TITLE: Keeping Secrets

AUTHOR: Kelly Rowe

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and all other characters (except those I make up) are the absolute property of Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy and Warner Bros (If I owned them, the events of Buffy season 4 or most of season 3 wouldn't have occurred).

SPOILERS: General (if any)

TIMELINE: Six years after ATS season 1 and BTVS season 4

ANGEL'S OFFICE (2 DAYS AFTER TWO WEDDINGS AND A SURPRISE)

"Angel man, you gotta help me with Delia. She's driving me nuts" Doyle begged.

"What am I supposed to do about her?" Angel replied calmly, although he was also worried about Cordy's behaviour.

Doyle thought about what Angel had said and replied, "Get Buffy to talk to 'er".

"Buffy has already been trying to get Cordy to talk for 2 days, and she's not having any luck either" Angel told him.

Doyle sat their quietly and then whispered, "I love 'er Angel. I just don't know if I'll survive her moods".

"Moods?" Angel asked, curiously.

"Yeah. One minute she's all I love yer Doyle you're the greatest. Then all of a sudden I'm a rotten demon with no fashion sense".

"That's not true" Angel said, "You're only half demon".

"Oh, Ha-ha" Doyle replied, sarcastically.

"Look Doyle. Whatever is wrong with her will eventually work itself out and she'll be her normal self".

"I hope so. Man, I hope so" Doyle said, more to himself than anyone else.

THE APARTMENT

Meanwhile Buffy had cornered Cordy in the kitchen. "Ok Cor. Tell me what's up or I'll tell Angel who's been prank calling Kate in the middle of the night". That's when Cordy burst into tears and hugged Buffy. When she'd calmed down, Buffy asked again, "What's wrong?"

"I can't say...if I'm wrong...I'd feel..." Cordy said, making absolutely no sense.

"Is it Doyle? Something he did?"

"I think I'm pregnant" Cordy whispered, catching Buffy off guard.

"Why do I get the impression that this isn't a joyous occasion?" Buffy asked.

"I just keep thinking..." Cordy said, trailing off.

"All the problems a kid can cause?"

"Yeah. Not only that there's Doyle's demon thing and..." Cordy said.

"You're scared" Buffy replied.

"Totally. How do you handle it?"

"I have Angel" was Buffy's simple statement.

Cordy was crying pretty hard again so Buffy said, "Look, we don't know if you are or not. I have an unused test in the bathroom, come on".

"Ok, let's do it" Cordy said, deciding that knowing was better than not knowing. They did the test and while they were waiting for the result, Cordy asked, "How come you had a spare one?"

"When I thought I was pregnant, I went out and bought eight to make sure" Buffy replied.

"So..."

"Well after the first seven all came out positive, it seemed like overkill to use the eighth," Buffy said.

Cordy fidgeted for a second then asked, "How much longer?" Buffy groaned and hoped that the remaining time would pass quickly.

Angel and Doyle went downstairs in search of the girls, but still couldn't find them anywhere.

"Buffy?" Angel called.

"I'm in the bathroom," Buffy answered.

"Princess?" Doyle shouted.

"I'm with Buffy".

Angel and Doyle looked at each other, confusion evident on their faces. "Why are you both in the bathroom?" Angel asked.

"Cordy's doing my hair" Buffy said, hurriedly.

"Ok" Angel replied, wondering what was really going on in there. He had a really bad feeling that they were up to something. That's when hey heard noise coming from the bathroom.

"Is anything wrong?" Doyle asked.

"Nope" came their chorused reply.

Angel and Doyle sat there waiting for the girls to come out, so that could find out what was really going on.

In the bathroom the girls checked the test. "Negative" Cordy, said, "I'm not pregnant".

"You're ok, with that?" Buffy asked.

"Sure, I mean as much as I wouldn't have minded a kid of my own, Doyle and I aren't ready. Just look at our relationship, it's not exactly the most stable thing in the world. Besides I think I'll have my hands full helping you and Angel out with your rugrat when it arrives" Cordy said, somewhat sadly.

"Sure you will. After all Godmother's a big job".

"Godmother? I thought you'd pick Willow" Cordy said.

"Nah, I picked you" Buffy said.

"Thanks" Cordy replied. "I think we should get out of here before Angel and Doyle think that we have become the new Willow and Tara".

They left the bathroom and Cordy immediately ran over to Doyle and whispered something in his ear.

"Angel, Cordy and I are heading off," Doyle said as Cordy dragged him out the door.

"What's up with Cordy?" Angel asked, still suspicious of the bathroom thing.

"Nothing. But I think that they had a good idea" Buffy said, as she dragged Angel off to the bedroom.

A FEW HOURS LATER

Angel got up and headed to the bathroom to grab a quick shower before heading out for patrol. In the bathroom he found the pregnancy test kit, and he finally realise what Buffy and Cordy had been up to in the bathroom. Angel quickly took his shower and walked back into the bedroom.

"Positive or negative?" he asked.

"Negative".

"So that was the reason she was so jumpy," Angel said.

"Pretty much. She had conflicting emotions, you know scared, happy and worried" Buffy replied.

"Worried?"

"She was worried any kid they had would inherit Doyle's demon side".

Angel thought about it for a moment. "Does it worry you that our baby may inherit some vampire traits?"

"No" Buffy answered honestly. "Because I know that if he or she does you'll help them through it".

Angel leaned down and kissed Buffy, all thoughts of patrol went out of his head as he laid her down on the bed and began to show her how much her faith in him, really meant to him.

The End