And then there was pain. Sharp, paralyzing pain.

And fear.

She felt the bed around her become soaked as her water broke. The baby was coming, but it wasn't time yet! The baby wasn't ready to be born, yet it was fighting hard to make it happen. She screamed and soon Giles was in front of her, his brow furrowed with concern.

Then she was running through the house, looking for something. She was so scared. She needed Angel, but he was gone.

Looking down, she found her belly flat.

Buffy screamed as she sat up in bed.

Giles and Joyce bounded into her bedroom a few seconds later. Giles flicked on the light switch and looked at his stepdaughter, worried something had happened to her. All he saw was that she was panting heavily, her forehead covered with sweat, and a panicked look on her face.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Joyce asked in a concerned voice.

Buffy pulled the blankets off of her and patted the bed around her, feeling for wetness.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" Giles asked, curious as to what she was doing.

Buffy replied frantically. "The baby! The baby was coming but it wasn't time, it was too early!"

"Oh, it was just a dream, Sweetie." Joyce told her, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, not an easy feat, considering her protruding belly.

"I'll just go back to bed." Giles told them quietly, a relieved smile on his face.

"I'll be there in a minute." Joyce replied.

"Mom, it seemed so real." Buffy shuddered. "What if it is real? What it's one of my prophetic dreams?"

"Honey, part of being pregnant is having all sorts of dreams of giving birth and losing the baby and all sorts of strange things. Everything is fine, trust me."

Joyce kissed her daughter on the forehead and tucked her back in before padding back to her own room.

Buffy lay in the dark for a while, scared to go back to sleep. She wanted to believe her mother was right, but she had a strange feeling. It was like when she dreamt about Drusilla killing Angel.

Something bad was going to happen.

"Honey, you're overreacting, it was just a dream." Angel assured his fiancée.

Buffy sighed in her seat across from him in the restaurant. "That's what Mom said, but I don't think it is 'just a dream,' it felt weird."

Angel reached across the table to hold her hand. "I think your mother is right."

"You always side with her, Angel! You're such a butt kisser!" Buffy argued.

Angel tried not to, but he couldn't help but laugh, which only made Buffy more angry.

Buffy fumed for the rest of the meal, the silence making Angel nervous.

"Buffy, come on, why are you so upset?"

"Why am I upset?! Duh! I have had prophetic dreams before, and now I had a dream that something bad is going to happen to *our* baby, and not only do you not believe me, you laugh at me!"

"I wasn't laughing at you for that, I was..." Angel started to explain, but then gave up. "I'm sorry baby."

Without any warning, Buffy burst into tears. Sighing guiltily, Angel quickly paid the bill and led the sniffling pregnant girl out of the restaurant.

As he got in the driver's seat of his car, after helping her into the passenger seat, she looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry I did that, sometimes I just loose it." Buffy explained.

"I understand baby." Angel smiled back at her, reaching over to pat her knee. When she didn't push him away, he started to slide it up her thigh.

"Angel!" She growled, physically pulling his hand off her leg.

Pouting, Angel asked. "Do I still get to watch TV at your house?"

"I don't know, Mom and Giles had that baby stuff class so we'd be alone... can you behave?"

Angel nodded eagerly.

Sighing resignedly, Buffy told him. "Okay, but you better not make me sorry."

Triumphantly, Angel started heading towards Buffy's house.

Buffy tried to focus on the TV, but Angel was making it so damn hard. For the fourth time, she pulled his arm off of her shoulder and shot him an icy glare.

Angel found he liked it even more when she played hard to get. It was even more fun than when she was being the persuasive little nymphet.

Not about to give up, he nibbled on the side of her neck. "Come on, baby." He whispered.

"Angel!" She shouted, jumping off the couch. "You promised me that you would behave!"

He pulled her over to him, despite her protests, kissing her stomach before looking up at her. "Buffy, I'm leaving tomorrow, I won't be back for three days!"

Buffy felt her resolve melting faster than an ice cube in Hell.

"Three whole days, Buffy, three whole days I can't make love to you, can't we do it tonight?"

She sighed, and Angel knew he had her. He pulled her down to the couch so that he could passionately kiss her, his tongue licking her bottom lip until she opened her mouth and let his tongue do battle with hers.

Buffy soon found herself laying on her back on the couch with Angel on top of her, pulling her skirt up. Her panties were soon ripped from her body, and she realized Angel had pulled his boxers and pants down.

She spread her legs and he slid into her hot entrance to the hilt. He pulled almost completely out, then slammed back into her. Buffy moaned as he quick and steadily thrust into her. She hooked her legs around his waist, pulling herself up so their pelvises met as he plunged into her fiery depths.

Angel kissed a trail from the side of her neck to her lips, swallowing her cries of pleasure with his mouth. Feeling his orgasm near, he moved a hand between them to gently manipulate her swollen nub. After the slightest stimulation, Buffy screamed his name as she came. Her spasming vaginal walls squeezing his erection helped push him over the edge as well as he exploded deep inside her.

They lay there for a few moments, still connected, with Buffy softly stroking Angel's head as it lay on her shoulder.

"Angel, what if something happens when you're gone?"

"Baby, I promise you, *nothing* is going to happen."

"You don't know that!"

Angel sighed, not sure how to comfort her. "Do you want me not to go? Want me to tell your mom that I need to skip the show?"

Buffy got choked up. "No! That's not what I want!" She argued, her voice breaking as the tears came to her eyes again.

Angel moved his head so it was even with her face. Kissing her cheek, he softly reassured her. "If, *if*, something were to happen, I would be on the first flight back her that I could get. And you do have your mom, and Giles, and your friends to help you until I get back. Okay?"

Buffy nodded. "It's just... this dream... It seemed so real!"

"With all the changes going on, and the wedding next month, you're very stressed. I know you think I'm patronizing you, but I honestly believe everything is fine and this dream is just a product of your anxiety."

Sighing, Buffy conceded. "I hate it when you're reasonable!"

Sadly, Buffy watched Angel's plane take off from the small Sunnydale airport, heading to LAX so he could catch a flight to New York.

Only three days, she reminded herself. He'd be back in three days.

The little voice inside her that had been nagging at her for the past few days, telling her to fear her dream, told her he would be too late. And there was nothing she could do.

The End

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