Part 8

Joyce was unquestionably not in the greatest of moods the past couple months; the burden of her rift with Buffy was, as you would expect, weighing brutally upon her mind and heart - despite the fact that it was her own stubborn fault. Her gallery staff had taken in recent weeks to avoiding her whenever possible, as had Dawn and under no circumstance was anyone obtuse enough to mention Buffy's name to her.

Deep down within herself she knew that she was being utterly perverse over the entire situation, after all it was Buffy's life and her decisions were her own. Joyce understood that her feelings on the subject were due to her own life choices and what she considered to be the wrong ones for all involved.

The ringing of the gallery's door-chimes signalled the arrival of a new customer and Joyce put aside her pouting to see to whoever it was. A jolt of astonishment and something akin to pleasure rushed through her veins when she saw whom it was standing there in the doorway with a look of hesitation plastered across their face. Rupert Giles and she had sort of been involved after she and the girls had first moved to Sunnydale - after her divorce - but they had called a halt to the budding relationship when Giles had confessed to having feelings for his fellow teacher, Jenny Calendar - whom he had later married and left the country with.

"Hello Rupert," she whispered in amazement. He was the last person she had ever expected to walk back through her door that day or in fact any day to come.

Giles looked at her and the hesitation was replaced with a smile that lit up his very British features. "Hello, Joyce. You are looking extremely well."

Blushing at the comment, she looked away. "I had - uh - no idea that you were back in Sunnydale."

"Didn't Buffy tell you? She and Willow helped me to move into my office over at the college awhile back." There was a split second silence and when she said nothing in reply, he continued, "I can barely believe that Buffy's married now - and about to become a mother. It does seem like only yesterday that she was trying out for the cheerleading squad."

"Um - yes," Joyce mumbled distractedly, unable to confess her estrangement from her eldest to this man who held Buffy in such high esteem.

Thinking that Joyce was behaving the way she was because he was in her way, Giles nodded swiftly. "If you'll excuse me, I have some things to attend to. I'll see you around, Joyce."

He was almost to the door before she found her voice. "Rupert?"

"Yes?"

She cleared her throat nervously, "Maybe you and Jenny would like to come over for dinner one night? I mean whenever it's suitable for you to of course."

A sadness marred Giles' usually pleasant expression. "Jenny died almost a year ago. It was cancer."

"I'm so sorry."

"You weren't to know."

Joyce's smile was sad, "Goodbye Rupert."

As Joyce turned to walk away Giles stopped her. "Joyce? I'd be honoured to be your dinner guest."

Before she had even had the chance to reply to his statement, Giles had exited the gallery and was casually strolling across the main street. Turning around she headed back into her office and attempted to temper down the excitement at Rupert's acceptance of her invitation and - to her own shame - the death of her one time rival. Sitting down at her small desk, she tried to get on with her allotted work and put thoughts of old love's and renegade daughter's from her mind.

"Jamie."

"What?" Buffy asked looking up from the pregnancy book she was engrossed in.

Dawn looked at her sister from where she and Kathy were doing their monstrous amount of homework assigned by the heinous teacher's at Kent Academy. "As a name for the baby. Jamie McKenna sounds good, doesn't it?'

"Yuck," Kathy interrupted. "That name is gross. I like Zachary and Louise as names for *my* niece or nephew."

Before they could start another round of bickering over baby names, Buffy stepped in. “Thanks for the growing number of suggestions, but remember in the end it will be Angelus and who will pick what our child is called."

"In that case our soon-to-be niece or nephew is doomed," Kathy told Dawn as she rolled her eyes.

Buffy looked at the two teenagers, "What does that mean?"

"Well, would you want to be named by people called Buffy and Angelus?" Dawn retorted impertinently.

Buffy went to reply to her little sister's mischievous comment, but was crudely cut off by a horn blaring from outside of the mansion. "Mom's obviously here. You'd better go before she starts accusing me of corrupting you."

"Okay," Dawn replied reluctantly as she gathered up her belongings. "But think about my suggestion. It's a good name because it can work for either a boy or a girl - unlike Kathy's."

Buffy gave her sister a cursory goodbye hug, "Fine. I'll see you later, Dawnie."

As soon as Dawn had departed, Kathy looked at Buffy and spoke what was on her young mind. "You are not seriously going to consider *that* name are you?"

"No, but then again I'm also not going to consider your suggestions either."

"But..."

Buffy shook her head, "No buts. Angel and I are going to be the ones who choose our baby's name."

Kathy grabbed up her homework and text books from the floor and went to leave the room. "Spoilsport," was muttered as she walked out of the door.

Buffy merely stood there with a smirk playing across her face as her young sister-in-law stalked away in a huff. After a few moments - and her giggles had dwindled - Buffy wandered over to Angelus' study and went inside without bothering to knock.

"Are you ready yet?"

Angelus looked up from the mountain of paperwork he had spread across his desk and checked the time on the elegant gold watch on his wrist. "Sure."

They arrived at the obstetrician's office a few minutes before their scheduled appointment, unfortunately their chosen doctor was running behind and they were forced to sit in the waiting room until he was available. Luckily it was only a short wait and they did not have to spend hours in those uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

Doctor Jacob Stein looked up at the couple as they were shown in by his nurse. "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. McKenna. Won't you please sit down?"

Buffy and Angelus sat down on the luxurious material covered chairs - a far cry from the appalling plastic ones from before - simply glad just to be out of that repressive waiting room. If Doctor Stein had not been the best - or at least the best that could put up with Angelus' perpetual questions and irritability - obstetricians in California, they would not have even bothered to wait. They sat there for another five minutes or so before the doctor decided to speak to them.

"After a quick review of your file, I can see that there have been no complications so far. However are there any questions that you may have before we begin the examination?"

Angelus smirked, "When do you suggest that *we* stop our - uh - intimate relations?"

Buffy turned an intense red colour from the mortification and hid her face in her hands, unable to look the kind doctor in the eye. It was not the first time Angelus had asked that particular question and every time he did he go the same answer, she was beginning to realize that he simply liked to embarrass her with it.

"As I have told you before, around the eighth month - which is not long away for you now," Doctor Stein replied in an even tone. "And then - of course - there is the six week period after the birth before you can resume and then only if medically cleared. Do you have any other questions?" When his question was met with nothing but silence, he suggested, "Mrs. McKenna, why don't you go into the examination room and put on one of those highly popular hospital gowns. Call us when you are ready dear."

It was only a couple of minutes later that Buffy announced that she was ready and both Angelus and the doctor entered the minuscule room adjoining the doctor's office. She was laid down upon the examination table and could feel the coolness of the metal inch its way through the paper-thin gown. Unfortunately it was nothing compared to the iciness of the gel-like substance that the doctor applied to her enlarged abdomen through the circled opening in the front of the gown.

A moment later the doctor grabbed a wand-like object and passed it across the gel causing a picture to appear upon the monitor of the ultrasound machine. Staring at the image of her unborn child, Buffy was almost overcome with emotion. She could hardly believe that in less than a few months she would be able to hold the child in her arms.

"I know I've asked you this and you have always said no, but would you like to know what sex your child is?" Doctor Stein's asked them.

Buffy and Angelus exchanged a look and then suddenly Angelus nodded his consent to the idea. "I think we'd like to know this time," she eventually answered after making her decision.

Doctor Stein smiled at them, "It's a girl."

Buffy felt light-headed at the news and sneaking a quick look over at her dashing husband she saw him covertly wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. Jovial and comforted that Angelus seemed to be ecstatic over the news that they were having a daughter, Buffy felt the anticipation build - tinged with sadness over her mother - of telling both Dawn and Kathy they were going to have a niece.

Dawn was in a tremendously good mood as she set the dinner table that night in preparation for their guest. Buffy had called only an hour or so earlier and told her that she was having a girl. Since then her mind had been whirling with all the things that she planned to do and teach her niece - of course that was all a long way off, but she could afford to look forward to them.

The doorbell rang just as she laid the last piece of silverware in place and before her mother could even get the words out, Dawn volunteered to answer the door. Rushing into the front hall, she flung open the door and invited Giles inside and took his tweed coat to hang up in the closet. After showing him into the living room, she pounced.

"Have you heard about Buffy's baby?"

Giles looked at the teenager standing in front of him. "Is Buffy and the baby all right?" he asked in genuine concern.

"Oh yeah, both Buffy and the baby are fine," Dawn replied. "I meant did you hear that it's a girl?"

"No, I hadn't heard," Giles answered happy for Buffy and the man she had married. A moment later when Joyce entered the room all dressed up, he addressed her immediately, "Congratulations, Joyce."

"On what?" Joyce asked him, confused by the conversation.

Giles looked at her closely, "On the fact that you are to have a granddaughter."

Joyce paled at the unexpected news, "Buffy's having a girl?"

"Yeah," Dawn said uncomfortably. "She called a little while ago and told me."

Suddenly all the pieces fell into place for Giles, why Joyce had not known he was back in town and why she seemed shocked to hear that she was going to have a granddaughter. "You and Buffy aren't speaking to one another, are you?"

Before Joyce could answer, Dawn opened her mouth. "She and Buffy had a fight because Buffy not only married a guy, but dared to start her own family. One that was out of mom's control."

"Dawn! Go to your room right now."

"Sorry mom, but you know it's true," Dawn told her as she exited the room.

After the young girl was safely cocooned in her room, Giles stepped forward and placed a hand on Joyce's shoulder. "I do know that this is none of my business, but Buffy and Dawn have always been like daughters to me. The only outcome of this situation you have all gotten into is only going to hurt you in the long run."

Joyce sighed and sat herself down on the floral covered couch, "I only wanted to protect her from making the same mistakes I made in my youth."

"She's not you, Joyce. Buffy is an extremely unique individual and when everything is said and done it is her life and her decisions to make. As her mother all you can do is support her and help her through whatever the consequences are," Giles told her as he took a seat next to her and gently stroked her hand.

"I know, but I just don't trust Angelus. I don't think that he really loves her."

"Angelus McKenna?" Giles questioned.

"Yeah, that's whom she married."

Giles surprised Joyce by bursting into laughter, "You need not worry, Joyce. That poor boy has been mooning over your daughter since his junior year at Sunnydale high."

"What? How?"

"If I remember correctly," Giles began his story. "Buffy told him off over something in the cafeteria one day and for some unknown reason he liked her and her spunky spirit. Unfortunately back then, Buffy did not return his feelings and Angelus spent the rest of his time at high school brooding around the corridors of the school."

Joyce looked at Giles in shock, "That's unbelievable."

"No, that's true love."

A couple of months after Buffy had broken the news of her daughter to every single person she knew, she found herself standing in the doorway that led to Giles' college office and more or less fell over laughing at the sight of him singing folk songs as he danced around dusting his extensive book collection. It was a disconcerting - and yet an entertaining - sight to see the conservative Englishman act so puerile and light-hearted. After a few moments she decided that it was time for her to let Giles know that she was standing there, so she tapped ever-so-gently on the doorframe.

Giles spun around with an expression of both horror and astonishment plastered across his very stoic features at being caught acting in such a manner, especially by a former student and the daughter of the woman he was once again seeing. "Buffy?" he acknowledged in a choked voice as his face darkened to a shade of pink that foretold his embarrassment.

"Hey Giles," she replied desperately trying not to laugh again and embarrass him further. "You wanted to see me?"

"Uh - yes, I did."

Buffy waddled her way into his office and sat down in one of the arm chairs that were located beneath the small window. "So?"

"Well - uh -" Giles stuttered apprehensively. "The thing is - I have been seeing quite a bit of your mother lately -"

"I know, Dawn has a big mouth," Buffy answered as she rubbed her swollen abdomen. "I don't have any problems with it, if that's what you're wondering."

"Actually it wasn't, but thank you. The truth of the matter is that I asked you here today to discuss your relationship with Joyce," Giles said looking exceptionally unnerved with the topic that he had raised. "She would like to make up -"

"Giles!" Buffy interrupted, her hazel eyes darkening to an emerald green colour as her anger grew. "If *she* wants that then *she* can make the overture herself instead of sending you to do it for her. Right now I don't know if I'm angrier at her or you for doing this. For God's sake I'm eight months pregnant; I don't need or want this extra stress."

"Joyce just doesn't know how to approach you - I'm not sure that she ever did."

Buffy glared at her former mentor, "Oh gee, thank you so much. I just love how you insinuated that it's somehow *my* fault that my mother can't talk to me civilly. It's not like I haven't tried to bridge the gap, but she has simply said way too many things to just sweep it all under the rug with an apology."

Giles finally sat down and then grasped a hold of her hand. "Buffy, I am not trying to put you and your mother back together. I am simply informing you that if you wish to resume communications with her then I think that now she would be receptive. Just promise me that you will think about it?"

Buffy sighed thoughtfully, "I'll think it over - maybe discuss it with Angel."

"Do you have to discuss everything with him?" Giles asked her as she stood up ready to depart.

When she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder at Giles. "No, I don't have to discuss anything with him. I merely *choose* to do so."

Angelus was sitting at his desk staring out of the large bay window in his office that gave him a view of the front driveway. He did not even attempt to kid himself; he was ignoring the enormous pile of paperwork situated in front of him because he was anxious for Buffy to get home and not because he wanted to admire the lovely view of the expertly manicured front gardens. With the baby due within the next month, Angelus practically had a heart attack whenever Buffy went anywhere without himself, Kathy, Dawn or Willow with her.

His demeanour relaxed as the cherry-red Mercedes that he had bought Buffy for her last birthday pulled into the driveway and stopped behind his own black BMW. Sighing with relief he watched his wife's enlarged frame struggle out of her vehicle and when she was almost out, he got up and headed towards the front door to meet her.

As she entered the front foyer, he pulled her into his waiting arms. When he had temporarily sated his need for her, Angelus released Buffy and stared into her hazel eyes. "Where have you been? You know that Doctor Stein told you not to drive at this stage of your pregnancy."

"Chill out, Angel," Buffy replied panting, still trying to recover her senses after that mind-blowing kiss. "Giles asked to see me and since UC Sunnydale is barely five minutes away -"

Angelus grabbed her hand and held it enclosed within his larger one. "I was worried."

"The baby's fine."

"I wasn't only worried about our daughter," he told her honestly. "I don't want to see anything happen to you."

Buffy could not help but feel a rush of excitement at his words, even if the meaning was not quite what she wanted to hear. "Okay, I promise that from now on I'll get someone to take me wherever I want to go."

Angelus dropped a quick kiss on her forehead, "Good." He took her by the arm and led her into the living room and sat her down with him. "So why did Giles want to see you?"

Buffy had been flabbergasted to find out that she and Willow had not been the only students at Sunnydale high that had looked up to Giles as a father figure, in fact Angelus had done so before the girls had even started high school. The two men had been rediscovering their mislaid bond since Giles had moved back to town and for that reason alone she was not certain that she should tell Angelus what Giles had wanted to discuss with her.

"Buffy?"

"He - uh - wanted to discuss my mother," she finally replied not meeting Angelus' intense gaze.

Angelus pulled her closer to him, "He wants you to reconcile with her?"

"Yeah - but I'm not so sure."

He took a deep breath, "Think it through carefully, honey. You and your mother were once close and maybe you shouldn't toss it all away."

Buffy could not help but stare at her husband in disbelief, Angelus was unquestionably not a fan of her mother's and yet here he was telling her not to cut Joyce entirely out of her life. "All right, I promise to think about it carefully."

"Great. I'd better get back to doing some work."

As he attempted to stand, Buffy grabbed a hold of his large hand and pulled him back down to her level. Lifting her free hand to stroke the side of his face, Buffy lifted her lips to his own and into a passion-filled kiss.

After a few moments of torture, Angelus broke away with a strangled moan. "Buffy, we have to stop baby. Doctor Stein said -"

"What Doctor Stein doesn't know -" Buffy trailed off seductively.

Angelus sighed as he looked her in her lust-filled eyes and gave into the temptation that she presented before him - it wasn't like he could ever repudiate whatever thing she wanted - and sank down into the extra large cushions as he pulled her on top of him.

The piles of paperwork and unopened crates containing up-to-the-minute pieces of artwork were scattered around Joyce's minuscule gallery office. Squeezed into an undersized uncluttered area at her desk, she attempted to fill in some of the numerous forms that were supposed to clear the way for the exhibition that was going to be held there in the next couple of weeks.

She was so absorbed in the monotony of business; Joyce never heard the gallery bell or the energized whispers of her small amount of employees. It was only when she felt as though she was being watched that she looked up and saw Buffy hovering near her office doorway.

"Buffy?"

"Hi mom," Buffy replied to some extent apprehensively. "I - uh - think it's about time that we talked."

"You're right."

Buffy waddled gracefully - well as gracefully as she could - into the office and took a seat crosswise from her mother. It was a weird and wonderful sentiment for Joyce to see her daughter, her baby girl visibly pregnant in person. At long last it hit home that her baby was having a baby of her own.

"Well?" Buffy pushed after a few moments of tremendously unnerving silence had lapsed.

Joyce pushed aside the paperwork she had been filling in and looked her eldest child unswervingly in the eye. However it became palpable immediately that Joyce was undecided about how to put in plain words her actions, her reservations and to make an apology to Buffy.

"I'm not certain how to begin -" Joyce stopped and sighed.

"Well... try."

"Actually I do know where to start. I'm sorry," she told her.

"That's it? More or less six months of ignoring my existence and you say you’re sorry. That is *so* pitiable."

Shaking her head Joyce asked helplessly, "What do you want from me?"

Buffy looked as though she was about to burst into tears and her left hand reached across her swollen abdomen, exposing her wedding and engagement rings to Joyce's gaze. "Maybe an explanation?"

"I guess I could do that," Joyce incomprehensibly murmured. Taking a deep breath she sighed, "The truth is I was using my own encounter to colour my perception of your decisions."

Buffy stared at her with amazement, "What are you -"

"Your father and I. We didn't want to get married - hell, I was barely eighteen and Hank wasn't much older. We sort-of had too."

"Because of me?"

Joyce shook her blond head of curls once again, "No honey. I was pregnant at the time, but I lost it. Hank and I were ready to part ways when along came you and then Dawn. But I don't want either you or Dawn to think for even a moment that your father and I didn't love either one of you." Joyce took a deep breath before continuing, "The reality of the situation was that Hank and I just weren't sure that we wanted a life together and eventually we discovered that we didn't. However at the time - when you and Dawnie were younger - I did feel a little resentful. I didn't get to go to college, hangout with my friends or just be a teenager. However in time I came to realize that I was the lucky one - because I got you and Dawn out of it." Pausing for another breath she checked that she still had Buffy's attention before she went on, "I know that I can't make it up to you for what I said or did, but I'd like the chance to try. Will you give me the chance?"

"I'm not sure that I can just go back to where we were -"

"Can we move on? Maybe try to be friends?"

Slowly Buffy nodded, "I think we can try to do that."

Joyce released a breath that she had no idea that she was holding. "Good. Maybe we could start with you and Angelus attending the opening in a couple of weeks?"

Looking down at her protruding stomach, Buffy sighed. "It depends on your grandchild's plans, but I can promise to try to show up."

"Fair enough."

Buffy stood up and gazed attentively at her mother, "I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye honey."

The moment that Buffy was gone out of the gallery, Joyce snatched up the phone and dialled a now familiar number. "Hi sweetheart. I don't know what you said to Buffy, but - thank you."