With the house looking cleaner and more spotless than he was sure it had ever been and probably ever would be again once they had a little person running around, having rearranged and done their best to completely get ready for when their daughter arrived, making sure almost every odd and end item from Buffy's many honey-do lists had been taken care of, and the fact he was on a full break from work at Wolfram And Hart right now was starting to make Angel feel a little stir crazy.

It wasn't as though he couldn't take the time off and relax, but he'd never been great at having an extended time period of next to nothing to do. There had always been classes, or friends, work to focus on, some project maybe he had decided to take up... something. But right now he was low on any of that.

He couldn't be happier for the extra time at home and with Buffy but it wasn't always turning out to be a walk in the park either. Any other time he knew how he could keep his body and mind occupied with that woman but since that wasn't exactly possible he was feeling a bit lost at times. He was sure if he could actually get out and do more, take Buffy out around town or something, it wouldn't seem so daunting but being stuck at home was not as entertaining each and every day. There was only so much to do inside these walls, only so much television someone could take, sitting around trying to think without going into a whole spill of worrying simply due to the overthinking...

He did try and keep things lively. He had done as many dates around the house as he could imagine, they'd had neighbors over a couple of times, and of course Buffy's friends had come over for dinners or to simply just come chat and catch up, but even those things started to seem like more of the same. Buffy had never been great at just "being" either and she still had so much less she wasn't even able to go and do as she pleased so he couldn't imagine what all this must be like for her.

Then he would feel a little guilty, too. Soon they would probably both be wishing they had time to just be together as the two of them, nap as long as they want, whenever they want, simply sit on their asses and do nothing rather than being overwhelmed with whatever challenges having a baby was due to bring to the table. Maybe in months to come he'd just be kicking his ass remembering all of this.

OoOoO

"There is no way in hell Angel would ever even agree to that," Buffy said, fluffing the pillow between her knees as she shifted to a new position on the bed.

"As much as we all know he loves and adores you, I am sure he would be fine with an hour or two break to do whatever he wanted. He could go for a drive or a run or something."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Sure. The man who can barely make the drive with me beside him to and from the hospital, who's wife is pregnant with his daughter, and has a psycho woman out there watching, possibly waiting to strike at any moment, is really going to let said wife hop in the car with her friends for a girls night."

Willow frowned on the other end of the line, "Well he's definitely not going to agree if you put it like that."

She did miss her friends, as much as she loved all this extra time that she was getting to spend with her husband, under their current situation maybe a little bit of time apart would do them some good. Besides it wasn't as though she was going to be alone, or even driving, plus she wouldn't be breaking any rules. Watching a movie was literally the definition of sitting on her ass, which was exactly what she was supposed to be doing. "Okay, I'll ask him… but no promises. If he's really not comfortable with the idea then I'm not going to push."

Willow nearly squealed on the other end of the line, ya she'd been able to see Buffy plenty over the last few weeks, but this may very well be the last time they were able to go out for a good long while. Especially since her due date was fast approaching, and something told her once that baby was here, she would have to be dragged kicking and screaming away from her… for the first few months anyways.

"Good, you get to asking Angel, and I will clear everything with Tara and Cordelia. Remember, Friday night be ready to go by seven."

Apparently her best friend had ignored all the parts about her not pushing the issue if he wasn't comfortable with it. "I'll text you later and let you know what he says, remember nothing's set in stone, so don't go getting too excited… I have to convince him first."

"Convince me of what," Angel asked, crawling into bed, moving the mass of pillows that stood between him and his wife.

Snuggling back into his arms, she shushed him, as she wiggled her bottom back against him until he wrapped his arm around her, closing all of the spaces between them. Promising Will that she would call her later, she pressed the button to end the call, dropping her phone, her hand instantly sought his own which was resting on top of their very active daughter.

His lips soon found her neck, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as he kissed her from her ear all the way down to her shoulder, knowing he needed to stop before he really lost control of himself, he trailed his way back up before breaking away to rest his head next to hers.

"Convince me of what," he asked for the second time.

Taking a deep breath, she silently prayed that he wouldn't freak out and shut the idea down completely.

"The girls want to go to the movies on Friday…"

"Uh-huh… and?"

"Willow wants me to go with, she thinks it will be good for me to get out of the house, and it's probably the last time we would be able to have a girls night for a while, especially with the baby coming and everyone's schedules are always so crazy now…" she trailed off, having already felt the tension begin to fill his body.

The last thing he wanted to do was let her out of his sight, the mere thought of it nearly sent him into a panic attack. But he also knew that she was starting to go absolutely crazy being stuck here day in and day out. Plus he didn't want to be that crazy husband, whose wife felt like she needed to ask for permission just to do something with her friends.

"What do you want to do?"

Buffy brought their conjoined hands up to her mouth, kissing his knuckles, she shrugged slightly before answering him. "I don't know, I mean I want to go… I just don't want you to be worried or stressed the whole time I'm gone."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony, "I'm pretty sure I'm doomed to worry about the two of you until the day I die, but I think you should go. Heaven knows you deserve to have a little fun after everything you've been through."

Turning in his arms the best she could, it took her a few moments to get settled so that she could face him. "You sure you're okay with it? I mean, what are you going to do all alone for hours?"

"Mmm, I can think of something I could do alone," he groaned, peeking an eye open to see her reaction.

"You best not mister, I can take care of that problem for you just fine."

God he couldn't wait until this baby was here, it was selfish, and sometimes it made him feel guilty as hell, but he was fucking dying here. "I'm just messing with you," he promised, kissing her pouty lips. "Seriously though, you should go, I'll knock out some of those conference calls I've been putting off."

Having become distracted by the buttons on his shirt, she slowly began ticking them open one by one, kissing his skin as it was exposed beneath the fabric. "Mmm, I'll text Will later and let her know, she's going to be so excited."

He felt as though his body was literally vibrating as he fought to hold back his desire. Ever since their little argument, he'd been trying his best to be more open with her, more intimate. He just wasn't sure if she was aware of the toll it was taking on him, actually he knew she wasn't. Sometimes all he could think about was sliding into her hot depths, saying the hell with it, throwing all caution to the wind as he fucked her into oblivion. Not that he was even sure he would make it to oblivion at this point, he was pretty sure once they finally got the go ahead to make love that she was going to find herself severely disappointed after that first round. Hell, he'd never admit it but he could probably come just from listening to her talk dirty to him, that's where he was at in this whole mess.

Pulling her on top of him, he guided her thighs to straddle his waist, desperate for some form of friction as he propped himself up against the headboard, so that he could still reach her lips without her belly getting in the way.

Her fingers threaded through his hair as she rocked her lower half against him. Moaning when she felt his hard shaft rubbing against the exact place she craved. The exact place he wasn't supposed to touch.

"God you feel-," he cut her words off, once again taking her lips between his. Snaking one of his hands under the thin material of her shirt, he squeezed her tender mounds beneath his palms. These little make out sessions were getting harder and harder to walk away from, he knew he should stop things before they went any further… but he just kept telling himself one more minute.

Sliding his hands back down to grab hold of her thighs, he ground her harder against him until they were both left panting, barely hanging on the rope they were almost ready to hang themselves with. Angel did his best to relax his grip on her and stop his body from thrusting and grinding against her but the fact her hips kept moving against him didn't help.

Neither did that hint of a distant look slipping into her hooded eyes.

He desperately wanted to let this play out, even though he was sure if he watched her get off simply by rubbing against him he was bound to have the same reaction and make a mess in his pants, but he tried pushing all of that out of his mind, thinking up anything in the world but that. "Doctor," he finally choked out, his eyes closing.

Buffy mumbled some noise at him, barely listening.

"Clear going with Willow and the girls with Dr. Laurence," he told her. "Just to make sure."

"Are you really thinking of my OBGYN right now?"

Angel chuckled a little at her tone. "Kind of. I'm trying to distract myself from what's happening here... and also thinking that we need to have that discussion with her soon."

Buffy had to agree. No penetration still was awful but she understood if that remained a no-go, but there were other things they could be doing with one another and the more time went on and the more she slowly seemed to heal she didn't see why since so many other restrictions were being lifted maybe some of those couldn't be, too. Hell, even now she felt a tiny shiver run through her body. It wasn't quite what she craved but it was the most she'd had to any kind of relief since the accident.

She didn't want to push herself or him too far and this had been cutting that closer than they had, but she had to admit she enjoyed it. At the end of the day, a little friction couldn't hurt too much anyway she'd thought.

OoOoO

Not having wanted to set herself up too much, Buffy was starting to get rather excited about a night out once she got a return phone call from one of the nurses back at the clinic with Dr. Laurence giving her the go ahead. Of course she had signs to look out for and needed to cancel and go get checked out if something happened prior to the evening, she wasn't to remain standing for long periods while there, she was to take someone with her should she need to use the restroom and all but nothing was said that wasn't doable.

Now that she'd been given medical permission to go it was real in her mind and it was the first time in forever she would be out of this house and the yard without it being a trip to the doctor and back. And that was worthy of some giddiness!

She still worried Angel wasn't really okay with her going but he'd yet to say anything to contradict or take back his support. He had mentioned he wanted to talk with the girls before they left and she could already imagine him pretty much telling them what they already knew, to please not let her do x, y or z while there and to call him if anything happened. She loved it, though... how protective he could be. Yes, sometimes it was annoying but she knew he was on edge, he was worried, he just wanted her to be safe and their baby to be okay.

So, with the new excitement she had spent probably more time than one should obsessing over the perfect outfit and look for possibly her last or at least one of her last nights out with just her friends for awhile. It gave her something to look forward to, and that was certainly something she had been missing. Morale when there's so much you can't do, nowhere to go... isn't so great she'd been learning.

OoOoO

The days both seemed to fly by and drag on as she waited for her girl's night to finally come. She'd counted the hours, the minutes down all day, she had spent hours ready to pretty much rush out the door and go... but as she stood on the porch, Angel's arms wrapped around her, she couldn't help but feel a sudden unease in the air. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Because I can still tell them no..." she offered, even as the others were already sitting back out in the car, all just waiting on her to get done telling her husband goodbye.

"Yeah," he breathed out, bending down to kiss her forehead. "I'm going to worry, I can't help that, but I do think you need this. And I want you to have to have fun and enjoy yourself."

"But are you going to be okay?"

Angel chuckled and pulled her a little closer to him. "I'm starting to think you're more worried about me than I am about you. And that's saying a lot, you know. It's going to be fine though, Buffy. It's only a few hours, that's what you keep telling me, right? It's just one movie, it's some time with you being out with some of your favorite people, then I get you right back."

"I feel nervous for some reason," she admitted. "Maybe it's just in my head."

"You haven't been out since the accident, that's probably all it is," he offered. "We haven't even been away from each other so... it's kind of new again."

Buffy nodded. "I'm sure that's all it is. But I don't like it either."

"If it becomes more than that, if whatever is brewing isn't nerves and it's something wrong..."

"I know," she cut in. "I feel fine, she's fine. I promise. Just... a lot of weirdness," she promised, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

The two seemed to get lost in one another and the over dramatic goodbye until Cordelia yelled out from the back seat window that they needed to move it along already.

OoOoO

Darla Pratt had gone to great lengths for an opportunity like this to arrive and for one of her newest master plans to follow through. In recent weeks she'd upped her surveillance of Buffy and Angel O'Connor and their little posse of morons, especially since the botched car accident and now with them spending more time together than ever and not having much leeway with them being stuck home all day long right now.

So, she'd had to get a little extra creative.

That included her new look, with her hair cut, styled and dyed to a near exact copy of the stupid cheerleader's. She'd gotten some non-prescription contacts in a shade of green, she had gone shopping for some outfits to closely match those in Buffy's closet, had even gone as far as to buy the same brands of shampoos as Buffy used, lotions, make-up products, perfumes... pretty much anything she could think of to help with this little ruse she had planned. Any detail she could attempt to recreate she was determined to do so.

She had even went as far as to pay the water meter reader a hefty sum to disconnect their surveillance equipment last week, so she wouldn't have to worry about sneaking around that. Luckily since they had both been home together, neither seemed to have noticed as of yet.

All she had left to do was figure out a way into that house, slip a couple of these capsules into his drink, and wait for him to pass out. Then she just had to make sure that the stage was set for little miss perfect. Smiling to herself, she nearly bounced with glee as she thought about how absolutely perfect her plan was turning out to be. She may not have succeeded in ridding the earth of the tramp or her brewing parasite, but this was definitely the next best thing.

OoOoO

After Buffy left, Angel headed upstairs to grab a quick shower. Making sure to keep his phone within reach, he couldn't help but stick his head out the curtain every couple of minutes to make sure no calls or text had come through. It had taken everything in him to let her walk down that driveway earlier, and briefly he wondered how long it would take for that sense of panic to disappear, or if it ever really would.

Slipping on his boxers and grabbing a pair of his favorite basketball shorts, he didn't bother with a shirt before heading back downstairs. Pausing in the middle of the staircase, he could have sworn he heard a noise coming from below, but when he listened for a moment longer he quickly shook the thought from his head. It'd been too long since he was in this house alone.

Picking up his discarded soda from the coffee table, he grabbed the remote and flicked on the television, the hell with the conference calls he told himself… there was always tomorrow.

Checking his phone one more time, he sent a quick text to Buffy telling her that he loved her, forcing himself not to question how she was feeling, he simply told her to be careful, but most importantly he hoped that she enjoyed her time with her friends.

Suddenly exhausted, he could barely seem to hold his eyes open as he waited for her reply. Shifting on the couch, he made sure to set the phone on the arm rest right behind his head, so that he would be sure to hear it if he dozed off.

OoOoO

Darla waited patiently from the closet under the stairs, she figured she would have the best vantage point from here no matter if he were in the kitchen or the living room. She was hoping that he made it back upstairs to his bed before passing out, but she could work with a couch, hell it actually made for a better vantage point once she thought about it.

She waited patiently for over an hour listening to Angel snore lightly, ensuring the drugs had worked, before she felt it was safe enough to leave her hiding place. Tip toeing to where he lay sleeping, she took in his handsome features for a moment before snatching his phone and taking a seat in one of the small chairs across from him. Stupid man didn't even have a lock code on the damn thing, opening his text she quickly scrolled to Buffy's name and asked what time she thought they may be home. She made sure to use the term "Beautiful" since that seemed to be a constant within their conversations, no matter how much it churned her stomach.

When the phone dinged with Buffy's response, she nearly giggled in excitement. Thirty to forty-minutes gave her the perfect amount of time to set things in motion. Turning the phone on silent, she tossed it down in the seat she'd been occupying, grabbing her purse she basically skipped to the bathroom. Touching up her makeup, she made sure to massage an ample amount of Buffy's lotion down her neck, across her chest and arms. Pulling out her cherry chapstick, she dabbed just enough of the foul smelling shit on to smooth out her lips. Running her fingers through her hair, she took one last look in the mirror, smiling , finally satisfied with her appearance.

Silently stepping to stand back over his sleeping form, she quickly stripped bare unashamed of her nudity. She had briefly thought about ordering one of those fake pregnancy bellies off Amazon, but she'd been assured that with the dose of drugs she planned to give him, there was no way he'd notice the difference.

OoOoO

He felt as though he was floating, barely hanging onto the smallest fragments of reality. It didn't matter though, conscious or not he wasn't ready to let this fantasy go. He could feel her weight on top of him, the softness of her naked thighs as they brushed along the sides of him. Her warmth seeped through the material of his shorts, causing his cock to instantly burst to life. Suddenly starved for her, for more of her, he gripped the flesh of her hips with his heavy hands, slamming his hips up into her own.

His hands roaming her body, toying with her pert nipples, he inhaled deeply, taking in his most favorite scent as she dipped her head to nip at his neck. Continuing her torture, she began a blazing a path up his jaw, not stopping until her lips finally met his, their mouths fused, dueling with one another as though oxygen was no longer a necessity.

Forcing his hands to leave her taut body, he worked at his shorts, wiggling and shoving until he had worked both them and his boxers out of the way, giving up once they hung around his knees, his body too preoccupied with hers to care. His throbbing shaft pulsed between her hot folds, as she sat rolling her hips in tiny circles, taunting him.

His hands tingled as they traced her body, one of them slipping around between her thighs, he slid his thumb down her wet slit. Circling her throbbing bundle of nerves, he rolled them between his fingers for a few seconds before using his other hand to grab his thick cock. Gliding into her hot center the world of them seemed to implode, he was pretty sure that he had lost every sense he had, except for the ability to feel her.

OoOoO

The small bit of worry that she had earlier, seemed to slowly creep back the closer they got to the house. Telling herself that everything was fine, she tried her best to join in on the conversation with her friends, but it wasn't like Angel not to text her back.

Pulling into the driveway, Willow yelled out that she had to be, though Buffy knew Angel had probably made her swear to walk her into the house… even the two porch stairs made him nervous these days. Taking a second to tell Cordy and Tara good-bye, she quickly gave them hugs before stepping out of there, anxious to get back to Angel.

Taking care with the steps she gripped the doorknob and felt a smile start tugging at her lips as she thought about how anxious Angel must have been the whole time, she even imagined him sitting on the arm rest of the couch just staring at the door waiting for her to return already, even picturing how he'd probably hop up and rush over to her before she even got fully inside the house.

The door slowly opened and Buffy's mouth had just begun to open with intent to say something along the lines of "Honey, I'm home," but nothing more than a strangled sound made it past her lips.

Buffy's hand remained on the door handle, squeezing it with absolutely everything she had. Her mouth hung open just the smallest amount, her eyes wide and now brimming with tears as she stood in absolute shock at the nightmare playing out in front of her. Her heart thundered in her chest, her stomach feeling like it had completely dropped out of her body as she watched in absolute horror.

'This can not be happening!' the voice in her head screamed.

She blinked, taking in Darla's naked form on top of her husband. She felt her body starting to shake as she began to hyper focus on details of what was in front of her... Darla's lips meeting his, her eyes closed and the sound of her moans filling the room, as she moved slightly, Buffy could see Angel's hands clearer, how they held onto her, fingernails digging into the flesh of Darla's hips, how he'd thrust up to meet her...

When Darla's head turned, Buffy took a step back on instinct, her blood running cold as Darla's eyes, somehow now green, eerily like her own, flicked up to meet hers. A slow, wicked smile gracing her lips. "Hello, Buffy," she practically purred.

Buffy's mind screamed that there had to be some sort of explanation for this but for the life of her... nothing was making sense and she was growing dizzy and disoriented, her legs wanting to give out from under her.

Her eyes grew blurry again and she blinked, the next time opening them to find Angel awkwardly sitting up some, still buried inside the stupid bitch on top of him, and his head turned enough that his very confused looking eyes could meet hers. And that was the final straw of how much she could take. She thought she heard him whisper her name but she was already stumbling backwards, making sure not to fall but needing to be away from here.

ButImBroken:

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