Sometimes sitting by isnt an option

Buffy sighed as she went out in to the kitchen. It was like the tension was something she could taste in the air. "My love," she said almost in a whisper, walking over and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She didn't know if she had overstepped a boundary, saying that his brother's could stay, but she didn't like the idea of turning away family. She had been on the other end of that. "Tell me what you are thinking - Do you want me to ask them to leave?" she asked gently, kissing his arm as she looked up at him.

Nessa smiled shyly at the two men, reaching out to touch Virgil's hair, as if she was wondering if it was real. "You have a girl's haircut," she giggled. Virgil scoffed, but his smile was still visible. That was until Daniel mentioned Kelly and he felt his heart sank for a second. He could taste the emotion on his tongue, but he didn't want to ruin the moment now. "Kelly?" Nessa said in a wondering tone, letting go of Virgil's hair to walk over to Daniel. She wasn't that tall, so she had to bend her neck a bit to look up at him. She reached out, touching his hand and frowned. But then she smiled, as she understood somehow, even without knowing. "Kelly is a pretty name too," she just said while holding his hand. Virgil couldn't really explain what was going on, but he looked at the two, wondering if he had missed something.

Buffy sighed as he placed his hand on her cheek, looking at him as he spoke. She knew that feeling. The worry and jealousy. She had felt that with Amy and Ivory, but she had never wished him to feel like that. “We’ll let them stay, and later when Nessa is out to sleep, I’ll show you that you have nothing to worry about,” she whispered in an almost sensual tone, but she was being rather serious. How many times had he not shown her not to worry by giving her the things only he could provide. “Now, grab some glasses and let’s eat,” she said, leaning up to kiss his lips briefly.

Nessa chuckled at Daniel’s words, but it was like she knew they would’ve. She might’ve looked like a teenager, but at this point she felt she had a good grasp of how this world worked. She then turned her attention to Virgil as Daniel asked him a question, giggling a bit at their words. “First of, its Claire, you insensitive f- ...” he stopped himself from swearing, putting on a slight grin as he breathed out. He wasn’t exactly used to being around young people like that. “Second of all, she doesn’t dictate my life; however she does like grabbing it ... when ... you know,” Virgil said feeling like he had to censor himself. Him and his brother where never shy of getting graphic, but right now they had a young teenage girl amongst them. “But why don’t we talk about your love life, or perhaps lack there of?” Virgil said in a teasing grin, lifting one of his eyebrows as he looked daringly at his brother.

Baal looked at her as she spoke, feeling a warmth spread at her whisper, shifting between her eyes for a bit like his mind had the need to process it. His mind wanted to drift off into an imaginary state, but her words pulled him back to reality. He felt her soft lips in a small kiss, and as she moved away he nodded. He turned his eyes up to the cupboard, gathering the glasses that were needed before he sighed deeply to himself. Guess time would tell if he could stay calm and collected for the night.

When Virgil was about to drop a swear, Daniel tilted his head sideways, like he was anticipating the slip up, but luckily he stopped himself - It made Daniel smile as he shook his head. His second made Daniel laugh as he wasnt sure any of them had ever had to filter their words like this before. "That's for you to experience and me to ignore ever hearing," he said, though he didnt actually mind - In the long life they had led, it was only a given that they could talk about anything. He sent him a warning look at his tease, crossing his arms as he scoffed. "As true as that may be, it's not a topic for a kid to hear," he said as he jerked his head towards Nessa. He went to sit down at the table, leaning back as he sighed. "She wouldnt be interested in a sob story either way," he said with a shake of his hand as he sent Nessa a small smile. Baal returned with the glasses, placing them on the table as he looked at Nessa, wondering what she was thinking of this whole situation.

Buffy came back in to the room as Daniel mentioned something about a sob story, making her furrow her brows. She gestured for people to sit down, placing herself besides Daniel as she had promised. Virgil took place next to Nessa, chuckling at his brother's words. "Not all of us are cut out to have relationships that last - You know how long I waited until I met Claire," Virgil said. Claire might be crazy, but she was the right type of crazy he needed. "Is Claire your girlfriend?" Buffy asked with a gentle smile, Virgil shrugged with a grin on his face. "We don't really like labels, but yeah," he said. Virgil looked from Nessa to Buffy to Baal. Then he looked to Nessa again, a pondering gaze lingering on the young girl. "How old are you Nessa?" Virgil asked, hoping Baal wouldn't start another scene. Nessa looked from her mother to her father, wondering if she was allowed to tell, swallowing as she felt a little nervous telling. "I guess technically coming up on four months," Nessa said in a shy voice, looking down at her plate. Virgil's jaw dropped, and if it had been possible it would've hit the table. "Please, eat," Buffy said, placing a serving of food on Nessa's plate, then her own before handing the pot around. It wasn't anything fancy, but then again they hadn't really expected company. She knew she had to explain somewhat, but it was hard. Was it really four months already? She felt like it had been a lifetime ago. And yet, the feelings still lingered in her. She reached under the table, taking Baal's hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "There's a reason her name is Nessa," Buffy said with a small chuckle. Nessa shrugged and started to eat her pasta.

Nessa looked up from her plate when she heard her father speaking. She could never understand the pain that her parents were in, but she was doing everything she could to be the best daughter she could. That was her job in this. "You might've noticed I'm not fully a demon, and to be honest I still think I'm more human than demon," Buffy admitted. Maybe it was a good idea if they heard all of this, it would make them understand. "So you could imagine the pregnancy was rather tough on me, but being stubborn I wanted to power through - However life tosses you a curveball sometimes and I got hurt," Buffy said. She didn't want to mention how it happened, because it was still something she didn't understand. All she remember was just feeling her life being drained and the thought of losing her child had set her into panic mode. "Luckily, we could rely on some of Belial's siblings on his father's side," she said, blinking a few times to make her tears in her eyes go away. "We ... We lost our baby ... But not our child," she whispered, looking at Nessa with a gentle smile. Virgil didn't know what to say, he hadn't had children and had always made sure to not risk getting the role of a father. He knew his siblings had children, or had had, but the risk of losing something like that he couldn't handle. The emotions in the room were so strong, he felt almost intoxicated. "And I'm happy," Nessa said, a sweet smile on her lips. She didn't feel like she fit in most of the time, but perhaps it was because of the mismatch of her age. "And healthy, and the most wonderful child we could ever ask for," Buffy said, reaching over the touch her cheek gently before continuing to eat.

Buffy swallowed at the mention of Daniel losing his family as well, why was this family almost cursed with loneliness? Nessa let go of her fork, reaching over the table to place on top of her uncle's, looking into his eyes with a calm demeanor. "Kelly is still here, still watching over you," she said with a gentle smile on her lips. It was like she knew, like she had spoken to Daniel's family, without having at all. There was another knock at the door, making Buffy sigh. "Please tell me that you guys don't have another sibling?" she chuckled, getting up from her seat to walk to the door. She opened up, and stood still for a while. She felt frozen, watching the beautiful angel in front of her, that made all of her insecurities return. The blonde hair, the striking blue eyes and not to mention the shining aura that came with such a light creature. "I'm so sorry, I just need to speak to Belial, and I'll be gone once more," Ivory pleaded, stepping inside as Buffy didn't seem to react. Ivory stepped in to the dining room, and she felt like she was walking in to the past. She felt perplexed before she shook her head. Virgil looked up, his eyes widening as he stumbled to his feet. He almost ran to Ivory, embracing her and holding her close before pulling out of the hug and looking back at Daniel and Baal with confusion in his eyes. "Ashmedai, Mephisto," Ivory said with a stunned expression before her lips curled up in a smile. While Baal had never been close with his brothers, Ivory had always seemed to bind them together in a way.

Virgil took a step away, feeling the tension coming from his brother that made him swallow. Ivory looked at the blonde demon, flashing him a brief yet subtle smile as he passed by her. She couldn't understand fully yet, most of her memory was still returning to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to barge in like this," she said, shaking her head a bit as she looked at the blonde girl at the table. That must've been Baal's, she just felt it, but the girl was so innocent, nothing evil to sense in her at all. She snapped out of it as she heard the door being closed, looking at Baal before she took a deep breath. "I - I saw who is doing all of this slaughter," she said, whispering the last part so only Baal and Virgil would be able to hear. "I stayed with him for a while, only while I regained my memories - God, everything is still a blur from before now," she mumbled, shaking her head a bit as she was getting off track. "Archangel Michael," she said, feeling dread in her system. She had seen angels being corrupted, seen them devote their life to help others, but this seemed so extreme.

Buffy could hardly emote as Daniel joined her in the hallway, sighing at his words. She tried to accept Baal's past, she knew he had chosen her and not Ivory, but it was hard to ignore these feelings. "She's ... She's just so beautiful, how could I ever compare," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling like she could throw up just from worrying. "I mean ... An angel - How am I ever going to compare to such a blinding light?" she mumbled.

He sighed at her apology, shaking his head, "It's alright," he said in a low softspoken tone as he looked at her. He noticed how she was looking at Nessa and for some reason he felt a little shameful that she had to find out this way, that he hadnt told her when he had met her. Because she had told him that her memory was going to be filled with holes upon her return, but eventually it had to come back and then it would be discovered that he had kept it a secret. He seemed to snap as much out of his thoughts as her as Daniel left the room. He listened to her explain what had been bugging his mind of late. It felt like it was pretty convenient that the day where his mind seemed to have been the heaviest, Ivory was the one to come through and shed some light on the information he had missed. He frowned as she mentioned Michael, of course it had to be his uncle of all. The guy had always been rather fanatic, but Baal had never heard or seen of him actively hunting out demons just to slay.  "Thank you, Ivory," he said in a distraught tone yet he was thankful. He turned his eyes to look at Nessa, not wanting her to know too much of what was going on. "Do you have a place to stay now then?" he asked as he looked back at Ivory, in the moment he was actually feeling more concerned that she didnt have a place to be.

Daniel scoffed at her whisper, shaking his head as he walked over to her, in her mid-mumble, he lifted his hands to place them on her shoulders with a comforting touch to them. "A butterfly cant see their own wings. Cant see how beautiful they are to the world. So it's no wonder that you worry, because you cant see what he sees," he said, spending his last moments in brief sobriety to actually sound sincere as his words were, before letting go to grab the wall. "I've heard him tell Dinah those words so many times when she was doubting her looks compared to the other kids," he said a little slurred now as he was back to being affected by his drunkard state.

Ivory didn't know if she felt relieved at what she had said, but now she had conveyed her message. She felt like she was overstepping a boundary, and part of her heart were aching seeing Baal having a new family. She could never love Baal like she used to, too much time had passed with them being apart, and she had come to terms with it. However that did not take away the hurting of her heart when she looked at the pale haired child. Ivory's pregnancy with the twins hadn't been too easy, but her and Baal had been speaking about making more children, having a whole litter if they could. However that dream was burned down long ago. His question made her sigh. "I don't, but it will be alright," she promised, but she couldn't really tell. "Daniel has a spare room," Virgil suggested, but he could already feel the acid like feeling he got from his brother's gaze at that suggestion. Ivory chuckled, shaking her head a bit as she looked down. "I think you forget I am no longer the one you should be worried about," she said in a gentle tone, looking at Baal with a hint of sadness. She hadn't been to see her children yet, but she still wanted to remember more about her past before barging in to their lives. This had been important information, and now she felt like she was stalling just not to go out in the cold again.

Buffy sighed at Daniel's words, shaking her head. He was right, but that didn't change how she felt so inferior to what Baal had seen as the love of his life before her. "The worst part is I can't even hate her, because she's such a nice person," she chuckled, sniffling a bit as she looked down again. She could hear Daniel's words slur, reminding her that he was in fact still drunk. "Come on, let's face this as a team - My daughter is probably wondering where her weird uncle went," Buffy said in jest as she walked back in to the dining room. Her daughter was looking at the three grown ups talking. Buffy went to her child, kissing her head gently. "How about you go to your room and finish that assignment Dinah gave you," she whispered gently, kissing the girl's temple before Nessa nodded with a smile. She excused herself, looking briefly at her father with a confused expression before disappearing in to her room. Buffy looked shortly at Ivory, but quickly looked away again and instead started moving the dirty plates to the kitchen. Virgil decided to help the hybrid.

Buffy just needed to keep her hands busy as she didn't really feel comfortable being involved in a conversation where Ivory and Baal were present at the same time. She mumbled a little thank you to Virgil as he helped her, but her mind was already racing. Virgil seemed to just take over in cleaning the dishes, remaining silent. He could barely speak as he felt the emotions so strongly, as if someone was trying to force food down his throat. He didn't want to do anything that would make Baal go mad, but it was hard not reacting on instinct.

Ivory sighed as the brothers went on to bicker. She felt a little nervous but she shook it off rather quickly. She knew how to deal with them, at least back in the day. "Both of you are acting like children," she said, looking rather seriously at Baal. Ivory was not blind, she had seen Buffy trying to stay in the same room as her, and by the way she moved out of sight was a clear sign. "Besides, I don't feel like I'm welcome here," she said with a sweet voice as she looked to Daniel. Walking to him she could smell the scent of alcohol on his breath, but she couldn't really seem to care. "Let's get you home and in bed," she said with the faintest chuckle. She knew Baal wouldn't hesitate to house her, but Buffy seemed to have reached her limit with guests budding in. She looked back at Baal, feeling her heart sink a little, but she guessed it would always feel like this. "Please not a word to Eaden or Dinah yet," she said before she wrapped Daniel's arm around her shoulder to support the large demon.

Ivory knew little of what had happened in the time she had been away, but perhaps it was better hearing everything from Daniel. Once he sobered up at least. She couldn't help but chuckle at Daniel's yell at his younger brother, looking at his face as he looked at her. She felt like he wanted to say something, but she remained silent as she helped him out the door and down the corridor. Virgil chuckled from the kitchen, bowing politely for Buffy before he ran after his brother. "Just for the record, that would be super hot!" he could be heard yell as he ran after them.

Buffy stood in the kitchen, turning around as she heard Baal come in. She looked at him as he stood there in the frame, trying to smile as genuine as she could muster. He came closer, and she leaned her cheek against his palm as he touched her face, listening to his words. "It's not your fault, it's just not easy being used to seeing your former love barge into our lives," she said, breathing out as she looked into his eyes. "One thing is coming to terms with you having a past, another thing is having that past come and look me in the eyes," she whispered. She couldn't hold his past against him, but seeing the woman he had shared a life with it just hurt.

Buffy knew where she stood with him, she knew he would never leave her. They had been through so much, so it would be absurd to think that he would give her up. "I know," she whispered gently, wrapping her arms around him in return. His embrace always made her feel safe. Made her feel grounded. "I just don't think I'll ever get used to her coming here - I don't mind her, I can't hate her, but I just feel so insecure when she's around," she confessed looking up at him. She cared for Baal, and she wanted to embrace every aspect of him and his past, but she couldn't handle Ivory yet. "I don't know, part of me wants to rip her away from you whenever she is within fifty centimeters of you, another part of me just wants to run and hide because I could never compare," she said softly.

Buffy knew there must still be some feelings lingering. At least in some ways it was only natural that he did care for her, and maybe it was healthy for his children as well. She looked at him as he tried explaining, then looked down to their fingers entangling. They fit together so perfectly, and seeing them just be together made her heart flutter. She furrowed her brows shortly, but it was only to hold in her emotions as she looked back up at him. Her other hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him. She would never in a million years get enough of feeling the world disappear around them. She pulled a bit away from his lips, looking up at him from under her lashes as she felt herself blush a bit. Not because she was nervous, but because she felt silly from having these insecurities. "As long as you can kiss me and make my heart beat out of control, I guess I can believe you," she whispered. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "And as long as you touch me like only you do," she said in a gentle voice.

His words made a small chill run down her spine, making her arch her back a little to be closer to him. He could draw her in like no other and as he pulled her into another kiss she sighed against his lips, moving backwards until she felt the kitchen counter. Her heart was beating away in her chest, moving her tongue out to gently lick at his lips. She wanted to feel him, and it was like he flipped a switch in her that made her purr and need him this intensely. "Our child is still in the apartment," she whispered against his lips, but she couldn't stop herself from moving against him as she moved her lips to his neck, kissing him gently but rather tenderly.