One Good Lay | Acting The Part by Pattyanne

Acting The Part
Parts 16-20

Written by: Pattyanne
Author's Website

Summary: AU. William St. James is an actor in a hit television show. While appearing at a fan convention, he meets Buffy and her six year old daughter, Melanie.
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (The Series) and all of it's characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Feedback: Feedback is always appreciated. snapkik@yahoo.com

Part Sixteen....

The knowledge that, sooner or later, she would have to get around to discussing Angel had never been far from Buffy's mind.

Ever since William had made it clear that he had more than a passing interest in her and Melanie, she'd figured it was only a matter of finding the right time and place.

She just wasn't sure that this was it.

After sharing such a life altering experience, one that had left her more than a little dazed, the last person on earth she wanted to even think about was her cheating ex-husband. It felt like a weird sacrilege to follow the best lovemaking she'd ever been treated to with such an unpleasant subject.

But William seemed determined to get it out in the open, so she took a moment to try and collect her thoughts.

He must have sensed her reluctance to talk about it, since she was being careful not to let her facial ex- pression give her away.

"I'm sorry. Am I being too pushy?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, it's not that. I knew we'd be talking about it...."

"Eventually?"

"I guess."

He was silent for a long moment, then gave her a rather lopsided smile. "I'd kind of like to get him out of the way now."

Obviously, he wasn't going to drop the subject.

"Well...Angel and I met in college," she said, reaching for her robe where it was draped carelessly over an armchair. "He was..."

"Angel? Your ex's name is Angel?"

Working her arms into the robe, Buffy smiled at the note of derision he couldn't disguise. "His mother had this sort of mixture of flower power and born again christian thing going on. He has a younger sister named Heaven."

"Angel and Heaven? They must have had fun in school."

"Anyway...he was studying law and I was a history major. My best friend took me to a party at his fraternity, and that's where I met him. We started dating, and we got way too serious, way too fast. I mean, we'd only been going out for a few weeks before we were talking about getting married."

William watched as she climbed out of bed and crossed the room. "You must have really loved him, then."

Buffy picked up her brush from the dresser and began to pull it through her hair, just to give herself something to do with her hands. "I didn't really know him," she replied, turning to look at William. "Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until it was too late. I was so starry eyed over him that I totally missed all the little clues that should have warned me about him."

"And what would those clues have told you?"

Still tugging the brush rhythmically through her hair, she sat on the end of the bed next to him.

"That he was controlling, and not completely grown up," she admitted. "That he had a problem committing himself to anything but his job...and that he probably wouldn't be faithful."

It still hurt to confess that, even to herself.

"He cheated on you?" William frowned. "He had YOU to come home to....and that wasn't good enough for him?"

"Oh, not at first he didn't." She didn't want him to think that she'd be stupid enough to go through with marrying a man who was already fooling around before they made it to the church. "That came later."

The brush caught on a nasty snarl. She yanked at it harshly, but before she could tear through it, he took it out of her hand and worked the tangle gently out of her hair.

The feel of him brushing her hair, the intimacy of the act, made her sigh blissfully. This was a man that knew what he was doing. He never took a wrong step with her.

"Things were good at first. We had a lot in common, liked doing the same things. Most of our friends were couples, too, so we went out a lot. Restaurants and clubs...stuff like that. His parents have a condo in Palm Desert that they let us use whenever we wanted, so we'd all go down in a big group for weekends."

Listening intently, William put the brush down and gathered her hair into three equal portions, then started braiding them.

"Right after he passed the bar, he was hired by Wolfram and Hart, this mega-power law firm. That's when it all began to change. He really wanted to go somewhere with them, as far as he could, so we had to start socializing with a different crowd. People at the firm, the senior partners and their wives. You know...people who could "DO" things for him, who could open doors. Our old friends just kind of...drifted away, but he didn't care. Actually, he was kind of happy about it. He said we really didn't have time for them, anyway, and they'd just be holding us back."

Almost absentmindedly, he unraveled the braid he'd formed.

"Just about everyone in our new crowd was older than us, higher on the social scale...and he wanted to be up there with them. We started attending art gallery openings and saw plays that I didn't understand, not because he really enjoyed it, but because it was a good place for us to "be seen" by all the right people."

"And you hated it?"

"I went along with it," she sighed. "I wanted to see movies and go to football games. Just have fun with people our own age. But he didn't want that. I felt so cut off. He didn't want me to work because people might think that he couldn't support us. So, there I was...with nothing much going on for me outside of making a home. It wasn't too long after that I found out I was pregnant, and it was a BIG surprise!"

"But a good surprise, yes?"

Buffy nodded. "For me? Yeah. For Angel? Not so much. I was on the pill, but it was making me nauseous, so my doctor had to adjust the dosage. Somehow, during that time, Melanie was conceived."

Not if she lived to see the dawning of a new ice age would Buffy ever forget the look on Angel's face when she'd announced her pregnancy. His shock and anger had taken all the magic out of what should have been a beautiful moment. During the argument that followed, he had even alluded to the idea that she'd 'allowed' it to happen.

"Let me guess," William said. "He didn't want the baby."

It wasn't a question.

"We had this huge fight. He just kept telling me that it wasn't the right time for that sort of thing. Not even close. He wanted to be more established in his career, more successful at it, and making a lot more money. One thing led to another, and he finally stormed out with this sort of...backhanded warning that he wasn't going to let ME be the one to hold him back just because I'd gone and gotten myself pregnant."

"Got YOURSELF pregnant?" he echoed. "Well, THAT'S quite an accomplishment."

Buffy picked at a loose thread of her robe. "He never came out and asked me to do it...but I could tell he wanted me to..."

"Okay, stop right there!" he said angrily. "I don't even want to HEAR the rest of that sentence!"

And she didn't want to say it. It was probably the single most painful truth of her life; the man her foolish young heart had chosen as a soul mate hadn't wanted the baby they had created together, and would have been willing to see it destroyed.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pressed on, wanting this to be over with soon. "After she was born, it just got worse and worse. I'll admit I was pulling away from him. I just loved her so much...she was my whole world. Angel couldn't deal with that. He'd always been the center of my universe, same as he had been with his parents. He had no interest in Melanie at all. Sometimes, I think he forgot she was even there. It got so bad that I was afraid to go to the store unless I took her with me. I didn't want her to need something and have him ignore her while she cried."

"Christ," William muttered under his breath. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "That's enough. I get the picture. I don't want to hear another word about him."

Buffy pressed herself against his warm, hard body. "Well, now you know why she said that at school," she said, turning her head to look at him. "She really loves you, you know?"

He tightened his embrace. "I love her, too."

The tension in her body began to drain away, leaving her soft and pliable in his arms. "She turned down a trip to Disney- land in favor of that convention," she told him, lightening the mood a little. "If that's not love, I don't know what is."

"She did? Wow...I feel so honored," he replied. "I won out over Mickey Mouse."

Buffy laughed. "It was a birthday she'll never forget, because of you."

He pulled back in surprise. "It was her birthday?"

"Mm-hmm. Her sixth. I offered to take her to Disneyland or give her a party, but she chose the convention instead."

"I missed her birthday? Damn it!"

"Well...technically you didn't. You were there."

"Yeah, but I didn't know."

He was really disappointed, and Buffy couldn't help thinking that, had he been Melanie's father, every one of her birthdays would have been celebrated in high style. He certainly wouldn't have skipped her party for a romp in bed with his latest extra curricular activity.

"Hey, I've got an idea," he said, pulling her out of her musings. "Let's take her to Disneyland. We'll have an extra birthday for her, since I missed it. We can spend the weekend at the hotel and really do it up."

He sounded almost as excited as a child would at the idea, and his enthusiasm was catching her up in it.

"Oh, she would love that! Are you sure, though? I mean, it'll be awfully expensive?"

William just laughed. "Don't worry. I can afford it."

"I KNOW you can afford it. I just meant...."

He cut her off by pushing her flat on the bed and kissing her until her toes curled. When he pulled back to smile down at her, she placed one hand on his cheek. "I wish...." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, making her blush at her own boldness.

"What?" he asked. "What do you wish? Tell me, and I'll make it happen."

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking..."

"Tell me," he insisted.

She took a deep breath and jumped. "I was thinking that...that YOU should have been her father."

He was silent for a moment, thinking, then he came back with a comment that nearly made her heart burst out of her chest.

"Buffy....I want to be her father."

Part Seventeen...

When the phone rang on Saturday morning, Buffy was standing at the kitchen sink with a cereal bowl in her hand, trying to chip off hardening bits of oatmeal from Melanie's breakfast.

As it always did these days, her heart rate kicked up a notch. Drying her hands on a dishtowel, she picked up on the second ring.

"Hello."

"Hi. Did I wake you up?" William asked.

She smiled. "No. We've just had breakfast."

"Damn. I wanted to catch you still in bed."

"Why?"

"So I could picture you there, all soft and warm, with your hair spread out over the pillow, your eyes sleepy and a little smile on your pretty face, because you were dreaming about me."

He was painting a very appealing picture with his words and the husky tone of his voice, and she felt a pleasant shiver chase up and down her spine.

"Sorry," she replied. "But you'd have to call a lot earlier to do that. Melanie's up with the birds."

"Are you busy today?"

Surprisingly, she wasn't. Both Willow and Anya would be opening the store, and she had no pressing errands to run.

"Because I was thinking," he went on, "I have to take the dogs in for their rabies shots around noon, but after that I'm free. How about if I come and get you two and take you out to lunch?"

Buffy was agreeable, so they made their plans and said goodbye. After finishing the breakfast dishes, she went upstairs to tell Melanie that William was coming over.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was almost one o'clock when she came down and found Melanie kneeling on the couch. She was facing backwards, staring out the window and watching for William's car to pull into the driveway.

Just for something to do, Buffy picked up Melanie's pink backpack and began to empty out the previous weeks worth of corrected homework papers, a wadded up sweatshirt with a grape juice stain she'd never seen before, a Cinderella lunch box, and notices from the school about upcoming events that required either her participation or a hefty donation to the cause.

Smoothing out a piece of slightly crumpled blue paper, she sighed when she read the heading, remembering when this same notice had come home last year to inform her of the upcoming breakfast banquet the school was having for the children and their fathers.

Melanie had been very excited about it a year ago. The pizza lunch for the kids and their mothers had been a great success, and she hadn't quite lost all her faith in her father's promises at that point. Angel had agreed to attend, had even marked the day down on his calendar while Melanie had him on the phone.

Then, the night before the event, his firm had sent him to Spain to handle an emergency for one of their wealthier clients. He'd called on his way to the airport, after Melanie had gone to bed, leaving Buffy to break the news in the morning. Not wanting Melanie to be the only child in her class whose father wasn't there, she kept the little girl home from school that day and took her to the park instead.

"Hey...I see they're having another breakfast party," she said brightly.

"Uh-huh," Melanie replied, leaning forward to see if the car turning the corner belonged to William.

Trying to keep an encouraging smile on her face, Buffy asked, "Do you want to call your dad and invite him?"

The little girl just shrugged. "Maybe later."

Buffy set the flyer down on the coffee table. Without her meaning it to, her mind drifted back to the other night when she and William had made love, after which he'd made that startling declaration about wanting to be Melanie's father.

Although she didn't remember planning it that way, her facial expression must have been somewhere between disbelieving and totally flabbergasted. He'd apparently felt as though he'd said too much, too soon, and had offered up a stumbling explanation of what he'd meant; that he would be happy to assume any kind of 'fatherly' type role Melanie might need him to play. He'd been so pleased that he'd been able to rescue her from the unkind taunts of her school mates that he wanted to be there for her if she should need him for anything else.

Buffy had almost laughed at his nervous backpedaling, assuring him that she knew exactly what he'd meant by his words. When she'd thought it over later, she'd come to the conclusion that it had been an impulsive remark on his part, no doubt prompted by his obvious dislike...sight unseen...of Melanie's biological father.

But he was far too sensitive and intuitive to consciously try to shove Angel out of his daughter's life at this point in what was still a very new relationship.

Still, he HAD offered, she mused, eying the paper she'd placed on the table. Certainly, Melanie would be thrilled.

On the other hand, maybe it WAS pushing things along too quickly. If William volunteered to attend this function with Melanie, it was liable to give rise to all sorts of wrong impressions, especially to Melanie herself.

Her rambling thought patterns were terminated when Melanie suddenly jumped off the couch. "He's here!" the little girl announced, flinging open the front door.

Deciding to think about it later, Buffy followed Melanie out onto the porch just in time to see her streak past William, who was halfway up the sidewalk, and head straight for his car instead.

Since he'd parked by the curb and not in the driveway, the child was able to see in the windows of the SUV. After trying hard to peer through the dark tinted glass, she finally turned and looked at William. "No doggies?" she asked, clearly disappointed to find that he hadn't brought his canine pals along with him.

William glanced at Buffy helplessly, then walked back to his car and ruffled Melanie's curls. "I'm sorry, Pixie," he said sincerely. "I took them home before I came."

"Oh. Did they go to their doctor?" she asked, taking the hand he held out for her and walking back up the sidewalk with him.

"Yes. For their booster shots."

"I did that for school." She looked up at him. "Won't they be lonely?"

He smiled. "No, they'll be fine. They have each other."

Buffy leaned against the door jamb, her arms folded across her chest, watching them.

It quickly became clear that William wasn't going to be able to stand letting Melanie down. "I think you're right," he finally said, contradicting his previous statement. "They might get lonely. Maybe we should go back to my house and keep them company. You know, I've told them all about you, and they can't wait to meet you."

"Can we go do that, Mommy?" she asked her mother happily.

Buffy smiled at her. "I don't see why not."

Melanie wasn't the sort of child who jumped up and down clapping her hands in excitement when a treat was promised, but she more than made up for it with the sweetness of her smile.

William had no resistance whatsoever. "Great," he said, then asked, "Do you have a bathing suit?"

Melanie nodded.

"You run up and get it, then," he instructed her.

Without even pausing to ask why, she obeyed.

After she was up the stairs, he joined Buffy on the front porch. Sliding one arm around her waist, he pulled her against him and kissed her.

"What about YOU?" he murmured, biting gently on her earlobe. "Have you got a bathing suit? Something sexy?"

"I have one." Her smile was teasing. "I'm not sure it's all that sexy."

"How about I be the judge of that?"

Disentangling herself before her legs stopped working, she went upstairs after Melanie, only stopping to grab the school flyer from the coffee table and slip it into the back pocket of her jeans.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

His house was in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. Alone, it sat nestled at the very end of a long private driveway that was lined on both sides by dense foliage and huge shade trees.

William pulled in to a three car garage, parking the SUV alongside a silver Carrera, and cut the engine.

He escorted them through the double front doors, and into a large foyer. Buffy's jaw dropped when she looked straight ahead across the living room through a large picture window, amazed at the panoramic view of the surrounding hills and canyons.

"Oh, my gosh," she whispered, taking it all in. "What a view!"

He nodded. "Part of the reason I bought it. Wait'll you see it at night."

A sliding glass door next to the window opened out onto the patio. There was a redwood deck with a built in jacuzzi off to one side and, beyond that, a swimming pool's turquoise blue water shimmered in the warm afternoon sun.

Melanie clung to Buffy's hand as William gave them a quick tour of the house. There were four bedrooms, each with their own private bath; the large living room with a stone fireplace on the far wall; a family room; a formal dining room; and the biggest kitchen Buffy had ever been in, with a breakfast nook in one sunny little alcove.

"So, what do you think?" He seemed anxious to know her opinion.

"I think it's beautiful," she said honestly.

"How about you, Pixie?" He knelt beside Melanie. "You like it here?"

"Yes,"she nodded, looking around. "Where do the doggies live?"

William chuckled. "Pretty much anywhere they want to." he told her. "But right now, they're in the side yard. Come on and meet them."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As Buffy had imagined, it was love at first sight between Melanie and the dogs.

Belle, the labrador, was calm and good natured. She sniffed the newcomers up one side and down the other, then stood still and accepted the over abundant affection Melanie lavished on her without complaint.

Sam, the poodle, was the antithesis of Belle. He was all wriggling silliness and ran around them in circles, yapping his tiny lungs out for attention.

It didn't take Melanie long to discover a couple of slobbery tennis balls hidden in the grass. She threw them as far as her small arms could propel them, and the dogs patiently brought them back, time after time, dropping them at her feet.

Buffy sat on a small retaining wall that surrounded a clump of bushes that hadn't been pruned in what looked like years, watching her daughter play with the dogs. William stood next to her, one foot up on the wall, his thumbs stuck casually through the belt loops of his jeans.

After fifteen minutes, Melanie announced that the dogs were thirsty. She spotted two large silver water bowls on the patio and dumped out the old water, refilling them with a garden hose. Belle and Sam drank loudly, snuffling their noses in the water as Melanie knelt beside them, patting them gently on their backs.

When the animals had drunk their fill, they collapsed in the shade of a tree close to the back wall. Melanie wiped her hands on the grass and trotted back to her mother.

"Having fun?" Buffy asked her, smoothing down her hair.

"I like your dogs" she told William, squinting up at him through the sun. "Is it time for their lunch?"

He sat on the wall next to Buffy, pulling Melanie onto his knee. "I guess it could be," he said. "And I think it's time for our lunch, too."

"Are you hungry?" she asked him, slinging one arm around his neck as he stood up.

"I could eat. How about you?"

"I could eat, too."

They both looked down at Buffy. "Oh, I get it," she said, standing up and brushing off the seat of her pants. "Some- thing tells me that the 'out for lunch' plan is scuttled, right? Is it time for old mom to see what's in the kitchen?"

"Well," William replied, "we could still go out...but it's so hot.." He gave Melanie a little squeeze. "and I think Melanie wants to try out the pool."

"Mommy is a really good cook," Melanie added.

Buffy smiled archly at her daughter. "Flattery will get you everywhere, cookie," she said. "Let's go see what's in the kitchen."

"Yay!" Melanie cheered.

"Yay!" William echoed. He tossed the child up and caught her easily, then did it again when she squealed with laughter.

Buffy stood there, watching them play, feeling that notice from the school practically burning a hole in her back pocket.

Part Eighteen....

After a quick examination of the contents of William's refrigerator, Buffy began preparing a luncheon platter. She sliced up apples and peeled oranges, separating them into segments and pulling off the "white strings" that Melanie disliked. She found a small container of strawberries and washed them, then pulled off the husks and added them to the plate, along with a bunch of green grapes.

In the pantry, she spotted a can of pineapple chunks...a particular favorite of Melanie's...and a box of wheat grain crackers. On a whim, she went back to the refrigerator and began checking the little doors on the side, smiling when she found a brick of jack cheese. She took down another plate and arranged the crackers on it, then sliced slivers of the cheese on top of them.

In the very back of the freezer, she dug up a can of frozen lemonade, then searched for something to mix it up in. William had obviously never acquired a collection of Tupperware, so she had to make do with an expensive looking crystal pitcher she found in a cabinet over the sink. After the juice was prepared, she added ice cubes and lemon slices to it.

Melanie bounced into the kitchen wearing her yellow and white checked bathing suit, dragging a towel behind her that was twice as long as she was.

The little girl climbed up onto a stool next to the high counter and hung over, watching her mother. "Can I have some lemonade, Mommy?"

Wiping her hands on a paper towel, Buffy started searching the cupboards. It soon became obvious that this was a house unused to the presence of small children with buttered fingers, because she was unable to find anything but highly breakable glassware.

She selected the smallest juice glass she could find, filling it a little more than halfway and passing it across the counter. "Be careful."

Melanie nodded agreeably, then promptly began fishing around inside of the glass with her fingers, trying to grab hold of the lemon slice.

On the brink of admonishing her, Buffy completely lost her train of thought when William walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of faded cutoff jeans and a towel slung around his neck. "Ready to swim, pixie?"

Melanie gathered her towel up and squeezed it into a terry cloth ball. "Do you got steps?" she asked.

A smile formed in the corner of his mouth. "Steps? You mean a staircase like the one in your house?"

"No, the ones that go into the water."

Buffy explained. "We haven't really had a chance to take swimming lessons, so we usually stay in the shallow end where the steps are."

Actually, she hadn't even tried to talk Melanie into the idea yet, knowing that the child would be unhappy being placed in a pool with a lot of strange children and having to submit to a hands-on teaching method from still another stranger.

"Yes, I have steps."

**************************************************

They sat at a glass topped patio table on the deck, shielded from the hot California sunshine by a large canvas umbrella.

Melanie ate a small amount of the fruit and three of the crackers, after brushing the cheese off. Impatient to get to the 'fun with water' portion of the afternoon, she resisted all Buffy's attempts to coax her into eating more, asking, "Is that enough?" after every bite she took.

The child was a consummate deal maker when it came to mealtime. When told to eat five more bites of chicken and six green beans, she was more than likely to make a counter offer of four bites and three beans, haggling with the savvy of a rug merchant in a Persian marketplace.

Over the years, Buffy had learned to start the bidding high in order to get the amount of food SHE wanted into Melanie's stomach, while giving the impression that she was being taken gross advantage of.

When it became clear that nothing would induce her daughter into taking one more bite of anything, Buffy threw in the metaphorical towel and went inside to change into her bathing suit, a simple black one piece with diamond shaped cut outs on both sides.

She found two more towels in a linen closet that was bigger than her bathroom. Heading back outside, she paused at the window and smiled.

William and Melanie were in the shallow end of the pool. She was lying on her back in the water with his hands beneath her, helping her float. As Buffy watched, he slowly took his hands away and left her to do it on her own.

Dropping the towels on a chaise lounge, she sat on the side of the pool and dangled her legs in the cool water. "Hey, look at you!" she said, feeling a shiver scamper up and down her spine when she felt William's eyes on her. She met his intent gaze with her own, blushing a little when he mouthed the words, "Very sexy" in reference to her bathing suit.

"I'm swimming!" Melanie announced. Unfortunately, her concentration broke and she started to sink.

William caught her and turned her upright.

"Did you see?" she asked, unfazed at her dunking.

"I saw," Buffy nodded. "Very good."

As she sat on the warm tile and watched, William spent the next twenty minutes giving Melanie her first official swimming lesson, doing such a good job of it that she briefly wondered if he gave bike riding lessons as well.

**************************************************

There was a large metal shed on the side of the house, a shed containing the various necessities for maintaining a swimming pool.

William disappeared inside, coming back out with a few pool toys that looked suspiciously brand new to Buffy; a large and colorful beach ball, a couple of long foam rubber noodles, and a blown up 'Shamu' raft that was almost as big as the whale itself.

Handing over the toys to Melanie, he sat on the lounge next to Buffy's and stretched out on it.

Melanie giggled riotously as she tried to climb on the back of 'Shamu' and kept sliding off into the water.

William laughed and looked over to meet Buffy's inquiring gaze. "What?"

"Did you buy those things for Melanie?"

"What? No!" he blustered, visibly searching his mind for an excuse. "I keep those around...in case friends come over. Friends with children," he added when he saw her skeptical look.

"Really?" she asked him, her tone laced with disbelief. "Because those things look like they just came out of the package five minutes ago."

He tried to hide behind his sunglasses, but she was too determined. "Not five minutes ago," he finally admitted. "Last night."

"But you didn't know we'd be here last night."

"Well....I figured I'd lure you two up here sometime...and I wanted her to have something to play with."

Melanie tossed the beach ball in their general direction. After leaning over and whacking it back to her, he turned and faced Buffy. "You aren't mad because I bought her some toys....are you?" he asked, giving her his most appealing smile.

In the face of such sweetly charming words, not to mention a smile that made her knees quiver, how could she be?

"Of course I'm not mad."

Actually, she was touched beyond words. The way he always thought of Melanie, even when he wasn't with her, was wonderful. She just wasn't completely certain that allowing her daughter to get used to such treatment was a good idea. What if he woke up one morning and decided that he was tired of.....

**Stop that. It's not going to happen. He adores her and he is NOT like Angel. He is NOTHING like Angel**

"I'm glad to hear that....because I was thinking about having a slide put in."

"William!"

"What?"

**************************************************

As soon as the sun began to do down, the air outside turned chilly. Against Melanie's wishes, Buffy took her back into the house and changed her into her clothes.

William gathered up all the plates and glasses and took them inside while Buffy parked her daughter in front of the television and switched on 'Animal Planet's Funniest Videos', one of the little girl's favorite shows.

She went back into one of the guest bedrooms to change out of her bathing suit, and had barely gotten the door closed before she heard a soft knock. Melanie never knocked...ever...so there could only be one person on the other side of the door.

"Who is it?" she asked needlessly.

To her surprise, instead of answering her, he opened the door and stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, he looked at her with a playful leer.

"Oh, no," she said, pointing at the door. "Out you go. We're not doing this here."

"Buffy," he murmured cajolingly, moving just a little closer. "Come here and kiss me. You haven't kissed me all day....and I'm lonely."

The pouting expression on his face was so fiendishly cute that she almost laughed. "Melanie's...."

"Melanie," he interrupted, "is sitting on the couch watching television with the dogs. I even got her to drink a glass of milk. Now don't I deserve a kiss for that?"

She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him. "Oh, you did? And...?"

"And what?"

"And....what did you have to give her?"

He made a face. "A few Oreos...but she's drinking the milk! Now, come here," he said, advancing a few feet.

She backed away. "No."

"All I want is a kiss," he begged. Clasping his hands together, he held them up in supplication and dropped to his knees, inching closer. "One kiss."

Buffy had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling like a silly teenager. "Stop it."

"I've had a totally G rated day," he whined. "And it hasn't been easy with you prancing around in that dead sexy bathing suit."

"William...." Still avoiding him, the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. She fell on her back, and William took instant advantage of the opportunity. Before she realized he'd done it, he was off the floor and on the bed.

"Now," he said softly, leaning over her, "I've got you where I want you."

**************************************************

Her blush and wide eyed gaze, the tempting rise and fall of her breasts, and the soft rose petal shade of her lips were drawing his full attention. The playful interlude was changing...deepening...becoming something entirely new.

He hovered over her, leaning on his left arm, which left his right hand free. Placing it on her waist, his fingers slipped just slightly behind it and pulled her forward.

"Buffy," he whispered, now serious in his tone and intent. "Will you kiss me?"

Without waiting to hear an answer, his mouth descended on hers with heart aching sweetness, his eyes holding her gaze until her sable dark lashes slowly fluttered closed, shielding her emotions from him. He closed his eyes, too, his breath mingling with hers as his tongue slipped between her lips with a gentle force.

He wanted to pull her closer, to mold himself against her warmly feminine form, but he couldn't. The desire to make love to her was too strong. He was already having a difficult time controlling it.

When they finally separated, he stared down into green eyes that looked soft and a little dazed, an expression he was sure his own gaze was reflecting back at her.

His hand cupped her cheek, thumb stroking the moist curve of her lips.There was so much he wanted to say to her, but his thoughts refused to form coherently.

Fully aware that there was a six year old girl in the other room who was liable to come looking for her mother, he reluctantly moved away from temptation.

"Thank you for the kiss," he said softly, rising to his feet on unsteady legs. "I'll let you get dressed."

He had his hand on the doorknob when she stopped him.

"William, wait...."

**************************************************

She spoke without thinking first, an impulsive request to keep him in the room, but when he turned around, her inspiration failed her.

"Yes?" he finally prompted.

"Um...there's this thing." Climbing off the bed, she picked up her jeans and extracted the crumpled blue flyer that she'd stuffed into her pocket at home, the one that had been drifting on the edge of her subconscious mind all day. "I'll understand if you don't want to," she said, handing him the flyer.

She watched him unfold the paper and read its message. Her nervous system was taking a pounding until he looked at her and smiled.

"If I don't want to?" he echoed. "Are you asking me to take Melanie to this breakfast?"

"Sort of." She sat down on the end of the bed, smoothing imaginary wrinkles. "In a way. But, don't feel like you HAVE to say yes," she added quickly.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't you think she wants her father to take her?"

Buffy shrugged. "The thing is...well, they did this last year when she was in kindergarten. She asked him, and Angel agreed to do it, but...."

"He DIDN'T do it." William guessed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It's a lot to ask, I know..."

"Buffy," he said, cutting her off. "I told you. I'm here for Melanie, and I'm here for you. And I'm not going any- where."

She believed him. She really, really did. Believed him and believed IN him.

It was an odd and unfamiliar feeling, one that she could get used to quite easily.

But there was more to say, and she had to force it out.

"I don't want you to feel like...to think that..." She sighed deeply. "What I mean is...she might want to ask him...and he'll probably say yes. But if he does, and then...." Her voice trailed off. She felt awful for making it seem like he was second choice, only to be called upon should Angel flake out again at the last minute.

He seemed to know what was going on in her head, because he held up one hand.

"I know what you're saying, Buffy, and it's fine. I don't mind playing the supporting role," he said, then smiled as he pinned a direct gaze on her. "For now."

It wasn't until he'd left the room that she realized she'd been holding her breath.

Part nineteen....

Buffy returned to the den/study, which was the only thing she could think of to describe the room, to find William standing in the open doorway. He was looking at the sight before him, one hand over his mouth, obviously trying not to laugh out loud.

When she touched his shoulder, he turned and placed one finger against her lips to shush her and then moved aside.

Peeking around the wall, she saw Melanie...still on the sofa with the dogs...sound asleep. She had slumped over to one side and was snuggled up to Belle's back. Sam had his little head propped on her leg.

When William stepped into the room, both dogs looked at him with their tongues out and an expression that asked, "So, NOW what do we do?"

Instead of waking the child up, William grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her down the hallway. Stopping outside of a closed door, he whispered, "Something that cute should be illegal." He opened the door and headed across the room towards a large walk in closet, it's doors hanging open, and it's contents rumpled.

Buffy remained in the doorway. One quick glance around the room told her that this was his bedroom, and she didn't trust herself to step inside. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for....ah, here it is." He reappeared with a camera, the kind of thing she'd only seen advertised on television.

His intent was clear, and she almost stopped him to let him know that Melanie didn't much like having her picture taken. Then she remembered that, as long as it was William doing it, Melanie probably wouldn't mind if he brought an entire camera crew into the house to film her sleeping.

She trailed after him back to the den and watched him take several shots of her daughter. The camera's motor was quiet, and the child didn't even twitch.

Back in the hallway, he whispered, "I'll have one of those enlarged for her."

Before he could return to his bedroom to stash the camera away again, Buffy caught his arm. When he stopped and gave her a quizzical look, she couldn't keep herself from pulling him closer and kissing him.

"Wow...what was THAT for?" he asked, when she stepped back a few inches.

She smiled. "I don't know," she confessed. "Just an impulse I couldn't control."

His own smile lit up his eyes. "Don't ever bother trying to control that impulse," he murmured, dropping another light kiss on her lips. "It's always a good one."

**************************************************

They managed to get Melanie out to his car and into her booster seat without waking her up, but halfway home, she finally stirred and opened her eyes.

Buffy turned and watched the little girl stare out the window at the darkened streets. "Hi, sweetie."

"Where are we going?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Home, baby."

The child nodded and continued looking out the window for another few seconds before she spoke up again.

"Mommy....I think I'm hungry."

It made sense. All she'd eaten for lunch had been fruit and a few crackers. The milk and cookies had only been partially consumed before she'd fallen asleep.

"We'll get you something when we get home," Buffy promised.

"Actually...." William began.

She looked at him and he shrugged, saying, "I'm hungry, too."

Well, now that everybody was mentioning it, Buffy's own stomach announced it's emptiness. Before she could volunteer to fix something for all of them, his eyes zeroed in on....

"Hey! There's a McDonald's! Sound good to you, pixie?"

"Sounds good to me!" Melanie piped up brightly.

William looked at her quizzically before he swung the car into the parking lot and pulled into a space. "This okay with you?"

Oh, boy....was it okay with her!

**************************************************

The restaurant had an indoor play area with a gigantic and colorful climbing structure built inside. The thing had twists and turns, little alcoves with window bubbles looking out on the eating area, and long slides both inside and leading back out. There was a ball cage below it, filled with thousands of red, blue, yellow, and green plastic spheres, and a hoop at the opposite end to toss them through.

Melanie had never set foot in one before. Usually, when they ate a McDonald's or a Burger King, there were too many children buzzing around inside the playhouses for her to feel comfortable venturing in.

But now, it was late enough that they had the whole place to themselves.

Standing at the counter waiting to order, William picked her up to give her a good look at the menu.

"What do you think, love? You order anything you want."

Melanie always ordered the same thing, no matter what fast food restaurant she found herself in.

"Chicken nuggets," she requested.

"French fries?"

"Okay."

"How about a milkshake?"

"Mm-hmm."

When it became clear that she wasn't really paying attention, he turned to look at her and saw that she was staring across the dining area at the playroom.

Delighted by her rapt gaze, he winked at Buffy.

"Hey, THAT looks like fun!" he said, turning to face the play area. "We'd best go and check that out after we eat, huh?"

Melanie said nothing in return, but she tightened her arms around William's neck and squeezed him.

**************************************************

The meal was consumed in record time, Buffy noticed, by Melanie and...she was fairly sure...by William, too.

Buffy stayed at the table as they ventured up inside the play structure. She wanted to watch and see just how far he was willing to go.

It didn't much surprise her to find that he was willing to go all the way for Melanie. He followed her all over the climber, crawling up and down tunnels on his hands and knees, sliding down slides behind her, and holding her on his shoulders so she could throw the balls right through the center of the plastic hoop.

She was having a wonderful time, laughing and chattering a mile a minute with him, then darting away and making him chase her around the tables.

When he caught her and swung her up in his arms, he dangled her across his shoulder and down his back as he returned to their table.

Smiling, Buffy asked, "Where's Melanie?"

"I'm over here," the child giggled from behind William's back. Grinning, he turned and showed Buffy where he was hiding her daughter. She caught the girl under her arms and William released her, letting her tumble into her mother's lap.

"Are you having fun, cookie?" she asked, smoothing Melanie's tousled curls.

"I'm having lot's of fun," the little girl replied, nodding and reaching for her milkshake. "Can I go back in?"

William started to stand up, but Buffy stopped him with a glance. "Sure," she said. "You go and we'll watch you."

Without pausing, Melanie once again disappeared into the climber.

"Thank you," William said quietly, taking a swallow of iced tea. "Those things....were NOT designed for people over the age of thirty," he chuckled. "My knees are gonna hate me in the morning."

Buffy laughed. "You looked like you needed rescuing."

They sat for a moment, watching Melanie scamper through the twists and curves, waving back to her when she stopped at one of the windows.

"Listen," he finally said. "Did you tell her about going to Disneyland?"

She shook her head. "No. I wanted you to...you know...be there. I mean, it was your idea and everything." Picking up a french fry, she dunked it in a puddle of ketchup and ate it.

His gaze, lingering on the smear of ketchup she quickly licked off her lips, was leaving her with no doubt about what he was thinking, but all he said was 'thank you' and that they could tell her about it on the way home.

Ten minutes later, Buffy gathered up the trash while William fetched Melanie. As she watched him catch her daughter at the bottom of the slide, all she could think was that THIS was how things were meant to be.

**************************************************

Melanie was absolutely thrilled with the promised outing to Disneyland. She bounced in her seat and peppered them with questions about when and where and what would they do when they got there.

In fact, she was so excited and animated about it that Buffy knew her daughter had complete faith that the promises being made would be kept.

Funnily enough, so did she.

By the time William's car pulled into the driveway of the little house on Revello Drive, Melanie was starting to drift off again. Buffy took her upstairs and changed her into her nightgown, then helped her floss and brush her teeth.

As she tucked her into bed, William appeared at the door and was invited in for the requisite kiss and hug goodnight.

"I'll see you again soon, pixie," he promised the sleepy little girl, stroking her curls back.

He leaned over to hug her one more time, and Melanie's small arms wound tightly around his neck.

She murmured something that Buffy couldn't understand, until she heard William's quietly whispered reply..."I love you, too."

It was a sentiment Buffy was almost ready to echo herself.

Downstairs in the living room, they made firmer plans for the Disney excursion. Buffy purposely waited about twenty minutes, then excused herself and asked him to please wait.

She went upstairs and stripped her jeans and t-shirt off, then searched her closet for something a little more feminine. In the very back, she located a dress she hadn't worn in ages. It was a casual lounging dress, deep emerald in color, and it clung attractively to her curves. The hem of the dress brushed the tops of her feet, con- trasting nicely with the light peach shade she'd painted her toenails.

After brushing her hair and re-doing her make up, she placed a drop of perfume behind each ear. Then, barefoot, she went back down to the living room.

William was sitting on the couch, glancing through a newspaper he'd opened up on the coffee table.

When he heard her at the foot of the stairs, he looked up and his eyes widened. "Look at you," he murmured appreciatively, his gaze moving up and down her body.

She smiled at him, pleased by his reaction. "You remember that G-rated day you were having?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied. "You...half naked...bouncing around my house all afternoon...and a six year old chaperon. I remember it vividly."

"Well," she said softly, gathering up all of her nerve, "that rating is about to be...upgraded."

**************************************************

Upstairs once again, they stood in the middle of Buffy's bedroom, kissing deeply, their tongues meeting in hot, writhing caresses.

William placed his hands on her shoulders, then pulled her closer and slipped his fingers under the heavy fall of her hair, searching for the long zipper that reached almost to the waist of her dress.

She felt him pulling it down, felt the soft fabric separate, brushing back over her sensitized skin. When he had it completely unzipped, he lifted his hands back to her shoulders, ready to skim under the straps of the dress and send it to the floor.

She looked into his eyes, and he smiled at her. "Miss Smith," he murmured, "hold all my calls."

The green silk formed a pool around her feet, leaving her naked.

"You're so beautiful." He tried to pull her closer, but she stopped him with her hands on his chest.

"No...you, too." With fingers that barely shook at all, she started unbuttoning his shirt. When he figured out what was causing the delay, he began to help her but, once again, she stopped him. "Let me."

Sighing, he let his hands drop to his sides and sat back to enjoy her undressing him.

With the final button of his shirt undone, she tugged the shirttails out of his jeans and pulled the garment open, exposing his nicely muscled chest and abdomen.

She unbuttoned the cuffs of the shirt and turned him around, tugging it down his arms and off. Then, still standing behind him, she reached around in front and began to unbuckle his belt. Feeling his abdomen become concave as he sucked in a breath, she smiled and pressed her lips against the smooth skin of his back.

Once she had his belt undone, she pulled it slowly through the belt loops of his jeans and dropped it on the floor next to his shirt. Her fingers brushed lightly over his flat stomach, moving slowly down to pop open the top snap of his pants.

The second the fastening was released, his zipper began to descend without any help from either of them, forced apart by the pressure of his erection.

This was the point where Buffy's nerve finally deserted her. Her fingers started to fall away from his body, until he reached down and stopped them by taking her hand.

Turning his head, he looked down and met her eyes as he pushed her hand into the opening of his trousers.

Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt the rigid evidence of his desire, and she placed her cheek against his back, letting her fingers slide up and down his shaft.

Melting inside, like candy with a gooey center, her heart was throbbing madly. The sound of his softly uttered groan raised her temperature even more, making her want to do anything she could to coax more of those sounds out of him.

Her hand tightened around his hard length, squeezing him, alternating between gentle and firm touches. At the same time, her thumb brushed over the silky head, spreading the moisture she found there back into his own skin.

He was beginning to have a difficult time remaining still beneath her tender touch. Removing her hand from his pants, he raised it to his lips and kissed it, his tongue caressing her palm. He turned to face her, then, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her up against him to share his body heat.

"Buffy," he whispered, his lips traveling down her throat. "I want you so much."

Her head dropped back and she closed her eyes.

"William," she murmured, when his lips touched lightly against hers. "You have me."

He did. Her heart...her soul...her body...and any other part of her he might want.

**************************************************

Forcing himself to step back from her, he sat down on the end of the bed and tugged his boots off, then stood back up and shoved his jeans down and off, kicking them halfway across the room.

Before she even had a chance to admire the picture he was presenting her with, he'd leaned over and picked her up, depositing her in the middle of the bed.

"Here goes our rating again," he said teasingly. "From an R to an X."

With a predatory leer, he hovered over her and lowered his head until his mouth was touching the soft skin between her breasts. Keeping her eyes locked with his, he licked her all the way down her abdomen, filling the hollow of her navel with his tongue.

She couldn't help it. It tickled, so she laughed.

The sound seemed to please him, and he did what was necessary to produce it again.

As her body twisted and writhed under his, he suddenly came back up to her and captured her mouth again, thrusting his tongue boldly inside and gathering up the flavor of her saliva. It was a wet and messy kiss, and they drew it out intentionally, both enjoying the intimacy of it.

He pulled away and, with his mouth still very wet, bent his head and latched on to her breast, taking the nipple in deep and nursing at it. Soft, husky moans of pleasure emanated from his throat as he moved to her other breast and gave it the same care.

Buffy's back arched, almost without her knowing it. She buried her hands in his silky curls, clutching at them and twining them around her fingers.

When his mouth moved further down, she let her legs fall apart. He kissed and nuzzled the under curve of her breasts, using his thumbs to stimulate the wet tips.

Down and down he went, over her stomach and through the soft curls of her sex. Her legs moved farther apart as he descended, waiting for his touch, wanting it, needing it...

And when it came, stars burst behind her tightly closed eyes.

His soft tongue was voracious, lapping at her with an intense hunger, then gentling in its attentions, becoming a teasing, sliding presence inside her. He held her hips in his hands, anchoring her to the bed, allowing her no respite at all from his avid mouth.

She was nearly mindless with pleasure, loving the way he stoked the fires so slowly, so sweetly, making sure that she felt everything he wanted her to feel.

Then, when she was sure she couldn't go any higher, he found the most sensitive place on her body and took it into his mouth, sucking it firmly, rhythmically, taking her over that edge she'd been hovering on.

Buffy felt a sweetness invading her body, as though she was slipping off into her own rushing heartbeat, the world around her falling farther and farther away.

Her eyes opened wide, and she looked down where he was resting his cheek on her stomach and smiling at her.

"Hi," she managed to whisper.

"Hi," he said back, planting a hard kiss on her belly. "You ready to crank up that rating to a double X?"

Part twenty....

"A double X?" she said, trying to look appalled at the very idea. "Mr. St. James...I think you're trying to corrupt me."

He grinned, showing no repentance at all. "Corrupting you is going to be my new favorite thing to do."

Deciding to turn up the corruption a few notches, Buffy rolled onto her stomach and stretched invitingly. The swiftly drawn in breath she heard him take told her she was having the right effect.

His hand curved around the swell of her bottom, fondling and caressing it softly. "Beautiful," he murmured. She turned to look at him, her hair falling in her eyes as she reached for his hand.

Unsure of what she had in mind, he allowed her to pull and nudge him until he was on top of her, his chest pressed against her back.

A quietly explicit curse word fell from his lips when she lifted her bottom a little and rubbed it against his groin.

Before she could say anything, William leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You want it like this, baby? From behind?"

Being asked such a question would once have embarrassed her, making her blush and duck her head. But when William asked it, it took on an erotic flavor that she was beginning to enjoy far too much.

She did want it like this, from behind. This was no time to be shy about it.

Peeking over her shoulder at him, she smiled in what she hoped was an enticing manner. "What do YOU think?" If the look on his face was any indication, he thought it was a splendid idea.

He sat up and nudged her legs farther apart, then moved up her body and began massaging her shoulders. It felt so good that she couldn't hold back a moan of pleasure. William chuckled. "You sound like a kitten purring." His hands...his wonderful, skillful hands...continued down her body, stroking and rubbing until she was as limp and pliable as melting wax.

He purposely avoided an intimate touch as he slid his hands further down, caressing her rear and the tops of her thighs.

When she was certain that she couldn't wait one more moment, he lowered himself on top of her, pushing her down into the mattress. His erection nestled between her thighs, slick and hot.

"Lift up a little, babe," he directed her.

She elevated her lower body a couple of inches, just enough for him to slip one hand in and play with her. Her eyes drifted shut, and she dug her fingers into the pillow she was lying on.

"Do you like that? Does it feel good when I touch you like this?" He used one finger to stroke her clit, stimulating it to the point of madness.

'Feel good' didn't begin to describe it. She actually couldn't come up with a phrase that would be more on the money. Her head was too dizzy and her body was in a tumultuous free fall. All she could do was nod and whimper some sort of agreement.

He seemed to understand what she was trying to get across. Sliding down just a little, he moved into position and slowly began penetrating her as he continued massaging her clit.

Instinctively, she raised her bottom, letting him slide all the way in with one stroke.

"Oh, god," he groaned in her ear, nipping at it. "I can't get over how tight you are...how wet."

With her cheek pressed against the soft cotton pillow case, Buffy could only sigh.

He bore her down under his weight, pinning her to the bed. "This is the way it was meant to be," he said. "For us. Knew it....the minute....I saw you...oh, Buffy...you feel so damn good."

They performed a lazy and erotic dance together, pushing and pulling, gasping and moaning. His lips trailed softly over the back of her neck, nipping at tender skin. When he sensed her need, he pulled out and rose to his knees, tugging her hips back and up to meet his next thrust.

She keened softly in her throat while his hands moved up and down her back, stroking her like a cat.

His thrusts became a little harder, and she knew that the finish line was in sight. Determinedly, she pushed back into him, meeting his pumping hips.

Their bodies surged and writhed together in a wave of sexual heat. He was driving her wild, caressing her with strong hands as he uttered husky encouragement, begging her to push back harder, make it tighter, let him all the way in.

Then, when she almost there, he reached around with one hand and rubbed her clit firmly, sending her over the edge into a mindless whirlwind of release.

He followed right behind, forcing himself not to shout her name into the silent house.

When it was over, the sagged together in the middle of the bed, panting, trying to catch their breath.

William was the first one to lift his head. "You okay?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm very much okay."

"I was afraid I was being..."

"Being what?"

Gingerly, he pulled out of her and moved to one side. "Too rough...you know...towards the end."

Buffy took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "No. You weren't."

He took her hand and kissed it. "I just...I don't ever want to hurt you. You're so small."

"I may be small," she told him, "but I'm pretty tough." Her brow furrowed. "Was that why you moved? Because you thought you were hurting me?"

"Well..." he shrugged. "A little, maybe."

Buffy smiled. She appreciated his consideration and care, but it was hardly necessary. Years of lying beneath a man who was taller and much stockier than this one had conditioned her for just about anything. William's slimmer build and slighter weight never made her feel as though she was trapped under a fallen redwood.

"I promise you weren't hurting me," she assured him. "I'd tell you if you were."

Returning her smile, he let the subject drop and pulled her close again. "This time YOU set the pace." Buffy's eyes widened. "You mean there's more?" "Oh, there's a LOT more. I'll do anything you want me to, for as long as you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Hmm...you should be careful offering that. What if it's something really perverse?"

His smile turned playfully lecherous. "I'd count my blessings."

**************************************************

Sunday morning started way too early for Buffy when a six year old crawled into bed next to her and announced that she was hungry.

After pushing, pulling, and nudging her mother into a sitting position, Melanie stood next to the bed and grabbed her hand, tugging and giggling as Buffy feigned sleep. When her hand slipped out of Melanie's grasp, she fell backwards on the bed again, wrapping her arms around a pillow and burying her face in it.

"Mommy! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Melanie chanted, clambering on top of Buffy and sitting on her upper thighs, bouncing up and down.

"Why?" Buffy asked plaintively, injecting as much 'whine' as she could into her voice. "Don't wanna wake up. Wanna sleep."

"You can't sleep anymore. You gotta fix breakfast."

"Why?"

"Because you're the mommy. I can't do it."

The little girl yanked on the pillow, then scooted up and pried one of Buffy's eyes open.

"Have some cereal," Buffy said. "You can do cereal."

"But it's Sunday."

"So what?"

"Pancakes, Mommy. Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes," the child sing-songed.

Before she could start bouncing up and down on her again, Buffy shifted her daughter to one side, tumbling her down on the mattress, then went in for the kill with all fingers wiggling.

Melanie shrieked with laughter as her mother found all her ticklish places and gave them a good work out before breakfast.

**************************************************

"Mommy?"

"What, baby?" Buffy turned the page in her newspaper, studying an advertisement for a sale on children's under- wear at Sears.

"Are we still going to Disneyland?" Melanie asked, her voice slightly garbled from the bite of pancake she was still working on.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth, Melanie," Buffy said automatically.

She'd tried the old "don't talk with your mouth full" routine on Melanie once, a request the child had immediately disputed by showing her mother that her mouth was only half full. Unfortunately, Buffy found it difficult to scold the little girl when she was having trouble controlling her laughter. Melanie made a show of swallowing, then repeated her question.

'Yes, honey. We're still going. He promised, didn't he?"

"Uh-huh." Melanie stabbed another bite of pancake and dunked it in the pool of syrup on her plate. "I believe him." "So do I." Reaching for the scissors, Buffy began clipping coupons from one of the booklets they stuffed in Sunday's papers. She was carefully cutting along the dotted line of a 75 cents off coupon for laundry detergent when the phone rang.

Melanie jumped out of her chair and reached for the receiver with sticky hands.

"Hello?....Oh, hi, Gemma." She looked over at Buffy. "It's Gemma."

Buffy forced herself not to roll her eyes. Angel's mother so completely disliked being called by any variation of the name 'Grandmother' , that she'd insisted on Melanie using her first name instead.

After a brief conversation with her grandmother, Melanie handed the phone to Buffy.

"Hi, Gemma, how are you?....Really?....Congratulations...I guess that's good, right? I don't know much about golf...Uh- huh....Wow....Um, no." She turned around to face the all and lowered her voice. "Not for over a week...He had to cancel his weekend with Melanie....Not much of one....Just the usual....Well, have you tried his fax line?....What about that girl he's seeing?....Already?....Yes....I'll let you know....Me? Well, yes....actually, I am.....Not long....No, no, he doesn't." She'd had just about enough of this phone call. The last thing she wanted to be doing at the moment was answering Gemma's nosy questions about her private life.

"Gemma, I have to go....Yes, I'll tell him....You, too....Okay. Bye."

Buffy replaced the receiver, then went into the kitchen to wet a paper towel and clean off the sticky fingerprints Melanie had left on it.

She stood at the sink, watching the neighbor's cat walk along the fence that divided the property.

The fact that Angel hadn't called his mother lately bothered her just a little. For all of his faults as a husband and father, he'd been pretty good about staying close to his mother, especially after his own father had died so suddenly of a massive stroke.

Gemma was the helpless, clinging type of wife who had depended on her husband for everything. Liam Conner had married her young, and had continued to treat her like a child, no matter how old she got. He'd doted on and spoiled her to insane lengths, providing her with a brand new car every year, enough designer clothes for ten women, jewelry, furs, a checkbook with an unending supply of cash, and a credit card for every upscale store on the west coast.

When he'd died, Gemma had transfered her dependency from her husband to her son. Her daughter was practically ignored, and they'd drifted apart years ago.

But now, Gemma hadn't heard from Angel in over a week. Where the heck had he disappeared to?

"Mommy?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Buffy looked down and saw Melanie standing next to her, holding her breakfast plate. "You want another pancake, baby?" she asked, reaching for the bowl of batter.

"No, I'm full."

Buffy exchanged the plate for the damp rag she had in her hand, asking Melanie to please go and wipe the syrup off the phone.

**************************************************

After the breakfast dishes were done, she threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater, then went down the hall to Melanie's room.

She found the child sitting in the middle of the floor, dressing her dolls in their 'party clothes', and singing quietly to herself.

"A peanut sat on a railroad track His heart was all a flutter Round the bend came number 10 And toot-toot, peanut butter.."

"Want to go to the store with me, baby?"

Melanie looked up and smiled. "Okay."

Buffy opened the closet door and pulled out a blue sun dress, as Melanie wriggled out of her pajamas. After running a brush through her daughter's hair, she waited patiently while Melanie tackled her shoe laces. It took three times as long to get her ready to go, but she was so pleased with herself that Buffy was willing to wait.

They stopped at the mall for a few minutes, just enough time for Buffy to check in with Willow and go over the work schedule for the following week.

In the market, Melanie trailed behind Buffy, pushing a child size shopping cart. She filled the basket with small items Buffy handed her, and pulled a huge handful of coupons from the automatic dispensers for things Buffy had no earthly use for.

After loading all her groceries on the conveyor belt, she grabbed a copy of TV guide and flipped through it while she waited to be checked out.

Her fingers turned the pages quickly to the Wednesday night listing and she found herself face to face with an advertisement for that weeks episode of 'Outpost: Space'; an advertisement that had a very attractive picture of the show's lead.

She couldn't help the little shiver of possessiveness that chased up and down her spine, caused by the knowledge that this man, one that thousands of women ached for in very private places, was her lover. The memory of what he'd done last night in her bed was enough to make her cheeks turn scarlet.

Melanie tugged on the hem of her sweater. "Can I see, Mommy?"

Buffy handed over the TV guide, then began digging around in her purse for her checkbook.

**************************************************

She had just put Melanie to bed, when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, beautiful. How are my two favorite girls?"

Smiling, she stretched out on the sofa. "We're fine. We had a not-very-productive day. How are you?"

She heard him release a heavy sigh. "Tired. I spent the day with the writers and producers, after not getting much sleep last night."

"Oh, what a shame."

He chuckled. "I was kept up most of the night by a very beautiful and sexy lady."

"You were?"

"Oh, yeah. And demanding, too."

"Demanding? Really?"

"Mm-hmm. Insatiable. She couldn't keep her hands off me."

"William!"

"What?"

"I seem to remember your hands not staying where they belonged."

"Not true. My hands belonged all over you...and that's where they were."

Deciding to change the subject, Buffy said, "We found a picture of you in this weeks TV guide. It's now residing in Melanie's wall gallery."

They talked for a few more minutes, then he told her that he'd made arrangements for their Disneyland trip, but wanted to check her schedule first before he finalized them. "I would think your schedule would be harder to work around than mine."

"Not really. We're filming the season finale this week, after that I'm free for about...oh, a month and a half or so." "That's nice."

"Yes...and I'm planning to spend a lot of that free time with you, baby. And a certain little girl. If you'll have me, that is." If she would have him? If? "I'll definitely have you...I mean WE will. Both of us. Stop laughing at me....you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean. Listen, I'll try and call tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

"Goodnight, darlin' Sweet dreams."

Tonight that was going to be a sure thing.

CONTINUED...

Back to Fiction: By Alpha ~ Back to Fiction: By Season