Part Nine

The sons of Henry the second were...Oh, I know this. The Robin Hood guys, ummm....Richard and...John! Buffy scribbled the answer down before it could slip out of her mind and slumped back against the uncomfortable lecture hall seating. Finished at last. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, and she stood carefully to take her test up to the front. Oww...damned cram– she stopped mid thought. Six hours. Definitely not cramps. Moving as quickly as she could, Buffy picked up her bag, turned in the test, and headed outside.

The sun was almost completely down when she got outside. Gotta love evening exams, she thought sarcasm evident. Stopping by the street, she looked around for her ride.

"Right here," came a voice from behind her.

Buffy turned, and smiled as Angel stepped out of the dusk. "Angel, you brought the car right?"

"Of course," he replied, pointing at the black classic sitting across the parking lot. "I told you I would."

"Good, cause I've been having what I thought were cramps..." she trailed off.

A look of concern crossed the vampire's face. "And they're not?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Not for six hours," Buffy smiled nervously. "And not getting closer together."

Angel smiled as they began walking toward the car. "Get in. I'll call Willow on the way and have her bring your bag."

"Thanks," Buffy eased into the passenger seat as Angel walked around to the other side. "You look a little tired."

"Well someone's been running me ragged," he grinned, starting the motor. "I just woke up an hour ago to make dinner."

"Better tell Willow to put it in the fridge then," the Slayer leaned her head over against his shoulder. She didn't know what she would have done without him for the past couple of weeks. They weren't dating, but they weren't keeping an entirely professional difference. Buffy had never been just good friends with Angel. It felt kind of nice. It was like being lovers without the arguing and the pain.

"I guess there isn't really a point in asking about your exam now, is there?"

Buffy chuckled. "Not really. Maybe after I give birth."

Looking around the empty apartment she wondered if there was anything else she had to do. She'd left a note for Tara and the others telling them where she had gone and what was happening. Miss Kitty and Amy were fed.  "That's it then," she said aloud, grabbing Buffy's birthing bag by its large shoulder strap. It was heavy; stuffed with clothing, duplicates of all the necessary paperwork in case something was lost in the hospital filing system, the receiving blankets Cordelia had given Buffy, and some basic snacks since it would most likely be several hours before anything really began to happen. It had taken Willow an hour just to get everything ready. Well then, it's a long walk to the bus stop.

The redhead opened the door-

- and nearly ran into someone on the other side. She looked up, stunned. "Riley!"

"Willow, where's Buffy?"

"Why are you here? I'm kind of in a hurry," Willow babbled.

Riley frowned. "Did she tell you not to let me in? Figures. I saw them, Willow."

"Them?" She drew a blank.

"Buffy...and Angel. They're back together again aren't they? She left me to go back to him, didn't she?" His voice was angry and accusing.

Willow sighed and shook her head, having doubts about what she was about to say next.  "She's not here, Riley. So quit with the childish tirade. Buffy's at the hospital. She's in labor. Angel took her there straight from her exam. So you can shut up and go away, or come with me." She tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"

Riley blinked. "Sorry, she's...now?"

"Yes now!" Willow yelled. "So get out of my way or I'll turn you into a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach!"

The blond TA jumped backwards. "Okay! Look, my car's outside. Let me drive. It's faster than the bus."

The witch took a deep breath. "Fine. Now let's go," she pushed past him, feeling a little sorry for him, and still annoyed that he'd picked now of all times to show up and talk to Buffy, instead of several months ago. It's going to be a long night.

Buffy looked up at him, panting heavily. She looked down at his hand. "Oh, sorry!"

"No, it's fine," he smiled. "I can handle it."

"How sweet," the tired mother-to-be laughed slightly. "Being all manly. Can't I push yet?" she snarled at the doctor who was looking at the fetal monitor.

"Not yet," Doctor Santner nodded calmly. "Though you're well into the second stage of labor." She had not questioned Angel's presence yet, but the vampire knew that wouldn't last forever. "It shouldn't be too much longer." An male nurse rushed in and spoke to the her quietly. As soon as he was gone she turned to Buffy again. "I'll be back soon. We have a few people in your position tonight. The woman down the hall needs me first."

"Okay," Buffy nodded. "Go ahead. We won't leave without saying goodbye."

"I didn't think you would," Dorothy said dryly. "Back in a few minutes."

When she was gone, Buffy turned to him again. "Thank you. I know the past couple of weeks haven't been easy for you."

Angel was a little startled, but he'd begun to get used to this new, understanding, emotion Buffy. She was a far cry from the pod-Buffy he had met briefly the year before. He caressed her hand. "It's been hard," he said honestly. "But you couldn't have paid me to be anywhere else."

"Even when they're someone else's?" she asked, and Angel could see plainly how vulnerable she was feeling.

"They're part of you, Buffy," he reached out and gently brushed a damp blonde curl from her face. "And you're my girl." Angel knew what he was chancing by saying that, but he had to know how she felt.

Buffy blinked away what looked suspiciously to Angel like tears. Chewing on her lip in that cute way she had, she opened her mouth to speak as the next contraction hit. Whatever she had been about to say vanished as her concentration was stolen from him. Angel just smiled supportively as her nails dug back into his hand.

"Buffy!"

The hairs on the back of Angel's neck stood at the voice, and he had to fight to keep his fangs from showing. The stunned expression on her face told Angel that it was the last person Buffy had expected to show up. Still it was all he could do not to swing at the blond TA that ran through the door to Buffy's hospital room.

"Riley, what are you doing here?" Buffy exclaimed as the contraction ended.

The man didn't answer immediately. He was staring at Angel with an expression that left him cold. "What's he doing here?" Riley asked at last.

"Doing what you should have been," Angel growled quietly.

"Watch it," Riley snapped. "It wasn't exactly my fault I was told to stay away."

"Not the way I hear it," the vampire glowered. "You obviously didn't try very hard to stay."

"Neither did y–"

"Would both of you shut up?!" Buffy barked, cutting Riley off. "I am so tired of dealing with rivalry. Angel, Riley has the right to be here because they're his kids, and Riley," she turned that smouldering gaze from one man to the other. "Angel has been better to me in the past two weeks than you were the first few months of this whole thing. So both of you can stuff it! I'm the one who's about to push two cantaloupes through an opening smaller than your brains! I could have you both castrated you know! I'll do it myself if you like."

"Easy," Angel squeezed her hand. "No need to get insulting."

Much to Angel's satisfaction Riley looked extremely disgruntled at the way Buffy immediately quieted down.

"Sorry," the Slayer said for the hundredth time that night.

"It's okay," he smiled. "I'm here for you." He glanced up at Riley, then said the hardest thing he ever had in his life. "We're here for you. But I still don't like him."

Just then Angel heard quick steps on the floors outside, and Willow bounded into the room. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not much, Will. Just sweat, tears, and testosterone poisoning," Buffy quipped. "What took you so long? It's one in the morning!"

Willow set down Buffy's hospital bag by the bed and stood at the end since Riley had quickly occupied the seat opposite Angel. "Well, after I called everybody on the planet Riley showed up at the door, and insisted on coming with me cause I had to tell him why you two ran off and you weren't home, and then we ran into these demons, and there were...well...a lot of them. And a Vei-rogk. So I had to cast the spell while Riley fought it and–"

"I got the picture," Buffy nodded, closing her eyes and wincing. "Owww! Okay that was interesting."

"What?" Riley nearly jumped out of his skin like a scared rabbit. "Are you okay? I could get–"

"Fine," Buffy gasped. "I'm fine. It was just....different."

Angel glanced up at the monitors, then closed his eyes and felt for their old link. A surge of happiness went through him when he found it, dormant, but still pulsing in a beat that matched both their hearts. He gently felt it for information. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. As he opened his eyes he met Buffy's. She was smiling. Returning her grin, Angel looked up at the redheaded witch hovering at the end of the bed. "Willow, I need you to go down two rooms and find Doctor Santner, or any nurse who knows where she is and tell her that Buffy's reaching the third stage of labor."

The witch nodded. "You got it," she smiled encouragingly before rushing out.

Angel glanced over at the now panicking father-to-be and sighed silently. It was going to be a long night.

"Damn it! I swear I'm going to kill you for this, Riley Finn!"

Or perhaps it was a comedy. Two men fighting over the same woman in the middle of the labor scene in the hospital, when the woman wasn't dating either of them. Definitely a comedy.

The redhead had been allowed to remain in the room, watching supportively from her spot leaning against the wall. There had been no other choice of positioning since Angel had Buffy's right hand, and Riley her left. Willow was fascinated by the energies in the room. Pulsing from Angel was a pulsing dark purple mix between absolute concern and love for the woman whose hand he held, with a tinge of bitterness that she could only define as something stolen from him. Willow filed that thought away for later.

Riley was a distinct yellow shard of near panic for Buffy and his children, and a spike of jealousy aimed in the direction of the vampire holding the other hand. The two men were almost a perfect contrast.

Buffy was a completely different story, though very easy to read. The energies around her screamed pain. Though from the outside it was actually not as obvious. She was bitchy, but that wasn't unusual for Buffy. She was dripping with sweat, and her stomach was visibly rippling with each contraction, but she wasn't crying or yelling or complaining about the pain she was in. The room was pulsing with life-giving energy, made stronger -so Willow could only surmise- by her Slayer powers.

Then the colors changed, shifting in a swirl of color, and a high pitched scream filled the air.

"Girl!" Doctor Santner grinned triumphantly, holding the baby up above Buffy's body so that those at the head of the bed could see.

Willow privately thought that the tiny girl looked a bit like a red-and-white-slime demon. Wisely she kept the thought to herself while the doctor cut the umbilical cord, and male nurse -she now knew his name was Andy- took the tiny girl to get her cleaned up. Then attention focused on Buffy once more. This wasn't over.

"Stop staring people!" Buffy sighed. "I just did this once. Give me a minute here!"

"You don't have a minute," Dorothy replied. "Here he comes." Almost as if listening to the doctor's voice, Buffy's second child made his appearance, just as slimy and wrinkled as his sister. And, if possible, crying even louder. But it wasn't a good loud. The energies around him warned Willow immediately that something was wrong. Doctor Santner had obviously reached the same conclusion as she took him into the other room to be cleaned, weighed, and checked out.

Meanwhile, Buffy had collapsed back on the bed, no longer tense with straining muscles, but loose, letting her body deal with the afterbirth of its own accord. She was done.

Riley was grinning like an idiot. "You were amazing, honey," he beamed proudly, forgetting for the moment that Buffy hadn't been talking to him for several months. "I'm so proud of you."

But Buffy was hardly hearing a word he said. From her expression, Willow had a feeling her friend's Slayer senses had picked up on the fact that something wasn't quite right with her son.

"It's okay," Angel said. That was all, but it was enough. Buffy burst into tears, tearing one hand from Riley's to cover her face.

The blond TA was not pleased. Her other hand was still in Angel's, and she hadn't even tried to pull it away.

Willow wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for Riley  or cheer. She did neither. Instead, she stepped over to the bed to help comfort her friend. Slipping past a staring Riley, she perched on Buffy's left on the bed and put an arm over her shaking shoulders. "Buffy, things'll be fine. He'll be okay."

Angel began to rub the Slayer's back with one hand. "Let's wait til they come back before jumping to any conclusions." It was then Willow knew that Angel had sensed the problem too. She was learning all sorts of interesting things today.

While they waited, Willow helped Angel and Andy  get Buffy cleaned up and change the sheets on the bed. Andy took the sheets down to laundry.

Several minutes later Doctor Santner returned, carrying both infants in her arms. Buffy wiped away her tears and smiled as she took her babies, and held them for the first time.

The tiny girl looked up at her mother, dark brown eyes awkwardly coming into focus. The damp down on top of her head was so dark that it was almost black. Of course, it might change as she grew. Her mouth opened, and a tiny cooing sound came out.

Buffy's face lit up. "Hi," she ran a finger over her daughter's tiny cheek. "Nice to finally meet you in person. And you," she gently kissed her son's head.

The little boy blinked his blue eyes. His hair was a thin layer of blond, like his father's. He didn't respond to her the way his sister had.

Buffy frowned, and looked up at the doctor. "Why doesn't he respond?"

Doctor Santner sighed. "I don't know. After they're fed I need to take them down for their blood work and all the other required tests. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Buffy nodded, worrying her lip with her teeth. "Thank you." Gently slipping one hand up around her son, she unbuttoned her pajamas, shoving them back enough to expose her left breast. She moved her daughter toward it, not completely sure what she was doing, but figuring the tiny baby would know what to do. Buffy winced slightly as her daughter  latched on to her mother's sensitive nipple and began nursing hungrily. "That's my girl," she smiled.

She tried the same thing with her son, holding him up to her right breast. He didn't latch on as quickly, but eventually he began suckling as well, if slower than his sister. Buffy gently kissed his head as he nursed. "What a good boy you are," she spoke quietly.

"Amazing," Angel smiled.

Willow moved out of the way as Riley pushed forward to reclaim his place by his children. "You were wonderful," he smiled. "And so were you," he beamed at his children. "But we can't just keep calling them you."

Buffy smiled a little. "I know. I already picked names."

"And I'm sure they're wonderful," Riley smiled. "Riley Junior?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope," Buffy shook her head. "Liam Thomas."

Willow couldn't help but notice the way Angel jumped, as if stung. She liked the name. Liam meant `determined guardian,' and Thomas `a twin.' A very appropriate name, and interestingly Irish. Which might explain Angel's jump. The name did remind her of Angel. A guardian. Determined. A Guardian Angel.

Riley looked a little surprised, but smiled. "I like it. And my girl?"

"Amber Maeve," Buffy smiled, and Angel's eyes lit up.

Willow couldn't help but smile too. Amber Maeve: fierce joy. Something her friend deserved to feel now.

Riley smiled, completely oblivious to the meaning of his children's names. "Beautiful."

"Perfect."

Buffy smiled at Angel, which only made Riley glare at the vampire again while he knew Buffy wasn't looking.

Amber pulled away from her mother's breast and began to cry.

"Oh, it's all right," Buffy smiled, picking her daughter up and trying to burp her. "Ummm..."

"Here," Angel smiled, taking the baby and putting her against his shoulder like an expert. "I remember watching my mother do this."

"Good memory," Buffy laughed. She looked down. Liam was asleep at her breast. "Poor baby."

"I'll take them now," Doctor Santner said, gently reaching down and taking Liam. Angel handed her a no-longer crying Amber. "We'll be back soon," she promised, exiting the room.

When they were gone again Buffy buttoned up the front of her pajamas again and slumped against the pillows that held her up, obviously exhausted, emotionally as well as physically. She looked up at Angel and Riley. "Can I be alone for a while?"

"But Buffy–"

"Of course," Angel cut Riley off. "We'll let you get some rest." He stood, gave her one last smile, and left the room with Riley trailing like a punished dog.

Willow turned to follow them.

"Wait, Will."

She turned around and stepped back to the bedside. "Of course, Buffy." She took a seat in the chair Angel had vacated. She didn't know what Buffy wanted to talk about, so she waited.

"What am I going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Willow asked. "About them?" the exhausted Slayer motioned in the direction Angel
and Riley had just gone. "Their Riley's....but I don't love him."

"And Angel?" Willow asked. Finally we're going to get to the bottom of this.

Buffy sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know. I thought we were over. Especially after the way I treated him last spring." She plucked at the blanket absently with one hand. "But he's been amazing. And so much better to me than I was to him."

"He loves you," the witch nodded. "But so does Riley, in his own way."

"Which just makes it that much harder," Buffy sighed. "I broke up with him because we just weren't meant to be together. There was something missing. But I can't keep him out of their lives completely when they're half his."

"That's true. There has to be some way to work it out with both of  them."

"If Angel still wants to be with me," Buffy pouted.

Willow had had enough. "If he wants to be with you? Buffy, have you even looked at him for the past two weeks?"

"Of course I have," Buffy snapped indignantly. "He looks as wonderful as always."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Willow replied. "For two weeks he's cooked, cleaned, prepared hot baths, given you massages, driven you everywhere,...and you think he might not want to be with you? Are you blind?"

Buffy stared at her. "I...didn't think of it that way."

"Obviously," the redhead smiled. "Angel loves you, Buffy. He always has."

"And he's learned how to be less smothering," the Slayer admitted. "Something Riley still hasn't. I'm so tired," she looked over at Willow. "Why does everything have to be so hard?"

"Makes life interesting, I guess," she smiled, standing. "I'm going to go see how the others are surviving. I don't know if they've even been told."

Buffy smiled back. "Thanks, Will. You're a good friend."

Willow gave her a hug and left. She found Joyce, Giles, Tara, Cordelia, Anya, Wesley, and Xander all crowded into the waiting room down the hall. Joyce stood as she entered. "How is she?" she asked.

"Just fine," the witch told the new grandmother. "Amber and Liam are both beautiful."

Joyce smiled. "Can I see her?"

"Sure. She's resting now."

When Buffy's mother was gone, Willow told the rest of them the details of what had occurred. As the room burst into eager chatter, she pulled Tara aside. "Tara, I think I know what your spell did."

"It switched Riley's DNA with Angel's didn't it?" she asked. "The twins are Angel's."

Dorothy looked down at the papers she held, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "As I expected, Amber is perfectly healthy. No problems at all."

"And Liam?"

"It's a genetic defect. His kidneys and liver aren't fully functioning. I'm afraid he's dying."

Buffy didn't feel Riley's hand on her shoulder as her heart sank. "There's nothing you can do?"

Doctor Santner shook her head. "They've tried everything. Excepting a miracle, he won't live more than a week."

"Oh, God," Buffy burst into tears, collapsing into the arms that caught her. She recognized them. They were Angel's.

"But if it's genetic, why is Amber all right?" Riley asked, obviously stricken by the news.

The doctor frowned. "That's what I was wondering. It seems that Amber and Liam had different fathers."

"What?!" Buffy sat bolt upright. "That's impossible!"

"Apparently not," Dorothy sighed. "Liam's DNA matches Mister Finn. Amber's does not."

"You!" Riley lunged across the bed, over Buffy at Angel. "I was right. Admit it. You two did do something while Buffy was in LA."

Angel's fist barely missed Riley's nose.

"Enough!" Buffy yelled. "Both of you stop before you get yourselves kicked out!"

"Thank you," the Doctor said as the two men sat back down. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for a sample of your blood Mister..."

"Angel. Just Angel." The vampire looked at Buffy with concern, then glared at Riley. Willingly he stuck out his arm while the doctor drew out the blood.

Buffy was relieved that he had just fed. Otherwise his blood would not have registered as living during the test. She ignored the accusing look on the doctor's face as the woman left the room, promising that the test would only take a few minutes. Who could the other baby's father be? She hadn't slept with anyone else!

The next few minutes were long and tense. Riley and Angel glared at each other over her bed; silent, accusing. The look on Doctor Santner's face when she was returned did not make her feel any better. She waited breathlessly for an answer.

"Angel is Amber's father."

"I was right!" Riley yelled self-righteously. "You lied to me!" he growled at Buffy. "For months I didn't know, and all the time you lied to me! Whore," he spat. "And you, demon," he hissed at Angel. "Is this your idea of a joke? I'll bet you're getting quite a  laugh out of taking one of my children from me. Tell me, was it you who poisoned my son? Perhaps it's not genetics that's caused this problem."

Angel stood, menacing, but silent. Instead of yelling, or ripping Riley's throat out -which Buffy could see he clearly wanted to do- he bent down and kissed her, shocking the Slayer by the suddenness of his move. The kiss wasn't hard, or sensually passionate, but warm and gentle. Energy flooded through Buffy, the likes of which she hadn't felt in nearly two years. It was soft and full of light.

Riley's face began to grow very red.

Angel broke the kiss off a moment later, much to the Slayer's deep regret. Standing straight, he looked directly at Riley. "When you grow up, maybe you'll realize what you've lost. I know that I have, and I regret it more every moment til my heart wails like a broken instrument. Neither of us deserves her, army boy. And we've both done things that we shouldn't. But at least I've never mistaken her for something she's not. We didn't touch each other when she came to Los Angeles. If you don't believe me, believe her. This is her day. Don't mess it up." He looked back down at Buffy and smiled. "I'll be back later. I'm going to go keep watch in the nursery." Glancing one more time at Riley, he vanished out the door like a wisp of memory.

Buffy could barely breathe for the pounding he caused in her heart. She had hardly recognized her Angel in the one who had just spoken. The pain in his eyes as he had spoken touched her deep within. He loved her. Knew he had made a mistake and had admitted to his faux pas.  It took her a moment to realize that a seething Riley was still at her side. Finally she looked up at him, afraid of what she might see.

Riley was looking down at her, a betrayed and hurt look on his face. Once it might have hurt the Slayer's heart, but not anymore. "Why Buffy?" he asked at last, his voice much quieter than she had expected. "What did I do to you that you would torture me this way?"

"Torture you?" the petite blonde snapped, sitting up straight, any sympathy going out the window. "You treat me like a possession, smother me, make light of my duty, and expect me to let you do it: trample all over me? Over my life?! You never knew me, Riley! No matter how many times I tried to tell you! I was scared to get close to anyone, and yet I trusted you, told you everything. I know some of it came out before I could tell you, but that doesn't mean I was hiding it. And never once did I lie to you. Angel and I never–"

"Excuse me."

Buffy cut her tirade off mid-phrase to stare at Tara, standing uncomfortably in the doorway. She took a deep breath and let all of her anger drain away as best she could. She smiled. "Hi Tara."

The blonde witch didn't smile back. "There's something I have to talk to the two of you about. I–it's about the twins."

Buffy glanced up at her ex-lover, then back at Tara's girlfriend. "What is it? Do you know what happened?"

The girl nodded. "Angel told us about Liam, and the father mix up. I...the Powers that Be coerced me into doing a spell several months ago. In my sleep. Willow and I did some research. It was a DNA switching spell."

"You can use magic to change science?" Riley asked incredulously.

Tara looked completely miserable. "Yes. Anyway, when we figured out what the spell was, we thought that it might have been Buffy's child, and the prophesy that was with the spell when we found it said that Buffy's children were destined to be sired by a vampire with a soul." She shifted uneasily on her feet. "When Buffy told everyone it was twins, we thought that both would be Angel's then. We didn't want to say anything until we were sure."

Buffy could hardly believe what she was hearing, but it made a certain amount of sense. It was also the only explanation she had for Angel being Amber's father.

"How dare you not–"

"Shut up, Riley," the Slayer cut him off. "Tara, does that mean that you could still cast this spell on Liam?"

"Buffy!" Riley was taken aback. "Liam won't be mine either if you....or is that what you want?" he backed up, his voice getting loud again. "To get me out of the picture completely?"

"Don't be an idiot," Buffy sighed, tired of his foolishness. "Can you Tara?"

The witch nodded. "I could, and I think it would do what we want."

"Were you in on this too? From the beginning?" Riley's voice had gone up a full octave.

"Riley, I'm going to have them escort you out if you don't shut up and use your brain," Buffy glared at him. "If Liam's DNA is changed from yours to Angel's, then he won't have that defect, and he won't die."

The muscular TA slid back into the chair at her side, obviously thinking, and not happy with the solution.

Buffy turned back to Tara. "Thank you. Let me talk to Riley for a minute."

Tara nodded, grateful for the excuse to leave, and darted out.

Buffy looked at Riley. "You know it's the only way." She was startled when he looked up at her, his eyes wet with tears.

"I don't want him to die, Buffy," he whispered. "Even if I can't spend time with him, he's my son. Just like Amber used to be my daughter."

Her heart thawed as Buffy watched Riley's vulnerable side open up. She'd never seen it before, and likely never would again. "I won't have Tara cast the spell without your agreeing to it," she said at last. "They are yours as much as they are mine."

"They won't be after the spell," Riley sighed. Tears began to fall.

Unsure why she should care at all, but unable to leave him there, Buffy reached out and put one arm over his shoulders. Riley leaned down against her, and cried.

He also wasn't sure how he felt about being the father of Buffy's child. Possibly both if they worked the spell on Liam to save his life. The thought of raising those two tiny angels with Buffy made his heart lighter than it had been even when he and Buffy were together. Therein lay the problem. Did Buffy want him there? Did she still love him? From  her earlier response to his comment about her being his girl, he had been hoping for some affirmation of love. Angel should have known better. Of course Riley had interrupted him. But it was clear that he annoyed Buffy too. She didn't seem to want him around any more than she wanted Angel around these days.

The last two weeks had been a dream, like they were still together, and for a few days he had been able to imagine that they were a couple, and the babies in her womb were his. And now they were. Or at least, one was. What had possessed the Powers that Be to do this? He was sure he would never know.

Finally he could avoid Buffy no longer. At least Riley is probably gone by now, he thought with some slight satisfaction at the idea of Buffy telling the blond TA off. He took a couple of turns and found himself back outside her room, startled to hear the sound of crying coming from her room. Poor, Buffy, he slipped around the door and stopped dead.  It wasn't Buffy who was crying.

Buffy was leaning forward, arms wrapped tightly around Riley, who was weeping. To Angel's horror she was whispering softly in the other man's ear and  comforting him.

Before they could look up and see him Angel darted back out the door, his heart crashing to the floor in a million pieces. Fine, if she wants Mister tall, bland, and normal, she can have him, he thought as he stormed quickly down the hallways, looking for the nearest exit. Buffy obviously didn't want him in her life. And if she didn't want him he wouldn't press her. He had been a good servant and friend, but now it was time to go back to dependable and boring. Isn't that what you wanted? a voice whispered in his head. She has him, and her children. No, my children, Angel answered himself. Not by conception, but by intervention. Did that make it any better?

The door parted before him and Angel disappeared into the night.

Go to Part Ten