buffy to be with the one she loved when I couldn't be. And what made it worse was that you were the son of the one woman I'd always loved. But I made a mistake, Angel. I was selfish and I put my own feelings ahead of my daughter's."

Mr. Summers extended his hand to Angel. "I want to apologize for what I've done in the past. I never intended to hurt you, or to keep you from your daughter."

Angel glanced at the hand being offered to him before shaking it. "I accept your apology. Now I hope Buffy can accept mine."

He pointed to his daughter, who was pushing Abrielle on a swing. "She's right there."

"Thank you."

Angel pushed the sliding glass door and walked back outside. He stood at the edge of the patio watching Buffy and Abrielle. His heart did flip-flops as his daughter laughed and begged her mother to push her higher. 'That's my daughter. She is so beautiful,' he thought to himself.

Mr. Summers stepped out from behind him. "She's going to be a heartbreaker, our Abby."

"Just like her mother," Angel added.

"Yes, just like her mother. Aren't you going to go over there?"

"I don't want to interrupt them," he answered. "I can wait until they're finished."

"Nonsense. I happen to know for a fact that my granddaughter is dying to see you again. You're all she's been talking about." He turned his attention to his daughter. "Buffy! You have a visitor."

Buffy and Abrielle looked up at the same exact time. The younger girl burst into a grin and jumped off the swing in midair. "Mr. Angel!" Abrielle shouted.

"Abby, be careful!" Buffy warned.

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her to Angel's side. "You came! I knew you'd come to see me."

Buffy got there a second later. "Honey, I told you not to jump off the swing like that. You could get hurt."

"Sorry, Mommy. Look, Mr. Angel came to see us."

"I see that. Hi, Angel," Buffy greeted.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Even though he'd seen her two days before, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time in six years. Images developed in Angel's mind, images of Buffy pregnant with their daughter, giving birth, breast-feeding her, teaching Abrielle to walk and talk. All the things he'd missed out on.

Mr. Summers took his granddaughter's hand. "Come on, Abby. Let's go inside and get some ice cream. I think your mom and Mr. Angel want to be alone."

"Do you want to see my pictures that I drew for you?" Abrielle asked Angel.

He smiled at her. "I'd love to."

Once the two entered the house and the door closed behind them for privacy, Buffy turned to Angel once again. "I thought you were going back to New York soon."

"I was. My plans seem to have changed. Buffy, I…" He took another deep breath. "I found out some things today. Things that have been kept from me for years. Things about us."

"What kinds of things?"

"Missy…she suffered from a pang of conscience today. And she told me everything. She told me things I never thought possible. She lied to us."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't quite know how to say it. It's still so hard to believe that my own sister sabotaged the best thing in my life. Buffy, she told me you were cheating on me."

She didn't reply right away. "What?"

He nodded. "I know. I didn't believe it at first either. Here's what happened. About a month after I left Sunnydale, Melissa called me up at school. She made up this story that you were going around telling everybody we were breaking up because you wanted to be with someone else. And for some stupid reason I believed her. I thought you and I were over; that you didn't want to be with me anymore."

"It wasn't true. I never cheated on you."

"I know. She told me today; told me everything she said and all the lies she told to keep us apart."

Buffy looked down at the green grass at her feet. "She told me the same thing. I came over to your house when you had stopped returning my phone calls and that's when Melissa said you were seeing some other girl named Julia."

"Not true. She was never more than a good friend of mine." Angel grabbed Buffy's hand, clutching it tightly. "You are the only person I've ever been with and the only one I ever *want* to be with."

She gazed into his eyes. It was all so unreal. "You still love me?"

"As much as I did when I was eighteen."

"Me, too. I mean, I'm still in love with you. There hasn't been anyone else since the day you left town." With her free hand, Buffy wiped away her tears of joy. "Angel, there is something you need to know."

"I know. Abrielle is my daughter. Our daughter, should I say."

"How did you…"

Angel gave her a half-smile. "My mother. Right before she died, she told me I had to take care of Abby. I didn't know what she meant, so I asked Melissa this morning. That's when I found out about her. And all that other stuff."

"I'm so sorry, Angel."

"For what? None of this is your fault. I blame my sister, no one else."

"It is my fault. I'm the one who got pregnant. I promised you I wouldn't and I did. You probably hate me."

He lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to make eye contact with him. "I'm not mad, not at all. God, Buffy, I am thrilled and overjoyed."

"You mean that? Really?"

"With all my heart. We have a daughter. One night, we made love and made a daughter. The only regret I have is that I didn't know about Abrielle sooner. Why didn't you tell me?" Angel asked.

"Because. I just couldn't do it. Angel, I found out the day Melissa told me about you and that Julia girl. That's why I had called that day. But after she told me, I couldn't tell you. I was afraid you'd hate me or think I was lying. And even if you did believe me, I didn't want you to think I was only telling you so you'd come back to me. I didn't want you to be with me out of some sense of obligation, and I didn't want to be with you if you didn't want to be with me. It would be like forcing you into a loveless relationship."

"If I'd known, I'd have come back in a second. I would have dropped everything so I could be here."

Buffy shook her head. "I didn't want you to do that. You were living out your dream and the last thing I wanted was to ruin it for you."

"I wish you had told me. It must have been so hard for you, raising her on your own, thinking all the while that I was off with someone else."

"Well, Dad certainly wasn't too happy about it. He wanted me to put Abby up for adoption, but I said no. I could never give away our daughter to strangers. He loves her so much, Angel; treats her like a princess and spoils her rotten. He's been there for us since day one."

"Buffy, I know this is a lot to ask, but I want to be a part of Abby's life. I missed out on the first five years of her life because of my sister's lies. I don't want to miss out on another minute," said Angel.

"She is your daughter. I'd never say no. And I believe that Abby should know her father."

Angel smiled. "What about her mother? Can I be a part of her life, too?"

"You'll have to ask Abrielle about that. That kind of a decision requires her input as well."

As if she were listening from inside the house, Abrielle ran outside towards the adults. In her hand were two pictures. "Mommy! Mr. Angel!"

"Abby, I have to tell you something," Buffy said to her.

Abrielle ignored her mother. She focused her attention on Angel. "Are you really my daddy?"

"Who did you hear that from?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Grandpa said so. Are you my daddy, Mr. Angel?"

Angel picked her up, holding her in his arms. "Yes, I'm your daddy; your real daddy. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh. We can be a family, like in my pictures. I drew them for you. There's one of all of us. And the other is of us and a baby. I wanna be a big sister."

They both laughed. "Well, Buffy?" Angel asked. "Can we be a family? Can I be part of you life, too?"

"I'd really like that." She placed her hand on the back of his neck and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

***

"Mommy?" Abrielle asked. "I got a question."

Buffy finished pulling her daughter's hair through the ponytail clip and looked at her in the mirror. "Okay. What's the question?"

"When is Daddy coming back?"

Angel had left for New York the week before so he could pack up his old apartment and move everything to his new apartment in Sunnydale. He'd decided to remain in California to be near Buffy and their daughter. After two months of planning and apartment-hunting, the move would finally be complete.

"He called last night after you went to bed and said he'd be back by the end of the week. Remember how I told you that he has to drive his truck from the other side of the country? That's a long trip, honey."

"I miss him."

She put her arms around Abrielle from behind and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I know you do. So do I."

"Are you and Daddy gonna have another baby?" she wanted to know.

The question took Buffy by surprise. "No. We don't need another baby right now; we have you."

She sighed. As much as the idea of having another child thrilled Buffy, Angel had never mentioned it. When they first decided to embark on their relationship for the second time, they chose to move more slowly than the first time. Two months later, Buffy and Angel had yet to make love. And the wait was agonizing for her.

"But I wanna be a big sister!"

"Abby, don't raise your voice. I know you want to be a big sister, but something like that doesn't happen overnight. It takes a lot of talking and planning. Your dad and I aren't ready yet. Maybe in a few years, but not now."

***

"Hello, Mr. Summers," Angel said when he walked up the driveway later that afternoon. He'd returned from his cross-country trip earlier that day and stopped by to see Buffy and Abrielle.

Mr. Summers glanced up and smiled at the young man. "Angel. I didn't realize you were back from New York already. Buffy never mentioned it."

"That's because she doesn't know yet. I got back around noon and wanted to surprise them. Are she and Abby home?"

He nodded. "Upstairs, I think. I'm sure they've missed you like crazy. In fact, I know they have."

"The feeling is mutual. But before I go up there, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Well," Angel began, "ever since I came back to town and Buffy and I worked things out, we haven't exactly had a lot of alone time. It's always been me, her and Abrielle. Not that I mind at all, I don't. I love Abby and I'm trying to get to know her and be a real father to her. But I feel like I'm neglecting Buffy at the same time. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I do. You want to be alone with her," Mr. Summers stated.

"I want to take her away to someplace where it'll only be the two of us. I love her and I want so badly to make it work this time. That's where the favor comes in."

"As I said before, anything. The one thing I want most in this world is to see my daughter happy. And it's fairly obvious that you make her happy; now I see that. What is it you need?"

Angel exhaled. "I'd like, with your permission, to take Buffy away this weekend."

"You're both well-over eighteen. It's not as if you need my permission to go away together," he pointed out.

"I'm aware of that. See, I was hoping to take her to the beach house. For a romantic weekend, if you know what I mean. That place holds a lot of memories for the two of us." Angel didn't feel comfortable elaborating any further.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I read your book, Angel. And assuming that most of what you wrote is true, I can understand why you'd want to take her there. When would you like to go there, again?"

"This weekend. Mr. Summers, I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to dump babysitting responsibilities on you."

Mr. Summers lifted his hands to silence him. "Don't worry about it. Every couple needs some time away from the rest of the world. Besides, I promised my granddaughter I'd take her to Disneyland one of these days. Perhaps I can arrange it so that both trips fall on the same weekend."

"Thank you so much. Although I do have one more favor to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"I don't want Buffy to think this was all my idea. It sends the wrong message and I don't want to put any strain on the relationship. Maybe if you brought it up first…" Angel suggested.

He nodded and smiled. "Sure. I'd be glad to help."

Angel let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much again. This means a lot."

The front door opened and Buffy and Abrielle stepped out onto the front porch. Upon seeing her father standing in the driveway with her grandfather, Abrielle squealed with delight and ran to their side. "Daddy!"

Angel lifted her off the ground, giving her a hug and a kiss. "How's my little girl?"

"I'm good. Mommy took me to the park and pushed me on the merry-go-round. Are you back for good?"

"You bet I am. I'm not going anywhere."

Buffy walked over to them. "When did you get back?" she asked.

"A few hours ago," Angel answered. "I wanted to unload all the stuff before I came over here. Hope you don't mind." He placed Abrielle back on the pavement.

She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tender kiss. "Mind? I'm just glad you're back and you're safe. We both missed you."

"That's what your dad said."

Buffy looked over at her father, who was tying Abrielle's shoelace. "Can you stay tonight? Dad won't care and I'm sure Abby won't object."

"I can't," he declined, brushing a stray hair from Buffy's forehead. "I have to finish unpacking and then Xander's going to help me move the rest of my stuff from Mom's house."

"Oh, okay." Try though she might, Buffy couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice.

"If I could, I would."

"I know," she replied, nodding her head. But a part of her wasn't sure.

"Buffy?" her father called. "I need to ask you something. See, I promised Abby a few months ago that I'd take her to Disneyland for the weekend. Do you mind if I take her this coming weekend?"

Abrielle's face lit up. "Disneyland? Can we? Please?!"

"Do you promise to be a good girl for Grandpa?" she asked her daughter.

"Uh-huh. I promise."

"All right, you can go."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she shouted.

Mr. Summers smiled deviously. "I have an idea. Why don't the two of you do something special while we're gone. Maybe go to the beach house for the weekend? I can call Carrie and John and tell them to have it ready for you."

"Really?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Buffy turned to Angel. "Do you want to? Just think, a weekend with just the two of us. No kids, no fathers, no interruptions. What do you say? Could be fun."

"That does sound like fun," Angel agreed, playing along. "I'd love to go." 'Thank you, Mr. Summers.'

***

"Angel, talk to me," Melissa said when he brushed past her on his way inside his old bedroom to get the last of his things. "I hate this."

"I don't want to talk to you. I want to get the rest of my things and get back to my apartment. Holding a conversation with you isn't on my list of priorities," he retorted.

Melissa groaned. "Why are you doing this? I'm your goddamn sister."

"I don't have a sister. Remember?"

Xander watched and listened with curious eyes and ears as the twins squared off. He'd listened to them argue before and knew that this was worse than any of their previous arguments. This time, Melissa had gone too far.

"You're mad, I understand that. But why do you have to shut me out of your life? I made a mistake and I apologized for it. Can't we just move on and forget it ever happened?"

Angel picked up the final box. "A mistake? You call what you did a 'mistake'? No, not by a longshot. And apologizing isn't going to make me forget. Don't even try to patch things up with me. Anyone who can be so manipulative doesn't deserve my forgiveness. You'll never get it, Missy. Never."

Go to Part 45