"Mrs. Cleary?"

"Here." She answered.

"That's debatable. I took attendance forty-five minutes ago." Professor Austin laughed.

Buffy blushed. "Sorry."

"See me after class please."

She nodded and attempted to pay attention for the rest of the period. After class, she sat at her table and waited for the room to clear.

Dr. Austin approached her.

"I'm really sorry I wasn't paying attention." She apologized.

He sat on the table. "So why don't you tell me where you were."

Buffy swallowed. "Remember when we did the section on kidnapping?"

He nodded.

"Well, I guess you can say that a repressed memory surfaced. When I was six, my baby sister was kidnapped. Long story short, we found out that it was my paternal grandmother who took her. My sister was found in a boarding school in Connecticut. My grandmother sent her there when she was five. My parents are with my sister now and my grandmother is in a psychiatric hospital undergoing testing. So basically, that's where I was."

"This is ... fascinating."

Buffy nodded and started to get up. Grunting as she did so. "Well, my life has never been boring, that's for sure." She ran her hand over her large belly.

"If you don't mind me asking, when are you due?"

She smiled. "June 15th. It's a boy."

"Riley said this is your second child?"

She nodded. "We have a 16 month old daughter."

"And you're 19?"

"Yes sir, I am. ... But before you start to break my life down, this has nothing to do with my sister. I got pregnant with Meghan and gave birth to her when I was 17, my husband and I got married when I was 18 and this one will be born while I'm 19. Plus, my husband and I adore each other."

"How did the two of you meet?"

Buffy decided to sit back down and get comfortable. "He was my history tutor when I was 16 and he was 22." The lie came so easy now.

"That's quite an age difference."

"Love is ageless. After we got married, Angel told me that he loved me the first moment he saw me. He said that he could tell how pure my heart was and he knew right then he wanted to keep it safe." Her face was dreamy. "He's the most incredible man. If it wasn't for him and all of his resources, we never would have found Dawn."

"And what does your husband do?"

"I thought you knew. My husband's Liam Cleary."

Dr. Austin's eyes grew wide. "Seriously?"

Buffy nodded.

Recently the Cleary foundation had granted Sunnydale University's Pshychology Department a ten million dollar grant to build a new psych building which would also house a state of the art Mental Health clinic.

Buffy looked at the clock. "Thanks for the free session Doc, but I have to go." She manuvered out of the chair and left.

Angel was running around the house playing with Meghan when Buffy got home.

"Mama!" The little girl squealed when she saw her mother.

Buffy smiled. "Hey baby girl. Are you having fun with Daddy?"

"Up!" Meghan reached up for her mommy.

Angel came up behind her and swooped her into his arms.

She struggled in his arms to get to Buffy.

"NO! Mama!"

Buffy cupped her little girls face. "Let Mommy sit down first." She walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. "Now you can come here."

"Just be careful of the baby." Angel reminded their daughter.

"Meggie baybee." She put her hands on Buffy's belly and kissed it.

"Has my mom called?" Buffy asked Angel.

He nodded. "They're gonna be in Connecticut for about another week. Let Dawn have a chance to pack and say her goodbyes."

Buffy nodded.

Meghan laughed.

"What's so funny, Megg?" Her daddy asked.

She continued laughing.

"Her baby brother is playing with her." Buffy explained. "Speaking of him, we really need to decide on his name."

"I named Meghan." He smiled at her. "It's your turn."

She glared at her husband. "Think again, husband o' mine. I will not be held responsible for naming YOUR son. Because if I give him a name that you're not particularly fond of, I'll hear about it for the rest of my life."

"Okay, we'll name him Connor."

She looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Or not." He scratched the back of his neck.

"No, it's just Connor is more of a middle name." She thought for a minute. "I know We'll name him after you, but instead of using Patrick as his middle name, we'll use Connor. That way he won't be a junior. Liam Connor Cleary. I like it."

Angel shook his head. "You had already picked out his name, hadn't you?"

She smiled. "Pretty much. I just couldn't figure out a middle name."

He sat beside his wife and placed his hand on her belly. "Well, my son, it seems as if you have a name."

Liam kicked.

Buffy put her hand on top of Angel's. "I think he likes it." She lay her head on his shoulder. "Two more months and we'll be able to hold both our babies."

Angel smiled down at Meghan who had fallen asleep with her head on Buffy's belly. "She looks so much like you."

His wife smiled proudly. "Kind of neat, huh?"

"Yeah." He kissed the top of Buffy's head. "Real neat."

She sighed. "Could you pick mini-me off my lap? Young Liam seems to be jumping on my bladder."

He laughed and carefully removed their sleeping daughter from her lap.

Dawn was in her dorm room studying. Because of her unique situation, she was being allowed to take her finals a month early so she wouldn't have to worry about school when she got to California.

Her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi honey, it's Mom."

"Hi."

"How's the studying going?"

"Fine. I shouldn't have any problems with any of the tests."

"That's great! Your father and I want to take you to dinner tonight."

"Sure." Dawn took a deep breath. "Do you think it would be okay if I call Buffy I ... I kind of just want to say hi."

"That's a great idea. Let me give you her number."

Later, Dawn stared at the number in her hand. She picked up her phone and began to dial.

Buffy walked out of her napping daughter's room when the phone rang. She shuffled into her bedroom and answered it.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Is anyone there?" She asked.

"Buffy?" The voice was soft.

"Yes. Who is this?"

A heavy sigh could be heard. "Well, I'm not really sure WHO I am anymore, but I do know that I'm your sister."

"DAWN?!" Buffy quickly covered her mouth hoping that she hadn't wakened Meghan.

"That's one of my identies." She laughed nervously. "I hope you don't mind that I called."

"No! Of course not. So, how are you doing?"

"Still a little freaked. I mean, it's not everyday that a girl finds out that her sociopathic grandmother kidnapped her."

"Are you completely dreading moving here?"

"Not really. My gran ... our grandmother dumped me her when I was little. It's gonna be nice living with ... Mom. God, that word sounds so foreign to me."

"I'm sure it does. ... Um, Meghan's really excited about meeting you."

"That's your daughter, right?"

"Mmmhmm and our son is due in June."

"Wow."

"Yep. You should have heard Virginia when Dad told her."

"Yeah, well, Grandmother is what I'd call child friendly. ... I am so gonna blast that bitch for what she's done to my life. I can't wait to face her."

Virginia Summers sat in the office of the court appointed psychiatrist.

"So tell me Mrs. Summers, why do you think you're here?"

She looked at ther doctor and shook her head. "Doctor, the only reason I am here is because my son and his EX wife do not know tot be parents. I mean honestly, look at Buffy. She was expelled from school in Los Angeles, caused her parent's divorce, she was pregnant at seventeen and pregnant again at nineteen. Thank God I took Ginny away from that before she could corrupt her. My Ginny is a proper lady and she's that way because of me."

"But you shipped her off when she reached school age."

"And she has received the best education that money can buy. Doctor, there's really no reason for me to be here. The only reason I'm here is for saving that child from people who refused to listen to me when I told them how a child should be raise."

The doctor nodded and jotted down a few notes. He underlined the word DELUSIONAL three times.

 

The End

 

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