Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I make Joss' characters do.
Disclaimer 2: I don't know if I have to disclaim this or not, but I will anyway. The movie, "The Princess Bride" does not belong to me. I love, love, love, love "The Princess Bride" and just had to put it into my story. Also, it was on television last night. :)
Spoilers: The whole ‘Happy Endings' series, obviously, but nothing else that specific. The whole B/A cannon in general, to be on the safe side.
Rating: PG13 (?)
Summery: Buffy and Angel cope with their ‘little' secret while Angel starts another on his own.
Author's Notes: This takes place directly after "The Long Walk Home." If you haven't read that yet, I suggest that you do.
Author's Notes 2: I don't know much about the Yukon, so, sorry if that remark offends anyone for that was not my intention. The only real thing that I even know about the Yukon is what I saw in that Disney Channel Movie, "Stepsister From Planet Weird," that my little sister made me watch.
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this to Jessi, Ashleigh, Caitie, chosen_gurli and Sammi for their input on my series. Thanks guys!
Feedback: Please do so. I would really like to know what you think.

Buffy and Angel were fast approaching Buffy house when Buffy abruptly stopped in her tracks. Noticing that Buffy was no longer moving, Angel stopped as well.

"What is it?" Angel asked the immobile Slayer.

"What are we going to tell everybody?" Buffy responded, with a question of her own.

"What do you want to tell them?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to tell them about the baby yet, or wait until after Christmas?"

"I don't think that we should drop this on them now. Can we wait a little bit?" Buffy asked, almost pleadingly.

"I guess, but we can't wait too long, or I think they might figure it out," said Angel, trying to be humorous.

"They don't have to. We could . . . suddenly decide to move."

"Oh, and where would this abrupt move take us?" Angel asked, playing along.

"I don't know. The Yukon?"

"Buffy, nobody lives in the Yukon."

"I know. That's why it's perfect. There is no one there to tell my parents."

"It's also pretty cold a great deal of the time."

"Oh, well, we could move to Tahiti, then."

"Or we could trust that your parents love you and that they'll be happy for us."

"What dimension do you live in? Is it nice there? Is the sky purple? Because in my dimension, my parents will flip. First, they'll kill me. Then, they'll kill you for getting me into this situation in the first place."

"Buffy, we'll tell them together. Everything will, eventually, work itself out." Angel said, confidently.

"You really think that?'

"I know that."

"How?"

"Because it has to. I can't see it happening any other way. We've finally been given this chance, this real chance, to make a go at ‘us' and I will not let anything get in the way of that now."

"But, what about- "

"Not even if we have to move to Zimbabwe am I letting anyone or anything get between us, or this little baby. Do you understand?" Angel asked, placing his hands on Buffy's stomach.

"I understand that you love me and this baby. And I understand that that's all I really need to understand. At least for now."

"Good. Now can we go inside?" Angel asked.

"Yes, we can go inside. But, we'll wait to tell everyone, at least until after Christmas?"

"At least until after Christmas." Angel took Buffy's hand in his own and, together, they walked up the driveway and into the house.

Buffy and Angel walked into the Summers' house and quickly came face to face with Joyce Summers as she was exiting the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are," Joyce said to our two heros.

"Yeah, sorry we took so long, but, you know those vamps; they just can't get enough of being dusted," Buffy said.

"Well, come on, let's go into the living room," said Joyce, as she grabbed Buffy's hand.

Both Buffy and Angel wanted nothing more than to go up stairs and climb into bed and drift off to sleep, but they both knew that they couldn't. So, they followed Joyce into the living room. Once there, they found a sight that brought a smile to Buffy's face. Anya was asleep in one of the chairs while Willow was seated on the floor, trying to suppress a laugh at the sight of Xander doing his infamous ‘Snoopy Dance.' While all of this was going on, Giles was sitting and shaking his head at the antics of his ‘children' and Hank had a look of just plain confusion on his face.

"Maybe "Welcome to the circus" would be more appropriate than a "Welcome home," Joyce whispered to her daughter.

"Mom, my life is a circus," Buffy stated, with a wry smile.

This is when Willow noticed their audience.

"Buffy, Angel, you're back," the red-head exclaimed.

"How did the hunt go?" Giles asked, in typical Giles fashion.

"Fine," Buffy said, but Giles could tell something was off.

"Well, it's getting late. I suppose I should take my leave," Giles said.

"Giles, you don't have to go yet," Buffy said.

"Yes, I do. I really do need some rest. You three always have worn me out."

"Well G-man, we're just special that way," Xander told the British man.

"Xander how many times must I tell you not to call me that?"

"Have heart Giles, Xander, eventually, stopped calling me . . . that name he used to call me," Angel said, editing a little for Hank's lack of knowledge into Angel's vampiric past.

"Yes, but Xander only stopped calling you that when you gave him a job, and now he's given you another nick-name," Buffy stated.

"She does have a point, Giles. I guess you have to put heart back," Willow said.

While this whole exchange was going on, Joyce and Hank had been looking on with somewhat confusion. They both realized how much they really didn't know about their daughter and her friends, and that fact saddened them greatly.

"Either way, I still should be going. Besides, you should have some time with your family, Buffy," Giles said.

"But you are part of my family Giles," Buffy said.

Giles looked at his Slayer, as she would always be his Slayer, and he smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Buffy," Giles said, as he walked over to the blonde.

"Merry Christmas," Buffy replied. Then, she did something that was completely unexpected. She wrapped her arms around Giles neck. Giles was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around the young woman he'd come to think of as a daughter.

When Buffy and Giles stepped back from their embrace, Buffy noticed Willow and Xander gathering their things - Willow, her purse and Xander, Anya.

"Are you guys leaving, too?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, Giles is right. It is getting late," Willow said.

"Okay," Buffy allowed.

The friends hugged and wished each other a ‘Merry Christmas' or a ‘Happy Chanukah' and were on their way. Giles, however lingered.

"Angel, would you mind walking with me out to my car. There is one thing that I would like to discuss with you," Giles asked.

"Is there something wrong?" Buffy asked, overhearing Giles' question.

"Oh, no. It's just that I received a book, today, from one of my old chums from Oxford. I just wanted to run something by Angel, you know, for a historical point of view."

"You know, it's a good thing I love you both so much, ‘cause you're kinda Geeks," Buffy said, walking over by the couch and sitting down on the carpet.

Once Giles and Angel got to Giles' car, Angel asked, "So, what did you really want to talk to me about?"

"That is one thing about you Angel, you always could read people. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I still have yet to figure out."

Angel didn't say anything, he simply glanced around the neighborhood.

"Is Buffy alright?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, she's fine."

"You took a lot longer getting back from patrol than usual. Did something happen that I should know about? I mean, I know that I'm not her Watcher any longer, but certain instincts are hard to suppress."

"We had a run in with a bunch of vampires. Buffy got knocked out, but she's fine. I took her to the hospital to get checked out and everything."

"You got Buffy Summers to go to a hospital, willingly?"

"I got her to go. "Willingly?" Well, that's another matter, all together."

With a small chuckle, both men thought of the small blonde and her slightly irrational fear of setting foot inside of a hospital.

"Well, I should go," Giles said.

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow then," Angel responded.

Giles got into his car and the engine stuttered to life. Angel turned around and took the first few steps toward the Summers' house when Giles called out to him.

"Angel?"

Angel turned around and said, "Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas."

The ex-vampire smiled his little half smile and said, "Merry Christmas."

Giles drove off and Angel walked back into the house. Buffy was sitting on the floor in front of the couch while her parents occupied either chair. On the television was a movie Angel would recognize anywhere, "The Princess Bride." Angel couldn't remember how many times Buffy had made him watch that movie. She just couldn't seem to get enough of the story of Wesley and Buttercup.

Angel slid down behind Buffy and leaned against the plush, beige sofa. As soon as he was seated, Buffy leaned back against his chest and asked, in a whisper, "So, what was that about?"

"I'll tell you later," Angel replied, in that same whispered tone.

The four spent the next hour and a half watching the movie.

When Buffy and Angel finally trudged upstairs, they were both exhausted. They changed into their pajamas and crawled into Buffy's old bed. Buffy was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Angel, on the other hand, had a harder time falling asleep. All he could do was stare at the angel that lay next to him and the miracle that she was carrying inside of her. Angel placed his large hand over Buffy's stomach. It almost cover her whole stomach. "Hi, little one," Angel whispered. "I'm your daddy. What are your mommy and I gonna do, huh? How are we gonna figure all of this out? I know what I want to do. I know what I should do. The only problem is, I don't know if they're the same thing. What should I do, huh? What should daddy do?"

Angel laid there for the next hour trying to decide what to do, until it came to him. This blinding realization that the one thing that he wanted to do could be the one thing that he should do. In short, Angel had an epiphany. He quietly crept from the bed and took his cell phone out of his duffle bag. He slowly opened Buffy's window, the one that he had crawled through countless times while she was in high school. Angel climbed out onto the roof and dialed a number that would lead to someone who would help him, hopefully, change his life, forever.

The phone on the other end rang, once, twice, three times. On its sixteenth ring, someone picked up, in a not so happy mood.

"What?!" The voice, muffled with sleep, barked.

"It's Angel. I need your help."

That phone call was the reason that Angel now stood on the sidewalk, outside of the Summers' home, at five in the morning. When a car finally pulled up to the curb, Angel released a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. A sleep deprived looking man stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

"Did you get it?" Angel asked.

"Yep. You would not believe how many people I had to wake up to get this. They are none too happy with you right now, I'll tell you that."

"As long as you got it," Angel said.

That man handed Angel a paper bag. Angel quickly opened the bag and took out a small box. After inspecting the contents of said box, Angel looked and the man and said, "Thanks Doyle. I owe you one."

"You better believe it, Bud. You owe me on huge and gigantic scales," Doyle told his friend.

"If all of this goes how I hope it does, it will all be worth it."

"I just don't get why it had to be now. I mean, I thought you said that you were gonna wait to give her that," Doyle said.

"I can't tell you why, now. But later, okay?"

"Whatever. I gotta get goin'."

"Okay, say "hi" to Cordy for me and drive safe."

"Yes, mom," Doyle said back, as he was getting back into his car.

"Hey, Doyle?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again. I mean, really."

"Sure, Bud. And Merry Christmas to you and Buffy."

"Merry Christmas, Doyle."

As Doyle drove off, Angel clutched that little box in his hand and glanced up to Buffy's bedroom window. "Well, here goes nothing."

And he walked back into the house.

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