Next Chapter
|
Chapter 16: Center of attention Buffy and Angel were sitting on the lobby's couch, cleaning their weapons, working in perfect synchronization. Without even having to look at each other, they traded their tools and continued the task. The others looked at them with mild amusement, the couple worked so well together that it was almost like they could read each others mind. The quiet moment was interrupted when a woman in her late twenties, dressed in a bright red dress, strolled through the front door, drawing every males attention to herself. Cordelia rolled her eyes at the display, men were so easy and Buffy sent a glare at Angel's way. “Don't make a pregnant slayer with a weapon jealous”, she whispered to him and he turned to look at her, amusement clear in his face. The woman looked at Angel, a look of suspicion flashing through her face before she dismissed him and turned to Wesley and Gunn by the counter. She stalked to the reception desk and leaned against it. “Hey there”, she drawled softly. When both Gunn and Wesley jumped to greet her, Buffy and Cordelia shared a look and rolled their eyes. “Gunn, was it?” the woman questioned and Gunn quickly nodded in confirmation, suddenly not trusting his voice. “I bet you don't remember me, but we met some time ago, you saved me from that terrible creature. I'm Mimi Parker”, she said and again Gunn nodded his head, clearing his throat. “Yeah. Of course, I remember”, he answered while trying to keep his eyes from wandering down to her generously displayed bust. Mimi smiled at him sweetly and then turned her attention to Wesley who had been patiently waiting to be introduced to her. “Hello, I'm Mimi Parker”, she introduced herself to him. “Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Pleasure to meet you, miss Parker”, he answered with a shy smile. “I bet it is”, Cordelia muttered to herself, glaring at the woman's back. “Uhm... Gunn, could I speak to you in private? You handled my case so well last time...” She didn't have time to finish as he jumped in. “Yes, let's go to my office”, Gunn interrupted her and led her to Angel's office. “His office?!” Wesley questioned, not able to keep the jealousy out of his voice. “Come on, she's all plastic and silicone and you guys are flooding the lobby with your drool”, Buffy commented. “Excuse me, I do not drool”, Wesley protested and straightened his back proudly. Both Buffy and Cordelia raised an eyebrow at his statement, clearly not thinking the same. Buffy turned to look at Angel who had had his eyes set on her ever since her comment. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him, annoyance clear in her face. “Are you jealous?” he asked with a smirk, it always made him a happy man when he wasn't the only one with possessive feelings in the relationship. “No”, she answered with a pout as her eyes glared at him. His crooked smile only widened. “Honey”, he said with a sweet voice and nuzzled against her neck, her eyes closed on their own accord. “You know I love it when you get jealous. But there's really no reason to be”, he said against her skin, causing shivers run all over her body. His hand slowly stroked her stomach and he pressed a soft kiss to the crook of her neck. “Hey, what have I told you two!? No constant snuggling, kissing or double entendres when I'm in the building. Haven't I been traumatized enough by you two!” Cordelia chastised them but her voice was just background noise to the couple. Angel's lips brushed against the scar on Buffy's neck and she had to fight against moaning aloud. “Hello! I would escape to the office but Gunn is there with miss Silicone”, Cordelia called out and reluctantly Buffy pulled away from Angel's lips' reach. “I think we shouldn't. Cordy just broke up with her boyfriend, I don't wanna rub it on her face”, she explained and Angel nodded in understanding. He had become more comfortable in showing signs of affection in front of the group than he had been before but he still believed it should be private, but sometimes he couldn't help himself. “Does your back hurt again?” he asked in concern as he noticed her grimacing as she shifted in her seat. Was it normal for a pregnant woman to have back pains so often? She gave him a soft smile. “Just a little”, she answered and shifted again, trying to get a more comfortable position. Angel moved closer to her and gently started massaging her lower back, quickly relieving the pain. She closed her eyes and smiled, letting out a soft sigh in appreciation. After a while, he leaned closer to her ear, speaking in hushed tones but not stopping his ministrations on her back. “We should go upstairs, maybe those relaxing oils might help. And maybe we should go see doctor Lang, there could be something wrong.” Buffy turned to look at him with a assuring smile and shook her head. He was constantly worrying about her and the baby, especially after she had been kidnapped twice. “It's just because the baby is so big and I'm short. I bet the baby inherited your genes on growth and is big as a water melon.” He chuckled at her melodramatics but only got a glare shot his way. “Not funny. I'm the one that has to give birth to the water melon”, she said with a pout. “Come on, let's go upstairs. I'm sure Gunn will be more than happy to take over while we're gone”, he said and pulled her to her feet. She glanced at the office. “I bet he is”, she muttered and let Angel guide her to their bedroom. “Where did Buffy and Angel disappear to?” Wesley asked after a while, looking around himself. “I don't wanna know”, Cordelia answered and pointed at the stairs.
Gunn slunk through the door and tiredly sat down to the first chair he found, placing the still bloody axe to the counter. “So how was the case?” Angel asked looking at the exhausted man in front of him. “Solved. There was a nest close by. And she asked me to dinner”, Gunn answered with a yawn. “Who?” Angel asked with a frown, on their business everything was possible. “Miss Parker asked you to dinner?” Wesley asked not able to keep the envy out of his voice. “That's right, English. We're having dinner at her place tonight, just the two of us”, Gunn smirked and Wesley sent his version of a glare at his way. Buffy walked to the men and directed her gaze to Gunn, clearly not happy. “Why is there a bloody axe on the counter? And with the handle over the edge?” she questioned sternly. “'Cause I put it there”, Gunn stated not understanding her point. “Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea how easily the baby could drop it?!” “The baby isn't even born yet, Buffy”, Gunn pointed out and got a glare directed his way. “But soon it will be. This place is practically a deathtrap!” Angel quickly made his way around the reception desk and laid a calming hand to her shoulder. “Calm down, sweetheart. Don't get too excited”, he murmured to her ear, languidly stroking her back. “Gunn, clean the axe and put it back to the cabinet”, he told Gunn before guiding Buffy to the office. He sat her down to the lush leather chair and leaned against the desk. “Don't stress yourself”, he said, reaching out and smoothing her hair back. “I can't help it. I was reading this baby magazine and it made me realize I have nothing repaired. Soon the baby will be born and we have so much to do. I'm not ready!” She got more distressed by every sentence. “Shh... Don't worry, we'll put locks on the weapon cabinets and make the building baby friendly”, he assured her. “I killed my gold fish!” she reminded him. “The baby is not a gold fish”, he chuckled. “Exactly!” she cried out. “What if I'm gonna be a bad mother? I know nothing about babies”, she said nearly hyperventilating. He took her hands into his own, drawing her gaze to him. “Buffy. You are going to be a wonderful mother. Trust me”, he said looking into her eyes. “Okay, panic attack over”, she breathed out, considerably more calm. She glanced around the office before bringing her gaze back to his. “But we really do need to lock the weapons and get those plug thingys to the electric sockets”, she stated with a frown. Gunn knocked to the doorframe and looked in, making sure it was safe. “Okay, the axe is clean and hidden away from babies that aren't gonna be crawling around for months”, he said, coming to stand in front of the desk. Buffy looked at him somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry about my little meltdown earlier. You know, hormones going wonky”, she apologized, glad that she could use the hormones-excuse. “Yeah, I know. Hey, could I leave early? I'm meeting Mimi later.” “Sure, it seems quiet enough around here”, Angel answered and with a nod of confirmation, Gunn left the office. “He's meeting Mimi?” Buffy questioned with a raised eyebrow. “He has a date”, Angel answered. “Men”, she muttered rolling her eyes.
“Hey, a gentleman never tells”, Gunn answered and went to sit behind the counter, folding his arms on the surface before resting his head on his arms and closing his eyes. He yawned again. “Man, that woman was insatiable”, he stated with wonderment in his voice, shaking his head but not opening his eyes. “Not you too! It's bad enough with big momma and broody over here and now I have to hear about your bedroom stories! I so need a raise!” Cordelia griped. “So, I take it the date went well”, Angel stated. “Yeah, I'm meeting her tonight”, Gunn muttered and few minutes later was asleep. “Okay, that's weird. I've seen him all ready for more after a tough fight and not sleeping in few days and now he's drained!?” “Cordelia, just because the man is tired doesn't mean there's anything strange going on”, Angel chastised and Cordelia raised an questioning eyebrow. “I didn't say anything. You said that all by yourself”, she stated dismissively and Angel looked at her confused. He was about to say something to her, when his eyes landed on Buffy who was carrying a bag and wearing her comfortable walking shoes. He walked past Cordelia, making his way to Buffy. “You going somewhere?” he asked glancing at bag. “Cordy and I are going to the beach now”, she stated. “I thought it wouldn't be today”, he muttered with what dangerously looked like a pout. “Don't pout, Angel. It's perfectly safe, I've got my mace and the electric thingy plus a stake, I may be pregnant but I can still look after myself and Cordy will be there”, she said placing her hands on her hips and challenging him with her eyes. She was feeling a little confined staying at the hotel so much but she didn't want to remind him that she needed the sun, a place where he couldn't take her to. He sighed deeply, he couldn't deny her from having a normal life, she belonged to the light. “Just promise to be careful”, he said and she smiled at him, he was so cute. “Angel, the beach isn't exactly a crime mecca of LA. And I've got Cordelia with me, you should see how scary she looks with a spatula.” He gave her a half a smile, just the thought of Cordelia with anything cooking related was a scary thought. “I promise to take care of the pregnant lady. Stop brooding already”, Cordelia ordered and grabbed Buffy by arm, dragging her to the door without a second glance at Angel. “I'll see you in couple hours”, Buffy called out from the door and Angel's frown deepened as she disappeared into the sun. “Is something wrong?” Wesley asked from behind him, despite having his soul permanent, Angel did have a tendency to brood but he usually did it when he was alone. Angel turned to face his friend that looked a little worried. “No”, he answered, then after a brief silence, his frown was replaced with a anxious look. “Am I doing wrong towards Buffy?” he asked his tone of voice mirroring the look on his face. “Wrong? What you mean?” Wesley asked confused. “For pursuing a life with her. She's still young, she has so many possibilities in life. She says she won't regret it and I know she loves me, but I still can't give her the things a normal boyfriend could. Like taking her to the beach.” Wesley sighed in relief that it wasn't more pressing matter, he took off his glasses and looked at the again frowning vampire. “Angel, I assure you, you are not doing her wrong. She chose to live with you, to pursue a relationship with you despite the obstacles you two have had and you know how determined young woman she is, I doubt she would be with you if she didn't want to. And about the boyfriend matter, I do believe you two have talked it through. Lending Cordelia's words, get over it”, Wesley answered and put his glasses back on. Angel looked at the former watcher, stunned, he hadn't expected that kind of an answer. “I'm sorry, Wes. You're right, Buffy wants to make her own decisions and she has made her point clear. It was just a small panic attack, the baby will be coming soon and it's really just starting to sink in.” A smile started to play on his lips as he mentioned the baby, he didn't even notice it but it happened every time he even thoughts about his unborn child that never should have been a possibility. “It's quite normal to be nervous from the nearing fatherhood but I am certain you have nothing to worry about”, Wesley assured him.
Buffy was sitting on a lounge chair under an umbrella as Cordelia was working on her tan next to her. “We should check her out”, Cordelia suddenly stated. Buffy turned to look at her, pulling her sunglasses down and staring at the brunette with a questioning look. “Check who?” “Miss Big Bust. Who do you think!? You have to admit there's something majorly weird about Gunn's new playmate.” “Yeah, I admit but maybe it's just that I don't like her”, Buffy answered with a frown, she didn't like the woman but she couldn't trust her slayer-vibes either, since along with her hormones they were all over the place. “Oh come on! I can't stand Miss Cleavage either but there is something wrong with her”, Cordelia said passionately, then seemed to come to realization as her face took an AHA!-expression. “She dismissed Angel with just one glance and went after Wes and Gunn like they were a piece of meat.” Buffy face darkened and she sent a glare at the brunette. “It's her luck she didn't come after Angel”, she griped with jealousy flashing in her eyes. “Yeah, sure. But it's weird, she didn't give him a second glance, sure Wes and Gunn are hot but COME ON!” Again Buffy glared at her but Cordelia didn't seem to care. “We need to find out what's her deal. Find out if she has criminal record, has she paid her taxes, where she takes her botox”, she continued, absently waving her hand as she talked. “Wouldn't that be wrong?” Buffy questioned uncertainly but she was tempted with the idea. “No, we're just looking after our friend, it's our duty.” “Okay, we'll call Willow once we get back to the hotel”, Buffy agreed and Cordelia smiled triumphantly. But her smile faded as a man in his mid twenties came to stand by them. “You're in my sun”, Cordelia stated, not even caring that the man was very good looking. “But it doesn't compare to your smile”, the man said, making Cordelia roll her eyes and Buffy giggle at the lame line. “I'm not interested”, Cordelia said with her best queen C expression. “But how about a cup of coffee”, the guy suggested clearly not taking the hint. “Didn't you hear, I'm not interested. We're gonna have a baby soon”, Cordelia said with fake sweetness and gently patted Buffy's pregnant stomach. The guys eyes widened with a perfect deer caught in headlights look and he was clearly uncomfortable. “Uhm... Congratulations... Umm... I just remembered... I am... I was... I see my friends there. Bye”, he said and quickly scattered away. Cordelia giggled and turned to look at Buffy who was looking at her with an raised eyebrow. “Could you think of any quicker way to get rid of him?” she stated and got up from the blanket, folding it and pulling on her clothes. “Is everything alright?” Buffy questioned with worry clear in her voice, it was the fifth guy Cordelia had sent away with one glance. “Everything's fine. Why?” Cordelia asked absently. “That was the fifth guy you shot down. Sure he had trouble with the pick up lines but the others could actually keep up a conversation.” Cordelia stopped and turned to look at Buffy. “Just because there's guys around me, doesn't mean I want one to be there all the time. I'm gonna lay low for a while, I've had enough assholes in short time period”, she explained and gave a look that she didn't want to continue the topic. Buffy decided to drop it. They went back to the hotel, finding it nearly abandoned, only Gunn sleeping in the office. Buffy grabbed the phone and dialed Willow's number. She sat down and waited for an answer. “Hey, Willow... I need a favor, I need you to use your hacker skills and find out about a Mimi Parker... Gunn's seeing her and we think there might be something fishy about her... No, not as an actual fish, though that wouldn't be anything new... Yeah, it's probably nothing...” “Yeah, right”, Cordelia scoffed and Buffy sent an halfhearted glare at her way before turning her attention back to the phone. “Yeah, we've got a address”, she answered to Willow and got up, making her way to the filing cabinet and quickly going through the files. When her search appeared to be futile, she covered the speaker and turned to Cordelia. “Where's the file?” “Try the 'S'”, Cordelia answered absently. Buffy looked at her in confusion but then turned her attention back to the cabinet, finding the file under S and giving the address to Willow. Again she covered the phone and turned to the brunette. “Why is Mimi Parker under S?” she questioned, still wearing the confused expression on her face. “S as in silicone. There is no way she was born with them”, Cordelia stated like it was the obvious answer. Buffy resisted the need to roll her eyes, she was sure she would never get used to Cordelia's filing style, but she doubted she was the only one. “Okay, thanks Willow... Can you call me as soon as you find out anything? Okay... I'll call you tomorrow... Tell everyone 'Hi' for me... Thanks again. Bye”, she finished the phone call and put down the phone. “She'll call if she finds out anything”, she told Cordelia. “I got that already”, Cordelia answered. Buffy looked around herself, finding it odd that no one was around, but she still had the tell tale sign that Angel was near. “I'm just gonna check on Angel”, she stated and headed to the stairs, missing the eye roll Cordelia gave her. She knocked on the door before entering the bedroom, finding Angel sitting on the bed, staring at the crib with a deep frown. “Are you brooding again?” she asked and slowly he directed his gaze to her. “No”, he answered but seeing her disbelieving look, amended, “Okay, I was. I was just thinking.” “Which isn't always a good sign”, she stated and closed the door before coming to sit next to him. He raised an questioning eyebrow at her. “Are you saying I'm just a pretty face?” he asked with mock seriousness. “Of course not... You've got a pretty body too”, she answered with a smirk, sharing a smile with him. After a while, she turned serious. “So what were you brooding about?” she asked. “The baby will be born soon”, he started and she nodded, not saying anything as she waited for him to continue. “What if the birth starts during the day?” he questioned with a hint of anxiety in his voice. “That really doesn't matter since I'm going to give birth here, no speeding to the hospital, getting stuck on traffic or any of that stuff”, she stated. “Are you sure about that?” She nodded. “Yeah, I'm sure. As you know, I hate hospitals, I would be even more nervous about being there than giving birth. Here I can stay in my own surroundings, eat and drink when I want, no waiting, no other patients. We'll get a midwife and no problemo“, she explained her plans. “But what about when the baby is born?” “Hey, I'm the one that has to give birth to the baby and what I've heard it's not a ride in the park. And it's not like I can give birth in a hospital through the haze of epidural and laughing gas”, Buffy reminded him and he offered her a sympathetic smile. She cupped his cheek and looked him straight in the eye. “Angel, you're gonna be a wonderful father. We're gonna do this together and we have more help than we need. Here we have Cordy, Gunn and Wesley, in Sunnydale we have the whole gang and my mom, we're not alone”, she assured him. He gave her a half smile and covered her hand with his. “Okay, panic attack over”, he repeated her earlier words and pulled her into a tender kiss.
It was late in the evening and Gunn had gone off to his date with Mimi. Buffy was feeling anxious, the slayer in her was screaming to got to patrol and she did everything she could to keep her mind out of going out. She even tried to convince Cordelia into training but the brunette refused, three times a week was enough for her. The phone rang and Wesley answered it. “Buffy, Willow wants to talk to you”, he said offering the phone to her. She nodded and hurried to the phone. “Willow? What you find out? Oh?” Everyone could tell by the look on her face that it wasn't good news. “Okay, thanks... Goodnight”, she finished the phone call and set the phone down, a deep frown marring her face. “Bad news?” Angel asked, making his way to her. “You could say that”, she answered and turned to Cordelia. “Willow e-mailed the information to you”, Buffy said and Cordelia went to the computer, quickly logging in on her e-mail account. “Oh-oh”, she sighed as she opened the first page. “What is it? Or am I too afraid to ask?” Buffy asked and walked behind her, looking at the screen over Cordelia's shoulder. “It appears that Gunn's girlfriend isn't what she seems to be. First of all she moves town every fifteen years and she's done it for over hundred years”, Cordelia answered. “I knew there was something wrong with her!” she exclaimed loudly after a brief pause. She would never admit it but sharing all the attention with Buffy was bad enough without some busty maneater, for almost two years she had been the girl of the group. “What are you talking about?” Angel asked and went to the two women with Wesley following. “The woman Gunn and Wes were drooling over is over hundred years old”, Cordelia stated. “Miss Parker is...” Wesley started not believing it. “A demon. We're not sure what but there's higher than normal mortality rate among young men when she's in town”, Buffy interrupted him. “How can you be sure she has anything to do with it?” he questioned still not believing that the beautiful young woman he met could be a murdering demon. “Willow sent a bunch of police files, don't wanna know how she got them, and there's a mention of few dates with a young woman, victim being tired and next thing you know, Bang! He's dead, the report say they're like drained from energy”, Cordelia explained. “And Gunn is on a date with her!” Buffy yelped in realization and everyone jumped into movement. “Okay, we need to go there, get him back here and find out what she is. Cordelia, stay with Buffy”, Angel ordered and hurriedly grabbed an axe from the wall before leaving the hotel with Wesley following. “Okay, since the guys are on the rescue mission, I guess it's left to us to read all the gruesome details”, Buffy sighed, she was actually feeling jealous that she couldn't go with them. Now she knew how the scoobies felt like when they didn't get to come with when she was fighting the newest baddie. “Eww! You get the coroners reports”, Cordelia stated with a disgusted expression and started printing the pages. Two hours later Angel and Wesley dragged a crumbled looking Gunn through the door and set him down to the first chair they could find. “Cordy, get the medical box”, Angel ordered and without hesitating Cordelia went to find it. “What happened?” Buffy asked and made her way to the three men. “It seems miss Parker was a demon that consumes life force of young men and Gunn was the next intended victim”, Wesley explained. “So I read all the coroners reports for nothing. Ygh!” Buffy muttered, then turned her attention back to Gunn who was struggling to stay conscious. “So she got all the way into the whole lifesucking thing. I hope you chopped her head off.” “As a matter a fact, Angel did”, Wesley stated. “He looks really drained. Wes, get one of those vitamin thing drinks from the kitchen. And power bars, if the demon drained him from energy he's gonna need some back”, Buffy ordered and with a nod Wesley hurried to the kitchen, almost colliding into Cordelia who was returning with the medical box. “I think we should take him to a bed”, she stated looking at the man up and down. “You're right”, Angel stated and lifted Gunn to his shoulder, going upstairs with the two women following. They went to the first clean enough room and Angel lowered Gunn to the bed. Gunn coughed painfully, rushing into full consciousness. Buffy started cleaning the wounds and soon Wesley brought the drink and food. Slowly Gunn's strength started coming back but not enough for him even to sit up. “I'm thinking of swearing off women”, he croaked. “Look on the bright side, none of us is ever gonna have a normal relationship. I'm gonna have a baby with a 240+ vampire, Cordy's boyfriend tried to feed us to a giant snake demon for fortune” Buffy paused long enough to slap Angel who was starting to brood after mentioning the incident, he was still having jealousy issues about that, “Back in Sunnydale Xander had a crush on a teacher that turned out to be a giant praying mantis, next was a Inca mummy girl and now he's dating an ex-vengeance demon. Willow's first boyfriend was a demon robot and the next a werewolf, and my mom's boyfriend turned out to be a robot. So you're not alone on the freakish relationships”, Buffy said helpfully. ”That's not really assuring”, Gunn stated.
|
