Chapter 6 – Changes and Concessions
Note:
Thanks for the reviews! Sorry that it has been a while since I updated this. There always seems to be something else that wants to be written or other chapters are closer to being finished or I get stuck somewhere else. But finally here it is: a new, long chapter.
I hadn't really planned on writing this much about the trip to LA. But someone asked for the LA reaction and especially Doyle and Cordelia. Since it didn't make much difference to my original storyline, I wrote it in. I added Wesley for good measure, too.
Buffy's mom had just left. Buffy and Angel were sitting on the sofa. Buffy was leaning comfortably against the armrest of the couch and had her legs draped over Angel's lap. She was sipping on a hot chocolate. When Angel had handed her the well deserved decaf cup of coffee, she hadn't wanted it. She hadn't felt like coffee, she had felt like hot chocolate. Angel had obliged gladly. He knew the decaf coffee had as much caffeine as the hot chocolate, but still, he somehow felt a lot better that she was drinking the chocolate instead.
"That went rather well," Buffy said. "I didn't expect her to come around that quickly."
"She just wants what is best for you."
"Maybe she is finally realizing that you are what's best for me."
"You expected more of a fight?"
"I don't know. I just didn't expect her to accept everything so quickly. Experience has taught me different."
"She wants you to have a normal life. Who wouldn't want that for their child? Don't you want that for our baby?"
Buffy didn't really want to think about what kind of a life they had to offer their baby. It certainly would be everything else than normal. Of course she wanted a normal life for her baby. But that would never happen. The thought made her sad. But then she reminded herself that she had wished so often that her mother had accepted her weird life as it was and just dealt with it instead of denying the facts or badmouthing it. At that moment, Buffy came to a decision.
"Let's make a deal. No matter what life we can offer our baby, it's not worse than what other parents can offer their children. I always wanted my mother to accept my life as it is. For me it was the only normal I knew, well, at least after a while. Our baby will never know what you call 'normal'. Whatever our life will look like, it will be normal for him or her. It is our normal. What is normal anyway? It's a point of view, nothing more. Let's not act as if what we have is not normal."
"So we act as if me not being able to go out into the sunlight is normal?" Angel asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"Yes. Or do you want to pretend you simply don't like sunlight, have sensitive eyes or what? Do you want to lie to our child about the blood drinking, too? Say it's just tomato juice? It will only be awkward if we make it awkward."
"Nobody should grow up with a blood drinking parent," Angel said sadly.
"Why not?"
"It's disgusting."
"Oh, right, yeah, great reason. So it would be better if you preferred whiskey for breakfast, lunch and dinner instead? That's better, because that's more common than your blood drinking?"
"You know what I mean," Angel said dejectedly.
"I do know what you are trying to say. But I am trying to tell you that that is bullshit. It doesn't matter. I know that you'll be a wonderful dad and that's all that matters. Other parents might not be able to go out with their kids because they are ill, can't walk or I don't know what else. That doesn't mean they are not great parents."
Angel still didn't look convinced.
Buffy went on, "Look at what happened when my mom had to adjust to the truth after years of living in ignorance. She couldn't deal with it. Or think about all the people we are trying to protect every single day, who think they know what normal is, but in reality it's just a lie. I will not lie to our child, at least not about something like that. At least our child will be aware of what is out there and hopefully be careful and be able to deal with it."
She had a point. At least their kid would know about the dangers. Angel had hardly wasted a thought on how they were going to raise their child. Everything had happened so quickly. Buffy's pregnancy was a dream come true. But Angel's main concern ever since he had found out about the baby had been Buffy, first her reaction to the lost day and then her fluctuating powers.
"Angel, please, trust me on this. Think of Kendra. For her, slaying was the most normal thing in the world, because she knew about it from the beginning. For me it was a shock, because I didn't."
"You want our kid to become like Kendra?" Angel teased.
"Very funny. No, she was deprived of her parents. That was cruel."
Getting serious again, Angel said, "I just want to do everything right."
"We've handled apocalypses. I think we'll be able to handle one baby."
"I am scared to mess up. I almost did with you. I don't want to mess up with our baby."
Putting her hot chocolate on the table, Buffy straddled him and looked deeply into his eyes. She stroked his cheek and said tenderly, "You'll do great." With a teasing smile, she added, "And if it makes you feel any better, I'll be around to tell you when you approach messing-up-territory."
Angel hugged her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Buffy stroked his hair.
"So, do we have a deal here?" Buffy asked after a while.
He looked at her and said, "You might have to remind me sometimes, but yes, we have a deal. No awkwardness around our baby."
"Good."
"Buffy, I am aware that I will have to make concessions, especially when the baby is born, but…"
"But?" Buffy asked cautiously.
"You are the one who's pregnant," Angel said hesitantly, wanting to prepare her for what he was about to ask of her.
"Yes. And?" Buffy prodded.
"I think at the moment, the compromises that will have the biggest affect will have to come from you."
"Like what?"
"What about college?"
Buffy sighed. "I'd like to finish the semester at least. But I have already missed so much due to slaying and the last couple of days."
"I'd rather you didn't."
"What? Go to college?"
Angel nodded.
"I am not ill, Angel. I am pregnant."
"Still…"
"What? You gonna lock me up here? Because I am pregnant? Nobody's gonna attack me at college."
"Your education is important. But not more important than this." He gently laid his hand on her stomach.
"I am not ill!" Buffy repeated and got off his lap.
"I know, but college is stressful. And stress is not good for the baby."
"Other people do it too. I am the Slayer. I think I can handle a bit of stress. My whole life is one big stressy thing."
"Even more reason to reduce that amount of stress right now. I know you are stronger and can take more than other people. But… in this case… I know this might sound cruel, but if other people miscarry, they can try again. We can't."
Buffy looked at Angel horrified. She could hardly believe that he would even say such a thing.
"I just don't want us to take that risk, Buffy, no matter how small it is."
Buffy still looked indecisive. Dropping out of college would feel like a huge failure. She had wanted to show everyone, and herself, that she could handle slaying and college. "I don't want to take any unnecessary risks either… but…"
"Uncomfortable, hard chairs, lectures, homework, writing papers until deep into the night, studying for tests. I know this sounds like I am overreacting. But yours is not a normal pregnancy."
"You already want me to stop slaying. What should I do all day long?"
"For starters, you wouldn't have to stay here when I have to go to LA."
"Great, to do what, the paperwork?" Buffy whined.
"Buffy…
"What exactly are your plans for LA anyway?" Buffy asked.
"I will leave most of it to Doyle, Cordelia and Wesley. I have no doubt they'll be able to handle most of the cases on their own. Once in a while I can help them out, but only if it is really necessary. Don't worry, I will be here, Buffy. I won't go back to LA."
"Not for the long-term, I know that. But it might not be very realistic for you to be here all the time either."
"Buffy, I promised I would not leave you alone."
"I know, but I didn't ask you to never leave me alone. I can take care of myself. What I need from you is your commitment. I am sure of that now. But you being here all the time might be only wishful thinking. You are doing a great job with Angel Investigations, you all are. I am just saying that you might have to get used to the idea that you will be away for several days a month."
Angel still didn't seem to be too happy with leaving her alone at all.
"Of course, I would love having you around all the time," Buffy said. "But I don't want you to give up on what you built in LA just because of me. I am my own person, Angel. I'm not a damsel in distress."
"Buffy, if something happened to you or our baby…"
"Other pregnant women have no special powers to protect them at all."
"They are not the Slayer. They are not the target of every evil being in Sunnydale."
"Just of your usual vamp looking for a snack."
"Buffy!"
"What? You can't be around me 24/7. It's not realistic."
"I know that. I can't protect you during the day," Angel said miserably.
"Angel, that's not what I meant," Buffy said gently. "I know you want the best for me and the baby. But you tend to be overprotective, which can be quite romantic and flattering. But at the moment it is bordering on annoying and macho."
He knew Buffy was very independent and needed her space. But having just gotten her back, the thought of anything happening to her was unbearable. He knew he wouldn't get another shot at this. There was no margin for error. "I… maybe I just need some more time to adjust to this whole thing."
"We'll just see how it goes with LA, okay? No need to make any definite decisions right now."
"Okay."
"So, when do you want to go to LA?"
"As soon as possible. I want to get everything in order before you get too far in your pregnancy."
"Why don't we go tonight? I mean, it seems like mom doesn't need the time to cool down. But why not go now anyway?"
"We could. Xander might need the time though."
"He'll come around."
Angel looked rather doubtful. Then he said, "Let's make that tomorrow night."
"Why?"
"I want one more day just with you."
Buffy smiled happily, liking his answer very much. "Okay."
"And we'll make an appointment to get you checked out by a doctor."
Buffy's face fell. She hated hospitals and doctors were not much better. And if her day with Angel coincided with a visit to the doctor, they might as well scratch the whole day. "When we come back from LA."
"Buffy…"
"There'll be nothing there to see yet."
"You have to get checked out. And we won't be staying long in LA, there won't be much more to see when we come back, so you might as well go now."
"It's probably difficult to get an appointment on such short notice."
"Buffy, it's not just about what one can see on an ultrasound."
"I know, I know. But Lorne said the baby is fine."
"And we want to make sure it stays that way, don't we?"
"Course we do. When we get back from LA."
Angel looked at her sternly.
"Okay, okay, I'll call my doctor and see if she has an appointment for tomorrow. If not, we go to LA as planned. Okay?"
"Fine. But if you can't get an appointment for tomorrow, get one for when we come back from LA."
"We don't even know how long we'll be staying, do we?"
"Buffy…"
"I promise I will take the earliest appointment I can get once we are back," Buffy said with big innocent eyes.
"This pregnancy will be the death of me," Angel groaned.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Buffy and Angel looked at each other. Hardly anybody knew they were here at all.
Angel went to the door and opened it. "Giles," he said surprised. "Please, come in."
"Thank you."
Buffy got up from the couch. "Giles, we didn't expect you so soon after last night."
"Well, um, I got a call from LA this morning, from Cordelia."
"Are they alright? Did something happen?" Angel asked concerned.
"They are alright. They were more worried about you actually. They hadn't heard from you for a few days. It seems they had no idea you were in Sunnydale until someone named Lorne told them that you had met with Buffy. I told them you were well and here in Sunnydale. I hope that was okay."
"Sure, thank you, Giles. I completely forgot."
"Do you think Lorne told them why I was in LA?" Buffy asked Angel.
"No, I don't think so."
"I think Cordelia believes you came here to help Buffy with a demon or something," Giles said. "I don't think they are aware of the real reason why you are here. But I think you should call them."
"We were planning on going to LA tomorrow night anyway. But I'll call them."
"Good, I think they'll be relieved to hear from you." Giles was about to leave, when he turned to Buffy and asked, "Have you heard from your mother yet?"
"Oh, yes, she was here a while ago."
"And?" Giles asked, hoping that everything had gone well.
"It was fine, Giles."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that." Again he turned to go, but stopped once more. "Um… just so you know, if you don't already, which I hope you do, if you need anything, Buffy, or just want to talk, you can always come to me."
"Thank you, Giles," Buffy said touched. "I'll remember that."
"Well, okay then," Giles said slightly embarrassed at having been – in his opinion - so emotional. "I'll be going then."
As soon as Giles was gone, Buffy handed Angel her mobile phone. "Just press the green button."
Angel looked at the phone and saw that the number of AI was already displaying.
"The green button," Buffy said again.
Angel did as he was told and waited for somebody to pick up. Finally, Cordelia answered the phone.
"Hey, Cordy."
"Angel? Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"What happened?"
"Everything is fine," Angel said, avoiding answering her question. "I'll be back tomorrow night."
"You just disappeared. If Lorne hadn't come by… What happened?"
"I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
"But-"
"Everything is fine, Cordy. Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow." Angel hung up and handed the phone back to Buffy and said, "I need one of those, too."
Buffy looked at him unbelievingly.
"So you can reach me, whenever you need me."
Buffy couldn't help but smile. This overprotectiveness had its definite upsides. Well, unless he would use his phone to check on her every five minutes. But the fun of seeing how the Scourge of Europe, despiser of most things modern, would manage sending an SMS would be worth it. "Sure, we'll get you one."
Angel sat back down and pulled Buffy close. They just sat like that for a long time, enjoying just being with each other. When Buffy noticed that Angel was starting to doze off, she said, "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll go home and pack my things for LA, maybe talk to mom a bit more."
"Okay." He really was tired.
She gave him a kiss and turned to go. "I'll be back tonight."
Angel grabbed her wrist. "Promise you won't go out after dark alone. If it's dark and you are still at you mother's house, stay there. I'll come and get you. But no going out alone after dark."
Buffy gave him an annoyed look.
"Buffy, please."
"Fine, but only if I get to choose your ring tone," Buffy teased.
"My what?"
Buffy grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun."
Buffy made it back to the mansion before nightfall. She was even able to convince Angel to go on a quick patrol with him. She behaved exemplarily. She only used her crossbow or threw her stake from a safe distance, not making any bodily contact at all. Buffy was at the top of her game. But Angel kept a very close eye on her. He was on high alert even when he could neither hear nor smell anybody else close by. Only when they were back inside the mansion, did he dare to relax.
They did some more shopping and Angel cooked her another delicious and healthy meal. Afterwards they settled on the couch, where Buffy soon fell asleep.
When Buffy woke up the next morning, she found herself in bed next to Angel. She had the urge to hug him for taking such good care of her, but didn't want to wake him. And she was hungry. Quietly, she made her way into the kitchen.
Buffy got out the bread, the jelly, and the peanut butter. It was a brand-new glass of peanut butter. And it wouldn't open.
"What now?" Buffy yelled at the peanut butter glass. "What did I do?"
Angel came running into the kitchen. "Buffy, what's wrong?"
She showed him the peanut butter jar as if that would explain everything.
"I'm not really a fan of peanut butter, Buffy, you know that."
"I can't open it."
"Here, let me." Angel took the jar from her and opened it with ease.
"You don't get it, do you?"
"It's just a peanut butter glass, Buffy. There's no need to get upset." Angel thought her pregnancy hormones were just making themselves known.
"Exactly. I should be able to handle a peanut butter glass."
Angel's face fell when he caught her meaning. "Did you get hurt?" he asked concerned.
"No, I didn't. Argh, this is getting really annoying."
"Calm down, as long as it is just a peanut butter glass… Shall I make you breakfast?" Angel offered.
"No," Buffy pouted, "I hate peanut butter."
Now Angel was really confused. "You hate peanut butter? I thought you just wanted to eat some. Why do you suddenly hate it?"
"Long story."
"Or is this one of those pregnancy cravings?"
"No, it's not. Peanut butter and me do not have a smooth relationship." Buffy looked at the glass. "Or crunchy."
"What?"
"This one is crunchy. Smooth, crunchy, whatever. I hate peanut butter."
Angel had no clue what Buffy was going on about, but she was just too cute when she was pouting. "Well, you are not going anywhere like this, so you might as well join me in bed and tell me that peanut butter story, which I think will be very interesting."
Back in bed, Buffy told Angel about her previous encounters with peanut butter glasses, while munching away at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after all.
"Maybe it's getting more permanent the further the baby develops," Angel suggested.
"I really hope not." Lowering her voice to a whisper, Buffy said, "Don't give it any ideas."
"It?"
"The baby."
"Do you think the 'it' is a boy or a girl?" Angel asked.
"I don't know."
"What do you want it to be?"
"What do you want it to be?" Buffy asked hesitantly.
Angel looked at her puzzled.
"Well, I mean, you being an old fashioned guy from the old country and all."
"Buffy, I am in love with the most independent and strongest woman there is. Do you really think I have chauvinistic tendencies like that?"
"Well… no… I guess not… but since it's the only one we'll ever have…"
"I don't care either way. I just want it to be healthy. That's all. This is a miracle after all."
Los Angeles
When Buffy and Angel arrived at the AI office, Cordelia, Doyle and Wesley were already waiting for them. Lorne was there as well. He was grinning broadly, while the others looked rather concerned and confused.
"Where were you? Why didn't you call?" Cordelia asked.
"I'm sorry, I didn't call. I had a lot of things on my mind."
"Well, at least you are okay. But don't ever do that again, leaving without letting us know where you are." Only then did Cordelia acknowledge Buffy. "Oh, hi, Buffy. How are you?"
"Fine," Buffy said sheepishly.
"Did something happen in Sunnydale? Is everybody okay?" Cordelia asked concerned. Angel and Buffy were behaving strangely, as if they were uncomfortable or had some stressful days behind them.
"No, everybody is fine in Sunnydale," Buffy said. Uneasily, she looked at Angel. Should they tell them now?
"Good." Addressing Angel again, Cordelia asked, "So what happened? What exactly was on your mind that you forgot to call us?"
"Um… well, maybe we should just sit down first."
"Sit down? Oh my God, it really is bad, isn't it?" Cordelia said anxiously. "The next apocalypse is already on our doorstep."
"No, it's nothing bad," Angel said quickly. "It will just cause some changes."
"Is there something like a good apocalypse?" Cordelia asked.
"Cordy, maybe you should give Angel a chance to explain everything before making wild assumptions," Doyle suggested and led her over to the next chair.
"Sure, yeah." She sat down. "I'm sitting."
Buffy felt like Angel should tell his friends, but he just stood there and said nothing. "Do you want me to tell them?" Buffy asked.
Angel shrugged his shoulders. "Your approach worked very well last time."
"You are the guy of few words. I'm sure you can manage it as well."
"You have accused me of being too cryptic in the past," Angel said with a smirk.
"Really? How many ways are there to say 'Buffy is pregnant'?" Buffy looked around. "Ops."
"Pregnant?" Wesley asked, looking doubtfully at Angel.
"How does Buffy being pregnant affect us?" Cordelia asked irritated.
"Cordy!" Doyle admonished her.
Cordelia relented, "Unless it's some demonic hell spawn, of course."
Angel bowed his head and looked at the floor. Cordelia's comment had struck a nerve.
Buffy had no trouble guessing what was going through Angel's head. Not after the talk they'd had just yesterday. "For your information, Cordy, this baby is not a demonic hell spawn. It's human and it's my baby. And it's Angel's baby."
"Yeah, right," Cordelia snorted.
Buffy ignored her remark and went on, "And if you ever call our baby anything like that again, I will break your fingers."
"You serious?"
"Sure, I've often had that urge."
"No, I meant about Angel being the father."
"Cordy…" Doyle warned.
"This is very basic biology, Buffy. You two can't even be with each other without Angel turning all grrrrrr," Cordelia pointed out as if they were stupid.
"Cordy, there are some circumstances you are not aware of yet," Angel said calmly.
"Circumstances? What circumstances?"
"I was human for a day."
"Right, don't you think we would have noticed something like that?" Cordelia said unbelievingly.
"You forgot. Everybody forgot, except me. It happened on Thanksgiving, when Buffy was here."
"You were human?"
Angel nodded. Cordelia still looked doubtful.
"It's true, the Oracles had their hand in it," Doyle said.
"And on that one day, he got Buffy pregnant?"
"It's true, honey. The baby is Angel's," Lorne said.
"What, am I the only one who didn't know about this?" Cordelia asked hurt.
"No… um… I didn't know either," Wesley piped in.
"Oh, great… me and the dumped Watcher. But everybody with a little bit of demon in them knows." Anxiously looking at Buffy and quickly hiding her hands behind her back, Cordelia added hastily, "I didn't mean you! Really, no more name calling, I got it." Looking back at Angel, she said, "But I do feel discriminated."
Buffy rolled her eyes and faced Angel so that only he could see and hear what she was saying. "Your friends. I'm giving up."
"Buffy," Angel pleaded. He really didn't want to do this alone.
"Sorry, but as you like to point out," Buffy said sweetly, "too much stress for the baby. I'll be in the kitchen, having a very healthy glass of milk, good for mommy and baby."
Buffy knew it was mean, since he had stood by her when she had told her mom. But that had been different. He could do whatever he wanted. He had nobody to answer to. She had a mother to consider and a Watcher to please. They had all so high expectations of her. And Buffy wasn't sure if she could keep herself from doing any bodily harm to Cordelia, if she made one more stupid comment. It was safer, if Buffy left them alone.
Buffy actually found some milk in the fridge. She poured herself a glass and sat down at the kitchen table, taking a deep breath.
"Hey," Lorne said.
"Hey."
"You mind some company?"
"Have a seat."
Lorne sat down, smiling at her broadly. "I'm so glad you two worked out your differences. But I never had a doubt. I mean, you two are alright, right? I mean, you wouldn't have come back here with him otherwise. Unless you wanted to skin him in front of witnesses, which you didn't do. Or is that planned for later?"
"No, we are fine. That's been just the second time we had to tell people what is going on. I can imagine more fun things. Slaying is a lot easier than being interrogated, doubted and then declared stupid or insane. "
"Sure, I understand. But you seem to be taking it in stride," Lorne said encouragingly.
"Yeah, but only because this is our last pregnancy inquisition."
"Was your last one in Sunnydale that bad?"
"That one went rather well actually. It's just that this should be a time of joy. And I am happy, ecstatically happy about this little thing growing inside me," Buffy said with bright eyes, touching her stomach. "But not many people seem to want to share that with us."
"Don't listen to what other people say, sweety. And I am sure they'll come around eventually. At the latest, they'll go green with envy when they set eyes on the little one for the first time."
Buffy gave Lorne a smile. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."
"Anytime, cupcake. So you and Angel go way back?" Lorne asked curiously. He hadn't wanted to question the others about Buffy in case they would get suspicious that he knew more than he had let on.
"Way back? You could say that. I mean, not way back like in vampire time. But it feels like it."
"And?"
"Don't you have to be at your club?"
"Oh, not tonight. I wouldn't wanna have missed this for the world."
"Missed what?"
"This whole thing. I can feel that we have a case of true love here. You don't get to see that very often. Certainly not under these circumstances and with a little bundle of joy on the way as well. I mean, wow, I should write about this, preferably a song."
"Don't get ahead of yourself. We are still far away from the happy ending part."
Lorne looked her closely. "Why so glum, cupcake?"
"Nothing specific."
"Something unspecific then. Interesting. Can you give me another hint?"
"You don't give up, do you?"
"Well, you do know that it's not only important that the mother is eating healthily," he pointed at her glass of milk, "but also doing well emotionally."
"I am happy. There is just so much to worry about now."
"Hey, one day at a time. It'll be fine."
"Can you tell me any more about why my slaying powers are deserting me?"
"Like I said before, your powers are protecting the baby. When the baby needs the protection, you are not as protected. But that means that your baby is a lot better off than other babies."
"Well, if I am dead, that can't be good for the baby either."
"As long as you let Angel do the slaying… you are not slaying anymore, are you?" Lorne asked appalled.
"Well… um… we are still figuring that out. Angel would probably like to chain me to the bed and not let me leave the house at all."
Lorne grinned. "Doesn't sound too bad."
Buffy gave him an annoyed look.
"Okay, maybe in your case…"
"It's just that yesterday I lost my powers without any reason. At least none that I could see."
"What were you doing?"
"Well, I had a craving for peanut butter. But I couldn't open the jar."
"Maybe you are allergic."
"Nope, I've eaten peanut butter all my life."
Lorne looked at her apologetically. "Then your guess is as good as mine as to what else could trigger it."
"Maybe it's just getting stronger the further along I get?"
"Could be."
"But I am not even four weeks along. At this rate I'll have lost any power before I am even half way."
"Sorry, I really don't know, sugar."
Buffy looked seriously unhappy by now.
"Maybe it's the other way around," Lorne tried to cheer her up. "Maybe your powers are just this protective at the beginning, you know, during the crucial stages."
Buffy let out an audible sigh.
"Hey, you'll be fine. Both of you will be fine. Just let Angel do the slaying."
At that moment, Angel came into the kitchen. "That's what I've been telling her. I'd feel a lot better if you would stop the slaying completely, Buffy."
"We'll see."
"Honey, you really have to think of your baby," Lorne said gently.
"I know that. But what if somebody else's kid gets killed while I sit on the couch with my feet up?"
Angel and Lorne exchanged a worried look, neither knowing how to answer that.
"Hey, Angel," Doyle yelled. "Hurry up! Stop smooching your girlfriend. We need that pizza menu."
"Um… the others wanted to order pizza. What do you want?"
"Pizza is fine," Buffy said.
"They have salads too," Angel pointed out.
"Fine, I'll have a salad then."
"Actually, I meant you should have a salad as well."
"Both?"
"You need the calories as well as the vitamins."
"Fine." Buffy resigned herself to her fate. She couldn't be angry with Angel for taking over her dinner decisions when he only wanted the best for her and the baby.
"What kind of pizza do you want?" Angel asked.
Buffy smiled amused. "How about you simply order for me?"
During dinner, they mainly talked about old cases Buffy knew nothing about. She didn't mind, but she got the feeling her being there made the others a bit uncomfortable at times. She wanted Angel to be able to spend some careless time with his friends. So she excused herself and went to bed early.
"I'll show you where everything is," Angel said and got up as well.
"No, stay here. I'll be fine. I remember where everything is."
"Is everything alright?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, I'm just tired."
When Angel came to bed later, Buffy was still awake.
"You okay?"
Buffy didn't answer.
"I know you are awake."
"Everything is fine."
"You said you were tired. Obviously, you weren't since you are still awake. Are you angry with me? Did I do something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
"Was it something somebody said at dinner? Is that why you left?"
"No, it has just been a long day."
"Buffy…"
Something was indeed bothering her. She had tried to suppress it all day, telling herself that it wasn't important. But it had festered in the back of her mind.
"Is it because of what Cordelia said earlier today?"
"No, I'm used to her special kind of thoughtlessness."
"She didn't mean it. And she didn't say one bad word at dinner."
"Probably because Doyle prepped her."
"Buffy what is this about?"
"Doyle knew."
Angel instantly knew where this was heading. "He was the one who told me about the Oracles in the first place," Angel answered vaguely.
"You said everybody but you forgot."
"And that was the truth."
"So you told him?"
"I had to tell someone," Angel said, hoping she would understand.
Buffy did understand. But she couldn't help but feel hurt that Angel had told someone else, while at the same time refusing to tell her.
"I know it was wrong not to tell you, to make you forget. Doyle was just there and…"
"I understand. I do. It's just… you keeping things from me is a pretty sore spot for me. And finding out that Doyle knew all along just brought everything up again."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, really. I didn't even want to bring it up again. It was silly."
"I asked you to. And I want you to tell me if something is bothering you. That's one thing I've learned from all this, we talk about things. Okay?"
"Okay."
Angel pulled Buffy closer to him. She gladly snuggled into his embrace.
"I love you."
"And I love you."
After Angel had turned off the light, Buffy asked, "So, when do I get to meet the Oracles?"
TBC
Note:
Next chapter: Heated discussions and misunderstandings (not between who you might think).