Chapter Text
Angel is on a call when Buffy enters his office, armed with a charming smile and Connor nestled against her chest.
Angel smiles and points out that he just needs a couple more minutes, never taking his eyes off his two favorite people as Buffy sits on the couch. Connor gurgles, with a wide toothless smile on his face as he reaches out his hands in an attempt to reach his father.
"Daddy is busy, little one." Buffy kisses the top of Connor's head, but the baby squeals to get Angel's attention, his hands moving erratically and completely unsatisfied with the quick kiss thrown in his direction.
"Two more minutes and then Daddy will be all yours," Buffy murmurs, bouncing Connor in her arms to distract him.
But Connor has other plans and she has to change his position, the baby huffs, falling backward to rest against Buffy's chest and narrowly avoiding a collision with his mother's chin.
Angel's eyes widen and in that instant Buffy knows that a new apocalyptic crisis is about to unfold.
Connor's eyebrows furrow and his bottom lip wobbles, and he starts releasing sudden sobs.
Which is more than enough for Angel to end his call early. He quickly crosses the room, concerned, and takes Connor in his arms, sighing softly as the crocodile tears immediately fade away.
Angel immediately questions Cordelia's influence and her acting skills on their son.
"You little trickster," Buffy can't help but smile.
Angel can't resist the temptation of the chubby cheeks and gives him a couple of kisses. "Did mommy steal you from daycare again?" He throws Buffy a mock-irritated look, his eyes shining with warmth. "Does Giles know you're here instead of being with your students?"
Buffy rolls her eyes. "Technically, I'm still working. Your office is part of the Slayer Academy facilities and you... You're one of the instructors, if I remember correctly." Buffy makes a silly face at Connor while Angel sits next to her, with the little four-month-old baby happily sitting on his lap. "Besides, tonight Giles will spend time with his favorite grandson, so even if he finds out, I'm pretty sure his grumpiness will disappear."
"Giles is coming tonight?" Angel frowns and then squints as he notices Buffy's mischievous smile and realizes that his wife is up to something.
"Actually, Giles will be the designated babysitter, so I can invite you to dinner," Buffy admits. "Good food, maybe a little wine, no saliva wiping between bites, a full night's sleep...". The blonde complements her statement by batting her eyelashes, hoping that the former vampire is open to the surprise. "We haven't had one of our date nights since Connor was born, and I kind of miss them."
"I've been with you every night since Connor was born." Angel reminds her almost accusingly.
Buffy scoffs ironically. "Changing diapers, preparing bottles, and babysitting don't count as date nights, honey."
"And have you asked Giles to take care of Connor?" Angel rubs his chest with an uncomfortable expression and then kisses the baby's forehead in his lap and looks at the Slayer as if she's crazy. "Isn't that... risky?"
Buffy raises an eyebrow. "For whom? Giles or Connor?"
Angel sighs. "Buffy, it's not that I don't trust Giles, but..."
"But? Why does there have to be a but in that sentence.”
"Connor is very small," Angel replied indignantly.
"Giles runs the Council and a hundred hormonal and impulsive Slayers. I'm pretty sure he can take care of a baby for a couple of hours. Plus..." Buffy shrugged, "Willow and Tara already have plans."
Angel sighed defeated and leaned towards the blonde, giving her a chaste kiss on the forehead. She wondered how she always shivers at the touch of this man.
A minute later, Angel made a horrified face. "Has it really been that long since our last date night?"
Buffy nodded while catching one of Connor's chubby hands that were trying to grab her hair. She already had enough experience with the little restless one's hair pulls between them. "I've been deprived of your affection."
"I... I guess time flies when you're not sleeping. I'm sorry, honey, I've probably been neglecting us lately." A sad look took over his features.
Buffy frowned and instantly leaned forward, her warm hand caressing Angel's cheek. "Hey, no. No melancholy or internal self-reproach monologues."
Angel pulled away from her touch. "I'm a bad husband and a bad father."
"No, no, none of that, Angel. You've been adjusting to life as a first-time parent," Buffy explained with a note of pride. "We both have, and it's been tough." She smiled warmly.
"You've done the hardest work, and look at you, you're here, full of life and optimism. While I tremble every time Connor cries or fusses."
"Do you think I don't realize how hard you've been working to make everything run smoothly? Or how you go to work every morning without complaining, despite being up half the night with Connor while I dealt with Slayer emergencies?"
"You do all that too," Angel replied, "although maybe less of the not complaining part." Angel grinned cheekily. "It's been a long four months and yet the fastest of my life so far, so maybe you're right, maybe we do need a night to ourselves."
Both of them looked at Connor, "what do you think? Would Grandpa Giles be a good enough babysitter?"
Connor simply gurgled and sucked on his own fist, looking at Angel with eyes that today seemed almost blue, but were normally green like his mother's. The baby didn't seem particularly interested in the conversation; instead, his free hand touched Buffy's blouse.
Buffy immediately caught the hint, perhaps just to avoid more potential screams, and allowed her son to feed while keeping a watchful eye on Angel.
"Are you sure everything will be covered?" Angel asked, still not taking his eyes off Buffy's exposed chest.
"I pumped milk this morning, and there's more than enough in the freezer to last until tomorrow," Buffy assured him, ignoring the anxiety swelling in her chest at the mere idea of spending her first night away from Connor.
"Are you really sure Giles can handle this? He might need eight hours before he can tolerate other humans," Angel still wasn't sure about this.
"It's just one night," Buffy shrugged. "What's the point of asking someone to be the grandpa if we're not going to make them feel as exhausted as we are once in a while?" She extended her hand to lightly touch Connor's cheek with her knuckles, laughing as the little one protested the interruption of his meal. "If it's too much, we'll go home."
Nothing can ruin this night, not after months of drowning in diapers and countless nighttime lullabies when she's too tired to even hold a tune. Buffy clings to optimism.
Angel, on the other hand, the sweet, exhausted, human Angel, is struggling, and Buffy smiles sadly as she watches her husband check his phone for the third time in as many minutes.
"He's fine." Buffy reaches across the table and gently takes Angel's phone. "Giles said he would call if there was any problem, and since he hasn't called..." She smiled and placed Angel's phone next to hers, face down on the table and out of anxious hands.
"I know," Angel sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm enjoying this, it's just... it will take some getting used to, you know?"
After a moment, he furrowed his brow. "How come you're not going crazy? I mean, you carried him in your womb... You're more connected to him than I am... And I'm going crazy."
Buffy downed her entire glass of champagne in one gulp and then cleared her throat. "Who said I'm not affected? It's my baby we're talking about, the child of a vampire and a Slayer. I'm terrified enough thinking about who the next asshole will be who wants to kidnap my baby."
"Ex-vampire," Angel felt the need to correct her as he loosened his tie.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "The point is... I had a talk with Fred, and I realized I needed to break out of my shell and face the world and whatever comes our way."
"Fred? What did she say?"
Buffy playfully slapped his hands. "It was a girl talk!" and then she picked up the menu and focused on it.
Angel sighed, mimicking her.
"What dessert are you in the mood for?" she asked after a few minutes.
Angel set the menu aside. "Do you think Connor misses us?" Buffy briefly closed her eyes. "I mean, I know it's only been an hour, but it feels really strange to be without him."
"I'm terrified too," Buffy admitted quietly. "But it's only a couple hours, and then we'll be back in the apartment, surrounded by too many toys and a pile of laundry that neither of us has had time to do." She smiles. "Connor is with his grandfather and Dawn, one of the safest people for him, and I'm sure he understands that his parents need some time for themselves."
"You're handling it so well," he replied, and Buffy hit him with the menu.
"Idiot, do you think I'm not worried if Connor wakes up in the middle of the night and we're not there? What if Giles forgets to turn his phone back on? Or forgets that Connor can't fall asleep without his blanket?" Buffy bites her lower lip and her hand moves towards her phone.
Angel caught her hands and gently kisses Buffy's knuckles. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Buffy shook her head. "I even wrote Giles a list of things to remember, I asked Willow to reinforce the protections at the Hotel, especially in our room and Connor's room, Giles and Tara did salt circles and all that to keep any demonic force from getting in..."
Angel blinked. "You did that?"
"Who do you think I am? Of course I did, I wasn't going to leave my baby defenseless!" Then she picked up her phone. "Dawn promised to send me a picture of Connor every half hour."
"Isn't that a bit excessive?"
She glares at him and then sighs with frustration, struggling to swallow the sudden lump in her throat, her eyes stinging with unshed tears as she looks at the photo she had just received on her phone.
"Is everything okay?" Angel tensed at seeing her so absorbed.
Buffy looks up at him with tears in her eyes and a trembling smile as she shows Angel the photo. It was Dawn rocking the sleeping baby in the rocking chair, she was wearing a pajama coat that Buffy used to wear, and Connor was sleeping peacefully on her with a peaceful expression.
"That is..."
Buffy nodded.
"He misses you too."
"Maybe we should have them pack all this up and go home," Buffy suggests, looking up to realize that Angel has already signaled the waiter.