"Fire and Ice "

Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com
Notes: Everybody's normal. No Slayers, no vampires.

1

2

3

4

5

6

June 7, 2007

"My next guest is an award-winning author at the age of twenty-four. His first book, FIRE AND ICE, shot to the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller List after only three weeks in print. And now, the movie version is set to open on Friday, starring Kirsten Dunst and Joshua Jackson. Please welcome, for the first time on this show, Angel Riches!" Rosie O'Donnell announced.

Smiling shyly, Angel stepped out from behind the wall and approached the talk show host, giving her a friendly hug and a kiss on the cheek. After doing so, he sat down in the guest's chair.

"Angel, can I say something? You are a cutie patootie!" she commented.

He laughed. "Thank you, Rosie. I can't say anybody's ever called me that before."

"I have to tell you, I couldn't put this book down the first time I read it. It's one of my favorites. How old were you when you wrote it?"

"I started it when I was eighteen and finished it three months before my twentieth birthday."

Her eyebrows shot upwards. "You're just a kid! It's so hard to believe that somebody so young can be so talented."

"I got cut a really lucky break. A friend of mine gave it to one of her professors to read, who sent it, in turn, to a literary agent at Pocket Books. It all just snowballed from there."

"I read in your press kit that this book is semi-autobiographical. Is that really true?" Rosie asked. "'Cause it seems like such a far-fetched plot."

Angel nodded. "Most of it is true, with the exception of the ending; that didn't quite happen. The character of Adam is…basically, he's me."

"And Bethany?"

A shadow of sadness washed over his face only for a split-second. "My ex-girlfriend. But names and places were changed to protect the innocent," he said with a laugh. "I didn't want to ruffle any feathers back home."

She picked the book up off her desk, opening it to the third page. "I wanted to mention something before we move on to the movie. The book is dedicated to…may I read the dedication?"

"Sure."

"'To my beloved, my inspiration for everything I do. But fire and ice just aren't meant to be, I guess.' Angel! That had me in tears the first time I read that!" Rosie admonished.

He bit his lip in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. But it's the truth."

She turned her attention to the studio audience and the television viewers. "Everybody, run out there and get this book. It's well-worth it. Our entire studio audience is getting a free copy." After the applause ended, Rosie faced Angel again. "Tell us about the movie."

"Well, if you read the book, it pretty much follows the same pattern. I wrote the screenplay and kept it as true-to-life as possible. Even the cast, I helped in the casting and made sure that the actors remotely resembled the real person. Kirsten Dunst plays Bethany, the rich beauty who falls in love with Adam, played by Joshua Jackson. The movie spans twenty-three years, the progression of their love and the things that tear Bethany and Adam apart."

"I saw the sneak preview Tuesday night and let me tell you, this is such an amazing movie! You didn't tell me you had a small part in it."

"A very small part. I'm a writer, not an actor," stated Angel. "But I play Patrick Aston; he steals Adam's first girlfriend, Kristine. I think I'm onscreen for a total of thirty seconds."

"The movie's rated PG-13, is it not?"

Angel nodded. "Yep. So take your parents, grandparents, some random person on the street…just go see it."

"I know a lot of girls out there are dying to find out if you're married. So am I, for that matter. So, spill. Are you?"

"Not married. In fact, I'm so single, it's pathetic. I haven't had a date in years."

Rosie grinned. "I find that very hard to believe."

"Ask my roommate. My writing keeps me pretty busy. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not looking for Ms. Right. If she's out there, I'm sure I'll find her."

---

No sooner had Angel opened the door to his Upper West Side apartment when the telephone started ringing. 'Probably Daniel wanting to know when the next book in the "Slayer" series will be finished. God, I hate having writer's block!' thought Angel.

"Hello?" he said when he picked up the receiver.

"Angel, it's Missy."

"Are you calling to make fun of my interview? I sucked, I know that already. I don't need you reminding me of it." It was two o'clock and he knew that the Rosie O'Donnell Show had already aired in Sunnydale.

"That's not why I called. It's…it's Mom," Melissa said with a touch of panic in her voice. "She's in the hospital."

Angel nearly dropped the receiver. "What?"

"I woke up and found her on the floor in the living room. They said she had a heart attack. You have to come home, Angel, as soon as possible. It doesn't look good. The doctors don't think she's going to make it."

---

It took him six hours, but Angel made it. He ran into Sunnydale General Hospital like a bat out of hell once he exited the taxi. All he could think about was his mother, and the thought of her lying in a hospital bed made him queasy. Angel was more scared than he'd ever been in his entire life.

A nurse stood behind the Nurse's Station. "Can I help you, Sir?" she asked when Angel breathlessly approached her.

"My mom was admitted earlier today and I don't know what room she's in," Angel told her.

"What's her name?"

He exhaled nervously. "It's Adrienne Riches. R-I-C-H-E-S."

The nurse punched the information into the computer. "Yes. She was admitted at nine o'clock this morning. Your mother is in the Cardiac Care Unit on the fifth floor. Room 563."

"Thank you."

The elevator wasn't fast enough for him, and Angel felt like he did not have the time to waste. So he opted for the stairs. He ran up the five flights to the fifth floor, too focused on finding his mother to care how much his body was screaming in agony at the exertion. When he stepped into the hallway of the Cardiac Care Unit, he found his sister sitting in a chair nearby.

"Missy!" he called upon seeing her.

Melissa jumped out of her seat and flew into Angel's arms. It had been almost a year since they'd last seen each other. The previous September, the two had gotten into a fight over how her boyfriend was treating her. "Oh god, Angel. Thank you for getting here so quickly," she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I came as fast as I could; took the first plane out. What happened to Mom?"

"I was so scared! I woke up for work this morning at eight-thirty and went into the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. The television was on, so I walked into the living room to say hi to Mom. She-she was lying face-down on the ground. I called 911 and an ambulance came five minutes later," she explained to her brother.

Angel shook his head in both sadness and in disbelief. "How is she? What did the doctor have to say?"

Melissa sniffled. "I tried calling you all morning. You didn't answer your phone at the apartment and your cell phone was turned off."

"I didn't want it ringing during my Rosie O'Donnell interview. Then I stopped at the library. But you never answered my question. How is she? What's wrong?"

Tears filled Melissa's brown eyes. "Massive heart attack. According to the attending doctor she had a heart attack. I feel so helpless, like nothing I can do will help her. And I hate it."

"I know how you feel. Can we see her?" he wanted to know.

"Yeah. She's-she's been in and out of consciousness, though. I just saw her and she was out of it, then I came out here to wait for you. Mom was asking for you earlier."

Angel solemnly nodded. "Do you mind if I go in there? Or do you want to go back?"

"Go on. Only one of us is allowed in at a time. I…I don't think I can take it right now. I think I need to be by myself for a little while."

"Okay." He could understand.

Angel walked down the hall to room 563. Peaking through the window, he saw his mother lying in the hospital bed, all kinds of machines hooked up to her. Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Angel entered.

As soon as he sat down in the chair next to the bed, Mrs. Riches' eyelids fluttered open. She stared at him for a moment before a weak smile spread across her lips.

"My Angel," she whispered. "You came."

"Of course I did. You know I'd never stay away if something happened to you. How do you feel?"

Mrs. Riches closed her eyes as if in pain. "It's not good. I know that."

He took her hand. "You're gonna be fine, Mom. Nothing's going to happen to you. You've got my word on that."

"No. I'm too sick." She locked her brown eyes on his identical ones. "There is something I need to tell you."

"It can wait until you feel stronger. Let's just concentrate on getting you well and getting you back home."

"Are you going to leave and go back to New York?"

He shook his head at her question. "I'll be right here as long as you need me. I'm not going anywhere until you're better."

"You gave up so easily, Angel."

"What are you talking about?"

"With Buffy. You gave up too easily on love. You can't do that when it's true love," she told him. "Trust me on that."

"That isn't something we should be talking about now."

She gripped his hand as tightly as she could. "Listen to me. We have to talk about this now or we'll never get the chance again."

"You need your rest. It can wait."

"I need to talk to you. I love you, Angel, and you're a smart boy. But when it comes to love, you're stupid."

"Mom…"

"You still love her. I see it in your eyes when I say her name. You will always be in love with her, you and I both know that."

"Stop worrying about my love life. I'll be just fine. I'm happy, you know that."

"No, you're not. You're lying to yourself. You'll never be happy without her. Be with her, you know you want to. You *need* to."

"Just concentrate on yourself. That's all that's important."

Mrs. Riches took a labored breath. Breathing had become difficult since she entered the hospital that morning. "Promise me something."

"Anything. What is it?"

"When I pass on, you have to take care of her."

"You're not going to die, Mom," assured Angel. "Think positive."

She tightened her grip yet again. "*Promise* me."

"Okay, I promise."

"Take care of Abby."

Angel knit his eyebrows together. He'd never heard of an Abby before. "Who is Abby? Why do I have to take care of her?"

"You have to take care of Abby," his mother repeated. "Take care of both of them."

"Mom, who is she?"

"She's yours. Watch over her. Love her."

Nothing Mrs. Riches was saying made any sense to Angel. "What on earth are you talking about? Who is this Abby person?"

From his right, the heart monitor began to beep loudly. His mother's eyes widened and she focused them on her son. "Take care of Abby, Angel! She's yours!"

Doctors and nurses ran into the room and Angel stood by helplessly and watched as they worked on his mother.

"BP is falling," one nurse stated.

"Heart rate is down. We're losing her."

One of the nurses looked over at a stunned and terrified Angel. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave, Sir."

Without saying another word, he walked out of the room, heading for the waiting room as if in a trance. Melissa noticed the expression on his face and immediately ran over.

"Oh god, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know exactly. The machine started beeping and then all these people came in. One of them told me to leave. Something happened to Mom."

Together, they sat themselves down and waited for word on their mother's condition. Neither of them said a word, but they clasped their hands together to comfort one another.

Five minutes later, a doctor came into the waiting room. "Melissa and Angel Riches?" he called.

They stood up. "That's us," Melissa said. "How is she?"

He shook his head sadly. "We did everything we could. Your mother suffered a second heart attack, but her body was too weak from the first one to fight it. I'm sorry; she didn't make it."

Angel stood in complete shock while his sister broke down and cried. She let tears slip onto his shoulder. "Thank you," he said to the doctor.

"Would you like me to make any arrangements for you?"

"No, thanks. I can do all that."

After the doctor walked away, Angel put his arms around Melissa, patting her on the back. "It'll be okay."

"She's gone," she whimpered. "Only fifty-two years old and she's dead. I never got a chance to say good-bye to her. Or to tell her how much I love her."

"I'm sure she knew."

"What are we going to do without her?"

He frowned. "We'll manage. You and I will get through it. Mom's watching over us, wherever she is."

---

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 naïve 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."

---

"This place hasn't changed a bit since I last saw it," Angel commented when he and Buffy walked through the front door of the beach house.

"Not much. Obviously, there have been a few changes made in the past six years. We converted one of the spare bedrooms into a playroom for Abby. But other than that, you're right, it hasn't changed," agreed Buffy, shutting the front door behind them.

He looked around. "Do you guys come here a lot?"

"Once every couple months or so. Last time we came here was Memorial Day weekend. Abby just loves the beach. I keep telling her that if she stays in the water too long, she'll turn into a fish."

"Maybe we should have brought her with us. Seeing as she loves the beach and all."

Buffy shook her head. "No way. I love my little girl to death, but there are times when I'm glad to be away from her. And now is one of those times. I can't tell you how glad I am that my dad suggested we come here."

Angel flashed her a guilty smile. It was time to come clean. "This wasn't actually your father's idea. It was mine. I thought it would be better if he broached the subject to you rather than me."

"Why didn't you want to do it?"

With a shrug of his shoulders, Angel sighed. "I guess I just didn't want you to know it was my idea. I didn't want you to think I wanted to come up here because…well, you know."

She nodded in understanding. "I know. Angel, that's the whole reason I wanted to be here with you this weekend."

"I thought you might think I was rushing things."

"Never. A snail moves faster than you have been in regards to us. If anything, I've been doing the rushing. All I have wanted since we've gotten back together is to be with you; feel your arms around me and hear you say how much you love me."

"We have the entire weekend for that," he told her. "I plan on making this weekend one we'll remember for the rest of our lives."

Buffy brought her hands to the buttons of his white oxford shirt. "Why wait?"

"Now? It's only eight o'clock," he reminded her.

She lifted her eyebrows. "Do you have a problem with that? I wanna be with you, more than anything or anyone. You're the only man who's ever wanted me."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is," Buffy disagreed. "Both before and after you left, nobody wanted me. And I didn't want anyone who wasn't you. You're the only man I have ever made love to in my entire life."

"I find it hard to believe that you haven't been with anyone since we broke up," Angel said.

Buffy looked at him as if he'd just told her the moon was made out of green cheese. "What man would've wanted me? I was carrying too much baggage. First and foremost being the fact that I've always been in love with you. That never changed, nor will it ever. Secondly, there's Abrielle. A kid turns most guys right off; who wants to go out for a romantic dinner with his girlfriend's kid? Very few men, that's who. The few guys who did happen to show an interest in me were turned off by the revelation that I have a child with another man. Lastly, I'm fat again. Buffy the Blimp."

"Good god, Buffy. You're hardly fat. You're beautiful."

"It's been five years and I'm still twenty pounds overweight."

"Who cares? I certainly don't," he stated truthfully. He loved her no matter what she looked like.

"You're not the one who has to look at this body in the mirror every single day."

Angel took a step closer to her. Now there was no space between them; their bodies were mere millimeters from touching. "I see you now. And you're the same person I fell in love with."

"But-"

He decided to interrupt her with a kiss. Though it was originally meant as a ploy to quiet her, it quickly turned passionate. While Buffy's hands fiddled with his shirt buttons in an attempt to remove the article of clothing, Angel's wound their way through her long hair. When the two finally had to come up for air, their eyes met and smiles danced across their lips.

"Thought you wanted to go slow," Buffy teased. "Wanted to wait."

Angel took her hand in his, leading her to the couch. "We've waited six years to be like this again. I'm going to make it last, and I'm gonna make it worth the wait."

---

"Hey, Grandpa?" Abrielle started after Mr. Summers had placed her in the tub for her nightly bath.

"What, Princess?"

"Why didn't Mommy and Daddy come with us? I thought grown-ups liked Disneyland, too."

He grinned. "They do. It's just that your mom and dad wanted to spend some time together. Alone."

"Where'd they go?" she wanted to know.

"To the beach."

Abrielle giggled. "Are they gonna kiss?"

"Maybe. If they want to."

Her face lit up with excitement. An idea had come to her. "When they come back, are they bringing a baby home with them?"

Mr. Summers wished he knew where his granddaughter was coming up with such things. "No, I'm sorry, Abby. You don't get babies that way. You have to wait a long time for one."

"How long?"

"Long." The last thing he wanted to do was explain to a five-year old where babies came from. "A long, long time."

The answer seemed to satisfy her. "What are they doing at the beach?"

"Talking," he told her. Though he seriously doubted there would be much talking done between the couple that weekend.

---

"Where are we going?" Buffy asked the next night after dinner. Angel had grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out the door to the beach.

He smiled down at his confused girlfriend. "For a walk to the pier. I thought it would be nice to watch the sunset there."

Buffy had to admit, it was a romantic idea, and Angel was nothing if not romantic. And she loved it. "Okay."

Wanting to make it there in time, Angel half-dragged her down the sandy shoreline. Both were out of breath when they reached their destination, but they made it with a few minutes to spare.

"I always forget how beautiful it is here," Buffy stated. "Do you remember the first time we came here together?"

"Sure do. Prom weekend, the day after we made love for the first time. That old lady saw us kissing and told us we'd be together forever." He took a nervous breath. "That's why I picked this place."

"Huh?"

"Buffy, I love you, and I will always love you. We are meant to be together, I honestly believe that. And we have been through hell and heartache, and yet here we are, together again. I won't blow it this time around.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to raise our children together and grow old with you by my side. Truth is, I wanted to do this years ago and I should have. But I didn't, and things happened. Awful things."

Angel pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket, then bent down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"

She was so overwhelmed that she didn't give him an answer. All she could see was the sunlight playing upon the diamond ring Angel was offering her.

"Buffy?" he said.

"What?" she asked., breaking out of her reverie. "Oh, yes. Yes, I'll marry you!"

He took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. "Guess this makes it official. I told you I'd make this weekend one we'd both remember forever."

"You planned this?"

He nodded. "Yep. I didn't just bring you here so we could have sex. I brought you here to ask you to be my wife."

"I love you, my Angel." She put her arms around him and kissed him with all the love she felt in her heart for him.

"And I love you, too, my beloved."

---

The knock sounding at the front door woke Melissa up from her nap. It had been a long day at work of filing and answering telephones at the local OB/GYN's office where she worked full-time. Stretching her tired body and yawning, she heard it again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," she whined as she trudged to the living room, still only half-awake. Opening the door, she was dumbstruck at who she found standing there. "Buffy."

Buffy shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Hi, Melissa. Do you mind if I come in? I'd really like to talk to you."

Melissa unlocked the door and took a few steps back, allowing Buffy to come inside. When she had, they walked to the kitchen in order to sit down. Buffy took the seat across the table from Angel's sister.

"It's been a long time since we've seen each other," Buffy commented.

She agreed. "Eight months. The day of my mom's funeral. You look great, by the way."

"Thank you." In the six months that had passed since Angel proposed to her, Buffy lost all the extra weight she had gained from her pregnancy. She had been determined to regain her pre-pregnancy figure before their Valentine's Day nuptials. There was no way she wasn't going to look perfect the day she became Mrs. Angel Riches. So she exercised until she lost the weight.

"H-How is everyone doing?" Melissa stuttered. "I haven't exactly been clued in on what's going on in everyone's life lately."

"We're good. Abrielle started kindergarten back in September and she's doing great. Smart as a whip, just like her father. Not to mention that Angel and I have been fairly busy getting stuff ready."

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I read about the engagement in the paper. Congratulations." Melissa couldn't help but notice the diamond ring her future sister-in-law wore. It wasn't overly flashy, but she could tell it cost her brother a fortune. When it came to showing affection for the people he loved, Angel spared no expense.

"Thank you," Buffy said for the second time.

"When is it? The newspaper article I read stated that you hadn't set a date yet."

"It's going to be on Valentine's Day. We didn't want to wait too long; you never know what might happen."

"I understand. How is Angel?" Melissa wanted to know. The siblings hadn't spoken in over six months.

"He's fine. Been battling a case of writer's block on the latest book. Doesn't quite know what to do with Nick."

"I used to love coming up with ideas for those characters of his. Did you know that turning Jacob into a vampire in the second book was my idea?" she asked. "He needed a reason for Nick to join Emily's circle and I came up with one. Turning his best friend into a vampire."

Buffy smiled. "I had no idea. But I know that the Slayer series is his baby, and there are times when I wonder if he cares more about those damn characters than he does me."

"Never. My brother loves you with all his heart, anyone can see that. Anyone who read FIRE AND ICE can see it, Buffy."

"You're right, I'm just being self-piteous." She inhaled deeply. "Melissa, I know things between you and Angel have been strained since your mother died."

"He won't speak to me," Melissa stated simply. "No ifs, ands or buts about it."

"With the wedding coming up in two weeks, I'd hate it if all of our family wasn't there to celebrate it with us. Even though you and Angel aren't on speaking terms, I know he'll never forgive himself if his own twin sister isn't there on his wedding day. That's the reason I came over here today, Melissa. I want you to be a part of our wedding."

It left the woman speechless. "You want me in the wedding? Isn't it a little last minute?"

"I think you misunderstood what I meant. I want you to be there for the wedding ceremony and the reception afterwards. You're not going to be in the wedding party. I'm going behind Angel's back as it is; he doesn't know I'm here."

"Oh." She felt embarrassed for making such an assumption. Of course she wouldn't be a part of the wedding party. Not when she had lied in order to keep the bride and groom apart.

"Look, Melissa, I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for Angel. You're all the family he has left except for a few aunts, uncles and cousins. And even though what you did was wrong and unforgivable, you should be there."

She cast her eyes to the kitchen table. "I never did apologize to you for what I did. I was jealous of you and I thought you were only out to hurt Angel. It never crossed my mind that your feelings for him were true."

"You know now. Despite what you did, Angel and I are together. We have a lovely daughter and we'll be married in a few weeks. Goes to show that true love does conquer all."

"I'm sorry. I kept Abby from getting to know her father. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially since I know what it's like to grow up without a father."

"If you had known that I was pregnant, would that have changed things?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, it would have," Melissa answered with a nod of her head. "I wouldn't have done it. I can't take back what I did, or turn back time so that it'll never happen. But I *can* tell you how heartfully sorry I am."

Buffy gave her a small smile. "I can accept that."

---

"How are you holding up, man?" Xander asked his best friend twenty minutes before the wedding ceremony began.

Angel took a deep breath and adjusted his tie so that it was straight. "Nervous. Like there're a million butterflies in my stomach just dying to make a break for it."

"What do you have to be nervous about? The sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in the sky and you're half an hour away from marrying the woman you love," he said. "Everything is perfect."

"What if Buffy changes her mind? What if she doesn't want to marry me anymore?"

Xander sighed with exasperation. "She's been in love with you for how long? Almost twenty years? Somehow, I don't think she's going to change her mind. It's a done deal; she wants to marry you for some strange reason."

A knock was heard from the other side of the door, and Mr. Summers walked in. "You guys almost ready?"

Angel visibly paled. "Why? Is it time? It can't be time yet."

"No, it isn't time yet. Although I do have someone here who is dying to see you."

"Who? It's not Buffy, is it? We're not supposed to see each other until the ceremony starts."

"Not Buffy." He opened the door wider, revealing Abrielle, standing there with a smile on her face, her chestnut hair in ringlets and wearing a light pink dress.

She ran over to her father, jumping immediately into his awaiting arms. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hiya, honey. What are you doing here? Why aren't you with your mom and Aunt Cordelia?" Angel asked his daughter.

"They're opening presents and stuff. 'Sides, I wanted to see you."

"You look beautiful Your dress is very pretty," Angel complimented.

"Thank you," Abrielle replied cordially. "You should see Mommy's dress. It's white and long and pretty. She looks like a princess."

He kissed her on the cheek. "That's because your mom is a princess."

She giggled. "Am I a princess, too?"

"You bet. You're my princess."

"Dad, when you and Mom come back from your honeymoon, am I gonna have a baby brother or sister?"

"Maybe. But I can't guarantee it."

"Yea!" she shouted. There was nothing Abrielle wanted more than to be a big sister.

Angel put her down and Xander walked the flower girl back to the Bride's Room. While he was waiting for his best man's return, the anxious groom silently slumped down onto a chair.

"Is something wrong, Angel?" Mr. Summers wanted to know. "You look melancholy all of a sudden."

"I was just thinking about my mother. All she wanted was for me and Buffy to be together. It was her last wish. And now here I am, on my wedding day and she isn't here to share it with me. It doesn't seem right."

"Adrienne should be here; it isn't fair that she was taken away from us so suddenly. She and I weren't close the last few years of her life, but I know how thrilled she'd be," he agreed.

"It's times like this when I wish I had a father. A real father, one who cared."

Mr. Summers sat down next to his soon-to-be son-in-law. "If you'd like, I'll be your father. From the first day I saw you in that hospital nursery, it had been a dream of mine. Besides, you're already family, Angel."

---

It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money, but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we could both live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show
I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you

"You know," Angel started, after he'd gathered his wife in his arms for their first dance as husband and wife. "I almost fainted when I saw you walking down the aisle to me. I couldn't believe you were still gonna do it."

"Did you think I was going to change my mind? No way, buddy. You're stuck with me for the rest of your natural life," Buffy replied.

"There's nobody else I'd rather be stuck with. I love you more than anything."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Me, too."

"It feels better the second time around," Angel whispered, thinking Buffy wouldn't be able to hear him.

She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "Second time around? What do you mean by that?"

"I married you for the first time when we were eighteen. Remember, on graduation day when I gave you that ring?"

Buffy nodded. "The claddagh ring. Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I took an Irish folklore course back at Emerson when I was a sophomore and that's when I found out what it symbolized. According to Irish tradition, you and I have been married for six and a half years," he informed her.

"I know. I mean, I knew the legend even when you gave me the ring. My mom had one and explained the story behind it year ago."

He stared at her incredulously. "You've known all this time and you never told me? Why?"

"Guess I didn't want to scare you away."

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
But a few of these verses, well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me for forgetting, but these things I do
You see, I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen

"Abby asked me something interesting this morning before the wedding," Angel said.

"What?"

He smiled at the memory. "She wanted to know if we were going to bring back a baby brother or sister with us from our honeymoon," he told her.

"What did you say?"

"I told her we might."

Buffy's emerald eyes widened. "We might? Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I think Abrielle should have a brother or sister. Or a few. In my mind, I'd be a good father, and I know what a great mother you are. But, as long as it's okay with you, I'd like more children. And I'd like to start trying as soon as possible."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted more kids."

"I've always wanted a big family. And I don't want that family with anyone but you."

"So do I," she said. "I want to carry your baby inside me again. You've made this the best day of my life, you know that?"

Angel laughed. "I take it you like being the new Mrs. Riches."

"It feels like a dream come true."

---

The newlyweds had decided to split their honeymoon between two destinations. For the first three days, Buffy and Angel stayed at their beach house. As a wedding present, Mr. Summers gave it to them, knowing how much it meant to them as a couple. The house was one of Buffy's favorite places to go as a child, and the same was true for her daughter. He had wanted to give the couple something special, and he couldn't think of anymore more special than the beach house.

After three days, Buffy and Angel flew to Virginia Beach for the last week-and-a-half of their vacation. Neither of them had ever been there before, but knew that it was a beautiful location with plenty to do during the day. They'd driven to Washington D.C. one day and to Alexandria another. At night, though, there was always something to keep them occupied, whether it be a moonlight stroll along the boardwalk or just simply staying in the room.

On their last full day in Virginia, Angel awoke early, struck with inspiration. He had been battling writer's block on the sixth book of the series, called THE PACK. In it, Emily's friend Nick becomes possessed by the spirit of a hyena along with four trouble-making classmates. The story flowed smoothly until it was time for the climactic scene. Angel had no idea what would be the climax, until now.

When he'd woken up just after dawn, he knew. It had come to him: the pack of hyena-possessed students – sans Nick – would eat the principal. It would be a major plot twist none of his devoted readers would see coming. Not wanting to wake his still-sleeping wife, Angel took his laptop computer out onto the balcony, hoping that the sound of the crashing waves might further inspire him.

He was so deeply involved in his writing that Angel never heard Buffy wake up and come up behind him. When he felt two hands touching his shoulders, he jumped. He sighed with relief when he saw that it was his wife.

"Buffy," he said, his heart still pounding. "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry," she apologized, bending down to place a kiss on his lips. Her hands massaged his muscles, feeling the knots between her fingers. "You know, honeymoons are supposed to be relaxing, but you're more tense than I've ever seen you."

"I'm relaxed, believe me."

She raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "Are you really? 'Cause I always classified relaxing as laying around in bed until we start to feel extremely lazy. And I get the feeling you haven't been out here for just ten minutes."

"Three hours, actually," Angel admitted. "All the typing didn't wake you, did it? I tried to be quiet."

"No, you didn't wake me. But I find it a little disconcerting to wake up at nine-thirty in the morning to an otherwise empty bed. Especially when I wanted to lay in my husband's arms for a little while longer."

"I'd been playing with this idea last night for the book, trying to figure out what could happen next. And it came to me this morning when I woke up. So I came out here to get it written while it was still fresh in my mind."

Still massaging his shoulders, Buffy curved her head downward to caress his neck with her lips. "Were you working out this plot idea of yours while we were making love last night?" she whispered in his ear.

The touch of her lips and the feeling of her breath on his neck sent the blood rushing straight to Angel's groin. "No, never," he replied huskily.

Buffy closed the laptop, which was sitting open on his lap, then placed it on the table next to the chair he was sitting on. "I think three hours is enough work for today. Time for something more…relaxing."

He knew exactly what she had in mind. "I need to get this out before I forget it."

"You've worked hard enough and long enough, my love. Let me help you forget for a little while."

---

SIX MONTHS LATER

It was five minutes to ten when Buffy stepped out of the bathroom following her shower. Upon walking into the master bedroom of the split-level home she and Angel bought shortly after their wedding, she found him sitting in bed with the laptop resting on his lap.

"Did you come up with any ideas yet?" she wanted to know. "You've been sitting there with that laptop attached to your hip for the past three days."

He shook his head. "Nothing. Maybe this plot twist is all wrong. It might be a big mistake."

"Don't say that, it's a great idea. The audience will be so surprised when they find out Alex is a vampire," Buffy assured him.

"I still don't know…"

"Well, what do the fans say when they write to you?"

Angel sighed. "Most of them are pushing for an Emily/Alex relationship. Having her find out the guy she's in love with is a 240-year old vampire might be too much."

"I think it's a terrific idea. Arch-enemies falling in love despite the fact that they've been programmed to hate each other…it's angsty and brilliant. Go for it, Angel. You have nothing to lose. Think of all the plot lines you could use in the future."

"I don't know where to go from here."

She sat down next to him. "Do you want to tell me? I might be able to help."

"This is as far as I've gotten so far. Emily sneaked Alex into her room the night before because she was afraid he'd be attacked by the three assassins they had fought earlier. She goes into her bedroom the next day to give him some food to eat and they start talking. One thing leads to another and they start to kiss. That's when Alex switches into game face. That's all I got so far."

"Is he a bad vampire?"

"No. Something made him change, but I don't know what."

Buffy thought for a minute. "He was cursed by gypsies in the nineteenth century for killing their favorite daughter. Alex was given a soul. He was so plagued by the guilt of his atrocious crimes that he has never fed off a living human being since that day."

"That's great, I love it. You should be writing this."

"I'll stick to taking pictures, thank you."

"Then what?"

She grinned mischievously. "Emily takes a home pregnancy test and finds out she's pregnant."

"Emily hasn't slept with anyone. I want Alex to be the first, but not for some time later. She can't be pregnant."

"Okay…so have the author's wife take a home pregnancy test and discover she's pregnant."

Angel stared at her like he was a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. "You're…you…we…" he stumbled.

Buffy nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm six weeks late and according to the test I just took, it's positive. We're having another baby."

He was at a loss for words. So he placed his hand on her belly, as if he were trying to feel their baby. "Our baby is in there."

"Yep."

"And I'll be here to see it all. I'll be able to experience everything I missed out on with Abrielle."

"You won't be so happy about that when I start to have the midnight cravings, mood swings, morning sickness and all the other fun stuff that goes along with being pregnant."

Angel ran his hands through her hair, stroking her cheek with the other. "I love you so much. And I am so happy we're having another baby."

"So am I. Abby's going to be a big sister, she'll be so excited. But since she's at day camp and we can't tell her right away, maybe we should have a private celebration."

"You shouldn't be drinking."

She loosened the top button on his shirt. "That wasn't the kind of celebration I was talking about, Daddy."

---

MARCH 23, 2009

In room 326 of Sunnydale Hospital, Buffy sat up in bed, holding her newborn daughter. She had been born the day before, at five twenty-eight in the afternoon, weighing eight pounds, five ounces. Already, she and Angel's daughter had a tuft of blonde hair on top of her tiny head and the most piercing blue eyes, like the Pacific Ocean.

Unbeknownst to Buffy, her husband stood in the doorway, watching them. It was a sight to behold: Buffy cradling their day-old daughter in her arms. The sight nearly brought a tear to his eye. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life.

"Feeling up for some visitors?" Angel asked, announcing his presence.

Buffy looked up and smiled. "I'd love some. How long have you been standing there? I didn't even see you."

"Almost a minute. I couldn't take my eyes off my two beautiful girls."

"But Abby's not here."

He laughed. "I meant my other two girls. You and our new daughter. She looks just like her mother."

"Poor kid."

"Hey! Don't talk like that. She's lovely. Don't start."

"Who's watching Abrielle? Did you drop her off at Cordy's apartment before you came here?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Nope, she's here. Your father offered to take her to the bathroom so we could be alone for a few minutes." He glanced at his newborn daughter. "How is she today?"

Buffy sighed, inserting her finger between the baby's balled-up fist. "Tired, like her mother. But she seems very alert. Hasn't made a sound since the nurse brought her in here. And that was over forty-five minutes ago."

Angel sat down on the bed next to her, careful not to jostle the baby and wake her up. "You know, we really should give her a name. We can't call her 'it' for the rest of her life."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that last night."

"And did you come up with any ideas?"

"A few. Samantha, Alison, Sarah and Gillian. What do you think?"

He smiled, thinking about the different names she'd chosen. "Gillian Riches…it has a nice ring to it. I like that one."

"Abrielle Joyce and Gillian Adrienne. Our mothers will live on in our children."

"Mom!" Abrielle shouted when she entered the room.

Out of breath, Mr. Summers came in behind her. "Don't shout like that in a hospital. It's not polite and it might wake some of the babies. People are tired and need their sleep."

"Sorry, Grandpa," she apologized.

"Want to see your new little sister?" Angel asked her.

Abrielle's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She had been dying to see the new baby all day long. "Yeah!"

Angel picked her up and sat her down on his lap. A huge smile adorned the seven-year old's face, her green eyes sparkled with glee. "She's so little," she commented. "Is she always going to be so little?"

"Nope," her mother answered. "She's going to be as big as you are in a couple of years. But you'll always be her big sister."

"Wow. Can I touch her?"

"How would you like to hold her?" questioned Buffy. She ignored the look of terror in Angel's eyes, knowing he was thinking that Abrielle was far too young. But she completely trusted their daughter.

Abrielle's jaw dropped. "Can I?"

"Sure. Push your dad out of the way and sit next to me."

Against his better judgement, Angel stood up, allowing her to take his spot on the bed. He cast a nervous sigh when Buffy gently placed Gillian in Abrielle's arms, but relaxed when she didn't move the baby around. Instead, she just stared at Gillian, almost as if in awe of the baby.

"Have you two decided on a name yet?" Mr. Summers asked them.

Buffy nodded, keeping a careful watch on Abrielle. "Gillian Adrienne Riches. I wanted to name her after Angel's mother. After all, I named Abrielle after Mom. It only seemed fair."

Mr. Summers' eyes teared up when Buffy informed him of his new granddaughter's name. 'Now the two women I loved will live on forever in our granddaughters.' "It's beautiful. And Gillian is absolutely perfect. An exact replica of you when you were born, Buffy. You're so very lucky."

"I'm the luckiest person alive. Every single one of my wishes has come true. I am married to the man I've loved for my entire life, I have two adorable daughters and I'm making a living doing what I love. Life is perfect."

---

SIXTEEN YEARS LATER

The sun's rays shone into the bedroom window of Buffy and Angel's room. It woke him up, causing him to rub his eyes. Looking over at the alarm clock, he noted that it was almost six-thirty. 'Six and a half more hours. I can't believe it,' he thought. 'It's gone by so fast.'

Buffy lay in his arms, her head using his shoulder as a pillow. Even after seventeen years of marriage and four children, she was still beautiful; and still made his breath catch in his throat. Thirty years ago, he never would have imagined himself married to her, much less blissfully happy. In fact, he probably would have laughed in the face of the person who told him his life would be like this. Angel had never pictured himself married to Sunnydale's Ice Princess.

Their life was seemingly perfect. Buffy opened a studio and became a professional photographer, making a name for herself in the world of advertising and print ads. Ten years earlier, a year before the birth of their first son Matthew, she went out on tour with one of the most popular bands at the time as their official photographer.

Angel had continued writing the Slayer series; the books had become wildly popular, spawning a TV series and two successful movies. He even tried his hand at television writing, but preferred to stay at home in Sunnydale and write. As well as take care of the children while Buffy was working. In essence, he became a stay-at-home dad. He didn't want to miss out on one moment of his children's lives, like he had with the first five years of Abrielle's life.

After twelve years of not talking to one another, Angel and Melissa finally made peace. It happened when her third child, with her husband Cameron, died. Little Michael was playing ball in the front yard and was hit by a speeding car when his ball rolled into the street. The twins, at the funeral, decided that life was too short to spend it hating one another.

"Buffy," he whispered in her ear. "Time to wake up."

She moaned, but didn't open her eyes. It was daylight, though she knew it was far too early to be getting out of bed. "Not yet," she complained. "Still tired."

"It's Saturday. Remember what day it is?"

She thought, then opened her eyes with a start. How could she have forgotten? "It's Abby's wedding day!"

"Uh-huh. You didn't think I was going to let you sleep away the whole day, did you?" he joked. "The mother of the bride has to get up and get ready."

When she looked at the time, Buffy sighed. "It's only six-thirty. We don't have to be at the salon until eight. Why are you waking me up so damn early?"

"Because I know how long it takes you to crawl out of bed."

Buffy sat up, followed in suit by Angel. "Can you believe it? Our little Abrielle is getting married in a few hours."

"I know."

"She's too young. Just twenty-four years old."

"That's the same age we were when we got married," Angel pointed out. "She and Gavin have known each other since kindergarten, and have been dating since Junior High. They love each other."

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I know. But doesn't it make you feel kind of old, though?"

"We're only forty-three, Buffy. It's hardly old."

"I do feel old. When I was doing my hair for the wedding rehearsal last night, I found four gray hairs. Four! I've got gray hair!"

Angel laughed. "So do I, love. And mine's much more noticeable than yours is, believe me."

"On you it looks distinguished. People are going to be looking at me during the wedding ceremony and wonder why you're married to such an old woman," she whined.

"Since when did you get so concerned about your looks? You look beautiful."

"You won't be saying that when I start to sag and wrinkle up and gain another thirty pounds."

"Trust me, you're not sagging. You look just like you did back in high school. Just as beautiful and just as desirable."

She frowned. "You are just saying that to shut me up."

He pulled her into his arms. "How about if I show you?"

---

Abrielle was about to knock on her parents' bedroom door when she stopped suddenly. From inside, she heard low moans and the sound of the bed springs squeaking. She laughed.

"And here I thought I'd have to wake them up. Sounds like they're already awake," she muttered. "And up."

Gillian came up behind her. "Aren't you going to wake up Mom and Dad? We're gonna be late if they don't hurry up."

"I'd say they're up."

She wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about? Why haven't they come down for breakfast yet?" she wanted to know.

"They are busy."

"Doing what?"

Abrielle sighed. "Can't you hear them? Mom and Dad are having sex, Gillian."

"Ew! I don't want to hear that! That's gross."

"I think it's sweet. After all these years, they still find each other sexy."

"You're gross, Abby. Those are our parents you're talking about."

"I hope Gavin and I are like them when we've been married for twenty years. So in love with each other. You'd think Mom and Dad were still teenagers, the way they act sometimes. I want my marriage to be just like theirs," she stated.

---

"Still think you're old?" Angel asked. "I couldn't keep up with you."

She giggled. "I might need a refresher later on."

"After the wedding. I think we should make an appearance downstairs before the kids wonder what happened to us."

"Good idea," Buffy agreed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For making all my dreams come true. You loved me, married me and gave me four wonderful children. You gave me everything I ever wanted, Angel," she told him.

Angel kissed her lovingly on the lips. "I love you. Forever."

"Forever. I like the sound of that."

The End