Part 31

Buffy read over the small slip of paper in her hand for about the millionth time. She compared it with the address on the door that stood before her. Finding it was a correct match; she knocked lightly on the door. There was no answer. She knocked more soundly, but still no one came. She decided to just enter herself. The door was unlocked; she shut it behind her.

It was a small room. A very messy one. She stepped further into the room; there was no sign of her Angel or anyone else for that matter. She looked around the room. Paints and paper were strewn all over the place. Her eyes wondered, taking everything in. As she was about to call out for Angel, arms slipped around her tiny waist.

He placed a kiss against the back of her head, "I'm glad you came. I wanted to show you this."

"What is this?" she questioned as she leaned back into him.

"It's my Art Studio," he replied. "You're the first person I have ever invited in here, so I'm a little nervous."

She tilted her head up to look at him, "You mean, you're actually showing your work to me?"

"I am. You're worth it. Just promise you won't laugh."

"You know I would never laugh at you. I promise," she agreed.

He led her over to a picture he had drawn. "This is what I was working on before you got here."

Buffy's eyes widened with surprise. It was a painting of her. "Angel, it's breathtaking," she gasped. He had drawn her in the sun. The bright rays played with the features of her face. She wore a radiant smile, which seemed to catch you into the painting. "This…it's so…I'm at a loss for words."

"You really like it?" he asked. She nodded. "I was going to give it to you when it was finished, but I couldn't wait that long. I just have to add the finishing touches, and it's yours."

"How did you draw this? A photograph?" she inquired.

He shook his head, "From memory. You're the only thing that is ever so clear in my mind."

"Do you draw me often?" she teased.

"Actually I do." He took her hand and brought her over to a stack of sketches. "The one I'm finishing now is the most extravagant, but…"

She looked at him, her hand poised above the pile. "May I?"

He nodded, "I would be offended if you didn't."

She gently lifted them from the table. She looked through them. He had drawn her in the sunlight, the moonlight, by the fire, all sorts of places, but her favorite was the one of her sleeping. She gazed at the sketch. She was snuggled under the covers; her bare shoulders were seen peeking out. Her eyes were closed, and a smile played across her face.

Angel noticed her staring at it, "That's the only one that I have drawn of you, actually being there at the time. It's the only one that was not from memory."

"I love it. You are so talented."

He took her into his arms; "You're just saying that because you love me."

"No I'm not. I do love you, but these…they are so amazing."

He was flattered, "Thank you. Although you are by far my favorite subject, I do draw other things."

"Like?" she urged giving him a kiss.

"It doesn't matter. I like doing this more." He returned the kiss.

When they broke apart, Buffy decided to tell Angel of an idea that had occurred to her. "I want you to draw me in person."

"Okay," he pointed to a stool. "Why don't you sit there. And I'll get all my supplies ready."

"Not now. Not here. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind," she stated.

He gave her a confused look, "What did you have in mind then?"

"Have you seen Titanic?" she questioned.

"I have."

"I was thinking you could draw me more along the lines of how Jack drew Rose. What do you think?"

"You mean…nude?" his voice wavered. "It's so unexpected. I didn't think…"

Her face fell, "You don't want to do it. I…I…I understand."

"It's not that. I really want to." He looked into her eyes, "In fact, I would be honored to do so."

Her smile returned to her face, "Great! It's going to be big fun."

He agreed, "It will. We'll do it this weekend. That way we have all the time we need. There will be no hurry to get it done."

"Perfect," she confirmed. "I can't wait."

He gave her a kiss; "We should probably get going."

"Yeah, I have some homework to do, which really sucks by the way." Buffy informed him.

"Then we better go. I'll help you with your work, and bring you up to date about my class."

"My own personal tutor."

"Hey! I resent that." he joked.

She playfully shoved him up against the wall; "You tutor me in the schoolwork department. And I'll…" she gave him a kiss, "…I'll tutor you in another department. One I bet you'll enjoy very much."

"Are you saying that I'm not good-"

She cut him off, "I wasn't implying anything like that. I just was suggesting on what you would get as an award for your tutoring services. I didn't think you would argue with that."

"Believe me when I say, I definitely won't question that."

"Good." She gave him a kiss, leaving him aching for more. "Let's get going. I don't want to have to wait too long."

Part 32

Buffy lay nervously on the couch. She was completely naked, as Angel sketched her. She shivered as a chill came over her. Although he had seen her naked before, this was the first time it had been for such a long period of time, and he couldn't touch her. If he did, he risked losing all sanity of mind. She was beginning to feel modest. She glanced down at her stomach; she was over three months pregnant. She swore she could see a gentle curve in her tummy. To an onlooker you would never be able to tell. Her breathing became more rapid, she was fidgeting.

"You have to calm down, honey. You're too tense." Angel was having a hard time concentrating on his art. She was so beautiful, it took all of is might to keep a steady hand. It was almost impossible. "Take a deep breath, and relax." He told her. "You don't need to be nervous."

She took a deep breath as he had suggested. "It's just awkward being in front of you completely naked." She gave him a small smile. "Especially when you're completely clothed. Which is driving me insane by the way."

He quickly shed his shirt, exposing his chest. "How's this? Is it better?"

She nodded, "Much. Now I have something great to look at. It'll make the time go by faster."

Another hour passed, before Angel announced that he was finished. He sat on the edge of the couch next to Buffy. He pulled her cold shivering body close to his, wanting to warm her up. "You're ice cold."

"Lying around in no clothes can do that to a person," she rested her head against his bare chest.

"I'll keep you warm," he planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

She looked up into his eyes, "How did the painting come out?"

"I would like to think great, but that's only because I had the most gorgeous model to draw."

"Yeah sure," she said dryly. "I just hope I won't hurt anyone's eyes when they look at it."

"Don't say that. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he complimented her. "Besides I wasn't planning on showing the picture to anyone else. This may be just the jealous boyfriend in me saying this, but I want to keep you all to myself. No one else should have the right to see you like that."

"You don't have to worry about that. You're the only man who has seen me naked, and I want to keep it that way," she stated.

"Good," he agreed. "Would you like to see it?"

"Of course I want to see it. Unless you don't want me to, in which case I will just have to make you show it to me."

He took her hand. She was still chilled so he draped a robe around her shoulders. He led her over to the painting. "What do you think?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She could not form any words. What she saw before her was stunning. Angel was so talented. He showed every delicate feature of her body, paying special attention to her face and eyes. It looked very lifelike. "Oh my god, Angel, it's so…words can't even explain it. That's how great it is." She threw her arms around him. "I love you."

"I love you," he repeated. "So you really do like it?"

"I don't just like it, I love it!" she exclaimed. "I always thought you were capable of such things, but now I have evidence sitting right in front of me. There is no way I could ever say that you were terrible. It would be a complete lie."

"You don't know how much that means to me." Angel told her. "I have something for you."

"What?" she asked eagerly.

He pulled a package out from the closet, and gave it to her, "Open it."

She did just that. Quickly shedding the brown paper wrapping to the ground. It was a picture frame. She slowly turned it over to reveal the sketch of her sleeping. "Thank you."

"I know how much you liked it, so I thought I would get it framed for you. I hope you don't think that I'm gloating or anything over it. Because I'm not. This is really the first time I have ever framed my work, and taken it out of the studio." Angel explained slowly.

"This is one of the best gifts I have ever gotten. Well, besides you and our baby, that is." Buffy said. "I have to come up with the perfect place to put it. You don't mind if it's on display do you?"

He shook his head, "Not at all."

Buffy hugged Angel, showing how thankful she was. She kissed his bare chest, then began tracing along his muscles with her fingertips.

He caught her lips in a passionate kiss. Angel quickly discarded the robe, pushing it off Buffy to the floor.

____________________

The two lovers lay cuddled in each other's arms, under a blanket. They never actually made it to the bedroom. They tried using a table for a makeshift bed, but that proved to be fruitless. The table now was crookedly on its side, since a leg had collapsed. They both found that very amusing. And they laughed at it, as the looked at it from their spot on the floor.

"I cannot believe that we did that." Buffy informed. "I am so glad we don't have company coming over, because the broken table might be a little hard to explain to them."

"Yeah it would be," he agreed. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "It sure was fun though."

"Definitely."

A knock on the door interrupted them.

"I guess I spoke to soon on that whole company thing." She tied the robe around her as Angel slipped into his pants. "I'll get it."

"Okay." Angel said as he tried to straighten up. He completely forgot about his painting, and covering it up, or taking it from the room.

"If that is Spike or something, I swear I will stake him." Buffy stated. "He's the only one of them with such bad timing. You know, maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away."

"They have probably heard us talking by now." Angel told her. "Just answer the door. You can always tell them to go away, especially if it is Spike. Infact, if it is him, you better say get lost."

"I will." She made her way over to the door, as the person knocked once more. "Hold your pants on, I'm coming."

She unlocked the door, and opened it.

The man greeted her, "Hello."

"Dad," Buffy said coldly.

Part 33

"Dad," Buffy repeated sternly. "What are you doing here?" Her words were harsh and forceful. She struggled with her robe, trying to keep her naked body completely concealed.

Hank noticed her little fight. "It seems like I came at a bad time." His eyes burned into Angel. "What are you two? A couple of bunnies?"

Angel quickly retrieved his shirt from the floor, and pulled it over his head, obviously embarrassed.

"Again, I'll repeat, what are you doing here? You said that you wanted nothing to do with the baby and me. That would involve staying away from us, which you are so not doing," she snapped.

"I guess you could say I had a change of heart." Hank supplied. "Maybe I over reacted a little."

"Over reacted a little?" Buffy questioned. "I seem to be remembering you calling me a whore. So what caused your little change of mind? Was it guilt? Or you just wanted closure? To feel like you tried to make things better for your own peace of mind? That is not the way it works."

"What else did you expect me to do? Congratulate you?" Hank asked. "Who would ever consider doing so?"

"You could have been just a little bit nicer about it. And for your information, Angel's dad did congratulate us."

"He offered his support and assistance." Angel added.

"I don't care what you have to say about any of this. You're the guy who got my daughter into this terrible mess in the first place." Mr. Summers retorted. "So stay out of it."

"That's another thing. You treat Angel like he is a pile of dirt. He is quite the exact opposite. You have to accept the fact that we mean a lot to each other, and nothing you say or do will change it. We are going to be together and raise our son or daughter, whether or not you approve of it. So you're the one who should stay out of this, not Angel." Buffy's anger was growing. Angel put a comforting hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down.

"You don't understand how this is ruining your life. Your chance at a bright future." Hank shot at her.

"No you're the one who doesn't understand. Angel is giving me a bright future, something I never had before now. I never thought I would find it. Now that I have, all you have been doing is trying to take that away from me. I'm not going to let you, no matter how hard you try."

"Buffy, you're not thinking clearly. You are-"

She cut him off, "I am starting to think that basically the only reason you are here is to try to convince me to do what? Have an abortion to get rid of the baby? Break up with Angel? Well, I'm telling you now it's not going to happen. Ever. So why don't you leave us alone?!" Buffy shouted.

"Is that what you want me to do? Walk out of your life?"

"Right now it's looking like a pretty good option." Buffy fumed. Angel pulled her down next to him on the couch, urging her to relax.

Just then the door burst open and Faith walked into the apartment. "Hey B," she saw Buffy in a robe. "I'm sorry for just rushing in like this. You guys were probably planning on screwing."

"Faith," Buffy broke in, "I'd like you to meet my father." Buffy nudged her head in his direction.

Faith looked, noticing Hank Summers for the first time. "Hey B's dad. I'm Faith," she said sweetly.

"What can I do for you?" Buffy inquired of her.

"Oh, I was wondering if I could borrow a crossbow." Faith replied. "Spike has mine. He says it's a manly weapon. Whatever."

"I'll get it." Angel said as he stood. He disappeared down the hall.

Faith aimlessly wandered around the room. She stepped before the painting of Buffy. "Wow. You're looking good. Who drew this?" A smile appeared on her face as a thought struck her. "Was it Angel? Bet you had a hard time from keeping your hands off each other while he drew this."

"Angel drew you?" Hank questioned. "Can I see it?"

Buffy's eyes grew wide. She shook her head, hoping Faith would get the message to shut up about it. In all the confusion of her Dad showing up, neither her nor Angel remembered to hide the drawing somewhere.

But Faith went on; "Who would have thought you of all people would pose nude for a painting. Looks like you're starting to fit big sister's clothing."

"Angel drew you naked?" Hank asked. "How could he do that? He's corrupting my little girl."

"Oops…sorry B, I shouldn't have said anything." Faith apologized.

"Dad, I am not your little girl anymore. I haven't been for a long time. I've grown up. Angel is not disturbing me, I asked him to do it. I saw his previous sketches of me from memories, and I suggested that he draw me in person. He had no idea that this is what I meant. So drop it." Buffy stated.

"I want to see this painting." Hank got up, and made his way over to it.

With lightning speed, Buffy reached there before him. She grabbed the painting, and took off down the hall. She nearly ran into Angel on her retreat to the bedroom.

"Slow down," Angel warned, holding the crossbow above his head. He didn't want his love to impale herself on it. He returned to Faith and Angel. "What was that all about?" He handed the weapon to Faith.

"Daddy dearest here decided to take a look at your lovely artwork, which was great by the way, and Buffy took off with it before he got a chance." Faith explained. "Thanks for this." She held up the crossbow. "I'll return it to you."

"There's no rush." Angel replied as Buffy came back in the room.

Faith waved goodbye as she left the apartment.

"I'm going to skip the subject of your illicit artwork, Angel, and get to the point of why you had that kind of weapon in this apartment." Mr. Summers informed them. "Care to explain?"

"You know what Dad? I'm not going to. It's none of your business. I think you should go." She held open the door. "Don't let it hit you in the ass."

"You have no right to talk to me like that."

She shrugged, "And you have a right to treat me the way you have been?"

"I am your father." Hank protested.

"Then act like one. I don't want to see you again until you decide to do just that. Got it?"

He left with slumped shoulders, without a word.

Buffy closed the door behind him. She turned to Angel. "Do you think he'll ever change?"

He wrapped his arms around her slender figure. "You never know. He might come around."

Part 34

Buffy arrived home from her day of classes. Angel was sitting on the couch, deep in thought. He looked upset about something. "Hey honey," she greeted softly. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her with troubled eyes. He held up a small manual. "It's the college's guidelines for teachers. You know the rules."

She seated herself next to him. She rested her hand comfortingly on his arm. "So? Why is that upsetting you?"

He opened the book to where he had the corner of the page folded down. He pointed to a spot on the page. "Read this."

Her eyes scanned over the paragraph, understanding what had displeased him. "It's okay," she told him.

"No, it's not. I'm not supposed to be involved with a student, especially one I'm teaching and is my TA."

"No one has to know about us. It's not like any of them are suspecting that we are together," she argued. "Why did they just now give you this? You have been teaching there awhile now."

"I think it's finally occurred to them, that they never gave me it." He showed her a piece of paper. "I have to sign this swearing to uphold this code. The code that I am already breaking."

"What would happen if you didn't follow this code thing?" Buffy questioned. "Anything bad?"

"I would probably lose my position at the college. It would most likely go on my permanent record," he answered.

"We're careful though. We won't let them find out about us." Buffy stated. "We don't have anything to worry about."

"Yes we do," he disagreed. "You're pregnant, that might cause a couple of raised eyebrows."

"No one needs to know the baby is yours. It can just be a boyfriend who left me or something."

"It won't work. Riley knows about us. He could do something to harm us. Once he finds out you're pregnant, he could go to the Dean. That would be good evidence to get me to lose my job."

"We'll deny it. I'll say it was from a one night stand with some guy I can't even remember the name of." Buffy said.

"We have lunch together a lot."

"We won't anymore, unless it's off campus!" she exclaimed.

"We're are both over looking the obvious," he pointed out.

"What's that?"

"Our address. We both live at the same one."

"We can just say that it's a mix-up. I live at the apartment next door to you, or the same number, but on a different floor."

"Buffy, after awhile they are going to start putting two and two together. They'll figure us out. Not only will I be out of a job, but you could also be expelled. Because you lied to them as well."

"We might be getting all worried about nothing. Maybe we won't be put under suspicion. We've been fine before. We haven't got caught." Buffy spoke. "Who says we will be? And with the thing you said about Riley. I have not seen him at all. Not even at a safe distance across campus. Just relax."

"I can't. I have to sign this paper. It'll be a total lie, and you know me. I'm not one to be a liar."

"What else can you do about it? Quit teaching and go back to work at the museum?" she asked.

"I could do that," he agreed.

She shook her head; "I will not let you do that. You love this job. You're happier there than at the museum. Plus you have more free time to spend with me. You are not going to leave this position."

"Then what else can I do?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears. "We could break-up. You can leave me," she said in a meek voice.

His stern expression softened. He wrapped his arms around her. "I could never ever leave you. I love you far too much. That's not an option I would even consider. I want you to always be my girl."

"I will be. Then what are you going to do?" Buffy inquired.

He picked up a pen and signed the paper. "We just have to keep our fingers crossed that no one finds out about us. You better warn your friends to keep things tightlipped when it comes to us."

"Yeah. I'll do that."

"Honey, never think that I would rather have a job than be with you. It's the opposite. You are the most important person to me. I would give up anything and everything to have you in my arms. Nothing can change that."

"Even if it means getting fired?"

"Even if it means I get fired," he repeated. He kissed her lips tenderly. "For the time being we'll have to be cautious out in public. But with Christmas break coming up in a week, we can spend all the time we want together then. Many of the students and faculty will be going home, so we'll have less of a chance of getting caught."

"Agreed," she replied. "It's going to be our first Christmas together."

"The first of many," he stated. "And the last without a child to share it with."

"It's hard to believe that by the time Christmas is here, I'll be close to four months pregnant. I'm going to get fat."

"Impossible."

"You just wait. I'm going to make a cow seem thin."

"To me you will be so beautiful carrying our child. You could never be fat to me." Angel told her.

"Well, if you say so."

"What do you want for Christmas?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know. You always know exactly what to give me. I'll leave you to make the judgement."

Part 35

Christmas was quickly approaching. Buffy and Angel had adorned their apartment with festive decorations. A large tree stood in the corner of the main room. Lights and ornaments embellished it.

The whole town of Sunnydale seemed to be joining them in on the Christmas spirit. Many houses were trimmed with lights. Santa Claus and reindeer statues were spotted in more than a few yards.

The two of them were extremely excited about their first Christmas together, and the promise that many would follow. Buffy's stomach was starting to show her pregnancy, which made her all the more ecstatic. Angel and her were planning on spending Christmas Eve with family and friends, and then sharing Christmas day with no one but each other.

They walked through downtown Sunnydale, planning on catching a bite to eat. They strolled down the street hand in hand, enjoying the sights and sounds of the holidays. A bitter cold brought them chills. Buffy leaned further into Angel as a cool breeze sent a shiver up her spine. She pulled her leather jacket closer around her. Angel's hand left hers much to her protest, but she relaxed when he settled it across her shoulders, trying to keep her warm.

They stopped at the Café, deciding that it would be a nice place to have a snack. Angel got them both mochas and a muffin each.

Buffy sat snuggled into Angel. Both eating quietly, sending each other smiles. They were so lost in each other that they didn't notice the two people that stood at the foot of their table.

"Mr. Callahan?" one of them spoke.

The couple both looked up. Buffy recognized the young woman who had spoken as a student from Angel's class. As fast as she could, she reluctantly left Angel's comforting embrace and scooted her body away from him. Her cheeks were a bright red of embarrassment.

Angel nodded at both the women. "Yes?" he asked questionably. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm a student in your Art class," the girl spoke again.

"I am well aware of that. How are you Ailise?" He regarded the older woman, "Mrs. Fields."

Buffy's eyes immediately went wide. She knew Mrs. Fields to be a teacher of Willow's at UC Sunnydale. She couldn't bare it if they got Angel into trouble. She looked down at the table, not letting herself make acknowledgement of either of the women. She became nervous.

"I'm good. Mr. Callahan. My mom and I were just going to get a coffee when I saw you sitting here with…Buffy, isn't it? You're the TA of my class." Ailise said lightly. She flashed Angel a smile. "May we join you?"

Angel nodded in agreement; knowing that one wrong move could cost him his job. He looked at his love; she was all tensed up. Her face had gone from a bright scarlet, to very pale. She looked fragile, sick even. He gently touched her arm under the table; "Are you feeling alright?"

She glanced up at him. She slowly shook her head. She placed her hand over her mouth, and made a mad dash to the restroom.

"Is she alright?" Mrs. Fields asked.

Angel looked worriedly after Buffy; "I hope so."

"What were you doing here with a student anyway? You two looked awfully cozy for a student and teacher." Mrs. Fields persisted.

Angel quickly made up a story in his head, "We were going over my lesson plan for after break. As you can see she wasn't feeling well. I offered my shoulder as a pillow for her aching head. It was all innocent." She appeared to buy into it. He involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.

Buffy returned a few moments later. She had removed her jacket, her stomach could be seen from under her form-fitting shirt. She seemed flustered. Her cheeks had regained their natural rosy color. Her forehead had a thin layer of perspiration; she was obviously over heated. She silently sat next to Angel. She placed her elbow on the table, and rested her chin in her hand.

Angel softly brushed back a piece of her stray hair, "Are you feeling okay now? You look kind of sick."

"I think I'm finally getting that morning sickness my mom's been telling me about. Although it's not morning. I don't know what came over me. One moment I was fine, and the next I felt like I was going to die. Now I feel better, just a little hot." Buffy explained. She looked at Ailise and Mrs. Fields, "Sorry about that. I know it was rude, but I just figured I better get to the restroom, and answer questions later instead of right then."

"It's quite alright," the teacher told her. "How far along are you?"

"Not too far. Almost four months. I never have gotten the sickness before now." Buffy replied.

"Who's the lucky father?" Ailise joined in.

"If you don't mind, I would rather not say just yet." Buffy answered. She casually got up from the table. "I think I'm going to go home and lay down for awhile until I feel more like myself again."

"We'll finish going over this another time then?" Angel inquired.

Buffy flashed him a confused look before getting the gist of his question. "Yeah, we'll have to this again." She waved goodbye, and then left.

Angel watched her go, longingly. He wished to go with her, and comfort her through her illness. He hoped she would make it home safely.

Mrs. Fields broke his thoughts, "That poor girl. She is so young. Her boyfriend probably left her when they found out about the pregnancy. If I were her mother I would hunt that bastard down and kill him."

"Maybe it's not like that. He could still very well be with her." Angel defended.

"Either that or it was a one night stand." Ailise commented. "You never know, Buffy could get off on that sort of thing."

"Don't say that!" Angel exclaimed. "Buffy is a very nice young woman. I believe that you two are completely wrong."

"We didn't mean to offend you." Mrs. Fields informed him. "We shouldn't have brought it up. It's none of our business. I just don't see how it is yours either."

"Our fathers are old friends. I used to baby-sit Buffy. I know what she is like, and it is not anything like what you have said." He stood up. "I better be going as well. Ailise it was nice seeing you. I guess I'll probably see both of you after break."

He walked away. He couldn't stand the way they had talked about Buffy. If she had been around he knew she would have been deeply hurt. It made him furious. He wanted to yell out the truth. But he knew better than that. If he said anything it could cost him his job and Buffy's education.

He returned home. The place was quiet. He found Buffy sound asleep in bed. He joined her, and took her in his arms. He made a vow to himself to do whatever he could to protect Buffy from the critical and harsh judgements and words of other people. He would do anything to keep his love happy.

Part 36

Before either of them knew it, Christmas day had arrived. They had spent the previous evening at her mother's house. The whole Scooby Gang had been there including Faith, Spike, and even Angel's friend Doyle. Everyone had exchanged gifts, except for Buffy and Angel. They had decided to wait, instead of giving them to each on Christmas Eve. They wanted to be alone.

Buffy awoke on Christmas day, excited. She looked at the still sleeping Angel, eagerly. She felt like she was six years old again. She couldn't wait to open his gift to her. She quickly grew restless lying in bed.

She bounded out of bed and over to the window. She looked out; the sun was rising in the horizon. It was no doubt early morning. Buffy wished she could have woken up to snow on the ground, like they did on television. But that was the price you paid for living in sunny California.

She looked back at Angel. He was sound asleep. She couldn't wait any longer for him to wake up. She made her way back over to the bed. She crawled on top of Angel, and placed gentle kisses on each of his eyelids. She worked her way down to his lips. She was surprised when he kissed her back.

Her kisses had stirred him out of his deep sleep. His hand went up to Buffy's cheek; "Can't a guy get any sleep around her?"

Buffy shook her head; "It's Christmas. You're supposed to get up early."

"The day is not going anywhere. Let's go back to sleep," he grumbled. He tried to pull her down next to him.

She wouldn't budge. "Come on. Get up," she pleaded. He closed his eyes, pretending to have fallen back to sleep. Buffy shook him, "Oh no you don't."

"I'm sleeping," he mumbled. She tossed a pillow at him. "Hey! I'm up! Okay?" He yawned. "I'm tired."

"Boo hoo." She grabbed his hands. "It's time to open presents!"

He followed her out of their bedroom and out of the hall. "What time is it? I don't think the sun is even awake yet."

"It is. I was looking out the window." Buffy stated.

"How long have you been up?" Angel asked.

"Awhile. Not too long though," she replied. She handed him a silver gift-wrapped box. "Open this first," she instructed. "I'm saving the best one for last."

He did as she told him to. She had given him a gray sweater, some new art supplies, and a few other small gifts.

"Now, I hope you like this one." Buffy gave him a small box.

He opened it slowly. He found a set of keys in it. He jingled them in the palm of his hand, "What are these to? Are they the keys to your heart?"

"Nope. You already have those. These are to you're new Art studio. A real one. There is even a little gallery in it. That way if you ever decide to put your work on display, you can." Buffy explained.

He wrapped her in his embrace, and kissed her. "Thank you so much. I love it. I can't wait to see the place."

"We can go later."

"Okay," he agreed. He handed her a box. "Now it's your turn to open gifts."

He had given Buffy diamond studded earrings; some clothes that Cordelia had helped him pick out, among a few other things.

He then gave her an envelope; "I wasn't exactly sure what I should give you. And then this came to my mind."

She opened it. Plane tickets. "Where are they for?"

"Paris. I thought we could ring in the New Year in one of the most romantic cities. Plus we wouldn't have to hide from anyone. No chance of running into someone from UC Sunnydale." Angel answered.

Buffy let the information sink in before throwing her arms around Angel. "I can't believe this! I'm going to Paris!"

"I take it you like."

"Definitely. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow. I know that's not much time to prepare and get everything ready. But I wanted to spend as much time as possible in Paris before we have to get back to Sunnydale for school." Angel said. "Do you think you can pack and be ready to leave for the airport at seven in the morning tomorrow?"

"I will. This is just so exciting! I have to call Willow, Cordelia, and Faith. I got to tell them."

"It's a little early." Angel informed.

Buffy shrugged, "So?"

He chuckled, "Okay call them. I'll make us breakfast."

Buffy called her friends. Waking each of them up. She just had to brag to them where she was going. This would be Angel and hers first vacation trip together. She couldn't help but be thrilled. Her and Angel alone together in a foreign city. It was going to be romantic and fun. The sites they could see, the things they could do…Buffy could barely wait for tomorrow to come. This was the best Christmas ever for her. She also enjoyed the fact that they wouldn't have to hide while in Paris. The chances of running into someone they knew were slim to none.

After hanging up with Faith she entered the kitchen. She could smell the French toast cooking. "Cute. You're making French food."

"I don't know how French you could consider it." Angel replied.

"I know how French you could consider this," and with that she kissed him.

"You gotta love the French." Angel teased. "I know I do." He turned off the stove. "Breakfast is ready."

___________________________

"So do you want to go check out the new Art studio?" Buffy asked as she helped Angel wash their dishes.

"I would love to."

"Great! I want you to like this. You gave me the best Christmas present. I just hope you're not disappointed." Buffy told him.

"There is no way I could be disappointed." He placed the last dish in the cupboard. He took her into his arms. "I love you."

Part 37

Buffy watched on nervously as Angel unlocked the door to his new Art studio. A part of her knew that he would never be disappointed by anything she gave to him, but she couldn't help being over taken by jitters.

Angel pushed open the door. He liked the place just by looking at the outside. It was in a tasteful neighborhood, and he knew that the Art gallery where Buffy's mother worked was nearby. He glanced back at Buffy, sending her a grateful smile. He walked into the spacious room.

His eyes took in the sight before him. There was a lot of wall space, perfect for displaying his work. He noticed a door towards the back of the room. Buffy nodded at it. He made his way back to it, wondering what was in store for him behind it.

He pulled back the door, and stepped in. There was plenty of room for him to work. Easels decorated the room, all ready for him to start painting. He turned back to Buffy. She leaned casually against the doorframe. In one fluent movement he swept her into his arms, and held her tight. He breathed in the scent of her sweet hair, loving everything about his girlfriend.

She relaxed into his chest, "I take it you like it here."

"I love it. Although, I do have one question for you," he informed her. "How did you ever afford this?"

She shrugged, "Well, my mom was acquainted with the previous owner, and she got me a good deal. That's all you need to know. You have done so many nice things for me, I wanted to do something great for you."

"It's absolutely wonderful." He kissed her gently. "I can't wait for when we get back from Paris. I want to move all my supplies into here, and get to work." He rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly. "Thank you so much. This is the best gift everyone has ever given me."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for the truth.

He thought for a moment, "On second thought…" He watched as her face fell. He gave her a smile; "The best gift I have ever gotten was you."

She returned his smile. "I guess I could agree with that, considering that I am the best," she joked. "And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"What would I have done if I hadn't found you?"

"Live your life alone," she answered. "I know I would have."

"I don't want to even think about if that was reality," he said as Buffy yawned. "Am I boring you?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. I'm just tired."

"Next time you shouldn't get up before seven o'clock in the morning," he supplied. "You need your sleep."

"Well, I have to get up early tomorrow. We're going to Paris. Remember?"

"How could I forget?" he questioned. "How about we go on home, and take a nap? We don't want to be too tired tomorrow."

"I'm liking that idea so much. But I have an idea for what we should do first." She whispered something into his ear.

"I won't argue with that." He took her hand, and pulled her out of the studio, towards the car.

"I see somebody just came across a lot of energy." Buffy laughed.

____________________________

Later, Buffy and Angel started packing for their vacation. It was taking Buffy forever to decide what she wanted to take. Angel just threw a couple of pairs of pants and some shirts in a suitcase, and was almost finished packing. Buffy on the other hand, stood in front of the closet with her hands placed on her hips, contemplating on the outfits she should wear in Paris.

Angel came up from behind her, and drew her into his arms. "Need some help?" he offered.

"I can't decide what I should pack!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled, and went about helping her choose the perfect ensembles to bring with them. After awhile, Angel left to make them something to eat.

He came back to find Buffy sitting on top of a suitcase, desperately trying to close it. He quickly came to her rescue. Using his strength combined with hers, they were able to close it. His eyes then focused on two other stuffed suitcases. He looked from them to Buffy, who had gone into the bathroom to pack her beauty supplies. He followed her, as she shoved more items into a bag.

"How much are you taking?" he asked.

"I need to be prepared. You never know what the weather might throw at you," she pointed out.

He nodded, "Okay, but I don't know if the plane will be able to take off. Your stuff might weigh it down."

"Ha ha. Very funny," she said sarcastically.

"I'm just kidding. I should have known when I left the room, that you would have packed almost the entire closet." He grinned. "Come on, let's go eat, before the food gets cold."

_________________________

"Angel this vacation is going to be perfect." Buffy said as Angel and her laid in bed that night. "I'm even looking forward to getting up early. How often do I say that?" she inquired.

"Hardly ever. Take it from me, you are one of the hardest people to get up and going in the morning. Especially when you have to get to a class."

She made a face; "Class is very very boring. This is going to be big fun!"

"It sure will. You and me in the most romantic city." He kissed her.

She eagerly returned the kiss, pulling herself on top of him.

When the need for air became apparent, they pulled apart. Angel ran his hand down her arm. "You know, we better be able to leave the hotel a couple of times. There are some magnificent sites to see."

"Yeah, yeah," she replied before kissing him again. "But you got to admit, this is a hell of a lot of fun."

Part 39

It was dark by the time they reached Paris. They had spent the plane ride watching the movie, talking, and occasionally sleeping. With a few kisses here and there. They claimed their luggage, and once outside, Angel had hailed them a cab to take them to their hotel.

Buffy stared out the window of the cab, awestruck. The city was lit with bright lights. Her eyes shot around, trying not to miss a single thing. Everything amazed her, it was so beautiful.

Angel watched his lover, smiling at her reaction to their surroundings. He knew that they would have time to see the sites later, although Buffy was acting as if she would never have that chance. He put his arm around her shoulder, catching her attention. She looked at him with wide eyes.

She gave him a smile, "This is so wonderful, Angel!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm actually here in Paris."

"We'll have plenty of time to see all the sites," he informed her. "Don't worry about taking them all in now."

"I can't help it. I've never been to anywhere outside of sunny CA before." Buffy stated. "It's all new to me."

"It's the same for me," he replied. "We're in the same boat."

She leaned into him, "I know." She stifled a yawn. "I'm tired, I need to get some real sleep."

"We should get to the hotel soon," he said as the cab stopped, "Or rather we are there now."

They had their luggage taken up to their room. Angel was sure to give the bellboys a good size tip, considering the size of Buffy's bags.

"What is this? A suite?!" Buffy asked excitedly. "This place is huge."

Angel took her into his arms, "Only the best for you my love. This is our first vacation, and I wanted everything to be perfect. That's very important to me. I want us to remember this trip forever."

"There is no way, I'll be able to forget any moment of it. I can just see us sitting with our son or daughter in a couple of years and showing him or her pictures of Mommy and Daddy's vacation in Paris." Buffy imagined.

"I can see that too." He placed his hand over Buffy's stomach. He got down on his knees, and placed feather kisses to her round belly. "Our child is going to be so beautiful. Especially if he or she is anything like their mother." He kissed her stomach once more.

Buffy closed her eyes to the sensation of Angel's kisses. "It's our first night in Paris, I was thinking that maybe…we could…you know…celebrate." She pointed over towards the bed.

He looked at her in surprise, "I thought you were tired."

She helped him back to his feet. She gave him a passionate kiss, "Oh, I am definitely not too tired for this."

______________________________

Buffy awoke in the morning alone in the bed. She heard a clinking of some plates, and she watched as Angel entered pushing a cart, full of breakfast foods.

"I took the liberty of ordering us some room service. I hope you don't mind." Angel said, as he returned to his place in bed beside Buffy.

"I'm starving." Buffy answered. "The airplane food was nasty. This looks and smells much better." She laid her head on Angel's bare shoulder. He was wearing only a pair of silk boxers. She tried hard to concentrate on the food Angel was serving her, but his appearance was causing a major distraction for her.

"How are you feeling?" he questioned.

"What do you mean? Do I have morning sickness or something? Cause I don't." Buffy stated matter of factly.

He shook his head, "No. I was wondering if you have jetlag."

"Oh, no. I don't thing so anyway." Buffy answered. "So what's on the agenda for today?" she asked between bites of food.

"I thought we would just sort of wander around. Maybe see the Eiffel Tower."

"Cool. Sounds like fun. We could possibly fit some shopping in too. I'm supposed to buy Willow, Cordelia, and Faith something. I should also get something for my mom. Let's see. I could get them all, what do you call it here, umm…étudier."

Angel chuckled, "I take it, you have never taken French. You just said study."

"Hey, I took French!" she argued. "How do you say shirt?"

"If you're referring to a nice dressy shirt, then the word is chemisier."

"Oh okay. Unlike you, I may have spent highschool learning French, but I forgot almost all of it in like less than a month, Mr. Know It All."

"Knowing French, may help us get around here. How do you think I ordered us breakfast?"

"Well, I thought that you drew a little picture of what you wanted," she joked.

"Very funny."

She gave him a kiss, "I know."

They finished up breakfast, then they took a shower, and got themselves ready to go out and see the city.

"Got the camera?" Buffy asked on their way out the door.

"Oops," Angel answered as he walked back in and grabbed the camera off the table. "Got it."

"Then let's go."

"Where to?" he inquired.

"I thought we were just going to do whatever."

"We are, just any idea, on what you would like to do?"

"You know if you leave the decision up to me, we'll be going shopping." Buffy reminded him.

"I guess we could check out the Champs-Élysées. You can do some shopping, and it's supposed to be very nice."

"Okay then, we have some sort of a plan. Now we come to the question on where is that?"

"We look at a map." He pulled a pamphlet out of his pocket.

"Oh joy, it's in French. Haven't they heard of English?"

"Honey, we are in France, they speak French here. That's why everything will be in that language." He pointed to a spot on the map. "This is where we want to go."

"Lead the way."

Part 40

Buffy and Angel had spent the past couple of days enjoying the sites of Paris. Their trip was quickly coming to an end. The day after New Year's Day would be the day they were to leave. It was now New Year's Eve.

"Buffy, are you ready yet?" Angel asked again. He had special plans for the evening, and his girlfriend was still in the bathroom applying her make-up. "We have to go, and soon."

"Don't be such a baby. I'm almost done." Buffy called. "Just give me another second. Okay?"

"Fine," he answered. He looked down at his watch. They were going to be late for their dinner reservations, he knew it. When he looked up again, Buffy had entered the room. He gasped, "You're absolutely...wow."

She crossed the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around Angel. "And you wanted me to hurry."

"Seriously regretting that at the moment." He held her arms length away, taking in her image. Her long silky hair was pulled up. Her dress clung to her sultry figure, flaunting her curves. Her eyes sparkled at him.

She smiled, "You like?"

"I love." Angel replied. "As much as I would like to stand here with you in my arms, we better get going. We don't want to be late for dinner."

"We can be a little late." Buffy teased as she ran her fingers through his hair. "We can make it quick."

Angel removed her hand, "Honey, it's not a good idea. We'll get all messed up, and have to get ready all over again. Besides if we're a little late our reservations will go down the drain. It's New Year's; everyone will be trying to have dinner somewhere. Let's go. I promise, we'll have our fun later."

Buffy reluctantly followed him out the door, "Okay, but you promised about later. No taking it back."

______________________

They had their dinner, with a bit of confusion. Buffy insisted on ordering for herself. Angel snickered when she told the waiter what she wanted. He tried to explain to her, what exactly she was ordering, but she would not listen to him. When the food arrived, Buffy was dismayed at the sight of snails in front of her. So after much begging on Buffy's part, they ended up sharing Angel's dinner.

Once dinner was completed, Angel took Buffy to the Eiffel Tower. She had been pleading with him since they arrived to take her there. He wanted to save it for a special occasion, and tonight was just that.

There were a lot of people around, eagerly awaiting the New Year. He had managed to find the two of them a place where they could hear each other easily. Fireworks were planned to go off at midnight. Which would be the perfect time for Angel's plan. He took Buffy in his arms, and waited for the moment to come. The countdown to midnight would start soon.

"I'm so glad that you finally brought me here." Buffy stated. "I was beginning to think that we would be going back to Sunnydale without even seeing the Eiffel Tower. It's the one thing that I have actually heard of before coming to Paris."

"You know that I would never let you leave here, without seeing this. I just wanted to save it for the perfect time."

"And that would be New Year's Eve? Believe me, I don't see why people celebrate it. It's just another year."

"It's more than that. For one thing, it's our first New Year together. Secondly, I'm going to give you a reason to celebrate it. At least I hope." Angel informed her.

"Why's that?" Buffy asked.

Angel shrugged, "You'll just have to wait to find out."

"Angel!" Buffy exclaimed. "You know that once you say something like that to me, my curiosity gets the better of me. Now you have to tell me!"

"You're going to have to wait."

"Come on!" She raised a fist. "I'll hit you. And you know that it will hurt. A lot," she reminded him. "I'm the Slayer."

"Okay, okay you win. I like having feeling in my arms," he gave in.

She released her fist, and laid her hand on his arm. "What is it?"

"I only have one chance to do this right," he started.

"One chance at what?" Buffy asked confused by his choice of words.

"Shh. Let me say this. I had this whole speech worked out, but I have completely forgotten it. Please don't interrupt me."

She nodded in agreement.

He took a deep breath. "Buffy Anne Summers, I love you more than anything in this world. You are my world. You are my everything. Nobody else knows me by heart like you do. My heart is yours alone; it always has, and always will be. My heart beats for you, it breathes for you. And that feeling will never ever change.

"I had once told myself that I would never find true love. I know now that that's a total lie. From the moment I saw you, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I was so glad that you gave me a chance at love. I have never been in love before you, but the instant I laid eyes on you, I knew that I loved you.

"I know this might sound silly, or childish, but it was as if your soul spoke to mine. I've always heard people talk about soulmates. I didn't believe in them. How could there only be one person out there for you? I know now, that soulmates do exist. And mine is standing right in front of me. If I were to lose her, I don't know what I would do. I would probably die. I love you so much, that I don't know where you begin and I end. We are soulmates. Maybe some people never find there other half, but I was one of the lucky that did.

"We have so much between us. We have created a son or daughter together. I never knew that I could have this kind of love for another person. An unconditional love for someone I have never met. But I do."

Angel got down on one knee, "Buffy, I love you, will you marry me?"

She stood speechless for a few moments. They were both oblivious to the countdown going on around them. She collapsed into her lover's arms. "Of course it's yes. Angel, I love you." He slipped a diamond ring on her finger.

Fireworks shot up from the Eiffel Tower. The New Year had arrived.

Buffy swayed in her fiancés embrace; "We're starting out the New Year engaged."

"That was the plan," he kissed her forehead.

She turned to face him. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him passionately.

Back to the Part 41