"What?" Xander replied, dumbfounded.

"I am breaking up with you." Cordelia explained.

"What did I do now?"

"Nothing." she sighed, "it's me. For real, because if it were you I would say so, you know that. I just want something different."

"Since when?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"I can't believe you! We've actually been getting along lately. Is that the problem?"

"We've been getting along because I haven't been caring like I usually do. That's another problem."

"Is there another guy?" He asked, biting his lip.

"No." Cordelia replied, shaking her head. "But I do think that another good reason for us to break up is that I am starting college and I will meet a ton of new guys. Guys with ideals closer to mine."

"Guys that want to go to college to be filthy rich?"

"Exactly!"

"Can we still be friends?" He asked meekly.

"Xander, we were never friends. We always hated each other."

"I know... what I mean is... can we still bicker constantly whenever we are in the same room?"

"Of course!" Cordelia grinned, happy to have that over with. "Ooh, I have a nail appointment in twenty minutes, gotta run."

Xander looked after her as she booked it out of the café. He couldn't believe he just got dumped.

"I can't believe you're leaving for school in a week!"

"I know, but I won't be far or anything. Stanford is just up north."

"Yup... I just can't believe the summer went by so quickly. I feel like I hardly saw you!" Buffy exclaimed as she and Willow sat on her living room couch.

"I know... I mean, you were so busy with Cordelia that we never seemed to find a good time."

Buffy raised her eyebrow. "Willow, are you upset that Cordelia and I hang out?"

"No."

"You sure?"

Willow sighed. "Well, it's just that *I* am supposed to be your best friend."

"I can't have two best friends?"

"Yeah, you can... but you spent at least twice as much time with her than me these past few months!" Willow accused.

"Willow, I tried to get together with you plenty of times, but it never worked out, you always had plans with Oz or something."

"Oh so it's my fault that you ditched me?!"

"I didn't ditch you!"

"Yes, you did! And I can't believe that you have the nerve to complain about me spending time with my boyfriend."

"I wasn't complaining, I was explaining..."

"You, the person with a husband and a baby and another best friend!"

"Willow, come on, you aren't being fair!"

"Fair?! Buffy she's supposed to be our enemy and now she's closer to you than I am!"

"Willow... she *was* the enemy. Two years ago. But she's changed. She's a better person now, you know that." Buffy answered in a sad voice.

Willow shook her head. "I don't care. I was your best friend. I was the one you confided in when you first moved here. As soon as Cordelia decided she'd treat others like a human being once in a while, you guys became attached at the hip."

"That's not true...."

"Well, that's fine! You have fun with your best pal Cordy. You enjoy your life with your husband. *I* am going to Stanford to make something with my life! *You* will probably be stuck here in Sunnydale forever. I can't wait to see you and Cordelia at our ten-year reunion when I am an exec at some software company and you're pregnant with your fifth kid! Because that is where you're headed, you know!"

Buffy looked at her friend in confusion. "Willow, where did this come from?"

Willow sighed and looked down in her lap. "I bottle things... you know that. So it may not make much sense, but these are all things that have been eating away at me."

Much to her chagrin, Buffy felt a few tears stream down her face. "Well I didn't ditch you... I still considered you one of my best friends, and I know I've spent more time with Cordy lately and I'm not happy we seem to have grown apart, but it does happen. And how dare you say that I won't be able to make anything of my life besides having babies! You think you're such a great friend, but you have no faith in me! Besides, I'm just pregnant right now and it's tough, once my kid gets out in the world it's going to be a very hard job and you shouldn't make it seem like it's stupid and easy compared to being a hacker!"

Willow sighed and stood up. "I better go."

Buffy got herself up from the couch without much struggle. "Yes, I think that would be best."

Angel entered the home he shared with his wife in a good mood. It was late Friday afternoon, he'd left early since work had been slow and he was eager to spend the weekend with his wife and their unborn child.

He walked into the kitchen and found Buffy staring at the wall. He stood there for a moment and she didn't even appear to notice.

"Buffy?"

Buffy saw her husband there and opened her mouth to greet him, but instead found herself sobbing. He knew her hormones made her a bit emotional, but this was just strange.

He did the only thing he could think of. He knelt before her and let her sob against his shoulder.

When she had calmed down somewhat, he asked. "What's wrong, Buffy?"

"Willow hates me!"

Angel shook his head. "That's impossible."

"No, she does!"

"Why would she hate you?"

"She's mad that I've spent more time with Cordy lately and haven't paid enough attention to her." Buffy explained.

"And she actually told you this?"

Buffy nodded. "This afternoon."

Angel tried to squelch the anger he felt towards the redhead. She knew that Buffy had a lot going on right now, yet she still had the nerve to demand her attention? He definitely wanted to give her a piece of his mind, but he had more important things to do now.

"You hungry, Baby?" He asked, wiping the tears from his wife's face.

Buffy nodded. "It's almost time for dinner."

"How about *I* make it tonight?"

"You sure?" she asked a small smile on her face.

"Of course. Now what would milady like to eat?"

Angel watched as Buffy thought about it, praying that it wasn't too elaborate. His cooking skills weren't the best.

"Sloppy joes!" she exclaimed.

Angel grinned. He could do that. "Sloppy joes it is."

He got up and started opening cabinets so he could get out the ingredients.

"Oh, could you put mayonnaise and pickles on mine?" Buffy asked.

Angel tried not to look disgusted as he nodded at his wife. At least she wasn't craving dirt, as he had read many women did.

Over the weekend, Buffy didn't bring Willow up, so Angel didn't either. Cordelia called Buffy continuously, enthusiastic about her new single status. Buffy joked that she and Angel were already the old married couple, while all their friends went out on dates every night.

After the two days alone, Xander got lonely and decided that Buffy would be the perfect company. Buffy didn't mind it was nice having someone to talk to during the day while Angel was working.

Angel, however, was less than pleased to find the boy sitting in HIS chair at the kitchen table when he got home that evening. When Buffy quietly asked if he'd mind if she let Xander stay for dinner, since she felt so bad for him, he couldn't tell her no. Not when she looked at him so sadly, and rubbed her hand over her belly, swelled as their child grew inside her.

So he sat silently, glaring daggers at Xander, who only smiled and didn't look upset at all. Angel could swear the boy was trying to make him kill him. He slurped his spaghetti. He asked Buffy inane questions that mocked her husband. The final straw was that he kept asking Buffy to get this or that for him, even after seeing that it wasn't exactly easy for her to get up from the table.

When Xander asked for yet another refill of his drink, Angel snatched his glass before Buffy could grab it, got up and walked into the kitchen, and refilled the drink himself. He plopped it down in front of a startled Xander, then picked up his empty plate and kissed his bewildered wife on the head.

"Dinner was good, thank you."

Buffy smiled cautiously at him. "You're welcome, Honey."

"I'm going to go take a shower." He told her.

When he got out and found Xander gone, he was not at all surprised. However, he was pleased. They spent the evening watching TV and talking about Angel's work and how Buffy would begin college the next week.

The next night Angel pulled in the driveway and saw no sign of Xander's car, so he took it as a good sign. He entered the house and found it empty, except for his wife, laying on the couch and watching the news.

"Hello my love." he greeted, bending down to kiss her softly on the lips.

She smiled back up at him. "Hi Sweetie."

"How are my two most favorite people?"

"I'm tired," she yawned, then patted her belly, "and this one is hyper. The baby's been kicking all day and making it hard for Mommy to nap."

Angel frowned. "Are you *sure* you want to start school now?"

"Yes!" Buffy replied, struggling to sit up. "I don't want to be a housewife! Even if I do end up staying at home, I want a degree in something so that I can get a job if I want or need to."

Angel helped her sit up. "You could always take a year off. A lot of people do that, and they usually don't even have good excuses like having a baby."

"It's sweet that you are concerned, but I'm going. It's just three hours a day, four days a week."

"Yes, but college classes take so much work, and full time sounds so... full. Plus, you're due the week after finals. To be that pregnant and under that much stress can't be healthy. Or what if you have the baby a week or two early?"

Buffy yawned. "Then my professor's will probably make special arrangements for me."

She held out her hands and Angel took them, pulling her into a standing position. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

Buffy smiled and shook her head. "Are you hungry? I made fried chicken and put it in the fridge."

"Sounds delicious." He replied kissing her on the top of her head as the two of them headed into the kitchen.

As they ate their dinner in the dining room, Angel asked if things had changed with Willow while trying to ignore that Buffy had just put strawberry jam in her mashed potatoes.

"She hasn't called me... I haven't called her. I'm being rude, I know, but I don't feel like talking to her."

"That's not rude, it is very understandable. She's acting like a brat. She didn't even tell you anything was bothering her."

"But I'm supposed to be her best friend! I'm supposed to know!" Buffy argued.

"Honey you aren't a mind reader, Willow covered up her hurt, if she even was hurt." Angel reassured her.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked. "You think she made it up?"

"Well, she's about to leave everything she's ever known. For the first time ever she won't know anybody or anything... it's unnerving."

"Not seeing the connection here." Buffy replied, shoving a spoonful of potatoes in her mouth.

"Well, she sees you... you're happy and you're staying here. You don't have to worry about what you will do with your life. I mean, you have yet to decide what you want to be, but you still have the knowledge that you will be living here with me and our children and that is very secure. Willow has no security right now... so she's very possibly unconsciously jealous of you and all she feels is this anger towards you." Angel explained.

"That actually makes sense." Buffy replied. "Poor Will... I feel bad for her."

"I don't. Scared or not, she shouldn't be upsetting you." Angel replied, finishing his chicken.

"Angel, I'm not a porcelain doll just because I am pregnant. I won't break." Buffy told him as she got up from the table with her empty plate.

"It doesn't matter. You have a lot going on in your life and you don't need the stress. She needs to grow up."

Before Buffy could argue, the doorbell rang. "Finish your dinner," she ordered, "I'll get it."

She hurried as best she could to the front door and found Cordelia and Xander standing there with their arms crossed.

"Hey guys." She said slowly, surprised to see them there.

"Can we come in?" Cordelia asked, before walking in without receiving an answer.

Xander soon followed and Buffy shut the door. "Sure." She replied sarcastically.

"We need help." Cordelia told her as Angel walked out of the dining room and glared at their two visitors.

"Don't worry, we aren't staying long!" Xander told Angel, then looked at Buffy. "This is one tense man!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Xander."

"Anyway, you need to have dinner with us tomorrow night." Cordelia interrupted.

"Why?" Angel asked, not liking this idea.

"Well, I have a date with Edge tomorrow night." Cordelia began.

"You're dating someone named Edge?" Angel grinned.

"Yeah his twin, Border, is busy tomorrow night." Xander joked as he, Angel and Buffy laughed.

"Very funny." Cordelia replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "As I was saying, Edge and I have a date and I mentioned it to Xander so Xander wants to have a double date. Now, I know he is most likely bringing a blow-up doll. I still don't want to chance it. So in case it is a real girl, she and Edge might feel uncomfortable so we need you guys to be a buffer."

Buffy frowned. "I don't know... this sounds a bit...."

"Horribly freakish?" Angel suggested.

Buffy nodded. "Works for me."

"Oh come on Buffy, you just have to!" Cordelia begged.

"Yeah, if you aren't there the vapid conversation between Edge and Cordy will KILL us!"

"Not making a good case for yourself." Angel replied smugly.

"Buffy you're my best friend! I really need you to do this!" Cordelia continued to plead.

Buffy gave Angel a look, as if to ask if it were okay with him. He nodded resignedly.

"Fine, we'll do it."

"Thank you!" Cordelia grinned, hugging her friend tightly.

A few moments later, the former couple was heading back out the door, arguing about whether or not Xander's date was real.

Buffy looked after them and shook her head. "What did we get ourselves into?"

"Now remember, we eat, we leave. As soon as you finish your dinner, you say you're not feeling too well and I say I must take you home. You're pregnant; they'll go for it. If you want dessert, we can stop and get you something." Angel instructed his wife as they walked into the restaurant. As soon as he saw them, Xander stood and waved his arms wildly so they'd see the other four members of their party.

The couple made their way to the table. Buffy smiled, while Angel made no attempt to pretend he was happy they were there as he held Buffy's chair out for her. "Hi guys."

They all made the introductions and began reading the menus. Angel decided that if they all sat in silence it would be a nice evening.

"So you're pregnant." Edge asked Buffy. He was sweet, but seemed a little dense... apparently Cordy wasn't big on smart guys.

Buffy smiled back at her and repressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes I am."

"Did you pick any names yet?" He asked.

"Well, right now we like Violet for a girl and Christian for a boy." Buffy told him.

"But last week it was Anissa for a girl and Zane for a boy... we're kind of undecided." Angel smiled, as he began to get a certain glow that always grew on his face when he talked about his family.

"Blah, blah, blah, baby talk is so boring!" Xander interrupted. "Angel, he was being nice, you don't need to babble and bore us."

Angel glared at the boy, as Buffy looked hurt. Everyone but Xander's date, Sunny, glared at the boy.

"Actually I was very interested. I am studying the origin of names... I just love them." Edge told him.

Cordelia smiled, adoring her date. "Edge was named after a soap opera character."

"I was named after the girl in 'Family Affair'." Buffy told them.

"My parents liked the sun." Sunny told them in a dazed voice.

Everyone nodded politely, and luckily, the food was brought to the table, thereby giving them something else to focus on.

Much to Angel's annoyance, Buffy didn't tell everyone she was tired after dinner. She actually was enjoying herself as she sipped her decaff and everyone else had regular coffee and talked.

"Honey, don't you think we should get going? You were pretty *tired*, weren't you?" Angel hinted.

Buffy gave him an innocent look. "I was, but I feel rejuvenated now."

"Still, it's getting late... we better go." Angel argued.

"I don't want to." Buffy answered, annoyed. "We can stay for another ten minutes."

Angel sighed and was about to give in, then changed his mind. He had only done this to make her happy and this was how she showed her gratitude?! Well, he was tired of it!

He stood up. "Time to go, Buffy."

Buffy glared at him. "Bye."

"Buffy."

"You know, if you want I could drive Buffy home." Edge offered, avoiding a fight between the couple.

"No, Buffy can come home right now." Angel replied, giving his wife a dirty look.

Buffy didn't move a muscle, a bit stunned. Angel was never usually like this. Her husband sighed and started walking towards the door. Everyone else at the table watched in shock as Buffy reluctantly got up and followed him out the door.

As soon as they were in the parking lot, Buffy shouted "What the fuck is your problem?!"

"I did you a favor! I wasted my evening with your *psychotic* friends to be nice to you and what do you do? You ignore the agreement we had!" Angel shouted back at her as they headed to his car.

"So you act like you can tell me what to do? You embarrass me in front of everyone?!" Buffy replied as she struggled to get in the passenger seat.

"You were acting like a brat, I treated you like a brat!" Angel replied as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Take me to my mother's." Buffy told him.

"No."

"I want to go to my mother's!" Buffy shouted. He was *really* pissing her off.

"Then when we get to our house you can get your sorry ass in your own car and drive yourself to your mommy." Angel practically growled.

And the rest was silence.

Buffy decided she wouldn't go to her mother's. She was a big girl and she didn't want to give Angel any ammo. She also refused to go sleep in the guest room or on the couch, so even as Angel sat up in bed and watched the evening news, Buffy got in beside him without acknowledgement and rubbed baby oil over her belly.

As soon as she was done, she lay on her side, facing away from Angel, and turned of the light on her nightstand, trying to ignore his light and the TV.

Angel felt guilty. They rarely went out lately and she missed that. The way he had demeaned her in the restaurant was humiliating for her.

He turned the TV and his light off before moving to her side of the bed and spooning her.

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me. NOW." Buffy told him through gritted teeth.

Angel pulled away and sighed. "I understand that your hormones are a bit out of wack right now, but this is ridiculous!"

"Oh yes, it's my hormones and not the fact that my husband is a JERK!" Buffy yelled at him, rolling on her back.

"I wouldn't have had to embarrass you if you had listened to me!"

"Oh yeah, I must listen to you because you're my husband? Get it straight, I'm not your slave!"

"Forget it, I am going to sleep because this is stupid and I am tired!" Angel replied, lying on his side facing away from her.

"Why don't you sleep elsewhere?!" Buffy growled.

Angel turned to face her. "Why don't you?"

"Because I'm pregnant!"

"Oh, so when you're acting psychotic it's not because of your hormones, it's because I am a jerk, but when you don't want to sleep in my bed with me I am supposed to leave because you are pregnant?!"

"Exactly. I have all this extra weight and it's not as easy for me to move!" Buffy replied. "And since when is it YOUR bed?"

Angel sat up and glared at her. "Since I bought it!"

"Oh so now it's all YOUR money and YOUR stuff? So this is YOUR house and these aren't really MY pajamas? Hell, I guess this isn't really MY baby since it was YOUR sperm!"

Angel jumped out of the bed. "That's it, I'm not going to deal with you like this."

He grabbed his pillows and stomped out of the room, mumbling about what an immature brat she was. A moment after he'd slammed the door, Buffy rolled on her side and ran her hand over the bed where he had been as the tears began to fall.

Angel awoke early the next morning in the guest room bed. It took a few seconds for him to remember why he wasn't in bed with Buffy. With a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, he got out of bed and headed to their bedroom to get a change of clothes.

When he saw his pregnant wife lying alone on the bed, her face tearstained, his heart broke. How could he be such a jerk? All she'd wanted was a night of fun with her friends and he had been an ass.

Now he had to make amends.

The next night, Angel took a deep breath before entering his home. He found Cordelia in the living room. As soon as she saw him, she glared.

"Not a word from you. Please." Angel said, not in the mood for her now.

Cordelia sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "She's in the kitchen getting us some drinks."

Angel nodded in appreciation and headed to the kitchen. He entered and found Buffy with her back to him, pouring two glasses of lemonade.

"Buffy."

When Buffy turned and looked at him, Angel's heart wept at the sight of hurt and pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry." He pulled his hand out from behind his back to reveal a dozen red roses. "I got you these."

Buffy was silent for a few moments, making him very nervous. "So you think you can buy me some roses and say you're sorry and I'll be ecstatic and run and kiss you?"

Angel shook his head. "I was way out of line. I disgraced you in front of your friends. I treated you like a child. I was a supreme dickhead."

Buffy nodded and granted him a small smile. "You really were."

"Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"I think so... did you bring chocolate?"

Angel smiled and pulled a peppermint pattie out of the inside pocket of his jacket. He handed it to her, then wrapped his arms around her, giving her a passionate kiss.

"I'm leaving! Call me later Buffy!" The heard Cordelia shout before the front door slammed.

"Our first fight." Angel smiled.

"Yeah... it pretty much sucked." Buffy replied with a frown.

"I agree. I didn't even get to sleep in the same bed with you so we could make passionate angry love."

"Angel, I'm huge... doubt we could have done that anyway."

"You're beautiful." He replied before picking her up and carrying her bridegroom style to their bedroom.

Buffy was watching her soap opera, and getting unhealthily into it. She'd actually caught herself screaming at the TV. Could she help it if people were so annoying that she had to?

When the doorbell rang, she was surprised. It was only half past eleven so she didn't know who it could be. Cordelia told her she had a nail appointment at eleven and Xander had an interview for a job at the hardware store.

When she found Willow on the other side of the door, she was even more surprised. "Willow."

"Hi Buffy, could I.. talk to you?"

Buffy nodded and let the girl in. The two of them walked into the living room and sat down.

"I have to leave in a few minutes... my parents are waiting out in the car for me. We're on our way to the airport. I just couldn't leave without talking to you again. I'm sorry for what I said." Willow told her friend.

"But it was the truth, wasn't it? You feel like I ditched you for Cordy."

Willow nodded. "I do feel like you two are closer... but I had no right to yell at you. I didn't even tell you how I felt, and I didn't make the effort to make time for you. I just took for granted that you would be there when I wasn't busy with Oz."

Buffy smiled. "I will. I promise that no matter what you do in life, whatever happens, I will be here for you."

Willow smiled and hugged her friend. They heard a honking outside.

"Oh, I gotta go!" Willow told her, getting misty eyed.

Buffy began to cry as well. "I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too!" Willow replied. They two girls hugged once more before Willow headed back out to her parent's car as Buffy waved from the doorway.

It was hard saying good-bye.

The End

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