***

"God, I have loved these things since I was a kid… I swear it tastes better now, though," Buffy raved as she swallowed a spoonful of the Butterfinger Blizzard.

Willow smiled from across the table, "It seems you think a lot of foods taste better to you now."

Buffy narrowed her eyes playfully, "I’m *pregnant*."

"I know.. and let me tell you how grateful I am that you aren’t making me watch you eat really strange foods. Like… raisins and… anything."

Buffy shrugged, "The only ‘unusual’ thing is that I have a major hankering for sweets. You should have seen all the junk food I bought last time I went grocery shopping."

"I’m sure any weight you may gain, you probably need," Willow reminded her, since Buffy looked healthier now than she had before she’d gotten pregnant.

"Yeah, my doctor actually told me I was ten pounds underweight to begin with, and I ought to gain five to ten pounds just for the baby in between my last visit and the next one, so he wanted me to gain at least ten or fifteen pounds," Buffy replied.

"Good, there you go!"

"Yeah, but what if I get *too* good at gaining weight? He’s going to want me to gain five extra pounds again for the next month, and then I will be caught up. I’m only about four months pregnant now, if I gain ten pounds a month for the rest of my pregnancy, I’ll gain, like, fifty pounds!"

"I’m sure it will slow down as you gain more weight, plus you’re still jogging, right?"

Buffy nodded, "It’s like the only way I am staying *sane*."

Willow smiled, then summoned up the courage to tell Buffy what she’d been wanting to say to her for quite a while. Buffy was her best friend… as she wanted her to know… about Tara, "Buffy, there’s someone I want to tell you about."

"Ooh, a guy?" Buffy asked, happy to hear Willow was moving on after Oz.

"No," Willow answered quietly, "It’s actually a girl I met through that wicca group I was in a few months ago. She was actually the only other real witch."

"Oh, well, that’s cool. Now you have a little spell buddy."

"Yeah… and more than that."

Buffy raised her eyebrows questioningly, wondering what Willow was talking about.

"Tara and I- that’s her name, Tara- we’re very close. Like, you know how I felt about Oz?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, nodding until she realized what Willow was saying, "Oh…"

"Yeah, um.. well, what Tara and I have is different than what Oz and I had… but it’s also very similar. Do you see what I’m saying?"

Buffy nodded slowly, "You and Tara are a lot more than just friends."

Willow smiled, "Exactly! Um… how do you feel about this?"

Buffy was silent for a moment, still processing what Willow had said to her. After all, it was quite a shocker. However, as soon as she was able to fathom the fact that her best friend had a girlfriend, she looked up at her and gave her a small smile, "Don’t take this the wrong way… but I don’t care. I mean, I care that you have someone you love… I’m very happy to hear that. But you’re my best friend… I don’t care if you like boys or girls or both."

Willow sighed in relief and got out of her seat to hug Buffy, "Thank you."

"Will, you have nothing to thank me for. It’s not like you have some horrible *fault* now. Hell, I think the fact that you’re sticking by *me* when I am having a baby is a way cooler thing."

"Buffy, so many people aren’t going to be cool with this. I was so worried that you might be one of them and I would lose you," Willow told her, "You have no idea how much better I feel knowing I have your support."

Buffy gave her a knowing smile, "Oh I don’t know… lately I have learned a lot about the importance of a friend’s support. However… when do I get to meet this Tara? Just because I accept the fact that you have a relationship with another girl doesn’t mean I don’t want the chance to check her out and make sure she’s up to par."

***

Nervously, Buffy raised her hand and knocked loudly on Riley’s bedroom door. It was Tuesday, and things hadn’t changed in the three days since they had made love. She didn’t want to push things, but had decided that if she tried something at this point, it probably wouldn’t hurt.

She hoped.

"What?" Riley’s gruff voice asked through the door.

"Uh… I’m home from work," Buffy called.

"Okay."

Seeing that he wasn’t going to open the door, she asked, "Can I come in?"

"Whatever," he answered after a moment.

Buffy opened the door and took a step inside the room, looking at Riley on the bed, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the television.

The bed they had made love in.

"I… I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go out to dinner?"

"Not especially, no," Riley replied, still not looking at her.

Buffy fidgeted nervously, "How long are you going to be mad at me?"

"I’m not mad," he said coolly, still engrossed in whatever was on the screen.

"But you don’t talk to me anymore."

"Got nothing to say."

"You could say how you feel," she told him, growing frustrated by the way he was acting…. or lack thereof. Even if he was angry and screaming at her… it would be better than this… indifference.

"I already told you how I feel," he replied, finally looking at her, "Two days ago in your bedroom. I laid it all on the line for you and apparently you didn’t care."

"I’m sorry."

"Don’t say it when you don’t mean it," Riley told her, "You obviously don’t feel sorry for anything other than the fact that *I* was foolish enough to think you weren’t still hung up on Angel."

Buffy shook her head and turned around, knowing it was too soon. At that moment she doubted there would come a time when they would ever be ready to go back to being friends. Quietly, she said, "Just forget it."

After she’d closed the door, Riley quietly said, "I wish I could. More than anything, I wish I could."

Buffy lugged the two bags of groceries into the apartment and rushed to dump them on the kitchen counter before they fell all over the floor. Riley looked up from his seat on the couch and considered getting up to help, but by then she was already in the kitchen. Instead, he decided it wasn’t too forgiving of him if he went and shut the door.

He went back to the newspaper and tried to ignore the fact that She was on the next room until she emerged a moment later holding another pint of Phish Food and smiled, "I bought you your own."

"No thanks, I don’t like it," he replied.

Buffy gave him a strange look, since she’d noticed the carton from her other pint in the trash Monday evening and said, "Then why did you finish my other one?"

"Jeez, I’m sorry it was that important to you. I’ll pay you back right now," he answered angrily, setting down the paper and pulling out his wallet.

"No, I don’t want you to pay me back," Buffy said, not caring that she sounded annoyed, "I just think it’s silly for you to tell me you don’t like it when I know you obviously did on Sunday."

"Hey, you can change your mind about who or what you like from one day to the next, why can’t I?"

"Yes, fine, you’re right! What I did to you was really screwed up and I *do* regret it, but I can’t take it back no matter how much I want to. I’m sorry, Riley, I really am, but I don’t want to lose our friendship," she told him, then sighed sadly, "But I don’t know how long I am going to be able to handle living with someone who despises me. I’m positive I can’t do it until next January."

She walked away and left Riley to think about what she’d said. He knew exactly what she’d meant by January. That was when they were supposed to get divorced. She was telling him that if things didn’t change… she would leave… just as he feared.

***

As Buffy sliced the french bread, she tried to decide whether or not to allow herself to get hopeful after Riley had actually said goodbye to her before leaving for work. Even if it was a simple, quiet ‘goodbye’, it was better than his way of just leaving without a word that had been what he’d done ever since…. the incident.

Yes, it was definitely improvement. Far from the way they’d been before, but it was a baby step closer.

She arranged the slices of bread in the basket she’d bought at the mall with Willow earlier that week and set it on the dining room table. Going through her mental checklist, Buffy decided she was all ready. Now all she needed were her dinner guests… Willow and Tara, who were due at any moment.

Buffy still had moments when she couldn’t believe that Willow had a girlfriend. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Willow she didn’t care if she was gay, but it still didn’t make any of it less of a shocker. Mostly Buffy hoped she liked Tara… then again, she handled Xander being with Anya and Buffy doubted Willow would pick anyone freakier than her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Feeling a rush of excitement, Buffy went over and opened the door to greet her guests.

"Hey," Willow grinned, hugging her friend. "You look great. I’m glad you got that dress."

Buffy smiled and looked down at the denim jumper dress she was wearing over a long sleeve blue shirt and replied, "I admit I look better in this than in sweats, and it’s actually comfortable, but the problem with maternity clothes is that as soon as you start wearing them, you start looking pregnant."

Willow grinned and gestured to the dirty blonde next to her, "This is Tara."

"Hi, nice to meet you Tara," Buffy smiled warmly, "Oh jeez, do you guys want to come in? I can’t believe I have you two just standing around outside."

"This is the first time Buffy’s ever had anyone over for a formal dinner, so she’s a little nervous," Willow explained to Tara as the two of them walked in.

"Your h-home is very n-n-nice," Tara stuttered nervously.

Buffy immediately felt bad for her, as she always did when she’d heard people stutter, "Thank you very much."

"Mmm… something smells good," Willow said.

"That would be dinner… which is all ready. Do you two want to eat now?"

***

"God, Buffy, you have this serious cooking talent," Willow exclaimed after taking her first bite of the chocolate mousse Buffy had made for dessert, "I suspected before, but now I *know*."

Tara nodded in agreement, "This is very good."

"Thanks guys," Buffy grinned, "We were accidentally sent a cookbook at the shop and Giles let me take it. I have decided sooner or later my baby will eat solid foods and it would be nice if I can give it real meals."

"I can tell, you’ll be a great mother," Tara told her.

Buffy blushed, "I hope you’re right."

"Tara’s very intuitive," Willow informed her, then bounced in her seat, "I just remembered something! Buffy, you have your doctor’s appointment tomorrow and they’re going to tell you the sex of the baby, right?"

"Well, they’re going to try. It depends on the baby’s position, but I’m hoping they can tell me."

Willow grinned, "Will you let Tara tell you what she thinks it is? She’s got a gift for being able to tell, just by touching your belly."

Buffy shrugged, "Sure, why not? If it’s the same as what the doctor says, then I can believe the doctor more… if it’s different, then I have to worry."

She slid her chair back a bit and Tara reached over and gently placed her palm on Buffy’s hardly protruding abdomen. After a moment, she looked up at her and said, "It’s a girl."

"A girl?" Buffy replied.

Tara nodded, becoming shy again, now that she didn’t have the confidence of her powers to hide behind, "I-I think s-s-so. But, y-y-our doctor is m-more, reliable."

"I believe in you," Buffy smiled, rubbing her hand over her stomach, "A little girl!"

***

The next day, Buffy walked out the door of the doctor’s office, Tara’s guess on the baby’s sex confirmed by the scientific community. Finding out it was a girl… it helped make the baby feel all the more real to her. It was no longer a sexless, faceless child she thought of as her baby. Now she knew it was a girl, and she could imagine it with blonde hair like hers or dark hair like Angel’s, and she could tie little bows in it and put her in pretty little dresses. She was so excited.

Okay, so when the nurse had said something about how she was surprised Buffy’s husband hadn’t come for such an important appointment and reminded her as she’d done the other two times that she’d been there that her husband was not only allowed, but encouraged to attend her appointments, she’d been a little bummed. Buffy wasn’t sure how long they would believe he was just ‘very busy’ and she didn’t want him to have to take time off to be there. It was the one instance when telling people that she wasn’t married to the father and the father wasn’t involved with the child would have been helpful.

Still, she was in a great mood and had a strong desire to go buy a bunch of little dresses. Unfortunately, she had to be at work in half an hour, so there was no time. Besides, she had to figure out her budget and the baby wouldn’t need clothes for a good five months.

That didn’t mean she didn’t have the time and money for Burger King, though, she thought as she got into her car. After all, her doctor had told her to try to gain a lot more weight by her next appointment in a month and one of those yummy little Hershey pies sounded delicious.

***

Buffy cursed as she saw the sun slipping past the horizon. There was no way she’d be home before dark. It was all Giles’ fault anyway. If he hadn’t stared at her scarfing down her high fat, high grease, high everything else bad for her lunch, she wouldn’t have felt all self conscious and decided to take an extra long jog after work that evening, therefore keeping her out after dark.

She shook her head and smiled, brushing off any worries she had about it. Sure, she was four months pregnant, but she was still the slayer. Odds were nothing would happen this close to sunset anyway. Giles and Riley had just managed to get her all caught up in their neurotic apprehension.

As she neared their apartment complex, Buffy grinned more broadly once again thinking about the fact that she now knew she had a daughter. A daughter of her own. Someday, she’d be able to say "my daughter."

At least with her exercise she’d been able to work off some of her excited energy. Riley was working that night and she was still way too hyped to just sit home alone all night… not that if he was there they’d be big buddies, since he was still a lot quieter than normal around her.

Maybe she’d call Willow when she got home, see if she wanted to go to a movie.

***

"I don’t believe it!"

"What?" Court asked the vampire walking next to him. They’d both awakened an hour early and had spent the time pacing until the sun set so they could grab a meal.

"It’s the slayer," Simon replied, "Nobody has seen her around for a while… but there she is."

Court looked at where he was pointing and, sure enough, there was the slayer, jogging through the open gates of an apartment complex. Unlike Simon, he was smart enough to not be excited by the sight of her. "It doesn’t look like she’s hunting… but we’d better get out of here."

"What, are you crazy? Can you imagine what kind of reputation I could get for slaying the *slayer*?"

"Are *you* crazy? There’s no way you can take her down. You’re just going to end up getting killed yourself," Court said, shaking his head.

Simon rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Man… are you wimping out, or are you coming with me?"

"I’m going to go eat, not get my ass kicked or worse," Court answered, not caring about sounding like a wuss. The slayer wouldn’t be killed as easily as any other teenage girl and he was smart enough to know he wasn’t *that* special that he’d be ‘the one.’

Alone, Simon took off in the direction of the apartment complex, hoping he didn’t lose her. Luckily he managed to run fast enough to get a glimpse of her walking up the path to one of the apartments about a hundred meters away. Unfortunately, a few seconds later she had the door open and was gone from his sight. Sighing, he walked up to the door.

There had to be a way to get her out there to face him… or be invited in.

***

Buffy sighed as she stepped into the shower and let the water wash over her. The heat of the water quickly relaxed her and she began rethinking her decision to call Willow. Maybe she could pop one of the frozen pizzas in the oven and relax with the novel she’d started the night before. Anya hadn’t told her how addictive those things were.

Fifteen minutes later, she was wrapping a towel around her body, all comfy and clean, when she heard a loud pounding. Narrowing her eyes, she realized it was someone at the door. She rushed out of the bathroom and was halfway to the door when she heard someone shouting.

"Come on out, Slayer!"

She froze as it hit her what was going on. A vampire… it had to be a vampire. Any other kind of demon and it would just come in. Hell, any other demon probably wouldn’t be stupid enough to come after her.

Just to be sure, she walked slowly to the door, as if it could burst open at any moment, and peered out the peephole. Sure enough, she saw a guy about six feet tall with light brown hair pacing back and forth as he shouted for her to come face him.

Buffy took a step back and tried to get her head together. Mentally, she cursed herself for turning into a twit. Three months without patrolling and now a vampire outside her door and she was acting like a wimp? She rushed back to her bedroom to change into something she could fight in, since a towel would never do. It would be a bad idea to just hope he’d go away because the way he was carrying on was going to gather attention and that could lead to someone who didn’t know what he really was approaching him… and Buffy couldn’t let anyone die.

So she’d just go out there and kill him and be done with it. Even in her condition… it was just one vampire, she could handle it. As she pulled her sweat pants back on, Buffy was hit with the thought that it was possible there was a whole mass of vampires just waiting to attack her… and she couldn’t handle that. She hadn’t been patrolling or training in months. But she was the chosen one… she had no choice.

After managing the get her clothes on, Buffy walked back to the door before noticing she had no weapon. Her hands were shaking as she searched the living room for a stake. Racking her brain, Buffy tried to remember if there was a stake in her room, but since there was the ‘no slaying’ rule, she didn’t have a stock of weapons ready to go.

All of a sudden, the door began opening…

***

"So did someone beat Buffy with the ugly stick?"

Riley gave Forrest a strange look, "What are you talking about?"

Forrest smirked, "We haven’t had to endure any of your rambling about how wonderful and sweet and kind and beautiful Buffy is for, like, a week. Did she die or something?"

He knew he was probably asking to be annoyed, since he’d been the one who hated hearing Riley go on and on about Buffy before, but he *had* noticed she’d been absent from Riley’s conversation topics as of late and he was hoping there was trouble in paradise. After several days of wondering if his suspicions were right, but not wanting to risk another rave about Buffy, curiosity had gotten the better of him and he’d decided to ask.

"Buffy is fine," Riley glared at him, "I just don’t enjoy hearing the comments *you* like to make about her, so I try to avoid discussing her with you, which is really a shame that I have to do that, with you being one of my best friends and all."

Graham decided to stay out of it, since he too had suspicions that something had happened between Riley and Buffy, but knew that if Riley didn’t want to talk about it, it was better not to push. However, the way Riley was scowling at Forrest made him fear that he might be forced to step in if the both of them got angry.

"Okay, sorry, jeez," Forrest said, shaking his head, deciding something was *definitely* wrong with the… sorta couple.

"Riley!"

The three of them turned and looked at Waylon running towards them down the empty hall in the Initiative.

"What is it?" Riley asked, hoping there was some sort of emergency situation where his presence was needed so he wouldn’t have to go with his friends to spend the next few hours as armed escorts to transfer demons from different stations in the Initiative.

"We were listening in on the 911 calls," Waylon explained, "Someone called in a disturbance… it’s at your place."

Riley went into autopilot, walking back the way Waylon had come as he started spouting out orders. If the other guys had a problem with it, they didn’t say anything, just obeyed. Inside, Riley was freaking out. What if something happened to Buffy? It was a thought he couldn’t bear.

He had to get to her, and fast.

***

Five minutes later, Graham pulled the Hummer up to Riley and Buffy’s apartment, in record time. The vehicle had hardly stopped when Riley jumped out the passenger side, with Waylon quickly following. As he raced up the walk and saw the vampire pounding on the windows and doors, screaming, all three of his friends were at his heels.

"Here, let me…" Graham began, watching in shock as Riley grabbed the vampire by his neck and threw him against a wall, "shock him."

Seeing his tazer was useless, Graham stood still with the other two guys and watched Riley beat the hell out of the vampire, all the while making it clear that he never should have even tried to mess with Buffy. Soon the vampire was on his side on the ground and Riley began kicking him in the stomach. He was blind with fury, not just because the demon had gone after Buffy…. but because he was a *vampire*, just like Angel. In Riley’s mind, this vampire *was* Angel, the ‘man’ that Buffy loved… the reason she couldn’t be with him.

At last, he felt Forrest grab his arm and pull him back, "It’s enough, Man. Sunnydale’s cops may be inept, but they’ll be here any minute."

"Yeah, it’s been ten minutes since the call… we need to stake him *now*," Waylon informed him.

Riley coldly pulled a stake out from his ankle holster and stabbed the vampire through the heart before standing up straight and panting as he tried to get his head together.

After a moment, Waylon asked, "Do you guys think we should bail before the police show? I don’t really relish explaining our outfits."

"Maybe we should check on Buffy first," Graham suggested.

Riley looked at him and nodded, then pulled his keys out of his pocket. Slowly, he opened the front door… and scared the hell out of Buffy in the process. She gasped loudly until she saw it was him and visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Riley gave her a small smile, "Hey, you okay?"

Buffy nodded slowly, watching as he came in, followed by Forrest, Graham and Waylon, "What are you doing here? What’s going on?"

"Uh, one of your neighbors saw that va.. uh, guy outside and called 911. We heard the call and headed over," Waylon explained.

"He’s taken care of," Riley replied vaguely, going along with the lie for Waylon’s sake, since he didn’t know that Buffy knew all about vampires.

"Shit, cops are here. What are we going to tell them?" Forrest asked.

"Tell them we scared the guy off when we showed up," Riley replied.

"And why are we wearing these clothes?" Waylon asked, still worried about the fact that they looked very conspicuous.

"We had been planning to go play paintball, but I realized I had forgotten my wallet," Riley told him, getting a smile from Buffy as she remembered the last time he’d tried that lie.

As the other three left them alone, Riley looked more closely at Buffy, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I’m fine, I just… I got out of the shower and heard him yelling and pounding on the door. I… got dressed… but I couldn’t find a weapon."

He noticed the way her hands were shakily moving over her stomach and how her voice wavered and knew Buffy was far from fine. Tenderly, he reached out and lifted her chin with his hand to force her to look him in the eye. Buffy couldn’t hold back any longer and let the tears spill as a sob erupted from her throat.

"I was so helpless and scared! God, I hate it… I couldn’t even save myself, Riley," she cried against his chest as Riley wrapped his arms around her.

He kissed the top of her head and ran his hand through her hair as he whispered words of comfort to her. All the while, he thanked God that it was only as bad as leaving Buffy terrified. At least she and the baby weren’t hurt. They’d recover…. If it hadn’t turned out so well, Riley wasn’t sure if he could have lived with himself.

***

Riley handed Buffy another tissue as she slowly stopped crying. He gave her a gentle smile and asked, "Tell me the truth now. How are you?"

"A lot better than I was ten minutes ago," she laughed, then added, "I’m okay, really. A little embarrassed, actually. I can’t believe I acted like that. A stupid vampire scared the hell out of me."

"Hey, things are different now. You have your baby to worry about, if you had fought that vampire…."

"I might have lost her," Buffy concluded, "And I love her so much."

"Her? It’s a girl?" Riley asked, suddenly remembering that Buffy had been supposed to find out the sex of the baby that morning.

Buffy smiled and nodded, "Confirmed by both my doctor and Tara."

"Who is Tara?"

She shook her head, "Long story.. can I tell you later?"

"Absolutely," Riley replied, "A little girl…."

"Yeah, I have a daughter," Buffy said proudly, rubbing her hand over her stomach.

Riley beamed down at her, "That’s wonderful."

She gave him a surprised look, "I’m kind of amazed that you… well, care. Not only that you raced over here to help… but then you stayed… and now you’re talking to me about the baby."

"Why do you say that?"

Buffy looked down, "I was sort of thinking you despised me."

Riley shook his head, "I don’t despise you… I never did… I never *could*. I just… I just thought you weren’t… who I thought you were."

"Because I slept with you?"

"Because you slept with me when you’re in love with another man," he replied.

"Riley," she said quietly, then looked up at him, "I don’t want you think I am… that way. I don’t want you to think that you were just there for my convenience, because that’s not how it was. To be honest… with me being weak already… and you being so wonderful…"

Riley blushed and looked away in self-consciousness.

Buffy grinned before continuing, "It would take a strong woman to be so close to you and not *ever*… want you."

"Buffy…" he pleaded her to stop.

She nodded, "The point is that I hurt you and I hate myself for it. I don’t know if it’s possible… or if I even deserve it… but I would do anything to make things right between us again. I can only offer you what I have… and basically all I have is my friendship. And more than anything, I want that, Riley."

Riley was silent for a moment before saying, "Well, you do have your firstborn to offer as well."

Buffy giggled and smacked him on the arm playfully.

"However, your friendship is plenty for me," Riley added softly.

"Good," she grinned and held out her hand for him to shake, "Truce?"

"Truce," he replied, shaking her hand firmly before saying, "How about we seal the deal with you making me something to eat? I had some of your leftovers from last night… you’re getting to be a great cook. And since the guys decided I should have the night off to be with you, we have plenty of time for dinner."

Buffy sat up straighter, pleased by his compliment, "I was just going to make a pizza, but I’d love to cook for you. What would you like?"

"Pizza sounds great."

"No it doesn’t, you wanted real food, and I am really into the cooking thing."

"Really, you know I love pizza… it’s no… whatever that pasta thing you made was… but it’s very tasty and this way we could hang out while it cooks."

"Okay," she nodded and got up to go put the pizza in the oven, "This *is* the rising crust kind, which is the only kind I think is worth eating."

Riley smiled at her comment and leaned back against the couch cushions, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of him. He honestly wasn’t mad at Buffy any longer. Sure, his pride was still hurt, and he still ached knowing that no matter how he felt about her, she loved Angel and not him, but when he’d come so close to losing her, it had scared him more than anything in his life. After something like that… his angry feelings had taken a backseat and he’d been able to see and hear Buffy more rationally.

He knew now that she hadn’t used him. She’d gotten caught up in the moment, as had he. The only difference was that she’d done something she didn’t mean to do and he’d done something he’d dreamed of doing. It had happened, they couldn’t take it back… but they could be friends again… and Riley had every intention of keeping his promise to her, even if his heart broke in the process.

***

When Riley walked in to the apartment after a long, boring morning meeting at work, the last thing he expected to find was a ton of boxes in the living room and a tired-looking Buffy on the couch.

"Hey," he greeted, "What’s all this?"

Buffy grinned upon seeing him, "This is all my baby furniture."

"All of it?" he replied, surprised. He’d figured she would have to spend hours and hours of looking before finding anything she liked after the way she’d driven him nuts buying furniture for the rest of the apartment.

She nodded, "Yeah, I was going for simple and they had that, of course. Actually, I liked most of what I saw, there doesn’t seem to be too many hideous cribs. Anyway, I managed to find a really nice one. They had a changing table and dresser in the same style, so I bought the whole set. It put a major dent in my savings account, but this wasn’t a bad decision, right? I’m only four and a half months pregnant, so it’s not like I should have bought the clothes now, should I?"

"Buying the furniture first is what I would have done. Now when you buy clothes and… um… whatever else it is that you need to buy, you have somewhere to put it," Riley reassured her as he started examining the boxes, "Well, I have the rest of the day off… I was thinking you and I could go out to lunch. Then maybe I can get this all put together for you."

Buffy got out of the recliner and gave him a firm look, "I like the first part… but I can put this stuff together myself."

"Have you ever put furniture together?" he asked as she picked up her purse and started walking towards the door.

"No… but there’s a first time for everything."

Knowing he wouldn’t win this one, since Buffy was far too insistent on being independent, he moved on to the other thing she’d said that had been bugging him as the both of them walked out the front door to the patio, "You know, if you need money, I have been saving all that extra pay they give me to support the two of you."

"I told you to keep that money," she replied, "Don’t worry about me… I get paid again Monday."

"Still, you’d have quite a bit of money if you took it. You could go buy a bunch more things for the baby."

"I can do this on my own," she persisted. And she would. She was going to teach her daughter that she could do it all on her own… and she’d start by buying everything herself… let both Riley and Angel’s money rot for all she cared.

"Okay," he said, "I just want to make sure you know that if you ever need it, you have it. Plus, I think if you were to need it, it would about kill you to ask for it, so I like to offer… just in case."

Buffy couldn’t help but smile, knowing he was right. At that moment she was once again grateful that she had his friendship back. It had been nearly three weeks since they had made up and they were almost back to normal. They’d tease each other and pretend to argue… sometimes she could even forget for a moment or two how it had hurt when they had really argued. However, she could never forget what their one night together had felt like. How loved and safe she’d felt… how warm it had been in his arms.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to forget that part.

Buffy groaned, resisting the urge to take whatever object the piece of wood in her hands was and start beating the hell out of the rest of the pieces of the crib. She’d been on the floor in her bedroom for forty-five minutes and had yet to accomplish a single thing. It was one of the most frustrating things she had ever attempted to do.

Riley watched from the doorway, wondering whether or not to offer his help again, since Buffy’s plan to do it on her own obviously wasn’t going too well. She must have sensed his presence, though, because she turned around and gave him a forbidding look.

"Don’t even say it."

"I wasn’t going to say anything," Riley protested, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "I was just going to beg you to please let me help you as I have nothing else to do and I’m terribly bored."

Sighing, Buffy nodded her assent and set the wood down. As Riley sat down next to her, she looked over at him and complained, "I want to teach my daughter than women aren’t weak. Just because she is female doesn’t mean she can’t *happily* earn her own money, buy her own everything… live just fine without a man. Sure, men are nice to have around but they aren’t some all-powerful force that she can’t live without."

"Just because you happen to be a person who isn’t skilled at putting furniture together doesn’t mean you’re weak, Buffy. We all have our abilities and areas where we lack. We’re *human*, you know."

"What if my daughter goes to school and hears about all the wonderful things the other mom’s do… you know, like give the other kids fathers… and realizes her mommy is a total moron?"

"You’re not a moron. My father made a point to teach me how to build things and work on cars… fix stuff… so I don’t have to run to the repairman for everything. It’s inconvenient and expensive. You see, my dad earned all his money. He was raised in a middle-class household. Even though *I* grew up well off, my father knew that the career I chose may not pay all that well, so I might not be as comfortable as an adult. Therefore, I have skills."

"I wish I had skills."

"You have skills."

"Yeah! Maybe I can teach my daughter how to decapitate by the time she is five. I’ll be so proud," Buffy replied sarcastically.

"Hey, knock it off," Riley told her as he tossed aside the instructions. No wonder she was having trouble… they were the kind that made no sense. Luckily he was pretty good at building things just by looking at them. "You can’t let one little thing turn you into Miss Negativity."

"I’m sorry, I’m just… wigging," Buffy replied, "I.. I noticed a lot of people give me looks. It’s only been in the past month or so since I started showing… I get stares and sometimes dirty looks. Like this morning, when I was buying this stuff I saw this old lady shake her head, all disapproving-like… because I’m young and pregnant and obviously keeping the baby."

"Don’t let it bug you… I know it’s hard, but just ignore people like that. They don’t know anything about you… what gives her the right to judge you?" Riley responded, doleful that she had indeed noticed the looks she got in public. They hadn’t gone anywhere together much in quite a while, but he had noticed a few of the patrons in the restaurant staring at her when they had their lunch. It had irritated him, but he hadn’t acted on it… since Buffy didn’t appear to see what was going on and it would only upset her.

"I know… you’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t care what they think because it doesn’t affect my life in any way, but… people automatically assume that because I’m nineteen, my baby’s going to have a bad life. She’ll never have this or that… she’ll be all messed up because I am young and her father is already gone. I want to believe they are wrong… but I have all these doubts. I read all these books and check out all these websites, but in the grand scheme of things…" Buffy said, then sighed, "I don’t know what I’m doing."

Riley stopped putting the crib together and looked at her, "Look, I know I am not a parent, but I have lived on this Earth and interacted with humans for twenty-two years, so I feel qualified in saying you’re a great person. You’re loving and generous and smart… and I just *know* you’ll be a great mom. I don’t think it’s something you can really train or be completely prepared for, though…. some of it is instinct… and some of it is just discovery."

"Well, what if my instincts are faulty or while I’m busy discovering stuff, I neglect her in some way? She’s going to need me for *everything*, Riley!"

"Calm down," he told her, "You know… you can always call my mom. Anytime you want. You can call her now, tell her how you’re scared… she’ll tell you it’s normal. You can call her every day and she’ll be ecstatic to help you. After the baby comes, she’ll give you all her advice. So there, you have someone who has raised four children just a phone call away."

Buffy gave him a small smile, "You’re sweet."

"It’s one of my many charms," he joked.

Seeing that the crib was actually beginning to resemble a crib, Buffy nodded and said, "And the other would have to be your fine carpentry skills… you’re amazing!"

Riley grinned while trying not to have warm fuzzy feelings because of her comments. She liked him, thought he was a great friend, but clearly didn’t love him back, so he needed to quit getting giddy whenever Buffy shot a smile his way. It would only break his heart even more when their time was up in just under nine months.

Nine months had never seemed so short.

***

Yawning, Riley sat in his car, waiting for the garage door to open all the way so that he could pull his jeep into it’s spot. It had been a hard night, and none of the HST’s had given him an easy time. His whole body felt like one giant bruise and nothing sounded better than climbing into bed and sleeping until the pain was gone or he died- whatever came first.

Immediately, he noticed Buffy’s car was gone. A million thoughts raced through his head, and all of them scared the hell out of him. It was two o’clock in the morning, where could she be? He seriously doubted it was anywhere good. What if something was wrong with the baby? What if Buffy’d had an accident? Riley mentally scorned himself for not being there for her. If anything happened… he’d never forgive himself.

Trying to remain calm, Riley parked in the garage and hit the button so the heavy door would slide back down, as was his normal routine. If he ran around hysterically, what good would he be to anyone? Perhaps there had been an emergency… but with one of Buffy’s friends. Hell, even though it had never happened in the three months they’d been living together, maybe she was spending the night at Willow’s.

As he unlocked the front door and entered the darkened apartment, Riley prayed he’d find a note with an explanation.

There was nothing. No note, no blood, no huge mess to indicate that something had happened. If it was two in the afternoon instead of the middle of the night, he’d be just fine. But it *was* the middle of the night and Buffy was gone… and not knowing where was quickly driving him nuts.

Riley grabbed the phone, deciding that he’d try calling Buffy’s friends despite the late hour. This definitely constituted an emergency and one of them had to know what was going on. He’d just found Giles’ number in the address book Buffy had filled out and placed next to the phone when the front door opened and Buffy walked in, a bag of groceries in one arm and a package of Oreo’s in the other.

"Hey, when did you get home?" she asked casually, popping a cookie in her mouth.

"Where have you been?" he exclaimed, "I was freaking out!"

"Gwocwey stowe," Buffy replied, gesturing to the bag in her arm as she swallowed the cookie, "I am having major cravings."

Sighing, Riley set the phone down and shook his head, "I can’t believe you went out alone at this time of night."

"I was *hungry* and you absolutely do not understand what it’s like to be pregnant and craving things. I have been good and just ignored my cravings for the past week, but I can’t do it anymore. I *needed* Oreo’s… so I went and got them."

"You should have waited for me, I would have been happy to go out for you. It’s not safe!"

"You didn’t get me pregnant, this is not your obligation," Buffy reminded him.

Riley took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to calm himself. Once he felt he could speak without screaming, he looked at her again and said, "Look, I didn’t get you pregnant, I know that. I am also aware I am not your real husband. I am basically your roommate. Even with all the knowledge about our situation that I possess… I still *insist* that you let me go get whatever you are craving so that you don’t go out in the middle of the night with vampires and other demons on the prowl while you are five months pregnant!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked past him to the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter, "Look, like I said, you don’t understand what it’s like. When I get a craving, it’s like ‘Buffy, have it now! Now now now!’ and I feel like if I don’t get whatever I am craving in my mouth right away, I will die. So it’s not like I can just look at the clock and say ‘Oh, Riley will be home in an hour, I’ll just send him back out when he gets home from work.’ and be fine!"

"You do have a point there. I need to be around more… I’ll tell Walsh I need to start getting off earlier. Do you suppose if I was off by ten every night you would be able to avoid heading out on your own?"

"Riley, you don’t have to mess with your whole schedule for me," she replied, trying to find a spot for her jumbo-size Cool Whip in the refrigerator.

"Buffy, do you really think I will mind being the only guy who never has to pull a graveyard shift? Trust me, I will owe *you* for this one," he said honestly, "Now, will you let me be your official craving-fulfiller?"

Buffy shrugged, "I don’t always get cravings really late at night. Sometimes I get them earlier… like at eight. You can’t be around 24/7."

"Okay, then you can call Giles or Xander and see if they will pick up what you want. Hell, call Lowell House, any of those guys will be happy to run to the store for you as long as they aren’t working," Riley persuaded, "Just promise me that you won’t be running around at night for snacks."

Buffy chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, contemplating his arrangement. Giving him a small smile, she nodded, "I’ll *try*."

"Thank you," he responded, gripping her shoulders as he pretended to be overcome with gratitude, "You’re a fine, fine woman, Buffy."

She chuckled, then went back to unpacking her groceries, this time with Riley’s help. As he pulled out the jar of pickles, he grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but was halted when Buffy covered it with her hand, "Say anything and die."

Riley beamed down at her as she pulled her hand away, "I wouldn’t dare."

Satisfied, Buffy went back to putting the last of the groceries away before grabbing her opened package of Oreo’s and a jar of chunky peanut butter before heading out of the kitchen, "I don’t know about you, but I am *so* not tired! Want to watch some TV?"

"Sounds like a great way to wind down," Riley replied, grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator before following her, "You don’t have to work tomorrow?"

"Nope," Buffy shook her head, "Sunday’s really aren’t a big day for us, as you know, so Giles decided just to give me a weekend day off… and I absolutely don’t mind. I’ve got my savings built up again, so I think I’ll go shopping. I want to get all the bedding for the crib and some more maternity clothes. I may even buy some baby clothes… I’m just dying to buy a little dress!"

"Well that seems fun… can I join you?" Riley asked, sitting a comfortable distance away from her on the couch.

Surprised, Buffy looked at him and asked, "You seriously want to go shopping for baby stuff and maternity clothes?"

"Sure, I’m all for new experiences."

Buffy smiled and shook her head, "Why not?"

***

"What’s this for?" Riley asked, holding up the crib bumpers Buffy had set in the cart.

"I think it keeps the baby from falling out of the crib," she replied, tossing in two sets of sheets.

"Won’t the bars do that?"

"Yeah, but I think that it keeps the baby from falling… between… things…" Buffy explained lamely, "All I know is your mom put it on the list and it was under ‘Things you must have’ not ‘Things it would be nice to have’ so I am getting it. Your sister didn’t have crib bumpers?"

Riley shrugged, "I never really paid attention. I had no idea *little* babies needed so much stuff!"

"They do… and it’s all really expensive," Buffy agreed, sighing at the prices. Good thing she’d really stuck to her plan to save money for the baby. Then again, buying maternity clothes wasn’t nearly as fun as buying all the cute clothes she used to be able to wear, so the temptation was kind of… nonexistent.

"So, how are we doing, list-wise?"

"We’ve made a dent, but that’s about it. After today, I’ll have all the furniture and bedding, but I still need a ton of clothes, all the grooming and medical and bath stuff, plus the stroller, car seat, high chair… and extras."

"On the bright side, you have four more months," he smiled winsomely.

Buffy laughed as she pushed the cart towards the lamps section. There was probably already enough light in her bedroom, but Riley’s mom had suggested she get a baby lamp anyway, because then she’d have a dim lamp… which was apparently important when it was a baby’s room. Besides, they were so cute!

"Ooh!" Buffy squealed, pointing at one of the lamps.

"What?"

"It’s Looney Tunes, just like the bedding, and it’s very cute! I have a theme!"

"And you’re this excited?"

"Riley, I have just picked the theme for my daughter’s nursery, it’s a big deal," Buffy informed him.

"Oh, okay," he shrugged, "Well, I like it."

Buffy grinned and nodded enthusiastically, "I think it’s adorable."

Riley smiled at her excitement, placing one of the boxes that held the lamp in the crowded cart, "I’m thinking we might need a second cart."

"We’re almost done," she told him.

"Oh, you’re almost out of money?" he teased.

"You wish," she laughed, "I still need to go to the mall to get some maternity clothes. If you’re bored, though, we can go home first and I can go on my own."

"Are you crazy? I’ve never had so much fun!"

"Ha. Ha. Just remember, I am not forcing you into this."

"Seriously, I’m enjoying myself," Riley replied, stopping himself before he got in trouble by telling her how much he treasured any time he could spend with her. In fact, he’d even found himself having a good time choosing a diaper disposal system with her. It was almost like… they were real. And despite his efforts to stop loving Buffy, despite knowing how it would only hurt him… being her husband and a father to her child were his greatest desires.

"Okay, but I have a feeling once we get in the store and you have to look at all these fat clothes, you’re going to bail on me," Buffy said as they approached a cash register and begin loading the merchandise on the counter, "Which is fine… feel free to go elsewhere if you’d like."

Riley rolled his eyes, knowing it was useless to argue with her, "When are you buying baby clothes?"

"Not for a while, I guess. I really need to save more for that…. plus, Willow would be mad. She called this morning and tried to get me to promise to hold off on it. She insists she wants to come with me, because it’s so fun."

"How does Willow know whether or not shopping for babies is fun?"

Buffy shrugged, "Well, the clothes are all so cute and little… it’s a girl thing."

"I suppose," he replied, "Although I have a feeling all the guys I work with would adore shopping with you as well."

"Well… they’re unusual."

Riley smiled as he watched Buffy pay the cashier, wanting to tell her it was due to all the guys adoring *her* because it was so easy, such a natural thing to do. Shaking his head, he scolded himself for letting his thoughts trail off in that direction. Good God, he was acting like a lovesick fool. When would he get it through his head that Buffy didn’t love him, didn’t want to be with him… so he might as well forget it?

***

"I can’t believe this is actually entertaining to you," Buffy uttered, looking through the rack for her size.

"Well, there is obviously a lot you don’t know," Riley answered, shooting a smile at her as he pulled out a small pair of the black shorts, "Here you go."

Buffy took the shorts and frowned, "It makes me ill to think I need such huge pants."

"They aren’t huge and you’re *pregnant*," Riley reminded her.

"I know," she sighed, holding the shorts up to her, "As much as I hate to say it, I’m going to get quite a bit bigger. I have, like, three more months of growing and I’m gaining a pound a week. Do you really think I can wear a small?"

Riley nodded, "They’re awfully stretchy and the saleslady did tell you that you should wear whatever size you wore before you were pregnant."

"I hope so, because if I get so big I have to buy bigger sizes in *maternity*, I’ll be so depressed," Buffy lamented, looking through some khaki shortalls.

"Maybe you’re having twins," Riley suggested, then laughed as she glared at him, "Just kidding, I think you’re beautiful."

Buffy looked away and blushed uncomfortably, which made Riley instantly regret his slip. They were quiet for a few moments as Buffy picked out several items of clothing that caught her eye. When the pile started to grow heavy, she once again looked him in the eye.

"Time to try stuff on."

"Okay," he said, following her towards the dressing room, "Are you going to show me how you look in it?"

"Only if it’s not too wretched," she responded half-jokingly before disappearing into the dressing room.

Riley sat down in a chair, suddenly aware of where he was… and how much he didn’t feel like he fit in. There were few men in the store… and Buffy was certainly the youngest shopper. In fact, the only people younger than her were either in strollers or in-utero. Luckily, nobody else seemed to notice.

After a few moments, Buffy emerged in a pink short set with a worried look on her face, "Tell me the truth, do I remind you of bubble gum?"

***

"You sure you don’t mind?"

"Riley, I have spent the past three hours dragging you through Babies R Us and Motherhood Maternity," Buffy answered, "I think I can survive a trip to Sam Goody and those *awful* CD’s."

Riley looked down at her and smiled, "I just don’t want to wear your pregnant self out."

"Boy you sure are funny today!"

"You give me a lot of good material," he retorted, swerving to avoid her arm as she tried to smack him.

"You’re lucky I am klutz-girl with my big belly," Buffy told him as she gave up on her revenge and walked through the entry to the music store.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he smiled, following her.

Riley headed to the front of the pop section, looking for the 3 Doors Down CD, while Buffy browsed through the CD’s, not looking for anything specifically. He quickly found his CD and decided on buying it before walking up to the blonde.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Not really, you getting that one?" Buffy asked, gesturing to the CD in his hand.

Riley nodded, "I’ll just go pay then."

"Sounds cool," she replied, picking up a Sarah McLachlan CD, "I’ll be right over."

Riley walked over to the cash register and got in line, trying to think of a good place to stop for lunch. He was getting pretty hungry and despite the fact that she’d been munching on a bag of pretzels she carried in her purse, he had a feeling Buffy could eat a meal.

Glancing up, Buffy saw that Riley still had several people in front of him in line, so she continued looking through the CD’s. She really could use some new ones, since the Dido CD Riley had bought her was her one and only, but she really needed to save up for the baby. She cringed as she thought of all she had left to buy. The car seat and stroller would be at least several hundred more dollars, and her daughter still had no clothes.

Sighing, Buffy decided not to even bother looking and started walking towards Riley. She passed a couple young girls and an older woman who must have been the mother of one of them on the way, but as soon as they were behind her, she heard someone utter "slut."

Pausing, Buffy turned and looked to find the older woman giving her a dirty look. Embarrassed, Buffy hurried over to Riley, causing him to give her a concerned look as she stopped next to him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I’m just… done shopping."

"Okay, when we get out of here, want to stop for lunch? I was thinking since you said you were craving spicy stuff earlier, we could go to Chevy’s," he suggested.

Buffy nodded quickly, "Sounds good."

"Are you sure you’re alright?" he asked again, still not convinced that everything was okay.

"Yeah, I’m fine," she insisted, but didn’t really sound convincing.

Riley didn’t push, but he still wondered what was going on with her. They’d been having such a good day, what could have upset her so much?

***

"Buffy, just tell me one thing."

Startled, Buffy looked up from the romance novel she’d been reading and saw Riley rush through the Magic Box towards her, out of breath with a several papers clutched in his hand. Looking confused, she asked "What?"

"You can’t just take off on Saturday the 27^th, can you? It’s absolutely ridiculous for her to expect you to not only *want* to go to *Iowa*, but that you’ll be able to just drop everything, get time off work, and head on over there with a week’s notice," Riley ranted, then realized he had to explain, "I got a letter from my mom. She also sent two plane tickets to leave for Iowa next Saturday because she wants you and I to go to my grandmother’s birthday party."

"She wants *me* there too?"

"Exactly! It’s my grandmother and I can understand her wanting me there, but there’s no reason to drag you too," Riley replied, shaking his head.

Buffy couldn’t help but feel a little flattered, since she’d assumed she was Riley’s ‘dirty little secret’ in the sense that his parents may approve and support him, but they probably wouldn’t tell the rest of the family. However, if Claire wanted her there, she must have told everyone else.

"Anyway, I called her and she won’t listen to reason," Riley continued, "She says that she’ll only accept you not coming if you can’t get off work. She is just so positive you’ll love being with my family. Ridiculous, I know. So anyway, I came here to hear you tell me you can’t get off work so I’ll call her again and let her know."

"Oh… well, I don’t know. I’ve never asked Giles about time off," Buffy said, straightening and slowly walking towards the back, "I can ask him now, though."

Riley had been about to protest, to tell her it wasn’t necessary to ask since his mother would never know the truth… but he knew a part of him wanted her to ask. After all, if he’d really wanted to, he could have waited a while, then called his mother and lied that Buffy couldn’t get time off. He was positive if he’d asked her to, Buffy would have lied to cover for him. However, there was that part of him that didn’t care about his mother trying to manipulate them. That part of him rather liked the idea of bringing Buffy home as his wife, spending the week with her… in fact, the idea of being away from her for a week was rather unbearable.

Silent, Riley followed her and found Giles sitting at his desk in his office, going through some paperwork. He looked up and smiled at them, "Is everything okay?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah, I just wanted to check with you about time off… Riley’s mom wants us both to go to Iowa for his grandmother’s birthday."

"Oh?" Giles asked, removing his glasses and smiling warmly at Buffy. He knew her well and could tell she was rather excited by the idea. After all, he had quickly gathered that she was fond of her mother-in-law and probably looked forward to meeting her.

"Yeah, my mom isn’t big on asking people what *they* want to do…. She sent me two plane tickets, but I informed her that Buffy does have a job and she can’t just take off without any notice. However, she still wanted me to check."

"When would you need off?" Giles asked, turning towards his calendar.

"We’d leave May 27^th and get back June 3^rd," Riley replied.

Giles nodded and marked the dates on his calendar, "I am sure Anya and I will be able to handle a week without Buffy, as wonderful as she is. Besides, you need a vacation."

Buffy smiled and kissed Giles’ cheek, "Thank you."

Blushing, Giles cleaned his classes, "You’re welcome."

Hearing the bell from the door ding, Buffy headed back out of the office, "I better get back out there."

"Thanks Giles, I appreciate it," Riley told the older man, "My mother would have driven me insane if I hadn’t been able to bring Buffy."

"Well, she honestly does need a vacation," Giles replied, "Just promise me you’ll take good care of her?"

"Absolutely," Riley answered, "I’ll guard her with my life."

"You okay?" Riley asked seeing the way Buffy was staring at the back of the seat in front of her, looking very worried.

Startled, Buffy looked over at him, "What? Oh, um… yeah, I’m great."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. All morning she’d seemed like a nervous wreck, up hours before him so that she could check three times to make sure she had everything she could possibly need. Something was definitely up, and they had another two hours before they got to Denver for their layover. What better way to spend the time than picking Buffy’s brain?

"Okay, if you’re great, why do you look so stressed?"

Buffy frowned, "I don’t look stressed."

"Yes you do," he chuckled, "Either that or you’re sick."

"Gee thanks, Riley… I really needed to know how bad I look."

"You don’t look sick," he assured her, "But you have a strange look on your face and you’re fidgety. You’re nervous, right?"

She shrugged, "A little… that’s how I get when I fly… especially since we have to change planes. I’m just anxious about missing our second flight."

"Well, considering this one left on time and it’s May, so the odds of Denver being a snowed in mess are extremely slim, you don’t have to worry."

"Yeah, good point," Buffy replied, giving him a smile for show that he saw right through before she continued staring at the back of the seat.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?" he asked, "I can sit here for a few more minutes and watch you be nervous before trying to drag an answer out of you again, or you can just tell me and we can work through it now. I’m fine- you’re amusing me either way… so it’s up to you."

Buffy sighed and replied, without looking at him, "I’m scared about meeting your family."

"What? Why?"

"Because I’m the girl who is such an idiot she got herself knocked up by a guy who will have nothing to do with the baby. The poor pathetic girl who you married to save from a life living in the gutter."

Riley couldn’t help but laugh, "Don’t forget to throw in ‘drama queen’ to all these attributes you’re assigning yourself."

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned to face him, "The point is they will either hate me or pity me. I never should have gone along with this. Your mother is so kind, but this is just going to end up humiliating me."

"You couldn’t be more wrong," Riley told her, "*I* know my family, I’ll tell you what it’s going to be like. You’re going to meet a ton of people who will probably dote on you constantly. They will all love you and make you feel adored until it drives you crazy. In fact, they’ll probably want to trade me in and have *you* as a family member."

Buffy smiled, "You really think they won’t think badly of me being pregnant so young… and not married to the father? I mean… a lot of people absolutely do not approve of it…. People who don’t even *know* me, much less have a relative who married me."

"Hey, my family is better than all those idiots," Riley protested, "Trust me, you won’t hear a single negative comment from any of them. Not only would they have to answer to me, they’d have to deal with my mother- way scary. So even if they can somehow not succumb to your charms… they’ll be decent to you."

Relieved that she seemed satisfied, Riley began to wonder whether or not he was telling her the truth. He had no doubt that his family could never make rude comments to her, even if the older relatives disapproved of pre-marital sex…. plus they would be prepared for the fact that she was pregnant before seeing her… so they wouldn’t be shocked. No, they definitely wouldn’t be rude… and hopefully they would be more nurturing than pitying….

However, *he* probably had reason to worry. Riley had found that when it came to his family, he had to live up to a higher set of standards than anyone who wasn’t related to them. Somehow, he had little doubt that despite the fact that Buffy had done something so very against their beliefs, they could love her and be quite angry with him for marrying a girl with the intent to divorce her… despite the fact that it *was* only to help the girl they loved.

As Buffy relaxed and started reading a magazine, Riley started dreading their arrival in Iowa.

***

"God, I hope they let us off here soon," Buffy exclaimed, waiting for the seatbelt light to go off. They’d landed in Des Moines a few minutes earlier and she’d been waiting impatiently for them to be able to get out of their seats ever since. At Riley’s questioning look, she explained, "I need to use the restroom really badly."

"Again?" he asked, since she’d used the bathroom at least five times in the hour and a half flight, as well as quite a few times on the first flight.

"I’m pregnant, Riley. I pee a lot," she replied defensively.

One of the flight attendants must have noticed the distressed look on Buffy’s face, because she approached them and smiled, "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," Riley said quickly as Buffy shook her head and asked, "Would it be possible for me to use the lavatory?"

"Normally we want everyone in their seats, but we’ve stopped moving and we can make an exception for you," the woman replied.

"Oh good," Buffy sighed, pulling the seatbelt off and struggling out of her seat.

Riley felt a pang of sympathy, suddenly seeing how several hours on planes would be extremely uncomfortable for Buffy. She hadn’t even said a word of complaint.

"Poor thing," the flight attendant commented as she watched Buffy disappear into the bathroom, "I took a flight when I was six months along… it was three of the longest, most unpleasant hours of my life. When is she due?"

"August 19^th," Riley replied.

"Oh, so she’s six months too… she seems a little small for it."

"Not to hear her tell it," he joked, but at the same time worried about Buffy. He didn’t know a lot about pregnant women, so he’d assumed she was normal. Then again, maybe the woman was wrong. He’d know for sure in a few moments when his mother saw them.

The woman laughed, "This is your first?"

Riley nodded quickly, feeling kind of uncomfortable since he *was* lying, but relieved that someone wasn’t being all disapproving about the fact that the two ‘parents’ in this situation were pretty young.

"Don’t worry, I complained the whole time about all my symptoms and all the weight I gained… but I want another!"

Riley wasn’t sure how to reply, but luckily Buffy came back to her seat then and smiled gratefully at the flight attendant, "Thank you *so* much!"

"You’re welcome," the woman replied, "I better get up there so you don’t end up giving birth on here."

Buffy grinned at Riley as she left, "She is a *saint*."

"Yes, she is very nice," Riley agreed, then noticed the seatbelt light went off and people started getting up, "I guess we should get ready to get off."

If Buffy noticed that Riley tried to casually be the last person left on the plane, she didn’t let on. Usually when he flew anywhere, if you didn’t get yourself in the aisle right away, you had to wait for everyone to pass you before getting off, but of course some good citizen was more than happy to let the pregnant girl get in front of them, so they were still off the plane quickly.

As soon as they entered the airport terminal, Riley found himself assaulted by his mother. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek, babbling nonsensically at how wonderful it was to see her boy again.

Buffy hung back, shyly smiling as she watched Riley’s mother ecstatic reaction to his arrival. However, a moment later, she found herself being pulled into Claire Finn’s embrace. Startled, she shot a questioning look at Riley, but he just grinned at her, amused by his mother’s reaction. Soon he noticed his sister was also present, content to stand a few feet away and silently observe their mother gushing over her brother and her new sister-in-law.

"Rach," Riley greeted, hugging his older sister.

Rachel hugged him back and smiled, "Good Lord, are you even *more* brawny than before?"

"Of course, I have to fend off all the females that jump all over me constantly," he joked.

"Well, that’s important now… the ring’s not enough to deter them?" she asked, pointing out the wedding ring Riley wore out of habit. Since he wasn’t interested in dating anyone and spent a lot of his time with people who thought they really were married… and he, himself, wished they really were married… it was easier to just keep the ring on all the time.

"Uh… you know…"

Rachel smiled, "I know the circumstances of your marriage. I’m just teasing… although judging by Mom’s love for her… you may not be allowed to get divorced."

As the two of them turned to watch as Claire was still hugging Buffy tightly and patting her belly, Riley wished it was that simple.

"Oh dear, you’re six months pregnant now, right?" Claire asked.

Buffy nodded, "As of yesterday."

"Honey, you’re too thin."

"I’m a lot of things… thin is not one of them."

Claire put her arm around her and started leading her towards her son and daughter, "You’re pregnant, and for a pregnant woman, you are too thin. Riley’s obviously doing a bad job of taking care of you."

"Ma, I try… wait until you see how stubborn she is," Riley defended himself, "Besides, she really pigs out… I don’t know why she doesn’t gain a ton of weight."

Rachel punched him in the arm, "Please Buffy, allow me."

"Good job, Honey," Claire commented, smiling as her son rubbed his arm, "Buffy, this is my daughter, Rachel."

"Hi, it’s so nice to meet you," Buffy said to the older woman with Riley’s dark blonde-to-light brown hair and blue eyes, "I’ve heard a lot about you from Riley and your mother."

"Don’t believe a word of it," Rachel grinned, leaning over to give Buffy a gentle hug.

"Is she not the most darling thing you have ever seen?" Claire commented, stroking her hand over the back of Buffy’s hair fondly.

Rachel nodded and winked at Buffy, "She’s adorable."

"We’d better go get your luggage so we can head home," Claire said, "Brian and the kids are all over at our house with Daddy and everyone else is coming over so we can have a barbecue. Do you like barbecues, Buffy?"

"Sure," Buffy replied.

"Good, we need to get started right away. Fatten you up!"

Riley smiled as he and Rachel trailed after Buffy and Claire as the older woman chattered on. He knew he no longer needed to worry about Buffy- Claire was on the case. Buffy had shown weakness and that was all his mother needed to take charge. Buffy didn’t stand a chance.

***

"Hey Rach, I thought you swore you would never have a mini-van?" Riley asked, grinning at the back of her head from his spot in the middle row of seats in his sister’s Durango.

"This isn’t a mini-van, it’s an SUV!" she replied defensively.

Riley smirked at Buffy, who rolled her eyes, before replying, "Well it has three rows of seats, just like a mini-van. What’s the difference?"

"No sliding doors! Plus, the third row was only an option and can fold it down and then it’s a two-rows-of-seats-*SUV*."

"Doesn’t sound like a big difference to me."

Rachel made a frustrated sound in the front seat.

"What’s wrong with a mini-van, anyway?" Buffy asked.

"I don’t know, Dear," Claire sighed, "Rachel is just very conceited about them, so of course Riley has to tease her about it."

"You don’t have a brother, do you Buffy?" Rachel asked.

Buffy shook her head, "I’m an only child."

"Consider yourself lucky," Rachel assured her, "A brother’s sole purpose is to make your life Hell."

"Rachel, don’t tell her that. Buffy, you now have *two* brothers and a sister," Claire informed her.

"God, Mom, are you trying to make her heave herself from a moving vehicle?" Riley exclaimed.

"Riley," Claire said in her warning voice, then cried, "Buffy look there! That is the hospital where Riley was born!"

Buffy indulged her, peering out the window at the tall building. Next to her, Riley began silently praying that his mother would leave out all embarrassing details from the tour she was most likely to give Buffy on the rest of the way home.

***

Riley awoke to the sound of Buffy, Rachel and his mother laughing hysterically. He immediately moved his hand over his face, checking to see if he’d drooled during what had to have been a short nap since they still weren’t home. However, he couldn’t find anything they could be laughing at and began wondering what he’d done.

"What?" he asked drowsily.

The three of them began laughing harder until Rachel caught her breath, "Mom just told Buffy about that time when you were twelve and had a crush on Missy Samuels."

Riley felt himself blush, mortified. He still couldn’t believe he had been such a fool to think that he, a mere twelve year old, could date a seventeen year old. He’d been the butt of many family jokes for quite a while after that.

Buffy patted his arm and smiled, "I think it’s cute."

Riley rolled his eyes, not at all comforted. At long last, they stopped laughing a moment later, leaving the vehicle in comfortable silence. Soon, their home came into view and Riley felt his heart warm, as it always did when he first saw the place he’d where grown up after being away.

He was so caught up in his memories that he didn’t notice Rachel clearing her throat and giving her mother a pointed look. Claire noticed and reluctantly turned in her seat to face Riley and Buffy.

"Honey, you know how I told you Grandma was going to be staying with us for the week too?"

Riley nodded, "Yeah."

"I may have… forgotten… to tell her everything," Claire admitted, "You see, the first thing I told her about your… situation… was that you’d gotten married and she was so excited that I didn’t have the heart to tell her the rest of it."

"The rest of it?" Riley asked, trying to understand what she was telling him.

"She sort of thinks that you and Buffy are really married… a regular couple… and that this is your baby."

"What?! Mom, how could you?"

"You know what, Riley, *you* didn’t have the nerve to do it yourself! I didn’t hear you offering to tell the family! You were more than happy to let me explain everything," Claire replied defensively, "You know that I agree with your decision… it’s just not an easy thing to tell every member of the family, especially Grandma. She’s so fragile, you know."

Riley sighed, "You didn’t tell anyone the truth, did you?"

"I did… well, I told Rachel and Noah and Caleb and Daddy knows…"

"But nobody else?" Riley asked, then sighed when his mother nodded, "Great… this is going to be a wonderful vacation. I’m going to get yelled at by the entire family."

Buffy cleared her throat, feeling incredibly uncomfortable after witnessing the family argument, "If you would prefer, I can tell everyone the truth. They won’t like me anyway… and it might make it easier on you."

"Buffy, I won’t make you do that," Riley replied quietly as Rachel stopped the car in the round driveway in front of the house. Buffy forgot that she was about to argue with him as she stared at the beautiful white home. It was huge! She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but this was not it.

"Well, I was thinking that you wouldn’t have to say a word to them. You two are used to pretending you’re a regular couple back home, right?" Claire asked, "You could just do that here as well."

Riley frowned, realizing there was probably a lot more to it than his mother just not having the nerve to tell everyone the truth. He had already known she adored Buffy… and now that he thought about it, he wouldn’t put it past her to do some manipulating to get Buffy to be her real daughter-in-law.

But what other choice did he have?

As Rachel and Claire opened their door and climbed out of the car, Buffy put her hand on top of Riley’s to stop him from pulling off his seatbelt, "I’ll do it if you want… tell them the truth, that is."

She honestly meant it, but half-hoped he’d tell her no. Telling a bunch of people she didn’t know that she’d gotten herself knocked up and their relative that they loved had screwed his life up over it was not her idea of a good time… but she owed Riley.

Riley shook his head, "We can do this, it’ll be fine."

"But what will you tell them when we divorce?"

Riley shrugged, "I guess the same thing I’ll tell all the guys."

"Oh," Buffy replied quietly and set to removing her own seatbelt while trying not to let it bother her that Riley’s family would end up hating her. She’d probably referred to by some horrible nickname for years to come.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy climbed out of the vehicle and walked around to the back where everyone else was pulling out the luggage. All her efforts to assist were thwarted so she was forced to follow up a few stairs to the front door of the home.

Buffy’s eyes widened as she took in the even more beautiful inside of the home. She still had no idea who Grant Wood was, but she knew Riley wasn’t exaggerating when he’d told her that it was like he’d grown up in one of his paintings. The house was something out a movie. A movie with the perfect family in the perfect home. She was content to stand in the middle of the foyer and take in the curved staircase leading to the second floor, as well as the various doorways to other rooms in the house.

"Are you okay, Dear?" Claire asked, touching Buffy’s shoulder in concern.

Shaken out of her reverie, Buffy smiled at her, "Sorry, it’s just… your home is so lovely."

"Oh, you are such a sweetheart," Claire grinned, hugging Buffy, "I just love this girl!"

Rachel leaned closer to Riley, "You do realize that Mom has basically adopted Buffy, right? She always wanted another daughter… and now she has one that’s too naïve not to let her dote and persuade to her heart’s desire. I haven’t let her do it… with ease… for years… but Buffy won’t wise up for quite a while."

Riley shrugged, "Let her have her fun. I think Buffy could use some mothering… even an overdose of it. She’s gone without for a while. Besides… it’s only for seven and a half more months."

Rachel snorted and shook her head before walking through the door to the kitchen. Riley frowned and was about to follow her and demand to know what she was trying to imply when his mother grabbed his hand while wrapping her other arm around Buffy’s shoulders.

"Let’s leave the bags here so we can go find everyone else. They’re probably in the backyard," she told them as she led them through various rooms to the family room in the back of the house so they could go out the sliding door to the back, "Buffy, Riley will give you the grand tour later. I’d do it now, but it’s late and you need to eat."

"Oh, I’m okay," Buffy protested.

"Nonsense… besides, everyone is *dying* to meet you!"

As Claire pulled them out the door, Buffy found there was a vast backyard with plenty of free space, as well as a basketball hoop set up with concrete all around off to one side, a small playset near it, and a garden on the other side, plus there was a large picnic table and other smaller tables with food all over them near the brick barbecue.

"Uncle Riley!"

A small girl with nearly black hair raced towards them and flung her skinny arms around Riley’s neck just as he bent down to pick her up, "Hey Nadia, how’s my favorite niece?"

Nadia giggled, "I’m your *only* niece, silly."

"Oh, I forgot!" Riley exclaimed, grinning at the little girl, then found another set of arms around his leg. Looking down, he saw her twin brother beaming up at him, "Aidan!"

"Hey Uncle Riley," the boy greeted eagerly, excited to see the uncle he idolized after such a long time.

"Buffy, this is Nadia and Aidan," Claire introduced the newest member of her family to her eldest two grandchildren, "They’re Rachel’s twins."

"Yes, Rachel thought she was being quite witty, since Aidan is Nadia spelled backwards," Riley smirked.

"Oh, that *is* pretty cool," Buffy remarked, making a mental note to try and get some advice from Riley’s sister about baby names. She seemed to change her mind on a weekly basis.

"You two, this is your new Aunt Buffy. Remember I told you about her?"

Nadia nodded, "You’re married to Uncle Riley now."

"And you’re going to have a baby that will be our cousin," Aidan added.

"That’s right," Buffy nodded, not being able to help but feel a small pang knowing that these children would end up very confused when she suddenly wasn’t their aunt anymore…. and their cousin disappeared as well. Still, it was hard not to smile at their adorable faces as they looked at her. "It’s so nice to finally meet you two. Your Uncle Riley has told me a lot about you. I shopped with him for your birthday gifts."

"I’m six now," Aidan informed her, holding up one hand and one finger on the other hand.

"Me too," Nadia piped up, "We’re twins, but I’m a little older."

"Wow, that’s pretty special being a big sister!"

"Yeah, and I have another little brother, his name is Randy," Nadia informed her, "But he’s three and just a little kid."

"Oh," Buffy nodded, trying not to laugh at the fact that the six year old obviously thought she was far from a little kid.

"She’s just mad because he never listens to her and she’s so bossy," Aidan told Buffy.

"Shut up, Aidan!"

"Now, now… you know Grandma doesn’t like to hear that," Claire scolded her granddaughter, before taking Buffy’s hand, "Let me introduce you to the rest of the family."

Riley set Nadia down so she could go play before he trailed after Buffy and his mother so he could reunite with the rest of his family.

"John!" Claire called to a older man standing in front of the barbecue.

Buffy immediately knew it was Riley’s father, and as they got closer, saw that he was an older version of Riley… and Riley had nothing to worry about as he got older as far as looks were concerned. She watched on as father and son quickly embraced and said a few words in greeting before Claire pulled her closer.

"This is our new daughter-in-law," Claire informed her husband proudly, "Isn’t she absolutely beautiful?"

"Mom, you’re embarrassing her!" Riley exclaimed, making Buffy blush even more than she’d already been.

John smiled and gently hugged Buffy, "Don’t worry, Claire says embarrassing things about everyone so much that you’ll get used to it and it’ll lose it’s effect quickly."

Another man approached, younger than Riley’s father, but older than Riley, and smiled, "You must be the infamous, Buffy."

Riley shook the man’s hand and grinned, "Buffy, this is my brother-in-law, Brian."

"Hi, nice to meet you," she said, shaking Brian’s hand as well.

"This is great, now *you’re* the new family member. I’m off the hook," Brian joked.

Buffy hardly had a chance to make polite conversation before Claire was tugging her away to meet other members of the family. Riley dutifully followed, both to say hello to the family members he hadn’t seen since Christmas and to protect Buffy from Claire. He loved his mother, but he feared leaving her alone with Buffy. Riley could practically see the wheels turning in Claire’s head. She liked Buffy… and she certainly didn’t want to lose her in January.

A man who looked like he could be Riley’s twin saw them and grinned before hugging Riley, "Hey man!"

Riley returned the hug before pulling back and looking at Buffy, "This is my older brother, Noah."

Buffy smiled at the man, "The journalist, right?"

"That’s right," Noah replied, giving her a loose hug, "And you would have to be the wife that’s not really the wife."

"Noah!" Claire scolded, swatting her eldest child on the arm, "What a horrible thing to say."

"Well, it’s true, Mom," Riley replied as Noah and Buffy gave Claire strange looks.

"But I don’t like to hear talk like that," Claire insisted.

"What, is Noah upsetting Mom again? I’m so surprised," a woman said as she approached them, a bright smile on her face. She walked up to Riley and hugged him, "It’s so good to see you."

"Hi Ariel," Riley responded, smiling before gesturing to Buffy, "This is.."

"Buffy," Ariel finished for him, "I have heard a lot about you. Claire’s adored you for months… I bet she loves having you in her clutches."

"Oh course I do," Claire grinned, "We’re going to have so much fun. I’ll take Buffy shopping, so we can get things for the baby and some maternity clothes. Oh, and we can go to the spa and get massages. Trust me, Honey, you will *love* getting a massage from Jean Paul! Rachel never lets me spoil her, and Ariel can escape me because she’s in Des Moines, so I am planning on having a great time with you here. Ariel, maybe we can take her for a facial?"

Ariel nodded, "Perhaps we could even go for manicures and pedicures. Make a day of it."

Buffy smiled more widely, thinking Riley was crazy for being so worried, "I’m definitely in for that!"

"Oh good!" Claire exclaimed, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"Buffy, you have made my mother’s day… but you have no idea what you have done to yourself," Noah teased, then waved his hand towards a younger guy coming out of the house, "Caleb, Riley and Buffy are here!"

The guy walked over and quickly hugged Riley before embracing Buffy, "Hey, nice to meet you."

"Buffy, this is Caleb, he’s my youngest. He just turned 20, my big boy," Claire doted kissing her son on the cheek.

"Mom," Caleb protested, pulling away and grinning at Buffy, "So you’re a little younger than me, right?"

Buffy nodded, "I’m nineteen."

"Wonderful, I’m not the youngest anymore," he laughed.

"Yeah, but you’re still the youngest *boy*, so Noah and I can still have a great time kicking your butt," Riley smirked at his brother.

"You wish! I’ve been working out," Caleb replied, flexing his arms and making his brothers laugh hysterically.

"That’s enough," Claire told them, "You two still need to see Grandma. Where is she?"

"She’s in the kitchen," Ariel told her, "She wants to watch some show on TV. I was in there with her, but when you guys came home Rachel took over."

"Okay, good, I can introduce you to Grandma and show you the house," Claire said to Buffy as she once again grabbed her arm and began pulling her to the house.

"Uh, did she tell you that Grandma thinks you just married some sweet girl and the two of you are having a little baby?" Noah asked, quietly pulling Riley aside.

Riley nodded, "Yeah… it’s going to be really fun telling her I am getting divorced in January and having to hear about it for the rest of my life."

Noah sighed and shook his head, "I don’t know what to tell you, Man. For one thing, you’ve got to know that it would be really hard to explain the truth to Grandma… plus, I don’t know if you noticed, but Mom doesn’t seem happy with the idea that a year from now, Buffy won’t be part of the family."

"I know… when I first told her what we’d done, I was so relieved when she wasn’t furious with me," Riley told him, "Now I have to wonder if this is worse…. She’s going to try to manipulate Buffy to get what she wants… and end up with her own heart broken in the end. She has all these hopes for a new daughter-in-law and a new granddaughter, but she’s going to have to give them up in the end."

"Or even worse… you just *know* Mom can manipulate Buffy already… she may get stuck dragging her kid back here for the rest of their lives as well. She may just tell the family you guys got divorced and forget about the story where the baby turns out not to be yours."

Riley couldn’t seem to summon up the disappointment at the news that he might continue to see Buffy for the rest of his life. It didn’t matter, though, because his mother was calling him so that he could go see his grandmother. Sharing a smile with his older brother, Riley rushed to catch up with Claire and Buffy.

"Grandma is going to love you," Claire smiled, patting Buffy’s hand, as they walked through a different door than the one they had entered the backyard through.

Buffy found that this one led to the kitchen, unlike any kitchen she had ever been in. It was quite large, and the epitome of homey. There were all sorts of gadgets and appliances, some Buffy had no idea what they were…. but it still gave her the feeling of warmth and family, just as everything else she’d encountered in Iowa.

"Mama," Claire said, leading Buffy to an frail-looking woman perched on a stool in front of a small TV that sat on the counter.

The woman looked up at them and grinned widely, "Is this my Riley’s wife?"

"Yes," Claire nodded, "This is Buffy. Buffy, this is my mother, Eulalie Wilson."

Eulalie made a sound of delight and held her arms open to Buffy, "Oh my, look at you!"

Buffy smiled and carefully bent a bit to hug the woman, worried she might squeeze her too hard and break her, "It’s nice to meet you, Riley’s told me a lot about you."

"My Riley is a good boy… well I suppose he’s a man now, isn’t he?"

Buffy nodded as Riley stepped forward, "Hey Grandma."

"Oh, there he is! Yes, he is certainly a man now," Eulalie laughed as she hugged her grandson, "A man with his own family."

Buffy felt a pang of guilt before, as if she sensed it, Claire patted her hand, "Hearing about the baby has made her so happy."

"Riley, would you please go get my sweater for me? It’s in my room," Eulalie asked her grandson.

"Absolutely, Grandma," Riley replied, then looked at Buffy, wondering for a second if she’d be okay alone with his mother before he realized he was being silly. Besides, Rachel was there. Heading out the door to run up the stairs to the room his grandmother always stayed in when she visited, he called, "I’ll be right back."

"I always get so cold," Eulalie told Buffy, patting the stool next to hers, "However, whenever I was pregnant, I got very hot."

"Yeah, I do notice as it the weather gets warmer and I get bigger, I tend to be more uncomfortable, but it’s not too bad," Buffy replied, smiling and patting her stomach as she sat down on the stool.

"Claire tells me you’re having a little girl," Eulalie said, "They’re a lot of fun to shop for."

"Yeah," Buffy grinned, "Lots of little dresses."

"Have you gone totally crazy buying stuff?" Rachel asked, "As soon as I found out one of the twins was a girl, I bought a ton of stuff. Poor Aidan had half as much clothes as Nadia."

"I haven’t bought too much yet," Buffy said, "I went with my friend the other day and got a few bodysuits, but she talked me out of getting too much else… she had me go ahead and register at some stores."

"Oh, for a baby shower!" Claire exclaimed, "We love baby showers, don’t we Mama?"

Eulalie smiled and nodded, "I love any sort of party… and one that celebrates a brand new baby is especially nice. Claire just loves a reason to go shopping. I have two other daughters and none of them love it as much as she does."

"None of them married as well as I did either," Claire commented, pulling a glass from the cupboard, "You need to drink plenty of milk, Buffy. I’ll fix you a glass now."

"Oh, that’s alright. I don’t need anything and I really don’t want you waiting on me," Buffy protested.

"Let her, Honey," Eulalie smiled.

"Yeah, that’s one of the major benefits of pregnancy, you get everyone to do stuff for you," Rachel added, winking at her.

"I can’t stop thinking about how gorgeous this baby is going to be," Eulalie said, "Riley’s such a handsome man and you are absolutely beautiful."

Buffy blushed, "Thank you."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, I’m an only child," Buffy told the older woman, "This is all very different to me, but I like it."

"Your mother must be very excited about the baby," Eulalie said, then frowned when she saw Buffy look down almost shamefully.

Claire bit her lip as she walked over to them with the milk for Buffy, "Actually, Mama, she’s a little… upset… Buffy’s rather young, you know."

"Oh, I’m sorry!" Eulalie apologized, "Don’t you worry, though… as soon as she sees her grandbaby, she’ll change her tune."

"I hope so," Buffy replied, not really buying it. She doubted her mother would ever come near her again… certainly not close enough to see the baby.

Trying to lighten the mood, Rachel sat on the stool on the opposite side of Buffy and began playing with the younger woman’s hair, "So Mom, I think a shopping trip with Buffy is definitely in order."

Claire smiled at her daughter as she handed Buffy the milk, "Absolutely! Plus, I talked to Ariel and she agreed to a facial, manicure *and* a pedicure. Are you in?"

"Sure," Rachel grinned, then leaned closer to Buffy, "I don’t mind as long as *you’re* here for her to dote on and not drive *me* insane!"

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh at that. She didn’t mind the way Claire doted on her at all. Even though she *did* embarrass her on occasion… she couldn’t imagine anyone minding having a mother like her.

Riley came back into the kitchen carrying both Eulalie’s sweater and a little boy, "Look who I found."

"Aww, he woke up from his nap? Well it was good while it lasted," Rachel sighed, taking her toddler son from her brother, "Buffy, this is Randy."

"Oh, this is the one that Riley was in the delivery room when you had him, right?" Buffy asked, smiling up at the still half-asleep child. He hardly looked like his older brother and sister with his dark hair and brown eyes… but he was still absolutely adorable.

"Yeah, he’s the one," Riley told her, opening the refrigerator door for something to munch on.

"We have potato chips and vegetables outside by the barbecue," Claire told him.

"Yeah, but I don’t want to leave Buffy alone with you. Who knows what you might do to her."

Claire just glared at him before she noticed Buffy and her youngest grandchild were getting along just great as he attempted to tell her he was three.

Rachel laughed, "You’re only two, Baby, remember? He’ll be three in a month, though."

"Ah, well, close enough," Buffy smiled at the boy, finding him quite adorable.

"Do me a favor and take him out so he can play with the other kids for a bit before dinner?" Rachel asked Riley, "Otherwise he’ll probably start driving me crazy when it’s time to eat. Don’t worry, I’ll protect Buffy. Mom’s being pretty harmless, just making plans to spoil her."

Riley nodded and took his nephew again, "Great, now she’ll be impossible to live with when we go home."

The four women laughed as Riley and Randy went back out to the yard.

Once he was gone, Eulalie looked closely at Buffy, "Riley treats you well, doesn’t he? He’s always been such a kind boy… devoted and caring."

"Riley treats me wonderfully," Buffy answered honestly, "He’s nothing short of amazing."

Rachel sighed when she saw her mother grinning and putting her hands together elatedly. The last thing Claire needed was more encouragement.

"Oh good, there you are," Claire said as she saw both Riley and Caleb in the hallway, "Why don’t you go ahead and take the suitcases upstairs?"

"Sure, we were going up anyway so I can show Riley a magazine," Caleb replied.

"It’s not a dirty magazine, is it?" she asked.

Both her sons rolled their eyes and Riley answered, "No, he wants to show me some sports car."

"Okay, good boys."

"Where’s Buffy staying?" Riley asked as he started grabbing suitcases.

"In your room, of course!"

"Then where am *I* staying?" he responded, fearing the answer.

Caleb grinned, "You don’t know? The only people who know the truth is Mom, Dad, Rach, Noah, Ariel and me."

"Yeah, so?" Riley said, then saw where he was going, "It’s not like Grandma will notice if we’re sleeping in separate rooms. It’s a big house."

"Maybe, but didn’t Mom tell you that Uncle Larry and his family are coming tonight and will be staying with us too?"

Riley realized his mother had disappeared and shook his head, "I can’t believe this."

"Please, like it’s so bad? I mean, I know she’s preggers, but I can tell Buffy is a pretty cute chick. How’s she look when she’s not pregnant?"

"What does it matter?" Riley muttered as they trudged up the stairs,

"Well, I was just thinking, maybe after you two get divorced…. I mean, Noah told me about his theory that she and the kid are a part of the family whether you’re married to her or not, so she’s still be around…"

Riley stopped and turned around to give his brother a look, "Don’t even *think* about it!"

Caleb laughed, "Man, that just said it all!"

***

"So… tell me to shut the hell up if I am going somewhere you don’t want me too… but how *does* the father look?" Rachel asked Buffy as she sat beside her in one of the many lawn chairs in the backyard, "Like, is Grandma right about your daughter having two good-looking parents?"

Buffy gave her a small smile, "He is extremely good-looking. I mean, his name is Angel and it *fits*. He’s not at all like Riley, though. I mean, Riley’s really good-looking, but in a completely different way. Angel is the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. You probably think I’m exaggerating, but believe me, he had… still has, I’m sure, women throwing themselves at him."

"I believe you," Rachel replied, "So… is that why he’s your ex? He’s got women throwing themselves at him?"

Buffy shook her head, "No… it’s a lot more complicated than that. The two of us… we love each other a lot, but it’s hard… and he’s decided that it does more harm than good for us to be together. He decided that before I got pregnant, though… so, to be fair, he didn’t get me pregnant and then have this revelation."

"Yeah, but I have the feeling you aren’t exactly adoring him, right? Aren’t you a little bit angry with him, even if he isn’t just flaking out on you because he doesn’t want to be a daddy?"

"Oh, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to wring his neck a great majority of the time. I love him and I know that his reasons aren’t just an excuse… but I knew his reasons before I found out I was pregnant… and I still went to him and told him about the baby, thinking he’d change his mind."

"But he didn’t," Rachel concluded.

"Nope," Buffy shook her head, "I mean, he didn’t just blow me off… at first he thought I would want to have an abortion but I made it clear right away that it wasn’t an option for me… and he accepted that. I suppose in his way, he is still being responsible. Uh… do you promise not to tell Riley about this?"

Rachel nodded, the fact that she was agreeing to keep a secret from her own brother for basically a stranger not bothering her, "Sure."

"Well, right away, Angel told me he would give me money. He’d do everything short of being in our lives. I was hurt and angry, though, and told him I didn’t want his help. Riley knows about that part," she said, taking a deep breath, "What he doesn’t know is that Angel set up a checking account for me, without my consent, and gave a mutual friend of ours the ATM card and stuff… to give to me. My friend talked me into taking it for emergencies, since I still refuse to take Angel’s help. I guess it’s wrong, but I never told Riley. I don’t like the idea that Riley thinks I have no money besides what I earn, but I never have taken any from him. Well, besides when we bought all the stuff for the house, but that was before… anyway, I just thought that it would be best if he didn’t know. I don’t think he’d receive it well because he kind of…."

"Hates Angel?"

"He never said it, but I have the distinct impression that he’s not Angel’s biggest fan."

"If I know my brother, and I do, he hates him."

"Really? I mean, I know from Riley’s point-of-view, Angel is a jerk, but hate is such a strong emotion."

Rachel smiled, realizing Buffy was oblivious to the fact that Riley loved her. She considered enlightening her sister-in-law, but thought better of it… for the time being.

***

"So… Uncle Larry is your mother’s brother?" Buffy asked, leaning her head close to Riley’s as the two of them sat together at one of several tables that had been set up out in the yard for the big barbecue.

Riley nodded and explained, "He’s a lot younger than her, I think about twelve years, because they have different fathers. My mom’s dad died when she was five or so, and Grandma remarried Uncle Larry’s dad a few years later, hence the big age difference."

"Ah, I see," Buffy replied.

"Overwhelmed?"

"A little… but I think I can handle it," she grinned, "I’m not used to having so many people around. My mom has a sister, but she lives pretty far away, so I never got in the habit of having aunts and uncles and cousins running around."

"Just wait until Grandma’s party when *everyone* is here," Riley warned her, "You’ll probably end up pulling your hair out."

"Hey Buffy, have you picked a name for the baby yet?" Riley’s little ten year old cousin, Ashley asked her.

"How do you know *Riley* isn’t picking the name?" her younger brother, Jason, asked.

"Because she’s the one who has to carry around the baby for nine months," Ashley retorted, as if it was the most obvious reason in the world.

Buffy smiled at the both of them, "I keep picking names, but I always either change my mind or Riley hates them and makes fun of me."

"See, Riley has final say," the eight year old smirked at his sister.

"He doesn’t even get to pick the names… she just *lets* him give his opinion," Ashley said, then grinned at Buffy, "Do you like the name Britney?"

"Um… sure."

"Oh good! Britney Spears is my favorite singer, and she’s so pretty and can dance so well! You should name your daughter that!"

"Okay, I am exorcising my fatherly rights and saying that you, Woman," Riley grinned, pointing at Buffy, "are absolutely *not* allowed to name our daughter, Britney!"

Buffy tried not to laugh and gave Ashley a helpless look, "I’m sorry, but what can I do?"

Ashley shook her head mournfully, "I hope *I* never fall in love and let *boys* win."

Feeling rather awkward, Buffy and Riley focused on their food as Ashley and Jason bickered about something else. He wasn’t sure how they were going to be able to manage a week of this, especially with his nosy family surrounding them. It had been bad enough before, when they’d lived in Lowell House… but now, after they’d slept together… to sleep next to Buffy and act like they were completely in love when they… well, *she* wasn’t.

It certainly wouldn’t aid his efforts to stop feeling the way he did for her.

***

Buffy yawned as she climbed in the bed, eager to get to sleep. It had been a long day and she was so exhausted, she didn’t even care that she was sharing the bed with Riley. The thought of doing anything besides sleeping didn’t even enter her mind.

Riley, on the other hand, was all too aware of the fact that the woman he loved would be sleeping beside him. However, he could tell by Buffy’s blasé body language that she obviously wasn’t thinking of being tempted to have sex. That helped, he supposed…. all he had to worry about was not touching her.

As he sat down on his side of the bed, he watched her lying on her back with her eyes closed, wondering if she was already asleep. He discovered she wasn’t when she opened her eyes and smiled, putting her hand on her stomach.

"Kicking?" he asked, immediately remembering that night weeks earlier when the baby had kicked for the first time. Buffy had been so excited and placed his hand on her belly to feel it. It was absolutely amazing.

Buffy nodded and looked at him, "As soon as I’m ready for bed, she’s ready to dance."

"Can I feel?" he asked, holding out his hand. Even after what they’d done, he felt awkward just touching her without her permission.

"Of course," she replied, taking his hand and placing it where the baby was kicking.

They were quiet for a moment, content to feel the baby as she moved inside Buffy’s womb. When she calmed, Riley reluctantly pulled his hand away and told her, "You know, judging by the way she kicks, I am thinking she’ll be just like her mom."

"Oh God, why do you hate me?" she joked.

"Come on, lets go to sleep."

Yawning again, she nodded, "That sounds heavenly."

Riley turned his bedside lamp off and quietly said, "Goodnight, Buffy."

"’Night Riley… thanks."

"For what?"

"For being you."

Riley wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he didn’t. Instead he just sat in the dark, listening to the sound of her breathing grow more even as Buffy fell asleep.

***

"Mom, leave her alone!"

"Oh, knock it off, Riley. I’m not doing anything horrible to her!"

As she opened her eyes, Buffy smiled, wondering exactly what Riley and his mother were arguing about. Seeing that they had woken her up, the two of them smiled sheepishly down at her.

"Hi Buffy… I’m sorry I didn’t get to wake you in a more pleasant manner," Claire apologized, giving Riley a pointed look, "but I wanted to ask you if you’d like to join the family for church."

"She’s not religious, Mom."

"I know that, but she might want to come with us anyway."

Buffy saw the hopeful look on Claire’s face, and the way Riley shrugged his shoulders, telling her he didn’t know what she ought to do. Smiling, Buffy nodded at her mother-in-law, "I’ll come. How long do I have to get ready?"

Claire clapped her hands together, "Wonderful! Breakfast will be on the table in half an hour."

She left the two of them alone, a bounce in her step from having gotten her way. Riley shook his head and sighed as he watching his mother shut the door.

Flopping down at the foot of the bed, he gave Buffy a lopsided grin, "Sorry she put you on the spot like that. If you want, I can tell her you aren’t feeling well and changed your mind."

"No, it’s fine," Buffy told him, sitting up and climbing out of bed, "I really like your family."

"They like you too," he replied. It was a shame, really. His family loved her, she loved them, *he* loved her *and* the baby. It would be perfect… except she didn’t love him.

***

"Oh, I can’t wait to show you off," Claire exclaimed, turning her head and smiling at Buffy in the backseat.

Her daughter-in-law just gave her a polite smile as she rubbed her stomach and willed it to stop aching. Claire and shoved so much food down Buffy’s throat when she’d shown up for breakfast that she had to wonder if she would ever get hungry again. The woman hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she wanted to fatten Buffy up.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked her quietly, seeing her discomfort.

Buffy nodded, "Just very very full."

He chuckled, "Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it."

"Gwen and Wanda are going to think you’re so adorable!"

"Oh, I bet you’re ecstatic about that," Caleb said sarcastically in his spot on the opposite side of Buffy.

The three occupants in the backseat smiled at his joke as Claire went on and on about what people would think of Buffy. Nobody even bothered reminding her that she shouldn’t make too big a deal since Buffy wasn’t going to be a permanent part of the family.

***

"Claire, you have to let me go home with you," Eulalie begged her daughter as they moved up the path to the church. She loved all her grandchildren, but Ashley and Jason were on her last nerve after bickering the entire way to the church.

"Alright, I’ll make Caleb ride with Larry, then," Claire replied, then beamed as she saw her longtime friend standing in front of the entrance, "Gwen!"

Gwendolyn Pierce saw Claire approaching and rushed over to her, excited to meet the daughter-in-law Claire had talked endlessly about for months, "Hello Claire!"

"Mom, you remember my friend, Gwen, right?"

Eulalie smiled and nodded, "It’s good to see you, Dear."

"You too," Gwen smiled, "Now where is she, hmm?"

"She’s coming," Claire assured her, looking behind her at the rest of her family ten yards away. Rachel, Brian and the kids had arrived soon after they did and everyone else was talking to them.

"Oh, you’re a vision," Gwen exclaimed when at long last Buffy and the rest of the family joined them in front of the church. Since she was already very familiar with Claire's family and Buffy was the only pregnant one, it was obvious to her right away that she was the one Claire always spoke so fondly of.

Buffy smiled shyly, "Thank you."

"Buffy, this is Gwen," Claire said, "And Gwen, this is my new daughter."

Riley felt himself pale. Daughter. Not even daughter-in-law anymore. Caleb elbowed him in the ribs and grinned. In that moment, Riley realized Noah was absolutely right. Buffy was a part of their family for good now. It wasn’t a matter of always having to face the woman he’d married and divorced, only to help her out…. he *loved* her.. and for the rest of his life, he’d have to see her. Every major family event, there she’d be. What if she got married? He’d have to see the man who won her heart for the rest of his life too.

He was shaken from his thoughts as Gwen hugged him tightly and told him how proud she was to see him being a family man. Nodding politely, he asked about her health and family until she went back to talking to his mother as they all entered the church.

Since they were the Finns and not some normal family, they couldn’t just show up at church right before mass began, sit down and listen, then leave when it’s over. No, they had to arrive early, socialize, then hang out afterwards for a while before they all headed to a restaurant for lunch. It was their Sunday tradition.

Inside the church, they found that Noah and Ariel were already there, holding seats. They’d all settled in, taking up an entire pew with the seventeen of them. Soon after, Wanda Douglass came up to them, led by Gwen, and beamed down at Buffy, who sat at the end of the pew with Riley beside her.

"Oh my, you must be Buffy!"

Buffy looked questioningly at Riley before smiling up at the woman, "Yes… Hello."

Riley stood up and cordially kissed the woman on the cheek, "Hi Wanda."

Buffy also stood and shook the woman’s hand, "It’s very nice to meet you."

"Oh, this is so wonderful. When’s the baby coming?"

"August," she answered, "The 19^th."

"Claire, you are so lucky, this baby’s going to be a beauty, I just know it!" Wanda grinned, "Claire says it’s a girl."

"Yes," Claire said proudly, standing up as well, "She might be named Abigail."

"She might?" Riley asked his mother, surprised, since he’d never heard Buffy mention that name. Looking at Buffy, he repeated, "She might?"

Buffy shrugged, since she’d never even considered the name. She actually liked it, now that she thought of it… so maybe she would name her that.

Gwen laughed, "You two better watch out or Claire will be naming your baby. I wonder how Rachel avoided that."

"She’s stubborn as a mule," Claire said, "But not my sweet Buffy."

"So when will you start spoiling this baby?" Wanda asked.

"Tomorrow," Claire laughed, "I *have* to take Buffy to Southridge Mall!"

At long last, it was ten o’clock. Wanda and Gwen retreated to their own seats and Buffy, Riley and Claire settled in. Just as the reverend approached the pulpit, Claire leaned her head close to Riley’s so she could whisper in her son’s ear.

"Just so you know, I wouldn’t have been at all upset had I found you and Buffy in bed without a stitch on this morning."

Riley blushed furiously as his eyes widened in disbelief that she could ever say such a thing. He was utterly speechless, so Claire was able to sit smugly as the reverend began speaking.

***

"Riley, come look at this," Rachel said, tugging her younger brother towards the kitchen door.

Riley sighed, but followed. He had been enjoying just hanging out in the backyard with his father, brothers and various other family members, so he really hoped whatever Rachel had to show him was important.

"It’s absolutely adorable, and I just had to show you," she explained, grinning at him as she led him to the living room so that they could peer into the room from the doorway.

Riley immediately saw what she meant. Buffy was sitting on the couch with Nadia half-leaning on her and Randy on her lap. Nadia was reading the three of them a story with a little help from Buffy. Riley couldn’t help but smile at the sight, as well as indulge in a little fantasy where he could come home from work and find her like this, only instead of it being his niece and nephew, it was their own children.

Rachel took a few steps away from the door so that they could talk without being discovered, "See what I mean?"

Riley nodded, "They’re all getting along famously."

"It’s more than that, they’re my kids, I can tell. She’s going to be a great mother, Riley," Rachel told him.

"I have no doubt of that," he replied wistfully.

"I know I am being *such* an intruding family member here, but is this arrangement as simple as it seems?" she asked, "Do you really not have any reservations about divorcing Buffy and disappearing from her life come January?"

Riley looked down, "It doesn’t matter what I feel… *Buffy* wants this."

Rachel was left with a surprised look on her face as Riley brushed past her, not giving her a chance to ask any more questions. Moving back to the doorway to see that Randy was rapidly falling asleep on Buffy, she decided that if she wanted answers, she’d have to go through Buffy to get them.

***

"So this is where everyone is," Riley grinned, entering the crowded kitchen the next morning.

Claire looked up at him from her spot at the counter with the large grill in front of her and smiled, "Hi Sweetheart, how do pancakes sound?"

"Delicious," he told her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hi Riley, you sure slept a long time," Jason said.

On the stool at the counter next to him, Ashley nodded, "We were going to wake you up, but Mom said you needed your sleep. Buffy said that when we get to be as old as you, we’ll need to sleep a lot too."

"Oh she did, did she?" Riley asked as his mother started laughing.

Riley glanced over at Buffy sitting at the table next to his grandmother. The older woman was obviously deep into some tale from her past and Buffy appeared to be engrossed. Uncle Larry and Aunt Eileen were also at the table, reading separate sections of the paper as they ate breakfast as well.

"Why don’t you sit next to Buffy, Honey? I’ll have some pancakes made up for you in a minute."

Riley sighed, but complied with her request. After what Rachel had said to him the day before, he’d made a conscious effort to not give her or his mother any more encouragement. He didn’t want the people who didn’t know the truth to get suspicious, but he still made sure not to sit too close to her, whisper in her ear, smile too much… anything that would give Rachel and his mother the impression that they could play matchmaker.

"Good Morning, Grandma," Riley said, bending down to kiss the woman on her head as he moved past her to sit next to Buffy, whom he merely smiled at before taking his seat.

Buffy returned the smile, a bit apprehensively, since things between the two of them definitely appeared to be strained and she had no idea why, "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock… I can’t believe you managed to get up and dress without waking me."

"I made a point to be quiet, you seemed to need the rest."

"You’d both best get all the rest you can *while* you can," Eulalie advised, "Once that little girl comes into the world, you’ll both be exhausted."

Riley’s Uncle Larry looked up from the paper and grinned at him, "I suggest you do what I did- become a *really* deep sleeper. You know, so deep that you don’t hear the baby and you don’t even feel it when your wife tries to nudge you awake. After a few nights she gives up on you, because it’s easier just to take the baby herself."

Buffy and Riley laughed as Eileen playfully elbowed her husband and scolded him for not only his ‘deep sleeping,’ but encouraging his nephew to do it as well.

"Here we go," Claire announced, setting a plate with a high stack of pancakes in front of her son. Setting the butter and syrup in front of him, she added, "If you want more, just tell me."

"Okay, Mom," he said, practically drooling at the food in front of him. He’d forgotten how much he’d missed his days at home, where every day started with a delicious meal, "So what’s on the schedule for today?"

"You are spending quality time with your niece, nephews and cousins," his mother grinned.

"And me," Larry added.

"What?" Riley asked, a little worried.

"Your mother wants to do a little shopping, so she thought it’d be nice if all of us girls went. You wouldn’t enjoy it, besides, we can’t leave Uncle Larry by himself with all the kids," Buffy explained.

"I’m a girl! Why do I have to stay with the boys?" Ashley complained.

"You wouldn’t enjoy yourself, Ash," Eileen told her daughter, "We won’t be shopping for anything you’ll be interested it. Just women’s clothes, maternity clothes, and baby stores."

"Besides, Nadia will be here soon," Claire smiled.

"But Nadia’s only six, I’m ten!"

"You’ll still have fun," Eileen assured her, "Daddy will take you kids somewhere."

"I will?" Larry asked, then looked at Riley, "Where are we going?"

Riley shrugged, "No clue."

"The waterslide park!" Jason exclaimed, a wide grin spreading on his face.

"Yeah!" Ashley agreed, jumping off her stool so she could hop up and down.

"Good morning everyone," Rachel greeted as she and her three children entered the kitchen.

"We’re going to the waterslide park," Ashley informed them.

The five children began cheering, although Randy didn’t appear to know what was going on and just cheered because the big kids did, before they ran out of the room to expend some of their endless energy in the backyard.

Larry looked at Riley again, "I guess we’re going to the waterslide park."

***

Riley left Caleb’s bedroom after finally waking him at ten so that he could go with them to the waterpark. He jumped in surprise when he found Buffy waiting in the hallway for him.

"Sorry," she said, giving him an apologetic smile, "I just wanted to talk to you alone… and it’s kind of hard to be alone around here."

"I know what you mean… what did you want to talk about?"

"Um, well, I have noticed you seemed to be acting kind of… angry with me," she told him. It had been bothering her since the day before, but she’d thought he might just be in a bad mood. However, he was still acting that way, she decided to confront him about it, "I can’t think of what I might have done to make you mad, so could you clue me in?"

"I’m not mad at you at all," Riley said, shaking his head. Sighing, he continued, "I’m sorry I gave you that impression. It’s just that… well you see how my mother is so into this whole thing about us being married. She knows the truth, but she prefers the lie… I don’t want to encourage her, so I’m trying to act kind of cool around you so she can’t misinterpret anything as romantic."

"Oh… okay, that makes sense. It’s a good idea," Buffy said quietly, even as a part of her was a little sad. She realized she’d very much gotten into pretending to be a couple around Riley’s family, even though she always knew it was all an act. If he was really her husband, there were many occasions where she would have kissed him, hugged him… done all sorts of things to him that she really wanted to do, but knew better. Despite the fact that she had been the one to insist they remain only friends…. she *really* wanted more.

"Well, you’d better get downstairs, right? Mom wants to leave soon."

"Yeah… she has a full day planned."

"Don’t let her wear you out," Riley warned, "I know you’re in fabulous shape, but you *are* pregnant and you *do* get tired easier than you used to."

Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes, "I think I can keep up with your mother. Besides, your grandmother will be there too. Claire has to keep it slow enough not to wear her out."

"There you are! What did I tell you, Buffy? Call me Mom," Claire ordered as she came down the hallway towards them with Eulalie trailing behind.

"Sorry, I forgot," Buffy apologized.

"We’d better get going," Claire replied, then kissed her son on his cheek, "You have fun. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her."

"She takes good care of herself," Riley said, winning a smile from Buffy.

"Don’t you make eyes at any girls in swimsuits at that park," Eulalie teased.

"Please, Mother, it’s obvious Riley only has eyes for Buffy," Claire said as they headed towards the stairs.

Buffy and Riley shared an amused look before she turned and followed the two older women down the stairs.

"Just the same, I’m having Larry look after you, Riley, just in case you forget you have a beautiful, sweet wife," Eulalie warned her grandson.

Claire frowned, "How do you think you are making Buffy feel, acting like Riley’s going to be looking at other women just because she’s not around? She’s going to get very insecure."

Buffy tried her hardest not to laugh out loud as the two of them argued the rest of the way down the stairs. Shopping that day was sure to be different than it had ever been before. But she *really* didn’t mind.

"Why can’t we just go to the food court so everyone can get what they want?" Rachel tried to reason with her mother as they led the other three women around the mall.

"Because I don’t like fast food for meals and you know that, Rachel," Claire replied, "I especially don’t want that when Grandma is with us. She likes a nice, sit-down meal."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Fine, if you want to waste time we could spend shopping."

"We’re making great time," Claire assured her before turning around, "Buffy, do you like Mexican?"

"I love Mexican," Buffy nodded, hoping the two of them would just stop arguing and agree, she and Eulalie had admitted to each other that they were starving while they sat outside the fitting rooms at the last store, waiting for the other women and offering opinions on the clothes they tried on.

"Good, we’ll go to Ricardo’s," she said triumphantly and led them into a small restaurant.

Luckily, they were immediately seated at a table and brought a basket of tortilla chips and some bowls of salsa to munch on while they perused the menu. A few moments later a young man approached their table and smiled.

"Hi, my name is Sean, I’ll be your waiter. Were you all ready to order drinks?"

Claire nodded and smiled, "Actually, I think we all know what we want to eat too, right girls?"

Everyone nodded, so Claire went ahead and put in her order, followed by Eileen and Rachel. Buffy ordered her chicken enchiladas and requested extra jalapenos, ignoring the amused look Rachel shot her way. At last it was Eulalie’s turn. Unfortunately, ordering food that wasn’t exactly in English proved to be difficult for her.

"Let’s see, I’d like these… que… que… Buffy, dear, do you know what this is?"

Buffy leaned over and glanced at the menu where Eulalie was pointing, "Quesadillas."

"Yes, thank you… I’d like those, with chicken in them."

"All right," Sean replied, writing down her order, "And to drink?"

"Just a water, I think," Eulalie told him, then smiled widely, "Oh, and could I get a…. a marijuana?"

Everyone at the table stared at her, their jaws dropped.

"*What* do you want, Mother?"

"You know, the fancy drink with all the salt."

"Uh, do you mean a margarita?" Sean guessed.

"Yes, yes, that’s it!"

"Okay, then, I can do that," he told her, a very amused look on his face.

Rachel and Buffy, on the other hand, weren’t doing as well. The both of them had their hands over their mouths as they laughed hysterically. Eileen managed to only grin, while Claire blushed furiously.

"What did I do?" Eulalie asked innocently.

"Mother, you ordered an illegal drug!"

"I didn’t mean to."

Claire sighed and smacked Rachel on the arm when tears of laughter actually began streaming down her daughter’s face, "Knock it off."

After a few more moments, the two girls were finally calm enough to stop laughing completely. As the other woman made polite conversation, Rachel leaned over and whispered in Buffy’s ear, "Are you *sure* you’re going to want to divorce Riley and miss out on stuff like this?"

Buffy looked down, not responding, even though she wanted to assure Rachel that the thought of losing Riley and his wonderful family broke her heart. As great as staying married sounded… it was inevitable that they’d end up divorcing. It was just that if she tried to disillusion herself into believing they could be what everyone thought they were, she’d end up with a broken heart… something she didn’t think she could live through again.

***

"Ah, here we are. Finally a store for *you*, Buffy," Eileen said as they walked into Mother Goose’s Clothiers, a maternity and baby store, "Poor thing, you’ve spent hours watching the rest of us shop."

"Oh, I didn’t mind… I actually had fun," Buffy told her as she looked the store over.

"This is the *best* store to get maternity clothes," Rachel told her, "I swore I would wear overalls the entire time I was pregnant with the twins until I found this place."

"Oh Buffy, come here! This is *so* you!" Claire called, holding up a light blue sundress.

"Do me a favor?" Rachel asked Buffy quietly, then continued as her sister-in-law nodded, "Let her spoil you? I know I whine a lot, but it’s really not so bad as long as she doesn’t want to buy you something you hate. So as long as you like whatever it is… let her buy it… it’ll make her happy."

Before Buffy could respond, Claire was holding dresses up to her and talking to anyone who would listen about how well it went with whatever and how wonderful her coloring was. The woman became a machine as she grew excited about dressing her new daughter up… sort of like she was a doll. Buffy didn’t mind, though… it was nice to be mothered.

Before she knew it, Buffy had been shoved into a fitting room where she had tried on countless outfits picked by Claire that Buffy had to admit didn’t look bad as far as maternity clothes went… and was standing in line with her mother-in-law, who way going to pay for a large pile of clothing.

"Claire… sorry, Mom… this really isn’t necessary for you to buy me these things. I have plenty of clothes."

"Nonsense! I don’t live near you so I can’t buy you a little something here and a little something there… I have to buy it all at once."

"You don’t have to buy me anything at all, though," Buffy protested, feeling bad about taking advantage of Claire’s generosity.

"I want to. Make me happy, Sweetie?"

Buffy sighed and nodded, "I have no idea how I am going to fit all this in my suitcase, though."

"You can use one of ours… we’ll get it back someday, it’ll be fine. Or maybe I can ship these… don’t worry about it."

"Wait until the next store… baby stuff… she’s going to go completely insane," Rachel grinned as she walked up to them.

***

"Buffy, oh my God, look!" Claire exclaimed, pointing at a pretty little pink dress with all sorts of ruffles.

"It’s adorable," Buffy smiled.

"I bet you can’t wait until you can put the baby in things like this," Claire commented as she took a closer look.

"Yeah, and she only has a three year wait until the baby can wear it," Eileen grinned.

"Have you picked a theme for the nursery yet?" Rachel asked.

Buffy nodded, "Looney Tunes… I already have all the bedding for the crib and everything. There’s a cute mobile in that design, but my friend made me wait on it. She thinks it’s a good gift idea."

"Oh, that really frustrated me when I was pregnant," Rachel replied, "I am into instant gratification so I wanted my baby shower when I was about four months along so that I could have everything I needed. I hate waiting."

"But baby showers are so fun," Eileen said, "You’ll love it, Buffy."

"I don’t think I’m having one," Buffy told her quietly.

"Why not?"

She shrugged, "I don’t have many close friends… and really only about three *female* close friends. My mom’s not exactly excited about the baby and she’s sort of not speaking to me, so I don’t think there’s a great interest for anyone to throw me a party."

Eileen frowned, "Well that’s just awful! I’m so sorry, Buffy, I had no idea."

"Oh, it’s not your fault. Besides, I’m doing just fine. I can take care of myself and the baby."

"Of course… besides, it’s not like you’re all alone, you have Riley too."

"Yeah… I have Riley.." Buffy nodded half-heartedly.

"Come on, let’s go shop," Eileen said, putting her hand on Buffy’s back and leading her further into the store.

Buffy soon forgot all about how sucky her life was in reality as soon as she saw the tiny Skechers with little pink shoelaces. Grinning, she picked them up and turned to Claire, "These are absolutely adorable."

"Let’s get them," Claire responded enthusiastically.

"Oh, I don’t know… they’re forty dollars. That’s a lot of money for something she really won’t need. I mean, I don’t want to deprive her or be cheap… but I can get her some other little sneakers cheaper."

Claire waved her hand, "You like *these* sneakers, and so do I."

"Well, to be fair, I haven’t actually looked at any other sneakers. I think I can probably like some that won’t cost me so much."

"These won’t cost you anything. I want to buy my granddaughter some shoes."

Buffy looked and saw Eulalie was safely out of hearing distance, "But she’s not your granddaughter… I wouldn’t feel right."

Claire took Buffy’s hand and looked her in the eye, "I know that biologically, she isn’t my granddaughter, but here," she said, putting Buffy’s hand on her heart, "she *is*. And here is all that matters to me."

Buffy felt tears well in her eyes, "You’re so sweet… but you make me feel so bad."

"What for, Honey?"

"Because I was extremely lucky to have met Riley and for him to do what he did for me… but then I also got to meet you and the rest of the family… you all are so good to me, and it’s not like I’m some great person. I made a huge mistake and now my daughter will grow up without a father… I’m a big screw-up… I don’t deserve all this."

"Yes you do," Claire assured her, "Honey, we’re all human and we all make mistakes. Sure, it’s best for a child to have two loving parents, but that’s not always possible. However, it *is* possible for a child to grow up with just one parent who loves them and turn out just great. You made a mistake. One mistake. From what I understand, the father of this baby isn’t begging you to let him be a part of it’s life. You’re doing your best with the hand you’ve been dealt."

"I suppose that’s true," Buffy said, wiping at a few stray tears that had spilled from her eyes.

"Besides, you never know what might happen. Maybe you won’t be raising her by yourself. A girl like you probably has quite a few suitors."

Buffy laughed, "Before, sure, I could get dates… now, I may be able to get *Shamu* to ask me out… and after I have this baby… well, most guys aren’t interested in girls with kids."

"*Most*, not *all*," Claire pointed out, having a particular example of such a guy in her mind. She knew, without a doubt, that Riley loved Buffy, baby and all.

All she had to do was get *Buffy* to see it.

***

"Oh my God… please tell me only one of those bags is Buffy’s," Riley said as he watched the women enter the house with their arms filled with bags.

"Sorry," Buffy apologized, giving him a bright smile.

"Are you kidding? You think Mom is going to go shopping with her and let her leave with only one bag?" Rachel asked, "As it is, Buffy *tried* to argue, which led to a knock-down, drag-out fight between them. It was pretty nasty."

"What? She’s kidding, right?" Riley asked his mother, "You’re too old for that and Buffy’s *pregnant*!"

"Old! Don’t call me old," Claire scolded him as Buffy laughed.

Both of them passed without answering his question, leaving him with a frown until Eileen patted his arm and smiled, "Don’t worry, she was kidding."

***

For the second morning in a row, Riley awoke in bed alone. Glancing at the clock on his nightstand, he saw it was half past nine. He was generally an early riser, but there was a three hour time difference, so he really wasn’t doing that bad. What he wanted to know was how was *Buffy* waking up and getting ready without waking him as well.

Rolling out of bed, he stretched and walked into the attached bathroom to shower. Twenty minutes later, he was clean, dressed and ready to face the world. Wandering down to the kitchen, he was surprised to find it empty as well. He began to wonder just where everyone was and started looking around. They wouldn’t have all left him alone in the house, would they?

Entering the living room, he found his niece, nephews and cousins planted in front of the television, watching cartoons. Hearing him enter, Aidan looked up and grinned.

"Uncle Riley!"

"Hi guys… where’s everyone else?"

"Grandpa and Uncle Larry are in the garage, Grandma, Mom, Aunt Eileen, Aunt Ariel and Aunt Buffy all went out for breakfast and to go to the spa," Nadia informed him.

"Ah, I see," Riley replied, shaking his head. His mother sure was going all out with Buffy… in fact, he had to wonder if she actually did want the two of them to get together. After all, she wasn’t giving them much time with one another.

He walked back through the house to the garage to find his father and uncle tinkering with the engine of John’s classic 1969 Mustang, "Morning."

"Morning, Riley," John replied.

"How’d you sleep?" Larry asked.

"Great, although I’d prefer to not have to wake up and wonder where Buffy and everyone else is."

"Ahh, yes, your mother did quite a good job of waking her without waking you, now didn’t she? They just left a while ago…."

"For breakfast and a day at the spa. Nadia filled me in."

John nodded, "Claire says every pregnant woman needs pampering. Apparently you aren’t coming close to cutting it."

Larry laughed, "Boy, you better get your act together or your Mama’s going to have to straighten you out and teach you some things."

"I treat Buffy just fine," Riley said defensively.

"Just fine doesn’t cut it, especially when they’re pregnant. You have to *dote*," Larry advised.

John nodded and grinned, having heard all about how Riley and Buffy just *had* to get together, Claire refused to let them divorced as they had planned. Since he had to agree… he thought he’d join in the effort.

"Don’t worry, we’ve booked a sitter, so tonight the adults are all going out and you can start being romantic," he told his son, then went back the Mustang’s engine. Larry soon followed suit and Riley gave up on them, deciding to find some other way to entertain himself in the house. He couldn’t believe how horrible his family was. It would almost had been better if they had been furious with him about marrying Buffy. At least then he wouldn’t have to endure them trying to force him to do something he already wanted more than anything… but knew it could never happen because Buffy loved some *vampire* instead of him.

***

"See, this is what it’s all about."

"What?" Buffy asked Rachel, her voice heavy as she relaxed under the skilled hands of her masseuse.

"Being pregnant… it’s supposed to be nine months of pampering, not just one day at the spa."

Buffy chuckled, "Maybe when you are surrounded by family members and have a husband, but I am preparing for the sometimes lonely life of a single parent whose mother and father aren’t speaking to her."

"Ugh, that sounds so depressing," Rachel wrinkled her nose.

"It’s not that bad. My mom’s a single mother. Ick… do you know how awful it feels to realize you are becoming your mother?"

"You’re totally off on this. Okay, I’ll give you the part about your parents, but Riley says you have friends that are just like family to you and you *do* have a husband. I’m telling you, they are all waiting for you to milk sympathy from them."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Rachel, your brother did me a huge favor marrying me. I’m not going to now make the poor guy wait on me."

"Buffy, you are absolutely clueless and I am tired of letting you try to figure this out yourself. Riley *wants* you to make him cater to your every whim. Nothing would make him happier."

"Why do you say that?" she asked, lifting her head and ignoring the fact that a moment earlier she’d been about to fall asleep.

Rachel was about to blurt out the fact that Riley was hopelessly in love with Buffy when both their massages ended.

"If you ladies are ready, I believe it’s time for your hair appointments," Carla, Rachel’s masseuse informed them.

Whimpering, Rachel sat up and climbed off the bed as Buffy’s masseuse helped her get on her feet.

"You know, Miss, if you come visit me in a few months, I actually have a few techniques that can help induce contractions… when the time comes," Buffy’s masseuse told her.

"Oh, well that’s very nice, but I live in California," she told her.

"However, if my mother’s dreams come true, she’ll be moving here shortly, so you may see her again after all," Rachel grinned before pulling a wide-eyed Buffy out of the room.

"What are you talking about?" she hissed.

"Oh come on, you can’t tell me you’d be surprised to hear my mom would love having you and Riley here in Iowa where she can see you both all the time."

"Well… no, now that I think about it, but still…"

"I’m going to give it to you straight, Buffy. My mom loves you like a daughter… and I have to wonder if she could love this baby any more if it *was* really Riley’s. She doesn’t want you guys to get divorced…. nothing would make her happier than if you and Riley told her that you guys were in love and planning on staying married and raising this baby together."

Buffy couldn’t seem to summon up a response, but it didn’t matter because Rachel tugged her into a large room where they were to have their hair done. She was soon distracted as Claire and a stylist tried to figure out what they could do with her hair since she was pregnant and not much would hold well. Buffy just prayed that if they decided to try and dye it, Claire wouldn’t want it some way different color…. Since Buffy didn’t want that and had yet to win an argument with her mother-in-law.

***

"Riley!" Claire screamed upon entering the house, "Get over here this instant! You have to see your beautiful wife!"

Buffy blushed furiously and turned to Rachel, "Why is she doing this to me?"

Rachel shrugged innocently before leaving Buffy in the foyer, eager to show off her new highlights to her husband, who was supposed to be waiting in the living room. Riley passed her upon entering the foyer, wishing his mother would shut up, until he saw Buffy….

"Wow," he uttered, taken aback by her appearance.

"Do you like it?" she asked, gesturing to her hair.

"I love it… I mean, there was nothing wrong your hair before, but this is a really nice cut."

"Isn’t it?" Claire grinned, "No matter how nice a girl looks, change is always good. I would have loved to add some highlights to her hair, but pregnant women have awful hair. So I had Dante give her a bob."

"She’s not a doll, Mom," Riley said, not taking his eyes off of Buffy. She really did look fantastic. Even though he’d always thought she’d had beautiful hair, now that it was shoulder-length with the ends flipped, she looked more gorgeous than ever.

"Oh, I don’t know, she certainly looks as cute as a doll to me," Claire joked, giving her daughter-in-law a hug, "Why don’t you two go sit down, relax for a bit? We’re going out for dinner tonight."

"Do you really think it looks nice?" Buffy asked as she and Riley were left alone in the foyer, "I’ve had it this short before, and I liked it, but I always thought I looked better with long hair."

"You look great with long hair… but you look even better with shorter hair," he assured her.

"Good," she smiled, "Plus, your mom pointed out that shorter hair is good when you have a baby."

"She’s right… just wait until… what’s the baby’s name now?"

Not offended, since she *did* tend to change her mind about the baby’s name a little too frequently for Riley to be able to keep up, Buffy said, "Priscilla."

Riley made a face, but continued, "When Priscilla gets old enough to start grabbing things, you do *not* want her to get a death grip on your hair."

"Sounds painful," she smiled.

"Hey, want to go watch TV or something in the living room? Last time I checked, it was deserted so we can have some of that rare quiet time."

"Absolutely," Buffy laughed, following Riley down the hall.

Luckily the living room was still unoccupied, so the two of them were able to sit on the couch alone. Riley grabbed the remote and turned on the television, hoping something more exciting than the news was on. It was strange, when he was at home, living his normal day to day life, he enjoyed keeping up on all the news of the world. However, when he went on vacation, he liked to take a vacation from it all.

"Um, I don’t think your plan to not encourage your mother is succeeding," Buffy said after a few minutes.

Riley turned his head and gave her a lopsided smile, "I *know* it’s not. What tipped you off?"

"Well.. I know she has to act for your aunt and grandmother’s benefit, but I still get this feeling that even if they hadn’t been around, she’d still talk and behave like I’m really her daughter-in-law," she told him, "Plus, I think Rachel’s in on it."

Riley rolled his eyes, "I’m sorry, I’ll talk to them."

"Don’t worry about it," she said, reaching for his hand and squeezing it without thinking. Awkwardly, she pulled back and averted her eyes, "It’s not hurting me, I just wanted to let you know."

"Am I interrupting?" Eulalie asked, smiling warmly at them from the foyer.

Buffy grinned, "Not at all. Did you need something?"

"No, and if I did, I wouldn’t ask you. Sweetheart, you are in no condition to be helping me," Eulalie told her as she walked into the room and settled on the loveseat, "Riley, you’ve done well. You married a good woman, I’m proud of you."

Riley smiled shyly, "Thanks Grandma."

"You know, I mentioned this to your mother and she said I shouldn’t push you two, but it’s really bothering me. I’m turning seventy-five tomorrow, and I think that entitles me to say what I want. I’m old and us old people get to poke their noses where they don’t belong, say rude things… do whatever we want."

Buffy couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that she was a little worried about what Eulalie might say.

"Anyhow, what I wanted to talk to you about was your wedding. Claire told me you two eloped in Las Vegas," Eulalie sighed, "I know that you got Buffy in trouble, Riley, so you two were in a hurry, but I really wish *I* could have been at your wedding. And I know it’s actually breaking your mother’s heart that she wasn’t there. Also, I know you two have your difficulties right now, Buffy, but I just know your mother will always regret missing her own daughter’s wedding."

Riley nodded, "It would have been nicer to do it the right way, but we *were* in a hurry. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, what does it really matter? We just don’t have the memories of a big wedding, but I still.. love Buffy… and she loves me… and we love our baby."

Buffy felt tears well in her eyes, wishing it was as simple as Riley said. Nothing would have made her happier in that instant than to be able to believe in the fantasy… to not know Riley was lying.

"Riley, they may just be memories, but memories are important. You don’t think Buffy would love to get all dressed up in a wedding gown and have a special day that every girl dreams of? She *deserves* it," Eulalie said, then stood back up, "I know this is something you two need to think about and discuss… that’s all I am asking you to do."

"But Grandma, we’re married. We can’t go back and change that."

"No… but you can remarry! It would make me so happy… and your mother… Buffy… everyone."

"I, uh… I don’t think I’d be anything but miserable waddling around in white," Buffy said, "Besides, the whole wearing white thing is supposed to be symbolic… but being pregnant kind of makes it ridiculous."

Eulalie smiled, "I didn’t say it had to be right away. I would completely understand if you two waited until after the baby came. She won’t be born out of wedlock. Promise to consider it?"

The both of them reluctantly nodded, remaining silent as a satisfied Eulalie left them alone again. After a moment, Buffy looked sadly at Riley.

"What are we going to do?"

He shrugged, "Nothing. Besides what we already have planned, anyway. We go back home, live like we’ve been living, you have this baby in August, we get divorced in January… or, actually legally separate in January. We won’t be officially divorced until July."

"You honestly don’t think she’ll ask again before we leave, or pester your mother until she gets on our case about it too? She’ll just drop this and never bring it up again for seven months when we tell her we were wrong and don’t love each other and don’t want to raise this baby together?"

"We’ll lie… pacify her. She said it herself, she’d understand if we waited until after the baby is born. We can tell her we’ll remarry after… we can say that you need some time because babies are so tiring and you want to get back to your fighting weight, so we’ll get married, like, six months after you have the baby. But then two months before that, we decide it’s not working out and file for divorce."

"What if she thinks it’s just stress from the baby and planning a wedding? I can just imagine her not accepting it and making me feel really guilty," Buffy sighed.

"Don’t worry about it," he said.

"I can’t stop myself. God, this is really insane. It’s one lie on top of another and now it’s getting to the point where it’s hard to separate fact from fiction."

"I’ve got it straight," Riley assured her, gently massaging her shoulder, "We’ll be fine. Don’t you trust me?"

Buffy nodded slowly, "I feel really crappy about this, though."

Before Riley could continue promising her that this was the right thing to do and everything would work out, Nadia skipped into the room and smiled widely at Buffy, "Wow, you look real pretty Aunt Buffy."

Buffy returned the smile, "Thank you, you really like my hair?"

"Yeah, I do," the little girl nodded, "Grandma says you gotta go change."

"I do?"

"For dinner, you have to change clothes."

Buffy frowned at Riley, "Are we going somewhere really nice?"

Riley shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Well, how am I supposed to dress?"

Nadia crossed her arms over her chest and gave them a smug look, "Don’t worry about it, Grandma’s picking your clothes out for you."

Riley burst out laughing, "My God, she *does* think you’re a doll."

"She’s picking clothes out for you too, Uncle Riley."

Buffy smirked as she pushed herself up off the couch, "I wonder what she thinks *you* are…."

"Buffy, I’m so glad you had that steak. You need meat, real meat, none of that chicken," Claire smiled at her daughter-in-law as the family finished up their meals.

"Too bad there aren’t any vegetarians around let Mother know that chicken *is* meat," Riley muttered to Buffy.

Buffy smiled, but managed not to laugh out loud.

"Why do you care what she eats?" John asked his wife.

"Do you want her to be anemic? Do you want our grandchild to be ill before she is even born?"

Buffy and Riley were at the point of wanting to laugh so much, it was painful not to. Luckily, John knew better than to argue with Claire when she was feeling melodramatic and dropped the subject.

"So Buffy, have you chosen a birth method?" Rachel asked her sister-in-law.

"Yeah, she’s planning on having the kid pop out," Caleb smirked.

Rachel kicked her younger brother under the table, "That’s not what I meant."

Buffy smiled and shrugged, "I haven’t really picked anything."

"You should look into Lamaze," Rachel told her.

"Oh, well, that requires a partner and…" Buffy froze as she realized quite a few of the people at the table thought Riley was her daughter’s father and they were a real couple, so she needed a reason he couldn’t help her with Lamaze, "And, um… with Riley’s job and my bad timing, I’ll probably go into labor when he’s out of town, so why drag him to childbirth classes?"

"What?!" Claire exclaimed, "Riley, you had better *insist* on being your wife’s Lamaze coach!"

Knowing what was good for him, Riley nodded, "In my defense, Buffy never even mentioned this to me. I didn’t tell her I *wouldn’t* be her Lamaze coach."

"Well you better not have, because you are *going* to!" Claire insisted.

Riley nodded again and went back to his dinner. Buffy leaned closer to him and whispered as softly as possible, "I am so sorry… don’t worry, I think she’s just saying it for everyone else’s benefit."

Riley smiled and whispered back, "No, she’s not. She means it."

"Well, she’ll never know. I don’t expect you to be my coach."

Riley turned his head and looked at her seriously, "No, I want to do it. Please?"

Buffy was still for a moment before she smiled and nodded, "If you’re sure."

"I am," he assured her.

Everytime our eyes meet, This feelin' inside me,
Is almost more than I can take, Baby when you touch me,
I can feel how much you love me, And it just blows me away,
I've never been this close to anyone or anything, I can hear your thoughts,
I can see your dreams,

A song came on from the jukebox that Buffy actually knew and she smiled upon hearing it, since she actually liked it. The steakhouse had a definite country theme, which she wasn’t a big fan of, so it was nice to hear something familiar.

"This is a nice song," Eulalie commented to Buffy.

Buffy nodded, "It’s very romantic."

"Yes, it is!" Eulalie agreed enthusiastically, "You know what would be wonderful?"

"What?"

"If you two would go dance to this!"

Buffy and Riley paled and shared a look, trying to figure out a way to get out of it. Turning back to Eulalie, Buffy shook her head, "I’m huge and clumsy… I can’t dance."

"Plus, I have always hated dancing," Riley added.

Eulalie waved her hand, "You may hate dancing, but you won’t hate dancing with *Buffy*. It’s different when you love your partner."

"Grandma, we really don’t want to."

"Riley, would you take your wife and dance and make *me* happy?" Eulalie pleaded.

Claire jumped in, knowing at this point, she couldn’t be blamed for matchmaking, "It wouldn’t kill you… and don’t you want to make Grandma happy?"

Sighing, Riley reluctantly stood and pulled Buffy’s chair out for her before leading her to the area where a few other couples were dancing.

I don't know how you do what you do, I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps gettin' better, I want to spend the rest of my life,
With you by my side, forever and ever, Every little thing that you do,
Baby I'm amazed by you.

Almost nervously, the two began to slowly sway together to the beat of the music. Buffy looked up at Riley and gave him a small smile, "This isn’t so bad, right?"

Riley shook his head, "Nah… easy to dance to. It’s just that I don’t like encouraging them. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Mom actually had Grandma in on this."

"Don’t be paranoid," Buffy laughed, "I don’t think your grandmother could ever be even slightly dishonest. She seems so sweet and kind and… wonderful."

The smell of your skin, The taste of your kiss,
The way you whisper in the dark, Your hair all around me,
Baby you surround me, You touch every place in my heart,
You know it feels like the first time, Everytime,
I want to spend the whole night in your eyes,

"Don’t underestimate them," Riley warned her, "I doubt Grandma knows the truth, but my mom wants us together and she’s not afraid to manipulate to get what she wants. I wouldn’t put it past her to try and make us feel guilty about tricking Grandma to do it."

Buffy shrugged her shoulders, "Well, it doesn’t matter. She can try, but you and I know how it is, and nothing can change that. I feel bad about hurting your grandma, but what can we do?"

"Exactly… there’s no going back now, so we just have to deal. Just remember not to let her get to you."

I don't know how you do what you do I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps gettin' better, I want to spend the rest of my life,
With you by my side, forever and ever, Every little thing that you do,
Baby I'm amazed by you.

As the song ended, the two of them took a step apart and Buffy smiled up at him, "It’s a deal."

***

"How’s this?"

"A little higher, Caleb" Buffy replied from her position on the ground.

Riley kept his side of the big ‘Happy Birthday’ banner in position while his younger brother lifted the other end a bit and asked, "Better?"

"Perfect!" she smiled, clapping her hands together, "Your grandmother is going to be so happy when she sees this."

"That’s right, we’re doing this for *Grandma*," Riley said as he and Caleb secured the banner and climbed down their respective ladders, "In all her ordering everyone around, I thought it was for Mom."

Caleb smirked, "Being so far away hasn’t been good for you, Ri, you’ve forgotten that Mom always orders everyone around."

"You guys are mean," Buffy protested, knowing Claire *was* a bit bossy, but she was also quite endearing.

"No, in this instance, they aren’t," Rachel told her as she passed by with a half dozen balloons.

"You are just getting off easy, the rest of us have to do work while you stand around and tell us if things are straight," Riley teased.

Buffy frowned, hating the feeling of being the only one not pitching in, "I want to help, but your mom thinks I’m totally incapacitated because I’m pregnant. But I *will* help if you give me a job."

He smiled and patted her arm affectionately, "I was just kidding, we don’t want you overexerting yourself."

"Riley, I’m pregnant, not an invalid!"

"I wouldn’t feel right making you do work… besides, I think the decorating is about done."

"Yeah, lunch break!" Caleb grinned and rushed past the two of them to the back door.

"Boy, I never thought I’d see anyone more excited about a meal than you, but there ya go!" Riley exclaimed.

"Jeez, is it pick on Buffy day?" Buffy asked rhetorically before turning and following Caleb.

Confused, Riley followed her. Was she honestly upset? And why?

***

After they’d all had lunch, Claire directed Riley to go look for some old photo album in the attic. Begrudgingly, he headed up the stairs, hoping that maybe his absence would help Buffy forgive him. She’d hardly said two words or even looked at him all through lunch. Who knew she’d ever get so mad about a little teasing?

Soon after Riley had left the room, Claire had presented Caleb with a list and ordered him to take Buffy along with him to the grocery store to pick up all the last minute items. Eager to get out of the house, the both of them quickly obeyed.

"So, why are you mad at Riley?" Caleb asked Buffy as soon as they had backed out of the driveway.

"He made fun of how much food I eat," Buffy frowned.

"Well, that’s rude. You’re pregnant, it’s supposed to affect your eating habits," Caleb replied, "Plus, you’re around my mother and she can be really pushy about eating more, so you’re just saving your sanity. Besides, from what I’ve seen, you don’t eat that much. I can’t believe Riley had the nerve to be mean to you about it!"

Buffy sighed, "Well, you know, now I realize he wasn’t actually mean… it was more of a verbal jab… teasing, really. I don’t know, it just made me mad at first. Poor Riley… he’s a victim of my raging hormones," she chuckled.

Caleb grinned, "He’ll survive."

"Yeah, but…. sometimes I feel really bad because he doesn’t deserve this, you know? He’s not the one who got me pregnant, it’s not his fault. The father of my baby should be the one dealing with my crap."

"True," Caleb nodded, "He’s not around at all?"

Buffy shook her head, "He lives in Los Angeles."

"But he *does* know? I mean, don’t get mad, I just wanted to be sure that it wasn’t just that you know that the father isn’t responsible enough or something. I’m kind of missing the details."

"He knows… he’s the first one I told. He’s almost excessively responsible at times, and I love him. A part of my heart is always his. But when we were together, there were problems… problems that would go away if we were apart, so he moved to LA. When I got pregnant, though, I thought we ought to deal with those problems so that we could raise our child together."

"But he didn’t."

"Nope," she smiled sadly, "He thinks the problems are too great, that the better solution if for him to never know our daughter. To his credit, he’s very willing to support us financially… but without him there emotionally, it’s still hard."

"Man… I’m really sorry, Buffy. I don’t know you all that well, but I can tell that you’re a good person… you deserve better than that."

"Thanks," she said, then added, "Don’t think he’s a bad guy, because he really isn’t. I just don’t agree with his decision… and I’m a little mad at how he makes his decision the final one."

"Well, don’t kid yourself into thinking that it won’t make his ass grass if he ever does come to town and runs into Riley," Caleb told her.

"You really think so?"

"Yes! Come on, you don’t think Riley doesn’t care about what this guy did?"

"Well, no…. Riley doesn’t agree with what he did, but he’s so…. together. I can’t imagine Riley getting in a physical fight with anyone unless it was life or death… or something a lot more important than some guy who hurt me."

"You really don’t see that Riley’s in love with you?"

Buffy paled, "What?"

"He *loves* you. Don’t tell me you can’t see it."

She tried to come up with a response, but was really at a loss for words. First Rachel and now Caleb… plus Claire continually hinted that Riley a lot more than friendship for her. But still… despite all that and despite Riley’s own admission, she still couldn’t accept that Riley was truly in love with her. Buffy and love added up to gut wrenching pain and heartbreak, so she had to avoid this at all costs.

"He doesn’t, you’re mistaken."

"Buffy, he’s my brother. I know Riley very very well. I see how he looks at you and how he acts around you. It’s love, trust me."

"We’re good friends."

Caleb laughed, "I’ve seen him with friends. Trust me, he doesn’t act the same way around them as he does you."

"I don’t think he loves me."

Caleb was silent for a moment before he asked, "You don’t love him back? I mean, like I said, I don’t know you that well, but I thought maybe…"

"I love him in my own way, I guess… but it doesn’t matter if I love him like a friend or I love him like a husband… it’s very complicated, Caleb, and we can’t be…. what we pretend to be."

Caleb knew that there was a whole big story that he didn’t know about, but it was probably best to let it drop… for the time being. At least now he was positive Buffy did love Riley. Once they got to the bottom of things… hopefully she’d stay his sister-in-law.

He couldn’t help it if he had his mother’s prying genes!

***

"Where did Buffy go?" Riley asked as he handed his mother the dusty photo album.

"Oh, I sent her with Caleb to pick up a few things from the grocery store," she told him as she began wiping off the album and smiled widely at him, "They’ll probably be back in a while. Do you miss her?"

Riley rolled his eyes, "No, I was just wondering."

"It would be alright if you missed her."

"Thanks, that’s good to know."

"I bet she misses you!"

"No, Mother, she doesn’t. She’s actually mad at me right now."

Claire gasped, "Why? What did you do?"

"I don’t know," he shrugged, "All I did was tease her, and that doesn’t usually bother her, but she got all mad today."

"You shouldn’t tease her! Poor Buffy!"

"I’m sorry, okay? I’ll apologize when I see her."

"You’d better," Claire said, "Oh, and don’t you really love her new haircut?"

"It’s very nice."

"Yes, and she looks so beautiful, doesn’t she? She looked beautiful before, but even more now! I think you need to tell her how beautiful she looks."

"Mom, I can’t go around telling Buffy she’s beautiful and rocks my world and all that. No matter how much you wish it was true, we’re not a real couple and it’s not appropriate."

"Riley," Claire pleaded, grabbing her son’s hand, "I’m at the end of my rope. Please, why can’t you two make me the happiest mother on Earth and realize that you’re meant to be together? I’m practically *sick*, I am so stressed out about this."

"Because, Mother, we can’t just decide to spend the rest of our lives together to make you happy. We need to be happy too!"

"You don’t think Buffy could make you happy?"

Riley sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I can’t say…. But I can say that Buffy doesn’t think I can make her happy. She doesn’t want this, so it doesn’t matter."

Before Claire could ask why he thought that, he was gone.

***

"I don’t believe this," Caleb lamented as he attempted to start the car one more time.

"I don’t understand, it seemed fine before," Buffy said.

Running his hands over his face, Caleb replied, "It *was* fine before. I have no idea what’s wrong with it!"

"Do you know anything about cars? Maybe you could look at the engine or something."

"No… my dad taught my brothers a ton of stuff about cars, but I was never interested. Riley is going to be in his glory… I’m going to have to call him so he can come get us."

Buffy was quiet while Caleb pulled out his cell phone and explained their situation to his mother. After he hung up, he turned to her and said, "It’ll be probably twenty minutes before someone gets down here. They’re bringing a truck to tow my car."

"Well that’s good. Isn’t this car pretty new?"

"Yeah, it was a graduation gift! Anyway… want to go grab an ice cream? There’s a great place around the corner."

Buffy smiled, "I love ice cream."

***

Riley tried to force himself to stop grinning as he drove down the street where Caleb was supposed to be parked. It really wasn’t funny that his wife and brother were stranded… but after all the times Caleb had made fun of Noah and him, it would be nice to really rub it in.

However, Buffy was already mad at him. If she saw him being amused at her bad luck, she would only get angrier.

Seeing Caleb leaning against the back of his Camaro, Riley went ahead and double parked the truck. Jumping out, he asked, "Where’s Buffy?"

"She had to use the restroom. Uh, I bought her a banana split and she’s still eating it… I suggest you don’t comment."

Riley sighed, "She told you how I teased her?"

"Yeah… man are you a doofus," Caleb laughed.

"Oh, you’re one to talk. You know shit about cars and got yourself and Buffy stuck."

"It’s not my fault the stupid car isn’t working."

Before Riley could retort, Buffy came around the corner with a plastic container holding her banana split. He made a point not to look like he even noticed the food and gave her a tentative smile, "Hi Buffy."

"Hi… good, you made it here fast."

"Yeah, I didn’t want you overexposed to Caleb’s bad influence. Um… I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean."

Buffy waved her hand absently, "Don’t worry, I was being flaky. Sorry I got crabby at you."

"I’m sure he deserved it, can we get to work now?"

Riley rolled his eyes at his brother, but nodded, "Buffy, I need you to go get in the Camaro and put it in neutral and steer so that Caleb and I can push it out of the spot and I can hook it up to the truck, got it?"

Buffy nodded and climbed in the driver’s side of the car. The guys stood in front of the car, ready to push when they got a signal, but instead Buffy leaned her head out the window and asked, "Um, isn’t it like your car won’t start if it’s not in park or neutral?"

"Yeah…" Riley answered slowly.

"Oh, then maybe the problem is just that Caleb left it in drive."

Riley shot his brother a murderous look. Feebly, Caleb handed Buffy the keys so she could see if that was a problem. Sure enough, a moment later the car started right up.

Trying not to laugh, Caleb looked at his brother and said, "I’m sorry, Man, I totally didn’t notice."

"You’re such an idiot," Riley shook his head, then helped Buffy out of the car, "Want to ride home with me?"

"Go with him, Buffy, then you guys can neck," Caleb joked as he climbed in the driver’s seat.

They hardly had a chance to give him a dirty look before Caleb was zooming out of his parking spot. At six months pregnant, getting up in the rather high truck cab proved to be difficult for Buffy, especially while she clutched her banana split. Riley practically lifted her into the seat, but she was in.

Once they started heading home, Buffy broke the silence by confessing, "I’m a little nervous about tonight."

"What for?"

"Well, I’m going to be meeting your whole family and *lying* to them. It just seems so… nerve-wracking."

"It’ll be fine, don’t worry."

"Don’t you think after… we get divorced… when you come home and see people who didn’t know the truth, it’ll be weird?"

"Nah… it’s not like I am the first person in the entire family to get divorced. Crazy Aunt Lillian, who you’ll meet tonight, she divorced her husband fifteen years ago when he cheated on her."

"Why do you call her crazy?"

Riley tried to think of why he did call her that, then remembered, "It’s because her husband begged her to take him back and she refused."

"And you think she’s crazy for *that*?"

"No, actually, now that you mention it. I’ve just heard my dad and uncles call her crazy all my life."

"Well, it’s wrong. You shouldn’t call her crazy anymore."

"Okay, I won’t," he conceded, happy that he had at least gotten her mind of her nervousness. He really didn’t want to go on about what life would be like after Buffy. Just the idea of Buffy not being his wife anymore made his heart hurt.

"Oh, you must be so excited. A new husband and a baby!" Riley’s Aunt Joan smiled as she patted Buffy’s belly.

Rachel pasted a smile on her face, "All her dreams have come true!"

Joan put her hand to her chest, oblivious to the fact that Rachel was making fun of her, and sighed, "It warms my heart!"

"Yes…. Why don’t you have some punch, Aunt Joan? I really should introduce Buffy to everyone."

"All right, but Buffy, I want to talk to you later."

"I look forward to it. Nice meeting you," Buffy replied before she and Rachel were out of earshot and able to giggle.

"God, some of my family is *so* old fashioned," Rachel groaned.

Buffy nodded, feeling somber as she remembered the fact that while she was the little pregnant wife right now, she’d be that horrible woman who was divorced from Riley in a matter of months. Rachel sensed the change in Buffy’s mood, but opted not to comment. Instead, she’d just try to make Buffy feel better through family love… which she fortunately had plenty of.

"Oh, here’s Stacey," Rachel announced as the two of them approached a brunette in her mid-twenties, "Stacey, this is Riley’s wife, Buffy. Buffy, this is our cousin, Stacey. Don’t worry, she won’t tell you how great it is that you’re barefoot, pregnant and you caught a man."

Stacey laughed, "I see you met my mother, Joan."

"Yes, she was… sweet."

"And clueless, but what are you going to do," Stacey replied, gently hugging Buffy, "I’ve heard so much about you for months now, it’s great to finally meet you."

***

"I feel sorry for you," Noah told his brother as he sat down on the couch next to him."

Riley frowned, "What for?"

"Because after you divorce Buffy, I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few members of the family end up mad at you. She’s a big hit," Noah explained, then continued when he saw Riley’s exasperated expression, "Don’t get all mad… I’m not participating in Mom’s matchmaking scheme… just making an observation. Although, for the record, I don’t see why you don’t stay married to her. I find married life preferable to being a bachelor and from what I have seen, you could do a lot worse than Buffy. Of course, I don’t live with her, so it’s possible she’s a total freak. Is she a total freak?"

"No, she’s very unfreakish," Riley admitted, "There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her."

"Then why not?"

Riley looked down, "Because it’s the year 2000. I can’t just decide to stay married to Buffy and not care about what *she* wants."

"Oh… so you two have discussed this?"

"Something like that. She knows that I am not adverse to a real romantic relationship… but she loves the father."

"She can’t love you both?"

"Apparently not."

Noah frowned, since he’d seen the way Buffy had looked at his brother. She certainly played the part of loving wife well, if Riley was correct. Hell, she should move to Hollywood because as far as he was concerned, she could win an Oscar for her performance as Mrs. Riley Finn.

***

"Buffy, come sit with me," Eulalie said, patting the couch beside her.

Buffy sat down and smiled at the older woman, "Are you enjoying your party?"

"Yes… it’s so nice seeing everyone. Especially the young people, like you and Riley. When I look at the two of you, it reminds me of myself, so many years ago. You make sure you enjoy this time, Buffy. Before you know it, your baby will be all grown up and on her own and you’ll wonder where the years went."

She nodded, "I’m making a point to cherish every stage of my pregnancy. I kind of enjoy how close I am to her, with her inside me. But that doesn’t make me any less excited for when she’s not inside me anymore and I can see my daughter."

"You’ll make a wonderful mother," Eulalie told her, "You’re already a wonderful wife. I’m so glad Riley found you. I always worried about him. He’s so giving…. it would be easy for a lot of people without much integrity to take advantage of him… but he found you and you’re not like that. You’re deserving of him. I’d even say he’s lucky to have found you."

Buffy felt tears in her eyes, she was so touched by the woman’s words, "That’s so kind of you to say."

Eulalie tenderly touched the girl’s cheek, "It’s the truth. When you live as long as I do, the truth is easier to see. You have no idea how happy I am to see Riley all settled with a good woman… having a child of his own. I feel so… content."

Buffy’s heart began to ache as she once again thought how this was only temporary and all an act. She’d made this woman happy by *lying* to her. What kind of horrible person was she? Looking around, she found so many friendly faces. Everyone had been so kind to her, welcomed her into their family with open arms…. and she’d *lied* to them.

"Well, I’d better go find Claire. I want her to enjoy this party, not worry about having everything perfect the whole time," Eulalie said as she stood.

Buffy managed a weak smile, grateful for the woman’s departure. She’d developed a burning desire to get away from everyone and now she wouldn’t have to be rude to one of the sweetest people she’d ever met.

Pushing herself up off the couch, Buffy moved quickly through the room, grateful that nobody seemed to notice her and try to start a conversation. She felt like she was suffocating with all these people she’d deceived surrounding her.

Heading up the stairs, Buffy entered the room she was sharing with Riley, sat on the bed, and burst into tears.

***

"Riley, have you seen Buffy?" Claire asked her son, a worried look on her face, "I haven’t been able to find her anywhere."

Riley shook his head and stood up from his seat around one of several tables set up for dinner. His mother had ordered him to his seat a few minutes earlier and he’d obeyed, making conversation with his cousins while he waited for everyone to be seated so they could eat, "I’ll find her."

He wandered through the house, glancing quickly into rooms and not finding Buffy in any of them. Claire followed him closely, telling him that she’d already looked all over the downstairs and she was really starting to worry, because Buffy hadn’t told anyone she was going somewhere.

"Mom, I’m sure Buffy’s not another Lindbergh baby. Nobody kidnapped her… she’s around here somewhere," Riley assured her as he started climbing the stairs, "You don’t have to worry. Why don’t you go get everyone ready? I’ll get Buffy down there… I’m sure you have her sitting next to me."

"Of course I do," Claire replied, "But I can’t think about dinner at a time like this!"

Riley rolled his eyes; she made everything a big drama.

Walking up to his bedroom door, he softly knocked and called, "Buffy?"

"Yes?" he heard her muffled reply.

He slowly opened the door as Claire sighed in relief behind him. The room was dim, lit only by his small desk lamp, but he could see that Buffy was sitting on his bed, quite distraught. Turning his head, he saw that Claire had also seen that Buffy was crying. Quietly but firmly, he told her, "Go ahead and start dinner. We’ll be there when we get there, okay?"

Claire nodded, "I’ll tell everyone Buffy’s not feeling well."

"That’ll work," Riley replied, shutting the door behind him as he entered the room. He sat down beside Buffy and gingerly began stroking her back, "Want to tell me what’s wrong?"

"I just feel horrible… I’m a liar," Buffy said before she began sobbing.

Riley pulled her against him, "Why do you let this bother you so much?"

"I love your family. They are all amazing… and I’m *lying* to them!"

"Well, I love my family too… but sometimes you can help someone by protecting them from the truth. They like the lie better than they’d like the truth."

"I wish that could make me feel better."

"Me too," Riley smiled, kissing the top of her head, "Then my shirt wouldn’t be so wet."

Buffy laughed, despite the tears still streaming down her face. Pulling back so she could look up at him, she said, "It’s just that when I see their faces, looking at me like I’m this… girl that you love and married and made a baby with… but I’m not. I *hate* the way that makes me feel."

Riley swallowed, not sure what to say. A part of him wanted to tell her that it wasn’t far from the truth. He *did* love her and marry her… and he could love her baby just as much as if he had helped make it. But he knew he couldn’t… it would only cause problems. He’d learned that the hard way after they had made love.

"You know that there’s nothing I can say to set you straight on that. They do look at you that way, because we’ve told them this story… and it *is* just a story… but I don’t think that’s reason enough to beat yourself up. I mean, look at me, this is my family. My flesh and blood and I am lying to them… does it look like I’m losing sleep?"

Buffy smiled and shook her head, "I wish I could not care."

"Don’t care! You shouldn’t! It would make me exceedingly happy if you didn’t."

"I just… I like how they like me… embrace me and welcome me into the family. I keep thinking about after… they’ll hate me."

"No, actually… in all seriousness, they think you’re a really sweet girl. If we get divorced, they’ll probably think *I* screwed up."

"That doesn’t bug you?"

Riley shook his head, "You see, you’re a mother now. Mother’s have this bizarre obsession with worrying about the distant future when absolutely nothing can be done. I enjoy the now."

Buffy smiled, "I guess you think I’m being pretty silly."

"Yeah… but in a cute way."

"And the rest of your family will now think I am a flake because I am making you miss your grandmother’s dinner."

"Buffy, there is, like, a billion people downstairs… I bet we’re not even missed… and my mom told anyone who did notice our absence that you’re sick. Would you like to go wash your face and then the both of us could go down for dinner?"

Buffy nodded and smiled shyly, "I’m really hungry."

Riley grinned, "Okay, we’ll go then… just take it easy. I hate seeing you cry. Please, for my sake, don’t do it again?"

"I’ll try… but I am the hormonal nightmare, so I won’t make any promises," she joked as she got off the bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her face, feeling much better than before Riley had come into the room. He was so good to her… maybe everyone wasn’t wrong about them after all….

***

The next few days passed uneventfully. After seeing Buffy crying, Claire had backed off, knowing it was more important to keep Buffy light on the stress than to get her to see she belonged with Riley. She *did* have several more months to do that, anyway, even if it was easier to do so when she wasn’t all the way in California. Buffy and Riley spent a lot more time together, just hanging out with Riley’s family, for the remainder of their trip in Iowa.

All too soon it was Saturday morning and Buffy and Riley were telling everyone goodbye. Much to Riley’s chagrin, Claire started crying, which made Buffy cry, and everyone passing by in the busy airport stare. Luckily, the flight began boarding and John suggested they go ahead and get on, since it would be hard for Buffy to do so in her condition after the seats were filled.

At long last, Riley tugged Buffy through the doors so they could trudge down the walkway to the plane. Fortunately, she stopped crying right away and was instead quiet for the most part as they got situated. In fact, she didn’t say a word all through take-off and the flight attendant’s demonstration.

Reaching across the armrest, Riley found Buffy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah… sorry… I’m just really going to miss your mom. I know it was only a week, but I love her… and the rest of your family. It was great being around all of them."

"They *are* pretty great… but better in small amounts than large sums. Like… cheesecake. You love it and want a lot… but it’s rich so if you have a lot… you get sick."

"I wouldn’t get sick of your family."

"Yes you would. You just think you wouldn’t because you’ve never had too much of them."

Buffy smiled at him, "Even if you are right, I wish Evangeline could have a big loving family. I know I always loved seeing my cousins when I was little… I’m not going to be able to give her any family at all. Just me."

"Well, I think she’s extremely lucky to have ‘just you’. I know for a fact that you’ll be a great mom."

"You really believe that? I want to, more than anything… but I’m kind of scared. She’s not even born yet, and I’ve screwed stuff up."

"No you haven’t. You were dealt a crappy hand. Angel made the choice not to be around, your mother made the choice not to want you to stay with her… you didn’t just say you were going to raise the baby by yourself and move out of your mom’s place because you wanted to. Look at what you *have* done. You’ve gotten yourself a job… you did something you didn’t want to do so that you would have health insurance and a home for her… you’re doing fabulous."

Buffy gave him a full fledged grin, "I don’t know what I’d do without you."

Riley returned the smile, even as his heart ached. He didn’t want to think what he’d do without her….

***

Giles was surprised to hear a knock on his front door early on Sunday morning, but hurried to answer it. When he saw Buffy on the other side of the threshold, he was instantly worried.

"Buffy, are you alright?"

Buffy smiled at him, "I’m *fine*. Are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied, flustered in a way that only Buffy could make him, "Why are you here?"

"Uh, do you think I could come in? I’d rather talk to *you* and not all your neighbors."

"Oh, yes, right," Giles said, stepping aside so she could enter the apartment.

Buffy walked over to the couch and sat down, not without some effort. Being seven months pregnant made any movement difficult.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Giles asked as he followed her into the room.

Buffy shook her head and patted the spot next to her, "I have something important I want to tell you."

Not without trepidation, Giles sat beside her, "What is it?"

"I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, done a lot of stupid things… and made a lot of decisions I know you didn’t agree with. Like the baby… I know that you would have preferred I have an abortion or give the baby up for adoption… because there’s a lot of reasons why it would be better for me not to be a mother. But it’s what *I* wanted, and even though it wasn’t your choice… you backed me up," Buffy told him, tears shimmering in her eyes, "You always do that. You support me no matter how you feel. I just want you to know that I know you do this and it means a lot to me. I am telling you this *now* because today is Father’s Day. And I know I do have a father… he won’t speak to me, but he does exist… but, really, when I think of the man who has loved me as a daughter and done all the things a father should do, been all the things a father should be… I think of you."

Giles was moved beyond speech and just smiled adoringly at the girl who wished more than anything was his daughter. But in that moment, he saw that even though they didn’t share blood, they shared what mattered. He had a daughter.

"Thank you for telling me all this," Giles finally said.

Buffy shook her head and grinned as she wiped tears from her cheeks, "Thank *you* for giving me so much to be grateful for."

"To be fair, everything I do for you seems natural."

"Funny how it doesn’t seem natural for Hank," Buffy replied, then shook her head, "Forget I even said that. I totally don’t want to get into that. I have another purpose for my visit. It’s Father’s Day and, to me, you’re my father, so I want to spend the day with you. I got together with Anya and she agreed to run the shop today. Xander’s even going to help her. So… are you willing to be my date?"

Giles grinned, "I’d love to."

***

"Will you tell me where we’re going now?" Giles asked for the fifth time since they had left the apartment.

Buffy had tugged him out the door and into her car, insisting that their destination be a surprise. Giles had reluctantly allowed her to drive them out of town and on a road through the hills that he believed were by the beach.

Buffy sighed, " Fine, if you *must* know now. I thought a lot about what we could do today, because I really wanted it to be special. Like, I thought it would be cool if we could do something together that you really liked… but I don’t think I know nearly enough about Giles the adult… mostly you’re Giles the watcher/librarian/dad-like guy. I know you like training, but I can’t do unless it’s finger flexes or something, and you enjoy cross referencing, which I could do, but that’s damn boring… and you enjoy books, but I don’t think it would be fun to read together… so I couldn’t think of anything! So, I packed a lunch and decided to take you to a spot *I* really like on the beach for a picnic. Then you can tell me something special that you’d like for us to do this afternoon."

Giles was touched that she really had put a lot of thought into this. However, he had no idea what they could do either. He tried coming up with ideas until Buffy pulled into a small, deserted parking lot.

"Nobody ever comes here… besides me, anyway. I found it one day when I was driving around, just after you gave me the car. I come once a week or so… just to think. It’s like my special spot," Buffy explained, giving him a hopeful smile.

"It’s beautiful," Giles told her, looking through the windshield at the long stretch of sand and ocean in front of them, "I’m amazed that it’s not packed with people."

Buffy shrugged, "For some reason, they direct everyone to Glendon Beach. It’s got all the vendors, major parking… and the bathrooms, which I admit are helpful… but I love the privacy."

"Yes, I will much prefer enjoying a picnic all alone with you than with hundreds of loud, half-naked people surrounding us."

Buffy laughed and opened her car door, "Let’s go eat, I’m starving."

***

"So, do you know what you want to do yet?" Buffy asked as she began cleaning up the trash from their picnic.

"How about I sit here for the next three days and digest?" Giles smiled, "In case you were wondering, your culinary skills are still improving… and I hadn’t thought it could possibly get better after the last time you cooked for me."

Buffy grinned, "Thank you… but this was nothing."

"Well, since it’s not very often someone makes me a picnic lunch, it was a lot to me."

Buffy paused for a moment and looked out at the water, "I wish I was skinny. Nothing sounds better than jumping in the ocean right now. Hey, maybe I’ll come back out here with one of my old bikinis. They’ll fit… I won’t look very attractive, but this place *is* deserted."

"You really don’t think you look attractive?" Giles asked, then continued when Buffy gestured to her stomach and shook her head, "Well, I can tell you from my fatherly perspective that you are the most beautiful girl in the world. You’re just as attractive now as you were a year ago. I think you would be surprised how many men see a pregnant woman as something very attractive. I would hazard to guess that Riley agrees. What do you think?"

Buffy chuckled and shook her head, "Have you been talking to Riley’s mom? Because that was really *such* a Claire maneuver."

"Just making an observation," he defended himself, all the while grinning like the cat that ate the canary, "I think I know what I want to do now."

"Oh, what?"

"I would like to fly a kite."

Buffy raised her eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"Yes… when I was a boy, my mother used to take me to the park every Sunday afternoon and we would fly my kite. I quite enjoyed it…. and I think it would be quite nice if I could fly a kite with you. What do you say?"

"Sounds cool to me," she said, "Um… but will this be the ‘running around’ kind of flying a kite, or the ‘standing still’ kind? Because as the pregnant, uncoordinated, having-a-hard-time-even-walking-too-much one… I much prefer standing."

***

"Thank you, Buffy. I had a wonderful day," Giles said as he dried the last dish. After he and Buffy had found a store that sold kites, they’d gone back up to her special spot on the beach and flown their kites for a while, then gone back to his place where Buffy had cooked him a big dinner with plenty of leftovers so she knew he’d have good food to eat for a few days.

Buffy grinned and hugged him, "Thank you for all the *years* you’ve been a father to me when you really didn’t have to."

"I told you, it’s easy," Giles replied, then took a step back, "Now as much as I love spending time with you, you’d best be heading home. It’s going to be dark soon."

Buffy rolled her eyes and started walking to the door, "You sound just like Riley."

"Good, then I know Riley cares about you too," he smiled.

"Oh, I can’t believe I almost forgot!" she exclaimed and pulled a card out of her purse, "I got this for you."

Shyly, she handed him the card and kissed him on the cheek before rushing out the door, as if she feared his reaction. Dumbfounded, Giles stared at the envelope in his hand as she left.

***

"Hey, how’d it go?" Riley asked, coming out of his bedroom as he heard Buffy enter the apartment.

She grinned broadly at him, "Really great, I think. Giles seemed to have fun."

"He did… uh, he called a few minutes ago because he wanted me to make sure you let him know you get home safe. We talked for a bit and he really enjoyed it."

"Oh good," she said as she clapped her hands together, "You know, I was very nervous about today."

"Yeah, I had that idea from the way you’ve been obsessing about it," he teased.

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him and reached for the phone, "Well, I’ll call him back now so he doesn’t worry. He’s just like you in that way… big worrier."

"Okay," Riley said and sat down on the couch.

She frowned, "Was there something you needed?"

"Well, I, uh, sort of have a favor to ask you… but it can wait until you’re done."

"No, that’s okay, ask me now."

"Okay…. You see, there’s this big party next Saturday. A ton of colonels and even generals will be there. So of course I have to go but then today I ran into Colonel Nichols and he sort of told me I should bring my wife… which would be you… so I’d really appreciate it if you could come. I mean, if you don’t want to, I can probably say you aren’t feeling well, but I’m nervous they might get suspicious or something because nobody ever sees my wife. Besides the guys, anyway."

"Chill, Riley… I’d be happy to come."

"Really?"

"Sure," she nodded, "So is this, like, black tie or something? Because if it is, I need a new dress so I’ll have to go shopping tomorrow."

"Yeah… I’ll pay for it."

"Don’t worry about it, I really don’t mind going to a party for you after all you’ve done for me… besides, you really only need me to do you this favor because you’re doing a much huger favor for me," Buffy smiled.

Riley stood and grasped her shoulders, "Thank you!"

***

"God, I can’t believe I’m here," Buffy sighed as she and Riley walked into the room that their first Lamaze class was to be held in.

Riley smiled, "Trust me when I say I relate."

"I’m sorry I got you dragged into this. Now you’re probably going to get stuck with me when I go into labor because I plan on being a huge baby about it and I’ll probably beg you to be there with me."

"To be honest, I can’t imagine not *wanting* to be there when you give birth," Riley replied honestly.

"Hello everyone," a woman said loudly as she walked into the room. Smiling, she continued, "My name is Elsa Sharpe. I’ll be your instructor for this course. Looking around the room, everyone appears to be in the right spot, but just in case, you should all be here for the Lamaze class. If not, I suggest you make a run for it now, before I put on the birth video."

As several people laughed, Riley turned to Buffy, his face suddenly very pale, "Birth video?"

"That’s part of it," she replied.

"Everyone, lets all make a circle here on the floor. Coaches, I’d like it if you were all human pillows for our expectant mothers, it will be our most popular position in this class."

They moved to the center of the room and Riley helped Buffy get down on the floor before sitting behind her and resting his legs on either side of her. Buffy awkwardly copied all the other couples and leaned back against him until she couldn’t resist how nice it felt and relaxed.

Elsa quickly told them all the techniques they’d be working on throughout the course before popping the aforementioned video in the VCR and dimming the lights. Riley took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself. After the one time with Rachel when he’d even made a point to not look in certain places…. he wasn’t sure he could make it.

"Okay, just remember. We just stick with the truth for the most part. If anyone asks how we met, we give them the truth. Well, about our first date, anyway. The only thing we lie about is that we got married because you’re pregnant and the baby’s not mine and that we aren’t really living as man and wife," Riley reminded Buffy as he pulled into the large round driveway in front of General Charles Brandon’s mansion.

"Yeah, I haven’t forgotten. You *did* tell me ten times already," Buffy replied, irritable after spending the past two hours in Riley’s jeep as they drove to Los Angeles and Riley stressed about being caught. Like they’d been able to trick his family and friends and everyone who knew them, but a few military men that they’d never even met before would see right through the charade. Glancing at the window at the house as Riley pulled up, Buffy was very impressed, "Wow, are you going to be able to get a place like this someday?"

Flattered that Buffy thought he could make it to General, Riley shook his head and grinned, "I doubt it. General’s get paid well, but not *that* well. General Brandon’s wife inherited a lot of money, I hear."

"Ah, I see… well then you definitely have to divorce me. I can’t bring you a fortune… just babies," Buffy joked as a valet opened the door and helped her out. She quickly tugged at her simple black sleeveless v-neck dress that fell to her knees with a ruffle around the hem, hoping it wasn’t too wrinkled after their long drive.

Riley walked around the jeep after another valet had opened his door and gotten in to park the vehicle. Offering Buffy his arm, the two of them walked up the path to the front door, "Now, keep in mind that these are Generals. They're very manly and... not personable. Don't be offended if they don’t really have a conversation with you… it’s just how they are."

"I’ll just be happy if they don’t order my execution," Buffy replied lightly.

Once they reached the door, Riley took a deep breath and knocked. A few seconds later an older man in a tux, obviously some of the help, opened the door. Buffy was even more awestruck by the home as they entered the foyer. This was definitely the nicest party she had ever been to. For the first time that evening, she felt a bit of anxiousness. She absolutely could not mess things up for Riley. Even if they didn’t discover their secret…. having a dipstick wife wouldn’t help Riley’s career at all.

After someone had taken her purse for her, she and Riley stood in a receiving line and waited to shake hands with the General and his wife. It took a few moments, but Buffy finally found herself shaking the hand of a woman around her mother’s age, with perfectly coifed auburn hair and a warm smile.

"Buffy, this is Helen Brandon. Mrs. Brandon, this is my wife, Buffy Finn."

"It’s so nice to meet you, Ma’am, you have a beautiful home."

"Oh thank you, dear. I’m so glad you could make it. I understand you two are from Sunnydale… I know all too well how uncomfortable a two hour drive is when you’re pregnant. When are you due?"

"August 19^th," Buffy replied, "Less than two more months. I have to remind myself every five minutes or so."

Mrs. Brandon laughed, "Yes, I remember that feeling as well. However, there comes a time where you wish you could keep them inside you forever."

"Forgive me if I am skeptical about that at the moment," Buffy smiled.

"Well, I should be a good hostess and meet everyone, but we’ll have to discuss this later, all right?"

"Absolutely," she nodded and looked at the man standing next to Helen. He was large, that was for sure, nearly as tall as Riley. But still… not incredibly scary.

"Sir, this is my wife, Buffy. Buffy, this is General Charles Brandon."

"Pleased to meet you, Sir," Buffy nodded, reaching out to shake the man’s hand.

The General gave it a firm shake, "It’s nice meeting you too, Mrs. Finn. I always enjoy seeing my men settle down and start families of their own."

"Well, *that* we have," Buffy smiled, putting her hand on her belly.

"It’s good to see, very encouraging," the man nodded.

Buffy smiled awkwardly at Riley, hoping he’d spirit her away. He hadn’t been kidding when he said the General probably wouldn’t be personable.

Luckily, Riley must have read her mind, "Well, we’ll let you move on. Hopefully we’ll get to talk soon, Sir."

"Yes, absolutely," General Brandon agreed before turning to the next person in line.

"Well, that was interesting. He’s big on family values," Buffy commented as they walked into a large ballroom with people milling about, most of which were in uniform, as was Riley. In fact, she was a part of the minority, since most of the guests were from the Initiative project… and unmarried.

"I know," Riley agreed, "Let’s hope he forgets me, because if I ever meet him again and have to tell him I’m divorced, I’ll lose all my brownie points and then some."

Buffy frowned, but didn’t comment. In the three weeks since their return from Iowa, she’d remained open minded about their relationship, but Riley appeared to have lost all interest. He wasn’t mean, or any less sweet… he just seemed… content to divorce her.

"Buffy! You look beautiful, as usual. I really love the new ‘do," Thomas grinned as he approached them and leaned down to kiss Buffy on the cheek, "Are you ready to leave your husband for me yet?"

She laughed and smacked him playfully on the arm, "You’re such a shameless flirt."

"I can’t help it, you bring it out in me," Thomas defended himself, then looked at Riley, "How’d it go with the General?"

Riley shrugged, "Fine… I think he was really impressed that I have a wife."

Thomas rolled his eyes, "This guy is such a brown-noser. He probably only married you to impress people."

Buffy put a hand to her chest, "Poor me, I’m just being used!"

As she and Thomas laughed and Riley tried to look disapproving, Buffy felt a lot better. Sure, they were out to impress the important people… but ‘her guys’ were there… so she might as well have fun.

***

"Like that?"

Buffy looked away from the sword hanging on the wall and was surprised to find General Brandon a few feet away from her. Smiling, she nodded, "It’s beautiful…. from the Civil War era?"

Clearly impressed, the man replied, "Why yes, it is. It’s a Civil War Trooper’s Sword… issued to both sides of the war."

"I was looking at another one in the hallway near the restroom earlier… that was from the Civil War too, right?"

"Yes, that is actually a replica of the sword carried by General Joseph Shelby. He was a Confederate, but it’s still a beauty."

"I agree," she smiled, "So you collect Civil War swords, or just swords in general?"

"Oh, I’m a big fan of swords, and I’ll buy them from any time if I like them, but I do prefer the ones from the Civil War," the General replied, "I have most of my collection in the library. Would you like to go look?"

"Sure," Buffy said, taking his proffered arm and letting him lead her out of the ballroom.

***

"Hey, have you seen Buffy?" Riley asked Forrest as he found his friend standing off to the side by himself. He’d started looking for his wife a few moments earlier and discovered she was nowhere to be found.

Forrest nodded, "She’s looking at the General’s sword."

"Huh?" Riley asked, not missing his friend’s double entendre.

Forrest sighed and explained how he had overheard Buffy’s conversation with General Brandon and how the two had left for his library ten minutes earlier.

Riley had to admit, he was amused, even as he feared Buffy might slip and say something to get them in trouble, "Who would have thought *Buffy* would have something in common with the General?"

"Hey, how come you didn’t tell me Buffy’s like a fencing master?" Mike asked as he walked up to them, "I just saw she and General Brandon come in here and he was asking her if she’d like to try fencing with him after she had the baby!"

"You’re kidding," Riley exclaimed, turning to see that Buffy was indeed walking over to the table with food alongside General Brandon.

"I hear he never lets *anyone* near his precious swords! He must really like her," Mike told him.

The three of them stood in silence for several moments, watching as Buffy let the General help her fill a plate with food and head over to a table nearby…. within earshot.

"I’ll have to have my wife talk to you, later. She used Lamaze with all four of our children and swears by it."

"That would be great. We’ve only had one class and I have a lot of questions," Buffy replied, munching on a little mini quiche.

"I’m sure Helen will be more than happy to help you out," he assured her.

"You know what was *so* funny," Buffy laughed, "They showed this video of this woman giving birth and I thought Riley was going to pass out for real! I don’t know how he’s going to make it through an actual birth!"

Riley felt his face turn beet red as all the growing number of friends around him began cracking up. *This* is what he’d been afraid of.

The General laughed and nodded, "Honey, in that case, you’d better keep an eye on him in the delivery room because when Helen gave birth to our first, I actually did faint!"

All the guys stopped laughing. Stunned, Waylon said, "He actually admitted that to her… God… he’s really digging her!"

***

Over the next hour, Riley stood in the same spot with Forrest and Graham and watched as Buffy had first General Brandon, then General Foster and Colonel Stevens enthralled in conversation.

"Didn’t I tell you she was bad news?" Forrest commented, shaking his head. Only Buffy could turn a military engagement into a giggling vapidity fest.

"Actually, they all seem to really like her," Graham pointed out, "I wouldn’t worry… if anything, they’ll like *you* more because of her."

"Until he divorces her," Forrest smirked, determined to hate the agreement Riley and Buffy made until the day he died.

"Then maybe I just won’t divorce her," Riley retorted.

***

"Maybe your husband would be interested in doing some volunteer work. That always looks good when it comes time for promotions. I can help get him into one of my charities… perhaps he could help out with Toys For Tots," General Foster offered.

Buffy’s eyes widened, "You work on Toys For Tots?"

The man nodded proudly, "Yes Ma’am, every year."

"Oh, you know how they have that one commercial for it, where the soldier is all standing straight like he’s supposed to, and then this cute little boy comes up to him and asks if he’s Santa Claus because he has a list for him., and the soldier knows he’s not supposed to talk or anything, but then his hand opens so the little boy can give him the list? I *love* that commercial! It’s so sweet… makes me cry every time!"

The men around Buffy all chuckled and Colonel Stevens replied, "Actually, that makes me a little misty eyed as well."

"Excuse me," Riley said as he walked up next to Buffy and slid his arm around her, "I hope I’m not interrupting… I just wanted to make sure Buffy wasn’t hungry."

Buffy sighed and smiled, "Everyone keeps coming up and asking me that!"

"Well you need it," General Brandon said, "You’re no bigger than a minute!"

Colonel Stevens nodded in agreement, "You’re a tiny little thing."

"It’s good to see you make sure your wife is taken care of," General Foster told Riley, then glanced at his watch, "Speaking of, my wife is going to kill me. I had no idea how late it was… I was so entertained by you, Mrs. Finn. It was a pleasure meeting you… we’ll have to do it again."

Buffy grinned and nodded, "Definitely."

"It *is* late… this party will be breaking up soon, so I’d better get to my hosting duties," General Brandon told her, taking her hand and kissing it, "Don’t forget our fencing date. Shall I plan on taking you on in October? That should give you some time after you have the baby."

"Sounds good to me," Buffy told him.

"I’d better get a move on too, it’s a long drive home," Colonel Stevens said, "Buffy, I want you to come to my wife’s next dinner party. You two will be getting an invitation for sure… can I expect to see you?"

Buffy gave Riley a questioning look and he quickly nodded, "We’d love to, Sir."

Once they were left alone, Buffy smiled up at him, "I think I did okay."

"Okay? You were amazing… a huge hit! I’m very very proud of you."

Buffy smiled even wider as Riley hugged her as tightly as he could with her distended stomach. His arms felt so good around her…. if only she could spend the rest of her life that way.

***

"Are you sure he meant *tonight*?" Buffy asked again as she and Riley walked through the courtyard towards Giles’ apartment.

Riley nodded, "I told you, not only am I sure he said he really wanted us to come over tonight for dinner, but he also said ‘see you in half an hour’, so I’m positive he meant tonight."

"It’s weird, he never mentioned anything about it… Giles isn’t a last minute kind of guy," Buffy sighed, "I hope he doesn’t have some horrible news to tell me or something."

"Don’t get yourself all worried," he told her, "We’ll find out in just a minute, I’m sure."

"Or maybe not," she said, as she saw through the window that the apartment was dark, "Maybe he’s not back from wherever he ran off to when he called."

"Something is going on, I can smell it."

"You can *smell* it? What the hell is that?"

"Instinct, Buffy… instinct."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Whatever… should I even bother knocking on the door. Maybe Giles *is* in there… are you sure he invited you too? He could be planning a romantic candlelit dinner or something."

It was Riley’s turn to roll his eyes as he knocked on the door and Buffy giggled.

"Come in," Giles called from inside.

Riley opened the door and Buffy stepped in the dark apartment, "You really should know better, Giles. You weren’t sure it was us."

"Surprise!"

Both Buffy and Riley jumped as the lights came on and they saw Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, Claire and Rachel standing in the living room, big grins on their faces.

Buffy put a hand to her chest as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Looking to Riley, she knew right away that he hadn’t been in on it.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Claire came over and hugged a still shocked Buffy and then her son, "Rupert was so kind to invite Rachel and I to Buffy’s baby shower."

"My baby shower?" Buffy asked.

"Actually, it was all Claire’s idea," Giles smiled as he walked up to Buffy and giving her a gentle hug, "She called me several weeks ago and helped me organize everything. As you can imagine, I didn’t know much of anything about baby showers."

"You guys are giving me a baby shower? Really?"

"When you told me you didn’t think you were having one, it broke my heart. There’s no way we could let that happen," Rachel told her.

"And how come nobody let me in on the plan?" Riley asked.

"That’s because we wanted to keep it a secret," Claire told him, "Even if you hadn’t let it slip, you probably would have raised Buffy’s suspicions."

Offended, Riley replied, "I can keep a secret! I work for the U.S. Military… we’re all about secrets!"

"Yeah and instincts… don’t forget you can *smell* when something’s up," Xander snorted.

Riley glared around sternly as everyone laughed. Giles soon ushered them to the table that was set with pink paper plates and pink plastic cups. As Giles, Willow and Tara headed into the kitchen to bring dinner out, Buffy and Riley took a moment to look around. Pink was definitely the theme of the party, apparantly since the baby was a girl. There were pink balloons tied all over the apartment, as well as a few "It’s a girl!" ones. On the coffee table, there was a large white basket filled with white and pink baby shirts, booties, socks and a teddy bear. There were even white and pink streamers hanging from the ceiling and on the staircase. Obviously, they’d put a lot of work into this.

"Lasagna?" Riley exclaimed as Giles carried the large pan of food out, flanked by Willow and Tara with french bread and a big salad.

"Yes, Buffy loved it, so I had to make it for her party," Claire replied, affectionately stroking the back of her hand over Buffy’s cheek.

"This is so wonderful, I can’t believe you all did this for me," Buffy smiled.

"Well, we love you, Buff," Xander told her.

"Actually, they do, I just like you," Anya added, "I only love Xander."

Rachel gave her a strange look before saying, "Let’s eat before Riley drowns us in his saliva. Buffy, I thought you could cook?"

"She can… she’s a great cook," Riley assured his sister as he forced himself to be polite and give Buffy a heaping serving of lasagna.

"Then Mom ought to teach her how to make lasagna, since you’re so crazy about that."

"Oh, I’d love to learn if you want to show me," Buffy said.

"Absolutely," Claire smiled, "I have to teach you how to make my baby boy’s favorite meal!"

Xander chuckled as he took a bite of french bread until he caught a glance of Riley’s murderous glare.

After everyone had eaten to fullness, they moved to the living room. Upon everyone besides Anya’s insistance, Riley and Buffy sat on the couch while everyone else cleaned up the mess, as they were the guests of honor, even though Riley really wasn’t the expectant father. Sadly, he realized that the baby probably wouldn’t even know him. How would she remember someone who was only in the first five months of her life?

Once everything was cleaned up, everyone else gathered in the living room as well as it was announced that it was time for presents.

"Us first, us first!" Anya exclaimed, carrying a big, brightly wrapped present to Buffy, then frowned, "You have no lap! Where am I supposed to put this?"

"Uh… how about my lap?" Riley offered.

Satisfied, Anya set the gift in Riley’s lap and plopped down in front of them to wait for Buffy to open the gift. Buffy reached awkwardly over and started ripping the wrapping paper off to reveal a Looney Toons bouncer seat.

She gasped and smiled, "Oh, this is so great! Thank you guys!"

Xander handed Anya another, smaller present, "We have another for you."

"Oh yes, but this one isn’t nearly as exciting," Anya sighed as she passed the box to Buffy.

This one contained a pink embroidered denim jumper, "This is *adorable*!"

Xander stood and walked over to her to give her a tight hug, "I picked it out myself."

"Well, you did a wonderful job, thank you so much, both of you," Buffy grinned, hugging Anya as the other girl copied Xander and hugged Buffy.

***

An hour later, the living room was littered with paper. Buffy was surrounded by all her gifts. Willow and Tara had given her a snugli carrier and a ton of clothes…. Willow had gone overboard at Baby Gap, apparantly. Giles had proudly presented her with a carseat that would work for an infant *and* toddler that he had carefully selected after a lot of research. He’d also gotten her an activity center that he’d made sure had no parts that would injure the baby, telling her that his ‘granddaughter’ would always be safe if he could help it. Rachel gave Buffy a couple more outfits, as well as a monitor and a Looney Tunes diaper bag.

"Now it’s time for your last present," Claire announced from behind the video camera.

"There’s more?" Buffy asked tiredly.

After she’d handed the camera to Rachel, Claire nodded and retreated down the hall, only to return pushing a bassinet in front of her. A bassinet that was packed full of goodies.

Buffy’s eyes widened and Claire stopped the bassinet in front of her, "Oh my God!"

"These are all little necessities. I know your apartment isn’t that big, but you’ll find it is nice to have somewhere to put the baby when she is sleeping other than her crib. I’ve got all the bedding for it, but I will buy you something else if you don’t like it. Also, I bought you this little grooming kit with a little brush and comb and nail clippers. It was so adorable! And there’s diapers and bodysuits and undershirts and socks… and a couple more pairs of those sneakers you liked."

"It’s too much! You really shouldn’t have done all this!" Buffy said, tears welling in her eyes yet again. She’d been like a leaky faucet all night long.

"It’s nothing, Sweetheart. You know how I love to shop… I had a blast getting all of this for you," Claire assured her, then retrieved a large book, "I also got this for you. It’s a baby book. You can put your sonogram pictures in there, plus fill out all the information when your little darling comes into the world."

"It’s beautiful… thank you so much," Buffy said, squeezing Claire as the older woman bent down to hug her. "I’m so lucky to have so many great people in my life. You all are so good to me."

"Not any more than you deserve, believe me," Claire replied, smiling down at her daughter-in-law, then smiling a bit wider when she saw the way her son was looking at Buffy. If only they would get their acts together!

***

"Good thing I brought my jeep," Riley muttered as he fit the last of Buffy’s presents in the backseat and climbed in the driver’s side, "As it is, Xander has to bring Mom and Rach over. God, I hope Anya keeps her mouth shut."

"As it is, Rachel thinks she’s a big weirdo," Buffy laughed.

"Man, I could kill Willow… I got you the Looney Toons mobile months ago and she knows that… but she didn’t let me in on the secret so I was the only one not giving you a gift. I’ll give it to you when we get home… maybe I can get you the stroller, too, since all the secret-keeping-traitors couldn’t! Just let me know when the store gets the one you want back in stock."

"You don’t have to do that… and it’s so nice of you to buy the mobile," Buffy grinned, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek without thinking, "Thank you."

"You’re welcome," he blushed, "And I want to get you the stroller."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Nooooooo!"

"Yes!" Riley replied, wondering how long this would go on. She drove him absolutely crazy…. in a good way.

***

"So how are we going to sleep?" Rachel asked.

"I know!" Claire exclaimed, "Buffy has that daybed, so you and I can use that and the trundle, and Riley and Buffy can share his bed!"

"No, Mother, you’re not pulling that again. You and Rachel can share my bed, Buffy will sleep in her own bed, and I will sleep on the couch."

"How about you sleep on the trundle in Buffy’s room?" she asked optimistically.

"Couch."

Claire sighed in defeat as Rachel got up off the couch, "Well, with the time difference, I am exhausted, so I’m going to get ready for bed."

"Yeah. I’d better get to bed soon if we’re going to LA tomorrow," Buffy said, struggling her way out of the chair, "Thank you again for the wonderful presents… and for coming. I love having you around."

"Oh, I love spending time with you, Sweetie. I’ll see you tomorrow," Claire replied, kissing Buffy on the cheek.

"Goodnight," she said, "Night Riley."

"Goodnight," he called after her, then turned to his mother after Buffy had gone into her bathroom and shut the door, "I can’t believe you came out here for a baby shower! And you really went above and beyond with that gift! I mean, Buffy deserves the best… I just cannot believe you did all this!"

Claire smiled, "I know… I did more than I would normally do… but I really do adore Buffy… and I feel so bad for her. You don’t understand, Riley… she needs a mother right now, more than anything. Pregnancy is a very hard, confusing thing. I know I’m a phone call away and that helps her… but she still could use some motherly affection for important events like this. I know it’s not realistic, but I wish I could be around when she has the baby too. She’ll want someone to look over her shoulder and assure her she’s doing everything right when she brings the baby home."

"Mom… I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled at her son, "Now I’d better get moving so you can get some rest. Are you coming shopping with us tomorrow?"

Riley pretended to think for about five seconds, "I’ll pass."

***

"I bet you can’t wait to wear something like this again, huh?" Rachel asked, holding up a little red strappy dress.

Buffy nodded fervently, "Boy, would I ever!"

"Just a couple more months, Dear. I know you’re getting antsy, but be patient," Claire advised.

"God, I’m beginning to doubt I will *ever* fit into anything like that again," Buffy sighed, "I’m so huge."

"Oh, you will… I had *twins* and lost the weight," Rachel replied, "Were you in good shape before you got pregnant?"

"Yeah, great shape. I even kept up jogging until my fifth month… but it got hot out and I got bigger… so now I waddle for exercise."

Rachel laughed and continued looking through the racks, "God, I love LA. Mom, I think I’m moving here."

"Oh no you’re not," Claire replied, "I already have to deal with one of my girls being all the way over here, not you too."

Buffy smiled, flattered that Claire considered her one of ‘her girls’, and started browsing through some dresses just for the heck of it. She wouldn’t be pregnant forever, after all. And as God as her witness, she would lose the baby fat and get her body back! Maybe she could even do it in, like, three months, so she’d have two months of thinness to change Riley’s mind about the divorce. No wonder he’d shown no romantic interest in her when she looked like a blimp!

"Excuse me."

Buffy looked up to find a middle aged woman smiling at her, "Yes?"

"I just… had to ask… have you found a couple yet?"

"A couple?" Buffy asked, thoroughly confused.

"To place your baby with," the woman explained, "I’m just asking because I know a couple that would love to adopt."

"Adopt," Buffy repeated, shocked by what this woman was saying.

"Yes… I think they’d definitely be interested in adopting your baby.. if you’re giving the baby up, that is."

"She’s not!" Claire burst out, rushing towards them, "She and my son love their child and are keeping her!"

"Well, I didn’t know," the woman said defensively, "She’s so young."

"Not too young to be *very* happily *married*!" Claire retorted, holding up Buffy’s left hand so that the woman could see her wedding ring. With one final dirty look at the woman, she slid her arm around Buffy’s shoulders and pulled her away, "Come on, Rachel."

Rachel obediantly followed, shaking her head, "I can’t believe that lady had the nerve to say that."

Buffy was finally recovering and quietly told them, "People say stuff all the time. Granted, normally they usually express their disapproval, not assume I’m putting the baby up for adoption, but I still get reactions."

"This is ridiculous, I know you’re young, but nineteen isn’t *that* unusual to have a baby," Claire said angrily.

"Well, Buffy does look very young. They probably just assume she’s sixteen or something."

"That’s no excuse, Rachel! Even if Buffy *was* sixteen, it’s no business of theirs!"

"I know, I didn’t say I agreed with it… I just said why I thought they did it," Rachel sighed.

"What do you usually say to these people?"

Buffy shrugged, "Nothing… I know I can’t get myself all worked up so I mostly try to ignore them and walk away."

"Defend yourself, Honey! If you walk away, they think you’re ashamed and they feel like they are right. Set them straight. You’re married to a *wonderful* man and you’re going to be a *great* mother!"

"Well, to be fair, Riley’s not *really*.."

"Riley is legally your husband, so you can say it. Don’t you want to make them eat their words? Hmm?"

Slowly, Buffy nodded, "It would be nice."

"Then do it!" Claire said, grabbing Buffy by the shoulders and looking her in the eye, "Promise me that if anyone ever says anything to you again, you don’t just walk away, you show them that they are ignorant and ought to worry about themselves, not you!"

"I promise," Buffy acquiesced, a small smile on her face.

"Oh, God, of course it would have to be on the bottom shelf," Buffy muttered as she grappled to kneel down in the aisle of the Barnes & Noble, which was not an easy task in her eigth month of pregnancy. However, Willow’s birthday was the following Tuesday and she really wanted some book on witchcraft… that was on the bottom shelf.

Once she’d gotten down, Buffy found the book pretty easily, but then came the matter of getting back up… which was a lot harder to manage. After several minutes of struggling, Buffy was back on her feet. Using the book to fan herself, she made a mental note to never get knocked up so that she’d be enormous in August. With the heat, she was always sweaty, tired and all around uncomfortable.

Waddling down the aisle, Buffy headed towards the registers and got in one of several long lines. She would have thought more people would be working at noon on a Friday, but apparantly they were all at the bookstore. Glancing at the people in the other lines, Buffy met the eyes of one of the last people she expected to see.

Joyce Summers.

The two women only stared at each other for an instant before looking away. Buffy felt like her heart was beating a mile a minute. This was a nightmare…. She’d always had hopes deep down that they would someday reconcile their differences, but she certainly didn’t want her mother to see her like this.

Buffy tried to keep her breathing even and prayed her line would move quickly when a woman who had been checking out some magazines on display next to her looked up and clucked her tongue.

Shaking her head, the woman quietly said, "Ought to be ashamed."

Buffy felt the familiar stiffening of her body that always occurred when someone made a rude comment about her pregnancy. However, this time, Claire’s words from nearly two weeks earlier echoed in her mind. She’d made a promise and she planned to stick by it.

"Excuse me?"

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen, how old are you?" Buffy asked the woman in her most innocent voice.

The woman gave her a disgusted look at Buffy’s lack of shame that she was a mere teenager having a child, "You’re a disgrace!"

"*Excuse me*?" Buffy asked again, aware that they were getting a lot of attention.

"Pregnant and still a teenager yourself!"

"Yeah, and? What business of it is yours, anyway?"

"Well, I’m a taxpayer, and I’m sure you’ll end up on welfare, so it’s very much my business!"

"Actually, I have a job, and my *husband*," she added, holding up her left hand to show her the wedding band, as Claire had done, "is in the United States Military! So I wouldn’t worry about paying for me or my child, because I can do it just fine on my own!"

"It’s probably not even real," the woman defended weakly.

"Oh yes, she’s going to go around wearing a fake wedding ring to lie to perfect strangers," Joyce stepped in, shocking Buffy, "Trust me, my daughter has better things to do… unlike some people who attack perfect strangers who they don’t know anything about!"

"This is your daughter… well no wonder she got like how she is!"

"Thank you, what a compliment. I thought I did a great job raising her too!"

The woman, obviously speechless, quickly turned on her heel and stormed off. Buffy was quiet for a moment before she looked up and her mother and smiled.

"Thanks for the help."

Joyce waved her hand and smiled, "You were doing absolutely fine on your own…. I just got so infuriated… I couldn’t stand by and not say anything."

"Well, it was nice having the support," she told her mother.

Joyce nodded and looked down, "You’ve probably needed a lot of support since last December… and I haven’t given you any."

"I made my own choices," Buffy shrugged.

"Still… I regret some of my choices," Joyce admitted, "I don’t suppose you’d like to go to the Starbucks… I know you can’t drink coffee, but I could buy you something else."

"That would be really nice, actually," Buffy smiled more widely, "I just have to pay for this book."

Luckily, the lines had cleared out so both women were able to quickly pay for their books before heading to the attached Starbucks. They got their drinks and sat down as an uncomfortable silence settled between them.

At long last, Joyce sighed and shifted in her seat, "I’m so sorry for the things I said to you."

"Don’t be… you only said them because you love me and wanted what was best for me," Buffy replied, "I know that now. I don’t regret for a second that I didn’t have an abortion, but I do wish I had been a little more calm and given you a chance to get accustomed to the idea. I was just confused and scared and angry…"

"No, I was wrong. I mean, I can’t really say anything about the abortion. Seeing you now… seeing that this baby is really a baby, not a tiny little thing inside you… it’s too hard to say if you should have had an abortion," Joyce told her, "I was just… very very angry, at you… at Angel… at myself. I did want the best for you, Buffy, but I fault myself for letting my anger get the best of me. There were a thousand times I wanted to try and find you and apologize, but I was too much of a coward… and I fault myself for that too."

Buffy tried not to cry, but was failing miserably, "Can we put all that behind us? I mean… we both made mistakes and have regrets… but I would really like it if you could be a part of my life again. I… I need you Mom."

Joyce had a hard time not crying as well, "I would love that too. I miss you so much, Buffy."

"I miss you too… there’s so many times I’ve wanted to call you. Especially with the baby… lots of good questions to ask you."

"Well, I’m here now…. pretty late, I know."

"Better late than never," Buffy grinned.

"So… are you really *married*?"

"Yes… but it’s sorta weird," she replied, then explained to her mother the entire story with Riley, minus a few details like the night they made love and how she hoped they wouldn’t get divorced.

"Wow," Joyce said as she absorbed Buffy’s tale.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, smiling self-consciously, "I know you don’t like the whole thing about lying to the military and the preplanned divorce… but it really was the best option."

"God, I hate myself for making that your only option!"

"Don’t… believe me, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Riley is… like, the best guy in the world. I mean, look at what he did for me! Took a lot of sacrifices, and he’s risking it all."

"He does sound like quite a boy," Joyce smiled.

"Oh, he is! I mean, not only does he do this… but he’s always being really sweet to me. He taught me to drive! I have a car, thanks to Giles, and Riley’s always making sure that the tires have enough air and the engine’s in good shape… he even agreed to be my Lamaze coach. We had our last class last night, and he went to every single one, even though the birth videos really make him squeamish."

"Oh my God, my baby has her own Lamaze class," Joyce sighed, "I used Lamaze with you. Jeez, you’re going to be needing it soon, aren’t you?"

"Less than a month now… August 19^th. I’m actually getting really nervous," she admitted.

"You’ll be fine, I know it."

"I hope so… and as much as I am nervous… I’m twice as excited. I can’t wait until I get to see her for the first time."

"Her?"

Buffy nodded and rubbed her stomach, "It’s a girl."

Joyce grinned, "That’s so neat! I can’t wait to buy her clothes. You *have* to let me spoil my granddaughter."

"She’s already spoiled by everyone else, so why not?" Buffy replied, "I really wish you could meet Riley’s mother, Claire. She loves the baby like she’s Riley’s daughter… bought me a bassinet and a ton of stuff."

"I can’t even buy a bassinet," Joyce sighed sadly, then perked up, "But do you need anything else? Crib? Carseat?"

"I have them both," Buffy bit her lip, "I bought all the furniture myself… and my friends gave me almost everything else I will need at my baby shower."

"Almost?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, they wanted to buy me this stroller I picked out, but it wasn’t in stock. Riley’s taking me to the store soon to see if they have it, though…. I’m so huge I can’t carry stuff like that any more," Buffy smiled.

"I can buy it! Oh please, let me buy it, Buffy! Alleviate my guilt?"

"I’ll think about it," Buffy said, shocked that she wasn’t jumping at the chance to let her mother buy something for her. Well, there was a first time for everything.

Joyce reached across the table and gingerly took her daughter’s hand in her own, "Also… I would love it if you could come over for dinner tonight. We have so much catching up to do."

Buffy nodded, "That sounds great to me."

"Do you think you could bring Riley? I *have* to meet him!"

"Well, he’s off work, so I’ll ask. I think as long as he doesn’t have plans, he’ll agree."

"Wonderful!" Joyce grinned, "Sweetheart, I am going to make this up to you if it’s the last thing I do."

Buffy just beamed at her mother, feeling happier than she had in months. All she needed now was to have Riley as her husband… for real… for good.

***

"Buffy, calm down," Riley smiled as they stood on the front porch of the home she’d shared with her mother for several years, "Everything will be fine."

"I know, I’m just… I really want this to work out," Buffy replied, straightening her jumper one more time as they waited for Joyce to open the door.

Riley nodded, knowing nothing he could say would comfort her right then. He’d been so happy to hear that she’d run into her mother that afternoon. His mother had really made him aware of how much Buffy was missing out on with the absence of Joyce in her life. Plus, he had to love the fact that Joyce had made it clear she really wanted him to join them…. It wouldn’t hurt his case if he could win Buffy’s mother over.

The front door opened and they found Joyce grinning at them, "You’re here!"

"Hi Mom," Buffy said, almost shyly, before her mother pulled her into a tight hug.

"You look so beautiful, Honey! I’m so glad you’re here. I made roasted chicked and potatoes and asparagus… your favorite. It’s still your favorite, right?"

Buffy nodded and then gestured to Riley, "Mom, this is Riley Finn… my husband. God, it feels kind of weird saying that."

Riley exchanged smiles with her before taking a step forward to shake Joyce’s hand, only to have her hug him tightly as well, "Uh… it’s nice meeting you."

"Oh, I have so much to thank you for! You gave my baby a home when I was such a fool that I let her go off all alone in the cold night while she was *pregnant*," Joyce cried, "She told me how you’re so good to her. I am so grateful!"

"Well, to be fair, Buffy inspires generousity from everyone she meets. She’s even had some of the scariest Generals I have ever met eating out of the palm of her hand."

"Really?" Joyce asked, putting her arm around her daughter, "That’s my girl."

"Oh yeah, this is for you," Riley said, handing Joyce the chocolate cake Buffy had baked that afternoon and he’d insisted on holding when she’d been shaking so much after they got out of the car, "Buffy baked it herself."

"She did?" Joyce asked, surprised as she took the cake from him.

Riley nodded and grinned at Buffy, "She is a great cook, everyone agrees."

"My goodness, you have changed so much in the past eight months… not only are you even more responsible and really a mother... you can cook," Joyce said, then shook her head, "Look at me, I have you two standing outside! Come on in! We have *so* much to talk about!"

***

"God, no more riding in the jeep," Buffy groaned as Riley helped her into her seat, "I am eight months pregnant!"

"All right," he chuckled, shutting her door after he had her settled and walking around to his side, an extra bounce in his step. Dinner couldn’t have gone better. Joyce was not only very enthusiastic about making things up to Buffy, but she was actually very excited about her granddaughter. What's more, she seemed to really like him, telling him to take good care of her daughter, then smiling and adding that she could tell that wasn’t a problem. He was pretty sure he had an ally in Joyce…. and after seeing the way Buffy acted around her, knew she could be a strong influence on her daughter.

"You should try and call my mom tomorrow, maybe after you get off work," Riley told her as he started the car, "She is going to be really happy to hear about this… and if you don’t let her in on the details as soon as possible, she’ll kill you. Trust me, if anything newsworthy happens and you don’t tell her right away, it’s a big deal to her. It’s amazing she didn’t stop speaking to me when I got married and didn’t tell her for days afterwards."

"You think she’ll want to know?"

"Absolutely! She thinks it’s very important for you to have a mother, especially with the baby coming…. I think she wishes she could be closer to you… but I know she’ll be ecstatic that you *will* have your mother to help you out… not that *she* won’t mother you any less."

Buffy smiled, "I don’t mind."

They settled into a comfortable silence for several moments, but Riley could see the wheels turning in Buffy’s head. She was getting fidgety and he suspected she might want to ask him something but was trying to work up the nerve or decide how to say it. He was getting to the point where he was going to ask her what was up when she finally spoke up herself.

"Riley… I was watching this thing on TV… about divorce and it’s effect on children. They said that even babies notice, and I was just thinking… it makes sense and it’s not like the baby will be a few days old when we get divorced… she’ll be about five months… she’s going to be able to tell something is happening. What if it becomes a part of her subconscious that you were there for five months and then all of a sudden you disappeared and has a fear of abandonment?"

"Well… I’m your friend, Buffy… and I am not planning on never seeing you again come January 3^rd. I mean… I’d like to still hang out sometimes, we can do stuff, just like you do with Xander… so maybe she’ll see me less after we get divorced… we can make it a gradual thing," Riley suggested, supressing the urge to tell her if she worried about this, perhaps they ought to just stay married and he wouldn’t have to leave.

Buffy nodded and looked down, "She’s probably going to have issues, anyway. Who am I kidding? I still have no idea what I’m going to say when she asks me why she doesn’t have a daddy."

"You have some time to come up an answer," he told her, patting her leg affectionately.

"Yeah," she replied, disappointed. This was honestly something she had worried about… but she’d half-hoped Riley would have had a different answer… one that showed he hadn’t changed his mind about loving her. But obviously he had moved on from that…

They were, without a doubt, divorcing in just over five months.

***

"You’re sure this isn’t too much?" Xander asked as he and Buffy walked through the mall, "I don’t want you going into labor on me."

Buffy smiled and shook her head, "I can manage to go to a few stores to find a necklace for Anya. This is easy, trust me. Mom got me to promise to go shopping with her Saturday morning so she can buy the stroller and anything else she can think of that I might need and don’t have."

Xander saw right through her complaint and smiled, "You love it."

Buffy grinned, "I do."

"So… how are things with Riley?"

"Fine," she replied, "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, trying to be casual, "It’s just that I… well I don’t want to be an obnoxious meddling friend, but I see things, and I want the very best for you… so maybe I’m kind of hoping you are Riley decided that you were in love with each other and stayed married, raised this kid together, and lived happily ever after."

Buffy didn’t get defensive or angry, rather a surprise to him, but simply sighed, "If only it was as easy as that."

"Yeah, emotions tend to get messy."

"I’ll say."

"But you do… care for him… don’t you?" Xander asked.

Buffy thought for a moment before opting to just be honest. After all, Xander was *her* friend, not Riley’s. He wouldn’t go blab the truth. Nodding, she admitted, "I think I love him. You know, not like how I love you."

"Angel kind of love?" he responded, surprised she was being so upright.

"It’s so hard to say. Like, what I have with Angel is in a different category. I love Angel and I love Riley, but I can never have a life with Angel… so never the two shall meet. But, yeah… I love Riley in the way that I want to wake up next to him every day, have his arms around me when I’m upset… share all the good and bad stuff with."

"For what it’s worth, I approve."

"I thought you were suspicious that he was only helping me to get in my pants and use me and the baby as lab rats?" she grinned.

"He grew on me, okay?" he retorted, "Seeing the way he’s treated you for the past seven months has proved to me that he’s worthy. If you want to be with him… I say you should!"

"Okay! I’ll just go tell Riley that I’ve decided to forget all about this silly divorce plan. He can spend the rest of his life as my husband, raising my daughter as if she’s his own. I’m sure he’ll have no problem with that. Free will be damned," Buffy replied teasingly.

Xander rolled his eyes, "I didn’t say it was that cut and dry. Of course Riley has to be of like mind… but from what I have seen, I wouldn’t be surprised if he *was*."

"What have you seen?"

"Well… I still have a hard time buying the fact that he’d marry a girl he hadn’t known that long just because they were friends. I’m not saying he was planning to take advantage of you or whatever…. I just think maybe he did it because he really cared about you. Plus, I see how he is around you. You can’t tell me you’ve never noticed that look he gives you."

"Yes I can. I mean… it’s been mentioned to me before that Riley may give me certain looks that allude to feelings he may have for me… but the source was a little biased…." Buffy said, then shyly asked, "What kind of look do you see him giving me?"

"Honestly? The look Angel used to give you. As much as I hated the guy, with 20/20 hindsight, I can admit he loved you," he told her, then looked down and added, "I think I may have looked at you that way a time or two."

Buffy was quiet for a while before she said, "I want to believe Riley does love me and that we can have it all… but we can’t. Stuff happened and he told me he loved me."

"He did?" Xander exclaimed.

She nodded, "It was a while ago… but I didn’t believe him. Riley’s so… good. He always wants to do the right thing, so I had a hard time believing he really did love me and wasn’t just too into being my savior. I was afraid that if I accepted he loved me and told him I loved him too… after the novelty of being the husband and father that we needed wore off, he’d see that it wasn’t real love and break not only my heart, but my daughter’s."

"But what if he really does love you?"

Buffy shrugged and tried not to cry, "I think I’ve given up on love. It hurts way too much. I’d rather just spend my life single and focusing on my daughter than trying to have it all with Riley… and running the risk of letting him hurt me."

"Yeah, because it’s not like you’re in any pain now, right?" Xander pointed out.

Buffy looked up at him and pouted, "I hate that you’ve gotten so smart."

Laughing, he asked, "Want me to have a man to man talk with him? I can tell him that he’s lucky enough to have won the fair Lady Buffy’s heart and he’d better get his act together and start whispering sweet nothings in your ear, or something. Oh, and I can tell him that if he hurts you, I’ll kick his ass."

"You’d better not!" Buffy grinned, "It will totally embarrass me! Besides… I think I lost him."

"How so?"

"Well, he used to kind of look a little sad when someone mentioned the divorce, like it was something he dreaded. Now I can bring it up and he doesn’t even flinch. He’s not counting down the days to his freedom… but he doesn’t care."

"I think you’re wrong," Xander commented, walking into the jewelry store.

Buffy shrugged, "It’s my life."

He shook his head, knowing if he kept pushing, she’d probably just get mad. Maybe he’d have to do a little talking to Riley behind Buffy’s back. It was for her own good, after all.

"Okay, so this is the one I had in mind," Xander said, focusing on the task at hand as he pointed out a gold heart-shaped locket with an intricate design carved into the cover, "I know there’s nothing really special about it… I just think it’s pretty. I thought I could get some pictures of the two of us and put them inside."

"Oh, Xander, it’s *very* special! It’s so beautiful! Anya will love it," Buffy assured him.

"You swear?" he asked, "Anya can be kind of weird sometimes."

"Anya can be very weird most of the time, but I work with her, I talk to her… we both read those romance novels… trust me, she will *love* this!"

"Great, I really wanted to get this for her. I mean, it’s not her birthday or our anniversary or anything… but I saw it and thought of her and I really want to… show her that I think of her."

Buffy grinned and squeezed his arm, "That makes it all the sweeter that you buy her presents when it’s not required. I like ‘just because’ presents the best!"

"Can I help you? Oh… my God… Xander… and Buffy," Aura Thorne exclaimed from behind the glass counter, her eyes widening as she took in Buffy’s figure… or lack of one.

"Aura, what a surprise to see you working here," Buffy said, plastering a fake smile on her face for the girl who hadn’t exactly made her life easy in high school.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to France," Xander commented.

Aura shrugged, "I went, but nobody spoke English and it *totally* bugged me!"

"Oh, that… sucks," Buffy told her.

"Wow, I can’t believe the two of you came in here! You’re… together?"

"No! No, no, no," Xander shook his head fervently and pointed at Buffy’s stomach, "That’s not… mine. I have a girlfriend… who is not Buffy. Besides, she’s married! Show her your ring!"

Buffy smiled at Xander’s panic and held up her hand, "I’m married… not to Xander."

"Oh, okay…" Aura replied, still in shock that Buffy Summers was not only pregnant, but married! She couldn’t wait to call Cordelia!

***

Angel sat down in front of the computer and set to signing into the joint account he had set up with the bank. After the explosion at his old place and moving in with Wesley, he hadn’t had much of a chance to check up on Buffy’s finances, but he knew she couldn’t have gone through all that money already. Still, she would probably be giving birth in less than three weeks, so he wanted to make sure she had at least a few thousand dollars left. She’d surely run up an enormous medical bill for that alone, so he’d probably have to contact Eddie about doing some more jobs for him soon. If Angel had any say in it, Buffy and the baby would never want for anything…. anything material, anyway.

He frowned when he saw that the account balance was a bit *more* than what it had been the last time he had made a deposit. Looking at the records, he found that other than his deposits, the only other activity had been some interest payments by the bank. Buffy had yet to withdraw a penny.

Confused, he picked up the phone and dialed Giles’ number, hoping that he would be home. He knew the doctor bills Buffy would have to be paying were exorbitant, plus she had a crib and stroller and clothes and thousands of dollars of other items she’d have to be buying for the baby. So why hadn’t she withdrawn any money from the account?

He sighed when the answering machine picked up, after the beep, he said, "Giles, it’s me… I need to talk to you. Did you really tell Buffy about the checking account? She hasn’t used any of the money! Please, I want you to call me. We have to talk!"

***

Giles walked into his dark apartment, his empty stomach demanding dinner. It was after nine o’clock, and he hadn’t eaten since noon, since Anya had worked all morning and Buffy’d had the day off, he’d had to close the store himself.

Still, it was nice being tired and hungry because he’d worked a long day at his thriving business. Much better than being exhausted after working for low pay for someone else.

Seeing the answering machine light flashing, Giles hit the play button and headed to the kitchen to find something to cook. His good mood was instantly killed when he heard Angel’s voice on the recording, asking why Buffy hadn’t used the money. The succeeding three messages were also from him as Angel went from baffled to demanding to know what was going on. The last message was from Buffy as she laughed and told him she’d wrestled some of the casserole she had made for dinner away from Riley and had left it in the refrigerator for him. Sure enough, there was a tupperware in there for him.

Giles sadly looked at the plastic dish, contemplating his options. How was he going to be able to explain the fact that Buffy didn’t *need* the money without telling Angel about Riley? He knew that if he did tell him, Angel wouldn’t be happy…. and Buffy seemed so content, if Angel showed up, everything would fall apart. Again.

With a sigh, Giles put the tupperware in the microwave, deciding he could call Angel later.

***

"Wesley, you will *not* believe this," Cordelia announced as she rushed into his apartment, quickly glancing around and happily finding Angel not in sight, "Good thing Angel’s not here because I will *explode* if I don’t spill the news now!"

"Actually," Wesley began, trying to alert her to the fact that Angel was indeed there… he was just inside the kitchen… where he could easily hear anything Cordelia might say.

"Aura called me this morning," she continued, "She was working yesterday and guess who came in? Buffy and Xander! That’s not the really big news, though, because who cares if Buffy and Xander go to a store together? Well… it *can* be a big deal if you hear the rest of this. Buffy is *pregnant*! Not only that… she’s married!"

Wesley almost fell out of his chair at that last bit of news, "Married?"

"Yeah… I don’t know which is a bigger shocker, the married or pregnant part… either way, this is the last thing I would have expected to hear! Aura is pretty sure Xander’s not the husband or father, since they told her he wasn’t, but what do you think? Probably not, right? If he is, I will *kill* him! Anyway… I don’t think we should tell Angel."

"Too late," Angel replied, stepping out of the kitchen.

Cordelia shot Wesley a look, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"You didn’t give me a chance," Wesley replied, "Angel, are you all right?"

"I can’t believe this… Giles never said a word to me. Are you sure she’s married?"

Cordelia nodded slowly, "Yeah, they told Aura… she even saw a wedding ring on Buffy’s finger."

Angel shook his head and stormed off to his bedroom. He had a phone call to make.

"How come he doesn’t seem phased that Buffy is *pregnant*?"

Angel searched through his desk drawer before finding the slip of paper he was looking for and grabbed the phone. Giles had yet to call him back about Buffy not spending the money he’d given her, but he still hadn’t called him at the store, deciding it wasn’t important enough to risk getting Buffy on the phone. However, after the four calls he had placed the day before and the two calls he'd made that morning, Angel knew Giles was avoiding him… and he *had* to talk to Giles about this right away, so he was willing to take the chance that Buffy would answer the phone.

"Thank you for calling The Magic Box, your one-stop spot to shop for all your occult needs! How can I help you?" Anya asked as she picked up the phone.

"Yes, is Rupert Giles in?"

"Just a second."

"Hello, this is Mr. Giles," Giles greeted as he picked up the private phone in his office.

"Giles…" Angel growled.

Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "Angel, I got your messages. I’m sorry that I didn’t call you back, but I was tired and, to be honest, I didn’t feel like getting into this with you. Now it’s really not the time of place for me to talk to you, but believe me, Buffy and the baby are f-"

"Buffy’s *married*! When were you going to tell me?"

"W-what?" Giles sputtered.

"Yeah, I found out what you’ve been keeping from me! How long, Giles? How long have you been keeping the fact that Buffy is married from me?"

Giles sighed, "Since you started calling me."

"What? That was… January! She married someone else less than a month after she told me she was pregnant?!"

"Angel, you do not understand all the details. Now listen, I will call you later tonight when I get home from the store, I promise."

"That’s not good enough, Giles," Angel replied angrily, "I can’t believe this… you have to talk to me. It’s not just a matter of Buffy marrying some guy, he’s going to be the father to *my* baby!"

"If you have forgotten, you told Buffy that you would only give her money. You wouldn’t be involved in their lives at all, so I don’t see how you have any say in the matter," Giles reminded him, growing angry as well.

"If it’s just a matter of me not having any say in the matter, then why did you keep it a secret?"

"Because I knew you would react like this, and the last thing Buffy needs is for you to come barging into her life, dictating to her what she can and cannot do."

"Well, if there is nothing wrong with this marriage, why would I?"

Giles sighed, "Believe me, it’s a very long story."

"Well, lucky for me, I have all day," Angel told him, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"All right then, here is the entire true story. As you know, Buffy went to you and told you she was having your child and you told her that you wouldn’t be a part of her life, just give her money. She came home and told us- her friends. I am ashamed to say that we didn’t react well. We weren’t supportive of her decision to keep the baby, but Buffy remained strong despite that. Then she went and told her mother… Joyce ended up throwing her out of the house on a cold December night."

"Oh God," Angel said softly.

"Yes, Buffy was a pregnant eighteen year old that everyone she loved turned their back on. Then she ran into a fellow that she knew from school, Riley Finn. This boy who hardly knew her… took her in. He let her stay with him, knowing she was pregnant. Everyone besides Joyce made up with Buffy fairly soon after, but she was still faced with the reality that she was having a baby and had no money or job. So Riley came up with the idea to get married. He’s in the military and as his wife, Buffy would have a home, financial support and a college education."

"So she married a guy she doesn’t even love?"

"Which would bother you more, Angel- that she married a man she didn’t love or a man that she *did*?"

Angel was silent for a moment before he replied, "I can’t believe this is happening. What is with this guy? You know as well as I do that men don’t just *marry* girls to help them out!"

"Riley is a good man. He honestly cares about Buffy. I had my doubts in the beginning, but I have gotten to know him over the past six months and I can say without a moment’s hesitation that he isn’t out to do anything besides help Buffy," Giles told him, opting not to add that he was pretty sure Riley loved her, "They have an arrangement and are planning on divorcing next January, after a year of marriage."

"This is insane."

"No, it’s the only choice Buffy had!"

"I’m not proud of not being there for Buffy and our baby, okay? But I didn’t have a lot of choices either!"

"What exactly do you want, Angel?"

"I… I don’t know."

"Well, you need to decide. Preferably before the 19^th."

"I know that you’re angry with me… I’m not too pleased with myself… but you have to believe that I love Buffy."

Giles nodded, "I know you love her and she will always love you. I haven’t always agreed with the decisions either of you have made, but I respected that. I was never pleased about you two being a couple… I don’t think that’s news to you. However, you did make Buffy happy. Are you prepared to make her happy again? Because, you know, this isn’t just about you. In fact, it’s not just about you and Buffy. It’s gotten a lot more complicated than that. Now there is a little girl… completely innocent in all of this. She’s just a little baby."

"A little…. girl," Angel repeated, "It’s a girl?"

"Yes, *she* is a girl. I don’t know what your intentions are, Angel, but keep in mind that Buffy is doing very well. She’ll always love you and a part of her will always wish that the two of you could raise your daughter together, but Buffy also knows you can’t give her that. Now, what she has right now… she’s content. She’s looking forward to the birth of her baby, she has a job and school and friends. But if you come back here and push your way back into her life… everything is going to change. Buffy can’t just deal with you lightly," Giles said, "Think about that. Right now… she’s happy… if you can’t give her that, you shouldn’t begrudge her-"

"I would never-"

"Then I suggest you think long and hard before you make your next move because you have punished that girl more than anyone deserves to be punished," he advised.

Angel sighed and was silent for a moment before he finally came to a decision, "Would you give me her phone number?"

"Angel, I won’t let you do this to her!"

"Giles, this is *my* daughter we are talking about. Even if you don’t want to take into account that I love Buffy more than anything… it *is* my flesh and blood that is affected by this."

"Affected positively," Giles added, "Without Riley, *your* daughter would have had a homeless mother. Because of him *your* daughter will be healthy because her mother got good prenatal care thanks to Riley’s health insurance. Buffy went and married Riley because she was carrying *your* daughter."

"Don’t tell me how wonderful this Riley is, I don’t need to hear how I have already failed my daughter before she’s even born!"

"I told you, this isn’t about you!" Giles shouted, "Can you understand that?"

"I know that, and if I tried to say that I wasn’t feeling jealous and threatened right now, I’d be lying. But I *have* to talk to Buffy. I *have* to make sure that this is the best thing," Angel argued.

"I don’t believe it’s in Buffy’s best interest that you call her," Giles answered, "Look, I will talk to Buffy and tell her that you know about Riley and that you wish to discuss this with her and let her call you."

"No," Angel shook his head, "That’s not good enough. I can’t trust that you will do it… look how long it took you tell her about the damn money! And even if you do tell her, knowing Buffy, she’ll ignore me, just to spite me."

Giles’ hand curled into a fist and he had to fight to control his anger, "Well, that’s my offer."

"Give me her phone number, Giles. Give it to me, or as soon as the sun goes down, I am coming to Sunnydale. You know I will find her… what’s worse, a phone call from me, or a face to face meeting with me?"

Giles’ eyes narrowed as he knew Angel had him right where he wanted him, "You’re a bastard. Buffy and the baby deserve better."

"I love them… I’ll do anything for them."

"Yes, even put their well-being behind your own selfish wishes."

"I care about them… you may think this is just about me, but I have to *know* for my own sanity."

Giles shook his head; Angel couldn’t even see his own faulty reasoning. Sighing, he said, "You want the phone number? Fine…. but if you hurt Buffy… if you make her shed so much as one tear… I’ll kill you."

***

Buffy finished the last chocolate mini-donut and chugged some milk straight from the carton, grateful that Riley was at a meeting for work and wasn’t there to tease her. The doctor had told her that the baby could be born any time now and would be perfectly healthy… a part of her really wanted to go into labor. She loved her daughter more than anything, but she was completely tired of being pregnant. The swollen ankles, the excessive peeing, always being uncomfortable… it was getting to her. Plus, she was so tired because she could never get comfortable enough in bed at night to sleep much.

Deciding it would be a good idea if she took a shower before noon, Buffy went to get up off the couch, but was stopped by the phone ringing. Sighing, she grabbed the cordless off the end table, "Hello?"

"Buffy."

All the blood rushed from Buffy’s face, "A-Angel?"

"Yeah, it’s me," the vampire replied quietly, closing his eyes and trying to imagine how she looked, round with his child.

"Why are you calling? How did you get this number?" Buffy asked quickly, a million other questions forming in her mind, "After all this time…"

"I found out you got married," Angel answered, "Cordelia heard it from a friend… I called Giles and I made him give me your number. I *had* to talk to you."

"What for, Angel? What difference does it make to you that I am married? You left so that I would find a normal guy, when I got pregnant you told me you wouldn’t be here for us… you don’t want to be a part of our lives, so whether or not I am married doesn’t concern you!"

"I know that you didn’t fall in love with this guy, Buffy. Giles told me the truth. Before you even married him, you planned on getting a divorce."

"So what? I’m still not seeing how this involves you."

"I just…. it’s *twisted*!"

"Well, I’m very familiar with twisted," Buffy retorted, "Twisted and I are on a first name basis. This shouldn’t be news to you."

"Buffy, please-"

"Please, what? Please don’t be angry at you? Sorry, Angel, but I just can’t control that right now."

"Do you think there is a day that goes by where I don’t want to smack myself for telling you I won’t be there to help you raise the baby?" he said, "Every day I hate that I am missing out on so much… that I am not there for you when I should be… but then I also remember that I wouldn’t be what’s best for you. Still… when I heard what you had done… Buffy, I’m so sorry that you ended up having to get married just to have a home and food and the necessities."

Buffy took a deep breath, softening as she heard how truly sorry Angel was. He always had a way of making her feel guilty when she chewed him out, "It’s really not that bad. Not bad at all, in fact. I mean, I know it’s not normal or as nice as if it was all as it appeared… but he’s a great guy. He’s good to me… goes to the store at all hours of the night when I have a craving, makes sure I take good care of myself… he helped me put the crib together and stuff."

"All the stuff I should be doing," Angel said sadly.

Buffy closed her eyes against the tears forming there, "Yes… all the things you should be doing… and there’s a lot of other things he doesn’t do that you ought to be doing. I… I go to the doctor all by myself and I see all these other women with their husbands and boyfriends. Sometimes I feel like I have a big scarlet ‘a’ on me… and everyone who looks at me can tell that I’m some dumb girl who got knocked up… and dumped. Do you have any idea how many times I get looks from people? I know that’s not your fault that they feel they can pass judgement on me… but I wish I could come home and have you assure me that what they think doesn’t matter," she cried, then calmed a bit, "I know that probably sounds silly…. but it’s important to me."

"I’m sorry, Buffy.. I wish I could… you do have Giles and Xander and… this guy," Angel offered, purposely not speaking the name of the man who he felt immense jealousy towards already.

"Riley…. his name is Riley," Buffy corrected him.

"Riley…"

Taking a deep breath, she said, "It’s not the same, though, Angel. *You* are the father of my baby… and you aren’t here for me."

"Trust me, it’s just as hard for me, being here and knowing you’re having our baby and I’ll never get to see her or anything."

"Excuse me if I am not overwhelmed with pity for you," she lashed out, "God, you have it so easy. You aren’t the one who gets all fat and ugly! I used to get looks from guys… I never knew how nice that felt until I started looking at myself in the mirror and seeing this… disgusting reflection. But you, you can still go anywhere and have all these girls *dying* to be with you. I know you think this is petty and stupid, but you get pregnant and have your body become not your own and see how *you* feel. Damn it! I resent you *so* much."

"And I deserve it."

"Yeah, you do… and knock it off with the martyr crap!"

"Martyr crap, what are you talking about?"

"You act like a martyr all the time. Don’t you recall ‘Oh, let me leave town to make things easier for you. It breaks my heart, but it’s best for you. Let *me* suffer… I’m really the one in pain, you know? And if you complain, you’re a big spoiled brat because *I* am the martyr!’?" she ranted.

Angel was taken aback, wondering if this was one of those pregnancy things. Expectant mothers were notoriously… irrational. Not that Buffy was really being all that illogical… just… skipping from subject to subject and going from angry to sad… and he was having a hard time keeping up, "Well, I know it’s late… but I am here now… on the phone, anyway… and I’d like it if you wanted to let it all out now. I know it’s not the same but-"

"No, it definitely isn’t the same," Buffy replied, "And it’s *extremely* late… but I suppose I should take what I can get."

Angel felt a little hopeful as Buffy softened again, "So… you’re feeling okay?"

"No, I’m eight months pregnant, I feel like crap. I’m rarely comfortable, I can’t see my feet, I pee all the time, sitting down and getting up is exhausting… and I can’t sleep because even when I *am* comfortable, don’t have to pee and I’m not starving… she’s kicking or moving or doing something to keep me up," she complained, then smiled, "But I *am* eight months pregnant, so it’s all completely normal… and that’s a bit of a comfort."

"It’s a little girl," Angel grinned.

"Yeah… but you already knew that, right?" she asked, recalling how he’d mentioned it earlier.

"Giles told me… have you picked a name?"

Buffy shrugged, "I am extremely indecisive about names. I usually choose one or two a week. I hope I think of one I like for real when she’s born, though… I’m thinking legally changing her name will be a pain in the butt."

Angel chuckled, "You’re going to be a great mother."

"I hope to God you’re right," she said, moving her hand over her stomach, "I’m so scared she’ll end up being a stripper or a hooker or even shooting up her school when she’s a teenager and I’ll have to take the blame because I’m a single mom. Actually, as far as anyone will know, I’ll have divorced her ‘father’ when she wasn’t even five months old. They’ll write books about how horrible I am."

"You don’t know that you’ll be a single mother."

Buffy laughed, "Right… I can just imagine what your reaction would have been if you’d found out I had married a guy and planned to have him stick around."

"Buffy… I love you and despite what you may believe, I love this baby. I want the best for both of you… if there is a man in your lives… he’d better be good to you."

Buffy relaxed back against the couch, not being able to help but smile. As angry as she was with Angel for not being there… it sure was nice to be able to talk to him…

***

Riley came into the apartment and heard the shower running. Buffy had certainly gotten a late start that day, and she’d been awake before he’d left. Still… she didn’t move as quickly as she used to, and everything seemed to tire her out. It had gotten to the point where he tried to do anything he could for her so that she could rest… he felt guilty watching her struggle to do everything.

Walking into the kitchen, Riley threw the empty water bottle he’d finished on the way home in the trash can and noticed the empty mini-donuts box and milk bottle. Smiling, he shook his head and wondered if he ought to buy stock in Hostess. Buffy had a sweet tooth like nobody he’d ever seen.

Moving to the counter, Riley checked the caller ID to see if perhaps he’d gotten any calls while he’d been at the extremely boring meeting. All he found was one call; it was long distance from Los Angeles… so all he had was the city, not a name.

Frowning, he wondered who it might be. He certainly didn’t know anyone in LA. However, he realized, Buffy’s father did….

"Hey, you’re home," Buffy said, smiling as she walked out of the bathroom, wearing capri pants and a loose maternity shirt, her hair still wet.

"Yeah, I just got back a few minutes ago," Riley replied, "Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded self-consciously, wondering why he seemed so worried, "Why?"

"Well, I saw that your dad called."

"My dad?"

"Yeah… on the caller ID, there’s a call from Los Angeles. That’s your dad, isn’t it?" he asked, then it dawned on him, "Or possibly it’s Angel. And judging from the look on your face… I’d say it’s the latter."

"He just wanted-"

"No, it’s none of my business," he halted her, holding up his hand. Regrouping, he shook his head, "Wait, you know what? It *is* my business. How did he get this number? Is he coming here?"

"I don’t know how he got it," Buffy lied, not wanting Riley to get mad at Giles, "And no… he’s not coming here."

"Do you want him to? Were you even going to tell me?"

"I don’t know," she shrugged, "Why? Nothing has changed. We had a conversation. It’s no big deal."

"That’s a lie! If it wasn’t a big deal, you would have told me."

"I didn’t even get a chance! I was in the shower, I came out, and first thing you do is start interrogating me," she replied defensively, "Why do you even care?"

"Because, in case you’ve forgotten, you’re married to *me*."

"What are you talking about? You know very well how real this marriage isn’t."

"But if you’re going to make a fool of yourself, falling all over this loser, it affects me. People think you’re my wife and you could make me look like an idiot."

"Don’t worry, I won’t be embarrassing you, Riley," Buffy replied angrily, turning and storming into her bedroom.

Sighing, Riley leaned against a wall and put his hand on his chest. This was *not* happening. Angel wasn’t supposed to be in the picture ever again!

Just moments earlier, he’d had the small comfort that at least for the next five months, he could be with Buffy. Now... he wasn't so sure.

***

"Hi, how was work?" Buffy asked Riley as he came in the front door.

"Fine," he replied gruffly, as he had been ever since their big argument the day before.

"I made some stir-fry with chicken for dinner," she said, "It’ll be all ready in a few minutes."

"I’m not hungry," Riley told her as he walked into his bedroom and shut the door.

Buffy frowned and walked over to the door. She really wanted to make things right between them again. Hastily, she lifted a hand and knocked on the door.

"What?" he shouted from inside the room.

"I just… I made it for you, Riley…"

The door opened abruptly, startling her. Riley glowered down at her, "Well, that was presumptuous of you."

She nodded slightly, "I just thought we should have a meal together."

"Maybe I don’t *want* to eat with you."

"But we need to talk."

"About what? It’s all very simple. You want to be an idiot and talk to a disgusting vampire that got you pregnant and threw you away like you were a piece of trash. I don’t think he deserves for you to give him the time of day and I’m appalled that you actually want to talk to him, but you are an adult… what can I do?"

Buffy felt tears sting her eyes, "Please Riley, you don’t understand."

"Yes, I do," he insisted, "You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I find this entire thing offensive, but as we both know all too well, I am not really your husband. I am not the father of your baby. A year from now, I’m thinking we won’t ever even see or speak to each other… so it doesn’t really matter."

And with that, he shut the door in her face. Buffy found she could no longer fight the tears and leaned against the wall as they streamed down her face. What was she going to do?

Joyce smiled and patted her daughter’s cheek affectionately, "You feeling okay, Sweetie? I don’t want to wear you out."

"I’m fine," Buffy assured her, "But we are getting lunch soon, right?"

Her mother grinned and nodded, "Let’s go to the food court now, what do you feel like?"

"Um… one of everything," Buffy joked, "Actually meat sounds really good. I’m thinking Big Mac… and maybe fries."

"Shall I super size it?"

"Of course!"

The two of them entered the busy food court and searched around for a moment for a table. Once they found one, Joyce insisted Buffy sit down and set all their packages on the table while she went and bought their food. Buffy looked in disbelief at all the bags of stuff her mother had bought for the baby. She was definitely making up for lost time and already spoiling her granddaughter.

"Buffy!"

Buffy looked up and was surprised to see Forrest standing next to the table, *smiling* at her. For the past seven months, she’d gotten the impression that he mostly liked to pretend she didn’t exist. Forcing herself to smile back at him, she replied, "Hi Forrest."

"Is Riley here with you?"

Buffy shook her head, "No, I’m actually doing some shopping with my mom."

"Oh, that sucks, I would *love* to see Riley," a blonde girl who appeared to be a few years older than Buffy said from her spot next to Forrest.

Forrest grinned and explained, "She really likes Riley. Uh, Elle, this is Buffy. Buffy, this is Elle Andrews… she’s a friend of my girlfriend, Carrie."

A redhead on the other side of Forrest smile and waved, "Hi!"

"Hi… nice meeting you both," Buffy replied, trying to casually look around for her mother, hoping the line at McDonald’s wasn’t too long. She *so* needed to be saved!

"Wow, you’re really huge," Elle said, taking in Buffy’s stomach, "When is your baby due?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes and feigned hurt, "Actually I’m not pregnant, I just have a weight problem."

Elle gave Forrest a confused look as she flushed in embarrassment at her faux pas. Why had he told her this chick was pregnant?

Forrest laughed loudly, hoping Buffy was getting nice and jealous. His plan would work all the better this way. Turning to Elle, he said, "She’s kidding. Buffy’s due… boy, really soon now, aren’t you?"

"Two weeks from today, actually," she nodded.

"Here we go," Joyce announced, carrying a full tray to the table, "Maybe if you’re still hungry, I can get you a McFlurry for dessert."

"Wow, you really eat stuff like that? It must have, like, a million calories… then again, I guess you have the best excuse, right?" Elle asked, a sugary smile on her face.

"Oh, I’ve always eaten whatever I wanted with no problem. Actually, before I got pregnant, I had a hard time keeping weight *on*!" Buffy replied in the same sweet tone.

Joyce looked over at Forrest and the two girls, "Oh, hello. Are you friends of Buffy?"

"Well, I’m actually Riley’s friend… but of course, any friend of Riley’s is a friend of mine," Forrest grinned, "Forrest Gates. This is Elle Andrews and Carrie Timon."

"Nice to meet all of you," Joyce nodded.

"Well, we’ll leave you ladies to have your lunch. See you later, Buffy!" Forrest called as he started to walk away.

"Yes, I’ll be seeing you really soon… Forrest promised to take me to Riley’s apartment," Elle grinned.

"Oh, goodie," Buffy replied sarcastically, though Elle didn’t appear to notice… or if she did, she didn’t care.

When the three of them were gone, Buffy noticed her mother smirking at her from across the table, "What?"

"You don’t seem to like her."

Buffy shrugged, "She bugs me."

"Why?"

She tried to think of a really good excuse, but in the end, went with honestly, "Because she totally digs Riley and she’s skinny and not a walking disaster…. like me."

"And that bothers you?" Joyce asked.

Buffy nodded slowly, "A whole lot."

"I have my suspicions as to why, but do you want to just come clean?" the older woman asked, then continued when her daughter shook her head, "I think you may not just think of Riley as a friend…. perhaps you have a crush on him?"

Buffy laughed sardonically, "No, I can honestly say I don’t have a crush on Riley."

"But you do have feelings for him?"

Buffy closed her eyes, "Unfortunately for me… yes."

"I wouldn’t say that. You could certainly do a lot worse," Joyce commented.

"Mother, it’s not as easy as that. Feelings need to be mutual, you know?"

"Well, I don’t mean to overstep my bounds here, but I’m not blind and despite the fact that I have only seen Riley a few times, I get the distinct impression that he also has feelings for you."

"He may have, at one time… he said he loved me," she admitted, "But that was a long time ago and things change."

"Do you still love Angel?"

She nodded slowly, "A part of me always will."

"Of course… you feel real love for him. I even still love your father, in a way. Love doesn’t just disappear. If he loved you, really loved you… he didn’t stop."

"Then I guess he didn’t really love me."

"You’re sure of that?"

"Yes… he used to… seem kind of sad when we mentioned the divorce… like he wanted to stay married. Maybe I imagined it, but that’s the impression I used to get. Now, though, it doesn’t seem to bother him in the least. It’s just like the divorce is no big deal… which is what it’s supposed to be, anyway," Buffy said sadly, "Can we please change the subject? This is depressing and my hormones are… insane… and I really don’t feel like crying in the middle of the food court."

"Certainly," Joyce agreed, patting her daughter’s hand, "What would you like to talk about?"

"How about the fact that *you* knew *I* have feelings for Riley? What gave me away?"

"Buffy, you’re my daughter… I can read you like a book. You’ll discover very soon now exactly what I mean."

Buffy smiled and moved her hand over her belly, "I can’t wait."

***

"What is all that?" Riley asked as he entered the house after working the day shift and found Buffy on the couch in the living room that was littered with bags.

Buffy smiled, encouraged by the fact that Riley had actually spoken to her without being asked a question first. And more than one word at that! After the past few days, she’d grown accustomed to mostly ‘yes’ and ‘no’ responses from him.

"Mom went a little overboard. We went to buy the stroller and she ended up buying it… along with a swing, an activity center, books, clothes and tons of other stuff."

"Well, clean it up, okay?"

"Don’t worry, I’m just catching my breath," she replied glumly.

Riley simply grunted before scurrying to his bedroom. Buffy watched his retreating form mournfully; it was just like after they’d had sex all over again. However, she really hoped she wouldn’t have to be attacked by a vampire in order to get Riley to speak to her again.

Why couldn’t she just be mad at him? Angel was the father of her baby and it wasn’t like Riley was still offering to stay married to her. It wasn’t like he was offering her anything at all… she was just trying to take what she could get by talking to Angel. It would be a different story if he wanted to have a real relationship. *Then* he had good reason to have a problem with her talking to her ex.

Still, she wasn’t angry. She hated the idea that Riley was so disgusted with her. She loved him, and who wouldn’t mind the person they loved feeling that way about them? As sick as it made her, though, she wasn’t going to stop talking to Angel… not unless things between she and Riley changed. It had been so nice to be able to get it all out with him… and not have to feel guilty for complaining to someone who was going out of their way to help her with her situation. Angel was half-responsible for that situation and not suffering nearly as much… he deserved to hear her bitching.

With a sigh, Buffy managed to stand up and began lugging the packages to her bedroom. She should have let her mother carry them in there, but she’d turned her down since didn’t want to feel like a total invalid. It took several trips, but Buffy managed to remove them from the living room. She still had to put everything away, but at least Riley didn’t have that to yell at her about.

Waddling into the kitchen, Buffy fixed herself a glass of water and started sipping on it when there was a knock at the door. Wondering who it could possibly be, she made her way to the door and found Forrest, Elle and Carrie on the other side. They’d changed clothes, obviously planning for a night on the town.

"Hi, is Riley home?" Elle asked eagerly.

"Uh, yeah, come on in," she replied, stepping aside, "I’ll go get him."

Even more depressed, Buffy left the three of them in the living room and trudged over to Riley’s door and knocking, "Riley, you have guests!"

She turned around and started heading back to the living room, figuring she ought to go ahead and attempt to be a good hostess, no matter how much she didn’t feel like it, but was intercepted by Forrest in the hallway. He tugged her in the kitchen and smiled.

"Hey, you don’t mind me bringing Elle here, do you? I wanted to talk to you earlier, but I didn’t get a chance," he explained, "She knows the whole story with you and Riley and she actually thinks it’s sexy how he’s helping you out."

"Y-you told her the truth?"

He nodded, "You see, Riley has the major hots for this girl. He’s been driving me nuts lately, talking about how much he wants her."

Buffy’s heart ached, "He never even mentioned her to me."

"Well, it’s guy talk, you know? He says stuff to me that he’d never say to you. Trust me, ever since you two got back from Iowa, Elle is all Riley’s been talking about. She had this party while you guys were gone and he’s been promising to make it up to her," Forrest replied, "Anyway, I’m going to go ahead and hook the two of them up. I figured the four of us could all go out tonight. I wanted to make sure you’re cool with it, though. I mean, it’s not like you guys are really married."

"You’d have to ask him," she replied.

"You think I didn’t? I mean, he didn’t know we were going to come by right now, but I did promise Riley that I would try to set it all up…. it all happened kind of fast. He told me to ask you… I know it’s, like, no notice, but you’re fine with it, right?"

Buffy nodded numbly as she heard Riley come out of the bedroom and was visibly surprised to find Forrest and Buffy in the kitchen, "What’s up?"

"Man, you are going to *love* me! I brought you a present!"

Riley gave Buffy a questioning look at Forrest pulled him into the living room, "Elle, you know Riley. Riley, this is Elle Andrews."

"Hi," Riley said, caught off-guard.

Elle gave him a wide smile, "Hey."

Buffy stood alone in the kitchen, listening to the casual conversation in the next room as Forrest explained to Riley that he’d thought it would be fun for the four of them to have a double date. A moment later, Riley came back to the kitchen, an unsure look on his face.

"They want me to go out with them. I probably should, right? I mean, they expect me to…"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders indifferently, "Do what you want."

"Are you mad?" he asked, realizing he was almost wishing she was. If she was mad, that meant she had a problem with him seeing other girls, and if she didn’t like the idea of that…. a part of her must want him to be seeing *her*.

"Why should I be? I told you that you could date. I don’t care."

"You don’t care?" Riley repeated, hurt.

"That’s what I said," she nodded, "I don’t care if you go."

"Fine then, I’ll go."

"Good, have fun!" she replied, forcing herself to smile like her life depended on it.

Riley feigned a smile as well before leaving her alone in the kitchen. A moment later, she heard them exit the apartment, leaving her all alone. Free to show her feelings at last, Buffy put her hand over her mouth as the first sob escaped her throat.

She staggered out of the kitchen, her vision blurred by tears, and went into her bedroom. Thankfully, she’d set all the packages on the floor, so she was able to collapse on her side on the bed as she cried for all that she would never have. Angel… who she loved despite all the hell they had gone through…. and now Riley, a more wonderful man than she could ever dream of…. who had been willing to spend his life with her… and she had ruined it. It was now official- he was on a date with another girl, one that wasn’t pregnant with someone else’s child, and she was quickly becoming a bad memory.

***

Riley was miserable. As angry with Buffy as he was about Angel, he would have much preferred spending the evening with her than with Elle.

Not that there was anything wrong with Elle. Despite the fact that she seemed to go for the ‘ditzy blonde’ façade, he could tell she was intelligent. She wasn’t ugly… just plain looking… with a bit too much make-up. And she seemed to absolutely adore him. She hung on his every word and appeared to be willing to do anything to flatter him.

Yet he still would rather be with Buffy, who could be eight months pregnant, wear no make-up and sit around in sweats and a baggy shirt, and just be herself… and make him want to gather her in his arms and kiss her until he had to breathe.

He stayed, however, knowing that Forrest would kill him if he made up some lame excuse and went home an hour into the date. Besides…. as much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to give Buffy the satisfaction of seeing he couldn’t have fun with another girl. It was ridiculous- here he was on a date with a girl who was totally into him and completely unhappy because it wasn’t with a different girl… who didn’t even care that he was on a date with someone else.

With a new resolve, he smiled at Elle and tried to focus on what she was saying. He just had to let go… have fun. Maybe then he could get Buffy out of his head.

***

The sound of the phone ringing awoke Buffy, who realized she must have cried herself to sleep when she saw the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock read nine o’clock. Picking up the phone, she groggily said, "Hello."

"Buffy, did I wake you?" Angel asked from the other end.

Taken aback, Buffy replied, "Um… yeah… but that’s okay, I didn’t intend to fall asleep in the first place… I have stuff to do."

"Is this a bad time, then?" he queried, hoping it wasn’t. It had taken all his self control to not call her every day since the past Tuesday, but he wanted to give Buffy her space… so he’d waited four days.

"No, it’s fine," Buffy assured him. It was nice to have someone to talk to. It made her see how much she’d really come to depend on Riley throughout the course of their marriage. Xander and Anya had each other, as did Willow and Tara…. and sometimes she just didn’t feel like hanging out with Giles and Joyce. Now that Riley had his own private thing going… she could really use Angel’s company.

"So, how are you feeling? I mean, for a woman who is eight months pregnant."

Buffy smiled, "I’m doing okay…. How are you?"

"I’m fine," he answered, "I’ve actually been busy with… business stuff… lately."

"Angel Investigations is doing well, I take it?"

"Yeah… our building sort of blew up a few months ago, but we still get a lot of jobs," Angel told her, hoping she wouldn’t interrogate him about where he got so much money to give her. He really didn’t want to have to divulge the details of the jobs he’d done for Eddie.

"*Blew up*?!" she exclaimed, "Oh my God, was everyone okay?"

"For the most part."

"Well, I suppose that is some consolation… so your home was ruined too?"

"Yes… I’m staying with Wesley for the time being, until I get a new place," he explained, "So what have you been up to?"

Buffy shrugged, "Not much, I hang out at home a lot. There’s still another month before school starts, but I will have to register soon. Other than that… I work a few days a week and snack my way through every other one. Today mom and I went shopping, though. We got the stroller I wanted, plus my mom talked me into letting her get a bunch of stuff. It’s amazing how she has *totally* become Excited Grandma. I’d better watch out or she’ll turn this kid into a terror."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, this was the last of it. Now, I can just sit back and wait for the baby to come," she told him, before wrinkling her nose and adding, "Except I haven’t packed the bag I am supposed to take to the hospital yet. I really shouldn’t put that off to the last minute. Maybe I’ll do that tonight."

"That would be a good idea…. just don’t overdo it," Angel said, "What about school next semester, are you going full time or what?"

Buffy shrugged, "I’m not sure. On the one hand, it’s more important than ever that I get my degree… but on the other hand, I wonder if I may hate having to be away from the baby. Then again, maybe I will welcome the break… that sounded horrible, but I have checked out books and stuff and they all say it."

"No, I’m sure any parent, no matter how much they love their child, needs a break from crying and feedings and dirty diapers."

She smiled, reassured, "However, going back full time may not be an option. There’s no child care on campus and every day care center I check out requires the baby to be at least three months old. Besides, I really hate the idea of leaving her at one of those places. I know I have Giles and my mom and my friends and they will love to babysit, but this would be a few hours five days a week… which is a lot to ask. At least Giles has promised I can bring her with me to work, so I don’t have to worry about that."

"You’re going to keep working after she’s born?"

"Absolutely; what choice do I have? Angel, babies like food and clothes and a roof over their head. Quirky little things, eh?" she joked.

"Buffy, *I* will take care of your money, please? From the beginning, I promised you that I would help you out financially and I am sticking by that. Trust me, I can make enough to pay for an apartment, food, clothes… everything for the both of you."

"No… I don’t want to do that."

"Why not? It’ll make things so much easier for you."

"I like my job, Angel. I feel like I help Giles, and I’m good at it… and I like the fact that I earn a paycheck."

"So, you won’t take any of the money I put in the account for you?" he asked, then sighed and explained, "I saw that you haven’t used a penny of it."

Buffy ran her hand through her hair, "I don’t know."

"Please, Buffy, I know that there are a lot of other things you wish I would do… but this is the only thing I feel that I can. I love this baby, I do… I want to take care of her too."

"Can we not do this right now?"

"Sure," he said quickly, knowing he shouldn’t upset her in her condition.

"I promise to think about it, okay?"

"Thank you," Angel said, "So, you had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, right?"

"Yup, everything is great. Heart, lungs, brain… all fully formed and functional. The doctor assured me that whenever she decides to arrive, I will have myself a perfectly healthy baby girl… very possibly weighing eight pounds- damn you for being so big."

Angel laughed aloud, "Sorry, but you shouldn’t be so tiny."

Buffy smiled and rubbed her stomach. It was so great to be like this with him, enjoying the baby as opposed to fighting about it. She shouldn’t be so upset about Riley… she had Angel, after all. He was the father of her child and he *did* love her. This was the way things were supposed to be.

***

"Did Forrest tell you how impressed I am by how you’re helping out that girl?" Elle asked, smiling at Riley from across the small table at the bar.

Forrest had ignored Riley’s pointed looks and left the two of them alone while he and Carrie went and danced, but so far Riley had been successful at making polite conversation while praying the night would end. Giving her a small smile, he replied, "No, he didn’t."

"Well, I do. I mean, I think 99% of the guys I know would have run far away from her if it had been their kid. You took responsibility, and it’s not even your fault."

He shrugged and fiddled with the straw in his soda, "Well, I think that says a lot about the cowardice about most guys. It’s kind of sad that our standards are so low. Believe me, it’s not some huge nuisance to be married to Buffy."

"Oh, that is freaking sweet!" Elle exclaimed.

Riley wasn’t sure how exactly to respond to that, so he just smiled and said, "Thanks."

"So… how exactly does this work. Forrest says you guys agreed to just stay married for a year? So when will the marriage be over?"

"Well, we got married January 3^rd, so I guess we will file for divorce on or around that date. I think it takes about six months to get divorced here, though, even without any disputes, so I guess it won’t be final until July."

"But in the meanwhile… you have an open marriage?"

Riley felt incredibly awkward, having an idea what she was leading up to, but nodded, "I mean, she knew about this tonight… and didn’t care."

"Yeah, but is it *totally* open? Like… you could bring girls home if you wanted? It’s not like you two share a bed, right?"

"No, Buffy has her own room. As far as our arrangement, I suppose I could bring people home, as long as I was discreet… however, that’s not really my thing."

"Such a gentleman!" she laughed, not discouraged by the fact that Riley had basically told her he wasn’t down with casual sex. As upstanding as he was, Riley was still a man… and she knew what men wanted.

***

Buffy surveyed the room to be sure she had put away all the packages. Save for the pile of boxes in the corner with things she still had to assemble, it was all taken care of. Sighing, she hoped she’d be able to put the stroller and swing and all that together *before* the baby came. Unlike when she bought the furniture, she doubted she could get help from Riley.

Deciding she wasn’t quite ready for bed, Buffy went to the kitchen and searched around for a snack. She grabbed a bag of Tostitos and a jar of salsa and set to devouring him while she wondered what, and hopefully not *who*, Riley was doing. What if going out with Elle reminded him of all he’d been missing for the past seven months? Her best case scenario was that he’d start going on a lot more dates. The worst case… she’d be seeing a lot more of Elle.

"Oh God, what if she starts spending the night?" Buffy lamented to herself. There was absolutely no way she was going to be able to handle that!

Closing her eyes, Buffy reminded herself that in five months the divorce they had only talked about would be a reality. Riley wouldn’t be there every day. He *would* date other girls… have sex with them. And she had absolutely no right to be upset. Anyway, as she’d realized before, she had Angel. It didn’t matter if she didn’t have Riley, as long as she had Angel.

Trying to feel confident in that fact, Buffy put the food away and sat in the recliner in the living room to watch the news. She’d come to find the seat very relaxing…. and was soon asleep.

***

"I had a really good time tonight," Elle smiled, "We’ll have to do it again sometime."

"Yeah," Riley replied in his best non-committal voice. At long last, he was almost home. Forrest had the right idea, taking them all the way to Santa Barbara so that they wouldn’t run into anyone they knew… and knew Riley had a very pregnant wife at home, but he hated the long drive it entailed.

"You have my number, right?"

Riley nodded, fully intending to be a typical guy and never call, "It’s in my wallet."

"Great!" she grinned.

Forrest smirked at Riley through the rearview mirror, ignoring the way his friend glared back at him. Elle was definitely just the thing for him. It would take a few more dates, but if Riley could get a little more angry at Buffy… and Forrest could get a little liquor in him… the vixen would have him in her bed. As soon as Riley slept with Elle, Forrest was positive he wouldn’t have to worry about Buffy being a problem any longer.

They pulled up to the gate in front of the apartment complex and Forrest was able to punch in the password without too much difficulty. Thirty seconds later, they were stopped in front of Riley’s apartment. Home had never looked so sweet!

"Let me walk you to your door," Elle offered, hoping it would lead to a lot more.

Riley shook his head, "No, I wouldn’t want you out on your own in the dark. Trust me, I’ll be fine."

Disappointed, she still smiled, "All right… call me, okay?"

"Sure… bye guys," Riley bid them farewell as he hurried out of the car and up the sidewalk to the door after the longest night of his life.

Riley quickly unlocked the door and entered the apartment, surprised to see Buffy in the recliner. He soon saw that she was actually sound asleep, and deduced that she must have fallen asleep watching television. Opting not to wake her, since he was aware of her difficulties getting comfortable in bed every night, Riley gently pulled the remote out of her hand and turned off the television. Grabbing the thin quilt off the couch, he covered her before hastily kissing her forehead.

He couldn’t help it. As angry as he was with her for Angel… and for hurting him so much… he loved her. Smiling, he stroked the back of his hand over her cheek; she was so beautiful, and in sleep she looked so peaceful. After a moment, he stood and turned out the lights before heading off to his own bed. As much as he hated to think about it, they had a lot of problems… and needed to discuss them the next day.

Tomorrow would most likely not be pleasant.

Buffy gave Riley a smile as he walked out of the bedroom, happy to see that nobody was with him…. so he probably didn’t bring Elle home. Besides, the fact that she had awoken with a quilt over her and the lights and television off did not elude her. A part of her couldn’t help but be touched that he had made the effort.

"Good morning."

"Morning," he grumbled, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and pouring himself some cereal.

"So… how was your date last night?"

"Fine."

"What did you all do?" she asked.

"We went to dinner and then a bar," he replied, then looked at her for the first time that morning, "It was such a nice change of pace; Elle ate her own meal and didn’t touch *my* plate."

Buffy looked down, knowing the verbal jab was aimed at her. The last time they had gone out, she couldn’t help but admire Riley’s chili cheese fries and he had laughed and insisted she should help him eat them. Happily, she’d complied, but now she saw that it had really bugged him.

"I’m sorry, but you know, I *am* eating for two."

"Believe me, I noticed," he replied, a pointed look directed at her belly.

Buffy felt tears sting her eyes and rushed past him, out of the kitchen. Thankfully, she’d had a ton of nervous energy since waking up that morning and had already showered and dressed. Grabbing her purse, she called back at him, "I have to go… to the store."

Riley heard her exit through the front door and sighed, feeling like a huge asshole. It wasn’t right of him to say such mean things to her, especially since she was *pregnant*. Her emotions were out of control… besides, in Lamaze they had said stress could induce labor. Even if they had meant high stress, upsetting her couldn’t be healthy.

Besides, he had *hurt* her…. and even if he didn’t like her talking to Angel and it hurt him that she didn’t care if he dated other girls… she didn’t deserve to be mistreated by him.

Riley resolved to apologize when she got home. She was just running to the store, so it wouldn’t be long before she came back. He’d tell her he was sorry and didn’t mean what he had said. After that…. he’d stop being so gruff with her. It was her life and her baby… and no matter how much he loved her, he had no say in the matter.

***

Xander was surprised to hear someone knocking frantically at the door. Realizing it may be Giles or Willow with news of some horrible big bad that the Initiative wasn’t handling, he rushed over to the door and flung it open…. and found a distraught looking Buffy on the other side.

"Buff? What’s wrong?"

"Xander…" she faltered, as she began to cry.

Worriedly, he wrapped his arms around her as best she could, since it made it hard to get close to someone when they were due to give birth any day, and lead her inside his apartment. He managed to get her to sit on the couch before rushing to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Bringing it back, he sat down beside Buffy and stroked his hand over her back and tried to calm her down. After a moment, she’d relaxed enough to start sipping the water.

Gently, Xander asked, "What’s wrong, Buffy?"

"Not really anything, I guess," she shrugged, "It’s just… Riley said stuff to me and it hurt… really hurt. I never thought he would ever say such things to me."

Buffy had already told him that Angel had called and he knew Riley was far from happy about it, that he wasn’t really speaking to Buffy except for what could be construed as civilized conversation. Buffy was one of his best friends and Xander loved her, even understood why she felt this need to speak to Angel….. but he could see exactly where Riley was coming from.

"What did he say?"

"Well, it all started last night… I think, anyway," Buffy replied, "Forrest showed up with two girls… he introduced me to them when we ran into each other at the mall yesterday. One of them is *really* into Riley. She was… okay… I guess. You know, if you like the whole thin, beautiful, pulled-together thing. So, like I said, he shows up with the girls last night and Riley goes with them on a double date."

"Riley went on a *date*?!" Xander exclaimed. He never, in a million years, would have guessed that Riley would go on a date with anyone other than Buffy.

Buffy nodded, "But I can’t really be upset about it because he did ask me first to make sure I was okay with it. Of course, I said yes… it would have been really wrong to tell him no, you know?"

"Not really," he told her, since he thought she should have said no because she did love him after all, "But go on."

"I told him I didn’t care if he went… so he did. At first I was pretty bummed and cried a lot… you know, that’s my thing now… sitting around, being fat and crying. Then Angel called again."

Xander groaned, "And you talked to him."

"Of course I did. Xander, he’s the father of my baby. I know you hate him and *I* am still mad that he refused to be an active father, but I feel an obligation to him. I can’t keep all details about his own daughter from him. Besides… it’s nice being able to talk to him."

He sighed, "Fine… what happened next?"

"Well, I talked to Angel, did some stuff and fell asleep in the recliner. I woke up this morning and saw that Riley had put a blanket on me and everything, so I was feeling kind of happy. Like, maybe things would be better between us. Unfortunately, Riley was his usual… not perky self. I still tried to be nice, though… asked him how his date was… and then he told me it was nice because his date didn’t eat off his plate," she told him, her voice cracking as she started to cry again, "Because *I* ate off his plate the last time we went out! I’m pregnant, she’s not! And… I know now that this sounds really stupid but it still totally hurts!"

"I know," he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against him so her head rested on his shoulder, "Don’t let it hurt you… he doesn’t really mean it."

"But it’s true!"

"So what? You ate off his plate, big deal. It’s not like Riley’s starving to death. Did he ask you not to do it?"

"No, he invited me to," she answered.

Xander smiled down at her, "There you go. It didn’t really bother him, he was just lashing out. You see… I think Riley’s mad that you lied about not caring that he went on a date. He wants you to care and be upset and tell him not to go... because he wants you to love him. And as far as Angel... I've been there, Buffy. I know how it feels to know that a vampire has your heart. I remember acting out on that myself."

"I don’t know," she shook her head, "I think it has less do with me and more to do with Angel being a *vampire* and that’s why Riley doesn’t trust him."

"No, it’s that Angel is a vampire and Riley doesn’t trust him *with* *your* *heart*… which is wise, all things considered."

"But we’re getting divorced, something Riley really doesn’t seem very broken up about…. Why does he care?"

"Buffy, if you need me to tell you… maybe you don’t need to know."

She cocked her head to the side and looked at him closely, trying to figure out what he was suggesting. Giving him an incredulous look, she replied, "He doesn’t love me."

"Yes he does!" Xander argued, "God, you can’t be *that* blind!"

"Apparently so… if he loved me, how could he ever say those things?"

"The same way you could tell him that you didn’t care if he went on a date with someone else when you love him," he countered, "You’re both so busy saying things because you’re angry and jealous and hurting that you can’t even see what’s right in front of your faces. You love him, you know that. He loves you… and he told you that and showed you in so many ways on so many occasions that you ought to know it. Now you just need to pull yourself together and make it happen!"

***

When Buffy finally came in the door an hour after leaving, Riley was chomping at the bit. When he saw that she was sans any bags from the store, he grew suspicious.

"Where have you been? I thought you were going to the store?" he interrogated.

Buffy frowned, knowing that Xander’s suggestion would never work. She still hadn’t been positive that Riley had been in love with her, but she had come home with a new attitude to have an open mind and try not to let Riley’s sour mood upset her.

"I went," she replied.

"And what did you buy? How come you don’t have any bags?"

"Because I bought a candy bar and *ate* it," she retorted, "Then I drove around for a little bit. Want to check my odometer? You’re not my keeper, you know."

Riley clenched his jaw, smelling the distinct aroma of aftershave on her, "Just out of curiosity, Buffy… did you happen to brush up against a male clerk?"

"What?"

"Smell yourself! I’m not an idiot, you met him, didn’t you?!"

"Met…" she began, confused until it clicked in her mind, "You *would* think that!"

"Yes, I would. Have you given me a reason *not* to think that?"

"You know what? Why don’t you go run off and call Elle up for a date? Then you’ll have something else to do besides get all psycho about *my* life!"

"Fine, I will!" he retorted, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket and retrieving from it the cocktail napkin that Elle had written her number on. Picking up the phone, he punched in the digits and waited for an answer on the other end of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Elle? This is Riley."

Elle smiled widely, shocked to hear him calling, especially so soon. She’d really been discouraged the night before, but apparently Forrest had been right, "Hi Riley… I’m so glad you called."

"Well, I was wondering if you were free tonight."

"For you? Absolutely," she giggled.

Riley grinned, finding it a lot easier to appear enthusiastic around the girl when Buffy was watching, "You know how you mentioned you had that sexy little red sports car? I was thinking it would be really great if we could take that for a spin."

"Sure! Hell, I may even let you drive."

He laughed, "Here’s hoping…. I don’t suppose you have a sexy little red number for yourself to go with it?"

"Oh, I’m sure I could find *something*," Elle assured him.

"Fabulous."

Buffy turned and stormed into her bedroom, deciding she couldn’t stand there and listen to him any longer. She had to get out of that house. Grabbing a bag, she threw a towel, magazine and sunscreen inside before grabbing her maternity swimsuit that Claire had bought her and marching back out into the living room where Riley was hanging up the phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Going out."

"Oh, to the store where you don’t buy anything again?"

"No, I’m going to the beach and you aren’t my father… you aren’t even my husband, so it’s none of your concern," she replied, heading to the door.

Riley snatched the swimsuit from her hand, "What are you doing, you can’t *swim*?!"

"Why not, I’m a whale, aren’t I? It should be second nature."

"Are you stupid?" he shouted, "You’re eight months pregnant! You can’t just jump in the ocean and get thrown all over!"

"You are infuriating!" she screamed before leaving him alone in the apartment, her swimsuit still in his hand.

***

Buffy parked the car in it’s normal spot and climbed out as quickly as she could in her condition. Looking out at the water, she realized Riley was right. There were quite a few waves coming in, big ones, and it definitely would have been hazardous for her to swim.

Frowning, she decided to forget that Riley was right. It would be preferable to just forget Riley, period. Xander was wrong, Riley couldn’t love her. If he did, there was no way he could be acting this way.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down and push those thoughts out of her head. As the fragrance of the sea filled her senses and the wind gently blew her hair around, Buffy found the peace she yearned for whenever she came to her special place. After a few moments, Buffy kicked off her shoes, deciding a little wading couldn’t do any harm.

Besides, going anywhere *near* Riley sounded extrememly unappealing.

***

As Riley went to answer the door, presuming it was Elle, he wondered for the dozenth time since she’d gone where Buffy was. She *had* left her swimsuit, but perhaps she went to the beach anyway. However, he hoped she’d opted for one of her friends’ homes, since he definitely didn’t like her being off on her own when she was so far along in her pregnancy…. especially since she was upset.

"Hey there," Elle purred, giving him a sexy smile as he opened the door, "You look wonderful tonight."

"Thanks, you look very nice too," Riley replied, "Want to come in? I just need to grab my keys."

"Sure," she said, stepping inside as he went back in his bedroom. Seeing Buffy approach the door, Elle smirked, "Hi, what a surprise to see you!"

"Really? I was the person putting the password in at the gate when you zipped on by and came in," Buffy retorted.

"Oh really? Well, thanks," Elle replied insincerely.

Riley came out of his bedroom, keys in hand, and was visibly relieved to find his wife was home, her hair tousled, but still safe and sound, "Buffy, I was getting worried."

"Sure looks like it," she replied, then gave Elle a fake smile, "See you later… Emily?"

"Elle," she corrected her, "You know, like the supermodel."

"If you say so," Buffy shook her head in amusement and walked to the kitchen, with Riley at her heels.

"Buffy, if you need me to stay-" he offered, partly because Buffy looked pretty upset, but he was also actually kind of afraid to be alone with Elle. She was looking at him like he was a buffet and she was famished.

"No, by all means, go," she insisted, the leaned closer to speak in a quiet voice, "She looks like a sure thing to me. You did request the red, after all."

He knew she wasn’t serious, though, and replied, "If you don’t want me to go, I won’t."

Buffy shrugged and played indifferent.

Riley grew exasperated and shook his head. It was pointless to even try to be reasonable. "Fine, don’t wait up."

She stood in the kitchen, staring at the wall, for the longest time. As much as she hated it, a few stray tears slid down her cheeks before Buffy got herself together. Rubbing her belly, she assured her daughter, "Mommy’s not usually such a wimp, I promise you. And as soon as you’re born and I get my hormones back to normal, you’ll see that I am totally tough."

Walking into the bathroom, she frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She really was a mess. Her hair was going every which way, her make-up was mostly cried off and she had an all around frumpy look about her. This one really couldn’t be blamed on her pregnancy… somewhere along the line, she’d just stopped making an effort.

Picking up her brush, Buffy attempted to fix her hair and continued, "You know, I was once considered very attractive… and if it kills me, I will look good again. Riley will see me and forget all about stupid Elle! And then we can have fun and tell him he lost his chance with Mommy!"

Feeling a little bit better, Buffy went and grabbed the phone and quickly dialed a number, "Xander? Do you have any plans for the night?"

***

"Hello! Here we are, with pizza!" Anya announced, smiling brightly as Buffy opened the door, "Personally, I don’t think Xander should have offered to bring dinner since you invited us over and should have been responsible for feeding us, your guests, but Xander told me since you’re pregnant, there are special rules. Plus, you’re bummed because Riley left you all alone so he could get easy sex."

"Honey, I told you the girl wanted to give him easy sex, but I knew he’d say no, remember?" Xander replied, then looked at Buffy, "He’s not going to have sex with her, I’m sure of it."

Buffy gave them a small smile, "Thanks for coming… I really appreciate the company."

"It’s fine," Anya replied, walking into the apartment and setting the pizza boxes down on the table before going into the kitchen, "However, Xander informed me of your visit this morning when I was working and that, along with your calling him over tonight. I have to warn you, Buffy, if you weren’t all huge and pregnant and obviously no threat to Xander’s fidelity, I would have a strong urge to rip your hair out."

"Boy, I’ve never been so happy to be so unattractive," Buffy commented wryly.

"Don’t… believe her," Xander told her.

"I’m used to Anya, I know she doesn’t mean to hurt my feelings… and she actually doesn’t."

"Good… you feeling okay?" he asked.

Buffy nodded, "I’m trying not to think about Riley… and doing a lot better than I did last night. Thank God you guys are here or else I probably wouldn’t have been able to avoid the endless ‘what’s he doing right now’ questions that would drive me insane."

"Buffy, you aren’t making the moves on my man, are you?" Anya called from the kitchen.

The blonde laughed, "Yes, but unfortunately he isn’t succumbing to my feminine wiles."

Anya came out of the kitchen with plates, cups and a 2-liter soda in hand, "Ah, you are joking. I can appreciate humor."

"Oh good… I don’t want my hair pulled out," Buffy smiled at her before going and grabbing a bottle of water for herself out of the refrigerator.

"So," Xander said as the three of them settled at the table, "I get to spend the evening with two beautiful women. What should we do? Kinky stuff?"

Buffy and Anya rolled their eyes in unison as Xander laughed at his own joke.

***

"So… this guy that got Buffy pregnant… he dumped her as soon as he found out?" Elle inquired as she sipped her wine.

Riley shook his head, "They weren’t a couple by the time she found out she was pregnant and he’s not in the best position to be a father, so he told her he couldn’t be involved."

"Well that bites… so then you stepped up?"

"Something like that."

"Do you think Buffy accepts this divorce thing, though? I mean, I know you guys agreed beforehand, but she seems like she might have this idea that you’re really going to be her husband or something."

"Trust me, she doesn’t," Riley assured her. Their situation seemed to be the exact opposite, in fact. He had the idea that he could really be her husband… Buffy was the one who wanted the divorce.

"Yeah? I don’t know… I mean, I know I have only seen her a few times… but I know people… and from what I can tell, there is a lot of stuff going on with her."

"She’s pregnant, it makes her emotional."

"If that’s what you think it is…"

"I do," he said firmly, "Now, can we change the subject?"

Elle was taken aback at how he seemed to be angry, but complied, "Sure…. Seen any good movies lately?"

***

"So then he kidnaps her and sets to seducing her," Anya told Buffy, in reference to the latest romance novel she’d finished.

Confused, Buffy asked, "Why did he kidnap his own wife?"

"Because he is a man and men have stupid ideas so he thinks that even if she’s *extremely* reluctant to sleep with him, knowing he’s her husband, in his mind he thinks if he knocks her out, ties her up and blindfolds her and has his wicked way with her… it’ll make things all better," Anya explained, "But then he finds out she’s not a virgin!"

"Really?"

"Check me out, Mommy!" Xander exclaimed, rushing out of Buffy’s bedroom with the newly-assembled stroller with a teddy bear in it.

Buffy grinned when she saw him, "You did it!"

"Of course I did it, this is like my area of expertise," he told her, "Before the night is over, you’ll have yourself a swing and play center too."

"Thank you," she replied, kissing him on the cheek as he leaned down next to her.

When Xander returned to the bedroom, Anya scooted a little closer to Buffy on the couch, "So… what does it feel like knowing Riley is with another girl? I try to imagine if I had to sit home while Xander went on a date… and it makes me feel wretched."

"Wretched is a pretty accurate description."

"Well, then why did you let him go? Why didn’t you tell him you were sick or something, make him stay with you?"

"That’s pathetic. Would you really want Xander to stay with you if he just did it out of guilt?"

Anya thought it over for a moment before shrugging, "Why not?"

"Because when you love someone… you want them to love you back. You want them to *want* to be with you… not feel obligated," she sighed, "Trust me… I hope you’re never in my place, but if you are… you’ll see that it’s humiliating."

"I suppose you’re right. I do enjoy knowing that Xander wants me just as much as I want him. It makes me feel special," Anya replied, "You’re sure that Riley doesn’t want you? I mean… he knows you don’t always look all huge."

She smiled sadly and shook her head, "He makes fun of how big I am, how much I eat… would a man say those things to the woman he loved?"

Anya shrugged, "Like I said, men have stupid ideas."

***

"You really didn’t need to get out of the car," Riley told Elle as they walked to his apartment door.

"Well, I’m hoping you’ll invite me in tonight," she smiled.

Buffy grimaced from her bed inside the apartment as she cursed the window for being so…. thin. Now she’d have to hear something she was positive she really didn’t want to.

"Look, I know you have certain… ideas… and I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested," Riley rebuffed her.

"Why, because you’re hung up on the pregnant girl?"

"I’m not-"

"Please, don’t deny it. Forrest told me, and even if he hadn’t, I can tell the way you freak if I say anything remotely bad about her… Hell, I can by the way you look at her," Elle told him, "But it’s not going to work, you *have* to know that. She’s *pregnant* and it’s not even your kid. You don’t want her."

"I don’t want her? You don’t know me. I don’t want a girl just because she’s beautiful, which Buffy is, by the way. I want *who* Buffy is. She’s everything I want and love and need… rolled up into a tiny perfect package. I’m sorry, but you can’t compete with that. You’re not her."

Inside her room, Buffy lay stunned as she heard his words. He loved her. Xander was right… Riley *loved* *her*! So much so, that he wouldn’t even sleep with Elle!

Elle sighed and shrugged, "I think you’ll change your mind. I certainly hope so. When you do, give me a call?"

"No offense," Riley replied, "But that’s never going to happen."

Long after Riley had gone into the apartment and headed straight to his room, Buffy stared unseeingly at the ceiling, trying to process what had just happened.

He really, truly loved her… and she loved him back. Everyone had been right… they ought to be together. Smiling, Buffy decided she should try to make that happen.

Buffy realized that would never happen with Angel in the picture. If Riley loved her, then he was jealous of Angel and he didn’t trust him… and it would always be an obstacle. Still… it didn’t seem fair to shut Angel out of his daughter’s life, at least without giving him a chance.

Picking up the phone, she hastily dialed Wesley’s number. Thankfully, Angel was the one to pick up after the first ring, "Hello?"

"Hi Angel," Buffy replied.

"Buffy, is everything okay?" he asked worriedly, since it was awfully late for her to be calling. Plus, he’d only talked to her the night before.

"It’s fine…I just needed to ask you something," she answered honestly. She was 99.9% sure of the answer, but it only seemed fair to give him a chance to respond, "It’s actually more of an ultimatum… and I hate those, but they are sometimes a necessary evil."

"An ultimatum?"

"Yeah… I… need more. I mean, I’ve enjoyed the phone calls with you, but I’m having a baby and phone calls just aren’t going to cut it. I need you to be here for me, physically, not just emotionally. I need you to be here to hold my hand when I go into labor, to stay up with me nights when she won’t sleep… to help change diapers and deal with potty training and everything," she explained, "I need for you to be a father to her. Giving her money… it helps… but it’s not what she really needs. She deserves a father and I deserve for her to have a father too. But I know that if I have you on the phone in this… half-involved state… I’m never going to be able to make a relationship work. So basically, I need you to be in or out."

"Buffy, please…"

"No, I’m tired of doing things I don’t want to do because you need me to so you can have what you want and need. I’m putting my daughter and myself first."

"But you’re saying if I don’t drop my life and move to Sunnydale, I am cut off from my daughter."

"First of all, you shouldn’t mind dropping your life for your daughter. I was ready to drop out of college and lose my mother for her. I mean, I *did* lose my father over this," Buffy reminded him, "Second… I won’t do that. It’s not fair to not let you know anything about your daughter. But at the same time, it’s not fair to make me deal with you when it hurts me so much…. So if you decide you can’t be a part of our lives… you can go through Giles. I’ll make sure he knows he can tell you everything."

"And the money I’ve given you? Are you going to use it?"

"If I need it," she sighed, "Otherwise… she’s got some money for college."

"Are you sure you have to do this?" Angel asked, knowing he didn’t need to give her his answer.

"Yes… please… let me have my chance, Angel."

"Okay," he replied sadly, knowing in his heart that this *was* best for Buffy and the baby… to keep up the phone calls truly would be selfish. He’d have to settle for talking to Giles… for the time being.

"You know… I’ll make sure you find out when she’s born… so you’ll know her birthday. If you want, you can send her birthday and Christmas gifts and I’ll make sure she gets them. I can even send you pictures."

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

She smiled somberly, "I’d be happy to."

After a few more moments of polite, morose conversation, the two hung up. Buffy felt a bit of guilt, but knew she wasn’t being cruel. Angel had made his choice… and he did have a choice.

Now she could try to work things out with Riley with a clear conscience.

Riley awoke in a bad mood. Granted, he hadn’t been in the best of moods for nearly a week, but he felt worse today than in ages. He was an utter and complete idiot. He’d had a girl practically throw herself at him… but no, he loved Buffy and it would feel so wrong to him if he were to sleep with anyone else. Of course, Buffy didn’t love him… didn’t give a rat’s ass if he did whatever he wanted with any other woman, because she was so busy talking to the vampire who got her pregnant and dumped her.

He hated himself for being such a fool and was furious with Buffy for not loving him back. It wasn’t exactly fair, but when was love judicious?

Knowing he had to be at work in an hour, Riley rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to take his shower.

***

Buffy hummed cheerfully as she poured some batter on the grill. The last time she’d made pancakes, Riley had told her she should be sainted. Didn’t they say food was the way to a man’s heart?

She’d awakened that morning with a fresh attitude. Gone were the doubts and disbelief that Riley loved her. The conversation she had heard the night before was much more convincing than anything else she had heard before. When Riley had come out and told her that he loved her, she’d worried it was only because he felt guilty or just liked being her hero. When his family had told her, she figured it was just because they wanted her to stay with Riley, as she’d thought when Xander had tried to convince her. However, when Riley had told Elle that he loved Buffy, she’d seen that there was no reason to lie. In fact, it would have been easier for him to not admit it.

Riley loved her and she loved him. They had a lot of issues to work out, a major one being Angel, but she was confident they could do it. She knew Riley had to work that day, but if she got him off to a good start with her new attitude and a good breakfast, perhaps she could get him to agree to sitting down and having a talk with her over dinner that night.

Just as she put the fourth pancake on a plate and turned off the grill, Riley walked out of his bedroom in his uniform.

"Perfect timing," she smiled and held up the plate, "I made you breakfast. I feel like I owe it to you because… I’m really sorry about last night. I was in full hormonal monster mode."

Riley slowly nodded, "You were pissed that I went… and you insisted that I go."

"I’m sorry I was so cranky… but what did you expect me to do? It’s *your* life!"

He wanted to grab her and shake her and scream that it was *their* life, but he just clenched his fists and tore his gaze away from her perfect face, knowing he would lose all his willpower if he kept looking at her, "I accept your apology, okay? Don't worry about it. I'm used to it after all these months. I can't wait until you have the baby... then maybe the you'll be bearable until we can get divorced."

She hated herself for it, but Buffy let his words get to her. Tears welling in her eyes, she set the plate down on the counter, "Well, I’m sorry I am not even *bearable*. Why don’t we just get divorced now?"

"What?" he asked, taken aback.

"Why not? I know my mom would be thrilled to have me home… and I have a job now so that’s taken care of. If that’s what you really want, we can just get divorced now."

"You’re insane. I swear, you get pregnant and lose all of your marbles."

"If I am insane, it’s probably from you, always snapping at me, no matter what I do! I tell you to go on a date, you get mad. I apologize, you get mad. I can’t win with you!" she shouted, rushing past him to her bedroom door, which she slammed behind her.

"The dramatic exits stopped working a while ago. However, if you’d like to get us evicted, just keep slamming doors!" Riley screamed as he grabbed his keys and stormed out the front door.

His hands were shaking as he walked into the garage and climbed in his jeep. What if she wasn’t there when he got home? As angry as he was at her… he couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to see her every day.

No… she would see that they couldn’t get divorced now. Once she calmed down, she’d come to her senses and forget the whole thing. Still tense, Riley backed out of the garage and drove through the complex. He began the journey to the Initiative driving a bit faster than normal, not paying attention like he usually did. Instead, his thoughts were focused on the blonde he was utterly in love with at home… and what a mess he’d gotten himself into.

He was so focused on thoughts of Buffy that Riley never saw the ‘road closed’ sign until it was too late. Slamming on the brakes, he tried to stop in time…. only to lose control….

***

After twenty minutes of crying, ranting and pacing in her room, Buffy reemerged to get something to drink. She really didn’t know what she was going to do. She loved Riley, wanted to try making it work so they could spend the rest of their lives together…. But on the other hand, he was already causing her a world of pain. They weren’t even a couple and he always managed to bring her to tears with just a few cutting words.

Pouring herself a glass of juice, Buffy walked out into the living room when a photo on the end table caught her attention. She picked it up, staring down at the image of Riley and her on their wedding day. It had been a part of their wedding package and they’d decided to go along with it, at least to be able to show it to all the guys at Lowell House and make them happy.

She traced her finger over Riley’s face and thought about all that had happened since then… they’d moved into the apartment, made love, they’d had so much fun putting together the baby’s furniture, gone to Iowa together…. and then all the latest crap with Elle. He’d changed a lot… at least in her eyes. All those months ago, Riley had been this sweet, idealistic guy that had everything going for him and she was sure whatever he did in life, it would be great. Now she saw that he had flaws, like anyone else. He couldn’t sing for anything. He sometimes let his pride and anger get the better of him, like when it came to Angel. Sometimes she caught him drinking straight from a juice or milk carton and putting it back in the refrigerator…..

But she was absolutely, 100%, truly, madly, deeply in love with Riley Finn.

She set down the glass and the picture before turning and slowly walking to Riley’s bedroom… the room where they had shared their one night of passion. It was a night she’d never forget… and when she was perfectly honest with herself, it was a night she never wanted to forget.

She entered the room and sat down on the bed, immediately leaning over to bury her face in the pillows, deeply inhaling an aroma that was purely Riley. It was a combination of his shampoo, soap and cologne…. and Buffy couldn’t imagine a man having a better scent.

Knowing it was an incredible invasion of his privacy, but unable to stop herself, Buffy moved around the room, taking her time as she looked over his pictures of his family, the containers of cologne and deodorant on his dresser, the all his grooming supplies on the counter of his bathroom… and she was overcome with the thought that she couldn’t lose him. She hadn’t been serious about moving in with her mother. She couldn’t leave and just give up. They *had* to work things out because Buffy couldn’t be away from him. She’d already had to go through the loss of Angel…. it was too late to stop herself from falling in love with Riley… so she’d be damned if she let him walk out of her life without a fight.

Buffy was startled out of her reverie by the telephone ringing. She quickly picked up the extension in Riley’s room, "Hello?"

"Is this, uh… Buffy Finn?"

"Yes," Buffy frowned, since it wasn’t often that she was referred to by that name. Usually it had to do with legal stuff.

"Hello, Ma’am, I’m calling from Sunnydale General," the voice on the other end explained, "I’m afraid your husband has been in an accident."

Buffy’s heart stopped beating for a moment. Trying not to panic, she asked, "An accident? What sort of an accident?"

"A car accident," the person replied, "He’s just now being brought into the emergency room, so I don’t have any details on how badly he is injured."

"Oh God… um… I’ll be down there right away. Thank you for calling," Buffy replied, shakily hanging up the phone.

Moving as briskly as possible in her condition, Buffy grabbed her purse and went to her car, praying everything would be all right. When Riley had left, he’d been pissed as all hell… and that was because of her. If that had caused him to get in an accident… this was all her fault! Swearing that she would never forgive herself if Riley wasn’t okay, Buffy backed out of the garage and headed to Sunnydale General Hospital’s emergency room… a place she was unfortunately all too familiar with. Never, however, had she been so scared going there.

***

Unfortunately, Buffy couldn’t find a parking place anywhere near the entrance to the emergency room and had to curse the hospital for not having expectant mother parking like even the mall did as she trudged up the doors. Her heart pounding so loud that she was sure everyone in the building could hear it, Buffy approached the front desk.

"Hello, I got a phone call that my husband was brought in here."

"What’s his name?" the man behind the desk asked.

"Riley Finn."

The man looked at a board on the wall and nodded, "He’s Dr. Patterson’s patient. I’ll send for him now."

"Thank you," she nodded, turning to look around the emergency room, praying the doctor would be quick. God, why did she have to fight with Riley? If she’d just kept her mouth shut, he’d be fine. Now he was… hurt… she had no idea how badly… what if he died and she had to live with the fact that the last time they’d seen each other, they had fought.

"Mrs. Finn?" an older man with glasses and a white coat asked as he approached her.

Once again, Buffy was struck by how strange that name sounded as she slowly nodded, "Are you Riley’s doctor?"

"Yes, I’m Dr. Patterson, let’s have a seat, okay?"

She allowed him to lead her to some plastic seats that were bolted to the floor, as though someone would actually want to steal them, and grappled to sit down with his help.

Once she was situated, the doctor sat in the seat beside her and turned so he was facing Buffy, "Your husband was in a very serious accident. As best the police can tell, he was driving too quickly when he came upon a closed road and didn’t have enough time to stop. He skidded out of control and rolled his vehicle."

"Oh God," Buffy exclaimed, tears filling her eyes.

The doctor nodded and continued, "However, he was *extremely* lucky. No broken bones, just cuts and bruises and a concussion."

"Really?"

"Yes, he’ll be absolutely fine in no time," the doctor assured her.

"But… isn’t a concussion serious? I mean, it’s a head injury."

"Well, I’m going to keep him here overnight. He needs to be kept under observation, besides, you are in no condition to be taking care of him. I’m optimistic that he will be fine to leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh thank you, doctor, that is so wonderful!" Buffy smiled widely and squeezed the doctor’s hand.

Dr. Patterson’s eyes widened at the grip such a small girl had, but returned the smile, "You’re very welcome."

"Can I see him?" she asked, not caring that they were supposed to be on the outs. Seeing Riley alive and somewhat well was far more important.

The man nodded as he stood up, "Just give us about fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Yes, thank you again," she replied, sighing in relief as the doctor walked away. Buffy tried to settle back and relax until it was time, but even without being totally worried about Riley, she was tense. Hell, she hadn’t been able to relax in ages because the baby was always pushing on something or she was hot or aching… and that was before she’d almost had a heart attack.

Her thoughts came to Claire and she realized that she had better give her mother-in-law a call. Even if her baby was still in-utero, Buffy felt like a mother and knew if her child was in trouble, she would want someone to call her immediately.

She found a pay phone and dug around in her purse to find the calling card Riley had insisted on giving her soon after they had gotten married. Luckily, she knew the phone number by heart and quickly placed the call.

"Hello?"

"Claire… er… Mom?" Buffy asked.

"Hi Sweetheart! What’s going on? You sound a little upset."

"No, I’m not upset… not really," Buffy took a deep breath, "Um.. maybe you should sit down."

"Oh God, what is it? Is the baby okay? Riley?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"Yes, yes, now please tell me, Buffy!"

"Riley had a car accident," Buffy explained, "I’m at the hospital and they haven’t let me see him yet, but the doctor did talk to me and he’s going to be fine."

"Oh my God, my poor baby," Claire lamented, "What are his injuries?"

"He has a concussion and cuts and bruises, they said. He was very lucky," she replied, opting not to mention the details of the accident.

"I bet this wouldn’t have happened in a better car. I always hated that jeep, Buffy! It was a deathtrap! You weren’t in the car too, were you?"

"No, he was alone… I haven’t been able to get in that thing for months," Buffy smiled slightly, "But it wasn’t because he was in the jeep that he had the accident."

"Oh, I know, but maybe he wouldn’t have been injured at all in a different kind of car!"

She restrained from telling Claire that injuries in any vehicle were probably inevitable in a rollover, "Well, it really doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done… and he’ll be okay."

"How long before he’s out of the hospital?"

"The doctor told me he’s aiming for tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, I am going to call my travel agent right now and get plane tickets for John and myself as soon as possible."

"That’s not necessary! Riley will be okay, I promise you. I’ll take good care of him."

"Honey, you’re in no condition to be taking care of him… in fact, you need someone taking care of you. We’re coming."

Buffy sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her, "I hope Riley doesn’t get mad. You know he doesn’t like people making a big fuss."

"Oh, he just thinks he doesn’t like it. He’ll be fine," Claire assured her, "Now, will you make him call me when you get to see him?"

"Sure," Buffy agreed, "I’ll talk to you later, then."

"Okay, I love you Sweetheart," Claire replied.

She couldn’t help but smile, "I love you too."

***

Riley frowned as someone knocked on the door of the hospital room he had just been moved to. Slowly turning his head in the direction of the door, he called, "Come in."

Buffy slowly came into the room, a worried look on her face, before she promptly broke down into tears, "I’m so sorry!"

"What?" he asked, confused, "Sorry for what?"

"This is my fault," she explained as she continued to cry, "You were mad at me and that made you drive crazy and get in an accident."

Riley shook his head, "No, I was being an idiot and driving crazy and got in an accident. Don’t blame yourself."

"I can’t help it… you wouldn’t have been driving like an idiot if not for me."

He sighed, not quite ready to tell her it wasn’t all her fault that he was so in love that she made him crazy. Looking down, Riley replied, "Look, you didn’t make me fight with you. It wasn’t a one-sided thing. This accident wasn’t your fault, it was mine."

"But…"

"Hey… I’m the injured one here with a *killer* headache… can’t you just go easy on me and not disagree?" he asked, giving her a small smile.

Buffy couldn’t help but smile back and him before she slowly nodded and took a few tentative steps towards him, "Are you really going to be okay?"

"I’ll be fine… just wanting to kill myself… I’m pretty sure the jeep is totaled."

"Nobody mentioned the condition of the jeep to me, and I was pretty busy being focused on *you*," she told him, "But the doctor told me you rolled it, so I am not counting on it being undamaged."

"Wonderful," he groaned.

"Don’t worry about it right now, I have my car and we can make do with one car for the time being," Buffy said, easing herself into the chair beside his bed.

"I don’t want to put you out. You’re eight months pregnant, I don’t want you without a car."

She shook her head, "I work twice a week and go to the grocery store. I don’t need anything, I have everything for the baby… I don’t need my car that much. Besides, my mom would love to chauffeur me anywhere my heart desires."

Riley looked over at her, wishing more than ever that things could just be simple, that she could be his wife and they could raise this child as their own. He loved the both of them so much… losing them would break his heart.

"Uh, there is one thing I have to tell you about."

"What?"

"Well, I had to call your mom. I knew she would kill me if I didn’t… and I felt she had a right to know," Buffy confessed.

"I know you’re absolutely right about her killing you if you didn’t call her… but I really wish you hadn’t. Did she flip out?"

"Not really," she answered, "I mean, she had a… strong… reaction… but that’s how your mother is. I didn’t tell her that you had rolled your jeep, though."

"Thank God, she always hated it anyway."

"Yeah… she said that," Buffy bit her lip, "And she also is insisting on coming to town with your dad."

"Oh, you’re kidding," he groaned.

"I’m sorry," she sighed, "You know how she is."

"Yeah," Riley chuckled, "I do."

Looks like they had to make way for Hurricane Claire.

***

Buffy glanced at her watch and saw that she had twenty minutes before she needed to get to Sunnydale’s small airport to meet Riley’s parents. They’d been able to catch a flight on a small plane from LAX so at least she didn’t have to drive two hours to get them.

She went and pulled the envelope with all her checking account information out of the drawer she had stuffed it in all those months earlier. After she’d gotten home the night before, she had put laundry away and had noticed it. It was strange, she saw it every day but never really thought about it. But then she had never needed money before.

Opening the envelope, she found a pamphlet inside with instructions on how to access her account on the internet. Buffy went to Riley’s bedroom and turned on the computer. A few moments later, she was at the bank’s website and logging in.

"Oh my God," she gasped, upon seeing the balance.

***

"Oh, there he is!" Claire exclaimed as she rushed into Riley’s hospital room, "My poor baby! He looks so pale, doesn’t he look pale, John?"

John Finn winked at his daughter-in-law as the two of them followed her in, "He looks fine, Darling."

"Oh, what do you know about it, anyway," she replied as she kissed her son on the cheek, "I don’t know if I want to hug you or smack you more!"

"Please, don’t do either… my entire body feels like one big bruise," Riley said.

"John, help Buffy sit down," Claire ordered, "She looks like she could be giving birth any time now. You know I can tell these things."

Buffy frowned as she and John complied. Giving birth had always been this foreign futuristic idea. It was never something she had to really do… it was something that would happen someday… but Claire was right, that day was rapidly approaching… and she was terrified.

"Have you seen that doctor of yours? I want to know how you’re doing."

"He’s obviously doing okay," John sighed, sitting on the edge of Riley’s bed, "Just needs time to recuperate."

"You don’t know that," Claire protested before she opened the curtains and blinded the other three occupants of the room, "He could be internally bleeding or something."

"Mom, I wasn’t internally bleeding yesterday, so I wouldn’t just start doing it in the middle of the night."

"Well, I certainly hope so, since your doctor doesn’t seem to care."

Riley sighed, "He told me yesterday that he wouldn’t be back until noon."

"It’s twelve-thirty."

"He has other patients," John reminded her.

"You know, you ought to calm down because I am injured and Buffy’s pregnant and you’re stressing us out," Riley smiled at the blonde slayer.

"Well, I’m sorry but when my son gets in a horrible car accident, I get a little wound up!" Claire retorted, "Buffy told me that they said your jeep was totaled, I made her."

Buffy shrugged, "I was weak."

"I’m sorry I scared you, but I’m going to be fine."

"Claire, why don’t we go try to find this doctor to see when we can take Riley home?" John suggested, standing up and holding his hand out to her.

Claire thought it over before nodding and smiling, "Okay, and then we can leave these two alone."

Riley rolled his eyes, but neither of them made any comment, knowing it was useless.

***

As soon as Claire and John left the room, a blonde woman approached them, "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Finn, Riley’s parents?"

"Yes," Claire replied, then smiled she saw the woman’s resemblance to Buffy, "And you must be Joyce Summers!"

"I am," Joyce returned the smile, "Oh, I have so much to thank you for. You were so wonderful to my daughter."

"Well, she is a sweet girl. We really love her, don’t we John?"

John nodded, "Like she’s a part of the family."

Claire was so excited, she wasn’t able to resist checking to see if Joyce felt the same way as them, "In fact, we wish she was… we hate their little plan just because of the divorce part."

Joyce sighed, "I agree… it must be obvious to anyone who looks that they both love each other. I wish they’d just get it together and admit it to one another."

"Well, they are alone in there right now," Claire grinned, gesturing to the closed door, "Maybe Riley’s accident will make them see that they ought to live for the day and be happy with each other!"

***

Once they were alone in the room, Buffy took a deep breath, "There’s something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah?" he asked, "Is everything okay?"

Buffy nodded quickly, "It’s nothing horrible…. or even bad, really. It’s just that I was thinking… once the insurance company puts the paperwork through, you’ll get a check, but as you said yesterday, it won’t be enough to pay for another new car."

"Yeah, but it’ll make a good down payment and I’m sure I can afford to make car payments."

"Well, I think I have a way for you to not need to," she said, "I can give you ten thousand dollars. That, plus the insurance money should be enough."

"Ten thousand dollars?!" Riley exclaimed, "Where did you get that kind of money?"

Buffy shrugged, "Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it does! Don’t you even try telling me that you got this money working for Giles. You haven’t made that much money, not even counting all you’ve spend on the baby. So unless you won the lotto, you have some other source of income, because I can’t imagine anyone is just throwing ten grand at you…." Riley trailed off as he realized something, "Except for Angel."

She looked down, not wanting to have to look in his eyes, "It doesn’t matter where I got it, Riley."

"Bullshit! You know very well how I would feel about this. What, you called Angel up and told him I got in a wreck and he was ever so happy to play your knight in shining armor the easiest way possible and give *me* money?"

"No," she shook her head, "He set up a checking account for me. The balance is ten thousand dollars."

"So, that's why you let him call you. He bought you? Is that it?"

Buffy felt her eyes well with tears as she shook her head more fervently this time, "You *would* say something like that. Look, I'm offering this to you because *I* don't want it and I wanted to repay you for-"

"You can't buy *me*!" Riley snapped.

"I'm not trying to buy you! I'm trying to say thank you!" she began crying harder as she felt like her still-beating heart was being ripped from her chest, "Don't you get it? Are you really so blind that you don't see what's right in front of you?"

"Oh, I see it," Riley shouted, "And I'm beginning to regret ever laying eyes on it."

Buffy choked on a sob and pushed herself out of the chair so she could rush from the room.

The three parents outside had inadvertently heard the tail end of their children’s argument and were taken aback when an obviously upset Buffy came rushing out of the room. Joyce immediately put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and tried to calm her down.

Claire took one look at the sobbing girl and stormed into Riley’s room, her husband close on her heels, trying to stop her. John knew that as much as Riley would comply with his mother’s wishes and allow her to interfere with his life, he obviously wasn’t in the mood to deal with it right then.

"What is the matter with you?" Claire hissed.

Riley groaned, "Mom, listen, you know I love you and I respect you and everything… but this is *my* life and I can’t listen to you telling me what I should and shouldn’t do right now."

"Well, someone has to tell you what to do, since you obviously can’t figure out what’s right on your own!"

"Mom, what’s between Buffy and I is none of your business! I’m sorry, but you need to accept that if I want to divorce her, I’m going to and you have no right to say anything!"

Claire was infuriated beyond words; her son could be positively stubborn at times! Turning to John, she said, "Try and talk some sense into him, would you?"

Without waiting for a response, she left the two of them in the room and walked back into the hallway to find that Joyce and Buffy were sitting on a couch about ten feet away. Slowly, she approached them and stood in front of the couch, not saying anything, no matter how much she wanted to. Joyce was Buffy’s mother and she didn’t want to step on any toes. Instead she just stood and watched on as Buffy slowly stopped crying.

"Honey, please don’t let this upset you so much, it’s not good for you or the baby," Joyce sighed, pushing Buffy’s hair behind her ear.

"It’s not something I can help, Mom," she replied.

"I know," Joyce sighed again, putting her arm around Buffy’s shoulders and slowly rocked her. She hated seeing her daughter so distraught, not just because any mother would hate for their child to be in so much pain, but because when she looked at Buffy, she saw herself all those years ago. She and Hank had always had problems, but she’d always thought they could work through them. As time went by, though, things had gotten progressively worse. She recalled the pain she had been in every time Hank used a certain tone or gave her a certain look as clearly as if it had been the day before. If at all possible, she was going to spare Buffy that.

Pulling back a bit so that she could look at her daughter, Joyce asked, "Maybe you should come stay with me?"

"What?" Buffy asked, caught completely off guard. Even if she had told Riley she could move in with her mom… it was never something she has seriously considered.

"I was just thinking that you could come back home… I could take time off work so I could make sure you get enough rest and everything… I don’t want you to have to pay for your own apartment when you get divorced… so maybe you should just move in now. We can have everything settled in before the baby comes… and then I don’t have to worry about you getting upset."

Claire’s heart began beating rapidly and she turned and once again rushed into Riley’s room. She *had* to make him see reason.

"Dad, I am turning twenty-three in a matter of days, you two are going to have to start treating me like an adult," Riley told his father a few seconds after his mother had left the room.

John sighed and nodded, taking the seat beside Riley’s bed, "I know that Riley… but haven’t you ever watched someone you love do something that you really disagree with? You know that it really isn’t your place to say anything, but it’s unbearable to watch them do this thing that you know is a mistake?"

Riley nodded, thinking of how Buffy kept talking to that bastard, Angel.

"Well, that’s how your mother and I feel. You know we love you and want what is best for you. Buffy’s a great girl… we love her too… and we think that she would make a great wife for you. We think she’ll make you happy."

"Dad, you guys don’t know all the details."

"I know that. I’m sure there is a whole lot that we don’t know," John sighed, "But we know you love her… and she loves you. Maybe I’m naïve… but I thought that was all that matters. If you had those two things, you could make everything else work."

Riley was silent, and before he could come up with a response, Claire came back in the room, looking more angry than when she’d left, if that were possible.

"Buffy’s mother is currently trying to talk her into coming home and I think she is close to doing it. You had *better* start fighting for what you want before what you want *disappears*!"

Even though every muscle in his body protested, Riley sat up in bed, "Please, go tell her I want to talk to her!"

***

Buffy slowly opened the door to Riley’s room, taking one look back at the three people in the hallway. John and Claire had small encouraging smiles on their faces while Joyce looked worried. As much as she trusted the Finns, she didn’t want Buffy getting upset yet again.

She entered the room and studiously avoided making eye contact with Riley, "Your mom said you wanted to talk to me."

"Are you moving out?" he asked, sitting up a little straighter as he tried to get Buffy to look at him. When she didn’t respond, he held out his hand, "Come here."

She gingerly walked over to him and took his hand, sitting on the edge of the bed, "Mom said I could come home and-"

"You have a home… with me," he told her, gently squeezing her hand, "Buffy, I’m sorry… it’s just that Angel makes me completely crazy. I think he is a fool and a jerk and a bunch of other bad things that make him unworthy of you. So… it just makes me insane that you let him back in. He doesn’t deserve that kind of gift."

She nodded slowly and admitted, "I told him not to call me anymore."

Riley’s jaw dropped. After a few seconds, he pushed her hair back over her shoulder so that he could see her better, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"You haven’t really been willing to listen to me," Buffy replied, her eyes once again stinging with tears. She tried to stand, but Riley continued to grip her, "Riley-"

"Don’t go," he pleaded softly, knowing that if she left the room, he couldn’t follow… and if he couldn’t convince her not to move out right away, she’d be gone by the time he was out of the hospital… and if she moved out… he’d have a hell of a time getting her to move back in.

"Give me one reason to stay," she said, meeting his eyes, hoping desperately that he would.

"Because I want you to," Riley replied softly, praying that was reason enough.

***

"I wish I could take you two out tonight, but your doctor says you must rest, Riley," Claire said as she walked alongside Riley’s wheelchair as a nurse pushed him through the hospital to where Buffy and John were supposed to be waiting with the car, "Maybe I can fix a pot roast. Buffy and I can go to the store."

"She can’t be running all over town, Mom, she’s due in eleven days."

"I know that, Riley! *I* will make sure that Buffy’s in the proper condition to do whatever I try to get her to do," she replied pointedly, making it clear that she hadn’t forgiven him for the fight he’d had with Buffy a few hours earlier.

Riley sighed and looked up at the nurse, "This stress can’t be good for me, maybe I’d better stay."

"Don’t listen to him," Claire told the smiling nurse.

At last they went through the automatic doors and found Buffy and John standing in front of the Civic. Riley shrugged off help from the nurse and climbed in the passenger seat, grateful to finally be getting out of that hospital, but wishing he didn’t have to deal with his mother. He knew that they needed her- he really wasn’t back to full health and Buffy didn’t need to be taking care of him- but she was going to drive him nuts.

"Buffy, this is such a nice little car! It’s very cute," Claire commented, "It will be perfect when you have the baby. Isn’t it nice, John?"

"Well, it’s foreign," John grunted.

"You know what Noah told you, most of those American car engines are made by foreign car companies," Claire reminded him.

"Oh God, here we go again," Riley quietly told Buffy in the front seat, "I think I know this argument word for word now."

"I heard that!" Claire scolded, "He thinks he’s hysterical, Buffy, but he’s not!"

Riley could tell that Buffy was trying not to laugh and was pleased. After he’d asked her not to leave, she’d simply nodded before getting up and leaving the room. A few moments later Claire had come into the room and told him he’d managed to stop Buffy from moving… and he was very lucky. He hadn’t disagreed. However, Buffy hadn’t been overly friendly. She really didn’t say anything or even look at him if she could help it. Even though she wasn’t moving out, Riley knew he needed to fix some things with her.

***

"Ri-ley!" Claire called in a singsong voice.

Riley put his forearm over his eyes, "God, Mom, why do you hate me?"

"I don’t hate you, Sweetheart. I love you… I want to make sure you’re okay."

He groaned, wishing she’d never gotten the idea to wake him up every hour. How was he ever supposed to get any rest this way? "Well, I’m awake and alive and all that, can I go back to sleep now?"

"No, have some water."

"I’m not thirsty."

"Riley, do you want me to go get Buffy and make her come in here and give you water?" she threatened.

He moved his arm off his face and gave her a strange look, "Why would you do that? I don’t want her having to take care of me."

"Good, because that would be wrong in her condition… but if I get her to do it, I think you’ll feel so bad for making her get up and wait on you that you will drink the water like I want you to."

Riley sighed and pushed himself up in the bed before holding out his hand for the glass of water. Quickly, he put the glass to his lips and took several gulps. Holding up the half-empty glass, he asked, "Is that enough?"

"Yes," Claire smiled triumphantly, "Now, before you fall back asleep, we’re eating at six-thirty, so when I wake you up at six, I want you to stay awake so you can wash up for dinner, okay?"

Riley nodded as he settled back under the covers, "That’s fine."

She left him alone in the room a few moments later, and since he wasn’t as exhausted as a few moments earlier, Riley looked around Buffy’s bedroom, smiling at how she had all the baby’s furniture ready, just waiting for the baby to come. Buffy had insisted that he could sleep in her room and his parents in his room since most of the time she could only sleep comfortably out on the recliner in the living room anyway. Nobody had wanted to give her much argument, since they were all worried about her stress level, so she’d gotten her way.

His thoughts once again drifted to the fact that she’d come mighty close to leaving him. Joyce didn’t appear to be mad at him when she’d come into his hospital room a while after Buffy had agreed to stay, but he didn’t doubt that he screwed up again, she’d try to get Buffy to move in with her. He had to get Buffy on his good side… ass-kissing was definitely in order.

Riley heard the front door open through the window and frowned as he heard his mother’s voice.

"Now, Buffy, don’t you let Riley upset you. He’s my son and I love him, but he is still male and… well, Sweetheart, men have a tendency to be complete dolts."

Riley frowned as he heard Buffy laugh. How was he supposed to get anything done with his mother around?

***

"Buffy, eat more," Claire insisted, pushing the bowl of mashed potatoes towards her daughter-in-law.

Buffy, feeling very uncomfortable and not in the mood to politely acquiesce to Claire’s every desire, shook her head adamantly, "No, I don’t want more."

"Honey, you need it," she insisted.

Riley would have jumped to Buffy’s defense, especially since he could see by the look on her face that she wasn’t about to give in, but she really hadn’t eaten much at all.

"I have to cut down, Riley thinks I’m a pig," Buffy retorted.

Riley’s eyes bulged as his parents both shot him dirty looks, "What?! I never said that! Never!"

"He made fun of me for eating his chili cheese fries. He *offered* first, though!" she exclaimed, near tears.

He looked at her like she was insane, wondering what had possessed her to say that in front of his parents. Claire patted Buffy’s hand and tried to sooth her as John gave his son a commiserating smile. As Buffy almost instantly calmed back down again, Riley realized it was just Buffy’s wonderful hormones on overdrive. He remembered Rachel having some wild mood swings… he just hadn’t seen them in Buffy before.

***

"Are you sure it’s a good idea that Buffy works so close to her due date? It’s a week from today! Besides, first babies tend to come early," Claire said, "And she’s a teenager and teen mothers usually go into labor early!"

"Mom, if you want to try to get Buffy to sit home instead of working and wait around while we go shopping for a car, feel free. Just warn me first so I can put in my earplugs," Riley replied as he finished his breakfast.

"Very amusing, Riley," she commented as she sipped her coffee, "I can’t believe Mr. Giles is letting her work."

"Mr. Giles just values his sanity. He knows that if he tells Buffy she can’t work, he’s going to get an earful, so it’s easier to give her a few hours a week and make sure someone else is working at the same time… so if she gets tired she can rest. I’m sure he won’t let her overdo it."

"I certainly hope not," Claire sighed.

Buffy opened the bathroom door and marched out into the dining room, "Riley!"

Stunned, the two of them looked at the furious-faced pregnant woman.

"Yes?" he gulped.

"You left the toilet seat up! I was stuck for twenty minutes," Buffy yelled at him.

"I’m sorry."

"You’re *sorry*?! Sorry, just… sorry," Buffy ranted, then looked at Claire, "Can you believe him?"

"He won’t do it again, will you?"

Riley swiftly shook his head. Buffy sighed and turned to go to her bedroom to finish getting ready.

"Why does she seem to hate me especially?" he asked his mother, "I mean, yeah, she gets a little… nutty… with you and Dad, but she really seems to zero in on me."

"Well… she knows you better. You’re always a little more comfortable making people you know miserable. Plus… I like to think it’s because you’re her husband and she’s forgetting that you aren’t the man who put her in this position."

Riley rolled his eyes, "I’ll stick with the idea that she knows me better… lucky me."

***

"Do you ever worry that you won’t be able to look like you did before you got pregnant?" Anya asked Buffy as she arranged merchandise in the display case beneath the counter.

"Only always," Buffy sighed from her perch on a stool. She had absolutely nothing to do besides ring up customers. She wasn’t able to get down on the floor to work on the display case, Giles didn’t want her using the ladder or lifting most of the merchandise, and she’d already gone over everything with a feather duster.

She would have complained if she’d actually felt compelled to do anything besides sit on the stool and ring up the occasional customer. Her energy level had vastly diminished in the last few weeks. Lugging around all the extra weight of the baby in the summer heat was enough to make her want a nap. At least she wasn’t sitting bored at home. Lord knows she couldn’t have gone shopping with Riley and his parents for the new car they were buying him as an early birthday present/reward for marrying the poor pregnant girl.

Not that she wanted to, anyway. Buffy was quite fed up with Riley at the moment. When he’d talked her into coming home, she’d expected him to do *something*. After the conversation between Riley and Elle that she’d overheard, she knew he loved her… okay, she was pretty sure he loved her… so why didn’t he say so? Why didn’t he give her some sign that he didn’t want a divorce? She was starting to get the impression that he’d only asked her to stay to get Claire off his back….

Realizing that Anya was looking at her, Buffy started paying attention again, "What?"

"I just said that it looks like you ate yourself, that’s how big you are."

Buffy immediately started to cry, "God, Anya, I can’t help it! I’m having a baby and my doctor says my weight is perfectly normal! My ankles are swollen, my back hurts and I can’t spend too long on my hair, make-up or anything because I have to pee constantly and if I don’t go as soon as the urge hits me, I’m in pain!"

Anya stared at her, "Are you having a nervous breakdown?"

Still crying, Buffy shook her head.

"Oh yes, that’s right! Xander told me that being pregnant, your hormones are abnormal and will make you act erratic and irrational. What did he say I should do about that?" Anya asked herself and bit her lip, "Hmm… well I was supposed to not comment on your appearance…. oops. I’m sorry, I understand that you are pregnant and that is affecting your looks. Don’t you worry, because you won’t be pregnant forever! Even if you do have the baby and stay fat, we will still be your friends. We love you for who you are! Yes, Riley will leave you, but he was going to do that anyway."

"Yeah, he’s such a bastard!"

"He is? Well, okay, he’s a bastard."

Buffy smiled, "You’re such a good friend to me."

Anya grinned, it was the first time anyone had told her that. She’d have to tell Xander… he would be very pleased and they could have good sex that night.

***

Buffy awakened from her nap when she heard the key in the lock. Drowsily, she opened her eyes in time to see Riley and his parents come in to the apartment.

"Hey, did we wake you?" he asked.

Buffy shrugged, "I was just dozing."

"Poor baby, she needs her rest," Claire smiled, sitting down on the couch, "But you need to eat dinner soon, anyway. John and I want to take you two out in celebration."

"Celebration?"

"I’m once again a vehicle owner," Riley explained, sitting down beside his mother, "How was work?"

"Fine," Buffy yawned, "How long did it take you to pick one?"

"Not nearly as long as it took me to negotiate the deal," John told her, "Those salesmen can try all they want, but I am a shrewd businessman!"

Buffy smiled at her father-in-law, "You showed them, huh?"

"You’d better believe it!"

She pushed the foot rest down so she was in an upright position and began her struggle to stand up, "Let me just use the restroom and we can go."

"That’s fine," Claire told her.

Buffy went to the bathroom and washed her face. Deciding to at least make an effort, she ran a brush through her hair and applied some more make-up than her usual- as of late- lip gloss and mascara. Surprisingly, when she looked back at her reflection, Buffy felt a lot better. Almost… pretty… well, as pretty as one could get when they were as pregnant as she was.

Walking back out of the bathroom, Claire saw her and clapped her hands together, "You look gorgeous, Honey. Not that you’re not always beautiful… but you look happier now."

"I feel better," Buffy admitted, noticing that Riley didn’t say anything.

"I’m sure you do. I should have tried to get us to a salon during this visit! You could really use a nice massage and a facial. If I make you an appointment for next week, will you go?"

Buffy shook her head, "Don’t bother, I’m fine."

"Riley your wife is positively frustrating at times," she sighed as she opened the door to the apartment and excitedly led Buffy to the garage, "We spoiled him a bit, but I’m in such a giving mood… we got every feature Riley wanted and then some."

Walking into the garage, Buffy found the hugest truck she had ever seen. There was no way she’d be able to climb into it… not before she gave birth. Riley walked past her and grinned, running his hand along the side of it proudly. She instantly saw him proudly picking up a date and driving all around with her in this… monstrosity. It wasn’t a family car… and he didn’t need a family car when he’d be divorcing her in a matter of months.

"Hey, come look," Riley said, pulling her to the passenger side.

"Riley, you’d have to lift me into it so I could see *anything*… and I don’t want you lifting me."

"No, I won’t," he assured her, "See, there’s a little thing for you to step on to get in."

Buffy looked where he was pointing, and sure enough, there was a little built-in step on the side of the truck. Riley opened the passenger door for her and she complied, climbing up and sitting on the edge of the seat.

Proudly, Riley stood beside her, "See, it’s got air conditioning, CD player, a *killer* sound system and, as you can see, it’s a four-door with a nice backseat too."

"Yeah," Buffy replied, gazing at the backseat, wondering if he was implying that the backseat would be good for when the baby came.

"Uh… because then I can bring my friends places too," Riley added. He’d wanted to say it was for the baby, but she was so wishy-washy lately that he feared her reaction.

"It’s great, Riley," she told him, disappointed. It actually wasn’t that bad. Even if she’d never want to drive something so huge, it was pretty nice on the inside and she could get used to climbing up into it. Elle, or a girl like her, would love it.

***

Buffy waddled into the living room and sat on the couch, "I’m tired. God, all I did was put my shoes on and I’m tired!"

"Well, it must be… nevermind," Riley replied, thinking better of telling her he understood it would be hard to put shoes on when you can’t see your feet. From his spot in the recliner, though, he noticed something else, "Um, Buffy… why do you have one pink shoe and one white one?"

"I do?" she asked, trying unsuccessfully to look down at her feet. She had several pairs of canvas shoes in different colors that *felt* the same. Boy, did she feel like an idiot. Frowning at Riley, she said, "I really don’t need any comments."

"I promise I have none," he assured her, standing, "Now, did you want to wear white or pink?"

"White," she replied quietly.

Riley nodded and went into Buffy’s room, only to emerge a moment later with the white sneaker’s mate. He knelt in front of Buffy and removed the pink shoe before sliding her foot into the white one and tying the laces. Looking up at her and smiled, "Done."

Buffy rewarded him with a small smile, as she was touched by his gesture, "Thank you."

"Anytime."

From the doorway, Claire and John stood with their arms around each other, sharing warm smiles, knowing they could leave on their flight that day with their minds at ease. Riley had made some mistakes, but everything would work out. They had faith in love. It would come through and their son would be happy with Buffy.

***

"You drank *all* the milk!"

"What?" Riley asked groggily, finding an irate-looking Buffy standing next to his bed.

"My milk! You know I love my cereal, but now I can’t have it because *you* drank all the milk!"

"I… I’m sorry," he stumbled over his words as he sat up in bed, glancing at the clock and seeing it was half past seven, "I’ll go buy you more."

"Oh, you’ll go buy me more? Like, after you get out of bed and shower and get dressed and probably have your own breakfast," Buffy shouted before breaking down into tears, "Well, I’m hungry now!"

"I’m sorry, Buffy, I really didn’t mean to. Let me just go put some clothes on… and maybe brush my teeth… I’ll have your milk for you in… twenty minutes!"

"Don’t bother, I know you hate me!"

"No, I don’t hate you at all," Riley assured her, getting out of bed and trying to comfort the distraught girl with a hug.

Buffy shrugged out of his embrace and walked away, "I don’t want to hear it."

As the door slammed behind her, Riley sighed, wondering how he was supposed to make it through these mood swings until Buffy gave birth…. just six more days until her due date… not that it meant she’d give birth on that day.

***

"Poor Riley," Xander laughed, "I can’t believe you went off on him because of *milk*."

Buffy rubbed her face with her hands, "I know… I feel like an idiot, but it seemed like such a big deal at the time."

"I guess you’re looking forward to having this kid, eh?"

She shrugged, "A part of me can’t wait. I want to get to see her and hold her and put her in all those cute little dresses… but on the other hand… I’m dreading it. I’m scared of giving birth. I’m scared something bad will happen. And… I’m also depressed because I’ve always been able to say Riley and I won’t get divorced until a few months after I have the baby… but once I have the baby… all that comes next is divorce."

"You definitely do not want a divorce," Xander concluded, seeing the way her eyes filled with tears.

Buffy shook her head, "Not even a little… despite all that Riley’s said that hurt me and the fact that I could throttle him half the time… I don’t want him to leave too."

"Tell him, Buffy, let *him* know how you feel," he urged her.

"No, I’m not going to do that," she insisted, "I can’t, Xander… if I tell him how I feel, he has so much power over me. He can hurt me so much."

"And he hasn’t hurt you already, even though he has no idea you love him? Your heart isn’t going to be broken come January when it’s time to get divorced?" Xander reasoned, "You can’t help falling in love, Buffy…. and pretending you aren’t won’t stop the pain."

Buffy looked down, "I don’t want to fall in love anymore. I’m tired of getting hurt."

"I know you are, Buff, but don’t you see that the only way you can possibly not get hurt is to tell Riley how you feel and give him a chance to make you happy?"

***

Buffy hummed cheerfully as she poured the cheese and mushrooms over the eggs and flipped one side over. Riley would be coming out of his room at any moment and she had prepared his favorite breakfast for him on his special day. She was in a great mood after deciding to take Xander’s words to heart. What did she have to lose by telling Riley the truth? He already had her heart and she knew he loved her too. So… she was going to tell him over dinner that night. She had the day off work and planned to spend it preparing a delicious dinner so that everything would be perfect.

As if on cue, Riley’s bedroom door opened and he gingerly exited his haven of peace in a now chaotic household, courtesy of Buffy’s hormones. He knew never what to expect from her, she went from happy to depressed to furious so often.

"Happy Birthday!" Buffy grinned at him.

A smile spread on Riley’s face as he was pleased that she’d remembered. Then again, it would have been impossible for her not to, the way Claire lamented that she had to leave just before his birthday and Buffy’s due date because Rachel and Brian were going on a cruise and needed someone to watch the kids.

"Thank you," he said quietly, then noticed the aroma in the air, "You didn’t make me breakfast, did you?"

Buffy nodded as she scooped the omelette out and put it on a plate before piling two slices of toast next to it as well, "Of course I did. Go sit at the table and I will bring it to you."

"I don’t want you to wait on me," Riley said, "You should be sitting down."

"I don’t feel like sitting down, so go," she ordered.

He complied, not wishing to push her into getting angry or crying or anything and sat down at the dining room table. She’d already set out silverware and a glass as well as a pitcher of orange juice and the butter. He poured himself a glass of juice and sipped it until Buffy brought his food out a moment later.

"Here we go. Do you need anything else?"

Riley shook his head and smiled up at her, "Thank you so much, this was very sweet of you."

"It’s no big deal," she assured him as she moved over to the ironing board where she had Riley’s camoflauge suits hanging, "I hope you don’t mind, but I ironed these uniforms. You just had them folded in your laundry basket, so I figured you would have had to do them anyway."

"Buffy, did you sleep last night?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I wasn’t tired… I just have this need to clean. I wanted to vacuum, but I figured it would wake you up, so I did a bunch of ironing and cleaned the kitchen and my bedroom before it was time to make you breakfast."

"Don’t overdo it, Buffy, you need your rest."

"I could get in bed, but I wouldn’t sleep… I’d just get antsy."

Riley frowned, wondering what was up with her. Still… she seemed to be feeling better than normal, certainly more energetic… so he probably needn’t be concerned.

"Hey there Birthday Boy," Forrest greeted his friend as he walked up to him in the hallway of the Initiative.

Riley looked at his friend in surprise, since Forrest had been pretty irked at him since he’d found out what had happened on the second date with Elle. "Hey, how’s it going?"

"Great… I’m thinking a night of celebration is in order."

He wanted to say no, since he’d really wanted to take Buffy out to dinner, just the two of them, but he supposed he really needed to get on with his life. Slowly, he nodded his head, "What did you have in mind?"

"All right," Forrest grinned, "How about a bunch of us go to a bar? We can have a nutritious barbeque wing dinner, beer and play pool all night."

"Who is we?" Riley asked. Just because he was going out didn’t mean he wanted to spend the evening with Elle.

"A bunch of us guys," Forrest replied.

"Cool… I’m in," he agreed.

"Great, how does six o’clock sound?"

"Seven sounds better," Riley answered, "I don’t get off until five-thirty and I will need to go home to shower and get a change of clothes.

"I’m off at two, how about I go pick up your clothes for you so you can get ready up in Lowell House?" Forrest offered.

Riley shrugged, "Yeah, that’ll work."

***

Buffy put the finishing touches of icing on Riley’s birthday cake, satisfied that the night would be a success…. food-wise, anyway. The cake looked perfect and in a few hours the lasagna would be done baking in the oven. All she really had left to do was try and pull herself together.

She’d covered the cake and was heading to her bedroom to decide on an outfit when there was a knock at the door. Buffy frowned and wondered who it could be as she went to answer it. When she found Forrest on the other side of the threshold, she was surprised to say the least.

"Hi Forrest… um… Riley’s not here, he’s working. I figured you’d know that," she told him, then her eyes widened, "Oh no, nothing happened, right?"

Forrest shook his head and faked a smile, "Riley’s fine, I’m just picking up some clothes for him."

"Oh, okay," she replied, stepping out of the way so he could enter the apartment.

As soon as he walked in, Forrest couldn’t help but comment, "Something smells really good."

"It’s Riley’s lasagna and birthday cake," Buffy smiled, "I wanted him to have a special dinner tonight. Why do you have to pick up clothes for him?"

"We’re going out… to celebrate his birthday. That’s weird, did he forget you guys had made plans?" Forrest asked innocently.

Buffy shook her head quickly, "No… I was going to surprise him. He hadn’t mentioned he was going out."

"Well, we just decided today… I mean it’s not like you’re really his wife. He probably didn’t expect you to want to spend his birthday with him."

"Yeah, you’re right," she agreed, trying to hide her disappointment, "He can just have the food… tomorrow or something. It’s no big deal."

Forrest smiled, for real this time, "That’s cool."

He left her alone so that he could go grab Riley’s clothes. Buffy bit her lip and focused on not crying. So much for all her plans….

***

It was six o’clock when Buffy felt the pain for the first time. It was strange, not unlike the cramps she used to get during her period, but she felt it more in her back. Still, it passed relatively quickly and she dismissed it as one of those lovely pregnancy ‘perks’.

Around six-thirty, Buffy felt the pain again, but since it was a fleeting discomfort, she wrote it off as nothing and continued scrubbing the kitchen floor. She had already cleaned it at five that morning, but she felt a compulsion to do it again.

When Willow called twenty minutes later when she felt it again and mentioned it to her friend, the witch was immediately concerned.

"What kind of pain?"

"I don’t know… like a cramp. It hurts but not for that long," Buffy explained.

"Oh my God, you’re having contractions!"

"No, I’m not, it must just be Braxton-Hicks," she replied confidently, "If it was labor… I’d know. It would be different."

"Different how?" Willow asked.

"I would just know. I’d be like ‘whoa, labor’, but I’m not… it would just be… bigger."

Willow wasn’t completely convinced, "I’m coming over."

Buffy would have protested, but company sounded nice so she agreed. Willow set a record and made it in ten minutes with a stopwatch and pad of paper in hand, insisting she would time Buffy’s not-contractions.

By eight o’clock, the pains were getting a lot stronger and occurring less than ten minutes apart. Willow was growing more and more worried and even Buffy started to take them seriously.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital," the redhead suggested.

Buffy shook her head, "Even if it is labor, we shouldn’t go until they are five minutes apart. That’s what they told us in Lamaze class."

"Well, we can’t just sit here!"

"Do you want some ice cream?" she asked her friend, "I’d offer you cake too, but I figure Riley should get the first piece since it’s his."

"Oh, forget him, he doesn’t deserve it," Willow retorted, having heard about what had happened with Forrest and was not very pleased with Riley at the moment. She immediately remembered the situation and asked, "How about we call your mom? I’d just feel better if she came over or at least talked to you so I’d know everything is okay."

Buffy shook her head, "Mom is in New York. We *could* call her, but then she’d worry and it would be hard for her… being so far away."

Willow sighed, "Okay, we’ll call Riley."

"Riley is an expert on childbirth?"

"No, Riley is your coach. Even if you aren’t ready to leave, he should get home because your contractions are getting closer together and you will be five minutes apart before you know it," Willow explained, "Oh no, did you pack a bag? You need a bag!"

Buffy nodded calmly, "I packed one a long time ago. It’s on the floor of my closet in my bedroom."

"Good, I’ll go get it… will you please call Riley?"

She complied, picking up the phone and dialing Riley’s cell number, since she hadn’t thought to ask Forrest where they were going. She’d been a little worried that girls were involved and then she didn’t want to know.

There was no answer, which Buffy found strange, but didn’t worry too much about it. Riley couldn’t be far from his phone so he’d soon see on his caller ID that he’d missed her call. Besides, she was overcome with yet another pain, this one stronger than the others.

***

Forrest quickly deleted the call from Buffy on Riley’s phone. Thank God Riley had gone to the bathroom just then and had left the phone on the table… all alone with him. It figured that girl would try to ruin Riley’s night! As his best friend, Forrest decided not to let her and turned off the phone, tucking it into his pocket. Hopefully his friend wouldn’t notice it’s absence… at least for a few hours.

***

"We’re here Buffy, don’t worry," Xander announced as he and Anya walked through the door into Buffy’s hospital room.

It was half past nine and Willow had insisted on taking her friend to the hospital despite their inability to contact Riley. Buffy’s contractions had gotten down to six minutes apart forty-five minutes earlier, and it seemed to risky to wait any longer. The both of them had called him numerous times and left messages on his voice mail, but had yet to get a response.

"Oh good, you’re covered up," Anya said, upon seeing Buffy, "I don’t want Xander seeing your private parts."

Buffy smiled, "I wouldn’t appreciate it much, either."

"How’s my favorite slayer doing?" Xander asked his friend, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I’m good."

"I don’t believe this, how could he be so irresponsible?" Giles ranted as he paced alongside the bed. Willow had insisted on calling him an hour earlier to give him a heads up so he’d ended up meeting them at the hospital…. And he hadn’t taken the news of Riley’s absence well.

"What’s he talking about?" Xander asked.

"Riley is nowhere to be found," Willow explained, "He went out with his friends, but we don’t know where and he’s not answering his cell phone."

"You’ve got to be kidding, that doesn’t sound like Riley," Xander commented, picking up the phone next to Buffy’s bed, "Let me try, what’s the number?"

"555-7265," Buffy told him as another contraction hit her, "Although, I don’t know why you think you can dial a phone better than us!"

Xander made a face at her agitation and listened to the ringing on the other end, praying Riley would pick up. Instead, he got the voice mail. Hanging the phone up, he announced, "Don’t worry, Buffy, I’ll find him."

***

Xander lucked out and found Riley at the third bar he tried. Despite Sunnydale being small and having a relatively low number of bars, time was of the essence. It was ten o’clock before he walked into a bar and saw Riley laughing with his friends at a table.

He rushed over to him and shouted, "Riley!"

Riley looked up, surprised to see the boy and smiled, "Hey Xander, how’s it going?"

"How’s it going?" Xander repeated, "What’s wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

"Buffy is in labor and you’re sitting here, drinking!"

"What?" Riley exclaimed, sitting up straighter as everyone else at the table looked at Xander in shock, "Why didn’t she call me?"

"She did! Many times! In fact, we all called you, but all we got was your voice mail," Xander said.

Confused, Riley searched his pockets for his phone, trying to find it. Forrest sheepishly pulled the phone out of his own pocket and handed it to his friend.

Riley glared at him as he took the phone, but knew he couldn’t get into it right then. He had more important things to do.

Together, Xander and Riley rushed out of the bar to Xander’s car. There was a tense silence in the car for a few moments until Xander just had to vent a bit.

"I can’t believe you left her alone this far into her pregnancy."

Riley gave him an incredulous look, "You don’t mean I was supposed to sit home twenty-four hours a day just in case Buffy went into labor."

Xander sighed, "I don’t know, I’m just really pissed right now. You’re the one who agreed to be Buffy’s coach and she’s at the hospital, scared and alone. Okay, not alone… Giles, Will and Anya are there… but you’re the one she needs."

"I know," Riley said, "I’m far from happy about this, but you gotta know that I didn’t know you guys were calling. How far apart are her contractions?"

Xander shrugged, "I have no idea… I just know they called me before nine when they were on the way to the hospital."

"Shit," Riley shook his head. He was going to *kill* Forrest.

***

"You’re doing great, Buffy, I’m so proud of you," Giles smiled as he squeezed the girl’s hand. Tara had arrived a few minutes earlier and the two girls had set off on a mission to get Buffy ice chips. Anya had gone for coffee a little before then, so the two of them were left alone.

Buffy chuckled, "How do you know? You’ve never done this before either."

He nodded, "That’s true… but I have faith in you."

"I’m scared," she confessed, "It’s already pretty painful and it will only get worse."

"You’ll do fine, and they can give you drugs to help you deal with the pain when you’re ready."

She nodded, "What if something goes wrong?"

"It won’t," Giles assured her, "You’re in perfect health and you have been for this entire pregnancy."

"Look who I have," Xander announced, walking in the room with a panicked Riley in tow.

"Riley!" Buffy gasped, surprised to see him.

Riley was at her side in an instant, "God, Buffy, I am so sorry…. it’s not something we should get into right now, but I didn't get your calls."

Giles looked to Xander for confirmation and received a nod from the boy. Still… he wasn’t ready to completely forgive Riley. Especially the way Buffy was looking at him. Like any father, Giles worried about Buffy getting hurt.

***

Buffy’s labor seemed to slow down. She wasn’t dilating very much, and her contractions seemed to stick to being three minutes apart. However, her water had broken not too long after Riley had arrived, so there was no doubt that her daughter was coming soon.

"How you doing?" Riley asked, then smiled at the dirty look Buffy shot him, "Sorry, stupid question."

"I half want to get this over with, but then I also just want to go home now. You’d think being a slayer would prepare me for this," Buffy sighed, "But I really hate the pain."

"Oh, I think childbirth is tough, even for slayers," he assured her, "And if it helps, I think you’re doing better than Rachel did."

She grinned up at him, "You’re just saying that."

"Perhaps," Riley shrugged, "Do you really mind?"

Buffy shook her head and tried to relax. At least Riley was by her side. Even if Joyce was in New York- trying to get the first flight home- she had him and that was a comfort. Her friends had all gone to the waiting room- where several of the guys from Lowell House were also milling about- after their constant worrying had begun to agitate Buffy.

All of a sudden, Buffy felt a sharp pain in her side and moaned loudly. Riley immediately gripped her hand, "Another contraction?"

Buffy slowly shook her head and choked out, "No, this feels different… much worse."

"Are you sure it’s just not stronger than the others?" he asked, growing worried.

"It feels different! Something is wrong, Riley!"

"It’ll be okay, Buffy, let me get a doctor, okay?"

"Don’t leave me!"

"I won’t, I’m just going to grab a doctor really fast," Riley promised and rushed out of the room. Luckily he spotted a doctor right away and dragged them into the room by the arm, "Something’s wrong with my wife."

The doctor looked Buffy over with concern, "What is it?"

"There’s this pain in my side," Buffy gritted out, "It’s horrible."

"You’re sure it’s not a contraction?" the doctor asked, checking her over.

"Positive… that pain is more in my back."

The man stuck his head out the door and said something to someone in the hallway before walking back over to examine Buffy. Abruptly, she began hemorrhaging and the doctor grew alarmed, "Nurse, I need help in here now, she’s bleeding!"

"What?" Riley exclaimed.

"Just stay back, please, sir, so we can take care of your wife," the doctor ordered as he grabbed an electronic device and positioned it next to Buffy’s bed.

A nurse entered the room, "What’s wrong, Mrs. Finn?"

"She was having strong pains in her side and she’s started bleeding. I’m going to do an ultrasound," the doctor explained as he lifted Buffy’s hospital gown to bare her abdomen.

Buffy and Riley were both petrified and wishing they could be next to one another, but he couldn’t do anything besides stand back and watch as several doctors and nurses began working on Buffy. It was the scariest, most frustrating thing that he’d ever gone through.

"Just as I thought," the doctor announced after what felt like years but had probably been closer to a few moments, "Her placenta is detached."

"What does that mean? Is she okay?" Riley asked.

The doctor shook his head, "She needs a c-section, right away."

"C-can I come with her?"

"No, you’d better wait outside," one of the nurses said, taking his arm and pulling him out of the room.

"But I want to stay with my wife!"

"I’m sorry, Sir, but you can’t," the woman said, smiling compassionately at him, "The doctors will take good care of her and your baby. We’re going to give her some medication right now and she’ll be unconscious. Then we’ll take her into the OR just down the hall. Now you just wait right here and we’ll let you know as soon as we’re done, okay?"

Slowly, Riley nodded, not knowing what else he could do. A few moments later, they pushed Buffy out of her room on a gurney. He moved beside the gurney to see if he could talk with Buffy, but found she was unconscious, so he silently followed as they pushed Buffy down the hallway to a set of double doors.

Once they started pushing her into the room, Riley was forced to stop and stare despairingly at the doors. The nurse that had talked to him earlier walked up to the doors with various medical supplies in her hands and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Didn’t you have some family or friends here as well?"

Riley numbly nodded, vaguely remembering that their friends were all in the waiting room.

Intending to give him something to do, since it would take some time to perform the operation, she suggested, "Why don’t you go explain to them what’s going on… then you will be able to spend all your time with your wife and daughter when this is over."

"All right," Riley said quietly, deciding it was a good idea. If he didn’t bring the gang up to speed, they’d probably be pretty mad.

The walk back to the waiting room was the longest of his life as Riley tried to figure out how to explain what was happening when his mind was so muddled. Silently, he found everyone relaxing as best they could in the waiting room

Upon seeing him, Xander smiled, "So, do we have a baby?"

Waylon grinned and nodded, "Yeah, is it time to start passing out cigars?"

However, they immediately noticed the solemn look on his face and knew that probably wasn’t the case.

Distressed, Giles stood up and walked over to the younger man, "What’s wrong?"

"Uh… Buffy’s… her… placenta detached and… she started bleeding," Riley explained, "They… they have to give her a c-section… and they won’t le me come in with her."

"Oh god," Willow gasped, tears filling her eyes, "This doesn’t sound good!"

"Does this mean she’s going to die?" Anya asked, oblivious to the fact that it probably wasn’t the best question to ask right then.

"I don’t know… why won’t they let me go in with her? I don’t understand, they usually let the husband be there for a c-section," Riley replied.

"W-w-well, this is an emergency a-and they p-p-p-probably don’t want any extra p-people in t-t-there," Tara suggested nervously.

"Yes, you’re probably right," Giles said quietly, trying to remain calm as he found himself facing his greatest fear…. losing Buffy.

"How long is this supposed to take?" Xander asked.

Riley shrugged, "I really have no idea. I’m, uh… gonna go back now so that I can find out as soon as possible. I just wanted to let you guys know."

Everyone nodded slowly, lost in their own thoughts and worries as Riley turned and headed back to wait outside the operating room. A few moments later, Xander decided he couldn’t just sit and wait any longer. He’d already forgiven Riley for not being the one to take Buffy to the hospital… and it was clear to anyone who glanced at him that the soldier needed some company during this torturous wait.

He quickly excused himself and followed the way Riley had gone. He found the other man sitting on a couch in the hallway near a set of double doors that Xander assumed led to the room Buffy was in. Awkwardly, he stood a few feet away as Riley rocked slightly back and forth.

"God, please, let her live, let her survive this... I love her too much to lose her... and she doesn't even know... give me the chance to show her how much she means to me!" Riley pleaded.

Xander cleared his throat, deciding to make his presence known.

Riley looked up, surprised to see him and asked, "What are you doing here? Did something happen? I’ve been right here since I told you guys so I don’t see why they wouldn’t tell me if-"

"No news yet," Xander interrupted, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

"Oh," he replied, looking down, "She’ll be okay."

"Will she?" the dark haired man asked, "I mean… even if she comes through this surgery just fine, I don’t think she’s truly going to be okay until you decide what you want."

"Xander-" Riley began, but trailed off, shaking his head and staring at the double doors, willing them to open with someone bearing good news.

"I know you love her. Anybody with eyes can see that, but are you willing to be there for her? To love her every day, no matter how hard it gets? Because she deserves that, Riley. She deserves *something*!"

"Loving Buffy is the easiest, most natural thing in the world, to me... but the scariest too."

"I know," Xander sighed and leaned back, stretching his tense muscles, "Trust me, after what Buffy's been through, it's ten times harder for her... but I think she'll do it for you.... so you need to decide right now if you'll do it for her... because I'd hate for you to break your promise to God."

"I never would." Riley glanced at the dark haired man. "Y-you think she'll do that for me?"

"Riley, where were you when she was falling in love with you? Were you blind?"

"What?" he asked, taken aback.

Xander shook his head and couldn’t help but laugh, "I swear, you two are so damn perfect for each other… both oblivious to the feelings of the other."

Riley was quiet, absorbing that bit of information, as well as continuing to pray that Buffy be okay, until the double doors did open some ten more minutes later. Both men stood as a couple nurses came out, pushing an isolette.

"What’s going on?" Riley asked anxiously.

One of the nurses looked up at him, "Is that your wife in there?"

He nodded quickly, before realizing there was a baby in the isolette, "The baby?"

"She’s fine, by all indications," the other nurse said, giving him a smile, "We have to run the standard tests, but she appears to be perfectly healthy."

"Good," Riley exhaled, "Are they bringing Buffy out now?"

Averting his eyes, the first nurse shook her head, "They still have to work on her… sew her up and stuff."

"Oh, okay," he said, disappointed. He could tell be their body language that just because the baby was out and fine, it didn’t mean Buffy was out of the woods yet.

"Why don’t you come with us to the nursery?" the second nurse asked, "We’ll have her all ready in no time and then you can hold your daughter."

"Uh… well, I think I should wait for news on my wife."

The second nurse exchanged a look with the first and the woman nodded her head, "Come with us, it’ll take a while to get her cleaned up and everything. Don’t worry, they’ll come give you the news as soon as they have her out of the OR."

Reluctantly, Riley nodded, "You’re sure they’ll know where to find me?"

"Absolutely," the second nurse said, relieved that he agreed to come. It was standard in situations like this to get the father to the nursery so he could bond with a child. Not only did it get his mind off things…. but when they had to deliver bad news, it was always best if the father had their child in his arms. It would calm him… and he’d look down and see the baby and know that no matter how distraught he was, he needed to keep it together for the sake of the child.

And from what they had seen in the operating room… it seemed like a wise plan.

As soon as Xander walked back into the waiting room, he was bombarded by questions from everyone. Hushing them all, he announced, "They’ve got the baby out. They just took her down to the nursery… Riley went with her. They say she looks like she’s in perfect health, though."

"That’s great," Mike sighed, "And how about Buffy?"

"They’re still working on her," Xander answered quietly, not being able to hide his own fear. He’d seen the look on those nurses faces. They seemed far from sure that Buffy would be fine.

Everyone was quiet again, but most were a bit more optimistic since the baby was okay… it was unfathomable that Buffy could really *die*. After twenty minutes, though, Giles couldn’t take it any longer.

"I’m going to go wait outside the operating room. I’ll let you all know when there is news."

"I’ll go with you," Xander offered, "I know the way."

"I’ll come too, then," Anya said, giving Xander a small smile.

He nodded his assent, since she had been on her best behavior. Well, she actually just hadn’t said much… but that was a vast improvement from saying really outrageous things. It was definitely not the time or place and nobody had the patience to deal with her tactless remarks.

The three nervously walked back to the operating room and sat on the couch. They were all silent for a while, until Giles shook his head and said, "I cannot believe this is happening. All the times Buffy faced demons and monsters and she was fine… I never would have thought something like childbirth could…."

"Hey, she’ll be fine, Giles," Anya comforted the older man, surprising Xander, "Buffy is far too excited about this baby to never even meet her. Besides, she swore to me that she was going to do whatever it took to make sure her daughter didn’t grow up motherless."

The watcher gave her a small grateful smile, "I’m trying to believe that…. but if she doesn’t, so help me I will kill Angel. I know it takes two, but Buffy’s the one who has suffered…"

"You won’t get any argument from me," Xander replied.

A few moments later, a group of doctors and nurses emerged from the OR with a gurney in tow. The three of them were on their feet in an instant, moving to stand beside the gurney to see Buffy. She was extremely pale and unconscious… but alive.

"How is she?" Giles asked one of the doctors.

"Are any of you family?"

"He’s her father," Xander answered quickly, pointing at Giles.

Since he appeared to be about the right age and certainly had a ‘worried father’ look, the doctor said, "So far, so good. We’re taking her to ICU for at least the night, but I’m optimistic that she’ll be fine."

The three of them sighed in relief and continued to follow. Once they reached an elevator, a doctor put his hand on Giles’ arm, "This is where you all get off. We’ll take her up to ICU and get her all settled… then she can have visitors. Oh, but family only. Sorry, hospital policy."

Giles nodded quickly, just happy to know Buffy had indeed made it through childbirth.

***

"Here we go, are you ready to meet your daughter?" yet another nurse asked as she walked into the room with a little bundle in a pink blanket in her arms.

Riley nodded eagerly from the rocking chair they’d had him sit in after he’d ‘suited up’ in a paper gown over his street clothes.

The nurse gently put the baby in his arms, "Here’s Daddy, Precious…. Have you picked a name yet, Mr. Finn?"

Riley shook his head, gazing down in amazement at the baby in his arms, "Her mother wanted to wait until she got to see her before she decided for sure."

"Okay," the nurse said, patting Riley’s shoulder, "I’ll leave you two to get acquainted."

After she left them alone, Riley smiled down at the baby. She was absolutely beautiful. Her head had soft black hair, which he assumed she must have gotten from Angel, but otherwise… she was Buffy. She was gazing up at him drowsily and he could see she had her mother’s hazel eyes… as well as all her other features…. And Riley instantly knew he loved this baby as if it were his own.

"Hi there, Sweetheart. I’m Riley… and I certainly hope I get to be your daddy. You see, things aren’t exactly simple between your mommy and I. But I do love her more than anything… and she just might love me too. So hopefully I can grovel enough that I’ll get to be your daddy for good. Won’t that be wonderful? I think so…. do you suppose maybe you could help me get your mom to give me a second chance? Unfortunately, I wasn’t very nice to your mommy lately… but I think if I have you on my side, she’ll forgive me. I honestly don’t know how anyone could look at you and say no."

He spent the next twenty minutes adoring Buffy’s daughter, as well as praying with all his might that God wouldn’t take her from him, and even more importantly, from this tiny baby in his arms. Buffy had done so much for her child already… it wouldn’t be fair that she never got to hold her… and despite his mistakes, hadn’t he done enough good things to earn a chance to make things right?

"Mr. Finn," a doctor softly said, entering the room and pulling a stool out so he could face Riley.

Riley recognized him as the doctor he’d pulled out of the hallway when Buffy had first started having pains. It had felt like ages ago, but a glance at the clock on the wall proved it had actually only been about an hour. Gulping, he asked, "Do you have news about Buffy?"

The doctor nodded, "Uh, first let me tell you my name is Dr. Hill. If you have any questions later, don’t hesitate to have me paged… now, about your wife. Buffy bled quite a bit during the procedure. We had to give her a unit of blood, but we did stabilize her. She’s going to spend tonight in the ICU, but like I said, she’s stable. We mostly want her there for observation, to make sure she doesn’t start bleeding again or anything. I have no reason to believe that we won’t be able to move her to a private room tomorrow. It’s just a guess, but I think we’ll be able to release her after three days or so."

Riley sighed in relief, "Thank you so much, doctor, that’s wonderful news!"

The doctor smiled and nodded, "Of course, this is barring any complications… but your wife is a fighter, I can tell. I have faith that she’ll be just fine."

He nodded his head firmly, "I know she will. When can I see her?"

"They’re settling her in the room right now. Give them a little while… a nurse will come get you," Dr. Hill replied as he stood up and put the stool back.

Riley carefully reached an arm up to shake the man’s hand, extremely cautious of the baby in his arms, "Thank you again, doctor."

***

Buffy grogglily opened her eyes and tried to figure out where she was. It didn’t look like any of the rooms in her apartment, the ceiling was tiled and she could hear a repetitious beeping sound. Her vision was a bit blurred, but as she looked around, it started to clear. She felt a slight pain in her hand and lifted it, realizing she was hooked up to an IV.

"Hey there."

She turned her head to the other side and saw Riley was sitting in a chair beside her, a big smile on his face.

"Riley, what’s going on?" she asked, her voice gruff since her throat was so dry.

"Want some water?" he asked. When she nodded, he picked up a cup and a pitcher from a table next to her hospital bed and poured her a cup and slipped a straw into it. Gently, he helped lift her head slightly so that she could have a few sips. When she was satisfied, he set the cup back down.

"Something happened with the baby, didn’t it? I remember… lots of pain… they made you leave," Buffy recalled, her eyes filling with tears.

"Yes, but don’t worry, Buffy," he said quickly, "Your placenta was detached and they had to give you an emergency c-section. You lost a lot of blood and they had to give to a transfusion, but you’re going to be fine. You’re in the ICU, but they think you’ll be able to go to a regular room tomorrow."

"And the baby?" Buffy asked, since that was all she was really worried about.

He beamed at her, "Absolutely perfect."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she is doing great. They say she couldn’t be healthier."

Buffy sighed, "That’s so good… I don’t know what I’d do if she wasn’t. She was big enough and everything?"

"Yes… eight pounds, five ounces," he informed her, "And she is so beautiful. They let me hold her."

She grinned, "Can I see her?"

"I’m sorry," he shook his head, "They want you to rest. Once they move you, they’ll let you see her."

"Oh God, I want to see her so much."

"I know you do, Buffy, I know…" Riley comforted her, tenderly kissing her forehead.

Buffy closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of it and not allowing herself to wonder why he was acting so…. husband-like.

Riley pulled back and looked at her face, trying to get a read on whether or not this was a good time to tell her how he felt. She didn’t seem disgusted by his affection… and he had learned that he needed to tell her how he felt because you never knew if you’d have another chance.

"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked. She nodded her head slowly, so he continued, "Buffy… I’m hopelessly in love with you. I can’t help myself…. You can tell me you love Angel and talk to him every night on the phone… take his money… I can go out with other girls… but I love *you* and I can’t bear the thought of spending a single day without you."

Buffy smiled, her eyes filling with tears once again, but these were tears of happiness, not fear. "I love you too. I have for… I don’t know how long, but I was scared."

"I know you were… and I’m scared too… but I still want to risk it. I want you to be my wife… my real wife. I don’t want to get divorced. I want to be the father of your baby… I know I can’t biologically, and I don’t care. But here," he said, putting his hand over his heart, "I can."

"I think I could deal with that," she teased.

"Yeah?"

Buffy nodded, "I’m pretty sure that would make me the happiest woman in the world."

Riley knew she wasn’t exactly in the best shape, health-wise. After all, she was hooked up to a heart monitor…. But he still knew he *had* to kiss her.

So he did, languidly dipping his head down and softly pressing his lips against hers. Buffy reciprocated, feeling like she was in heaven as they shared an almost chaste kiss…. Yet it was still one of the most passionate she had ever experienced.

Dimly, they heard someone clear their throat behind them. That’s when Riley remembered that Giles had gone to the restroom… for just a moment.

Pulling back, he smiled sheepishly at the man, "She woke up."

"I see that," Giles replied, not being able to help but grin when he saw the girl he loved like a daughter was indeed awake, "How are you feeling?"

"Like my stomach was just ripped open," Buffy joked.

Giles sat down in a chair on the other side of her bed, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

She smiled, reaching her hand towards him. He took it and allowed her to give him an affectionate squeeze. "I love you."

Taken aback by her comment, Giles’ eyes widened before he grinned once again, "I love you too, Buffy."

"Jeez, I thought I was something special… I didn’t realize Buffy was going to start saying that to every guy," Riley teased.

Buffy mock-glared at him, "Shut up."

"Sorry, I just get so jealous," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes, then thought of something, "What time is it?"

"Around one o’clock in the morning," Giles answered.

"What time was the baby born?"

"I’m not sure," Riley replied, "I didn’t think to ask… but they took you in for the c-section just after eleven… and they brought her out around eleven-thirty… so sometime between then."

Buffy smiled brightly, "So she was born on your birthday?"

"Yeah," he said slowly, realizing she was right. He’d completely forgotten about his own birthday, "That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?"

"Very," Buffy agreed, "By the way, you’ll find a lasagna in the refrigerator and a cake on the counter when you go home."

Riley raised an eyebrow, "Really? Boy, you were feeling super productive all day… and you made my favorite meal!"

"Well… I made it for your birthday," she admitted, knowing he’d be able to tell as soon as he saw the cake.

"You did? Oh jeez… and I never even came home. You went to all that trouble and I just went out with my friends. God, I’m sorry Buffy."

"Don’t be, it’s okay… it’s not like I had told you I was doing it and you had flaked out on me. I don’t mind. Now at least I know you have something to eat at home."

"I don’t want you worrying about me. Worry about getting better so you can see your daughter," Riley insisted.

As the two of them continued to talk, Giles watched on happily. His slayer… daughter… Buffy was alive and she would be fine, he was sure of it. What’s more… she may have finally found happiness with Riley.

***

Riley proudly held the baby up for all the guys from Lowell House that had arrived bright and early that morning so that they could see her. They were appropriately enthused, grinning and poking each other as they looked at the sleeping baby girl.

"Oh, she is so beautiful," Willow gushed after Riley had set the baby back in her crib and pulled off his paper hospital gown before walking back into the hallway.

"Isn’t she perfect in every way?" he grinned.

Nathaniel patted him on the back, "She is… but what’s up with the black hair? I was thinking between you and Buffy she’d be a blonde."

Really not feeling like thinking about the one feature of the baby that was like Angel, Riley decided to have a little fun, "She gets it from Buffy."

"But Buffy’s a bl- oh…." Nathaniel deduced.

On the other side of him, Joseph chuckled, "You *would* know."

"All I can say is that I am glad she got her looks from Buffy, otherwise she’d be one *funk* looking baby!" Mike joked.

"Oh, shut up," Riley replied. They had *no* idea how happy he was that the baby looked like Buffy. He knew that he’d have to accept that Angel was the biological father and that he’d always hold a place in Buffy’s heart… but the less the baby looked like him, the better.

"So, when do we get to see our girl?" Joseph asked.

"I don’t think they’ll move her out of the ICU for a few hours, and only family is allowed in there," Riley informed him, "You guys don’t have to stick around… you can go home and I’ll call when she’s allowed to see people."

"You promise? We really want to see her."

Riley rolled his eyes, "I promise! Now… I need to go visit my wife."

"Fine," Nathaniel sighed, then asked the other guys as Riley retreated, "Wanna take bets on how long it takes her to get pregnant again?"

***

"I’m so proud of you, Sweetheart," Joyce said, smiling down at her daughter.

"Why? I really didn’t do anything. I didn’t even get to start pushing… they took the baby out for me."

"Well, I doubt a cesarean is that easy. It’s at the very least painful. But still… you brought this gorgeous little girl into the world… and you’ve got her clothes and a home and furniture… everything she could need."

Buffy shrugged, "To be fair, a lot of her clothes and toys and other stuff came from you and Riley’s mom and my friends."

"Stop arguing with me, Brat!"

She laughed at her mother and nodded, "Fine… I don’t feel like arguing… I feel like seeing my daughter! When are they going to let me out of here?!"

"The doctor said they’d move you this afternoon, remember? It’s just a few hours… I know you’re antsy, but you can wait."

"Easy for you to say, you got to see her… and hold her! It’s not fair… you and Riley and Giles have all held the baby… but *I* am her mother and I haven’t. Even Willow and everyone gets to go look at her right now… not me."

"I think I can fix that."

Both women turned and found a grinning Riley in the doorway, holding a poloroid picture in his hand. Willow had stopped him in the hallway after he’d walked away from his friends and handed him the picture that she’d taken of him holding the baby.

"What’s that?" Buffy asked.

Riley walked over to her and handed over the picture, "It’s me, holding the baby for everyone in the nursery."

Buffy’s face brightened as she gaped at the sight of her daughter. Her own daughter… more adorable than she had even dreamed.

"Oh my God, I… that’s my daughter… I have a daughter!"

"Yes, you do, Sweetie," Joyce said, stroking her daughter’s hair.

Buffy looked up at Riley lovingly, "Thank you."

"Well… the credit really goes to Willow. She took the picture and gave it to me."

"I’ll have to thank her then."

"So… now you’ve seen her, will you name the poor child? It’s so sad seeing ‘Baby Girl Finn’ instead of a real name," Joyce lamented.

Buffy shook her head firmly, "I have to see her in person, hold her, smell her… then I’ll know."

Her mother sighed and looked at Riley, "When did my daughter go nuts?"

Riley shrugged and laughed, "I think insanity is cute on her."

***

"Buffy told me about your talk last night," Joyce told Riley as they waited outside the room they were moving Buffy into.

Riley looked at the woman, his expression serious. He had no idea how the woman felt about the idea of him being with her daughter… as more than a friend. There was the incident when he had been completely out of line with Buffy and she’d wanted her to leave…. So he didn’t hold much hope for her being enthusiastic about it.

"So you know that I don’t want to divorce her. I want to be her real husband and the baby’s father," he replied.

The woman nodded and gave him a small smile, "Don’t look like you’re afraid I’m about to eviscerate you."

"Sorry, it’s just… Buffy and I have had our problems in the past and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I don’t deserve her. *I* kind of doubt I deserve her… but I love her… and I’d be a fool to let her go when she wants to be with me."

"One could say that," Joyce replied, thinking of Angel and their conversation before he’d made the decision to go to LA. Despite the fact that she’d never liked her daughter dating him, and he had been the one to get Buffy pregnant, she’d always felt a pang of guilt when she remembered that day.

"I’ve hurt Buffy in the past, I know that…. every time I think about it… I hate myself for it. I know that I *never* want to do it again," Riley told her, "I’m going to prove to her and you… everyone… that she won’t regret her decision to be with me."

"I have a feeling you will," she smiled, "I can’t honestly say I was happy with you the other day, what mother would be happy with the man who was hurting her daughter? Still… I can’t help but feel there is something intrinsically good about you. You’re human and you make mistakes… but I am impressed by how you handle the effects of those mistakes. Besides, Buffy seemed happier than I had seen her in a very long time when she told me. Keep making my daughter happy and I’ll be your biggest fan."

He grinned, relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with a mother-in-law that hated him, "Thank you."

"Mr. Finn?"

They both turned and saw a nurse standing in the doorway of Buffy’s room. She smiled at them and said, "Your wife can have visitors now… but make sure she gets her rest."

"You’ve got it," he promised as he moved into Buffy’s room.

The slayer looked much happier and more comfortable in the room, mostly because after a long night and morning in the ICU, she was finally going to be able to hold her daughter and get visits from the rest of her friends.

"They promised to bring the baby soon," Buffy informed them as Joyce and Riley sat down in chairs on either side of the bed.

"Good… I’ve got my camera," Joyce announced, holding up a small camcorder.

"Mom, I look horrible!"

"No, you don’t," she assured her daughter.

Buffy looked to Riley, who knew there was no right response that he could provide, just a bad one and a really wretched one. He went for bad, "You’re gorgeous."

"You’re biased."

He shrugged, grabbing Buffy’s bag that she had packed weeks earlier, "Why don’t you get all made up, then?"

"Ooh, good idea," Buffy grinned.

They spent the next ten minutes making small talk as Joyce did Buffy’s hair and helped her do her make up so she could look perfect on the video of her first meeting with her daughter.

All of a sudden, Giles rushed in the room, relief obvious on his face, "Oh thank God you’re all right!"

"Is something wrong?" Riley asked.

"I went up to Buffy’s room in the ICU and she wasn’t there… I got terribly worried, but luckily one of the nurses informed me she had been moved," Giles explained, catching his breath.

"Oh, I’m sorry… I did call you to let you know, though," Joyce told him, "I left a message with Anya."

"That’s basically the same thing as not calling, Mom. Or the same effect, anyway," Buffy smiled wryly, "Speaking of…. did you call your mom, Riley?"

"Yes," he sighed, "Of course, she insists that if she had been here, none of this would have happened. You would have had a normal delivery and never would have been in Intensive Care."

"What does she have to do with Buffy’s placenta detaching?" Joyce asked.

"The fates didn’t approve of her absence and made it happen," he explained, "Mom has a flair for the drama."

Before anyone could discuss the topic any further, a nurse came in the room with a plastic crib on wheels. Buffy sat up straighter, her heart being rapidly as she realized it was finally time to see the baby. They weren’t through the door before Joyce had her camera recording the scene as it unfolded.

As soon as the newborn was placed in Buffy’s arms, the young mother began to cry tears of joy. Despite the fact that everyone had assured her the baby was beautiful… despite the picture she had seen herself…. She couldn’t believe that this perfect creature in her arms was a part of her… that she had carried this being inside of her for nearly nine months as she grew into what she was.

Everyone watched Buffy in silence as she studied the baby’s face, as the infant stared back up at her, as if she just knew that this was her mother. Buffy counted toes and fingers and inhaled the sweet scent that only a baby could possess. Her heart swelled and she realized she loved this baby more than she ever thought it was possible to love another human being. Every hardship she’d encountered, every ounce of pain she had felt since she’d gotten pregnant… it was worth it. This baby was worth it.

When the child began to fuss, Buffy worriedly tried to calm her. She had a big case of first time mother nerves and worried that the baby could cry for hours and she’d never know how to make her stop. When she looked up at Joyce pleadingly, the other woman quietly suggested the baby might be hungry.

Giles and Riley immediately excused themselves, the latter not minding the idea of seeing Buffy topless… but not wanting to do it right in front of her mother. While they sat outside, Joyce began instructing her daughter how to breastfeed. As the baby nursed from her, Buffy felt even more wonderment… she was nourishing her child. All the things she had read and learned in Lamaze were becoming real, whereas before they had just been things she’d read about or been told of. She was a mother now and had never felt more blissful.

Once her daughter was full, Buffy burped her with Joyce’s help and the infant fell asleep. Joyce decided to get herself some coffee and left the two of them alone to bond. Buffy was content to study the baby’s face. She truly was breathtaking, and deserved a name to reflect that.

After a few minutes, Riley grew weary of sitting in the hall and staring at the wall with Giles and peeked his head in the room, "Everything okay?"

Buffy looked up at him and smiled warmly, "Couldn’t be better. Come in here, though."

"Okay," he complied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I think I picked a name."

"Yeah? Good, your mother can rest easy now," Riley grinned.

Buffy laughed quietly, so she wouldn’t wake the baby, "What do you think of Madasyn?"

He was silent for a moment, pondering the name, before he slowly nodded, "I think our daughter, Madasyn, is one very beautiful little girl."

Angel slowly approached the hospital, his legs feeling like jello, partly because of the long drive he’d just made from LA, but mostly because he was about to see his daughter. His *daughter*…. never in a million years would he have ever thought he could use those two words about himself.

Giles had called the night before, after agreeing to be the one to give Angel all important information regarding the baby, as a favor to Buffy. As soon as he’d told Angel that she’d had the baby, the vampire had wanted to visit them, despite the fact that he knew it was better if he stayed away, like his original plan. But he doubted he could function day after day, aware that he had a daughter out there and not even knowing what she looked like.

Still, Giles had asked him not to come, because there had been complications. That the baby was fine, but Buffy hadn’t done so well. She’d most likely fully recover…. but she didn’t need the added stress that would come with a visit from Angel. He’d reluctantly agreed, but as the day wore on, he’d gotten more and more antsy. At dusk, Angel had decided that it wouldn’t do anyone any harm if he were to sneak a peek at the baby. Giles had mentioned they were keeping her in the nursery, so he could easily avoid Buffy. Nobody would have to know.

As he reached the doors, Angel spotted a group of young men laughing and smoking cigars. They didn’t seem to be up to anything of the evil variety, but he still felt compelled to pay attention to them as he passed. Quickly, he deduced that one of them was a new father and the cigars were just traditional celebration.

He was almost in the doors when a single word reached his words and made him pause.

Riley.

One of the men was laughing and teasing another about something…. and he’d called him Riley.

Angel turned and looked to see the boy he recognized from talking to Buffy outside the coffee house just before Thanksgiving the year before… the boy she had married…. And now was apparently reveling the birth of the baby as though it really was his daughter. He frowned, this didn’t appear to be at all what Buffy and Riley planned.

He proceeded through the doors and went in search of the nursery. It was funny, he’d been to Sunnydale General countless times…. but he had no idea where the nursery was. The one time newborns had been involved with the forces of evil, he’d been too weak from his stay in Hell and had only heard about it afterwards from Buffy.

After twenty minutes of following signs and making wrong turns, Angel found himself in front of the large window, looking at all the babies in plastic cribs. He quickly found a problem in that he had no way of knowing which was his baby. As her father, wasn’t he just supposed to just *know*?

Someone walked up to the window next to him and as he glanced over, Angel realized it was Riley. If his heart had been beating, it would have stopped as he feared he’d been discovered. However, the younger man just smiled at him.

"Which one is yours?" Riley asked.

"Uh… none. A friend of mine just had a baby, but I don’t know which it is."

"Oh," Riley replied as he tapped lightly on the window to get the attention of Jean, the nurse he’d manage to charm earlier that day when she’d come to pick up Madasyn after Buffy had fed her. With a few innocent looks and sweet words, he’d managed to get her to feel rather maternal towards him.

Riley gave Jean a pleading look, making the woman roll her eyes before shaking her head and smiling. However, she still went over to a crib in the back of the nursery and carried a bundle wrapped in pink over to the window.

"This is my daughter," Riley announced proudly.

"She’s beautiful," Angel replied, amazed that this tiny little baby girl was a part of him. He saw she’d inherited his dark hair, and, when she opened them just enough, Buffy’s eyes. A perfect combination of light and dark, vampire and slayer… the two of them. As he stared at her he realized that this child was his and Buffy’s love in physical form… it made her all the more gorgeous. Without tearing his gaze from her, he asked, "What’s her name?"

"Madasyn Katherine Finn."

Angel was surprised… and touched. Buffy must have remembered that Katherine was his sister’s name from the few times he had told her about his life before he became a vampire. "I like it."

"Yeah, me too… my wife named her. Drove us all nuts, because she wouldn’t do it until after she’d gotten to spend some time with the baby."

Angel couldn’t help but smile, since it was such a classic ‘Buffy’ thing to do. They continued staring at the baby for a few more minutes before the nurse put her back in the crib. Riley smiled politely at Angel and excused himself. After a few seconds of contemplation, Angel followed, hoping Riley would lead him to Buffy.

He got his wish, as he watched from a safe distance as Riley walked into a hospital room. Furtively, Angel crept closer to the door, thankful that it was slightly ajar. He heard the sweet sound of Buffy’s laughter and began to really wonder what was going on….. the picture he’d been painted of Buffy and Riley only being friends obviously wasn’t true. He’d had his suspicions beforehand, from the way Buffy had sounded when she’d mention Riley… and the way Giles had made it clear that his presence would have a negative effect when he’d told him of Madasyn’s birth. Angel had written it off as jealousy, but it appeared that he was right. However, he *was* extremely jealous, despite the fact that he’d told Buffy time and again that he wasn’t right for her.

Stopping just outside the door, but being careful to remain hidden, Angel spied on Buffy and Riley. The younger man was lying next to Buffy in her hospital bed, his arm around her as he told her some of the funny things his friends had said that day. Buffy was looking up at him and giggling, and Angel could tell by the look on her face that they were far from just being friends.

Buffy was in love… with another man.

For the next few minutes, he watched, his face etched in pain. When Riley leaned over and planted a kiss on Buffy’s lips, Angel felt as though his heart was being ripped from his chest, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Despite his pain, he saw a look of happiness on Buffy’s face that he knew had to at least partially be attributed to this boy. He reminded himself of all the reasons that had led him to LA and had been enough to keep him there throughout Buffy’s pregnancy.

Yes, Angel loved Buffy and Madasyn more than anything… but if he was in their lives, no matter how much he gave them… it wouldn’t be everything that this other man could. Besides, it wasn’t fair to put Buffy in the position to make a decision like that, not after all he’d said. He’d made his choice… now he had to live by it.

***

"Her fingers are so little," Mike said as he had his turn holding Madasyn.

From his spot beside him on the couch, Chris laughed, "Of course her fingers are little! So are her hands and everything else! She *is* only three days old."

Mike ignored his friend and looked at Buffy, sitting on the other side of him, "Do you think she’ll end up being bigger than you since Riley is so big?"

"Probably… she started out two pounds bigger than I did," Buffy smiled.

"Don’t worry, tall chicks are cute too," Mike comforted her.

She couldn’t help but laugh, as Chris looked at Mike like he had two heads. Sometimes he said the strangest things.

Riley leaned over the back of the couch so he could whisper in Buffy’s ear, "Are you feeling okay? If you want to rest, I can kick the guys out."

Buffy shook her head, "I like having them here."

"Okay," he agreed, planting a kiss on her cheek before heading to the kitchen to get another can of soda. He kind of wished she would have said she did want him to kick the guys out, as he could see she *was* tired and he felt like a nap himself… plus they’d barely had two minutes alone all day. Joyce had accompanied them home from the hospital and had enjoyed several hours as the doting grandmother. As soon as she’d left, though, a bunch of the guys from the fraternity had arrived with balloons, stuffed animals and other little gifts for the new mother and baby. If he wasn’t so sure that Buffy really did love being around the guys, he’d have tossed them out much sooner so that maybe the two of them could take a nap together.

"Hey Riley?" Waylon asked quickly as he came into the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering…. Like, I know you guys wouldn’t want to right away, because Madasyn is so little and we don’t have all that much experience… but do you think after a while if Buffy shows us how to do stuff, we could take care of her?"

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"Like… we could baby-sit. We… we really like her. It’s kind of like she’s our baby too… and then you and Buffy can have time to yourselves," Waylon explained.

He couldn’t help but smile, "I’d have to ask Buffy…. but I think that would work. I’m sure she’ll be very touched that you guys want to baby-sit."

"Yeah, can I ask her then?" Waylon asked, eager to earn points with Buffy.

Riley nodded and followed Waylon out of the kitchen, watching with amusement as he sat on the arm of the couch next to Buffy so he could ask her what she thought of his idea. A moment later, Buffy smiled up at Waylon and Riley knew she’d made his day. He became aware of how lucky he was to have such great friends…. not only were they good to him, but they treated his wife like a queen.

His wife…. Riley realized it was the first time he’d thought that to himself. Before, he’d always said it for appearances…. but Buffy really was his wife now. He couldn’t wait until that night, when they could cuddle together in bed. Even though it was far too soon for them to *do* anything… that would be enough to make him the happiest man on Earth.

***

When there was a knock at the door at half past nine, Riley was surprised, but reluctantly got off the couch where he had just sat down. His plans to enjoy a nap with Buffy that afternoon had been shot to Hell since Madasyn had apparently enjoyed all the attention she’d received from their visitors because as soon as they’d left, she had begun screaming as loud as her little lungs would allow until Buffy had finally managed to calm her down. However, as soon as the newborn was sleeping, Riley’s mother has called. Claire was positively blissful since her son had informed her that he and Buffy had finally decided to act on their feelings, so she’d talked to the both of them for nearly an hour each before she’d let them go…. And then Madasyn had woken up again. So…. it had been five hours, but they were finally going to get some quality time together, unless whoever was at the door was *really* important.

He was surprised to find Forrest on the other side of the threshold, since they hadn’t said two words to each other since Riley had found out his friend was sabotaging Buffy when she was in labor, but Forrest was a friend he’d had for years and one he didn’t want to lose if he could help it, so Riley stepped to the aside and allowed the other man to enter his home.

"Thanks," Forrest said quietly, walking into the living room that was filled with balloons declaring‘It’s a girl!’, toys, diapers and tons of other baby paraphernalia.

Riley nodded and shut the door, walking past his friend into the room. Cracking a smile, he said, "This is the mess the guys left, can you believe it? They actually got all fascinated with the Pampers… and left them all over the place."

"Yeah, everyone who isn’t me tends to act… well, completely out of character when it comes to Buffy and this kid," Forrest replied, turning to face Riley, "So, now that she popped out the bastard, are you willing to leave so that we can all get back to our normal lives?"

"Don’t you dare come in my home and talk about my wife and daughter like that!"

"What the Hell are you saying?"

Enraged, Riley opened the door and grabbed Forrest by the lapel of his jacket, dragging him outside, "What I am saying is that I love Buffy and Madasyn and I am beginning a new life with them… a life I think you have merited exclusion from!"

With that, he shut the door and leaned back against it, trying to catch his breath and calm down. Buffy walked into the room and it became evident from the look on her face that she knew something had occurred.

"What’s wrong, Riley?"

He shook his head and caressed her cheek lovingly, "Nothing, Buffy… everything is great."

Buffy gave him her ‘I don’t buy this for a second’ look, "I heard Forrest’s voice."

"He was here," Riley admitted with a sigh, "He’s… he’s not my friend."

"Yes, he is. Forrest has done some not so nice things, but he only did them because he was looking out for you. He just needs time to accept us."

"I love you," he responded, before leaning over to kiss her softly.

Buffy returned the kiss and smiled at him when they pulled back, "I love you too."

"That’s what I like to hear," he grinned, "So, Madasyn’s sleeping?"

"For now."

"Good… what does Mommy want to do?"

"Honestly? I’m sorry, Riley, but sleep sounds better than anything at the moment."

"Don’t be sorry… you are supposed to be tired. Besides, I could use some rest too. I haven’t slept well with you in the hospital. Now that you’re back, I know you can protect me from the monsters under the bed and I can sleep soundly," he joked.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Wuss."

"Eh, you love it."

***

"Hey, ready for bed?" Riley asked quietly from the doorway of what was soon to be formerly Buffy’s room and Madasyn’s nursery. They had gone ahead and changed into pajamas in the separate rooms, since Buffy hadn’t the time nor energy to move all her clothes out that day.

Buffy turned to look at him from her spot next to Madasyn’s crib, "I just can’t seem to stop looking at her."

He smiled and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck, "That’s how I feel about you."

She laughed and looked up at him again, "I was thinking…. I kind of don’t want to have to be so far away from her… even if it is just down the hall… so I’d like to sleep in here, at least for tonight."

"Oh," he replied, trying not to look disappointed. After all, they had just agreed to stay married, it would be unfair on his part to assume she’d want to share his bed right away.

"But, do you mind? Because I know my bed isn’t made for two… but we could cuddle," she suggested, her lips curving in a sanguine smile.

Realizing that she actually wanted him to sleep with her, just in the daybed, Riley nodded enthusiastically, "Cuddling sounds very pleasant."

"Good," she said quietly, stealing a quick kiss before pulling out of his arms and taking him by the hand to tug him to the bed.

The two of then climbed in, with Buffy on her side and Riley spooning her back. She turned off the light and cloaked the room in darkness as Riley moved his arm around her waist again to hold her to him. Buffy took his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

Content, the young couple fell deeply asleep….. until Madasyn started screaming for nourishment at midnight….

***

"So Waylon was all proud because he managed to get the diaper on her… but it was backwards," Buffy giggled.

Riley laughed, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, poor guy, he really tried."

"And you’re going to let him be the sole person responsible for taking care of our daughter?" Riley asked, idly stroking his fingers up and down her arm as she sat between his legs with her back against his chest in the recliner.

"Well… not for a while. Mom gets to be the first babysitter… and I am content to not ask her to do it for quite a while… so he has time to learn. Plus, they agreed it would be a group job, not just Waylon, but several guys at once," Buffy explained.

"You’d think that if you got them all together, things would work better, but it usually just creates chaos."

"Hey, maybe I should get them to come over and help you tomorrow while I go to the doctor," Buffy teased.

"Aww… why do you hate me?" he joked.

"I don’t hate you, Silly," she smiled, tilting her head to kiss him. They relaxed in comfortable silence for several moments before Buffy remembered that she had wanted to talk to Riley about something, "Willow reminded me today that the new semester begins September 18^th, so if I’m going to go, I should get registered as soon as possible."

"Oh," he replied, "Have you decided what classes you want to take?"

"Actually…. I was thinking I really don’t want to leave Madasyn that much. I mean, I know school is important and that I’m not going to love spending 24/7 with an infant… but right now, I can’t bear the thought of being away from her…. besides, I would feel kind of guilty, just dropping her off with this or that person. I was considering taking the semester off…. but what do you think?"

He smiled down at her, "I think that sounds fine by me. I’ll support whatever you want to do."

"You’re so wonderful."

"Yeah… you’re very lucky to have me."

"Smart ass!"

Buffy glanced in the backseat and smiled as she saw her daughter was still sound asleep. Nothing was more stressful than when she was trying to drive and Madasyn was crying. Now, if they could just make it the rest of the way home without the baby awakening, Buffy would be home free.

Unfortunately, it was right then that Buffy began having difficulty controlling the car. Realizing she probably had a flat tire, she slowly applied the brake and pulled to the side of the road. Cursing her luck, she climbed out of the car to examine the tires, one of which turned out to be quite flat.

Sighing, Buffy opened up the trunk and pulled out the spare and a jack, hoping she could wing this, since the closest she’d come to changing a tire was watching Xander do his when they’d all been on the way to a fair in Santa Barbara. She got the hubcap off easy enough, but the lugnuts were a much bigger problem. It wasn’t strength, since she had plenty of that…. Buffy just couldn’t seem to grasp the technique.

"Uh, you’re going to ruin the lugnuts that way."

Buffy jumped at the unexpected voice and turned to find Forrest standing behind her.

"Sorry… I was just… jogging by… and thought I’d stop," he apologized

"Oh, it’s okay… you just caught me by surprise."

"Would you like some help? I’ve changed a lot of tires."

Buffy wanted to refuse, because she didn’t want Forrest, of all people, to be able to say she was some dumb blonde that couldn’t take care of herself, but the fact of the matter was Madasyn could wake up at any moment and the thought of breastfeeding her daughter in the middle of nowhere was wholly unappealing. Giving him a smile, she nodded, "I would really appreciate it."

Ten minutes later, Forrest put the hubcap back on and gave Buffy a satisfied smile, "Done."

"Wow, you’re good. Thank you so much, Forrest, really. I don’t know if I ever would have gotten it done," Buffy replied gratefully. Seeing Forrest looking at his dirty hands, as if trying to figure out where he could wipe them, she opened the back door of the car and pulled a package of Wet Ones out of Madasyn’s diaper bag, "Here, you can use these."

Forrest took the wipes she was offering and quickly cleaned off his hands, "Thanks."

"So… you jog a lot?" she asked, hoping to make polite conversation. She definitely didn’t like some of the things Forrest had done, she’d wanted to wring his neck when he’d intercepted her calls to Riley when she had been in labor…. but she knew he wasn’t a bad guy, just misguided. After all, she couldn’t imagine Riley being friends with someone hateable.

"Every day.. you used to do it too, right?" Forrest replied, "I thought Riley mentioned it."

"Yeah, before I got too huge. I’m hoping to start doing it again, but I figure I’d better wait a while. They say you’re supposed to wait six to eight weeks after a cesarean, but with my special healing…"

"Hey, that really does come in handy."

"Yeah," she said, wanting to casually ask if they could jog together sometime, because that would definitely be a good step towards being friends, but was scared it would be too much too soon.

"Uh, what time is it? I forgot to put my watch on this morning," Forrest asked, remembering he had to be in uniform at noon.

Buffy glanced at her watch, "A quarter after eleven."

"Oh, man, I gotta get moving… it’s going to take me at least twenty minutes to get back to the house and I have to be at work by twelve."

"Let me drive you. I know it defeats the purpose of jogging, but if you’re in a hurry…"

"You don’t mind?" he asked.

"Of course not! Besides, you are only late because you helped me," she smiled, "Get in and I’ll take you."

"Thanks," Forrest said, getting in the passenger seat.

Buffy put on her seatbelt, sparing a glance at the still-sleeping baby, before putting the key in the ignition and starting the car up. A moment later what little luck she’d had ran out when Madasyn awoke and started crying.

"Shh, Sweetie," Buffy soothed her, carefully reaching back so she could try to rock the carseat and calm the baby down until she got to Lowell House.

"Uh, let me," Forrest offered, taking over the rocking, "How should I do it?"

"Oh, kinda slow… there’s this certain rhythm that placates her for a while… I just haven’t gotten it down pat, just yet. But she’s probably hungry, so there may be no quieting her."

"You… don’t bottle-feed her?" he asked, not feeling really comfortable with asking her if she breastfed.

Buffy shook her head, "Nursing is healthiest."

"Yeah, it really is. It can make your baby more intelligent and can reduce her chances of getting asthma, ear infections… even obesity and leukemia," Forrest agreed, then explained when he saw the surprised look on her face, "My sister is a nurse… when she had her son, I had to hear all about the benefits of everything."

She smiled, "Well, that has to be good to have a medical professional in the family."

"Mostly it’s just annoying the way she talks endlessly about every little medical thing… it’s pretty boring."

The two of them laughed and Buffy replied, "Trust me, I can relate. My mom owns an art gallery. All my life, I’ve had to see her get all excited about Monet, Picasso… all these dead guys. Plus, I got dragged to tons of places where I had to see gigantic phallic symbol statues."

"Ooh, sounds like a nice traumatic childhood," Forrest joked, then smiled as the baby stopped crying. Careful not to stop rocking the carseat, he said, "I think I found the rhythm."

Shocked, Buffy replied, "Seems you have the magic touch."

They had a comfortable conversation for the next few minutes until Buffy pulled up in front of Lowell House.

"We’re here."

"Great, thanks for the ride."

"Well, thanks for changing my tire…. If not for you, I would still be sitting there."

"Um… do you want to come in?"

"You want me to come in?"

"Well, you need to feed Madasyn… and the guys would love to see you."

"Okay," she replied, still surprised that he didn’t want her out of his sight as soon as possible. She got out and unstrapped the baby from her carseat, grabbing the diaper bag before she and Forrest walked up the path and into the front door of Lowell House.

Instantly, the residents descended upon them, excited by the presence of Buffy and the baby.

"Buffy, what are you doing here? Is everything okay? Do you need Riley?" Mike asked.

Seeing that Buffy probably wouldn’t have been able to get a word in edgewise, Forrest explained, "She had a flat tire, I was jogging and saw her, changed the tire and she drove me home so I wouldn’t be late. She needs to feed the baby, so she came in with me."

"Oh, you want to use my room?" Mike asked.

"No, let her use mine!" Nathaniel argued.

"She can use mine," Joseph offered.

"Or she can use the room Riley used to stay in, since it’s still unoccupied," Forrest broke in.

"Yes, that sounds good," Buffy smiled, relieved that she didn’t have to make a choice.

"Alright, but will you have lunch with us?" Nathaniel invited, "We’d really love it."

"Okay… that sounds fun," she smiled, still amazed at how well-received she was when it came to the frat guys.

***

"Riley, did anyone tell you about Buffy?" Waylon asked his friend as he walked into the office Riley was using.

Riley looked up from his pile of paperwork and frowned, "What about Buffy?"

"She’s upstairs… no big emergency or anything… Forrest brought her in and she’s going to have lunch with the guys, so should we take our lunches now too so you can eat with her?"

He nodded and stood, a look of concern on his face. There was no way in Hell Forrest would just drop by the apartment and invite Buffy over… something was up.

He and Waylon got into the elevator and headed up into the fraternity house sitting atop the military base. All the way up, Riley tried to imagine what Forrest had done now and how upset Buffy may be.

They reached the hallway on the second floor of Lowell House and started walking towards the stairs when Riley saw Forrest coming out of his room. Putting his hand on Waylon’s shoulder, he said "Go on without me, I’ll be there in a minute."

"Okay," Waylon replied, continuing on down the stairs.

Riley approached Forrest, his jaw clenched, and said, "So… Buffy came in with you."

"Yeah, she did," he replied.

"And? What did you do to her?"

"I didn’t do anything!" Forrest said defensively, "God, when did you become so paranoid?"

"When my *friend* started betraying me," Riley retorted.

Forrest sighed and shook his head, "I don’t have time for this, I’m supposed to be reporting to Major Barry in two minutes. Go see Buffy, she’s fine!"

Riley watched as the other man passed him and stood in front of the elevator before he did just as Forrest said and descended the stairs to find his wife. He found her sitting at the dining room table with Chris holding Madasyn next to her. Giving her a smile he sat in the seat beside her and leaned over to tenderly kiss her on the lips.

"How are my girls today?"

"We’re great," she replied.

"Good… I hear you came in with Forrest," Riley said, trying to be casual, "Is everything okay?"

"It’s fine," she assured him, "Actually, I’m a little embarrassed. I was on my way home after Madasyn’s one-month checkup and I got a flat tire. I was trying to change it myself, and failing miserably when Forrest happened along. He fixed it for me and I drove him home so he wouldn’t be late. We got to talking… and we really got along."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Good… I’m very happy to hear that," he grinned, "So, what did the doctor say?"

"Madasyn is in perfect health. She’s growing just as she’s supposed to, sleeping the right amount and her belly button looks good. Like I said, perfect."

"Well, she’s been nothing less than perfect since she was born," he said, half-jokingly.

"True," she agreed, giving him another kiss before Chris started tapping her on the shoulder.

Turning, she saw him grinning excitedly, "I think she made a stinky!"

Buffy leaned down to smell her daughter’s diaper before grimacing and nodding, "She sure did."

"Great, can *I* change her diaper this time? I discovered it," Chris asked.

"Duh, of course you discovered it, you’re holding her! You shouldn’t get to hold her *and* change her diaper!" Thomas complained.

"You guys have both had a turn to do it, what about me?" Andy spoke up.

Sighing, Buffy looked at her husband helplessly, hoping *he* could decide who to let change the baby’s diaper.

***

"I’m home," Riley announced upon entering the kitchen and seeing he didn’t have to whisper so as not to wake Madasyn. He’d spent the afternoon playing basketball with Forrest as their first act of being friends again. After Riley had found out the actual story of how Forrest had helped Buffy a few days earlier, he’d apologized to his friends, and Forrest had tried to atone for his previous actions as well.

Buffy looked up and smiled, "Hey, how’d it go?"

"It was great… lots of fun," he replied, giving her a kiss before smiling down at Madasyn in the baby tub on the counter, "Hey you, is Mama giving you a bath? Are you going to be a clean girl?"

"She’s being *so* good today… I’m very proud of her… no fussing at all," Buffy smiled. Madasyn hadn’t enjoyed her first few baths and Buffy had ended up getting nearly as wet as the baby.

"Good girl," Riley nodded, then looked at his wife, "If it’s okay, I’m going to hop in the shower so I can be clean too."

"That’s fine," Buffy replied, "We’re having a pot roast for dinner… it’ll be ready in half an hour."

"I can tell… it smells delicious," he smiled, giving her one more kiss before heading off to the shower.

When he emerged, clean and already in his pajamas, fifteen minutes later, Riley found the kitchen and living room empty, so he figured Buffy was dressing Madasyn in the nursery and walked in the room… but instead found her breastfeeding.

Despite the fact that they had agreed to try having a real marriage and that they had made love all those months earlier, Riley had never witnessed Buffy breastfeeding. In the middle of the night, he always slept through Madasyn’s feedings… and Buffy always took her to another room when she was hungry in the daytime.

"I’m sorry," he blurted out, feeling like he was invading something very private.

"Oh gosh, I’m sorry," Buffy said at the same time, trying to find a blanket.

Riley found the one she was looking for on the bed and walked across the room while not looking at her to get it, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"This makes you uncomfortable, I understand that," she replied.

Surprised, he turned to her, "No it doesn’t… I think it’s beautiful that you nourish her. It’s so… natural and loving and… amazing. I just… well, it’s your body and I don’t want to… intrude."

Buffy smiled, touched by his words, "You aren’t intruding."

"Good… so do you want the blanket?"

She slowly shook her head, "But you could sit with me… if you wanted."

"I’d love to," he answered honestly before going out to the dining room to retrieve one of the chairs. He set it down next to Buffy and sat in it, taking her free hand in his and gently running his thumb over the back of it. They shared a smile before he kissed Buffy on the forehead, "You really are gorgeous."

"I love you," she replied.

"I love you too," he said as he ran his hand through her hair.

Silent, the two both looked down at their daughter, still hungrily suckling from her mother’s breast, feeling like the luckiest people in the world.

***

"Anything good on?" Buffy asked, sitting beside Riley on the couch as she brushed her wet hair.

"Nothing besides America’s Most Wanted," he replied, "How was your bath?"

"Nice and relaxing," she grinned.

He held his hand out for the brush and asked, "Can I?"

Nodding, Buffy handed him the brush and moved so she at between his open legs. Riley began to slowly run the brush through her hair, the fresh scent of her shampoo making him want her even more than usual. She was so beautiful… the most beautiful woman he had ever seen by far… her skin was so soft, her curves even more luscious thanks to her recent motherhood… and she smelled heavenly.

With her body pressed so close to his, Buffy soon felt Riley’s arousal and was surprised to find a corresponding response deep inside her womb. For several minutes, she enjoyed the feeling of Riley brushing her hair and contemplated any possible actions for the night. All the information she had read said that you could usually have sex starting four to six weeks after giving birth. It had been four weeks already…. Plus, she was the slayer. She knew that wouldn’t be a problem. And since the guys had given Riley a box of condoms, laughing and telling him it was because he and Buffy couldn’t seem to keep their hands- or at least lips- off each other, she knew they had protection. All that she had to worry about was if she thought they were ready.

One more brush against Riley’s evidence of his excitement convinced her. Turning around, Buffy placed her hand on Riley’s cheek and kissed him passionately. He reciprocated, trying not to get too caught up in something he’d never dream of asking her to finish, but not able to resist her full lips.

Buffy pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes dark with desire, "Want to go to bed?"

"S-sure," he replied, having a hard time finding his voice.

She stood and held her hand out to him. Taking it, he stood and started leading her towards the nursery, but Buffy resisted, instead jerking her head towards the master bedroom.

"Let’s sleep there tonight?"

"There?" he asked, wondering if she meant what he hoped she meant. In the month since Madasyn had been born, they’d always slept in Buffy’s daybed in the nursery… not that he’d minded at all. He rather enjoyed sleeping in such a small bed… having no choice but to cuddle with Buffy at night.

"Do you not want to?" she asked, worrying that she’d misjudged him.

"It’s not a question of that, Baby," Riley swore to her, "I’m just worried… are you sure you’re ready? I mean, I would love to make love to you right now, but it’s not worth you risking your health."

She took a step closer and kissed him softly on the lips, her eyes never leaving his, "I’m absolutely fine. Make love to me, Riley."

He knew he’d never have the will to deny Buffy anything, so he swept her up in his arms and carried her bridegroom style to the bed that they had first made love in… the bed they would make countless amazing memories on if it was killed him. And as Buffy pulled her nightshirt off and revealed herself in only a pair of panties, Riley began to think that it just might kill him. He sat on the bed beside her and she immediately began kissing him with all the love and lust she felt for him, while tugging his shirt over his head- two activities that didn’t mix well. With a laugh, Buffy pulled back so she could remove the shirt before she returned her mouth to his. Riley returned her kisses as his large hands stroked up and down the soft, smooth skin of her back.

She moved her mouth down to kiss his jaw and the side of his neck, whispering in his ear, "Where are the condoms?"

"Condoms?" he moaned, his brain no longer worked as his body was overcome with pleasurable sensations.

Buffy chuckled and pulled away to help him remember the small rubber objects, "Yes, condoms… I want more kids someday… but Madasyn doesn’t need a little brother or sister in nine months."

Dimly, Riley realized what she was saying and nodded slightly before leaving her on the bed and racing to the dresser to dig around his underwear drawer for the condoms he’d gotten from the guys. While he was gone, Buffy pulled off her panties and tossed them aside before he turned around to face her again. He hurried back over to her, but before Riley could climb back on the bed, Buffy grabbed his hips and stilled him.

Looking him in the eye, Buffy hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxers and slid them past his hips where they fell to his feet. Their last time had been about him pleasing her…. she wanted to return the favor this time, thank him for everything he'd done… and loving her more than she felt she deserved.

Dipping her head down, Buffy encased the tip of his erection in her mouth, making Riley groan in rapture. She had only done this once before, with Angel, and it had happened on the day that had been erased, so she didn’t feel very experienced, but it didn’t really bother her… because this was *Riley*, the man she trusted more than anyone.

Apparently she was doing a good job, because he continued to moan and whisper words of encouragement as she proceeded to swallow as much of his length as she could, as well as stimulate his sensitive skin with the tip of her tongue. After a few moments, though, Riley hesitantly pulled back stroking his hand over her head.

Breathlessly, he said, "We gotta stop… or this is going to be over before we even start."

Buffy reluctantly agreed, knowing she needed to have him inside of her or she’d explode from unfulfilled lust. She allowed him to push her onto her back and spread her legs, pulling her towards him to that her bottom was just over the edge of the bed. Kneeling down, Riley spread her nether lips with his fingers, burying his mouth in her center, savoring the sweet nectar he found dripping from her.

Buffy cried out in pleasure, trying to remember not to wake the baby, but having a very hard time keeping herself in check. Her hands grabbed the comforter, clutching it like a lifeline as Riley drove her body into a frenzy in a matter of seconds. A moment later, her body shook violently in orgasm and she bit her bottom lip in a desperate effort not to scream.

As soon as she’d calmed enough, Buffy reached down and tugged Riley back up the length of her body, kissing him deeply and tasting herself on his lips and tongue. Riley responded in kind, his hands frenetically moving from her shoulders to her neck and over the sides of her face.

"I want you so much," she whispered against his mouth, "What did you do with the condom?"

"Oh God, I don’t know," he replied, pulling back so he could search for the small foil packet.

Buffy laughed and sat up as well to aid in the effort. After a little bit of looking, they managed to find the condom on the floor and settled back on the bed with Riley bracing himself above Buffy. He opened the package and slid the condom on before looking at Buffy seriously.

"Are you sure?"

Buffy smiled, recalling him asking her that the last time, "I’ve never been so sure in my life."

"Okay, but… if it hurts… I want you to tell me and we’ll stop. Promise?"

She nodded quickly, "I promise."

With torturous slowness, Riley slid himself inside her, making them one. He remained still, allowing her to adjust to him, knowing as much as he wanted her and as wonderful and magical as this was…. it wasn’t worth causing her a moment’s pain. It was only when Buffy lifted her hips that he dared to move, gingerly sliding in and out of her tight, slick channel as they kissed each other lovingly, their tongues an imitation of lovemaking.

Their tender movements grew more frenzied as their passion escalated. Without breaking either connection, Buffy rolled them over so that she was on top. Riley raked his fingers over her back, gripping her hips and pumping up into her. Buffy broke away from the kiss, sitting up so that he could be deeper inside her. As she leaned back, positioning her hands on his thighs, Riley moved one of his hands from her hip to her center, where he skillfully manipulated her clitoris until Buffy gasped as her second orgasm rocked through her body.

As her muscles clamped down on him, Riley found the sensation too great and achieved his own orgasm, furiously jerking his hips up as they continued to slam against each other as the waves of ecstasy rolled through them. At long last, when they were both spent, Buffy collapsed on top of him, placing soft kisses on the sweat slicked skin of his chest.

As he caught his breath, Riley lifted Buffy’s hand to kiss mouth and kissed the back of her before whispering, "I’m so in love with you…. But I know I’ll love you even more tomorrow…. And I don’t know how…. It doesn’t seem possible to love you any more than I do at this second."

She smiled, "I think I know what you mean… because I feel the same way about you. I love you, Riley Finn, wholly and completely, and I can’t imagine my life without you."

"Don’t worry, Baby, you don’t have to. You’ll never get rid of me."

"Good," she sighed as she rolled to the side so that Riley could pull off the condom and tied a knot in it before tossing it into the wastebasket a few feet away.

He managed to pull the bedding down so that the two of them could climb under it and they cuddled together in bed, blissful in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Riley kissed her forehead, happy in his confidence that this time, she’d be there in the morning… and the next morning… and the morning after that. She was his wife.

As Riley’s breathing grew even, Buffy climbed out of bed, having the presence of mind to think about when Madasyn woke up and grabbed the baby monitor receiver from the kitchen and setting it on the nightstand in *their* bedroom before climbing back in her husband’s arms, settling her head on his shoulder.

Feeling like the most blessed woman on Earth, Buffy fell asleep in her husband’s arms, the warmest, safest, most satisfying place she could be…. the place she knew she’d spend the rest of her life.

Buffy took a deep breath and examined her reflection in the full length mirror in her old bedroom at her mother’s home. Despite the fact that she had been planning this day for over six months, she still couldn’t believe it was happening.

Her wedding day… for real this time.

She slowly ran her hands over the front of the white and ivory wedding dress, wondering if Riley would like it. She had planned on getting something sleeveless, but as soon as she’d seen this dress, with it’s chiffon poet sleeves and a-line skirt with an elegant train, she had known that this was the one. In all the dreams she’d had of being a bride when she was a little girl, she had never imagined she would feel so beautiful. It wasn’t just the dress, or her hair… or even the make up. Just knowing that today was the day that she would walk down the aisle in church and find Riley there, waiting for her, so that they could declare their love and desire to be together for the rest of their lives in front of all their family and friends… Buffy *felt* gorgeous, from the inside out.

Careful not to mess it up, she touched her golden tresses, admiring how Jolene, the hairdresser, had created a very complicated, yet amazing style. She’d taken the hair on top and pulled it back into a bun with the curled ends hanging in loose ringlets. The rest of it had been curled in ringlets as well and hung down to her shoulders. She’d opted not to deal with a veil, something Claire hadn’t been too happy about but had finally relented when it became obvious that Buffy would stand her ground.

"Nervous?" Willow asked from her perch on the side of Buffy’s bed, with Tara sitting beside her.

Buffy turned to her and smiled, "A little."

Anya, who had been lounging in a chair and reading an old issue of YM, looked up and frowned, "Well, that seems very idiotic. You’ve already been married to Riley for a year and a half, you know you enjoy his penis and he doesn’t have any disgusting problems like excessive body hair, so why are you nervous?"

"It’s not the fact that I am vowing to spend my life with Riley that makes me nervous, really," Buffy replied, ignoring the idiot comment. After working with Anya for over a year, she knew better than to get offended.

"Well, what is the problem?" she asked.

"It’s the actual wedding. There’s a lot of pressure and stress and a million things to worry about."

"Yeah, like walking down the aisle," Tara agreed, "I mean, I’m kind of nervous and I’m just a bridesmaid. You’re the bride and if you trip or something, *everyone* will see it because in a way, this day is all about you."

"Oh God, what if I trip? I’m not used to these shoes or this dress… it has a train, I’ve never worn a train before! I’ll look like a fool!"

"You won’t trip," Willow assured her as Tara cringed, regretting her words.

"I sure hope you don’t, because you will definitely look silly," Anya grinned.

Before Buffy could freak out any further, her bedroom door opened and Joyce came in carrying Madasyn, followed by Nadia, who was going to be the flower girl. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw her beautiful ten month old daughter. Joyce had been responsible for dressing the baby girl while Buffy spent the morning getting ready and had done a great job of it. She was wearing a white dress with two pale pink bows on the front and a matching pale pink hairband. Her hair was as dark was when she’d been born, almost black, and naturally curled into loose ringlets. White tights and patent leather shoes completed her look and Buffy found her so adorable that she completely forgot about the stress of the wedding and was instantly absorbed in her love for her daughter.

"Hey baby girl!"

"Ooh, look at Mama! Isn’t she beautiful?" Joyce grinned at her granddaughter before handing the baby to Buffy. "Sweetheart, you look amazing. Riley is a lucky man."

"I know," Willow agreed, "I think we’d better bring a mop to clean up all the drool he’s going to have around him."

"Well, that is a grotesque image," Anya wrinkled her nose.

"Thanks Mom," Buffy smiled, kissing Joyce on the cheek, "Both for the compliment and for taking care of Maddy."

"Oh, you know I love being the doting grandmother. I’m really looking forward to having her for the next three days while you two are on your honeymoon."

Buffy sighed and kissed Madasyn on the top of her head, "Oh, I can’t imagine being away from her for three whole days! Why did I let Riley convince me a honeymoon was a good idea?"

"Because it *is* a good idea," Joyce told her, "I know that as soon as you two get there you will be very very happy to have some time alone."

"Besides, she’s with your mom, you know she’ll be fine," Willow asked.

Tara nodded, "And Claire will be here too."

Anya rolled her eyes, "Just think about all the sex you are going to have!"

"Anya, my mother, daughter and niece are the room," Buffy said.

"Yes, please… I know Buffy had a child of her own and is a married woman, but there are certain thoughts I enjoy not having," Joyce agreed.

"You look so pretty, Aunt Buffy," Nadia smiled.

"Thank you, sweetheart, you do too," Buffy smiled bending down to kiss Nadia on her cheek.

Madasyn dropped the stuffed animal she’d been holding and since it was right in front of her, Anya reached down and grabbed it before shrieking it and tossing it to Willow. Everyone looked at her like a manwoman as she panted and held her hand to her chest.

"Buffy, I can’t believe you let her play with that!"

Willow held up the bunny with a confused look on her face. "What’s wrong with it?"

Buffy sighed, "Anya is deathly afraid of bunnies."

"And on that deeply disturbing note…." Joyce said, "We only have a few minutes before we need to leave for the church, so it’s time for a very important wedding tradition. Buffy needs ‘something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’."

"Oh my God, I completely forgot!" Buffy exclaimed.

Joyce smiled, "Never fear… *I* didn’t."

Pulling a small jewelry box out of her pocket, she opened it to reveal a pearl necklace. "This was my grandmother’s necklace. She gave it to my mother on her wedding day, and she gave it to me on mine. It can be something old."

Buffy felt tears in her eyes as her mother fastened it around her neck, "Are you sure? I know how important it is to you."

"Of course I am sure," she replied, then pulled out a pair of pearl earrings, "And here is something new."

Buffy grinned and hugged her mother, "Thank you."

"You deserve it, Honey… you’ve made me a very proud mother."

Willow got up at took Madasyn from Buffy to free up her hands and allow her to put the earrings on.

"Now, this doesn’t have any deep meaning, but you needed to borrow *something* and I know you always liked it, so I want you to wear my ankle bracelet," Joyce continued, pulling out a simple silver chain.

Buffy sat on the bed and fastened the bracelet around her ankle and then rolled her eyes as Joyce dangled a garter in front of her face.

"Something blue! You don’t want to disappoint Riley, do you?"

"Riley? Don’t you mean the rest of the guys from Lowell House? As soon as we announced we were having a big wedding, they started teasing me about the garter."

Joyce pulled a camera out as Buffy slid the garter up her thigh, "Okay, let me have a few pictures of you before we go. First one alone."

Buffy acquiesced, posing for a couple pictures by herself, a couple with Madasyn, and then some with the other girls before Willow took a few with Joyce and Buffy.

With just a few minutes left before they needed to head to the church, Buffy gave the girls their presents, which were silver bracelets with heart charms on them. Anya, of course, was extremely excited about getting a gift and gleefully secured it around her wrist.

***

"How you doing, man?" Graham asked Riley as they waited near the altar for the ceremony to begin, prepared to do his best man duties and quell any fears the groom might be having.

"I’m great," he answered honestly, a grin on his face. The morning had gone off without a hitch. He and all his groomsmen were present, outfitted in their dress uniforms and ready to go. Claire had informed him that Buffy and the girls had arrived before everyone else and were making last minute preparations in a small room in another part of the church…. everything was going smoothly.

"I’ll bet," Joseph leaned over and snickered, "You just can’t wait for the honeymoon so that you and Buffy can screw."

Riley rolled his eyes as Joseph and several other of his groomsmen laughed until Claire, sitting in the front pew just a few feet away, cleared her throat loudly.

"I heard that, young man."

The men all immediately quieted, having the decency to look ashamed. Riley had some peace, and tried to get his head together. This was just… so overwhelming. Despite the fact that Buffy had been his wife for a year and a half, the last nine months of which she had been truly his wife…. this day was special. This was his chance to tell everyone that he loved Buffy more than anything and wanted to spend his life with her. This was their day to celebrate their love with everyone they cared about.

Plus, it would get his mom off his back.

At long last, the doors to the church opened and Joyce walked in carrying Madasyn. As Xander, serving as usher, escorted Joyce to her seat in the front pew on the opposite side, Riley grinned at his daughter. Sometimes he reminded himself that biologically, she wasn’t his and he couldn’t believe it, because he loved her so much. Madasyn caught side of him and squealed excitedly, waving at him. Riley waved back as Joyce sat down and settled the baby on her lap.

Realizing that it was about to start, his wedding, Riley felt a twinge of excitement in his stomach and turned his eyes back to the double doors in the back of the church, just as Caleb and Xander walked through them so that they would know when to open them to let the girls in.

***

"I have to tell you that you look absolutely breathtaking," Giles said quietly as Buffy took his arm.

She beamed up at him, "Thank you… you’re looking quite handsome yourself."

Giles blushed slightly and looked down for a second before he looked at her with concern, "Are you feeling alright? I know that weddings tend to be a bit nerve-wracking."

Buffy nodded, "Just… don’t let me trip?"

"Certainly."

"Okay… are we all set?" Andra, a woman who worked for the church and was responsible for making sure the wedding went as planned, asked them. She’d already made sure that Nadia, Anya, Tara and Willow were ready to begin and gave the bride a quick once-over.

"As I’ll ever be," Buffy sighed.

Andra stuck her head inside the church and let Xander know it was time and a few seconds later he and Caleb, the other usher, opened the doors, which let the organist and everyone know that the wedding was starting. Soon, the organist began playing Mozart’s ‘Romance’ and Nadia stepped out and began her walk down the aisle, smiling brightly at all the onlookers. This was the day she’d been practicing for over the past six months and she was going to revel in the attention.

Anya soon followed, remembering Willow’s advice to try and just copy Nadia’s pace after hours and hours of trying to teach her how to march down the aisle. With the exception of her mouthing the intructions to herself, she looked perfect.

Tara’s turn came and she awkwardly walked down the aisle, trying not to get nervous about everyone looking at her. She was honored that Buffy felt they were close enough to ask her to be in the wedding…. but she envied everyone in the pews.

Willow did better than she ever would have imagined she could a mere three years earlier, holding her head high and smiling as she marched down the aisle, the proud maid of honor. She saw Riley’s excited face, knew that he was anticipating seeing Buffy, and felt so happy for her friend in that moment. Buffy finally had the happiness she deserved.

Riley exchanged smiles with Willow as she moved into her position next to Tara. As the organist started playing the wedding march, he felt huge butterflies in his stomach. It was as though he was marrying Buffy for the first time.

After what seemed like an eternity, there she was, standing in the doorway with Giles beside her, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Riley couldn’t believe that this amazing creature was going to be *his* wife. He was positive that he must have done something really great in a past life.

Buffy forgot everyone else in the church that was now standing and smiling at her as Giles slowly led her down the aisle. All she could see was Riley, looking so handsome in his uniform, complete with a sword and white gloves. She really was a sucker for a man in uniform. And knowing that not only was he gorgeous, but that he was a gentle, loving, honest man… who treated her like a princess…. she found that it didn’t matter if she tripped or stumbled over her wedding vows, or the cake was lopsided… being married to Riley was all she cared about.

At long last, they reached the altar. Giles affectionately kissed Buffy on the cheek and smiled at Riley before taking his seat next to Joyce. The young couple took each other’s hands and waited for the minister to begin the ceremony.

The middle aged man cleared his throat and said, "We are gathered here today to take part in the most time-honored celebration of the human family, uniting a woman and a man in marriage. Riley and Buffy have come to witness before us, telling of their love for each other. We remember, theirs is a love whose source is the affection of those who loved them into being."

Buffy felt herself calm down as she stared into Riley’s bright blue eyes. With just a look, he reminded her that together, they could do anything.

"We remind them that they are performing an act of complete faith, each in the other; that the heart of their marriage will be the relationship they create. In a world where faith often falls short of expectation, it is a tribute to these two who now join hands and hearts in perfect faith."

Claire sobbed loudly, earning looks from both the bride and groom. Buffy’s shoulders shook as she laughed, while Riley rolled his eyes at his drama queen mother.

The minister looked at Riley and said, "Riley, will you receive Buffy as your wife? Will you pledge to her your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing her with a husband's loyalty and devotion?"

"I will," Riley replied confidently.

"Buffy, will you receive Riley as your husband? Will you pledge to him your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing him with a wife’s loyalty and devotion?"

Buffy smiled widely, "I will."

"Riley and Buffy, receive each other from your fathers and mothers, who give you into each other's keeping, by saying now, each to the other, words which will tell of your love."

Riley took a deep breath, reciting the words he’d memorized, "I, Riley, take you, Buffy to be no other than yourself, in all the ways life may find us, tending you in sickness and rejoicing with you in health, as long as we both shall live to love."

"I, Buffy, take you, Riley to be no other than yourself, in all the ways life may find us, tending you in sickness and rejoicing with you in health, as long as we both shall live to love," Buffy replied, happy that she didn’t screw up and forget anything.

"Will you now give and receive a ring?" the minister prompted.

In unison, they said, "We will."

Aidan, who was the ringbearer, then walked up to the minister with their rings on small white pillow. Gesturing to the pillow, the man continued, "This circlet of precious metal is justly regarded as a fitting emblem of the purity and perpetuity of the Marriage State. The ancients were reminded by the circle of eternity, as it is so fashioned as to have neither beginning nor end; while gold is so incorruptible that it cannot be tarnished by use or time. So may the union, at this time solemnized, be incorruptible in its purity and more lasting that time itself."

He handed Buffy’s wedding ring, which was the original simple band melded to a new one with a diamond on it, to Riley, who in turn slid it on Buffy’s finger.

"Wear this ring forever, Buffy, as a symbol of love and peace and of all that is unending."

Riley pulled his gloves off so that Buffy could slide his ring on as the minister repeated, "Wear this ring forever, Riley, as a symbol of love and peace and of all that is unending."

The couple looked up at each other and smiled brightly, happy to be one step closer to being man and wife…. again.

"We speak to Riley and Buffy of love, in which the trust and freedom of the other person becomes as significant as the trust and freedom of one's self. We speak to them of generosity, which gathers the beauty of earth for riches, and the kindness which turns away the wrath of foolish men and women. We speak of each of our hopes for their continued growth through patience, one for the other. We speak of our confidence that new levels of understanding, discovered by them in experiences of sorrow and tribulation, shall bring ever new surprises of strength and fortitude they do not now know."

"In the years which shall bring Riley and Buffy into greater age and wisdom, we pray that their love shall be ever young; that they shall be able always to recover from moments of despair, the lithesome ways of buoyant youth. In this hope may they keep the vows made on this day, in freedom, teaching each other who they are, what they yet shall be, enabling them to know that in the fullness of being, they are more than themselves and more than each other; that they are all of us, and that together we share joyously the fruits of life."

Madasyn started to fuss, deciding she had been quiet long enough, and Buffy prayed her mother could keep her calm until the ceremony was over because this was absolutely NOT the best of times to have to stop and take care of the baby.

"Inasmuch as Riley and Buffy have declared their love and devotion to each other before family and friends, I now greet them with you as husband and wife. Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be sanctuary to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no isolation for you. Now there is no more loneliness. Now you are two, but there is only one life in front of you."

Smiling at the two of them, he said, "Go now and enter into the days of your togetherness. You now may kiss the bride."

Grinning, the two moved closer together, Buffy throwing her arms around Riley’s neck as he slid his around her waist and their lips met in a passionate kiss. The entire church clapped, including Madasyn, who was soon excited by the reactions around her. Breaking apart from their kiss, the bride and groom grinned at their daughter, feeling that their life together was just a bit more complete.

***

"Oh Honey, you look *so* beautiful," Claire said as she hugged her daughter-in-law.

"Thank you, you look great too," Buffy said, kissing her on the cheek.

"You know, on the one hand, I think that my son is a very lucky man to have such a wonderful woman for a wife… but on the other, I feel sorry for him."

Buffy frowned, "Why is that?"

Claire took Madasyn from Buffy’s arms and kissed the baby, "Because in fifteen years, he is going to have his hands full with this one. I can already tell that with the exception of her hair, Maddy is the spitting image of her mother. Poor Riley will be beating the boys off with a stick."

Buffy laughed, "Well, I can’t argue with that… not sure she looks that much like me, but of course *I* think my daughter is the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Ah, good, Mother has the baby… it’s time for our dance," Riley informed his bride as he approached.

Taking her by the hand, he led her to the center of the dance floor in the banquet hall that they had rented for the reception. As he pulled her into his arms, the DJ started played their song.

Buffy leaned her head against Riley’s firm chest, closing her eyes and smiling contentedly. With the exception of the day she first saw Madasyn, this was the best day of her life. Riley felt the same way, his hands possessively on her waist as he kissed the top of her head. She was his wife and now everyone knew it.

"I’m still mad at you," Claire told her youngest son.

Caleb stopped stuffing hors d'oeuvres in his mouth and said, "What?"

"You should have been a groomsman, not just an usher!"

"I told you, Mom, if I had been a groomsman, I would have either been the only one in a tux or Riley would have had to make *everyone* wear tuxes. Besides, being a groomsman was less stressful."

Claire shook her head and sighed, "You will regret it for the rest of your life."

***

"I just want to tell you that if you smash me in the face with cake, all your friends are prepared to kick your ass," Buffy warned her husband as they stood next to their wedding cake holding a knife.

Riley grinned, "And mess up your beautiful face? I wouldn’t dream of it."

Together, they slid the knife through the cake and cut themselves a piece. Buffy put it on a plate and broke off a small bit before feeding it to him. He happily swallowed it, sucking frosting off each of her fingers. Riley behaved himself during his turn, feeding Buffy her piece and allowing her to suck the frosting off his fingers as well.

As Joyce, Claire and the hired photographer snapped away, Buffy and Riley kissed each other lovingly amongst clapping and much eye rolling from many of the young males at the reception.

***

"Madasyn, are you going to miss your Mommy and Daddy?" Eulalie asked the baby sitting on her lap as she waited for Claire to bring her a piece of cake. "Of course you are, right sweetheart? Well, don’t you worry. Your Grandma Joyce and Grandma Claire will take wonderful care of you."

"Gah!" Madasyn grinned, clapping her hands together.

"Isn’t she darling?" Claire said to her mother as she sat in the chair next to her, carrying three plates with cake. "I brought you a special treat, Sweet Pea."

"Claire, did you ask her mother if it was all right to give her cake?"

"Buffy won’t mind," Claire assured her, feeding Madasyn a tiny bit before pulling her into her own lap. "I’ll hold her so you can eat."

Eulalie began eating, half listening to her daughter’s rambling as she watched all the young people laughing, dancing and eating. She loved happy occasions such as this.

"Oh, look at Buffy and Riley. So in love," Claire sighed.

Eulalie couldn’t help but nod in agreement, "So many times you have to worry when a couple marries…. Will they stay married? But those two are rock solid."

"Definitely," Claire smiled, then lifted Madasyn so she was standing in her lap, "You know what they should do? They should give *you* a little brother or sister. Wouldn’t you like that?"

Madasyn giggled, she loved her Grandma Claire.

"Oh, Claire, you leave those two alone. They are both young and have no need to rush."

"I didn’t say they had to rush, but if I were to mention it, I don’t think it would do any harm."

Eulalie sighed; how on Earth did she end up with such an incorrigible daughter?

***

"So, was it really really gross when I kissed Uncle Riley?" Buffy asked Aidan, as she sat between him and his twin sister while they ate cake.

Aidan shrugged, "It wasn’t too bad. At least I didn’t see your tongues!"

"Aidan!" Nadia shrieked as Buffy laughed.

"Hey Aunt Buffy, do Uncle Riley and his friends ever fight with those swords?" he asked, ignoring his sister.

"I’m not sure, but I don’t think so, Aidan."

"How come you don’t know?"

"Because it’s top secret stuff."

"Wow! It’s so secret that Uncle Riley can’t tell you?" Nadia asked, amazed.

Buffy nodded, "It’s very very secret."

"That’s probably a good idea," Aidan nodded, "Girls can’t keep secrets."

"What?" Buffy cried, reaching over and ticking Aidan, "I don’t think so."

Nadia joined in on the effort until Aidan went limp from laughing so much. She and Buffy let him sit half-slumped in his chair and settled back in their own seats.

"Aunt Buffy, I really like Madasyn. She’s so cute and sweet," Nadia said.

Buffy smiled, "Thank you… I can tell, she likes you too."

"I love it how she’ll see everyone else laugh or clap and look confused for a second, then do it too, just because everyone else is."

"She really loves how she doesn’t talk, though," Aidan added, "Nadia loves people who don’t talk because then she can talk more."

Buffy laughed again as the twins started bickering. She really loved spending time with Riley’s neice and nephew. As much as she wanted Madasyn to stay her little baby forever, she couldn’t wait until she was walking and talking as well…. and hopefully she’d have siblings to fight with as well.

***

"Mom, have you seen the twins?" Rachel asked her mother, carrying Randy around as she looked for her older children, praying they weren’t causing trouble.

"Yes, I just saw them sitting with Buffy," Claire responded.

"Are they bothering her? She shouldn’t be babysitting today of all days."

"They’re fine, Buffy seemed to be enjoying herself. You know, she is so wonderful with children…. I was just telling your grandmother… don’t you think it would be wonderful if Buffy and Riley were to get pregnant soon?"

Rachel sighed, "Mother…."

***

"Willow, I must warn you that if you try to get between me and that bouquet, you may get hurt," Anya informed the witch as they stood with all the other young single women hoping to catch Buffy’s bouquet.

Willow rolled her eyes, and shook her head, but didn’t comment. A part of her really wanted to catch it, not for tradition… just to piss Anya off.

With her back to them, Buffy flung the bouquet towards them, making a conscious effort to control the force she used so she wouldn’t knock someone out with flowers or something.

Naturally, the bouquet headed straight towards Anya and Willow. Nobody had a chance to see who had it first because the bouquet, as well as the two females, ended up on the ground along with the two of them as they wrestled to become the winner.

Eventually, they both stood triumphantly, clutching half of the bouquet in their hands. Xander shook his head abashedly, hoping Anya wouldn’t start talking marriage now, while everyone laughed at the two girls.

Graham set a chair in the middle of the dance floor, and amongst the hoots and hollers of more than a few men, Buffy sat in it. Riley knelt before her and slid his hand up her leg, laughing as the guys shouted even more. At long last, he reached the blue garter and slid it back down her leg.

Standing up, with his back to all the guys, Riley shot the garter at them and straight to Joseph, who first smiled at the garter, then looked horrified at the implication. Having sex with only one person for the rest of his life was *not* something he was interested in!

After a quick change into more casual attire, it was time for Buffy and Riley to leave and begin their honeymoon. Buffy held Madasyn tightly in her arms and felt tears welling in her eyes.

"Oh my baby, I’m going to miss you!"

"She’ll be fine," Riley assured her, "You know your mother and my mother will take *great* care of her."

"I know," she nodded.

"And they have our number if *anything* happens… which it won’t."

Buffy sighed, "I love her very very much."

"I do too…. but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a few days on our own."

"Listen to your husband, Buffy, he speaks the truth," Joyce grinned.

Claire nodded, "And you know, if you want to do something nice for Madasyn while you’re gone… you could make a sibling for her!"

"Mother!" Riley exclaimed as Buffy blushed.

Soon after Buffy reluctantly relinquished Madasyn to her mother, they were swarmed by the guys from Lowell House, who shook hands with Riley and hugged Buffy, even Forrest, who had actually gotten to be good friends with her after they had made amends. After she had said goodbye to all of them and most of the members of Riley’s family, she hugged and kissed Xander and Willow and shared a touching goodbye with Giles before Riley pulled her out to the limo while everyone threw birdseed.

The couple laughed as they saw how the guys had ‘decorated’ the vehicle with shaving cream, cans and condoms before climbing inside. With everyone waving goodbye, Buffy and Riley left for their long delayed honeymoon.

Inside the limo, the two kissed passionately before pulling apart, knowing it would be all the sweeter if they saved it for when they were at long last in their hotel room in Las Vegas. They couldn’t go away for long because of Madasyn, plus they figured it would be kind of romantic to go back where it had all begun.

Buffy settled, resting her head on Riley’s chest as they sat with their arms around each other, "I love you."

"I love you too… I’m so happy you married me… again."

She smiled, "Me too."

"Don’t worry, as soon as we get in the room, we’ll call your mom’s and check on the baby, okay?"

Buffy looked up at him and grinned lovingly; he really was incredibly considerate. "Thank you."

Riley kissed her again before leaning back in his seat, snuggling her close to him. It was amazing, really… how all of this had come about. He never would have dreamed he would be in this position a year and a half earlier…. oh, what a deal he had made.