Disclaimer and such: See Previous Chapters. Category: Alternate Universe. Pairing: Angelus/Buffy Feedback: --Will Write For Feedback!!-- Remember, and this is for myself and my fellow fabulous fanfic writers, we do not get any sort of compensation for our hard work, planning and effort put into these stories. Feedback is important to us so please take time to feed the feedbacks! Dedicated to my favorite fanfic authors: MargotLeFaye, Ducks, Lela Rose, Britanyca, Kim, Indie, Tango,Yahtzee and Baby Blues. Dedication2: To the WONDERFUL, FABULOUS Feeders I have had for this story! THANK YOU! I adore ALL the comments, questions, suggestions and observations! Note: Brace yourselves. Warning: Story in general has some very dark themes, please do not read if you offended by non-consensual situations. Rating: Overall NC-17 ----------------------- INSANE NEED ----------------------- ------------------ Chapter 16 ----------------- [ Two days after the doctor’s appointment] "This was a nice idea Angelus, it is such a perfect day for a picnic," commented Buffy. "And this food, Adelle is something else in the kitchen. I am going to gain 30 pounds from her cooking even if I wasn’t pregnant." "I know what you mean," said Angelus as he lay down on the plaid blanket, "I can barely move now, but I am not so immobilized that I don’t want to do this," he rolled over towards her and kissed her stomach. She studied him for a moment, his happiness at her pregnancy, his adoration of her. He confused her so much, his nature was domineering and she was starting to understand that but underneath this façade seemed to lie a very gentle and loving man. "Angelus can I ask you something?" "Anything baby." "The other day you mentioned your parents, and something about them being killed? What happened to them?" Angelus grew quiet for a moment, he rolled onto his back and stared at the fluffy white clouds peppering the blue sky. "They were killed in a car accident when I was twenty. Drunk driver hit them head on while they were stopped at a red light, doing sixty. My mother died instantly, my father survived for two days before succumbing to his internal injuries." Buffy sat up attentively, "I am sorry." He smiled at her, "It was a long time ago." "What did you do --- I mean after?" asked Buffy. "I went to school part-time and I took over the bank. The board didn’t want me to," Angelus sat up in front of Buffy, "in fact there was quite the conspiracy to get me out of the corporation. You would not believe the backroom deals, planning and elaborate lies cooked up to get me out. You see, I was not just some kid who was easily manipulated into doing what those old bastards wanted. And what they wanted was to line their own pockets regardless of the consequences to the bank." "How were you able to fight them? I mean you were only twenty? And they had so much experience over you?" "They did, they had experience, numbers, thirty years of working by my fathers side; and what did I have? I was a spoiled, rich boy who never had to work for anything in his life. However, I did have something that they did not expect, guts." Buffy was fascinated, transfixed by Angelus’ tale, "What did you do?" "With the inheritance of my parent’s shares in the bank, I took over as chairman of the board. Those sons of Bitches gave me every excuse in the book to try to divert me from taking that position or later to try and get me out of it. I would just nod my head at them and do whatever the hell I wanted to do damn the consequences. I wrangled control of the day to day operations from the executive board and brought in William and Lindsey soon after. The board attempted a coup d’état and tried to force me out using a two percent advantage they assumed they had. But in the ninth hour I pulled out a share transfer document that proved that I had purchased four percent of the voting blocks from my chief rival’s ex-wife. He was forced to relinquish his proxy over her shares and I in turn replaced the entire board. Since then I have managed to acquire a significantly higher percentage and am completely secure in my control over the bank." "You went through a lot didn’t you Angelus?" "I did what I had to do in that situation Buffy. I could not give up my legacy without a fight. Especially to people I had once trusted who turned on me and were more then willing to stab me in the back and twist the knife deep." "That is awful. Thinking that those people were ones you could always trust and then suddenly seeing them turn on you before your eyes. It is something you can never forget or eradicate from your heart Angelus." "No, betrayals such as those cannot be forgiven, they show the true character of the one you had trusted---" Angelus noticed the watery glistening in Buffy’s eyes and wanted to kick himself when he realized what he was saying, "Buffy I am sorry. I just --" "No, no. You are right. People who would turn so completely on you are not to ever be trusted again. How did you meet William?" asked Buffy. "We went to school together, we have been best friends, brothers really since college." Angelus watched as Buffy nodded, he knew she was thinking of her father and how he could have allowed him to take Buffy the way he did. Of course Angelus knew he had given Buffy’s father little choice, give her to me or be ruined, but Angelus knew he, himself would rather be ruined, lose his life then allow Buffy to be hurt in anyway. "Buffy, want to head in?" inquired Angelus. "Yes, I am a little tired, but I would like to hear more about your past Angelus. You know, get to know my baby’s father better?." Angelus smiled broadly, "For you, and only you, I am an open book." ---------------------- [In the Library] "What you doing?" asked Angelus nicely as he sauntered into what was quickly becoming Buffy’s office. "I am starting to fill out this baby book we got yesterday on our shopping trip and flipping through this baby name book too." "Oh baby names. What about Cormac if it is a boy? Said Angelus." Buffy glanced up at him with a crinkled nose and this incredulous look on her face? "What you want our son to get beat up on the playground?" "What? It was my grandfathers name, it is very Irish." "And I am sure your grandfather had good use of it, but no." Buffy continued to look through the book. "What about--" Buffy put up her hand up and stopped him from talking, she closed the books and stood, "Want to go to town? We can fight about baby names anytime." "Sure, what do you have in mind?" "I thought we might do a little more shopping, maybe hit a movie?" suggested Buffy. "Sounds like fun. What is in the theater’s now anyway?" ------------------ [The Mall] "I did not!" protested Buffy. "Oh yes you did!" countered Angelus. "At no point during that lame horror movie did I get scared! I mean really was the vampire make-up done by the same people who do the Count on Sesame Street? And the acting was to over and the plot, was there a plot?" "I don’t care what you say, you jumped, I saw it, I will testify to it in court!" "Your logic does not resemble our earth-logic. You know maybe we should stop at the vision place over there and get you glasses." Angelus took hold of Buffy around the waist, "Don’t worry honey, I’ll never tell about your secret fear of movie vampires." Buffy gave him the evil eye as they proceeded to walk. --------------------- [ The next day in the kitchen ] "Adelle, do you think you could make those cheese turnovers for lunch? They were SO delicious!" asked Buffy. "Of course, I am very pleased you enjoyed them dear. I’ll make those with some salad and an apple pie for lunch?" "Oh that sounds so good! Maybe one day you can teach---" Buffy noticed Adelle’ s eyes open wide and she turned around to see what it was about. Buffy saw Angelus enter the kitchen carrying a can of paint and wearing Black Overalls with the Armani label clearly showing on the center pocket. Buffy was speechless at first but soon broke out in a fit of laughter so intense that she collapsed onto a kitchen chair and had to bend over to catch her breath. Angelus put the paint can down, scooped Buffy up into his arms, she had to wrap her arms around his neck and laugh/cry into his shoulder; Angelus winked at Adelle then turned and carried Buffy up to his office. He took Buffy over to the couch in his office and sat with her still laughing with tears streaming down her face, on his lap. As she finally calmed, she wiped the tears away with her hands and took in several deep breaths. When she looked up at Angelus’ face, he could not resist, he kissed her. He kissed her softly, tenderly. It was a spontaneous kiss but a kiss as sweet as sugared nectar, and she reciprocated. For the very first time Buffy was not offended by his kiss, she was not stiff or withdrawing. She returned his affection just as sweetly, for a moment she forgot the hurt, she just enjoyed the moment. As the kiss ended, Angelus nuzzled her face with his, planting a few small, quick kisses on her face before moving forward and picking up some large folders. It took several moments for Buffy to catch her breath and reign in her emotions. Angelus cradled her, urging her to rest her body on his. "I thought you would find that funny. Only for the woman I love would I wear overalls." "Suddenly, I believe you," replied Buffy as she looked intently into Angelus’ face. "Look, look," continued Angelus, "This is what I brought you up here for. Samples of murals from various artists." Buffy took a couple of the boards from Angelus as he held the rest and did his best to control his own emotions. "I think your idea of doing a mural is perfect baby. In fact I like it so much that maybe we should do a couple more in other rooms in the house?" "I like that idea a lot Angelus. Wow, look at this one, it is so real looking you almost feel like you are walking into this tiny faerie world." Angelus put the boards down on the couch and looked through them with his one free hand, picking out one in particular, "Look at this one." "OH! My goodness, that is spectacular. The colors, the detail, wow, it’s gorgeous. Do you think we can get something like this?" "Of course my love. If this is the concept you like, then we will get working on it right away." Angelus held her closely, unwilling to let her go. Buffy flipped through the boards herself and replied, "Yes I think this is the best one. I absolutely adore it!" "And I adore you." --------------------------------- ----------------------- INSANE NEED ----------------------- ------------------ Chapter 17 ----------------- "Tara, I am so confused. When it comes to him I cannot think straight," said Buffy into the phone. "What has it been, about three weeks now Buffy? And in that time you made this deal with him, you are sharing your life and pregnancy with him and you kissed him. Buffy, you know I am going to support you no matter what happens, and if you fall in love with him and he treats you well then I will be very happy for you. But do not forget how you got into that situation in the first place? I mean Buffy he is a master manipulator, can you be sure his feelings are genuine? And not some charade to get what he wants?" "I know Tara. He is a genius when it comes to making situations turn out the way he wants them to, I told you about the bank and that but --- but I don’t know. I look at him, and I don’t know if I am fooling myself, if I am so affected by everything that is going on that I just want to believe it but he seems to really care for me." "Ok Buffy, let us take that for granted, let us admit that he loves you but that is not the important question. The important question is do you love him?" Buffy was silent for a long time, Tara had to call her name to make sure the connection was not lost. She sat there and thought about what Tara had ask and tried to be as honest with herself as she could be. "I don’t know Tara. At first I was so terrified of him, of what was happening that all I could do was not think about it. Then I was running, and trying to make my life again after everything, when he found me and brought me back here, the first few days I was resentful, I thought he was delusional if he thought I would stand still for being held hostage. But then, then we made the deal and I started to relax. Ever since, I have actually realized I have been enjoying myself now and then and even sometimes if he isn’t around me I wonder where he is; but not in the I hope to avoid him way, but in the I wonder what he is doing/where he is way. I don’t know, maybe I will feel different when I go back to school and I get more choice of company then just him." "Maybe," responded Tara before she took her own long silent break, "Buffy, if you really feel something for him, just make sure it doesn’t come from a sense of being alone in the world because you are not." "I miss you Tara, and I am so lucky to have you for my friend." "We are lucky to have each other, and I miss your spaghetti!" ------------------------------- "Sweetheart," called out Angelus as he exited the house and walked down to the garden where Buffy and Marie were planting herbs. "Hmm?" Angelus crouched down next to Buffy, "I hope you don’t mind but I made a doctor’s appointment for you." "I thought my appointment with Dr. Morgan was next week? You changed it?" asked Buffy. "No, I made a new appointment with a Dr. Jennifer Calender. She is one of the leading OBs in the state." Marie looked up and smiled at Angelus, nodding her head in approval. "What happened? You didn’t like Dr. Morgan?" asked Buffy, "She seemed ok." "OK is not good enough for my wife. We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon at four," stated Angelus. "Alright but you are a little ridiculous sometimes, you do know that?" said Buffy as she finished planting the rosemary. "Yeah, but it is all part of my charm. Besides, this little one in here deserves nothing but the best." Angelus tilted Buffy back and caressed the bulge in her midsection lovingly. "And that little one in there, plus us big three out here are going to get soaked if we stay out here much longer," said Marie as she pointed up to the dark clouds looming overhead. "Enough gardening," firmly stated Angelus as he glanced up at the sky, "time to go in and keep you warm, besides Adelle made cheese cake and I might just forgo dinner and go straight to dessert unless someone stops me." "Cheese cake?" Buffy perked up, "Ok you convinced me, let me just gather up the tools here." Angelus picked her up as Marie said, "Leave them, I will clean up quickly and head in myself." "Thank you Marie," said Buffy before staring at Angelus, "You know if you keep carrying me around you are going to get a hernia." "Oh please Buffy, you weigh nothing. Nine months pregnant and you will still be as light as air. Not to mention, you in my arms… not such a bad deal." Buffy just shook her head and enjoyed the ride, once inside he put her down and they both semi-raced to the kitchen. "Hey! I am the pregnant one, I get first dibs at the cheese cake!" "Yeah, but…" "Yeah, but nothing Mister!" laughed Buffy as they both squeezed past the doorway into the kitchen and towards the island where the cheese cake was in full view but before either of them could even touch the cake cutter Adelle yelled, "Touch that cheese cake and you will both lose fingers." Buffy and Angelus stopped in mid air as Adelle continued to speak with her back turned to them, "The Cheese cake is for dessert, and dessert comes after dinner, which will be served in one hour. Do not go spoiling your appetites. Now go clean up and everything will be ready in the dining room soon." "Surely, a little taste won’t hurt Adelle," said Angelus. Adelle turned to face them quickly, "Master Angelus! I am here slaving all day over this stove and you are going to go spoil that appetite of yours with cake before you go on and taste my jambalaya." Buffy took the cake cutter from Angelus and put it down then stepped in front of him, "Don’t worry Adelle, he will behave, won’t he?" She stared him down and guided him out of the kitchen. "I know your big bad and tough Angelus, but that’s Adelle. She will chop you up and cook you!" Angelus laughed, "Ok, Ok. I suppose we should shower and change anyway, it seems we both have garden dirt all over us." "Well who told you to go and carry me in, now you are all smudged." "It is ok, as long as you are the one doing the smudging." He kissed her neck and she giggled then pushed him aside and rushed up the stairs with him following. Buffy walked straight to the bathroom and he boldly followed her straight in. "What do you say we shower together." Warily, Buffy glanced up at him, "Angelus.." "I will behave Buffy." He proceeded to gently assist her off with her clothes before he removed his own then turned on the shower. Buffy’s eyes raked over his well-toned body. She had to admit, he was a stunningly, gorgeous man. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, her stomach was showing signs of the baby bulge and she wondered what she would look like in nine months. As if answering her mental question to herself, Angelus wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear, "Absolutely gorgeous today and more beautiful in your ninth month. Turning in his arms and looking up at him, the look that passed between them was heated and laced with love. They came together in a kiss, the moisture of their mouths mixing, their naked bodies feeling one another’s textures. Angelus deepened the kiss, Buffy grasped his shoulders, feeling his taut muscles envelop her. His hands roamed down to her lower back, he wanted to pull her up, bury himself in her but in some small, rational corner of his mind he realized she was not ready. He pulled back and lead them both into the shower, they bathed, kissed but Angelus made no move to satisfy his obvious arousal and Buffy was grateful. She left the shower before him, a bit nervous and aroused herself, but she knew it was not the right time, not yet. After she left the bathroom to dress, Angelus turned the shower to it’s coldest setting. ------------------------ Dinner went by pleasantly and the two of them retired to the bedroom early to watch television. They took the left over cheese cake with them and changed into their night clothes intending to munch, relax, talk and watch whatever fancied them on TV. Buffy sat on the bed in her short, white nightie and Angelus sauntered out of the dressing room in his dark blue, silk pajama bottoms. "What are we watching?" "I don’t know yet, there are a bunch of interesting programs coming on soon and Wesley gave me this DVD of an old movie called Arsenic and Old Lace, he said it was cute and funny, no wait excuse me, entertaining and amusing." Angelus broadly smiled as the phone rang, he picked it up, "Hello." "Good evening Angelus, I hope I am not catching you at a bad time?" asked William over the phone. "No, Buffy and I were just going to watch some movie. What’s up?" replied Angelus. "I need to talk to you privately, can you get out of the room?" "Sure, I have that report in my study, just a minute," stated Angelus. He put the call on hold and turned to Buffy, "Be right back baby, just have to take this call in the study." Buffy nodded, "OK, but if the cheese cake is gone when you get back, it is not my fault." "Aha." Angelus stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the hall to the study where he picked up William’s call, "Ok I am alone, what is going on?" "Darla." "What about the bitch?" asked Angelus. "Well she has been calling here incessantly trying to get to you and tonight by some fluke she got me on my private line. She was stone cold drunk and threatened to commit suicide Angelus." "If she does, that is one less headache for me." "I thought the same thing," stated William, "but she also said that she would take your little cheerleader with her. I am calling just to make sure everything is safe over there." "So far there have been no disturbances here but I will double check the security system, and might as well call Gunn and have him tail her; just to make sure she stays away from Buffy." "Will do. Oh and everything with the raid is going on schedule." " Good, I want it ---" Angelus’ attention was immediately drawn to a loud crash heard outside, through the pouring rain. He quickly looked out the window, "DAMN! Some car just crashed into my front gate, want to bet who that is?." "I’ll call Gunn now and dispatch him over there with reinforcements," said William as he picked up his other line. "Thank you Will, I better go down there and see if she is still alive I suppose." Angelus hung up and came out into the hall, Buffy was at the railing as Wesley and Marie rushed to open the front door. Angelus went straight to Buffy, "Go to bed baby, I don’t want you up and out in this rain. I will go and find out what happened and come back and tell you ok?" "A car has crashed into the gate sir," stated Wesley loudly. Angelus turned his attention to Wesley and Marie, "Alright, get your coats, let’s go see what happened out there." Angelus walked Buffy back to the bedroom then went and quickly changed into street clothes, he came back to the bedroom and kissed Buffy, "I will be right back." He then rushed out and down the stairs to meet with Wesley and Marie, after slipping on his black leather coat the three of them ventured out into the dark night and pouring rain and walked down the long driveway, both Wesley and Marie holding flashlights. Upon reaching the scene, Angelus observed Darla in her car and her car half imbedded in the brick column and half melded with the iron gate bars. Darla seemed to be unconscious, blood was dripping from her forehead. Her car had wedged the gate together making it impossible to open by hand. "Call an ambulance," ordered Angelus before climbing over the gate to reach Darla. Wesley pulled out a cell phone and dialed 911. Angelus made it to the other side easily and opened the car door, Darla stirred groggily, Angelus pushed her into the passenger seat and buckled her in, cursing her all the while. He managed to start the car, and he pulled it back from the gate. He gestured for Wesley and Marie to step aside then ran the car straight into the gate so that the iron would collapse to the ground. Once it had, Angelus exited the car and went over with Wesley’s help to move the broken gate off to the side. Then he ordered Marie and Wesley to enter the car and drove them all to the front door. Angelus exited the car and took Darla inside, with Marie following them into the living room. Wesley moved Darla’s car off to the side then returned to the house himself. Darla was lying on the couch moaning, Angelus left her there with Marie and went to take his coat off, he was about to go upstairs to inform Buffy of the going-ons when he heard the ambulance sirens. He turned and opened the front door, a few minutes later the EMT technicians entered the house and were directed to Darla. Angelus and Wesley informed them of what had occurred, the EMTs strapped her into a gurney and asked if any of them wanted to ride along with her. Angelus told them no and gave them the house phone number in the event they had further questions about the accident. Finally, after well over an hour of fussing with Darla, Angelus went upstairs and entered the bedroom. He was soaked to the bone and he immediately noticed Buffy was asleep. He started walking towards the dressing room when something inside of him stopped him. He turned and looked at his wife, something was wrong. Angelus rushed to her side and placed his hands on her arms, "Buffy, Buffy baby wake up." --------------- > Though they go mad they shall be sane, > Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; > Though lovers be lost love shall not; > And death shall have no dominion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------- INSANE NEED ----------------------- ------------------ Chapter 18 ----------------- “Buffy!â€? Angelus raked his eyes over Buffy’s body, he moved her nightgown up, there was no blood. Buffy opened her eyes and looked up at Angelus and in a labored whisper said, “Angelus, I don’t feel well.â€? “Baby, what is it? What do you feel?â€? “I am very dizzy and it is hard to focus.â€? “We are going to the hospital Buffy, just hang on a few seconds.â€? Angelus ran to the intercom, “WESLEY, Bring the car around, we have to take Buffy to the hospital NOW!â€? He turned back and grabbed the throw blanket, then a thought occurred to him, “Be right back baby.â€? Angelus turned and ran to his study, he scoured his desk frantically then found the business card, a moment later he was waiting for Lilah to answer and she did. “Lilah, it’s Angelus Devlin. Buffy is not feeling well, we are about to take her to the hospital.â€? “Calm down Angelus,â€? came Lilah’s voice, “before you jump the gun here, please, tell me her symptoms.â€? He took a deep breath, “She said she was dizzy and could not focus her eyes. For a moment I thought she was unconscious, it took me a long time to wake her up.â€? “Is that it? No pain?â€? asked Lilah. “No she was not complaining of pain, “ replied Angelus. “Ok Angelus, dizziness and such is normal during this stage of the pregnancy. Let her sleep and bring her into my office in the morning. I am sure she probably just needs the rest.â€? “Lilah, she does not look well. If something happens to her…â€? warned Angelus. “Angelus, she is a young, healthy girl. Complications in pregnancy for someone of her health is extremely rare. Let her sleep, you will see she will be better in the morning. And if she isn’t I will meet you at the hospital. Trust me Angelus, I have been doing this for a long time.â€? Angelus hung the phone up on Lilah, went to his briefcase and pulled out the number he had written down for Dr. Calender, a moment later he was connected to her. “Dr. This is Angelus Devlin.â€? “Yes Mr. Devlin, Hello, How can I --.â€? “My wife is not feeling well. I am about to take her to the hospital.â€? “What are her symptoms?â€? asked Jennifer worriedly. “I had been out of the room for awhile, when I came back she seemed like she was unconscious but after shaking her and calling her name much longer then usual she did open her eyes. She said she was dizzy and had trouble focusing her eyes. She is also listless and she was fine a few hours ago.â€? “How many weeks is she Mr. Devlin?â€? “Just a little over 12 weeks,â€? answered Angelus. “You had said Dr. Morgan was her OB, perhaps we should call her in?â€? “No,â€? stated Angelus, “I would rather not unless you feel you absolutely need to.â€? “I can diagnose her, it is just if Dr. Morgan had any special concerns or information. Alright, I will meet you at the hospital. Mr. Devlin, has she complained of any abdominal pain?â€? “No, she has not. Do you have any idea what this could be?â€? “I am not sure, I will have to examine her first. It could be any number of things, related or not related to the pregnancy. Take her in, I will be there as soon as I can.â€? Angelus acknowledged her statement and went to get Buffy. When he reentered the bedroom, his heart nearly stopped. She was so pale, he didn’t understand a moment ago she was flushed but her skin looked generally alright, now she was pale… like the dead. “Buffy!â€? He hurried to her side, “Baby, we are going now. It is going to be fine. Everything is going to be alright. Just stay awake for me, OK baby?â€? Buffy nodded her head as he wrapped her in the throw blanket. Marie and Adelle rushed into the room and asked if there was anything they could do. “ Get some clothes for her and bring them to the hospital later please,â€? said Angelus. They nodded and were both obviously worried to death. As gently as he could, Angelus lifted Buffy up into his arms, her head fell onto his chest as if she had been a rag doll. She was growing weaker by the second and Angelus could not understand it. He quickly made his way downstairs, Marie opened the umbrella and held it over them as they entered the waiting car Wesley was driving. A minute later they took off, leaving Marie and Adelle looking after the retreating car grasping each others arms in worry. ------------- Arriving at the hospital, Wesley pulled up to the emergency room entrance and Angelus tore out of the car and in through the sliding doors with Buffy securely cradled in his arms. He walked right into a chaotic mess of activity. It took him several minutes to get the attention of a nurse, and this delay enraged him. He screamed at the nurse that his wife needed attention NOW. The nurse was not impressed. She told Angelus to wait in the lounge with his wife, that they were dealing with multiple traumas and would get to her as soon as they could. The nurse walked away. Angelus had to control himself, he was losing his rational thought, at that moment he wanted to tear the nurses head off. He took a deep breath and sat down in the crowded emergency lounge for a moment, pulled out his cell and called William. “Wills, I need your help,â€? asked Angelus in such a voice that William had never heard before. “What is it Angelus?â€? “I am at the hospital with Buffy, God Will I think she is dying. Dying here in my arms and I am helpless. This place is a disaster, to many people. A nurse walked away from me and I had to sit down and control myself, stop myself from killing her. Buffy is in my arms and something is terribly wrong with her.â€? Angelus looked at her, he had sat her next to him on the sofa, her eyes were closed. “She is asleep now Will. Please, help us.â€? “Just sit tight mate, they will come and take care of our precious girl real soon.â€? William hung up. “Did you hear that baby,â€? said Angelus as he rocked Buffy and kissed her forehead, “Will is going to help us, everything is going to be OK.â€? Less then ten minutes later two orderlies and a nurse appeared in the lounge with a gurney, they placed Buffy on the gurney and moved her and Angelus quickly to the elevators and upstairs to a private treatment room. The nurse who had told Angelus to wait was in shock to see such a fuss made. Once upstairs in the treatment room a small team of doctors arrived to diagnose and treat Mrs. Devlin. Dr. Calender arrived and was shown to Mrs. Devlin room quickly, when she entered she was shown Buffy’s chart and the protocol the doctors were following to diagnose Buffy. Jenny gowned up and examined Buffy herself, quickly determining the rupture of an ectopic pregnancy. Buffy was bleeding into her stomach and kidneys. It was massive hemorrhaging, she was losing to much blood, to quickly. Within minutes, a surgical team was assembled and Buffy was moved to an operating theater PDQ. Angelus was informed of the need for surgery and asked for his consent as her spouse. He gave it and asked Dr. Calender to please keep her safe. Jenny told him she would do the best she could and left for the operating room. --------------- This was hell, Angelus was sure of it. There was nothing he could do for the woman he loved but wait. Wesley found Angelus and waited with him and after about an hour William arrived himself. The wait was nearly unbearable, Angelus wanted to jump out of his skin. He moved and paced through the room, he wanted to throw things, find a way to dominate this situation but there was no way. No matter how hard he willed it, he could not control this. --------------- An incision about five cm long was made into Buffy’s abdomen. A scope was inserted into her in order to enable the surgeons the see the damage up close. The rupture was detected, as was the fetal material. Massive hemorrhaging was observed and quickly clamped. Her stomach and kidneys were drained of the excess fluid and the fetal material was carefully removed. The surgeons then proceeded to undertake the meticulous task of rebuilding Buffy’ s left fallopian tube. A procedure that would normally have not been attempted, had Buffy been almost anyone but Mrs. Angelus Devlin. --------------- William was afraid Angelus was going to have a massive coronary in front of him from the stress he was under. He watched Angelus stand, pace, then sit and wring his hands. It had been hours, three, four, William had lost count. Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Calender entered the room, “Mr. Devlin.â€? Angelus was standing in front of the doctor in an instant, “God, is she alright?â€? “She is stable. I am sorry about the baby but we were able to save the ruptured tube, thereby keeping her chances of a future pregnancy relatively high. There was a good deal of internal bleeding but we managed to repair all the damage and have gotten her hemoglobin levels up through transfusion.â€? Jenny paused, observing the fear on Angelus’ face, she took his hand and calmly said, “She is going to be just fine. She should make a full physical recovery in six to eight weeks. Right now she is still in the recovery room and will be there for about another hour. The nurses will soon move her to a private room where you can stay with her.â€? -------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- INSANE NEED ----------------------- ------------------ Chapter 19 ----------------- He watched her as she slept. Buffy had been moved from recovery to one of t he hospital’s VIP suites, a private duty nurse assigned and a doctor n ever more then a buzz away. Angelus had ordered the nurse out of the room and instructed her to sit in the hall until she was needed. He sat by her bed, guarding her, worshiping her, needing her to be alright. He loved her so much. At first it was her beauty that had captivated him, h er radiant smile which had over powered his senses. To him, from first sight h e knew she was that creature from myth. She was that siren, that temptress th at throughout the ages men have sought and died for. Now however, she was more then that elusive beauty from legends; she was his friend, his intimate companion, the would-be mother of his child. Through these scant weeks sinc e he had captured his Venus, he came to understand just how unique and specia l she was. Her resourcefulness, her courage, her strength, he had never met a woman such as her. Older, more experienced women would have been subjugated under him easily but not her, not his Buffy. He understood now, she was not his equal…. She was better. “Angelus?â€? came William’s voice from behind him. An gelus stood, touching Buffy’s hand lovingly then turned his attention to Will. “Yes?.â€? “I wanted to see how she was doing?â€? William looked over at his best friend’ s wife, he too had been so completely worried. She had quickly become a ver y special person in his life and he knew, like Angelus, that he would protect that adored woman with his life if need be. “She woke up briefly in the recovery room, the doctors wanted to ma ke sure she had come out of the anesthesia, she has been sleeping ever since.†? Angelus looked at Will, “How did you do it? I forgot to ask how you got them to us so quickly in the emergency room.â€? Will smiled and replied, “Why I called the President of the Hospita l of course. What? You think *I* would bother with anyone else?â€? “Thank you William.â€? Angelus spoke those words from the mos t honest, sincere place he had. William was as dear a friend as they came and he would never forget this. “Not a problem Peaches, but you owe me a huge Adelle dinner with al l the fixings and a night of retribution with your wife there.â€? Angelus grinned, “My money is on Buffy. I think she can take you. â€? “Sir?â€? came Wesley’s voice as he stepped into the r oom quietly, “I have brought a change of clothes for yourself and Mrs. Devlin, and Adelle has packed some sustenance, as she puts it, so that you may have enough strengt h to take care of our mistress.â€? “Thank you Wesley, why don’t you go on home and tell Adelle and Marie that I will be bringing Buffy home in a few days. Oh,â€? Angelus paused and took in a deep breath, “Please have Marie remove all the baby things from sig ht.â€? “Yes sir, at once.â€? Wesley bid his farewell and left to com plete his duties. “Angelus,â€? stated Will, “She is going to need your support emotionally through this grieving time. Don’t distance yourself or let her dist ance herself. If that happens… well three years will not be enough time to win her love; because it will be lost to you forever.â€? “I don’t know how she is going to react to this Will, she w as so happy about the baby. Yes, she was scared and with everything.. With the way that the baby came to be, I know she was confused. But she was coming around, the ba by was bringing us closer, she was giving *us* a chance. Now, I don’t know how she will feel, she will probably hate me. This is going to be an uphill battle but if I lose this battle I lose everything. I could live two hundre d years, two thousand years and never know the kind of love I feel for her again, of that I am sure.â€? “Stay by her side no matter what Angelus.â€? Angelus nodded then looked up as Dr. Calendar entered the room. “Ha s she opened her eyes again?â€? asked Jenny quietly. “No, not yet. Is that something to worry about?â€? inquired A ngelus anxiously. “No, she needs the sleep. It is not uncommon for patients to sleep a good ten to twelve hours after this type of surgery. The important part was when she responded in the recovery room.â€? Jenny checked her overnight chart vitals and added the option for additiona l pain medication if Mrs. Devlin complained of to much pain. Angelus sighed with relief but still was desperate to see Buffy open her eyes. “Doctor, this ectopic pregnancy that she had, could it have b een detected earlier?â€? “Ectopic pregnancy is actually extremely hard to diagnose. Usually a patient has certain risk factors that a doctor red flags, none of these risk factor s are present in your wife’s case. She is a young, healthy woman who has never had fertility drugs, scarring from previous surgeries or any of the other indicators, her case was simply a mistake of nature.â€? “Fertility drugs?â€? “Yes, elevated hormone levels can cause ectopic. However, I am surp rised that her doctor did not do an ultrasound yet, “ stated Jenny. “I think she did have an ultrasound Dr. Calendar,â€? said Ang elus. “No, she couldn’t have Mr. Devlin, an ultrasound would have revealed an empty uterus. And with a positive pregnancy test, that is a clear indicatio n of an ectopic pregnancy. I highly doubt that Dr. Morgan performed an ultrasound on your wife yet, if she had and she didn’t inform you, well.. That is like writing a death sentence for a patient and doctors do not do that. Ectopic pregnancy is responsible for a large chunk of maternal deaths in this country. It is extremely serious, a mother can bleed to death befor e she is even diagnosed. A doctor who would send a patient home without informing them of an ectopic pregnancy and immediately taking medical actio n, well they are akin to murderers.â€? “I see,â€? calmly stated Angelus. “So I am sure there was no ultrasound performed in Dr. Morgan†™s office. She was probably waiting for the next appointment, when the baby is more define d and the parents can better appreciate the images. Anyway, if you gentlemen would please excuse us, the nurse and I are going to change Mrs. Devlinâ €™s bandages.â€? Angelus and William nodded and left the room, once outside Angelus turned t o Will, “Lilah DID an ultrasound Wills.â€? “WHAT?!â€? William coughed then pulled Angelus into an empty patient room down the hall, “What are you saying Angelus?â€? “I am telling you, when I took Buffy to see Lilah after I found out she was pregnant, Lilah performed an ultrasound. I had to leave the room because th at damn bitch Darla called on the cell and Lilah said something about the cell interfering with the equipment. Then Lilah’s nurse stopped me on th e way back into the exam room to ask some inane questions. When I reentered, Lilah sai d the exam was over. During Lunch, Buffy told me that Lilah had done the ultrasound but said the baby was still to small to see on the monitor, that she would point the baby out next time they had an appointment.â€? “Wait a minute, I am trying to understand this. Are you saying that Lilah Morgan knew Buffy had an ectopic pregnancy and hid it from both of you? Why would she do that?â€? “I don’t know, but now I am sure of it, that fucking bitch tried to kill my wife!â€? spat out Angelus. “Take it easy Angelus, let me see what I can find out before we go jumping the buildings here. Give me a few days, I’ll do some digging, there has to be a reason she would do that, IF she did it. You mate, forget about this for now, take care of your wife. She is going to need you now more then she eve r will. I’ll handle the good doctor Morgan.â€? “Fine, but if she did this ---â€? “Don’t worry about it, I will take care of it,â€? sta ted William firmly. The two of them then opened the door and walked back into the hallway. Dr. Calendar spotted them and walked their way. “Excuse me, Mr. Devlin?â€? said Dr. Calendar. “Your w ife is awake.â€? Angelus started to rush back to the room, when Jenny spoke up and said, â €œI told her about the baby.â€? Angelus stopped in his tracks and faced t he doctor. “Is she, I mean ---â€? stammered out Angelus. “She is upset. Crying. I did tell her tho that she could have more children but I do not think she heard me. Her bandages are changed and I left her on sufficient pain medication, so I leave her in your capable hands.â€? Jenny nodded then stepped to the side to allow Angelus easy access to the door. Angelus looked back at Will then went on into the room, he motioned for the nurse to leave and closed the door as she exited the room. Angelus slowly approached Buffy’s bed, Buffy was facing away from h im obviously crying softly. When he reached her side and started to sit in the chair next to her bed, she turned her head to look at him, her eyes were bloodshot and tears stained her flushed cheeks; she immediately outstretche d her arms to him. He just as quickly pulled her into his embrace, as careful ly as he could with such emotion coursing through them both, so not to tear ou t her IV or hurt her. She needed him, she needed to feel his arms around her. She needed to know that he didn’t hate her, they had lost a child together, a child th ey both wanted. Buffy’s little hands grasped at Angelus shirt, she cried in to his shoulder, cried for her lost baby, cried with the pain of a mother. †œI’m sorry. I am so sorry.â€? “Buffy, it wasn’t your fault. It was no ones fault----- exc ept mine. I forced you, I…â€? Angelus was ashamed, for the first time in his life, he deeply regretted his choice. He wasn’t worthy of her, he wasn†™t worthy of this princess. He held her so lovingly, as if she would break if he caresse d her to hard. His cheek touched hers, their tears intermingled, the agony in his face would have touched the devil himself, as he realized he had to let her go. He had to give her up for her own good. He slowly, gently put her head back down on the pillow and released her from his embrace. His heart shattering, screaming in defiance as his mind told him all he was doing was hurting her. He pulled back from her, his eyes betraying his emotions and thoughts. “I love you----- and I am sorry.â€? Angelus backed away from Buffy towards the door, quickly turning and opening it. “Don’t go,â€? Buffy’s small voice reached out to him, holding him in place, “ Don’t leave me alone.â€? Angelus was frozen in place. He didn’t trust himself anymore, not w ith her. He couldn’t think, his mind was a jumble of incoherent thoughts. He had hurt her so deeply, gone mad because of her, he knew he would be an empty shell without her but he also knew this was not about him. His mind told him if h e truly loved her, he would walk through those doors and leave her in peace; but his heart, his heart heard her words. He looked down to the floor, neve r had one step, backwards or forwards, meant so much, was he going to step towards nothing or towards everything. Buffy looked over at him, willing him in her heart to turn around and come back to her. Oh my God, she wanted him. Oh God, she loved him. Was this the reason? Was she being punished for falling in love with this demon of a man . She understood now, she realized that she didn’t care, she wanted h im. She didn’t care if he was a monster, she didn’t care that he ha d… “Turn around Angelus, you belong to me, you are mine.â€? ------------------------------------------
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