Buffy giggled as Angel's tongue dipped into her bellybutton. He kept shedding soft kisses around it and all over her stomach while slowly making his way up. His fingers brushed the underside of her breasts sending shivers running through her body and she let out a soft moan as his lips wrapped around a dusky nipple.

“Angel”, she breathed out his name and at that moment, her stomach decided to let out a low rumble. He chuckled, his warm breath hitting her skin in short puffs. A blush rose to her cheeks and she gave him a embarrassed smile.

“Breakfast in bed?” he suggested with a raised eyebrow and brushed a soft kiss to her chest.

“It's Friday, you're supposed to meet the guys”, she reminded him even though the thought of spending the morning in bed with Angel did sound tempting, very tempting.

“I rescheduled. You're my breakfast”, he said and playfully bit the base of her neck. She giggled but soon it turned into a breathy moan as his lips traveled up her neck, shedding languid kisses to her skin till he reached her lips. She responded into his kiss with passion, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him closer to her body. He was arched over her, trying to keep his weight off of her and her pregnant stomach. His fingers threaded into her hair and he pulled back, softly brushing his lips against hers before opening his eyes to look at her. Her eyes were closed and she was trying to steady her breathing. She really was a beautiful sight and all his. She invoked feelings in him that he had never felt before and that scared him, the thought of hurting her made him physically ill and he knew he was bound to hurt her at some point. He knew she loved him but he wasn't sure if he was even capable of the feeling.

“Did you even call the guys?” Buffy asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts and he was glad that she did. Forgetting the depressing direction his thoughts were taking him, he turned his full attention to her and nodded.

“Of course I did”, he answered innocently and gave her neck a little nip with his teeth. She let out another happy giggle but once again her stomach chose that moment to protest.

“I'll get us some breakfast”, he said against her neck, giving the soft skin a long lick before brushing a quick kiss to her lips. He got off the bed, not bothering with clothes but he did grab his cellphone from the pile of clothes on the chair. He dialed a number and waited for an answer.

“I'll be twenty...” Angel peaked into the bedroom and a carnal smile rose to his lips, “Forty minutes late”, he said to the phone before hanging up and heading down the stairs, going into the kitchen to prepare the breakfast.

He was gathering items to the tray when the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock and with a growl he left the kitchen. “I'm coming!” he yelled to the door and quickly ran up the stairs, going to the bedroom. The bed was empty and he could hear the water running in the bathroom. He hoped he could get rid of whoever was on the door so he could join her. With a smirk he returned downstairs and yanked the door open.

“So you are alive”, Doyle stated as his glowering friend opened the door.

“Yeah, I'm alive, I just left a message. How'd you know I was here?” Angel asked, leaning to the doorframe not making a move to let the three men inside the house.

“You weren't at your own place. Why do you even keep the apartment since you practically live here?”

“I don't practically live here and why don't you three old ladies just scurry off.”

“You're not trying to get rid of us, are you, Angel?” Wesley asked with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, he is and I can see why. And I bet she's better breakfast company than we are”, Doyle answered and looked up past Angel's head.

“Angel?” Buffy called out and leaned over the railing to get a better look downstairs. Angel turned around, his eyes immediately drawing to her. She was wearing nothing but one of his shirts and suddenly he was overwhelmed by an urge to gouge his friends eyes out for seeing her. But before he could surrender to that urge, she seemed to see the three men at the door and a bright blush rose to her cheeks. She pulled the hem down and wrapped her arms over her waist.

“Uhm... hi”, she offered giving them a small wave of a hand and an embarrassed smile.

“Morning”, came from the three men that were still standing on the porch.

“Angel, let them in”, Buffy said pointedly and grudgingly Angel stepped out of the doorway and let his friends in. Buffy returned to the bedroom and quickly got dressed before going downstairs, heading to the kitchen where the men were.

“Coffee?” she asked and went to the coffee maker.

“Why not”, Doyle answered and ignored the glare Angel sent his way.

“English here doesn't drink coffee. You'd think after living twenty years in this country he would've stopped drinking tea and learned to drink coffee”, Gunn said and playfully punched Wesley to the arm.

“Okay, so I'll boil some water too. I have some Earl Grey in some cabinet but I can't say how old it is”, Buffy said and reached for the teakettle. She took a step closer to the table and leaned close to Angel's ear. Just the faint smell of her perfume made him want to throw the guys out and go with the morning as he had planned. She would be spending the weekend in Sunnydale and now he had to share her with his friends. What evil had he done to deserve this?

“And I thought I heard you said something about breakfast”, she reminded him and took a step back, going back to preparing the coffee. Angel turned in his seat to look at her and she gave him an innocent smile. He glanced skywards and got up from the chair, stepping to stand behind her and placing his hands to the tabletop, trapping her in between.

“This was not my idea of our breakfast together”, he whispered to her ear.

“I know. But they're your friends, we can't just kick them out”, she answered, getting a grin from him.

“Sure we can”, he said and brushed his lips against her ear before pulling the lobe between his lips.

“Behave”, she ordered with a laugh and gave him a soft slap before ducking under his arm to freedom.

“She keeps you in a tight leash, doesn't she, Angel”, Doyle laughed as Angel started to reheat the breakfast he had managed to prepare before his friends showed up. Angel turned to look at him and was about to retaliate when Buffy beat him to it.

“Watch what you're saying or you'll leave hungry”, she said and looked at him pointedly. The other two men in the table laughed.

“I believe I heard Angel mentioning that you are going away for the weekend”, Wesley stated directing the conversation to a safe route.

“Yeah, I'm going to see my mother”, she answered, turning to look at Angel. They shared a knowing look, they had been talking about telling Joyce and now it was finally happening.

“Ah, mothers love our Angel”, Doyle stated with a grin.

“Not this mother”, Angel answered giving Doyle a glare to keep his mouth shut, he didn't want Buffy to find out just how much mothers loved him. Doyle loved to tell the stories of him “dating” a mother and a daughter at the same time during high school and in college. He doubted Buffy would find the stories as amusing as Doyle did.

“How is it that you haven't charmed her yet?” Wesley asked innocently, he too was very well aware of how easily Angel could wrap women around his finger when he wanted to.

“It's his chosen profession that's on the way”, Buffy answered and opened a cabinet, reaching out to the coffee cups but Angel beat her to it, placing them safely to the tabletop. She gave him a grateful smile and went to set the table.

“Your mother dislikes lawyers?” Wesley asked.

“Yeah and so do I. With one exception”, she answered and gave Angel a grin. His lips curved into a cocky smile. He took the heated food from the stove and set it to the table before sitting down, his eyes following Buffy till she came to sit next to him.

“I am a lawyer also”, Wesley stated and looked at the blond sitting across the table. She looked at him with mild surprise.

“Okay, two exceptions”, she amended.

“That's nice to hear”, Wesley smiled.

“Hope you're not putting moves on my girl, Wes”, Angel said with mock seriousness and draped his arm over Buffy's shoulder in a possessive manner. Wesley chuckled.

“Well, I believe you have nothing to worry about, I am a realist and I know my subtle English charm is no match to you”, he said.

“I don't know, the accent is kinda sexy”, Buffy said with a smirk and reached across the table to pat his hand in a comforting manner.

“Should I be worried?” Angel asked with a raised eyebrow. She gave him a soft smile and leaned closer to him.

“Nope. I still think you're a major hottie”, she whispered to his ear giving the lobe a quick lick, a payback for what he had done to her earlier. With a delighted giggle she got up from the table to get the coffee. Wesley, Doyle and Gunn just stared in awe at the interaction between the couple, they had never seen Angel act like that with a woman, especially in front of them but then again, he had never had a girlfriend before. Just the thought sounded strange to the men.

Angel was sitting in his grandfather's office, waiting for him to finish with his meeting. He was bored and actually waiting to get to work so he could attempt to get the little blond out of his mind. He was drumming his fingers to the armrest of his chair when something caught his eyes. He leaned forward, moving the files from the way of what he wanted to look more closely and as he saw the name Hank Summers written on the manila folder, he grabbed it from the pile.

He was reading the papers when the door opened and Daniel walked in, Angel didn't even acknowledge his presence until he cleared his throat. Angel lifted his gaze from the paper and looked at his grandfather.

“I want this case”, he stated and threw the folder to the desk. Daniel raised an questioning eyebrow at him, then turned his eyes to the folder before bringing them back to Angel's face, staring straight into his eyes.

“It's a big case”, he said calmly.

“I know. And I want it”, Angel answered not moving an inch. Daniel sat down, looking at his grandson with scrutiny.

“It has already been signed to Park”, he said watching Angel's reaction very closely.

“I don't care. I want to take the case. You're always complaining that I don't take interest in work, now I'm taking it and I want the case”, Angel said calmly, looking into Daniel's eyes despite how unnerving they were. In this matter he wasn't going to back down.

“So why the sudden interest now? And what makes you think I would give you this case, it's a big one and we need to win it” Daniel questioned, he was pleased that Angel was finally taking responsibility but he also believed that nothing was done without a motive.

“I have my reasons and I'm not gonna loose”, Angel said vehemently. For a long while Daniel stared at him until finally he picked up the folder and threw it to Angel's lap.

“You better not let me down, boy”, he said and Angel's face darkened, he hated being called boy and Daniel knew it.

“Why did you want to see me?” Angel asked, irritation clear in his voice. Daniel smirked, Angel had inherited his temper.

After the meeting with his grandfather, Angel returned to his office where he found Wesley waiting for him. “Wesley, what are you doing here?” he asked as he walked further in.

“It's lunch time. And since you've actually started working these days, I brought you a sandwich”, Wesley answered, setting the paper bag to the desk. Angel sat down and grabbed the bag, peeking inside.

“So why are you here cause I know you weren't just worried I might be hungry?” Angel asked and pulled the sandwich out of the bag, looking at Wesley from under his brows.

“Just wanted to spend some time with my friend, is there something wrong with that?” Wesley said innocently and Angel raised an eyebrow. Wesley sighed. “Fine, I came here to talk to you. Buffy is a fine young woman and I believe she cares a great deal about you, I like her and I don't want her to get hurt”, he confessed.

“And you think I'm gonna hurt her”, Angel said glumly, a frown appearing to his face.

“Angel, I know you. You have never had a relationship nor have you ever wished to be in one. I find it hard to believe you suddenly want to settle down and remain faithful to one woman because I am certain Buffy is not the kind of girl who would take infidelity lightly.”

Angel sighed and set down the sandwich, suddenly he wasn't very hungry. “She would skin me alive”, he muttered to himself. He raised his eyes and noticed Wesley was looking at him with question in his eyes, obviously he hadn't heard him. “Yes, Buffy isn't that kind of a woman”, he stated.

“I didn't think she was. But I must say, she was looking very radiant this morning. Almost glowing”, Wesley stated and left the sentence hanging in the air while watching Angel from the corner of his eye. Again Angel sighed.

“You were right. Happy now?” he said and Wesley looked at him surprised.

“Uhm, thank you. Right about what?”

“Buffy's pregnant. About four months”, Angel answered, leaning back in his chair. Wesley looked at him with wide eyes and opened his mouth to say something only to close it again, making an impression of a fish on dry land.

“H-how?” he finally stuttered.

“Wes, if you by now don't know, it's a little late to tell about the birds and the bees”, Angel answered and Wesley gave him a chastising look.

“Angel, do be serious. Do you know who the father is? You've only known her for couple of months.”

“I'm the father”, Angel stated defensively, glaring at the other man. The look made Wesley want to take a step back, possibly get out of his chair and flee the room but he stayed put.

“How is that possible? I know you are very anal when it comes to protection”, Wesley questioned, he just couldn't believe what he was hearing, it just seemed impossible.

“I forgot, okay!”

“Angel, you do not forget. I've seen you refuse a very willing miss Cordelia Chase because you didn't have a condom and you were drunk out of your mind, so forgive me if I find it hard to believe you just forget”, Wesley said matter of factly.

“We were drunk and I was so worked up I couldn't think straight. You didn't see her then”, Angel defended himself and then his eyes darkened. “And you never will see her in that position”, he added.

All Wesley could do was stare at his childhood friend, had his friend been kidnapped and this impersonator taken his place. Angel actually sounded and looked jealous and Angel he knew never cared about a woman enough to be jealous. He was quite certain Angel was telling the truth because he didn't believe Angel would so vehemently claim another man's child as his.

“Uhm... Should I congratulate you then?” Wesley tried the ice, watching Angel very closely.

“That's the usual thing to say to a future father”, Angel answered with a smirk. Wesley was still confused, the whole situation was just unreal to him.

“Well, uhm... congratulations. May I ask what you think of this... situation?”

Angel raised an questioning eyebrow. “Sure you can ask”, he stated not giving a real explanation, he really didn't know how to answer to the question. Even if he was willing to admit his feelings he wouldn't tell about them to Wesley, or to anyone for that matter.

Buffy and Gloria were closing the gallery early because Gloria had to take her husband to a doctor's appointment and Buffy wanted to get to Sunnydale long before sundown. Buffy moved her bag from her office to the door and looked around herself, she was quite certain she had remembered everything.

“Alright, I can't take this any longer. How far along are you, is the handsome young man the father and why haven't you told me you're pregnant?” Gloria demanded in one litany.

Buffy stared at her with her mouth open, not sure what to say. How did Gloria know she was pregnant? As if reading her mind, Gloria answered, “I work with you nearly every day and I have four children, I know the signs.”

Buffy shifted on her feet and let out a breath she had been unknowingly holding. “I didn't want to tell you before I've told my mother”, she answered. Gloria's face softened and she reached out to her, gently touching her shoulder.

“You're afraid to tell your mother? Why? She's going to be happy to hear the news”, Gloria said and Buffy gave her a sad smile.

“I don't think she will be very happy to hear her only daughter is pregnant after knowing the father only four months”, she said sadly and smiled ruefully. “Plus Angel's a lawyer.” The two men shared a small smile.

“Yes, then he must be a bloodsucking vampire. Seriously, just because your father is a bastard doesn't mean every lawyer is the same. I've been married to one for over thirty years”, Gloria stated.

“Ed is a sweetheart”, Buffy agreed with a smile.

“That is my Ed. But the father is the tall dark and handsome you've been seeing, isn't it?” Gloria questioned and a involuntary grin rose to Buffy's lips, she didn't even need to say anything.

“Oh, the baby is going to be so beautiful”, Gloria sighed, then her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. “I would love to stay and talk but I must be going.”

Buffy nodded in understanding. “Okay, good luck. I'm sure it's nothing and Ed checks out to be perfectly healthy”, she said giving Gloria's hand a comforting squeeze.

“I know he will, I'm not giving him a choice. And good luck with your mother, I'm sure it's not as bad as you fear it is and we'll talk on Monday”. Gloria answered and hugged Buffy, taking comfort in her before leaving the gallery.

Buffy followed a moment later and headed to Sunnydale. In less than two hours she arrived to her destination. “Mom, I'm here”, she called out as she walked through the door. She stopped dead on her tracks as she saw a familiar face in the living room.

“Riley”, she said not being able to disguise her surprise.

“Hey Buffy”, Riley said getting up from the couch. Buffy set down her bag and slowly made her way to the living room, taking each step like she was approaching a dangerous animal.

“Hey, Riley. So... what are you doing here?” she asked, tilting her head to the side as she watched him with scrutiny.

“Your mother invited me”, he explained, shifting uncomfortably. He hadn't seen her in over five months and she had never looked better. “You look good. Really good”, he stated, signing at her.

“Thanks”, she said quietly and with that the awkward silence fell to the room.

“Buffy...” he finally started to say but quieted as Joyce walked into the room.

“Oh, Buffy. You're here already”, she said with a smile and tried to form a surprised expression to her face but failed to make it sincere.

“I told you I'd be here around this time”, Buffy answered, giving her mother a look.

“Oh? It must have just slipped my mind. Why don't you two sit down while I set the table”, Joyce said.

“Mom, can I talk to you?” Buffy asked pointedly.

“Sure, honey but later. Keep Riley company and I'll get the food.”

“Mom, I'd like to talk to you know”, Buffy said and took a hold of her mother's arm, dragging her to the kitchen. “Mom, I know what you're doing”, she hissed as soon as the door closed behind them. She couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment from surfacing.

“Honey, I'm sure if you sat down and talked with Riley, you could work things out”, Joyce said, still not letting go of the dream. Buffy let out a frustrated sigh, she didn't want to tell her mother the truth about the perfect son-in-law, that he had cheated on her but she needed to finally believe she was not getting back together with Riley.

“I'm pregnant”, she stated and Joyce went dead quiet, staring at her like she had just spoken in a different language.

“What?”

“I'm pregnant”, Buffy repeated and raised her shirt showing the evidence. Joyce stared at her daughter's pregnant stomach, the shirt had hidden it expertly but now there was no mistake, her daughter was indeed pregnant.

“Oh Buffy”, she sighed, placing a hand to her heart. Buffy's face fell, she could see her mother was disappointed in her. She swallowed hard.

“Mom...” she started but Joyce interrupted her.

“Is Angelus the father?”

Buffy nodded. “Yes”, she answered and Joyce closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh.

“How far along?” she asked, opening her eyes and focusing on Buffy's still bare stomach.

“Four months”, Buffy answered quietly, not daring to look at her mother's face.

“So you got pregnant soon after you met him. How could you be so irresponsible?”

“Mom”, she sighed. “It just happened. And I love him. We're not together just because I'm pregnant.”

“Does he love you?” Joyce asked and finally Buffy let her eyes go to her mother's face.

“I think so.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. He hasn't said it but his actions speak more than words. A person can say 'I love you' daily and not really mean it but what you do really matters. And Angel isn't the kind of person to be with someone he doesn't want to be with”, Buffy explained, trying to keep herself calm.

“Do you really think he can be faithful to you? He is a playboy, I'm certain he has had countless lovers, do you really think he can leave that behind?” Joyce questioned. That was the question that had often bothered Buffy, kept her awake as she woke up from a nightmare but then she remembered the time Angel had crumbled a phone number without even looking at it and her meeting with Angel's former lover, Nina and her confidence came back.

“I don't think he will hurt me”, she finally stated looking into her mother's eyes.

A/N: Sorry for the sudden stop but I meant to leave it to hanging there, so there is no part of the chapter missing.