The Name Game
by Pamela
FEEDBACK: Please! Come on, just drop a note. I just want to know somebody is reading it!
SUMMARY: Next story in the AIL series. Email me for the URL to the rest of the stories if you want to read them. In this story, Buffy names Joyce and Giles’ baby and then other stuff happens.
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own them. If I did I’d say "screw school" tomorrow and go to the mall.
NOTES: Thanks to Mel, as always, for proofing this.
"So, Angel, would you please tell me what name Buffy picked? I’d like to be able to be prepared." Giles asked the former vampire while the slayer was using the restaurant’s ladies room.
Angel shrugged, taking a bite of his spaghetti. "Buffy won’t tell anybody, so your guess is as good as mine."
"Rupert, we’ll ask her as soon as she gets back. Why are you so antsy?" Joyce sighed.
"Joyce, this is our son’s name! What if she picks something silly, like…. Like that useless cat’s name!" Giles screeched.
Joyce sighed again. "We’ve talked about this. Buffy knows that the name is negotiable. The books said that this is a wonderful idea for an older sibling, and I trust Buffy to pick a nice name. You trust Buffy, don’t you?"
Giles felt Joyce and Angel stare at him, daring him to say otherwise. "Of course I trust her! But she’s young and…"
"Young people can’t name things?" Buffy piped in from where she stood behind Giles.
Giles jumped in his seat. "Buffy! Don’t do that to me!"
Buffy smiled as she walked around the table and took her seat between Joyce and Angel. "I’ll admit, the name I picked isn’t… average, but I do think you’ll like it."
"Buffy, will you please tell us the name so Rupert will stop driving me crazy?"
Buffy smiled. "Okay, well, I read in a book how it’s cool to use the mother’s maiden name in the child’s name, so I picked Evan as his middle name."
Joyce and Giles smiled and nodded approvingly.
"So… I decided I liked Tobias Evan Giles. We could call him Toby."
The expectant parents were silent for a few seconds before Joyce broke out in a big grin. "I love it Honey!" She reached over and hugged her daughter, not an easy task with her swollen belly.
Then everyone turned to Giles. He smiled and said "Tobias… sounds very… dignified.. and Toby would be nice for a child."
"I did good?" Buffy grinned.
"You did great Honey." Joyce smiled.
Buffy and Angel walked in the dark cemetery, holding hands. They were patrolling… sort of. Buffy didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t use the time to make out with her boyfriend if there weren’t any vampires around anyway. Wasn’t it the thought that counted?
"Do you think I picked a weird name?"
"No, I like it. It’s different, yet not weird. He doesn’t have to worry about being one of 3 or 4 in his class."
Buffy smiled. "Giles *really* had no faith in me, but I think he was satisfied."
"Definitely." Angel agreed. "I seriously doubt he’d lie to be nice when it came to something as important as his child’s name."
"Good." Buffy smiled. "Who know I had such great child-naming abilities!"
Angel smiled down at her and pulled her into a right embrace. "I know that someday you will pick wonderful names for our children." He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly.
A few minutes later, they resumed their patrolling. As they walked out of the cemetery towards Angel’s car, he looked over at her in concern. "Are you okay? You’ve seemed a little pale for the past few days."
"Yeah, it’s weird, I think I’m coming down with something *again*. I swear, I never used to get sick, now I’m sick all the time."
Angel put his hand on her forehead. "You don’t seem warm."
Buffy shook her head. "It’s not that, I’ve just been getting nauseous a lot lately. Probably because of all the disgusting things my mom has been eating. I’m turning food off entirely."
"We better get you home, especially if you aren’t feeling well. You’ve got school tomorrow, you should get some rest."
Buffy groaned as she got in the passenger side of Angel’s car. "Don’t remind me. I always hate the first day back after Spring break. Plus, I have to go to the doctor tomorrow."
Angel started the engine. "What for?"
"Oh, it’s just a follow up for my birth control pills. You have to go three to six months after you start. It’s been almost six months so I have to go see my doctor and she’ll prescribe my refill for me."
"I can’t give you a refill prescription, Buffy."
"What?"
"Why don’t we have a seat?" Dr. Crawford suggested as she walked behind her desk and gestured to one of the two-cushioned chair in front of it.
Nervously, Buffy sat in the chair. "Is there something wrong with me?"
The doctor smiled. "Not exactly. Now, you’re young, so I’m not sure if this is good news or not, but you are engaged, so…. Buffy, you’re pregnant."
Buffy sat completely still with her mouth open. "Wha-What?"
The doctor smiled. "When we ran the blood test to make sure you weren’t having a bad reaction the birth control pills we found out you were pregnant. About two weeks along, judging from your last period."
Buffy’s ability to form thoughts began to work again. "Wait a second, I did exactly what I was supposed to do! I took a pill every day at the same time, I never missed a day!"
Dr. Crawford sighed and nodded her head. "I believe you, Buffy. The pill is 97% effective. Unfortunately, that means it’s 3% ineffective. The odds of becoming pregnant while taking the pill correctly is slim, yet still possible."
Buffy couldn’t believe it! *She* was pregnant! She had been so responsible, so careful! It wasn’t fair! She tried to focus; Dr. Crawford was saying something.
"Now, I know you’re very overwhelmed right now, and this may not be what you and your boyfriend had planned…"
Buffy shook her head. "Not yet, we wanted kids in a few years."
The doctor nodded. "Well, you do have choices. I want you to know I will help you make the decision that is best for you."
Numb, all Buffy could do was nod.
The doctor smiled and got up from her chair. "Why don’t we give you some time to think about this? You can come in and we’ll discuss it in about a week."
Buffy nodded mechanically again, allowing the doctor to help her up from the chair. Dr. Crawford smiled one more time reassuringly. "Don’t worry Buffy, it’s not the end of the world! There are a lot of girls in worse situations than you."
"Yeah." Buffy replied dazedly.
The doctor walked her to the reception desk and helped her set up an appointment for the following Friday. Buffy walked slowly out of the clinic to her car. She sat down in the driver’s seat and slowly ran her hand over her firm stomach. Visions of herself in that stupid thing her dad had made her wear to know what it was like to be pregnant filled her head. She could clearly hear Angel from the previous night. *Someday* she would pick a good name for their child. She doubted he meant for someday to be in eight and a half months.
"What am I going to do?"
The End