Part 13

For the fifth morning in a row, Buffy greeted the day by hanging her head over the toilet bowl and emptying the contents of her stomach. She was not a delighted Buffy over the whole situation; both Kathy and Dawn had picked up the dreaded stomach flu at their tremendously exclusive school and had munificently passed it around to the complete family – including a poor baby who was not even a year old and a cantankerous Englishman whom they had virtually adopted.

Everyone else’s infection was fortuitously subsiding, but not hers. Buffy figured that she got a mammoth dose of the virus due to the fact she had been the one running around and taking care of all of the ailing ones. However since Angelus was apprehensive, she had given into his request and was taking herself and Meghan to the doctor to be checked out.

So that is where she found herself a small number of hours later, in a jam-packed waiting room surrounded by screaming children and under the weather people. She pulled Meghan in close to her and wished that she was anywhere but there at that moment. In due course her name was called and she with pleasure escaped into the comparative peace of the doctor’s office.

Before she knew it she found herself poked and prodded, before been shown out onto the street with the inadequate guarantee of a call when her results were back sometime that afternoon. Since she was passing by, she dropped in to see her mother at the gallery and was instantaneously sent home, minus her daughter due to the fact she looked ‘like death warmed over’ and Joyce did not wish her granddaughter to catch a second dose of the disease.

Buffy headed home and once there, lay down on the bed to take an insignificant siesta. She woke up when the phone rang and realised she had been slumbering for close to five hours. Not reaching the phone in time, she got up and used the function on the phone to get the number of the person who had last called.

It was as expected the doctor’s office and so she called them back straight away. That was when she received to a large extent some unanticipated information … she was not unwell with the stomach flu, she was in fact pregnant. Even though she and Angelus were scarcely what you would call celibate – more than ever as of late – she had not even thought about that noteworthy consequence.

 She did not care about that although, she was ecstatic about the pregnancy. What disturbed her though was Angelus’ potential response to the news that he was about to become a father for the second time. Their agreement specified one child, there was no mention of more than that and it was not like they had ever discussed it.

Placing a hand over her abdomen she came to a resolution. She was going to telephone Angelus at the office and have him come home ahead of schedule and then she would simply do as she had when she told him about Meghan. A nice quiet dinner and some – with a bit of luck – good news would be a pleasant way to end the day and as a bonus it would also give her numerous hours to think about just what to articulate.

As you would expect her tactics backfired to some extent. Angelus was so bothered about why she wanted him to come home before time; he cancelled his remainder of his afternoon appointments and went straight there. He broke the speed limit up the driveway and screeched to a standstill, before jumping out and bursting through the front door.

He had not been convinced as to what to be expecting when he got there, but he had not thought he would find Buffy sound asleep on the settee and Meghan missing. A prompt and objectionable phone call to his mother-in-law settled his mind as to where his daughter was, but Joyce’s observation on why she had taken Meghan disturbed him.

Was Buffy ill? Was that what she wanted to tell him?

Making an attempt to calm himself down, he went back outside and removed his briefcase from the trunk of his car and armed the alarm. He systematically placed his work in his downstairs office and sat down in his leather chair taking a few deep breaths. Once he was composed – at least on the exterior – he went back into the living room and kneeled down next to her, affectionately stroking her hair back away from her face.

“Buffy?”

He watched her slowly come awake and focus in on his face, “What time is it?”

“Not even four…”

“You’re early… I had plans for you.”

At those words, he relaxed somewhat. “What kind of plans?”

“Some dinner, a little conversation and then…”

“I’ll go and make something, shall I? Get an early start to the evening…”

“Angel… I think we need to talk first. Before I loose my nerve entirely…”

He looked attentively at her, “What is it?”

She sat up and he got up from his knees to join her on the settee. “I went to the doctor’s today and he ran some tests…”

“Are you sick?” he asked deathly afraid of her response.

“No! Why would you even think that?”

Angelus looked and felt tremendously awkward, “Your mother said you looked unwell and…”

“I’m not sick,” she told him. “I’m pregnant!”

He could not help but stare at her, wondering if he had heard her correctly. A baby… They were going to have another baby… It was more than he had ever thought or hoped for. Meghan was all the miracle he had expected and now… Unable to express himself verbally, he pulled her in for a swift, hard kiss.

When they broke apart Buffy looked into his eyes, “You’re not upset?”

“You thought I would be? Are you upset?” he asked her, speculating on what her attitude was about the circumstances.

“No, I’m overjoyed …” she replied without delay. “It’s just we never talked about it and…”

“You thought I would be enraged or upset? I know we never discussed this, but we didn’t exactly do anything to prevent it either,” he replied sympathetically. “I am beyond doubt delighted about this, Buffy. I promise you that.”

She nodded, “I believe you.” He leaned forward to kiss her once more and was paused by an ear-splitting rumble that emanated from her body. “I guess we’re hungry…”

He kissed her forehead, “We can’t have that now, can we? Anything you have a desire for?”

She looked up at him her green eyes sparkling with mischief, “Yes… But I really should eat first.”

“Come on, minx. You can select what I cook for our main meal,” he told her as helped her up from the chesterfield. “But I get to choose the desert…”

The next morning – after her unsettled stomach had subsided for the most part – Buffy headed over to her mother’s house to pick up Meghan. She was a little taken aback by Giles answering the door, but refrained from commenting, after all the man had always been like a father to her anyway.  So after greeting him with a hug, she headed into the kitchen where her mother was attempting to feed Meghan breakfast.

“Good morning,” she said endeavouring not to express amusement at her mother’s inflexible attempt at feeding and her daughter’s equally obstinate refusal.

“’Morning,” Joyce responded, sighing in defeat. “Is she always like this?”

Buffy walked over, scooped up the spoon and without difficulty fed her daughter the mouthful of what looked like pureed fruit, “Only when she feels like it.”

“You’re looking better,” Joyce observed. “Did the afternoon off help?”

“Yeah, I – uh – got to chill out. Angelus came home early and looked after me,” she told her mother. “I also have something I need to tell you…”

“So do I,” Joyce told her smiling. “Please let me go first…”

“Sure.”

Joyce took a hold of Buffy’s hands, “Rupert is moving in.”

“Is that all? I thought you were dying or something,” Buffy answered relieved. “It’s great mom. You know that Dawnie and I adore Giles.”

“Well, I am reassured. So what’s your news?”

“I’m not sick…”

“I can see that.”

“I’m pregnant!”

Joyce just stared for a moment, “Again?”

“Yeah…”

“That was – uh – quick…” she said still in shock. “Did you plan to have them this close together. I always sort of wished you and Dawn had been closer in age.”

Buffy looked uncomfortable, “We… we didn’t plan anything… Not that I don’t want the baby or anything like that. It just would have been nice to wait a little longer.” ‘Like until I was sure I could get Angelus to fall in with love me’ she thought.

“Congratulations,” her mother told her with a smile. “If he or she is anything like Meghan, you’ll be just fine.” After pausing for a few seconds she continued, “I know I haven’t been Angelus’ biggest fan, or supported you the way I should have…”

“Mom…”

“No, let me finish,” Joyce said convincingly. “But the more times I see you two together the more I can see how much he loves you… How much you love each other. I am so glad that Rupert was right about him.”

“Giles?”

Joyce looked at her daughter and then turned her concentration back to a much more accommodating Meghan and began feeding her. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to say anything to you now. In fact you in all probability all ready know this.”

“Know what?” Buffy asked confused.

“Rupert told me… Well, about how much Angelus had loved you back in High School. It is sort of romantic how he swooped back into your life at just the right moment…”

Buffy was no longer listening to her mother; instead she took a seat and placed her hand over her abdomen in a gesture of maternal protection. Could it possibly be true, what her mother had alleged? It had to be a mistake? If Angelus had loved her all along wouldn’t he have simply asked her out and not had business contracts drawn up? It was all so bewildering and all she wished was for the time to sort it all out, but something deep inside of her told her that might not be a possibility.

End Part