Sorry for the lack of updates, life kind of smacked me in the face. I hope I will be able to write on my days off from work. Hopefully you like this chapter and I have the start of a couple other stories that I think I might post later tonight…
Chapter 27: The Ally
Buffy sighed as she laid in Angel's bed, she wondered if he was back yet. After Jenny had left earlier in the day, because Angel had insisted on her being seen after everything that happened with James, Angel had been called away on yet another case. She knew that Angel had to work his cases and help people but that didn't change the fact that she wanted time with him too! She didn't know exactly what was going on with them, she knew they weren't a couple, because he didn't refer to her as his girlfriend. They were just having sex whenever they could. She was just happy to have a piece of him. She already knew that she wouldn't be able to share. When the day came that he found someone he actually wanted to have a relationship with or he decided he no longer wanted to be involved with her, she knew it would kill her. Until that day came though, she was going to take whatever he offered her. She knew it probably wasn't healthy, but she also knew she couldn't give him up when he was so willingly giving himself to her. She loved him too much to pass up… whatever he was giving to her.
Buffy bit her lip as she looked around his room, he hadn't asked her to wait for him in his bed like he had the night before. She just missed him, she wanted him so she snuck into his room instead of going to her room at the end of the day, hoping he would come home before dawn. She wondered if he would be upset that she just invited herself into his room, into his bed. She pouted before getting up quickly, she turned to straighten out his bed, in hopes that he wouldn't even know she had been there. That was when she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist, pulling her against him. "Good, you're already here." He mumbled against her neck, grinding his erection into her from behind. "The only thing that would make this better." He whispered, slipping his hand up her shirt. "If you didn't have any clothes on."
"Yeah?" She breathed out as he pinched her nipple.
"Actually, let's make it a rule." He whispered, pulling her tank top over her head. "No clothes." He kissed the back of her neck, then placed two kisses in the middle of her shoulder blades.
Buffy arched her back, pressing her ass further into his erection. "Ever?"
Angel nodded against her back as he pushed her sleep pants down.
"What about when the guys are around?" She teased him, earning a growl from him. She giggled, pressing her bare back against his chest before she whispered. "You have far too many clothes on, lover."
He silently unbuttoned his pants, pulling his erection out of his pants. He stroked himself a few times before Buffy let out a sigh of contentment when she felt him enter her. "Angel…" She whispered, as he started a steady rhythm.
He grabbed her hips as she bent over the bed and he sped up his thrust until he could feel her release approaching. "Oh, God. Angel!" He grunted his own release as he came inside of her, then slowly pulled out of her, taking his shirt the rest of the way off, he gathered her in his arms and pulled the blanket down.
He didn't have much time before he needed to leave again, but he at least wanted this time with her. He almost felt bad about the way he had come in the room. He normally liked to caress her and be gentle with her, let her know how much he cared about her but tonight he just didn't have the time, but that didn't change the fact that he needed her. They were currently working a case and had just come back to the hotel to regroup after they had run into a couple of demons. He was supposed to shower and change before heading back out with the rest of the team but he used the excuse that had gotten most of the demon's stench on him and he needed a long shower. He was so happy when he walked into his room to find Buffy there, he had every intention of showering first but then he saw her bent over his bed and he couldn't stop himself.
Angel smiled down at Buffy as she cuddled up to his side, placing her hand on his chest. Her nose wrinkled up in the most adorable way. "What's that smell?" She whispered, half asleep.
Angel laughed softly as he kissed her head. He knew she was asleep when her breathing slowed but he watched with interest as her hand slowly moved up, grasping for his wife's wedding ring that rested around his neck. After a few moments, he moved her hand from around the ring and gently got up from his bed.
He grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom. He had to take a really quick shower before the team came up to his room looking for him. The last thing he wanted was for them to wake Buffy up, she was pregnant and needed her rest. After his shower, he dressed quickly, drying his hair with a towel on his way out of the bathroom. He tossed his towel in the laundry hamper, which was now filled with not only his clothes but Buffy's as well. He placed his hand on the doorknob, looking back at the blonde in his bed before smiling and gently closing the door behind him.
0o0o0
Buffy had woken up before dawn to find that she was alone in Angel's bed. She hated waking up alone but she knew he had an important job. She had gone back to her room to shower and get dressed for the day and made her way downstairs to make coffee. She was feeling restless, much like she did when Angel wasn't around.
She poured a cup of coffee before getting to work on invoices from previous cases. They definitely weren't getting paid for their little James adventure but she still needed to put a file together for him and Wesley had insisted on putting a copy in her file as well considering the crazed vampire had been following her. The only connection between them was Angel though. She didn't know the blonde vampire at all, Angel on the other hand had known him when he was human and as a vampire. Once again, something was being added to her file that didn't make sense.
"Oh, coffee!" Cordelia looked to the coffee machine hopefully with Dennis behind her.
"Hey Buffy." The former ghost smiled at her. It had been a while since he had seen his favorite blonde. Cordelia had even told him that she was pregnant, it disappointed him because he had always been attracted to the small blonde, even when he was a ghost but when he questioned his roommate about who the father was, she wouldn't tell him. That led him to believe the father wasn't in the picture.
"Dennis!" Buffy smiled, giving the dark haired man a hug. "What are you doing here?"
The man shrugged. "Haven't seen you in a while and I heard life got a little crazy." He looked down at her stomach, where he could see a small bulge. "And look, there it is."
The blonde placed her hand on her stomach and nodded, making her way back over to her desk. "Yeah, you could say that."
"Dennis came over last night but you were already asleep, so we both decided just to stay here last night since the guys were all gone." Cordelia told her as she blew on her coffee before taking a sip. "You want Dennis?"
Buffy got up from her desk, making her way over to the coffee machine to pour him a cup. "Let me get you coffee for a change."
Dennis took the coffee she offered him. "They still haven't come back?"
"They came back last night." Buffy looked at her two friends. "For a little while, at least Angel did." She finished with a shrug. "I mean… I think I heard him come in…"
Cordelia smirked at her best friend. Heard him? Yeah, right!
"Still keeping tabs on Angel, huh?" Dennis shook his head. "If it hasn't happened already, then it isn't going to happen at all."
Welsey, Gunn and Doyle walked into the front door of the hotel just seconds before Angel came in through the basement door. "He used the tunnels just in case we didn't make it before the sun." Doyle nodded towards the vampire.
The vampire frowned when he saw Dennis. Why was he here? It seemed like every time he came around he was trying to get Buffy to do something or go somewhere with him. "What are you…" He paused for a moment, he didn't want to come off like he was being rude, he knew how much Buffy cared about the former ghost. "What are you doing here so early, Cordy? Dennis." He nodded in the other man's direction.
"Never left." She raised her eyebrows at the vampire. "Did you get the nest?"
"There was a nest?" Buffy asked, setting her coffee cup down. "I didn't know there was a nest."
"Well, yeah." Gunn laughed at the blonde. "You were asleep."
"No one blames you for going to bed early." Wesley nodded in her direction. "In your condition."
"We didn't know there was a nest when we left originally." Angel told her, keeping his distance. He didn't trust himself around Dennis, who had just openly looked at Buffy's chest. Or maybe it was just so noticeable to him because he knew that at least at one point, the former ghost wanted more than friendship with his blonde. "We killed a couple and then discovered the nest so we decided to regroup and get a little research in before going back after the rest."
Buffy nodded as she watched Angel, he raised his eyebrows at her before nodding his head towards the stairs. She looked up the stairs before turning towards her friends. "I gotta… make… a phone call." She struggled to get out before running towards the stairs.
"I gotta shower." Angel rushed out as he ran towards the stairs. "Again."
"That was weird." Dennis pointed behind him at the stairs.
Gunn shrugged as he turned towards the stairs himself, a shower sounded good about now. "They are weird."
0o0o0
Angel closed the door behind him, taking Buffy into his arms and kissing her. "I thought we made a rule."
Buffy smiled against his lips. "I didn't think that applied to when the guys were around." She moaned as he pulled at her clothes to take them off of her. "You did the sexy growl."
Angel smiled as he kissed down her throat. "I really do need to shower." He whispered. "But God, I want you."
"You don't smell that bad." She waved off, holding him closer to her neck.
The vampire laughed. "Really? Because you made a comment last night."
"No, I didn't." She disagreed, pulling back slightly.
Angel nodded down at her. "You talk in your sleep. That wasn't even the first time you have done it."
Buffy pouted, pulling back even further. "I don't talk in my sleep."
"It's cute." He smiled at her. He was still trying to figure out how she knew his human name though. She had said it in her sleep and when she was in a lust induced haze.
Buffy shook her head as she still pouted. "Talking in your sleep is never cute. I don't talk in my sleep."
Angel smiled even wider at her, annoying Buffy even further causing her to pull away from the vampire. "Hey, hey. Come on." He whispered, taking her by the hand. "I'll wash your back."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I already showered."
"Okay." He smiled, pulling her closer to him. "So, I will shower quickly and you can keep me company… just as long as these…" He pulled on her jeans. "are gone and they don't go back on." He kissed her teasingly, nipping at her lips. "I prefer you in skirts."
Buffy let out a small laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, soon I won't be able to wear these anymore anyway." She pouted at the thought, her belly seemed to come out of nowhere and now her clothes were getting too small for her.
"Good." He whispered, unbuttoning her jeans and helping her out of them before she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his slim waist. His hands traveled from her hips to her ass, giving it a little squeeze. Making his way into the bathroom, he set her on the counter before turning the water on in the shower. "I love these." He smirked down at her pink thong. He hooked his fingers on both sides of the waistband and she slightly lifted herself off the counter as he pulled them down. "But like everything else…" He tossed them over his shoulder, looking at her glistering sex with a smirk. "You look better without them."
He pulled her closer to the edge of the counter before he dropped to his knees. Buffy gasped as she felt his mouth on her clit, it wasn't long before he brought her to the first of many orgasms.
0o0o0
Buffy lazily crawled into bed, laying on her stomach. She had to say, one of the perks of having a vampire as a lover, was definitely the stamina. She had lost track of how many orgasms she had.
"Mmm, sleep?" Angel mumbled as he crawled up her body, kissing her back.
Buffy shook her head. "I just woke up…" she grabbed the clock on the bedside table, turning it towards her. "Six… has it really been six hours?"
The vampire laughed. "Now you want sleep?"
The blonde shook her head as she turned over on the bed. "I'm not tired. Maybe a little hungry, but not tired."
"Good." He smiled as he kissed her lips. "Because I'm not done with you yet."
Buffy smiled up at Angel, she didn't know what had gotten into him but she liked it. "You know at some point, I won't be able to move."
"That's okay." He shrugged. "I like you where you are."
"I like me where I am too." She whispered.
Angel kissed her again before he got up off the bed. "Let's see what I have for food in here, don't want the little one to get hungry."
"I feel like I'm always hungry." She pouted, sitting up.
He turned around to smirk at her. "I was talking about the other little one but I don't want you to be hungry either. We need to keep your strength up." The blonde shook her head. "Let's see if Darla or Fred left something in here."
Buffy threw herself back on the bed. "I'm not THAT hungry."
"Someone jealous?" He smirked, looking through the cabinets in his room. "They were just having a hard time adjusting."
"I had a hard time adjusting and you stuck me in Cordy's apartment." She pointed out.
He turned around, leaning against the counter as he watched her. "My apartment was too small at that point. As soon as we came here, you were with me."
"I have my own room."
Angel shook his head with a small laugh. "They have their own room."
The blonde pouted. "Sometimes you spent the night with them. When I was having a hard time, I still slept in my own room."
"When were you having a hard time?" Turning back towards the cabinet he grabbed the first thing he saw out of the cabinet, which just happened to be strawberry pop tarts. Fred loved the things.
"My life is a shit show of epic proportions." She sighed. "I always have a hard time, I just don't feel the need to throw myself at you."
"Okay." He whispered making his way back to the bed, he climbed into the bed next to her, handing her the breakfast treat. "So, I suck and I'm sorry."
"You don't suck." She rolled her eyes, but then smiled. "Okay, sometimes you suck but you're good at it."
Angel smiled down at her before holding the pop tarts up to her. "Now eat, so you can throw yourself at me." Buffy laughed as she took the package out of his hand. She wasn't a fan of pop tarts but they didn't sound too bad right now, maybe it was the baby, her grams had told her she would crave foods she didn't normally eat.
"Oh!" She smiled as she opened the foil package, taking one bite before setting it on the small stand beside the bed.
"You need more than that." He smiled, kissing her chest. "We will order something."
0o0o0
A young man wearing jeans, a zip up jacket and a baseball hat walked into The Hyperion Hotel. He looked around, normally when someone ordered something at a hotel they said the room number but according to his co-worker that took the order, the man was in a rush to get off the phone and he could hear a woman giggling in the background. In his line of work, that meant one thing, he could possibly be walking into a very awkward delivery where the customers were half dressed or naked. Some people just had no shame. "Hello? I have a delivery for a…" he paused to look down at the order slip. "Mr. Angel." He walked further into the hotel when no one answered, he glanced around again wondering where everyone was that worked there.
Lorne walked out of the kitchen with Cordy behind him. "He really sang that?"
"Uh huh." The green demon nodded. "It was great, this big strong guy singing…" he looked up to see the delivery driver just in time for the driver to let out a surprised scream.
The driver blinked several times, that definitely wasn't a naked couple. "Are you… is that…" the man shook his head. "That's makeup right?"
Cordelia looked from the young man to the green demon beside her. "Yeah! Totally! Just a test run for Halloween!" She nodded, trying to convince the kid that Lorne wasn't some scary demon that would hurt him. "How can we help you?"
"Ah… delivery." He held up the bags of food. "For Mr. Angel."
"Mr. Angel, huh?" She hadn't seen Angel since they had gotten back, so he hadn't mentioned ordering them food. "How much does he owe you?"
He looked back down at the order slip. "$50.73."
"Fifty?" Cordelia rolled her eyes as she walked over to her desk to get her wallet. "He better pay me back!" Then she looked up at Buffy's desk and smiled, walking around to the blondes desk drawer. She used her spare key to unlock the drawer where Buffy kept the company money. Angel Investigations had been saving a lot of money since Buffy had started using her powers to fix stuff around the hotel. She pulled out several twenty dollar bills, not even bothering to count it and held the money out to the boy as she walked towards him. "Here you go. Keep the change!"
The delivery driver handed her the bag of food before looking down at the money and smiling. There was way more money there then would cover the bill. "Thanks!" He jogged out of the hotel, hoping that the next time they ordered food he would get that delivery too.
"How much did you give him?" Lorne wondered.
Cordelia shrugged, she had to make up for the fact that Lorne scared the poor kid, looking down at the food. "There's a lot of food here."
"Enough to feed everyone?" Lorne wondered, watching the brunette. "Angelcakes normally does food after finishing a case, not hours later."
Cordelia followed the demon up the stairs with the food in her hand. "Who could eat that much food?"
Lorne shrugged. "Buffy. I mean, she is pregnant."
"But the guy said Angel ordered it…" she trailed off at the look on her friend's face.
"Buffy said you know about them." The demon earned a nod from the woman. "I found out when I read her…" They walked up to Angel's door, stopping in front of it, Lorne's eyes widened at the sounds coming from the vampire's room.
Cordelia frowned at the look on Lorne's face, she couldn't hear anything like he seemed too. Maybe he had super hearing too. She pressed her ear to the door, her mouth dropped open when she heard two people moaning and a voice that was clearly Angel's calling out Buffy's name. "Oh my God!" She stood up straight. "It's one thing for her to tell me but to hear it myself!"
"Do they ever come up for air?" Lorne asked, pointing to the door.
Cordelia shook her head quickly and whispered in a harsh voice. "He doesn't have to!"
"Right." Lorne nodded, pointing his finger at her. "Vampire. Do we tell him the food he ordered is here?"
Cordelia shook her head as Buffy's moans got louder. "Do you think they really want to be interrupted?"
"She's pregnant." Lorne reminded her that Buffy would want the food, not that she needed much reminding. Her best friend was pregnant by her vampire best friend, a pregnancy that was never supposed to be able to happen. Lorne lifted his hand to knock on the door but stopped when he heard Buffy's desperate cries, telling Angel not to stop followed by a vampiric growl. "They will be done soon, we should just go."
Cordy nodded as Lorne grabbed her by the hand, pulling her towards the staircase.
0o0o0
Buffy gasped as Angel pumped in and out of her, she pulled him down for a kiss before hissing in pleasure. "Don't stop." She whispered. "Don't ever stop touching me." Her eyes traveled down to the necklace he wore around his neck, his wife's wedding ring dangling from it. She rubbed her hands up his back, and down his arms before she gently took the ring in her hand. She couldn't take her eyes off of it, Angel watched her as she, not for the first time, showed his wife's ring interest.
He angled his hips, speeding up his thrusts as she moved her linked legs up his back even further. She held his head to her throat with one hand, as the other still held his wife's ring. As he kissed down her throat, he felt his face shift, beyond his control. He craved her in every way possible, but never allowed himself to drink from her again. She moved her head, allowing him better access to her throat.
He shook his head. "No."
"Please." She whispered. "Drink."
Angel shook his head again. "You're pregnant."
"I trust you." She pressed his mouth to her throat. "I need to feel you." Her heart sped up as he licked the scar he had given her when their baby was conceived. He couldn't bring herself to deny her, and it was what his body craved too, but he wouldn't allow himself to take too much. He took just enough to satisfy his need for her blood and send them both to paradise.
0o0o0
"We have a problem." Cordelia said just loud enough for everyone to hear her, she turned to look at Lorne briefly. "If you are unable to watch a R rated movie by yourself, have the last name Summers or have ever felt a certain type of way about Angel then you should leave now."
Joyce watched the two in front of the whole group as she crossed her arms. "Why?"
Penny looked at her daughter, shaking her head. "We aren't going anywhere if this has something to do with Buffy."
Cordelia looked towards Alonna, standing next to her older brother.
"If it has something to do with Buffy then she can stay." Gunn decided, knowing how close his sister was with the blonde witch.
Fred and Darla exchanged a look before turning back towards Cordelia and Lorne.
"If you insist." The brunette mumbled before raising her voice so she only had to say this once. "Buffy and Angel have been having sex for two days straight."
"Buffy and Angel?" Alonna shouted, in shock. She knew how the blonde felt about her brother's vampire boss and she had to admit, she was happy that the two were together.
Gunn nodded slowly before turning towards his sister. "Okay, you can leave now."
"I noticed Angel was kinda MIA, I just figured he was off helping someone like heroes do." Fred looked around nervously. "I didn't notice Buffy was too."
"Are you serious?" Darla asked with jealousy in her voice.
"Not straight." The green demon said, holding up his hands. "They at least stopped long enough to get the food we put outside his door."
Darla huffed before her mouth fell open. After she had come to live at the hotel, she had tried to make advances at Angel, hoping that he would give in to her but he always denied her. Now, he was having sex with Buffy! "You have got to be kidding me!" The former vampire stormed away from the group and made her way towards the stairs, a split second later everyone else followed her up the stairs. "I used to do it professionally and he picked HER over ME?"
"Darla…" Fred started as she ran to catch up with her new friend. "Maybe that's not such a good idea."
The newly human blonde wasn't listening though, she stormed down the hallway to her childe's door, trying to open the door. The doorknob turned as if it wasn't locked but the door wouldn't open. "What the…'' She tried to force the door open one more time before she slammed her shoulder into the door. She forcefully flew away from the door, falling into the wall on the other side of the hall.
"Oh, dear." Wesley frowned.
Doyle looked at the door before looking at Darla, who was being helped up by Fred. "What's going on?"
Cordelia turned to Lorne again. "So glad we didn't try that."
Lorne nodded. "I wouldn't have strictly because of the sounds coming from the room."
Cordy made a terrified face at the demon as she nodded.
"So, what?" Gunn shrugged. "They are in there having a…" he trailed off looking at his sister before turning towards everyone else. "Sex-a-thon and there is no way to get in there?"
Cordy shrugged. "We just thought it was weird and maybe a little unhealthy…"
"Considering how much Buffy and Angel both hold in, maybe they just…" Doyle shrugged. "...have a lot to release. Could be good for them."
Wesley looked down at the floor, uncomfortably. "That many times?"
"Then she's doing it wrong!" Darla shouted, stomping towards the door again.
Wesley raised his eyebrows at the former vampire. "Do you really want to do that again?"
"Let me see." Penny made her way through all of her granddaughter's friends until she stopped in front of the door. She held her hand up towards the door as she closed her eyes, after a few seconds she opened her eyes. "Well, there is definitely a lot of releasing going on in there." She cleared her throat before closing her eyes again, after a moment she lowered her hand, turning back towards the group. "It's a spell."
"A spell?" Fred looked around at everyone. "Who would…"
"Buffy." Darla gasped, her mouth falling open. "You guys said she was a witch. It's her!"
"Penny." Wesley looked towards the oldest witch. "Could you… can you break the spell?"
"Definitely." She nodded, looking back towards the door. "It's not a very strong one." She placed her hand on the door before whispering. "A spell was cast, now make it past."
"That's it? That was lame!" Darla glared at the older woman. "No mention of a curse? That's what it is! It's a curse!" The blonde grabbed the doorknob to try it again, the door jerked open, revealing Angel on top of Buffy, glaring at the group of people all looking into the room.
Gunn quickly covered his sister's eyes with his hand.
Buffy pulled the sheet higher onto her chest. "Don't you knock?"
0o0o0
Buffy ran her fingers through her hair, leaning against the counter in the lobby. She couldn't believe every single person in the room had now seen her practically naked! Why did they have to barge in on her and Angel? Now everyone knows about them! She glanced over at Angel, leaning against the wall, several feet away from her. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that they all knew, which was odd. He had said he wasn't hiding it from anyone but she didn't believe it before.
"We should figure out exactly what happened here." Wesley said, cleaning his glasses.
"What is there to figure out?" Darla scoffed, pointing at Buffy. "Buffy did a spell to make Angel have sex with her."
"What?" Buffy asked with raised eyebrows.
Wesley nodded. "That is what it seems like, but…"
Buffy looked around at all of her friends, then towards Angel. "You think I did this?"
"Trapped Angel in a room with you for days to have sex with him…" Fred looked to Darla before nodding. "Yeah."
"Everyone?" Buffy asked, looking around the room. When no one spoke up, her mouth dropped open. "I didn't! You guys are making me into some sick-o!"
Cordelia and Lorne looked at each other, they already knew about their two friends so it didn't come as a shock to them. "We don't."
"There is no other explanation!" Darla shrieked.
Buffy pointed at Darla. "You drugged him and then had sex with him!"
"Enough!" Angel shouted, frowned at the floor.
Buffy whipped her head around to look at Angel, but he didn't say anything. She took a deep breath and shook her head before she started to walk towards the stairs.
"There's a way to find out." Penny spoke up, stopping Buffy in her tracks. "Every witch leaves their own… essence, if you will, when they cast a spell. I felt the essence of that spell. If Buffy casts a spell, then I will be able to tell."
Gunn shrugged, looking around at the rest of the team.
"Buffy, cast a spell." Joyce encouraged her.
Penny nodded. "It doesn't matter what spell, just the first thing that comes to mind."
Buffy frowned at her grandmother before closing her eyes.
"Really?" Penny asked, shaking her head.
"Nothin' even happened." Fred pointed out.
Joyce smiled, she could tell Buffy had cast a spell because she was a witch, but those that weren't trained in witchcraft wouldn't be able to sense it."
"She cast the first spell that came to mind, a protection spell." Lorne nodded towards the dark haired vampire. "On Angelcakes."
Angel's lips turned up in a small smirk, she was always concerned with his safety and she proved that once again by a protection spell being the first spell that entered her mind.
Penny walked closer to the vampire, slowly moving her hands near him but then shook her head. "It wasn't Buffy. This spell is different, although it is the same type of spell. The spell that was cast on Angel's room was also a protection spell and it was cast by someone in our line."
"Well, there's only three witches here." Gunn pointed, looking at the three Summers women.
"Actually." Joyce paused, looking from her mother to her daughter. "There's four."
"You don't think…" Buffy looked down at her stomach, bringing her hands up to rub the small bump. "First me and now you are accusing my unborn baby?"
"Not accusing, sweetie." Penny shook her head. "You were able to get the food they placed in front of the door, correct?"
Angel nodded.
"That spell wasn't to make you commit any specific act or stop you from leaving, it was simply to keep anyone from disturbing you." Penny explained to her. "What you did with your time together was completely up to you."
"So her baby cast a spell on the room and she cast a spell on Angel?" Fred asked, earning a nod from Darla.
Buffy rolled her eyes before turning back towards the stairs.
"Buffy!" Angel called after her, as he followed her upstairs.
0o0o0
Angel burst into Buffy's room, slamming the door behind him.
"You really shouldn't be in here." She whispered, not even bothering to look at him. "One of us might cast a spell on you."
"Little One." He whispered, walking up behind her, he turned her around slowly. "You didn't cast a spell on me. That passion, that need to have you… it's still there. That's all me. And the spell on the room… thank God! I didn't want anyone to disturb us anyway! I'm a little pissed they had your grandmother break it."
Buffy sighed as she sat down on her bed with a pout. "Really?"
Angel nodded, taking her hands in his. "Okay, so more like a lot pissed. Do you know how badly I just want to take you away from here so we can be alone again? How amazing would it be to go to some hotel for a couple of days, just us?"
"We live in a hotel." She whispered, teasingly.
"Away from everyone else." He smirked.
Buffy looked into his eyes. "You would do that?"
Angel nodded, silently. "Soon." He whispered, kissing her and gently guiding her back to lay on the bed.
She shook her head, placing her hand on his chest. "We shouldn't start that again."
"No." He shook his head. "We shouldn't have stopped."
0o0o0
Buffy sighed as she typed up the invoices that she didn't get to finish before. She had barely gotten any work done recently, spending two passionate days being locked up in Angel's room didn't help. She still felt like they were all judging her, thinking she did some type of spell. Angel had assured her that it was no one else's business and he had told them several times that it wasn't Buffy's doing. Lorne, Cordy and Penny of course were positive that it wasn't Buffy's doing because they already knew the details of the situation. Joyce believed her mother and daughter. Doyle and Gunn were almost sure she didn't do it and Alonna just knew that Buffy wouldn't do anything that was bad. Fred and Darla on the other hand were still talking about it and Wesley just seemed to get skittish and excuse himself.
Buffy heard a sound in the lobby, and she turned her head to look at whoever it might be. She raised her eyebrows when she saw a young man holding two vases of flowers. One with red roses and the other was a mixture of flowers that she wasn't sure about. "Can I help you?"
"I have a delivery for a Ms. Summers." He told her.
"That's me." She told him getting up from her desk as he walked over to set the flowers on the counter. "Or it could be my mother."
He looked down at the card quickly. "Buffy?"
The blonde nodded. "Definitely me."
"Someone must really like you." He smiled before handing her the card and leaving.
Joyce smiled as she came in from the courtyard, passing the flower delivery man. "Whose flower getting lady?"
"Apparently me." Buffy looked at the flowers then down at the card in her hand. "Always, A."
"A? As in Angel?" Her mother asked. "You must really have made an impression during your two day adventure."
Buffy frowned at her mother's comment. "I hope I made an impression before then."
"Well, red Roses mean love and red Salvias mean forever mine…" The older woman studied the flowers, trying to remember what each one meant. "Oh and…"
"I think you are reading too far into it." Buffy cut her mother off.
Cordelia walked out of the kitchen, excitedly walking over to the counter where the flowers were sitting. "Oh, pretty! Who are they from?"
"Angel." The blonde gave her a small smile as she took the mixed flower arrangement and set them on the part of her and Cordelia's desks that met. "There now you can look at them."
The brunette smiled, teasingly. "Angel, huh?"
Angel jogged downstairs when he saw the time, the flowers should have been delivered by now. He saw the red roses sitting on the counter, he frowned when he didn't see the second arrangement he had ordered for her, until he walked closer and saw them sitting on her desk already. One look at her face and he knew that something was wrong. Did he pick the wrong flowers? He tried to pick the prettiest flowers that also had a meaning behind them, the message he was trying to get across since she didn't believe him when he said he loved her. "You don't like the flowers?"
"No." She whispered, shaking her head as she picked up the vase of roses. "They are beautiful, thank you."
"What's wrong then?" He looked at her face then at the two women behind her.
Buffy shook her head again. "Nothing. I'm just going to put these in my room and then I have a lot of work to do."
Angel looked at the two women, who just shrugged, before he jogged behind Buffy and followed her to her room. "What is it?"
"Nothing." She whispered, setting the flowers by her bed. "It's just… you don't have to buy…"
"You don't care about stuff that costs money." He guessed, she really was just like his wife.
"Yeah." She whispered, looking into his eyes. "I don't need flowers or, or… whatever."
Angel nodded, smiling down at her. "Okay, I get it. No more gifts that cost money."
Buffy returned his smile. "Good. I mean, it's not like we are in a relationship or anything." She said walking towards the door. "We have sex. Sometimes a lot."
Angel nodded again, they did have a lot of sex. He almost forgot how much he enjoyed it until he took it to the next level with Buffy. He could never get enough of his wife when he was human, once he was turned into a vampire it just wasn't the same, or maybe it was because it wasn't with Elizabeth. Then, Buffy came into his life and he couldn't get enough of her. "Wait, who said we aren't in a relationship?"
"Ahhh… it's a given." Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "I have come to terms with not being as good as your wife, Angel. I don't even come close. Now, I have a lot of work to do."
"What?" He called after her as she walked down the hallway, holding up both of his hands beside each other. "But you're… you're right here. The same." He frowned, realizing she was already gone.
0o0o0
Angel sat in the chair in his room with a sketch pad in his lap, if Buffy didn't like gifts that cost money then he would get creative, much like he had to when he was courting his wife. He looked down at the finished drawing of Buffy as she slept. He frowned, shaking his head as he got up, setting the pad of paper in the chair and ran over to the wooden cabinet in his room. He opened the draw, pulling out several papers as he searched for one in particular. He flipped the paper in question over in his hand, until it was right side up and then rushed back over to the chair. Picking up the pad he held the two drawings next to each other. One drawing was of his wife, during the early years of their marriage and the other was supposed to be of Buffy but they looked almost identical. Did Buffy resemble Elizabeth that much or was he just drawing his wife?
Angel quickly grabbed his phone, dialing his best friend's number. He needed a second opinion. "Doyle, where are you? Okay, come to my room real quick."
A couple minutes later Doyle walked into Angel's room, looking around. "What's up?"
"Look at this." He held out the drawing of Buffy for his friend to take.
"Oh, hey." Doyle smiled, looking at the picture. "You drew Buffy, this is good. Are you going to give it to her? I know how you said she doesn't want gifts you spend money on."
"I was going to…" The vampire shrugged. "But look at this." He handed the half demon the drawing of his wife.
"You drew Buffy again." Doyle looked impressed. "It looks good, but she lookin' pretty young. That' kinda creepy. Some advice, girls don' like creepy."
"Yeah! Except that's not Buffy!" Angel exclaimed, turning away from his friend, running his hand through his hair. Doyle knew a lot about him but he didn't know his whole story. "When… when I was human, I was married. Her name was Elizabeth, we were married for ten years, together a little longer. The night I was turned was our ten year anniversary, Darla killed her that night." He pointed to the yellowing paper in Doyle's hand, the edges slightly curling. "This is Elizabeth."
"Damn." Doyle whispered looking down at the drawing of his best friend's dead wife. "Damn!" He looked up at the vampire. "Why do they look so alike?"
"Why didn't I notice it?" Angel asked the half demon. "Elizabeth's image is burned into my brain, I have been drawing her for over 200 years and it took seeing drawings of them side by side to realize this?"
Doyle looked back down at the drawing, the drawing of Buffy looked more mature. It could have been because Buffy was older, or because Buffy had to grow up so fast. "What if Buffy is some distant relative of Elizabeth?"
"How?" Angel asked, sitting down on his bed. "She only had one sibling and he died."
Doyle shrugged. "Maybe her parents had more kids after you were turned that you don't know about."
The vampire shook his head, trying to figure it all out. It was a possibility that her parents had more kids. What were the chances of Buffy being a relative of his wife though? And that he had fallen in love with her. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Buffy's raised voice outside his door in the hallway.
"Wait!" Buffy called to the men walking into her room, carrying a large box. "I didn't order…"
Doyle walked out of Angel's room, with the vampire behind him. Doyle rolled the drawing of Buffy up in his hands. "What' goin' on?"
Buffy sighed with a shrug. "I don't know. They insist that they are supposed to deliver this… thing. But I didn't order anything. I'm saving all my money for when the baby gets here, so I can actually afford the baby."
The two men walked out of her room, one smiled at her. "Be right back."
"What do you mean, back?" She shouted after them. "I didn't order one thing, let alone two!" She walked over to the brown box, carefully tearing the corner open. She looked at her friend, surprised. "It's a crib."
"Oh." Angel scratched his head, looking at the box on the floor. "That was me… before you said no gifts that cost money." The men walked back in, each carrying a box. "Those would be me too. Putting them together though," he pointed to the boxes. "That would be a free gift."
"Angel…" She whispered. Walking over to him, she stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That's so sweet. You didn't have to do that. I still have plenty of time to get stuff."
"Five months" he whispered back to her. "That could just fly by."
"Something tells me it won't." She said teasingly.
Angel smiled down at her. "Either way, we need to be prepared. Jenny said on her next visit she should be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl, so I got neutral color stuff." He made his way into her room, over towards the crib box, opening it quickly, but paused as he watched her frown. "We can always pick out new stuff with the appropriate colors later…"
"What?" She asked, shaking her head. "Neutral is fine. It's just, she didn't tell me when she would be able to see the gender."
"I asked." He shrugged, earning a small laugh from his half demon friend. He almost forgot that Doyle was still in the room.
"I'm going to go before I'm asked to help put this stuff together." Doyle pointed towards the door, looking down at his hand, he realized he still had the drawing of her. "Here you go! One of those free gifts."
Buffy creased her brow before she unrolled the paper. Her mouth dropped open with a gasp. "This is beautiful!"
Angel rolled his eyes, he had decided not to give it to Buffy. He couldn't give her a drawing that looked that much like his wife, even though it also looked like her.
0o0o0
Buffy sighed as she looked in the mirror, she couldn't button her jeans anymore! Where had this baby bump come from in the past week? Was she this big when she had spent two straight days making love to Angel? How? He must have been repulsed! She pouted looking down at her stomach, at least she was only gaining weight in her stomach area.
Angel looked up at her from where he was putting the crib together. It would be faster if she just used a spell but then he wouldn't be able to say that he put it together for the baby. He dreaded the day that the father came into the picture because then he couldn't be there for Buffy or the baby as much as he would like to be. How would the father's presents change his relationship with Buffy? "What's wrong?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her baby bump.
"Nothing fits." She pouted deeper.
"Of course it doesn't." He smiled, looking at her face in her reflection. "You're pregnant. Besides, didn't we talk about no more pants?"
She raised her eyebrows into the mirror, even though she couldn't see his reflection. "You were serious about that?"
"Very." He whispered, kissing her neck.
She let out a sigh, motioning to her lower body. "Of course you would want easy access to this." She moved her hands up to the bump his hands were covering. "So then you wouldn't have to see this."
"Hey." He turned her towards him, making her look at him. "What are you talking about?"
"I have seen the girls you are attracted to…" She whispered. "Rebecca, Darla…"
"None of them matter." He shook his head, cutting her off.
Buffy was silent for a moment. "Your wife matters. I know I have never seen her but I'm positive she was gorgeous."
"Yeah." He nodded. "She was, but so are you."
The blonde shook her head. "She didn't look like she should be floating over a football stadium with the word Goodyear written on her."
Angel shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"And I know you're not mine." She whispered with unshed tears in her eyes. "But even if I'm borrowing you, just for a little while, I want you to want me."
"I am and I do." He whispered. "I'm the one borrowing you, because I know as soon as that baby's father comes back in the picture, it's over for me. And yeah, it makes me jealous. I'm jealous that some other guy has had you, that some other guy is having a baby with you, some guy gave you something that I never could."
"What if you were the father?" She asked as her tears streamed down her cheeks.
"That…" He whispered, shaking his head. "You have no idea how happy that would make me."
"Okay." She gasped, nodding her head quickly. "Okay. You're the father."
He wiped her tears from her face. "That's impossible, Little One. But until the father is here, I can pretend." He dropped to his knees in front of her. "But no matter what, I love this." He gently kissed her stomach.
Buffy gasped as she felt something inside of her. "Did you feel that?"
Angel nodded, looking from her face to her bump. "I think so… what was that?"
"I think the baby moved!" She laughed. "Is that possible?"
Angel shook his head. "I don't know."
0o0o0
"I swear, I felt it move!" Buffy placed her hand on her stomach as she talked to Cordelia and her grandmother. She turned to her grams from her place on the couch in the lobby. "Is it possible?"
Penny nodded with a smile. "You are at that stage where you should be feeling flutters."
"But Angel felt it too." The blonde looked at the vampire across the room.
"That seems odd." Her grams shook her head. "You have a good five weeks at the least until other people should be able to feel it."
"Maybe because he's a vampire." Cordelia suggested as she placed her hand on her best friends stomach, trying to feel movement. "Heightened senses and all that. Or because it's a supernatural baby, it's just more progressed."
"That could be a question for my mom." Doyle chimed in from across the room.
"Why your mom?" Angel asked with a scowl.
The half demon shrugged. "Because she has had a supernatural pregnancy before."
"Again, why your mom?" Angel growled. "Unless you're the father!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Doyle held his hands up in surrender. "Not the father!"
"Believe me, he is NOT the father." Penny scolded Angel. "This baby is more unpredictable than a Brachen demon." The older woman looked to Cordelia. "Have you felt anything, honey?"
The former cheerleader shook her head, sadly.
"Angel, could you come here?" Penny asked, not taking her eyes off her granddaughter's stomach. "I have an idea. Cordelia. Dear, move your hand."
Cordelia moved back as Penny motioned for Angel to sit on the other side of Buffy. "Put your hand on her stomach. Tell me if you feel anything."
After a moment, Angel nodded. "Yeah. I can feel it again."
"No, you can't!" Cordelia knocked his hand away, placing her hand in its place. "I don't feel anything."
"Try it again." Penny nodded to Angel, waving her hand towards Cordelia.
Cordy pouted as she moved her hand and Angel put his hand back on her stomach. Angel nodded again.
"You are lying or…" Cordelia started, swatting Angel's hand again.
Penny cut her off, finished her statement for her. "Or the baby responds to Angel. Try it again." Angel raised his eyebrows as he placed his hand on Buffy's stomach again, instantly feeling the movement. Penny placed her hand beside Angel's, a moment later she smiled. "The baby knows your touch." She told the vampire. "I can't feel the movement but I can feel the baby is using magic to hide itself from me.
"After two straight days, how could it not?" Cordy huffed.
Penny smiled at her granddaughter and her vampire lover. "The baby isn't going to reveal itself to anyone other than Buffy and Angel when he is in direct contact."
"It… it revealed itself to me when I talked to it and touched her stomach." He told the older woman. "I could suddenly sense that it was there when I couldn't before. I could hear a heartbeat."
Penny nodded. "The baby trusts you, it's bonded with you."
Buffy smiled at Angel, wishing that he would believe her that the baby was his. "I wish we could find out the gender so he or she isn't referred to as IT."
"It could be an It, depending on who the father is." Doyle threw his hands up, laughing but earned a scowl from the mommy to be and a growl from his vampire friend. "Tough crowd." The half demon mumbled as he left the room.
"I hope my baby does look like their daddy." She smiled, placing her hand on Angel's that was still on her stomach. "They will be beautiful."
Angel pulled his hand away from her stomach before getting up from beside her, mumbling something about finishing the crib.
"I don't think he likes you calling other men beautiful." Cordy whispered jokingly.
"I told him." Buffy looked from her best friend to her grandmother. "Earlier… that he was the father."
Cordelia's mouth dropped open for a second before she composed herself. "Then why is he acting like that?"
"He didn't believe me." The blonde told her. "He said it was impossible."
The brunette looked towards the older woman, then to her best friend. "We will just have to make him believe you."
0o0o0
Angel frowned as he looked at the pieces of the baby crib. He felt like he had been at it for an eternity, and he was a vampire so he knew eternity! He glanced up to see Cordelia leaning against the door frame of Buffy's room.
"Still at it?" Cordy teased him before pushing off the frame and walking into the room.
Angel nodded. "This is…" he picked up a piece before setting it down again. "complicated. I feel like it would have been easier back when I was human and we built them from scratch."
Cordy nodded, sitting down in the armchair near Buffy's bed. "Did you ever get a chance to build one when you were human?"
Cordelia had never come out and asked him about his personal life as a human. Angel shook his head. "Can't say I ever had the pleasure."
"But you do now." She watched him pick up a tool and a part of the white crib.
"I wouldn't really call this a pleasure." He shrugged, lining up the pieces he needed to join. If he was a lesser man, he would have pawned it off on someone else, but this was something he wanted to do. For Buffy and for her baby.
Cordy smiled, looking down at the floor before looking back at him. "But the baby making process was a pleasure."
"What are you getting at?" He asked. "Or trying to get at…"
She tilted her head slightly, watching the vampire. "Buffy said she told you that you are the father."
He took an unneeded breath. "She was emotional that her pants don't fit."
"That's an excuse for me and her to go shopping!" Cordelia smiled. "Not a reason to tell you that you're going to be a daddy."
"I have said this many many times." Angel shook his head. "Vampires can't have kids, not to mention, she was already pregnant when…"
"She told me." Cordy raised her voice to get his attention. "About before. About the time Rebecca drugged you and the times when you were supposedly training."
"Oh." He looked surprised for a second before he shook his head. "It's not like I'm hiding it, I just wasn't… ready before. I am now. Buffy didn't put a spell on me to trap me in my room or make me do anything while we were in there. Everything that happened during that time, I wanted to happen."
"I don't doubt that!" Cordy waved her hand. "But just think about it Angel… do the math, as old as you are, you should be good at math. That night that Rebecca drugged you so that you would turn her into a vampire matches up with how far along Buffy is. The first time you two were together."
Angel was quiet for a while, looking forward as he thought. He would love to have a baby with Buffy, just like he would have loved to have a baby with his Elizabeth. At least with Elizabeth there was a chance before she died, he didn't have a chance with Buffy because he was a vampire. But if it was true, and she did get pregnant that night, it would be a miracle. Every single star in the universe would have had to align and The Powers That Be would have had to play a hand. A small smile played on his lips at the thought of having a family, a family with Buffy. He quickly shook his head, that would be too good to be true. "It's impossible."
"What if it wasn't?" Cordy raised her eyebrows. Why was it so hard to get through to him? "You have the weird Vampire smelling thing! James was able to smell you on Buffy, when have you ever smelt a guy on Buffy?"
"I thought about that." Angel replied quietly. "Other than that night at the gym, never. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen when I wasn't around. Around the time the baby was conceived, I was with Rebecca more than I would like to admit. It could have happened then."
"But it didn't." Cordy whispered. "Do you really think Buffy would lie to you?"
Angel shook his head. He didn't think she would lie to him but he also knew that she said she loved him so maybe she just wanted it to be true. "The only two people I don't think would lie to me are Buffy and my wife."
"Wife?" Cordelia asked, slightly surprised. Buffy had mentioned Angel being in love before. "You had a wife."
Angel nodded. "I love my wife, but I also love Buffy."
"Have you told her?"
"Yeah." He whispered. "She doesn't believe me."
"Gee." The brunette rolled her eyes. "Imagine that. You two really are something." She took a deep breath. "Okay, so… say your wife told you she was pregnant and the baby was yours. Would you believe her?"
"Of course!" He exclaimed. "I was human back then and we were trying to get pregnant."
Cordy shook her head. "But what if it was now and your wife was telling you she was pregnant?"
"I…" Angel paused for a moment. He knew Elizabeth with every fiber of his being and he trusted her. "I would want to believe it but it's…"
"Not possible." Cordy finished for him with an eye roll. He really was hard headed. She sighed, deciding she wasn't going to get anywhere with him, she slid on the floor across from him and picked up a piece of the crib as she started to help him.
0o0o0
Buffy curled up on her bed, looking at the crib that Angel had put together. She knew he was still upset with her for making the comment about the father of her baby's looks, but she did try to tell him that he was the father! Cordelia even said she tried to make him understand that even though there is no way it was supposed to happen, it did. But she had no luck either. The man was stubborn.
Cordelia had taken her shopping for new clothes, she insisted on fashionable maternity clothes, but the blonde wanted at least a couple of pairs of jeans. She wasn't in denial that she was getting bigger, she knew that fact very well. She just didn't like the way maternity pants looked! She would have to get long shirts to hide the ugly stretchy fabric or just wear dresses all the time, which she wasn't a fan of. How could someone fight in a dress? Okay, so she probably shouldn't be fighting in a dress but what about if another crazy vampire showed up and she had to run away? Running in a dress while as big as a whale wasn't going to work either. It was a good thing she could heal on her own, otherwise she would be a sitting duck. She was stubborn.
Lord help her, with two stubborn parents, this baby was going to give her a hard time.
She heard the door open but she didn't bother turning around, she knew who it was.
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah." She whispered, looking at the crib. "Thank you."
Angel walked over to the bed, gently sliding in behind her. "You mad at me?"
"A little." She whispered again. "But you're mad at me too."
He rested his chin on her shoulder, giving it a soft kiss. "I hear that happens sometimes."
"You hear?" She raised her eyebrows, but still didn't look at him. "You never got mad at your wife?"
Angel shook his head against her shoulder. "Why would I?" When she didn't answer, he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hand on her stomach. "And I'm not mad at you. Care to tell me why you are mad at me?" Cordelia had told him that Buffy was upset but didn't say why, like he was already supposed to know the answer.
"You think I lied to you." Her voice was so quiet that if it wasn't for his vampire hearing then he wouldn't have been able to hear her at all. "I'm kind of tired, do you mind?"
Angel raised his eyebrows at her dismissal. "Yeah, okay. Sorry."
He turned to look at her for a moment before closing the door behind him.
Buffy let out a shaky breath as she sat up, running her fingers through her hair before she grabbed her phone. Dialing the number and waiting for them to pick up. "Lorne? Yeah… remember when I said it was a good thing for you to read me because then you could tell Angel the truth about the father? Well, I tried to tell him and Cordy tried to tell him. I need you to tell him."
After talking to Lorne for a few more minutes, she quickly said her goodbyes and hung up before laying down on her bed. She felt exhausted today but there wasn't really a reason for it. Yeah, she went shopping with Cordelia, something she didn't normally do but they weren't gone that long! She felt as though she would fall asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
0o0o0
She smiled as she watched him carve a horse out of wood. She didn't know how long she had been watching him, she felt as if she could look at him forever and never grow tired of his handsome face. She looked to the left of her at the sound of an infant crying. She walked, slightly lifting her gown to walk easier, over to the makeshift bed in the parlour. She smiled down at the small child before she picked him up carefully. Still smiling down at him, she walked over to her husband who was just outside the back door. "Dear husband, look who has woken."
He smiled up at her, standing to make his way close to her. He quickly kissed her before looking down at the baby. "There's my lad."
Her smile grew as she continued to look into the small child's eyes. "My sweet Concobhar."
"He is sweet now, my dear, Beth." He smiled, kissing her, then the child in her arms. "Just wait until he grows."
"Oh, he will be just as his father!" She gushed, kissing her husband.
Liam's eyes grew large. "Before or after meeting you, Grá? No son of mine will be a scoundrel."
"He will be a gentleman." She assured her husband.
Liam lightly stroked the small infant's cheek, he opened his mouth as if he was waiting to eat. "Looks like our Con is hungry, Grá." He shut the back door, tossing the wooden carved horse in his hand before setting it down on the table to help prepare his wife to feed their son. Since giving birth to their son, Beth often wondered if there was an easier way to feed their babe.
"Buffy!" She heard Angel call to her from outside the house somewhere. She looked down in panic when she didn't see the baby anymore. She was supposed to be feeding Concobhar. "Come on, Grá." Angel stuck his head inside the open door, smiling as he watched her where she sat on the couch in the living room. "Connor is waiting for you."
Getting up from the couch, she adjusted her capri lounge pants and pulled the bottom of her tank top down over the draw string. Angel held his hand out to her as they walked through the door, into the beautiful bright backyard. She smiled at the small boy, waiting at the bottom of a set of wooden stairs, leading up to a slide. "It looks great." She snuggled into Angel's arms, as she looked at the large wooden playset in the backyard.
"Gunn and Doyle may have helped with the slide." Angel shrugged, looking at the spiral tube slide. "It was surprisingly tricky… but they only helped a little."
"Mama!" The dark haired boy called to her, smiling. "Come see!"
"Is this too big for him?" Buffy whispered as they walked hand in hand towards the little boy. "I mean, he's only five."
Angel raised his eyebrows at her, taking his sunglasses off his head to move to his eyes. "$2,000 and hours of manual labor later and now you think it's too big for him?" He smiled before he kissed her. "You are lucky I love you, Little One."
"Yeah." She whispered, smiling back at him. "I am." She watched the little boy climb up the wooden stairs to reach the slide, she nervously bit her lip as he climbed higher. "Connor Liam, be careful!"
"Oh!" Angel winced, shaking his head. "No need to bring Liam into this." Buffy laughed as she kissed Angel. "What do you say we make Connor a big brother?"
The blonde smiled up at him with a small nod. "I think we could do that."
"Let's just stay away from names like Liam with the next one." Angel laughed, pulling her even closer to him.
Buffy opened her eyes, briefly looking around the room as her hands went down to her growing belly. "Connor Liam." She whispered down to the bump with a smile before she tried to close her eyes and go back to sleep. She wanted to go back to her dream world where she and Angel were happy together. She knew it would never come true though because Angel was in the sunlight in her dream. "Concobhar?" She suddenly whispered to herself, opening her eyes again. What did the first part of her dream mean? Angel was there, with long hair and once again in the sunlight and it was her but he called her Beth.
She probably just dreamed that because Cordelia had told her about her conversation with Angel. He and his wife had been trying to get pregnant when she was killed by Darla.
Once she realized she wasn't going to slip back into her fantasy dream world, she decided to get up and head downstairs. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping but hopefully Lorne was there by now to talk some sense into Angel.
She walked downstairs, heading straight for her desk when Angel walked up behind her. "Hey, Little One. What do you say to going baby shopping after sun down?" He smiled, tapping his knuckle on the counter as she sat in her rolly chair. "I know I got the crib, bassinet and swing already but babies need a lot of stuff. Not to mention clothes! A lot of clothes, right?"
"Yeah, sure." She mumbled, absentmindedly, pulling up a search engine. "Sounds great." Her hands hovered over the keyboard for a second. "Concobhar." She whispered to herself.
Angel's mouth dropped open. How did she know that name? It wasn't a common name these days, it also happened to be the name that he and his wife decided on if they were ever blessed with a son. "What did you say?"
Clicking on the first search result, she waited for the page to load. "Concobhar, boy baby name of Irish Gaelic origin." Her eyes scanned the page as she read quietly to herself. "Variation of Connor." She turned towards Angel, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"Which part?" He asked her, making a face. "The part where I asked you to go baby shopping or the part where I was wondering how you know about the name Concobhar."
"Ah, not sure about the baby shopping." She said pointing at him. "I was thinking more along the lines of just buying the bare minimum so that I can actually afford to feed the kid. And um, a dream?"
"I would buy the baby stuff, Buffy." He shook his head. She didn't seem to understand that he wanted to help her. "I told you that. But let's put that on the back burner right now. What kind of dream?"
Buffy bit her lip. What was she supposed to tell him? A dream where first she was his wife back in the 1700's with their newborn baby living in a big fancy house and then suddenly she was her and living happily together with their five year old son where he could go out into the sunlight? Yeah, not happening. "One that doesn't really matter." She scrunched up her face when she heard a faint sound coming from outside. "What was that?"
"It's probably nothing." Angel told her, he wanted to know about this dream where the name he and his wife had picked for their future son had come to her, but he knew that wasn't going to happen because he had heard the sound too. It was the sound of a fight outside. One that he couldn't join in on because it was still light out. He would have to get the rest of the team around to help, if need be.
Buffy peeked her head out into the courtyard but didn't see anything, until there was movement just beyond the entrance. She could see several different types of demons outside, they were clearly fighting but she couldn't make out who they were fighting against. "What happened to only coming out at night?" She asked, looking towards Angel as he looked outside too, just staying out of reach of the sun.
The fight seemed to be moving towards the courtyard, causing Buffy and Angel to turn towards each other. Was it someone they knew leading the fight there for help? Suddenly a dark haired girl kicked a brown demon with horns on its head. The girl turned towards the entrance of the hotel, as if she was looking for someone or something as she fought the demon's off of her.
Buffy's eyes became large, as she let out a gasp. "Kathy?"
Angel was in pure shock as he looked at the long haired brunette, jumping up on the stone bench in the courtyard, kicking a demon in the head. "Kathleen!"
Angel took a step towards the courtyard, only to stop right before the sunlight touched him. He had to help her but he wouldn't be any help if he was a pile of ash! Buffy started to run out to help the girl but Angel grabbed her arm, stopping her. "You aren't going out there, if something happened to you..."
Buffy looked from Angel to the young woman fighting outside. Shaking her head, the blonde looked towards the small dagger that Gunn must have left out on the table he used to clean the weapons earlier. She grabbed the dagger before pushing past Angel, she ran towards the fight. It was definitely a complete turn around from before she met Angel, running towards a fight instead of away from it. She stabbed the demon in the back that was fighting the dark haired girl.
Angel turned to Lorne, who had just walked out of the kitchen and was now standing by the counter in the lobby. "Drop the spell! Now!"
Lorne looked at Angel, startled but started the incantation to bring down the anti-violence spell on the hotel "Done."
"Buffy!" Angel shouted as he watched her once again take out a demon that was getting the upper hand on the dark haired girl. "Bring it in here."
Buffy blocked a demon's advances, pushing him off of her towards the door to the Hyperion. Delivering a roundhouse kick to another demon that had just joined the fight. She grabbed the other girl's arm pulling her towards the door, they ran into the hotel together with the demons close behind them.
Angel stepped backwards as the two women entered. The girls turned around watching the demons file in, stepping back until they were back to back with Angel, Kathy smiled. "It will be just like Brazil." Buffy held up her hand and Angel's favorite axe flew through the air, landing in her hand. The dark haired girl laughed. "Only better!"
"Guys!" Lorne yelled, running towards the staircase, avoiding the demon's that were all focused on the vampire and two women in the center of the lobby. "You better get in here! With weapons! Lots of weapons!"
Gunn, Doyle, Wesley and Cordelia ran into the lobby to see ten demons had formed a circle around Angel, Buffy and a dark-haired girl. They all grabbed weapons and tried to run for the demons but were stopped by something they couldn't see.
"Lorne, is this you?" Doyle asked, glancing at the green demon before looking for whatever could be stopping them from getting to their friends.
"Take it down!" Cordelia shouted, watching the demon's attacking her best friends and a girl she didn't know.
"I can't!" Lorne waved his arms around. "That's not me!"
Cordelia looked back at her friends as the demons continued to attack them.
"So, who is it then?" Gunn asked.
Cordelia gasped when a demon drove its claws into Angel's midsection, she could see part of its claws poking out of Angel's back. "Oh my god! Angel!"
"Oh damn!" Gunn shouted when the demon ripped its claws back out.
It didn't seem to faze Angel though, he looked to Buffy and shouted something then the sword from Doyle's hand flew into Angel hand, he stabbed the demon and moved on to another before it even hit the floor.
Wesley looked closely as the two women and Angel fought off the demons, he looked puzzlingly at Buffy. She had a small glow about her. "It's Buffy." He said amazed. "It seems that she is… protecting them somehow."
"Wait, so before she could move things with her mind.." Gunn looked towards Buffy who was now grabbing forearms with the other woman. "and now she is a human shield too?"
0o0o0
Angel looked towards the other two fighting the demons, it was just for a split second, he just wanted to make sure they were both alright, but the next thing he knew there were giant claws in his torso, the odd thing was he couldn't feel a thing. He didn't feel the claws going in and he didn't feel them as the demon ripped them out. "Little One!" He shouted, knowing he was going to need a new weapon after one of the demons knocked his out of his hand.
"I got you." Buffy shouted back as Angel saw a sword come flying straight towards his hand.
Angel stabbed the demon with a smirk. "Yeah, you do." He said as he moved on to the next demon.
Buffy swung her axe, lodging it into a large yellow demon's chest. Pulling it out she backed up as a few demons started to circle her and Kathy. She looked towards Angel who had just sacrificed his sword when he killed another demon. "Angel!" She shouted, throwing him the axe, she watched as he caught it before she turned to look at Kathy, the brunette nodded at her as they grabbed each other's forearms. She swung Buffy up in the air as she came full circle Buffy kicked each demon causing them to fall to the floor.
Angel beheaded the last demon standing and looked towards the two girls as Buffy was just getting back to her feet. Angel locked eyes with Buffy, relieved that she was alright. Buffy took a deep breath as she looked around at all the demons laying around the lobby.
"I believe…" Wesley held his hand out as it fell straight forward. "Yes, it is down now."
"Ahhh!" Kathy squealed as she ran towards Angel jumping into his arms. "I missed you, big brother!"