Happy New Year! Hope you guys had a good holiday. Here's the next update. Hope you enjoy it. The next one should be coming fairly soon. Fingers crossed!

Ch. 7

"Pre-marriage counselling?" Buffy asked skeptically and Angel shrugged.

"It's really important to my mom," he said. "And it's just a couple sessions."

"You think we need counseling before we get married?" Buffy challenged and he held up his hands in surrender.

"You know I don't. But it means a lot to my mom. And what could it hurt, really?" he pointed out.

"Did your parents have pre-marriage counselling?" she asked and Angel shook his head. "Then why is she so insistent that we have it?"

"Maybe because her husband had an affair," he reminded her but Buffy was too annoyed to feel guilty.

"Do you intend to have an affair?" she shot back and he sighed. This wasn't going over well.

"Of course not, Buffy," he said. "If you're really that against it we don't have to do it, but my mom already made us the appointment."

"With a counselor at a Catholic church?" she asked and Angel nodded. "Not happening."

"Why not. You're Catholic," he said and she shook her head.

"Angel we won't get past the registration forms before we're kicked out. Hello? Living in sin?" she pointed out as she gestured between the two of them. "And sleeping together? A lot? How do you plan to get by that?"

"Well…we don't have to tell them about that," he shrugged and Buffy glared at him.

"Isn't lying a sin?"

"So maybe we don't go to the church for counseling," he murmured and Buffy nodded. "We can go to a regular counselor."

"Whoever we go to is going to think we're insane," she snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why?" he wondered and she rolled her eyes.

"Because we've known each other for five minutes and we're getting married!" she exclaimed and Angel's mouth quirked up in a small smile.

"We're going to a trained professional. He should be able to figure out whether or not we're in love."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mr. O'Connor, Miss Summers, it's wonderful to meet you both. I'm Dr. White," the older man introduced himself as Angel and Buffy sat on the small couch in his office. "What brings you two here today? Any particular issues to discuss?"

"No," Angel replied finding himself rather uncomfortable sitting there in such a professional setting. This had seemed totally nonthreatening when it was just an idea, but sitting there in a freaking doctor's office was just too…clinical.

"Okay. We'll just start at the beginning then. How did you two meet?" Dr. White asked and Buffy glanced at Angel out of the corner of her eye. She'd told him that would be his first question. She was sure the sham of an engagement would go over well.

"My sister had dragged me out to a club because I'd just broken up with my girlfriend," Angel began and Buffy noticed Dr. White was writing something discreetly on a notepad. "She went to dance with her boyfriend and that was when I saw Buffy. She looked so sad. Heartbroken," Angel remembered and Dr. White frowned.

"Why was that?"

"I had just broken up with my fiancé earlier that day," Buffy answered and she felt a bit triumphant when Angel tensed beside her. Finally he was starting to realize how ridiculous their story looked to other people.

"Why did you end that relationship?" Dr. White wondered and Buffy heaved a loud sigh.

"I never loved him. Not really. After my dad died my mom desperately wanted me to find someone and get married," Buffy explained. "Riley was a sweet guy. He was nice, treated me well, and he loved me. So when he proposed I said yes, but it was a mistake. But I had already promised my mom I would bring him to LA to meet her for Christmas."

"And my sister's boyfriend was planning to propose to her on their ski vacation," Angel jumped in. "Then my sister canceled so I wouldn't be alone on Christmas." He glanced sideways at Buffy as he realized she was right. They should have just said it was a blind date. Now they sounded like they were part of the world's biggest rebound relationship. "When I saw Buffy at the club I was just drawn to her. We ended up having a lot to drink that night," Angel remembered fondly and Buffy blushed slightly hoping he wouldn't mention that she'd kissed him. "I walked her home and ended up sleeping on her floor."

"And then you began dating?" Dr. White assumed when the two stopped talking.

"No," Buffy admitted. "Then my friend and I came up with a ridiculous plan to get me a fake fiancé to bring home to my mother so I wouldn't ruin her Christmas. I went back to the club to find one and I ended up finding Angel again."

"She told me what she was doing, and since I wanted to make sure my sister went on her ski vacation, I volunteered," Angel said simply. There. It was done.

"So you posed as an engaged couple," Dr. White spoke evenly and Buffy and Angel both nodded silently. "Are you still carrying on the charade?"

"No," Angel said immediately. "We fell for each other quickly after we met. On New Year's we made it official. Eventually we came clean to all our family and friends.

"So you've known each other for…" Dr. White trailed off as he began to do the math.

"Just over six months," Angel answered and Dr. White looked up from his notes. "Engaged for about five."

"Five months?" Dr. White clarified and when they both nodded he merely pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"And no, I'm not pregnant," Buffy jumped in and Mr. White gave her a small smile. "That wouldn't be a reason to get married anyways," she muttered under her breath but Angel frowned.

"Yes it would be," he disagreed and Buffy glared at him, furious that he would create an issue while they were at counseling! Like this guy needed encouragement. They'd already spilled all the details on the first few weeks of their relationship. That was plenty to put them in the loony bin.

"No it wouldn't be," she said plainly but he was shocked. How could she think that a baby wouldn't change things? That he would just let her raise it on her own? That he wouldn't want to marry her and be a family?

"Buffy, a baby would be a very important reason to get married. Look at Fred and Wes," he pointed out.

"They were going to get married anyways," she said and he rolled his eyes.

"That's not the point!" Angel raised his voice slightly and Dr. White sat back and observed them quietly. "They got married so they can raise the baby together."

"We wouldn't have to be married to raise the baby together. The nonexistent baby, may I remind you," she gritted her teeth and Angel shook his head in annoyance. "Why are we even fighting about this? I'm not pregnant!"

"Why is this so important to you, Angel?" Dr. White asked and Angel suddenly hated himself for bringing this up now. He could have talked about it with Buffy later.

"I just think that if a couple is having a baby they should get married," he shrugged.

"So if you knocked up some random girl on the street you would marry her?" Buffy challenged. "Or if you didn't love each other?"

"You're not some random girl, Buffy," he replied calmly taking all the wind out of her sails. "And we do love each other," he said softly and she crossed her arms suddenly feeling more vulnerable than angry.

"Why wouldn't you want to marry Angel if you were pregnant?" Dr. White asked and Buffy looked up.

"I didn't say that!" she said quickly and she looked at Angel to see he had been thinking along the same lines as Dr. White. She felt guilty. That wasn't what she'd meant. "I just meant that in general I don't think people should get married just because they're having a baby. If there's other reasons like with our friends Fred and Wes… or like there would be if we were pregnant, then that's different." Then turning to Angel her face softened. "Of course I would still want to marry you."

"Let me ask you this," Dr. White spoke up interrupting just when Angel was about to reach for Buffy's hand. "Out of all the people you have met in your life, why do you choose to be with each other?" They looked at each other and Dr. White smiled. "Buffy, I'd like to hear from you."

"Well," she began before deciding that if she was here she may as well answer honestly and maybe get some insight out of it. "Angel's the best person I know. He's generous and thoughtful. He always puts others needs above his own," she began to list, but then her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She wasn't explaining this right. There were so many reasons. Did this guy have all day? "He makes me laugh. He's the only person I can be myself around."

"And you, Angel?" Dr. White asked drawing Angel out of his reverie. He'd been listening closely to what Buffy had been saying.

"Buffy accepts me," he spoke slowly. "She sees me as a better man than I am and she makes me want to be that man."

"And if there was something you could change about each other?" the doctor asked and Angel smiled slightly.

"How often she gets herself in trouble," Angel answered jokingly.

"Trouble?" Dr. White asked skeptically.

"Yeah. Like life threatening trouble," he answered and Buffy shot him a look. "It scares the hell out of me."

"It's only been a couple times," Buffy mumbled. "And they were just accidents."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Dr. White asked a bit concerned about the nature of the accidents.

"Well I skied into a tree and we got carjacked. That's it," Buffy insisted and Angel scoffed.

"You skied into a tree and were trapped in a snowstorm on the mountain for hours. And while we were carjacked you were held at gunpoint. Not to mention your near drowning that I just found out about," he said and Buffy shrugged helplessly.

"That was five years ago," she defended but he merely shot her a look.

"I believe Angel is concerned that you don't value your life as much as he values your life," Dr. White spoke up. "That you may recklessly allow something to happen to yourself without taking your own safety into consideration. Is that correct, Angel?"

"Yeah," he nodded and Buffy glanced over at him. "I've lost a lot Buffy," he said gravely. "If anything ever happened to you…that'd be it for me."

"Angel," she said softly as she reached for his hand. Their eyes were locked and Dr. White allowed them a moment. "I don't do it on purpose," she finally said and Angel gave her a small smile.

"I know. That's what worries me. Accidents are just that. Accidents. You can't prevent them," he sighed and Buffy knew he was thinking about Kathy.

"I can try to be more careful," she offered and Angel smiled. She looked so concerned about how she could fix this.

"Just try not to get so mad when I'm a little overprotective, okay?" he suggested and she smiled.

"Okay," she agreed and they both turned to Dr. White.

"You two handled that very well," he commented. "You both communicated honestly and openly. A lot of times that's the hardest part. Buffy was mad Angel was overprotective in the past because she didn't understand how concerned he was. By discussing it, you've resolved the issue."

"Isn't that the idea?" Buffy asked confused.

"Yes. It sounds like the two of you have developed a healthy communication style. Now," Dr. White cleared his throat. "Buffy. What would you change about Angel?"

"I guess…how he always wants everything to be perfect. Like our first date or when he proposed. He gets so stressed out and I feel bad that he can't enjoy things when they end up not as perfect as he had hoped," she explained and Angel wanted to reach for her but restrained himself since they were in front of the doctor.

"Angel is it true you want things to be perfect?" Dr. White asked and Angel shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, yes," he answered. "I wanted things like our first date or my proposal to be special. Buffy deserves to have those perfect moments."

"Buffy, does it upset you when they aren't perfect?" Dr. White asked and Buffy shook her head.

"No. I know Angel planned them out, but then he's trying so hard he throws the chocolates on the floor or drops the ring," she teased and Angel desperately hoped he wasn't blushing. "And it's those things that made those moments special to me. I think they were perfect," she said and Angel felt his mouth quirk up in a small smile. She was awesome.

"Now that we have that cleared up," Dr. White said as he saw the couple exchanging smiles, "I'd like to ask you some questions about your expectations for the future and make sure you're on the same page." When Buffy and Angel nodded he began. "What does it mean to you to be married to and committed to the other person? For example, will you establish now that affairs are unacceptable? Are affairs of the heart equal to a sexual affair?"

"I won't cheat on Buffy," Angel stated surprising Dr. White slightly with his immediate response. "In any way. Sexually or just with my heart," he said sounding offended at the thought.

"Have there been issues regarding cheating in your relationship in the past?" Dr. White wondered and Angel damn near got up and left. Where the hell had that question come from? Although he had kissed Darla. But that didn't count! Buffy wouldn't…

"No," Buffy stated simply and Dr. White nodded.

"I only ask because you two seem to have some very strong feelings on infidelity. Has infidelity been an issue in the past? Either in previous relationships or perhaps for your parents?" Dr. White asked and Buffy's eyebrows shot up.

"Wow. You're good," she said and Angel crossed his arms and frowned. How had this guy known? Angel didn't think he was that transparent, but maybe he was more obvious than he thought.

"Have you discussed past relationships?" Dr. White wondered and Angel let out an audible sigh.

"Yes," Buffy answered as she noticed Angel growing frustrated. "We've discussed them in detail."

"Good. Now moving forward," Dr. White said seeming to realize this was not an avenue he should pursue at the moment. Angel looked like he was about to storm out. "Do you plan to have a joint bank account?"

"We already do," Angel answered. "And money is not an issue so you can just cross that topic off your list," he said pointing to the doctor's notepad.

"It's important to discuss the financial aspects of a partnership-"

"The financial aspect isn't an issue," Angel interrupted.

"Angel has money," Buffy jumped in and the doctor nodded.

"We have money," Angel corrected her and of course Dr. White picked up on it.

"Buffy does it bother you that Angel has more money than you do?"

"Any money I have is Buffy's now too," Angel jumped in and Dr. White gave him a small, placating smile which further annoyed Angel.

"Buffy, are you uncomfortable with the distribution of wealth in your relationship?" Dr. White rephrased and Buffy frowned.

"No. I don't care where the money comes from," she answered. "I just worry I'm going to spend all of it on shoes or something," she joked and immediately knew it was a mistake when Dr. White opened his mouth again.

"Angel, do you share this concern?"

"No," he replied simply. Dr. White waited for Angel to continue, but he remained silent and Buffy had to hold back a laugh.

"Okay. Then moving on," Dr. White murmured. "This is an especially important topic for a couple who has been together for such a short time. How often do you plan to have sex after you're-"

"WHOA!" Angel exclaimed as he stood up from his seat. "That's also not an issue. So just skip down."

"Angel, I have to say-"

"No, you don't have to say anything," Angel cut him off. "Excuse me if I'm not comfortable discussing our sex life with a stranger. These are things for the two of us to talk about," he said gesturing between Buffy and himself. "Not the three of us."

"That's true," Dr. White mused. "May I suggest a compromise?" Mr. White pulled a thick packet out of his desk. "This is something I often give to engaged couples. It's an exercise you two can do together. It will help you discuss important issues, but in the privacy of your own home."

"Fine," Angel agreed reaching for the packet. Why couldn't they have just gotten this when they first came in? "Thank you for your time," he said pulling out his wallet. Quickly writing a check for the full two hours even though they'd only been there for about half the time, Angel reached for Buffy's hand. "Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Ready?" Buffy asked as she grabbed the packet off the coffee table. "Are you going to freak out like you did in counseling?" she teased.

"It got weird! I did NOT want to tell some old guy about your favorite sex positions," he exclaimed and Buffy laughed.

"I don't think that's what he was asking," she said and Angel pouted as he sank down on the couch next to her.

"Who knows? He'd already practically accused me of cheating on you," he grumbled and Buffy looked over at him. She knew he was a private person and she respected that. But he was the one who had wanted to try counseling in the first place. Well, he'd been doing it for his mom, but he still agreed to it. So why did he get so upset?

"Look, I just think that what's between us should stay between us. We don't need to be discussing our relationship and a bunch of nonexistent problems with some guy we don't know. It was just…really uncomfortable," he said but Buffy could see something else in his eyes.

"Angel, what's going on?" she asked and he sighed.

"I uh…went to therapy a few times after my dad died. Family sessions with mom and Kathy mostly," he said and Buffy waited for him to finish. "I hated it. Absolutely hated it. They asked me a whole bunch of questions I didn't know the answers to. And then some that were just obvious. They asked me if I missed my dad," he scoffed. "Of course I missed my dad. He'd been dead for three weeks. What, did they think? That I was throwing parties over his damn grave?" he snapped and Buffy placed a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath before turning to face her. "I'm sorry. I hadn't thought about it in years, but sitting in that office today just felt like that all over again."

"It's okay, Angel," she said curling up close to him. "Do you want to start?" she asked and he nodded as she read the first question. "How do you expect to resolve heated conflicts?"

"By fighting," Angel raised an eyebrow and Buffy elbowed him playfully in the stomach.

"It says we should set ground rules. They give examples like never going to bed angry. Which always sounds good but never seemed very practical to me," Buffy shrugged. "I mean…once we have kids we'll just have to go to bed when we can."

"I would like to try to do that though," Angel said up and Buffy looked over to him. "I know there are times it won't work, but I don't ever want to go to sleep with one of us really, truly mad at the other. I don't ever want to be so mad I sleep on the couch. Or have you kick me out of the bedroom," he said honestly and she nodded at him.

"I don't want either of us to storm out of the house," she said softly. "My mom and dad mostly got along, but when they did fight my dad would always just get in the car and leave. I hated that. I never knew if he was coming back."

"No leaving during a fight," Angel nodded.

"If we have to take a break or step away that's fine, but stay in the house," Buffy said and Angel could tell it was important to her. "So no storming out, try not to go to bed angry, and always sleep in the same room," she summed up and he nodded. "Deal," she smiled as she leaned in to kiss him.

"What's the next question?" Angel wondered. He was much more comfortable discussing this with only Buffy.

"How many children do you want, which we've already said we don't have an exact number. Then it asks how far apart in age do you want the children to be," she said and Angel sighed.

"I have no idea," he admitted and Buffy smiled. "I always thought that was a decision we'd make after we had our first kid."

"I agree. And if we plan it now you know something will happen to screw it up. I'll get pregnant at the wrong time or something," she shrugged and he nodded. "So…we'll play that by ear."

"Yeah," Angel agreed. "Anything else about kids on there?"

"Just…" Buffy trailed off and Angel sensed a change in her mood. "It asks if abortion would ever be acceptable before or after that."

"I…I know I technically don't really get a say in that," he shrugged sadly. "Your body, your choice, right?"

"Angel, I would never make a decision like that without you," she said sounding offended at the mere thought. "It would be your baby too."

"I know, but…legally it's your choice," he said solemnly and Buffy could see that look in his eyes. She knew he was keeping something to himself.

"Angel, what aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing really," he shook his head as he played with a stray strand of golden hair. "Darla and I talked about it once because we thought she was pregnant. She insisted on having an abortion and wouldn't discuss any other options," he said sadly. "She wasn't pregnant, but it made it obvious what was important to her."

"I'm sorry Angel," Buffy said honestly. "I don't think I would ever want to abort my baby. And definitely not one I would be having with you. I can't even imagine that. Even if we didn't plan it…we'd figure it out," she said and Angel nodded. He slid his hand to the back of her neck and their eyes locked.

"When…" he trailed off and suddenly he didn't want to ask this question anymore. It wasn't the right time. It was too soon. But the words were suddenly spilling out of his mouth. "When do you want to have a baby?"

Buffy smiled at the question. She'd always wanted to start a family. She knew she was young, but she knew this was what she wanted too. And she had never pictured herself as a career woman. So she was looking forward to their first child but she also wanted to make sure they had their life together first.

"Well we're getting married in August and then I think we should spend…maybe a year together before we try for a baby," she shrugged. "But I'm flexible."

"I want to make sure we have our house. I don't want to have to move after we have a baby," Angel said and Buffy had to agree. That sounded like a recipe for disaster. "And although we don't have to worry too much about money, we should set some aside for college tuition-"

"Pay off MY college tuition," Buffy jumped in and Angel smiled. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself.

"Right," he nodded. "And we need to consider how well Hannah will react to a baby," he pointed out and Buffy frowned. She hadn't thought about that. Hannah wasn't good with change. She didn't like new things or unfamiliar people at all. They had no idea how she would react around a baby. "We can introduce her to Fred and Wes' baby," Angel suggested when he saw Buffy growing upset. "And worst comes to worst, I know my mom would take Hannah," he assured Buffy who swallowed thickly.

"I don't want to give her up. Even if it is to your mom," she whispered and Angel smiled as Hannah came over and pressed her head against Buffy's leg. She knew something was wrong. "Look how sweet she is!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Angel promised although he had no reason to think so. "And as she gets older she'll get calmer. So we just need to wait two…maybe three years from now to start trying for kids."

"Okay," Buffy nodded as she patted the couch next to her for Hannah to jump up.

"By the time we get married, go on our honeymoon, buy a house, and I'm thinking I might open up that art gallery…two years will fly by."

"Two years minimum," Buffy nodded with a smile. "Sounds good."