DISCLAIMER: I'm only borrowing them to give them a better (and happier) life
SUMMARY: In the Alternate universe where Slayers and Vampires are just average legends and myths, Buffy and Angel have declared their love for each other. What comes next? Meeting Mom!
SPOILERS: Only for my new series called the Normal Life Series. This takes place after No Heroes Needed and Ordinary Life
FEEDBACK: Please, it feeds my addiction and makes me write more.

"So that was nice of you to give Doyle a ride back to LA," said Buffy, propping her cordless phone between her shoulder and ear as she carefully applied nail polish to her toes.

"It had nothing to do with being nice," retorted Cordelia. "He was going back anyway, and I hate driving all that way alone."

"Yeah, Cordy. Whatever you say," answered Buffy, rolling her eyes at Willow as the red head entered their room and tossed her bag on her desk chair. "What did you two talk about on that long drive?"

"Apartments. I mentioned that I was looking to get out of the hellhole of an apartment I have now that I have a little money from that lotion commercial. He said he knows a few people that may be able to help me."

"That would rock," smiled Buffy. "So you like him, huh?"

"I'm going to ignore that you said that and change the subject. How did your thing with Hottie go?"

"He has a name, Cordelia."

"Pshaw," answered the brunette, "It's so much more fun to use other names. So give me the haps, I want to know what happened."

"Well," started Buffy, tightening the cap of the polish bottle and wriggling her toes carefully to make sure they looked right, "Angel's a fabulous cook, the food was great. And then we went to see this really embarrassing movie that was really sexually explicit, but he was so sweet about it. But anyway, we went to this park that we'd gone to the day we met and were talking when he gave me this gorgeous silver ring that has all this symbolic meaning - basically it means you belong to someone - and he told me that he loved me."

"It's only been a week!" exclaimed Cordelia, so loud that Buffy pulled the phone away from her ear. Willow grimaced, and shook her head, having heard the entire story the night before after Angel had walked Buffy home.

"I know, but I feel the same way. I mean, I knew that I loved him from almost the moment that we first touched."

"Aren't you afraid that it's a little too fast?"

"Terrified," revealed Buffy. "But it just seems too right to be that worried about it. Yes, I'm afraid that we're going to fast, but when I'm with him? Everything just begins to fade away and all I can think of is how much I'm in love with him and how complete I feel just being near him."

"Wow," murmured Cordelia.

"I know, it's intense what I feel about him."

"Have you told your mom yet?"

Buffy's smile faded at the thought of telling her mother. "Not yet. She still thinks I'm dating Riley. I was planning on heading home tonight for dinner to break the news to her."

"She's going to want to meet him you know."

"Unfortunately, yeah, I know that. I can't wait to see what she says when she finds out how old Angel is."

"He's only what? Twenty-three? Twenty-four?"

"Twenty-four. He took a break before graduate studies to do some traveling."

"Why would she have a problem with his age then? It's only five years difference."

"We're talking about my mother here, remember? You know, the one that tries to run every aspect of my life so that she can have the perfect daughter since she missed out on the perfect family?"

"Don't worry about it; Angel is every mom's dream guy for their daughter."

Buffy laughs softly. "Sometimes I wonder if Mom thinks any guy is good enough for me."

Cordelia giggled, before sighing and looking at the clock. "I'd better go, I have stuff to do before dinner tonight. Tell Willow hi for me."

"All right, Cordy, I'll talk to you later; good luck tomorrow."

As she placed the phone back in its charger, Willow spoke, moving to sit on her own bed, facing Buffy. "How's Cordy doing?"

"I think she and Doyle are going to get together."

Willow laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah, I can see that."

"She says 'hi' by the way."

"So you haven't told your mom yet?"

Buffy shook her head. "She was out of town on a buying trip for most of last week. And before that I really didn't want to share him with anyone."

"I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to share him."

"Willow! What about Oz?"

Willow held up her hands in defense. "Hey, I'm still allowed to look, thank you very much, no matter how committed to him I am."

Buffy sighed, a dreamy look crossing her face as she thought about her boyfriend. "I can't imagine looking at any other guy."

Willow rolled her eyes, making no attempt to hide it from her roommate. "Oh god, it's going to get bad around here isn't it?"

Buffy stuck her tongue out at her best friend. "Hey, I've had to put up with both you and Oz cuteness, and however Xander and Anya's relationship can be defined. I think I'm owed a little back pay of it, don't you?"

Willow laughed and curled up on her bed, reaching to the table between the beds and taking one of her books that lay open. "I guess if you put it that way. So you going to your mom's for dinner tonight?"

"I guess I'd better do this as soon as possible, huh?" answered Buffy, getting up off her bed and reaching for her sandals, not wanting to put her freshly painted toes into boots or sneakers. "Do you want to come with? Might save me from some bloodshed. You know how much Mom seemed to love Riley."

Willow giggled. "Yeah, but she never had to spend that much time with him. As for dinner, thanks but no, as much as I'd like to protect your well being, I have to get over the computer lab so that I can do my programming project. Bring back some leftovers though."

Buffy nodded, looking in the mirror and deciding that the way she looked was fine, and it was only her mom. "I will, and I'll see if I can bogart some other edibles from the kitchen."

"Sweet, I'll see you later then," replied Willow, giving Buffy a small wave as the blonde opened the door.

****

"So honey, how's Riley doing?" asked Joyce Summers as the two Summers women sat down to enjoy the lasagna that Joyce had made earlier in the day.

Buffy tried not to choke on her bite of garlic bread, quickly washing it down with a sip of her water. "Um… actually, Mom, he was one of the reasons I came over tonight."

Joyce set down her fork, looking expectantly at her daughter. "He was? Did something happen between the two of you?"

Buffy nodded softly, taking another sip of her drink to postpone giving her mother the news. "I dumped him."

"But, Buffy, why? He was such a nice young man…polite and handsome and he treated you so well. Not to mention you seemed really happy with him."

Buffy tried not to make a face at her mother's words. "It just wouldn't have worked out Mom. He was getting way too serious, and I couldn't bring myself to care for him as anything more than a casual friend. And anyway, I met someone else."

"Oh, sweetheart, I hope you didn't dump one guy for the other," admonished Joyce.

Buffy tried not to glare at her mother. "I'd already been planning on dumping Riley, thank you very much. And I'm glad to let you know that I am an adult and able to make my own decisions when it comes to my relationships." Buffy saw the look beginning to cross her mom's face and sighed, not wanting things to go bad before Joyce even met Angel. "I'm sorry about that, Mom, it's just… I can decide who is good for me."

Joyce sighed as well. "I know honey, I just want you to be happy."

Buffy reached across the table and placed her hand on top of her mother's. "I know you do, Mom. And I want you to like Angel."

"Angel?" A horrified look crossed Joyce's face, and her next words were a rather jumbled mess. "Oh Buffy, you're not, you didn't, I mean, I'd support you and I'll always love you, but…"

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Buffy was still trying to process what her mother had just said, and when it finally sunk in, she began to laugh. "Oh, Mom, don't worry, I'm still batting for team hetero. Angel is just his nickname, his real name is Angelus."

Joyce's cheeks were pink from embarrassment, but she was still able to continue the conversation. "That's a very unusual name. How did you two meet?"

"It's a pretty funny story actually. We kept bumping into each other…" started Buffy, forgetting about her dinner as she focused her thoughts on her boyfriend.

****

"My mom wants you to come over for dinner on Friday," said Buffy without prelude as Angel opened the door to his apartment and she entered, walking toward the living room.

Angel's lips twitched with amusement as he shut his apartment door and followed his blonde girlfriend into his apartment. Settling himself on the couch next to her, he looked expectantly at her as she slipped out of her shoes and handed over the video she'd rented on her way over. "Hello to you, too."

Buffy blushed and looked at him. Giggling, she shifted position so that she straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hello."

Angel laughed and placed his arms loosely around her waist, looking up at her as she looked down at him. "Do I get a kiss, too?"

Buffy's eyes twinkled as she obeyed, bending down to initiate the contact, savoring the feel of his lips on hers. After a few delicious moments, she pulled back, playfully tugging on Angel's bottom lip as she settled more firmly into his lap. Angel groaned at the movement and she wriggled a little more until his grip on her waist tightened and he opened his eyes to glare at her. "So, my mom wants to meet you."

"Oh does she?"

Buffy nodded, brushing a piece of hair off of Angel's forehead. "Yup. I had dinner with her tonight and I told her that I'd met this new guy."

"And what did she say to that?"

"Well… actually," smiled Buffy, biting her lip in amusement, "at first she started worrying about whether I'd suddenly become a lesbian."

Angel groaned and let his head fall onto the back of the couch, suddenly realizing where this was going. "You only told her my name, didn't you?"

Buffy giggled at the discomfort on his face. "How did you guess?"

"Let's just say that it's been a rather common occurrence in my life. I can only imagine what she's thinking of me now, with that kind of first impression."

"Just be your charming self, and she'll love you. Though she might be a little put off by you being so much older than her innocent daughter."

Angel cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you trying to get her angry at me?"

Buffy blushed and looked down, avoiding his gaze. "I didn't want to face her disapproval alone. And I figured if she met you first and found out how charming you were…"

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't exactly look like your average college aged guy."

Buffy frowned and made to move off of him, but stopped as he refused to release his hold on her waist. "What?"

"I'm not angry with you, Buffy," he said, grinning at her as he pulled her tighter on his lap. "I just want your mom to accept us, and you've made it a little harder for me to win her over with my winning ways."

"I have faith in you," smiled Buffy. "Anyway, I figure, if she doesn't know that much about you, she won't have time to be set in her ways when you finally meet her."

Angel chuckled and ran his hands up under her shirt, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her bare skin, trying not to gasp aloud as he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

Buffy nodded and got up off his lap, avoiding his grasp as she moved toward his kitchen, looking for munchies. Angel stood up and followed her, leaning against the counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the apartment as she began to go through his cupboards. "You're making yourself awfully comfortable," he said, appreciating the way she stretched to reach a box that was on a too high shelf.

Buffy stopped her search, turning around to face him, a sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Angel gave her a smile as he beckoned her closer, leaning across the counter to take her face in his hands. "I was just making an observation. I honestly don't mind. I like having you make yourself at home here. Think of this as your home away from home away from home."

Buffy's lips quirked and she smiled at him, pressing a kiss to his palm before retrieving a box of popcorn. "Hungry?"

****

"So you two are just going to go over to your mom's for dinner?" asked Willow that Friday night as they both got ready for when their boyfriends would arrive.

Buffy dug around in her packed closet, looking for the silver button up shirt she wanted to wear with the long black skirt she was currently wearing. "As far as I know. I figure we'll eat and then just hang around there for a while talking to my mom. We might head over to his place or the Bronze after that, but we didn't really talk about it. What are you and Oz doing?"

"Movie and dinner. How does this look?" asked Willow, holding her arms out to the side to model the black pants and green top.

"Nice. I love that color on you," answered Buffy as she pulled her retrieved shirt on, leaving a few of the top buttons undone to show off the black tube top she wore underneath. Fussing, she faced the mirror hanging over her dresser, playing with her hair, which had been slightly curled and pulled back from her face with two small clips. "Do you think I should cut my hair?"

Willow looked up from her seat on her bed where she was buckling her shoes. "I don't know. It's gotten so long since junior year."

"I know," said Buffy, swiping a finger under her eyes to make sure none of her eyeliner had smudged, "It's just sometimes it being so long gets annoying. What time is it?"

"Quarter to six. What time was Angel coming?"

"Anytime now." Buffy gave one last look in full-length mirror propped against the wall, groaning when she realized she still hadn't put on shoes. "And I still have to find those boots."

"Have you tried under your bed?" asked Willow.

Buffy made a face. "I'm not sure I want to know what's growing under there…but I'll check." Getting onto her knees she dug around the dark area, grinning triumphantly she emerged with her pair of black chunky boots, quickly pulling them on as a knock sounded at the door.

Willow checked her own appearance in the mirror before pulling open the door, her mouth forming a small 'o' of appreciation at the sight standing there. "It's yours, Buffy."

Buffy walked from her side of the room so she could see around the open door, her eyes raking over the form of Angel in black slacks and a dark grey sweater, a white shirt peeping out at the neck. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey, yourself. You look beautiful," he said, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before taking her hand.

"Yeah, too bad we're only going to my mom's for dinner huh?" Buffy grinned, grabbing her bag and her keys before waving goodbye to Willow.

"We could go out and do something afterwards…maybe go to the Bronze."

Buffy nodded, wrapping her arm around his waist as he led her out of Stevenson Hall and towards the nearby parking lot. "We're driving?"

Angel looked down at her. "Do you mind?"

Buffy shook her head as he directed them to a classic black convertible, the top down. "No, it's just I didn't even know you had a car."

"Well… Sunnydale is a small enough place that a car really isn't necessary. I just though that it would be a nice change of pace for tonight."

Buffy slid into the passenger seat as Angel shut the door behind her, and she slid across the seat to open the door for him. As he settled in and started the engine, they held hands between them. "Are you nervous about meeting my mom?"

Angel gave her a sidelong glance as she paused to give him short directions. "After the introduction that you left her with the other night? Nope, not at all."

"She'll love you Angel. Just like I do. And if she doesn't, I'm not worried. Giles approves of you, and in some ways his approval means more to me."

"Things will be fine," he assured her, knowing instinctively that talking about her relationship with her mother wasn't the best thing to do right before having dinner with the woman.

****

Joyce Summers had been waiting anxiously in the dining room, nervously adjusting the place settings. Their dinner of a ham and trimmings was finished and keeping warm in the kitchen. She sighed, straightening the long black cardigan she was wearing. She didn't know why she always got so anxious before meeting Buffy's boyfriends, it wasn't like she was the one being put under the scrutiny, and she was fine once they arrived, but beforehand she always had butterflies.

Headlights illuminated in the darkness outside, and she heard a car pull up in the driveway. Moving to the window, she watched as Angel stopped the car and went around to open the door for her daughter. Buffy flashed him a bright smile, leaning up to kiss him softly as his hands came up to caress her cheeks.

Staying out of direct sight from the front yard, she watched as the couple checked each other's appearances, Buffy gently thumbing away what must have been smeared lipstick from his lips.

Well they certainly seemed to care for each other, mused Joyce, though she was a little wary of how comfortable they seemed to be with each other for two people who had only met two weeks ago.

****

Buffy grasped Angel's hand as the other knocked on the door. Footsteps sounded from within, and the door opened. "Hey, Mom. This is Angel. Angel, my mom."

"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Summers," said Angel, holding out his hand.

Joyce took his hand, at the same time assessing his appearance, noting how he looked older. "Same here, Angel, but please, it's Joyce. Well, dinner is just waiting to be put on the table, why don't you two come in?"

Angel gestured Buffy in ahead of him, closing the door behind him as they moved to stand awkwardly in the foyer. Joyce had already disappeared into the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," started Buffy. "I'm going to help Mom."

Angel shook his head. "I'll help. Good impressions, remember?"

Both laughing, they moved to help Joyce, Angel taking the serving platter of ham and Buffy taking the bowl of mashed potatoes. As the trio set the serving dishes down, Joyce looked to her daughter's boyfriend. Time for the first test. "Angel, what would you like to drink? It have a bottle of wine breathing on the counter."

The corner of Angel's mouth quirked upward. "Um, thank you, Joyce, but water would be fine."

Joyce tried not to hide her disappointment, but turned to her daughter. "Buffy?"

"I'll have water, too, Mom." As Joyce left the room to get the drinks, Buffy smiled at her boyfriend. "Good one."

Angel shrugged, holding out her seat for her, and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm not that big of a drinker. I had a few bad experiences when I was younger, so I try to avoid it. Plus I'm driving."

When Joyce came back in, Angel held out her seat as well, only sitting down when the other two women had been settled. When they had each filled their plates, they settled in for the talk that was sure to come.

"So Angel, how old are you exactly?"

"Twenty-four. I'm a first year graduate student."

"Oh?"

Angel nodded, looking across the table at Buffy who was listening intently. "I graduated from Stanford two years ago with my Bachelors in Art History and before transferring here from UCLA, I took the year off to travel Europe."

Joyce's interest was piqued. "Art History?" That was one tidbit of information that Buffy hadn't shared. "What are you planning on doing with that?"

Angel took a sip of his water. "I'm hoping on getting a position in a museum or gallery. I did some restorations and research when I was at Stanford, so when I was in Europe, I was luck enough to get some freelance work as I traveled as a result of the contacts I had made."

"And do you live on campus?"

"No, the graduate dorms were filled, so I have an apartment just off campus."

"Do you have a job?"

Angel shook his head, setting his fork down to look straight at Joyce. "Not at the time, no. But after my parents' death, I inherited a sizable amount of money. It allows me a certain amount of freedom."

"I'm sorry about your parents, Angel."

"Is that enough of an inquisition for you, Mom?" interrupted Buffy.

"For now. So what have you two done together?" asked Joyce. "Buffy was rather vague in details when she told me about you."

"We've gone running in the morning together," volunteered Angel.

Joyce arched an eyebrow. "You've actually gotten up at that godforsaken time in the morning? Buffy can whine about sleeping late, but when she runs, she's up sometimes before the sun."

"We bumped into each other one morning, actually," interrupted Buffy. "Neither of us knew that the other ran, but since then, we run pretty much every morning."

"Don't forget the 10K race we did," said Angel.

Buffy nodded. "You remember that Race for the Cure I was planning on doing?" she asked her mom, who shook her head faintly in recognition. "We did that one together. Kept pace the entire run."

Joyce looked at the two of them in appraisal, noting the looks that they cast each other from across the table.

"Ooh, and, Mom? He is the best cook," beamed Buffy, sticking her tongue out at Angel at the face he made.

"Is he now? Has my daughter told you about what a horrible cook she is?"

"Mom, I'm not that bad! I've gotten better!"

Angel looked at his girlfriend in amusement. "I suppose you have stories of cooking disasters, Joyce?"

Joyce laughed. "Oh yeah."

"Mom!"

****

Buffy followed her mother into the kitchen, carrying the coffee cups they'd had when they'd eaten desert. Angel was tidying up in the dining room still. "So?"

Joyce turned from rinsing off a plate, and gave Buffy a smile. "He's a very nice young man. I'm a little reserved about the age difference, but it's not as big as the one between your father and I."

Buffy exhaled loudly, relief plain on her features. "So you approve?"

Joyce nodded once, her eyes laughing. "Let's put it this way. I'm considering offering him a position at the gallery part time."

"I'm glad you like him, Mom. I mean, I know I've only known him for like, two weeks, but I really care for him a lot. He makes me happy."

Joyce wiped her hands on a nearby towel, gently tucking a piece of hair behind Buffy's ear. "I know, Buffy. It's obvious he thinks the world of you. Just be careful though?"

Buffy nodded with a smile, turning as movement behind her caught her attention. Grinning up at Angel, she took his load of dishes and placed them on the counter, ready to help her mom.

"Don't worry about the dishes, you two. Go out and have some fun. It was a pleasure to meet you, Angel."

Angel simply smiled. "Thanks for dinner, Joyce. Maybe next time I could cook?"

"I'd like that," answered Joyce, going to her purse and pulling out a business card. "Give me a call sometime next week and we'll talk about me using some of that art expertise of yours."

Angel took the card and then shook hands with Buffy's mother. "Thanks, Joyce. I will. You ready to go, Buffy?"

Buffy nodded, giving her mom a hug before taking Angel's hand and walking with him to the front door.

****

"I think you passed," said Buffy after their quiet drive from the Buffy's house to the Bronze.

Angel grinned as they entered the dimmed establishment, forgoing the search for a table and instead taking her directly to the dance floor. A soft song was playing over the sound system, one of those sugary sweet tunes that was in vogue for less than a month before a new song replaced it. "I think she might have just been impressed with my area of study."

"Well that, too," commented Buffy as she placed her head on his shoulder, relaxing into his embrace. "My mom has never been known to be the most observing person, but she said that she could tell that you thought the world of me. You impressed her just by being you."

"I do, you know," whispered Angel into her hair.

"You do what?" replied Buffy, tilting her head up to catch his gaze, her heartbeat speeding up at the closeness of their lips.

"Think the world of you," answered Angel just before brushing a soft kiss against her lips.

Buffy sighed as the kiss ended and she closed her eyes, breathing in his proximity. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Arms wrapped around each other, they stayed like that for the next few songs, only leaving the dance floor when a faster paced song began and groups of people began writhing and grinding around them.

"Up for a game of pool?" asked Angel, upon seeing that the table was unoccupied.

"I guess so. I'm not very good though."

"I'll take it easy on you," Angel smirked, setting up the balls and then handing her a pool stick. He watched for a moment as Buffy leaned over to break, then moved to stand directly behind her, his arms coming around her to help her aim.

Buffy gasped a little at the intimate contact as Angel pressed fully against her back, having to cool her hormones down a little as she moved so that her entire length was against his. "I could get used to this," she whispered, looking straight ahead as she drew the pool stick back to shoot the cue ball.

The tip hit the ball and it in turn sent the other balls rolling in every direction, two going into a corner pocket. "Guess we'll just have to make the game last then, won't we?" replied Angel, his breath warm against her cheek.

"Hmm. I suppose so."

****

"Should I take you home now?" asked Angel as they stood beside his car.

Buffy was enfolded into his arms and she looked up at him with a nervous smile on her lips. "Actually, do you think I could stay with you tonight? I mean, I'm not ready for anything…."

Angel shushed her with a single finger to her lips. "I didn't think that you were. To be perfectly honest, I love you, but I know it would be way to early if we took it too fast, and I don't want to ruin this." Angel's hand moved from her lips to travel down her neck, curving around the back under her hair. "So, we'll take this slow until we both know the time is right."

Buffy nodded and turned her head to press a kiss to the inside of his wrist. "Thank you."

"Do you still want to stay over?"

"If you don't mind," said Buffy shyly.

"You're welcome to whenever you want," answered Angel, opening the car and helping her in as she slid across the seat only enough for him to sit and ducked under his arm so that she was leaning against his chest. "Do you want to stop at your dorm to get anything?"

"I'd like that actually. I won't need to wear this again tomorrow that way."

****

Buffy paused just inside Angel's bedroom. One foot lifted nervously to scratch behind the other one. She'd slept here before, she didn't know why it was making her nervous, though the image of Angel in just a pair of black silk boxers was making her stomach tighten with want.

Angel look up at the sound of footsteps, eyes widening at the sight of Buffy standing there in one of his button up shirts. Last weekend, they'd both been rather shy about the whole sleeping in the same bed thing, so they hadn't looked at each other until the other was under the covers as well.

Buffy was shifting nervously, the hem of the too-long shirt she was wearing brushing against the skin above her knees. "Hey."

Angel gave her one of his full smiles, climbing onto the turned down bed and holding out a hand. "Come on to bed. I promise not to be too bad."

Buffy laughed, her nervousness seeping out of her bones. This was Angel, the first guy she'd been completely comfortable enough with to sleep with, in any kind of sense. Her eyes didn't leave his as she approached the bed, sitting down on the bed and swinging her legs under the covers. Immediately, she shifted across the mattress, resting her head on his chest and one arm going across his stomach as the other pillowed near her face.

Angel's arms came around her and his head tilted slightly to rest lightly on hers. Together they snuggled deeper under the coverlet, Buffy's eyes drifting shut and a smile lighting her features. "Night, Angel."

"Sleep my love."

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