DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Except for the eponymous Katie Scarlett. She's just a figment of my overactive imagination. She is, however, named after Scarlett O'Hara. You may have heard of her.
TIMELINE: Sometime in Angel Season Two, Buffy Season Five.
SPOILERS: Into The Woods has happened, making Buffy a free agent.
SYNOPSIS: Buffy from another dimension sends her daughter to Angel for safety. But all is not quite as it appears.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Fluffy, ain't it? Well that's how I like it.
FEEDBACK: I'd love feedback :)

The little hands grabbed onto the work surface, gripping with clumsy fingers, hauling the rest of the body up with little arms. A dark head popped into view, before falling down again. She'd been trying to get up for nearly five minutes, with little luck. Then, with one last concerted effort, the little girl with dark, luscious curls framing her big brown eyes, lifted herself up, the cookie jar almost within reach. Then, just as she was about to get her knee up onto the counter, she felt a strange feeling of being lifted.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice said to her. She had been lifted. The tall, dark and handsome man held her around the waist, and set her down on the floor.

"I want cookies." she said, sticking her bottom lip out stubbornly. So near, yet so far. Even at her young age, she knew that there was no chance of a cookie now. The man squatted down to her eye level.

"You can't have a cookie, baby. It's nearly time for dinner."

"But Scarlett wants a cookie now." she said. She was just four years old, but already knew the power of looking and sounding cute. Usually when she spoke about herself by name, people found it adorable, and did what she wanted.

"Well, Scarlett will just have to wait." he told her. He took her hand, and led her into the light, spacious living room. While she might be adept at being cute, she hadn't yet grabbed the concept that, while he adored her, he wasn't going to risk the wrath of her mother for anything.

"I'm home!" she called from the front door, as if on cue.

"Buffy," began the man.

"Mommy!" Scarlett squealed. Buffy Summers, vampire slayer (retired) and high school coach came in, and scooped her little girl into her arms.

"Angel, you didn't let her eat cookies all day, did you?" The question suggested that the cookie argument was a regular! one between father and daughter.

"No. Of course not."

"That's a first." she smiled wryly.

"Scarlett wants cookies." she said to her mother. Buffy smiled.

"Well, if Scarlett's a good girl, she might get a cookie after dinner. But if Scarlett's not a good girl, she won't get cookies ever again." Buffy told her daughter. The threat was enough, and Scarlett replaced her scowl with a pretty little smile.

Thus, Buffy and Angel lived out their lives. Some time ago, the Powers That Be decided they'd had enough of Angel brooding in Los Angeles, and gave him back his humanity. Angel was mortal, human. The first thing he'd done, besides taking a walk along the beach at midday, was drive to Sunnydale and present himself in the daylight to Buffy. Then the Powers that Be activated another slayer, and gave Buffy her official retirement as the Slayer. Not that she didn't slay anymore, but she could have that normal life she always wanted. And she could have it with Angel. Within a year of these lovely little events, Katie Scarlett was born.

XXXXXXXXXX

Los Angeles, California, 2001

Angel was so tired, his limbs ached. His favourite black leather duster was covered in electric blue slime, and he threw it down on the sofa as he passed it on his way to bed.

He hadn't been asleep for more than two hours when he was awoken by a loud green demon singing about a Teddy Bear's Picnic. He threw his clothes back on and stumbled down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. Downstairs in the lobby of the hotel stood Lorne, the Host of Caritas.

"Well, hey there big fella!" Lorne said with a smile. Angel glared at him and went over. Suddenly, he stopped. In the seat next to Lorne sat a little girl, fast asleep.

"What?" Angel asked, wondering what Lorne was getting him into this time.

"Funny story." Lorne started, laughing nervously. Angel raised his eyebrows. Lorne sighed and started the story.

"I was at Caritas, it was a regular Wednesday night, lots of students. Then, I'm approached by a monk, telling me its important that he speak to me immediately. I asked him to sing and he said there was no time. He led me outside, and there was this woman standing there."

"Who?"Angel interjected.

"Well, I'd never met her before, but I knew who she was immediately. She's pretty much all I see in your aura most of the time."

"Buffy." Angel knew. Lorne nodded.

"But it wasn't Buffy as you know her, she was... Different."

"How?"

"Well, I wasn't sure at first. The monk explained to me that it was a different Buffy, from a different dimension. It's almost identical to this one. Except..." Lorne hesitated.

"Except what?"

"Except that there she's twenty five years old, retired from slaying and married to you with a child." He said in a rush. Angel's eyes widened.

"What?"

"I didn't want to believe it at first, but I got her to sing. All absolutely true. See, the Angel there got given his humanity back, and he got back with Buffy. But, while it seems perfect..." Angel closed his eyes to think for a moment. Married to Buffy, human, with a child. It did seem perfect.

"What happened?"

"A little thing called the End of the World. An order of monks brought Buffy into this dimension."

"Why?"

"Well, see... The kid. They brought Buffy and her daughter here. Buffy had to go back to fight."

"This is her?" Angel looked down at the sleeping girl.

"Yeah. You have to look after her until its safe for her to go back to her own dimension."

"ME?!?!?" Angel exclaimed loudly. The little girl in the chair woke up. He looked curiously at her. She looked like his sister had as a child so many, many years ago.

"Daddy?" She asked tiredly, yawning. Lorne nudged Angel.

"Yes?" Angel asked apprehensively.

"Can I have a cookie?" She said, grinning endearingly at him. Angel remembered the box of doughnuts Cordelia had bought earlier that day.

"Well, I don't have any cookies at the moment." The girl's face fell. "But I do have doughnuts. Would you like one of those?" She beamed, nodding. He went and retrieved the box from the office. She grabbed it hungrily, and within just a minute she had sugar and jam smeared across her face. Instinctively, Angel wiped it away with his handkerchief. "Did you like that?"

"Yeah. Not as much as cookies. I love cookies best of all." She said. Angel made a note to buy some cookies. He looked up at Lorne.

"So, you will?" Lorne asked.

"Do I ever have a choice?"

"Good boy."

"Daddy?" The girl said. "Where's mommy?"

**

Buffy was, at that very moment talking to Giles about Angel. Giles needed books, Angel had books, Buffy was to go and get them. Seeing Angel made her heart soar and crash to the ground all at the same time. But Giles was insistent and so Buffy reluctantly made her way to LA.

***

Angel and the girl sat in the hotel. Other-worldly Buffy had packed her a small bag of clothes and favourite toys. She'd also included a note to Angel

"Dear Angel,

This is the most bizarre letter I've ever had to write. Please look after my daughter. Her name is Katie Scarlett and she's four years old. Hopefully, I'll be able to come back and return for her. Please look after her Angel, she means more than anything to Angel and myself. Thank you, with all of my heart,

Buffy."

It seemed bizarre to receive a note from another Buffy, talking about a daughter that belonged to another Angel, in another world. The girl clearly thought that he was her father, so he played along. In a way, he was her father and Buffy was her mother. If things had been different, that is how it would be. And he still hoped. One day. Now, Cordelia arrived.

"Angel, you would not believe the day I've had..." She began to ! complain. Then, she saw the little girl with dark hair and big brown eyes.

"Who is she?" Cordelia asked. Katie Scarlett looked up.

"Daddy!" She shouted. Angel rushed in. Cordelia's eyes widened. "Daddy?" She asked. Cordelia, for once in her life, was speechless.

**

Once Wesley and Gunn had arrived, Angel explained the situation to the three of them. They were all just as surprised as he had been, but were won over by the adorable little girl. Wesley, Gunn and Angel started researching parallel dimensions while Cordelia sat with Scarlett.

"Daddy doesn't have any cookies. He knows I love cookies, but he doesn't have any." Cordelia sighed.

"Well, he's just been busy. But I have some Oreos." She reached into her bag. Scarlett's eyes became wide like saucers.

"Would you like them?" Cordelia asked. Scarlett nodded emphatically.

"Yes please Aunt Cordelia." Cordy handed her the box and tried to ignore the 'aunt' part.

"No crumbs." Cordy reminded her. She nodded and began to stuff her face.

Buffy pulled up at the address Giles had given her. It turned out to be a huge 1920s hotel. "This is where Angel lives now?" Buffy said to herself, impressed.

She pulled into the hotel parking lot and stopped the car. She got out and walked up the steps to the main door. She hesitated for a moment before going in.

**

Inside, Angel, Wesley and Gunn were reading, surrounded by books. Angel looked up. "Buffy." He said in surprise.

"Uh, hi. I came..."

"For Giles." Angel finished. She nodded. He got up and went into his office. He brought out a pile of books. He was about to hand them over to Buffy when Scarlett came racing in, Cordelia hot on her heels.

"Daddy! Daddy!" She squealed, running to him. Buffy looked shocked. But nothing could have prepared her for what came next.

"Mommy!" Scarlett cried, seeing Buffy standing there. Buffy felt faint. Scarlett ran to her. "Mommy! You came! Scarlett missed you." She said. Buffy looked at Angel, trying to find the answers in his face. But, as always, Angel's face was inscrutable.

"Scarlett, why don't you go with Wesley to get me some more books?" Angel said gently. She looked a little reluctant, but headed off with Wesley anyway. Angel invited Buffy to sit down. "What... What was that?" She managed to stammer.

"Well, funny story. She's our daughter from a different dimension. The Buffy there sent her to me."

"Why?"

"I have to protect her while in the other dimension they fight against the end of the world." He sighed, knowing how unbelievable it all sounded. But she more or less bought it. Wesley and Scarlett returned with books: The Black Chronicles for Wesley, a storybook for Scarlett.

"Mommy! Wesley gave me this book." She sat beside Buffy and thrust the book into her hands. "Cinderella." Buffy read the title.

"Will you read it for me?" Buffy went to say no, but looked into the big brown eyes so much like Angel's and relented. She opened the book and began to read.

***

A half an hour later, Scarlett had fallen asleep in Buffy's arms. Buffy had found herself becoming more and more attached to the girl, and realised somewhere deep down that Scarlett really was her daughter. The girl who had once killed her giga pet was having maternal feelings, Buffy sat, even as Scarlett slept, watching the little girl.

"Hi." Angel said quietly. Buffy looked up to where he stood in the doorway.

"Hi." She whispered. Scarlett shifted slightly. "This is weird."

"Yeah." Angel said nervously. He approached Buffy, sitting at the opposite end of the sofa.

"I'll have to get going soon. Giles needs..."

"The books." Angel finished for her.

"Yeah." Buffy looked away. Scarlett began to wake up.

"Daddy?" She asked.

"I'm here." Angel said. She sat up and went into his outstretched arms.

"I had a nightmare. With monsters."

"You did?"

"Yeah. But then you and mommy came and fought them like you always do." Angel smiled at her.

"We did, huh?"

"Yeah. Then we went home and lived happily ever after." Scarlett smiled, first at Buffy, then at Angel. Buffy and Angel shared an uncomfortable look, before she stood up. "I really have to go."

"Mommy?" Scarlett asked. "Where are you going?"

"I just have to take some books to Giles."

"Uncle Giles? Can I come?"

"Not this time."

"Will you come back soon?"

"Sure I will." Buffy kissed the little girl softly on the cheek, before picking up the pile of books and going out.

****

True to her word, Buffy returned the very next morning. She had told a stunned Giles, Willow and Xander, before rushing back to LA.

"Hi!" She called brightly. The hotel seemed deserted, but within a minute she heard rapid footsteps and Scarlett came bounding down the stairs in her pyjamas and sprang into Buffy's arms.

"Hi Mommy!"

"Hello. Where's Angel?"

"Daddy's still asleep."

"OK. Oh, I brought you something."

"What? A present?" Scarlett asked eagerly, scrambling out of Buffy's arms. Buffy opened her bag and pulled out a box. Scarlett opened it. It was full of colouring pencils.

"Wow! There must be hundreds of pencils!" Scarlett exclaimed. Buffy laughed. "Maybe not hundreds, but lots. Do you like it?"

"Yeah! I'm going to draw a picture of you!" Scarlett announced, before going up the stairs.

Buffy sat down to wait. About five minutes passed before Scarlett came back down again, this time clothed, carrying paper and pulling on Angel's arm.

"Hi," Buffy said to Angel. She still wasn't used to being around him like this. And with a little girl who thought of them as 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'.

***

A few weeks passed like this and Buffy found herself commuting to Los Angeles more and more. Scarlett had picked up on the distance between Buffy and Angel, and was confused. After all, Scarlett's parents could be together. Sometimes Buffy wondered about them, wondered if their world had been destroyed and they were dead. Sometimes a part of her would hope they had died and then she'd never have to give Katie Scarlett back. She found herself more and more in love with the little girl she considered 'hers'. And she dreaded the day she'd ever have to give her back to another Buffy from another world. A Buffy who not only got the daughter, but Angel too. She felt life truly was unfair.

"Mommy?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes, baby?"

"Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad."

"Yes you are. Your mouth does that down thing." Scarlett said.

"Does it?"

"Yes. Is it Daddy? Don&rsq! uo;t you love Daddy anymore? Is that why you live somewhere else and only come to see me?" Buffy looked at the little girl with big brown eyes.

"I love Daddy. I just can't be with him." She said, wondering how the Hell she was going to explain this one to a four year old.

"Why not?"

"Because people might get hurt." Buffy finally answered.

"Oh. OK." Scarlett seemed to accept this and turned back to what she was doing.

***

"Daddy?" Scarlett asked later that night as Angel tucked her into bed.

"Yes?"

"Why are you sad?"

"Because I hurt a lot of people."

"When you were bad?"

"Yes."

"Did you hurt Mommy?"

"I hurt her most of all."

"Oh. Don't you love Mommy anymore?"

"I love Mommy. As much as I love Katie Scarlett." He said with a rare smile. "Oh. Why don't you live in the house with Mommy?"

How was he going to explain this one?

"Because people might get hurt again."

"That's what Mommy said. Mommy loves you. That's why she's sad."

"Mommy's sad?"

"Yeah. Mommy loves you but has to live in the other place. That's why she's sad."

"Mommy isn't sad." Angel said.

"Oh. OK." Scarlett seemed to accept this, and snuggled down into bed. A! ngel planted a kiss on her forehead and then went out. Downstairs, Buffy was still sitting, reading Cordelia's Vogue.

"Hi." Angel said to announce his entrance.

"Hi." She said, putting the magazine.

"I was talking to Scarlett." Angel said. "About you. She said you were sad."

"Sad? I'm not sad."

"That's what I said. But she said it was because of me. Have I done something?"

"You left." She said after an interminable pause.

"What?"

"You left me in the first place. I haven't stopped hurting from that one."

"Buffy, you knew..."

"I did know. I even thought you might be right. But now... I look at her, I see what could have been. I see what someone else like me has, but I never will. Not only does the other Buffy Summers have a beautiful daughter, she has you too."

"Well, it's not me, but..."

"Shut up. I don't just come here to see her, I come here because I can be near you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Angel, do you remember what I once told you when we discussed the future, and children?"

Of course he remembered. He remembered everything. "I look into the future and all I see is you." He echoed sadly. She looked him directly in the eye.

"Nothing changed." She stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow some time. I have to put in some time with Giles." She walked to the door. On impulse, Angel ran after her and grabbed her arm.

"Stay." He whispered, kissing her softly, so softly, she wondered if she'd imagined it.

"I thought you'd never ask." She replied.

*

The next morning, Buffy awoke to find Angel still sleeping beside her. She beamed. No, there was no sex. He was, after all still cursed and still petrified of going evil again. No, it was just Buffy and Angel, two people who loved each other.

"Daddy?" A little voice called. The door handle was pulled down and Scarlett came in. "Mommy!" She squealed happily, running and jumping onto the bed.

"Good morning Scarlett," Buffy said with a smile. Angel now awoke and smiled when he saw the little girl on his bed with Buffy.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you still in your clothes? Don't you have pyjamas?"

"Not with me." Buffy smiled.

"You're not sad anymore?"

"No."

"Good. You're going to stay with me and daddy now?"

"Yes." Buffy looked at Angel, who nodded, for once unable to stop smiling.

"You love Daddy?"

"I always did Scarlett."

"Daddy loves Mommy?" She asked Angel.

"Yes, baby." A bright light enveloped the room, and they squinted. Buffy stood there.

"Buffy?" Angel was confused.

"Hi. I came for my daughter." She said.

"Oh." Buffy-in-bed said, her heart breaking. The other Buffy smiled at her.

"Don't be all heartbroken Buffy. We weren't entirely straight with you before."

"What?"

"Well, I'm not from another dimension. That would be weird. Two Buffys? Not likely."

"So, what are you exactly?" Angel asked warily.

"I'm her." She pointed to the Buffy beside him.

"That was my deaf ear. What?" Buffy-in-bed said, more than a little confused.

"I'm you. Just in the future." She said. Buffy's mouth dropped open. Katie Scarlett jumped up and went over to her mother.

"Explain." Buffy-in-bed demanded.

"OK. We sent Katie Scarlett to you to show you what could be. But first you had to give yourselves a chance. All that happened to us will happen to you. Because you are us. Katie Scarlett is your daughter, just not yet. Give it some time. Deal?"

"Deal." Buffy smiled, understanding at last. "What about the end of the world you mentioned?"

"Well, that was just a clever ruse. No end of the world. That I know of yet." Older Buffy looked at her daughter. "Time to go home Scarlett."

"Daddy cooks us dinner on Fridays when Mommy has a game." Scarlett said.

"You were in on this?" Buffy asked. Scarlett just smiled innoce! ntly.

"Bye bye!" She said, waving, as she and the Older Buffy disappeared. Angel and Buffy just looked at each other, speechless.

They didn't know what to make of it all, but continued to see each other anyway. They commuted to each other for a year. And then, Angel regained his humanity. Buffy was officially retired and took on a job as the coach of the Sunnydale High basketball team. Angel moved to Sunnydale, worked at an art gallery with a sideline in antiques. Within a year of these lovely events, their daughter Katie Scarlett Kennedy was born............

The little hands grabbed onto the work surface, gripping with clumsy fingers, hauling the rest of the body up with little arms. A dark head popped into view, before falling down again. She'd been trying to get up for nearly five minutes, with little luck. Then, with one last concerted effort, the little girl with dark, luscious curls framing her big brown eyes, lifted herself up, the cookie jar almost within reach. Then, just as she was about to get her knee up onto the counter, she felt a strange feeling of being lifted.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice said to her. She had been lifted. The tall, dark and handsome man held her around the waist, and set her down on the floor.

"I want cookies." she said, sticking her bottom lip out stubbornly. So near, yet so far. Even at her young age, she knew that there was no chance of a cookie now. The man squatted down to her eye level.

"You can't have a cookie, baby. It's nearly time for dinner."

"But Scarlett wants a cookie now." she said. She was just four years old, but already knew the power of looking and sounding cute. Usually when she spoke about herself by name, people found it adorable, and did what she wanted.

"Well, Scarlett will just have to wait." he told her. He took her hand, and led her into the light, spacious living room. While she might be adept at being cute, she hadn't yet grabbed the concept that, while he adored her, he wasn't going to risk the wrath of her mother for anything.

"I'm home!" she called from the front door, as if on cue.

"Buffy," began the man.

"Mommy!" Scarlett squealed. Buffy Summers, vampire slayer (retired) and high school coach came in, and scooped her little girl into her arms.

"Angel, you didn't let her eat cookies all day, did you?" The question suggested that the cookie argument was a regular one between father and daughter.

"No. Of course not."

"That's a first." she smiled wryly.

"Scarlett wants cookies." she said to her mother. Buffy smiled.

"Well, if Scarlett's a good girl, she might get a cookie after dinner. But if Scarlett's not a good girl, she won't get cookies ever again." Buffy told her daughter. The threat was enough, and Scarlett replaced her scowl with a pretty little smile.

Thus, Buffy and Angel lived out their lives. And you know what? They all lived happily ever after. Which made a nice change.

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