*****

Samantha and Joey were always embarrassed about the fact that their parents humped like bunnies. Other people’s parents didn’t seem to engage in these overt displays of affection. Other kids never mentioned their parents making out on the living room couch like mindless, hormonally driven teens. Joey figured it was because of their obvious love for one another that she and her sister never saw their break-up coming. It hit them both like a ton of bricks. After tending to Daddy for a few days, she saw it hit him just as hard.

So on Saturday evening when they came home and found the leak in the basement fixed and tattered clothing strewn all over the floor, they figured the plan had been a success. They were still embarrassed by the fact that the coupling between their parents had to have been somewhat rambunctious, but they both let it pass without comment. They were willing to put up with a great deal of naughty behavior if it meant their parents would be back together.

They never saw it coming when Buffy tossed Angel back out of the house that evening. Angel never saw it coming either. One moment they had been sleeping off their earlier activities, snuggled together in a bundle of warmth and afterglow. The next moment, Buffy was telling him he couldn’t stay the night.

“What?” Angel asked groggily, looking at his wife like she had sprouted a second head.

“You can’t stay here,” she said quietly. “It’ll only confuse the girls.”

“The girls?” Angel echoed. “What about me? I’m confused as hell here, baby.”

“I’m not ready to be back together,” she said, kneeling beside him in bed.

“You’re my wife,” he growled.

“We’re separated.”

“Not legally.”

“Do you want it to be legal?”

“No,” Angel groaned. “I want to come home and live with my wife and children. I want to hold you every night and wake up with you every morning.”

“I’m not ready,” she repeated. “Angel, nothing’s changed but sex, and as good as that is, it’s not enough. I need to be on my own for a while and so do you.”

“Are you going to be seeing Lindsey?” he demanded furiously.

“Maybe,” she answered. “I don’t know.”

“But you’re not going to sleep with him,” he prodded. Her silence tore out his heart and he stared at her for a long time, waiting for a miracle to happen. “Buffy please…”

“Just go, Angel.”

For Angel, that was the last straw. Buffy was his life and hearing her tell him that he wasn't wanted ate at his soul like acid. Her initial rejection had shocked him into a stunned stupor. The eventual realization that he couldn’t just come home had left him wallowing in a pit of despair. But this … this was too much.

"Fine," he spat venomously at his wife, throwing back the covers. He was sick of pining over her while she acted like he had no vested interest in whether or not she was fucking her little school buddy. He wasn't a goddamn doormat.

Buffy watched him stomp around the room, growling as he dug through drawers for some clothes he hadn't taken when he left. He eventually found an old pair of sweats and a t-shirt, harshly pulling on the clothes while he muttered and cursed under his breath.

He turned around, glaring at her with such animosity that she shrank back into the pillows. "This is bullshit," he bit out, "absolute bullshit. I'll leave, but this is the end of it, Buffy. I'm done begging you to let me come home. If you decide you want me, you know where I am."

Joey and Samantha watched in stunned silence from their positions on the couch as Angel stomped down the stairs and out the front door, slamming it behind himself with such force that the entire house reverberated. From her position at the top of the stairs, Buffy couldn't tear her eyes from the now closed door. She crossed and uncrossed her arms, willing herself not to cry. While she had spent countless weeks grappling with her life and Angel's place in it, being faced with the prospect of that outcome now being out of her hands rocked her to her foundation.

***

Angel stared at Rebecca's retreating form, almost unable to fathom what he had just done. When she glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled, he forced himself to return the gesture. He swallowed thickly. He had a date.

Sitting down heavily in the chair, Angel was overcome by a violent mixture of emotions. On one hand he felt vindicated and self-righteous. If Buffy could traipse all over town with her little boy toy, Lindsey, Angel was damned well entitled to do the same. But on the other hand, the whole situation felt so completely alien and wrong.

As he considered his daughters' reaction to the news, he actually cringed. They didn’t understand Lindsey’s role in Buffy’s life and they wouldn’t understand Rebecca – should she become someone they would notice.

He growled to himself. Rebecca was beautiful and sophisticated. In a different situation he would have been thrilled to be dating someone like her, but the horrible truth of the matter was that he just wanted Buffy. He wanted to sleep with Buffy and wake up with her. He wanted to make love to Buffy and fuck her like a mindless fool until they were melting into each other. Hell, he wanted her to bitch and yell at him when he worked too much or left his clothes on the floor. Anything but being tossed aside like he hadn’t given his whole life to her.

He shook his head clear. He would date Rebecca. If he could, he might even sleep with her. Buffy could fuck the entire godamn school and he wouldn’t care. He mentally berated himself for even thinking that outright lie and pushed himself back from his desk. He would be thankful if he could keep himself from killing that smartass little college boy before this was all over.

***

Buffy spent the rest of the weekend in a dazed regret that she hadn’t expected, but she didn’t cry. She was very proud of that fact. She didn’t cry and she hardly slept and she barely spoke to her daughters. This whole thing was like a nightmare coming to life and the worst part of it was that it was all her fault. She was the one who was unsure of her relationship. Angel never had a second of wavering that she had noticed. He might have been angry with her but he never mentioned leaving her, never said he’d had enough.

She was a poophead. She broke the heart of the only man she’d ever loved and she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She didn’t know what to think about the rest of her life, but the thought of living forever without Angel made her blood run cold. She was confused and hurt and terrified. None of that made her choice easier though. She had done this for a reason and she had to remember that. She wasn’t making her family’s life hell just for kicks.

Samantha was understanding or she played it off perfectly if she wasn’t. She gave her mother a wide berth and was careful to be especially considerate at all times. Joey, on the other hand, was furious and confused. She planted that glare on Buffy that was identical to Angel’s every chance she got, but she didn’t say a word.

Monday morning, Buffy dropped the girls off at the shop before school per their request. She didn’t see Angel and she was grateful for that. As she headed to the UC Sunnydale campus, she felt like she was underwater. She hadn’t slept well in a very long time. She couldn’t remember the last time the thought of food was vaguely appealing. If she didn’t find a way to pull it together soon, she was going to fail all her classes.

Buffy was seated in one of the uncomfortable little desks looking at her daily planner when Lindsey slid into the seat next to her. He was whistling a jaunty little tune as he reached over and placed a steaming cup of coffee onto the corner of her desk. Buffy managed a weak smile. “Thanks, but I don’t think I can,” she said wearily. Caffeine on top of how she was feeling was bound to make her nothing but jittery.

Lindsey’s brow furrowed with concern. “You okay?” he asked.

She smiled tightly and nodded. “Fine,” she said. “Just had a taxing weekend. Basement flooded.”

“Damn,” Lindsey said, “I hope you got it taken care of.”

“Yeah, Angel fixed it,” she mumbled.

Lindsey shot her a disapproving glance. “You know, Buffy, it would probably be a good idea to stop seeing your estranged husband.”

“Oh trust me, I know,” she said. “He told me as much on Saturday.”

Lindsey was quiet for several long moments. So, Angel was finally getting tired of being dicked around. This was a very interesting development indeed. “Well, I guess you’re free for our regular Tuesday night study group then,” he said blandly.

Buffy looked from her planner to Lindsey and back again. Thanksgiving was in two weeks. This would be the first holiday where she might be alone. The first of possibly many. Her heart ached. “No, Lindsey,” she said. “I can’t.” Regardless of what she might have told Angel, Buffy’s attraction had little to do with matters. Yes, she found him handsome and intriguing, but it was more Angel’s opposition to her friendship with Lindsey that made her want to pursue it than the friendship itself.

***

“Dad,” Joey barked, kicking her father in the hip as he worked under one of the cars in the shop.

“What?” he snapped.

“You have to pick me up after practice,” she said, completely unconcerned with his show of temper.

Angel pushed himself out from under the car and frowned at his daughter. “Can’t Spike just give you a ride over to your mother’s?” he asked. After replacing both Angel and Devon, Spike and Oz had gone on to be part of a phenomenally successful band. They had been so successful that Spike was free to spend his time doing nothing more taxing than traveling around the globe and, when he was in Sunnydale, helping Joey’s band. But truth be told, Angel had totally forgotten about Joey’s band practice…because he had a date. He couldn’t exactly drag Rebecca along to pick Joey up. Well, okay, he could, but it wouldn’t be recommended.

“Da-ddy,” she whined, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

Angel’s resolve was strong. “I’ll talk to Spike and work it out with him,” he said shortly.

“I don’t want a ride from Spike,” Joey complained. “I want a ride from you, besides, Spike’s…busy. Yeah, he’s really busy.”

“Joe,” Angel warned, rolling back under the car. He ignored that she kicked a tool across the garage and that she stomped out pissed off. If she was ever going to grow up, she would have to learn to live with disappointment now and then. Besides, he wasn’t going to give up his first date in eighteen years because Joey had a preference on who picked her up. A twinge of guilt snuck up, but Angel held firm. It was ridiculous for him to feel guilty about choosing some woman over his daughter.

***

“Mom,” Samantha said. Buffy had nearly made it out of the front door. “I need to go pick up Joey from band practice or you do.”

“What?” Buffy echoed in confusion. “Angel always brings Joey home when Spike can’t.”

“Well, Spike wasn’t there tonight and Daddy says he has plans and can’t make it. Course, I’m sure he told her earlier he couldn’t pick her up. She just doesn’t think Daddy will ever really mean no,” Samantha said, deliberately putting a clipped tone in her words.

“Plans?” Buffy asked, lost in thought. “Is he working late?”

“Not if some sexy, brunette wannabe actress is working,” Samantha growled. She put her hands on her hips and glared at her mother. “Chloe works at that new Italian restaurant and she saw him walking in with her. She was in some teensy, little red dress. Slut. I hope he knows that if he hooks up with some tramp, I am not pretending to like her.”

Samantha tossed her hair back irritably and pulled the keys from her Mom’s lax grip. “I’ll go get Joey before she starts making out with some metal head freak.”

Pausing, Samantha gently guided Buffy into the kitchen. “Mom, you look all pale. Maybe you should have a glass of water while I’m gone.”

“Wait,” Buffy rasped, blinking at her eldest child. “He’s on a…date?”

“Well, yeah,” Samantha said, as if she were confused by the question. “I mean, I guess he was. He had his hand on her leg. Chloe said she has great legs too. You just *know* she’s a slut if Daddy’s already feeling her up after, like, five seconds. Anyway, I’ll be right back, Mom, then you can go to your study session.”

Briskly, Samantha pecked her mother’s cheek and teetered out the door in her three-inch heels. She grinned once she got inside the Jeep and headed over to the garage where they practiced. Spike was waiting outside the door, smoking a cigarette and she slipped to her feet and sauntered over to him.

“Been waiting for you, luv,” Spike said, flicking his cigarette away. He smoothed his hands over her hips and pulled her close. She allowed him one long, slow kiss before she pulled away.

“I have to get back home,” she whispered, biting his neck. “Later.”

“I’ll be ducking through your window in an hour, pet,” Spike said. “I expect you to be there.”

“I might,” Samantha said, tossing her long blonde locks over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

***

“Listen to me,” Rebecca said in a self-deprecating tone, rolling her eyes, “poor little rich girl.”

“We all got problems,” Angel replied seriously. He liked Rebecca. She was intelligent and intriguing, if a bit too mysterious and self-absorbed for his taste. Talking to her was nice. Hell, enjoying a mutual attraction with someone was nice.

They chatted for a long time. Angel had just taken a drink of his wine when what he saw nearly caused him to choke. Before he could speak, Samantha and Joey both pulled up chairs at the table, looking expectantly between him and Rebecca.

“I’m sorry,” Rebecca said, clearly confused by the interlopers.

“We’re his kids,” Joey said boldly, glaring at Rebecca. “The kids that live with him. The kids that are constantly at his shop. The kids that are going to inherit everything he has so no gold digging second wife could ever get her paws on a single red cent. The kids that could track him down more efficiently than a pair of bloodhounds if you ever even thought about taking a romantic vacation somewhere. The kids that – “

“Thank you, Josephine,” Angel bit out, gripping his daughter’s hand in his own. He smiled at Rebecca, his face flaming in embarrassment.

Rebecca recovered quickly. “Angel mentioned he had two daughters,” Rebecca said politely. “I guess I just expected you to be ... younger.”

“Got an early start,” Angel said tightly.

“What about his wife?” Joey continued. “Did he mention her? Because he’s still married. They’re not even legally separated. He’s just using you to get back at her.”

***

“Inside now,” Angel barked, glaring at his youngest daughter with barely veiled irritation. He walked around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

“But Daddy, I just – “

“You insulted Rebecca and you embarrassed me,” he bit out. “I do not expect you to be happy about the situation between your mother and I, but I do expect you to be civil to my friends. If you cannot be civil, I expect you to bite your tongue.”

“Really Daddy,” Samantha said, sliding into the front seat before Joey could and crossed her legs, “we were just helping you out. Joey may be a bit excitable and rude, but she has a point. If you could have seen Mom’s face when I told her about Rebecca-“

“You told your mother?” Angel asked tersely, pivoting in his seat to glare back and forth between his daughters. Joey bravely tried not to shrink back under her father’s glare, but Samantha studied her perfectly manicured nails.

“She turned white as a ghost and I had to make sure she didn’t pass out,” Samantha said coolly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that upset in my entire life, so we decided to break up the date before something happened that we couldn’t repair.”

“Your mother made her choice,” Angel snarled, putting the car in drive. “I don’t want you two trying to manipulate me into feeling sorry for her.”

“She hasn’t been sleeping,” Joey shot in from the back. “Or eating. In fact, her clothes are hanging off of her. She can’t even concentrate to study.”

“Thank you, Joey,” Angel answered. “Let me make this plain. I know you two want us back together, but you’re creating more problems, not helping. Now please, let us work this out.”

“Yeah, cause you’re both doing such a bang up job,” Joey snorted loudly.

***

On to part 8