Part 11
The weeks began to fly by exceptionally speedily and between Buffy's classes, a fairly active social life and Angelus' business dealings, the moments that the couple in reality managed to spend with each other outside of their bedroom diminished to roughly nothing. However even with the lack of time that they spent together, things seemed to coast along just as they always did in the household.
Kathy began to spend more and more time over at Joyce's with Dawn. And divergent to Angelus' belief, she wasn't spending time with the woman that he despised more than life itself to piss him off. Angelus knew deep inside that Kathy was purely fascinated to Joyce's mothering; since she had missed out in that department. It absolutely hurt him that the one thing his baby sister wanted was the one thing that *he* couldn't personally supply her with - no matter how good a brother he was.
By the time mid-terms whirled around catastrophe struck. Willow and Tara had a colossal fight which accumulated in Tara moving out for the interim into a motel and Willow spending infinite hours crying her eyes out and being comforted by Buffy, Angelus and an assortment of other family and friends. In a extreme way it reminded Buffy of how Willow had been after Oz's unforeseen death and it was a side of Willow that she had hoped never to see again, but sometimes there was just no way to escape heartache.
So Buffy herself was fairly stressed out by time vacation rolled around. Having to deal with an exceedingly emotional best friend and being semi-stalked by her ex-boyfriend had added to all the usual stressors that exam time always brought. That's why when she was late - to the point of it didn't even arrive - the first month she simply chalked it up to stress. The second month in a row however she couldn't do that and combining the fact with the other symptoms that she had been experiencing - nausea, dizziness and complete lack of energy - added up to the inkling that ultimately the first part of Angelus' marriage agreement was on its way.
After calling the family physician to schedule an appointment for the next day, she found she couldn't wait to know for sure. So leaving Kathy and Dawn at the mansion, Buffy journeyed downtown to the local drug store to buy a home pregnancy test.
The entire trip took her less than ten minutes, but by the time she returned home she was a collection of nervous tension. In a way she wasn't sure she wanted to know now. After all if she was pregnant there would finally be a time limit put on her marriage and she could admit privately to herself that, that fact alone bothered the hell out of her. It was all well and good to form an agreement and marriage for business reasons, somewhere along the line she had forgotten that humans had feelings and that she was a human as the next woman.
Heading to her and Angelus' private ensuite with the all crucial container in her hand, she closed the door and tried to soothe herself. After a few minutes she yanked the box from the plastic bag and read the instructions over and over until she virtually had them committed to memory. At long last she followed through on the test and when she was finished she sat herself down on the corner of the tub, took a few deep breaths and began to wait for the two minutes to be up. Opening her eyes around two minutes later she had her answer, there was a tiny pink plus sign in the window. It was true phase one was on its way to completion.
Sinking down from the edge of the tub to the cool tiles below she couldn't help but feel conflicted. Part of her wanted to shout out with excitement, she was pregnant and a different part just wanted to cry over the insecurity that this new condition was going to bring.
She wasn't quite sure how long she sat there on tiled floor lost in her own thoughts, but she all of a sudden became alert to the fact that she wasn't alone. Looking up she saw both Dawn and Kathy standing in the bathroom doorway with looks of apprehension etched across both of their young faces.
"Are you okay, Buffy?" Kathy asked her.
Buffy couldn't help but smile at the concern her young sister-in-law was showing her. "I'm fine, just a little tired."
"Okay... is it all right if I go over to Dawn's?"
Buffy switched her gaze over to her too quiet little sister. "What did mom say?"
"She said it was fine," Dawn replied rolling her eyes. "She'll be here to pick us up in a minute. Can Kathy spend the night?"
"Dawn!" Kathy interjected.
Buffy heaved a sigh, "It's a school night, so it's up to mom."
"Okay," dawn told her as a horn blared from outside. "See you later," Dawn said kissing Buffy quickly on the forehead.
"I'll probably be home late," Kathy said tagging along behind Dawn.
Buffy sighed in reprieve and smiled at having the mansion to herself, not having to deal with anyone until Angelus got home. She slowly got up from her place on the floor and grabbed hold of the incriminating package that had been lying halfway into the sink. Moving towards the door she tossed it into the small trash can that was located in the bathroom. Then she simply went downstairs to the kitchen to see what she could nuke in the microwave for dinner.
Angelus was impatient to get home, his business transaction that he had been working on for over a month had at long last been accomplished and with luck his little sister was over at the witch's house, so he and Buffy could spend a little alone time together.
He hustled up the driveway and more or less hopped out of his car before he had even pulled to a stop. As he crossed the threshold into the mansion he could hear exceptionally flamboyant cursing coming from the direction of the kitchen and became conscious that if Buffy was in reality in there he should probably call the fire department incase she started a fire like she had last time she had tried to cook for him.
"I'm home," he called out as an alternative, giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Buffy stopped whatever the hell she had been doing and stepped into the vestibule. "Hey," she replied apprehensively.
"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed that she'd wounded herself with what she had been up to.
"It's really nothing," she told him. "I just sort of... exploded dinner."
Angelus threw down his coat and attaché case near the front door and meandered over to Buffy, kissing her swiftly on her enticing lips. "I guess that means we'll just order in."
"Chinese?"
Angelus kissed her all over again, "Anything you want."
A split second later, after Buffy's nod of ascension, he headed over to the touchtone phone and dialed the only Chinese delivery place in Sunnydale and gave them their habitual order.
Turning back to his wife he said, "I hope Kathy's hungry."
"She's at my mom's."
"Really?" Angelus replied trying disastrously to hide his wolfish excitement. Pulling Buffy into his arms and leaning in for another kiss, he whispered, "Good, we've got some time alone."
Buffy leaned into her husband's kiss, but her mind was spiraling with more than the standard baser emotions. All she could think about was how she was going to tell Angelus about his impending fatherhood.
"It's a pity we only have thirty minutes until the food arrives," Angelus said as he pulled away allowing them both to absorb precious oxygen.
Buffy heaved a sigh, "That's not much time."
Angelus all of a sudden looked profoundly into her eyes, "I could do thirty minutes."
"Point of order, honey," Buffy answered him smirking. "That really isn't a selling point."
Angelus smirked back, but not at her endearing little observation, but at her use of the term 'honey'. Before he had a chance to reply the phone rang and he sighed. "Sorry baby, but I am expecting an important call."
"It's okay. You deal with your business and I'll call you when dinner arrives."
"All right. I won't be long."
Buffy stared at him as he rushed off to his den and heaved a sigh. It was then that she resolved that no matter what, as soon as dinner was over she was going to tell him of her pretty much confirmed suspicions.
In the interim across town at the Summers' residence, Dawn, Kathy and Joyce were eating their dinner in absolute silence. It was disconcerting to Joyce because typically both girls would on no account shut up. However tonight the only dialogue that went on at the table was between Kathy and herself and then only when she asked Kathy a question.
In the end she couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, what's going on?"
Kathy just shrugged, as confused as Joyce was with the situation. However when she looked in Dawn's direction, she noticed a guilty look flash across her daughter's face.
"Dawnie?"
"Nothing," Dawn answered quickly. She knew something all right, but was uncertain whether or not to tell her mother what she knew. If she was mistaken about it Buffy would without a doubt kill her and if she was accurate, her mom might kill both her and Buffy.
"Dawn Summers?" Joyce said looking at her closely.
Dawn took a deep breath, "I think Buffy's pregnant."
Joyce dropped the utensil she was using and stared off into the distance in shock. The kind of shock that could actually kill a person if they didn't have a healthy heart.
"Mommy?" Dawn questioned. "Are you okay?"
Joyce didn't answer, she simply picked up her fork and began to eat once more. It was as if she could actually pretend that Dawn hadn't spoken if she ignored her.
"Mommy?"
"You're obviously mistaken, Dawn," Joyce finally replied. "Isn't she, Kathy?"
"I know nothing," Kathy uttered, not wanting to get involved.
Joyce put her fork down and pushed herself away from the wooden dining room table. "Dawn, could you please call your sister and let her know that Kathy will be spending the night. I suddenly don't feel well enough to drive."
"Mom?"
Kathy laid a hand on Dawn's arm, "I think she needs some time to herself."
Dawn sighed, "I think I should've kept my big mouth shut for once."
"Yeah, you should have. Regrettably you didn't and if it's true what you said, I think she in all probability would've taken it better coming from Buffy and Angel."
Dawn smashed her head into the table and wished for once she could have restrained her mouth. Because she all of a sudden had the feeling that once the astonishment or whatever had worn off, her mother was going to be pissed and Buffy would be the first target.
When the food ultimately arrived, Buffy positioned it all on the hearth rug in the living room and went to collect Angelus. She found him still in his den, just hanging up the phone from his call.
"I'm ready," he told her as he got up from behind his desk.
Buffy didn't reply, she merely offered him her hand and led him towards their living room. Angelus was taken aback to see what Buffy had done to the ordinarily sparse room. The cream colored walls twinkled with the flames that the substantial number of candles she had lit emitted, romanticizing the atmosphere. Their recently arrive food was spread across the furred rug that lay in front of the copious fireplace and was encircled by velvet cushions that beckoned you to lean upon them. As he surveyed the scene, Angelus couldn't help but smirk at the thought that his sweet little wife had planned his seduction.
They sat down and began to devour their dinner, all the time they were doing so Angelus kept sneaking looks at Buffy and waiting for her to make her move. Eventually he realized that she wasn't going to do so, at least as long as she was stuffing the sweet and sour pork into her face, so he decided to make the move for her.
"Buffy?" he whispered leaning towards her.
Buffy stopped eating momentarily and looked up at him, "What?"
Angelus leaned in even closer and pushed the remaining food containers out of his way. Lifting his hand up he stroked Buffy's cheek and pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, then he kissed her softly on her lips. Pushing her gently down among the cushions, he moved over her and kissed her more passionately.
Buffy found herself being swept up in the emotions of the moment and although she didn't want to she forced herself to withdraw from the moment. "Angelus... wait."
Angelus moved away to some extent, "Are you okay?"
"We should talk."
"So talk," he told her, not moving from his position.
Buffy didn't quite know what to say, all of things she had rehearsed had flown from her head the minute that he had laid his hands on her.
"I... uh..." Buffy muttered quietly. Meeting his eyes and seeing the unadulterated distress for her in them, she heaved a sigh. "I think I'm pregnant. In fact I'm pretty sure I am."
Buffy watched as the distress in his chocolate colored eyes turned into amazement and then an emotion that she infrequently saw reflected in them, unqualified pleasure.
"We're... pregnant?"
Buffy nodded and bit her lip waiting for his verbal rejoinder. Even though she had seen his eyes and his face form an representation of his feelings, she really needed to hear him say the words.
Angelus kissed her ardently and when he at long last pulled away, he smirked down at her and positioned one of his huge hands over her still flat abdomen. "Wow."
"So I guess this means that you're happy?" Buffy asked him now that the fear of his reaction had lessened.
"I'm thrilled," he told her. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," she replied. On the other hand she wasn't absolutely sure that she was fine, but for her own sake and the baby's she was going to put her and Angelus' stupid agreement out of her mind. And pretend that she was in an nice normal marriage and that her baby was not the signal of the beginning of the end.
Angelus pulled away from her and stood up. Offering her his hand, he said, "Let's go upstairs."
Buffy took the hand he offered and once she was on her feet, he swept her up into his arms and carried her off towards their bedroom.
TBC...
