Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Joss Whedon and anyone else who owns rights to them. This story is non-profitable, it's just for fun. Any other characters that you don't recognize from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are mine.
Author's Notes: This is the sequel to "A Little Souvenir." I finally sat down and wrote it. If I get enough feedback, I might actually write more out of these...
Thank you: To everyone who sent me all that awesome feedback for the my other stories. It is greatly appreciated, and it's what makes me wanna write more. Keep it up! And of course, to my biggest fan, Jes.

"Let's see... " Lynn said as she examined the headings at the movie theater. "James Bond?"

Angel made a face. "They still make James Bond movies?"

Lynn shrugged. "Well, it's either that or 'Jurassic Park' four."

"I'll go with none of the above," Angel said.

Angel and Buffy had gotten back from their honeymoon two weeks ago and it was now that Lynn and Angel had found the time to actually go do something together. They were cruising the mall, trying to decide what to do.

"How about we just sit down and talk for a while?" Angel suggested.

"That sounds nice," Lynn said with a smile. "Ice cream?"

"Definately."

They kept walking, looking for a place with good ice cream until theyfinally slipped into a booth at the ice cream shop: Soft 'N Creamy.

"So," Angel started. "I've known of your existence for approximately four months, and I've never really sat down to know you. Tell me about yourself."

"What do you wanna know?"

Angel shrugged. "Tell me what you like to do."

"Like, hobbies?" At Angel's nod, she continued. "Well, I draw. Mom noticed when I was like, six, and she put me in some drawing lessons. Been drawing ever since. She actually told me once that I got it from you. Did I?"

Angel smiled. "I love to draw," he answered. "I think I might have some stuff lying around. I could show you when we get home."

Lynn nodded enthusiastically. "I like to sing, too. Uncle Oz taught me to play guitar and I'm pretty good at it. Not as good as drawing, though. I work out with Mom and stuff like that."

Angel shifted uncomfortably, thinking of what to say next. He wasn't sure why, but he still felt relatively uncomfortable around Lynn and he was sure she felt the same way. Luckily, the feeling didn't have a chance to overtake them.

"Lynn," a voice said from behind Angel.

Angel turned to look at the newcomer. He was tall, with brown hair and blue eyes, and a well built frame. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, he was the picture of a typical, attractive, guy-next-door.

"Matt!" Lynn cried as she stood to embrace the guy. She pulled away and brought him closer to the table. "I don't think you two have met. Matt, this is my dad, Angel. Dad, this is Matthew, my boyfriend."

Angel stood and shook Matt's hand. "Pleasure," they both said simultaneously.

"Um, go ahead and sit down," Lynn told Matt as she saw him pull up a chair and sit down.

"Where've you been lately?" Matt asked Lynn. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been busy," Lynn replied.

"But you didn't call or anything," he argued.

"I'm sorry that my world doesn't revolve around you, Matt."

"I'm not asking for your world to revolve around me, I'm just asking for a little time."

"Well, you're not the only one in my life, you know!"

"No because there's all those other guys who line up around the block to go out with you," Matt said sarcastically. In truth, he wasn't far from reality. Lynn was beautiful with her long black hair and emerald green eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate through steel. She was five feet with six inches tall, slim, and athletic.

"Look..."

Angel cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there. "You know, why don't you two just go ahead and talk, I'll go back home..."

"No!" Lynn said, holding on to his arm so he wouldn't leave. "This was supposed to be a father/daughter thing..."

"So, I guess I'm interrupting," Matt said as he, too, started to leave.

"No," Lynn said, turning to Matt. "I just... I..."

Without warning, she turned at fled, leaving the two men behind in stunned silence.

"Well," Angel said.

"Well," Matt replied.

She closed the door to the house and leaned against it with a sigh.

"Lynn?" Buffy's voice was heard through the kitchen. "Is that you, sweetie?"

"It's me, Mom," Lynn answered as she got up from the door and went into the living room.

"Oh, good," Buffy said as she entered the kitchen, smile on her face; a smile that disappeared when she saw Lynn sitting by herself with a miserable expression on her face. "What's wrong? Where's your father?"

"He's at the mall with Matt," Lynn answered.

"What's he doing with Matt?" Buffy asked, confused as she sat down next to her daughter.

Lynn shrugged and leaned against her mother. "How am I supposed to know? Matt's just being an idiot."

"And Angel?"

Lynn sighed. "There's nothing wrong with Dad."

Buffy frowned, trying to piece together the bits and pieces her daughter was offering. "So, there's nothing wrong with your dad, but you're mad at Matt. And, I'm guessing here, you bolted from the mall?"

Lynn nodded, tears now starting to fall from her eyes. "I ruined it. We were talking, Dad and I. And we kinda had a moment of silence, but I'm sure that's normal. So, anyway, Matt shows up and he starts asking why I haven't been around, and we just got into some stupid, idiotic argument, in which he was acting like a bastard, by the way, and then Dad wanted to leave and then Matt wanted to leave, and so I left..."

"Shhh, it's okay," Buffy soothed as she stroked her daughter's black hair. "You're not being too coherent in your sentences. You argued with both Matt and your father?"

Lynn shook her head, unable to say anything.

"You just argued with Matt, then?"

Lynn nodded.

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere," Buffy said as Lynn raised her head to meet her mother's green eyes with her own. "Did Matt say something offensive to you?"

Lynn sniffled. "Not really," she ansered. "He was just wondering why I hadn't called. But in the heat of the argument, he started getting all sarcastic and I didn't like that. And there's just this thing... never mind."

Buffy prodding eyes and curious expression made Lynn speak again. "It's just... Matt. He seems, I don't know, I could be wrong..."

"If you're gonna tell me, tell me."

"Matt's been hinting that he wants to do more than just kiss," Lynn said finally. "I got scared so I've been avoiding him."

Lynn looked to her mom to see how she took that, but to her surprise, Buffy didn't seem angry. Instead, she nodded knowingly at her daughter. "I see," Buffy said.

"I don't know what to do, Mom," Lynn confessed.

"What do you wanna do?"

"I don't know," Lynn answered. "But I don't can't always act on want. Want isn't always what's right. Aunt Willow told me that once."

Buffy smiled, remembering a conversation she had had with Willow so long ago.

"Well, what do you wanna do?" Willow asked.

"I don't know. I mean, want isn't always the right thing todo. To act on want can be wrong," Buffy answered.

"True."

"But to not act on want... Will, what if I never feel this way again?"

"Carpe Diem... you told me that once."

Of course, she wasn't going to give that advice to her daughter.

"Lynn," Buffy said. "I trust you enough to let you make your own decisions. But if you ever, and I mean ever, need advice on anything at all, feel free to come talk to me."

Lynn nodded. "Can I ask... I mean, well," Lynn stuttered. "How old were you when your first, you know?"

"I was exactly seventeen years old."

"You were older than me," Lynn stated and then started loosening up a little. "Was he cute?"

Buffy giggled, feeling like a teenager all over again. "Was he!" she said. "Gorgeous is more like it. Killer body, sweetest, most romantic thing on Earth."

"What was his name?"

"Angel."

Lynn's mouth dropped open. "Dad?"

Buffy nodded. "Yup," she said. "My first and only. You were born about a year and a half later. And that's when chaos ensued."

Lynn looked down with a thoughtful expression. "Thanks, Mom."

Buffy smiled and patted Lynn's knee. "Anytime, sweetheart. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to come talk to me about this kinda stuff."

As she stood up to leave, Lynn grabbed her hand and pulled her back down with a strength only the daughter of a vampire and a Slayer could possess. "There's more."

At Buffy's questioning glance, she continued. "See, it's not that I mind or anything, 'cause I don't. I'm glad really. You know, having a dad around, seeing you smile a stuff. But it's just, well, it's been a lot to take in at once. It takes getting used to. For one thing, changing the last name I've been using all my life..."

"I understand."

"But, I'm trying. And I really want to get to know Dad. And I really want him to get to know me. We were having a really interesting conversation on what talents I got and which talents I got from him, and whatever. But it was sorta... awkward. You know?"

"I know."

"Well, I just wanted you to know that," Lynn finished. "And I wanted you know that I really am trying."

"Thank you," Buffy whispered. "I think you should go back to the mall and apologize to both Matt and Angel..."

"No need," Angel's voice was heard from the living room entrance. "You okay, Lynn?"

Lynn nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Just... issues, I guess. I'm good now."

"Would now be a good time to say that I'm pregnant?" Buffy said suddenly.

"Pregnant."

"Yes, Angel, pregnant. You know, baby grows for nine months inside my womb, then it comes out, we raise it..."

"Pregnant."

Buffy sighed and plopped down on the couch beside him. She had revealed the news half and hour ago and he was still in shock. Lynn had been ecstatic at the thought of having a little brother or sister. She had kissed both her mother and her father in congratulations and quickly gone upstairs to call her friends and tell them the news.

And Angel was still sitting in shock.

"Pregnant, which means we're having another baby," Angel spoke a whole sentence for the first time in the past half hour. "Wow."

"You okay?" Buffy asked with amusment.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," he replied. "Hey, I'm having another baby!"

Buffy laughed as he stood and twirled her around in circles. He quickly set her down and looked worriedly at her. "That won't do anything to the baby, right?"

Buffy resisted an urge to roll her eyes. "No, Angel, it's perfectly safe."

"Good."

And with that, he picked her up again and hugged her tight. He let her go and kissed her mouth softly. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Why?"

"For giving me a second chance to be with you and have another child," he answered. "I swear, I will be with you throughout all of this and I'll help out with whatever you need. And I think Lynn and I can patrol for you, too."

Buffy smiled. "That'd be great, Angel."

He laughed again and leaned down to claim her lips with his.

******

"So, your mom's having another kid?" Daniel asked the next day at school as he, Lynn, and Jade walked down the school halls to class.

"Yup," Lynn answered. "Kinda weird, but it's cool."

"Is she gonna keep giving class here?" Jade asked her friend.

Lynn frowned slightly. "I don't think we thought of that. I guess she will until she gets too big to do anything." She shrugged.

Looking up, she spotted Matt heading her way. She tightened her lips and turned to look at her friends. "You know what, guys? I think I'll bail, I'll see you later."

With that, she turned and walked the opposite way, leaving a confused Matt, and two even more confused Jade and Daniel.

******

Giles frowned as he stared at the book in front of him. No, he thought with a sigh. Bugger. I hate prophesies.

He looked at the page opened in front of him for several more moments before slamming the book close. As he took off his glasses and began to polish them, the door opened and in came Lynn with Jade and Daniel walking to either side.

"Hey, Giles," they all said as they sat down all around the table.

"Good morning," Giles said. "I trust everything is fine?"

"Yup!" Lynn said with a grin. "In fact, everything's great. Did Mom tell you? She's..."

"Hey, Giles!" Buffy said as she came in through the library door, much like she used to when she was in high school. "What's the up?"

Giles smiled at his Slayer. "Good morning to you, too, Buffy."

Buffy frowned as she sat next to her daughter. "That looks like a forced smile," she said. "I've known you for seventeen years. I know when something's up. What is it?"

"It's nothing, Buffy, really..."

"Giles," Buffy said warningly.

With a final, defeated sigh, Giles turned and grabbed the book he had been eyeing. "This is Latin," he stated as he handed her the book with a marked page. "Roughly translated, and I mean very roughly, it talks about a future Slayer who will, uh, be of blood of a vampire and a Slayer. I only know of one vampire and Slayer couple who have united to have children. I imagine it could be Lynn, but..."

"'For the blood of a dark angel and the blood of a fighter of light shall bring forth a dark light that will save the world from the greatest evil it will ever know,'" Buffy read quietly.

"Prophesies are very tricky things, Mom," Lynn spoke into the quietness that soon followed. "It can mean a lot of things. And, besides, what's her name? Angela? Andrea?"

"Aleah," Buffy corrected.

"Right," Lynn said. "She's the Slayer right now, besides you."

"Slayers die, Lynn," Jade put in.

"No," Lynn replied. "That would mean Mom could die, and she can't. I don't accept that."

Buffy turned to look at her daughter. "Sweetie..."

"No!" Lynn cried as she stood. "No, okay? No!"

She turned to leave, but Daniel quickly stood and grabbed her hand. "You can't run away from every problem you have," he said softly.

Lynn looked at him with teary eyes and then burried her head in his shoulder as she cried. The room was silent as Lynn sobbed into her friend's shoulder. Finally, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I'm fine."

"We're, uh, we might be jumping to conclutions. This doesn't necesarily mean Buffy, or Aleah, will die," Giles said. "It could mean anything. It doesn't necessarily have to be talking about Lynn, or about Buffy and Angel for that matter..."

"I'm pregnant."

"It could mean that... pardon?" Giles' eyes turned to Buffy. "Pregnant?"

Buffy nodded. "It's that, isn't it? Whatever child I'm having now is gonna be the next Slayer after me..."

Giles sighed as he took a sit next to Daniel. "Possibly. But I advise you not to jump to conclusions so soon. Like Lynn very wisely said, prophesies are tricky things. They could mean anything. I didn't want to dump anything on you this soon, but, well..."

The bell interrupted Giles.

"Hey, it's okay," Buffy said. "I have to go to class now, anyway."

As they all stood to leave, Giles spoke up. "Are you still going to give class? Even in your, ah, condition?"

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, for now."

"How did Angel take it?"

Both Buffy and Lynn laughed. "I'd say he was shocked, but that'd be the understatement of the year," Buffy answered. "I'll see you later, all."

"Okay, you're gonna take a step forward, throw a kick, and duck. Let's try it. Step, kick, duck. Again... no, Jenn, you need to kick higher. The point of this is to excercise."

Buffy sighed as she went over to help her student. "Up, like this... see?" She kicked high as a demonstration.

Jenn tried again, her leg not going higher than a foot and Buffy sighed.

"Yeah, okay, that was better."

Buffy was about to turn around again to help some others when she spotted someone at the door.

"Keep working on that, I'll be right back."

She jogged over to find her husband leaning sexily against the door frame. "Hey," he said.

"Hey, yourself," she answered as she kissed him lightly. "Whatcha doing here?"

"I can't want to see you?" he asked innocently.

"No..."

Angel smiled. "Seriously, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"You mean to check up on your pregnant wife and make sure she doesn't kill the baby?"

"Buffy..."

"Sorry... hormones."

******

Lynn turned the corner just in time to find herself face to face with Matt. As she started to turn around, he grabbed her arm and pushed her against a nearby wall, holding her arm against her tightly.

"Matt, what do you think you're..."

"You've been avoiding me."Lynn tried to free herself from his grasp, without having to hurt him. "Matt, you're hurting me," she lied.

He quickly let go of her arm. "Why have you been avoiding me? Is there something I should know?"

Lynn ducked her head and brushed some of her black hair behind her ear. "It's nothing, really."

"Except you have that something face of yours," he countered.

"Yeah, maybe I do," she muttered. "Look, we really do have to talk, but we can do that later. I have to get to class." She tried to moved past him but he blocked the way.

"You have study hall, now," he said. "We can talk."

"Let me put it this way," Lynn said. "I don't feel like talking right now."

"I do."

"I don't."

"Look..."

Matt didn't get a chance to finish; Lynn took his arm and twisted around him. "I said, I don't wanna talk," she said forcefully, punctuating every word with a tug on his arm. "Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good," she said. She grabbed her books and started back to where she had been going originally.

The minute she got out of the crowded hallways of Sunnydale High and into the bathroom, she collapsed against the wall and sobbed. She gathered her knees under her and let the tears flow. For several minutes, they were the only sounds heard in the bathroom. And suddenly, the door swung open.

It was Jade.

"Oh, my God," she said as she dropped to her knees beside her friend. "Lynn, what's wrong?"

No, 'are you okay?'s or 'is everything alright?'s. Lynn was glad that her friend knew better than to ask her if she was fine while she was having a sobbing fit in the middle of the bathroom floor.

Lynn took a deep breath and tried to speak, but a sob took over before she could.

"Matt?" Jade asked, already knowing the answer.

Lynn sobbed again and nodded.

Jade sighed and sat down down next to her friend. She cradled Lynn's head in her lap, trying to sooth her. "What did he do this time?"

At first, Lynn said nothing and Jade didn't pressure her friend to say anything. After several moments, Lynn's sobs died down and she sat up again, wiping at her eyes.

"Nothing," Lynn said. "He tried to talk to me and I wouldn't let him. But he grabbed my arm tightly. If I was anyone else, he could've hurt me!"

Abruptly, Lynn stood and made her way to the bathroom mirror, taking out her purse and the make-up supplies. She examined her appearance in the mirror and began to fix it.

"Not to defend Matt or anything, but I think you're overreacting," Jade said. "So what if he wants to sleep with you? Talk to him. If he does, and you don't, tell him. If he doesn't care that you don't, break it off. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do that. What are you so afraid of?"

Lynn took several moments to consider. "What am I afraid of?" she asked, more to herself than to her friend. "I don't know. You know what? Now that I think about it, he gives me... what is it that Mom says? The wiggins?"

Had they been in any other circumstances, Jade would have laughed. But she knew Lynn, and when Lynn had a weird feeling, it was worth looking into. Besides, which, Jade had never really liked Matt, anyway.

"Since when?"

Lynn smiled sheepishly. "Ever since I met him," she answered. "I didn't really pay much attention, but lately... I don't know."

Jade frowned as she watched her friend apply make-up. "You know better than that, Lynn," she said softly.

With a sigh, Lynn finished with her mascara and turned to Jade. "I know. But since I'm not a Slayer, I never pay much attention to that stuff."

"Everyone has intuition."

"You're right."

******

Matt frowned as he stared after Lynn. He wasn't really sure what had gotten into her but he didn't like the reaction she was giving him. With one final glance to the bathroom where he had just seen Jade enter, he turned and made his way to the Sunnydale High exit.

"He has to know about this," Matt muttered to himself.

******

The door to the library swung open as Lynn stepped through. "Giles?" she called.

No answer.

"Hey, Giles," she called again, this time drawing out the "i" in a sing-song voice.

Again, no answer.

She gave out a low whistle. "G-man!" she cried out, using the name her Uncle Xander used when he wanted to annoy the Watcher.

And frustratingly enough, she still received no answer.

With a sigh, she dropped her bag on the counter and walked toward the office door. Sure enough, she found her mother's Watcher with his nose literally in a book.

"Interesting?" she asked as she plopped down on a chair next to him.

Giles jumped up, the book falling from his hands. "Evelynn Joy McKellan!" he cried. "You can be so much like your mother sometimes."

"What did I do?" Lynn asked.

Giles simply shook his head and bent down to retrieve the book. He looked up at her and, despite the fact that he had seen her almost everyday since the day of her birth, he still found her resemblance to both Buffy and Angel overwhelming. And her attitude toward everything reminded him so much of Buffy--

"What's that?" Lynn asked, pointing at the book.

"Oh, um, I was trying to find more information on this, um, impeding, possibly catastrophic prophesy."

"Such big words," Lynn said with a grin.

And of course, no one could forget the fact that she'd spent so much time with Xander, that she had also picked up on his jokes as well.

"So, what are we gonna do about it?" she continued. "I mean, what if it is me? Or what if it is my new little sister? Or what if Mom is gonna die? Or, what's her name? Aleah? What if she's gonna die? Or..."

"Calm down," Giles said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm afraid I haven't found anything else on this yet, but I am sure we will figure this out. And your new little brother or sister is going to be fine, too."

"Yeah," Lynn said. "Yeah..."

Giles smiled. "Good," he said. "But I get the feeling something else is bothering you."

Lynn looked away. "Yeah, but I'd rather not tell you. I was thinking I should talk to Mom or Dad first."

"Of course," he anwered, dismissing it as a teenager issue.

Giles opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the phone. He stood up and picked it off from its cradle. "Sunnydale High library, this is Rupert Giles speaking. How may I be of service?"

Lynn rolled her eyes and stood up. Maybe she'd be able to find something good to read while he talked...

"Willow!"

Lynn turned at Giles' exclamation.

"What a pleasant surprise! No, no we're fine. How about you? Good, good. Prophesy? Did you talk to Buffy? Yes, I figure. No, no, you need not worry. There's no need..."

Lynn walked over to Giles and stood in front of him, as if doing so would allow her to listen to the other side of the conversation.

"Yes, I understand that Lynn is your goddaughter, but I doubt that she's in danger. Of course, yes. Buffy's your best friend and you need to be here, but the prophesy doesn't necessarily... right. Willow..." He sighed. "If you insist. No, don't bring Xander and Cordelia into this. Are you sure? But... yes, very well. We'll meet you there. Have a nice flight. Yes, I will. Good bye."

He put the phone back in its cradle and looked thoughtful for several moments.

"What did Aunt Willow say?" Lynn's voice brought Giles out of his reverie.

He started. "She talked to your mother last night and she decided that she, Cordelia, Xander, and Oz should come down here to help out."

"Will they bring Alex and Carla?" Lynn asked.

Alex was Oz and Willow's twelve year old son, while Carla was Xander and Cordelia's ten year old daughter.

"Yes, I believe they will," Giles answered. "I doubt anything will happen, anyway."

Lynn stared at him incredulously.

"What?" he asked.

"You do know you have just jinxed this in a major way, right?"

Giles looked at her for several more moments before sighing in defeat. "Yes, I have."

"I'm telling ya, she's acting weird."

"She has... what is it you call it? Issues? Big deal. This is no reason to be bothering me, Matthew."

"She's the Slayer's daughter, you know," Matt added quietly.

Nicholas, who had been raising his hand to signal his guards to take Matt away, lowered it slowly and turned to Matt again. "Go on," Nicholas said, trying to keep the interest out of his voice.

"And, uh, that... ex-vampire guy you're so obsessed with. Angelus? He's her dad."

Nicholas frowned. "Ex?"

Matt shrugged. "Hey, I don't know, but he was standing in pure sunlight when I saw him. And she introduced him as her dad, so..."

But Nicholas wasn't listening. "Angelus, huh? And the Slayer. Very interesting indeed," he murmured to himself. "This makes everything fall into place. I knew there was a reason I had chosen her."

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Is everything still going as planned?"

"What do you think, you moron?" Nicholas said, turning to Matt angrily. "How do you plan to seduce the daughter of a vampire and a Slayer with those tactics of yours? I need to make this prophesy work in my favor and she's the only one who will work for this."

"You think?" Matt asked. "There could be another one. That other Slayer you mentioned once? She's a fighter of the light. She could help us gain this power you speak of."

Nicholas looked amused. "By 'us,' do you mean to imply you will be included in this?"

"Uh, I meant you," Matt corrected himself. "But I still get my share, right?"

Nicholas ignored his question. "At any rate, it's too late for us to be looking for another 'fighter of light.' Evelynn has to work for us. But you..." He turned his glare on Matt. "You're on the verge of ruining everything. You're supposed to be the sweet, caring boyfriend. But instead, you are putting her on guard. If she leaves you, this is all for nothing..."

Matt held up his hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. "Sorry, okay? I'll try harder next time."

The glare Nicholas was still giving him didn't waver. Finally, Nicholas leaned back to held up his arm. "Take him away," he told two of the vampires standing nearby. Then he turned to Matt. "If you fail me..." he trailed off from his threat, knowing that Matt knew what he was going to say.

Swallowing visibly, Matt nodded and turned to leave willingly with the guards. Once Matt was out of earshot, Nicholas narrowed his eyes.

"Well, my old friend Angelus," he muttered into the empty room. "You're in for quite a ride, aren't you?"

******

"The gang is coming?" Buffy asked excitedly. "When?"

Giles smiled at his Slayer. "Willow, Oz, and Xander booked a flight for tomorrow and will probably here by three o'clock in the afternoon. As for Cordelia, I'm not quite sure when she'll be able to get away from some new movie she's starting soon."

Buffy turned to Angel, feeling like a teenager all over again. "This is so cool! It'll be just like old times, right? You, me, and the rest of the Scooby gang. And of course, the new additions," she said as she looked at Lynn, Daniel, and Jade, latter two were standing nearby with uncomfortable smiles on their faces.

"And if we all work together, we could figure out what this prophesy means," Lynn added. "I don't know about old times for you, but this should be fun."

Buffy nodded, too happy to be let down by the prophesy. Her friends... her best friends were coming to visit her and her family. The last times they had all seen each other had been three months before at her and Angel's wedding. And that had only been for the few hours they had spent together until it was time to leave for the honeymoon. Now they were coming for several days. Buffy couldn't help but be excited.

The library doors swung open and in walked Matt. Lynn saw him and immediately tightened her lips.

"Hey, Lynn," Matt said softly.

"Hey," she answered.

"Can we talk?"

Lynn was about to turn down his offer when her gaze met Jade's. Jade raised her eyebrows and made a microscopic motion with her hands, as if urging her to go to talk him. Lynn sighed as she realized that everyone in the library awaited her answer.

"Yeah, sure."

Matt smiled and held out a hand. Lynn stepped forward, took it tentatively, and followed Matt out of the library.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing Matt said as soon as they were outside. "I shouldn't have acted like that, it's just that you've been acting weird lately and it's got me worried. Are you okay?"

Lynn studied his face for several moments, trying to gauge his sincerity. He seemed sincere enough. Finally, she relaxed her guard and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she answered. "I'm sorry, too. I've been a real jerk lately, haven't I?"

"No, I think I have."

Lynn chuckled. "Okay, we both have. Seriously, though, I have been avoiding you. What do you say we go to the Bronze tonight and really talk?"

Matt smiled. "Yeah, sure."

"Great," Lynn answered, just as the bell rung. "I have to go. I'll see you tonight, then?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah."

"Great!"

Matt stared after Lynn as she made her way back into the library. With a slight frown, he turned and walked away.

******

"Is everything better now?" Buffy asked Lynn as the latter started to get up to leave.

"Better?"

"With Matt."

Lynn frowned slightly, wondering whether she should tell her mother about her feeling. "We're gonna talk tonight."

Buffy eyed her critically for a moment. "Jade told me that there was, uh, some weird vibe you were getting from him?"

Lynn stared at her mother for several moments before turning her glare to her best friend, who was conveniently already heading outside. With a sigh, she sat down again.

"I've been getting the, uh, wiggins..." Lynn commented.

Buffy chuckled. "The wiggins," she said. "You think there's something wrong with him?"

"Maybe," Lynn answered. "But I'm not a Slayer, so I really wouldn't know."

"Maybe," Buffy replied. "But then again..."

She trailed off as she noticed that Giles was heading toward them.

"Is there a problem?" he asked them.

"No," they both answered in unison.

"Yes, well, I just, ah, received a call from Xander. Just confirming his arrival with Willow and Oz tomorrow," Giles said.

"And Cordy?"

Giles shook his head. "She might arrive by the day after tomorrow, but no one's sure."

Buffy nodded. "I should go," she told them. "We'll continue our conversation later." With a pointed look at her daughter, she got up and left.

******

Go to Part 7