Abryxis- I'm evil? Hehe. I hated the whole Cordy dying thing too (You're Welcome made me cry so much at the end) but afraid the Cocorificverse doesn't effect the Angelverse much, only Buffonia. Sorry! Hehe.

Zigpal- You're comparing me with Lost? Ick! I detest that show. Bleurgh. Anyway, I had reasons for my flashbacks and flashforwards- it fit in with the title of Forever. ;-) hehe. As for the Buffy romance front, while I can't say whether any will be sticking around indefintely, I will say that I think you'll like Buffy's final choice. And I can't believe you're withholding claps on me! Shock!

rabidreject- I'm glad you're all cliffhangered- that's the way I like ya. Haha. And hope you like the updateyness.

"Buffy," Angel only said that one word but it betrayed a myriad of emotions and Buffy felt exactly the same way.

She loved the sight of him, she hadn't seen him in so long and yet here he was…now. She wanted him so desperately to take her in his arms, wrap her tightly in his embrace, kiss her passionately, warmly, fiercely, kindly. She wanted all of that.

But she knew she couldn't and that's what made these meetings so hard.

She had forgotten all that a moment ago when…when she'd been dancing with Gunn. As if just remembering he was there she turned to Gunn to see a polite expression on his face when he saw Angel. They were meant to be friends, worked along side one another but Buffy had a feeling there was something go on recently that had messed everything up. She thought it better not to ask.

"Gunn," Angel said simply, "You've met Buffy now then"

"Yeah, yeah I have…" Gunn replied in a tone that betrayed nothing.

"Can I come in?" Angel asked, not answering Gunn but looking directly at Buffy.

"Being polite again, huh?" Buffy smiled, knowing full well that Angel could step into her house without invitation. He shrugged a yes, with a slight smile at his lips as she stepped aside to let him in.

There was silence as the three stood together in the hall. Alone as everyone else was in the other room. It was really silent outside, but inside Buffy's head it was deafening.

"So…" Angel said wanting to break the awkward pause in talking, "Where's the happy couple?" He asked, using a cliché expression on purpose.

Buffy pointed in the direction she had last seen her Mom and Giles. Right now though, they were no longer dancing and her Mom seemed to be trying to explain something to him, her expression a desperate one. She wondered whether her Mom had finally confessed to recent discovery.

"There they are…apparently having their first tiff…." Buffy added with a frown as she saw the couple walk off away from the crowd and in the direction of the kitchen.

"I'll, erm, talk to them later then," Angel decided and was drawn back into the awkward non-conversation that was him, Buffy and Gunn.

"Right, now we're away from the others," Giles said as he and Joyce walked into the presently empty kitchen, "Now, please repeat what it is you said."

"You heard what I said," She told him quietly.

"Say it again," He said, but the way he spoke made it seem more like an order and Joyce knew she didn't have any choice but to repeat it. Clearly, he was reacting badly…she should perhaps have expected as much. They had both agreed that neither of them wanted to start a family, with everything that was going on in their lives and Joyce already had Buffy and Dawn…but what was done was done.

"I'm…pregnant," She told him, only meeting his eyes for a moment before glancing back down at the ground, over at the kitchen counter, at the kitchen door, anywhere that wasn't him.

"You're…" Giles half-repeated but didn't get all the words out, "You're…really?"

"Really," She nodded. "I've done the test…everything, but the symptoms were a confirmation anyway really"

Giles briefly thought back to the previous week in the magic store where Joyce had ran to the bathroom feeling sick, which Buffy had claimed to be food poisoning.

How could he have been so clueless? How come she hadn't told him straight away?

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I'm telling you no-"

"Earlier," He interrupted her, "As soon as you knew?"

"I don't know…I…I wasn't sure for a while," She told him turning away from him as she said this, not wanting to risk making eye contact as she talked, "I wasn't sure whether I was…I wasn't sure how you'd…"

"How I'd what?" He prompted and she sighed, still not looking at him.

"How you would react," She turned to face him, "I mean we both agreed that children weren't on the agenda, that we'd be crazy to think otherwise…and then this happens and I didn't know what you'd say…what you would think"

After this sudden burst of information she looked away again, but he was barely watching her, his mind a very, very tangled web of thoughts as he went over this recent piece of shocking news. Joyce was pregnant. Pregnant. That meant he was going to be a Dad. Something that he thought would be denied him his whole life. He felt like a Father to both Buffy and Dawn of course, but they never seemed to view him in the same way- they had their Father after all. From his point of view, he didn't think they would ever see him like a Dad to them.

"I understand that this is a really big shock," Joyce was saying, still not looking in his direction, "And I understand that you'd be upset but-"

"Upset?"

That made her turn around.

"Yes," She nodded, "Because of the aforementioned 'we didn't want children' thing?"

"I don't believe I said I didn't not want children," Giles told her and he saw a flicker of surprised hope in her eyes, "Rather that it would be deemed more…. suitable given everything that is our situation, demons and vampires being a key factor"

"You didn't not…" Joyce trailed off, as she looked into his eyes, searching for an honest reaction to this news, "You're okay with this? Like really okay?"

He took her hand, gently pulling her over to him as he smiled down at her.

"Well, actually, I would have to say I'm more than okay," He told her and she smiled back, nerves gone now.

"Really?" She grinned.

"Really," He repeated the word in same smiling tone she had used.

She put her arms around him closing what little distance there had been between them moment ago.

"You're gonna be a Daddy," She smiled.

"I'm gonna be a Daddy," He repeated even using the term 'gonna' instead of 'going to' before kissing Joyce romantically on the lips.

"You're gonna be a what?" A loud voice asked and the two broke apart to see who had asked the question and interrupted them.

"Oh…hi Cordelia," Joyce smiled innocently, "Having a nice time?"

"Gunn's a great guy," Angel agreed as he and Buffy talked alone. They were in the middle of the 'dance floor', had intended to dance together, but had ended up just standing.

Anything they did together, no matter how innocent, had to potential to become erotic and knowing the dangers of where that could lead…both didn't want to risk it…but wanted to all at the same time. And that was the bad.

"You were dancing with him?" Angel asked, attempting to sound nonchalant.

"Yes, I was." Buffy was honest, "It was nice. Felt normal." She paused before continuing, "For like a minute. And then you knocked on the door and all things normal flew out the window didn't they?"

She could tell he was hurt as he went to move away, and she instantly felt bad.

"Look, I'm sorry," She apologized, "I'm just…I've got a lot of things going on in my life right now and this is just…. I'm just a little confused…a little snappy. It's no big"

"No big?" He questioned and she nodded.

They were incredibly close to one another, almost nose to nose. And even though he didn't need to breathe Buffy swore she could feel his warm breath on her. Feel the warmth his body gave her, though that was impossible too- Angel would never be any warmer than room temperature.

Their lips were touching; brushing one another's, knowing they shouldn't, but neither pulled away and soon they were kissing. It wasn't rushed or fiery…it was warm…romantic. Everything they knew they had been denied…and had to be from now on or badness would ensue.

Reluctantly they pulled apart.

"Maybe…erm…" Angel struggled for what to say as the two of them stood there, still trying to taste what ever remained of the other on their lips, "I'm gonna step outside a bit. It's a nice night"

"Yes, it is," Buffy agreed and watched Angel head to the back door.

She stood there, wondering over what had just happened, and was so busy trying to push away all the passionate feelings that had suddenly come rushing back that she didn't notice Gunn watching silently from across the room.

"Pregnant huh?" Cordy questioned casually, proving to the couple that she had actually heard what had been said, "That's really…" She went to say nice, but changed her mind mid-way, "…weird."

"Thank you," Giles said not without a touch of sarcasm.

"Oh, well, weird in a good way," Cordelia hurried to correct him, "I guess…"

"Yeah…it is…" Joyce agreed turning away from Cordelia to smile at Giles. The way he had responded to the news, so positively had caused her to feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off her- it felt like it had been preying on her for months instead of three weeks.

Knowing Cordelia was still stood there in the kitchen with them, but unable to hold back, she kissed him again. A light brushing of lips at first which soon became something a lot more….'interesting' as they gradually wrapped their arms around one another.

"I know you're like married and all now so I guess it's like a little bit less creepy…but seriously?" Cordy interrupted them, "Could you not?"

They didn't hear her and she really needed to get past them (her cell was on the counter behind them) so she tapped Joyce on the shoulder lightly and as though prompted by the contact was shocked into a not so light vision.

Giles. Joyce. Both older than they were now. Early 60s perhaps?

A girl, seventeen, talking to them, asking them something apparently.

Both of them wearing disapproving face…saying no…. girl pouting.

The name Lily echoed.

She came out of the vision as disorientated and non-pleasant as usual.

"Cordelia?" Giles asked and she felt his hands on her shoulders, "Cordelia? Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm just fine…" She really didn't feel like explaining her visions to Watcher man and even more so didn't want to explain the fact that her vision had just shown her what she guessed was his and Joyce's daughter, "just a little vertigo." He frowned, seemingly unconvinced, "What? We all get a little vertigo sometimes"

"Hmm…" Joyce sounded just as unconvinced as Giles looked, "Perhaps you should sit down."

"No, I'm fine honestly…aren't I Angel?" Cordy resorted to using back up as she saw her former boss standing in the doorway. He went to reply, perhaps with some dire warning or an explanation for her visions to the Gileses, so she looked at him pointedly, shaking her head slightly indicating that he should just say 'yes she's fine'.

"Yes she's fine," Angel told them, "Congratulations by the way…"

"W-wait, you know?" Giles asked in confusion. He'd only just found out about the baby himself, so how did Angel know? Unless Buffy told him. Wait did Buffy even know? "How can you know?"

"Well, it's kind of obvious," Angel, replied gesturing back at the entire wedding party.

"Wedding. He's talking about the wedding," Joyce murmured to Giles.

"Yes," Angel nodded, before frowning, "Why? What would I be talking about?"

"Nothing," Joyce immediately replied, sensing that maybe she'd said it a little too quickly, it's just…she wasn't ready to shout the news from the rooftops. Actually, she intended to tell her parents over the phone…when they were back in Idaho.

"Nothing?" Angel questioned slowly as though he was debating whether to just let it slide and believe her.

"Yeah, nothing," Cordy agreed in a tone that suggested her recent 'vertigo' was making her oblivious to the lets-keep-it-quiet vibes both Joyce and Giles were emitting, "Except for like Joyce being pregnant and all"

"You're pregnant?" Angel asked, his eyebrows rose in quiet surprise.

"No." Joyce found herself immediately saying.

"You're not?" Now Angel just sounded confused.

"Well yes…" She admitted, "But no…"

"I'm confused," Angel told them.

"She is pregnant," Giles said.

"But she said no," Angel countered his eyes flicking from Joyce to Giles and back again.

"Well, I don't believe we want anyone to, ah…" Giles replied and Joyce finished the sentence.

"Know. At least not yet."

"Oh," Angel nodded in understanding as he tried to put this very confusing exchange out of his head, "Well… I guess that means another congratulations"

"Mm-hmm…" Joyce nodded, obviously a little uncomfortable about Angel knowing now, "Are you, uh, did you want something? From the kitchen, I mean?"

"Just going for some fresh air," He told her, pointing at the back door, "So-to-speak," He smiled since he didn't actually need air, but headed outside anyway, closing the door quietly behind him so it didn't slam.

He was stood on the porch, looking up at the clear skies above. Clear as they could get anyway in a modern world and he could see some stars twinkling above.

Why did Buffy always make him feel this way? So overpowered by emotions that he had no control over what he was doing. How?

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it when he heard a rustling in the bushes. Immediately Angel's senses honed in on the sound and his defenses went up. Something was lurking in the garden.

Walking across the grass, slowly, silently he headed over to where he had pinpointed the source of the noise. And instantly recognized the smell of the person before he'd even saw him. Reaching into the bushes with one strong arm he hauled Spike out by the scruff of his neck.

"Spike," Angel said simply, pure menace in his voice.

"Hey, hey," Spike said, shrugging him off coolly, "Watch the coat mate,"

"Yeah, it's a one of a kind," Angel commented sarcastically, "Now leave Spike before I make you and the coat several pieces of one kind"

"Like to talk big don't ya?" Spike replied casually showing he wasn't the least bit threatened, "Yeah…tough talk for someone who's just as outside that house as I am" He gave Angel the once over, "At least I'm not under any illusions about my place"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angel asked, reluctantly biting.

"That you don't seem to know when you've outstayed your welcome," Spike could barely hide his grin as he told Angel this, "She was having a jolly good time of it with that guy over there," He pointed Gunn out through the window, "Until you walked in and buggered things up"

Angel couldn't help glancing back to inside where he could see Buffy, smile on face, mingling with the crowd once more.

"Go away Spike," Angel growled, Spike's words hitting too close to home for him to have any further form of a conversation with the vampire.

"I'm gone," Spike told him, trying to imply that he was leaving anyway, "But you haven't got a bloody clue have you mate?"

Angel shoved Spike harshly and he tumbled to the floor. Spike looked up at the vampire as he rubbed his lip where he felt blood coming from a cut caused by the fall. Angel didn't have his vamp face on, but Angelus was alive in his eyes and Spike knew he'd pushed it a little too far. Getting up, he didn't say another word as he started to walk off around the house.

Angel was watching him go when something white on the ground caught his attention. Something Spike had dropped. He picked it up and found it was a card- the congratulatory wedding type. He opened up and found a simple message to Joyce and Giles, no mocking, no sinister undertones and Spike hadn't even signed it. Angel's anger quickly turned to confusion.

Joyce and Giles were heading back into the living room behind Cordelia when something caught Joyce's eye through the kitchen window. A head of bleached-blonde hair.

"I'll be right back," She told Giles, letting go of his hand and heading out the back door before he had a chance to ask questions.

Walking out the garden, she briefly caught sight of Angel sat dejected near the door, before she turned the corner to see Spike leaving.

"Spike?" She called out carefully and the vampire stopped walking and turned around to look at her.

"Hiya, pet," He looked around at the environment, "Just out for a stroll."

He resumed walking and seemed fully intent on leaving when he halted once again, spun around and headed back over to Joyce.

"Have you ever noticed how stupid Angel's hair is?" He asked, frustration evident in his voice, as he made sharp gestures around his head in an attempt of his impression of Angel's cut, "It sticks up all straight and at odd angles and…. it's bloody stupid is what it is"

Joyce hid a smirk.

"I take it you just bumped into Angel then?"

"Yeah, I did…" Spike said distractedly as he starting sniffing the air causing Joyce to become very, very unnerved.

"Erm…what…is it?" She asked nervously, backing up slightly when he started sniffing closer to her and also seemed to be listening very carefully to every movement.

He stopped this action abruptly and looked at Joyce in keen surprise.

"Are you pregnant?" He asked suddenly and it was everything she could do not to literally jump in surprise.

"How did you know?" She asked, seeing no reason to deny it.

"Gives you a different smell," He replied simply, and Joyce immediately looked worried, "Oh don't worry, everyone has a smell- just most can't smell it. By most I mean people- humans. Plus, I can hear like something extra. Nothing major, mind you…just a little something." He thought on this, "Maybe it's the bit's heartbeat…dunno whether it would have a heart yet but…" He shrugged, "I don't make the rules, do I?"

And without saying anything further he gave her a little goodbye nod of the head, before turning around and walking off, leaving Joyce still wondering what he was doing here in the first place.

"Hey," Buffy smiled cheerfully and Gunn, who was sat down on the sofa talking to Willow and Tara, looked up.

"Hi…" His tone was wary, "So where's Angel?"

"Doing what he does best, honing his brooding skills," Xander informed him as he and Anya walked past them in the direction of the dining room, both in search of food and Gunn had to hide his laugh. They didn't get to exit before Buffy casually elbowed him in the side.

"Hahaha…" Xander's laughter trailed off as he realized the pain the jab had caused, "Okay…ow."

"Anyway…" Buffy carried on talking to Gunn and save for the elbow jab, seemed to ignore what Xander said, "You were right about a dance not being as deadly as I thought…and I was wondering whether you'd like to finish it?"

Shortly after Gunn and Buffy left to do the dancing thing, Giles took the spare seat beside Willow and Tara.

"Hi," Tara smiled at him and he smiled back, though he was smiling anyway so she had to just assume he was smiling at her.

"What's up with you?" Willow asked, "You're all beamified,"

Giles knew that he and Joyce were for keeping-it-quiet at the moment, but that was mainly regarding their family and parents…but he truly saw no harm in telling Willow or Tara.

"Joyce is, ah, Joyce is pregnant," He told them with a grin and he literally saw their jaws drop open in shock.

"What? How?" Willow asked and he gave her a look, "Okay maybe not how…but there's definitely a what to be asked"

"She's pregnant," Giles repeated, "I mean it wasn't planned but…"

"But you're as happy as two very happy things?" Willow filled in with a grin and Giles couldn't do anything but nod happily and Tara smiled a silent laugh at the sight of him.

"Did everyone else know that Angel is sat on the back porch step?" Joyce asked walking up to them.

"Well…no," Willow replied, "But I think it might be to do with how Buffy and Gunn are getting on"

Joyce looked over to see her daughter laughing and dancing with a human guy for once and found it gave her a very good feeling since Buffy hadn't had any normal boyfriends except Riley and that had come with it's very own government complications. However, she knew Buffy wasn't quite over the devastating end to that relationship and worried that she may be rushing into things if everything went further with Gunn.

She forced herself out of her thoughts and looked back at Giles, Willow and Tara. Tara and Giles were smiling at her, normal smiles but Willow's smile could be classed as a downright eager grin.

"What? What is it?" She asked.

"You're pregnant!" Willow said giddily, but luckily no one else around seemed to hear her thanks to the loud music. Willow instantly got up and gave Joyce a tight hug and Joyce was genuinely surprised by and unprepared for the sudden burst of enthusiasm from the red head.

"Wait," Joyce said, a thought occurring to her, "You can't smell it too can you?"

"What?" Willow frowned in genuine puzzlement.

"Never mind," Joyce said, waving it aside, "I'm uh, I'm thinking of someone else"