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She must have spent a few hours walking Chase around Sunnydale, showing him the sights. But eventually, they wound up back at her house around three in the afternoon, standing out on the front porch engaged in idle chatter a few moments.
"So," Ivory said to him. "Now you've seen everything. What do you think of our town?"
Chase smiled. "That it'd be pretty homey for a few years. From the way you describe it, Sunnydale sounds like a wonderful place to live... And you're so..."
When he remained silent, Ivory met his gaze curiously, her head tilted down so her eyes peeked out at him from the top rim of her sunglasses. "So, what?" she asked.
Chase sighed. "I've never met anyone as vibrant and full of life as you, Ivory. Everything, from your enthusiasm over the place you grew up in, to your ability to stand on your own two feet... I don't know how you do it."
She crossed her arms, a playful smile on her lips. "It surprises you that a woman can be so independent?" she teased.
Chase paused. "I guess I must have been looking at all the wrong women up till now," he replied. There was a moment of silence, then he leaned forward slightly as if he were about to kiss her.
Strangely, Ivory suddenly found that she wanted him to, wanted to see what his lips would feel like pressed against hers. She moved closer when he hesitated, silently telling him that it was alright and that he was invited to do so. They couldn't have been more than an inch apart, her hands going to his shoulders, when she heard the door open behind her.
Ivory stopped and turned with a start, but found that the door hadn't opened but an few centimeters; she could hear voices floating out from behind it. Flustered, she turned back to Chase, her eyes wide and her hopes dashed as she realized the moment was lost.
"You should go," Ivory told him quietly. "If my mom sees you, she's gonna have a lot of questions, and I'd rather save that for later... I'll just give it a week or so, then invite you over, if you like..."
Chase nodded. "Sounds reasonable," he agreed, stepping away and heading back the way they'd come. "I'll see you later, Ivory."
Ivory waited a split second, then added, "Wait... How do I find you?"
Chase looked at her with a secretive grin. "I'll find you," he replied, his sly nature winning her over once more.
Ivory waved goodbye to him, then turned towards the house, reaching out to clasp the knob in her hand and swing the door open. The person standing behind it gasped, turning to look at her.
Ivory was startled as well, realizing she was looking at the same woman from the photograph she had found. *Now, what was her name again?* the young Slayer wondered. However, her question was answered by someone else.
Stefanie stepped forward, coming to stand next to the vaguely familiar brunette woman. "Well, I see you've met Ivory," she said to her companion. "Ivory, this is Jenny, an old friend of the family."
When the young girl didn't answer right away, Jenny stepped forward, extending a hand for her to shake. "Hi, Ivory," she said in a friendly tone. "It's been a long time."
Ivory paused, then hesitantly shook Jenny's hand. "For one of us, at least," she said awkwardly. "I'm sorry, but I don't..."
"Remember me," Jenny filled in. "I suspected you wouldn't." She remained silent a moment. "I gather that Willow's already told you about your duties and what her role is in your life."
Ivory nodded slightly. "The first part, yeah," she replied, turning to look at Willow. "But the second... What exactly is your role, Mrs. Harris?"
Willow took a step forward. "I'm what's called a Watcher, who is the acting mentor and trainer behind each Vampire Slayer. It is usually the Watcher's duty to inform the Chosen One of her role, and guide her through her battles until one of them eventually dies." She paused. "As for Jenny here, she was married to the Watcher who looked over your mother."
"Was?" Ivory asked, wondering over the past tense here.
Willow sighed. "He passed away a few months ago, honey... I'm sorry you won't get a chance to meet him. You would have liked him." She sighed again, then suggested they (herself, Jenny, and Ivory) go out for a walk to get better acquainted and discuss the situation at hand. The Slayer agreed, remaining silent as she led her elders outside and to the sidewalk, where they all settled into a casual stride.
They hadn't gotten far when Ivory slowed her pace, allowing Jenny to walk at her side, with Willow slightly ahead of them. "So, I take it you knew my real mother as well," Ivory said to the elder woman beside her.
Jenny looked over, breathing in the crisp autumn air. "Not as well as Willow and everyone else, to be honest. But I did know Buffy well enough to see she was very compassionate and dedicated and persistant." Jenny paused. "We didn't associate much, which is surprising when you consider the one big favor I did for her."
"What was that?" Ivory asked curiously, very much intrigued.
Jenny laughed. "Buffy was incredibly stubborn when it came to the decision over where you would be born. She insisted on a home delivery, and asked for my help when she found out I had experience as a midwife..."
Ivory's eyes widened. "You mean...?" she started.
Jenny nodded with a smile. "I'm the one responsible for bringing you into this world, kiddo. Aside from your mom, of course... You were the joy of your parents' lives from the moment they laid eyes on you. Neither of them would have left you if they'd had a choice."
Ivory shook her head, looking from Willow to Jenny and back again. "But, my father did, eventually. Why?"
They had reached a street corner with a bench by now, and Willow asked to sit. Once seated, the redhead turned to Ivory. "First, let me start off with telling you about him... Your father's name was... is Angel. Your mother often referred to him as her 'Special Guardian,' and in a lot of ways, he was. He had no trouble living up to his name, both in appearance and nature... And he was incredibly gentle and loving, in spite of his background."
When Willow remained silent, Ivory pressed for her to go on. "This is going to be very difficult to absorb and accept, but I see no easy way to break the news. Ivory... Your father is a 261-year-old vampire," she said flatly.
Ivory's eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding me!" she said in a shrill tone. A pause, then, "But how?!? I kind of got the impression that vampires and Slayers don't mix as a common rule!"
Willow looked Ivory straight in the eyes. "And in all the recorded history of past Slayers, there have only been three exceptions to this rule. Angel is one of them." She leaned forward, clasping one of Ivory's hands in her own. "A little over a century ago, Angel made the mistake of killing the beloved daughter of a powerful Gypsy tribe. The family sought vengeance on him, and the punishment they settled on was the restoration of his soul, which all vampires lose when they're made... The end result was that your father was forced to care and feel remorse over all his past crimes. He hasn't taken a single human life since that day."
Tears began to trickle down Ivory's cheeks at this. "Did my mother love him?"
Willow nodded. "If she hadn't, you wouldn't be here today, having this conversation with me... Ivory, there can be no doubt that Angel is your father. You inherited more than just looks from him. There's parts of you that display vampire-like tendencies, that I've noticed. You're stronger than any other Slayer who's come before you, your instincts are more prominent, your eyes are highly sensitive to sunlight..."
Ivory held up her hand abruptly. "That's enough," she half snapped. After a moment of silence, she added, "So what you're basically saying is that I'm a freak of nature?"
Willow stopped, silently cursing herself for rambling on like this without thinking. "Oh, God. Ivory, no, I wasn't saying that! I... I'm sorry... It's just... I'm trying to say that your heritage gives you an edge that will aid you in even the toughest battles. And I can promise you, they will be tough."
"Lucky me," Ivory said quietly. She paused a moment, mulling this over, then realized that Willow had left something out. "But, that doesn't explain why he left..."
Willow sighed again, a pained look in her eyes. "Buffy and Angel had made a good team. Either one would always be there for the other when times got hard. Separated, they weren't much match for the creatures seeking to destroy them. But, working together, they always managed to come out on top... Yet, even when they finally realized they were in a relationship for the long run, your parents were still still wary about getting married. As your mother put it, it would cause a lot of uproar in the world of the undead if word got out a vampire had married a Slayer.
"Eventually, this problem seemed to have a solution. At one point, Buffy nearly fell at the hands of a centuries-old vampire. As she lay dying, Angel fed her his own blood, and turned her into a vampire as well to save her life. Her Slayer status made it possible for her soul to remain intact following the change, as was the case with Stefanie once upon a time... Afterwards, they threw caution to the wind and began to make plans for a wedding."
Willow paused to wipe tears from her eyes. "Your parents had barely been married for twenty-four hours when she was lost to him, when she had gone to fight Ethan. Afterwards, Angel began to be 'visited' by the elder vampires who remained. It appears that word of his being Buffy's husband leaked out, and his elders wanted him dead for this transgression against them, his very race.
"Without Buffy around to aid him and see that you yourself weren't harmed, he saw no other option but to flee Sunnydale. He didn't want to leave you, Ivory, but he also didn't want you to be caught in the crossfire." Willow took a deep breath, throwing a glance at Jenny, then looked back at her young student. "But he'll be coming back. Stefanie, as well as I, are sure of it. Angel made it clear that he would once he learned you had been called to follow in Buffy's footsteps."
At this point, there was a steady stream of tears falling down Ivory's face. She remained silent for the longest time, then said, rather quietly, "In that case, I look forward to meeting him... Should be rather interesting, I think. I have a father who can't even be out during the day. How many other girls my age can boast about that?"
Ivory's tone was bordering on the hysterical, so Willow quickly jumped in with a few soothing words. "I know it comes as a shock, Ivory, but it doesn't make Angel all that much different from any other caring father... I know it will be weird when you meet, with him being bound to the nighttime world and appearing to physically be in his mid-twenties, but... Underneath the exterior, he is still your father. It's my hope that, given time, you'll be able to see him as a loving parent instead of a stranger." Willow paused, then looked towards the horizon, noting that the sun was sinking lower in the sky. "Well, we should get back," she added, getting to her feet. "It'll be dark soon."
Deep in thought, Ivory stood as well, following Willow and Jenny's lead while lost in her own thoughts. She spent the walk home either brooding or trying to look on the bright side of this bit of information. But one thought stood true overall. Whoever he was, whatever he was, Angel didn't sound much like the father she had dreamed of having...