Title: Strength
By: Tater17
Chapter Eight:
Cordeila casually went upstaires with Angel to a guest room one over from his.
"What do you think you are doing?" He asked.
"Make her a spot to rest. She needs it incase you can't tell."
Angel just looked at her.
"Look, I am not letting her take off this time. She looks like she hasn't had proper care in months, and for twins, I think she should weigh more than what she looks. Now help me damn it or I can just tell her to leave."
He sighed and left.
"Where are you going!" Cordeila asked angrily.
"To get so sheets." He snapped.
She smiled.
They came back downstaires 30 minutes later to find Buffy trying a large glass of water.
"We.. made you a room." Angel said, as he sat across from her.
She nodded. "Thank you, but it wasn't needed."
"It wasn't? Did you think you were taking off again pet?" Spike asked.
She shook her head. "No, just - no need to go out of your way for me."
Silence. Uncomfortable silence. After about a minute, Angel was ready to ask her questions.
"Want to tell us your story?"
God, he wasn't even sure he wanted to hear it. Falling in love with some man and carrying his children within her womb. This was wrong on so many levels.
Just as Buffy was about to answer, Kate's beeper went off.
"Damn it. I gotta go in." She said grabbing her coat. "We still on for tomorrow?" She asked Angel. He slightly nodded. That looked so bad.
He looked back at Buffy after she had left to see her staring elsewhere - anywhere but at him. Her pain was obvious.
"It's not what you-"
Buffy held up her hand. "Shh.. I don't need to know. Lets just discuss why I am here."
They all nodded.
"Well I had a dream last night, a very strange -" She stopped, her eyes wide - she jumped up running away from them.
"Buffy!" Angel called.
"GOTTA PEE." She hollered back.
Everyone burst out laughing, and they were just getting themselves back together when she returned, red to the face.
"It's a good thing you knew where the bathroom was." Cordeila said with a smirk.
"Yea, I was here earlier and no one else was so I went to the bathroom and left for breakfast."
Angel's eyes went wide, but he didn't say anything.
Buffy sat down and looked at Angel. "Lets try this again shall we?"
He nodded.
"Well like I said I had a dream last night that was about each of us. Five years from now, and it wasn't a pleasant future - for me anyway."
"Pet, why don't you start from the beginning?" Spike urge.
"I left Sunnydale when I found out I was pregnant. I told the gang and they thought the child should be aborted or go to the counsil. I told Spike he needed to run, and I took off with Riley. He offered to help me."
Angel took a deep breath. Jealousy rolling off him.
"I woke up last night in the hotel and left. He was going to become a lawyer for Wolfam and Hart. A drunk one at that. He - wasn't too nice. They were after my children. It started nice. We had no idea what was going on, but then after a while they were drugging me to drain my powers, and Lily and Liam were practically being held hostage. We ran one night and ended up here."
"Cute names. When did you pick them?" Cordy asked.
"I haven't yet." She chuckled. "I found out through the dream. So we end up here and turned out Gavin was here with his 'thugs' and I brought in some behind me with Lilah. It was horrible. The kids got out alright, we fought and they took off. I told you my story, what had happened, and then Angel took us back to his place and dropped Kate off at home."
"Kate?" He questioned.
Buffy nodded. "Look I can't say much because I don't want to screw up the whole future every coupling I saw looked so happy together. I remember there being a guy named Gunn, I guess he'll be here shortly. Wesley was here, so was a girl I knew a long time ago Anne, and Faith. But to answer your question you and Kate were a couple - and by the looks of it pretty happy."
He shook his head, but Buffy continued before she could hear anything.
"I know that in this future you were having a difficult with Wolfam and Hart. It's all getting fuzzy now, but those were the key facts."
They all nodded.
"Buffy have you had any prenatal care?" Angel asked.
"Some." She replied. "Taking off like I did didn't help, and I was worried I could be tracked and what not."
Angel looked at Cordeila. "I'll go make the appointment. Buffy, would you like me to call Riley, I am sure he is going to want to know where you are."
She shook her head. "He's better off without us. He doesn't need to turn into what my dream foretold."
"But I am sure we can fix it. He is going to want to know his children."
Buffy's eyes wide. "Why would you think - oh because I left with him. They aren't his."
Cordeila just nodded. "Then...?"
"I am about 7 months pregnant. Keyword being about 6-7 months. Do the math."
They all counted. "Okay about November, that means nothing to us."
"It does to us." Buffy said looking at Angel.
The vampires eyes went wide. "No."
She nodded her head in response.
"Yes."
He shook his head and stood up.
"No possible."
"That's what I said."
"You aren't supposed to - it was all taken back."
"I did remember. Angel I felt your heart beat for crying out loud! And apparently they forgot to take this. Do you want a DNA test or would you like me to tell you what happened?"
Everyone quickly left the scene, Cordy having to pull Spike away and explain to him since he had no idea.
"Why didn't you come to me? Tell me?"
"Because Angel! You would have given me the same bullshit about us not being together and at the time I couldn't bare to hear it! I didn't know what to do, and was afraid you or they would get hurt if everyone knew their true partenage!" She yelled at him standing up. "Look this isn't how I envisioned my life at 15 or even 18 months ago but this is how it is. I saw the future and do not want a life like that, so I came here now and that's what should count."
He nodded.
"Are you keeping them knowing what you know?"
She looked him dead in the eye, her voice was never more serious than it was right now. "Yes - with or without your help."
"Good, because I want them too."
Buffy's face lightened up, she felt exstatic at that moment.
Before either could speak, Cordeila walked in - "We have an appointment with Dr. Warren in about 30 minutes so lets get to it."
Later that evening Buffy sat at the table as Angel was making them a late supper. The doctors appointment had gone well, nothing horrible had happened. They found out they had one boy and one girl - but Buffy had known that.
Angel gently placed two plates of food down and sat across from Buffy.
"You a bit jittery." She noticed.
"Yea." He said with a smile.
"And your smiling."
"I am having children Buffy."
"It is nice isn't it?"
He nodded and took a bite of food.
"Buffy, umm , I know I haven't been there for the pregnancy and all, but can we maybe, discuss their.. names?"
"Yea." She said smiling. "I have no idea why I used those names but I did."
"Umm how about Sarah for a girl?"
Buffy thought for a minute and put food into her belly.
"Hmm, not sure." She then looked down at her womb. "Do you want to be a Sarah?"
A large jab hit.
"I guess not." She said smiling.
Angel's eyes went wide. Buffy looked at him and just cracked a smile.
"Do you.. want to feel them? They are moving around like mad."
He just nodded and stayed where he was. She slowly got up from the table and walked two feed over to him.
"Here." She said softly, placing him large hand over the children.
He felt one kick, then two, and three. Finally placing his left on there there, covering her entire belly.
"Wow." He said looking at Buffy.
"That's what I said."
Without thinking Angel leaned forward and kissed her tummy tenderly, lovingly and whispered. "I love you two."
He then wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and layed his head on her tummy letting the tears fall and he could feel Buffy's tears hit his forehead. This was all so much for the both of them.
Hopefully life would stop with the curveballs.
TBC...
