Title: Same Time, Different Channel
Author: Cimmer"Oh hey, there's a horse." Xander pointed out from his position on the hillside.
"Where?" Angel squinted up at the nighttime sky; cloud watching took on a whole new meaning with a vampire as your companion.
"Right there, see there's the mane and the tail?" Xander had been meeting Angel on and off over the years since their break-up in out of the way places where they knew they wouldn't run into the gang. Tonight's venue was a state park half-way between Sunnydale and Los Angeles.
"Oh yeah. Look Connor, look, see? It's a horsey." Angel juggled his baby into position to see the sky. He enjoyed these too infrequent time outs with his son and ex. They gave him much needed breathing room to simply be himself.
Xander turned his head slightly, watching Angel point out the horsey shaped cloud to his son. The baby gave a wide yawn to signify his interest in the proceedings. Xander chuckled.
"So who picked his outfit?" Xander asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
Angel grimaced slightly. "Cordy and Fred thought it was 'just the cutest thing' their words. They wanted to take pictures but that's where I put my foot down. I mean look at him." Angel gestured to the yellow and brown striped sleeper suit complete with bumble bee headgear. "No boy wants a picture of himself looking like this lying around as blackmail material."
Xander chuckled again and shook his head. "He does look kinda cute, you gotta admit. Of course he's your son, so he'd probably look good in a sack. He's obviously inherited his dad's fashion superpower."
Angel sighed deeply and rolled his eyes.
"So you put your foot down eh? So they got, what only one picture instead of ten?" Xander reached out gently rubbing a fuzzy head.
"Three," Angel grumbled before sharing an understanding smile with the brunette, watching as the man stared in rapt wonder at one of Connor's little hands.
"Why did we break up again?" Angel teased gently.
"Because I was too young and you kept trying to do that possessive vampire thing, 'He's mine!'" Xander mimicked the vampire's growl convincingly.
If Angel could have blushed he would have. "Oh yeah, that."
"Yeah, that." Xander echoed. "If we weren't fighting we were making out which usually led to more fighting."
"Yeah," Angel sighed. "The making out was fun though."
"Yup," Xander nodded.
"You still going through with the wedding?"
"Yup."
Angel bit his lip and didn't say anything, choosing instead to shift his sleeping son to the other arm and move a little closer to Xander.
Xander rolled his head to the side and watched the maneuver with a small smile on his face and shifted his body to meet Angel half way. They leaned against each other in companionable silence watching the vast night sky.
"Oh now that one looks like a butterfly."
"Yeah, almost perfect wings."
"Yup."