"One Moment"
Author:
Pamela
Contact: destructo-girl@cox.net
Notes: Thanks to Chelle and Mary Ann for being such great helps with
this story.
"Riley! I've got your beer!" Buffy called as she entered the apartment, a bag with a six-pack of Budweiser.
Noticing all the lights were out, except for a few, Buffy frowned. Had Riley gone to bed already? If he had, she would kill him. All afternoon, Buffy had been rushing around, picking up the dry-cleaning, getting her hair cut, and several other things so that she and her husband could have their second Valentine's Day as a married couple together.
She had been heading home when she had called on her cell phone to see what he wanted to do about dinner when he had asked her to pick up some beer for him. If she'd gone out of her way to do that for him, only for him to fall asleep, there would be Hell to pay.
"Thanks, Honey.. just put it in the fridge." Riley replied, emerging from their bedroom.
"Oh good… I thought you were asleep. Why are all the lights out?" she asked, moving towards the kitchen.
"Because I turned them off." He replied.
Buffy rolled her eyes and reached for the lightswitch.
"Don't turn them on."
Realizing he was obviously up to something, Buffy complied, opening the refrigerator and setting the six-pack inside. She threw away the bag and turned around.
Buffy gasped as she saw nearly a dozen candles littering about the living and dining room. On the table she saw that Riley had set out a meal and two tall candles for a romantic dinner. Her husband was standing beside the table with a smile on his face.
"Hungry?"
Buffy chuckled as she walked towards him, setting her purse on the couch and letting him help her out of her coat. Riley pulled a chair out and Buffy sat in it before he pushed her as close to the table as she could comfortably get at six and a half months pregnant.
"This is so sweet, Riley." Buffy smiled as she took his hand once he had sat down as well.
"I made it by myself." He replied, grinning proudly as he gestured to the spaghetti and garlic bread he had made. "Ginger ale?"
"I'd love some."
He poured each of them a glass, then leaned over to meet Buffy halfway so that they could kiss.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Riley exclaimed as he picked up a remote control and hit a few buttons. Soft music started floating through the air as a CD started to play.
The couple ate silently for a few moments, enjoying the romantic atmosphere and each other's company. Buffy couldn't believe he had done this. Riley had a romantic side, she had always known… but this had totally caught her off guard.
"This is delicious, Baby." She told him, squeezing his hand.
"I'm glad. I figure after you have the baby, you won't feel up to making dinner and we shouldn't live off of pizza and fast food, so if I can cook it will help."
"Well, your mother will be here. And even when she's not, she will freeze enough meals to get us through… oh… our son's teen years."
Riley chuckled. "That's true."
They held a light conversation for the rest of their meal before neither could eat another bite. Stuffed, they both sat at the table, rubbing their stomachs.
Once his stomach as settled, Riley stood and helped his wife to her feet, ignoring her questions as he led her into the bedroom and flipped on the lights. He told her to change into a robe he had set out for her before heading into the bathroom.
Her skin tingling with excitement, Buffy quickly stripped out of all of her clothes and pulled the soft robe on, tying it as best she could around what used to be her waist. Riley was still in the bathroom so she sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the closed door.
After a couple of minutes, Riley opened the door. He quickly walked out into the bedroom and reached out his hand. Taking it, he pulled Buffy up and tugged her back into the dim bathroom. They had a roman tub, so Riley had been able to arrange quite a few candles around it. Upon closer inspection, Buffy saw that he had sprinkled red rose petals over the surface of the water that filled the tub.
Riley moved behind her and slowly ran a brush through her hair, careful not to hurt her. Buffy closed her eyes and smiled; she loved having her hair brushed. He grabbed a hairclip and pinned her hair up before reaching around her midsection and untied the rope holding the sides of her robe together.
Buffy gasped when the air hit her skin as Riley pulled the robe down her shoulders and pulled it off of her. He hung it on a hook on the back of the door before helping her into the tub.
The water was warm and almost seemed to massage her skin as Buffy settled. Riley knelt beside the tub as she relaxed and kissed the back of her hand.
"It's not too hot, right? Because I know that's bad for the baby."
"It's perfect." She replied, kissing him tenderly. "Are you going to join me?"
Riley smiled and shook his head. "As much as I'd love to, I have things to do."
"What things?" Buffy asked, a mischievous grin on her face.
Riley returned the grin. "If I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise."
He kissed her on the forehead before standing up and getting a pout from his wife.
Rolling his eyes dramatically, he chuckled. "Patience is a virtue, my love."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah.." Buffy sighed, all the while still grinning.
"Enjoy yourself, Baby. I'll be back in a bit." He told her before leaving the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. As he began setting up the candles on the nightstands, he smiled at the thoughts of what would come that night.
Buffy closed her eyes and relaxed even more in the warm water, breathing deeply to inhale the scent of the vanilla from the candles. She couldn't believe he had done this... but she was sure glad that he had.
She didn't know how long she had been in the water before Riley returned, since she was pretty sure she had dozed off, but it couldn't have been too long, as the water was still warm.
When he came back in the room, he silently grabbed a sponge and dipped it in the water. Looking straight into Buffy's eyes, he lifted her arm out of the water and cleaned it before moving the sponge to her shoulder. Riley proceeded to run the sponge over her shoulder and throat before moving to the other shoulder.
After both arms were clean, he gently urged her to lean forward so that he could scrub her back. Buffy moaned as the sponge made it's way over her skin, making her feel *so* good.
When Riley had decided her back was clean, he let her lean back against the tub again before lifting one of her legs out of the water and rubbing the sponge over every inch of it. As he got to her upper thigh, Riley moved his hands under the water so that he wouldn't miss that area of her body. He came very close to touching her center and Buffy, very aroused, gasped.
Smirking, Riley moved to the other leg.
Buffy was ready to growl as Riley mercilessly teased her, making a point to get as close to touching her where she wanted him to without actually doing so. Once both her legs were done, Riley moved back up to her chest, thoroughly cleaning her soft skin and smiling as she moaned when he moved the sponge over her hardened nipples.
When he got down to her belly, Riley couldn't help but lean down and kiss the skin that was just above the surface of the water. "Hey baby, how you doing in there?"
"I think he's sleeping." Buffy sighed. "He hasn't kicked me for at least half an hour."
Riley grinned before he resumed sponging his wife. Her eyes closed and she leaned her head back, relaxing in the pleasure. Wanting to catch her off guard, Riley moved his hand between her legs and lightly touched her sensitive nubbin.
Buffy's eyes shot open and she gasped, glaring at her smirking husband before moaning as he began to stroke her slowly, giving her torturous pleasure. Riley maintained the speed and pressure of his teasing, his eyes dark with passion as he admired the beauty of his wife in the throes of passion.
Once again he thanked God and whomever else might be responsible for this second chance with Buffy. She was so wonderful… and he loved giving her this happiness. She deserved it after all he'd put her through.
Buffy's breaths became short and ragged as she raced towards orgasm. Her hand clutched Riley's arm as though he was her lifeline. Seeing she was extremely close, Riley bent down and covered her mouth with his own as he applied a lot more pressure to her clit, sending her into a wild orgasm.
Buffy was barely conscious of Riley lifting her out of the tub, setting her on her feet and wrapping a big fluffy towel around her. In fact, she really didn't become aware of her surroundings until she was seated on the edge of the bed and Riley was setting a pillow down, asking if she thought she could lie on it since she couldn't really lie on her stomach but he needed access to her back.
Nodding, Buffy did as he asked, letting him unwrap the towel from her. The scent of jasmine attacked her senses before she felt Riley's strong hands on her back. He started with his hands on her shoulders before he moved them up and down on her back, spreading the oil over her skin.
He had put a lot of preparation into this night, even studying aromatherapy for a bit. Jasmine was quite an aphrodisiac, and the oil was recommended for a massage. Judging by the moans coming from Buffy, it worked.
Buffy couldn't believe he was so good at this. He'd given her massages before, but none had ever been so… erotic. Plus, since her waistline has started disappearing, she'd had some killer backaches, so it made this doubly pleasurable.
By the time Riley had finished the massage, Buffy was completely relaxed, but at the same time, extremely aroused. He leaned down and kissed her cheek before she felt him leave the bed. Hearing rustling, Buffy knew he was stripping and smiled, but remained on the bed. She was content to rest until Riley returned to her.
When he did, he gingerly rolled her over and kissed her passionately, stroking his hand over the side of her responsive body.
"Are you sure you feel up to this?"
Buffy nodded, smiling up at him. "I just think I better be… on top. I think I'm too big to be on the bottom now."
Riley grinned down at her and kissed her again his hand moving down to her center to see if she was ready for him. He was happy to find that she undoubtedly was, so he rolled the both of them over.
Buffy straddled him and placed her hands on his shoulders for support as she moved over his straining erection. Slowly, she slid down on him. When he was fully buried inside her, they both moaned.
Moving her hips back and forth languidly, Buffy smiled down at him. Riley gazed up at her lovingly, admiring how beautiful she was in the candlelight.
Content to take it slow, Buffy nearly still her movements and ran her hand over his face. "You're so good to me… why did you do this for me?"
"Because you're you." He answered matter-of-factly.
It was the truth.
Buffy walked through the door to the apartment, happy to be home after dinner with her mother. Ever since Riley's surprise for Valentine's Day a few days earlier, they'd had a love fest every chance they got.
"Riley… I'm home." She called as she pulled off her coat and hung it in the hall closet.
"Good… I missed you." Riley replied as he walked into the living room. "I have something to confess."
"Yeah?" Buffy asked, raising her eyebrows as she walked towards him.
"I asked your mother to take you out to dinner so I could get you out of here for a few hours."
"Is that so?"
Riley nodded, smiling at her. "I have a surprise for you."
"Oooh… I like surprises!" She giggled, taking his proffered hand and letting him lead her to the baby's room.
When she saw the beautiful rocking chair in the corner, she gasped. "Oh my God… where did you find that?"
"I didn't exactly *find* it." He replied. "It was my mother's. She used it for my sister's nursery, then mine and even Christian's. So… consider it a family heirloom."
"And she's going to let *me* use it?" Buffy asked, tears welling in her eyes.
"Of course, Baby. She considers you a daughter. It was actually her idea. She thought that since we can't be in Iowa.. we might as well have a piece of Iowa with us."
Buffy covered her mouth with her hand as tears spilled down her cheeks. "That is so wonderful!"
"I'm glad you like it." He grinned.
"I *love* it." She corrected, pulling him into a hug. "And I love you… more than anything."
"Thanks Giles… I really appreciate this."
"You're welcome, Angel. Feel free to get my help anytime." Giles replied as the two men cleaned up the mess they had made performing the spell.
Once they were done, Angel placed the small satchel that had performed a protecting spell on in his jacket pocket. He had a client who was so trouble prone that he needed it desperately until Angel would be able to stop the demons that were stalking him. He tried to force himself to just leave, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to before asking the question that he had wanted to ask not only all night, but for the past six months.
Ever since that night, Angel had picked up the phone at least two dozen times to call Buffy, but every time he had decided not to. What if she and Riley had worked things out and his calling would only mess things up? What if she despised him?
He'd even considered calling Giles, but he didn't know if Buffy had told her watcher and he wouldn't want to cause any problems between them by letting the cat out of the bag. However, he supposed if he asked now, it wouldn't be anything unusual. And he *had* to know.
"How is Buffy doing?"
Giles brightened as he thought of the girl he considered his daughter. "She's wonderful, Angel, truly wonderful."
He stopped himself before going on, deciding not to tell Angel of Buffy's pregnancy. The vampire might be happy for Buffy, but it would most likely be a painful reminder of that he couldn't have with her.
"She is? That's so good to hear. I mean… the last time I saw her… Riley was… sort of dead and…"
"I know what happened, Angel."
"You do?"
Giles nodded. "Buffy told me. She and Riley had problems for a while, but they worked it out. And they are doing so well now."
Remembering that he had promised to go out with them for dinner, Giles glanced at the clock and saw that it was half past six. Buffy and Riley would be there any moment. He *had* to get Angel out of there.
"Well, you better get going if you want to get that to your client tonight."
Angel narrowed his eyes and looked at him curiously. "You're rushing me out of here."
Giles sighed and looked down as he nodded. "I forgot that I am going out to dinner with Buffy and Riley. They'll be here any moment. I just thought that given our current situation, it might be best if the three of you weren't to… run into each other."
"Oh, yes… good idea." Angel replied, moving towards the front door.
To Giles' horror, the door opened and Buffy walked through, her pregnant belly very evident in the denim jumper she wore. As soon as she saw Angel standing there, the smile disappeared from her face.
"Angel.."
"Buffy." He replied, in shock over her… condition.
Riley appeared behind her, staring at Angel with a stunned look. "What are you doing here?"
Angel ignored him, looking at Buffy like she was the only person in the room. He moved towards her and knelt down, putting his face in front of her belly. Gingerly, he lifted a hand and touched it before looking up at Buffy, tears in his eyes.
"You're carrying my child."
Buffy couldn't breathe… she couldn't think… she couldn't move… All she could do was stand there and stare down at Angel as he looked at her stomach again. Time seemed to go in slow motion, and she had no idea how long they stayed that way before she felt Riley's hands on her shoulders, moving her to the side so he could move in front of her.
Angel's words were like a punch to Riley's gut and he stood still for a few seconds behind Buffy… trying to fathom what the vampire was saying. All he knew was that Angel was trying to claim *his* child. And Riley wouldn't stand for that.
Moving Buffy behind him, Riley stood between the two; making sure Angel couldn't touch her again. Angel stood to face Riley, feeling a bit of guilt. This really wasn't the best way for him to have announced that.
"I want you to stay away from *my* wife and *my* son. I don't know what game you are playing, but I won't stand for it." Riley told him, his voice even as he tried to be in control of the situation.
Angel shook his head, looking at Riley apologetically. "I'm not playing any games. I'm sorry… I don't know *how*, but I know.. that *is* my child."
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Riley replied, growing angry. "You're a vampire! Vampires don't make babies!"
"I know that… I don't understand it… but I can sense it. I can sense that the baby in Buffy's womb… it's a part of me." He looked over at Buffy. "I just *know* it."
Tears welled in Buffy's eyes as she looked at Angel in bewilderment. "Angel, it's not possible!"
"I know it's not possible… but it's true! You know I would never lie."
Riley pointed a finger at him. "Shut up! Just… don't talk to her, don't touch her, don't even *look* at her!"
"Riley calm down, please!" Buffy pleaded, grabbing Riley's arm and trying to calm him. She hadn't seen him so mad since… that night.
Riley pulled her hand off of him, a little too harshly for Angel's taste.
"You may be mad at me, but you don't treat Buffy like that!"
"Oh, now you're going to tell me how to treat my wife?!"
Both men stepped forward until they were nose to nose. Buffy looked at Giles, her eyes full of despair. The former watcher had no idea what to do. He still couldn't believe what Angel had said.
"You have a lot of nerve, telling me what to do after what you did with my wife!" Riley shouted. "And what kind of sick fuck are you? Telling her *my* son is yours!"
Angel didn't know what happened to him, but he had always felt jealousy towards Riley. Add to that his anger at Riley claiming what Angel knew in his heart was *his* child and the way Riley seemed to be mistreating Buffy and Angel felt a blind rage, swinging his arm back before punching Riley with all he had.
It caught the man off guard and pushed him back… right into Buffy.
That's when all Hell broke lose.
Buffy fell back against the wall when Riley's weight ended up on her. She was completely unconcerned with her own safety, instead trying to stop Riley from completely falling to the ground. Angel felt remorseful as soon as he saw what he had done to her and tried to reach out to her, pissing off an infuriated Riley even more.
Giles stood back, watching the events unfold with shock. When Riley stood up and started swinging at Angel, Giles knew that with Buffy trying to intervene she and the baby could be seriously injured.
So he quickly made his way over to them, tugging Buffy away, telling her quietly that if she accidentally got injured, it could harm the baby. Giles saw the fear and love for her son in her eyes as she nodded slightly, agreeing to stay out of it.
Angel and Riley seemed to be oblivious to it, instead they focused on slamming each other against the walls and landing punches. Buffy tried a few vocal protests, but it appeared that neither of them even heard her.
Normally, Angel would have the upper hand, with his greater strength that came with being a vampire. However, Riley had months of rage after finding the other man in bed with the woman he loved, along with the territorial invasion he felt from Angel after saying *Riley's* wife and *Riley's* son were his.
Buffy broke down and began to sob. Giles held her against his chest, trying to bring her comfort while he watched the two males as they fought… and damaged his apartment. He led Buffy to the couch and got her to sit down before he moved towards the men. Giles was furious with the both of them. He considered Buffy a daughter and when someone hurt her… he hurt them.
"ENOUGH!"
Startled, Angel and Riley paused and looked at Giles.
"The two of you are destroying *my* apartment with this… immature fight… and even worse… you are tearing *Buffy* apart!" He growled, gesturing towards the blonde still seated on the couch, looking at the ground and sobbing softly.
Both males immediately softened upon seeing the woman they loved in such a condition. Angel took a step towards her, but Riley placed a hand on his chest, giving him a look. Nodding slightly, the vampire looked at the ground and stood back while Riley moved to comfort his wife.
Kneeling in front of her, Riley lifted Buffy's chin with his hand, his thumb wiping away the newest tears streaming down her face. "Buffy, calm down, Sweetie. It's going to be okay."
Buffy shook her head. "No it's not… it's never okay."
"Yes it will be. Come on, it's bad for the baby if you get this upset."
Buffy nodded and tried, but failed to calm down. Her world was crashing down around her. Again.
"Don't you worry. I'm going to go to the Initiative right now and get a book that will tell you vampires can *not* make babies. Then you'll see." Riley told her, standing up.
Buffy clutched his arm. "Please don't go, Riley! Please… I just need you to be with me right now!"
"I have to, Buffy. I have to show you! I have to show him! Just… stay here.. I'll be back." He insisted, pulling his arm away and walking out of the apartment.
The two men that remained stood silently, unsure of what to do. Angel was ashamed of his behavior before; he had put Buffy and the safety of the baby at risk.
"Buffy, I'm so sorry. I never should have been so… rash." He apologized. "I was just so overwhelmed."
Buffy looked over at him for a second before nodding slightly.
"Angel, you honestly believe that it's *your* son Buffy is carrying?" Giles broke in, clearly perplexed. He knew Angel wouldn't lie, but this made no sense. "How is that possible?"
Angel shrugged. "I have no idea *how*, Giles… it's just… I *felt* it. It's instinctual. That's my baby. It's a boy?"
Buffy gave no reaction, but Giles nodded slightly before turning to his bookcase. "Hopefully I can find *something* in here that will explain it."
Riley couldn't believe this was happening. First, Angel has the nerve to have sex with *his* wife and now he was trying to say that Riley's son was his. Just thinking it made his blood boil. He was infuriated by the thought of that… demon! Buffy was *his* and Angel acted like just because he was there first he could just take her back. Well, Riley wouldn't stand for that.
His truck squealed to a stop in the Initiative's parking lot. He quickly got out and headed over to the front doors of the building that had been erected a few years after the program had begun and the government had decided to make it public that a military base was located in Sunnydale.
After he had shown ID to the night guardsman, he marched through the halls to the research department. It was a Saturday night, but that was a busy time for creatures of the night so there was quite a few soldiers and technicians working. Luckily it was slow for research so he was able to order the first person he saw to help him gather some information on the reproductive abilities of vampires.
"What am I going to do?"
Giles studied the young woman in front of him for a few seconds. He had never seen her look so tired. Not just physically, but emotionally. The past six months had been rough, and this was just another devastating blow.
"I don't know... I think it's something you'll need to discuss with Riley… and Angel too, of course." He replied.
Buffy sighed and shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe this was happening. Six years earlier, all she had wanted was Angel. He had been all she needed. Now he was entangled in her life, possibly forever, and it was devastating her.
Giles had managed to find some information in a book of what he had thought had been simple tales of a creature that stalked the night mating with a creature that protected the day. The creature of light had shared their blood with the night dweller while he had climaxed and a child had been created.
Angel had remembered that he had bitten Buffy as he came, something he hadn't done the first time they'd made love. The first time had been so slow, so careful. He hadn't wanted something so brutal to mar what was supposed to be her perfect night.
Giles had deduced that this meant it was quite possible Angel was indeed the father of Buffy's baby… making Buffy numb all over again.
"Perhaps you could have one of those tests done? You know, a DNA one? I am sure Angel would give a sample of his… and Riley most likely would as well. Can't you do that while you are still pregnant?"
Buffy nodded before a sob broke free from her throat. "I can't believe *I* am going to have to have one of those tests done! I always saw those women on television and said that I would never be one of them!"
"Buffy, this is in no way your fault." Giles assured her, putting his hand on her knee. "This was just a situation that came about from a lot of bad circumstances."
Buffy looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "I don't regret my baby, Giles. I still love him more than anything."
"I know you do… you're a wonderful mother already." He replied, smiling proudly at her. "Which is why you have to try to be calm. I know that this is a nightmare for you, but stress is going to harm your baby."
Buffy nodded. "I know that… but how am I supposed to act? Oh, I don't know who the father of my baby is, but it's cool?"
"I know…" Giles sighed. "Just… remember… that you have *me*, and you have Willow… and you *will* get through this. And even if this *is* Angel's baby and Riley cannot accept it… you will have *us* and you will have Angel."
"But I want Riley!" She cried.
"I know, Love, I know." He sighed, sitting next to her and pulling her into his arms.
"Buffy!"
The two pulled apart and looked towards the door where Riley had burst in. Buffy was grateful that Angel had left twenty minutes earlier, after he had heard what Giles had found and apologized profusely. He had told her to call him if she needed anything at all… and gone back to LA. She had wished she was in his position, able to just go to another city and block out that anything was going on.
"See, I told you, Buffy, there is nothing to worry about. In every book with information on vampires in even minor detail, they state that vampires can *not* reproduce!" Riley informed her, waving around photocopied pages around.
Buffy looked down at the ground, her heart breaking at his optimism and not wanting to have to tell him how wrong he might be. Giles took a deep breath and decided he would tell Riley, Buffy had enough stress already.
"We found some information."
Riley paled. "What?"
Giles held up a book. "There is a tale in here about a vampire and a slayer… having relations. He bit her and drank her blood as he… completed the act... And the slayer became pregnant."
Riley heard Buffy bite back a sob as he tried to think of a way to write off Giles' words. "But… how did you manage to never read that before? Did Angel give that book to you? Because you can't trust him!"
"I had never really read it before because a lot of these stories are thought to be just works of fiction." Giles answered.
"So you're taking some book with little *stories* in it over what is constantly reported as fact?!"
"We think it might be the fact that it's a *vampire* and a *slayer*. The two don't often have the chance to… test this out."
"So, what… now you think he *must* be the father, just because he says so?"
Buffy looked up at him. "We don't know what to think, Riley. Giles thinks we should do a paternity test."
"A.. paternity… test.." Riley repeated quietly, his eyes looking so lost… as he sat down in the easy chair.
"At least then we'll know." Buffy replied softly.
"No. This is ridiculous. Angel still wants you, Buffy. He'll say anything to get you back. There is no way he is the father and I am not making my son get involved in Angel's little game!"
Buffy looked down, avoiding Riley's eyes. Would she ever stop suffering because of one night?
Giles clenched his fists, trying to squelch his anger towards Riley. He knew it was understandable; Riley felt like Angel was trying to steal all that was his... But couldn't he move past that for the sake of Buffy?
Riley stared at the ceiling as though hoping it held all the answers to the questions that just wouldn't leave his mind. Most of all, why them? Buffy had always put the health and happiness of others before her own. She was a generous, loving person. And hadn't he tried to do the same? He went to church every week, tried to help those in need, tried not to be selfish... What did either of them do to deserve this? Why couldn't their baby be biologically *theirs* so that they could have a simple life without Angel?
Riley turned his head and saw Buffy staring at him, tears filling her eyes. He wished that she didn't *have* to lie on her left side. If she didn't, he wouldn't have to see her… and it would easier to pretend not to notice how upset she was. But he did… and it affected him.
"I'm so sorry Riley."
"Shh… it's not your fault. I know that." Riley replied, tenderly moving his fingers over her face as a tear spilled down her cheek.
"What if he's right?" She asked, her voice cracking. "I don't want to lose you!"
"You'll never lose me. I love you, Buffy... nobody can take that away." He leaned over a bit and brushed his lips across hers. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you when I fell on you?"
Buffy shook her head, overwhelmed that with all they were going through, he still worried that she had gotten hurt. "I'm okay... physically."
Riley nodded, relieved. He would never be able to forgive himself if he had hurt Buffy or the baby. "Let's go to sleep."
Buffy nodded slightly and tried to stop crying as Riley turned the lamp off from his nightstand. She tried to let his words provide the comfort for her that she so desperately needed, but they couldn't. She knew better than to think that just because they loved each other, they could overcome all obstacles. It hadn't been enough in the past, not with Angel. Could she and Riley really do it?
After a few moments, sleep overtook Buffy, and for that Riley was grateful. He pulled her against his chest, his hands twining through her hair and exhaled loudly. Her breathing deepened and he squeezed his eyes clothes. Part of him wanted to lash out at her, make her suffer as much as he had suffered, but the part of him that remembered the look in her eyes when he had done that before, stopped him. It was his baby inside of her. Their love was strong, so strong that one night with a vampire would not change that. Leaning his face into her hair, he inhaled her scent and shook his head. They were a family. They would make it.
The next morning, Riley's alarm went off promptly at eight. As he did every Sunday, he quickly turned it off and got out of bed, heading into the bathroom to take care of business before he took his morning jog. He went back into the bedroom and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before pulling on his shoes.
Kissing his still sleeping wife on the cheek, Riley left the bedroom and then the apartment.
As soon as she heard the front door close, Buffy opened her eyes and sat up. She hadn't had the most restful of nights, so she hadn't been able to fall right to sleep after Riley's alarm went off like she could usually do.
While Riley had been preparing for his jog, Buffy had been thinking. Though she had no desire to go to church before, even when Riley had tried to persuade her to join him, she now felt a need to attend mass with him.
Getting out of bed, she walked into the bathroom and turned the water in the shower on. She would attend church with her husband. She would eat dinner with him. They would start their childbirthing classes in a few weeks. And they would work through this, or she would die trying!
"Buffy, what are you doing up?" Riley asked as he came through the front door, sweaty and panting after his jog. He was quite surprised to find her showered and in her robe, making eggs in the kitchen, at a quarter to nine.
"I thought I would go to church with you today. That's okay, right?" She asked.
"Sure… are you sure you want to go? I mean, you never did before."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah… I was just thinking… I know you'll want to bring the baby to church… I really ought to at least *try* to attend regularly. Besides, they say religion has a way of seeing you through the tough times."
"Okay," Riley nodded, "as long as you're sure."
"I am." She smiled. "Why don't you go shower, I can make you some eggs for when you get out. Scrambled?"
Riley nodded. "Isn't that all you know how to make?"
Buffy shrugged. "It just seems nicer when I ask."
Riley granted her a small smile before going to their bedroom. Buffy felt a modicum of relief that they were still being civil to each other. She was petrified that things would disintegrate back to the point where they had been before Buffy had found out she was pregnant. There was no way she could do that again.
Buffy held tightly to Riley's hand as he guided her down the aisle in the church. She didn't know why, but Buffy found it very intimidating. It had never bothered her the few times Riley had dragged her to mass before, or when she attended with her in-laws… but maybe it was because she hadn't known the other times that she was possibly carrying her ex-lover's child as opposed to her husband's.
"Oh my goodness, look at you!"
Startled, Buffy looked up to see a woman old enough to be her grandmother beaming down at her.
"Mr. and Mrs. James, this is Buffy, my wife." Riley said, standing up politely. "Buffy, this is the couple I talk to every week, I've told you about them."
Buffy nodded as she started to push herself up.
"Oh, no, dear, you rest." The woman insisted as she sat down beside Buffy and her husband shook Riley's hand.
"Riley, you weren't kidding when you said you have a beautiful wife." The man smiled before sitting down beside his wife.
Buffy smiled, right away feeling the same was Riley did about this people. "It's so nice to meet you two. Sometimes Riley comes home and talks about you all day."
"Oh, and he tells us all about you while he's here, dear."
Seeing Riley blush, Buffy squeezed his hand and grinned at him. He could be positively adorable at times.
"You should have seen him when he first told us about the baby… he looked so excited. I just *know* you two will be wonderful parents." Mrs. James continued.
"It's good to see that you're joining Riley at mass now, Buffy. Elsa and I have found so much strength in the church while making our marriage work and raising our children." Mr. James told her.
Buffy smiled and nodded, hoping they were right. If saving their marriage and having the happy family she so desperately wanted meant going to church, Buffy would be there every week.
She'd do anything to get that.
"So how long are you going to wait?"
Buffy shrugged her shoulders as she cleaned lettuce. "I'm *dying* to know, Willow. It's like a constant ache in my stomach… the not knowing. But Riley gets so cold every time I bring up a paternity test."
"Is he in total denial about it?" Willow asked her friend.
"Basically. I mean, I suggest the test and he insists that he *is* the father of the baby. And it breaks my heart to push and say he might not be… so I can't." Buffy replied as tears welled in her eyes.
Willow put the tomato she was slicing down and hugged her friend as best she could. Buffy's belly made it hard. "It'll be okay, sweetie. I promise you!"
"What if it's not? What if I lose Riley? I love him *so* much Willow. I don't know if I can do this without him… but I know I don't *want* to."
"Shhh… no matter what, you will never be alone. You'll always have me, and Giles." Pulling back, Willow looked her friend in the eye. "And Angel?"
Buffy shrugged. "I haven't talked to him. Giles keeps telling me to call him, and I know it's only fair that I do… but I'm so scared of what Riley will say. There's no way he's going to be happy about it… but isn't it even more wrong and deceitful to go behind his back?"
Willow sighed. "You're going to have to talk to Riley. As much as it's going to hurt the both of you… you *have* to do it."
"I know… I know." Buffy replied, wiping her face when she heard the front door open.
"Hey, Baby." Riley greeted as he came around the corner. "Hello Willow."
"Hi Riley." Willow replied, watching as Riley hugged Buffy from behind, rubbing her belly possessively.
"How's he doing today?" He murmured in her ear.
Buffy couldn't help but feel happy when he held her like this. She felt so safe, so loved... like there was nothing out there that was strong enough to rip them apart.
"He's quite kicky and punchy." She replied, grinning at him
"Just like his mom." Riley teased, kissing her on the cheek before looking at the vegetables the women had been chopping. "Salad for lunch?"
Buffy nodded. "Want some?"
"Buffy, I am a *man*! I need man food!"
Rolling her eyes, Buffy pulled a TV dinner out of the fridge and handed it to him. "There's some *manly* turkey."
Willow silently finished the salad as she observed the couple teasing each other. It was so nice seeing them back how they used to be before the whole mess with Angel. She just hoped that they could stay this way. They deserved happiness.
"Why do you look so giddy?"
Riley grinned at his wife, his face glowing. "I can't stop!"
"Why not?" Buffy laughed as he took her hand and squeezed it.
"Because! We just got done with our first childbirth class! I don't know… it just makes this so much more real!" Riley explained as he opened the passenger side door to Buffy's car and helped her in before moving around to the driver's side.
"You know, we *must* start looking at either SUV's or a truck with a backseat for me. Your car is new, but even new cars can break down and we can't bring the baby in my truck." He commented as he backed out of the parking space in the hospital garage. "Where do you want to go out to dinner?"
"Wherever you want. I'm not craving anything in particular." Buffy replied, soon becoming lost in her own thoughts.
She adored how excited Riley was and wished more than anything she could feel the same way. However, going to the class had only served to make her feel even moreso that they *had* to get the paternity test done. She had to know. Seeing all the other happy couples who only had the normal things to worry about made her see that even knowing Angel was the father of the baby would be better than living with the question hanging over their heads.
"Riley... What about the test?"
Riley visibly tensed. "Test?"
"The paternity test."
Buffy watched as Riley's jaw clenched and he appeared to think for a moment. "Do you hope Angel's the father?"
"No! Of course not! You know that I want it to be you, Riley."
Riley shook his head. "The way you keep pushing and pushing me about this damn test… it's because you hope he *is* the father!"
"That's ridiculous, Riley! You're my husband! You're the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with. You're the man that I want my son to call Daddy." Buffy argued, her voice cracking.
"If that was the truth you wouldn't believe this bullshit about a *vampire* getting you pregnant! You want this test because you liked what Angel said and you're hoping it's true!" Riley replied, his voice rising as his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"I can't believe you're saying this!" Buffy began to cry.
"It's the truth!" He growled, belying his true feelings.
What she didn't know, what he couldn't bear to show her… was that he was terrified. Angel was her first love. If she were to give birth to his baby, what would keep her from leaving Riley?
Buffy took a deep breath and picked up the phone, trying to dial the numbers despite her trembling hands. Riley had gone over to Forrest's to watch a basketball game that night so she had her chance to do this.
To call Angel.
"Hello?"
Buffy's heart stopped as she heard his voice. Why was she so scared? It wasn't like Angel was going to yell at her!
But then again, what she was about to ask him to do could lead to the breakup of her marriage.
"Hello?" Angel repeated, about to hang up.
"Angel…"
"Buffy?" Angel asked, not believing his ears.
"Yeah, um… is this a bad time? Because I can call back." Buffy couldn't believe what a wuss she was being.
"Oh, no… it's fine. What's up? How are you doing?" He asked.
"Well, I'm good. I mean, healthy as can be and all that. I'm just… well, I've spent the last week and a half not being able to stop thinking about what you said."
"Oh… look, Buffy, I am really sorry I did it that way. It just made a bad situation worse."
"It's okay, I understand." She replied honestly. "Um.. I called to ask you to do something for me."
"Anything." Angel answered right away, praying she wasn't about to scream at him to stay away before hanging up the phone.
"Well, you've probably heard that they can use my amniotic fluid in a DNA test before the baby is born. To tell who the father is. I don't know if your saliva would be able to work in a DNA test, but if you think it does… will you take the test?"
"Sure," Angel replied. "You know I will. I'm not sure if my DNA will be messed up because of me being a vampire, but I'll look into it. Will… will Riley take the test too?"
"No," Buffy replied quietly. "Um… he's not taking this so well, and ever since you said you think you're the father I have been asking him to take this test. He won't… he says that I don't really want to be with him… it's so hard on him."
Angel felt his dead heart ache for her. "He doesn't know you're calling me, does he?"
"No, he doesn't. And I feel really guilty about this, but I have to know. Maybe once we get the results I won't even have to tell him."
Angel wanted to argue and tell her that he was only taking this test to prove it to her because he already knew he was the father, but he held his tongue. He couldn't risk pushing her away now.
"Well… I'll look into information on my DNA… are you going to set the test up?" Angel asked.
"Yeah… I'll do that. And I'll get back to you," Buffy replied. "And one more thing… since Riley doesn't know I have contacted you, it really wouldn't be a good idea to call me here unless it's a major emergency. Would you mind just letting Giles give me any messages? Or Willow, of course."
"Anything to make things easier for you." Angel told her. "Is there anything at all I can do for you? Was there anything you needed?"
"Peace of mind. Either way, I need to *know*, Angel. Just take this test. It's all I need right now."
"You okay?" Angel asked, peering over at the woman in the passenger seat of his car.
Buffy nodded before quietly answering. "I'm dealing."
Angel went back to focusing on the road, leaving the car in silence once again. He'd insisted on driving all the way to Sunnydale to pick Buffy up and drive her all the way to LA because she really wouldn't be in good condition to drive home after the procedure.
Buffy felt horribly guilty, as she had for the past four days, ever since she had contacted Angel and made the appointment for the paternity test. Going behind Riley's back might have been uncomplicated, but it was the hardest thing she had ever done.
She was nearly seven months pregnant now, and Walsh had decided it would probably be best if she worked days as opposed to nights. However, for the time being, Riley had to work the night shift, so she went in from eight to four and Riley worked from three to eleven, leaving her alone every night.
However, as lonely as it made her, it provided the opportunity to go do a paternity test with Angel.
That's why she felt horrible. Riley had smiled at her and given her a kiss and a pat on the belly when she had left work not an hour earlier… and here she was, going with her former lover behind his back to do a test he didn't want her doing.
"You know, it's probably best this way. Maybe the test will prove I am not the father. Then you'll know and you will never have to tell Riley." Angel told her. He knew in his heart that he *was* the father, but if it made Buffy feel better… he could lie.
Buffy looked over at him. "Angel, I can tell that you honestly feel positive you're the father."
Angel sighed. "Yeah."
Buffy gave him a small smile, appreciating the effort he had made. "Thank you."
Angel nodded and continued to drive. Even though he had known for weeks that they were going to do this, his mind was so muddled. The whole situation was so confusing. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to figure anything out until they got the test results in a week. And Angel didn't even know what he wanted those results to be.
On one hand, he wanted more than anything to be the father of this baby. To make a child with Buffy… he had never even dreamed of it before. On the other… Buffy's life would be so much easier if it was Riley's. Angel could admit that the man was good for her. Riley loved Buffy and Angel knew he would do anything for her. If the baby was Riley's they could be a happy family.
So why couldn't Angel be unselfish this time and hold that hope for her?
"You're doing great Buffy."
Angel looked down at Buffy while she lay on an examining table. She was busy focusing on a spot on the ceiling while the doctor performed the amniocentesis. He felt her squeeze his hand as she tried to ignore the pain.
His test had been a lot easier, just a q-tip swabbed against his inner cheek, and he felt bad that Buffy had to go through this. However, it was their only choice if they didn't want to wait over two months until the baby was born.
A few moments later, the doctor was done and the two of them were left alone in the room. Buffy was going to have to rest for at least an hour before they would release her, so Angel pulled up a chair and got comfortable.
After about twenty minutes, however, he got tired of staring at Buffy as she gazed at the ceiling. "I figure if all goes well, we'll get out of here by eight. Do you want to go get some dinner?"
Buffy shrugged. "I have no appetite."
"Buffy, please don't do this to yourself!" Angel pleaded. "This test needed to be done and Riley couldn't deal with it so you had no choice but to go behind his back!"
Buffy turned her head to look at him. "It's important to be honest when you are married. Lies only mess things up."
"Well, Riley blew the right to have you be honest with him when he couldn't deal with the idea of a paternity test."
"Angel, that's not fair."
"Don't defend him! God, why do you *do* that?! You always make 'poor Riley' out to be the victim. You always put *him* and *his* feelings first! He doesn't deserve you."
Buffy fought the urge to cry. As much as she loved Riley and knew he wasn't a bad guy… she knew that she was giving him too much of the benefit of the doubt.
"Angel, please don't do this." Buffy quietly pleaded.
Angel sighed and leaned back in his chair, forcing himself to not say another word. As much as he hated what Riley was doing to Buffy, what Buffy was *letting* him do, Angel knew that stressing her out would do more harm than good.
After an hour, the doctor said Buffy should be fine and released her. The former couple then slowly walked through the hospital to the parking lot. Despite Buffy's protests, Angel helped her into the passenger seat before heading off to Sunnydale.
Twenty minutes later, Angel surprised Buffy by parking in front of a diner. Before she could protest, he gave her a firm look. "It's eight-thirty and you have yet to eat dinner. I have to wonder if you've even eaten lunch or breakfast, because I know you're so full of guilt. You *need* to eat Buffy. If not for you, think about your baby."
Buffy sighed and nodded. Hopefully once they sat down at a table, she would develop an appetite. The thought of food right then honestly disgusted her.
They entered the busy diner and were relieved when they were seated right away. Buffy didn't want to be out too late on the off chance that Riley would call. She had told him that she and Willow were going out to dinner, but if he called after ten and she wasn't home, he might get suspicious.
Buffy felt a cramp after they had settled into the booth and moved her hand to her belly. Angel looked over at her, his eyes full of concern.
"Are you okay?"
Buffy nodded. "It's just a mild cramp… the doctor said it was normal."
"Yeah… but if it gets any worse, make sure you tell me." Angel replied.
Nodding, Buffy opened her menu and looked for something that appealed to her. The smells of the restaurant permeated the air and her taste buds were awakened. Angel had been right; she had choked down a plain slice of toast that morning only because Riley had forced her and she had not had a single thing to eat for the rest of the day. Add to that the fact that she had been on a guilt trip since she made the appointment, making it impossible to eat... and Buffy was starving!
"Hi, I'm Kristine, I'll be your server today. Were you two ready to order?" A waitress asked as she stood beside Buffy and Angel's table.
Much to Buffy's surprise, Angel began to order. "I'd like a hot turkey sandwich with an iced tea."
Kristine nodded and looked at Buffy, who stopped looking at Angel curiously and placed her order. "Can I get the cheeseburger and fries with a water? Oh, and can you bring tobasco sauce with it?"
"Buffy are you sure that's a good idea? Shouldn't you have something more nutritional? And maybe some milk to drink?" Angel asked.
Buffy mulled it over for a second before nodding towards the waitress. "Could you add a chocolate milkshake to that?"
The waitress chuckled and added the shake to the order as Angel frowned at Buffy. "That's *not* what I meant!"
"Oh, relax." Kristine told Angel. "When you feel all bloated and achy sometimes you just have to treat yourself."
"Exactly!" Buffy agreed with the woman. Angel and Riley, for all that they hated each other, could be exactly alike sometimes. However, she didn't like *either* of them telling her how to eat and while she might appease them sometimes... she was hungry!
"Fine, fine… gorge yourself on greasy foods if you want." Angel sighed.
"You two are so adorable! When are you due?" The waitress asked Buffy.
"May 5th."
"Wow… nine more weeks. Is this your first?"
Buffy grinned. "Yes… I'm very excited."
"I bet. Well, looking at the two of you, I *know* this baby will be gorgeous."
Buffy was caught off guard, but quickly recovered. "Thank you."
"Let me go put this order in." Kristine told them before hurrying off.
Awkwardly, Buffy and Angel sat silently, avoiding eye contact with each other.
As soon as Buffy walked in the door of the apartment after Angel had dropped her off, the phone started to ring. Glancing at the clock as she rushed over to the phone, she saw that is was a quarter after ten. Luckily there had been no traffic and Angel had made great time.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Baby… are you just getting home?"
Buffy felt her heartbeat quicken at the sound of her husband's voice. "Yeah, you know how Willow and I get when we start talking."
"I know." Riley chuckled. "But I really wish you wouldn't be out so late."
"Well, I was careful." Buffy assured him, sitting down on the couch so that she could pull off her shoes.
"Would you just let me worry? I love my little wife and child… I like to fuss over you." Riley teased.
Buffy giggled. "I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetie… you going to bed soon?"
"Yeah, probably. I think I'll take a bath."
"Okay, well, I better get back to work, but I should be home within an hour… so maybe I'll see you?"
"Yeah," Buffy replied, sighing. "I miss spending time with you."
"I know, but it's only for the time being. I'll switch shifts in a few weeks." Riley assured her.
"I can't wait." Buffy smiled.
"See you in a bit?" He asked.
"You got it. Love you."
"Love you too."
Hanging up the cordless phone, Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, praying for the strength to get through the next week. Riley was being so wonderful and it was tearing her up inside to know that she was putting all they had together at risk. However, the test was something she *had* to do... and Angel was right. Riley had put her in a position so that she had no choice but to go behind his back.
And that would have to be enough to make it easier to live with herself.
Buffy jumped when the phone in her office rang. She'd been on edge all morning, waiting for the call.
"Buffy Summers-Finn." She quickly said after picking up the receiver.
"Hi, how you doing?"
"Hey, Riley," Buffy replied, trying not to sound disappointed. "I'm fine… a little tired, but okay."
"Make sure you take a nap when you get home, Buff." He told her. "Oh, and the reason I called. Do you know where my keys are?"
"Did you look in the bathroom?"
"The bathroom? Why would they be in there?"
"You always leave them in there." Buffy pointed out with a smile.
"Oh… yeah, they're here. You're good."
Buffy grinned. "I'm used to your eccentricities old man."
"Old man?"
"Well, you're a father now."
Riley laughed. "I can live with that."
After they hung up, Buffy thought about how much she loved him. No matter how stressed she had been since she had found out Angel might be the baby's father, talking to Riley had always calmed her down. She needed him so much, and couldn't bear the thought of losing him.
The phone rang again and Buffy picked it up without much thought. "Buffy Summers-Finn."
"Hello Mrs. Summers-Finn, this is Margaret Norton. I am Dr. Davis' assistant. I wanted to let you know that your test results are in."
"You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, truly. I'm just… not fabulous. And I'm pregnant, so it's normal not to be fabulous." Buffy assured Riley as he followed her down the hall.
"Okay, well, you go straight home and rest. Maybe you can get Willow to bring you dinner?" Riley asked.
"She's out of town… but I can stick a TV dinner in the microwave when I get hungry."
Riley sighed; TV dinners were not very nutritional meals, but he supposed they were better than nothing. "Okay… you be good. I love you."
"I love you too." Buffy replied before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and heading out the door towards the parking lot.
She'd hated having to lie and tell Professor Walsh that she was feeling a bit under the weather and asking to go home early so she could rest, but Dr. Davis had to go out of town that night. If Buffy wanted to find out the test results before the following week, she would have to make it to her five o'clock appointment in LA.
As Buffy pulled out of the parking lot, she tried to decide whether or not to call Angel. On one hand, he wouldn't be able to join her since it was still sunny out and there was no covered parking at the doctor's office. It had been nerve wracking enough for him to drive to Sunnydale the week before to pick her up, even with the tinted windows in his car. Did she really want to have him be on pins and needles for two hours, waiting for the news? However, would it really be fair of her to call him after she knew so that he could be caught totally off guard?
After half an hour of carrying the burden herself, Buffy couldn't handle the anxiety alone and let her need to share the load outweigh anything else.
"Angel Investigations."
"Cordelia, hi, this is Buffy."
"Oh, hey Buffy." Cordelia replied, caught off guard. Buffy had never called the office in all the years she had been working for Angel. However, Cordelia had caught on that her friend and her boss had been in communications. Angel had even headed over to Sunnydale in the daylight. Something was definitely going on.
"Is Angel there?" Buffy asked, praying Cordelia wouldn't push for information.
"Yeah… hold on a second." Cordelia replied. "Angel, phone for you."
In his office, Angel heard Cordelia call out to him so he picked up the phone and covered the mouthpiece while he shouted to Cordelia that he had the phone so she could hang up.
"Hello, this is Angel."
"Angel, it's Buffy."
Surprised, Angel quickly grew worried. "Buffy, are you okay?"
"Yeah... I mean, well, the doctor's office called about the test."
"Yeah?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"I am in my car, heading to the office now. She managed to fit me in for an appointment at five. She's going out of town for the week so unless I wanted to wait, I had to go today."
"Oh, do you want me to meet you there?" Angel asked, trying to figure out how he could do it.
"No, that's okay. It would be impossible for you to get in there. I just wanted to… give you fair warning that the news was coming."
Angel nodded. "Okay… so are you going to come over here after you see the doctor? I mean, it's just ten minutes away, but you can just call if you prefer."
Buffy thought it over for a second. "I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll see what I feel like after, okay?"
She had a feeling that no matter what the results were, she wouldn't be able to feel completely happy. She loved both men and having to tell either of them that they weren't the father of her son was going to be one of the hardest things she had ever done.
After she got off the phone with Angel, Buffy tried to decide what she would do with either possible answer. If Riley was the father… well, it was *easier*. She would have to tell Angel and he would be disappointed, but she could go home and rest easy that night knowing nothing could break up her family. However, if Angel was the father… she had no clue *what* she would do. Riley would be devastated enough at the news... if he found out that they had gone behind his back she had no idea what he might do.
"Hello, Buffy, how are you doing today?"
"Kind of nervous, actually." Buffy replied as Dr. Davis walked around to sit behind her desk.
"Understandable." The doctor replied, giving Buffy a compassionate smile. "However, I have a bit of bad news for you."
Buffy sat up straighter, an alarmed look on her face. "What's wrong? Did the tests show something else? Something wrong with the baby?"
"No… no, nothing like that." The doctor assured Buffy, then took a deep breath. "The tests came back inconclusive. We aren't sure whether or not Mr. Daly is the father of your baby."
"Oh." Buffy replied quietly, stunned.
"I really wish I could give you a definitive answer but..."
"You told me that there was a chance we wouldn't be able to determine the paternity this way… I just should have prepared myself better for this possibility."
"Well… we can try another test when your son is born. Then we'll be able to tell."
Buffy nodded and sort of tuned the woman out as she got lost in her own thoughts. It had all been for nothing. The lying, the sneaking around… she had put so much at risk and for *nothing*. She still didn't know who the father of her son was.
"Wow… you really *are* pregnant." Cordelia remarked as Buffy walked through the door. "I mean Xander said you were… but who can believe him anyway. I never pictured you so big!"
"Thanks, Cordelia." Buffy answered wryly, wondering if her friend even realized she'd insulted her. "Is Angel here?"
"Yeah, I'll get him." Cordelia replied, standing up and stomping her foot on the ground. "Wow, can you even see your shoes?"
"No…" Buffy replied, waiting impatiently for Angel.
A moment later, he rushed out of the elevator and was relieved to see the person he was impatiently waiting for. Ever since she'd called him, he had been obsessing over the test. It had made him insane with anticipation. He'd decided Buffy would probably call if she found out Riley was the father… since she wouldn't want to see his face when he found that out.
So if she had come to see him....
"Buffy, what happened?" He asked before remembering Cordelia was standing there. He realized that they probably should go somewhere private. 'Um… let's go in my office to talk
Buffy nodded and let him lead her into the room. Angel shut the door behind him before looking at Buffy, waiting for her to say something.
"The tests came back, but… they can't tell… I still don't know who the father is… my son will be born and I won't know who is his father!" Buffy told him before she broke down and cried.
Angel immediately moved over to Buffy, wrapping his arms around her and whispering soft words of comfort in her ear. He would do anything in his power to get her through this.
Riley shook his head disdainfully as he pulled up in his truck behind Buffy's Taurus. He'd been honestly worrying about his wife, calling their apartment half an hour after she had gone home. There had been no answer and he had worried, but Forrest can convinced him not to overreact. Admitting that she might have been in the bathroom or maybe she stopped for something to eat or something, so he gave her another fifteen minutes. When nobody answered the phone a second time, Riley called Buffy's cell and got her voice mail, as he usually did when she turned her phone off.
Deciding that even if something wasn't wrong to make Buffy miss his calls he still ought to be with her. Save for the weekends, they had spent so much time apart as of late. Buffy was seven months pregnant and she *needed* him.
So he had left work early and gone home to be with his wife, only his wife wasn't there. And then Riley had an idea. Something told him that Buffy wasn't just at the store, but that she had lied to him. He didn't know why, but something told him to go to LA.
After that, he had hopped back in his truck and headed over to Angel's place, where he had seen his wife's car. It had made Riley's heart sink to see his worst nightmare become reality. Buffy was with Him behind her husband's back. How could she do this?
Parking his car alongside Buffy's so that he was blocking her in, Riley jumped out and headed towards the door.
Cordelia had forgotten all about her work and was instead standing and staring at Angel's closed office door. She could tell that both Buffy and Angel were extremely tense about something, and her curiosity was piqued. She heard the door slam open and turned her head in time to see Riley Finn storm in.
"Where is she?! Where's Buffy?" He practically growled at her.
For the first time in her life, Cordelia was speechless. She didn't know if she should just point him to where Buffy was, or if she should call Angel… or what.
Riley, however, noticed where she had been looking and marched right over to Angel's office, opening the door and walking in.
"What the Hell is going on here?!"
Stunned, Buffy and Angel pulled apart. Angel looked down and tried to brace himself for what would most likely be another verbal and physical fight with the man who had married his true love.
Buffy rushed over to Riley and put her hands on his shoulders. "Please, Riley, this is not what it looks like, you have no idea…"
Riley grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands off of him, giving her an icy look before glaring at Angel. "I've told you not to touch her."
"She's not your property. If she lets me, I can touch her. It has nothing to do with you."
Buffy decided that she couldn't do it again. She couldn't sit there and not let it bother her to see two people that she loved fight like cats and dogs. Turning, she rushed out the door of the office and past Cordelia, who had been on the phone with Wesley, informing him of the situation and trying to get him back the office to help get things under control.
"Buffy…" She called, but the blonde was already out the door and off into the night. "Listen Wesley! Just get here stat!"
Slamming down the phone, Cordelia moved closer to Angel's open office door. She wasn't sure if she should even attempt to break up the fight... but she could watch to make sure they didn't kill each other.
"Just so you guys know, Buffy just ran off. She looked pretty upset." Cordelia spoke up.
Both men paused and looked at her, then glanced around to see that Buffy was indeed gone.
"I blocked her in. She'll be right back." Riley said.
Angel glowered at him. "Or maybe she'll just go wander around. At night. Unarmed. Seven months pregnant. Even if a demon doesn't find her, this *is* LA and there are a lot of other things to worry about. See how you drive her to put her and her son's life in danger?"
"Stay out of it. She's *my* wife!"
"Yeah, she's your wife. But if you were there for her, then she wouldn't *need* my support. She wouldn't be *here*. And if one hair on her head gets hurt out there, so help me…"
"Don't you worry. I will go out there and find *my* wife. You stay the Hell away from my wife and *my* child. I do still know how to use a stake and I can call the Initiative for back up if I need to. Don't tempt me." Riley threatened.
Angel laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, you really are dependant on back up for everything, aren't you? *I* am the one who backed up your marriage when Buffy got bored, wasn't I? That's *my* baby because *you* aren't man enough..."
A punch from Riley knocked Angel to the ground. "Don't you *dare*! You left her! You *left* and that means that you gave up all rights. Buffy isn't yours anymore. I'm the one who helped her pick up the pieces. It wasn't easy and it took *years* but I did it! So you think that you can come back in our lives and have Buffy back whenever you please? You're *wrong*!"
Dumbfounded, Angel stood up, feeling more than a little ashamed at some of his comments. As much as he hated the way Riley had been treating Buffy, he could understand the way the other man was feeling.
"We have to go find Buffy before something happens that we will both regret." He said quietly.
Riley nodded and headed for the door. The both of them walked out and towards the street. When Riley headed right, Angel went left.
Buffy couldn't see where she was going. The tears were blinding her. Not that she cared. She had nowhere to go. Even if Riley hadn't blocked her car in, where would she have gone? Home? No… home life was sure to be Hell again. Her mother's? No… there was no way she was in the right frame of mind to tell her mom what was going on. Willow was out of town… and that left Giles. But Buffy was tired of running to him whenever life overwhelmed her and burdening him. It wasn't fair.
But most of all, she was sick of feeling this way. She was sick of crying. She was tired of feeling so hopeless and depressed over one thing or another.
Stopping, Buffy wiped her face and looked around at her surroundings, realizing for the first time that it was dark out and she was alone in a strange neighborhood… and she wasn't in the best condition to defend herself.
Turning around, she tried to see which way she had come from so that she could backtrack, cursing herself for being so caught up in her emotions that she had blindly rushed away from Angel's. Making a guess and going left, Buffy walked slowly down the sidewalk, trying to find something that looked familiar.
Someone came out of an alley ahead of her to her right and Buffy's heart stopped for a second until she realized it was her husband. Despite what had happened earlier, she felt greatly relieved to see him.
"Buffy, oh God, don't ever do that again!" Riley said as he rushed over to her and hugged her as tight as he could with her protruding belly.
When Buffy got past her relief at seeing him, her emotions were once again replaced by her anger at the situation. She knew what she had done was wrong, but Riley *had* forced her to lie and she *was* tired of the way he always stormed in and started making accusations without giving her a chance to explain.
Feeling Buffy bristle in his arms, Riley tried to smooth things over. "I love you so much… and you know how I get when I think about you and Angel… especially after what happened."
"But you're supposed to *trust* me, Riley! You told me you believed me about what happened with Angel. You know I wouldn't…"
"What? Lie to me about not feeling well so that you can come and see him?" Riley asked, then continued when he saw Buffy's mouth open to reply. "Look, I don't want to get into this with you now… especially not here. Please, let's just walk back to our cars and drive home. We can talk there."
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know, Riley... What if we go back there and then we go back to our lives before I found out I was pregnant? I can't put my son through that. I *won't*."
"It won't be like that." He assured her. "You love me, right? You love him? Don't you want the three of us to be happy together? It will never happen if you won't come home."
Sighing, Buffy nodded and let Riley walk her back to her car.
Angel had decided to walk back to the office and get his car so he could drive around and look for Buffy when he saw Riley and Buffy coming back the other way. Sighing in relief, Angel walked a little faster.
"Are you all right?"
"She's fine." Riley replied coldly, wrapping his arm around Buffy.
Angel glared at him. "I would like to hear it from *her*."
"Would you two knock it off! The last thing I need is the both of you acting like *children*!" Buffy shouted, pulled away from Riley and trying to dig her keys out of her purse.
To their credit, both men looked shamed.
Buffy managed to get her keys out and use the remote to unlock the doors. Riley quickly opened the door for her and helped her in. Buffy didn't say a word to him, just sat down and put her seatbelt on while he shut the door.
Shooting a look at Angel, Riley walked around and got into his truck. Angel went and bent down next to Buffy's door. Sighing, she unrolled the window.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Buffy nodded. "I need to."
"Will you call me? Please?"
"Yeah." Buffy replied.
Angel gave her a small smile. "Good. You take care of yourself. And the little one."
"I will." Buffy said, returning the smile.
Angel stood and smirked at Riley, who had been watching as best he could from the truck. Riley moved the truck into drive and headed off, making sure he saw Buffy follow a few seconds later. Down the street, he pulled over and rolled his window down. Buffy pulled up next to him and pushed the button so that the passenger side window rolled down.
"I just want to follow you, okay?" Riley told her.
Buffy nodded and smiled, not being able to help finding it sweet how Riley always worried about her getting home safe. She rolled the window back up and continued on the drive home.
Half an hour later, she was on the highway when she saw Riley flashing his brights at her. She saw him holding something out the window of his car and looked at it for a few seconds before she realized it was his phone. Then she realized she had turned her cell phone off after she had called Angel.
A few seconds after she turned it on, it began to ring.
"Riley?"
"Buffy, slow down, you're driving way too fast!"
"Riley, there is nobody on the road and I'm only doing 80."
"Buffy, that's way over the speed limit!" He scolded from the other end.
Buffy sighed; they had the same argument all the time on road trips and she wasn't in the mood for it that day. "You're not my father, I'm an adult and I am going to drive how I want to drive."
"You have *my* baby in that car with you, Buffy, so you *have* to listen to me!" He insisted.
Buffy felt like her blood was boiling. "You know, it was because of *you* demanding that things be done your way that this whole thing happened. If you had just dealt with reality and taken the stupid test, I wouldn't have had to go to Angel!"
"What?"
"The test! The paternity test! That's why I was there! We took the test last week and the results came back inconclusive… I was upset and that's why Angel was comforting me before you blew in and overreacted as usual!"
Riley went numb as he realized what she had done. He had never imagined Buffy could do that. When he had worked on moving past what she had done with Angel, he had thought about the type of person Buffy was... and he had told himself that she was honest… that she wasn't the type to go behind his back. How wrong he had been...
He turned his phone off and accelerated his truck, pulling into the passing lane.
Buffy realized Riley had hung up on her before she saw him pull into the lane to the left and quickly pass her.
"Oh, he yells at me for going 80, but he's gotta be going at least 90!" Buffy ranted before shaking her head and sighing.
Boy, had she blown things now.
Buffy slowly walked up the door to the apartment she shared with Riley, ignoring the urge just to go to Giles' or a hotel for the night. She had to face Riley so that they could get this out in the open and move past it. Even if *she* didn't relish the thought of it… she owed it to her son.
Taking a deep breath, Buffy opened the door. Walking in, she found Riley standing at the refrigerator.
He didn't bother to glance at her.
"You better take your vitamins. The baby needs it... and I think you've put him at enough risk as it is with your lying and sneaking and driving like a maniac." Riley told her.
"Oh, you're one to talk! *You* blew *me* away! How fast were you going?" She countered.
"What does it matter? Did you honestly care if I crashed? You want this baby to be Angel's! If I die then there is nothing standing in your way!"
"How dare you?!" Buffy shouted. "I want *you* to be this baby's father no matter what the results say because I love *you*!"
"Oh yeah! You love me so much that you run off to Los Angeles to be with the man, no *thing*, that you cheated with and have that test done. That fact that he was the one who went with you tells me all I need to know."
"I asked *you* to go!" She replied.
Steadily, he replied "And I asked you not to."
"No, *you* wouldn't even *talk* about it!" Buffy argued before calming herself. "And I didn't cheat on you. I thought he was you and I thought you believed that, but apparently you don't."
"I am so sick and *fucking* tired of him being my stand in, Buffy! You slept with him because you thought he was me. He takes the test because I won't. It's like I have to live in fear of not doing what *you* want the *way* you want it. Because if I don't… well, there is always Angel, waiting in the wings, ready to do it."
Buffy remained silent, stunned, while Riley paused for a few seconds, looking at the floor before looking back up at her.
"What's next, Buff? If this baby is his, do *I* get to be the stand in? Or does good old Angel get to be the only dad he needs?"
Tears welled in Buffy's eyes as she took a step closer to him. "How could you even ask me that? Our wedding vows mean *everything* to me! I promised to love you, only you, until the day I die. Riley, no matter what any paternity test says, in my heart this is *our* baby!"
Riley opened his mouth and Buffy thought he was about to yell at her again, but then he must have thought better of it and shut it again. After a few seconds contemplation, Riley replied. "If it's not my baby, then things will never be the same between us and you know it. It'll never be just you and me and the baby. It will *always* be you, me, the baby and Angel. And I don't know..."
After he was silent for a moment, Buffy couldn't wait any longer. "You don't know what?"
Riley grabbed a beer out of the fridge and shut the door before looking up at her. "I don't know if I can live that way."
As he turned and walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the bedroom, Buffy felt like the ground was falling out beneath her. This couldn't be happened. Riley *couldn't* be giving up.
Buffy didn't even notice the tears as they streamed down her face. She just poured herself some juice and swallowed down her vitamins, rubbing her belly and telling her baby everything would be okay.
She looked towards the bedroom, but was too scared to face Riley. What if he threw her out of the bedroom? What if she came in and he left? She couldn't bear the thought. But if she didn't go in the bedroom... then he couldn't reject her. And if he didn't reject her… she could pretend things were okay.
Telling herself that, Buffy lay down on the couch, pulling the thin quilt over herself. That night, she cried herself to sleep.
Buffy was awakened by the sunlight filtering through the sliding glass door to the balcony. Pushing herself up, she realized it was nearly six-thirty and she was running half an hour late. She couldn't believe she'd slept so late.
Quietly opening the bedroom door, she saw Riley sound asleep in their bed. He looked so happy and peaceful... not at all like he had been the night before. And probably not like how he would be that day, or the next, or the day after...
Buffy sighed and went to her closet to find something to wear.