A Starry Night
Sequel to A Rose in the Darkness
By, Angelrose242000
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
Part One—Suburban Life
Five Years Later….
Monday, April 12, 2005
Buffy worked outside planting her newest rose bush Angel had bought her last week. There was little Buffy loved more than having flowers to admire. She’d loved flowers since she was a small girl. Roses were her favorite, but she was partial to the carnation too depending on its color and arrangement.
Now that she had just begun a week off for vacation at her job, Buffy was enjoying every second of it. Dressed in blue jeans and a pink shirt she’d had since high school, with yellow printed garden gloves on her hands, Buffy finished her job, pouring fertilizer around the lively bush. She stood, smiling down at it saying, “Well, I’ve done what I can for now.” There was the watering that after today would be frequent if it stayed as dry as it had been so far. Buffy dismissed it for now though.
She took in the neighborhood that she and Angel had moved into together three years ago and saw that it was still as polished as it had been when they moved in. Leaving his flat when he and Buffy started college at UCLA, the following fall, they moved into a dorm. That was very temporary as it was soon discovered that they no privacy. Not liking it, they moved into an apartment and finally to this neighborhood while Angel worked and Buffy worked and went to school.
Now, a year out of college, Angel worked for himself continuing to fight for the innocent in his office on Tyler Avenue with Doyle and Cordelia still at his side, when they weren’t on sets for their acting career. Buffy was a computer consultant for Werther Brothers the main computer shop in LA. Both did pretty well for themselves and thanks to the bank, were living in their own house. At 24, Buffy was a happily married woman.
She and Cordelia lived within blocks of each other and had surprisingly become good friends…strangely proving her mom right.
Weekends were spent with Doyle and Cordelia coming to Angel and Buffy’s for Saturday afternoon cookouts. Buffy and Cordelia went shopping together and had manicures and makeover jobs done! Buffy helped pick out a nighty for Cordelia to wear at night for Doyle at their four-year anniversary of being together. And of course, the holidays were spent at mom’s. The whole gang would be there from Sunnydale and LA and lots of pictures would be taken, lots of food eaten.
At night, Buffy and Angel walked along the beach, looking up at the stars, holding hands and talking. It was romantic, and a nice break from nights of slaying and patrolling.
Today, Buffy smiled at how much in love she was with Angel. In three months, they would be celebrating their five-year anniversary. Angel had spoken of traveling abroad, visiting Ireland, London, and France. Buffy took all this in for another moment, then turned to walk back into her home.
Looking at hers and Angel’s house, she still enjoyed how cozy and theirs it was. It spoke of Angel and his need for space as it was large, two stories and full of wide rooms. It spoke also of Buffy and her joy for art, paintings and music. The kitchen cabinets spacious and fronted by glass. The floors carpeted in light grays, browns and pinks (for the bathroom). A country house beige and yellow with a front porch swing and a gazebo in the backyard. On the deck a telescope sat, for nights when they chose to admire the stars and constellations. Ever since college, Buffy and Angel had taken on an interest in Astronomy. They had paintings of it in their house, as well as books on the subject.
Buffy gazed at her sand covered feet, and chose to walk around to the back yard deck to keep from getting it all over the carpet in the front room. The sun was beating down on her. Smiling, walking up the stairs, Buffy and her sheers went on inside her airy house. She kicked her sandals off at the patio.
The windows were open today. The weather was simply too nice to keep them shut. Since Buffy got up around the time of Angel these days, she stayed up, cleaned up the place, and opened windows to freshen the house. Stepping inside now, Buffy let herself breathe in the smell of clean air.
Walking to the kitchen, Buffy opened her fridge and grabbed the pitcher of sweet tea and opening the cabinet over the sink, poured herself a nice tall glass. Walking across the room to the far right counter, Buffy grabbed the small jar of odds and ends and reaching inside grabbed a pony tail holder. Reaching for her blonde hair that was shoulder length again, Buffy pulled it up into a high ponytail. She’d been out there just a couple hours, but already sweat was on her neck and she had to get her hair off it.
Buffy still hadn’t learned to love the culinary arts yet; she was a pretty no-nonsense modern woman. This entailed TV dinners, frozen lasagna’s, and any brand food with the name of Banquet on it. Tonight, we’ll have Salisbury Steak TV dinners, Buffy thought with a smile. She patted the top of her dishwasher, thankful again that Angel and she had picked a house with one in it. She wasn’t much for doing dishes either. She’d wash them, but she enjoyed nights when she didn’t have to think of them or heavy cooking… Angel knew when he married her that Buffy was no Betty Crocker. She was a…what could she call herself? Buffy thought. A Vampire Slayer, she answered with a smile. Someone that didn’t have time to worry over a hot stove or wash dishes for hours.
Taking her glass of tea to the bathroom, Buffy turned on the water and planned to clean up in the tub. She was dirty from planting flowers this morning. She just loved the aroma bottles mom had bought her for her birthday a couple weeks ago. Grabbing the cordless off the wall, Buffy set it on the lid of the closed stool and slowly stepped into the lukewarm water. Ah!!! What a nice way to spend a Monday morning!
Cordelia was working hard with Angel and Doyle the same Monday morning. She was answering phones that seemed endless with her cheery voice and making appointments, doing the filing. Her position had remained the same and she still enjoyed it. She’d come to love it more when she realized it was not all she did. She was occasionally in movies now days with Doyle as her manager. He acted in a few with her, on occasion. Mainly, though, he was a manager. He did the official stuff while she simply memorized her lines and acted on stage. Compared to helping others, though, Cordelia learned that it wasn’t as rewarding. She liked acting, but she loved being a service to others far more than being seen as a sex symbol.
No, Cordelia didn’t like being seen as a pretty face with nothing inside. She wanted to be seen as intelligent, fun loving, and worthy of being seen as competent to be a receptionist for Angel or an actress for Starway, the recently popular Movie Company.
And she was.
Mom didn’t understand her love for her acting or her love for Doyle, someone that she was living with but not married to. He hadn’t proposed yet, but Cordelia wasn’t rushing him to either. They were young, they had careers and she was okay with their relationship as it was. It had been this way for four years. It was nice. So maybe she would like for someday to be proposed to, but it wasn’t so important that it would keep her in bed unable to function until she heard the words.
No, Cordelia was stronger than that!
She continued answering phones, telling herself that she was just fine and dandy with how things were with Doyle. Her mother and her friends would have to be patient…as she was having to be.
Until then, she found herself smiling and saying, “Good morning, this is Cordelia, how may I help you?” And attempting to listen to the latest person in need, her own thoughts were once again pushed back….
Doyle was happy with the way things were going with Cordelia and him. At thirty-three he was successful, an aid to the despairing people in LA and in love with a wonderful girl. Correction wonderful woman for she was no girl. Cordelia was strong, independent, and his. Doyle enjoyed knowing this about her. Here lately, though it seemed everyone around them was nudging things to progress further, toward commitments, commitments Doyle wasn’t sure he could keep. Sure he might not be a watcher these days, but could he ground himself as a husband to Cordelia? He wasn’t sure. The cards weren’t 100% his to deal with and predict. No one had guarantees, not in this life. All Doyle could do was enjoy what he had with her. That was what they had done together for going on five years. It was…nice…he could say. Comfortable. Something he could depend on when he got home from work. Cordelia in the house, jabbering to him about something, with her outrageously beautiful smile that attracted him all those years ago and still held him in her grasp. Sure if he were honest, he could say that maybe he was short-changing Cordelia with his desire to have her at his leisure. But until she said something about it, there was nothing he could do about it. Frankly, Doyle didn’t want to have to handle those sticky entanglements right then. Ultimately they might cause rifts between them that he wasn’t sure he could live with. It was selfish as could be, but for some reason, he was simply unable to stop his stalling actions. He tried not to think of it as he pretended to work in the office with the others….
Angel had caught him in his thoughts, spacing off. This wasn’t an unusual thing for Angel to do. Figuring he was thinking about Cordelia again, he smiled and said, “Hey! Doyle! Earth to Doyle.”
Doyle looked up and said in a near stutter, “Wh-what? Whatcha need Angel?”
Seeing Angel needed nothing at the moment, that he was taking a break, Doyle scowled, “Dang it, Angel.”
Angel grinned saying, “Come on. Okay, seriously now, Doyle. What is going on in that head of yours? You’ve been acting spacey for days.” At least, Angel thought but didn’t add. Doyle was his friend, he was concerned about him, but didn’t want to be that obvious, he wanted to hear what Doyle was thinking, not make him mad by boldly prying. By wording it this way, he might get an answer, Angel thought, hoping.
Doyle said simply, “The same thing that has been since I laid eyes on her.”
Angel said nonplussed, “A medium built brunette with brown eyes and a big vocabulary…Cordelia Chase.”
Nodding and looking intently at Angel, Doyle said, “None other.”
Laughing lightly, Angel said, “What you do this time, Doyle?” Doyle and Cordelia played a game in their relationship where Doyle liked to think he was the man of the house but really, it was Cordelia who wore the pants. It made Angel chuckle in amazement that a man like Doyle could wish to live this way, but he seemed to like it fine.
Like Angel was one to talk, he thought with his own smile of admittance. He was every bit as hooked. If Buffy gave him a look or a smile, he became putty right then and there and would generally do whatever she asked of him. Love did the strangest things, Angel thought. It caused men to become boys again and women to be girls, but only to the ones they loved.
Doyle replied, walking around the office that was scattered and a mess. This was one section Cordelia hadn’t been able to reach yet with her filing. It showed. Doyle had to walk around piles of folders and paperwork, as he ran a hand through his hair and said fixated, “I don’t really think I’ve done anything this time. I’ve been helping around the house, trying to keep my stuff picked up, remembering to lower the toilet seat….” When Doyle went through explanations of things with Cordelia or anything he often didn’t think of how open he truly was. Angel had to fight like crazy to keep from letting his mirth show.
Angel asked, “Have you tried talking with her about it?” Doyle said, “Sure I have. But she insists there is nothing wrong with a smile. So I go on, get relaxed and satisfied again being with her.” Angel said, “I wouldn’t worry about it if you can’t imagine doing anything wrong.” Until she came and told him differently and knowing Cordelia, Angel figured she would when she was ready.
Continuing, Doyle said, “I’ve even devoted Saturday nights to watching her kinds of shows, even though I can’t stand most of them.”
Angel asked, “Has she made you watch Titanic and Runaway Bride?”
Raising his eyebrows in a definite show of pain, Doyle said, “Oh yeah! Angel it was murder. I nearly ran from the room in agony.”
Angel said, “Agony? I hardly think it was that bad, Doyle.” Although Angel had seen a few himself that were tests to his patience. Buffy’s pleading voice and cunning ways made him want to please her, even it meant watching Rose say “You jump, I jump remember” five times in one weekend. That was what made him strong, Angel thought.
He grinned at Doyle and said, “Toughen up, pal. Part of having a girlfriend is adjusting to her likes.”
Doyle said, “I guess. It isn’t so bad really. I just wish she would take pity on me sometimes and at least take out the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Burn the son of a bitch. I’d help her!”
Angel laughed and Doyle found himself joining in. It wasn’t really that bad for either of them, they just enjoyed sharing times of male aggravation. Deep down neither would have it any other way….
Buffy had to sit on the stool for a minute after taking her bath. She was woozy for some reason. She contributed it to being in the tub for way too long. Sometimes if she lay in the water long enough she became so relaxed that when she got out she had to give herself a minute to readjust to being on her feet again. She ran a hand through her hair, hearing the phone ringing.
Picking up her cordless on the counter now beside her, having moved it when she got out, Buffy said, “Hello? Oh, hi, mom. You caught me at a good time. I’m just out of the tub and cleaned up for the day.”
Joyce smiled and said, “Good. Then you won’t mind me stopping by? I need to show you some fabrics I’m using to make another afghan.”
Here lately mom had gotten into sewing. She had been working on pillows, blankets, whatever sparked her interest. Buffy had some of both in hers and Angel’s house.
Smiling, while trying to get over this momentary fluke of weakness, Buffy said, “Sounds great, mom. Bring me a plate of brownies too, please.” They sounded wonderful to her just then.
When she hung up the phone, Buffy tried to stand and gently made her way across the hallway, to hers and Angel’s bedroom. She tossed on some clothes, a summer dress of bright green, and pulling her damp hair up into a banana clip; she walked to the couch in the living room and sat. Her mom arrived twenty minutes later but she didn’t find Buffy in the living room reading her latest Roswell novel. Instead, she found her in the bathroom, throwing up….
All Joyce could do was sit beside her and after she was through with her bout, smile half-heartedly and say, “How far along are you, Buffy?”
Buffy wiped her mouth with a wet wash rag by the sink, saying quietly, “I’m guessing six weeks.”
Joyce walked to Buffy and took her into her arms saying, “That’s wonderful!”
Buffy hedged on this saying nervously, “Mom…”
Joyce looked at Buffy, trying to figure her out, something that was often hard to do. She asked, “What is it, Buffy?”
Buffy replied solemnly, “Angel doesn’t know about it yet. I just found out myself.”…. What was a Vampire Slayer supposed to do when she found out she was carrying a child? What would Angel say? How would Giles react? Would she still slay or would that be taken from her? Was she even meant to have children? Giles hadn’t spoken of it in the training she went through.
Buffy’s eyes filled with tears and her mother hugged her hearing her cries as she said, “It’ll all work out, Buffy. You’ll see. Sweetie, you are stronger than you know. Everything will be fine.” Joyce hoped that she was speaking the truth….
