Part one....

"I can't believe you'd rather do this than go to Disneyland."

Buffy took a tighter grip on her six year old daughter's hand
as the crowd milled around them waiting for the doors to open.

It was a hot and smoggy Los Angeles day, and the last thing
she personally wanted to do was be where she was. But, it was
Melanie's choice and since it was her birthday celebration, Buffy
had given in as graciously as she could manage.

Her little girl was waiting patiently, far more patiently than she
was herself. The child's quiet and shy demeanor kept her from
romping around the grounds of the convention center as other
children were. She kept her hand tightly in her mother's, watching
the kids with downcast eyes.

Impulsively, Buffy scooped her up and carried her over into the
small amount of shade provided by the building's overhang. Her
baby's golden brown curls were damp with sweat at the hairline,
but she didn't complain about being too hot. Her round blue eyes
were fixed on the wall behind her mother, and Buffy turned around
to examine the poster herself.

Even though the entire cast of the program was featured on the
colorful poster, it wasn't hard to see who the star of this particular
show was. He stood up front, smack in the middle, his costars fanned
out on either side and slightly behind him.

William St. James sported a wicked grin in the picture, his head
tilted slightly to one side. His short hair was platinum blonde, and
his eyes sparkled a bright blue. He was dressed in what she assumed
was some sort of 'space cowboy' outfit, consisting of snug black
pants, a black t-shirt, a short leather jacket, and scuffed boots. There
was a futuristic looking weapon of some kind in a holster slung low
on his hip.

Buffy rolled her eyes. Handsome and charming, and he probably knew
it well.

Although she herself didn't watch the program, Melanie was
devoted to it...and to it's star. She had his picture pinned up in
several places on her bedroom walls, pictures she had carefully
clipped from one of the dozen fan magazines centered around the
show.

A school mate of hers had alerted her to the upcoming convention,
and the child had immediately begun a campaign to win over her
mother's approval for her attendance. Her sixth birthday gave her
the perfect opportunity. She had declined all of Buffy's offers for
a party, turned down a trip to Disneyland, and had even rejected
the idea of taking several friends along to have their hair and nails
done, then to attend a fancy tea party at the Ritz-Carlton.

The only thing she wanted, the child had sworn, was to attend
this convention and see her hero.

Buffy, who had initially nixed the idea for several reasons that
she refused to divulge, had finally given in four days ago...the
same evening she'd had a bitter argument on the phone with her
philandering ex-husband over him canceling yet another weekend
with their daughter.

Melanie had taken the news as calmly as she always did, well
used to this sort of treatment from her father. Angel had never
been much in her life, and she wasn't expecting him to be. She had
simply sat in the middle of her bedroom floor, arranging her dolls
in their beds and kissing them goodnight before silently padding
out into the living room for a glass of milk and a couple of graham
crackers.

Buffy had turned on the television, and when the theme music had
begun for 'Outpost: Space', she had sat down with her daughter to watch,
something she'd never done before. When the first commercial break
came along, she had suggested that maybe going to that convention
was a good idea after all.

Melanie's little face had lit up like a sunbeam, and she had
bubbled over in a most uncharacteristic manner, flinging her arms
around Buffy's neck and hugging her tightly.

After putting the child to bed, Buffy had switched on her computer
and gone looking for information about the upcoming event. It wasn't
difficult to find. She lost count of how many web sites were devoted
to both the show in general, and the star in particular. Printing out
the necessary facts and figures, she'd scanned a few of the 'fan-fiction'
archives and read some of the stories posted there by amateur writers.

She printed three of them suitable to read to a child, then came
across one with a warning on it, a warning stating that the contents
were absolutely not to be perused by anyone under the age of seventeen.

Wondering how in the world they could enforce such a rule, Buffy
began reading the story. It wasn't long before she realized that the
author hadn't been kidding around. This was definitely not for a child's
eyes.

The sexual content was intense. Some of it was a little unbelievable,
but she kept reading it anyway...all the way to the end. By the time
she was finished, she felt flushed and a little antsy. Definitely in need
of a cooling shower, she took one that lasted almost twenty minutes.

But after climbing into bed, she couldn't erase the images the
story had provoked out of her mind. And, since she had a face to
attach those images to...

Sleep hadn't come easily that night.

********************


Still carrying her daughter, Buffy stepped inside a cavernous room
that was blessedly cool. Someone, thank God, had cranked up the
AC full blast.

She looked around in amazement. There was table, after table,
after table, of merchandise pertaining to 'Outpost: Space'. There
were literally no empty places on any of the displays.

T-shirts by the dozen, posters, 8X10 glossies, books, magazines,
videos and dvds, original artwork, knock-offs of the costumes,
cheap copies of the jewelry and weapons worn by the actors,
bedsheets, blankets, stemware, commemorative plates, cell
phone covers, framed autographed pictures, toys, and other
assorted paraphernalia covered the tables...everything a fan of the
show could possibly want.

Buffy mentally calculated the balance in her checkbook. No
way would she be walking out of here without spending a small
fortune on her birthday girl.

She stopped cold when she found herself face to face with
a life-sized cardboard cut out of William St. James. Something
told her she'd definitely be going home with this is the back
seat of her car.

Melanie was enraptured. Although she was only six, she was
very advanced in her reading, far more than the other first
graders in her class, and she had no trouble figuring out the
gist of the message at the bottom of the cut out.

Mr. St. James, it said, was available for a personal photo
and an autograph...for a price. A fairly hefty one.

Buffy was ready to shrug it off....she knew Melanie would be
far too shy to participate in this ritual....when she caught
her little girl's eye.

"Mommy...can I do this?" the child piped.

Truly surprised, Buffy stammered, "This? You mean...have
your picture taken with him?"

Melanie nodded solemnly. "Yes, please, Mommy."

Buffy glanced down at the price list. Geez louise! This guy
sure had a high opinion of his monetary value. "Honey...I
don't know. This is a real person you know...not like Micky
Mouse."

"I know, Mommy. Pleeeese," the child begged.

Sighing, Buffy gave in, hoping she had her credit card in her
wallet.

********************

Sitting in the largest auditorium the convention center had, Buffy
glanced around at the people occupying the seats. They were
all very different...men, women, teenagers and the elderly, all
different nationalities and ethnicities. However, they all had one
thing very much in common...a deep and abiding love for 'Outpost:
Space' and for it's star.

It was standing room only, and she was grateful she'd had the
foresight to arrive early.

When the lights dimmed, the chattering crowd became mute.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second annual 'Outpost:
Space; fan convention!" a voice announced over the PA system.
"The cast and creators of the show are pleased that you could
make it."

The voice recited a list of rules regarding convention etiquette.
Apparently, taking an unauthorized photograph was an offense
punishable by hanging and if they even thought they saw a video
camera being used, heads would be rolling in the aisles.

The show's creator appeared on the stage, and the crowd applauded
mightily. He was followed shortly after by three of the writers, and
they went through a prepared presentation that nearly put Buffy to
sleep, followed by a question and answer session from people lined
up on either side of the stage.

When Melanie suddenly sat up and became interested, Buffy
shook her head to fight off the drowsiness trying to overtake her.

"Okay," the canned voice chirped, "we know who you're all waiting
to see, so we won't torture you anymore. Worldwide Entertainment
is very pleased to present to you...the star of 'Outpost: Space'...William
St. James!!"

The applause was thunderous this time, with most of the people
in the auditorium leaping eagerly to their feet.

Buffy remained seated as the man walked out on the stage, smiling
in a very friendly manner and waving at the adoring crowd.

The minute she saw him, the naughty story she'd read all came
rushing back and her cheeks turned bright red.

Melanie was in heaven, though. Her little hands clapped just as
enthusiastically as everyone else's, and she bounced up and down
in her chair.

Her mother, however, was having a difficult time concentrating on
anything being said on stage. Against her will, her brain was
channeling the words he'd been given to say in the story.

Things like...."You see those stars out there? I'm about to make
them explode behind your closed eyes." and "There's a bed in the
back of the shuttle craft...it's big enough for two. Why don't we
go climb in and I'll cover your body with kisses."

Seeing the face in person, somehow the words didn't seem as
corny as they had when she'd read them.

********************

When the question and answer session was announced, Melanie
shocked Buffy again by begging to participate.

Resigned by now to her daughter's unusual behavior, Buffy gamely
took her by the hand and walked her up to the line.

She stood back, letting Melanie "do it by herself", proud of her
little girl's courage.

But, when it was her turn at the microphone, she spun around
and stared at her mother. Her eyes were wide and her lips
were moving. Buffy recognized the signs of an impending
attack of bashfulness, and her heart broke for her baby.

She crouched next to her. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I...I don't know what to ask. You tell me something, Mommy.
Please?"

"Me?" Buffy said, trying to keep her voice to a whisper. "I
don't know anything about the show...or about him. I..I can't
tell you what to ask. I..."

Her voice trailed off when tears began to pool in Melanie's
blue eyes, and her lower lip began to tremble.

"Oh...don't cry, baby," Buffy pleaded, pushing her
daughter's soft brown curls out of her eyes. "Please, now..."

"Did you want to ask me something, luv?" a soft voice asked.

Buffy looked up and saw that William St. James had come
over to the edge of the stage and was bending over to speak
to Melanie. His voice was kind and encouraging, and his smile
was open and friendly.

Melanie tugged on Buffy's sleeve, redrawing her attention. "What
should I do, Mommy?" she whispered, hiding her face against her
mother's neck.

"Um...well.." Buffy racked her brain to come up with a suggestion,
then leaned over and whispered it in Melanie's ear.

The child's eyes brightened instantly, as she considered it to be
a wonderful question.

Turning to face her idol, she grinned up at him. His return smile
widened considerably as she asked her question:

"Do you have any pets?"



TBC....
 

Part two....



William laughed at the bright innocence of the
little girl's question. "Well, as a matter of fact, I do,"
he replied. "I have two dogs named Belle and Sam.
One's a black lab and the other's a poodle."

He had never been so instantly enchanted by some-
one at any time in his life as he was now by this
tiny angel with the soft ringlets and pixie face.

She had approached the stage with such confident
aplomb that her obvious panic attack had surprised him.
Watching as she turned to look for her mother, his heart
had begun aching for her, and only the thought that it might
frighten her had kept him from jumping down off the
stage to speak with her privately.

Of course, when he'd gotten a good look at her mother,
he'd been doubly eager to join them. Small and slender,
the woman had a fantastic figure and a face that could
stop traffic, and he'd felt a jolt of envy for whoever had been
fortunate enough to marry her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one of the staff
members getting ready to shoo the little girl away from
the microphone. Holding up one hand to stop him, he
sat down on the very edge of the stage. "Did you want to
ask me anything else?"

The little girl turned again to her mother. "Do I, Mommy?"

To William's immense delight, the woman looked down
at her daughter with wide eyes and shrugged, apparently
out of ideas.

The child looked back up at him. "No, thank you," she said
politely.

Her mother stood up and was preparing to lead her back
to their seats. William wasn't ready to see them go just
yet. Before they got more than a few feet away, he spoke
up. "Do YOU have any pets?"

They both stopped and turned around. The child was
smiling, and her mother looked surprised.

"I had a fish," the little one said, "but he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"We had a funeral for him and buried him in the back
yard," she continued, as though there weren't 500 other
people in the room listening. "Mommy was going to flush
him down the potty but that was icky, so she didn't."

The crowd tittered with amusement.

"Really?" William prompted her, thoroughly enjoying
the conversation. "Was it a big funeral?"

"No. Just me and Mommy."

He noted the lack of 'Daddy' being mentioned. Of course,
that didn't really mean anything. Daddy might just have
been at work during the funeral services.

"Mommy says maybe I can have a kitty next year...when
I'm bigger. What?" she added, looking up at her mother,
who was tugging lightly at her hand to try and urge her to
surrender the floor to someone else.

Glancing over at the staff member he'd stifled a moment
ago, William could see that he was getting irritated with
the delay, something the child's mother must have noticed
as well.

Reluctantly, he got to his feet. "Well, I hope you get your
kitten...."

'Mommy' leaned over and said something in the girl's ear.

"Okay," she whispered, then looked back at him and
filled in the blank in his comment. "Melanie."

"Melanie," he repeated, smiling as she was pulled along
by her mother, still looking back over her shoulder at him.

He waved one hand at her, then turned to the other side of
the stage and smiled at the person waiting to use the
microphone.


******************************


Buffy sat next to her daughter, still amazed by what had
just occurred. She tried to follow what was happening on
stage, but she was reduced to simply staring up at the
man who had so easily untied Melanie's tongue.

The child had never in her life...not once...been so free
and openly chatty with anyone other than Buffy herself.

But she and this actor had somehow...the only word Buffy
could come up with for it was 'bonded'. He had been patient
and low key, avoiding the mistake that so many adults made
with shy children; trying to cajole them into joining the fun
by being overly loud and cheery, or by hinting broadly about
all the good things they were going to "miss out on" if they
didn't try a little harder.

Another round of ear ringing applause startled her out of
her silent reverie. William St. James was leaving the stage,
and was about to be replaced by another cast member of
the show.

Melanie turned and tugged on Buffy's sleeve. "Mommy. I need
to go potty," she whispered, squirming in her chair.

Wondering just how long THAT situation had been building up,
Buffy quickly grabbed her hand and led her out of the main hall
and towards the ladies room.

She was holding Melanie up to the sink to wash her hands
when she heard a suspicious growl. Meeting her daughter's
eyes in the mirror, she asked, "Was that your tummy?"

Melanie giggled and nodded. "I think it's hungry."

"I think you're right," Buffy replied, tearing off a piece of
paper toweling to dry two little hands before they could use
her skirt for the same purpose. "Why don't we see what we
can do about it."


******************************

The dealer's tables only had a few people milling around
them, and the buffet area was completely deserted.

Loud bursts of laughter emanated sporadically from the
large meeting room. Melanie had no interest in attending
the other cast member's portion of the show, so Buffy
steered her towards a table by the large picture windows,
in view of the snack bars and buffets.

Keeping one eye on her child, Buffy ordered a late lunch
for them both. She paid for the food and received her
change, then turned to go back to the table.

She nearly dropped the tray she was holding when she
saw who was standing next to the table talking with
Melanie.

******************************

Finding himself with not much to do after his appearance
on stage, William had quickly gotten bored. It would be a
while before his presence was required at the photo op or
the autograph signing, so he managed to slip away from
the people he jokingly referred to as his "handlers".

There was no one in the food service area to be concerned
with, and he stopped at a vending machine and fed change into
it. Collecting the candy bar he'd selected from the bottom
bin, he tore the wrapper off and took a bite, savoring the
chocolate.

He glanced around the room, then did a double take back
to one of the tables.

Sitting quietly, her little legs swinging freely back and
forth, was the cute charmer he'd met at the question and
answer session. Melanie.

He smiled, delighted for some reason to see her again. Un-
able to stop himself, he tossed the remainder of the candy
bar in the trash and headed towards the table where she
sat.

She was looking out the window, and he could see her
lips moving. When he got closer, he heard her counting
under her breath and realized that the window was over-
looking the freeway and she was counting cars.

Not wanting to startle her or attract any other kind of
attention to himself, he kept his voice low. "Hi, Melanie."

The little girl turned and smiled. "Hi."

Strangely, she didn't seem all that surprised to see him.



TBC.....



Part three....


Ordinarily, Buffy would have been instantly suspicious
and on high alert at the sight of a relative stranger
approaching her child and engaging her in conversation.

Both she and the public school system had spent a
great deal of time and energy hammering home the lesson
'Don't talk to people that you don't know and do NOT...under
ANY circumstances...go anywhere with them!'

Secretly, she had always harbored a deep fear that
Melanie's crippling shyness would derail whatever lessons
she had assimilated, preventing her from causing a scene
should anyone try anything. It was one of the many worries
that went hand-in-hand with raising a child in an increasingly
dangerous world, a world that seemed to prey on them in
a brutal fashion.

These troublesome thoughts, along with the other day
to day fears, were the monsters in her closet that sometimes
prevented her from sleeping.

She worried about everything; whether Melanie was
getting proper nutrition...or if she was getting enough
rest. Was she being teased in school? And what about
her teeth? Were they going to come in straight, or might
she need braces someday?

Was she too warm? Too cold? Sleeping too much? Not
sleeping enough? Whenever she caught a cold, Buffy
fretted that it might turn into something worse.

Childhood disease was very high on her anxiety scale,
even though she knew that the odds of Melanie developing
one were in her favor. Logically, she knew it...but in the
middle of the night, the time when all her worst fears began
to run through her agitated mind on an endless loop...she
still feared it.

She worried about leukemia, juvenile diabetes, multiple
sclerosis, encephalitis, meningitis, undetected heart disease,
immune system deficiencies, influenza, hepatitis, fatal allergic
reactions, tetanus, epilepsy, and every virus known to man.

Even the lesser evils...such as chicken pox...scared her.

Since she couldn't bear the thought of anything happening
to her baby, she was afraid that she sometimes overcompen-
sated for it with her extreme protectiveness, leaving her with
a guilt trip a mile wide over the notion that it had perhaps
contributed to Melanie's compulsive shyness.

Buffy also worried about fires and earthquakes, about
killer bees and tainted food, about car crashes and stray
dogs. She felt perfectly justified in that last one because
Melanie...who was sometimes shy to the point of tears with
people...had no qualms whatsoever about animals. She
would fearlessly approach any that she came across, confident
that every four legged creature in the world was as gentle as
she was.

And, ironically, she worried about whether she worried too
much.

Of course, she HAD to do all the worrying...since Angel
did none of it.

******************************


"Why are you all by yourself here?" William asked.

"I'm not. Mommy's getting lunch. See?" She pointed
over his shoulder.

He turned around to look, and sure enough, Melanie's
mother was standing at the cash register paying for
her purchases. No father around at all, it looked like.

Sticking his hands in his front pockets, he leaned
against the table. "So...did your Daddy come along with
you today?" he asked casually.

Melanie shook her head solemnly. "No."

She was frustratingly brief in her reply. If he wanted
more information, he'd have to dig for it.

He definitely did.

"He stayed home, then?"

"I guess so," the little girl shrugged. "I'm not sure.
Maybe."

Not helpful at all.

He was trying to come up with another way of finding
out her mother's marital status when Melanie solved the
problem for him by herself.

"My daddy lives somewheres else," she informed him.

"Oh. I get it." Although he was happy to hear that
Melanie's mommy might be available, he felt a pang of
guilt for being pleased that this beautiful child's home was
broken. But he comforted himself with the thought that
anyone stupid enough to leave this little girl and her mother
really didn't deserve them in the first place, and surely they
were better off without him.

He decided to change the subject. "Are you having fun
today?"

"Oh, yes," she said, giving him a smile that melted his
heart. "I liked talking to you."

William returned her smile. "Well, I like talking to you, too,"
he said sincerely. "Are you going to be staying for the
party tonight?"

She nibbled her lower lip for a moment. "What time is it at?"

"I think it starts at 9:30."

Melanie shook her head, making her curls bounce. "I have
to go to bed at 8:00," she informed him.

"Even on Saturday?" he asked.

"Uh-huh. I can only stay up late on Wednesday."

He felt another tug at his heart. "Mommy lets you stay up for
the show?"

"Yes."

"Does she like it, too?"

Melanie crossed her arms in front of her on the table, and
laid her cheek against them. "She's only ever watched it
once," she said, yawning. "She says mostly TV isn't very
good anyway."

William chuckled. "Well, she's right about that," he said.

"Sometimes she watches movies with me."

"Oh, yeah? What's your favorite movie?"

She thought about it for a moment. "The Little Mermaid."
she said. "What's yours?"

He imitated her thoughtful look. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Melanie nodded.

"The Wizard of Oz," he stage whispered.

"Oh, I like that, too!"


******************************

Buffy took a tighter grip on the tray in her hands, heading
for the table where her daughter sat.

As she got closer, she saw that Melanie seemed to be
completely at ease with William St. James. She wasn't
displaying any of the telltale signs of shyness. There was
no ducking of her head, or turning her face in the other
direction. She wasn't fidgeting or twisting her little fingers
together, and her voice was fairly audible, even from a
distance.

Wondering just what kind of magic tricks this guy was
capable of, she sailed up to the table and set the lunch
tray down.

"Hi." He straightened up and smiled right at her.

"Hello," she murmured, trying not to conjure up any memories
of those X-rated fairy tales she'd read the other night.

"I hope you don't mind...I saw Melanie sitting here and..."

"No," she said quickly. "I don't mind...if Melanie doesn't"

Melanie sat up. "I don't mind, either," she said, examining
the food on the tray.

There was a moment of silence, then William said, "Well,
what are you having for lunch?"

Melanie pulled the top slice of bread from the sandwich
and studied the ingredients. "Tuna fish," she said, wrinkling
her little nose up. "Yuck."

Buffy stared at her daughter. "What do you mean, yuck?" she
asked. "You love tuna fish."

The child regarded her with a steady look. "Fish are
friends," she intoned, "not food."

"Oh, for..." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Melanie...stop quoting
'Finding Nemo' and eat your lunch," she said firmly. Opening
a carton of chocolate milk, she poured it into a paper cup and
placed it in front of her daughter. "Come on, now. Take a big
bite."

Anything but resigned to her fate, Melanie sighed. "It's got
things in it, Mommy," she complained.

Buffy sat down wearily. "Things? What things?"

William was having a difficult time keeping his mirth under
control as he listened to the conversation, and was already
sure in his mind who would prevail.

"What's this?" Melanie held out her little palm, showing
her mother a piece of something covered in mayonnaise.

Buffy looked. "It's a little piece of celery."

"I don't like celery," the girl said promptly.

"Melanie..."

"But, I don't!"

Deciding it was time to wade into the troubled waters before
the little one talked herself into trouble, William finally spoke
up.

"It may be none of my business," he said to Buffy, "and feel
free to tell me to butt out...but I'd be happy to get her something
else to eat. If you wouldn't mind, that is."

By this point, Buffy was too tired to protest. "You're sure it's
no trouble?"

"Not for me, it isn't," he said, letting his eyes linger a bit
on her pretty face. He pulled a cell phone out of his jacket
pocket and punched a number.

Buffy was the first to drop her eyes.

"Jen..it's me," William said to whoever had answered his
call. "Can you have...wait a minute..." He looked at Melanie
and smiled. "What do you want, pixie? You name it and it's
yours."

Melanie didn't hesitate. "Peanut butter and jelly?"

He nodded. "Jen, I want a peanut butter and jelly sand-
wich...yeah...uh, grape?...okay...have them bring it to the
buffet area...no, I'm not kidding...good...thanks." He stuck
the phone back in his pocket. "Just a couple of minutes,"
he promised.

******************************

Buffy sat back, watching as he continued to engage Melanie
in conversation, asking her about school and answering her
questions about 'Outpost:Space'.

Ten minutes after a member of the kitchen staff arrived
with Melanie's sandwich, William glanced at his watch and
sighed.

"I hate to say it, but I have to go. Got to attend the photo
op and sign some autographs."

It was officially the last thing he felt like doing at the moment.
Normally, he didn't mind in the slightest, figuring it was the
least he could do for all the people who were nice enough
to support the show, but today he had other things on his
mind....a sweetheart of a little girl, and her beautiful mother.

"I'm going to do that!" Melanie said cheerily.

All of a sudden, things were looking up! "Great!" he
said, staring at Buffy. "I'll be looking for you...."

"Buffy" Melanie supplied.

Unable to stop himself, he smiled at Melanie and brushed
her curls back from her face. "See you later, pixie," he
said, forcing his feet to start moving.

"Okay."

******************************

"Mommy....can I have some more chocolate milk?"

Buffy dragged her eyes off of William's retreating back and
onto her daughter's face. "Sure, baby...here you go."

"Thank you." She took a swallow, leaving a chocolate
mustache on her upper lip. "He's really nice," she said,
wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

Her mother took over the job with a napkin. "Yes, he is." She
sat back and looked into Melanie's eyes. "You like him
very much...don't you?"

"Uh-huh. Don't you?"

Buffy smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh."




TBC.....