Part twenty-three...

 

 

 

Buffy placed a bowl of cereal in front of Melanie, then

sat down opposite her.  She dumped a spoonful of

sugar into her coffee, stirring it for a moment before

replacing the spoon on the table.

 

"Your dad called last night," she said casually, taking

a sip of her coffee.

 

Melanie just kept on eating.

 

 

Inhaling a deep breath, Buffy went on. "He wants to take

you out for some dinner tonight and give you your birth-

day gifts.  Won't that be fun?"

 

"Uh-huh," her daughter nodded, chasing stray Cheerios

around the outer rim of the bowl with her spoon. "Are you

coming, too?"

 

Buffy hadn't expected that particular question, and it

threw her for a moment. "No, sweetie, not tonight. This

is just for you and your dad," she said, hoping the child

would let it go at that.

 

Melanie looked up. "Then you'll be all by yourself."

 

Well, there was no getting around it. Buffy knew that if

Melanie thought her mother was indeed sitting around

on her own she'd  fret about it.

 

"Actually...William asked me out to dinner, so..."

 

Buffy braced herself for a protest of some kind,  but

Melanie surprised her by smiling brightly. "Are you

going to go?" she asked eagerly.

 

Buffy sat back and studied her daughter's expressive

face. "Yes," she said slowly. "But I'll make sure I'm

home before you."

 

"Okay."  Melanie climbed down from her chair and

ran upstairs to brush her teeth.

 

It wasn't difficult to figure out what was going through

the little girl's mind. Melanie was still heavily into the

notion of William taking over the usually vacant position

of 'Daddy' in her life, but in order for THAT to happen, 

Buffy had to be on the bandwagon as well. 

 

Using the child's simple logic: Mommy + William+

going out alone on a date = falling in love, which would

lead quickly to marriage, the end result would be 

'brand new daddy'. 

 

But as much as Buffy was beginning to warm to the

idea herself, she wasn't ready to pin her dreams on it. 

She wasn't even certain exactly how she felt about him

yet. 

 

Just because her heart began beating double time

in her chest every time she saw him, and chills raced

up and down her spine when she heard his voice, and

her body turned to pliable clay in his hands when he

touched her....well, all that didn't necessarily mean that

she was in love with him.

 

She'd only known him for a very short time, less than

ten days. How could she possibly be in love with him?

 

"I can't be," she said firmly, clearing the dishes off the

table and carrying them out to the kitchen. She twisted

the faucets on and waited for the water to run hot, then

squirted a glob of Ivory dish soap into the sink and let it

fill. "It's way too soon to even think about something

like that."

 

Turning off the water, she dried her hands on a paper

towel and left the dishes to soak, then took Melanie's

lunch box out of the fridge and went to wait  for her at

the bottom of the stairs.

 

And it wasn't as though he'd come out and said anything

about love to her. Yes, he'd MADE love to her, wonderfully

passionate love, and he'd said all the right things as he did

so, but the only one he'd openly declared himself to

was Melanie.

 

Of course....SHE hadn't said anything either. Maybe he

was waiting for her, for some signal that she was ready

to be responsive to such a declaration. 

 

He'd admitted that he'd never been in a serious relationship

before meeting her. That meant that he did indeed consider

their relationship to be a 'serious' one, didn't it? 

 

And if that was true, how serious was it for him?  How

serious did she want it to be?  What if his idea of serious

wasn't the same as her's. What if.....

 

"What if you stop asking 'what if'?" she ordered herself,

shaking off the introspective mood she'd fallen into, and

smiling at her daughter as she skipped down the stairs.

 

Melanie picked up her lunch box and backpack, 

waiting on the porch for Buffy to lock up the house. She

hopped an imaginary hopscotch board across the lawn

to the driveway, then climbed into the car and plopped

herself down in her booster seat. 

 

Buffy buckled her in, handing her the pair of bright yellow

plastic dark glasses shaped like daisies she'd bought to

shield the child's eyes from the bright morning glare of

the sun.

 

In the driver's seat, she keyed the ignition, then glanced

at Melanie in the rear view mirror. "Flaps down?"

 

"Check!" her daughter responded brightly.

 

"Landing gear up?"

 

"Check!"

 

"Ready to rock?"

 

"Ready to roll!"

 

Turning up the radio, Buffy backed out of the driveway and

headed for Sunnydale Elementary School.

 

 

 

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

 

 

She moved through the day without once losing the

sense of giddy expectancy she'd woken up with. 

 

The prospect of going out with William alone kept her

emotions churning, giving her a boost of adrenalin that

kept her moving and busy.

 

Turning over the store to Willow and Anya at noon, she

ran down to the salon on the first floor and had her hair

washed, conditioned and trimmed. While she was there,

she decided to splurge and have her nails done as well.

 

She picked Melanie up at 2:30, listening to her

chatter all the way home about a prospective field trip to

visit a real farm. Apparently, the opportunity to milk a cow

was going to be made available to the children, as well

as the chance to see baby chicks hatching.

 

Buffy made all the right responses, even though her mind

was only halfway attentive.  She promised to sign the

permission slip immediately upon arriving home after

Melanie informed her that the children who returned them

promptly would earn a smiley face sticker on their weekly

progress chart.  If enough of these stickers were

accumulated in the allotted time, they could be ex-

changed for small treats from the student store on Friday

afternoon.

 

At four o'clock, she took her daughter upstairs and

gave her a bath, then supervised her choice of wardrobe.

 

By five thirty, she had Melanie dried and dressed, her

hair neatly brushed.

 

Parking her in front of the television, Buffy popped a

video into the VCR and dashed back upstairs to bathe.

 

She pinned her hair up and sank into a tub of steaming,

fragrant water. Too on edge to linger, she washed

herself from top to bottom with rose scented

body wash, then shaved her underarms and legs to a

satiny smoothness.

 

Pulling the plug, she let the water drain out and

wrapped herself in a towel  She stood at the sink and

brushed her teeth, rinsing with a peppermint smelling

mouthwash.

 

Back in her bedroom, she made up her face...giving

herself a more dramatic 'evening' look...and brushed

her hair till it gleamed in the lamplight.

 

"Not bad," she said to her reflection when she was

done. "For an old mom, you look pretty darn good."

 

She gave herself one last smile in the mirror before

diving into her closet for the 'little black dress' that had

been hanging in the back of it for months. She'd bought

it on impulse, with no clue as to when she might have

an opportunity to wear it.

 

The dress was short and clung nicely to her curves,

with a scooped neckline that revealed a great deal more

than she normally cared to.

 

Laying the dress out on her bed, she donned a lacy

black bra and panty set that she'd hardly ever worn. A

pair of sheer stockings encased her legs, held up by

an elastic band of lace on her upper thighs.

 

When she was satisfied by all aspects of her appear-

ance, she gave herself a final once over in the mirror,

pleased with the results.

 

"You know," her reflection seemed to say, "for someone

who's not in love, you're really pulling out all the stops."

 

She grabbed an evening bag and loaded her essentials

into it, ignoring the comment.

 

As she walked downstairs to join Melanie in the front

room, she heard the tinkling chime of her brass mantle

clock strike 6:00 p.m.

 

 

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

 

The promised time of Angel's arrival came and

went with no sign of him.

 

Buffy sat on the couch beside Melanie, only getting

up once to replace 'Cinderella' with 'The Lion King'.

 

6:15 passed, then 6:30, then 6:45.  By five minutes

to seven, she was internally climbing the walls, feeling

that old familiar anger towards her ex-husband begin

to stir inside her.

 

Forcing herself to remain calm, she stared at the

television without really seeing any of the action on

screen.

 

Although she was by no means surprised by Angel's

non-appearance, her irritation at it was approaching

a level she'd not felt since divorcing his worthless

hide.

 

"Maybe he forgot," a little voice piped softly.

 

Turning to meet her daughter's eyes, Buffy swallowed

the hard lump of anger that was building up in

her throat.

 

She had promised herself a long time ago that

no matter how she might personally feel about

Angel at any given time, she would never say a

harsh word about him in front of Melanie, and would

always try to find a plausible excuse for her father's

behavior. 

 

It was a stretch, but she managed it once again. "I

don't think so, sweetie," she said, brushing her hand

over the child's curls. "He might be stuck in traffic."

 

**With a cellphone in his pocket** she added silently.

 

 

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

 

At exactly 6:59, when she was on the verge of

going  upstairs to call Angel, Buffy heard a car pull

into the driveway. She turned on the couch and moved

the curtains aside, seeing her ex-husband step out

of the Mercedes Benz he'd bought himself less than

six months ago.

 

Relief washed over her, but its euphoria was short

lived when she saw a silver Carrera glide to a stop in

front of the house.

 

 

 

 

Part twenty-four...



"Mommy?"

Buffy opened her eyes. No amount of counting or
wishing was going to get her out of this one.

Both William and Angel had arrived.

At the same time.

"Mommy?"

Melanie's voice was taking on the fretful note
Buffy recognized all too well. It was the tone she
most often heard when the little girl was distressed
about something and was close to tears.

She couldn't fall apart about this. Not now, with
Melanie sitting here.

And the more she thought about it, the more she was
certain that there was no earthly reason for her to fall
apart. She was a grown woman, and she had absolutely
no obligations to Angel anymore. She was perfectly free
to go out with whomever she chose, whenever she chose
to do so.

Pasting a smile on her face, she took Melanie's hand and
walked her over to the door. "Nothing's wrong, baby," she
said, kneeling beside her daughter and smoothing her hair.
"Daddy's here to get you. Do you need to use the bathroom
before you go?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh."

Taking a deep breath, Buffy stood up and turned the
doorknob. "All right, then," she said brightly, opening
the door.

Her heartbeat picked up its pace considerably when
she saw William. He looked wonderful; dressed mostly
in black and it suited him.

Black silk trousers, with a perfectly cut button down shirt
tucked into them that must have been tailored for him, it
fit him so perfectly. He had a pair of expensive looking
sunglasses on that hid his eyes from her scrutiny, but
he was definitely looking at Angel and probably sizing
him up.

Angel was returning the favor. Dressed in one of his
ridiculously expensive suits that he'd never allowed
Buffy to have cleaned by anyone other than an exclusive
and obscure laundry service clear on the other side of
town. As she watched, he began walking a bit faster,
obviously trying to beat William to the front door.

But William hung back a little, not allowing Angel to
make a contest out of their arrival.

Holding Melanie's hand, Buffy stepped out onto the
porch. "Hi, Angel," she said, pulling the child around in
front of her.

"Hey, babe," he said casually, climbing the porch
steps and leaning down to brush a kiss across her
cheek before she could pull away. His eyes traveled
up and down her body. "You look sensational."

She ignored the compliment and heard him laugh
softly before he turned his attention to Melanie.

"Hi there, kiddo," he said, his voice a touch too
jovial in the manner used by a person who wasn't
all that good with small children.

"Hi," she answered him, so quietly that it was almost
inaudible, pushing back against Buffy's legs.

By now, William was standing on the bottom step of
the porch, leaning against the railing. Buffy could tell
that he was preparing to give an Emmy award winning
performance that would completely disguise the truth
of his opinion regarding her ex-husband.

Angel stepped back and gave William an appraising
once over. "Angel Conner," he said, extending his right
hand.

Buffy's cheeks turned pink. Introducing them had been
her job. She was allowing herself to get flustered.

After a hesitation that anyone with eyes could see was
quite deliberate, William stepped up onto the porch and
shook Angel's hand. "William St. James."

Angel's head tilted slightly. "St. James," he mused. "Now,
where have I heard that name before?"

"On television," Melanie supplied helpfully.

Thinking it over for an insultingly long time, making it
clear that he felt William to be of such little importance
that he had to search his mind high and low for recog-
nition, Angel finally nodded. "Ohhhh...yeah. Now I've got
it. You're on that Star Trek wanna-be show, right?"

William just smiled. "Something like that," he said,
visibly dismissing Angel from his mind. He knelt down
beside Melanie and smiled. "Hello, pixie. How's my
best girl?"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Even if he'd known nothing about Angel Connor before
this moment, William would have wholeheartedly
disliked him.

He oozed smarmy, arrogant superiority, the kind
that blared, "Hey, notice me! I only wear and drive
the very best! You WISH you were half as important
as I am!"

When he'd observed the way Angel had picked up
speed to beat him to the porch, he'd hung back,
refusing to play 'King Of The Hill' with Melanie's father.

His deliberate calm had only wavered for a moment
when Angel had leaned down to kiss Buffy's cheek,
whispering some kind of comment in her ear in an
intimate way that William detested.

It was restored after seeing her reaction to it...the
turning of her head and the way she'd pulled back
from him.

William had no trouble seeing just what kind of show
Angel was going to be putting on. He'd dealt with too
many of the same types of phonies not to recognize one
when he saw it. Lawyer or not, the man was no actor.
His surface charm, which was being laid on a little
too heavily to be real, was pretty much all he had.

Even though he had no intention of playing whatever
game Buffy's ex was starting up, some small and
childish part of him was more than a little pleased to
note Melanie's reaction to her father. She was clearly
going along with all this just because she felt she
should.

The child's wide blue gaze lingered on her mother's
face, then glanced around the yard, then stared down
at her shoes. She never really made eye contact with
her father at all, even when he spoke directly to her.

Hating himself just a bit for it, he decided to make a
point of his own. "Hello, pixie," he said, turning his
back on Angel and kneeling next to Melanie. "How's
my best girl?"

Her little face bloomed as she returned his smile.

Tousling her soft curls, he stood up and met Buffy's
eyes. "And," he added softly, "how's my other girl?"

To his intense delight, Buffy smiled and lifted her
face. He took immediate advantage of the opportunity
and dropped a kiss on her lips.

Melanie giggled.

William pulled away and looked down at her. "And just
what's so funny, giggle box?" he asked, tweaking the
tip of her small nose.

"You kissed Mommy," the little girl said, then tilted
her head up and looked at her mother.

William looked from Melanie to Buffy, and promptly
forgot all about Angel. "I did, didn't I?" he said quietly,
caught up in the intense emotions rising in him,
emotions he could see reflected in her eyes.

The moment was far too brief. Before he could analyze
what he was seeing and sensing, Angel Connor once
again made his presence known.

"So," he said, a little too loudly, "how long have you
two been...seeing each other?"

Buffy answered first. "Not long."

"Ten days or so," William added.

Angel shoved his hands in the front pockets of his
trousers. "Is that a fact? Where did you meet? I mean,
Buffy's not exactly the type to run with the Hollywood
elite. She's kind of a small town girl....aren't you, babe?"

Surprisingly, Melanie jumped into the conversation.

"We went to the convention," she announced. "And then
we had dinner...and then we had ice cream....and we went
to see his house...are the doggies still there?" she asked
William.

"Yes, pixie, they're still there. And speaking of the conven-
tion...I have something for you in my car." William held
out one hand and Melanie finally pried herself away from
her mother and walked back down the sidewalk with him.

Buffy didn't give Angel a chance to say anything. "I'll get my
keys and you can get Melanie's booster seat out of my car.
And make sure she's buckled in right."

"I will." Angel yanked his hands out of his pockets and
checked his watch, a new one that Buffy had never seen
him wear before. "Christ, Buffy....she's my kid, too!"

They stood there, staring at each other for a long moment,
and Buffy was on the verge of pointing out the numerous
occasions when he'd forgotten the very point he'd just made.

"Mommy! Lookit, Mommy!" Melanie's voice was bright
with excitement as she ran back up the sidewalk, holding
a large manila envelope in her hands. "Lookit! It's our
pictures."

Buffy accepted the envelope from her daughter and removed
the contents. "Already?" she asked, remembering the
fine print at the bottom of the form she'd signed, the one
warning her that the pictures probably wouldn't arrive for at
least four to six weeks. "How?"

William shrugged, rejoining them on the porch. "Pulled a
couple of strings."

The three glossy 8X10s taken at the convention had come
out beautifully. Melanie's smile in the one she'd had taken
with William was incandescent. Buffy wasn't thrilled with the
one of her and William alone. She definitely looked nervous
in that one.

The best was the picture of all three of them. Seeing
it now reminded Buffy of the moment it was snapped,
when she had looked at William instead of the camera,
and had found him looking back at her.

Melanie, in between them, was glancing upwards,
and it gave her the look of a small angel petitioning
the Lord for a big favor.

**Which....in a way....was pretty much what she was
doing** Buffy thought.

"I think," she said, smiling down at her daughter,
"we should have these framed. How about you?"

"Okay...I do, too."

Angel, who was apparently getting tired of being ignored,
craned his neck to see the photos. "Cute," was his only
comment.

Buffy glanced at him, then looked at William for a possible
reaction. He simply smiled, pretending to take Angel's terse
statement at face value for Melanie's sake.

"Let me just put these inside, baby." She slipped the
pictures back into the envelope and placed it on the coffee
table, then grabbed her purse. "Here," she said, handing
Angel her keys.

Buffy watched as he moved Melanie's booster from her car
to his own. Taking a deep breath, she knelt beside her
daughter. "You have fun with Daddy, okay? I have my cell
phone if you need anything and he has the number."

Melanie nodded, then looked up at William. "Will you be
here when I get home?"

The longing in the little girl's voice was plain to hear, and he
had no intention of disappointing her. Without caring one iota
as to how Angel might feel about it, he picked Melanie up and
gave her a hug and kiss. "Of course I will, pixie. Cross my
heart."

Melanie, who had little faith in the promises made by her
biological father, believed him utterly and without question.

"Okay," she said as he set her on her feet.

By this time, Angel had returned to the porch. "All ready
to go?" Melanie nodded, and he looked at Buffy. "I'll have
her home in a couple hours" he said, returning her keys.

She nodded. "It's a school night," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. I take it you're going out, too? You should
probably tell me where you're going to be, just in case."

"I have my cell with...."

"Veronique's," William interjected smoothly.

For the first time since his arrival, Angel looked slightly
dumbfounded and a little envious...and Buffy knew why.

Veronique's was a highly exclusive restaurant, with a re-
servation list at least six months in advance.

William had obviously pulled more than one string.

"Really?" she asked, honestly surprised.

"Of course, really." He slipped one arm around her
waist and pulled her close. "Only the best for you,
love."

For herself, Buffy couldn't care less about impressing
Angel, but she understood William's need to show him
up a bit.

She leaned down and exchanged a kiss goodbye with
her daughter. "See you in a little while, okay?"

"Okay." Melanie accepted her father's outstretched
hand and walked with him to his car.

After buckling her in, he closed the door and gave
Buffy a brief wave.

William copied the gesture with a wide smile. "I really
don't like him one bit," he said softly. "In fact, I may
even hate him."

"I can see that," she replied, her own smile painted
on a little too brightly.

Angel glanced at the street. "Nice car."

"Your's too," William replied in a friendly way, then
under his breath again,still smiling, "Driving around
in a new sixty-five thousand dollar car while the mother
of your child has one that's falling apart, you selfish
prick."

Buffy bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"I really...fucking...hate him."