Chapter 26
Angel watched the twins sleep in their cribs. It had been two days since Buffy had died. The doctors had proclaimed that the babies could go home since the hospital was in such ruin and the babies were perfectly healthy anyway. Dawn had been a huge relief to have around. She took care of the twins when Angel was just too depressed to even climb from his bed. He hadn't named them, yet. He couldn't decide on any names. Buffy had saved a few names for boys and for girls on their computer, but Angel had never found out which ones were her favorites. Another miraculous thing had happened also. Just after Connor had discovered his mother had died, he disappeared. When Dawn had gone back to the Hyperion to check on Giles and Xander and get some of the baby clothes she knew were there, a two year old Connor was in the arms of Grandpa Giles. Giles had explained that he had just shown up in the lobby. They knew it was Connor because of his hair and his eyes. He was almost a dead ringer for Buffy when she had been that age.
It was amazing that he could feel so depressed when he had a heartbeat in his chest. These were supposed to be the happiest days of his new life. He had healthy tinw babies, he had Connor back where he was supposed to be, he was alive, Dawn was home... But Buffy wasn't here to revel in the happiness. All the Slayers had been returned to their homes, perfectly normal girls. Willow was no longer a witch, Faith wasn't a Slayer, Spike was a human again too, Illyria had gone on, realeasing Fred's soul to be with Wesley. They didn't know if Lorne was ok, but they all had a nagging suspiscion that he was fine and human. No one knew how they knew, they just did.
"Angel?" Dawn asked, coming into the dark den. She was carrying the twins in their carriers and Connor was tagging along behind her. "I need help. The twins are hungry."
Angel sighed and got up. He took the carriers and placed them on the couch. Connor ran up to Angel and hugged his arm tightly. "Daddy!"
"Hey kid." Angel said, kissing his first son's head.
Dawn handed Angel the two bottles out of her back pockets. "I have to go get some more formula. We didn't buy enough because we thought Buffy would... Never mind. You want me to take Connor with?"
"No. He can stay here and help me feed the twins."
"You know, we really need to name them."
"I will."
"Ok, well... I'll be back." Dawn hesitated for a second, but then walked out.
Angel became preoccupied with feeding the twins. Connor tried to help, but he was only two, so his attention span quickly waned and he moved over to the toys Dawn had given him. Angel was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't feel the prescense walk into the room. Connor did though, and he turned around and yelled, "Mommy!"
Angel looked at his son. "Connor, no... She's..."
"Wondering why my house is such a mess." Buffy said. "And why Connor is playing with a baby doll."
"Buffy?" Angel stood up and stared at his dead wife standing before him in a beautiful, long white dress.
"Yeah."
"But..."
"I died. I know. Got a reprieve."
"How?"
"Let's just say I'm not the same Buffy."
"I don't..."
"I'll explain later. Right now, my two year old is trying to rip the skirt off my dress." Buffy bent down and picked up her son. "Hey kiddo, mommy missed you."
"How did you know it was him?"
"I changed him back."
"You..."
"I'll explain later." Buffy walked over and sat down between her twins. She smiled down at each of them in turn. "Hello my beautiful Macon Andrew." She said to her twin boy. Then to her girl, she said, "Hello my darling little Madison Amanda."
"Those are the names you liked the most?" Angel asked, moving over to stand in front of Buffy. He still didn't believe she was real.
"Don't think that. I am real."
"You can read my thoughts?"
"Only glimpses. I'll explain later."
"You keep saying that."
"Because I will. Once everyone is together, I'll explain everything." Buffy set Connor down and he ran over to play with his toys. She stood up and moved over to Angel.
"Are you..."
"I'm real." She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "And so are you." Angel gently wrapped his arms around Buffy. Once they were tightly in each others embrace, they both began to cry.
"I was so lost without you."
"I know. I'm so sorry for all of the suffering you were put through. I never wanted it."
"Is your body..."
"No. This is my body. It's just been modified a little."
"Modified how?"
"I'll explain..."
"Later." Angel laughed. "Didn't miss that stuborness."
"Yes you did."
"Of course I did." Angel wiped away Buffy's tears. "I didn't know what I was going to do without you. When I thought I'd lost you..."
"Shh, it's ok. I'm here now. I'm not going any where for a long time."
Behind them, the door opened and Dawn's voice drifted in to the room. "I'm a dope. I got three blocks away and realized that..." She entered the room and stopped dead, her mouth hanging open. After a minute, she took a tentative step forward and said, "Buffy?"
"Mommy!" Connor ran up to Buffy. "Come play. Play with me, mommy!"
Buffy picked Connor up. "In a minute kiddo. Mommy's gotta talk to aunt Dawnie. Hey, why don't you go in the living room and play with Mr. Gordo? I saw him sitting on the couch all alone."
"Kay!" Connor waited to be put down and then ran off.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked again, moving closer.
"Hey Dawn." Buffy said. After a minute, the two sisters embraced tightly.
"You were dead! I saw them take you away under a sheet."
"Yeah, but you know I never stay that way." Buffy wiped away one of Dawn's tears.
"Don't joke. We thought it was for good."
"Well, it was supposed to be."
"What?"
"I'll explain later. Listen, why don't we round up the kids, get them in the car, and head over to the Hyperion? I need to explain why I'm back."
"Yeah, sure." Angel said.
"I'll get Connor." Dawn said.
"And I'll help you with Madison and Macon." Buffy said, heading over to pick up Madison.
"Madison and Macon?"
"Yeah." Buffy held up Madison. "This is Madison Amanda Summers," She pointed at Macon in Angel's arms. "And that's Macon Andrew Summers."
"I like those."
"I do too."
Buffy sat on the counter with Madison on one side of her in her carrier and Macon on the other side of her in his carrier. Willow, Spike, Faith, Xander, Giles, Angel, and Dawn holding Connor in her lap all sat around the lobby near Buffy looking at her in shock. She had just finished telling them what had happened and then dropped the bomb that she was going back to the Ancients after the twins' twenty-first birthday.
"Why?" Xander asked.
"It was part of the deal to come back." Buffy said. "Bevlieve me, if I had it my way, I'd live out a full and happy life... But it's not in the cards. We just have to make the best out of what time I do have. Besides... twenty-one years is a long time."
"I have a question." Willow said. "What was that key thing? The thing the ghost gave you?"
"It was the protection for the twins, not a key. The Ancients sent us to that house so we could find the orb and as long as we had the orb in our possesion, the twins would come into this world."
"So technically it was a key." Giles said. "If the twins were the way to get you into the Ancients' world and the orb was meant to protect them, then the orb was the key."
"Yeah, I guess." Buffy sighed. "Listen... As much fun as it is talking about knowing when I'm going to die with you guys, Connor needs toddler things and we don't have any at the house. He's playing with Dawn's old things and some of the toys we bought the twins. So, Angel, you grab the twins and take them home. They're not supposed to be traveling yet anyway. And I'll grab Connor and Dawn and take them to the nearest Toys-R-Us." Connor clapped his hands and let out a squeal. Buffy smiled and walked over to pick up her son.
"You get toys for me?" Connor asked.
"Of course." Buffy walked over to the twins in their carriers. "Say bye to Macon and Madison."
Connor waved at the twins. "Bye babies. Big Buda love you." He blew them a kiss and then hugged Buffy tightly.
Later that night, Buffy and Angel were lying in bed with Connor between them when one of the twins began to cry. It set off the other twin and both of them were crying. Angel sighed and started to get out of bed, but Buffy held out her hand. "I'll go. I haven't gotten to spend much time with them." Angel nodded and let Buffy go, laying back down. Buffy went into the nursery and headed over to the two cribs that were side by side. She walked between them and looked down on each of the twins. She felt their diapers and decided they weren't wet. They weren't hungry because they had eaten before they had gone to bed. Maybe... Buffy reached down and picked up Macon and then, very carefully, she reached down and scooped up Madison. Rocking them against her shoulders, she whispered to them that she loved them very much and she didn't ever want to leave them.
The twins began to quiet down and drift back to sleep. Buffy sat down in the recliner chair and rocked them gently. In a flash, she saw what their lives would bring to this world and to Buffy herself and it made her smile how normal their lives would be. She couldn't have asked for more. Holding her babies in her arms, rocking gently, Buffy drifted off to sleep. In her dreams she imagined little moments with her family. Cooking dinner with the help of the twins and Connor. Angel coming home from work and playing in the backyard with the twins. Buffy chasing after Macon and Madison with clothes for their first day of school. Connor playing video games in his room. Uncle Xander bringing over his new wife and presents for the kids. Aunt Willow stopping in to have lunch with Buffy. Spike and Faith, happily married and expecting their first baby.
A smile crept across Buffy's sleeping face. She finally remembered it all. This had been her heaven.
THE END!
A Word From The Author
Yes, sweethearts, this really is the end of the series. I got everyone in a happy place, just the way the story should have ended. But don't worry, there's plenty of other stories you can focus on. I'm not gone forever. And maybe, one day, I'll get so bored that I'll decided to write a little more and continue this little series. But for now, it's the end. Also, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of these stories. You guys totally make the finger cramps and the back aches and the blurry eyes worth it. I hope this satisfied your lust for a good Buffy/Angel story.
All my love,
BuffyL