Angel limped through the dark alley. Archduchess Venobia was dead, but the Fell Brethren still wanted their bounty. The child whose life he so easily signed away.

His child.

Angel rubbed eyes. He was exhausted. His feet ached, hell his whole fucking body ached. Heart included. The city. Wolfram and Hart. Gunn. They were gone and there was nothing he could do to bring them back.

Los Angeles would recover. It always did. But it would never be the same.

He would never be the same.

Angel pulled out his phone. The phone. The one he hadn't powered on in over three months. His thumb hovered over her name. He smirked. Buffy wasn't going to be happy. The one time they spoke she sent in the damn troops.

He hesitated.

It wasn't going to be easy to get out of here.

Might not even be possible.

As with every-fucking-thing else, there was a price on his head. Half the damn underworld wanted him dead, and the rest only wanted him captured alive so that they could be the ones to end him. The only good news was that, so far, every single thing that went bump in the night was so focused on finding and destroying him. They hadn't paid attention to the rumors about the pregnant slayer.

OoOoO

"Okay," Buffy said. "Now I know something's up. Spill."

Lindsey chuckled. "Now, now, princess. Do you really think they would trust me if something was going down?"

"Angel did."

"Ha! Don't fucking let him hear you say that shit."

Buffy shrugged. "It's true. Why do you think you're here?"

"Because you conspired with Spike and secretly sent a plane to scoop baby daddy up, and got me and Junior, instead?"

"I did not conspire with Spike." She totally conspired with Spike.

"Hey," Lindsey said, holding up his hands. "I'm not complaining. Got me here, remember?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. The plan had been to get Angel out, whether he wanted to come or not. It was a suicide mission, and Spike was the only fucking one of them that cared.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Faith cared. Wesley cared. Fred of course. But they didn't fucking count. This plan was bullshit. It was one thing when she was barely even pregnant. Now she was weeks away from giving birth and they didn't even know if Angel was alive.

It didn't matter how many times she said she didn't care. She did.

And she hated every second of it.

Angel chose this.

He picked the battle, and the innocents, and the greater good over her… Again.

He shoved his son and a lawyer he didn't even trust into a plane that was meant for him. Angel could have been here.

Safe.

Alive.

With her.

"Buffy?"

Their voices were so similar. Her heart hit her stomach more than once. "Yeah, Con?"

"The plane just arrived. The caravan should be here any minute. Giles called from the air, and said something about you needing to be there when he arrived." Connor shrugged. "Maybe they found something."

Or Giles wanted to be the one to tell her the news. Her Angel sense was going haywire. Why else would Faith pal around with Giles?

"Maybe."

OoOoO

"Welcome home big guy."

Angel watched in the rearview mirror as the iron gates closed. He traveled by sewer to the outskirts of the city where Faith was waiting for him with a helicopter. The pair met up with Giles in Las Vegas before boarding a cargo plane. "We should set up a perimeter. Takes turns patrolling outside the gates for a few nights. Make sure we weren't followed."

Faith nodded. "Another one of those things you're supposed to be letting me worry about."

Angel didn't respond. He couldn't. Emerald eyes locked onto him through the dark windows and his long-dead heart squeezed. Buffy was sitting on the bottom step of the porch. Her long blonde hair was pulled to the side. Swollen abdomen on full display.

For someone who didn't need to breathe, he sure was struggling. Pale fingers gripped the door. Angel didn't even wait for the truck to stop moving before stepping out. The gravel crunched beneath his boots as he steppedd towards her.

Faith. Connor. Lindsey. They all faded away. He couldn't even hear anything beyond the steady drum of her heart.

"Angel?" His cock stirred. She was so fucking beautiful.

One step after another, time ticked down to a crawl as the space between them drew closer. Angel didn't hesitate, his long arms wrapping around her, pulling her against him. Mouths fused as small hands stretched around his neck. She tasted like strawberries… and mint. Hope and love.

Like home.

Angel's head whipped to the side as Buffy's palm flew across his cheek.

Her narrow eyes were laced with venom. "Don't fucking touch me."

OoOoO

"It's been five months!"

Angel nodded. "I know."

Buffy's hands went to her face. She promised herself she wasn't going to cry. "You could have been here. You've missed everything. I tried to call. Sent pages. I thought you were dead!"

"I know."

"So what? You killed enough of the bad guys, and met enough of your quota that you decided it was safe to take a break for a couple of weeks? Come see what this whole pregnancy thing is all about?"

"You know that's not it-"

"I begged you to get out of there. To come back to me. I sent a goddamn plane and you sent it back with Connor and Lindsey-"

"They needed to get out of there-"

"You needed to get out of there!"

"Dammit, Buffy! You knew I couldn't do that. I was still being followed."

"And they weren't!?"

"No. Because I stayed behind and made sure no one was able to track them… You were always my priority."

"You stopped responding to the pages."

"You tracked my location!"

"I had the right!"

Angel blew out a heavy sigh as he sunk on the sofa. "Every second of every day. The only thing I have thought about is you… and our baby. Forcing Connor and Lindsey on that plane was one of the hardest things I ever did. It was torture. Knowing that all I had to do was step on that aircraft…"

"We could have figured it out…"

"Even so," Angel said, his head shaking. "Even if we could have kept you safe… I destroyed Los Angeles… There were so many innocents-"

"There are always innocents! There's always going to be! But we only get one shot at this. I'm never going to be pregnant again… And you have missed all of it… I know you care. That you love me. But I don't know if you're capable of putting us first."

"Buffy…"

"No… I have sat back while you choose the greater good time and again. You left me-"

"We were crossing lines. It was only a matter of time before Angelus-

"I know, but you gave up your humanity-"

"Because you were going to die-"

"I died anyway! That's my point. I understand the decisions you made. I accepted them because I didn't have a choice. Because we don't get to be selfish. But this isn't about me. Or you… It's about her…"

"She deserves to be her parent's first choice… every time. It nearly killed me every single time I lost you. My birthday. Graduation. Wolfram and Hart. I don't care if the cost is the world. Nothing comes before her. It can't…"

Angel's head tilted. "Her?"

OoOoO

A daughter. Angel couldn't wrap his head around it. Of course, there were only two possibilities, but it was still one hell of a revelation. His fingers itched from the urge to touch Buffy. Every one of her unexplored curves beckoned him. There was nothing he wanted more than to wrap her in his arms and spend what little time they had left in this pregnancy ensuring that she had no reason to doubt him ever again. He understood her anger. But she wasn't getting rid of him that easily. His entire existence had led him here.

Angel's eyes narrowed when Lindsey appeared, scooping Buffy's legs into his lap.

"Tell me, Lindsey. How's the hand?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Good as new."

"Yeah? Wanna keep it?"

Buffy's eyes widened. "Can we not do the whole testosterone display? Lindsey is not hitting on me."

Lindsey smirked. "I could be."

Angel's gaze didn't waver. If anything his eyes grew darker as he stared Lindsey down. Buffy must have sensed how close he was to snapping Lindsey's neck because she took it upon herself to remove her legs from his lap.

"You are not helping," she said, one hand moving to the curve of her stomach as she also sent a glare Lindsey's way.
Angel huffed. "Does he ever?"

Lindsey crossed his arms. "Do you?"

Buffy looked from Lindsey to Angel and back again. "I don't have time for this," she said, getting to her feet. "You two have fun."

Lindsey's hands waved through the air. "Great. You pissed off the pregnant woman, feel better?"

Angel ignored Lindsey, jumping to his feet, he reached for Buffy to help her up but paused, retracting his hands just before he touched her. "Where are you going?"

Buffy sighed. "Somewhere that I don't have to listen to you two bicker like teenagers."

"Buffy-"

"Look," Buffy said. "I get it okay. But I need you to chill. You-this-it's a lot to process, and in case you aren't aware, I'm pretty much at the point where any stress is bad stress. You picked the place. Saw how secure it is. I need some space."

Angel set his jaw. He wanted to argue but she was right. The baby was what mattered, and getting Buffy worked up all over again wasn't going to solve their issues. He sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

Her eyes were glossy. She was on the verge of tears all over again. "I don't know," she said. "Turn back time? Get on that plane with Connor and Lindsey."

"Buffy-"

"I know," she said, wiping her eyes. "World in peril, human lives at stake. I heard you the first time and you know what? I'm suddenly more exhausted than I thought. So I'm going to take a nap. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course," Angel said and forced himself to step aside so she could pass by. He watched as she walked down the hall and rounded the corner before collapsing back onto the sofa. He rubbed a hand over his tired face.

"You're not going to go after her?"

Angel groaned. "You're still here?"

Lindsey only shrugged.

"You heard what Buffy said. She needs time."
Lindsey chuckled. "She's right you know."

Angel groaned again. "She usually is."

OoOoO

Buffy adjusted the dial to turn the jets on in the hot tub and double-checked that the temperature was safe. She attempted a nap, but it was useless. She couldn't sleep when Angel was in the next room. There was too much to say. Too much to figure out, and yet she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him either. She wanted him to hold her and never let go, and she wanted to scream and rage at him for all of the moments they would never get back.

Both in equal measure.

She wanted Angel to experience the baby move and fall asleep in his arms, but in that same breath, she also wanted to lock herself in her room and not reemerge until their daughter was born and she was back to her old self.

Pregnancy hormones were fun.

The water stung her legs as she walked down the steps.

"You up for company?" Faith asked. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and took one out.

"That depends," Buffy said. "Are you out here on your own accord or are you playing messenger?"

Faith chuckled as she struck a match. "I'm a free agent," she said, tossing the match and holding her hand up. "I swear."

Buffy shrugged. "Those things are going to kill you one day," she said, but Faith only laughed as she rolled up her pants and slipped her feet over the edge of the concrete.

"Come on now, B. We both know I'll be lucky to make it long enough for that to happen. Life of a Slayer. Yada, yada, yada." Faith motioned towards the water. "You sure this is safe for little bit?"

Buffy shrugged again. "I turned the temperature down. It should be fine. I'm surprised you're out here. Figured you would be in there hanging with your best buddy."

Faith glanced at the house. The patio was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows but they were tinted in such a way that you couldn't see inside. "He seemed to be in some deep stuff with Wes and Giles. Besides I don't think I'm the slayer he wants to be hanging with."

"Yeah, well, it sure took him long enough to miss me."

It was Faith's turn to sigh. "B-"

"What? Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm wrong. That if you were in my situation you wouldn't be just as upset. He's missed everything!"

"And your solution is to make him miss more? I get where you're coming from. I do, but it's Angel. You've always been the center of his universe. Do you really think he skipped out on this on purpose? That he enjoyed being away from you, knowing how vulnerable you were. How vulnerable that baby inside you is? Angel might be guilty of a lot of things, but putting you second has never been one."

"So what? I'm just supposed to forget the last six months? He didn't have to hunt them all down. There is always going to be someone after me, there always has been."

Buffy shook her head as she climbed out of the hot tub and grabbed her towel. "You don't get it-"

Just then something crashed over the iron fence and the hard iron bars shrieked from the impact. It happened in a blink, the looming figure rolled through the grass and sprung up only inches from where Buffy was standing. Faith jumped to her feet, but not before the demon knocked Buffy to the ground.

Buffy landed on her hip, just barely twisting her body enough to keep her stomach from colliding with the concrete.

"Buffy!" Faith yelled as she punched the demon and sent it stumbling back. She swung again, and this time it stunned the creature enough for Faith to get her hands around its thick neck. Faith twisted and the demon slumped just as chaos erupted.

Spike was the first one out the door but Angel was only a step behind him and ordered him to help Faith as he scooped Buffy up in one smooth motion. "You're okay," he said, turning quickly to carry her back into the house.

"Fred!" Angel called over his shoulder.

'Right behind you."

Buffy winced as Angel carried her through the house. "This way," Fred said, leading him into the room that Fred had designated as her office. "Put her on the sofa," Fred said pointing to the corner of the room.

"Guys I think I'm fine," Buffy said as Angel eased her down. She glanced at her leg, there was going to be a bruise, but she had sustained for worse over the years.
Angel's hands trembled as he lifted her swimsuit cover-up over her stomach. "Hey," Buffy said, her hand covering his. "She's okay."

"How about we take a peek," Fred said as she wheeled the sonogram machine closer. "Just to be sure."

Angel nodded. "Did you recognize the thing that attacked you? How did it get on the property?" he asked, turning to Fred.

Fred squirted some of the cool gel on Buffy's abdomen. "I'm pretty sure that's the question of the hour. I wouldn't be surprised if Faith and Spike have already headed out to do a perimeter sweep... There we go," Fred said as she adjusted the probe and nodded toward the small screen.

Ultrasounds were one of the few parts of this whole experience that Buffy didn't completely hate, usually, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen but not this time. Angel was utterly frozen as he stared at the images of their daughter. His eyes were red and if he so much as blinked a tear was sure to fall.

Buffy twined her fingers with his. "Is everything okay?" she asked, finally glancing at Fred and then the screen. The further along she got, the more difficult it had become to catch a good angle of the baby. Especially her sweet profile.

Fred nodded. "Fluid level is good. Heart rate is normal. She's not moving much, but that's not unusual this late into a pregnancy."

Buffy squeezed Angel's hand. "That's only because I'm not trying to sleep."

Angel rubbed his free hand over his tired face and massaged his eyes. "You're sure you're okay?" he asked, turning back to Buffy.

Buffy looked at her side. "Nothing a couple Tylenol and bandages won't fix."

Angel turned back to Fred. "Help her. I'm going to go talk to everyone. See if they have figured anything out."

Without giving Buffy time to react, Angel's cool hands framed her face as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Go get dressed. Meet me back in the living room."

OoOoO

Angel stood in the kitchen with Giles and Wesley. "And you're sure it's the same symbol?" Giles asked.

Angel nodded. "I've spent the last six months hunting these people down. Kind of a hard thing to forget."

"Someone must have followed you," Wesley said. "It's too coincidental that they would show up now."

"Fuck!" Angel shouted, pushing himself away from the counter. "I knew something like this was going to happen. This is why I didn't- I should have known better than to come here."

"Perimeter is clear," Faith said as she stepped into the kitchen. Spike followed behind her.

"It seems our friend was of the digging variety. Fence is fine but there's a giant gaping hole underneath."

Angel's eyes narrowed. "I thought he came over the fence?"

"He came over the gate," Faith said. "The outer fence is what Spike is talking about. But don't worry, Lindsey and Connor are on it."

Angel nodded. "Good."

"So," Spike said. "What the hell happens now?"

Angel shook his head. "I don't know. It would be foolish to think that he was working alone. That's not how they operate."

Faith sighed. "Not to state the obvious, but we've got what? Five? Maybe six weeks until that baby makes an appearance? And that's if we're lucky. Little late to be whisking Buff off to some new location, isn't it?"

Angel wanted to scream. To rage at the powers, Wolfram and Hart, the senior partners. Whoever he could get his hands on. He wanted to tear them limb from limb. "No, it's too late for that. What about Willow? Would it be possible to extend the sanctuary spell across the property?"

Giles shook his head. "Doubtful. There wouldn't be anything to anchor the spell too. It wouldn't hold."

"What wouldn't hold?"

Angel spun around. Buffy was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a grey cotton dress that clung to absolutely every last curve. She was breathtaking in such a way that affected him even though he had no use for breath. She looked soft and vulnerable and the only fucking thing he wanted to do was hold her and never let her go. Make love to her until neither of them could remember what they were supposed to be worrying about.

He was never more lost. Felt more hopeless. He couldn't leave her again. Not only would she never fucking forgive him, he was guaranteed to miss their daughter's birth. He cleared his throat. "We need to talk."

OoOoO

Buffy listened as everything was laid out. The assumptions, escape plans, and nightmarish outcomes. She turned back to Angel. He hadn't taken his eyes off her. "Why do I feel like you're getting ready to tell me you're leaving? Again."

Angel winced. "Because it's a possibility."

She touched her stomach. "You can't. There are other options."

He couldn't leave again. She wouldn't let him. She opened her mouth to argue more, but a sob broke out instead. "I can't do this again," she said shaking her head.

"Come here," Angel said, pulling her into his arms. She was too exhausted to resist and frankly, she didn't want to. He held her close as he kissed the top of her head. "I just said it was a possibility. It doesn't mean-"

"Doesn't it though?" Buffy asked, her eyes meeting his. This was how it always started. Some big threat showed up and for whatever reason it was always deemed safer for Angel to leave. For them to be apart.

Angel brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You heard what everyone said. Do I think that my leaving is the safest option? Absolutely. But it's not as simple as that," he said, his gaze dropping to her stomach. "Not this time."

Giles made a noise that could only be described as a tisk of disapproval. Buffy almost forgot that they weren't alone. "Then what are we going to do?"

Angel shrugged. "Whatever you think is best."

"Angel," Wesley said, clearing his throat in the way that he always did when he wanted to argue. "Are you sure-"

"No Wes, I'm not. I don't know what the best decision is for her any more than you. But I think we can all agree, that powers or not, Buffy is the strongest and most capable person in this room. She's fought more monsters than most of us combined and sacrificed more than anyone should ever have to. More than anyone, she knows what's at stake…"

Angel turned back to Buffy. "This is your call. What do you think we should do?"

Buffy's heart fluttered. For as angry as she was with him, she had never loved him more. "We amp up our security. Take turns patrolling the perimeter, Faith and Connor can trade off during the day, and you and Spike can swap at night. Twenty-four hours a day. At least until the baby is here and I get my strength back. We could even send for Kennedy and a few of the potentials if we needed to."

Angel nodded. "Sounds like a start. But what about you? What's the plan if there's another attack? If there's more than one next time? I don't want you left alone. Not outside or in the house. That was too close of a call."

If there was one thing Buffy hated, it was feeling like a burden. "I don't need a babysitter-"

Faith sighed. "Listen, I think we can figure out the patrol schedule between the three of us. Why don't you stick with Buffy duty big guy?"

Despite what had to be his best efforts, the corner of Angel's mouth tugged into a grin. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Faith said. "I think that's the best option for everyone right now. Besides you two have a lot of time to make up for, not to mention you're about to be bringing a whole ass human into this world. You deserve to focus on that for however much time we can buy you. Both of you."

Buffy wanted to pinch herself. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Once again, hot salty tears streamed down her face. She turned to Giles. "Could you call Willow? You said extending the sanctuary spell was out, but she might know of other protection spells we could try."

Giles nodded. Buffy could tell he wasn't entirely pleased, but he wasn't raising any arguments. "Of course."

OoOoO

Once everything was settled, Spike took the first patrol and Faith offered to tag along while Giles and Wesley made a beeline for the office. It was almost freaky how similar they were at times.

This time it was Angel who pulled her legs across him. He was going back and forth with Fred about ways they could track down any more members of the brethren while massaging small circles up and down her legs. Buffy was hyper-aware of his every move, so much so that she gave up even attempting to follow along with the conversation. She was still devastated that it had taken him until now to get back, but it sure was hard to be angry after he made such a show of handing over the reins of their current dilemma.
The muscles in his arm bulged as he started to massage her calf. He had traded his signature black button-down for a white tee shirt which undoubtedly should have been illegal. The level of her resolve when it came to this man was abhorrent. She could blame being pregnant, but it would be too much of a lie.

Buffy almost breathed a sigh of relief once the baby began to move. At least it would provide some distraction from the lustful path her thoughts were currently drifting down. She shifted to her back and reached for Angel's hand.

Angel turned but before he could ask what she was doing the baby moved again. His dark eyes widened as their daughter kicked and rolled beneath his palm. The movements were so strong that you could see them through her soft cotton maxi dress. Angel was often quiet but he wasn't often speechless.

Buffy smiled. "Told you. She always takes me lying down as a sign to party. Kinda makes me worried for once she's born. I'm never going to sleep again."

Angel gently poked the spot where the baby's foot had just been and was rewarded with another jab. "No. It just means that she will be spending lots of quality time with Daddy."

There was that flutter again.