Co-Written with the lovely Scribes1015!

The closer the wedding got, the faster the days seemed to fly by. It had already been over two weeks since she had found her dress, and she felt like she'd barely had time to blink since. They were both running on nothing more than caffeine and orgasms, neither of them ever willing to deny the other. She honestly wasn't sure how Angel had found the energy to go into the office at all. The three hours a day she was putting in at the pre-school were plain torturous this last week, and she wasn't even going in every day.

Somehow between all the bouts of love making, they had found the time to accomplish a lot of the last minute details in regards to their wedding. She swore Angel had toured, or at the very least spoken to every single restaurant manager between Sunnydale and San Francisco.

Yet you know which one he decided on?

The ever so casual Italian place down the street, "They have a private room we can use, plus the commute will be shorter for everyone..." sometimes she really questioned his logic.

Regardless, she was just happy there was one more thing she could check off their to do list. She still needed to find shoes, and so far she hadn't had any luck securing a photographer with so little notice.

On the bright side Lindsey had been able to take a few extra days off work last minute. He was flying into LAX on Friday to stay the weekend with them, so that he and Angel could be fitted for a new tux. He'd been planning on just getting a room at the lousy motel down the street, but Angel wouldn't hear of it. Telling him there was no reason to stay in that roach infested dump, when they had a perfectly vacant spare bedroom. Of course Lindsey had made some quib about the thickness of the walls. She loved Lindsey, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little anxious about how this weekend would turn out.

OoOoO

Buffy sat in the oversized chair in Angel's office. She had just gotten off the phone with Giles, and was beyond ecstatic that he was going to be able to make the trip to California for her wedding. Again.

They would have dealt if he couldn't make it, London to California was no easy trip, especially when you reached his age. When she saw his name flash across the caller I.D., she automatically assumed the worst and prepared herself for bad news. Shutting herself in Angel's office, she curled up in his oversized chair as she waited for him to break it to her.

Only that moment never came, instead he told her that he was just calling to check in on her, and provide her with his flight information. Tears of relief instantly flooded her eyes, though she tried her hardest to keep her voice steady as she spoke. He wouldn't be able to stay long, less than a week, but he was going to make it, and that was all that mattered. She had missed him more than he would ever know.

He had made sure to ask her one final time if this was what she truly wanted, and of course she had tried her best to reassure him. He more than anyone else, didn't want to see her go through the heartbreak that nearly broke her the first time. She did her best to assure him, that things were different this time, she told him how much her and Angel's communication had improved since their previous marriage. She told him that there was no way she could go through that heartbreak again, because she wouldn't survive and neither would Angel. She purposely left out everything about pregnancy possibilities, but she promised him that they were in this for the long haul this time. For better or worse, no matter what.

OoOoO

Angel was alone in his office, impatiently waiting for his last meeting of the day to arrive. Ever since Buffy had spotted Darla lurking about their home, he had tried his damndest not to come into the office. He'd been skyping into meetings, and utilizing conference calls for everything that he could. Unfortunately there were still some things that required his physical presence.

He had yet to ask anyone in the office if they had heard anything about Darla, he was honestly hoping he could use Lindsey to snoop around for him this weekend. Lindsey asking about Darla, would cause a whole hell of lot less heat, than if he were too. One way or another, they needed to find a way to banish that bitch from their lives for good.

Though the thought of Lindsey coming into town gave him more anxiety than he cared to admit. He just knew that mother fucker was going to grill him as soon as he stepped off the plane about the possibility of Buffy being pregnant. They hadn't discussed it perse, but everytime Lindsey hung up the phone he made sure to end their conversation with, "Wrap it up, brother,". Each of them knowing exactly what he was referring too, and damn if he didnt pick one hell of a time to travel out here.

Sometime in the next week they would find out if all of their sleepless nights had been worth it, not that he wouldn't trade every second of sleep if it meant he could be inside her. Still, he didn't want to witness the devastation if she were to start her period again, and he damn sure didn't want Lindsey around for that heartbreak.

On the other hand, if she were pregnant, he wasn't so sure he wanted Lindsey around for that news either. The mere idea of the possibility that his child was growing inside of her, made both his heart and his cock swell.

He had always stories, hell everyone had, about the negative impacts pregnancy would have on your marriage. He was starting to think everyone was full of shit, that or they were married to the wrong person. Here recently, his most favorite fantasy was of Buffy, stomach swollen round with his child, breasts full and heavy, hips and thighs thickened, no he couldn't wait to see how beautiful she was 7,8,9 months pregnant. He couldn't wait to make love to her knowing that the product of their souls grew inside her.

Snapping himself out of his fevered fantasy, he thought once again about how to bring the idea of testing up to her. On one hand, he wanted to say fuck it just go pee on the damn stick now. Though he knew how fragile she was regarding this, and he had read plenty of literature over the last few weeks detailing the possibilities of false negatives if she were to test too soon.

He definitely didn't want to put her through any unnecessary stress, but again planning this wedding made that impossible. Which was exactly the reason he'd originally wanted to wait, although the time for that was long passed. Loosening his tie, he sighed in frustration, and checked his watch one more time.

OoOoO

Buffy, not for the first time, sat down and pulled the top few pregnancy tests out from under the sink and looked them over. A very large part of her just wanted to grab one and try it out. She'd bought several that claimed you could use them quite some time before a missed period and they did seem rather tempting. The fear of it coming back as negative had her putting them back each time.

She knew that she had to pee on one of these damn things soon though. If she wasn't with child, she didn't want to find out the same way as last time. Something about the shock of blood being the messenger had felt more traumatic than necessary.

Sighing, she put them back in the order she had obsessed over and closed the door. Timing was another thing she worried over - beyond testing at the wrong time. Sure, she could literally just grab one and do it at any given time but doing so in the middle of the night with Angel passed out in the next room didn't seem right. She had probably obsessed over this act alone more than one person should, too. She thought of if she should when alone, with Angel here, ask Willow... do it with him waiting on pins and needles, surprise him with him downstairs, while he was at work...

She tried to imagine how she would tell him... if she wasn't... or if she were.

Buffy was pretty sure she had looked into every possible way to tell your partner that they were going to a father and still didn't know what seemed right. More than likely she wouldn't be able to control herself long and would just jump at him happily screaming that they were going to be parents but she'd let her mind run wild about other options. She daydreamed about little outfits she'd seen that she could use as props, those coffee cups with the announcement written on the bottom, leaving a test in the bathroom for him to find and absolutely every other idea that she'd come across.

The other issue relating to timing had been Lindsey. She wasn't sure if she should test before he came out, just so they would know one way or another and could try to get out all the emotions, or if they should wait until he had left to return home. Of course, she with how irregular her periods had been lately that was stressing her out.

OoOoO

Entering the house, Buffy was all smiles and Lindsey quickly grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. Lindsey wasted absolutely no time in jumping in to tell her he had been filled in about the baby situation and boast about how happy and excited he was for them.

Angel set his jaw and flung his bags carelessly into the floor which only made Lindsey's smile grow wider. The asshole had been on him all day since revealing he had been so far away from taking his advice about that particular subject. It had been an impossibly long day since picking him up, bringing him to the office, and the ride home had taken over an extra two hours so they could get everything out before being around Buffy. He'd even pulled over once to the side of the road so they could have it out without worrying he was going to swerve into someone with his wild hand gestures and being distracted by the conversation at hand.

Of course, he walks into the house and puts a whole new show on.

"It's going to be a little awkward when the baby comes out with Uncle Lindsey's striking blue eyes and handsome good looks, though."

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. My. Wife, Lindsey," he growled.

Smart ass as always, he put his hands up in front of him and waved his fingers. Buffy's arm was wrapped around him still and she was laughing at their antics. "She is the one touching me, Angel. And I simply can't help that she can't keep her hands off of me. I can't help that! It's natural instinct when you have this much lust between two people. You wouldn't know anything about it."

Angel ground his teeth together for a moment then pointed a finger at his best friend. "I'm going to go get me a drink. When I come back you better have your head out of your ass. I'd hate to spend the entire weekend worrying about where to bury your body."

Lindsey only chuckled behind him as he turned. Angel could hear Buffy laughing harder and telling Lindsey to never change before barely making out a sound he was all too familiar with. "You hear that?," Lindsey yelled. "That was also HER kissing ME!"

Angel decided to walk away before he punched a whole in that smirk of his.

"So, darlin', how do you feel about naming this baby of ours Lindsey Junior?"

OoOoO

Hours later, when Angel dared to take a shower and leave his two favorite people alone together, Buffy found herself sitting next to Lindsey who wore the most serious expression she had ever seen him in. It actually made her throat want to close up when his eyes met hers. "Buffy," his voice was soft, but also took on that way too serious tone for this man. "I love you. You are one of my favorite people on this planet..." as he continued to go on, she could help but feel panic rise up with what he was saying.

"Lindsey," she finally cut him off in a harsh whisper. "What in the world are you going on about? You know he would kill you. And not in a joking manner."

"What? No! Noooo," he laughed a little. "No. I'm not that damn stupid nor do I have a death wish," he told her. "I'm just trying to say that I love you, I care about you... but I'm also letting you know that as the person who watched him fall apart the hardest, the one who was there when you weren't... I'm worrying for you guys right now. You didn't see that, you didn't see the worst of it. And I wouldn't be doing my job as the person who's supposed to look out for him if I didn't voice my concerns about the two of you rushing into all of this."

"He's a big boy, Linds."

"Who's also completely blind when it comes to you. And I don't mean that in a mean way, just... he doesn't always think clearly when it comes to you." Buffy fell silent. "I will be the happiest person on the planet for you two, for your marriage, for your kids, for your life together. You know that. I've also not really got a hand in this pot but I need you to be sure. Everyone has doubts but I swear to God I don't care if you find him in bed inside someone else, know that's not where he's wanting to be and something is very wrong type of sure about this."

"Thank you for that imagery..." Buffy sat her coffee mug down on the table in front of them. Shifting, so that she could face him head on she grabbed his hand, and held it between both of her own. This serious side of Lindsey definitely wasn't one that she was used too, but she appreciated that he cared so much for Angel. "I swear Linds, it's not going to be like last time. We may be repeating part of the past here, but that part, the bad part, it's long buried."

Lindsey still wasn't sure he fully believed her, he knew each of them held their fair share of the blame for the last time… but despite Darla, despite everything, when you pulled it all part, it all boiled down to her not trusting him.

"Gorgeous, I'm just saying, I've never seen a man more pussy whipped in my life," cracking a smile at the slight blush that formed on her cheeks, he continued. "But I need you to promise me that whatever comes, you will trust him. Y'all are taking a big leap here with this whole baby thing sweetheart, losing you almost killed him. If he were to lose the both of you," he paused trying to find the words, "Well, I don't even want to speak that into existence, but you get what I'm saying.".

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat she tried her hardest to will them away. The last thing she wanted was for Angel to come strolling in to find her crying, thinking Lindsey was the cause. No, she would much prefer to avoid them going to blows in her living room if at all possible.

"I know Linds, I've even told Angel that before Darla, before all the bullshit, all the stuff that started it was my own insecurities. Trust me, I am one hundred percent aware that what happened between us falls on me at the end of the day." Lindsey hadn't meant to upset her, hell he couldn't stand to see her cry either, pulling her towards him, he waited for her to rest her head on his shoulder before responding.

"It wasn't all your fault Buffy, and I know you know that. Both of you made some seriously dumb decisions, at the end of it all I just want both of you to be happy. But I gotta tell you beautiful, the possibility of there already being a junior squirming around in there… It scares me more than I'd like to admit."

Giggling Buffy looped her arm through his own, she was fairly certain he was more nervous than Angel with the concept of her having a baby. "You do realize, you're only going to be the Uncle right? I mean really you get the best parts, you're only responsibilities include spoilage and returning to mom and dad totally hyped on sugar." Cutting his eyes down to her own, he shot her a wink.

"Well, when you put it like that …."

OoOoO

Angel took his time standing beneath the hot spray of the shower. It had been one hell of a day, as soon as he told Lindsey that they had been actively trying for a baby, shit hit the fan. When his face turned that purple color for a brief moment he thought he might really be stroking out on him, luckily he'd remembered to breath.

Still the tirade that followed for the rest of the day left him with a headache. For once it wasn't that Lindsey was just being a dick, he did have valid concerns. But as Angel pointed out to him on the side of the road, those concerns really weren't any of his fucking business. He wasn't the one having a baby. He wouldn't knowingly bring a child into this world, if he wasn't absolutely positive that they were ready for it.

Besides, Lindsey kept berating him as if there was anything he could do even if he wanted too. He had to keep reiterating the actively trying part, finally just coming out to tell him that they would be finding out sometime in the next few days. Unfortunately maybe even while he was here. He had also threatened Lindsey within an inch of his life if he so much as showed an ounce of this hostility in front of Buffy. Of course the mother fucker had just smiled at him, "Now why would I go breaking my little cupcakes heart like that," sometimes Angel really wanted to break his face.

Best friend or not.

Turning off the faucet, Angel grabbed a towel from the rack just outside the shower, tying it around his waist as he stepped out. Running his fingers through his damp hair, he went to grab some of his gel from under the sink. Spotting the tower of pregnancy tests he once again wondered when Buffy should take one.

They hadn't really discussed that part with each other, he wasn't sure if she wanted to wait and see if she missed her period, or if she wanted to try one of those early tests. Hell he wasn't even sure if she wanted him around or to know that she was testing. Sure he guessed it could be considered awkward watching your significant other pee on a stick, but it couldn't possibly be more awkward than having his face buried between her thighs.

Letting out a sigh, he picked one of the boxes up that advertised Results as soon as 5 days before your missed period, she should definitely be within that window he thought. Perhaps a little subtlety could help in this situation, walking over he simply sat the unopened box on the top of the toilet. Knowing she would see it when she came in, he was leaving the decision in her hands.

Figuring that he had left them alone long enough, he quickly ran some gel through his hair. Exiting the bathroom, he walked over to his closet, pulling out a grey t-shirt, and his favorite pair of sweats, he grabbed a fresh pair of boxers before slipping them all on. He was starved, and between all the bickering they hadn't had a chance to discuss what to do for dinner. Figuring he would leave it up to Buffy anyway, he returned to the bathroom to grab his phone before heading back downstairs, taking them two at a time. He came to a dead stop once he reached the bottom, completely unprepared for the sight before him .

Buffy's head was laying on Lindsey's shoulder, his head was tilted right back toward her as well, blonde strands of hair slightly entangling with long brown locks... Lindsey's boots were propped up on the coffee table, Buffy's legs draped over his legs, feet hanging off near his knees... an easy conversation happening...

Logically, he knew Lindsey would never in a million years ever actually go after Buffy... and Buffy certainly would never think twice about Lindsey... but that didn't stop him from having a strong dislike for the scene playing out before him. It felt too familiar, too normal. Too much like him.

"What'd I tell you about keeping your hands off of my wife?" he finally asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Buffy nearly jumped out of her skin before turning to look at him.

Lindsey only smirked, barely tipping his head back so he could make eye contact. Once more, Lindsey wiggled his hands for Angel to take note. One was on the back of the couch, the other on the arm rest. "Again, you keep getting on at me but she's the one all practically sitting on top of me, cuddling up to me, touching me..." he trailed off with a wave of his hand behind her. "It's as though she finally has a real man around and just cannot get enough."

The next sound was the one of his hand smacking Lindsey upside the head.

OoOoO

Since everyone was to the point of starvation as it were once the bickering stopped - for the time being -and no one felt like cooking, Buffy suggested they all just choose a restaurant, call in an order and someone go pick it up. She wasn't so sure about Angel and Lindsey getting back in a car together - especially tonight with all that had been going on today - was the best idea in the world but she got tired of them arguing over who it would be and shooed them both out the door.

She picked up a few items around the living room after closing the door behind them then headed to the kitchen to get the table set up for when they returned. Walking back through the living room, she grabbed Lindsey's hat that he'd left without and began taking it upstairs to put in the guest room with his things. She couldn't help but pause as she was walking back out, thinking how this was probably the last time someone would stay in this room like this before it would be turned into something completely different.

She had no idea what they would do about future guests situations but she wasn't overly concerned about it right now either. There was always the couch, or she remembered Angel mentioning they could put something small up in his office in case of visitors.

Next she headed to the bathroom so she could pee and freshen up a little, Buffy was surprised to see the little box sitting out of its place. She walked over and gently grabbed it, pulling it closer to flip it over once, then twice. She knew Angel must have left it out as a hint that she should try. He'd made little comments here and there lately, she hadn't missed on what he was suggesting.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she drew a breath and told herself she could do this. It's simple, the box made that point very clear. And, if she did screw it up somehow... the box had two tests in it plus she had endless other ones not even a foot away from her. She told herself if it came back negative it wasn't the end of the world. She could still test again later if her period was late. And... there was always they could try again and again until they finally got the news they wanted.

Buffy's hand shook a little as she opened the side, letting the contents spill into her other hand. She scanned the folded paper but then set it and one of the tests to the side and brought the other with her to the commode. She knew the box said to do your business then wait, that it could take three minutes to get a clear reading but she couldn't help herself as she stared at the oval. She was holding her breath... and then Buffy felt her heart skip and her eyes go wide as mere seconds in she had two very dark lines looking back at her.