***William's birthday - 12.30 p.m.***
William was watching his parents dress each other before turning to him. He watched how his daddy took a new set of jeans from the closet and kneeled before the little boy.
"Happy birthday, William!" Xander said to his son.
Blue eyes peered up at Xander before looking at the jeans his father was holding.
"Papa, me?" William asked while pointing at the jeans.
"Yes, these jeans are for you to wear," Angel answered.
In remembrance of Spike, the two adults had chosen a pair of black pants with a red shirt, the blond vampire's favourite colours. The little black boots completed the outfit.
William was placed in front of the large mirror after he was dressed. The little boy looked at himself and said "'Liam", after seeing his reflection again. He crawled closer to the mirror and pressed his hands against the glass before standing up with ease.
"Look!" Xander whispered to Angel.
Both men watched their son standing proudly in front of the mirror, looking at them with great interest.
William turned around and faced his parents. They weren't close by and the little boy wanted to be with them. He placed a foot forward, swayed a bit but nevertheless placed his other foot in front of the other. He stepped a little faster and William noticed he was getting closer to his parents. The little boy giggled when he saw he stood in front of his parents.
Xander and Angel watched their son taking his first steps before walking faster towards them.
Angel smiled and picked William up before spinning him around. "You can walk!" the vampire exclaimed happily.
William squealed happily. He loved being spinned around the room, it made him feel dizzy. He blinked when he saw a flash. His daddy had taken a photo again. The little boy wanted to be on the ground and began bouncing on his mother's arm.
Angel placed him on the ground before standing next to his son. He offered his hand while Xander did the same at the other side.
William looked at his parents' hands before placing his own hands into the offered ones. Together, they slowly made their way downstairs where the guests were waiting for the birthday boy.
****
Minus the birthday boy and his parents, everyone sat downstairs, placing the presents on the table.
They were startled when a couple appeared in the middle of the lobby.
"Greetings," a bluish female greeted.
Wesley and Giles were shocked to see the oracles standing in front of them. They had seen pictures of the sibblings in many prophecy books, but the higher beings were rarely seen by humans.
"Hello," Wesley and Giles said in unison, too stunned to say anything else.
"Where is William?" the male asked.
"You're here for William?" Cordelia asked, amused at the rare sight of her lover gaping at the duo. She herself was surprised to see them, but somehow it felt natural for them to be there. After all, they were the ones who had given Spike a new life.
"It is his birthday, isn't it? We were invited by our Champion," the female said.
"Your Champion? Oh, Angel invited you?" Fred asked, repeated the words. "Well, have a seat. We are waiting as well," the woman invited them.
"Thank you," the male answered while inclining his head. The divine duo sat down on the offered seats.
Another demon suddenly appeared in the lobby, dressed as usual in a thick white/greyish robe.
"D'Hoffryn," Giles said, leaning against his lover. Will there be more surprises?
"Hello, Mr. Giles. I see, we meet again!" the demon greeted the watcher who had taken his daughter under his wing. "Xander has invited me to his son's birthday party."
"Please sit down. Would you like something to drink?" Fred offered, not seeing the stunned looks her friends gave her. She kept glancing at Andrew who was smiling at her constantly.
The Sunnydale and the A.I. gang were spread across the lobby, watching the demons warily while Fred was happily playing host, too distracted by Andrew's interest in her to be worried about the unexpected appearance of a vengeance demon and two Oracles.
*****
Angel and Xander were too busy walking slowly down the stairs with William to notice their surprise guests had arrived. They didn't want their son to fall down.
William looked at the stairs and slowly placed his right foot on the step before he let his left foot join it. He held his mommy and daddy's hands tightly. Step by step, he carefully walked down to the lobby.
Everybody heard a giggle and looked up to see William in the middle of the staircase, standing between his fathers while taking his first steps.
After about ten minutes, the little boy was finally standing downstairs. The gang couldn't help themselves and applauded William's feat loudly. The birthday boy smiled and clapped his hands himself. Angel looked up to see his honour guests had arrived. "You came!" the vampire whispered.
The vampire picked up his son and walked towards the Oracles. "I'd like you to meet my son William," Angel introduced.
Both the female and male being were pleased to be introduced to the small child and smiled when William started clapping his hands. He stopped when the male being touched his hands and looked at his mommy.
Xander looked around the lobby and noticed D'Hoffryn. He took William from Angel and slowly made his way to his former girlfriend's father and boss.
"D'Hoffryn, thank you for accepting my invitation," Xander started before introducing his son. "I'd like you to meet my son William."
William watched the demon with interest. He reached out with his hand and touched the demon's white beard while giggling.
Everyone held their breath, unsure of what the demon would do to the little boy who had dared to touch him. They were shocked to see the demon smile widely.
"May I hold him?" D'Hoffryn asked, interested in the small innocent child. The little boy had softened his heart with his smile and giggles, reminding him of Anya's joy the first time she performed her vengeance.
"Yes, of course," Xander replied and handed William to the demon.
Angel watched the conversation between Xander and D'Hoffryn and walked towards them. He greeted D'Hoffryn and stood behind Xander just to make sure the demon wouldn't hurt his son. However, after a few minutes, the vampire was surprised to verify that the demon was completely taken by their son.
William was still busy exploring the demon's beard when he heard someone singing "Happy birthday to you". He looked up and saw Dawn singing while holding a beautiful birthday cake .
Dawn had left the lobby to collect the cake; she couldn't wait any longer to see William's surprised face. Everybody followed Dawn's example and started singing along.
William clapped his hands excitedly when his parents and the other guests joined the singing. He reached out for his mommy and D'Hoffryn placed the birthday boy in his mother's arms.
Angel watched his son looking at everyone with interest. But that interest changed when he was placed in front of the cake.
"Blow out the candle!" Buffy exclaimed, while watching the blond boy looking fascinated at the cake.
Xander stood behind his son and showed William how to blow out the candle. But the little boy wasn't interested in the candle and placed his right hand on top of the cake while Xander hurriedly removed the candle.
Angel removed William's hand and licked away the cake and sweetness. He grinned when it earned him a squeal from William.
"Me?" William asked while placing his left hand on the cake.
"Yes, the cake is for you, but let us give the others a piece first before you mess up the entire cake," Xander answered.
William watched curiously how his father pulled out plates and sliced up his cake, placing pieces of cake on the plates, to give to the guests. "ME!" William stated angrily.
"Uhm...Xander? Did he just tell you that the cake is his?" Willow asked smiling.
"Yeah, he did. Be glad it's just the word 'me' and not 'no'," Xander answered.
"No?" William repeated his father's word.
Willow and Angel laughed out loudly at the boy's repetition of the unwelcome word.
"Great!" Xander muttered to himself.
When everyone had been served a piece of cake, he placed a blue bib around William's neck so the boy couldn't mess up his clothing. They were already lucky, he hadn't smeared any cake with his dirty little hands.
"Yes, William, the rest is yours," Xander said while giving his son a small fork. He showed William how to use it before giving it to him.
William looked at the fork, then at the cake before dropping the fork and putting cake in his mouth with his hands.
The guests and family had been eating the cake while observing Xander's explanation . They were curious to see how well the new object would be accepted by the small boy. Everyone laughed at William's refusal to use the fork and the resulting sight of a cake-smeared child at the table, much to Xander's frustration.
"Oh, yeah. He understood your explanation of the fork," the male part of the Oracles said.
The female part of the duo, D'Hoffryn, Buffy, Dawn, Andrew and Willow laughed at the words while Giles, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Angel looked surprised at the relaxed duo.
"What?" the male asked when he noticed the looks he received. "I can't be relaxed when I'm not doing my job?"
"Sorry, we just never saw you like this," Angel apologized for their behaviour.
"Okay, present time!" Xander announced.
"P'ents?" William repeated the word.
"Yes, presents for our boy," Angel said to his son.
"Here's your first," Buffy said, while handing a large box to the boy. It was beautifully wrapped and had a large blue ribbon on top.
Xander took the gift and handed it to William, curious to see what William would do with it.
The boy stared at the box in his hands before placing it on the table and looked at his father.
"You have to unwrap it, William," Xander explained before tearing the paper a little for William to finish it.
William watched his father tear his box and was about to stop him until he saw something yellow peeking from behind the paper. Excited, he started helping his papa by tearing the paper further.
"Yes, that's it," Xander said and pulled back his hands to leave William to do it on his own.
William pushed away the paper before looking curiously at the pretty pictures on the box. Angel stepped forward and went to open the box to let William see his new toy.
"You got Lego(tm), William," Angel said to William who had pulled out the plastic bag with the colourful blocks.
"Ego?" William asked.
"Yes, Lego(tm). You can build towers and many other shaped with these blocks," Buffy explained, watching the boy examine the bag.
Xander pulled the bag out of his son's hands and placed it back in the box. He placed the box aside before taking the next present.
"ME!" William cried out angrily as he tried to reach for his box.
"Yes, it's yours. I'm just putting it aside so you can open the next present," Xander answered and dried the tears that were already falling down his son's cheeks.
The tears were gone as soon as William noticed all the other presents that lay on the table. He squealed and reached out his hands, demanding to be handed another present.
Dawn quickly obeyed and handed the boy another present. It was almost 5 p.m. when all their friends' gifts were unwrapped. Angel walked away, only to reappear with a large box in his arms.
During the unwrapping of the presents, dinner had arrived and everyone was eating as they watched William. Cordelia had called a restaurant that morning to deliver Chinese and Japenese food. She was glad when she saw their unexpected guests were eating it as well.
Xander and William unwrapped Angel's gift. The little boy was staring at the box, not really understanding what was in it. Xander picked up the boy and asked Angel to open it.
Angel emptied the box and placed the yellow toddler car on the ground. His lover handed William to the vampire so that he could place their son behind the car's steering wheel.
William was sitting in the car and watched his parents walking away. His bottom lip pouted, because he wanted to be with his mommy but instead of crying, he pressed himself forward trying to reach Angel. He was surprised when the car moved forward. He sat back and leaned forward again, feeling his feet were pushed back. He pulled his feet forward again and pushed them back. He was moving! And it made him get closer to his mommy.
Angel watched William proudly and yelped when the toddler hit his legs.
"Mama," William said.
"Visit your daddy!" Angel said, while pointing at Xander who was standing near the stairs, hoping his son would go.
"Papa," William said when he saw his daddy wasn't near him. He carefully turned his little car around and started driving towards Xander.
Xander smiled widely at his son driving and remembered how recklessly Spike used to drive. He hoped that he would be able to teach William how to be more careful.
"Angel, he's very smart for a 1 year old. He isn't going to be like normal boys, is he?" Buffy asked.
"He will be a normal boy, just a fast learner," Angel growled, defending his son. He didn't like the way Buffy was taling about his son.
"Stop growling at Buffy, Angel. She didn't mean to be negative about William," Xander warned his scowling lover.
"Mama grr!" William exclaimed when he heard his mommy growling.
"Yes, William. Mommy was growling," the vampire confirmed to his son.
"He knows you're a vampire?" Willow questioned.
""Yes, some days I soothe him when he's crying by showing him my gameface, just like I did with Connor," Angel explained. Talking about Connor was still hard, but he knew he would never be able to forget his first son.
"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed, while the rest of the group just nodded their heads. William had to know his mother was a vampire. Judging by his relaxed attitude, the boy already thought it was something natural. However, his parents would have to warn him about the danger of meeting other vampires.
***10 p.m.***
William was getting tired of playing but he didn't want to sleep. He walked towards his daddy and smiled at his parents who were looking at him proudly.
Xander picked up his son and pressed him against his chest. He knew the boy was tired and didn't want to go to bed yet.
"Will you be celebrating Halloween?" Andrew asked curiously. He and Fred had already decided he wouldn't be leaving L.A. The young man would stay with Fred.
"We haven't thought about that yet. I'm not sure if he's old enough to recognize it, but perhaps it would be fun," Xander responded while looking at his sleeping son. "Let me put our birthday boy in bed."
Angel followed him upstairs to take their son to bed.
William was fast asleep; he didn't wake up when his father undressed him and his mother changed him into his blue pyjamas. Angel pulled back the blankets while Xander placed him under it and tucked him in.
"Well, this will be a first time, we don't have to read a story," Angel said and kissed his lover deeply. "Happy five month anniversary."
Xander kissed back, but had to end the kiss to breathe. They looked at William; the boy was fast asleep under the blankets. A kiss was given on his forehead before they exited the room and rejoined their guests in the lobby.
"We have to leave. Thank you for inviting us," the oracles said in unison before disappearing.
D'Hoffryn, as well, had decided to leave. "I would wish to come more often. Is that okay?" the demon asked Xander and Angel.
"Yes, of course. Anya would have loved you to be a part of our family and I do want to grant her that wish," Xander said shyly.
D'Hoffryn nodded his head, placed his hand on Xander's shoulder for comfort before disappearing, leaving only sparkles in its place.
"Well, that went well, didn't it?" Xander asked his lover.
"Yes, it did. We made some more friends," Angel said while yawning.
"Let's get some sleep. Goodnight everyone, see you tomorrow," Xander announced before taking his lover's hand and guiding him upstairs.
Xander watched Angel walk towards the bathroom and he quickly looked under the bed to see if his box of toys was still under it. The young man knew his lover was too tired now but Xander was determined to use them in the morning.
"Angel, I forgot something downstairs. I'll be right back," Xander called out before stepping out of the room, not waiting for Angel's answer.
Xander saw Cordelia and Giles walking towards their room and stopped them. "Could you two look after William in the morning? I want to give Angel his surprise, but I have to be sure William won't interrupt us now that he can walk," he explained to the couple in hushed voice.
"Yes, of course we can, son," Giles answered and smiled at the flush that suddenly appeared on Xander's face. Apparently the young man enjoyed being called that way.
"Have fun!" Cordelia said as she opened their bedroom door.
"Thanks, Cordelia, Dad," Xander thanked the couple and went back to his room, not noticing the look Giles sent him. He hadn't been able to resist calling Giles dad.
"He called me Dad," Giles said dreamily to Cordelia.
"Gah! That means I'm his mother!" Cordelia exclaimed and dragged her lover into the room before closing the door.
*****
Xander entered their bedroom to see Angel had fallen asleep without him. He must have been really tired. The young man undressed himself, laid down under the blankets and hugged the larger man to his chest. He couldn't help but smile at the naughty things he would do to his lover the next morning.
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