Playboy Mommy (Part 3/?)
AUTHOR: Rebecca Parker
EMAIL: LaVelleBelle@aol.com
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Buffy has a one night fling with Gunn. 9 months later she is
pregnant and unsure if the baby's father is Gunn or Riley. She has fessed up
to Riley who has turned her away.
FEEDBACK: If you want to, it would be nice.
DISTRIBUTION: This and the first 2 parts are at my site
(http://www.geocities.com/rebeccafic). FINNatics can, of course, have it. All
others please ask first.
DISCLAIMER: Joss and Mutant Enemy own all. I own just this empty feeling.
DEDICATION: To Jodi and Naomi, members, with me, of "The Evil Triumvirate".
You two make me so happy.
NOTE: ~~~ denotes a flashback. *** denotes a return to present time.



"Xander!" a voice called out. "You have a friend here!"

"Ok," Xander answered, getting off his bed and walking up the stairs. He
opened the door, expecting to see Anya or Willow there, but was shocked to
find Buffy. "Buff," he said, smiling. "To what do I owe this matronly honor?"

"Hi Xander," Buffy said, smiling weakly. "Can I come in?"

"Nah. You can stay up here and discuss Tang with my mother," he joked,
rubbing his hands together. "Of course you can come in."

"Thanks," Buffy said, stepping down the stairs, her hands carefully gripping
the side railing. "Am I interrupting something? Is- Is Anya here?"

"Nope. One completely girlfriend free apartment. She's out shopping." Xander
cleared a spot off of his bed and smiled at his friend. "Want to sit? I don't
want to induce labor by making you stand or something. I'm not too keen on
delivering the baby myself."

"Thanks," she said, sitting down slowly and looking up at Xander. "I-I needed
to talk to someone."

"Hey," Xander said, sitting down next to her and taking her hand in his.
"What's wrong? You have this look like you-"

"Just told the man I loved that there's a good chance the baby I'm carrying
isn't his?" she finished, her head hanging low.

"I was gonna say like you just found out the Backstreet Boys were breaking up
but," he said, looking her over, "are you serious?"

"Completely," she said, looking up at Xander. "I-I fucked up big time Xander.
I told Riley tonight and he left me. He told me he never wanted to see me
again and I deserve it."

"Buffy," Xander began, unsure of what to say. "We all make mistakes. Look at
Willow and me- we cheated on Oz and Cordelia and we're still good people,
right?"

"The best," she said, smiling. "But- but you loved each other."

"Yes, we did. And do."

"And you two didn't have sex."

"No, we didn't," Xander admitted.

"And Willow didn't get pregnant."

"Well, kinda hard since we didn't have the aforementioned sex," Xander said,
putting his arm around Buffy's shoulders and holding her to him as her body
started to shake. "You're a good person, Buffy. The best. If it weren't for
you, this world would have been sucked into hell more times than Elizabeth
Taylor's been married. If it wasn't for you, we'd all be dead and there would
be no chance that this baby could have been created. And there is a chance
that the baby is Riley's, right?"

"Yes," Buffy said, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm just
so confused. I made a mistake. A one time mistake that I regret more than
anything and all the good I've done doesn't matter because I broke his heart
tonight. If this baby isn't his," she said, resting his head on Xander's
shoulder, "If this baby isn't his- I don't think he'll ever see me again."

Xander sighed, mulling over in his head what to say to her. Unfortunately, he
didn't think there was anything that could be said convincingly but the
truth. "Probably not," he said, tightening his grip on her hand. "You have to
understand how hard it will be for him."

"I know," Buffy said, closing her eyes. "He's right. He should never speak to
me again. I deserve that."

"Buffy, I have to ask," Xander said, looking at her, her eyes closed tight as
if imagining this wasn't really happening.

"You don't know him," she said, her eyes opening and meeting his. "It was
just once. I- Riley and I had been fighting for a while and he said we needed
to talk. I thought he was going to break up with me but-"

"But that was when he asked you to move in," Xander finished. "I remember
that. You went away to Los Angeles for a weekend."

Buffy nodded. "That was when it happened. That was the weekend I ruined
Riley's life."

~~~~~

"This is a nice place," Buffy said, looking around the room. She smiled as
she noticed a little porcelain doll sitting on the mantle. She picked it up
carefully and smiled at him. "This isn't exactly the kind of décor I expected
from you Gunn," she teased.

"It was my sister's," he said, taking it from her and running his fingers
over the face. "She liked to collect them when we were younger but once we
started moving around, we had to get rid of most. This was her favorite."

"It's beautiful," Buffy said, tucking her hands into her pockets. She
frowned, looking around the room, a sudden shiver causing goosebumps to cover
her flesh. "I shouldn't be here."

Gunn placed the doll back on the mantle gently and turned to her. "Where
should you be? With the chump who's gonna leave you?"

"Yes," Buffy answered. "I mean, he's not a chump, Gunn. He's so wonderful.
It's me. I'm the reason why this is ending." She sighed. "I should just go
back there and-"

"No," Gunn said, moving to her and placing his hand on her cheek. "I don't
think that's what you need right now."

Buffy tensed under his touch. "What do I need then?"

"I think," Gunn said, moving his lips to hers and brushing them lightly, "I
think you need to feel adored."

"You don't know me well enough to adore me," she answered against his lips,
her hand moving up his chest.

"I think I do." Gunn moved his hands around her back, pushing her to him;
their kiss deepening.

Buffy knew she should stop- she and Riley were still dating but she knew it
was over. She wanted nothing more than to lose herself in this moment and
feel wanted. She wanted to feel a connection with someone, as Parker had put
it, and she wanted to feel close to someone without feeling as if her heart
was in jeopardy.

"Thank you," Buffy said, breaking out of Gunn's arms and taking his hand,
pulling him towards the bedroom. They stopped in the doorway, exchanging a
brief kiss. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her, squeezing her hand
gently.

Buffy stared at the bed, a myriad of emotions flowing through her. She took a
deep breath, pushing aside all her thoughts, her doubts and her insecurities
and nodded. "Yes," she whispered, meeting his eyes. "I'm sure."

****

"No way," Graham said, shaking his head. "There's no way Buffy would do that.
She loves you too much, man."

Riley ground his teeth, balling his hand into a fist. "She admitted it,
Graham. She slept with some guy and- and this baby is probably his," Riley
finished, his voice soft and vulnerable.

"Shit," Graham said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you OK?"

Riley stood up, pacing across the room. "What do you think? She waited 9
months to tell me this. 9 months," Riley repeated. "She waited until I could
almost touch it- this perfect life I had set up for us."

"I'm sorry man," Graham said, walking to Riley and patting his back. "Do
you-" Graham stopped. "Forget it."

"What?" Riley asked, turning around to his friend. "What were you going to
ask?"

Graham sighed. "I was gonna ask if you knew who the guy was."

"She didn't say," Riley said, walking to the wall and leaning against it. "I
didn't give her a chance to say. Damnit!" he screamed, punching the wall. "I
don't know what to do."

"Talk to her."

"No," Riley said, turning around. "I want to know who he is."

"Who could it be?" Graham asked, sitting back down on the bed. He knew this
wasn't the best course of action for his friend, but he also knew there was
no way of talking him out of it.

"I don't know," Riley said, exasperated.

"Maybe that Xander guy?" Graham offered. "I've seen the way he looks at her.
It's more than a study buddy kinda look."

"No," Riley said. "It's not Xander."

"Why not?"

"Xander wouldn't do that," Riley answered, grabbing a nerf basketball from
his dresser and squeezing it tight.

"Like Buffy wouldn't sleep with someone else?"

Riley felt like he had been hit with a car. Graham was right- he couldn't
trust anyone anymore and Xander seemed like the obvious choice. "Let's go
talk to him," Riley said, opening the door and walking out before Graham
could say anything.

TO BE CONTINUED...