Two more chapters! Thanks for the reviews, kimm2007 and Guest! Glad to know there are people out there enjoying this. Enjoy!

An hour later, I was allowed to see Buffy. When I entered, the sight of her nearly brought me to tears; she looked so small and frail. I slowly walked to her and just stood there, helpless, running my eyes from head to toe as if trying to inspect if anything else was injured.

I gently placed my hand on her stomach; my large hand almost covering her abdomen. My baby…she was having my baby. If circumstances were different, I would be jumping for joy and relish in the feeling of having a baby with the woman I love.

There was no way I'm leaving her now. Even if she forces me to go, I won't.

I leaned in and kissed her temple, silently praying to whatever god that would listen to me to keep her safe. Moments later, like a solace, I hear her beautiful voice.

"Angel"..

I rejoiced!

"Hey, beautiful"

"Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital"

"Where's Connor and Dawn?"

"Your mom is with them and bringing them here later".

"No!...she can't!...they can't see me like this!...please…she can't!"

"Okay, okay…I'll tell her not to bring them here..it's okay", I coaxed her, squeezing her small hand.

After much convincing, Joyce brought Connor and Dawn back to her place and I promised to talk to Buffy to let her kids see her.

The next few weeks, I never left her side except to go home and change. Every waking moment I had I was at the hospital.

Eventually Hollywood heard about the incident and reporters were trying to get the inside scoop but Buffy's publicist handled it. Confirming that Buffy was in an altercation with William and there are discussions with a lawyer on what are the next steps to take but requested the media to respect Buffy's privacy as she is recovering from the ordeal.

My presence also caught media attention because of the hours I was with her at the hospital. Old rumours about us resurfaced and suddenly, reporters were taking jabs and coming to their own conclusions. My publicist prodded me to release a statement but I ignored it.

Who cares about the media? I just want Buffy to get better and besides, we hadn't talked about us or where we stood but with everything that is happening around us, it would have to wait until later.

Buffy agreed to press charges against William and was granted a restraining order. He was not allowed near her or the house and it was recommended that his visitation rights to Connor and Dawn were taken away until the case is over.

A week later, Buffy agreed to let her kids visit her. When they came and embraced her, I could see how much she missed them as much as they missed her but she still smiled and was in mom mode; asked Dawn if she's done her homework, if she was prepared for her upcoming quiz.

The twelve year old rolled her eyes, amazed that her mom was still nagging even though she was lying on the hospital bed.

Connor made Buffy a get-well-soon card with Buffy dressed as Superwoman. Seeing her interaction with them made me smile. She was such a good mom.

At about eight, Joyce brought them home seeing that it was a school night and promised that they would come back tomorrow. Buffy kissed them goodnight, made them promise to behave for grandma before hugging me goodbye.

"Are you staying, Uncle Angel?" Dawn asked.

"Yes", I smiled.

"Why?" her voice sounded a little demanding.

"I just want to spend more time with your Mom is all".

She frowned at my answer but did not say anything further and just waved goodbye. I knew Dawn heard the news going around.

As much as we try to protect our kids from the media, they will always have people around them that hear what's going on and will ask them about it. I'm sure Dawn is facing it now and it's a matter of time before my kids will get asked too.

After they left, I took a seat next to Buffy's bed and held her hand.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"It hurts less. I think the stitches are healing pretty well".

"That's good".

"The doctor said I'm well enough to check on the baby tomorrow."

"Really? That's great!"

Moments of silence passed before she said,

"Dawn asked me about…us".

I looked at her and knew now was the time to talk.

"Really?"

"With all the media attention, it's kind of hard for her not to notice".

"What did you tell her?"

"I just said that you're my really good friend".

"Okay."

"But, I want to tell her the truth…I want to tell my kids the truth. With the baby coming, it's kind of hard to keep us a secret anymore…but I thought I needed to talk to you first".

I nodded.

"Angel, I know that we've agreed to stay friends…" I mentally scoffed. I didn't agree! It's what you wanted.

"…and we can continue to stay friends. We'll work out on how to handle the baby thing…you can be as involved as you want…"

I cannot believe her. After everything, she is still going with "we'll stay friends" routine? We are having a baby together, for crying out loud!

"…I know it's complicated and I didn't mean for this to happen but…" and I kissed her.

With all my emotions that I have in me, I kissed her. This kiss was to tell her that I missed her, I longed for her, that the whole month I was without her, I felt empty and that I dreamt of her almost every single night. We broke apart and I rested my forehead against hers.

"Angel…" she caressed my name with the sexy, husky voice that made me weak in the knees.

"It's over with me and Nina", I told her.

"What?"

"It was over for a long time."

"But…"

"I tried, Buffy. I tried to give Nina and me a chance but all I think about is you."

And in that moment, I knew I had to tell her.

"I…I love you".

There! I finally confessed and Buffy looked at me, bewildered and taken aback at my declaration. Did she really not know? After what seemed like long moments, I could sense her hesitation. When she opened her mouth to say something, I placed a finger on her lips.

"You don't have to say it back. I just…I just want you to know how I feel."

I took a breath before continuing "I've been in love with you for a long time, possibly even when we first met. The things you make me feel…I've never felt before…the connection I have with you is so strong that it scares me, sometimes. I can sense when you're near, I sense your mood…I don't know how to explain it but I feel you inside me and tonight, I just knew…I knew you were in danger and when I saw you...god!...I lost my mind…I've never been so scared my entire life!"

She was crying now and honestly, I could feel tears pricking my eyes. The thought that I almost lost her just made my feelings towards her so blatantly clear.

"Please, don't push me away. I don't want to be friends…I want to be with you, hold you, love you…I can't live without you…please", I knew I was practically begging her but I don't care. I could no longer see my life without her in it.

Buffy enveloped me in her small arms and cried into my shoulder and I hugged her. As always, she fits so perfectly in my arms, as though she belonged there.

For a long time, we just held each other; this hug was a seal, a reunion of soul mates finally finding its way back to each other.