And Baby makes Three - May 26, 2004

Buffy was exhausted, and cranky…and smelled like baby spit up.

The two week old fussing in her arms was the love of her life….but she seriously needed a few minutes of Buffy-time, not to mention a desperate need for a shower.

She knew the second she put Katie in the bassinet she would start screaming.

Katie had a strange habit of sleeping peacefully at night, between feedings and diaper changes, but only if she was being held.

Put her down for even a second, and all she did was scream.

Buffy walked into the living room and found her solution lying on the couch, sound asleep.

Angel didn't sleep much at night, not that he ever slept great at night (Due to a balance between Buffy's needs and his vampire essence). Now he spent a majority of his nights holding Katie to keep her calm, or retrieving her for Buffy to breastfeed, or changing her so Buffy could sleep.

'I don't think I would have been able to make it past the first 4 hours of the breastfeeding idea if not for his help and encouragement…of course he could only be pro-breast since it keeps them swollen…' she shook her head, 'Nah. Even so…does it matter?'

She walked over to the couch and watched Angel sleeping for a moment.

She felt a pang of guilt, and then got a whiff of her Spit-up perfume, the pang vanished.

She gently plopped Katie stomach down onto Angel's chest.

"Have a nice nap with Daddy" she said as she quickly kissed them both and vanished for the bathroom.

He woke and shifted, arms wrapping protectively around her, so she wouldn't roll off him.

"Hey Katie" he spoke, still only half awake, "Shh, no crying." He said patting her back, a few seconds later she settled down, fussing and pouting on hold as she fell asleep to his heartbeat.

"That's my girl." He whispered as he dosed off.

- Later that night -

Angel was sleeping peacefully.

Buffy forced him to go to bed early, he needed it having spent most of his nights over the last two weeks holding Katie.

The miracle of Katie sleeping without one of them holding her was relief beyond belief.

Angel's suggestion of using a recording of a heartbeat worked blissfully.

The bassinet was still in the bedroom, but was slowly being moved further away, letting both baby and parents get used to the idea of Katie actually sleeping in the nursery.

Buffy slid under the covers and for the first time in two weeks, actually had a few minutes to think.

She looked over at Angel and smiled.

'He's so sexy when he's asleep…and awake…and fighting…and eating…ok he's always sexy. Especially when he does that little smile when we…Oh-My-God!…we haven't had sex in two weeks!…we're already old!' she frowned.

Now that they were finally both in bed at once, her passion kicked on and she reached her hand out and drew a line down from his solid chest to his wonderfully defined abs.

The one thing she could defiantly say about him was he kept in great shape, what she didn't know, was how he managed to while eating the way he did.

'It's just not natural how someone can eat that much chocolate and still have abs like this.'

Admiring his delicious body was making her hungry, and not for food.

She bit her lower lip and inched closer; deepening the line she was drawing, circling around his navel.

She had expected him to awaken, and when he didn't, she deflated.

'I should let him sleep; he's been hovering over Katie day and night since she was born. I can't really blame him though; Connor was stolen from him.'

However watching him sleep was pulling at her own needs at the moment.

'I'm sure he won't mind waking up, he's always saying he wants to make me happy…him being awake will make me happy. Logical enough for me.'

She thought a moment a nice way to wake him, then smirked, she knew plan B would work.

Slowly she traced the line from his navel and extended it under the covers, and slipped a warm hand into his sweatpants and gently began to message him.

He moaned in his sleep and shifted, his body reacting to her touch.

"Buffy" he mumbled, still asleep.

A shot of excitement shot threw her as she heard him whisper her name in his sleep.

'He better say my name, anything less and he'll be one hurting eunuch.'

Without slowing her gentle stroking in his pants, she leaned over and drew her lips against his, licking and sucking at them.

A moment later his mouth began to respond to hers, his breathing increasing as he woke, and his arousal waking as well.

He moaned into her mouth as she increased her hand movements, she would have continued if his hand hasn't tightened over her wrist, stopping her and drawing her fingers out of his undergarments.

She looked down at him and frowned, sad and confused as to why he stopped her.

"You don't want to?" she asked hurt.

He looked at her, the little pout on her lips both saddened him…and aroused him.

"I do but…" He glanced over across the room to the bassinet, "Katie's right there" he said looking embarrassed.

She smirked, "Think about how close she was a few weeks ago…didn't stop you then." She countered, referring to the fact their daughter was inside her, only inches away when they last made love.

Realization flickered across his gaze, "Huh…true…"

She reached for his pants again, a second time he gripped her wrist halting her.

She looked at him again, "Now what? We haven't had sex in two weeks…getting some serious withdrawals here" she grumbled, slightly angry. No one gets in the way of a horny Slayer, including a sexy husband.

He grinned at her, "Yeah, I know the feeling…but the doctor told us to wait six weeks…to let your body heal."

She shook her head. "Hello, Slayer here. I was healed before I left the hospital." She said blankly.

"Really?" he said with a lusty grin.

"Ah huh." she answered moving closer.

"Are you sure?" he asked seriously.

She pressed her lips to his, after a moment she pulled back enough to allow for speech, "Sex now, talk later" she practically demanded as she moved onto him.

He didn't object again.

~~~~~~~~~Two weeks later~~~~~~~~~

Buffy awoke to an empty bed, the same as the last week.

They had recently put Katie in the crib in the nursery for the night and despite there being a baby monitor and both of them having excellent hearing, Angel still hovered next to the crib a night.

Buffy sighed, 'This has gone on long enough...yeah his scary over-protectiveness was sort of cute the first tow days...but now it's just getting creepy. I need to talk to him...now.'

She tossed the covers off and grabbed her robe off the chair.

A moment later she was sneaking into the nursery across the hall, and as expected, Angel was sitting in the chair beside the crib.

'He's keeping guard.' She realized.

He looked up when she walked in, frowned when he saw the look of annoyance in her eyes and the cross of her arms across her chest.

Subtlety not being her strong suit, she walked up and quietly demanded, "She's fine Angel, come back to bed and stop being such a prophet of doom all the time. There is no reason to worry so much..." She sat down on across his lap, "You're going to give yourself a heart attack, and just so you know...you can actually get one of those now."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, eyes never leaving the crib. "I know...it's just..." He trailed off.

"Just what?" she probed softly.

"I lost Connor." He whispered, "I can't lose another."

"You got Connor back, remember that huge college tuition bill we get monthly?" She tried to pull him out of his painful past.

"I know, but...in some ways...he's still lost. I never got back his childhood. Never got to raise him. That part of Connor is gone forever."

She rested her head on his shoulder, "You won't lose her Angel. I won't let anything happen to her, neither will you."

He remained still a moment, just watching his daughter sleeping in the crib.

"No one will take her..." Buffy emphasized, "Willow spelled the whole room, nothing can open the windows or doors besides us. Unless they rip out a wall...but we won't need a walkie to hear that... and we're on the second floor so they'd have to be really tall demons..." She shook out the random ideas of doom from her head, "Look you're worrying is contagious, stop before we both die of anxiety, she's safe."

Angel nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm Buffy." She replied with a smirk.

He chuckled, "Oh really now?"

"If you say one more word, I'm making you sleep on the couch." She threatened.

He shook his head, chuckling at her.

"Are you coming back to bed?" She asked.

He nodded, playing along to not saying another word.

"Good, I need someone to warm my toes on." She said, kissed his nose, then disappeared back to the bedroom.

He grinned then looked back at the crib, he almost felt like sitting back down and resuming his sentry, but instead he leaned down and as lightly as possible, kissed the little forehead. "Goodnight sweetheart." After a moment he added, "Nothing will ever hurt you, not while you're mother and I still draw breath." He promised.

After one last look, he joined his wife in bed.

His last thought before sleep took him was, 'Damn her toes are cold.'

Whoops... - July 7, 2004

~~~~~~~~~About 4 weeks later~~~~~~~~~

Angel slipped into bed after an eventful week… another a long and tiring week of raising a baby.

But it was a wonderful kind of tired. The kind he never thought he'd get after Connor was taken.

He wrapped an arm around Buffy's waist and pulled her sleeping form against him, she sighed contently in sleep as her body nestled along his.

His head hit the pillow and he shut his eyes.

Just when he was about to drift off, a strange sound filtered though his mind. He listened intently, it sounded familiar but he couldn't place where or when he last heard the sound last.

Then he remembered.

A heartbeat…a super fast newly beating heartbeat.

It was the most wonderful and equally the scariest sound he had ever heard.

'Buffy's pregnant again? Oh crap. She's going to kill me.'

It was no secret to anyone that Buffy had been more than ready to have her own body back to herself again. Not that she didn't love Katie to death, but she wasn't planning on having another baby anytime soon.

'I don't understand, we've used protection everytime! She can't be…oh shit.'

He remembered the first time they made love after Katie was born; they hadn't remembered to use a condom.

Neither thought anything of it later, figuring she wouldn't have been able to conceive again that early.

'So much for that idea.'

He didn't want to wake her, but this was important. He figured better he tell her than she realize it herself.

"Buffy?" he whispered into her ear, hoping to wake her slowly, wouldn't help much to get her mad at him before the news.

He slid his hand along her arm and repeated her name, gently shaking her.

She grumbled something and slowly opened her eyes. "This had better be important" she yawned "I was having a really nice dream."

She took one look into his worried eyes and knew something was wrong.

She sat up, "What? What's wrong?" she said looking towards the door, worried something was wrong with their daughter.

"Nothing" he said quickly to keep her from panicking needlessly. "Nothing bad." He clarified a second later.

"Than what?" she asked suspicious.

"Well it might be bad…depending on how you feel." He argued to himself.

"Angel?" she questioned.

"Although you did sort of say you weren't ready yet…" he continued mumbling.

"Angel!" she said rather loud as he argued with himself over her reaction.

He looked at her, his brown eyes focusing on her hazel green ones.

"Spill" she demanded.

He looked down, wondering how to tell her. "Ahh…well…umm…" He shifted a bit, "Do you still have those prenatal vitamins?" he asked.

She looked at him funny, "Ah, yeah….why?" she asked suspicious.

"Well you might want to start taking them again…" he said seriously.

Her eyes narrowed, "And why would I decide to do that?" she asked not really needing to.

He looked back at her and she knew.

"Oh god! I'm pregnant? Again!" she panicked.

She got out of bed and nearly ran into the bathroom.

He followed her but the bathroom door slammed in his face.

He rubbed his flattened nose as he reached for the knob and found it locked. "Buffy?" she said knocking on the door. "Buffy are you ok?"

No answer.

He knocked harder, "Buffy!" he said louder.

"I can pee on a stick without help Angel." Her annoyed reply came though the wooden door.

His cheeks reddened and he walked back over to the bed and sat down.

'She hates me.'

...

Ten minutes later the door opened and Buffy walked back into the bedroom, a pregnancy test in her hand.

He couldn't read the expression on her face.

"You had one?" he asked, referring to the test.

"What sexually active woman doesn't?" she retorted as she plopped down onto the edge of the bed. She was looking down at it; he couldn't see the display from where he sat.

"So?" he asked, wondering it if read positive or negative.

She haphazardly tossed it to him; he caught it and looked down at it, puzzled.

"Ahh?…what?…Do they make one in English?" He said confused looking at it from all angles, no idea how to read the little lines.

She sighed and shook her head, rolled her eyes for good measure, half amused by his clueless-ness, half annoyed at life in general.

She scooted over beside him and pointed to the thin line next to a thick line, "The thin one shows if you're pregnant."

He looked down at the visible thin line, his heart beat just a bit faster.

'I already knew she was pregnant, I mean I can hear the heartbeat. But still…wow.'

He looked up at her; he momentarily forgot to hide his grin.

Her stoic expression reminded him and he removed the grin from his lips before she decided to remove it with a fist.

"Your not happy about this." It wasn't a question, more an observation.

She shrugged, "No?…yes?…maybe?….I don't know yet. I'm not unhappy about it…not thrilled about the timing. Angel, we have a two month old! We can't have another baby right now!" she said getting up and pacing. "I mean we barely get enough sleep as it is, and think about diaper costs, and formula, I can barely keep up feeding one baby, my breasts can't handle two!" she ranted.

He could feel her growing anxiety and quickly got up and hugged her, trying to sooth her. "Buffy calm down. No one said anything about right now. We have eight months to worry about that."

He lured her back to the bed and sat her down beside him; he ran his hand over her back in slow soothing circles.

She took a deep breath; "Yeah…eight months…" she cringed, thinking she would get stretch marks for sure this time.

She leaned against his chest and laid her head on his shoulder.

"How did you know?" she asked a moment later, curious as to how he would know before her.

He shrugged, "I can…hear its heartbeat." He said timidly.

"Oh yeah…right." she said remembering he could do that.

"I'm sorry." He automatically apologized.

"For what? Knocking me up…again?" she asked, eyes gazing off.

"I don't know. For putting you in a hard situation?" he asked.

She didn't say anything, just sat against him, her focus zoned out at the far wall.

After a few minutes of silence he spoke, "If…if it's too soon. If you're not ready…I'd understand if you…don't want to…keep it."

She replied by punching him in the chest…hard.

"Ow!" he said withdrawing his other arm from around her and rubbing the soon-to-be bruise, checking for rib damage.

"Don't be an idiot" she said bluntly.

He looked at her confused.

She leaned against him again and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Of course we're going to keep it…it's ours. That's never going to even be an option."

He felt a wave of relief wash over him, he wouldn't have thought she would be willing to abort, but the fear had been there nevertheless.

He wrapped his arms back around her, "So does this mean you're happy about it?" he fished.

She shook her head, "I'm not going to answer that yet. I'm taking a vacation from being decision girl for the rest of the night."

He nodded, understand she needed some time.

They got back into bed, it being early in the night they still had a good change at a decent night's rest.

Right when he was about to nod off, Buffy's voice roused him. "Angel?"

He shifted, "Hmm?" he hummed.

"Just so you know…" she said sleepily, "If you ever get me pregnant with one still in diapers again…I've giving you an at home vasectomy."

He was instantly awake, praying to any god or spirit that would listen that she was making a very unfunny joke.

He was silent a moment, than asked seriously, "Do you…want me to get one?" He wasn't thrilled about the idea, heck he had already been sterile for centuries, but he would go through with it if she asked him to.

'Love makes you do the wacky' he remembered hearing years ago.

She rolled over and glared at him, "Don't go getting any not-so-bright ideas…just keep my warning in mind."she threatened.

He nodded, "Ok, ok, no decisions being made without direct Buffy input, I got that one down."

She nodded then rested her head on his shoulder, she yawned. "Ok, good. Now go to sleep."

He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.

'Is she mad at me or not?" He wondered.

After a moment he gave up thinking about it, in the silence he focused on the rapid little heartbeat.

The darkness of the night hid his smile, but it was there, soon after, he fell asleep to the wonderful sound.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...

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