Part Fifty-One

Buffy was worried. Something was amiss with Angel, she could tell. Ever since they returned from Los Angeles almost two weeks earlier, Angel had been quiet and withdrawn, spending most of his free time reading or talking to Geoffrey. Every time she asked what was wrong, he would only shrug and say that everything was fine. She wasn't convinced he had told her the truth.

She met up with Oz after their American History class. "Oz, can I talk to you?"

He looked at her questionably. "Sure."

They moved out of the way of passing students. "I need your help. Well, more or less your point of view."

"Can't ask Angel?"

Buffy shook her head. "It's sort of about him."

"Are you two fighting?"

"I don't think so. He's just really quiet lately, won't talk to me the way he used to. It's almost as if he's distancing himself from me. Pushing me away."

"How long has this been going on?" asked Oz.

"Since we got back from his reunion. What does it mean?"

"I really couldn't tell you, Buffy. Did something happen between you two that might have made him close himself off?"

She paused for a moment. "Yeah, but I thought we worked it out."

"What happened?" "It's personal. I don't know how to get through to him, let him know that I'm here for him if he needs me."

"Have you told him this?" Buffy sighed. "Of course I have. I love Angel, Oz, I want to share everything with him. But that can't happen until he tells me what's wrong."

"Maybe he just needs some time. Angel might need some time to himself to work things out."

"He's had two weeks. What could possibly be so wrong that he can't tell me? Can't touch me, kiss me or even look me in the eye?"

"He won't even touch you?" She shook her head. "Not even holding my hand. It's like he's afraid to be in the same room with me. There's this awkwardness hanging over him and I don't understand it. What does it mean when he won't love me the way he usually does?"

"Buffy, I can't help you there. If Angel won't touch you, which if I understand correctly means he won't sleep with you, he has some kind of issue with it. Maybe he's afraid to."

"I forgave him," she muttered. "What?"

"Nothing. Thanks, Oz."

"Anytime." He patted her shoulder and walked away.

Buffy walked to the Student Union to meet Willow for lunch. She found her sitting with Riley. Smiling, she placed her books on the table. "Hey, guys," she greeted.

"Hi, Buffy. How come you're late?" Willow wanted to know.

"Had to ask Oz something. Hi, Riley." He grinned at her. Ever since she shot him down, they'd become friends. Riley still held hope that one day Buffy would see him the way he saw her.

"Buffy, hi. I was just telling Willow about the party tonight."

"Party?"

"Yeah, at the frat house. It's kind of like an anti- Halloween party. No costumes, just come as you are. Not naked, though."

"Sounds like fun."

"Will I see you there?" Riley asked, hoping she'd show.

Buffy bit her lip. "I'm not sure. My boyfriend and I are going through this difficult phase right now. I don't know if he'll want to go."

"You can always come alone. I can be your unofficial date," he offered with a glint in his eyes.

"Thanks. We'll see."

He nodded and stood up. "Okay. I'm off to grade some papers. Hope I see you tonight."

Waiting until Riley was several feet away from their table, Willow leaned toward Buffy. "What was that about?"

"What?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What you told Riley about having troubles with Angel. I know you're not interested, but you didn't have to lie to him. He was just being friendly."

"I wasn't lying to him, Will. Angel and I are having problems."

"What kind of problems?"

She shook her head. "He's pushing me away. Ever since we got back from L.A.."

"But why? You two are so close, so perfect for each other."

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to say anything? It's really personal."

Willow nodded. "I won't tell a soul. I promise. Did something happen between you two? Did you have a fight?"

"No, not really. The reunion was hard on him. Seeing all the people who made his life so difficult really hurt Angel. I think they might have said some stuff to upset him because…"

"Because what?"

Buffy took a deep breath before whispering what happened. "He tried to force himself on me. He held me to the couch and almost raped me."

Willow's eyes widened in shock. Angel did that? He never seemed like the type of guy to do something so horrible, so violent. He adores Buffy. "Oh my god. He didn't though, did he?"

"No, he stopped after he realized what he was doing. He felt so bad about it, which I understand. But he's been so distanced from me since we got back."

"Maybe he's afraid," suggested Willow.

"Of what? I know it wasn't him consciously doing it. God, he wouldn't even hold my hand or kiss me when we got back. And it was nearly two weeks ago."

"You two haven't…" She let the sentence trail off.

"Not since the next morning. I wanted to show him that I didn't blame him or hate him. But nothing since then. Is it me, Will? Does he hate me?" Buffy sounded like a frightened little girl.

"I don't think it's possible for Angel to hate you. He's so in love with you, and I doubt he's going to throw that away. He made a mistake, you forgave him, you slept with him. Angel might be overwhelmed by it all."

"You're probably right. You don't think it's me?"

"Not at all. Talk to him. Skip the party and talk things out with Angel."

********

Geoffrey waited for Angel by the door when he walked in. "Buffy called while you were out."

"Okay," Angel replied. The older Watcher followed him into the bedroom. "You haven't returned her calls in three days."

"I know. It's hard to be around her." Geoffrey slapped Angel. "Dammit, if you love the girl, call her. Let her know you still care. And I know you still do, I see you staring at her picture and drawing portraits of her."

"You've noticed?"

"It's kind of hard not to see you brooding away most of the day. Why are you acting like this? I hope it's not because of the incident in L.A.. She seems to have moved past it."

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?" Angel shrugged. "Shame. Fear. Humiliation. I'm not the same person I was before."

"Yes, you are. Now, get out of this apartment and go to her house. Talk to her. Explain why you've been acting like a prick for two weeks."

********

He knocked on the front door, not expecting her to be home. At ten-fifteen, she would probably still be out on patrol. After a minute of waiting, Angel turned to leave, but the door opened when he reached the bottom step.

"Angel?" Buffy said.

He turned around, looking toward the door. She stood in the doorway wearing a t-shirt and flannel pants. "Hi, Buffy," he said with a shy smile. "You got my message."

"Yeah." She stepped outside, sitting down on the top step. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I'm sorry. Stuff has been going on. I needed to be by myself," he explained lamely.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Private stuff."

"So private you couldn't tell me about it?" accused Buffy.

"I'm sorry."

She stared at him. "You said that already. Angel, how can we have an open and honest relationship if you keep hiding things from me?"

"I love you, Buffy, and I'm sorry for what I did."

"I know you are. And I forgave you for it. You don't need to be sorry anymore."

"But my whole life has been a lie. I'm not who I thought I was."

Buffy was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Angel explained what he'd learned from Geoffrey about his father. Buffy listened intently to his story, holding his hand all the while. She knew why he'd been avoiding her - he was ashamed of how he came into the world.

"Everything's okay, Angel. I'm here for you," she told him.

"I spent most of my life trying not to be like my father. Now look at me. I am him."

"No, you're not. You could never be like him."

"I almost did the very same thing to you," Angel said softly.

She rested her cheek against his arm. "*Almost,* Angel. But you never followed through with it. You're not your father."

"But-" Buffy silenced him with a kiss. Angel was unsure, uneasy at first, but gave in to the pleasant feeling he got from having her lips on his.

"I don't care who you are, who your parents are or how you came into this world. I still love you," Buffy said after breaking their kiss. She took his hand and led him inside her house.

Carolyn stepped out of the shadows. She'd heard their entire conversation, having followed her son from his apartment. The Slayer has turned my sweet little boy into a monster like his father. I'll show her what happens to people who mess with my family,' she said to herself. `By Thanksgiving, she'll be dead and my Angel will be by my side.

Part Fifty-Two

Carolyn planned for two weeks as to how to kill Buffy. In her eyes, it had to be a demise worthy of her crime. And making Angel love her was as horrible as murder to the vampire. She'd see to it Buffy Summers paid dearly for taking her son away.

Nathan came into the room. "Excuse me, Sire, but may I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"H-how are you going to kill the Slayer?"

"Slowly. And painfully.

He shook his head. "Like, what method?"

Carolyn glared at her childe. "Why should you care?"

"In case something goes wrong, maybe I can help you."

"We'll see. But nothing will go wrong with my plan. It's ingenious. I find the Slayer, bring her here and torture her. She must be taught a lesson, a serious one. I want to see the fear in her eyes. I want to hear her beg for her life. Then, I'll find her boyfriend and force him to watch as I drain the life out of her."

Nathan swallowed nervously. It was extreme, even by his Sire's standards. "You've killed the other two Slayers quickly. Why the change?"

His constant stream of questions were making her angry. "Because this Slayer is hurting me personally. She took something more precious from me than any of my minions."

"What's that?"

She checked the resistance of the chains on the wall. "My son."

*******

Buffy hunched over the toilet, holding her hair behind her head. It was horrible, she'd never felt so sick in her life. For the past twenty minutes she had been kneeling on the bathroom floor.

Mrs. Summers stood in the hallway, listening to her daughter throw up. "Honey, are you okay?"

She sighed. "Yeah, Mom, I feel terrific. It's been about a year since I threw up last and I thought I'd rehash some memories."

"Don't get snippy with me. I'm only concerned."

"I know, but I feel like death warmed over. Ugh, I hate this feeling."

"Is it some kind of bug going around?" Mrs. Summers asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think it was that tuna sandwich I had at school yesterday. It didn't taste right." She bent down to throw up again.

"Are you sure that's what it was? Bad tuna?"

"Pretty sure."

"Well, I'm going to run to the store to pick you up some ginger ale. And don't argue with me. You may hate the taste, but it will settle your stomach."

"Fine," Buffy said hoarsely.

After grabbing her purse, Mrs. Summers walked downstairs to the front door. Upon opening it, she found Angel standing there, his right arm poised to knock. She gasped. "Angel. I wasn't expecting to find you here."

He smiled apologetically. "Hope I didn't frighten you, Joyce."

"Not really. Come on in, I'm on my way to the store. Buffy's not feeling too good," she explained.

"What's wrong?"

"She says it's food poisoning. I have to pick her up some ginger ale."

"I thought she hated the stuff."

Mrs. Summers laughed softly. "She sure does, but it'll soothe her stomach."

"I'll make her a cup of tea while you're gone."

"Thank you, Angel. Be careful, Buffy's crabby when she's sick."

"I think I can handle it."

He made his way into the kitchen and poured a mug of water, heating it for a minute and a half. Rummaging through the cupboards, Angel found some herbal tea bags. Preparing the steaming beverage, he went upstairs, following the sound of his girlfriend's heaving.

"You don't sound so good," he observed, making his presence known.

She turned to look at him. "Angel. How come you're here?"

"I came to see if you wanted to go out for lunch, but I guess I'm staying here to keep you company."

Buffy stood up, her stomach finally feeling a little better. It came on all of a sudden, and left just as quickly. "You don't have to. I think it's going away."

Angel handed her the tea. "Drink this."

She made a face. "Do I have to?"

"For me?"

"Alright." She took a few sips, first blowing on it as not to burn her mouth. "How can Giles drink this stuff all the time? It's vile."

Angel chuckled. "It's an acquired taste." They went into her bedroom, him holding her about the waist. He fluffed her pillows, then helped her crawl into bed, covering her up with her blankets.

"What do you want to watch on TV?" he wanted to know.

"Whatever."

"Any movie you want to watch? I'll go get it for you."

"I'm not helpless, Angel. I can get a movie by myself."

He shook his head. "No way. One wrong move and you're back in that bathroom again. I won't let that happen. Now pick a movie."

Buffy hated being treated like an invalid, but thought that it was sweet of Angel to wait on her. "Pick whatever you want. Doesn't matter to me."

In the entertainment center in the living room, he found several movies he wouldn't mind seeing, and brought them upstairs for Buffy's inspection. "Which one do you prefer?" he asked.

She looked over his choices. Titanic, You've Got Mail, Picture Perfect, and Sliding Doors. All good movies. It was a difficult decision, but after thinking about it for a minute, she made a decision.

"Sliding Doors, definitely. I need romance."

Angel pretended to be offended. "I'm not romantic enough for you?"

"You're perfect; just romantic enough. I mean movie-wise I needed romance. Have you ever seen Sliding Doors?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Well, you are in for a treat. It's such a good movie."

He took the tape out of her hand and put it in the VCR. After he pressed PLAY, Angel carefully sat next to her on the bed.

"You know, I never did say thank you," Buffy said to him.

For what?" he asked, stroking her long blonde hair.

"My new bed. It's very comfy. If I didn't think I'd throw up all over you, I'd ask you to make love to me in it."

Angel laughed. "And have your mother walk in on us? I think we can wait."

********

He spent the rest of the day with Buffy, and by dinnertime, she felt almost one hundred percent better. So much so that she ran her bare foot up and down his leg, lifting his pants in the process. Angel knew it wasn't appropriate for them to be playing footsy under the table, but he couldn't stop her from doing it without drawing Mrs. Summers' attention.

"Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving, Angel?" Buffy's mother wanted to know.

"Nothing written in stone. Geoffrey and I are probably going to make a small dinner or go out," he answered.

"I'm cooking dinner for Buffy and I, and I can't see the point in making a big turkey dinner for just two people. Would you and Geoffrey care to join us?"

Angel smiled. "We'd love to. Thank you."

"Great. I've been looking forward to meeting your father."

"He's not my real father," Angel corrected.

"He raised you, Angel. That makes him your father. And you two are already a part of our family."

They ate for another half-hour. Buffy picked at her food. Her mother's meat loaf wasn't her favorite meal, so she only ate her mashed potatoes. Mrs. Summers and Angel, on the other hand, devoured it. At seven-thirty, Buffy stood up.

"I have to patrol," she announced.

"No, you don't," Angel disagreed.

"Yes. You know the drill, you're a Watcher. Vampires, Slayer, dead vampires."

He shook his head. "No, Buffy. You're still weak."

"I feel much better. You can't stop me. Sacred duty, etc."

"Fine. If I can't stop you, then I'm going with you."

She groaned in annoyance. "Angel…"

"You can't stop me any more than I can stop you. Either I go with you or you don't go at all."

Buffy relented and allowed Angel to accompany her. Grabbing a light jacket, the two of them left the Summers' house. They walked quickly through the neighborhood, starting their patrol in Restfield Cemetery. No sooner had they passed through the gates when a group of eight vampires surrounded them.

"Guess it's a good thing I insisted on coming," Angel said.

"Eight vamps are no problem. Five minutes and they're dust," guaranteed Buffy. "Take out as many as you can. And don't get hurt."

"Same goes for you."

Buffy prepared her stake as five of the vampires advanced on her. The first one to reach her growled loudly, and Buffy shoved him into another of the five, using the distraction to take out a large, clumsy vampire who looked to be about fifty. A middle-aged female ran toward her, and ended up running right into her stake. A second later she was dust.

This is too easy. They hardly put up a fight. With very little effort, she dusted the remaining three. Wiping the dust from her clothes, Buffy turned to help Angel with the three vampires he was fighting. Instead, she found herself looking into the brown eyes of a woman she knew only from a picture in Angel's living room.

"Carolyn," Buffy whispered.

"You must be Buffy. How nice to finally meet you."

"Cut the small talk. What do you want?"

Carolyn smiled. "So pretty. No wonder my son's so taken with you. But a question still haunts me."

"What question?"

"Will he still remain faithful to you after I kill you?"

"What makes you think you'll succeed when so many others have failed?"

She laughed spitefully. "I'm stronger than any vampire you've ever faced. Stay away from my boy." Using all her strength, Carolyn threw Buffy against the mausoleum a few feet away. A nail sticking out of the structure cut Buffy's cheek as she fell to the ground like a rag doll. "He's mine."

Angel dusted his last vampire in time to see his mother throw Buffy against the Allcott mausoleum. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he ran over to the fallen Slayer. Upon reaching her side, he saw the blood-stained grass from her cut, then looked at Carolyn with anger in his eyes. "Why?"

She grinned. "I told you I'd kill her."

"She's not dead. She's still breathing."

"Not for long, I'm sure. See you soon, my Angel." She walked away.

Afraid to move Buffy for fear of a neck injury, Angel took out the cell phone Buffy insisted he purchase and dialed 911.

Part Fifty-Three

Angel knelt next to her limp body, grasping her hand in his. He listened carefully to the sound of her breathing. It was shallow and labored. She had been unconscious for fifteen minutes and Angelwas afraid of how much damage she suffered.

The ambulance pulled up to the cemetery gates, and two attendants stepped out of the back, pushing a stretcher toward Buffy and Angel. "Thank God you're here," Angel said. "She won't wake up."

"Have you tried to move her at all?" one of the attendants asked. He wore a name tag that read Mark.

He shook his head. "No, I was afraid I'd cause more damage."

"That was very smart. You did the right thing."

Carefully, the two men slid a backboard underneath the unconscious Slayer. The other attendant, named Jason, placed a neck brace around Buffy to keep her head from moving. They hoisted her on the stretcher and wheeled her to the ambulance. Angel followed them.

"Are you family?" Mark wanted to know.

"No, I'm her boyfriend. Is she gonna be okay?"

"It's too early to tell. We won't know anything until we get to the hospital."

Angel looked down. He couldn't leave Buffy, not after what his mother did to her. "May I ride in the ambulance? I can't leave her alone."

Jason nodded. "Sure. We need you to fill out some paper work when we get to the hospital and you can give us some background information on the way there."

Angel sat to the side, watching as Mark and Jason checked Buffy's stats. Based on what he remembered from health class, Angel could tell that her blood pressure and heart rates were low. She had an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, an IV in her hand and a sterile bandage over the gash on her cheek. Her cheeks were black and blue, and her jaw hung at an odd angle.

"How did this happen?" Mark asked.

Angel broke out of his reverie. "Excuse me?"

"What happened? Did she trip and fall? Or something else?"

He had to think of something and fast. Angel couldn't very well tell them that his vampire mother tried to kill his girlfriend. "A man attacked us. He stole her purse and pushed her into the mausoleum. She hit it pretty hard. When I saw that she was unconscious, I called 911." It sounded like a believable story.

Mark nodded. "You weren't hurt at all?"

"No, he pushed me out of the way to get Buffy's purse. I don't need any medical attention if that's what you're asking."

"Alright. Can you tell me her name?"

"Buffy Anne Summers."

"Date of birth?"

"January, 19, 1981."

"Her address?"

Angel answered as many of the questions as he could. He didn't know anything about her family history or if she was allergic to any medications. When Mark finished with his questions, Angel turned his attention to his girlfriend. Guilty tears stung his eyes upon seeing her hooked up to the machines. It shouldn't be this way. She should be home watching TV, or at the Bronze with her friends. Instead, she's on her way to the hospital because I couldn't keep her safe.

They reached the hospital in record time. Angel sat in the waiting area of the Emergency Room. He'd called Mrs. Summers as soon as he found a pay phone, because cell phones were prohibited in the hospital. It was pure torture for him to sit there and not be able to do anything. He hated feeling helpless.

Mrs. Summers rushed into the waiting room, flushed and out of breath. Angel stood up and embraced her. "How is she?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know. No one will tell me anything. I'm not a family member," he informed her sadly.

"What happened, Angel? How did she end up here?"

Angel closed his eyes painfully. "A vampire threw her against a mausoleum. I couldn't help her, I was fighting some myself. When I defeated them, I saw her hit the building. So I called 911."

"How bad did it look?"

He shrugged. "I can't tell. She has a cut across her cheek, and she'll be pretty black and blue." He paused for a moment. "Did you call Buffy's dad?"

Mrs. Summers nodded. "Hank'll be here in a little while. I'm going to go talk to one of the nurses. Maybe she'll know what's going on."

"Joyce?" called Angel.

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry. I promised you I would take care of Buffy, and I couldn't do that."

She patted his knee. "Yes, you did. I don't even want to think about what might have happened to her if you hadn't been there."

An announcement came blaring over the intercom system as Mrs. Summers spoke to a nurse behind the desk. "Code Blue, ER 2. Repeat, Code Blue, ER 2. Stat."

The nurse left immediately to tend to the emergency. Mrs. Summers took a seat next to Angel, shaking her head. "She didn't know anything. The doctor will talk to us when they find out."

"Will he be out soon?"

"She didn't say. I'm so scared, Angel. What if my baby girl's never the same again?"

"Buffy will be fine." I hope, he thought.

********

An hour and a half later, when Mr. Summers arrived from L.A., Mrs. Summers and Angel still hadn't heard word of Buffy's condition. The waiting was excruciating, and the two of them fidgeted nervously the entire time. Talking and reading magazines couldn't keep them from worrying. Nothing took their minds off of Buffy.

Mr. Summers ran in and hugged his ex-wife. "How's Buffy?"

Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill at any moment. "She's still with the doctor. She has been here for two hours and we haven't heard anything. I hate not knowing, Hank. That's our little girl in there."

"I know, Joyce. I feel the same way. I'll go see what's going on," he suggested.

"I tried, and they keep giving me the runaround. Nobody knows anything," Mrs. Summers told him. The three of them waited another twenty minutes before the doctor entered the waiting room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Summers?" They stood and walked toward him.

"Doctor, what's wrong? We've been here for hours," Buffy's mother said.

"I'm afraid I don't have good news."

"How bad is it?" Mr. Summers asked firmly.

"Buffy came in with a broken jaw, a deep laceration on her left cheek and three broken ribs. One of the ribs punctured a hole in her lung. She stopped breathing and her heart stopped," the doctor informed them.

Tears ran down Mrs. Summers' face. Her ex-husband held her for support. "Oh my god," she whimpered. Buffy had died.

"We revived her. She's on a respirator and a heart monitor. Buffy is unable to breathe on her own right now, but given some time, I feel that she'll be taken off of it."

Mr. Summers sighed with relief. Buffy would be okay. "How long before she can come home?"

The doctor shook his head. "Your daughter has a serious contusion from the impact of the fall. We don't believe she suffered any brain damage, but only time will tell."

"Will she be okay?"

"She slipped into a coma after she was revived. Buffy might wake up tomorrow, or a month from now, nobody can be certain. But I can tell you that the longer she remains in the coma, the less her chances are of a full recovery."

Mrs. Summers swallowed hard. "She could die."

"I'm sorry," the doctor apologized.

"Thank you."

"There's one more thing I haven't told you. When she arrived here, your daughter was severely hemorrhaging. We did everything we could."

Mr. Summers look at him suspiciously. "What are you talking about, you did everything you could?"

"She suffered a miscarriage. Buffy was almost three months pregnant. I'm sorry for the loss."

Angel, who had been sitting with his head in his hands, looked up. He could have sworn he heard the doctor say Buffy had had a miscarriage. Buffy was pregnant? She was having my baby? The doctor spoke to the Summers' for another minute before walking away.

Mr. Summers stormed over to Angel, anger apparent all over his face. "How could you do that?"

"Hank, don't do this," Mrs. Summers warned.

"Mr. Summers, I don't know what you're talking about." He forced Angel to stand up by grabbing his shirt.

"Don't play dumb with me. You used my daughter for sex, got her pregnant and tried to kill her and the baby. Exactly what kind of a person are you?"

"I didn't do anything to Buffy. And I swear I didn't know she was pregnant," Angel defended. "And I never used herfor sex."

"Why don't I believe you? You're twenty-eight years old and you're sleeping with an eighteen year old girl. Something is wrong with that picture. What happened? Did Buffy tell you she was pregnant and you told her to get rid of it? And when she refused, you decided to do the job yourself?" Mr. Summers accused.

Mrs. Summers forced him to let go of Angel. "It wasn't his fault. I don't think Buffy even knew she was pregnant. She didn't start having morning sickness until today. She thought it was food poisoning, but I had my suspicions. Don't blame this on Angel."

"Mr. Summers, I would never purposely hurt Buffy. I love her," Angel swore.

"Then how did she end up here?"

"We were taking a walk and a man took her purse. He pushed her against a mausoleum and ran away."

"Is that the truth?"

Angel nodded. "Yes, it is."

Mrs. Summers placed a hand on his shoulders. "I am so sorry, Angel. About the baby. I know you'd have made a great father."

Our baby. Buffy's and my baby. My own mother killed our child. "There's something I have to do," he told them.

"Don't you want to see Buffy?" her mother asked. "She's being moved to a room in the ICU. We can see her in an hour."

"I'll be back by then."

"What are you doing?" Mr. Summers demanded. He didn't trust Angel.

"There is someone I have to see first. I do have one request, though."

"What's that?"

"If you call Giles or any of Buffy's friends, please don't tell them about the baby. I want her to know before everyone else."

Mrs. Summers nodded. "It's your decision, Angel. Please hurry back."

"I will." He walked out of the hospital in search of his mother.

Part Fifty-Four

Mr. Summers sat down in his chair. "I don't like him. He's up to something, I can feel it."

"Stop being so suspicious of Angel. He's a good man."

"There's something about him that doesn't sit right with me. Angel said he wouldn't hurt Buffy. Now look what he's done. He got our little girl pregnant and tried to kill her and our grandchild. She was better off with Kevin."

"That wasn't his fault and you know it, Hank, but you're just too stubborn to see. What happened to Buffy was an accident, you can't go around accusing Angel of something he didn't do."

He turned to his ex-wife. "How can you sit there and defend him? Even if he is as innocent as you claim, he still hurt her."

"How?"

"By getting our daughter pregnant. What kind of a man impregnates an eighteen year old girl he's only been dating for a few months? A sick man, that's who. Why can't he find a woman his own age and leave Buffy alone?"

Mrs. Summers had had it with his narrow-mindedness. "They're in love. Maybe if you spent a little more time with your daughter you'd know that. You'd see the way their faces light up when the other enters the room. With just one look at them, anyone can see how much in love they are."

"He's only using her."

She shook her head. "If he were using Buffy, Angel wouldn't have come to me at the beginning of September asking for my permission to give her an engagement ring; he wants to marry her. He's a total gentleman who loves Buffy and wants to make her happy."

Mr. Summers still had his doubts. "He isn't good enough for her."

"Buffy and Angel love each other."

"Love doesn't pay the bills. What kind of a life could he provide for her?"

"The one Buffy deserves. Didn't you see that necklace he gave her for graduation? It wasn't cheap, Hank. Real diamonds and emeralds. Angel's very wealthy, he'll provide a good, stable, secure life for her. You didn't see the engagement ring he bought. Two carat diamond."

"It doesn't mean anything."

"Haven't you been listening at all?"

"You're jaded by his money, Joyce. You don't see the real him, not like I see him. I see a cold-hearted young man who can't take responsibility for his own actions. And when the going gets tough, he runs away. Angel Reilly isn't the type of man our daughter should be associating with."

She was fuming. "You don't know him."

"I know that he walked out of this building without so much as asking how Buffy was. All he cared about was the fact that his baby was dead and he succeeded in killing it."

"What happened to the man I married? The one who believed love could conquer everything?"

"I'm still the same person."

Mrs. Summers made a disgusted face. "No, you're not. You've become hard and cynical, so much so that you can't even see how much Angel loves Buffy. I see them everyday, and there is no way he is pretending to love her or that he's using her. Angel treats her like gold. He never forced her to do anything she wasn't ready for; he puts her first before anyone else, including himself. He's the kind of man every parent dreams of their child finding. And now that Buffy's found him, you say he's not good enough? You aren't a father at all."

"Don't say that. I love my daughter and I want her to be happy."

"Angel makes her happy. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because she's lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines and we don't know if she'll ever wake up. And that man could have stopped it from happening." His voice cracked with emotion.

"He couldn't have stopped it. Things got out of control and Buffy got hurt. Stop pinning the blame on Angel. It's not his fault."

********

Geoffrey made a move to unlock the door to Angel's apartment. As he stuck the key inside the lock, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He gasped when he saw who stood behind him.

"Long time no see, Geoffrey," Carolyn greeted with a smile.

He took a nervous breath. "C-Carolyn," he stammered. "What are you d-doing here?"

"I thought I'd stop by, see how you were doing. It's been twenty-two years, we have a lot of catching up to do."

"I have nothing to say to you." Geoffrey knew he was in a vulnerable position. He'd only be safe inside Angel's apartment, where Carolyn couldn't follow.

"Oh, but I have a few things I want to say. Let's play Twenty Questions, shall we? I'll start. How have you been?" she asked.

"Fine, up until now."

She smiled once again. "See, that was easy. Next question. Why the hell did you take my son?" Carolyn demanded.

"I wanted Angel to be safe."

"From me?"

"Yes. I was afraid of what you'd do to him."

"I'd never hurt my son. Although, it was kind of you to raise him to be just like you. A Watcher. But what pisses me off is that you took him away from me. I'm his mother. And your influence has done nothing but turn him into a combination of you and his real father. A handsome young man who has to force Slayers to sleep with him. Didn't do such a good job there."

Geoffrey vehemently shook his head. "Angel's not like his father. He has a conscience, and stopped before he hurt the woman he loves."

"Yes, the Slayer. He must have gotten that from all those years of being around you." Carolyn noted the blank look on Geoffrey's face. She ran her pointer finger down the front of his shirt. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about the night we made love. It was raining all night, and I was out on patrol. You had put Angel to sleep by the time I came home. I remember that I was shivering from my damp clothes and you put your arms around me. The next thing I knew, we were in your bed and you were making love to me. All night, Geoffrey. We didn't stop until we heard Angel waking up the next morning.

"I've had a lot of lovers since that night, but none of them treated me the way you did. You were the best. And I know it's been a long time, but what do you say to a repeat performance? They say men get better with age, and I've learned a lot since that night twenty-three years ago. Things you couldn't even dream of. Just invite me in and we'll do it all over again," she said in a husky voice.

"He's not inviting you in," Angel told her.

Neither of them heard him approach. "Angel. You've heard our big secret. Shame on you for listening in," Carolyn chastised.

"That you and Geoffrey were lovers? I knew that."

"How's Buffy? Is my count up to three Slayers yet?"

"She's alive."

"Too bad. I must be losing my touch. Oh well, there's always next time," she said.

Angel shook his head. "There won't be a next time," he vowed.

"I won't rest until she's gone from your life."

"Leave her alone and I'll join you," he said to his mother.

"Angel, no!" Geoffrey tried to stop him.

"Why?" asked Carolyn.

"Buffy's never going to wake up; my life is empty without her. I might as well be dead. Make me like you, Mother, and I'll stay by your side."

She grinned. "You've finally seen the light. Son, you'll make a fine childe."

"Show me your world."

"Before I do, how much did I hurt her? `Cause I want to know. She deserved everything that happened to her."

He stared in her brown orbs, lacking any kind of emotion. "Let's say I lost more than just the woman I love."

Carolyn switched into game face and Geoffrey watched in horror as she reached for her son's neck. He couldn't believe that Angel was going through with it.

Angel silently reached up his sleeve for the stake he had hidden in there. When he felt his mother's fangs prick the skin, he reached around her back, pushing the stake through her heart. "Angel?" she said before exploding into dust.

"I lost my child," he whispered. "Not just Buffy, but our baby."

********

Mrs. Summers led Angel to Buffy's room. "I'm going to warn you now, she doesn't look good. I don't want you to be afraid of what you see. There's a lot of machines in there. Don't stay for more than five minutes, doctor's orders."

He nodded. "Thank you, Joyce."

"No, thank you."

Angel opened the door, hearing only the sounds of the heart monitor and the respirator. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Buffy. Her head was bandaged up and she had a fresh, sterile dressing on her cheek.

She looked like a fragile china doll, dwarfed by the size of the bed. He couldn't help but let the tears flow upon seeing her so hurt. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you; that I couldn't save you from my mother. I had no idea she would hurt you so badly.

"She's gone now, I killed her. She took so much from me tonight. My mother crossed the line when she put you here. I wasn't sure before if I could kill her, but I had to. It's one thing for her to attack me and make threats, but it's another to follow through with them. She almost killed you, Buffy. And she *did* kill our child. The one thing I ever did right in this life and she took it away."

He sniffled and placed his left hand on her stomach, where their baby resided twenty-four hours earlier. "We were going to have a baby together. Something we made together, a child conceived out of our love. And now he or she is gone, and we may never have the chance to recreate that miracle. The three of us, we would have been a family. Now it's gone. The one perfect thing we created is dead before we even knew about it. It isn't fair. You two were innocent, it shouldn't have happened.

"Buffy, I love you and I need you. Please wake up. Don't do this to us. Your parents are so worried, they don't want you to die; none of us do. Without you, I don't think I can go on. You mean everything to me. Wake up." Hot tears ran down his cheeks. "Please, God, I know I don't pray much, but you have to let her wake up. So many people need her. I need her. I'm nothing without her."

A nurse stepped into Buffy's room. "Excuse me, sir, but I have to ask you to leave now."

Wiping away his tears, Angel nodded. He bent down to kiss Buffy's lips. "I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. I promise."