Beautiful By: spoiledsquish Distribution: FF.net, Slayer's Fanfic Archive (when they open submissions again), B/A Lovers United Yahoo Group, Enchanting Place, SempiternalBeloved, and anyone else who wants it. Just send me a message and tell me where it`s going. Cool? Author`s Note: The title is from the song of the same name by a band called Joydrop. This fic just kinda popped into my head and has been racking my brain. It's purely B/A, as per usual. This plot is similar to the Gwen/Ethan/Theresa triangle on "Passions". BTW, I am a big Theresa/Ethan fan but I`d never write fanfic about them. Only B/A is fanfic worthy! Rating: PG13 to R. Might change later. I`ll let you know as things progress. If you watch the show regularly, you can read this. Spoilers: None really. B/A still met in Sunnydale but everyone`s human. Demons, vampires, Slayers, and the like don't exist. Angel and Buffy still broke up, only he gave her the 'gutwrenching sewer talk' in the quad at Sunnydale High. Couples: B/A, B/S, A/C, W/O, W/F, G/F, mentions of C/X, W/T, and G/J. Summary: What if Angel had gotten Cordelia pregnant one night when they were drunk? The two marry and Cordelia starts to fall in love with him, but the feeling isn`t mutual. What happens when Angel`s old girlfriend shows up to visit some of their old friends? Will Angel finally follow his heart and confess his undying love and devotion to the one woman who`s ruled his heart since they were kids or will he let duty and honor rule his life and make him stay with his wife and unborn child? Settings: Sunnydale and Los Angeles, California. Dedications: This one is for Meghan, whose fic the Penny Series got me all weepy! Finish Galway's Womanizing Irish Brogue for me, Meg! I`m in serious pain here. Also, I wanna dedicate this fic to James Marsters, who--even though he kind of liked hooking up with SMG on screen-is still a B/A fan. Kudos to you, JM! You made me turn my bitter hatred that I had for you (cuz of the whole B/S thing) into nothing but love for the character Spike once more! I also wanna dedicate the fic to Soraya, who sent me a copy of Nickel's 'Stupid Thing' song. I know I promised three sequels to some fics, but I just couldn`t help it. I had to write this one! Feedback: I`m a whore for it, so please contribute! Chapter 1: Regret And Betrayal Angel O`Connor studied the looks on his friends' faces as he confessed to them his big news. No one, not even his own sister, had uttered a word in over an hour. "Uh." Fred sighed. "This is so sudden, Angel. Um...but if you`re happy, then that`s all that really matters, I guess. So, in a nutshell, I`m happy for you." "So am I." Wesley nodded to his best friend. "For the record, I`m not." Gunn frowned. "Gunn!" Faith scolded her boyfriend of two years. "Don`t make a scene, okay?" "What then, Faith? You expect me to act all happy just 'cuz he got Cordelia pregnant? Hell *fucking* no. You don`t even love the girl and now you want to marry her?" Gunn yelled, grabbing his jacket. "Where`re you going?" Fred asked. "I got to go see my best friend." Gunn continued. "Hopefully, she`ll have enough common sense to finally get over you, O`Connor. She deserves to be happy." "Gunn, wait!" Faith screamed and then hugged Angel. "I`m sorry, Angel. I have to go after him. Gunn, please, just wait a damn second!" Faith grabs her own jacket and finds her boyfriend starting up his truck. She climbs in right next to him. "Gunn, think about this!" Faith cried. " 'Think about this'?!" Gunn repeated, growling. "For two years, I`ve had to watch my best friend upset and hurt because of him. I saw her drink herself into a stupor when he took off. I watched her flaunt herself to numerous guys to help her to try and get rid of the pain that he caused. And every time the heartache would come back. Well, no more. I say good riddance. Buffy deserves better than that--that bastard. He`s brought her nothing but heartache and pain and I don't want that for her." "You`re right." Faith agreed. "Buffy does deserve better. I hope she finds it. Just like I wish Angel to be happy, even though I know he hates himself for getting into this situation. My brother is many things, Charles, and responsible is one of them. He`ll stand by Cordelia and a part of me admires him for that." "Did you still--" Gunn asked. "Wanna go with you?" Faith nodded, completing his question. " 'Sides, I haven`t seen the gang in like, forever." "Okay." Gunn took her hand in his as they drove to Sunnydale. "I love you, Faith O`Connor." "I love you, Charles Gunn." Faith kissed him. "No matter how moronic and stubborn you can be. I have to call Angel, though. Give him the heads up." "Hello? Angel Investi--" Fred sighed when she heard the voice on the other end. "Oh, hi Faith. Yeah, he`s right here." Fred hands the phone to Angel and resumes her conversation with Wesley. "Faith." Angel sighed inwardly. "I was wondering what happened to you." "Five by five, bro. Like always." Faith chuckled. "Look, I`m not going to be in L.A. for the next day or two. I`m on my way to Sunnydale with Gunn. So, you wanna give me the heads up before I rush into the battlefield unarmed?" "Like what?" Angel asked, wondering where the Hell she learned to word sentences that way. "Like why you and B broke up, why you`re so intent on marrying Cordelia just because she's pregnant, for starters." Faith explained. " 'Cuz, quite frankly, I`m at a crossroad here." "Faith, it`s private." Angel sighed. "It`s not your or anybody else`s business." "Okay." Faith took his word at face value. "And, despite what you think, I do care for Cordelia." Angel continued. "We`ve grown immensely closer the last few months. Plus, she`s the mother of my child." "I know. I'm sorry, Angel. You take care, all right? I`ll see you when I get back. Love you." Faith said, ending their conversation. "Love you too, sis." Angel hung up. "Faith`s with Gunn. They`re on their way to Sunnydale to tell Buffy." "You`re not worried?" Wesley asked. "Why would I be?" Angel shook his head. "Angel, you`re my best friend, you and Cordelia." Wesley reminded him. "...But I know Cordelia. I saw her relationship with Xander Harris unfold, saw how she came onto one guy after another just to make him jealous. If Cordelia thinks she can hold onto you with this baby, she`ll go to great lengths to keep it and you." "Just stop." Angel snapped. "Cordelia's changed since then; she`s different now. And whether any of you like it or not, Cordelia's going to become my wife." "Hi guys." Cordelia entered, smiling at everyone. "What`s with all the tragedy masks? Did somebody die?" "No." Fred shook her head vigorously. "Angel just told us the big news. Congratulations, Cordy. On both counts." "Thanks." Cordelia hugged her friend. "Wes, aren`t you gonna hug me?" "Yeah." Wesley hugged her and whispered, "IF I ever find out that you did this deliberately to keep Buffy and Angel apart, I will beat you to death. I promise you that." "Silly Wes." Cordelia whispered back, "So what? You`d never be able to prove it anyway. Trust me, I`m clean." "You`d better be." Wesley forced a smile and then said louder, "Congratulations, Cordelia." "Thank you." Cordelia smiled sweetly. "See, Angel? Everything worked out fine. Nothing to worry about." "I know." Angel nodded. *I`m not worried about you though. I`m worried about her. God, baby, I`m sorry. I`m so sorry.* T.B.C. Aww, cliffhanger. I also have chapters 3 and half of 4 written but not typed. Just be patient and I`ll try to post them soon. So, like the fic so far? *********** Chapter 2: Blur A/N: Just to clear any confusion up, Angel and Faith are siblings and it`s Wes/Fred and Gunn/Faith pairings. I was gonna make Wes and Cordelia cousins, but now I`m not sure if I want to. If you have an opinion on such a matter, please email me stating your perspective. Also, for those of you who are just dying to see Spike surface, he`ll probably show up in the next couple chappies or so. Enjoy... Chapter 2: Blur "Here we are." Gunn shut the engine off. "It`s smaller than what she used to live in, but after Hank left and Joyce died, she had to sell the house. "I like it." Faith admired it and smiled. "It`s quaint, good neighborhood, right next to your old place." "Whenever I come home to see Mom, I just visit Buff, too." Gunn explained. "We gonna go in or are we gonna stand here all night?" "Let`s go." Faith took his hand and rang the doorbell. "I just hope she`s happy to see us." "Oh my God! Gunn, Faith!" Buffy hugged her old friends when she answered the door. "I didn`t know you guys were back in town. Is there something going on? Some party I should be aware of?" "No. Umm...You`d better sit down, Buffy." Faith suggested. "Should I be worried?" Buffy asked as she followed Faith's suggestion. "Charles, you`re freakin' me out here. What the Hell is going on?" "Buffy, Angel`s--" Gunn's voice died down. "Is he here?" Buffy's face lit up. "Oh my God, he is. I knew it, I knew he`d come back to me!" "Buffy, he's not." Faith interrupted and grabbed the blonde's arm. "B, Angel`s getting married to Cordelia. They`re expecting a child together. I know that this is a shock, but..." "No, no!" Buffy shook her head forcefully. "Angel doesn`t even like Cordy like that. They`re just old friends, ya know? You`re wrong, guys. You have to be wrong!" "I`m sorry." Gunn apologized. "I wish I had better news. She went to a doctor and everything`s legit. Cordelia is pregnant, Buffy." "No." Buffy sobbed. "Charles, is this really happening?" "I`m afraid so." Faith hugged her friend. "I am so sorry, B." "Don`t, Faith." Buffy shook her head and stood up. "Don`t you dare say sorry to me. That`s all he said when he broke my heart the first time. That`s all he ever said when he messed up. I hate those words. God, why am I still beating myself up over this?! We`ve been over for four years!" "Buffy, I don`t know what else to say." Faith sighed. "I`m just--" "Don't be." Buffy cut her off and held up her finger. "Angel made a choice. Not a very good choice, but a choice nonetheless. Now I`ll make mine." "Buffy.." Gunn said. "Listen to me." "No, Charles. Don't try to tell me 'it`s gonna be okay' or that 'I`m better off without him.' It`s never gonna be okay!" Buffy cried. "I feel like my heart`s breaking into a million pieces right now and all I can do is watch it shatter. I just want to die." "You won`t, though." Gunn spoke. "You`ll go on, find someone better. Someone who loves you with all their heart." "I thought I had." Buffy wiped her tears. "Gunn, don`t make me out to be the innocent one, okay? And you sure as Hell don`t need to make him out to be the bad guy. I`m just Buffy Summers, graduate of U.C. Sunnydale. I hope you`re right. I want to find someone who`s deserving of me because Angel sure as Hell wasn`t. I deserve someone better. I`m sorry, Faith. I know he`s your brother. I just--I want to be alone right now." "Are you sure?" Gunn asked. "Yeah." Buffy nodded quietly. "Just leave me to do my brooding alone." "I`ll call you." Faith hugged her again. "If you need anything..." "I know." Buffy nodded. "Just give me a little while to be by myself." Buffy walks them to the door. The couple hugs her one last time and drive off. Buffy shuts the door and falls to the floor, sobbing her heart out. "Oh God, Angel!" she chokes out. "Angel!" T.B.C. I know. What possesses me to leave my chappies in a J.W. cliffhanger-esque fashion? Hell if I know. No preview for chappie 3 but I`ll give you some hints for what's going to be happening soon. Spike enters the picture-- note: Spike won't be Buffy`s bf for long 'cuz he's just the ticket for her to go to L.A.--Angel and Cordelia continue to prepare for their wedding, Gunn and Faith comfort each other after Gunn hashes it out with Angel. Also, as we get farther into the fic, you`ll learn about the group`s past and what tore Buffy and Angel apart. Stay tuned for chappies 3 and 4. I also wanna thank everyone who`s sent me feedback. Please continue.