It was his first day of work, and Angel turned away from the welding machine when a buzzer sounded before heading into the bathroom to wash his hands. The water turned dark as he cleaned them before he dried them on a paper towel and headed for the break room.
His small cooler was in his locker, and he pulled it out before finding an empty table and starting to eat his sandwich. He ignored the sneers he got from the men and the interested looks from the women... but glanced up when someone sat across from him.
"Angel McCormick right?" the sandy haired guy asked as he started to pull his lunch out of a sack.
"What gave it away?"
Riley looked at him before returning to his lunch. "You mean other than the fact none of the guys like you and you're sitting by yourself?" he asked casually.
"There is that," Angel agreed before turning back to his lunch.
"Well... I don't like you either, but Buffy does." Angel's head came up, and Riley frowned before shaking his head. "I don't know how she could. I suppose it's Liam, but you've poisoned him against her... so," he broke off and shrugged.
"I don't know who you are," Angel answered as he studied the man across from him.
"Riley Finn. I moved to Sunnydale about the time you took her son away from her. That really hurt her you know? I mean, Buffy and I didn't exactly know each other back then, but you hear things... and most everyone that works here spends time at the Bronze."
Silence fell before Angel gave a humorless smile. "My relationship with Buffy's none of your business."
Riley nodded. "I just want you to know that Buffy's well liked here. You on the other hand..."
"Finn," Adam called from a nearby table. "We've got a bet going on whether he's eating a fish egg sandwich or not."
Riley glanced up. "Pretty sure it's tuna salad."
"The fish eggs will probably be tomorrow," Forrest called loudly.
"If it's fish eggs, I'll be sure to let you know," Angel stated before finishing off his sandwich and starting to slice up an apple.
"You know I went to the bank the other day to get a loan for a car, and that white haired little shit turned me down," Graham spoke up.
"You mean the one that looks like Billy Idol?"
"I've seen him," another man said with a laugh. "My grandson outgrew that stage when he was 15." He turned to look at Graham. "You need to get a loan on the internet. I can almost guarantee you'll get better interest rates, and you can avoid the Sunnydale stuck ups."
"Maybe not... I mean, this place isn't even safe now," Forrest called as several eyes turned back to Angel.
"Yeah well.. hot stuff isn't so hot anymore," Ben stated with a laugh.
"I don't know about that," Nina almost purred. "He looks kind of hot to me."
"If you bed him, make him pay. His kind's usually willing to do that for a lay. It kind of makes you wonder how good they are in the sack."
Graham shook his head before looking at the blonde. "Don't waste your time Nina. There's better stuff here... in more ways than one... That guy will knock you up, leave you, then come back and take you to court for the kid. He's a real peach."
"Yeah, he doesn't amount to much, but he's got a nice car," a new guy spoke up. "That vintage black convertible, that looks cherry."
"Does that go for his house too?" A middle aged woman asked. "I'm pretty sure there's one for sale in Prosperous Acres... Maybe 14 or 15 of us can go together and buy it. We could rub elbows with the big shots."
Laughter and a few suggestions ran through the room. The buzzer sounded a few minutes later, and Angel sat there for several long seconds before slowly getting to his feet and heading back to work.
He was looking through the refrigerator when Liam walked into the kitchen a few hours later. "Where's your mother?" he asked as he picked up a plastic container and looked at his son.
Liam ignored the question. "You're filthy dad."
"I just got off work."
His son rolled his eyes. "No girl would even look at you looking like that."
"One or two might."
"Cordy, Dru, Darla, Lilah... " Liam shook his head, "none of them would."
"Maybe they're not the kind I'm talking about," Angel stated as he put the small amount of leftover chili into the microwave to warm before sitting down. "Now where's your mother?"
"She left with some weird guy wearing a green suit and driving a Porsche."
Angel's eyes narrowed as he sat back in the chair. "Who was it?"
"I don't know, but he told me I was a handsome little guy, and then after I went upstairs told mom I had a bit of a personality disorder."
Silence fell, and Angel eyed him coolly. "What did your mother say?"
"She said you were my father, and then he laughed, and they left."
They were sitting on the sofa watching tv when Buffy came home, and she glanced at them before carrying a bag of groceries into the kitchen. They'd had a really good sale at the store, and she happily put the cookie dough ice cream in the freezer before grabbing a jar of pickles out of the refrigerator and beginning to munch on a slice. A moment later, she was pulling a gallon of milk, eggs, a couple of pudding mixes, whipped cream out of her sack and setting them on the table. She looked up when Angel walked into the room. "Hope you're hungry for chocolate pie and homemade pizza," she stated. "I'm starved for it." She held out a small can of mushrooms. "Pizza with mushrooms," she added happily.
"Where've you been Buff?"
"Grocery shopping." She shot him a look before putting a couple of packs of meat in the freezer and turning back.
"Liam said you were here with a guy that thought he had a personality disorder."
"He heard that?" Silence fell and she rubbed at her forehead with irritation. "Sorry."
"Who was it?"
She gave a shake of her head. "I'm not going to let you hurt him, Angel. I don't think he'll be coming back to the house any time soon. I'll ask him not to okay?"
Angel frowned and watched as she pulled a large measuring cup out of a cabinet before heading past him to go back into the living room. "Pizza and chocolate pie for supper Liam. How does that sound?"
He looked up. "We're ordering out?"
She frowned. "Homemade pizza."
He rolled his eyes and turned back to the tv. "I'd rather order out."
Buffy hesitated before walking over to pull $20.00 out of her purse and drop it on the coffee table. "Alright. You and your dad can order out." She walked back into the kitchen and past the brunette still leaning against the counter. A moment later, she measured out some water before adding half a packet of pizza crust and stirring it into a sticky dough. Setting it aside for later she walked over to pull some flour and Crisco out of the cabinet along with a mixing bowl and started making the pie crust. She suddenly stopped and looked up at Angel. "Tell me you have a rolling pin... and I don't have to go home to get mine."
He frowned before pushing away from the counter and setting a rolling pin on the table a few seconds later. "Thank you," she offered happily, and Angel studied her before getting a couple of pie plates and setting them out as well. She smiled and dropped the lump of pie dough onto the table before grabbing a box of chocolate pudding and holding it out to him. "You can make the pudding if you want to help." He lifted an eyebrow before taking the box and getting a pan out of the cabinet as Buffy started rolling out the pie dough.
"I take it it's okay with you if some guy comes into the house and insults our son?" he asked as he measured out the milk.
She rolled her eyes. "You know it's not... but he said the same thing about you when we were in high school."
He turned to look at her. "Was that before or after we met Buff?"
She laughed and shook her head. "I think it was about the time we went on our first date. I assured him he was wrong."
He watched her before dumping the pudding mix into the milk and setting it on the stove. "Is he the father?" he asked quietly.
"What?" She shook her head. "He's gay Angel."
"Lorne?" he asked slowly. "He owns an art gallery in L.A. doesn't he?"
She scowled before walking over to stand in front of him. "Leave him alone," she ordered. "Honestly if you think I'm going to let you..." she broke off and stared up at him with a frown, and after several seconds his eyes lit with amusement.
"Fine Buff. I'll let it go *once*," he stressed as he continued to stir the pudding. Her frown deepened before she turned away and ate a pickle. A few seconds later she rinsed her hands and went back to finish working with the pie crusts. When she was done with that she started to work on putting the pizza crust into a pan before opening the tomato sauce and mushroom cans, getting out the cheese, onion, a tomato, and pepperoni.
A little while later, she slid the pizza and pie crusts into the oven before shooting Angel a scowl and picking up the pan he'd left on the stove. "I'm taking the pudding outside to cool. Don't let the pie crusts burn." A moment later, she went out onto the front porch.
She couldn't stop tears from falling, and her irritation at Angel turned into an aching sadness as she looked at the overgrown yard. The large tree limb was still laying under the tree, and she went down the stairs determined to move it. It didn't pull easily, too hung up in the tall weeds to move under the pull she was putting on it. She scowled and pulled harder only to make a quiet sound of frustration when it only inched forward.
"Buffy, what are you doing?" Angel asked when he walked onto the porch a couple of minutes later.
She turned to him with a scowl. "I'm having a cup of tea. What does it look like I'm doing?" she snapped.
His eyes lit with amusement and he walked over to help her move the large limb. "You know you could have asked for help."
"Wouldn't want to bother you," she mumbled as she left him to move the limb and went back inside to take the pie crusts out of the oven.
A few minutes later, she was sitting at the kitchen table with a wad of tissues in her hand as she wiped at tears. A knock came at the front door, and she listened as Angel paid the pizza delivery guy before walking into the kitchen to get a plate for Liam. He stopped and looked at her curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you even see the yard?" she asked in a wavering voice as she looked at him with disbelief. "And you're going to go after Lorne."
"I already told you I wouldn't bother him Buffy... and as for the yard, I'll clean it up okay?"
She nodded tearfully, and Angel continued to study her with a frown before grabbing a plate to take to Liam. A minute later, he was back in the kitchen with the pudding and beginning to spoon it into a pie shell. Buffy watched for a moment before getting up to set the whipped topping beside him. She then went to the sink and started to do the dishes.
She was happily eating a slice of pizza a few minutes later before looking up with surprise when Angel came in and took a slice back into the living room where he was sitting with Liam.
A month later:
It was 3 am Sunday morning when Buffy sat up in bed after almost an hour of trying to sleep. She didn't have to start work at Homestead until noon. Mrs. Post was usually pretty good about allowing her some say over her hours... at least a lot more than Snyder was. Not that that was the point she decided as she impatiently threw the rumpled covers off and got to her feet. She ran a hand through her hair before quietly going to find Angel.
He was sleeping, the blankets doing nothing to hide the fact he was drop dead gorgeous. He might turn her down, but she wouldn't know until she tried. She tugged on the blankets, noticed he was only wearing drawstring pants, and took a slow breath before climbing onto the bed and shaking him. "Angel," she breathed, her voice filled with need. Brown eyes opened, and he slowly twisted onto his back. "Buff?" he asked as he looked up at her curiously.
She frowned impatiently before shifting to straddle his waist. A moment later, she looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "Can't sleep?" he asked with amusement.
"No, and since it's your fault I'm pregnant, I think you owe me," she answered before leaning down to kiss him.
He twisted his head to the side and waited for her to lift hers before turning back to look at her with disbelief. "*My* fault?"
She nodded impatiently, not realizing how it sounded. "I only called *him* because I was trying to be done with you," she breathed before leaning down to kiss him again. Her mouth covered his, and he hesitated before giving a soft snort as he started to kiss her back. When she broke the kiss to shift down to his throat, he stared at the ceiling with a scowl even as he ran his hands up and down her thighs in a slow caress.
"Buff... I'm just in awe of your logic," he stated dryly. She nipped him before shifting back to press several firm kisses across his chest, another one to his throat.
A moment later, she lifted her head so there was a couple of inches between them. "My logic's perfect. I wouldn't be pregnant if you hadn't made that idiotic offer." She quickly shifted back to his mouth and kissed him for several long seconds before giving an almost punishing nip to his lip. She released it before pushing herself farther down his body, and Angel reached up to comb fingers through her hair.
"I can take over if you want," he offered before moving to blanket her back when she shifted off to the side.
They were both fighting for breath a few minutes later and he gave a shake of his head as he stared into the shadows. "God Buff... If you were anyone else and pregnant with another man's child, I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole."
She tensed before moving to the edge of the bed and getting to her feet. A couple of seconds later, she was leaving the room, and after a minute, he got up and followed.
He found her sitting at the kitchen table... crying and took a seat across from her. "It was a compliment."
She wiped at tears before blowing her nose. "It wasn't, and you know it. You don't want to touch me because I'm pregnant, and you think I'm nothing but a used whore."
He scowled as she pulled more tissues out of the box. "Have I ever called you a whore?"
"What do you think a gold digger is?"
"Buffy..." he broke off with irritation and turned away before looking back. "Who's the father?"
She stared at the tissues in her hand for several long seconds. "He was a mistake. A really stupid mistake."
"Have you told him?"
"I made that mistake too," she answered. "He's so... angry Angel. He wants me to have an abortion."
"Why don't you?"
Buffy swallowed as more tears spilled. "I can't do that. I just can't." She took an unsteady breath. "I um... thought I might be able to put them up for adoption, but I don't think I can do that either... And I know there's a lot of good *couples* that want children, but... " she broke off and wiped at her eyes and nose. "I'm 26 years old... and even if..." she broke off and swallowed thickly. "Even if the father was a mistake, it doesn't change the fact I'd like to have a child."
Silence fell, and he rubbed at his forehead before looking back up at her bleakly. "Is there a chance they're mine?"
Heavy silence fell for several long seconds, the only sound her soft sniffles. "You... um... used a condom, and he did too," she stated slowly, "but when I was with him I was drunk. I don't remember everything."
"He used a condom," Angel repeated.
"You did too," she answered, "and you and I only had sex once."
He looked away. "How long did you date him?"
"I didn't date him, Angel."
"How many times did you... see him, Buff?"
"Once... Just once," she repeated as she stared down at the wad of tissues before blowing her nose and pulling clean ones out of the box.
A silence fell, and he broke it. "I've been mad at you, and I know I've hurt you," he stated quietly, "but I've always pulled my punches. I've never wanted to completely destroy you." He hesitated before giving a shake of his head. "I'm not thrilled your pregnant, but whether or not you have them is your decision. The father though, or any guy you're interested in, if they start coming to the house on any kind of regular basis, we're going to start having problems."
She stared at the crumpled tissues in her hand before wiping at her eyes. "There's not anyone," she breathed quietly before swallowing. "L... last time I talked to the father, I... um... told him I lied and they weren't his."
He studied her before abruptly turning toward the doorway when footsteps entered the kitchen. "What are you doing up Liam?"
"I'm thirsty. Why's she crying this time?" The seven year old grabbed a glass off the counter. "Don't suppose we're going home are we?" he asked hopefully.
"Didn't know you were all that eager to go to a boarding school," Angel answered coolly.
Liam put some water in the glass before shooting Angel a hard look. "They wouldn't make me go to a boarding school."
"Yes they would," he stated angrily, "and if you want out of this house so badly, I'll send you to one myself."
"Stop it," Buffy snapped. "You will not threaten our son."
"He wouldn't send me to a boarding school any more than uncle Rupert or Daniel would," Liam sniped back.
"Try us," Angel answered frigidly.
Buffy got to her feet and looked at Liam. "You're not going to a boarding school," she stated quietly before starting out of the kitchen.
"I hate living here," he called after her.
Angel stared at him. "Could you at least pretend she means something to you? Because I'm telling you right now, she's your *mother* Liam, and the only one you'll ever have."
"She's only my mother because of your poor taste dad. Why didn't you stick with your own kind?"
Angel snorted before giving a shake of his head. "I've had plenty of time to be with my 'own kind' Liam. Odd how I picked someone that wasn't." He studied his son for a moment more before getting up and leaving the kitchen.
A few months later:
There was a Harris Construction truck parked in front of the house when Angel got home from work and he glanced at it, and the mid priced car parked beside it curiously before going inside to find Liam on the sofa watching tv.
"What's going on?" he asked as he slid out of a light coat.
"Some of her friends brought over an old baby's bed."
He glanced up the stairs where he could hear some talking and quiet laughter before heading up them.
"Angel," Xander uneasily greeted the brunette that was standing in the doorway of Buffy's bedroom.
They all looked toward him and a silence fell.
"Looks like Buffy's going to have babies," Anya stated, and Angel looked at her oddly.
"She's at the 7 month mark," Xander quickly explained. "Chances are good even if she has them early they'll make it."
Anya rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he's got that figured out Xander. I mean Buffy no doubt filled him in." She looked at Angel. "You know any pregnancy she has is high risk don't you?"
Angel's chocolate eyes flew to Buffy's green. "She didn't mention it."
Anya rolled her eyes before giving a shake of her head and looking back at Angel. "Too bad the father's a user, but she knew that going in."
"Ayn..." Xander broke in with embarrassment. "I think it's time we saved Will from our kids don't you?" He slid an arm around her back and started urging her toward the door Angel had just moved out of.
"You said we could eat out tonight," she reminded him with annoyance as Xander tugged her toward the stairs.
"Angel," Oz greeted with a nod as he turned to follow Xander and Anya as they left.
Angel glanced at him and nodded before turning his attention back to Buffy as she hugged Mr. Gordo before setting the pink pig back into the baby's bed.
"Liam's?" he asked as he looked over the assortment of toys, baby bottles, sacks of clothes... He turned away with a frown a few seconds later.
"Yeah. I listed some of it for sale in the classifieds a time or two, but decided to keep everything when there wasn't any interest." She started to walk toward the bedroom door. "I was thinking about having stew tonight. Is that okay?"
"It sounds good," he answered as she walked past him, and he moved over to grip the rail of the baby's bed before almost blindly looking over the items in it. He closed his eyes for a long moment as his fists tightened before he turned away and followed her to the kitchen.
She was cutting cubes of meat when he found her, and she glanced up when he walked in. "You can peel some potatoes and carrots if you want to help."
He got a pan and paring knife out of the cabinet, a few potatoes and carrots... before sitting down at the table and cutting the end off a carrot. "Why didn't you tell me you were high risk?" he finally asked.
"It never came up. And I figured I'd be the only one that would care if... if anything happened." She swallowed before wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Silence fell, and after several long seconds, she got up and dumped the cubed meat into the pressure cooker, added some grease and started to brown it. She turned back to look at him. "I could still lose them. I mean, I've got another 7 weeks to go."
"Do you know what you're having?" he asked quietly.
She gave a shake of her head. "I told them I didn't want to know." She looked up. "I just want healthy babies."
He nodded as he continued to dice carrots. "Thought of any names?"
"Yeah. I um was thinking about Alex Oz Summers."
Angel sat back and looked at her. "You want to name one after Xander?"
She gave a wavering smile before shrugging. "I'm not good with names... Liam was my grandfather's name... and you were his dad so... Liam Angel... and Alex Oz just seems to fit with that."
And if you have a girl?"
"Ann Will Summers," she answered. "Not very original is it?"
"Ann Will?" he asked. "Sounds original to me."
"Well... those two names will work if I have one of each. If I have two boys or girls I'll have to come up with an extra name." She looked thoughtful for a moment before getting a couple of pieces of chocolate and popping one in her mouth. She turned to look at him a moment later. "Want one?" She held up the extra piece of candy.
"Sure," he answered, and his eyes sparked with amusement when she got 2 more pieces out of the cabinet and handed him one. "Thanks," he offered before eating the rich piece of candy and going back to peeling potatoes.
"Angel..." she started quietly. "What would you have done if I'd told you about Liam?"
He hesitated before looking up. "Pretty much what I did do Buff... I mean, if I'd found out while you were still pregnant, or if you'd volunteered the information when I spent the night at your house... things might have been different, but," he slowly shook his head, "there's no guarantee of that. I wanted our son." He turned his attention back to dicing a potato. "Honestly if he hadn't been yours... I would have opted for child support."
"When the meat's brown put enough water in the pressure cooker to cover it and then put the top and bobber on." She put the two pieces of chocolate on the counter and left the kitchen.
It was flurrying, and Buffy sat outside and watched the rare occurrence of large white flakes of snow drifting through the air. She didn't look up when Angel came out and stood beside her. "Should you be out here?" he asked quietly before laying a blanket across her shoulders.
"I'm fine," she answered.
"You're angry about Liam aren't you?"
She was silent for several long moments. "I had him for 19 months Angel, and you took him away from me for years. I don't think I'll ever get him back."
"It doesn't cover it, but I'm sorry."
She nodded as she cradled her stomach with an arm before swallowing heavily. "It's okay. You wanted him and you took him." She got to her feet and headed back toward the front door as the blanket slid off. "No one wants the twins except me. Like you said, you have your child, and now I can have mine." She headed back inside, and he stared blindly out at the snowflakes.
She's having twins?" Doyle asked with surprise.
"Yeah." Angel climbed out of the car and headed for Holtz's garage... and the truck Gunn had backed up to it.
"Aren't they suppose to know that before the seventh month?" the brunette asked as he caught up with his friend.
"She told me before we moved in together," Angel answered as he waved at Gunn before pulling the garage door open and stepping inside. Three spotless cars were lined up, and he moved around them toward the wall that held Liam's baby bed, dresser, clothes... He walked over to the bed and gripped the railing before looking up when he was joined by his friends and giving a shake of his head. "I thought maybe someday I'd need this stuff again, but I never dreamed it would be for Buffy's baby with another man."
"You don't have to use them for that," Doyle answered.
Angel sighed, gave a shake of his head. "Yeah. I think I do."
Gunn watched with a frown before looking over the items. "Doyle's right you know? You've already given her a place to live. A lot of guys would kick her out of the house if she were pregnant with another man's kid, and that's when you moved her in."
"I have my reasons," Angel answered before moving from the side of the bed to the end and reaching down to take a hold of it.
Gunn shook his head before walking around to the other end and helping him carry it out of the garage.
Buffy poured a glass of orange juice and rubbed absently at her back before looking up when the door opened. More than one set of steps sounded from the other room, and she walked to the kitchen doorway and watched as Gunn and Angel brought in a baby bed. Her eyes widened before she looked over to see Doyle at the door.
"Buffy," he called. "Let me in?"
She breathed out before going over to open the door and watched as he carried in a rocking chair and headed up the stairs. She followed before finding them in the small room between her and Angel's bedrooms. Tears welled, and she pulled out a tissue before walking over to stand at the window as she listened to them move around the room behind her. Angel walked over, and she wiped at tears before looking up. "You didn't have to do this," she stated quietly.
"I wanted to," he answered just as quietly, "and it's not like I didn't have the stuff on hand. I just took it out of storage. If you want, we can add the furniture in your bedroom and turn it into a nursery."
"Okay," she agreed before waiting until they'd left to look over the pieces they'd brought in. She remembered them from her visitations with Liam. She looked at the rocking chair as more tears welled. A moment later, she was sobbing as she started out of the room, down the stairs and into a room she didn't think they'd find her in.
Angel walked into the house and scowled tiredly when he heard her crying. He set his end of the dresser down and looked at his friends. "She's been emotional lately. Do you guys mind if I talk to her for a moment?"
"Go on," Doyle answered. "We'll take the dresser up and get the rest unloaded."
"Thanks," Angel murmured before heading toward the wide window lit hallway leading to the study.
He rejoined them 5 minutes later, and a few minutes after that, they were moving the baby furniture out of her room and mixing it with his.
A couple of weeks later, Buffy glanced out the window when she heard a car pull in, and scowled when she saw it was a pristine white jaguar. One of Angel's friends then she decided as she absently wiped at her hands with a kitchen towel before dropping it on the table. It was just her luck they'd come by the house when he was due home but wasn't there yet. She glanced at the casserole in the oven before going to answer the door.
"Parker," she greeted with surprise. "What do you want?"
"That's yours?" the older man beside the younger one asked as he motioned to Buffy's stomach.
"She says it's mine," Parker answered stiffly
"But you're not sure," the graying haired man stated grimly before he turned cool eyes to Buffy. "My son says you're having his baby. Is that true?"
"I..." Buffy broke off uneasily. "I don't want anything from him," she finally answered.
"That's good because you're not getting much... And all we want from you is the little one. After that, we'll leave you to your," he made a point of looking over the house, the small repairs that needed to be made when it had set vacant, "squaller."
Not again... this wasn't happening again, and she looked at the older man with a sinking feeling. "No. I'm not giving my baby to you."
He snorted. "You don't know who I am, do you? Pete Abrams is my name, and I can pretty much do anything I want."
"No you can't," she answered quietly before looking up as Angel pulled into the drive, and she tried to fight back panic as she looked at Parker. "I didn't think you wanted a child. I'm pretty sure you wanted me to have an abortion a few months ago."
"That was before I told him he needed to give me a grandchild to inherit my money." The larger man gave Parker a hard look before turning on Buffy. "As I said if this child's an Abrams I want it, and so does my son. We'll pay the hospital bills of course, and if you give us a healthy child we'll give you a five thousand dollar check at the birth."
"I'm not selling them."
"Twins?" he asked with interest and watched her fight tears. "Well, then I'd say you hit the jackpot."
"I don't want your money," she answered firmly as a couple of tears fell.
"Suit yourself then... if you don't cooperate, we'll wait till they're born and take you to court. I hear that kind of thing isn't too hard to accomplish when the mother's unfit."
"It's not," Angel agreed as he dropped a shoulder against a limestone column and looked them over curiously before turning to Buffy. "This the father Buff?"
She swallowed as she looked at him. "Probably," she answered quietly. Angel's eyes narrowed, and she abruptly dropped her eyes to the porch floor.
The older man snorted as he looked at Angel's dirt smudged clothes with disdain before turning back to look at Buffy. "From the look of your boyfriend, it looks like we'll be doing you and him a favor by taking them off your hands."
"I don't recognize you," Angel stated. "You must not be from around here."
"I doubt we run in the same circles," Pete answered coolly.
"I'm sure you're right," Angel murmured as he looked at Pete before turning to Parker. "She said you used a condom... Did you?"
Parker scowled, and his scowl deepened when he saw his dad looking at him as well. "I always do," he finally answered tightly.
"You used a condom, and she got pregnant?" his dad asked incredulously. "I thought she must have told you she was on the pill... but..." he broke off with a scowl as he turned back to Buffy. "There's going to be a DNA test on these kids, and if they're Parker's they'll be going home with us."
She looked at him uneasily as her arms went protectively around her stomach, but it was Angel that broke the silence that followed. "I wouldn't count on anything more than joint custody... and that's if she's feeling generous."
Pete's eyebrows rose as he turned back to look at Angel. "We'll see about that boy. You hire your lawyers and we'll hire ours." He started toward the car with Parker on his heels, and Angel turned to watch them.
"For the record," he called, "just who are your lawyers?"
"Wolfram and Hart handle our lawsuits. Look them up if you get the chance," Pete answered without bothering to look back.
Angel gave a dark smile before pushing away from the column he was leaning against and walking over to where Buffy was standing in the doorway. "He drives a Jaguar Buff?"
She raised tear filled eyes to his. "I've never seen it before. He hangs out at the Bronze." She dropped her eyes and wiped at tears with her shirt sleeve before looking back up and giving a humorless smile. "I guess he likes slumming. I can really pick them can't I?" She started to turn away and stopped when he put a hand on her arm.
"We both used condoms," he stated as he watched her intently. "Are you sure there's not someone that didn't?"
She swallowed and looked up at him. "No. There hasn't been anyone else." She walked back into the house, and Angel followed before watching as she stopped in the middle of the room. "There's tuna casserole in the oven," she told him in a trembling voice. "It's really close to being done." Without waiting for a response, she headed upstairs.
The knock on her door came 20 minutes later, and Angel walked in with 2 large plates of food. He put one on the bedside table before taking the other over to an armchair and starting to eat. "This is good," he murmured as he took his second mouthful. When he didn't get a response he scowled and looked at the blonde crying on the bed. "We'll use Liam's blood for the test."
"He... He won't be happy about that," Buffy got out. "He'll probably t... tell everyone what we did."
"Alright. I'll tell the lab what results to find... how's that?"
"Angel..." she broke off as she stared at him with tear filled eyes. "They're not going to do that for you."
He sighed and got to his feet before placing his plate next to hers and then climbing onto the bed to hold her. "I owe you, Buff," he murmured quietly. "No one's taking the twins."
"You can't promise that," she stated before struggling to her feet and turning to glare at him. "You can't promise that Angel."
He got to his feet and watched as she awkwardly lowered herself into a chair and doubled over with a sob before he walked over to hand her a box of tissues and crouch in front of her. "I won't make any promises then, but I want you to let me worry about..." he broke off. "What's the guy's name?"
"P... Parker Abrams."
"Let me worry about him. Alright?"
She looked up. She doubted there was anything she could do to stop Parker and his dad from taking the twins, if Angel was willing to deal with them she'd let him. She nodded, and he looked into her eyes for a long moment. "Good. Try to eat something," he ordered quietly before getting to his feet, retrieving his plate, and leaving the room.
A couple of weeks later it was a done deal, her house had sold, a contract had been drawn up with Lorne, her new partner in 'Artistic Inspirations'. It would eventually all be hers, but first she had to pay him back, until then she was in charge of getting the place up and running. Lorne had offered her a good deal, and she was grateful he was helping her get started.
Of course she hadn't intended on bringing Liam with her on her first visit to the place, but when Angel had called to let her know he had a flat tire, she'd decided not to put off finalizing the deal. And since the realtor's office was so close to her new art gallery, she *had* to stop by and take a look at it.
She glanced at her son as he stood moodily on the sidewalk before starting toward the old building she and Lorne had just bought. "Your grandmother used to run an art gallery here Liam. It was called Sunnydale Art," Buffy told him as she made her way to the door and stepped inside.
Liam rolled his eyes before following, and Buffy closed the door behind him.
"What do you think of it?" she finally asked when he didn't say anything.
"It's a dump."
"It needs some work," she answered as she started to walk through the room. The heavy oak sales counter stood where it always had. The vintage lights were still the same. The walls had been repainted a drab brown color, and she frowned as she looked at them before walking farther back into the rooms. Someone had removed the room divisions that were used to highlight pictures, and the small tables and display cases that held sculptures and an occasional antique were gone. The hardwood floors were scuffed and damaged, but she remembered what they'd looked like when they had been bright and shiny.
She turned back to Liam. "Your dad and I worked the sales counter a couple of times when mom had shows. She was always able to fill the place up."
He snorted. "You had *dad* working here?" he asked scornfully.
Pain ran through her, and silence fell for several long moments as she remembered how Angel had stayed at her side... how they'd spent the time more interested in each other than what was going on around them. She swallowed thickly. "I guess I was the one officially working... Your dad just showed up to keep me company."
Liam looked over the room they were standing in before moving into another larger one, and Buffy followed. The walls were painted a dull light orange and she winced. "Definitely going to need some new paint."
He shrugged and turned to her with a bored expression. "I don't care about your building mom. I want to go home."
"But you didn't see the apartment upstairs. It's huge Liam... and it's got a great view."
He rolled his eyes and turned to her with a scowl. "Why don't you call dad and have him come get me? I'll wait in the car." A moment later, he was gone, and Buffy tiredly looked after him for several long moments before calling Angel.
The Plymouth purred to the curb behind Buffy's Jeep, and Angel looked at his son curiously as he slid into the passenger seat. "What's going on?"
Liam pulled on his seat belt and frowned. "She bought a building." He snorted before shaking his head. "It's a dump... sort of like our *house*," he added with a scowl.
Angel glanced at him with a frown. "She bought a building?"
"Yeah. She sold her house and bought a *dump*.
"Is it the old pet store?"
Liam shrugged. "She said her mother used to own it."
Angel frowned as he pulled away from the curb. She'd bought Joyce's old art gallery. That was something he hadn't seen coming. "What's she going to do with it?"
"I don't know, and don't care," Liam told him as he stared out the window before turning to his dad resentfully. "She told me to talk to you about seeing my friends at Chadwick. Can you drop me off at the school?"
Angel stared at the road with a scowl before tiredly rubbing at his forehead. The job he'd been given at work for the last 3 days was physically and mentally demanding, and now having to deal with Liam wasn't helping. "Fine," he finally answered as he made a u turn. "But I'm a little tired, so I'm going to go back to the house. I'll have either Spike or Lindsey pick you up at 6:00. Okay?"
Liam grinned and nodded.
They were parked in Chadwick Elementary's parking lot 20 minutes later when Angel's phone rang.
Liam looked at him, and Angel motioned toward the field where several boys were playing soccer. "Have fun," he murmured before starting to talk to Cordy who was informing him Buffy had sold her house and purchased the old pet store. He cut the call short when raised voices drifted to where he was parked.
Liam wiped at his bloody nose as he stared at Tim Travers in disbelief before getting off the ground. "What did you say?"
"You're not supposed to be here," the older boy stated. "Dad says you're nothing but poor white trash... and you're mother's nothing but a gold digger your dad's shacked up with."
Liam continued to stare at him as he wiped at his nose. "Take that back."
"No."
Liam swung, and the other boy cried out and took a couple of steps back when Liam's fist connected.
"That's enough," Jim Felding ordered firmly as he grabbed a hold of Liam and pulled him back a couple of steps before looking at Tim's father. "Mr. Travers, I'm sorry," Felding murmured as he watched the other man look at his son's black eye. "I don't know what Liam's doing here."
Travers turned to look coolly at Liam before looking at Felding. "I thought this was a first class school Felding. I didn't know you were allowing trash into it."
"I can assure you Liam does not have permission to be here sir."
"What happened?" Angel asked as he walked up and looked at his son's bloody nose before turning to the uneasy coach expectantly.
"It seems Liam thinks he can trespass on school property," Travers spoke up as he looked over Angel's grease smudged t-shirt and worn jeans with a sneer, "and in the process gave my son a black eye." He took a step closer. "I could sue you for that."
Angel stared at Travers before turning back to Felding. "What. Happened?" he repeated.
"The boys had a disagreement," Felding stated carefully. "Tim gave Liam a bloody nose and Liam gave Tim a black eye."
"What was the disagreement about Liam?" Angel asked his angry son.
"He called us poor white trash dad," Liam wiped at his nose, "and he said you were shacked up with a gold digger."
Angel looked up at Travers with a dark glint in his eyes. "Dangerous words for most people in this town to be spouting Travers, much less you and your son. You really should be more careful," Angel stated in a low threatening voice.
"Why should I? You're putting on airs you don't have anymore McCormick."
Angel studied him before looking over the assembled parents. Most of them looked away with the same unease Felding had. "We'll see," he finally answered before looking down at Liam. "It's time to go," he stated firmly. Liam started toward him, and Angel cast one last appraising glance over the group before walking his son back to the parking lot.
Buffy sat in the Jeep for a couple of minutes after she got home and looked over her 'to do' list thoughtfully. Money was going to be tight. She wanted to make sure she kept up her half of the bills with Angel, and now she had a new building to fix up, and eventually pay off. She was going to have to pick up all the overtime she could get. The repairs needed on the new shop would take time, but she had to admit it was something she was looking forward to.
She slid the list into the glove box before climbing out of the car and grabbing the bag of groceries in the backseat. She wasn't expecting to see Liam sitting on the porch steps.
"Hey," she said with a smile that turned into a frown when she noticed his swollen nose. "What happened?"
"We're poor," he answered with irritation. "That's what happened."
She studied him for a long moment. "Who hurt you?" she asked quietly.
"Tim Travers hit me."
"Why?"
He scowled. "He said I was poor white trash, and dad was shacked up with a gold digger."
Buffy closed her eyes for a long moment and took a deep breath as a silence fell. She broke it a few seconds later. "Does your dad know?"
Liam snorted. "Yeah, and he doesn't care. He says we're not leaving."
"I'm pretty sure he cares," Buffy told him quietly.
"He doesn't care enough to move back to Prosperous Acres. Instead, he wants to live here and be poor."
Buffy glanced up at the house. It had a large front porch complete with limestone columns, a series of arched windows, hardwood polished floors, and a large private yard. "You're a long way from being poor," she told him quietly. He shot her a hard look, and she swallowed as tears pricked her eyes.
"I want to go back to Chadwick and Prosperous Acres. I had *friends* there, and dad did too. We had a nice car and didn't live in a dump."
"I love you," Buffy told him quietly, "and your dad does too. I'll talk to him okay?"
He didn't reply, and she went inside and set the bag of groceries on the kitchen table, only putting away what needed to go into the refrigerator before tiredly starting to search for Angel.
She found him working with his punching bag, and he didn't turn when she opened the door. "Liam wants to go home," she stated quietly. "Maybe it's time to take him."
"He'll be fine."
"He'll *hate* you, just like he does me."
Angel abruptly turned to her. "He doesn't hate you."
"Maybe," she answered quietly, "but he doesn't like me either."
"He's a child," Angel murmured as he looked away.
"I think we both know there's more to it than that." Buffy smoothed a hand over her round stomach almost defensively. Silence fell, and she stepped farther into the room. "Swallow your pride," she ordered, "and tell Rupert and Holtz you want to go home."
"It won't change the fact they want him to go to a boarding school."
"Tell them," she hesitated and tried to fight back tears "that I'll leave Sunnydale if they'll give you and Liam back your home, school, and job. I can be out of town by tomorrow morning if it'll help them make a decision." Her other arm wrapped protectively around her stomach.
"I remember when you fought me for him," he stated quietly. "Why are you so willing to walk out of his life now?" His gaze drifted to her stomach before he looked away.
"Because I'd rather be hurt 10 times than see him hurt once." Her voice quivered as tears fell. "And um... if I wasn't around anymore I don't think he'd miss me. Do you?"
Angel closed his eyes before looking at her again. "I'm sorry," he stated quietly.
She nodded. "Me too." Brown eyes met tear filled green. "Take him home," she ordered softly before leaving the room, and Angel stared after her for several long seconds before reaching for his cell.
He found Liam in his room a few minutes later and sat on the edge of the bed as his son scowled up at the ceiling. "I'm taking you to live with Rupert and Jenny," he stated quietly. "You need to pack. I told them we'd be there in an hour or so."
"I don't want to live with Rupert and Jenny. I want to live with you."
Silence fell before Angel shook his head. "No, you don't." He reached down to ruffle his son's hair. "Your mother and I love you and want you to be happy. Sending you away is the only way we know to do that."
"Not the only way," Liam answered angrily.
"It's all I'm willing to give." Angel got to his feet and pulled a couple of suitcases out of the closet before dropping them on the bed. He hesitated for a long moment as he looked at Liam. "If *anything* happens at Chadwick, I want to know about it. Okay?"
Liam looked up with tears in his eyes and nodded, and Angel sat back on the bed tiredly as a silence built. "I think I owe you an apology," he finally stated. "I shouldn't have taken you away from your mother like I did. But I was mad, and I had all the power... so I hurt her, and ended up hurting you in the process."
"No. She might be my mother, but I'm glad I wasn't around her more than I had to be."
Angel stared at the floor for several long moments before getting up and heading for the door. "Pack," he ordered. "I'll be waiting downstairs when you're ready to leave."
He didn't get back until 9:30, and Buffy waited 15 minutes after she heard the shower shut off before knocking on his bedroom door. "Angel?" She glanced into the room.
"Yeah." He sat up, the covers sliding down his bare torso.
She pushed the door open wider and stepped in. "Is Liam okay?"
"He will be. I mean, he's not thrilled about it, but he'll be fine."
She nodded. "Are they making him go to a boarding school?"
"No. He's going to Chadwick. After what happened, I think they've decided it's better to keep him with them rather than risk us taking him back."
"That's good," she murmured. "I'm glad." She hesitated before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought I'd let you know I'll be moving out in the next week or two."
"Why?" He rolled out of bed before walking over to her.
"We got together for Liam, and he's not living here anymore."
"I heard you sold your house. You don't have anywhere to go do you?"
"Yeah. I have a place."
"You mean your mother's old art gallery?"
She looked up with surprise. "You know about that?"
"Liam mentioned it."
"There's an apartment upstairs," she answered. "It's really nice."
He was silent for a long moment. "You're not seeing anyone are you?"
She studied him in the dim light filtering in through the windows. "No... I don't know if you know it or not, but men typically don't hit on pregnant women."
He scowled. "So you're just going to leave me here without a housemate?"
She slid arms around her stomach. "You're not going back to your old job?"
"They took Liam in Buffy. They're still pissed at me."
She took a breath. "You want me to stay?"
"Having someone pay half the bills is nice," he agreed. "And I could use the company."
A painful pull for what could have been filled her before she nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "But I don't think you'd have any problem replacing me."
He watched her leave and waited until she closed the door before giving a soft snort and running a hand through his hair. A moment later, he went back to bed.
Buffy opened the door to the mansion and breathed in the scent of pizza before dropping her purse and coat on the coffee table and moving to look into the kitchen. Angel had his back to her as he checked the oven. "It's pretty much done," he murmured. "Grab something to drink and we can feast."
She lifted an eyebrow before giving a grin and walking over to get a couple of glasses. "Feast huh? That sounds good to me."
He glanced at her as he set the pizza on the table before pulling a knife out of the drawer. "Lots of calories quickly," he stated as he cut slices with quick graceful movements. "Sounds like a feast to me."
Pulling the large bottle of Pepsi out of the fridge Buffy took a moment to look at him before moving to pour a couple of glasses. "How was your day?" she asked after setting the bottle back in the refrigerator and taking a seat at the table.
"My day..." He looked thoughtful as he reached for a piece of pizza. "I was put on a new job and didn't come anywhere near making rate on it... and I'm not that well liked. My coworkers seem to think I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth."
She studied him as she finished her first bite of pizza. "Well it'll take a while to learn your job... and as for your coworkers, I'm sure they'll come around when they get to know you."
Amusement flashed in his eyes. "Do you really think so Buff?"
She glanced up thoughtfully and couldn't stop from giving him a faint smile. "It might take some time," she admitted. She'd spent so much time worrying about what the wealthy people in town thought about her that she hadn't spent much time thinking about how her end of town saw them. Of course Angel wasn't wealthy anymore, but if anything his coworkers were probably gloating over his loss of wealth.
"Buff?"
She glanced up, and he looked at her searchingly. "I just asked how your day went."
"Oh... It was okay. I mean, I'm kind of hungry... and tired..." she trailed off. He already knew all of that. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Let's just say I'm glad to be home."
He shot her a smile. "You're not the only one."
A comfortable silence fell, and Angel cursed quietly when his phone rang a few minutes later. "Angel," he murmured before rolling his eyes and scowling. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Silence fell, and Buffy reached for another piece of pizza. "Liam's going to Chadwick Spike and living with Rupert and Jenny. I'm still living at the limestone and doubt I'll be moving back to Prosperous Acres anytime soon." Buffy took a sip of Pepsi before taking another bite of pizza. "The Traverses are leaving town?" he asked, a look in his dark eyes she easily read as triumph. "No, I didn't have anything to do with it... but I seriously doubt Rupert and Daniel took his attack on Liam lightly. Do you?" She watched as he gave a hard look she recognized all too well. "Travers was a fool... and to tell you the truth, the only reason I didn't have anything to do with it is because they beat me to it."
She glanced down at the last piece of pizza and sighed. It was Angel's, she'd had her half. She got to her feet and carried the empty glass to the sink before heading upstairs. Yeah," Angel agreed with something Spike said. "I'm crazy." He rolled his eyes. "Consider it noted. Oh, and Spike... if it's after two in the morning and not an emergency, don't call me." He cut off the call and glanced around the empty kitchen with a frown before reaching for the last slice of pizza.
It was the end of November when Buffy stepped into the old pet store with two large pizzas, and Riley greeted her with a smile. "Hey," he murmured as he took them off her hands."What do you think of it?"
She looked over the heavily dusted floors with a hint of unease before looking into the room Xander was using the buffer in. "Um... You guys aren't destroying the place are you?"
"No..." Willow answered. "Xander's done this before... I mean, he says he has." She frowned as she watched him, the heavy machine eating through the surface of the board floor and leaving fine powder in the air.
Buffy nodded before looking over the pale green paint in the lobby. It looked nice with the white accents, and her attention was drawn to the heavy oak cashiers stand. It was a long ornate wood piece that could have almost doubled for a bar, and she walked over to run her hands over the heavily polished wood that Riley had set the pizzas on.
"We've been working on the windows," the tall blonde stated, and Buffy turned to look at the large panes of spotless glass. "When Graham and Forrest get back with the ladders, we thought we'd put up the canopy.
She turned to him with tears in her eyes and a wavering smile. "I didn't expect so much help."
Riley scowled before tugging her against him. "It's nothing," he answered before releasing her. "Besides, where else can we get free pizza today?"
She rolled her eyes before sighing when she looked at her watch. "I've got to be back at work in 15 minutes, but let them know I appreciate it will you?"
"Yeah," he grinned, "and I'll stick around for the locksmith and give Angel the key tomorrow night. Is that okay?"
"That sounds great," she answered with a warm smile before walking over to give Willow a quick hug and leaving.