The knock on the door came at 2:20 in the morning, and Buffy slowly climbed to her feet with a frown before going to answer it. "Angel..." she started with surprise before a cold knot of fear grew and she pulled the door open wide enough he could enter. "Is Liam okay?"

"He's fine. I just wanted to talk."

She almost cautiously turned to face him. "It um... isn't about visitation is it?" I mean, I know the house isn't..."

"That's not it," he answered before walking over. "I just wanted to find out if..." he broke off and lightly brushed fingertips across her cheek before leaning down to kiss her, and she kissed him back as both warmth and a deep ache began to fill her. She didn't know what was going on, but it was Angel and she was tired of hurting. He lifted his head. She'd had a drink, but she wasn't drunk. "Want to go upstairs?" he asked quietly.

She hesitated and stared at his shirt before taking a breath. "I need to put some things away in the kitchen." He slowly released her before following... and frowned when he saw the bottle of liquor on the table... the photo album that was filled with pictures of Liam. She flipped the album closed before he could get a good look at the photos. A moment later, she put the cap back on the bottle and set it in the refrigerator before turning toward him with tired green eyes. "Why?"

"Later," he answered as he walked over and pulled her back against him before leaning down for another kiss. She didn't argue. She'd face the pain later, but right now, she needed this.

Fifty minutes later Buffy was trying to catch her breath as Angel's weight pressed her into the mattress, and she luxuriated in it before feeling the loss when he rolled off. "Be right back," he murmured as he got up and went into the bathroom to drop the used condom into the trash before moving back to sit on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to tell you I'm taking Liam to Hawaii for 3 months over spring break."

Buffy stared at the dark ceiling as a new ache began to fill her. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. If you want I can watch Pandora for you."

Silence fell for a few long seconds before Angel broke it. "I was hoping you'd go with us."

She snorted quietly. "I think we both know I can't."

"Why?"

"Going to Hawaii takes money, my jobs... Liam hates me... Take your pick, Angel."

"Liam's confused Buff. He doesn't understand why you're living so differently than we are."

"He's a lot more than confused," she stated quietly.

"He's also not the one asking you to go," he answered with irritation. "I am. As for the rest of it... I'll give you an apartment that's well above what most of them have."

She tensed, and he waited.

"Get out," she ordered firmly as she got out of bed and walked nude through the dimly lit room before pulling on her robe and going downstairs.

He found her in the kitchen a few minutes later, her back turned to him as she gripped the counter.

"I'm offering a lot," he told her before giving a slight shake of his head. "You're making a mistake if you don't agree to it."

She snorted without turning around. "Is that a threat Angel? You can't hurt me anymore... I don't owe you money, and there's nothing left for you to take."

He dropped a shoulder against the door jamb and studied her. "Assuming it was a threat, I'd say you have a lot to lose Buff... like your house, jobs, and visitations with Liam. I've never wanted to take everything."

"There's one thing you forgot to mention," she stated coolly before turning to give him a hard look. "My pride. Now get out."

He pushed away from the door jamb angrily. "Do you think this is easy for me? I *married* you..." he broke off and ran a hand through his hair before giving an irritated shake of his head. "Just know the offer's on the table, and *think* about it," he told her before turning to leave.

The door closed, and Buffy stared after him for several long moments. Her friends were right. She needed to move on. She pulled the bottle of wine out of the refrigerator with shaky hands before looking at the photo album still laying on the table with an aching heart. She needed to move on she acknowledged before taking a long drink of liquid courage. She made a quick call a couple of minutes later, and couldn't stop from breaking down in tears when she was done.

The knock on the door came around 3:40, and she answered it on unsteady legs. "Buffy," Parker greeted with a smile as he looked her over before pulling her into his arms. She leaned dizzily into him, and his smile widened before he asked where her bedroom was.

Light. It spilled over her and she frowned as she opened her eyes before a headache made her close them again with a grimace. She slid a hand over her forehead, across her cheek as she tried to remember what happened. Liam's birthday, Angel... Tears burned her before she remembered the phone call she'd made... and she struggled to her feet and made it to the bathroom before throwing up and slumping against the wall.

"Parker?" she called before wincing at the pain it caused.

She waited for an answer, and after a few tense seconds allowed the silence to soothe her. Maybe she hadn't called him after all. It took a couple of minutes, but she got to her feet and rinsed out her mouth before starting out of the room. She froze when she noticed the used condoms in the trash can. There were *two* of them, and Buffy closed her eyes for a long moment before pulling out the trash bag and taking it out to the curb.

Willow's 3 month old son kicked out his legs and she smiled at him before looking up suddenly as it dawned on her what Buffy had just said. "You slept with Parker?"

"Yeah, a month ago," the blonde answered before frowning. "But that's so not the point." Willow raised an eyebrow, and Buffy sighed before trying to explain. "Angel... paid me a visit. It was after I got home from work. The day after Liam's birthday, and," she hesitated, "I slept with him." Silence fell before she continued. "After that, I called Parker and we..." she broke off again. "It was a mistake, I know that, but it was also a way to move on."

Willow gave a slow nod before looking up when the door opened and Oz came in with Rachael, the 3 year old following him as he juggled a couple of sacks of groceries. "Hey," he greeted before heading into the kitchen with his oldest on his heels.

"Hey," Buffy returned as she watched them before turning back to Willow. "The point is I'd like to re-open mom's art gallery, Will. I mean, sleeping with Parker was a mistake, but opening the art gallery back up feels... new, and good."

"You mean it would feel like you you were moving on?" Willow asked quietly as she smiled and rocked her son.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It would."

A month later, Buffy slowly made her way through the store and took her time looking at the items on the shelves. She'd found a few things to buy, a hair clip, a new tank top, a small bag of candy. She was headed down a short aisle when she suddenly stopped and her eyes widened when she noticed the home pregnancy kits. How long had it been since she'd had her period? She wasn't used to keeping track, but she was late. She took a moment to add up the weeks. Liam was born April 2nd, and today was the first of June. She turned back and looked at the kits with indecision before reaching for one and studying the box. Both Angel and Parker had used condoms. There was no way she could be pregnant, but the kit would confirm it. Quickly making up her mind, she set it in the cart and headed for the checkout.

A couple of hours later, her stomach plummeted as she stared at the test strip. It was positive, and this time she was 99% certain it wasn't Angel's. She didn't remember much about having sex with Parker, but she remembered every minute she'd spent with Angel.

Her arm slid around her stomach as she stared at the wall. She already knew she'd have it. She didn't love Parker, but it was a child that needed her. She was still numb when she reached for the phone. She hadn't told Angel about Liam, and she wasn't about to make that mistake again.

She was curled up crying on the sofa a few minutes later. He'd hung up on her, but what had she expected? Sleeping with him had been a mistake, and it was so much worse now that there was a child involved... There wasn't anything she could do about it though. "We're going to be okay," she stated quietly... for her benefit or the child's, she wasn't sure. Her arms slid around her stomach. "I promise," she added as she wiped at tears.

A knock came at the door a couple of hours later, and Buffy slowly got to her feet to answer it. "Angel," she greeted quietly before looking down and noticing the cat carrier he was holding.

"We're leaving tomorrow, and you offered to look after Pandora."

"Yeah," she answered before pulling the door open so he could come in. She was grateful the tears had dried an hour ago as she looked at him before dropping her eyes. "Hope you have fun," she stated quietly as she walked over to let the kitten out of the carrier and watched as it looked around uncertainly before she dropped down to sit on the floor and held out her hand. "Hi," she murmured. "Do you remember me?"

"I brought some food and litter," he set a bag down on the sofa, "but I thought you probably already had a litter box."

"Yeah," she answered without looking at him. "Um... tell Liam hi for me would you?"

"You could tell him yourself."

Tears started to gather. "Did he come with you?"

"No, but you could see him tomorrow if you want. You could spend several weeks with him, Buff."

And at the end of that time she'd be four months into her pregnancy. Four months... when the doctors in L.A. had told her she might not be able to have another child. She shook her head. "I need to stay here."

He forced a shrug. "Suit yourself."

She nodded and watched as the kitten played with her shoestring. "Bye Angel," she murmured as tears started to spill. She reached down and tapped at her shoe and watched as Pandora swatted at her finger. When she looked up, he was gone.

"Stay close to the house Liam," Angel called as the 7 year old got out of the car and ran toward the ocean.

"I'll watch him," Spike spoke up.

"Thanks." Angel glanced at him before continuing to carry the suitcases into the rented beach house and then turning toward the stairs.

"Upstairs is taken," Doyle told him as he looked up from the sofa. "Your room's in the basement."

Angel stopped before turning to look at him. "I'm in the basement?"

"That's what you get for getting here a couple of days later than everyone else."

Angel rolled his eyes. "Liam too?"

"That's up to you," Doyle answered with amusement. "I'm pretty sure Darla would give her room to Liam if you'd be willing to take her in."

"A night or two's one thing, three months is something else. She can stay upstairs."

Doyle shook his head before taking a couple of suitcases and following Angel down the stairs. "We thought you'd want the basement. It's got enough bedrooms for you and Liam, and a sitting area with a refrigerator and tv."

"If there's a video game attached to it, he'll be thrilled."

Doyle grinned and set the suitcases down at the bottom of the stairs. "He'd probably have to fight Spike for it if there was a game here."

"Sadly that wouldn't surprise me," Angel murmured as he set his suitcases down and pushed open the door to one of the rooms before going in to look it over. A few seconds later, he stepped back out, glanced into the other room before walking back out to look at his friend. "It's nice."

"Yeah. We think so," Doyle agreed before changing the subject. "Did she come with you?"

"Who?"

The shorter brunette rolled his eyes. "Buffy."

"No."

"We all thought she would. The girls were practically foaming at the mouth over it."

"If she'd come with me, I'd visit you, but I wouldn't be staying here," Angel answered grimly.

"I'm surprised she didn't. I mean, you offered her the full deal didn't you?"

"I offered an apartment and a trip. I didn't go into specifics on anything else."

"She had to have known she could get more out of you than that."

He forced a shrug. "She didn't seem interested one way or the other."

"So that's that then?"

Angel looked at him for a long moment. "The offer's on the table. I thought I'd give her a little time to think about it."

"The girls don't like it, but I think for the most part Linds, Spike, and I won't give you much trouble. I mean, it's your life." Doyle slapped him on the back before heading toward the stairs.

July 15

"Lorne?" Buffy looked at the well dressed man on her porch with surprise.

"Hello there Sugar Pie," he greeted with a wide smile and a hug. "I wanted to come by and talk to you about your plans to re-open your mother's art gallery."

Buffy gave a shake of her head. "Think I'm going to have to put that off." She turned sideways and wrapped an arm under her still mostly flat stomach.

"Oh... You've got to tell me what you're having Cream Puff. I mean, if you don't tell me I won't have a clue what to get for your baby shower."

"My first doctor appointment's tomorrow," she stated quietly. "Right now all I know is I'm a couple of weeks into my second trimester."

"Well in the meantime maybe we can still talk a little bit about art, and a little bit about old times. I mean, if you have the time."

Buffy gave a sad smile as she let him into the house. It was almost an hour later that he made her an offer she realized would be hard to refuse.

She hugged him before he left and promised to keep it in mind.

August 1

"Dad," Spike answered his cell as he looked over the pristine white sand and blue water of the beach. "What's going on?" Liam ran past him toward the water before jumping into the waves. "Sounds like you had a good time," he stated as Dru came up beside him and spread a blanket on the ground. Spike glanced at her before sitting down and giving a laugh. "Mom did that?" He glanced up again as Angel walked past on his way to where Liam was splashing in the water. "I hope you got a picture." Silence fell before Spike shot Dru a wicked grin. "We're good here... Practically have the beach to ourselves." A moment later, he tensed before looking over to where Angel was having a water fight with Liam. "She's pregnant?" He listened for a few moments before shaking his head. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'll tell him."

"Who's pregnant?" Dru asked suspiciously as she watched him break the connection.

"Buffy Summers."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why he's so hung up on her."

"She's Liam's mother luv, and he married her at one time."

"And look how that turned out," she answered dryly.

He nodded. "There is that," he agreed as he got to his feet and headed toward the water where Doyle had joined into the water fight.

Buffy looked at the guy sitting on her front porch steps and hesitated before opening the car door and stepping onto the driveway. A few seconds later, she drug out her bag of groceries and walked over to stand in front of him. "Angel... What are you doing back so soon?"

He looked at her for a long moment before slowly getting to his feet. "Had some things come up."

"Oh," she murmured as she moved past him and pushed open the unlocked door before heading toward the kitchen. "I guess you're here for Pandora?"

"Among other things," he answered as he followed.

She frowned before setting the bag of groceries on the table and beginning to unpack it. "What other things?"

He didn't answer, and she put some orange juice in the refrigerator before opening the freezer to put away some cookie dough ice cream. A moment later, she pulled out some peanut butter, bananas... eggs... pickles before looking up with a puzzled frown. "Is something wrong?"

"Rupert and Daniel want Liam to go to a boarding school in Los Angeles. They said they've heard good things about it... and think we can use it to get new business contacts."

She looked at him with surprise before frowning worriedly. "He's 7."

He shrugged and dropped back to lean against the door frame. "I told them no."

"Good," she answered before pulling out a couple packs of meat and putting them in the freezer.

"And they told me to rethink my decision, and they wouldn't disinherit me." At her look, he gave a slow humorless smile. "It's not unusual to use family to make contacts Buff. It's just that I don't think we need the extra business."

Buffy scowled. "I thought you received your trust fund when you turned 26, and your birthday was last month. I mean, they can fire you, and try to take Liam, but they can't take your money can they?"

"The terms on the trust were changed. I get an allowance, but don't inherit until I'm 40."

She studied him before pulling out a few bags of frozen vegetables and starting to put them away. "What... um... what does Liam want to do?"

"I haven't mentioned it to him yet. This is between me and my uncles right now Buff, but I did want to get your opinion."

She stared at the empty paper sack before carefully folding it and looking back up. "Does this have anything to do with you letting me see him one day a week?"

"No. I never told them about that."

She tucked hair behind her ear. "We both know I don't have any control over what happens to him," she stated quietly.

"But you don't like it?"

"No. He's a little boy. He should be with someone that loves him."

"I see you've put the house up for sale." She didn't reply, and he watched as she turned to put the paper sack away. "What are your plans?"

She turned away from the cabinets and stared at the floor for a long moment before looking back up. "There's a place for sale I thought I'd like to have, but..." she shrugged, "it's a wait and see thing."

Silence fell, and his gaze slid to her stomach before looking back into her eyes. "A place in town Buff?"

"Yeah. Um... I'll look for Pandy," she offered as she left the kitchen and headed upstairs. She found the kitten laying on her bed. "Hey," she murmured. "I guess I'm going to lose you again." She picked her up and turned before stopping when she saw Angel standing in the doorway. "The carrier's in the spare bedroom... and I've got some food in the kitchen for her." She held the kitten close and looked up at him. "You know I can watch her anytime you need me to."

Angel didn't comment, and Buffy handed Pandora to him before going to find the carrier. They were in the kitchen a couple of minutes later, and she'd gotten the paper sack back out and was loading it with a few cans of cat food before setting a small sack of dry food on top of the cans and following it with a small opened bag of litter. "The carnival's in town this week. Would you mind if I take Liam?"

"He's still in Hawaii Buff." She looked at him searchingly, and he shrugged. "He's with friends."

She dropped her eyes to the paper sack before pushing it across the table toward him. "Alright. So... you'll let me know what happens with him won't you?"

He gave a slow nod, his gaze going to her stomach again before he picked up the sack and Pandora's cat carrier and left.

It was Friday night, the Bronze was full, and Angel had been watching Buffy for the last two hours from the darkest corner he could find. From what he could tell she hadn't spent time talking to anyone longer than it took to take orders or hand out drinks, and he frowned with irritation before a burst of anger made him get to his feet and catch her between tables.

"We need to talk," he stated with a hard voice and cool eyes.

"Angel..." She broke off before quickly glancing over the room and turning back. "I'm *working*... and Snyder will fire me if I talk too long."

"I'll wait, and we can talk after you get off? I mean, if you don't have other plans."

She shifted out of the way of a guy walking past. "Is this about Liam?"

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"No." She glanced at her watch. "I've still got an hour and a half, and it's my turn to lock up..." she looked at him. "It'll be a while."

He nodded. "I don't have anything better to do."

She frowned as she watched him disappear into the crowd before starting to take orders again. She was four months into her pregnancy and starting to show. If Angel hadn't noticed it already, he would in another two or three weeks... Of course, he might not care. The thought hurt, but she had to be realistic where he was concerned. The only thing left between them was their son, and she had to accept that. As for his offer of an apartment, it wasn't something she could accept or he'd give once he knew she was pregnant with another man's child... Someone bumped into her, and she looked up and met Parker's cold eyes before uneasily moving around him and heading for the bar.

Kendra put another tray of glasses in front of her, and Buffy emptied it before continuing to clean the glasses already in the sink. Parker was still nursing a beer, Angel was still at his table, and she kept her head down and tried to ignore both of them as she worked. She looked up sharply when Parker came over to stand across from her.

"You'd better get rid of it Summers," he snarled quietly, "or I might do it for you."

She looked back down at the glasses she was cleaning as a sickness filled her. "I lied... You're not the dad," she answered just as quietly.

"Better not be," he threatened before throwing the empty beer can he was holding toward her and turning to leave. It rattled across the floor and Buffy lifted her head and watched him go with relief before looking up when Angel took the seat across from her. A moment later, she turned her attention back to the glasses.

"Who was that?"

She gave a slight regretful shake of her head. "No one."

Dark eyes dug into her as she continued to carefully clean the glasses before she looked up when Kendra set another tray full in front of her. "Is that it?"

"That's it," the brunette stated before reaching down to untie her apron. "See you tomorrow Buffy."

She nodded. "Bye."

Kendra waved before heading toward the small break room where they'd left their purses and coats.

Silence fell, and Angel reached into a pocket before laying a key on the bar in front of her. She looked up. "What's that?"

"They want Liam Buff, and know how to get him." He shrugged. "There's only so much I can do as a single father... I'd like to be able to make the argument he belongs with his *parents*."

She glanced at him uneasily before going back to washing glasses. "You're going to have to spell it out for me better than that Angel."

"You want to sell your place, and I want to give the impression we're trying to make it as a family." Buffy froze before looking up with surprise. "I moved into the limestone last night," he stated casually.

"The... um... one on Oak Avenue?" she asked as an ache began to fill her. "You still own it?"

"No reason to sell it," he answered briskly before hesitating. "Here's the deal... I want you to move in with us." He met her eyes and shrugged. "There's plenty of bedrooms. The only thing we need to come to an understanding on is your lover. I don't want him to have anything to do with Liam. I mean, if he does more than say hi to our son he'll be lucky if all I do is run him out of town."

She shot him a reproachful look, and his eyes narrowed as he watched her. She was silent for a couple of minutes as she continued to wash glasses. "What's the rent?"

"Half of everything."

She stared at the glasses for a long moment. "We can try," she finally agreed before taking a breath, "but there's something I should tell you first. I'm kind of... pregnant, Angel... with twins. So I'm not sure how well we'll be able to pull off a charade under the circumstances."

Cold brown eyes slowly rose to meet hers, and she forced herself to meet them for several long seconds before she finished washing the glasses and then drained the water. She wiped her hands on a dishrag before wiping off the bar and then the tables. When she was done she moved back and looked at him. "I don't think there'll be too many visits to worry about. The... um... dad doesn't want them."

Angel looked away for several long seconds as a silence fell. "I have my child Buffy..." he finally stated coolly before looking back at her with an unreadable expression. "It's only fair that you have yours." He got to his feet. "I'll expect you to be moved in by the end of the week. That way you can get settled in before Liam gets back in a couple of weeks." He hesitated. "And there's already some furniture in the house, but there's room for a few more pieces if necessary." A moment later, he turned and left.

Buffy slowly got out of the Jeep a couple of days later and looked at the 2 cars parked in front of the mansion. The old black convertible Angel had bought years ago looked like someone had just washed and waxed it. The other car looked to be a mid priced sedan with a few years on it. She studied the cars before looking at the house. The yard was an overgrown mess with downed tree limbs adding to the neglected look, but the limestone house stood straight and solid in the middle of it.

She still remembered the day he'd bought it. They'd been talking about getting married, and she'd thought they were just playing as the realtor led them through the beautiful house. They'd looked it over, talked about each of the rooms, snuck a couple of kisses... She'd been shocked when they were standing on the front lawn several minutes later and Angel had pulled a checkbook out of his coat pocket and wrote a check, paid in full. She'd looked at him with disbelief before turning the same look on the realtor. He'd smiled back, handed her the keys before driving away and leaving them in their front yard.

Buffy broke the memory with a deep breath before pulling a large box of groceries out of the backseat and heading for the front porch. A short time later, she was in the kitchen.

The Cookie Dough ice cream she'd brought with her went into the freezer beside another container of Cookie Dough ice cream, and she looked at it curiously before grabbing her orange juice and jar of pickles... She hesitated... frowned when she saw both items were already stocked in the refrigerator. A moment later, she was putting a few packs of meat and frozen vegetables into the freezer before looking through the cabinets for the canned items. She found them and added her cans along with a large jar of peanut butter.

Opening another cabinet, she found an empty shelf and put some sugar, flour, baking soda, and coffee on it before adding a couple packs of small bite sized candy bars. She continued to unpack until her box was empty before putting her mother's recipe box on the shelf with the flour and going back to the car to bring in a couple of suitcases.

Angel was waiting at the top of the stairs when she came back in. "Your room's the first on the right," he told her as she walked up the stairs and into the room he'd indicated. Light splashed in from several windows, and she looked the beautiful room over with an aching heart before dropping her suitcases on the bed and going over to look out the double doors that led to the balcony.

"Maybe this should be your room," she told him quietly.

"My room's already set up the way I like it. This one's yours."

She swallowed and turned to look at him for a long moment before going over to open the doors to the large walk in closet. It was clean and empty except for a couple of extra blankets and towels. A moment later, she turned back to look at the freshly made bed before looking up at him. "I could have helped clean it you know."

He shrugged. "I don't have a job, and you do..." he hesitated. "At least I don't have one yet. I thought I'd apply at Nest's Welding next week... if Holtz and Rupert hold to their demands."

She looked at him with surprise. "You're um... applying for a job there?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "They have jobs available, and if my uncles don't back down, I'll need one."

She opened a suitcase and began to hang some clothes in the closet, put others in the large dresser they'd picked out together seven years ago. "Do um... do they know what you have planned?" she asked quietly as she pulled out a robe and moved to hang it on the bathroom door that connected to the master suite.

"Planned Buff?"

"Yeah," she answered. "My living here, you finding a new job..."

"They know," he stated, and when she continued to look at him expectantly, he scowled. "They're... angry, but they've been mad at me since I turned them down on the boarding school."

She picked up some neatly folded shirts and added them to one of the drawers before looking at him. "Are you sure you want to do this Angel? I mean, you might be able to reason with them if I was out of the picture."

"I don't think reasoning with them will work Buff. They're too used to getting what they want, and so am I." She looked at him for a moment before pulling a few pictures out of her suitcase, one of her mom, Liam in his baby bed, one that was a group shot at her high school graduation.

Angel looked at the one showing Buffy, Willow, Oz, and Xander in their robes... the one where he had his arms around her waist as they smiled at the camera. He pushed away from the door a moment later and left.

She sighed before looking at the photo. It was a memory of a time when she'd been happy... but maybe with all the years that had passed, she should put it away. She rubbed tiredly at the back of her neck before setting it on the bedside table. She'd make up her mind what to do with it later, there were still a few more boxes she needed to unload now.

Angel got a bowl out of the cabinet before putting a large portion of stew in it. A moment later, he walked into the living room where Buffy was watching tv and offered it to her.

She glanced up before grinning when she saw the vegetable filled stew. "Thanks," she murmured as she took it. "It looks great."

"Liam likes it." He disappeared back into the kitchen. There was a thud from one of the rooms above, and she glanced curiously toward the stairs before watching as Pandora came down them. The kitten attacked a ball laying on the floor, and she watched her for a moment before getting up to follow Angel.

"When's Liam getting back?"

"They're coming back the third week in August."

She nodded and stared at her stew before looking back at him. "I know they're your friends Angel, but I'd appreciate a warning before they come over to visit."

He filled another bowl before taking a seat at the table. "I doubt they'll come around much, but I'll let you know if I can." He looked at her for a long moment before giving a shake of his head. "You're helping me keep Liam. Don't think I don't appreciate that."

"They'll want to tear me apart when they find out I'm pregnant and living with you, and they won't be the only ones... Holtz and Giles won't be far behind."

A silence fell before he gave a quiet snort. "Your pregnancy isn't any of their business Buff. It's not any of mine either." A moment later, he started eating, and Buffy looked at him with regret before going back into the living room to finish her stew and watch tv.

She'd started making cookies when Angel had left to get Liam from the small Sunnydale airport, and now she was done... and Angel still wasn't back. She scowled when she finished the dishes and noticed there was only half an hour before she had to be at the bar. She'd hoped to have warm cookies ready when they came through the door, but things seldom worked the way she wanted. She drained the water before wiping her hands on a dishrag and going upstairs to change.

She was just coming down the stairs when they came in.

"I don't want to live here," Liam almost yelled as he stepped through the door carrying a suitcase.

"Would you rather go to a boarding school?" Angel asked as he followed with another suitcase.

Liam looked at Buffy before rolling his eyes and turning to Angel. "Let me talk to them and I'll tell them I don't want to go. They won't make me dad."

"No, they won't," Angel agreed. "You're mother and I won't let them."

"I don't want to live here," he repeated with annoyance before turning back to look critically at Buffy. "You're getting fat mom." He dropped the suitcase before slamming down on the sofa.

"Your mother's pregnant," Angel answered. "You're going to be a big brother."

His son stared at him incredulously before scowling. "Is it yours?"

"I seriously doubt it," he answered dryly.

"At least there's that." Liam shook his head. "I want to go home."

"I'm getting tired of this," Angel almost snapped back.

Buffy hesitated as a silence fell before walking over to stand a few feet from Liam. "There are cookies in the kitchen," she stated quietly. "They might still be warm."

Liam didn't reply, and she looked at him with resignation before pulling on her light coat, grabbing her purse, and quietly leaving.

She got home at about 15 after 2 and wasn't surprised to find Angel sitting on the sofa reading, just like he'd been for the last 2 Friday and Saturday nights since they'd moved in together. He glanced up when she came in and then returned to his book.

"How's Liam?" she asked quietly.

"He's still a little angry, but I'm sure he'll get over it."

Silence fell, and she dropped her purse onto a chair before looking at him with a frown. "What um... What would it cost to send him to Chadwick?" she asked about the private school Liam was used to attending. He looked at her without commenting, and she shifted with a hint of unease. "I've got a little money saved..."

"Which you'll need for the twins," he answered.

He was right, and she knew it. It didn't stop her from wishing she could send him to Chadwick though. "At least I don't think I'll have to pay much for a babysitter," she stated quietly. "Xander and Willow told me they'd help out with that." Silence fell, and Buffy headed into the kitchen and got out a jar of pickles to munch on before looking over what was left in the refrigerator. She settled on a bowl of leftover roast beef, potatoes and gravy before warming it in the microwave and grabbing a bottle of water to go with it.