destructo-girl.com

Riley smiled when he turned around after nearly two hours to find that Buffy had fallen asleep watching the movie. Careful not to shake the bed too much, he got up and moved around to her, pulling the blankets down under her body, praying she wouldn't wake up. Luckily, she didn't, and he was able to pull off her shoes and get her all tucked in without causing her to even stir.

He threw away the plastic containers from their sundaes and slipped his coat on. With one quick glance, he crept out the door and prayed she wouldn't awake while he was gone.

"Yes, I did!" Buffy replied, "I mean, when we were coming here, I think we both had the idea that this was just something that we had to 'get through' and I hadn't planned on having anything that resembled fun, but I really enjoyed myself."

"I did too," Riley replied, giving her a smile before returning his focus to the crowded freeway. They'd left the hotel half an hour earlier and hadn't gone very far. What kind of city had bumper to bumper traffic on a Wednesday? The only excuse he could think of was that the sky was extremely gray and a few drops of rain had sprinkled the road… but it was far from slick.

"So tell me about your family. You know how messed up mine is… I'd like to hear about one that turned out right," she said, "I always wanted a big family."

"Well, that's kind of funny, because there were quite a few occasions when I wanted to be an only child," he chuckled, "But overall.. well, someday I want to have my own family and I want more than one kid, so I guess that says it all."

"Yeah," Buffy said quietly, imagining Riley playing with three or four little kids... wishing that they could be *their* kids. But any chance they'd had for that before was gone now…

"I'm one of four kids. I have an older brother, Noah. He lives in Iowa, but in Des Moines, which is just about a half hour drive from our parents' farm in Huxley, so he gets to be near everyone. He's a journalist, writes for the Iowa State Daily, which is a big newspaper."

"Yeah… we're proud of him. Of course, Noah still gets nagged by Mom constantly. You see, he just got married and he's already twenty-eight."

"No, but he's had to deal with Mom bugging him about it and trying to set him up with girls for about four years, something I had been dreading, but after this, I think I'm safe," he joked.

"Unfortunately for Noah," Riley continued, "Now she's demanding to know when he's going to give her a grandchild. She's already a grandmother because of my sister, but she adores babies, and wants as many around as possible."

"That's what I always say. Then there is my sister, Rachel. She's twenty-six, married for six years, and she's got a set of boy and girl five-year-old twins and a two-year-old little boy. I got to be there when she delivered him."

"Actually, the first word I use to describe it is always 'gross', but since I do tell everyone about that whenever I mention Randy, I have to admit it was cool."

"Your sister was fairly young when she got married too… so maybe it won't be so bad that we did the same. You are two years older than she was," Buffy commented.

"Yeah… but that was a huge family scandal. Rachel fell deeply in love with one of the junior associates at my dad's law firm. Brian was thirty- ten years older... But they accepted her wish to get married when they saw she really did love him and it wasn't just some schoolgirl thing. I think it's mellowed them. In fact, when she dropped out of college a year later because she was pregnant, they didn't even care… they were so excited about the twins."

Riley smiled and shook his head, "Most people think that, to hear me talk… but he's not. There are two types of people who own farms- those who get up at the crack of dawn and work hard all day long... And those who buy the farm, pay people, and enjoy the nature. My father *is* a hard worker… but he made his money being a damn fine lawyer."

"Oh, I have no doubt that whatever your father did, he worked hard to earn it. I can tell."

"Okay, I have one younger brother, Caleb, who is nineteen. He's going to Iowa State, but it's only twenty minutes from our house, so he's back there often. My dad is sort of half-retired. He still works, but not every day. He'll go in a couple days a week, make sure everything is running smoothly, and occasionally take a case. My mom stays at home and is very active in church and community stuff."

"Wow, you guys are the epitome of the American family, only not really," Buffy said, "I mean… you guys are what everyone *wants*, but most of us are too messed up to actually *be*."

Riley thought her words over. She really was right; he was very lucky for his family. He didn't appreciate them nearly enough… and yet the next time he talked to his mother, he had to give her some news that was going to blow her right out of the water. He was the world's best son.

Riley wondered if Buffy was asleep. They were on the last leg of their trip, about an hour and a half from home. It had been about half an hour since they'd left the restaurant in Barstow where they'd had lunch and Buffy had been completely silent ever since. He wasn't sure if she was asleep, but since she'd had a propensity to lapse into spells of deep thought, he figured she probably wasn't.

Careful to keep his eyes on the road, Riley pulled the CD from where he'd stuck it between the ceiling and visor. He managed to get the case open and the CD out so that he could slide it in the player without getting them in a wreck, something he'd always had a hard time doing.

I didn't hear you leave,
I wonder how am I still here
I don't want to move a thing,
It might change my memory

Buffy looked at the CD player in surprise, hearing the song by Dido playing. She recalled how the day before she had told Riley how much she loved it… apparently he had gone and bought it.

Oh I am what I am,
I'll do what I want,
But I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be… until you're resting here with me

Riley blushed at the lyrics in the song; not that they were especially dirty. But they *were* romantic, and while he wanted to say romantic things to her, he didn't think it would be considered appropriate.

I don't want to call my friends,
they might wake me from this dream
And I can't leave this bed,
Risk forgetting all that's been

"I can't believe you bought this!" she exclaimed, beaming at him, "You're so sweet."

Riley smiled shyly, "You seemed like you really liked it. I just thought you might enjoy having a copy of this again, so I snuck out and bought it when you were asleep last night."

"Thank you," she replied, sighing. He was such a great guy… how could she ever repay him for all the wonderful things he'd done for her? Even something as simple as buying her a CD… it was *so* thoughtful.

Oh I am what I am,
I'll do what I want,
But I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me

"So, what'd you guys do?" Waylon questioned as everyone sat in the large dining room of Lowell house.

The guys had all made a huge spaghetti dinner in honor of Buffy and Riley's homecoming and had forced them not to help, but instead relax after their long trip. They'd gone along with it, since they were honestly exhausted after the past three days.

Joseph snorted and Mike smacked Waylon in the arm, but he just continued to grin shamelessly while Buffy and Riley blushed furiously at his implication.

"Just tell me, did you guys see *anything* unique to Las Vegas other than when you were in the car on the way to the hotel?" Chris asked.

"We saw plenty," Buffy assured him, "There is this really cool water show outside this hotel called the Bellagio… and there was this really nice mall that was actually in our hotel."

"Plus, we watched a pirate show and a fake volcano erupt," Riley added, making a point to leave out quite a few of the places they had gone to so the guys wouldn't make jokes about Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes actually sight-seeing for his entire honeymoon instead of consummating his marriage with his new bride.

"Oh, before I forget," Nathaniel said, "We got the marriage certificate you faxed us and gave it to Nichols. He wants you down there tomorrow to fill paperwork out… and you guys have to make arrangements for Buffy to sign stuff too."

"Where am I going to do that?" Buffy asked, "They won't let me go down there."

Nathaniel shrugged, "Maybe Nichols can come up here. All I know is that you have to do it in the presence of him, so maybe he'll just come to you."

Buffy bit her lip and shared a worried glance. They'd have to start acting like a real couple for an *important* person the next day.

"So, do I need to make a point to be here all day tomorrow?" Buffy asked as she watched Riley pull pajamas out of his dresser.

"Well, I'm going to go see Colonel Nichols first thing in the morning. After that, I will be able to tell you when or *if* I'm going to need you to be around," Riley replied, "Did you have somewhere you needed to go?"

"I want to talk to Giles. I need to do it as soon as I can because otherwise I'm going to get an ulcer."

"I know how you feel," he sighed, "And Graham brought up a really good point today. When we moved in here we had to sign a bunch of papers. Among them were agreements about our expectancy of privacy. They have the right to monitor any and all phone calls we make from here, so just in case, I ought to call my mother from somewhere else. I have a calling card from my parents, so maybe I'll go use a pay phone."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Buffy agreed, "The last thing we need is to be convicted of fraud."

Pajamas in hand, Riley walked over to the door, "I'm going to go change, are you going to do the same in here?"

Buffy nodded, "Sure."

Once he was out the door, Buffy grabbed her nightshirt out of the as-yet-unpacked suitcase and tossed it on the bed. She quickly undressed and frowned as she put them in the pile of dirty clothes she was quickly accumulating. She'd have to do some laundry soon.

She had just finished buttoning up the nightshirt when there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Riley making sure she was decent before coming back in, she said, "Come in."

Instead, Buffy was surprised by Forrest walking into the room, "Riley's not here?"

"No," she replied, "He's in the bathroom. He'll be back really soon, though, I'm sure."

Forrest nodded and started to leave the room, then had a change of heart, "Since we have this chance, I'd like to talk to you."

Buffy nodded apprehensively; she'd always gotten a sense of disapproval about the whole wedding thing from Forrest, so she had a feeling this wouldn't be a heartwarming talk.

Forrest shut the door so they wouldn't be overheard and leaned against Riley's desk. "Look, I don't think you're the type to take advantage of a person's generosity. I know you didn't convince Riley to do this, he suggested it to you. But for the record, I think it's a huge mistake. I feel bad for you for what happened... the guy who got you pregnant is a jerk, and it was wrong of him to just ditch you like that. It was also wrong of you to go along with this. Yeah, Riley is the one who said it, not you, but you didn't have to agree. Riley's my best friend and his best interests are what I am concerned about. I know you have a lot of things to worry about these days, but I am damn pissed that Riley's feelings weren't one of them."

"I care about Riley," Buffy protested, her voice wavering as her own doubts made her wonder if Forrest was wrong at all. "I don't want to hurt him and this isn't going to! He's just helping me and he swears that it's not hard on him."

"Riley is, like, the most honest guy I know and because of you he is lying to the U.S. Military! You'd see that if you knew Riley well, but you don't. All you know is he is some poor sap with a crush on you who is willing to risk everything to help you out after you fucked up," Forrest told her angrily.

Neither had noticed Riley entering the room a moment earlier, just in time to hear Forrest's angry accusation. "I can't believe you! Buffy, don't listen to him, he is delusional. Forrest, stop being an asshole! I can't believe you are attacking her. This is none of your damn business, but she did nothing wrong. I'm an adult. If you don't like *my* actions, hold *me* accountable."

Forrest sighed and shook his head, "I don't know why I even bother."

"Neither do I," Riley replied as he watched his friend leave the room, turning back to Buffy, he could tell by the look on her face that Forrest's words had done damage and he needed to fix it right away, "Look, he's wrong. Forrest can't know me better than I do."

"He doesn't… but he's right. Oh Riley, I feel so guilty!"

"Don't, please… don't make us go through this again," Riley pleaded, "I know you feel bad, but you shouldn't. It doesn't matter anyway, because we're married. It's done… no amount of guilt is going to change that. All it's going to do is make me more angry at Forrest… you don't want me mad at my friend, do you?"

Buffy shook her head and walked over to the bed. Why couldn't things be simple for once? Why did she have to get pregnant with Angel's baby, only to be dumped by him? Why did the way she was able to have a home and money for her baby have to involve hurting Riley?

Riley grabbed a couple pillows to sleep on that night, hoping once she got a good night's sleep, Buffy would feel better about everything. He couldn't wait until they got their own apartment… away from Forrest. As great a friend he was… Riley wanted to kill him at that moment.

"Um, Riley?"

Riley looked up to see Buffy sitting on the bed, looking more innocent and damn gorgeous than he had ever seen her.

"Sleep here… like I said the other night, we're adults. It would make me feel better if you could at least sleep in your own bed," she said, "We know it doesn't do any harm for us to just share a bed; nothing happened the past two nights."

If she knew about the dream he'd had the first night, she probably wouldn't have said that, but luckily she didn't… and Riley enjoyed sleeping beside her far too much to let the fact that he was worried about his subconscious to refuse.

He put the pillows back in their position on the bed and climbed under the covers and Buffy settled in. Riley turned off his lamp and waited for Buffy to do the same, but was surprised when she leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," she told him, granting him a smile, before reaching over and turning off the lamp on her side.

Riley was too dumbstruck to reply. Instead he lay still as a statue, staring at the ceiling until he heard Buffy's steady breathing as she fell asleep. It was then that a giddy smile spread on his face. Sure, she probably only felt gratitude and a friendship towards him… but that was enough for now.

Buffy awoke extremely disoriented. She didn't know where she was… and there was a banging that she couldn't identify. After a few seconds, she stopped staring at the ceiling and looked around at the room she was in. It was then that she remembered she was in Riley's room at Lowell House. The banging had apparently been someone knocking at the door, because it was now partially open, with Riley leaning out of the room talking to someone.

She pushed herself up in a sitting position and checked the alarm clock, groaning when she saw it was only half past six. Hopefully whatever was going on wasn't a big deal so she could go back to sleep.

A moment later, Riley turned around and appeared surprised to see her awake. Smiling apologetically, he said, "Sorry I didn't get that in before it woke you up. Unfortunately, I need you to get up anyway."

"At this hour?" she asked, in disbelief, "What kind of evil is out there this early? Most of the baddies are night owls."

Riley laughed as he pulled his uniform out of the closet, "It's nothing like that. Graham just got off his shift and he told me that Nichols just left for Vandenberg a few minutes ago and left me a message that he wants you and I to meet him there to fill out paperwork at 0900 hours. That means we need to leave at about a quarter after seven to be sure we get there on time."

"Forty-five minutes?!"

"Yeah… and make sure you like how you do your hair and everything… because while we're there, you might as well get your military ID."

Buffy sighed loudly and got out of bed, throwing open Riley's closet door and looking at the dresses Willow had brought her. For something like this, she was definitely going for mature. Unfortunately, most of her clothes had a more 'sexy' emphasis. She barely heard Riley leave to go shower as she let out a whine and tried to figure out what to do.

"You look fine," Riley assured Buffy as he started the jeep's engine.

"You're just saying that because you don't want me to hate you for hardly giving me any time to get ready," Buffy argued, frowning at him before taking a mouthful of the donut Nathaniel had shoved in her hand, insisting that a pregnant woman couldn't skip breakfast.

"I swear, I am not. I would have never guessed that you'd been rushed for time if I didn't know it," he replied, trying not to smile. She was the most beautiful girl in the world, how could she be so upset that she hadn't had hours to primp?

"Isn't Vandenberg an Air Force Base?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter for stuff like this. We actually don't need to fill out the paperwork here, but Colonel Nichols probably wants to make sure you get your ID, so he's dragging us out here. We can go on any kind of base in the U.S. Military, not just Marine ones."

"Hey, pretty cool," Buffy replied, "I had a friend in high school whose cousin's father was in the Air Force and she told us about tax-free shopping and stuff."

"Unfortunately since we don't live near any non-secret military bases, you probably won't have many chances to frequent base exchanges and commissary's, but if you go near one, you can shop there."

"Cool."

Riley smiled again, this time amused by how quickly she'd forgotten her 'trauma' of the morning. He didn't know how it was possible… but he found her more adorable every day.

"Ugh… I'm full," Buffy moaned, rubbing her stomach.

Everything had gone smoothly during their meeting with Colonel Nichols, and Buffy had been able to get her ID quickly, so as a sort of celebration, the two of them had stopped for lunch so they wouldn't have to endure a bunch of young men arguing about the balanced diet of a pregnant woman.

"Hey, do you want me to take you to your friend, Giles', so you can talk to him?" Riley asked, "I was thinking it might help if he met me. I could stay out in my jeep and wait if you want… and if things are going well enough, you can come get me. I know you two will probably want your privacy, so you won't want me with you when you tell him the news."

"Actually, now that you mention it, I would love it if you came and talked to Giles with me. I'd even like it if you were there when I told him more. I just know if he meets you, he'll see what a great guy you are… and it'll help with any reservations he'll have about it," Buffy replied, "But if you don't want to, I totally understand. I mean, Giles is really a dad to me… and I would imagine it would be kind of… nervousness-inducing for you."

"No, if you want me there, I am fine with it."

"Great," she grinned, "Oh, and this way, you can use Giles' phone to call your mom and not have to worry about anyone hearing."

Riley wanted to add that he would only be able to do that if Giles didn't throw them out after hearing they'd eloped, but Buffy seemed so positive. Besides, Riley didn't know the guy… maybe he really was better than her parents. Maybe he would accept what they'd done, just because he loved Buffy. Well… one could hope.

"Just remember, whatever happens, I am here for you. You have my support," Riley said as he and Buffy approached Giles' door.

Buffy nodded, trying not to be nervous. She prayed things would go better than the last time she'd sprung big news on Giles. Raising a shaking hand to the door, Buffy knocked and waited for a response.

A moment later, Giles opened the door and was visibly surprised to see her standing on the other side of the threshold, "Buffy… you're here."

"Yeah," she replied giving him a small smile, "We need to talk… about what happened, and… other stuff."

"Yes, I would have to agree," Giles replied, stepping back, "Please come in."

"Oh, um, this is Riley," Buffy said, putting her hand on Riley's arm.

"Riley," Giles said, "Buffy has told me a lot about you… and Willow informed me that you were helping Buffy. I want to thank you for that."

The two men shook hands and Riley nodded politely to the man, "Buffy's my friend… I like helping her."

"Willow told you I was staying with Riley?" Buffy asked, surprised. Willow hadn't told her that she'd told Giles anything.

"Yes," Giles answered, looking down, "Please don't be angry with her, Buffy… I felt very guilty for the things I said to you almost immediately after I said it. When I found out you were missing… I was overwrought. Willow *had* to tell me."

"It's okay," she said quietly, walking into the apartment.

Riley followed and Giles shut the door before heading into the living room, "Would either of you care for tea?"

"No thank you, Sir," Riley said politely.

Buffy shook her head and gave him a small smile, "I can't."

"Ahh, yes… water or anything?"

"I think we're fine," she told him, sitting down on the couch.

Riley sat beside her and by the way they were looking up at him, Giles knew they had something to say. Judging by Buffy's track record, he decided it would probably be best if he sat down.

"I just want to tell you, Buffy, that I am sorry about my… earlier reaction. I only want the best for you, but I didn't mean to hurt you. I regret making you feel so alienated," Giles said sincerely, "I want you to know that if this is what you want, I will stand by you and help you."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling at him as she reached over to the chair he was sitting in and squeezed his hand, "I hope you're feeling just as supportive after I tell you… what I have to tell you."

Giles' heart began beating a mile a minute as he wondered what her news could possibly be. He noticed that she looked at Riley who nodded his head encouragingly. If she wasn't already pregnant… he would have thought that the two of them were going to tell him she was having their baby.

"You must know that my mom and I had a fight… and I couldn't stay with her any more," Buffy began, "Well, after what happened with you guys on Christmas, I didn't feel I could come to you either. I tried to go to my dorm, but it was all locked up. That's where I ran into Riley. I had already told him the news and he'd been understanding… and he let me stay with him."

When Buffy paused, Riley thought she might like it if he let her take a break, "It didn't solve all her problems, of course, because she still needed a permanent home, money… everything. I was just going to try and help her get a good paying job so she could get her own place… but she was going to have to drop out of school and I hated that. I think you would agree that Buffy would have a hard life… always struggling… with a small child and no college degree."

"Yes, that is absolutely right," Giles nodded. He wanted to add that he would happily fund her college education, but he thought it best not to interrupt. He could always offer after they were done telling him the news.

"Well, the other guys who live with me think that this is my baby. They found out Buffy was pregnant and just assumed. We figured if they knew the truth, they might not be so understanding about her staying with us… so we let them believe it," Riley explained.

Buffy nodded and picked it back up, "Well, you see, Riley's not a normal college student. Remember those guys I told you about, all decked out in cammo?"

"Yes," Giles replied quietly, realizing what she was saying.

"The U.S. Military has a secret mission thing going on. Riley's one of them," Buffy informed him, then added quickly, "But he's not evil!"

"No.. totally… the opposite of evil," Riley assured him.

Giles smiled, "Okay, that's good to hear."

"Anyway, we'll get back to that later," Buffy said, "All the guys in Riley's house are involved in the military, so it's no big secret. One of them told Riley how if he were to marry me.. and make people think this is *his* baby… we would get an apartment of our own that they would pay the rent. I'd have health insurance… they'd even pay for me to go to college."

Riley nodded, "Plus, they would give me a cost of living raise because I'd have a wife and baby to support. It's a lot nicer than most guys who aren't working on secret projects get since they want us to keep our mouths shut… and it would pretty much take care of all our problems if we…"

For the first time, Giles noticed the gold bands on their ring fingers and concluded, "You two got married."

Silent, the two of them simply nodded, waiting for his reaction. Buffy prayed he would approve… she'd come to realize that Giles was more of a father to her than her real dad had ever been… and she hated the idea of him being disappointed in her.

Giles didn't know what to say; he was in shock. Buffy was *married*. The young girl that had so exasperated him with her refusal of her birthright less than three years earlier was now someone's wife. She was so very young… too young to take such a giant step. On the other hand, she was a lot more mature than most other eighteen-year-olds. He had to respect her decision. At least Riley didn't seem to be of the bad sort.

"Well, this is quite a surprise, to say the least," he remarked, "I… I understand why you did it, Buffy. I wish there had been another option, though… you are both very young."

"I know," she nodded, "But it's not a real marriage. I mean it's legal and everything, but we both don't have any ideas of this being a life-long union."

"We're just doing it so Buffy and the baby get taken care of. We've agreed that we'll get a divorce in a year," Riley added.

Giles nodded, still not loving what they had done… but he really didn't want to argue with them. Not only did he not want to make Buffy feel attacked, but logically, it was a good idea. One thing did bother him, though…

"Riley, may I ask, why did you agree to this?"

"Buffy's my friend and I care about her," Riley answered, "I know this is extreme, but I don't think it will hurt me. I do enjoy living with all my friends, but there have been many occasions where I have wished I had a little more privacy. Now I can still go to their parties, but when I am trying to study or get some sleep, those parties won't bother me. Plus, I get an apartment without paying rent."

"And he can still date… he just has to be very discreet about it," Buffy said.

"I would imagine it would have to take a woman with a lot of understanding to not mind her boyfriend being married to someone else… and willing to keep their relationship a secret," Giles pointed out.

Riley smiled, "I know what you're saying… I'm sure I can hold off on dating for a year."

Giles raised an eyebrow skeptically before he realized the truth- Riley didn't have a *need* to date and attempt to get laid as much as possible, which was normal for a fraternity boy, from what he'd heard. He thought that just maybe the real reason was that he had feelings for Buffy. A part of Giles was happy knowing that there was a young man who appeared to be upstanding that cared for his slayer… on the other hand… Riley was just asking for a broken heart. Buffy appeared to be oblivious to Riley's affection for her, at least to the fact that it was more than just platonic. Then again, perhaps she felt something for him as well… or could learn to. A lot could happen in a year.

They made conversation for a few more moments, answering Giles' questions about their plans, trying to assure him they had thought things through and not just jumped into marriage. Giles found that as the minutes passed and the shock wore off, the whole situation seemed less... horrible.

Buffy smiled, really smiled, relieved because she knew she had Giles back. He wasn't crazy about what they'd done, but he accepted it… and that's all she'd wanted from him. It was then that she remembered Riley's mom. That would be a whole other story. Giles was *her* loved one… and she was screwed up no matter what. But Riley's mother had to accept the fact that her son, who had done everything right, had just screwed his life up for no reason other than her. It would be a completely different deal… and the odds of her accepting it with the relative ease that Giles had weren't great.

"Giles, Riley still hasn't told his parents… he'd call from Lowell House, but there's a chance they'll listen in on his call… and we can't take that chance. Can he use your phone?"

"Absolutely," Giles replied, gesturing to the phone on his desk, "Feel free."

"Thank you," Riley smiled, "Don't worry, I have a calling card from my folks."

"You don't need it," Giles told him.

"I do, trust me. If my parents found out I didn't use it… they'd kill me."

Giles smiled and nodded at him while Buffy gave him a squeeze on the arm, as if to thank him for helping her out yet again. Riley took a deep breath and walked over to the phone, grateful that at least he didn't have to *face* his parents when he dropped the bombshell on them.

"The two of you didn't tell anyone about this beforehand?" Giles inquired, wondering how they had pulled it off… and so swiftly. It had been just over a week since Buffy had moved in with Riley.

"Well, the guys in Riley's house knew… they actually set us up with a hotel and wedding ceremony in Las Vegas. We left Monday morning, got married that night, and came back yesterday," Buffy explained. "I did tell Willow and Xander first."

"I see," Giles said quietly, feeling rather hurt that she hadn't felt the need to share something so important with him.

"Please don't be hurt… I didn't tell you because I care about you so much. I figured if I told you and you didn't approve… it would be even worse for me to do this. It would be going against your wishes, and if I didn't know what your wishes were… it wasn't as bad. That's the same reason Riley didn't tell his parents yet."

Giles smiled and shook his head at their reasoning… which *was* devious… but rather ingenious at the same time. Then again, he really shouldn't be surprised, his Buffy was always doing things like that. *His* Buffy… Giles was so pleased things were good between the both of them again.

Buffy glanced up and saw that Riley was talking… and didn't look too strained. Of course, he'd probably just gotten his mother on the phone and hadn't had a chance to tell her yet. A feeling of nervousness grew in her stomach, almost as bad as the one she'd felt before telling Giles. Waiting while Riley talked was killing her… so when Giles asked her if she wanted to join him in the kitchen while he made himself tea so that Riley could have privacy, she jumped at the chance for a distraction.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom."

Claire Finn grinned widely as she heard her middle son's voice on the other end of the phone, "Riley, it's so good to hear from you. How's everything going, Sweetie?"

"Good," he answered, swallowing deeply. That wasn't really a lie… things weren't bad to *him*. "I just had something I needed to tell you."

"Oh God… is everything okay?" she asked, knowing she really shouldn't jump to conclusions. It was hard having a son so far away, though.

"Yes," Riley replied, not feeling bad that he was sort of lying. He wasn't dying or ill or anything along the lines of what his mother was assuming. "I just have something very important to tell you, and I would like you to sit down."

Claire moaned, but sat in a chair at the kitchen table as Riley had suggested. "What is it, Riley?"

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Well, you remember that girl, Buffy, I told you about? I lied about her just being a friend. We dated a few times."

"Honey, if you think the fact that you lied about dating a girl is going to shock me that much, you couldn't be more wrong! I didn't believe for a minute that you had no romantic notions towards her."

"That's not the news," Riley sighed, "The reason I lied is that we only went on a few dates and the day I left for Huxley, she told me we couldn't see each other anymore because she found out she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's baby."

"Oh…"

"Listen Mom, don't think bad things about her. You know very well that just because a girl isn't married and sleeps with a guy it doesn't make her a bad person," Riley said, knowing that he really didn't need to defend Buffy… his mother preached abstinence before marriage, but she didn't hate people who didn't.

"Okay, she made a mistake," Claire conceded, wondering where this was going.

"Yeah, she did. Anyway, she told me about the baby and that we couldn't see each other, and I agreed. I didn't tell you because I didn't think it would ever matter, but I didn't want to have to explain the whole story to you. Well, when I came back, I ran into her… Mom, she was thrown out of her own home by her mother and the guy who got her pregnant had told her he wanted no involvement. She had no place to go."

"Oh, that's terrible!" Claire cried, her heart already going out to the girl.

Riley grinned; his mother was reacting just as he wanted her to. Luckily Buffy couldn't hear him or she'd freak out. "You always taught me to help someone in need… especially a woman… so I brought her home with me. I was a gentleman, of course, made her sleep in my bed while I slept on the floor."

"Good boy."

"All the guys who live with me found out that she was pregnant right away, though… because she gets sick in the mornings," Riley continued, "And they assumed I was the father of her baby."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah… and I was worried that if I told them the truth, they wouldn't be cool with her staying with us… I couldn't let her get thrown out of yet another home. So I didn't deny it. Then someone told me about something that would solve all her problems. You see, Buffy had a place to stay with me for a while… but she needed a real home. Plus, she doesn't have a job, so she had no money and babies need that, of course. She's also a really smart girl and she was going to have to drop out of college."

Claire sighed sadly, "How horrible!"

"I know… but someone told me about a way that Buffy would get an apartment rent free… she'd get some support money… she'd even get a scholarship to pay for her tuition and books," Riley said, closing his eyes and biting the bullet. "The military would pay for all that… if she married me and I said that this was my baby. So we did it."

"WHAT?!"

"We drove to Las Vegas and got married," Riley explained. "Please don't hate me, Mom."

She was quiet for a moment, getting her thoughts together, "I don't hate you… I just can't believe you did this!"

"I know it's not at all what you had planned for me, but Buffy needed my help. It's not a real marriage. We're not in love, we're not going to share a bed… we're getting divorced in a year. So I know I'm doing two things you are against- not getting married in a church with no family present and getting a divorce… but I'm doing it so that Buffy has a chance to have a life that's not incredibly hard… and so her baby… *innocent* baby will be able to have more."

"I know… I'm just in shock, Riley," Claire replied numbly.

"I understand, Mom. I hate to drop a bombshell like this on you, but I couldn't very well not tell you. I know you don't like this… I just don't want you to hold it against me."

"You're my son and I love you… I don't know what to say at this very moment… I need time to think."

"Okay… I am calling you from someone else's home because the phones at home could possibly be bugged and I can get in major trouble for this if the truth comes out. Would you like me to call you back sometime soon?"

"Yes," she replied, "I need to sit your father down and tell him… and we both need to absorb and process this. Why don't you call us tomorrow night?"

"I'll do that… I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Riley," she responded, then realized something, "Wait a second! Why didn't you tell me *before* you eloped? You just didn't want to give me a chance to tell you no, didn't you?"

Riley smiled; he was caught. "You know me so well."

"You little brat!"

"So, do you really think she took it well, or did you just say that for my benefit? I need the truth," Buffy said as she and Riley walked back to his jeep after leaving Giles'. She felt a lot better knowing things were okay with Giles again, but she still worried about Riley's parents. Even if she didn't know them or have to deal with them… if they were mad at their son it would be because of her and she couldn't bear that.

"I honestly think that for the news she had to handle… she had a very positive reaction," Riley answered, opening the passenger side door for her. "She told me she needs time to let this soak in, but I think the fact that she didn't scream at me and demand I get an annulment or anything was very good."

"What about your father?" Buffy asked as she climbed into the passenger seat.

"I'm not sure when it comes to him, he tends to be unpredictable. On one hand, he may be upset because we're being dishonest and we got married for all the wrong reasons and I'm getting divorced. Those are three things I was raised not to do. On the other… we did all those things for a very good reason, so he might be fine with it," he replied, "I just have to wait and see. Giles says it's no problem for me to come over again tomorrow to call them back."

Buffy sighed worriedly as Riley shut her door and walked around to his side. She really should have considered this before she'd agreed to marry him. She'd just been so focused on herself… Buffy had never felt as selfish as she did then.

Riley started the car and smiled at Buffy, trying to get her to stop worrying. He knew that even if his father had the worst possible reaction, things would work out. He might be mad at Riley for a while, but he'd get over it. Riley could tell by talking to his mother that Claire wouldn't let this destroy their family.

"I just want you to know that if he doesn't approve… we'll get this annulled," Buffy said quietly as Riley started driving them home.

Riley sighed, "Buffy, I don't want that."

"I do," she said firmly, "I can do it. You can contest it, but I can file for one and tell everyone I've discovered you aren't the father of my baby. Once they know that, it'll defeat the purpose of us getting married anyway."

Knowing there was no arguing with her, at least not then. If his father did throw a fit… maybe he could keep it from Buffy. There was no way he'd let her ruin everything. Not after all they had been through.

Buffy sighed and turned off the TV, giving up on attempting to pay attention to the 'Friends' rerun. It had only been twenty minutes since Riley had left to go on patrol and she was already climbing the walls. She wished she could patrol too… now that she wasn't quite as depressed and actually had a somewhat certain future, she wanted to get back in the slaying game, but Riley wouldn't hear of it. The mom part of her agreed that it would be risky to patrol when she was pregnant… but the slayer was dying for a good hunt. They had both agreed that the next day when Riley went to call his parents from Giles' again, they'd talk to her watcher and get his 'professional' opinion.

Meanwhile she had a long night ahead of her. Buffy supposed she could go downstairs and hang out with the guys, but they would unintentionally make her uncomfortable by fussing over her to make sure she was comfortable and not hungry or cold or anything. If they'd just relax and not treat her like she was the baby, she wouldn't mind so much.

Getting an idea, Buffy picked up the phone from Riley's nightstand and dialed Willow's number, praying her friend would be home. They'd hardly had a chance to talk since going back home for winter break and Buffy wondered how Willow was faring with her mother.

On the third ring, Willow picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi, Will!"

"Buffy! Back from Vegas?"

"Yeah," she replied, "We got back yesterday evening. Sorry I didn't call you then, but we were exhausted… and I had to get up at the crack of dawn today to go to an Air Force base with Riley so we could sign paperwork and get my military ID."

"It's okay, I understand," Willow said, "Wow, you're a married woman now."

"Yup," Buffy remembered what Riley had said about the phone conversations possibly being listened in on and realized she shouldn't take any chances. "Hey, you know how I hate talking on the phone?"

Willow frowned, wondering what Buffy was talking about. As far as she could tell, Buffy adored the phone. They spent many hours on the phone with each other on boring weeknights throughout high school. Then it hit her that Buffy was hinting at something… and she'd better play along. "Of course I know that… did you want to talk in person?"

Buffy smiled, silently cheering for Willow, "That would be great. Riley's out so I am all alone and kind of bored. Want to hang out?"

Buffy gave herself the once-over in the mirror and decided she was satisfied with her appearance. After all, just because she was married- with the wedding ring on, of course, so that none of the guys could notice anything amiss- and pregnant didn't mean she shouldn't be attractive. She was young, and tonight she was partying with her friends.

Grabbing her purse and jacket, Buffy opened the door and walked out into the deserted hall of Lowell House. Most of the occupants were gone- either patrolling, partying or hanging out at the few other spots Sunnydale offered for fun on a Thursday night. She made her way down the stairs so that she could wait on the porch for Xander, who was driving over to pick her up so that they could meet Willow at the Bronze… and Buffy and the baby wouldn't be risking it with the vampires.

"Hey now, looking good!" Thomas grinned, looking Buffy up and down in her red leather pants and black halter top as he stood at the foot of the stairs, "You going out?"

"Thank you," she smiled as she continued down the steps, then replied, "Yeah, I'm hanging out with a couple of my friends tonight. One of them is picking me up any minute now."

"Speaking of, if he gets back before me, would you let Riley know I'm at the Bronze?" she asked.

"Not very… I just have no idea when Riley will be back and if he comes home and can't find me… he'll freak."

Thomas nodded and began walking past her, up the stairs, "I'll be sure to let him know. Have fun… and remember you're married."

Buffy laughed at his teasing and waved before walking towards the door. As much as she was looking forward to moving into an apartment… she'd miss the guys.

Xander pulled up right as she opened the front door so she rushed to go get in his car, eager to have a night with her friends. She *so* needed to get her mind off things for a little while, or else risk going insane from worry and guilt.

"No, Anya," Buffy sighed, hoping her friend's girlfriend would lay off. Ever since Xander had left the two of them at a table while he got beverages, Anya had been questioning her about her relationship with Riley. The girl just couldn't fathom the idea that they weren't having sex… or maybe she was just obsessed with sex. Buffy wasn't sure, but she was growing extremely tired of the conversation.

"I do count oral as sex," Anya told her. "You know, like, do you give him blow jobs? Does he eat you out?"

Buffy was shocked by her language and gave her a look that told her so, "No, we haven't! The most we ever did was kiss and that was a while ago.. before I found out I was pregnant… and, of course, a kiss when we got married. I can't believe I'm even telling you this. It's really none of your business."

Anya smiled and punched her on the arm, mimicking a move she'd seen some buddies do in a movie. "We're girlfriends! Not lesbian girlfriends, of course, but we're... girls… and friends… and we read Cosmopolitan magazine and talk about things like make-up, our breasts, kissing, sex and the size of penises."

Buffy looked around desperately for any sign of Xander or Willow. She needed help and fast!

"I bet it's big. He's big, I would think all his parts are big," Anya mused, then asked, "Tell me, would you guess that Xander has a big penis?"

"Good… because you can't have him! He's mine!" Anya declared, "But just so you know, Xander has a very nice-sized penis."

"Since we're such close friends, could you do me a favor and 'accidentally' walk in on Riley in the shower?"

Xander walked up in time to see Buffy giving Anya an appalled look. He'd worried something would happen while he was gone, but he couldn't very well insist Anya come with him because she wasn't to be trusted to have a normal conversation with his friends... then again, she *couldn't* be trusted, so maybe he should have insisted.

"Ladies," he said smoothly as he handed Anya her soda and Buffy her bottle of water before sitting down at the table with them. He noticed Buffy looked relieved and Anya appeared to be thinking about something.

"Thanks, Xander," Buffy said as she smiled gratefully at him, which made Xander wonder if she was thanking him for the water or for coming back.

"No problemo," he replied, trying to think of something else to say. He certainly wasn't going to ask what they'd been talking about. Anya sure could suck the fun out of an evening. "So you guys are getting your own place, huh?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah, this morning I had to go meet this Colonel with Riley and we filled out a bunch of paperwork about us being married. They have to send it to their headquarters in Virginia and someone has to approve it or whatever. I'm looking forward to it. The guys are all really nice but things are kind of cramped."

"Plus, living in your own place is going to be cool. No rules, plenty of space… no insane parents screaming at all hours of the night," Xander commented.

"Buffy!" Willow squealed as she rushed over to their table and pulled her friend into a tight embrace. She pulled back and looked closely at the blonde and shook her head.

"Either. Hi Xander," Willow said, then frowned and added in an unenthusiastic voice, "Anya."

"I guess you won't do it, right?" Anya asked Buffy, not paying any attention to Willow.

Willow opened her mouth to ask what they were talking about, but was halted by Xander squeezing her arm and shaking his head, "Please, don't make us go there."

"Yes, is there really a casino with bronze ass statues in the front of it?" Anya inquired, getting strange looks all around.

Ignoring her, Buffy told then all about everything she and Riley had seen, their wedding, and the big jackpot they had won. She realized how much she'd missed her friends and was so happy that she hadn't lost them... she was definitely going to need them around for the next seven and a half months.

Before they knew it, it was ten o'clock, not extremely late… but since Buffy had gotten up so early after not enough sleep, plus she was more tired these days due to her condition… it was well past her bedtime. By the time she walked through the door of Lowell House after Xander had dropped her off, Buffy was yawning continually and wanted nothing more than to crawl up the stairs and collapse on top of the bed without bothering to take off her clothes.

As soon as she had the door closed behind her, though, Riley walked up to her. She realized he must have been sitting in the front room of the house, all alone in front of the fire.

"Yeah," she replied slowly, looking at him strangely, "Were you waiting up for me?"

"No… no… I just got home a little while ago and was sitting here… thinking. I have a lot to think about, you know."

"Thomas said you went out with your friends… which I was happy to hear, because I think that's good for you," he told her, "I just was worried… well… were you careful? I know you're the slayer, but I just feel this need to… if anything happened, I would never forgive myself."

Buffy patted his arm affectionately, "I took precautions. I carried a stake just in case, plus Xander drove me to and from, so there was no walking in the night time for this girl. Not a bit!"

Riley smiled down at her, "I hope you don't think I'm suffocating you. I'm not trying to… it's just that you know I care about you and I worry. Sunnydale is far from a safe little town where you can walk freely at night. You know that… but you're used to being able to defend yourself with no problem… and it's all changed now."

"I know what you mean," she assured him, "Trust me, if I thought you were being controlling-guy, I would not like it, and I would make it clear to you how much I didn't like it."

Buffy sighed and nodded, "More than anything I have ever wanted in my entire life. I'm completely sleep-deprived."

"Oh, just wait until you have the baby," Riley smiled, "You'll get this lovely glazed-over look in his eyes that screams 'new mother'."

"Yeah… plus, your clothes will most likely never match, and even if they do, they'll be stained with all sorts of food and bodily fluids. And your hair… we won't even get into that."

"Sorry," he laughed as he opened the bedroom door and watched her walk into his room. He was so much happier now than he had been five minutes earlier, just because she was home and she was near him. The presence of Buffy could make him feel more alive than anything else in his entire life. Just being in the same room with her, hearing her voice, seeing her smile… Riley's skin tingled and he felt… different. His wife was a remarkable woman. His *wife*.

Buffy was carrying her nightshirt, intent on changing in the bathroom so she could wash her face when she saw Riley standing in the doorway with a goofy grin on his face.

Riley shrugged, making himself stop looking like an idiot, "I'm just… happy to be getting to bed."

Buffy raised her eyebrows as she walked out of the room. She wished she could appreciate the simple things in life as much as Riley if he got that happy about going to bed.

Riley quickly changed and climbed into bed to wait for Buffy, an idea forming in his mind. He knew now that it was pointless to deny feeling nothing more than friendship and a desire to help her. He was dangerously close to being in love with Buffy, and he didn't know if he could stop himself… or even if he wanted to. Riley decided to change strategy… he wouldn't ignore his feelings any longer. He wasn't going to declare his feelings to Buffy and risk freaking her out, but he was going to have hopes for the both of them to stay married after the year. He didn't want her to be his wife only in name and he had twelve months to get his way.

"I should have known you'd side with him," Buffy pouted, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back in the chair in Giles' living room.

"I am not *siding* with him," Giles protested.

Riley nodded, "There are no sides, Buffy."

"Exactly… we are both just in agreement and I think you know we are right as well. I know that you can handle yourself very well and your skills are excellent… but it's still a risk and with Riley's… group, it's an unnecessary risk. Until you have this baby, you cannot be going after vampires or fighting any demons. We'll have to take care of the slaying for the time being. You know, you won't be totally useless. There is still research and things along those lines. Things that don't involve physical contact."

Buffy took a deep breath, "Okay, yes, I agree… I don't want to do anything that could hurt my baby. And I can do research and not be totally useless… but I have this… energy. I mean, as tired as I get, I also have these bursts of… steam I have to work off. I used to be able to kill something… what can I do now?"

"Well, I'm sure you can partake in some form of exercise… at least until you get further along in your pregnancy," Giles suggested, "I can research it or you could ask your doctor."

"I'm not even going to get to see a doctor for weeks, probably," she frowned.

"Tell you what, there are doctors working in the Initiative. None are obstetricians, but maybe they can tell me what kinds of things you can do in your first trimester," Riley offered.

Buffy conceded, nodding her head reluctantly.

Giles looked at Riley and smiled, "Welcome to my world. I'm sure you'll get to have many experiences like this when you spend a year living with her."

"I look forward to it," Riley joked.

"The sad thing is, this was rather easy. Buffy can be quite stubborn."

"Buffy's in the room!" she reminded them.

"Yes, sorry Buffy," Giles said as he got up and walked into the kitchen. "Now that we have that out of the way… I went and picked up a little wedding gift for you two."

Buffy perked up, "You did? I happen to *love* presents."

"I'm aware," he replied, coming back out with a wrapped gift in his hands.

Riley could help but laugh at the way Buffy practically bounced in her chair with anticipation. Giles handed her the present and sat back down on the couch to watch her open the gift while trying not to rip the paper. She eventually got it unwrapped to reveal a toaster.

"A toaster!" she exclaimed, grinning widely as she held it up for Riley to see.

"I know it's not the most exciting gift, but you will need one and it does seem suitable as a wedding gift."

"It's our own toaster… I think that's kind of exciting," Buffy answered.

Riley nodded in agreement, "Thank you very much."

"Yes, thanks Giles! You're so sweet," Buffy gushed, reaching over to hug her mentor.

"If it's okay, I'm going to call my parents now," Riley said.

"That's fine, Riley," Giles told him.

"I hope they'll be okay with it," Buffy said.

Riley smiled reassuringly, "Luckily they probably got done eating about half an hour ago and when they're full, they're a lot less likely to get infuriated, so I have that working in my favor."

Inwardly, he was praying that they'd approve, especially now that he'd decided he wanted a real life with Buffy. It was one thing if they were angry with a decision he'd made, but after a year it would be like it never happened… but if things went like he hoped with Buffy, she would be his wife for the rest of his life and it would break his heart if his parents wouldn't accept her.

Giles gave him a sympathetic smile, then asked Buffy, "How do cookies sound?"

"Delicious."

"Why don't we go into the kitchen and arrange a tray so that Riley can have some privacy."

Buffy was down with giving Riley privacy, but arranging a tray of cookies so British! Still, she had a major sweet tooth going right then, so whatever Giles wanted was fine with her.

Riley watched gratefully as the two of them headed into the small kitchen and left him alone. Willing his fingers not to shake, he dialed all the numbers required, which was quite a bit, thanks to his calling card. He tried to remind himself that the hardest part was over. He'd already told them what he'd done… all he had to do now was listen.

When someone picked up after the first ring, Riley took a deep breath and prepared himself.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom," he said quietly, ready to judge by the tone of her voice where he stood with his parents.

"Honey! Don't sound like you ran over the family dog!"

"Sorry Mom."

Claire chuckled, "You're our son. No matter how we feel about what you've done, nothing will change that."

"How *do* you feel?"

"Well your father and I sat down and discussed it. At first we were rather torn. On one hand, this is being dishonest not only to the military, but to God. Marriage is a holy sacrament, not something to be used to get what one wants, and not to be taken lightly. And we don't believe in divorce. On the other hand, the part that had us torn was that we were so amused by what you had done and knew we shouldn't be. It's just that you took what we had taught you so that you would grow up to be a good man and gone and done something completely outrageous! Riley, when I told you that you always helped a woman in need, I meant you should change her tire or protect her if she was, say, being hit by another man. I never meant for you to go this far," Claire told him, then laughed, "We still can't believe you did it!"

"Uh, Mom, are you hysterical?"

Claire laughed harder, "No Honey, I'm fine. I just find it incredibly ironic that you actually did do what we said you ought to do… even though by doing it you did a lot of things we taught you to never do. After I told your father and we calmed down and just let it all sink in, we actually laughed until we cried."

"Dad laughed?"

"Yes… don't worry, Riley, he took it very well, I think. You have the closest thing to our approval that you're going to get."

Riley's eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we aren't saying that this is the best thing you have ever done and we'd have done the same in your shoes. We don't know that we wouldn't have, but since this *does* go against some of our beliefs we would be hypocrites if we said that. However, it was your decision and you're an adult, so we respect that. We trust that you know what you are doing and we're also proud of you. I think it's very sweet of you to help out that poor girl. Too bad there aren't more boys like you out there and less boys like the one that… got her into trouble."

"Well, to be fair, I don't know if I would have gone this far for any girl. She's very special," Riley said.

"I can tell that she must be quite remarkable," Claire agreed, "I also am supposed to tell you that your father and I made another decision regarding this situation. Even though this is not a real marriage, since we *are* proud of you… and we do feel bad for this girl… we wanted to do something to help the both of you out. So, we figure you are going to need to furnish this new apartment the two of you are getting and we're sending you a check that should cover the bulk of the cost for furniture."

"Mom, you don't have to…"

"I know I don't, but I want to and you know that it's no problem for us. You also know how happy it makes me to help out my babies. Plus, it won't cover *everything* so now you can still buy some of it on your own and be proud."

"Okay," he sighed, "Thank you very much."

"You're very welcome," she replied happily, "I mailed the check today, along with a list of everything you two are going to need from couches and lamps to sheets and towels. Now, the money I sent probably won't cover a crib and all the other furnishings for a baby, because I think it would be bad luck."

"Bad luck?"

"Yes, I am presuming she's not all that far along and I have always considered it bad luck to buy anything for the baby until the second trimester. You know, she might…" she paused, then continued in a low voice, as if she said it too loud, it would happen, "lose it."

"I see," Riley replied, thinking she was being ridiculous, but knowing how his mother was when it came to her superstitions.

"How far along is she, anyway?"

Riley did some quick math in his head from what Buffy had told him and said, "About a month and a half, I think."

"Good, that will give me some time so I can make a list of all the things for her. Babies need so much and a new mother usually can't even think of half of it on her own. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother?"

"Not currently… like I said, she's not supporting her decision to keep the baby. Hopefully that will change, though. I mean, I know how you and Dad are with Rachel's kids and I think once her mom sees her grandchild she'll change her mind."

"I think you're right, but I hope it doesn't take that long. Trust me, Riley, being pregnant is scary for any woman. Your body isn't acting like it's yours anymore and there are so many strange things happening. To be a teenage girl and without any reassurance from someone who has been there is doubly frightening."

"I agree… but I don't think I should push her to do it right now. She's still pretty… fragile. The way her parents treated her… think worse case scenario, Mom."

"Poor thing," Claire sighed.

"Yeah… but she's tough. She's dealing with it and trying to be strong despite. I just don't want her to have to go through the same pain all over again. Especially not so soon after. Maybe if we give her mom enough time to cool off and accept the idea, she'll be more understanding. I want to at least get all settled into the apartment before I even consider talking to Buffy about it."

"That sounds good, Honey. If Buffy can tell her that she's got her own apartment and the means to raise this baby, I bet it will help her accept her decision," she said, "In the meantime, I'll make this list for her and send it in a couple of months. I can send her another check for the baby too!"

"I don't know about that… I have a feeling she's going to need persuading for the first check… let's see how that goes first."

"Make sure she knows that the money is nothing. We have plenty and it makes us happy to help others with it."

"Yeah, but that's the problem. She doesn't like needing help. Buffy's pretty good at taking care of herself."

"She sounds like I would really like her," Claire commented, shamelessly fishing.

"You'd adore her," Riley sighed, wanting to add that if things went well, his mother may have the chance to see how much she could adore Buffy when she truly became her daughter-in-law.

Claire grinned, knowing her son wasn't just married to a friend. There was something very big going on and she intended to get to the bottom of it, no matter how much manipulating she had to do.

"For the first time in two weeks, I am completely stress-free," Buffy sighed, laying back on Riley's bed as he sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. "I know that we have a *ton* of stuff to do… getting everything for the apartment… moving into the apartment… I have to get a job… I have another semester of school coming up… and there's the whole thing about someone growing inside me for months and months… but I feel like I can handle it all. I have Giles and Xander and Willow. I have you… and your parents are cool with it!"

"Yeah, about that… there's something I need to tell you," Riley said.

Buffy lifted her head and gave him a concerned look, "They weren't as cool with it as you said?"

"Oh, they were… they actually found it kind of funny the way I… interpreted their moral lessons," he replied, "In fact, they are so cool with it that they wanted to help us out. They're proud of me and they sympathize with you… so they decided to give us a wedding gift. My mom mailed a check today that will pay for furniture."

Buffy sat up abruptly, "Tell me you are kidding!"

"I'm kidding… only I'm not. Don't freak out, okay? I know you think it's too much and you don't like people helping you, but it's not a big deal to them. My parents are very comfortable, so for them to send money is not a big deal to them. It'll make them so happy if they can know they've helped."

"I'm not a charity case! Okay, maybe I was, but since you married me, it's gotten me to a place where I can help myself and I don't need pity!"

Riley rubbed his forehead tiredly, "Please, Buffy… I knew you wouldn't like this, but I swear it will make my parents happy and they do not think of you as some charity case. My mother actually commented on how much spirit you have and she knows that you're strong and smart and independent. She admires that very much. You two would get along great because you have a lot in common, only you two have opposing views on the topic of her wanting to give you a present and if you insist on refusing it then there is a whole big mess that I am in the middle of so could you *please* just accept this and not think of it as a pity gift for my sake?"

Buffy bit her bottom lip and nodded. She'd have to swallow her pride, but this honestly appeared to be something that was causing Riley grief and she'd already done enough of that. She just hoped he was telling the truth because even though she'd probably never meet them, Buffy couldn't bear the thought of them pitying her. They had raised Riley and he was a great guy, so they had to be great too. Besides, a little part of her wished that she *would* meet them, like a normal girl would meet her in-laws. As soon as the thought came to her, she brushed it off. Riley was doing her a favor, plain and simple. If she let herself have girlish fantasies, she'd only ending up royally screwing things up!

Riley wearily made his way into the dark bedroom, trying to get to his dresser without killing himself by tripping over any of the bags or boxes of dishes, towels, bedding and various other items that were set wherever there had been a free space until they could move into their apartment. As much as he was looking forward to getting his own place with Buffy, where they could be alone… and live in rooms where they could move about freely, he was dreading the big move the next day. He was already exhausted, every muscle in his body aching… and he had a day of lugging around furniture, mattresses and everything else to look forward to. He couldn't imagine how dead he was going to feel in twenty-four hours if he felt this bad after week and a half of shopping with Buffy to get everything they'd need.

Colonel Nichols had surprised him by calling in favors so the paperwork went through swiftly, giving the two of them a not much time to purchase all the furniture and supplies they'd need for their own place before they moved in. Luckily they had been able to find things that they liked that were either in stock or able to be delivered quickly, so they would have it all in time. It had been stressful and tiring, but they were getting the space and privacy they so severely needed.

Quietly, he pulled out his pajamas and carefully headed back towards the bedroom door to go change in the bathroom. That was another thing Riley would like- changing in his bedroom. It was pretty late and Buffy had given him every reason to believe she was sound asleep, but he didn't want to take the chance of really embarrassing the both of them.

As Riley stood in the bathroom and pulled off his patrol uniform and pulled on his t-shirt and drawstring pants, he marvelled at the fact that they hadn't been caught. With all the guys wandering around, he would have figured that one of them would have noticed that he always came and changed into his pajamas in the bathroom. Although one time Kevin had seen him come change in the bathroom and had asked if he was just trying not to wake Buffy. Riley had nodded, glad to have a great excuse and prepared to use it again. Luckily he had been patrolling nearly every night to make up for the nights he missed while they were out of town, so it was an excuse he'd be able to use a lot of times. Otherwise… he was careful.

Changed and eager to collapse under the covers of his bed, Riley headed back down the hallway to his room, realizing this would be his last night in Lowell House, at least for a year. He hadn't really thought about if he would move back after they got divorced...

Riley shook the negative thoughts from his head and reminded himself that he was supposed to be *positive* and if all went well, there would be no divorce. He opened the bedroom door and smiled as he imagined his life in a year if he got his way. He'd be with Buffy, his wife, and they'd have a little baby. It would be everything he could ever want.

Silently, he slipped into the room and climbed onto the bed next to Buffy, a skill he'd mastered in the past two weeks. When she rolled from on her side to on her back, he held his breath, hoping he hadn't woken her. A moment later, though, he heard her sigh and knew she was still asleep. Riley closed his eyes and let himself get comfortable so that he'd get enough sleep for what was sure to be a long day.

He had just started to relax when he heard Buffy quietly murmur, "That's not funny!"

Opening his eyes, he tried to figure out what she was talking about before realizing she was still asleep. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he pushed himself up so he could see her face as she frowned and shook her head. A moment later she rolled to the opposite side from the one she had previously been on, this time facing him.

Riley settled back down and forgot about going back to sleep, instead content to watch her as she smiled happily. He began wondering what she was dreaming about that so obviously pleased her. Was it maybe holding her baby for the first time? Maybe playing with her child when he or she was older. Or perhaps it wasn't about her child at all. It could be about Angel… would she have happy dreams about him? Riley had no idea. He realized he didn't know all that much about what Buffy would dream of. He just knew that she wanted to give her baby the best. She wanted a home and all the other normal stuff, as any sane person would. He also wasn't completely clear on her feelings about Angel. There was almost definitely some anger there… completely understandable anger since he'd made her a single mother. However, he really didn't know where Buffy stood when it came to her ex.

Riley wasn't even sure where he stood. There was a bit of animosity, of course, since he was the ex-boyfriend of the woman Riley really, *really* liked, so that sort of went along with the territory. As far as Angel's decision not to be involved in the baby's life, Riley could see where he was coming from. Logically, it was a bad idea. Dad's needed to be able to take their kids places in the daytime and show up in mirrors and not drink blood. Plus, it would be nice to not get older while your father remained young eternally. On the other hand, they could have made it work. Especially when Buffy told Angel she wouldn't have an abortion, Angel could have opted to try being a family with her. Riley wasn't sure if that made the vampire more of a man or more of a weasel than himself, but he doubted he could have done it had he been in Angel's place.

How could anyone walk away from her?

With that thought, Riley closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, happily dreaming of a future with himself, Buffy, her unborn child… and the other children they could create together in the years to come.

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy!" Nathaniel said loudly as he rushed over and grabbed the box away from her.

Buffy rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, "That hardly weighs anything, why can't I carry it?"

"You're pregnant," he shouted as he walked away from her towards the apartment.

Buffy shook her head in dismay and turned back to the truck, trying to find something she could get away with carrying inside. For one thing, just because she was pregnant did not make her completely useless. For another, she was the slayer and could carry *much* heavier stuff than any of these guys. Of course, they didn't know that... but they were driving her insane by not letting her help with the move at all.

"You know, Buffy, it would be really great if you could just go into the apartment and tell the guys where to put stuff," Graham suggested as he lugged one of the dining room chairs down the path.

Buffy followed, since she had no better ideas. She could see no reason why they wouldn't let her tell them where to put stuff, since she couldn't strain anything other than her vocal cords doing that.

Riley followed behind her with another of the chairs, grateful that Graham had thought of something for her to do before she'd had a fit. He knew that she was independent and liked being treated that way, but she really wasn't in any condition to be lugging around furniture.

Upon entering the apartment, he saw that Buffy had already taken command, telling the guys where exactly she wanted this or that piece of furniture. When they had come to sign the papers for the lease the previous week, the manager had taken them on a tour of the apartment and they'd had a discussion on how they had wanted to do the living room, so Buffy was able to direct them on how to position the furniture.

Grinning, Riley set the chair down in the area for the dining room and turned to Graham, "Thank you."

Graham shrugged, "I figured we didn't want to have to face the wrath of Buffy if we treated her like some weak female. She has a purpose and she's happy now."

Riley nodded, "And do you notice how all of them obey her every command? I've lived with you all for a long time and I thought I knew you… I never figured you'd all go so… crazy for one girl."

"She's special," Graham replied before leaving Riley standing alone.

He was right; Buffy was very special.

"You know, your mother was so right about the daybed," Buffy said as she buzzed past Riley in the kitchen to pull her new sheets out of the dryer in the little laundry room that was much more like a closet.

Riley glanced at her back, "What was she right about?"

"She's the one who suggested I get a daybed, remember?"

"No," he replied.

"Well she did. On that list she sent, she said that a daybed would be good because it's compact, so I can fit the crib and everything else for the baby in better. She also said something about it being good as a guest bed because it looks like a couch with throw pillows and won't be weird in a baby room. I didn't really get that, but I like the bed and it is smaller than my old one, so I think it'll work."

Riley flushed as he remembered exactly what his mother had written. Buffy didn't know his mother, so she hadn't realized that the woman was dropping *very* obvious hints that she thought the only thing wrong with their marriage was that it was fake.

"Oh yeah, she just meant it would work well as a guest bed… so in case people drop by for dinner or something, we have a good cover for why there's a regular bed in the baby's room," he covered.

Buffy nodded her head as turned and stood in the doorway to the kitchen, "Your mom is very smart."

"You could say that," he replied quietly before returning to putting the plates in the cabinet.

Buffy walked into her room and began putting the sheets on her own bed before adding, "You know, whenever I had thought about getting married and stuff… I'd wondered what kind of relationship I'd have with my mother-in-law. I mean, my mom and my dad's mom always got along great. Even now, they're big buddies. But then there's the mother-in-law's from Hell. Anyway, I was just thinking that your mom is the kind I would want… you know, for a regular marriage. She's so sweet and… well, motherly."

Riley smiled and left the kitchen to go stand in her doorway, "She'd really like you too. You'd definitely be the kind of daughter-in-law she'd want."

"I don't know why I even worry about it," Buffy sighed, "I'll be lucky to find a guy who treats me well and loves my kid; liking his mom will be the least of my worries."

Riley wanted to tell her that she'd found that guy. *He* would do anything for her and her child. *He* had a mother who would be exactly what Buffy wanted and needed. *He* could be her husband for the rest of her life and give her a happily ever after.

But he couldn't. He had to bide his time and develop a relationship with Buffy that would hopefully result in her falling in love with him. If he declared his feelings for her now, she'd freak out and he'd probably lose her forever.

Sighing, he said, "I wish you wouldn't be so stubborn and let me take this room. You're going to have to share with the baby, you need the bigger room."

Buffy shook her head resolutely, "This room is fine. I already told you, letting you have the master bedroom makes me feel better. This way I feel like I'm not *completely* making you suffer. Besides, what would the guys have said if I had directed all 'our' furniture to the small bedroom? This is for sure the inconspicuous way to go."

"I still don't like it," he told her before turning back around to complete his task.

Buffy stopped shoving pillows into the pillowcases and stopped to look at the spot he'd been standing in. She never should have said what she did about his mother. It made her look and feel like a total idiot. Who knew what Riley was thinking now! He was either wondering what he's gotten himself into or pitying her. She didn't know which was worse.

"We'll have to go to the grocery store tomorrow," Riley said, "I figure we should both go to make sure we get everything we need."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she replied.

"When's your doctor's appointment?" he asked, remembering that she'd mentioned choosing a doctor from the list the military had provided her upon her health insurance being implemented and having her first appointment that week.

"Tuesday at three," she told him as she walked into the living room to find the rest of her bedding. The guys had been so helpful that all there was left to do was put away the stuff in the kitchen, make their beds and put away their clothes. Joseph, who was apparantly the technical expert, had hooked up the TV, VCR and stereo in the living room and gotten Riley's computer all set up in his bedroom. All the furniture was in it's place, and the guys had even gotten everything set up in the bathrooms.

"Oh no, I am supposed to go to a meeting Tuesday at three," Riley said, coming out of the kitchen to face her, "I can drop you off if you don't mind getting there early, but the meeting should go for several hours."

"That's okay," she replied, "I'm going to have to fill out paperwork so I need to get there early and I can find a ride home or just walk. It's not that far."

"Buffy, I don't want you walking home," he argued.

Buffy put her hand up, making him stop, "I'm almost two months pregnant… not nine. I can walk. Walking is good for me. Don't forget I go jogging and that is an approved workout for mothers-to-be. Plus, I am still a slayer and if anyone tries to mess with me, I can hurt them."

Riley was tired from a long day that had only followed a long week and a half. Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave her a look that told her he wasn't backing down and letting her have her way this time, "I understand that you can most likely kick my ass with both hands tied behind your back. I understand that you are very fit and capable of walking. However, *you* need to understand that *I* was raised to believe certain things and one of those things is that females are not to walk long distances on their own. It's not an emergency and necessary for you to do. If one of your friends can't drive you, I am sure one of the guys will be happy to do so. Most of them won't be in the meeting."

Buffy took a deep breath, "Fine, I won't walk."

Riley inwardly cheered at having won the battle with her. Usually he would concede because it wasn't worth it, but he knew that he'd have to draw a line at some point and the sooner the better. Buffy was going to find that just because she dug her heels in did not mean that Riley would automatically acquiesce. Real marriage or not, they had a relationship and part of that was compromise.

However, he felt if he brought up the fact that his Jeep Wrangler was not going to be safe for an infant to ride in, and since he had to pretend he had every intention of going through with the divorce so they really needed to get Buffy her own car… he'd be pushing his luck. He'd better save that argument for another day.

<< back