Buffy sighed as she stepped into the shower and let the water wash over her. The heat of the water quickly relaxed her and she began rethinking her decision to call Willow. Maybe she could pop one of the frozen pizzas in the oven and relax with the novel she'd started the night before. Anya hadn't told her how addictive those things were.

Fifteen minutes later, she was wrapping a towel around her body, all comfy and clean, when she heard a loud pounding. Narrowing her eyes, she realized it was someone at the door. She rushed out of the bathroom and was halfway to the door when she heard someone shouting.

"Come on out, Slayer!"

She froze as it hit her what was going on. A vampire… it had to be a vampire. Any other kind of demon and it would just come in. Hell, any other demon probably wouldn't be stupid enough to come after her.

Just to be sure, she walked slowly to the door, as if it could burst open at any moment, and peered out the peephole. Sure enough, she saw a guy about six feet tall with light brown hair pacing back and forth as he shouted for her to come face him.

Buffy took a step back and tried to get her head together. Mentally, she cursed herself for turning into a twit. Three months without patrolling and now a vampire outside her door and she was acting like a wimp? She rushed back to her bedroom to change into something she could fight in, since a towel would never do. It would be a bad idea to just hope he'd go away because the way he was carrying on was going to gather attention and that could lead to someone who didn't know what he really was approaching him… and Buffy couldn't let anyone die.

So she'd just go out there and kill him and be done with it. Even in her condition… it was just one vampire, she could handle it. As she pulled her sweat pants back on, Buffy was hit with the thought that it was possible there was a whole mass of vampires just waiting to attack her… and she couldn't handle that. She hadn't been patrolling or training in months. But she was the chosen one… she had no choice.

After managing the get her clothes on, Buffy walked back to the door before noticing she had no weapon. Her hands were shaking as she searched the living room for a stake. Racking her brain, Buffy tried to remember if there was a stake in her room, but since there was the 'no slaying' rule, she didn't have a stock of weapons ready to go.

All of a sudden, the door began opening…

"So did someone beat Buffy with the ugly stick?"

Riley gave Forrest a strange look, "What are you talking about?"

Forrest smirked, "We haven't had to endure any of your rambling about how wonderful and sweet and kind and beautiful Buffy is for, like, a week. Did she die or something?"

He knew he was probably asking to be annoyed, since he'd been the one who hated hearing Riley go on and on about Buffy before, but he *had* noticed she'd been absent from Riley's conversation topics as of late and he was hoping there was trouble in paradise. After several days of wondering if his suspicions were right, but not wanting to risk another rave about Buffy, curiosity had gotten the better of him and he'd decided to ask.

"Buffy is fine," Riley glared at him, "I just don't enjoy hearing the comments *you* like to make about her, so I try to avoid discussing her with you, which is really a shame that I have to do that, with you being one of my best friends and all."

Graham decided to stay out of it, since he too had suspicions that something had happened between Riley and Buffy, but knew that if Riley didn't want to talk about it, it was better not to push. However, the way Riley was scowling at Forrest made him fear that he might be forced to step in if the both of them got angry.

"Okay, sorry, jeez," Forrest said, shaking his head, deciding something was *definitely* wrong with the… sorta couple.

"Riley!"

The three of them turned and looked at Waylon running towards them down the empty hall in the Initiative.

"What is it?" Riley asked, hoping there was some sort of emergency situation where his presence was needed so he wouldn't have to go with his friends to spend the next few hours as armed escorts to transfer demons from different stations in the Initiative.

"We were listening in on the 911 calls," Waylon explained, "Someone called in a disturbance… it's at your place."

Riley went into autopilot, walking back the way Waylon had come as he started spouting out orders. If the other guys had a problem with it, they didn't say anything, just obeyed. Inside, Riley was freaking out. What if something happened to Buffy? It was a thought he couldn't bear.

He had to get to her, and fast.

Five minutes later, Graham pulled the Hummer up to Riley and Buffy's apartment, in record time. The vehicle had hardly stopped when Riley jumped out the passenger side, with Waylon quickly following. As he raced up the walk and saw the vampire pounding on the windows and doors, screaming, all three of his friends were at his heels.

"Here, let me…" Graham began, watching in shock as Riley grabbed the vampire by his neck and threw him against a wall, "shock him."

Seeing his tazer was useless, Graham stood still with the other two guys and watched Riley beat the hell out of the vampire, all the while making it clear that he never should have even tried to mess with Buffy. Soon the vampire was on his side on the ground and Riley began kicking him in the stomach. He was blind with fury, not just because the demon had gone after Buffy... but because he was a *vampire*, just like Angel. In Riley's mind, this vampire *was* Angel, the 'man' that Buffy loved… the reason she couldn't be with him.

At last, he felt Forrest grab his arm and pull him back, "It's enough, Man. Sunnydale's cops may be inept, but they'll be here any minute."

"Yeah, it's been ten minutes since the call… we need to stake him *now*," Waylon informed him.

Riley coldly pulled a stake out from his ankle holster and stabbed the vampire through the heart before standing up straight and panting as he tried to get his head together.

After a moment, Waylon asked, "Do you guys think we should bail before the police show? I don't really relish explaining our outfits."

"Maybe we should check on Buffy first," Graham suggested.

Riley looked at him and nodded, then pulled his keys out of his pocket. Slowly, he opened the front door… and scared the hell out of Buffy in the process. She gasped loudly until she saw it was him and visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Riley gave her a small smile, "Hey, you okay?"

Buffy nodded slowly, watching as he came in, followed by Forrest, Graham and Waylon, "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

"Uh, one of your neighbors saw that va.. uh, guy outside and called 911. We heard the call and headed over," Waylon explained.

"He's taken care of," Riley replied vaguely, going along with the lie for Waylon's sake, since he didn't know that Buffy knew all about vampires.

"Shit, cops are here. What are we going to tell them?" Forrest asked.

"Tell them we scared the guy off when we showed up," Riley replied.

"And why are we wearing these clothes?" Waylon asked, still worried about the fact that they looked very conspicuous.

"We had been planning to go play paintball, but I realized I had forgotten my wallet," Riley told him, getting a smile from Buffy as she remembered the last time he'd tried that lie.

As the other three left them alone, Riley looked more closely at Buffy, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just… I got out of the shower and heard him yelling and pounding on the door. I… got dressed… but I couldn't find a weapon."

He noticed the way her hands were shakily moving over her stomach and how her voice wavered and knew Buffy was far from fine. Tenderly, he reached out and lifted her chin with his hand to force her to look him in the eye. Buffy couldn't hold back any longer and let the tears spill as a sob erupted from her throat.

"I was so helpless and scared! God, I hate it… I couldn't even save myself, Riley," she cried against his chest as Riley wrapped his arms around her.

He kissed the top of her head and ran his hand through her hair as he whispered words of comfort to her. All the while, he thanked God that it was only as bad as leaving Buffy terrified. At least she and the baby weren't hurt. They'd recover... If it hadn't turned out so well, Riley wasn't sure if he could have lived with himself.

Riley handed Buffy another tissue as she slowly stopped crying. He gave her a gentle smile and asked, "Tell me the truth now. How are you?"

"A lot better than I was ten minutes ago," she laughed, then added, "I'm okay, really. A little embarrassed, actually. I can't believe I acted like that. A stupid vampire scared the hell out of me."

"Hey, things are different now. You have your baby to worry about, if you had fought that vampire..."

"I might have lost her," Buffy concluded, "And I love her so much."

"Her? It's a girl?" Riley asked, suddenly remembering that Buffy had been supposed to find out the sex of the baby that morning.

Buffy smiled and nodded, "Confirmed by both my doctor and Tara."

"Who is Tara?"

She shook her head, "Long story.. can I tell you later?"

"Absolutely," Riley replied, "A little girl..."

"Yeah, I have a daughter," Buffy said proudly, rubbing her hand over her stomach.

Riley beamed down at her, "That's wonderful."

She gave him a surprised look, "I'm kind of amazed that you… well, care. Not only that you raced over here to help… but then you stayed… and now you're talking to me about the baby."

"Why do you say that?"

Buffy looked down, "I was sort of thinking you despised me."

Riley shook his head, "I don't despise you… I never did… I never *could*. I just… I just thought you weren't… who I thought you were."

"Because I slept with you?"

"Because you slept with me when you're in love with another man," he replied.

"Riley," she said quietly, then looked up at him, "I don't want you think I am… that way. I don't want you to think that you were just there for my convenience, because that's not how it was. To be honest… with me being weak already… and you being so wonderful…"

Riley blushed and looked away in self-consciousness.

Buffy grinned before continuing, "It would take a strong woman to be so close to you and not *ever*… want you."

"Buffy…" he pleaded her to stop.

She nodded, "The point is that I hurt you and I hate myself for it. I don't know if it's possible… or if I even deserve it… but I would do anything to make things right between us again. I can only offer you what I have… and basically all I have is my friendship. And more than anything, I want that, Riley."

Riley was silent for a moment before saying, "Well, you do have your firstborn to offer as well."

Buffy giggled and smacked him on the arm playfully.

"However, your friendship is plenty for me," Riley added softly.

"Good," she grinned and held out her hand for him to shake, "Truce?"

"Truce," he replied, shaking her hand firmly before saying, "How about we seal the deal with you making me something to eat? I had some of your leftovers from last night… you're getting to be a great cook. And since the guys decided I should have the night off to be with you, we have plenty of time for dinner."

Buffy sat up straighter, pleased by his compliment, "I was just going to make a pizza, but I'd love to cook for you. What would you like?"

"Pizza sounds great."

"No it doesn't, you wanted real food, and I am really into the cooking thing."

"Really, you know I love pizza… it's no… whatever that pasta thing you made was… but it's very tasty and this way we could hang out while it cooks."

"Okay," she nodded and got up to go put the pizza in the oven, "This *is* the rising crust kind, which is the only kind I think is worth eating."

Riley smiled at her comment and leaned back against the couch cushions, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of him. He honestly wasn't mad at Buffy any longer. Sure, his pride was still hurt, and he still ached knowing that no matter how he felt about her, she loved Angel and not him, but when he'd come so close to losing her, it had scared him more than anything in his life. After something like that… his angry feelings had taken a backseat and he'd been able to see and hear Buffy more rationally.

He knew now that she hadn't used him. She'd gotten caught up in the moment, as had he. The only difference was that she'd done something she didn't mean to do and he'd done something he'd dreamed of doing. It had happened, they couldn't take it back… but they could be friends again… and Riley had every intention of keeping his promise to her, even if his heart broke in the process.

When Riley walked in to the apartment after a long, boring morning meeting at work, the last thing he expected to find was a ton of boxes in the living room and a tired-looking Buffy on the couch.

"Hey," he greeted, "What's all this?"

Buffy grinned upon seeing him, "This is all my baby furniture."

"All of it?" he replied, surprised. He'd figured she would have to spend hours and hours of looking before finding anything she liked after the way she'd driven him nuts buying furniture for the rest of the apartment.

She nodded, "Yeah, I was going for simple and they had that, of course. Actually, I liked most of what I saw, there doesn't seem to be too many hideous cribs. Anyway, I managed to find a really nice one. They had a changing table and dresser in the same style, so I bought the whole set. It put a major dent in my savings account, but this wasn't a bad decision, right? I'm only four and a half months pregnant, so it's not like I should have bought the clothes now, should I?"

"Buying the furniture first is what I would have done. Now when you buy clothes and… um… whatever else it is that you need to buy, you have somewhere to put it," Riley reassured her as he started examining the boxes, "Well, I have the rest of the day off… I was thinking you and I could go out to lunch. Then maybe I can get this all put together for you."

Buffy got out of the recliner and gave him a firm look, "I like the first part… but I can put this stuff together myself."

"Have you ever put furniture together?" he asked as she picked up her purse and started walking towards the door.

"No… but there's a first time for everything."

Knowing he wouldn't win this one, since Buffy was far too insistent on being independent, he moved on to the other thing she'd said that had been bugging him as the both of them walked out the front door to the patio, "You know, if you need money, I have been saving all that extra pay they give me to support the two of you."

"I told you to keep that money," she replied, "Don't worry about me… I get paid again Monday."

"Still, you'd have quite a bit of money if you took it. You could go buy a bunch more things for the baby."

"I can do this on my own," she persisted. And she would. She was going to teach her daughter that she could do it all on her own… and she'd start by buying everything herself… let both Riley and Angel's money rot for all she cared.

"Okay," he said, "I just want to make sure you know that if you ever need it, you have it. Plus, I think if you were to need it, it would about kill you to ask for it, so I like to offer… just in case."

Buffy couldn't help but smile, knowing he was right. At that moment she was once again grateful that she had his friendship back. It had been nearly three weeks since they had made up and they were almost back to normal. They'd tease each other and pretend to argue… sometimes she could even forget for a moment or two how it had hurt when they had really argued. However, she could never forget what their one night together had felt like. How loved and safe she'd felt… how warm it had been in his arms.

She wasn't sure she wanted to forget that part.

Buffy groaned, resisting the urge to take whatever object the piece of wood in her hands was and start beating the hell out of the rest of the pieces of the crib. She'd been on the floor in her bedroom for forty-five minutes and had yet to accomplish a single thing. It was one of the most frustrating things she had ever attempted to do.

Riley watched from the doorway, wondering whether or not to offer his help again, since Buffy's plan to do it on her own obviously wasn't going too well. She must have sensed his presence, though, because she turned around and gave him a forbidding look.

"Don't even say it."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Riley protested, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "I was just going to beg you to please let me help you as I have nothing else to do and I'm terribly bored."

Sighing, Buffy nodded her assent and set the wood down. As Riley sat down next to her, she looked over at him and complained, "I want to teach my daughter than women aren't weak. Just because she is female doesn't mean she can't *happily* earn her own money, buy her own everything… live just fine without a man. Sure, men are nice to have around but they aren't some all-powerful force that she can't live without."

"Just because you happen to be a person who isn't skilled at putting furniture together doesn't mean you're weak, Buffy. We all have our abilities and areas where we lack. We're *human*, you know."

"What if my daughter goes to school and hears about all the wonderful things the other mom's do… you know, like give the other kids fathers… and realizes her mommy is a total moron?"

"You're not a moron. My father made a point to teach me how to build things and work on cars… fix stuff… so I don't have to run to the repairman for everything. It's inconvenient and expensive. You see, my dad earned all his money. He was raised in a middle-class household. Even though *I* grew up well off, my father knew that the career I chose may not pay all that well, so I might not be as comfortable as an adult. Therefore, I have skills."

"I wish I had skills."

"You have skills."

"Yeah! Maybe I can teach my daughter how to decapitate by the time she is five. I'll be so proud," Buffy replied sarcastically.

"Hey, knock it off," Riley told her as he tossed aside the instructions. No wonder she was having trouble… they were the kind that made no sense. Luckily he was pretty good at building things just by looking at them. "You can't let one little thing turn you into Miss Negativity."

"I'm sorry, I'm just… wigging," Buffy replied, "I.. I noticed a lot of people give me looks. It's only been in the past month or so since I started showing… I get stares and sometimes dirty looks. Like this morning, when I was buying this stuff I saw this old lady shake her head, all disapproving-like… because I'm young and pregnant and obviously keeping the baby."

"Don't let it bug you… I know it's hard, but just ignore people like that. They don't know anything about you… what gives her the right to judge you?" Riley responded, doleful that she had indeed noticed the looks she got in public. They hadn't gone anywhere together much in quite a while, but he had noticed a few of the patrons in the restaurant staring at her when they had their lunch. It had irritated him, but he hadn't acted on it… since Buffy didn't appear to see what was going on and it would only upset her.

"I know… you're absolutely right. I shouldn't care what they think because it doesn't affect my life in any way, but… people automatically assume that because I'm nineteen, my baby's going to have a bad life. She'll never have this or that… she'll be all messed up because I am young and her father is already gone. I want to believe they are wrong… but I have all these doubts. I read all these books and check out all these websites, but in the grand scheme of things…" Buffy said, then sighed, "I don't know what I'm doing."

Riley stopped putting the crib together and looked at her, "Look, I know I am not a parent, but I have lived on this Earth and interacted with humans for twenty-two years, so I feel qualified in saying you're a great person. You're loving and generous and smart… and I just *know* you'll be a great mom. I don't think it's something you can really train or be completely prepared for, though... some of it is instinct… and some of it is just discovery."

"Well, what if my instincts are faulty or while I'm busy discovering stuff, I neglect her in some way? She's going to need me for *everything*, Riley!"

"Calm down," he told her, "You know… you can always call my mom. Anytime you want. You can call her now, tell her how you're scared… she'll tell you it's normal. You can call her every day and she'll be ecstatic to help you. After the baby comes, she'll give you all her advice. So there, you have someone who has raised four children just a phone call away."

Buffy gave him a small smile, "You're sweet."

"It's one of my many charms," he joked.

Seeing that the crib was actually beginning to resemble a crib, Buffy nodded and said, "And the other would have to be your fine carpentry skills… you're amazing!"

Riley grinned while trying not to have warm fuzzy feelings because of her comments. She liked him, thought he was a great friend, but clearly didn't love him back, so he needed to quit getting giddy whenever Buffy shot a smile his way. It would only break his heart even more when their time was up in just under nine months.

Nine months had never seemed so short.

Yawning, Riley sat in his car, waiting for the garage door to open all the way so that he could pull his jeep into it's spot. It had been a hard night, and none of the HST's had given him an easy time. His whole body felt like one giant bruise and nothing sounded better than climbing into bed and sleeping until the pain was gone or he died- whatever came first.

Immediately, he noticed Buffy's car was gone. A million thoughts raced through his head, and all of them scared the hell out of him. It was two o'clock in the morning, where could she be? He seriously doubted it was anywhere good. What if something was wrong with the baby? What if Buffy'd had an accident? Riley mentally scorned himself for not being there for her. If anything happened… he'd never forgive himself.

Trying to remain calm, Riley parked in the garage and hit the button so the heavy door would slide back down, as was his normal routine. If he ran around hysterically, what good would he be to anyone? Perhaps there had been an emergency… but with one of Buffy's friends. Hell, even though it had never happened in the three months they'd been living together, maybe she was spending the night at Willow's.

As he unlocked the front door and entered the darkened apartment, Riley prayed he'd find a note with an explanation.

There was nothing. No note, no blood, no huge mess to indicate that something had happened. If it was two in the afternoon instead of the middle of the night, he'd be just fine. But it *was* the middle of the night and Buffy was gone… and not knowing where was quickly driving him nuts.

Riley grabbed the phone, deciding that he'd try calling Buffy's friends despite the late hour. This definitely constituted an emergency and one of them had to know what was going on. He'd just found Giles' number in the address book Buffy had filled out and placed next to the phone when the front door opened and Buffy walked in, a bag of groceries in one arm and a package of Oreo's in the other.

"Hey, when did you get home?" she asked casually, popping a cookie in her mouth.

"Where have you been?" he exclaimed, "I was freaking out!"

"Gwocwey stowe," Buffy replied, gesturing to the bag in her arm as she swallowed the cookie, "I am having major cravings."

Sighing, Riley set the phone down and shook his head, "I can't believe you went out alone at this time of night."

"I was *hungry* and you absolutely do not understand what it's like to be pregnant and craving things. I have been good and just ignored my cravings for the past week, but I can't do it anymore. I *needed* Oreo's… so I went and got them."

"You should have waited for me, I would have been happy to go out for you. It's not safe!"

"You didn't get me pregnant, this is not your obligation," Buffy reminded him.

Riley took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to calm himself. Once he felt he could speak without screaming, he looked at her again and said, "Look, I didn't get you pregnant, I know that. I am also aware I am not your real husband. I am basically your roommate. Even with all the knowledge about our situation that I possess… I still *insist* that you let me go get whatever you are craving so that you don't go out in the middle of the night with vampires and other demons on the prowl while you are five months pregnant!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked past him to the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter, "Look, like I said, you don't understand what it's like. When I get a craving, it's like 'Buffy, have it now! Now now now!' and I feel like if I don't get whatever I am craving in my mouth right away, I will die. So it's not like I can just look at the clock and say 'Oh, Riley will be home in an hour, I'll just send him back out when he gets home from work.' and be fine!"

"You do have a point there. I need to be around more… I'll tell Walsh I need to start getting off earlier. Do you suppose if I was off by ten every night you would be able to avoid heading out on your own?"

"Riley, you don't have to mess with your whole schedule for me," she replied, trying to find a spot for her jumbo-size Cool Whip in the refrigerator.

"Buffy, do you really think I will mind being the only guy who never has to pull a graveyard shift? Trust me, I will owe *you* for this one," he said honestly, "Now, will you let me be your official craving-fulfiller?"

Buffy shrugged, "I don't always get cravings really late at night. Sometimes I get them earlier… like at eight. You can't be around 24/7."

"Okay, then you can call Giles or Xander and see if they will pick up what you want. Hell, call Lowell House, any of those guys will be happy to run to the store for you as long as they aren't working," Riley persuaded, "Just promise me that you won't be running around at night for snacks."

Buffy chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, contemplating his arrangement. Giving him a small smile, she nodded, "I'll *try*."

"Thank you," he responded, gripping her shoulders as he pretended to be overcome with gratitude, "You're a fine, fine woman, Buffy."

She chuckled, then went back to unpacking her groceries, this time with Riley's help. As he pulled out the jar of pickles, he grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but was halted when Buffy covered it with her hand, "Say anything and die."

Riley beamed down at her as she pulled her hand away, "I wouldn't dare."

Satisfied, Buffy went back to putting the last of the groceries away before grabbing her opened package of Oreo's and a jar of chunky peanut butter before heading out of the kitchen, "I don't know about you, but I am *so* not tired! Want to watch some TV?"

"Sounds like a great way to wind down," Riley replied, grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator before following her, "You don't have to work tomorrow?"

"Nope," Buffy shook her head, "Sunday's really aren't a big day for us, as you know, so Giles decided just to give me a weekend day off… and I absolutely don't mind. I've got my savings built up again, so I think I'll go shopping. I want to get all the bedding for the crib and some more maternity clothes. I may even buy some baby clothes… I'm just dying to buy a little dress!"

"Well that seems fun… can I join you?" Riley asked, sitting a comfortable distance away from her on the couch.

Surprised, Buffy looked at him and asked, "You seriously want to go shopping for baby stuff and maternity clothes?"

"Sure, I'm all for new experiences."

Buffy smiled and shook her head, "Why not?"

"What's this for?" Riley asked, holding up the crib bumpers Buffy had set in the cart.

"I think it keeps the baby from falling out of the crib," she replied, tossing in two sets of sheets.

"Won't the bars do that?"

"Yeah, but I think that it keeps the baby from falling… between… things…" Buffy explained lamely, "All I know is your mom put it on the list and it was under 'Things you must have' not 'Things it would be nice to have' so I am getting it. Your sister didn't have crib bumpers?"

Riley shrugged, "I never really paid attention. I had no idea *little* babies needed so much stuff!"

"They do… and it's all really expensive," Buffy agreed, sighing at the prices. Good thing she'd really stuck to her plan to save money for the baby. Then again, buying maternity clothes wasn't nearly as fun as buying all the cute clothes she used to be able to wear, so the temptation was kind of… nonexistent.

"So, how are we doing, list-wise?"

"We've made a dent, but that's about it. After today, I'll have all the furniture and bedding, but I still need a ton of clothes, all the grooming and medical and bath stuff, plus the stroller, car seat, high chair… and extras."

"On the bright side, you have four more months," he smiled winsomely.

Buffy laughed as she pushed the cart towards the lamps section. There was probably already enough light in her bedroom, but Riley's mom had suggested she get a baby lamp anyway, because then she'd have a dim lamp… which was apparently important when it was a baby's room. Besides, they were so cute!

"Ooh!" Buffy squealed, pointing at one of the lamps.

"What?"

"It's Looney Tunes, just like the bedding, and it's very cute! I have a theme!"

"And you're this excited?"

"Riley, I have just picked the theme for my daughter's nursery, it's a big deal," Buffy informed him.

"Oh, okay," he shrugged, "Well, I like it."

Buffy grinned and nodded enthusiastically, "I think it's adorable."

Riley smiled at her excitement, placing one of the boxes that held the lamp in the crowded cart, "I'm thinking we might need a second cart."

"We're almost done," she told him.

"Oh, you're almost out of money?" he teased.

"You wish," she laughed, "I still need to go to the mall to get some maternity clothes. If you're bored, though, we can go home first and I can go on my own."

"Are you crazy? I've never had so much fun!"

"Ha. Ha. Just remember, I am not forcing you into this."

"Seriously, I'm enjoying myself," Riley replied, stopping himself before he got in trouble by telling her how much he treasured any time he could spend with her. In fact, he'd even found himself having a good time choosing a diaper disposal system with her. It was almost like… they were real. And despite his efforts to stop loving Buffy, despite knowing how it would only hurt him… being her husband and a father to her child were his greatest desires.

"Okay, but I have a feeling once we get in the store and you have to look at all these fat clothes, you're going to bail on me," Buffy said as they approached a cash register and begin loading the merchandise on the counter, "Which is fine… feel free to go elsewhere if you'd like."

Riley rolled his eyes, knowing it was useless to argue with her, "When are you buying baby clothes?"

"Not for a while, I guess. I really need to save more for that... plus, Willow made me promise not to buy any when she called this morning. She insists she wants to come with me, because it's so fun."

"How does Willow know whether or not shopping for babies is fun?"

Buffy shrugged, "Well, the clothes are all so cute and little… it's a girl thing."

"I suppose," he replied, "Although I have a feeling all the guys I work with would adore shopping with you as well."

"Well… they're unusual."

Riley smiled as he watched Buffy pay the cashier, wanting to tell her it was due to all the guys adoring *her* because it was so easy, such a natural thing to do. Shaking his head, he scolded himself for letting his thoughts trail off in that direction. Good God, he was acting like a lovesick fool. When would he get it through his head that Buffy didn't love him, didn't want to be with him… so he might as well forget it?

"I can't believe this is actually entertaining to you," Buffy uttered, looking through the rack for her size.

"Well, there is obviously a lot you don't know," Riley answered, shooting a smile at her as he pulled out a small pair of the black shorts, "Here you go."

Buffy took the shorts and frowned, "It makes me ill to think I need such huge pants."

"They aren't huge and you're *pregnant*," Riley reminded her.

"I know," she sighed, holding the shorts up to her, "As much as I hate to say it, I'm going to get quite a bit bigger. I have, like, three more months of growing and I'm gaining a pound a week. Do you really think I can wear a small?"

Riley nodded, "They're awfully stretchy and the saleslady did tell you that you should wear whatever size you wore before you were pregnant."

"I hope so, because if I get so big I have to buy bigger sizes in *maternity*, I'll be so depressed," Buffy lamented, looking through some khaki shortalls.

"Maybe you're having twins," Riley suggested, then laughed as she glared at him, "Just kidding, I think you're beautiful."

Buffy looked away and blushed uncomfortably, which made Riley instantly regret his slip. They were quiet for a few moments as Buffy picked out several items of clothing that caught her eye. When the pile started to grow heavy, she once again looked him in the eye.

"Time to try stuff on."

"Okay," he said, following her towards the dressing room, "Are you going to show me how you look in it?"

"Only if it's not too wretched," she responded half-jokingly before disappearing into the dressing room.

Riley sat down in a chair, suddenly aware of where he was… and how much he didn't feel like he fit in. There were few men in the store… and Buffy was certainly the youngest shopper. In fact, the only people younger than her were either in strollers or in-utero. Luckily, nobody else seemed to notice.

After a few moments, Buffy emerged in a pink short set with a worried look on her face, "Tell me the truth, do I remind you of bubble gum?"

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Riley, I have spent the past three hours dragging you through Babies R Us and Motherhood Maternity," Buffy answered, "I think I can survive a trip to Sam Goody and those *awful* CD's."

Riley looked down at her and smiled, "I just don't want to wear your pregnant self out."

"Boy you sure are funny today!"

"You give me a lot of good material," he retorted, swerving to avoid her arm as she tried to smack him.

"You're lucky I am klutz-girl with my big belly," Buffy told him as she gave up on her revenge and walked through the entry to the music store.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he smiled, following her.

Riley headed to the front of the pop section, looking for the 3 Doors Down CD, while Buffy browsed through the CD's, not looking for anything specifically. He quickly found his CD and decided on buying it before walking up to the blonde.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Not really, you getting that one?" Buffy asked, gesturing to the CD in his hand.

Riley nodded, "I'll just go pay then."

"Sounds cool," she replied, picking up a Sarah McLachlan CD, "I'll be right over."

Riley walked over to the cash register and got in line, trying to think of a good place to stop for lunch. He was getting pretty hungry and despite the fact that she'd been munching on a bag of pretzels she carried in her purse, he had a feeling Buffy could eat a meal.

Glancing up, Buffy saw that Riley still had several people in front of him in line, so she continued looking through the CD's. She really could use some new ones, since the Dido CD Riley had bought her was her one and only, but she really needed to save up for the baby. She cringed as she thought of all she had left to buy. The car seat and stroller would be at least several hundred more dollars, and her daughter still had no clothes.

Sighing, Buffy decided not to even bother looking and started walking towards Riley. She passed a couple young girls and an older woman who must have been the mother of one of them on the way, but as soon as they were behind her, she heard someone utter "slut."

Pausing, Buffy turned and looked to find the older woman giving her a dirty look. Embarrassed, Buffy hurried over to Riley, causing him to give her a concerned look as she stopped next to him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just… done shopping."

"Okay, when we get out of here, want to stop for lunch? I was thinking since you said you were craving spicy stuff earlier, we could go to Chevy's," he suggested.

Buffy nodded quickly, "Sounds good."

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, still not convinced that everything was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she insisted, but didn't really sound convincing.

Riley didn't push, but he still wondered what was going on with her. They'd been having such a good day, what could have upset her so much?

"Buffy, just tell me one thing."

Startled, Buffy looked up from the romance novel she'd been reading and saw Riley rush through the Magic Box towards her, out of breath with a several papers clutched in his hand. Looking confused, she asked "What?"

"You can't just take off on Saturday the 27^th, can you? It's absolutely ridiculous for her to expect you to not only *want* to go to *Iowa*, but that you'll be able to just drop everything, get time off work, and head on over there with a week's notice," Riley ranted, then realized he had to explain, "I got a letter from my mom. She also sent two plane tickets to leave for Iowa next Saturday because she wants you and I to go to my grandmother's birthday party."

"She wants *me* there too?"

"Exactly! It's my grandmother and I can understand her wanting me there, but there's no reason to drag you too," Riley replied, shaking his head.

Buffy couldn't help but feel a little flattered, since she'd assumed she was Riley's 'dirty little secret' in the sense that his parents may approve and support him, but they probably wouldn't tell the rest of the family. However, if Claire wanted her there, she must have told everyone else.

"Anyway, I called her and she won't listen to reason," Riley continued, "She says that she'll only accept you not coming if you can't get off work. She is just so positive you'll love being with my family. Ridiculous, I know. So anyway, I came here to hear you tell me you can't get off work so I'll call her again and let her know."

"Oh… well, I don't know. I've never asked Giles about time off," Buffy said, straightening and slowly walking towards the back, "I can ask him now, though."

Riley had been about to protest, to tell her it wasn't necessary to ask since his mother would never know the truth… but he knew a part of him wanted her to ask. After all, if he'd really wanted to, he could have waited a while, then called his mother and lied that Buffy couldn't get time off. He was positive if he'd asked her to, Buffy would have lied to cover for him. However, there was that part of him that didn't care about his mother trying to manipulate them. That part of him rather liked the idea of bringing Buffy home as his wife, spending the week with her… in fact, the idea of being away from her for a week was rather unbearable.

Silent, Riley followed her and found Giles sitting at his desk in his office, going through some paperwork. He looked up and smiled at them, "Is everything okay?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah, I just wanted to check with you about time off… Riley's mom wants us both to go to Iowa for his grandmother's birthday."

"Oh?" Giles asked, removing his glasses and smiling warmly at Buffy. He knew her well and could tell she was rather excited by the idea. After all, he had quickly gathered that she was fond of her mother-in-law and probably looked forward to meeting her.

"Yeah, my mom isn't big on asking people what *they* want to do... She sent me two plane tickets, but I informed her that Buffy does have a job and she can't just take off without any notice. However, she still wanted me to check."

"When would you need off?" Giles asked, turning towards his calendar.

"We'd leave May 27^th and get back June 3^rd," Riley replied.

Giles nodded and marked the dates on his calendar, "I am sure Anya and I will be able to handle a week without Buffy, as wonderful as she is. Besides, you need a vacation."

Buffy smiled and kissed Giles' cheek, "Thank you."

Blushing, Giles cleaned his classes, "You're welcome."

Hearing the bell from the door ding, Buffy headed back out of the office, "I better get back out there."

"Thanks Giles, I appreciate it," Riley told the older man, "My mother would have driven me insane if I hadn't been able to bring Buffy."

"Well, she honestly does need a vacation," Giles replied, "Just promise me you'll take good care of her?"

"Absolutely," Riley answered, "I'll guard her with my life."

"You okay?" Riley asked seeing the way Buffy was staring at the back of the seat in front of her, looking very worried.

Startled, Buffy looked over at him, "What? Oh, um… yeah, I'm great."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. All morning she'd seemed like a nervous wreck, up hours before him so that she could check three times to make sure she had everything she could possibly need. Something was definitely up, and they had another two hours before they got to Denver for their layover. What better way to spend the time than picking Buffy's brain?

"Okay, if you're great, why do you look so stressed?"

Buffy frowned, "I don't look stressed."

"Yes you do," he chuckled, "Either that or you're sick."

"Gee thanks, Riley… I really needed to know how bad I look."

"You don't look sick," he assured her, "But you have a strange look on your face and you're fidgety. You're nervous, right?"

She shrugged, "A little… that's how I get when I fly… especially since we have to change planes. I'm just anxious about missing our second flight."

"Well, considering this one left on time and it's May, so the odds of Denver being a snowed in mess are extremely slim, you don't have to worry."

"Yeah, good point," Buffy replied, giving him a smile for show that he saw right through before she continued staring at the back of the seat.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?" he asked, "I can sit here for a few more minutes and watch you be nervous before trying to drag an answer out of you again, or you can just tell me and we can work through it now. I'm fine- you're amusing me either way… so it's up to you."

Buffy sighed and replied, without looking at him, "I'm scared about meeting your family."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm the girl who is such an idiot she got herself knocked up by a guy who will have nothing to do with the baby. The poor pathetic girl who you married to save from a life living in the gutter."

Riley couldn't help but laugh, "Don't forget to throw in 'drama queen' to all these attributes you're assigning yourself."

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned to face him, "The point is they will either hate me or pity me. I never should have gone along with this. Your mother is so kind, but this is just going to end up humiliating me."

"You couldn't be more wrong," Riley told her, "*I* know my family, I'll tell you what it's going to be like. You're going to meet a ton of people who will probably dote on you constantly. They will all love you and make you feel adored until it drives you crazy. In fact, they'll probably want to trade me in and have *you* as a family member."

Buffy smiled, "You really think they won't think badly of me being pregnant so young… and not married to the father? I mean… a lot of people absolutely do not approve of it... People who don't even *know* me, much less have a relative who married me."

"Hey, my family is better than all those idiots," Riley protested, "Trust me, you won't hear a single negative comment from any of them. Not only would they have to answer to me, they'd have to deal with my mother- way scary. So even if they can somehow not succumb to your charms… they'll be decent to you."

Relieved that she seemed satisfied, Riley began to wonder whether or not he was telling her the truth. He had no doubt that his family could never make rude comments to her, even if the older relatives disapproved of pre-marital sex... plus they would be prepared for the fact that she was pregnant before seeing her… so they wouldn't be shocked. No, they definitely wouldn't be rude… and hopefully they would be more nurturing than pitying...

However, *he* probably had reason to worry. Riley had found that when it came to his family, he had to live up to a higher set of standards than anyone who wasn't related to them. Somehow, he had little doubt that despite the fact that Buffy had done something so very against their beliefs, they could love her and be quite angry with him for marrying a girl with the intent to divorce her… despite the fact that it *was* only to help the girl they loved.

As Buffy relaxed and started reading a magazine, Riley started dreading their arrival in Iowa.

"God, I hope they let us off here soon," Buffy exclaimed, waiting for the seatbelt light to go off. They'd landed in Des Moines a few minutes earlier and she'd been waiting impatiently for them to be able to get out of their seats ever since. At Riley's questioning look, she explained, "I need to use the restroom really badly."

"Again?" he asked, since she'd used the bathroom at least five times in the hour and a half flight, as well as quite a few times on the first flight.

"I'm pregnant, Riley. I pee a lot," she replied defensively.

One of the flight attendants must have noticed the distressed look on Buffy's face, because she approached them and smiled, "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," Riley said quickly as Buffy shook her head and asked, "Would it be possible for me to use the lavatory?"

"Normally we want everyone in their seats, but we've stopped moving and we can make an exception for you," the woman replied.

"Oh good," Buffy sighed, pulling the seatbelt off and struggling out of her seat.

Riley felt a pang of sympathy, suddenly seeing how several hours on planes would be extremely uncomfortable for Buffy. She hadn't even said a word of complaint.

"Poor thing," the flight attendant commented as she watched Buffy disappear into the bathroom, "I took a flight when I was six months along… it was three of the longest, most unpleasant hours of my life. When is she due?"

"August 19^th," Riley replied.

"Oh, so she's six months too… she seems a little small for it."

"Not to hear her tell it," he joked, but at the same time worried about Buffy. He didn't know a lot about pregnant women, so he'd assumed she was normal. Then again, maybe the woman was wrong. He'd know for sure in a few moments when his mother saw them.

The woman laughed, "This is your first?"

Riley nodded quickly, feeling kind of uncomfortable since he *was* lying, but relieved that someone wasn't being all disapproving about the fact that the two 'parents' in this situation were pretty young.

"Don't worry, I complained the whole time about all my symptoms and all the weight I gained… but I want another!"

Riley wasn't sure how to reply, but luckily Buffy came back to her seat then and smiled gratefully at the flight attendant, "Thank you *so* much!"

"You're welcome," the woman replied, "I better get up there so you don't end up giving birth on here."

Buffy grinned at Riley as she left, "She is a *saint*."

"Yes, she is very nice," Riley agreed, then noticed the seatbelt light went off and people started getting up, "I guess we should get ready to get off."

If Buffy noticed that Riley tried to casually be the last person left on the plane, she didn't let on. Usually when he flew anywhere, if you didn't get yourself in the aisle right away, you had to wait for everyone to pass you before getting off, but of course some good citizen was more than happy to let the pregnant girl get in front of them, so they were still off the plane quickly.

As soon as they entered the airport terminal, Riley found himself assaulted by his mother. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek, babbling nonsensically at how wonderful it was to see her boy again.

Buffy hung back, shyly smiling as she watched Riley's mother ecstatic reaction to his arrival. However, a moment later, she found herself being pulled into Claire Finn's embrace. Startled, she shot a questioning look at Riley, but he just grinned at her, amused by his mother's reaction. Soon he noticed his sister was also present, content to stand a few feet away and silently observe their mother gushing over her brother and her new sister-in-law.

"Rach," Riley greeted, hugging his older sister.

Rachel hugged him back and smiled, "Good Lord, are you even *more* brawny than before?"

"Of course, I have to fend off all the females that jump all over me constantly," he joked.

"Well, that's important now… the ring's not enough to deter them?" she asked, pointing out the wedding ring Riley wore out of habit. Since he wasn't interested in dating anyone and spent a lot of his time with people who thought they really were married… and he, himself, wished they really were married… it was easier to just keep the ring on all the time.

"Uh… you know…"

Rachel smiled, "I know the circumstances of your marriage. I'm just teasing… although judging by Mom's love for her… you may not be allowed to get divorced."

As the two of them turned to watch as Claire was still hugging Buffy tightly and patting her belly, Riley wished it was that simple.

"Oh dear, you're six months pregnant now, right?" Claire asked.

Buffy nodded, "As of yesterday."

"Honey, you're too thin."

"I'm a lot of things… thin is not one of them."

Claire put her arm around her and started leading her towards her son and daughter, "You're pregnant, and for a pregnant woman, you are too thin. Riley's obviously doing a bad job of taking care of you."

"Ma, I try… wait until you see how stubborn she is," Riley defended himself, "Besides, she really pigs out… I don't know why she doesn't gain a ton of weight."

Rachel punched him in the arm, "Please Buffy, allow me."

"Good job, Honey," Claire commented, smiling as her son rubbed his arm, "Buffy, this is my daughter, Rachel."

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you," Buffy said to the older woman with Riley's dark blonde-to-light brown hair and blue eyes, "I've heard a lot about you from Riley and your mother."

"Don't believe a word of it," Rachel grinned, leaning over to give Buffy a gentle hug.

"Is she not the most darling thing you have ever seen?" Claire commented, stroking her hand over the back of Buffy's hair fondly.

Rachel nodded and winked at Buffy, "She's adorable."

"We'd better go get your luggage so we can head home," Claire said, "Brian and the kids are all over at our house with Daddy and everyone else is coming over so we can have a barbecue. Do you like barbecues, Buffy?"

"Sure," Buffy replied.

"Good, we need to get started right away. Fatten you up!"

Riley smiled as he and Rachel trailed after Buffy and Claire as the older woman chattered on. He knew he no longer needed to worry about Buffy- Claire was on the case. Buffy had shown weakness and that was all his mother needed to take charge. Buffy didn't stand a chance.

"Hey Rach, I thought you swore you would never have a mini-van?" Riley asked, grinning at the back of her head from his spot in the middle row of seats in his sister's Durango.

"This isn't a mini-van, it's an SUV!" she replied defensively.

Riley smirked at Buffy, who rolled her eyes, before replying, "Well it has three rows of seats, just like a mini-van. What's the difference?"

"No sliding doors! Plus, the third row was only an option and can fold it down and then it's a two-rows-of-seats-*SUV*."

"Doesn't sound like a big difference to me."

Rachel made a frustrated sound in the front seat.

"What's wrong with a mini-van, anyway?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know, Dear," Claire sighed, "Rachel is just very conceited about them, so of course Riley has to tease her about it."

"You don't have a brother, do you Buffy?" Rachel asked.

Buffy shook her head, "I'm an only child."

"Consider yourself lucky," Rachel assured her, "A brother's sole purpose is to make your life Hell."

"Rachel, don't tell her that. Buffy, you now have *two* brothers and a sister," Claire informed her.

"God, Mom, are you trying to make her heave herself from a moving vehicle?" Riley exclaimed.

"Riley," Claire said in her warning voice, then cried, "Buffy look there! That is the hospital where Riley was born!"

Buffy indulged her, peering out the window at the tall building. Next to her, Riley began silently praying that his mother would leave out all embarrassing details from the tour she was most likely to give Buffy on the rest of the way home.

Riley awoke to the sound of Buffy, Rachel and his mother laughing hysterically. He immediately moved his hand over his face, checking to see if he'd drooled during what had to have been a short nap since they still weren't home. However, he couldn't find anything they could be laughing at and began wondering what he'd done.

"What?" he asked drowsily.

The three of them began laughing harder until Rachel caught her breath, "Mom just told Buffy about that time when you were twelve and had a crush on Missy Samuels."

Riley felt himself blush, mortified. He still couldn't believe he had been such a fool to think that he, a mere twelve year old, could date a seventeen year old. He'd been the butt of many family jokes for quite a while after that.

Buffy patted his arm and smiled, "I think it's cute."

Riley rolled his eyes, not at all comforted. At long last, they stopped laughing a moment later, leaving the vehicle in comfortable silence. Soon, their home came into view and Riley felt his heart warm, as it always did when he first saw the place he'd where grown up after being away.

He was so caught up in his memories that he didn't notice Rachel clearing her throat and giving her mother a pointed look. Claire noticed and reluctantly turned in her seat to face Riley and Buffy.

"Honey, you know how I told you Grandma was going to be staying with us for the week too?"

Riley nodded, "Yeah."

"I may have… forgotten… to tell her everything," Claire admitted, "You see, the first thing I told her about your… situation… was that you'd gotten married and she was so excited that I didn't have the heart to tell her the rest of it."

"The rest of it?" Riley asked, trying to understand what she was telling him.

"She sort of thinks that you and Buffy are really married… a regular couple… and that this is your baby."

"What?! Mom, how could you?"

"You know what, Riley, *you* didn't have the nerve to do it yourself! I didn't hear you offering to tell the family! You were more than happy to let me explain everything," Claire replied defensively, "You know that I agree with your decision… it's just not an easy thing to tell every member of the family, especially Grandma. She's so fragile, you know."

Riley sighed, "You didn't tell anyone the truth, did you?"

"I did… well, I told Rachel and Noah and Caleb and Daddy knows…"

"But nobody else?" Riley asked, then sighed when his mother nodded, "Great… this is going to be a wonderful vacation. I'm going to get yelled at by the entire family."

Buffy cleared her throat, feeling incredibly uncomfortable after witnessing the family argument, "If you would prefer, I can tell everyone the truth. They won't like me anyway… and it might make it easier on you."

"Buffy, I won't make you do that," Riley replied quietly as Rachel stopped the car in the round driveway in front of the house. Buffy forgot that she was about to argue with him as she stared at the beautiful white home. It was huge! She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but this was not it.

"Well, I was thinking that you wouldn't have to say a word to them. You two are used to pretending you're a regular couple back home, right?" Claire asked, "You could just do that here as well."

Riley frowned, realizing there was probably a lot more to it than his mother just not having the nerve to tell everyone the truth. He had already known she adored Buffy… and now that he thought about it, he wouldn't put it past her to do some manipulating to get Buffy to be her real daughter-in-law.

But what other choice did he have?

As Rachel and Claire opened their door and climbed out of the car, Buffy put her hand on top of Riley's to stop him from pulling off his seatbelt, "I'll do it if you want… tell them the truth, that is."

She honestly meant it, but half-hoped he'd tell her no. Telling a bunch of people she didn't know that she'd gotten herself knocked up and their relative that they loved had screwed his life up over it was not her idea of a good time… but she owed Riley.

Riley shook his head, "We can do this, it'll be fine."

"But what will you tell them when we divorce?"

Riley shrugged, "I guess the same thing I'll tell all the guys."

"Oh," Buffy replied quietly and set to removing her own seatbelt while trying not to let it bother her that Riley's family would end up hating her. She'd probably referred to by some horrible nickname for years to come.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy climbed out of the vehicle and walked around to the back where everyone else was pulling out the luggage. All her efforts to assist were thwarted so she was forced to follow up a few stairs to the front door of the home.

Buffy's eyes widened as she took in the even more beautiful inside of the home. She still had no idea who Grant Wood was, but she knew Riley wasn't exaggerating when he'd told her that it was like he'd grown up in one of his paintings. The house was something out a movie. A movie with the perfect family in the perfect home. She was content to stand in the middle of the foyer and take in the curved staircase leading to the second floor, as well as the various doorways to other rooms in the house.

"Are you okay, Dear?" Claire asked, touching Buffy's shoulder in concern.

Shaken out of her reverie, Buffy smiled at her, "Sorry, it's just… your home is so lovely."

"Oh, you are such a sweetheart," Claire grinned, hugging Buffy, "I just love this girl!"

Rachel leaned closer to Riley, "You do realize that Mom has basically adopted Buffy, right? She always wanted another daughter… and now she has one that's too naïve not to let her dote and persuade to her heart's desire. I haven't let her do it… with ease… for years… but Buffy won't wise up for quite a while."

Riley shrugged, "Let her have her fun. I think Buffy could use some mothering… even an overdose of it. She's gone without for a while. Besides… it's only for seven and a half more months."

Rachel snorted and shook her head before walking through the door to the kitchen. Riley frowned and was about to follow her and demand to know what she was trying to imply when his mother grabbed his hand while wrapping her other arm around Buffy's shoulders.

"Let's leave the bags here so we can go find everyone else. They're probably in the backyard," she told them as she led them through various rooms to the family room in the back of the house so they could go out the sliding door to the back, "Buffy, Riley will give you the grand tour later. I'd do it now, but it's late and you need to eat."

"Oh, I'm okay," Buffy protested.

"Nonsense… besides, everyone is *dying* to meet you!"

As Claire pulled them out the door, Buffy found there was a vast backyard with plenty of free space, as well as a basketball hoop set up with concrete all around off to one side, a small playset near it, and a garden on the other side, plus there was a large picnic table and other smaller tables with food all over them near the brick barbecue.

"Uncle Riley!"

A small girl with nearly black hair raced towards them and flung her skinny arms around Riley's neck just as he bent down to pick her up, "Hey Nadia, how's my favorite niece?"

Nadia giggled, "I'm your *only* niece, silly."

"Oh, I forgot!" Riley exclaimed, grinning at the little girl, then found another set of arms around his leg. Looking down, he saw her twin brother beaming up at him, "Aiden!"

"Hey Uncle Riley," the boy greeted eagerly, excited to see the uncle he idolized after such a long time.

"Buffy, this is Nadia and Aiden," Claire introduced the newest member of her family to her eldest two grandchildren, "They're Rachel's twins."

"Yes, Rachel thought she was being quite witty, since Aiden is Nadia spelled backwards," Riley smirked.

"Oh, that *is* pretty cool," Buffy remarked, making a mental note to try and get some advice from Riley's sister about baby names. She seemed to change her mind on a weekly basis.

"You two, this is your new Aunt Buffy. Remember I told you about her?"

Nadia nodded, "You're married to Uncle Riley now."

"And you're going to have a baby that will be our cousin," Aiden added.

"That's right," Buffy nodded, not being able to help but feel a small pang knowing that these children would end up very confused when she suddenly wasn't their aunt anymore... and their cousin disappeared as well. Still, it was hard not to smile at their adorable faces as they looked at her. "It's so nice to finally meet you two. Your Uncle Riley has told me a lot about you. I shopped with him for your birthday gifts."

"I'm six now," Aiden informed her, holding up one hand and one finger on the other hand.

"Me too," Nadia piped up, "We're twins, but I'm a little older."

"Wow, that's pretty special being a big sister!"

"Yeah, and I have another little brother, his name is Randy," Nadia informed her, "But he's three and just a little kid."

"Oh," Buffy nodded, trying not to laugh at the fact that the six year old obviously thought she was far from a little kid.

"She's just mad because he never listens to her and she's so bossy," Aiden told Buffy.

"Shut up, Aiden!"

"Now, now… you know Grandma doesn't like to hear that," Claire scolded her granddaughter, before taking Buffy's hand, "Let me introduce you to the rest of the family."

Riley set Nadia down so she could go play before he trailed after Buffy and his mother so he could reunite with the rest of his family.

"John!" Claire called to a older man standing in front of the barbecue.

Buffy immediately knew it was Riley's father, and as they got closer, saw that he was an older version of Riley… and Riley had nothing to worry about as he got older as far as looks were concerned. She watched on as father and son quickly embraced and said a few words in greeting before Claire pulled her closer.

"This is our new daughter-in-law," Claire informed her husband proudly, "Isn't she absolutely beautiful?"

"Mom, you're embarrassing her!" Riley exclaimed, making Buffy blush even more than she'd already been.

John smiled and gently hugged Buffy, "Don't worry, Claire says embarrassing things about everyone so much that you'll get used to it and it'll lose it's effect quickly."

Another man approached, younger than Riley's father, but older than Riley, and smiled, "You must be the infamous, Buffy."

Riley shook the man's hand and grinned, "Buffy, this is my brother-in-law, Brian."

"Hi, nice to meet you," she said, shaking Brian's hand as well.

"This is great, now *you're* the new family member. I'm off the hook," Brian joked.

Buffy hardly had a chance to make polite conversation before Claire was tugging her away to meet other members of the family. Riley dutifully followed, both to say hello to the family members he hadn't seen since Christmas and to protect Buffy from Claire. He loved his mother, but he feared leaving her alone with Buffy. Riley could practically see the wheels turning in Claire's head. She liked Buffy… and she certainly didn't want to lose her in January.

A man who looked like he could be Riley's twin saw them and grinned before hugging Riley, "Hey man!"

Riley returned the hug before pulling back and looking at Buffy, "This is my older brother, Noah."

Buffy smiled at the man, "The journalist, right?"

"That's right," Noah replied, giving her a loose hug, "And you would have to be the wife that's not really the wife."

"Noah!" Claire scolded, swatting her eldest child on the arm, "What a horrible thing to say."

"Well, it's true, Mom," Riley replied as Noah and Buffy gave Claire strange looks.

"But I don't like to hear talk like that," Claire insisted.

"What, is Noah upsetting Mom again? I'm so surprised," a woman said as she approached them, a bright smile on her face. She walked up to Riley and hugged him, "It's so good to see you."

"Hi Ariel," Riley responded, smiling before gesturing to Buffy, "This is.."

"Buffy," Ariel finished for him, "I have heard a lot about you. Claire's adored you for months… I bet she loves having you in her clutches."

"Oh course I do," Claire grinned, "We're going to have so much fun. I'll take Buffy shopping, so we can get things for the baby and some maternity clothes. Oh, and we can go to the spa and get massages. Trust me, Honey, you will *love* getting a massage from Jean Paul! Rachel never lets me spoil her, and Ariel can escape me because she's in Des Moines, so I am planning on having a great time with you here. Ariel, maybe we can take her for a facial?"

Ariel nodded, "Perhaps we could even go for manicures and pedicures. Make a day of it."

Buffy smiled more widely, thinking Riley was crazy for being so worried, "I'm definitely in for that!"

"Oh good!" Claire exclaimed, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"Buffy, you have made my mother's day… but you have no idea what you have done to yourself," Noah teased, then waved his hand towards a younger guy coming out of the house, "Caleb, Riley and Buffy are here!"

The guy walked over and quickly hugged Riley before embracing Buffy, "Hey, nice to meet you."

"Buffy, this is Caleb, he's my youngest. He just turned 20, my big boy," Claire doted kissing her son on the cheek.

"Mom," Caleb protested, pulling away and grinning at Buffy, "So you're a little younger than me, right?"

Buffy nodded, "I'm nineteen."

"Wonderful, I'm not the youngest anymore," he laughed.

"Yeah, but you're still the youngest *boy*, so Noah and I can still have a great time kicking your butt," Riley smirked at his brother.

"You wish! I've been working out," Caleb replied, flexing his arms and making his brothers laugh hysterically.

"That's enough," Claire told them, "You two still need to see Grandma. Where is she?"

"She's in the kitchen," Ariel told her, "She wants to watch some show on TV. I was in there with her, but when you guys came home Rachel took over."

"Okay, good, I can introduce you to Grandma and show you the house," Claire said to Buffy as she once again grabbed her arm and began pulling her to the house.

"Uh, did she tell you that Grandma thinks you just married some sweet girl and the two of you are having a little baby?" Noah asked, quietly pulling Riley aside.

Riley nodded, "Yeah… it's going to be really fun telling her I am getting divorced in January and having to hear about it for the rest of my life."

Noah sighed and shook his head, "I don't know what to tell you, Man. For one thing, you've got to know that it would be really hard to explain the truth to Grandma… plus, I don't know if you noticed, but Mom doesn't seem happy with the idea that a year from now, Buffy won't be part of the family."

"I know… when I first told her what we'd done, I was so relieved when she wasn't furious with me," Riley told him, "Now I have to wonder if this is worse... She's going to try to manipulate Buffy to get what she wants… and end up with her own heart broken in the end. She has all these hopes for a new daughter-in-law and a new granddaughter, but she's going to have to give them up in the end."

"Or even worse… you just *know* Mom can manipulate Buffy already… she may get stuck dragging her kid back here for the rest of their lives as well. She may just tell the family you guys got divorced and forget about the story where the baby turns out not to be yours."

Riley couldn't seem to summon up the disappointment at the news that he might continue to see Buffy for the rest of his life. It didn't matter, though, because his mother was calling him so that he could go see his grandmother. Sharing a smile with his older brother, Riley rushed to catch up with Claire and Buffy.

"Grandma is going to love you," Claire smiled, patting Buffy's hand, as they walked through a different door than the one they had entered the backyard through.