Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize (namely: Spike, Buffy, Angel, Darla, ECT) aren't mine. They belong to the creators/writers/owners of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." Any other characters and of course the story belongs to me, and I'm just a lowly fan. See what one person can achieve, stealing another's characters!

Summary: Darla finds out that can't bring the baby to term, before it's too late. Spike receives an unexpected visitor. AtS/BtVS crossover.

Rating: 14-A

Warnings: Sex; no. Violence; not really. Language; yes. Bottom Line; if you can watch the shows, you can read this!

Author's Notes: The time-lines are probably a bit messed up with this. But, let's say, all's correct in the Angelverse, it's the start of season 3. In the Buffyverse, it may be a bit later, Buffy's alive and - almost - well. Forgive me for whatever I've messed up? Okay? 'Cause, you know, this is just a work of fiction. Complete at 35 pages and over 14,000 words.

Song For This FanFiction: "Never made it as a wise man,
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin',
Tired of living like a blind man,
I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling,
And this is how you remind me...

This is how you remind me,
of what I really am.
This is how you remind me,
of what I really am.

It's not like you to say sorry,
I was waitin' on a different story,
this time I'm mistaken...

And I've been wrong; I've been down,
into the bottom of every bottle..." – 'This Is How You Remind Me' by 'Nickelback'.

Date Started: July 14th, 2002 / Date Finished: July 20th, 2006


Forced Encounters By Delenn

(Part 1: Sunnydale)

A body, concealed in a long black coat, moved rapidly through the Sunnydale cemeteries, anxious to find their purpose. Every so often clouds would shift and the moon would shine on the blonde hair of the figure.

Slipping easily through the shadows along graves, the person strode in bold defiance of the night and its many dangers. Finally reaching their destination.

The door to Spike's crypt swung open and the being silently entered, only to find that it's owner wasn't present. Shutting the door, the intruder climbed deeper into the crypt and surveyed the room. After a moment of consideration, the woman sat down on Spike's bed to await his return.

Spike ran his hand quickly through his peroxide blonde hair; it had been a long night. With his other hand, Spike messaged his ribs, where a large and slimy Makkock demon had landed a hard punch. He glanced up at the near-dawn sky and muttered, "Instead of bloody patrolling, could'a been snug in my crypt by now." He grimaced, "Slayer's turning me into the soddin' poof."

Reaching his crypt Spike sighed, "I'll be fine after a nice cup o' blood."

Too tired and sore to bother with anything else, Spike entered his crypt and climbed down to the lower level, where he proceeded to pour himself a cup of blood and scotch, regardless of the dark. Not until he turned around did Spike notice the intruder, sleeping on his bed. Spike hastily lit a candle and scowled, "What the bloody hell?"

The figure sat up, rolling her eyes, "Nice to see you too, Spike."

Spike circled the woman and warily acknowledged her presence, "Darla."

Darla stood up and stretched, turning slightly to the side. Spike's eyes widened, "Hell, Darla, when'd you get so fat?"

Darla rolled her eyes and sat back down, hissing, "I'm not fat, you ass, I'm pregnant."

Spike groped behind him for the counter, finding it, he used it to keep himself standing. "How?" he immediately regretted his choice of words.

Darla grinned wickedly and came closer to Spike than he would have liked her to. "Poor little Spikey, you haven't figured out how it all works yet?" she patted his shoulder in mock sympathy, "don't worry, when you're a big boy, you'll find out."

Spike growled warningly at the hand that was on his shoulder, "Watch it,"

Darla chuckled, "Or what, Spike?" she sighed and removed her hand, "Fine, I'll humor you."

Spike shrugged and took a step away from the other vampire, "What are you here for, Darla? Come to rub it in?" He gestured to his noggin where the mechanical chip lay imbedded.

Almost sadly, Darla shook her head and retreated away from him, "We've never been the best of friends, Spike-"

He rolled his eyes, "That's putting it bloody mild!"

Ignoring the interruption, Darla continued, "Fact is; we've both been screwed over by karma."

Spike nodded, "Yeah, karma's a right bloody bitch; but that's not answering my question."

Darla sat back down and held the sheets tight in her fisted palms, "I'm a vampire, things like this aren't supposed to happen, I'm not supposed to be pregnant!" her frustration was rising.

Spike's reply was quiet, testing Darla's anger was never smart, and he wasn't going to risk hurting a baby. 'Isn't the kid's fault the bint's carrying 'im,' Spike reasoned to himself. "Why don't you go to Peaches?"

Spike could have sworn he heard her sniffle, but that was impossible; Darla had ranted, screamed and threatened to stake him on many occasions, never had she sniffled or even shown human-like feelings.

Darla pulled her knees up on the bed, relaxing her hands and wrapping them around her legs. "What, and have him stake me on the spot?"

Spike was positive he heard her sniffling now, and he was unsure what to make of - or how to deal with - it. He sighed, "You are such a bloody stupid bint sometimes. Don't you think Peaches cares about his kid? Might knock out his soul he'd be so happy."

His obvious cheer up ploy fell a little short, but still Darla lifted her head slightly, "You're still the same insolent brat you always were, Spike."

Spike sighed and ran his hand through his hair again, "Why are you so convinced Peaches'd kill you?"

Darla smiled sadly, "Because he promised he would, because I can't carry this baby to full term, because I'm 'evil', because he doesn't care about what happens to me."

Shocked at her openness, and trying to digest this new information, Spike latched onto the first relevant part, "Whaddya mean you can't carry the baby to full term?"

"I'm a vampire, Spike, if vampires were able to have children, even due to prophecies, don't you think it would happen?" her face was emotionless, it wasn't needed.

Spike shrugged, the thought occurring to him, 'Buffy would probably be a soddin' brilliant mother,' and he put it away for examination later. "I s'pose."

Darla rolled her eyes in a gesture Spike knew well. Her 'why I put up with stupid fledglings is beyond me,' look. "Think about it. Have you ever heard of a vampire having a child?"

Spike rubbed his eyes; he wanted nothing more than to throw her out, curl up on his bed, and sleep until Buffy rudely awoke him demanding information. "Look, Darla, why does this bother you?"

Darla shrugged, putting her head back in her hands, "That's the problem, isn't it, Spike? I love it, I love it more than I loved Angelus. And what can I offer it, this… this baby… death?"

Spike shook his head, he'd known that Darla cared in some way for Angelus, but he hadn't imagined that she could love anything. "You're really bloody serious?"

From her position on the bed, Darla sniffed, a fact alone that almost made her sick but that she couldn't help, "Of course I am," but other than that, she didn't move a muscle.

Spike, noting that he'd have to make the first move 'Even if it costs me a fuckin' limb,' walked over to the bed and sat down near Darla. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

Stretching out, Darla ran a hand over her stomach, "I have a proposition for you, Spike,"

He raised an eyebrow, motioning for her to continue, "And…"

Darla shook her head in mild amusement, having regained most of her composure, "And, I want to have this baby. I've heard about a demon in Africa who can do things like this, but you have to pass tests. If you help me, I'll make sure that you lose that chip."

Spike looked at her skeptically, tapping his head, "How do you plan to do that, cut me open and hope for the worst?"

Repressing the urge to smack him, Darla laughed, "Silly boy! I know it will surprise you, but in four hundred years, I've made a lot of friends-"

Spike grinned wickedly, determined to get back at her for that 'silly boy' remark. "Doesn't surprise me, once a whore, always a whore."

Darla pursed her lips, but remained calm, she could always punish him later. "Point being, I have contact with a doctor who has removed these bothersome chips before. I agreed not to kill his family. He agreed to help you… after you help me, that is."

Regarding this new Darla silently for a few moments, Spike thought about the potential validity of this whole idea. Finally, he reclined, sitting against the wall next to the other vampire, "Well, Darla, what exactly would this entail?"

Buffy looked at Spike in amazement, "You're what?"

"I'm going on a trip, Luv," was the immediate reply.

Buffy just shook her head, "Why?"

Spike ran a hand through his hair, "Look, Slayer, you have a few vampires to track down, nothing big. You can patrol without me for a couple months. I got business to take care of."

Ever so slightly and probably totally against her conscious will, Buffy pouted, "But…"

Spike put a finger to her lips, "Don't, pet. Whatever your excuse is, just don't. You've got The Scoobies, you'll be fine."

Coming back to herself, with a forced mental shaking of her want to not be around The Scoobies so much anymore, Buffy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right. I was just gonna tell you that you'd better say goodbye to Dawn… Whether I like it or not, she seems to look up to you," she bit her lip at the whole idea, 'Why couldn't Dawn pick a better role model?'

Spike allowed his irritation at the suggestion that he wouldn't tell Dawn that he was leaving to come through in his voice. "'Course I'll say bye to Nibblet,"

Buffy shook her head, mad that she had to admit anything that might make him think he was becoming a part of the group, even as she herself was shifting out of the group and more towards Spike, "Good."

Spike sighed at her grudging admission and walked off, he didn't need to hear about how she didn't love him again. Besides, the sooner Darla left town, the less chance that one of the Slayer's friends would wind up dead. 'Not that I care… it'd just make us leaving harder.'

Buffy rolled her eyes at the vampire's retreating back and continued her patrolling. "Weird much?" she asked to the empty night.

Darla laughed at all the right times, smiled constantly, and made sure that the loose dress she wore hid her four-month stomach. "That's wonderful, Victor. Sounds like a cruise to remember! What, do tell, are you planning to do in Africa?"

Victor nodded at the dainty young woman, still not able to believe that such a nice girl would be out by herself so late. "That, my dear, is a matter of the least importance. Are you traveling all that way alone?"

A large pale hand came around Darla's stomach, and rubbed casually, "Sorry to bother ya, mate, but my wife 'ere needs her rest, so we'll just catch you another time."

Darla spun around, more angry than she had been in a long time, but the man just caught her lips in a kiss and ushered her off with a "C'mon, pet!"

As soon as they were out of sight, she was released and Darla restrained her immediate urge to punch the bastard in front of her. "What the hell was that, Spike?"

Spike, meanwhile, was spitting and alternately wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ugh, don't get all pissy, pet, did that for your own good."

Fists clenched, Darla hissed, "How was ruining my dinner for my own good? And I swear, Spike, you call me 'pet' one more time…"

Spike rolled his eyes, "Calm down, would you, Darla? You think I bloody enjoyed that! Fact is, if'n the Slayer finds a dead body about to board this ship, she'll follow us to Africa, and we don't bloody well need that. Let her think it's just a vampire still in Sunnydale."

"I'm touched at your concern, Spike," was the reply as Darla hit him in the ribs, hard, "I'll catch a meal on the ship then."

Ignoring the pain in his side, Spike grabbed Darla by the arm and stopped her from leaving. "Bloody hell you will not! Bodies on the ship'll be just as bad as bodies on land. I brought blood for us."

Before he had time to react, Darla had stepped closer, grabbed him by the throat, and was holding him off the ground. "You expect me to drink pig's blood for weeks? Do you have any idea the fucking cravings I'm having?"

Spike nodded passively and tried to get over his immediate urge to breathe, "C'mon Darla, you've always been practical, this is the only way," he hoped that sounded like a compliment.

Darla dropped Spike, and he could see tears welling in her eyes, although she quickly blinked them back. "You have no idea how much I hate this."

He didn't know how to deal with an emotional Darla. 'Hell,' he thought 'I never know how to deal with Darla!' Spike sighed and patted her on the back awkwardly, "I know, pet. Look, we'll just stay in most of the time; avoid temptation. You made sure that there's more then enough room for us to steer well clear of each other."

Darla rolled her eyes, ignoring that he had called her pet again, she was feeling all fuzzy, and she didn't like it one bit. "When did you get so boring, Spike?"

"When I got this soddin' chip. Now c'mon, the ship's boarding and I wanna be all settled 'fore dawn," he didn't even bat an eyelash.

Darla allowed Spike to maneuver her towards the ship for a few seconds, wondering at this new Spike who ignored her baiting, before she took the lead and walked towards their luxury adjoining rooms.