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"Riley, have you seen Buffy?" Claire asked her son, a worried look on her face, "I haven't been able to find her anywhere."

Riley shook his head and stood up from his seat around one of several tables set up for dinner. His mother had ordered him to his seat a few minutes earlier and he'd obeyed, making conversation with his cousins while he waited for everyone to be seated so they could eat, "I'll find her."

He wandered through the house, glancing quickly into rooms and not finding Buffy in any of them. Claire followed him closely, telling him that she'd already looked all over the downstairs and she was really starting to worry, because Buffy hadn't told anyone she was going somewhere.

"Mom, I'm sure Buffy's not another Lindbergh baby. Nobody kidnapped her… she's around here somewhere," Riley assured her as he started climbing the stairs, "You don't have to worry. Why don't you go get everyone ready? I'll get Buffy down there… I'm sure you have her sitting next to me."

"Of course I do," Claire replied, "But I can't think about dinner at a time like this!"

He slowly opened the door as Claire sighed in relief behind him. The room was dim, lit only by his small desk lamp, but he could see that Buffy was sitting on his bed, quite distraught. Turning his head, he saw that Claire had also seen that Buffy was crying. Quietly but firmly, he told her, "Go ahead and start dinner. We'll be there when we get there, okay?"

"That'll work," Riley replied, shutting the door behind him as he entered the room. He sat down beside Buffy and gingerly began stroking her back, "Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Well, I love my family too… but sometimes you can help someone by protecting them from the truth. They like the lie better than they'd like the truth."

"Me too," Riley smiled, kissing the top of her head, "Then my shirt wouldn't be so wet."

Buffy laughed, despite the tears still streaming down her face. Pulling back so she could look up at him, she said, "It's just that when I see their faces, looking at me like I'm this… girl that you love and married and made a baby with… but I'm not. I *hate* the way that makes me feel."

Riley swallowed, not sure what to say. A part of him wanted to tell her that it wasn't far from the truth. He *did* love her and marry her… and he could love her baby just as much as if he had helped make it. But he knew he couldn't… it would only cause problems. He'd learned that the hard way after they had made love.

"You know that there's nothing I can say to set you straight on that. They do look at you that way, because we've told them this story… and it *is* just a story… but I don't think that's reason enough to beat yourself up. I mean, look at me, this is my family. My flesh and blood and I am lying to them… does it look like I'm losing sleep?"

"I just… I like how they like me… embrace me and welcome me into the family. I keep thinking about after… they'll hate me."

"No, actually… in all seriousness, they think you're a really sweet girl. If we get divorced, they'll probably think *I* screwed up."

Riley shook his head, "You see, you're a mother now. Mother's have this bizarre obsession with worrying about the distant future when absolutely nothing can be done. I enjoy the now."

"And the rest of your family will now think I am a flake because I am making you miss your grandmother's dinner."

"Buffy, there is, like, a billion people downstairs… I bet we're not even missed… and my mom told anyone who did notice our absence that you're sick. Would you like to go wash your face and then the both of us could go down for dinner?"

Riley grinned, "Okay, we'll go then… just take it easy. I hate seeing you cry. Please, for my sake, don't do it again?"

"I'll try… but I am the hormonal nightmare, so I won't make any promises," she joked as she got off the bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her face, feeling much better than before Riley had come into the room. He was so good to her… maybe everyone wasn't wrong about them after all...

The next few days passed uneventfully. After seeing Buffy crying, Claire had backed off, knowing it was more important to keep Buffy light on the stress than to get her to see she belonged with Riley. She *did* have several more months to do that, anyway, even if it was easier to do so when she wasn't all the way in California. Buffy and Riley spent a lot more time together, just hanging out with Riley's family, for the remainder of their trip in Iowa.

All too soon it was Saturday morning and Buffy and Riley were telling everyone goodbye. Much to Riley's chagrin, Claire started crying, which made Buffy cry, and everyone passing by in the busy airport stare. Luckily, the flight began boarding and John suggested they go ahead and get on, since it would be hard for Buffy to do so in her condition after the seats were filled.

At long last, Riley tugged Buffy through the doors so they could trudge down the walkway to the plane. Fortunately, she stopped crying right away and was instead quiet for the most part as they got situated. In fact, she didn't say a word all through take-off and the flight attendant's demonstration.

Reaching across the armrest, Riley found Buffy's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded, "Yeah… sorry… I'm just really going to miss your mom. I know it was only a week, but I love her… and the rest of your family. It was great being around all of them."

"They *are* pretty great… but better in small amounts than large sums. Like… cheesecake. You love it and want a lot… but it's rich so if you have a lot… you get sick."

"Yes you would. You just think you wouldn't because you've never had too much of them."

Buffy smiled at him, "Even if you are right, I wish Evangeline could have a big loving family. I know I always loved seeing my cousins when I was little… I'm not going to be able to give her any family at all. Just me."

"Well, I think she's extremely lucky to have 'just you'. I know for a fact that you'll be a great mom."

"You really believe that? I want to, more than anything… but I'm kind of scared. She's not even born yet, and I've screwed stuff up."

"No you haven't. You were dealt a crappy hand. Angel made the choice not to be around, your mother made the choice not to want you to stay with her… you didn't just say you were going to raise the baby by yourself and move out of your mom's place because you wanted to. Look at what you *have* done. You've gotten yourself a job… you did something you didn't want to do so that you would have health insurance and a home for her… you're doing fabulous."

Riley returned the smile, even as his heart ached. He didn't want to think what he'd do without her...

Giles was surprised to hear a knock on his front door early on Sunday morning, but hurried to answer it. When he saw Buffy on the other side of the threshold, he was instantly worried.

"Yes," he replied, flustered in a way that only Buffy could make him, "Why are you here?"

"Uh, do you think I could come in? I'd rather talk to *you* and not all your neighbors."

Buffy walked over to the couch and sat down, not without some effort. Being seven months pregnant made any movement difficult.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Giles asked as he followed her into the room.

Buffy shook her head and patted the spot next to her, "I have something important I want to tell you."

"I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, done a lot of stupid things… and made a lot of decisions I know you didn't agree with. Like the baby… I know that you would have preferred I have an abortion or give the baby up for adoption… because there's a lot of reasons why it would be better for me not to be a mother. But it's what *I* wanted, and even though it wasn't your choice… you backed me up," Buffy told him, tears shimmering in her eyes, "You always do that. You support me no matter how you feel. I just want you to know that I know you do this and it means a lot to me. I am telling you this *now* because today is Father's Day. And I know I do have a father… he won't speak to me, but he does exist… but, really, when I think of the man who has loved me as a daughter and done all the things a father should do, been all the things a father should be… I think of you."

Giles was moved beyond speech and just smiled adoringly at the girl who wished more than anything was his daughter. But in that moment, he saw that even though they didn't share blood, they shared what mattered. He had a daughter.

Buffy shook her head and grinned as she wiped tears from her cheeks, "Thank *you* for giving me so much to be grateful for."

"Funny how it doesn't seem natural for Hank," Buffy replied, then shook her head, "Forget I even said that. I totally don't want to get into that. I have another purpose for my visit. It's Father's Day and, to me, you're my father, so I want to spend the day with you. I got together with Anya and she agreed to run the shop today. Xander's even going to help her. So… are you willing to be my date?"

"Will you tell me where we're going now?" Giles asked for the fifth time since they had left the apartment.

Buffy had tugged him out the door and into her car, insisting that their destination be a surprise. Giles had reluctantly allowed her to drive them out of town and on a road through the hills that he believed were by the beach.

Buffy sighed, " Fine, if you *must* know now. I thought a lot about what we could do today, because I really wanted it to be special. Like, I thought it would be cool if we could do something together that you really liked… but I don't think I know nearly enough about Giles the adult… mostly you're Giles the watcher/librarian/dad-like guy. I know you like training, but I can't do unless it's finger flexes or something, and you enjoy cross referencing, which I could do, but that's damn boring… and you enjoy books, but I don't think it would be fun to read together… so I couldn't think of anything! So, I packed a lunch and decided to take you to a spot *I* really like on the beach for a picnic. Then you can tell me something special that you'd like for us to do this afternoon."

Giles was touched that she really had put a lot of thought into this. However, he had no idea what they could do either. He tried coming up with ideas until Buffy pulled into a small, deserted parking lot.

"Nobody ever comes here… besides me, anyway. I found it one day when I was driving around, just after you gave me the car. I come once a week or so… just to think. It's like my special spot," Buffy explained, giving him a hopeful smile.

"It's beautiful," Giles told her, looking through the windshield at the long stretch of sand and ocean in front of them, "I'm amazed that it's not packed with people."

Buffy shrugged, "For some reason, they direct everyone to Glendon Beach. It's got all the vendors, major parking… and the bathrooms, which I admit are helpful… but I love the privacy."

"Yes, I will much prefer enjoying a picnic all alone with you than with hundreds of loud, half-naked people surrounding us."

"So, do you know what you want to do yet?" Buffy asked as she began cleaning up the trash from their picnic.

"How about I sit here for the next three days and digest?" Giles smiled, "In case you were wondering, your culinary skills are still improving… and I hadn't thought it could possibly get better after the last time you cooked for me."

"Well, since it's not very often someone makes me a picnic lunch, it was a lot to me."

Buffy paused for a moment and looked out at the water, "I wish I was skinny. Nothing sounds better than jumping in the ocean right now. Hey, maybe I'll come back out here with one of my old bikinis. They'll fit… I won't look very attractive, but this place *is* deserted."

"You really don't think you look attractive?" Giles asked, then continued when Buffy gestured to her stomach and shook her head, "Well, I can tell you from my fatherly perspective that you are the most beautiful girl in the world. You're just as attractive now as you were a year ago. I think you would be surprised how many men see a pregnant woman as something very attractive. I would hazard to guess that Riley agrees. What do you think?"

Buffy chuckled and shook her head, "Have you been talking to Riley's mom? Because that was really *such* a Claire maneuver."

"Just making an observation," he defended himself, all the while grinning like the cat that ate the canary, "I think I know what I want to do now."

"Yes… when I was a boy, my mother used to take me to the park every Sunday afternoon and we would fly my kite. I quite enjoyed it... and I think it would be quite nice if I could fly a kite with you. What do you say?"

"Sounds cool to me," she said, "Um… but will this be the 'running around' kind of flying a kite, or the 'standing still' kind? Because as the pregnant, uncoordinated, having-a-hard-time-even-walking-too-much one… I much prefer standing."

"Thank you, Buffy. I had a wonderful day," Giles said as he dried the last dish. After he and Buffy had found a store that sold kites, they'd gone back up to her special spot on the beach and flown their kites for a while, then gone back to his place where Buffy had cooked him a big dinner with plenty of leftovers so she knew he'd have good food to eat for a few days.

Buffy grinned and hugged him, "Thank you for all the *years* you've been a father to me when you really didn't have to."

"I told you, it's easy," Giles replied, then took a step back, "Now as much as I love spending time with you, you'd best be heading home. It's going to be dark soon."

Buffy rolled her eyes and started walking to the door, "You sound just like Riley."

"Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot!" she exclaimed and pulled a card out of her purse, "I got this for you."

Shyly, she handed him the card and kissed him on the cheek before rushing out the door, as if she feared his reaction. Dumbfounded, Giles stared at the envelope in his hand as she left.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Riley asked, coming out of his bedroom as he heard Buffy enter the apartment.

"He did… uh, he called a few minutes ago because he wanted me to make sure you let him know you get home safe. We talked for a bit and he really enjoyed it."

"Oh good," she said as she clapped her hands together, "You know, I was very nervous about today."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him and reached for the phone, "Well, I'll call him back now so he doesn't worry. He's just like you in that way… big worrier."

"Well, I, uh, sort of have a favor to ask you… but it can wait until you're done."

"Okay... You see, there's this big party next Saturday. A ton of colonels and even generals will be there. So of course I have to go but then today I ran into Colonel Nichols and he sort of told me I should bring my wife… which would be you… so I'd really appreciate it if you could come. I mean, if you don't want to, I can probably say you aren't feeling well, but I'm nervous they might get suspicious or something because nobody ever sees my wife. Besides the guys, anyway."

"Sure," she nodded, "So is this, like, black tie or something? Because if it is, I need a new dress so I'll have to go shopping tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it, I really don't mind going to a party for you after all you've done for me… besides, you really only need me to do you this favor because you're doing a much huger favor for me," Buffy smiled.

"God, I can't believe I'm here," Buffy sighed as she and Riley walked into the room that their first Lamaze class was to be held in.

"I'm sorry I got you dragged into this. Now you're probably going to get stuck with me when I go into labor because I plan on being a huge baby about it and I'll probably beg you to be there with me."

"To be honest, I can't imagine not *wanting* to be there when you give birth," Riley replied honestly.

"Hello everyone," a woman said loudly as she walked into the room. Smiling, she continued, "My name is Elsa Sharpe. I'll be your instructor for this course. Looking around the room, everyone appears to be in the right spot, but just in case, you should all be here for the Lamaze class. If not, I suggest you make a run for it now, before I put on the birth video."

As several people laughed, Riley turned to Buffy, his face suddenly very pale, "Birth video?"

"Everyone, lets all make a circle here on the floor. Coaches, I'd like it if you were all human pillows for our expectant mothers, it will be our most popular position in this class."

They moved to the center of the room and Riley helped Buffy get down on the floor before sitting behind her and resting his legs on either side of her. Buffy awkwardly copied all the other couples and leaned back against him until she couldn't resist how nice it felt and relaxed.

Elsa quickly told them all the techniques they'd be working on throughout the course before popping the aforementioned video in the VCR and dimming the lights. Riley took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself. After the one time with Rachel when he'd even made a point to not look in certain places... he wasn't sure he could make it.

"Okay, just remember. We just stick with the truth for the most part. If anyone asks how we met, we give them the truth. Well, about our first date, anyway. The only thing we lie about is that we got married because you're pregnant and the baby's not mine and that we aren't really living as man and wife," Riley reminded Buffy as he pulled into the large round driveway in front of General Charles Brandon's mansion.

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten. You *did* tell me ten times already," Buffy replied, irritable after spending the past two hours in Riley's jeep as they drove to Los Angeles and Riley stressed about being caught. Like they'd been able to trick his family and friends and everyone who knew them, but a few military men that they'd never even met before would see right through the charade. Glancing at the window at the house as Riley pulled up, Buffy was very impressed, "Wow, are you going to be able to get a place like this someday?"

Flattered that Buffy thought he could make it to General, Riley shook his head and grinned, "I doubt it. General's get paid well, but not *that* well. General Brandon's wife inherited a lot of money, I hear."

"Ah, I see… well then you definitely have to divorce me. I can't bring you a fortune… just babies," Buffy joked as a valet opened the door and helped her out. She quickly tugged at her simple black sleeveless v-neck dress that fell to her knees with a ruffle around the hem, hoping it wasn't too wrinkled after their long drive.

Riley walked around the jeep after another valet had opened his door and gotten in to park the vehicle. Offering Buffy his arm, the two of them walked up the path to the front door, "Now, keep in mind that these are Generals. They're very manly and... not personable. Don't be offended if they don't really have a conversation with you… it's just how they are."

Once they reached the door, Riley took a deep breath and knocked. A few seconds later an older man in a tux, obviously some of the help, opened the door. Buffy was even more awestruck by the home as they entered the foyer. This was definitely the nicest party she had ever been to. For the first time that evening, she felt a bit of anxiousness. She absolutely could not mess things up for Riley. Even if they didn't discover their secret... having a dipstick wife wouldn't help Riley's career at all.

After someone had taken her purse for her, she and Riley stood in a receiving line and waited to shake hands with the General and his wife. It took a few moments, but Buffy finally found herself shaking the hand of a woman around her mother's age, with perfectly coifed auburn hair and a warm smile.

"Oh thank you, dear. I'm so glad you could make it. I understand you two are from Sunnydale… I know all too well how uncomfortable a two hour drive is when you're pregnant. When are you due?"

"August 19^th," Buffy replied, "Less than two more months. I have to remind myself every five minutes or so."

Mrs. Brandon laughed, "Yes, I remember that feeling as well. However, there comes a time where you wish you could keep them inside you forever."

"Well, I should be a good hostess and meet everyone, but we'll have to discuss this later, all right?"

"Absolutely," she nodded and looked at the man standing next to Helen. He was large, that was for sure, nearly as tall as Riley. But still… not incredibly scary.

The General gave it a firm shake, "It's nice meeting you too, Mrs. Finn. I always enjoy seeing my men settle down and start families of their own."

Buffy smiled awkwardly at Riley, hoping he'd spirit her away. He hadn't been kidding when he said the General probably wouldn't be personable.

Luckily, Riley must have read her mind, "Well, we'll let you move on. Hopefully we'll get to talk soon, Sir."

"Yes, absolutely," General Brandon agreed before turning to the next person in line.

"Well, that was interesting. He's big on family values," Buffy commented as they walked into a large ballroom with people milling about, most of which were in uniform, as was Riley. In fact, she was a part of the minority, since most of the guests were from the Initiative project… and unmarried.

"I know," Riley agreed, "Let's hope he forgets me, because if I ever meet him again and have to tell him I'm divorced, I'll lose all my brownie points and then some."

Buffy frowned, but didn't comment. In the three weeks since their return from Iowa, she'd remained open minded about their relationship, but Riley appeared to have lost all interest. He wasn't mean, or any less sweet… he just seemed… content to divorce her.

"Buffy! You look beautiful, as usual. I really love the new 'do," Thomas grinned as he approached them and leaned down to kiss Buffy on the cheek, "Are you ready to leave your husband for me yet?"

She laughed and smacked him playfully on the arm, "You're such a shameless flirt."

"I can't help it, you bring it out in me," Thomas defended himself, then looked at Riley, "How'd it go with the General?"

Thomas rolled his eyes, "This guy is such a brown-noser. He probably only married you to impress people."

As she and Thomas laughed and Riley tried to look disapproving, Buffy felt a lot better. Sure, they were out to impress the important people… but 'her guys' were there… so she might as well have fun.

Buffy looked away from the sword hanging on the wall and was surprised to find General Brandon a few feet away from her. Smiling, she nodded, "It's beautiful... from the Civil War era?"

Clearly impressed, the man replied, "Why yes, it is. It's a Civil War Trooper's Sword… issued to both sides of the war."

"I was looking at another one in the hallway near the restroom earlier… that was from the Civil War too, right?"

"Yes, that is actually a replica of the sword carried by General Joseph Shelby. He was a Confederate, but it's still a beauty."

"I agree," she smiled, "So you collect Civil War swords, or just swords in general?"

"Oh, I'm a big fan of swords, and I'll buy them from any time if I like them, but I do prefer the ones from the Civil War," the General replied, "I have most of my collection in the library. Would you like to go look?"

"Sure," Buffy said, taking his proffered arm and letting him lead her out of the ballroom.

"Hey, have you seen Buffy?" Riley asked Forrest as he found his friend standing off to the side by himself. He'd started looking for his wife a few moments earlier and discovered she was nowhere to be found.

Forrest sighed and explained how he had overheard Buffy's conversation with General Brandon and how the two had left for his library ten minutes earlier.

Riley had to admit, he was amused, even as he feared Buffy might slip and say something to get them in trouble, "Who would have thought *Buffy* would have something in common with the General?"

"Hey, how come you didn't tell me Buffy's like a fencing master?" Mike asked as he walked up to them, "I just saw she and General Brandon come in here and he was asking her if she'd like to try fencing with him after she had the baby!"

"You're kidding," Riley exclaimed, turning to see that Buffy was indeed walking over to the table with food alongside General Brandon.

"I hear he never lets *anyone* near his precious swords! He must really like her," Mike told him.

The three of them stood in silence for several moments, watching as Buffy let the General help her fill a plate with food and head over to a table nearby... within earshot.

"I'll have to have my wife talk to you, later. She used Lamaze with all four of our children and swears by it."

"That would be great. We've only had one class and I have a lot of questions," Buffy replied, munching on a little mini quiche.

"You know what was *so* funny," Buffy laughed, "They showed this video of this woman giving birth and I thought Riley was going to pass out for real! I don't know how he's going to make it through an actual birth!"

Riley felt his face turn beet red as all the growing number of friends around him began cracking up. *This* is what he'd been afraid of.

The General laughed and nodded, "Honey, in that case, you'd better keep an eye on him in the delivery room because when Helen gave birth to our first, I actually did faint!"

All the guys stopped laughing. Stunned, Waylon said, "He actually admitted that to her… God… he's really digging her!"

Over the next hour, Riley stood in the same spot with Forrest and Graham and watched as Buffy had first General Brandon, then General Foster and Colonel Stevens enthralled in conversation.

"Didn't I tell you she was bad news?" Forrest commented, shaking his head. Only Buffy could turn a military engagement into a giggling vapidity fest.

"Actually, they all seem to really like her," Graham pointed out, "I wouldn't worry… if anything, they'll like *you* more because of her."

"Until he divorces her," Forrest smirked, determined to hate the agreement Riley and Buffy made until the day he died.

"Maybe your husband would be interested in doing some volunteer work. That always looks good when it comes time for promotions. I can help get him into one of my charities… perhaps he could help out with Toys For Tots," General Foster offered.

"Oh, you know how they have that one commercial for it, where the soldier is all standing straight like he's supposed to, and then this cute little boy comes up to him and asks if he's Santa Claus because he has a list for him., and the soldier knows he's not supposed to talk or anything, but then his hand opens so the little boy can give him the list? I *love* that commercial! It's so sweet… makes me cry every time!"

The men around Buffy all chuckled and Colonel Stevens replied, "Actually, that makes me a little misty eyed as well."

"Excuse me," Riley said as he walked up next to Buffy and slid his arm around her, "I hope I'm not interrupting… I just wanted to make sure Buffy wasn't hungry."

"It's good to see you make sure your wife is taken care of," General Foster told Riley, then glanced at his watch, "Speaking of, my wife is going to kill me. I had no idea how late it was… I was so entertained by you, Mrs. Finn. It was a pleasure meeting you… we'll have to do it again."

"It *is* late… this party will be breaking up soon, so I'd better get to my hosting duties," General Brandon told her, taking her hand and kissing it, "Don't forget our fencing date. Shall I plan on taking you on in October? That should give you some time after you have the baby."

"I'd better get a move on too, it's a long drive home," Colonel Stevens said, "Buffy, I want you to come to my wife's next dinner party. You two will be getting an invitation for sure… can I expect to see you?"

Buffy smiled even wider as Riley hugged her as tightly as he could with her distended stomach. His arms felt so good around her... if only she could spend the rest of her life that way.

"Are you sure he meant *tonight*?" Buffy asked again as she and Riley walked through the courtyard towards Giles' apartment.

Riley nodded, "I told you, not only am I sure he said he really wanted us to come over tonight for dinner, but he also said 'see you in half an hour', so I'm positive he meant tonight."

"It's weird, he never mentioned anything about it… Giles isn't a last minute kind of guy," Buffy sighed, "I hope he doesn't have some horrible news to tell me or something."

"Don't get yourself all worried," he told her, "We'll find out in just a minute, I'm sure."

"Or maybe not," she said, as she saw through the window that the apartment was dark, "Maybe he's not back from wherever he ran off to when he called."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Whatever… should I even bother knocking on the door. Maybe Giles *is* in there… are you sure he invited you too? He could be planning a romantic candlelit dinner or something."

It was Riley's turn to roll his eyes as he knocked on the door and Buffy giggled.

Riley opened the door and Buffy stepped in the dark apartment, "You really should know better, Giles. You weren't sure it was us."

Both Buffy and Riley jumped as the lights came on and they saw Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, Claire and Rachel standing in the living room, big grins on their faces.

Buffy put a hand to her chest as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Looking to Riley, she knew right away that he hadn't been in on it.

Claire came over and hugged a still shocked Buffy and then her son, "Rupert was so kind to invite Rachel and I to Buffy's baby shower."

"Actually, it was all Claire's idea," Giles smiled as he walked up to Buffy and giving her a gentle hug, "She called me several weeks ago and helped me organize everything. As you can imagine, I didn't know much of anything about baby showers."

"When you told me you didn't think you were having one, it broke my heart. There's no way we could let that happen," Rachel told her.

"That's because we wanted to keep it a secret," Claire told him, "Even if you hadn't let it slip, you probably would have raised Buffy's suspicions."

Offended, Riley replied, "I can keep a secret! I work for the U.S. Military… we're all about secrets!"

"Yeah and instincts… don't forget you can *smell* when something's up," Xander snorted.

Riley glared around sternly as everyone laughed. Giles soon ushered them to the table that was set with pink paper plates and pink plastic cups. As Giles, Willow and Tara headed into the kitchen to bring dinner out, Buffy and Riley took a moment to look around. Pink was definitely the theme of the party, apparantly since the baby was a girl. There were pink balloons tied all over the apartment, as well as a few "It's a girl!" ones. On the coffee table, there was a large white basket filled with white and pink baby shirts, booties, socks and a teddy bear. There were even white and pink streamers hanging from the ceiling and on the staircase. Obviously, they'd put a lot of work into this.

"Lasagna?" Riley exclaimed as Giles carried the large pan of food out, flanked by Willow and Tara with french bread and a big salad.

"Yes, Buffy loved it, so I had to make it for her party," Claire replied, affectionately stroking the back of her hand over Buffy's cheek.

Rachel gave her a strange look before saying, "Let's eat before Riley drowns us in his saliva. Buffy, I thought you could cook?"

"She can… she's a great cook," Riley assured his sister as he forced himself to be polite and give Buffy a heaping serving of lasagna.

"Then Mom ought to teach her how to make lasagna, since you're so crazy about that."

"Absolutely," Claire smiled, "I have to teach you how to make my baby boy's favorite meal!"

Xander chuckled as he took a bite of french bread until he caught a glance of Riley's murderous glare.

After everyone had eaten to fullness, they moved to the living room. Upon everyone besides Anya's insistance, Riley and Buffy sat on the couch while everyone else cleaned up the mess, as they were the guests of honor, even though Riley really wasn't the expectant father. Sadly, he realized that the baby probably wouldn't even know him. How would she remember someone who was only in the first five months of her life?

Once everything was cleaned up, everyone else gathered in the living room as well as it was announced that it was time for presents.

"Us first, us first!" Anya exclaimed, carrying a big, brightly wrapped present to Buffy, then frowned, "You have no lap! Where am I supposed to put this?"

Satisfied, Anya set the gift in Riley's lap and plopped down in front of them to wait for Buffy to open the gift. Buffy reached awkwardly over and started ripping the wrapping paper off to reveal a Looney Toons bouncer seat.

"Oh yes, but this one isn't nearly as exciting," Anya sighed as she passed the box to Buffy.

Xander stood and walked over to her to give her a tight hug, "I picked it out myself."

"Well, you did a wonderful job, thank you so much, both of you," Buffy grinned, hugging Anya as the other girl copied Xander and hugged Buffy.

An hour later, the living room was littered with paper. Buffy was surrounded by all her gifts. Willow and Tara had given her a snugli carrier and a ton of clothes... Willow had gone overboard at Baby Gap, apparantly. Giles had proudly presented her with a carseat that would work for an infant *and* toddler that he had carefully selected after a lot of research. He'd also gotten her an activity center that he'd made sure had no parts that would injure the baby, telling her that his 'granddaughter' would always be safe if he could help it. Rachel gave Buffy a couple more outfits, as well as a monitor and a Looney Tunes diaper bag.

"Now it's time for your last present," Claire announced from behind the video camera.

After she'd handed the camera to Rachel, Claire nodded and retreated down the hall, only to return pushing a bassinet in front of her. A bassinet that was packed full of goodies.

Buffy's eyes widened and Claire stopped the bassinet in front of her, "Oh my God!"

"These are all little necessities. I know your apartment isn't that big, but you'll find it is nice to have somewhere to put the baby when she is sleeping other than her crib. I've got all the bedding for it, but I will buy you something else if you don't like it. Also, I bought you this little grooming kit with a little brush and comb and nail clippers. It was so adorable! And there's diapers and bodysuits and undershirts and socks… and a couple more pairs of those sneakers you liked."

"It's too much! You really shouldn't have done all this!" Buffy said, tears welling in her eyes yet again. She'd been like a leaky faucet all night long.

"It's nothing, Sweetheart. You know how I love to shop… I had a blast getting all of this for you," Claire assured her, then retrieved a large book, "I also got this for you. It's a baby book. You can put your sonogram pictures in there, plus fill out all the information when your little darling comes into the world."

"It's beautiful… thank you so much," Buffy said, squeezing Claire as the older woman bent down to hug her. "I'm so lucky to have so many great people in my life. You all are so good to me."

"Not any more than you deserve, believe me," Claire replied, smiling down at her daughter-in-law, then smiling a bit wider when she saw the way her son was looking at Buffy. If only they would get their acts together!

"Good thing I brought my jeep," Riley muttered as he fit the last of Buffy's presents in the backseat and climbed in the driver's side, "As it is, Xander has to bring Mom and Rach over. God, I hope Anya keeps her mouth shut."

"Man, I could kill Willow… I got you the Looney Toons mobile months ago and she knows that… but she didn't let me in on the secret so I was the only one not giving you a gift. I'll give it to you when we get home… maybe I can get you the stroller, too, since all the secret-keeping-traitors couldn't! Just let me know when the store gets the one you want back in stock."

"You don't have to do that… and it's so nice of you to buy the mobile," Buffy grinned, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek without thinking, "Thank you."

"Yes!" Riley replied, wondering how long this would go on. She drove him absolutely crazy... in a good way.

"I know!" Claire exclaimed, "Buffy has that daybed, so you and I can use that and the trundle, and Riley and Buffy can share his bed!"

"No, Mother, you're not pulling that again. You and Rachel can share my bed, Buffy will sleep in her own bed, and I will sleep on the couch."

Claire sighed in defeat as Rachel got up off the couch, "Well, with the time difference, I am exhausted, so I'm going to get ready for bed."

"Yeah. I'd better get to bed soon if we're going to LA tomorrow," Buffy said, struggling her way out of the chair, "Thank you again for the wonderful presents… and for coming. I love having you around."

"Oh, I love spending time with you, Sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow," Claire replied, kissing Buffy on the cheek.

"Goodnight," he called after her, then turned to his mother after Buffy had gone into her bathroom and shut the door, "I can't believe you came out here for a baby shower! And you really went above and beyond with that gift! I mean, Buffy deserves the best… I just cannot believe you did all this!"

Claire smiled, "I know… I did more than I would normally do… but I really do adore Buffy… and I feel so bad for her. You don't understand, Riley… she needs a mother right now, more than anything. Pregnancy is a very hard, confusing thing. I know I'm a phone call away and that helps her… but she still could use some motherly affection for important events like this. I know it's not realistic, but I wish I could be around when she has the baby too. She'll want someone to look over her shoulder and assure her she's doing everything right when she brings the baby home."

"I love you too," she smiled at her son, "Now I'd better get moving so you can get some rest. Are you coming shopping with us tomorrow?"

"I bet you can't wait to wear something like this again, huh?" Rachel asked, holding up a little red strappy dress.

"Just a couple more months, Dear. I know you're getting antsy, but be patient," Claire advised.

"God, I'm beginning to doubt I will *ever* fit into anything like that again," Buffy sighed, "I'm so huge."

"Oh, you will… I had *twins* and lost the weight," Rachel replied, "Were you in good shape before you got pregnant?"

"Yeah, great shape. I even kept up jogging until my fifth month… but it got hot out and I got bigger… so now I waddle for exercise."

Rachel laughed and continued looking through the racks, "God, I love LA. Mom, I think I'm moving here."

"Oh no you're not," Claire replied, "I already have to deal with one of my girls being all the way over here, not you too."

Buffy smiled, flattered that Claire considered her one of 'her girls', and started browsing through some dresses just for the heck of it. She wouldn't be pregnant forever, after all. And as God as her witness, she would lose the baby fat and get her body back! Maybe she could even do it in, like, three months, so she'd have two months of thinness to change Riley's mind about the divorce. No wonder he'd shown no romantic interest in her when she looked like a blimp!

"To place your baby with," the woman explained, "I'm just asking because I know a couple that would love to adopt."

"Yes… I think they'd definitely be interested in adopting your baby.. if you're giving the baby up, that is."

"She's not!" Claire burst out, rushing towards them, "She and my son love their child and are keeping her!"

"Not too young to be *very* happily *married*!" Claire retorted, holding up Buffy's left hand so that the woman could see her wedding ring. With one final dirty look at the woman, she slid her arm around Buffy's shoulders and pulled her away, "Come on, Rachel."

Rachel obediantly followed, shaking her head, "I can't believe that lady had the nerve to say that."

Buffy was finally recovering and quietly told them, "People say stuff all the time. Granted, normally they usually express their disapproval, not assume I'm putting the baby up for adoption, but I still get reactions."

"This is ridiculous, I know you're young, but nineteen isn't *that* unusual to have a baby," Claire said angrily.

"Well, Buffy does look very young. They probably just assume she's sixteen or something."

"That's no excuse, Rachel! Even if Buffy *was* sixteen, it's no business of theirs!"

"I know, I didn't say I agreed with it… I just said why I thought they did it," Rachel sighed.

Buffy shrugged, "Nothing… I know I can't get myself all worked up so I mostly try to ignore them and walk away."

"Defend yourself, Honey! If you walk away, they think you're ashamed and they feel like they are right. Set them straight. You're married to a *wonderful* man and you're going to be a *great* mother!"

"Riley is legally your husband, so you can say it. Don't you want to make them eat their words? Hmm?"

"Then do it!" Claire said, grabbing Buffy by the shoulders and looking her in the eye, "Promise me that if anyone ever says anything to you again, you don't just walk away, you show them that they are ignorant and ought to worry about themselves, not you!"

"Oh, God, of course it would have to be on the bottom shelf," Buffy muttered as she grappled to kneel down in the aisle of the Barnes & Noble, which was not an easy task in her eigth month of pregnancy. However, Willow's birthday was the following Tuesday and she really wanted some book on witchcraft… that was on the bottom shelf.

Once she'd gotten down, Buffy found the book pretty easily, but then came the matter of getting back up… which was a lot harder to manage. After several minutes of struggling, Buffy was back on her feet. Using the book to fan herself, she made a mental note to never get knocked up so that she'd be enormous in August. With the heat, she was always sweaty, tired and all around uncomfortable.

Waddling down the aisle, Buffy headed towards the registers and got in one of several long lines. She would have thought more people would be working at noon on a Friday, but apparantly they were all at the bookstore. Glancing at the people in the other lines, Buffy met the eyes of one of the last people she expected to see.

The two women only stared at each other for an instant before looking away. Buffy felt like her heart was beating a mile a minute. This was a nightmare... She'd always had hopes deep down that they would someday reconcile their differences, but she certainly didn't want her mother to see her like this.

Buffy tried to keep her breathing even and prayed her line would move quickly when a woman who had been checking out some magazines on display next to her looked up and clucked her tongue.

Buffy felt the familiar stiffening of her body that always occurred when someone made a rude comment about her pregnancy. However, this time, Claire's words from nearly two weeks earlier echoed in her mind. She'd made a promise and she planned to stick by it.

The woman gave her a disgusted look at Buffy's lack of shame that she was a mere teenager having a child, "You're a disgrace!"

"*Excuse me*?" Buffy asked again, aware that they were getting a lot of attention.

"Well, I'm a taxpayer, and I'm sure you'll end up on welfare, so it's very much my business!"

"Actually, I have a job, and my *husband*," she added, holding up her left hand to show her the wedding band, as Claire had done, "is in the United States Military! So I wouldn't worry about paying for me or my child, because I can do it just fine on my own!"

"Oh yes, she's going to go around wearing a fake wedding ring to lie to perfect strangers," Joyce stepped in, shocking Buffy, "Trust me, my daughter has better things to do… unlike some people who attack perfect strangers who they don't know anything about!"

The woman, obviously speechless, quickly turned on her heel and stormed off. Buffy was quiet for a moment before she looked up and her mother and smiled.

Joyce waved her hand and smiled, "You were doing absolutely fine on your own... I just got so infuriated… I couldn't stand by and not say anything."

Joyce nodded and looked down, "You've probably needed a lot of support since last December… and I haven't given you any."

"Still… I regret some of my choices," Joyce admitted, "I don't suppose you'd like to go to the Starbucks… I know you can't drink coffee, but I could buy you something else."

"That would be really nice, actually," Buffy smiled more widely, "I just have to pay for this book."

Luckily, the lines had cleared out so both women were able to quickly pay for their books before heading to the attached Starbucks. They got their drinks and sat down as an uncomfortable silence settled between them.

At long last, Joyce sighed and shifted in her seat, "I'm so sorry for the things I said to you."

"Don't be… you only said them because you love me and wanted what was best for me," Buffy replied, "I know that now. I don't regret for a second that I didn't have an abortion, but I do wish I had been a little more calm and given you a chance to get accustomed to the idea. I was just confused and scared and angry…"

"No, I was wrong. I mean, I can't really say anything about the abortion. Seeing you now… seeing that this baby is really a baby, not a tiny little thing inside you… it's too hard to say if you should have had an abortion," Joyce told her, "I was just… very very angry, at you… at Angel… at myself. I did want the best for you, Buffy, but I fault myself for letting my anger get the best of me. There were a thousand times I wanted to try and find you and apologize, but I was too much of a coward… and I fault myself for that too."

Buffy tried not to cry, but was failing miserably, "Can we put all that behind us? I mean… we both made mistakes and have regrets… but I would really like it if you could be a part of my life again. I… I need you Mom."

Joyce had a hard time not crying as well, "I would love that too. I miss you so much, Buffy."

"I miss you too… there's so many times I've wanted to call you. Especially with the baby… lots of good questions to ask you."

"Yes… but it's sorta weird," she replied, then explained to her mother the entire story with Riley, minus a few details like the night they made love and how she hoped they wouldn't get divorced.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, smiling self-consciously, "I know you don't like the whole thing about lying to the military and the preplanned divorce… but it really was the best option."

"Don't… believe me, it's not as bad as it sounds. Riley is… like, the best guy in the world. I mean, look at what he did for me! Took a lot of sacrifices, and he's risking it all."

"Oh, he is! I mean, not only does he do this… but he's always being really sweet to me. He taught me to drive! I have a car, thanks to Giles, and Riley's always making sure that the tires have enough air and the engine's in good shape… he even agreed to be my Lamaze coach. We had our last class last night, and he went to every single one, even though the birth videos really make him squeamish."

"Oh my God, my baby has her own Lamaze class," Joyce sighed, "I used Lamaze with you. Jeez, you're going to be needing it soon, aren't you?"

"Less than a month now… August 19th. I'm actually getting really nervous," she admitted.

"I hope so… and as much as I am nervous… I'm twice as excited. I can't wait until I get to see her for the first time."

Joyce grinned, "That's so neat! I can't wait to buy her clothes. You *have* to let me spoil my granddaughter."

"She's already spoiled by everyone else, so why not?" Buffy replied, "I really wish you could meet Riley's mother, Claire. She loves the baby like she's Riley's daughter… bought me a bassinet and a ton of stuff."

"I can't even buy a bassinet," Joyce sighed sadly, then perked up, "But do you need anything else? Crib? Carseat?"

"I have them both," Buffy bit her lip, "I bought all the furniture myself… and my friends gave me almost everything else I will need at my baby shower."

"Well, they wanted to buy me this stroller I picked out, but it wasn't in stock. Riley's taking me to the store soon to see if they have it, though... I'm so huge I can't carry stuff like that any more," Buffy smiled.

"I'll think about it," Buffy said, shocked that she wasn't jumping at the chance to let her mother buy something for her. Well, there was a first time for everything.

Joyce reached across the table and gingerly took her daughter's hand in her own, "Also… I would love it if you could come over for dinner tonight. We have so much catching up to do."

"Well, he's off work, so I'll ask. I think as long as he doesn't have plans, he'll agree."

"Wonderful!" Joyce grinned, "Sweetheart, I am going to make this up to you if it's the last thing I do."

Buffy just beamed at her mother, feeling happier than she had in months. All she needed now was to have Riley as her husband… for real… for good.

"Buffy, calm down," Riley smiled as they stood on the front porch of the home she'd shared with her mother for several years, "Everything will be fine."

"I know, I'm just… I really want this to work out," Buffy replied, straightening her jumper one more time as they waited for Joyce to open the door.

Riley nodded, knowing nothing he could say would comfort her right then. He'd been so happy to hear that she'd run into her mother that afternoon. His mother had really made him aware of how much Buffy was missing out on with the absence of Joyce in her life. Plus, he had to love the fact that Joyce had made it clear she really wanted him to join them... It wouldn't hurt his case if he could win Buffy's mother over.

"Hi Mom," Buffy said, almost shyly, before her mother pulled her into a tight hug.

"You look so beautiful, Honey! I'm so glad you're here. I made roasted chicked and potatoes and asparagus… your favorite. It's still your favorite, right?"

Buffy nodded and then gestured to Riley, "Mom, this is Riley Finn… my husband. God, it feels kind of weird saying that."

Riley exchanged smiles with her before taking a step forward to shake Joyce's hand, only to have her hug him tightly as well, "Uh… it's nice meeting you."

"Oh, I have so much to thank you for! You gave my baby a home when I was such a fool that I let her go off all alone in the cold night while she was *pregnant*," Joyce cried, "She told me how you're so good to her. I am so grateful!"

"Well, to be fair, Buffy inspires generousity from everyone she meets. She's even had some of the scariest Generals I have ever met eating out of the palm of her hand."

"Oh yeah, this is for you," Riley said, handing Joyce the chocolate cake Buffy had baked that afternoon and he'd insisted on holding when she'd been shaking so much after they got out of the car, "Buffy baked it herself."

"My goodness, you have changed so much in the past eight months… not only are you even more responsible and really a mother... you can cook," Joyce said, then shook her head, "Look at me, I have you two standing outside! Come on in! We have *so* much to talk about!"

"God, no more riding in the jeep," Buffy groaned as Riley helped her into her seat, "I am eight months pregnant!"

"All right," he chuckled, shutting her door after he had her settled and walking around to his side, an extra bounce in his step. Dinner couldn't have gone better. Joyce was not only very enthusiastic about making things up to Buffy, but she was actually very excited about her granddaughter. What's more, she seemed to really like him, telling him to take good care of her daughter, then smiling and adding that she could tell that wasn't a problem. He was pretty sure he had an ally in Joyce... and after seeing the way Buffy acted around her, knew she could be a strong influence on her daughter.

"You should try and call my mom tomorrow, maybe after you get off work," Riley told her as he started the car, "She is going to be really happy to hear about this… and if you don't let her in on the details as soon as possible, she'll kill you. Trust me, if anything newsworthy happens and you don't tell her right away, it's a big deal to her. It's amazing she didn't stop speaking to me when I got married and didn't tell her for days afterwards."

"Absolutely! She thinks it's very important for you to have a mother, especially with the baby coming... I think she wishes she could be closer to you… but I know she'll be ecstatic that you *will* have your mother to help you out… not that *she* won't mother you any less."

They settled into a comfortable silence for several moments, but Riley could see the wheels turning in Buffy's head. She was getting fidgety and he suspected she might want to ask him something but was trying to work up the nerve or decide how to say it. He was getting to the point where he was going to ask her what was up when she finally spoke up herself.

"Riley… I was watching this thing on TV… about divorce and it's effect on children. They said that even babies notice, and I was just thinking… it makes sense and it's not like the baby will be a few days old when we get divorced… she'll be about five months… she's going to be able to tell something is happening. What if it becomes a part of her subconscious that you were there for five months and then all of a sudden you disappeared and has a fear of abandonment?"

"Well… I'm your friend, Buffy… and I am not planning on never seeing you again come January 3rd. I mean… I'd like to still hang out sometimes, we can do stuff, just like you do with Xander… so maybe she'll see me less after we get divorced… we can make it a gradual thing," Riley suggested, supressing the urge to tell her if she worried about this, perhaps they ought to just stay married and he wouldn't have to leave.

Buffy nodded and looked down, "She's probably going to have issues, anyway. Who am I kidding? I still have no idea what I'm going to say when she asks me why she doesn't have a daddy."

"You have some time to come up an answer," he told her, patting her leg affectionately.

"Yeah," she replied, disappointed. This was honestly something she had worried about… but she'd half-hoped Riley would have had a different answer… one that showed he hadn't changed his mind about loving her. But obviously he had moved on from that…

"You're sure this isn't too much?" Xander asked as he and Buffy walked through the mall, "I don't want you going into labor on me."

Buffy smiled and shook her head, "I can manage to go to a few stores to find a necklace for Anya. This is easy, trust me. Mom got me to promise to go shopping with her Saturday morning so she can buy the stroller and anything else she can think of that I might need and don't have."

He shrugged, trying to be casual, "It's just that I… well I don't want to be an obnoxious meddling friend, but I see things, and I want the very best for you… so maybe I'm kind of hoping you are Riley decided that you were in love with each other and stayed married, raised this kid together, and lived happily ever after."

Buffy didn't get defensive or angry, rather a surprise to him, but simply sighed, "If only it was as easy as that."

Buffy thought for a moment before opting to just be honest. After all, Xander was *her* friend, not Riley's. He wouldn't go blab the truth. Nodding, she admitted, "I think I love him. You know, not like how I love you."

"It's so hard to say. Like, what I have with Angel is in a different category. I love Angel and I love Riley, but I can never have a life with Angel… so never the two shall meet. But, yeah… I love Riley in the way that I want to wake up next to him every day, have his arms around me when I'm upset… share all the good and bad stuff with."

"I thought you were suspicious that he was only helping me to get in my pants and use me and the baby as lab rats?" she grinned.

"He grew on me, okay?" he retorted, "Seeing the way he's treated you for the past seven months has proved to me that he's worthy. If you want to be with him… I say you should!"

"Okay! I'll just go tell Riley that I've decided to forget all about this silly divorce plan. He can spend the rest of his life as my husband, raising my daughter as if she's his own. I'm sure he'll have no problem with that. Free will be damned," Buffy replied teasingly.

Xander rolled his eyes, "I didn't say it was that cut and dry. Of course Riley has to be of like mind… but from what I have seen, I wouldn't be surprised if he *was*."

"Well… I still have a hard time buying the fact that he'd marry a girl he hadn't known that long just because they were friends. I'm not saying he was planning to take advantage of you or whatever... I just think maybe he did it because he really cared about you. Plus, I see how he is around you. You can't tell me you've never noticed that look he gives you."

"Yes I can. I mean… it's been mentioned to me before that Riley may give me certain looks that allude to feelings he may have for me… but the source was a little biased..." Buffy said, then shyly asked, "What kind of look do you see him giving me?"

"Honestly? The look Angel used to give you. As much as I hated the guy, with 20/20 hindsight, I can admit he loved you," he told her, then looked down and added, "I think I may have looked at you that way a time or two."

Buffy was quiet for a while before she said, "I want to believe Riley does love me and that we can have it all… but we can't. Stuff happened and he told me he loved me."

She nodded, "It was a while ago… but I didn't believe him. Riley's so… good. He always wants to do the right thing, so I had a hard time believing he really did love me and wasn't just too into being my savior. I was afraid that if I accepted he loved me and told him I loved him too… after the novelty of being the husband and father that we needed wore off, he'd see that it wasn't real love and break not only my heart, but my daughter's."

Buffy shrugged and tried not to cry, "I think I've given up on love. It hurts way too much. I'd rather just spend my life single and focusing on my daughter than trying to have it all with Riley… and running the risk of letting him hurt me."

"Yeah, because it's not like you're in any pain now, right?" Xander pointed out.

Laughing, he asked, "Want me to have a man to man talk with him? I can tell him that he's lucky enough to have won the fair Lady Buffy's heart and he'd better get his act together and start whispering sweet nothings in your ear, or something. Oh, and I can tell him that if he hurts you, I'll kick his ass."

"You'd better not!" Buffy grinned, "It will totally embarrass me! Besides… I think I lost him."

"Well, he used to kind of look a little sad when someone mentioned the divorce, like it was something he dreaded. Now I can bring it up and he doesn't even flinch. He's not counting down the days to his freedom… but he doesn't care."

He shook his head, knowing if he kept pushing, she'd probably just get mad. Maybe he'd have to do a little talking to Riley behind Buffy's back. It was for her own good, after all.

"Okay, so this is the one I had in mind," Xander said, focusing on the task at hand as he pointed out a gold heart-shaped locket with an intricate design carved into the cover, "I know there's nothing really special about it… I just think it's pretty. I thought I could get some pictures of the two of us and put them inside."

"Oh, Xander, it's *very* special! It's so beautiful! Anya will love it," Buffy assured him.

"Anya can be very weird most of the time, but I work with her, I talk to her… we both read those romance novels… trust me, she will *love* this!"

"Great, I really wanted to get this for her. I mean, it's not her birthday or our anniversary or anything… but I saw it and thought of her and I really want to… show her that I think of her."

Buffy grinned and squeezed his arm, "That makes it all the sweeter that you buy her presents when it's not required. I like 'just because' presents the best!"

"Can I help you? Oh… my God… Xander… and Buffy," Aura Thorne exclaimed from behind the glass counter, her eyes widening as she took in Buffy's figure… or lack of one.

"Aura, what a surprise to see you working here," Buffy said, plastering a fake smile on her face for the girl who hadn't exactly made her life easy in high school.

"No! No, no, no," Xander shook his head fervently and pointed at Buffy's stomach, "That's not… mine. I have a girlfriend… who is not Buffy. Besides, she's married! Show her your ring!"

Buffy smiled at Xander's panic and held up her hand, "I'm married… not to Xander."

"Oh, okay…" Aura replied, still in shock that Buffy Summers was not only pregnant, but married! She couldn't wait to call Cordelia!

Angel sat down in front of the computer and set to signing into the joint account he had set up with the bank. After the explosion at his old place and moving in with Wesley, he hadn't had much of a chance to check up on Buffy's finances, but he knew she couldn't have gone through all that money already. Still, she would probably be giving birth in less than three weeks, so he wanted to make sure she had at least a few thousand dollars left. She'd surely run up an enormous medical bill for that alone, so he'd probably have to contact Eddie about doing some more jobs for him soon. If Angel had any say in it, Buffy and the baby would never want for anything... anything material, anyway.

He frowned when he saw that the account balance was a bit *more* than what it had been the last time he had made a deposit. Looking at the records, he found that other than his deposits, the only other activity had been some interest payments by the bank. Buffy had yet to withdraw a penny.

Confused, he picked up the phone and dialed Giles' number, hoping that he would be home. He knew the doctor bills Buffy would have to be paying were exorbitant, plus she had a crib and stroller and clothes and thousands of dollars of other items she'd have to be buying for the baby. So why hadn't she withdrawn any money from the account?

He sighed when the answering machine picked up, after the beep, he said, "Giles, it's me… I need to talk to you. Did you really tell Buffy about the checking account? She hasn't used any of the money! Please, I want you to call me. We have to talk!"

Giles walked into his dark apartment, his empty stomach demanding dinner. It was after nine o'clock, and he hadn't eaten since noon, since Anya had worked all morning and Buffy'd had the day off, he'd had to close the store himself.

Still, it was nice being tired and hungry because he'd worked a long day at his thriving business. Much better than being exhausted after working for low pay for someone else.

Seeing the answering machine light flashing, Giles hit the play button and headed to the kitchen to find something to cook. His good mood was instantly killed when he heard Angel's voice on the recording, asking why Buffy hadn't used the money. The succeeding three messages were also from him as Angel went from baffled to demanding to know what was going on. The last message was from Buffy as she laughed and told him she'd wrestled some of the casserole she had made for dinner away from Riley and had left it in the refrigerator for him. Sure enough, there was a tupperware in there for him.

Giles sadly looked at the plastic dish, contemplating his options. How was he going to be able to explain the fact that Buffy didn't *need* the money without telling Angel about Riley? He knew that if he did tell him, Angel wouldn't be happy... and Buffy seemed so content, if Angel showed up, everything would fall apart. Again.

With a sigh, Giles put the tupperware in the microwave, deciding he could call Angel later.

"Wesley, you will *not* believe this," Cordelia announced as she rushed into his apartment, quickly glancing around and happily finding Angel not in sight, "Good thing Angel's not here because I will *explode* if I don't spill the news now!"

"Actually," Wesley began, trying to alert her to the fact that Angel was indeed there… he was just inside the kitchen… where he could easily hear anything Cordelia might say.

"Aura called me this morning," she continued, "She was working yesterday and guess who came in? Buffy and Xander! That's not the really big news, though, because who cares if Buffy and Xander go to a store together? Well… it *can* be a big deal if you hear the rest of this. Buffy is *pregnant*! Not only that… she's married!"

"Yeah… I don't know which is a bigger shocker, the married or pregnant part… either way, this is the last thing I would have expected to hear! Aura is pretty sure Xander's not the husband or father, since they told her he wasn't, but what do you think? Probably not, right? If he is, I will *kill* him! Anyway… I don't think we should tell Angel."

"I can't believe this… Giles never said a word to me. Are you sure she's married?"

Cordelia nodded slowly, "Yeah, they told Aura… she even saw a wedding ring on Buffy's finger."

Angel shook his head and stormed off to his bedroom. He had a phone call to make.

Angel searched through his desk drawer before finding the slip of paper he was looking for and grabbed the phone. Giles had yet to call him back about Buffy not spending the money he'd given her, but he still hadn't called him at the store, deciding it wasn't important enough to risk getting Buffy on the phone. However, after the four calls he had placed the day before and the two calls he'd made that morning, Angel knew Giles was avoiding him… and he *had* to talk to Giles about this right away, so he was willing to take the chance that Buffy would answer the phone.

"Thank you for calling The Magic Box, your one-stop spot to shop for all your occult needs! How can I help you?" Anya asked as she picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Mr. Giles," Giles greeted as he picked up the private phone in his office.

Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "Angel, I got your messages. I'm sorry that I didn't call you back, but I was tired and, to be honest, I didn't feel like getting into this with you. Now it's really not the time of place for me to talk to you, but believe me, Buffy and the baby are f-"

"Yeah, I found out what you've been keeping from me! How long, Giles? How long have you been keeping the fact that Buffy is married from me?"

"What? That was… January! She married someone else less than a month after she told me she was pregnant?!"

"Angel, you do not understand all the details. Now listen, I will call you later tonight when I get home from the store, I promise."

"That's not good enough, Giles," Angel replied angrily, "I can't believe this… you have to talk to me. It's not just a matter of Buffy marrying some guy, he's going to be the father to *my* baby!"

"If you have forgotten, you told Buffy that you would only give her money. You wouldn't be involved in their lives at all, so I don't see how you have any say in the matter," Giles reminded him, growing angry as well.

"If it's just a matter of me not having any say in the matter, then why did you keep it a secret?"

"Because I knew you would react like this, and the last thing Buffy needs is for you to come barging into her life, dictating to her what she can and cannot do."

"Well, lucky for me, I have all day," Angel told him, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"All right then, here is the entire true story. As you know, Buffy went to you and told you she was having your child and you told her that you wouldn't be a part of her life, just give her money. She came home and told us- her friends. I am ashamed to say that we didn't react well. We weren't supportive of her decision to keep the baby, but Buffy remained strong despite that. Then she went and told her mother… Joyce ended up throwing her out of the house on a cold December night."

"Yes, Buffy was a pregnant eighteen year old that everyone she loved turned their back on. Then she ran into a fellow that she knew from school, Riley Finn. This boy who hardly knew her… took her in. He let her stay with him, knowing she was pregnant. Everyone besides Joyce made up with Buffy fairly soon after, but she was still faced with the reality that she was having a baby and had no money or job. So Riley came up with the idea to get married. He's in the military and as his wife, Buffy would have a home, financial support and a college education."

"Which would bother you more, Angel- that she married a man she didn't love or a man that she *did*?"

Angel was silent for a moment before he replied, "I can't believe this is happening. What is with this guy? You know as well as I do that men don't just *marry* girls to help them out!"

"Riley is a good man. He honestly cares about Buffy. I had my doubts in the beginning, but I have gotten to know him over the past six months and I can say without a moment's hesitation that he isn't out to do anything besides help Buffy," Giles told him, opting not to add that he was pretty sure Riley loved her, "They have an arrangement and are planning on divorcing next January, after a year of marriage."

"I'm not proud of not being there for Buffy and our baby, okay? But I didn't have a lot of choices either!"

"I know that you're angry with me… I'm not too pleased with myself… but you have to believe that I love Buffy."

Giles nodded, "I know you love her and she will always love you. I haven't always agreed with the decisions either of you have made, but I respected that. I was never pleased about you two being a couple… I don't think that's news to you. However, you did make Buffy happy. Are you prepared to make her happy again? Because, you know, this isn't just about you. In fact, it's not just about you and Buffy. It's gotten a lot more complicated than that. Now there is a little girl… completely innocent in all of this. She's just a little baby."

"Yes, *she* is a girl. I don't know what your intentions are, Angel, but keep in mind that Buffy is doing very well. She'll always love you and a part of her will always wish that the two of you could raise your daughter together, but Buffy also knows you can't give her that. Now, what she has right now… she's content. She's looking forward to the birth of her baby, she has a job and school and friends. But if you come back here and push your way back into her life… everything is going to change. Buffy can't just deal with you lightly," Giles said, "Think about that. Right now… she's happy… if you can't give her that, you shouldn't begrudge her-"

"Then I suggest you think long and hard before you make your next move because you have punished that girl more than anyone deserves to be punished," he advised.

Angel sighed and was silent for a moment before he finally came to a decision, "Would you give me her phone number?"

"Giles, this is *my* daughter we are talking about. Even if you don't want to take into account that I love Buffy more than anything… it *is* my flesh and blood that is affected by this."

"Affected positively," Giles added, "Without Riley, *your* daughter would have had a homeless mother. Because of him *your* daughter will be healthy because her mother got good prenatal care thanks to Riley's health insurance. Buffy went and married Riley because she was carrying *your* daughter."

"Don't tell me how wonderful this Riley is, I don't need to hear how I have already failed my daughter before she's even born!"

"I know that, and if I tried to say that I wasn't feeling jealous and threatened right now, I'd be lying. But I *have* to talk to Buffy. I *have* to make sure that this is the best thing," Angel argued.

"I don't believe it's in Buffy's best interest that you call her," Giles answered, "Look, I will talk to Buffy and tell her that you know about Riley and that you wish to discuss this with her and let her call you."

"No," Angel shook his head, "That's not good enough. I can't trust that you will do it… look how long it took you tell her about the damn money! And even if you do tell her, knowing Buffy, she'll ignore me, just to spite me."

Giles' hand curled into a fist and he had to fight to control his anger, "Well, that's my offer."

"Give me her phone number, Giles. Give it to me, or as soon as the sun goes down, I am coming to Sunnydale. You know I will find her… what's worse, a phone call from me, or a face to face meeting with me?"

Giles' eyes narrowed as he knew Angel had him right where he wanted him, "You're a bastard. Buffy and the baby deserve better."

"I care about them… you may think this is just about me, but I have to *know* for my own sanity."

Giles shook his head; Angel couldn't even see his own faulty reasoning. Sighing, he said, "You want the phone number? Fine... but if you hurt Buffy… if you make her shed so much as one tear… I'll kill you."