A/N: Hello my loves! Long ramble short, I feel incredibly guilty for not updating sooner. I thought I'd only need a few weeks, but I'm discovered (much to my dismay) that I am far busier than I ever expected to be (again, much to my dismay). Seriously, what is with the stress and busy-ness of one's senior year? It's supposed to be easy! Anway...that's beside the point...This is the only chapter I have in my arsenal right now, but I hope it will curb the cravings for a new chapter until I can put one up. Good news (truly fantastic) is that Spring Break is next week for me so that gives me a lovely week all to myself and my laptop. Hopefully, I'll be able to bounce back, write a significant amount of chapters and then get updating again, consistently at least. :D

So...onto the chapter!

Random Disclaimer:

Me: Okay, okay, let me explain...

Buffy: Explain? (looks to Angel) She wants to explain!

Angel: Maybe we should let her.

Buffy: (glares) OH! So you're on her side?

Angel: No! I'm just saying that maybe, um, your hormones are getting to you? Just a little.

Cordy: Guys! Chop, chop! I've got a baby shower to put to action! Come on! I need the Mamma to Be!

Buffy: (eyes brighten) Food?

Cordy: Food. Lots and lots of food.

Me: (wipes brow) Phew...that was close...

Older and Far Away

"Patrollin' on a Hellmouth…yeah, I thought it'd be cooler."

Angel chuckled and looked over at Gunn who was looking rather glum, his ax resting on his shoulder. "What were you expecting?" he asked. "An army of vampires?"

"Nah, but, I mean, come on," Gunn whined pathetically. "This is the Hellmouth, man! I was expecting more than six vamps and one real ugly green dude."

"The Tuvac demons are known to be quite…unseemly…I do agree that that one was particularly repugnant, yes." Wesley chimed in.

Gunn looked at Wesley dryly. "You'll never lose that British uppity nonsense will you?"

"Uppity nonsense? Uppity nonsense?" Wesley repeated insulted. "You're just upset because I got Buffy a better present."

"Ha!" Gunn snorted. "Yeah, right!"

Angel shook his head, a quiet sigh escaping from his wry smile. For her twenty-first birthday, Buffy had decided to make it more of a baby shower. She'd requested that all presents be baby gifts, and that no one get anything for her. In other words, Cordelia had planned, organized, and commanded the entire affair.

At first, Angel had been worried that it wasn't really what Buffy wanted, but when he had questioned her about it, Buffy had assured him that she didn't mind and she was fine letting Cordelia have her fun. Buffy's only demand was that there be a cake and ice cream buffet, which had resulted in the freezer at the mansion being overloaded with tubs of a plethora of ice cream, and the fridge was stocked with every cake and pie imaginable.

Buffy assured him that she would be able to eat it all (with help of course).

"Ever thought about the fact that she might like them both the same?" he asked Gunn and Wesley.

His two friends looked at him like he'd asked the stupidest question in the world. "Nah, she'll totally like mine better," Gunn insisted.

"You won't even tell anyone what it is!" Wesley exclaimed exasperated. "I demand you tell me!"

"Why? So you can go return your little book?" Gunn mocked.

"It is a very important book, so I'm told!"

"Oh, so you didn't read it first?"

"I assure you—"

"Hey!" Angel interrupted irritated, unable to decide if he was more amused or exasperated over the entire argument. Either way, he had to split them up. "Okay. Wes, you go left. Gunn, you go right. I'm going to go ahead. Got it?"

"But—"

"Not. Another. Word." Angel interrupted Gunn succinctly, emphasizing each word firmly.

Reluctantly, Gunn turned to go in his own direction, but not before sending a glare Wesley's way, which the Brit happily returned. Angel headed straight, trusting his companions to do as he'd said. As he walked, he noted with some surprise how nice it was to be on his own for a while. Sometimes, at the Hyperion, and especially when they were in Sunnydale, Angel felt crowded. There were times when he wanted to whisk Buffy away, have her all to himself, and then live happily ever after in their secure little bubble of paradise.

This was all just coming at him so fast. After all, he'd lived more than two centuries never expecting to father a child. The fact hadn't even bothered him at all until he'd met Buffy, and then he'd been filled with bittersweet imaginings of a child, almost always a little girl, with Buffy's face and his eyes.

Angel did think it was slightly ironic that he'd always thought about his and Buffy's child being a girl. And now that it was finally happening, he'd found out, only a few hours ago, that they were having a boy.

Cassie had confirmed it. Buffy was cruising right along with the pregnancy, hitting every landmark moment with joy and pride. This occasion, however, was also filled with just a hint of smugness. Because however adamant that Buffy had been that the child she was carrying was a boy, Angel had to admit that he'd been holding out a silent hope that it might be a girl. Of course, that didn't mean that Angel wasn't ecstatic that he would have a son. In fact, he was beyond thrilled and only nearly two and a half centuries of life had kept him from doing a very embarrassing happy dance when Cassie had told them.

A smile pulled at Angel's lips as he walked through the graveyard. Making a cursory check of his surroundings, Angel let his senses branch out. He categorized all that he heard: crickets chirping, wind blowing through the trees, a car pulling into a driveway. Angel saw nothing but tombstones in front of him. Then the recognizable scent of a Brit caused him to crinkle his nose.

"How ya doin' Peaches?" Spike asked amicably as he came to walk beside Angel. "Out for a little stroll? Needed to get away from Momma Slayer?" Spike frowned. "Aw, you and grandma didn't have a fight, did you?"

"Shut up, Spike," Angel growled.

"Shut up, Spike. Shut up, Spike," Spike repeated in a whiny tone. "Why don't you think of something new to say, eh?"

"One of these days I really will kill you," Angel threatened, twirling his stake idly in his hands.

Spike was nonplussed. "Yeah, but that's not today, so I'm going to keep talkin'. After all, I'm feeling ignored. I mean, everyone's all about the baby boy. What about me? I'm important!"

Angel came to a stop, assaying Spike's countenance. "You're jealous of the baby," he realized with a chuckle.

"I am not!" Spike denied vehemently. "Bloody poofer's just stealing all the attention is all. I mean, what's so great about him, really? Sure he's one of a kind and a first for the supernatural world, but what about me? I'm William the Bloody! And you know, I think Goldilocks likes the little spawn more than me!" Spike scoffed, shaking his head. "Jealous my ass."

Angel punched Spike for calling his son a spawn, but he couldn't help but chuckle at Spike's denial.

"What are you laughing about?" Wesley asked as he met Angel at the entrance to the cemetery.

"Don't mind Captain Forehead," Spike quipped. "At his age, everything's funny."

Before Angel could retort, Gunn came jogging up to them, a big smile on his face. He held up a shiny sword. "Hey, look what I got!"

The mansion was completely crazy.

Cordelia was bustling around, a clipboard in hand, directing Oz and Giles, who were busy arranging the presents. Cordelia wanted everything to be perfect, and part of her plan for perfection was to arrange the presents just so, making them into a pyramid on the table.

"Okay Oz…just a little to the left…there! There! Do not move it."

From the kitchen, Xander was hefting yet another tub of ice cream from the freezer to the refreshment table. "We're feeding an army!" he complained as he sat down the desert.

Anya, seated beside Fred on the couch, leaned over and whispered to the young physicist, "Isn't he handsome?" she asked as she watched Xander. "I just wanna grab him and take him upstairs."

Fred looked at Anya confused. She had been warned by Buffy that Anya was a former vengeance demon and was quite blunt, and Fred had quickly found this to be true. However, unlike most, she found it reassuring. It saved her the trouble of trying to guess what Anya meant.

At the moment, though, Fred was lost as to what Anya was referring to. "But…the party's down here..."

Anya laughed. "Oh, silly girl! Sex! I want to have sex with Xander!"

Fred blushed and didn't comment.

Buffy, who had heard Anya's comment, huffed in frustration. "Anya, you promised to keep the sex comments to a minimum!"

Anya looked up at Buffy, who, at twenty weeks pregnant, had a significant roundness sitting between her hips. At the moment, the Slayer's hands were on said hips, looking every bit to Anya a scolding mother. The ex-vengeance demon couldn't help but giggle. "I said I'd try." She looked at Xander, eyeing his backside, and Buffy swore she saw Anya lick her lips. "Never said I'd succeed."

Gunn, who had set his present atop Cordelia's pyramid, came over to stand by Buffy. "Does she always talk about sex?"

"Always."

"Wow."

"Okay!" Willow declared as she entered the room. "Time for the decorations," she smiled in anticipation, her magic singing through her veins. She'd talked with Cordelia, whose new mature manner had surprised the young witch a great deal, and together they had discussed the decorations. What Cordelia wanted was completely unrealistic.

If you weren't a witch, that is.

"Focus Willow," Giles reprimanded gently from behind his cup of tea, and Willow tried to calm her excitement.

Everyone was silent as they watched Willow close her eyes. Angel watched Willow warily because no matter what or whom, Cassie had been right when she'd said that vampires and magic don't mix. However, Spike, always the reckless one, was still able to retain a look of eager anticipation for the impending magic show.

Giles and AI were watching Willow expectantly, though Giles' expression was one of silent contemplation and study, like how a mentor would watch his student. Cordelia, of everyone of AI, watched Willow with hidden misgiving in her eyes. She would never forgive Willow for her act a year ago, even if she was relying on Willow's decorating skills.

Willow extended her arms, took a deep breath, and then began to speak. "Hoc pars magna! Ornatis mansione loco cum scintillare lumina fulsisti et meridiem, suspensa in aere et volitans. Vexilla hyacintho lectio viginti unum esse, cum multa munera. Fiat pars incipe!"

Everyone watched awed as glittery, baby blue light left Willow's fingertips, swirling up to hang ten feet over their heads, covering the entire room. The light congealed slightly, forming what appeared to be floating twinkle lights. Next, Willow threw her hands out towards the walls and great banners spanned the walls, reading "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUFFY!" and "IT'S A BOY!". Streamers, gossamer, and every other party fabric in existence clung to the columns in the main room of the mansion and hung from the ceiling, trapping the blue hue from the twinkle lights and seeming to make the entire room glow a light blue.

"Whew," Willow wiped her forehead theatrically. "So, what do you think Buffy?"

Buffy looked all around her, seeing everything that twinkled and sparkled. She couldn't help but giggle. "This is amazing, Will! I love it!"

Willow's answering smile was almost blinding, though she did have to give credit where it was due, so she grudgingly added, "It was mainly Cordelia's decorations…I just kinda made it happen."

"Which, of course, I am extremely grateful for," Cordelia quipped with a self-congratulatory smile of her own. "I did outdo myself."

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Okay, presents?" Dawn suggested.

Angel glanced at the giant pyramid of presents. "Guess we'll have to start at the top."

"Oh, yeah! Mine's first!"

Gunn, who was quite impressed with his gift and its thoughtfulness (and future usefulness), eagerly hopped up to retrieve his present for Buffy. With a little jump, he snatched his gift from the top of the pyramid and then presented it to Buffy with a happy grin.

Laughing at his excitement, Buffy took her first present of the night. It was a long box, a bit bigger than the necessary size to contain a necklace. And though Buffy knew that the presents of the night weren't supposed to be for her, she couldn't help the girlish anticipation that rushed through her at the idea of getting something pretty.

However, as Buffy weighed the box in her palm, she realized that either the necklace was made of solid gold, or, in fact, it wasn't a necklace at all. Brow furrowed in curiosity, she glanced at Angel, who merely shrugged. Obviously, he didn't know what was in the box.

Buffy ripped the wrapping paper off the box (it was obvious that Gunn himself had wrapped it), and was faced with a plain white box. She lifted the lid off the box curiously and her eyes widened at what she saw.

"It's awesome, right?" Gunn grinned. "Right? I mean, it's perfect!"

Buffy lifted the miniature, toddler-sized axe from the box. She traced her finger along the metal in disbelief, noticing how sharp the blade was. She couldn't believe this.

"You're giving me a toddler-sized weapon?" she asked, wide-eyed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah!" Gunn's excitement would not be extinguished. "I mean, sure he won't be able to use it for awhile, but I figure this little guy's gonna start his training early, right? He's already got his first weapon!"

Angel stared at the little axe appraisingly. He took it from Buffy's grasp and felt the weight and the balance. A slow grin began to pull at his lips. "It's not half-bad…" Visions of training his son in the art of combat began to filter through his mind.

Buffy looked at him dubiously. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Angel defended. "Obviously we'll wait until he's at least two."

Oz looked at the small axe. "This takes 'don't run with scissors' to a whole new level."

"Okay!" Cordelia cut off whatever Xander had just opened his mouth to say. "Next!" she looked at the presents. "Dawn!"

Dawn, who was quite comfortable on the couch, didn't really feel like getting up to retrieve her present. So, glancing at Buffy and then Willow, she closed her eyes, whispered a short enchantment, and then opened her eyes to see her present floating towards her. Once the package was safely in her lap, she handed it over to Buffy, whose eyebrows were raised.

"Showoff," the blonde Slayer muttered, a slight teasing tone in her voice that made Dawn relax a little. The young witch was still uneasy about her sister's stance on magic. She glanced in Willow's direction, and the redhead gave her a 'thumbs up', which made Dawn blush at the praise.

Focusing back on the present, Dawn explained her gift. "I know you said that you wanted baby gifts, but this is your birthday, so I figured I'd get something for you."

A small smile pulled at Buffy's lips. Her little sister could be so thoughtful. Without further ado, Buffy ripped away the wrapping paper, but made sure to pluck off the green bow and place it unceremoniously onto Angel's head.

A flash suddenly went off, and Angel looked up to see Spike…with a camera.

"Spike, I look forward to killing you, in every painful way I can think of. You will beg for me to stake you." Angel threatened darkly.

"Not at my party!" Cordelia interrupted, snatching the camera from an unsuspecting Spike and glaring at Angel.

Buffy caught Spike's eye, and noticed that his baby blues were alight with twice their normal mischief. The platinum blonde vampire grinned, and waggled (inconspicuously of course) a small rectangular object in his left hand.

A second camera. Of course he was prepared. Buffy couldn't help but grin, and mouth, "I want copies."

Spike barely held back a maniacal chuckle. He made sure that the flash was off, and then surreptitiously got into position to take compromising pictures of Angel—covered in wrapping paper and having multiple bows on his head.

"Okay, can we get back to the unveiling of my present?" Buffy asked with a smile as she lifted the lid off the box. She couldn't wait to see those pictures. "Aw, thank you so much Dawnie," she said as she pulled out a lovely leather jacket from the box. "This is so my motivation for losing baby weight," she said to herself. She had to wear this jacket as soon as she could.

"Alright!" Cordelia glanced at the present pyramid. "Next up is…Giles!"

Rising from his armchair, Giles plucked his present from the pyramid, and handed it to Buffy. "I must, uh, warn you that I'm completely, um, unfamiliar with baby things," he admitted sheepishly. "And, like in most cases, I turn to my books when I find I'm lacking in knowledge…so…"

"You got me a book," Buffy smiled as she took out the parcel. "But it's a classic, so like you Giles!" she teased as she looked at her book, What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Buffy was so absorbed in the warmth in her heart for her father figure that she didn't notice how Wesley hung his head and silently cursed. Nor did she see or hear Gunn lean over, sporting a huge grin, and whisper to his friend, "You got her the same thing, didn't you?" and then Wesley's answering curse.

"Thanks Giles." Buffy's smile was teary. She felt her hormones getting away from her. "I hate that you're going to be away for awhile," she said.

Giles smiled gently. "Hopefully I shall find what I'm looking for quickly."

Buffy nodded, and blinked away her tears. She wasn't going to cry on her birthday. After all, it wasn't like Giles was going away forever. He was just going on a treasure hunt. Except this treasure hunt could be the key to truly figuring out what the heck was going on. Giles, who, like Wesley, was adamant that some prophecy, somewhere, told of the child Buffy was carrying. However, Giles had exhausted all his resources in the States and was now broadening his horizons to Greece.

Seeing Buffy's distress, Angel threw his arm around her and pulled her into his side. Buffy looked up at him thankfully, gave him a quick kiss, and then turned to Cordelia. "Alright, Cordy, I know the next one's from you so gimme!"

Cordelia, who had been bragging on her gift for weeks, smirked in response and then practically skipped over to snag her present from the pile. She dropped it in Buffy's lap and then waited for her to open it, hardly containing her excitement.

Buffy made a show of examining the insignificant box, and then giving it a good shake. "Oh, open it already and thank me!" Cordelia huffed impatiently, though it was all in jest.

Complying with her friend's request, Buffy tossed off the lid and gapped at the gift.

"I know, I know," Cordelia sighed teasingly. "You love me forever and forever. Yes, I am that awesome, I know."

"Well, what is it?" Anya asked impatiently. "I want to see!"

Buffy gingerly pulled out the most beautiful blanket she'd ever seen. It was green, which Buffy knew was Cordelia's joke at Angel, but it didn't matter. The material was soft as satin, light as silk, but felt strong and sturdy. It seemed to shimmer, like the water of a lake under the light of a full moon. What really made it special though was the name that was stitched in silver at the bottom.

Conner.

Buffy smiled at the sight, lightly tracing the smooth stitches. She remembered with perfect clarity how she and Angel had come up with the name…

It was late afternoon, and Buffy had been unusually tired all day. After valiantly fighting off the urge to take an afternoon nap, she had finally succumbed to Angel's incessant pleas for her to sleep. So, she'd dutifully (but not with putting up a fight) gone down to their basement bedroom and sprawled out on the bed. Soon enough, she'd drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by a hissed expletive.

Her eyes fluttered open to see a bloody Angel, gingerly easing his wounded arm out of his ruined shirt. Frowning, Buffy got up and helped him out of the now useless garment.

"Looks like somebody found a party," she commented idly as she followed Angel into the bathroom. She forced him to sit on the edge of the bathtub while she got a wet washcloth to clean the wound.

"Yeah, they didn't like me too much, though." Angel lips were turned up in a wry grin.

With a roll of her eyes, Buffy began to clean the wound, ignoring his hiss of pain. "Don't be such a baby."

Angel glared at her, causing Buffy to grin.

After his wound had been sufficiently tended to and he had showered and dressed, Angel entered the bedroom. He moved towards the top drawer of his dresser, searching for something that he'd thought he might have put there after a long night on patrol—a handy dagger to carry in his boot. He fondly called this special drawer of his dresser the 'dumpster.' He just had a tendency to dump any and everything in there.

However, upon inspection of his 'dumpster' drawer (where he did find his dagger), he also saw a pink notebook that he knew for a fact was not his. Curious, Angel glanced quickly from the notebook to Buffy, who was currently engrossed in a book. It was a vampire series that she thought was mildly realistic. Some story about a telepathic barmaid in Louisiana…

Deciding that it was safe to peek, Angel angled himself so that his back was to Buffy and took out the notebook. He began to flip through it, smiling at Buffy's teenage doodles. There were lots of 'Angel + Buffy = Forevers' and 'Buffy and Angel Always.'

There were some questions to, questions he knew she'd just wondered about and written down because she'd had a pen in her hand.

Question 1: What is Angel's favorite color? Eh, probably black.

Question 2: What was Angel's favorite time period? Hmm…Angel in a fedora…

Question 3: What IS his last name?

The questions continued on, some of them silly, some of them more serious, but it never swept the smile from Angel's face. His Buffy was just too adorable sometimes. Wanting more insight into the younger Buffy's mind, Angel turned the page.

He promptly lost his smile.

Who was Conner? Angel read, his brow furrowed, as Buffy gushed about this boy. How he was perfect, a perfect combination of his parents…

Angel immediately decided that he didn't like this Conner. At all.

"Hey! Give me that, you little sneak!" Buffy swatted at his injured arm, on purpose he knew, and snatched her notebook back.

"I was just looking," Angel defended himself. "And my favorite time period was the forties, oddly enough. Good music."

"Unbelievable!" Buffy huffed, though secretly she was happy to have an answer to one of her long-forgotten questions. "You can't just go snooping through my things."

"It was in my drawer."

"Because I put it there."

"It's my drawer."

"Huh, I thought we shared everything."

"Well, in that case," Angel said grandly, taking the opportunity she'd given him to address a very important topic. "Who is Conner?"

Buffy frowned. "Who?"

"Oh, come on." Angel flipped to the page and handed it to her. "Who is this guy?"

A blush blossomed across Buffy's cheeks and she ducked her head. Wow. She'd completely forgotten…

"He's no one," she hedged.

"I think he is," Angel said surely, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Really, Angel, Connor's not even…" Buffy trailed off as she realized that Conner, in fact, was real.

Looking down at the notebook, Buffy flipped to the next page. She showed it to Angel, as she spoke the words on the page.

"Buffy + Angel = Connor."

Angel's face was blank for a moment as comprehension dawned. "You mean, you mean you were coming up with baby names?"

Buffy felt her cheeks heat up, again as she nodded in the affirmative.

"Connor?" Angel asked again, mostly to himself. "Hmm…good Irish name."

A smile pulled at Buffy's lips. "I've always thought so."

"I like it." Angel tested the name a few more times. It was a good Irish name, a good name for a warrior because his son would be a warrior. "You're sure it's a boy?"

"It's a boy," Buffy repeated, for what felt like the millionth time. Why couldn't they just trust her instincts? It. Was. A. Boy. However, Angel's words caught up to her. "Wait, you wanna name him Connor?"

Angel paused, wondering if he would say the wrong thing and then she'd cry. He hated it when she cried…and lately she'd been crying over the littlest thing. Yesterday, he'd caught her crying because they'd been out of waffles…

Still…honesty was the best policy. "I do like the name, Buffy," he admitted, feeling nervous all of a sudden. The importance of their conversation was hitting him full force. They were coming up with a name. Their child would have a name, an identity. "It's a good name…don't you like it?"

"Well, yes," Buffy stammered. "B-but, I don't know, I guess I always pictured us going through baby name books, arguing over names and stuff."

Angel nodded, pretending to be solemn. "Of course. We should do that. After all, why should we settle this peacefully?"

Buffy socked him in the arm.

"Buffy." Angel smiled gently, pulling her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Do you want to name our son, Conner?"

Buffy looked up at Angel, already knowing her answer. After all, she'd known the name since she was sixteen. She'd scribbled it in a pink notebook that she'd long ago forgotten about. "Yes."

Angel kissed her softly. "Connor it is."

Back in the present time, Buffy looked up at Cordelia. "Thank you, Cordy," she said sincerely, fighting back tears. "Thanks, a lot."

"So, Connor, huh?" Xander asked. "Hmm…the Con Man…hey! Built in nickname right there…" he trailed off with a smile. "The ConMan."

"I like it," Dawn smiled. "Connor."

"It is a nice name Buffy," Giles said with a very small, yet very genuine grin. "I'm sure he'll wear it well."

Buffy took a deep breath, soaking in the moment. Everything was going so well. The presents were wonderful, if not a bit unorthodox, but, hey, she was a Slayer and Angel was a warrior for the PTB. She supposed that some weapons were only to be expected.

The present opening continued. Buffy, much to her pleasure, received a portable back massager from Willow and Oz. However odd looking it was, she tried it out, and boy did it work! Xander and Anya's gift was sweet, too—both a present to Buffy and Connor at the same time. It was a hope chest, made by Xander himself, and Buffy had barely been able to contain her tears of thanks. Fred's gift had been one of her own contraptions. It seemed to be a simple fountain pen, but when the cap was pressed, a small, extremely pointy stake was released. It was very James Bond—which explained the James Bond marathon that Fred had partook in a few weeks ago.

After all the presents had been opened, Buffy had declared that she was hungry and then had attacked (figuratively of course) the 'refreshment table.' Making sure that she had a tub of double mint chip all to herself, Buffy took up residence on the couch with her ice cream and a spoon. Somewhere along the line, someone had put on the music and Willow and Dawn were the first to start dancing.

From her place on the couch with her ice cream, Buffy enjoyed watching everyone around her. There was an air of very appropriate frivolity and Buffy was soaking it up. She felt the couch dip beside her and looked over to see Spike…looking rather nervous.

Spike wasn't really sure why he was doing this. He'd just been out for a stroll one night and had passed by an antiques shop. Idly, he'd glanced at the storefront, because sometimes they'd actually have something worth a good chunk of change (which would prompt him to steal it and then sell it himself). However, what he'd seen in the store window had surprised him—because what was being showcased had used to belong to him, a long, long time ago. And, for some reason, he felt the need to give it to Buffy.

Buffy, reading Spike's uncharacteristic nervousness, set her ice cream aside and looked at the vampire. "Spike? You okay?"

"What's with the concern, Goldilocks?" Spike asked teasingly. "Careful, or I'll start to think you like me."

"You have your moments."

"Yeah, well." Spike looked down, uncomfortable with praise. It wasn't even just the praise. He was being praised for being good—that just wasn't right. He was Bad—a Big Bad. He was evil. Evil.

At least that was the pep talk he gave his mirror every night.

"Look, Buff." Spike was just going to get it over with. "You've been getting presents all night, and well, you are family, so I figured I'd better get ya something. So here."

Spike thrust his present into Buffy's hands. It was unwrapped, and Buffy immediately knew what it was. "A music box?" she asked softly, taking in the ornate box. Gently, she lifted the lid and a soft music began to play, a tune that she knew, but couldn't quiet recall the name.

"This was mine," Spike explained. "Nifty, little thing, isn't it? My Mum used to play it for me."

Much to Spike's surprise, Buffy threw her arms around him, engulfing him in a huge hug. Feeling awkward, especially when he noticed his grandsire's gaze, he patted Buffy on the back. "Uh, don't cry, luv. It's okay…"

"Oh, Spike," Buffy wiped her tears away with frustration. She wasn't going to cry on her birthday. "Thank you. It's really sweet."

"Yeah, yeah," Spike waved her off. "Yeah, well, just remember, that I'm still a bad guy, alright? Soulless big bad."

Buffy nodded. "Right."

"So, I'm gonna go kill people now," Spike told her as he got up off the couch.

"You can't kill people, Chip." Buffy pointed out.

Spike glared at her. "Demons are people too, Buff!"

With an exaggerated huff, Spike slinked out into the night. The moment his grandchilde was gone, Angel took his place by Buffy's side, picking up the music box. "He always was a momma's boy."

Buffy laughed. "I wouldn't have guessed," she teased.

"So, how's the party?" Angel asked.

"It's great." Buffy looked all around them, noting how Gunn was in an animated conversation with Xander and Oz, mostly Xander (Oz couldn't really be described as animated). She thought she heard the words, 'Justice League' and 'Batman'. Her gaze flitted over to where Willow, Dawn, and Fred were in deep conversation, looking like they'd been friends forever. Wesley and Giles were off talking, probably about old bits of paper most people wouldn't think twice about. Cordelia could only be conspiring with Anya, from the way their heads were together and how they kept shooting surreptitious glances at Xander and then promptly dissolving into giggles.

Buffy didn't even want to know.

"It's the best," she revised after a moment. "Everyone's getting along, all my friends, old and new. It's the best I could have asked for."

Angel draped his arm over her, pulling her close. He kissed her temple. "You still haven't asked about your present yet," he reminded her.

Buffy's eyes lit up in curiosity. Angel had been bugging her about his gift to her for weeks. She knew he wanted her to guess, but she honestly didn't even have a clue. After all, what could he get her that could top last year's birthday gift?

"I have no clue what it is," she told him plainly.

Angel chuckled. "Wanna see it?"

"I can't take the suspense," Buffy giggled as Angel pulled her up from the couch. He led her up to their bedroom, and to Buffy's surprise, Cassie was waiting for them.

"Hey, sweetie!" Cassie smiled brightly. "Happy Birthday!"

"Cassie!" Buffy squealed, throwing her arms around the fairy doctor. "I can't believe you're here!"

Cassie pretended to be hurt. "I can't believe you think so little of me."

"You're a horrible actress."

"Only when I try to be."

"Um," Angel interrupted hesitantly. Cassie was so easily distracted sometimes. "Cassie, you mind?"

Cassie's eyes lit up. "Oh, oh, sorry! Sorry, my bad. It's just, sometimes, you know, in my old age, I get a little distracted and then I start babbling like I am now…so, yes, yes let's get to it, shall we?"

Angel nodded, but Buffy was completely lost.

"What's going on?" the blonde slayer asked.

"You'll see." Cassie winked mischievously before snapping her fingers.

And in an instant Buffy was engulfed in a strange whirlwind of color. It felt as though she were standing still while the world flew by her at supersonic speed. All of it was just a blur. She felt like she should be getting motion sickness, but luckily the dreadful feeling never came.

It could have been seconds, it could have been hours, but the colors around her began to slow and soon a picture became clear. The Hyperion.

And then they were there.

Buffy blinked, shocked. "Did Cassie just—"

"Teleport us?" Angel finished for her. "Yeah."

"Weird."

"But kinda cool."

"Yeah."

"Okay," Buffy shook her head. She really shouldn't be surprised by this stuff anymore. "Where's my present?" she demanded. "Apparently it's so important that you had to bring me back here."

Angel grinned and took her hand. From the lobby, he led her up to the first floor. At the end of the hall, he came to a door that had remained steadfastly closed for the past few weeks. Buffy, though curious, hadn't gone in, assuming that it was one of Angel's little projects.

And apparently she'd been right.

"Well, lemme warn you, it's um, a first for me," Angel admitted, sheepish and nervous about her reaction Buffy knew. "But, well, I gave it my best shot."

Angel opened the door.

Buffy gasped.

Soft, soothing colors traversed the four walls of the room. Her eyes were drawn to the wall to her left, and after she looked at the swirls of color more intently, she realized it was a mural. Buffy felt Angel's strong hand take hers, interlocking their fingers as he pulled her to the wall closest to her.

"Ireland." Buffy didn't have to guess. She saw the little cottage perched atop the cliff, the blue-grey sea seeming to simmer below, just as she remembered it. Blues and grays gave way to the greenery that surrounded the cottage, the hills and the mountains just barely outlined in the distance. It was beautiful.

"I hope that it'll give him as much peace as it did you," Angel said by way of explanation.

Buffy could only nod. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Angel led her over to the next wall. The colors and patterns flowed flawlessly from one wall to the other, and the remaining three walls were a soft blue, decorated at the top with white, fluffy clouds. A tall tree adorned one corner, it's limbs stretching out to both sides from the corner; little furry animals of all sorts ran along the baseboards. On the center wall opposite the door, spelled out by large, painted-white blocks, was the name Connor.

It was absolutely perfect.

"You like it?" Angel asked softly.

Buffy nodded. "It's beautiful," she said softly.

"Cassie gave you a little gift too, her own finishing touch on the room." Angel led her over to the tree, and now that she was closer, she couldn't believe the minute detail that Angel had been able to incorporate into something as simple as a tree. However, when Angel kept walking, to the point where if he didn't stop he'd run smack into the wall, Buffy pulled him to a stop.

Angel grinned. "Trust me?"

Buffy frowned slightly, confused. However, she wasn't confused about the answer to his question. "Always."

Angel smiled and then led her right into the wall. Buffy scrunched up her face, waiting to faceplant into the wall…but it never happened.

In fact, when she opened up her eyes, she was standing in their bedroom.

It dawned on her what Cassie had done. "Oh, I love that girl."

Angel chuckled. "There are few doctors who can create portals," he agreed.

"So, we can just get up and walk through the wall, and—viola!—we'll be in the nursery…" Buffy shook her head, disbelieving. "We are so lucky."

"Yeah."

Buffy wrapped her arms around Angel, burying her face in his chest, a contented sigh escaping her. "This is awesome," she mumbled.

"Yeah. It is."

"You are awesome."

"Yeah. I am."

Buffy pulled away and slapped his chest playfully. "All these years I've been trying to convince you…" she trailed off shaking her head.

Angel took a step forward, wrapping her in his arms again, and kissed her softly. "Wanna go through the portal again?" he asked. It really was pretty cool.

A devious glint entered Buffy's eye and she began to pull him toward the bed. "How long do you think we have before Cassie comes to take us back to the party?"

Angel grinned. "Long enough."

"Good." Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck. "Because there's something else you can give me for my birthday."

Angel was all too happy to oblige.

Aw, fluff abounds. Yay!

So, I'm really hoping to get some serious writing done this next week. I definitely want to update by April, so please and thank you for being so patient with me. I fully expected to be further into this story by now, and it was all going pretty good until my muse suddenly jumped ship...which prompted two new story ideas in two different universes. One being Hawaii Five-0 (my first case fic! SO excited) and Twilight (much to my chagrin). I've got three chaps of Twilight, which I think I'll end up calling Live and Let Die. It's a Jalice story as I think they are the only redeeming quality of the entire series. The Five-0 story staring my favorite hunky NavySEAL, Steve McGarrett and, of course, the loveable ranting Danny Williams will be a case fic that I'm super excited about. However, you guys know me...this fic will definitely have romance...lots of angst and suspense, but romances nonetheless! :D

So, that's been part of my distraction. And then, much to my own personal amusement, I decided to revisit my childhood and am currently combing through Power Rangers fanfiction. It just makes me giggle. After all, I knew at the age of eight that I would be called upon by Zordon to be the next pink power ranger. :D

And all of this doesn't relate to Buffy at all, though it does let you have a little looksee at what I've been up to. I will do my best to give you guys consistent updates in April. :D

Lots of love,

AC