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Chapter 22: Old Friends Buffy walked into the office and immediately everyone in the room raised their eyes to her. The gang was researching a demon from Cordelia's vision and since the only information that had been sent to her was a flash of the demon with no victim and when Cordelia's favored demon database wasn't helpful, they had to go back to old fashioned book research. Cordelia sighed and closed the book she had been reading. “Could this be any more boring?” she questioned and took another book from the pile. Buffy looked at the brunette with a amused smile, glad that she had a good excuse not to be part of the research party. She directed her eyes back to Angel. “I'm going to the hospital now”, she told him. Angle put down his book and got up from behind the desk. “Cordelia will drive you”, he stated. Cordelia turned her gaze to Angel with a annoyed look on her face. “What am I now, her chauffeur?” she questioned snappily. Buffy looked at Angel, but his eyes told her there was no way he would give in. She gave a defeated sigh and restrained herself from telling him just how bad driver the brunette was, but since that would prevent her from getting anywhere out of the walking distance she kept quiet. “Think of it as an excuse not to do more research”, she said to Cordelia who seemed to brighten at the idea. “Works for me”, she stated and carelessly threw the book to the table, breezing past Buffy. “Come on now, you're gonna be late”, she called out as she grabbed her purse and headed to the door. Buffy chuckled. “I think I should follow her or she'll leave without me”, she said with a grin and pressed a quick kiss to Angel's lips. “I'm not sure how long the tests will take, but I'll see you later”, she added while walking backwards to the door. “Yes, later”, he answered, a frown forming to his face, again he had to watch her go while he wanted to be there with her, hold her hand and keep her from fidgeting at the hospital. Why did they have to live in sunny California? With a sigh he returned to the research, maybe if they found the demon soon enough he could finish painting the baby's room.
After a bunch of tests and endless conversation about home birth, Buffy was walking down the hall towards the cafeteria where Cordelia was waiting for her, the brunette had met a fellow actress and was catching up with her while Buffy was in the tests. Buffy turned around the corner and collided into another person. She took a moment to gather her balance before she lifted her gaze, her eyes widening when she saw who it was. “Riley”, she whispered in surprise, chills running down her spine. “Buffy!” his voice displayed the same surprise, then his eyes shifted down to her round stomach. “Buffy?” he repeated, in shock to find her pregnant, he reached out to her but she took a wary step back. He pulled his hand back, looking like a kicked puppy. “Riley, what are you doing here?” she questioned suspiciously, she hadn't expected to run into him any time soon, actually she hadn't even thought about him. She looked at him with sharp eyes, she was keeping herself on alert, aware of her surrounding and not even one intake of breath from him went unnoticed. She also took note of the crookedness of his nose, Angel had shattered it in blind rage. Apparently it couldn't be completely fixed and it made her feel strange and a little disconcerting pleasure. Quickly she glanced around them, there were people present so she couldn't really pummel him into the ground and she hoped it would also prevent him from doing anything stupid. “My therapist is in this building”, Riley explained his presence. “Oh? That's good”, she said nodding, not knowing what to say to him and not letting her guard down. “I'm better now. I'm seeing a therapist three times a week and I'm on medication. I realize I did some bad things when I... when I lost my mind. And I'm truly sorry”, he said and he really did look repentant, but she didn't let herself believe in him. “That's good for you”, she said awkwardly, itching to get away from him. His eyes went back to her stomach. “You're pregnant”, he stated the obvious. “Yeah, eight months”, she answered, her hands going to the bump, spreading over it protectively. “How?” he asked looking confused. “Artificial insemination, Angel's still a vamp”, she lied smoothly, she wasn't going to tell him she was having a miracle baby, all she knew he was still crazy and working for the Initiative. She couldn't hide the fact that she was pregnant so maybe a normal human's baby wouldn't really interest him. “You were pregnant when I...” he didn't seem to be able to finish the sentence. “Buffy, I'm so terribly sorry. I put the baby's life in danger with my actions and I truly am sorry. I would never forgive myself if something had happened to you or your child. Is it healthy?” She looked at him with scrutiny, he did seem genuinely sorry and she wanted to believe he was getting better, but she couldn't trust him again. “Yes, she or he is perfectly healthy”, she finally answered. “I know you can probably never trust me again, but I want to try and make it up to you. I realize how bad it all got. I'm not the same person anymore”, he swore and she really wanted to believe him. Even though she never loved him and she didn't have feelings for him, he still was a person she had deeply cared about. “I have to go”, she whispered and started backing away. “Buffy, please. Can I meet you some day? In public, maybe lunch or something”, he asked hopefully. “I don't know”, she sighed. “Please, consider it.” “Fine, I'll think about it”, she said and walked away, feeling like she could finally breathe more easily as she got away from him. She quickly went to the cafeteria where Cordelia was still talking animatedly to her friend. As she stopped by the table, Cordelia stopped talking and turned to look at her. “Cordy, could we go home. Please”, Buffy asked. “Yeah, sure”, she answered and turned back to her friend while getting up from the table. “I'll call you later”, she said and the woman nodded. After few quick words, Buffy and Cordelia left the hospital. During the drive back to the hotel, Cordelia noticed that something wasn't right, Buffy was too quiet and started to remind her of Angel with the brooding expression on her face. As they arrived to the hotel, Buffy had gone inside before she could pressure her into talking. She was surprisingly quick for a pregnant woman. “Where did she go?” Cordelia asked Wesley who seemed to be the only other person in the building. Wesley pointed towards the stairs. “She said she will take a shower.” “For someone who has a stomach size of a yoga ball, she's surprisingly quick with her feet. Where's the others?” Cordelia walked around the desk and leaned against the surface, placing her chin on the palms of her hands. From the corner of her eyes, she looked at the page of the book Wesley had been reading. “We found the demon from your vision. It's rather interesting species, they have a...” Wesley stopped as he noticed the bored expression on Cordelia's face. “Well, the others went to hunt the demons. The specie lives in the woods, the darker the better so there is no danger of Angel being harmed by sunlight. And knowing your next question, I am here because he told me to stay waiting for you two to arrive”, he answered the original question. “And it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you have no sense of direction?” Cordelia questioned with a quirky smile and a raised eyebrow. “Well, umm... that might have had something to do with it, but mostly because Angel himself couldn't stay and wait for you.” “Meaning Buffy”, Cordelia stated with a flippant tone before grabbing Wesley's book and pulling it in front of her. “What is this?” she asked and cast him a annoyed look as he pulled it back. As she grabbed it, a paper stayed in her fingers and quickly she unfolded it. She didn't have time to read more than few words before he yanked it out of her hands. “Hey!” she cried out, offended by his manners. “I apologize, Cordelia, but it is not nice to go through other people's belongings without permission”, Wesley said and tucked the paper into his pocket. “The mother will what? And what mother? Who's mother? What's going on, Wesley?” she shot the questions in one string and waved her finger in front of him threateningly. “Cordelia”, Wesley sighed, but she gave him a hard look. “Start singing, four eyes. Is this what you've been working on lately? Being all cryptic and locked up in the office till wee hours?” she demanded to know. “Cordelia, it is not finished yet, I'm not even certain what it is yet so leave it alone, will you”, Wesley said, getting frustrated. He yanked his glasses off and started cleaning them furiously. His face was furrowed into a deep frown and he looked ready to loose his temper. Cordelia looked at him wearily, this wasn't like Wesley. “Fine. Keep your secrets”, she huffed and walked around the desk away from him. “I'm gonna go check on the pregnant lady”, she stated curtly and left. Wesley let out a frustrated sigh and put his glasses back on, looking as she walked up the stairs. He felt bad about snapping at her, but he had been high strung because of the prophecy. He gathered the books and papers from the receptionist desk and went to the office. He'd apologize later. Cordelia couldn't understand what was going on with Wesley, ever since Buffy's visit to Sunnydale he had been stressed out, but lately even more so. She suspected it had something to do with the papers and books Giles sent him. With a sigh she knocked on the door, deciding to think about Wesley later. There was no answer to the knock, but since she knew for certain Angel wasn't there, she had the courage to just walk in. “Wesley is acting majorly weird and I want to know what happened in the hospital that caused you to do the Angel imitation”, she said as she walked to the living room where Buffy was sitting, watching tv. But then she noticed Buffy's shoulders were shaking and as she got close enough, she could see she was crying. “What's wrong?” Cordelia asked and sat next to her, running her hand up and down her arm, trying to calm down the blonde. Buffy turned her eyes to Cordelia and wiped away her tears. “It's nothing”, she choked out, more tears pouring from her eyes. “It's obviously something, your practically drowning us with the water”, Cordelia said, giving her the expression she wasn't going to give up until the truth was out. “Really, it's nothing. I just saw this dog food commercial with little puppies in it and the next thing I know, I'm crying my eyes out. But they were just so adorable and little and unaware of the cruelty of this world”, Buffy explained through her tears and the brunette looked at her like she had finally lost it. “Let me get this straight, you're crying over a commercial about puppies now? Jeez, I never want to get pregnant”, Cordelia sighed, causing Buffy cry even louder. “Definitely never”, she muttered to herself and awkwardly tried to comfort the crying blonde.
It was already late when Angel and Gunn returned to the Hyperion. The fight had been brutal and Angel was still worked up from the fight. He decided to leave cleaning the axe till the next day and climbed the stairs, making his way to his and Buffy's room. As he had closed the door, he shed off the sweaty, torn shirt and headed to the bedroom. He tried to move quietly in case she was sleeping. “Hey. How was the day at the office?” she asked setting down the book she had been reading while waiting for him. Angel gave her one of his crooked smiles. “I thought you'd be sleeping”, he stated and made his way to the bed, sitting to the edge. “You know we can't sleep well without you. And you look pretty beat up”, she said raising up to sit. She ran her hand over his shoulders, noting all the scratch marks on his clothes, there seemed to be very little traces of blood, but that didn't assure her. “Bacchez demons are tough and they travel in groups”, Angel stated and got up to his feet. He went to the dresser and grabbed a clean shirt. But he didn't have a chance to put it on as he heard Buffy saying, “I saw Riley today.” He turned around and looked at her, hoping he had heard wrong. “What?!” “I said I saw Riley”, she repeated. “I heard you. You saw him where? What did he do?” he questioned with a hard voice, taking steps closer to her. To anyone else he would have looked intimidating, but she didn't feel threatened. “Why are you acting like that? You're acting like I did something wrong. I ran into him at the hospital, he was there to see his psychiatrist”, she said getting up from the bed and facing him with a scowl. “I'm not blaming you. I just don't trust *him*. Did he try anything?” He sighed, this was going all wrong. “No, he didn't try anything. He's getting better, he's seeing a shrink and popping pills”, she said, she was getting angry at him. She didn't trust Riley, but her feelings were too hurt to tell that to Angel. Angel ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, hoping it would calm him down. The thought of her facing Riley Finn while carrying his baby made his blood boil. And his face showed it too. “Why didn't you tell me this before?” he demanded, inwardly he cursed the harshness of his voice. “When? You were out! How was I supposed to tell you? I'm not telepathic!” she yelled at him. Angel took a step closer to her, but she backed away, giving him a hard look. “Buffy”, he sighed. He had had a long day and he didn't want to fight, especially since she was pregnant. “Don't you Buffy me, mister!” she said shaking her finger at him. “Don't act like a child”, he chastised. “So now I'm a child!” she cried out, getting even more angry. Her unbalanced hormones weren't helping the situation either. She felt like yelling, crying, throwing things and just burrowing into the safety of his arms, but she also felt hurt that he didn't seem to trust her. He closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He didn't seem to manage to say anything right. “Buffy. Baby. Let's not fight”, he tried and quickly made his way across the room to her. But she wasn't letting it go. “Okay, let's not fight. I'm sleeping in another room. Obviously I'm a child that can not be trusted”, she bit out, grabbed a pillow from the bed and marched out of the room. “Buffy!” Angel called out and hurried after her. She yanked open the door of the next room and froze. Angel stopped behind her, controlling himself from saying anything more. She took a step inside and looked around herself, the room smelled like recently dried paint. The room seemed like it had been just renovated, there were Disney characters painted to the walls and only furniture were a child's bed and a bookshelf filled with stuffed animals and books. “Angel”, she breathed out, looking around herself in awe, now she knew why he had been covered with paint just few days ago. “You did this?” she questioned turning around and giving him a small smile. It was a pointless question since she already knew the answer. “Yeah”, he answered, walking closer to her. He was alarmed when he saw the tears in her eyes, but soon calmed down, he had already learned the difference between so called happy tears and the tears of pain and sorrow. “I'm sorry I yelled at you. I've just been overly emotional the whole day”, she said walking into his arms and laying her head to his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been so harsh, I didn't mean it like it sounded”, he said. She sighed deeply. “It's just the way you said it, it was like you were blaming me for being at the hospital at the same time as he was.” “Honey, that's not what I meant, I don't blame you for anything. I trust you with my life. It's him that I don't trust”, he quickly answered, pulling back enough so he could see her face. When it came to her, he couldn't think straight, if it was anybody else he could control his emotions and what he was saying, but not with her. “I just overreacted, these hormones make me wacky”, she shrugged it off, she had calmed down and wanted to forget the little fight ever happened. She looked at the room again. “It's beautiful”, she stated in a whisper. “I was afraid I might not get it ready before the baby is born. It was supposed to be a surprise”, he confessed. He smoothed her hair back and stared into her eyes, it was like their fight hadn't even happened, but he guessed it was part of living with a pregnant woman. “Let's go to bed”, he suggested and got no objections from her. He pulled her with him to the door, she was still clutching the pillow. “Don't get all mad. But he wants to make up for the things he did”, she said with a soft voice, unsure if she wanted to continue the conversation. Angel gritted his teeth, preventing himself from saying something too harshly. “He asked to have lunch with me”, she added carefully. Angel closed his eyes, holding on to his control. “I don't want you seeing him alone”, he said slowly, he wanted to say he didn't allow her to see Riley Finn ever again, but he didn't want another fight to break out, he knew how much she hated it when people told her what to do. “I didn't say I was going to see him. I don't trust him either, and even if he's better, I don't think I could ever trust him again”, she stated challenging him with her eyes. “Okay. Let's talk about this tomorrow, we're both tired and you should be asleep already”, he said and they walked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
“Sleep sounds good”, she answered with a small smile, then turned to him more serious. “But I think you should shower before getting into bed”, she added with wrinkled nose.
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