Title: Deceptions and Betrayals 11/21
Author: Ness
Contact: sessa1_2@yahoo.com
Written: 09/08/2003
Spoilers: Nothing after "Wrecked" in season 6 on BtVS and anything before "Sleep Tight" on AtS. But this is completely AU.
Summary: This one is a sequel to "When You Least Expect It". If you didn't read that one, this will probably confuse you.
Pairings: Cordelia/Giles and Buffy/Wesley
Rating: PG most of the time but there are NC-17 parts.
Distribution: Anyone that already has permission. Anyone else, please ask first.

Disclaimer: We all know who owns 'em and it ain't me. Joss and Co. are gods in their universe, I'm just a peon in mine.
Thanks to Suzanne for the beta. It is much appreciated, Chica. *G*
A/N: I did a bit of juggling with this after Suz saw it, so any and all mistakes are mine--as usual. ;-)
Dedication: This one is for Kerrie. She gave me the idea that ended an almost six month block. She read this puppy even though she didn't normally read these pairings. Now, I've corrupted her or that's what she says anyway. *G* Thanks darlin', you're the best.

Cordelia sighed and nodded as she saw Buffy catch her eye. It was time--whether she was ready or not.

"Giles?"

"Yes?" He was watching his Slayer and Wesley and wondering just exactly how much of their closeness was real and how much was charade?

"Walk outside with me."

He noticed the tension in his wife's voice. He nodded and allowed her to lead him to the back porch of the Summers' home. She stood in silence for a long while before she drew breath to speak.

"I may be pregnant."

Giles didn't register what she said at first. Hard on the heels of that was the sure idea he had misunderstood her. "What?"

"I may be pregnant," she said it a bit slower this time.

He felt the sudden need to sit down. With the absence of a chair, he made do with the steps. He opened his mouth and nothing emerged. He tried twice more before he could croak out.

"Pregnant?"

"May be," she stressed.

She sat down beside him. She hadn't really had any idea how he would take the news, so his reaction wasn't a disappointment. She *really* wished he'd get past the shock, though, so they could figure out what they were going to do.

After several moments, he began to come out of his stupor. He looked at her face and then dropped his eyes to her still-flat stomach.

"How far along?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure I'm even pregnant." She thought this needed to be repeated.

"How long have you suspected?" Giles clarified his earlier question.

"A few weeks."

"And you didn't tell me?" He didn't even try to keep the hurt out of his voice.

She cringed.

"I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure and I wanted, no, needed, to be sure."

"Have you been to a doctor?"

"Um, no," she answered in a small voice.

He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes as he struggled not to say anything that would be hard to retract.

"Why?"

"Because I've got a friend of Lorne's looking into it for me?"

"A demon?"

"Yes."

"You've got a demon checking to see if you're pregnant?" His voice went up several notches.

"Well, gee! Say it a little louder--I don't think they heard you in L.A." Her nerves weren't in much better shape than his and she wasn't afraid to show him.

"Why did you feel you needed Lorne's assistance--or rather one of his friends?" He asked after a moment.

"Because I couldn't really go to a normal doctor and tell him 'I need a pregnancy test--oh, and by the way, I'm part demon. Will that affect the test?', now could I?"

"No, I suppose not," he grudgingly admitted.

"That's kinda what I thought." Cordelia stood and stepped off the porch.

Giles watched her as she wandered the backyard. He was struck at odd moments just how beautiful his wife was. This was one such moment. He was still processing the bombshell she had dropped on him in one part of his mind. But in the other, he was admiring her strength and beauty.

Meanwhile, she was contemplating him while he was studying her. She was waiting for his analytical mind to catch up and when it did, the questions and concerns would be coming fast and furious. It was just a matter of time.

"Are you all right?" He stepped off the porch to join her in the yard.

"I'm just so scared," she whispered. "What the hell am I thinking, bring a baby into the lives we lead."

Giles was struck by a sudden, unpleasant thought. "Cordelia--you do want this child? Don't you?"

"YES!" She rushed to assure him. "God, there is nothing in this world that would make me happier than to have a child made from me and you. It's just--."

"Frightening?"

"Try terrified and you might be closer to the mark--and even that doesn't completely do it for me."

Giles gathered her into his arms. She was always so strong that it was easy to forget just how vulnerable Cordelia could be. He tilted her head up and looked into her eyes.

"Luv, we'll get through this--together."

"Together," she sighed. "I like the sound of that."

"As do I," he assured her.

"And you know? This kid can't miss--I mean with my looks and your brains--he 'll have it made." Cordelia smiled cheekily.

"He?"

"He--she--I'm not picky." She reached up to caress his face. "I love you."

"And I love you." He gently kissed her. "Now, why don't we get back to Dawn' s party?"

She nodded and allowed him to lead her back inside.

****

A few days later, Cordelia woke in the middle of the night and reached for Giles. His side was empty--and cold. She raised up on one arm and looked around. He was nowhere in the moonlight-drenched room. She got up and went in search of her wayward husband.

They had talked at length about the possibility of a baby after they had gotten home from Buffy's. They still hadn't heard anything from Lorne. She was going to Caritas tomorrow and see what the deal was. She needed an answer soon--this waiting was driving her insane. Everyday she thought of something else that could go wrong. Of something that could hurt her baby. She laid a protective hand on her stomach. "I won't let anything happen to this child," she promised herself silently.

Cordelia found Giles asleep at his desk. As she moved to wake him, the writing in her husband's clean, bold script caught her eye. She was tempted to read the diary, but she fought the urge and closed it. She shook him awake.

"Giles? Sweetheart, wake up."

He raised up and she giggled at the way his glasses were askew. He straightened them and looked at her.

"Cordelia?"

"Come to bed."

He nodded and flicked off the lamp on the desk. As he stood, neither one of them noticed the paper that fell under the desk.

****

Cordelia was cleaning the living room when she noticed a sheet of paper under the desk. She picked it up and started to put it away when she noticed the word clinic. She looked closer and saw that Giles had written the name of a doctor and the name of a clinic.

She thought maybe it was for the pregnancy, so she dialed the phone and asked for Sandra Madison. The nurse asked her to wait and then put her on hold.

She was trying to figure out when he could have called a clinic, when the doctor picked up.

"Dr. Madison," a professional voice sounded in her ear.

"Dr. Madison, my name is Cordelia Giles. I believe my husband spoke to you."

"Yes, how is he?"

"Giles? He's fine." She was puzzled as to why the doctor would be asking about Giles.

"I'm happy to hear that. When I saw him at the first of the week, he was having problems."

"The first of the week?" Cordelia was now more than puzzled--she was totally in the dark.

"Yes," Sandra answered cautiously. "I thought you said you were his wife." Sandra was damning herself for being a fool--she knew better than to have this kind of conversation with anyone other than a patient. The only defense she had was this wasn't a normal medical problem and she was extremely worried about Rupert Giles' state of health.

Cordelia's mind was racing. What did Giles see this woman at the beginning of the week for?

"Dr. Madison, I'd like to make an appointment to see you."

"Why?" The doctor was a bit apprehensive.

"I want to know what's wrong with my husband." Her tone brooked no argument.

"I can't tell you what we talked about--," Sandra began.

She was interrupted.

"Do not quote doctor-patient confidentiality to me. I want to know what the hell's going on!" Cordelia snapped.

Sandra debated to herself whether she should do what she was contemplating. If she talked to this man's wife, she was breaking a confidentiality that could have serious repercussions for her and her career. However, if he wasn 't taking the appropriate precautions against the magic that she felt, he could be dead sooner rather than later. She made a decision.

"Very well, Mrs. Giles. I'll talk to you," she agreed. "On one condition."

"What?" Cordelia was not in the mood to negotiate.

"I want proof you are who you say you are."

"You're asking me to prove that I'm Rupert Giles' wife?" Cordelia asked incredulously.

"Yes. If you can't do that, don't bother meeting with me."

Cordelia fought to control her rising anger. But a small part of her realized that the doctor had a point. She had no way of knowing if Cordelia was who she said she was.

"Fine. I'll bring my marriage certificate. Will that be proof enough?"

Sandra chewed on her bottom lip. She could get into so much hot water over this.

"I guess it'll have to do."

"When and where?" Cordelia was anxious to know what was going on.

"Two hours, at the café across from the clinic."

****

Cordelia was fifteen minutes early. She looked around and realized that she didn't get a description of the doctor before she hung up. She was about to call the clinic again when she saw a woman come in wearing a lab coat and she had a name tag that read 'Dr. S. Madison'. That was her woman. She walked over and introduced herself.

"Dr. Madison, I'm Cordelia Giles."

Sandra looked at the woman in front of her and the first thought that ran through her mind was that Rupert Giles had very good taste. The second was she sure hoped he wouldn't sue her for what she was about to do. It wouldn't be the first time an older man had kept a potentially fatal medical condition from a much younger wife. She thought about it and mentally shook her head--no, if it was a regular medical problem, she might be dealing with the typical insecurities of an older man/younger wife syndrome. But throw magic in the mix and there was definitely something else going on.

"Hello, Mrs. Giles." Sandra extended her hand. "Please, call me Sandra."

Cordelia shook the other woman's hand. "Then call me Cordelia."

Sandra indicated a table nearby and the two women seated themselves. When the waitress came, Cordelia just ordered coffee. Sandra ordered a sandwich and coffee.

"I hope you don't mind if I eat, but this is my lunch break and I still have a very long day ahead,"

"Of course not. I appreciate your agreeing to see me at all. I know that this is not exactly normal procedure for a doctor."

Sandra shook her head. "You're right, it's not. But something is going on with your husband that is very outside the realm of normal. How much has he told you?"

Cordelia fidgeted in her chair before answering the question. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Sandra asked.

Cordelia just nodded her head.

The doctor sighed and wondered just what she was getting herself into. She was beginning to wish that Rupert Giles had picked another clinic to go to that day. But, then again, if he had, he probably still wouldn't know what was wrong with him. Hell, if he'd gotten any other doctor that day, he wouldn't know what was wrong.

She sighed again. Sometimes she really wished that her family hadn't drummed into her that responsibility went along with her gift.

"Let me start at when I first met your husband."

****

"So that's the way I came to diagnose your husband's illness," Sandra finished as she sipped her coffee.

Cordelia was still trying to process the information the doctor had given her. Someone was trying to kill Giles. And not just the everyday, 'demons-that-want-to-rule-the-world' kind of someone but someone that was human and trying to kill him. For some reason that offended her more than when the demons were trying to do it.

"Thank you for telling me this," she told the other woman.

"I'm not sure that your husband will feel the same," Sandra lamented, "he may end up suing me for breach of doctor-patient confidentiality."

"He won't sue you for anything."

Sandra wasn't so sure, but she didn't argue. Either way, the damage was done. She had broken a cardinal rule in medicine--there would be consequences. She'd done what she thought was right, she would deal with the fallout.

Cordelia pulled herself out of her reverie and looked at the doctor.

"Thank you for your time," she said as she stood up and held out her hand.

Sandra stood and dropped money to pay the bill on the table.

"You're welcome." She shook the offered hand. "Let me know how it turns out. And let me know if you need anything else." Cordelia nodded as she let go of the other woman's hand. She turned and walked out of the café.

Sandra watched her leave and hoped that everything turned out all right.

She shrugged. She had done everything she could. The rest was in their hands. She headed back to the clinic--she had other people to help.

NEXT