"Homecoming"

Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com

At ten in the morning two days after Colleen's birth, Angel walked into Buffy's hospital room. His wife and daughter were finally coming home. A smile spread across his face at the thought. MY DAUGHTER. BUFFY AND I ARE BRINGING OUR DAUGHER HOME TODAY. I THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME.

Buffy was still sound asleep when Angel came in. All the release papers had been signed and all he had left to do was get Buffy and Colleen ready. He bent down, placing a gentle kiss on his wife's cheek. "Time to wake up," he whispered in her ear.

She groaned and opened her eyes. When she saw Angel standing next to her bed, the new mother managed a smile. "Angel. What time is it?"

"A little after ten. You and Colleen are going home today, remember?" he reminded her.

"Oh yeah. I'm still really tired. Lemme sleep for a couple more hours. Then we'll go home."

"I know you are tired but you can rest all day long. Come on, let's get up, get dressed and go home. I wanna take my girls home."

Angel made his way to the window and allowed the sunlight inside the room. Buffy still jumped, worried that he'd be reduced to a pile of dust. It hadn't fully sunken in that Angel was no longer a vampire. He'd become human the day Colleen was born. Their daughter was his redemption. It was the second miracle that occurred that day, the first being the birth of their baby girl.

"Can you stand up on your own or do you need my help?" he wanted to know.

"I'll be fine. It's just that my body is still so sore from giving birth."

"Imagine what it must have been like when I was born. My mother only had a mid-wife and my father. No drugs back in the 1720s," Angel pointed out.

Buffy made a face. "I couldn't have done it. Ugh. I think I like the 2000s better than the 1700s." She stopped walking. "Angel? Can you help me climb in the shower?"

He made his way to his wife's side. "I thought you didn't need my help," joked the former vampire.

"It'll keep you occupied for a little while. Please?"

Angel laughed. "As you wish, mi'lady."

"Mmm. I like the sound of that."

Doctor Rich walked out of the hospital with Buffy, Angel and their newborn daughter. "I don't want you to be afraid to call me if you have any questions or concerns, no matter how trivial they might seem. It's quite a shock for first-time parents when they bring their child home for the first time," she said to them.

"Thank you, doctor," Angel replied.

"Now, in with the pamphlets I gave you are the names of several excellent pediatricians in the Sunnydale area. Colleen is going to need a checkup and her first immunizations fairly soon. I suggest you make an appointment as soon as possible."

"We will."

She bent down to give Buffy a quick hug. "Good luck. You'll do great."

Buffy blushed. "Thanks. 'Bye, Doctor Rich."

"'Bye. And remember, don't hesitate to call."

"I won't."

The doctor went back inside and Angel led his wife and daughter to the minivan he'd purchased the day before. They had decided to get a bigger, family car now that the baby was there.

"Do you like it?" Angel wanted to know.

Buffy nodded, holing Colleen close to her chest. "It's perfect. Did you remember to bring the carseat for the baby?"

"Of course I did, Buffy. I'm not that forgetful. Everything's packed and ready to go. Are you two ready?"

"Yep. Let's go home, Daddy."

He pulled the minivan into the garage of the mansion. After turning off the ignition, Angel turned to look at his wife in the passenger's seat. "We're home."

She stared out the window. "Home."

"Ready to go in?"

Buffy closed her eyes. "Angel, I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"What if I can't do it? What if Colleen cries and I don't know what she wants? How will I know if she's hungry or tired or wet or something else?" Her lower lip trembled. "Angel, what if they let me out of the hospital too soon? She could get really sick or I might be a horrible mother and disappoint everybody. I might hurt Colleen or –"

Angel placed his hand on her cheek. "Don't even think that. You're going to be a great mother, Buffy. Colleen couldn't ask for a better mother."

She shook her head. "It's so real now. I'm on my own. I have to do it on my own. No nurses and doctors, just me."

"You're not in this alone. I'm right here. We'll be able to handle anything together."

"Promise?"

"You have my word."

Angel grabbed the bags from the trunk while Buffy held their daughter in her arms. He held the door open for his two girls and no sooner had they entered the kitchen when their friends came in, shouting, "Surprise!"

Buffy looked at them in a state of shock and horror. "Angel?" she whispered to her husband. "Did you know about this?"

He shrugged. "It's news to me."

Willow was the first to step forward. "Welcome home."

"You guys planned all this?" Buffy asked them.

They all nodded. All of her friends – Willow, Xander, Oz, Faith, Cordelia and Giles – stood near the entrance to the living room. Buffy noticed her mother standing several feet away from them. Her presence took Buffy by surprise; they hadn't spoken in over six months.

"Yep," Cordelia answered. "You wouldn't let us throw you a baby shower, so we decided to give you a Welcome Home party instead."

"Where's my little niece?" Xander wanted to know.

Buffy and Angel wouldn't allow any visitors for Colleen while she was in the hospital. They wanted her safe from the outside world until she was brought home. Being the daughter of a Slayer made her vulnerable to attack. So they kept all visitors away. "She's right here, but she's sleeping. I'm going to put her down in her crib. Excuse me." She headed for Colleen's room, brushing past everyone in the room.

"Is B okay?" Faith asked Angel after Buffy left the room. "She seemed a little out of it."

Angel frowned. "I think she's really drained at the moment. Both physically and emotionally. A lot's happened in the past few days and I don't think she's digested all of it."

"It's understandable," Giles commented. "Between being a new mother, a wife and now you becoming human, I can only imagine what's going on in her mind at the moment."

"Maybe a party wasn't such a good idea," Willow said.

"Probably not," Angel agreed. "It's best to just give her some time to get used to it. She's really nervous and scared right now."

"Do you want us to leave?" Oz asked.

Angel looked toward the baby's room. "That's up to Buffy."

Buffy pulled the blanket up to her daughter's chin. The newborn was sleeping quietly; she hadn't made a sound since they left the hospital.

"She's beautiful," a voice behind her said.

She turned around, face to face with her mother. Buffy sucked in a breath. "Yes, she is."

"Looks just like you did the day your father and I brought you home from the hospital. One big tuft of blonde hair on top of your head and that's it. And so quiet, too. You never made a peep. The perfect baby," Mrs. Summers recollected.

"What are you doing here, Mom? I thought I told you that you weren't going to be a part of her life. If you can't accept who her father is, then you can't accept our daughter."

Mrs. Summers lowered her eyes. "Please don't shut me out of my granddaughter's life. You're all I have in the world."

"You said some things, Mom. Unforgivable things about me and Angel and our baby."

"I know I did. But I was angry and upset and hurt. Honey, I've long ago accept you and Angel and when you told me you two were having a baby, it threw me. I said things I didn't mean. But it doesn't mean I don't love you or my granddaughter. I want the chance to get to know her. I want to be a part of her life."

"How…how did you even find out about her?"

"Angel. He's been calling me once a week, telling me how you are, how the baby is and other things. He's a good man…well, vampire," she corrected herself.

"You were right the first time. Angel's a man, not a vampire. He's human again. Since the day our baby was born."

Mrs. Summers smiled. "That's terrific news. I'm happy for you two." She glanced at her sleeping granddaughter. "May I ask what you named her?"

"Colleen Emma Reilly," she told her mother. "That was Angel's mother's name. We wanted to honor her memory."

"Colleen Emma…it's a beautiful name."

Buffy paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Were you afraid when you brought me home from the hospital?"

"Terrified," she divulged. "Your father practically had to carry me in the house because I was so nervous. All new mothers go through it, don't worry. In a couple days, taking care of Colleen will seem like second nature to you. You won't even know why you were so scared in the first place."

She bit her lip. "I just don't want to screw up."

"You won't. Trust me. Look how you turned out."

Buffy, Angel and their family and friends sat around the fireplace an hour later. Colleen was still napping in her crib, so the adults took the opportunity to catch up. The new parents opened the gifts for the baby, including several stuffed animals, toys, cute little outfits picked out by Cordelia and Willow and baby monitors from Xander.

"You know, so you two can listen for the baby crying while you're trying for another one," Xander said.

Angel shook his head in disbelief while his wife laughed. "After the hellish experience that is called birth, I don't think I'll be going through it again anytime soon. So, no siblings for Colleen for quite a while," stated Buffy.

Willow and Oz gave them an IOU for a night of free babysitting. "I'm sure you'll want to go out for dinner one night without the baby. So Oz and I volunteer to watch her. Just not around the full moon."

Giles had the best gift for them. "The Watcher's Council sent me a letter the day before yesterday. It wished you congratulations on the birth of your daughter."

"That was nice of them," Angel commented.

"There's one more thing. They granted you a permanent stay, Buffy."

She knit her eyebrows together. "What does that mean? A permanent stay?"

Angel put his arms around her, kissing her cheek softly. "No more slaying. Ever."

"Really?"

"It's all me now," Faith piped in. "Congrats, B. You're finally free of all the creepy-crawlies at night. It's my gig now. Don't worry, though. I'll keep the world safe for your kids."

Tears burned Buffy's eyes. "This is so…amazing. The best seventy-two hours of my life. Colleen being born, Angel becoming human and now this."

"Things'll be normal for you again, honey," Mrs. Summers said. "Think of the possibilities."

"Normal," Buffy muttered. "I can't believe it. Things couldn't be more perfect."

Colleen started crying and her mother jumped up to get her. A few minutes later, Buffy returned with the baby in her arms. Everyone watched in awe at the sight.

"Buffy, she's beautiful," Willow complimented.

"She's got your hair. And it's one big curl, it's so cute," gushed Cordelia.

"Colleen's going to be a heartbreaker, that's for sure. Just like her mother," Xander said. "I'm in love with her already."

Buffy blushed at all the compliments. No longer did she feel afraid for her daughter. She knew that if things got to be too much, she could turn to her husband, her friends and her mother. They'd always be there. She and Colleen were the two luckiest people in the world.

The End

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