Title: Diana
Author: Glorywillow143
Rating: PG-13 for strong language and some sexual situations/references
Disclaimer: *Sigh* Sorry to say, but Buffy and Co belong to Joss and his people, as much as I hate to admit it. All other characters are mine, so no stealing!
Distribution: Just ask if you want to borrow please!
Summary: A young woman by the name of Diana Walker shows up in Sunnyhell. Is she friend or foe?
A/N: stop reading this junk and get on with the story!
FIC ME~~~~
As Diana entered the halls of her new school, she was very aware of the hundreds of stares she was getting from fellow students and teachers alike. She thought that maybe it was her clothes. Her black shirt and jeans with a rose on the right rear pocket usually caught people's eyes. Or maybe it was her jewelry. Most people felt uncomfortable with the strange mix of her pentagram necklace, sliver claddagh ring, two sets of hoop earrings, and her charm bracelet. Or perhaps it was her hair or eyes. Many people thought that her reddish/brownish hair was really pretty and her large hazel eyes caught everyone's attention. But no, she knew what they were staring at; they were staring at her oversized stomach. That was one thing nobody missed. How could they? She was 8 months pregnant. She just looked at everyone staring and stared back with an expressionless gaze. She didn't care what they thought. She didn't care what anybody though. Well, except her sister that is. Her sister was a 24-year-old beautiful brunette with the same large eyes, thin as a super model, and taught her everything she knew. She was also dead. She had died while slaying. Diana blamed herself for what had happened.
*Two vamps jumped them. Her sister pulled out a stake, as did Diana. Of course, since she was pregnant, the vampires jumped her first. Her sister jumped at them. One vamp turned on her sister. Each of them was fighting the hardest they had ever fought. She staked the vamp that was attacking her and, seeing her sister struggling went over and helped. She quickly staked the one left and reached down to help her sister up. She stood, but started to fall quickly.
"Jess, are you ok?!"
"I'm fine, I just. Oh my god!" She pulled her hand away from her neck where she had been rubbing a sore spot. Her hand was drenched in blood - her blood! Diana yelped.
"Jess, we need to get you to a doctor!"
"No, I." as she staggered, she decided to change her mind. They got to the hospital just as Jess was ready to pass out from the loss of blood. She found a doctor and they started an immediate blood transfusion. Once they had gotten her stable, they put her in a room in ICU and let Diana stay with her. Diana had finally dozed off when she was jerked awake by the sound of alarms. She looked up to see her sister's heart monitor flat- lining. She screamed for help. She took her sister's hand. The doctors came in and told her to stand back. They started to use the electric paddles on Jess. It was only about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. They finally stopped and turned the alarm off. One doctor came over and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but we've lost your sister. The blood loss was just too great."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The doctor started to say something else, but it just didn't make sense. Her sister wasn't dead, she couldn't be. Then it hit her - her sister was dead because of her. If she hadn't been pregnant, Jess would still be alive. She then thought of the time Jess had died before, when she had flat-lined three years before. She came back. She looked the doctor in the eye and realized that it wouldn't happen again.'
While she was lost in thought, she ran right into someone. She quickly came back to reality. The person she ran into was a short man with a balding head and a sour look on his face. It was the same man that her and her aunt had come to see a couple of days ago, the same one that had finally let her into the school after many hours of begging and pleading. He was the only one in southern California who would let her into the school with her record. She was pregnant, was known for skipping classes every once and a while, and got into lots of fights. He looked her up and down and then motioned her into his office.
"Ms. Walker, so nice to see that you came to school on your first day."
"Well sure, if I hadn't come, it wouldn't be my first day, now would it?"
"Don't get smart with me, young lady. I have your list of classes and a list of books you need to get from the library for your classes."
As she took them, she glared at Principle Snyder. "Is that all?"
"Yes, now go."
She put her hand to her head in a mock salute. "Sir, Yes Sir!"
He scowled her as she left. She walked down the hall and looked at her list. There were a few text books and one for a reading assignment, but she had read it already. She needed to find something new to read while at the library. She walked around for a while until she found a sign that told her that she had found her destination. She pushed open the door and walked in. She looked around in wonder at all the books. An older looking English man got up from the table he was sitting at with a few other students. He walked over to her and put his glasses, which he had been cleaning, back on.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Um, yeah, I need some books." She handed him the list. He looked them over and then looked back at her.
"You must be Diana Walker."
"Yes I am sir."
"Well, welcome to Sunnydale Ms. Walker."
"Thanks."
He pulled out a pile of books that had apparently been waiting for her.
"Here are your books."
She scanned them to make sure that they were all there. She looked up at the taller man.
"Um, are there any particularly good books to read in this library?"
Taken aback by the question, he stuttered a bit.
"Well, I believe there are quite a few. What kind are you into?
"Anything classic."
"Well, we have Shakespearian work."
"I've already read them all."
"Robin Hood."
"Read it."
He started to ramble off a large list of books to which she merely replied that she had read them all. He glanced at all the shelves.
"Perhaps you should look through the books we have and you can choose yourself."
She nodded and started to wobble toward the stairs with all of her books.
"Um, you can leave your books on the counter while you look."
"Thanks a lot," She huffed. She set her books down and started towards the stairs again. The other students were obviously staring at her. She just looked at them with a forlorn look in her eyes. She used the railing to help her up the stairs and started towards one of the shelves. She fingered the book bindings as she read the titles to herself. She was amazed at the amount of supernatural books there were. She found one particularly interesting book about spells and demons. Since she was a witch and the sister of a former slayer, she was curious as to what this book had to say. She slowly made her way to the counter desk again. The man looked astonished when he saw what book she had picked out.
"Why on earth would you want this book?"
"I just want to read it, it sounds interesting."
"Alright," he said as he shrugged. He finished checking her out and she picked up all eight of her books. She staggered under their weight and tried to control them. Before she even got to the door, they all fell from her arms. A couple of the other students rushed over to help her. She was close to the counter so she put her hand against it and started to shimmy down. She had gotten down as low as she could and started to reach for one of the books, but it was just too far away. She huffed and puffed, but no amount of stretching would do her any good. Then one of the two girls that had come over to help started to restack the books while one offered to help her up.
"No, I've got it." She said as she shimmied back up the short wall, her face red from the effort. She stood up and reached out to get her books again. The one that tried to help her up stopped the other from giving her the books.
"At least let us help you carry them to your locker. That way you won't drop them again."
"Alright, thank you. By the way, I'm Diana."
"I'm Buffy and this," she said pointing to the red-head holding her books, "is Willow."
She smiled at them both and reached over and took four of the books, leaving Buffy and Willow with two each. She looked at her other piece of paper and headed toward her locker.
"What locker number are you?" Willow asked.
"59."
"Hey, that's right next to our lockers!" Buffy exclaimed
"Then you won't have very far to go then." Diana said briefly to her.
Just as they reached the door, a younger looking English man pulled the door open. She just stared at him, amazed. He stared back at her, an equally amazed look on his face. Buffy and Willow looked from Diana to him and then back to Diana. Buffy broke the silence.
"Diana, this is Wesley. Wesley, this is."
"Diana? Diana Walker?!"
Everyone looked at the two of them and were all shocked that Wesley knew who she was. She dropped her books and started to back away. The amazement in her eyes turned to fear. She looked like a caged animal. She started to mutter to herself.
"This can't be happening! I thought I had gotten away from this all! You can't be here!" She started to get louder as she spoke. "I thought you went away! I left LA, hoping to get away from it all! You can't be here!"
The librarian looked at Wesley.
"Do you know this young woman?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I do."
Buffy looked at Wesley.
"Wes, explain!"
"I'm not sure it's really my place to explain, is it Diana?"
"No, it's not! You know what? It's your fault Jess ended up dead! If you hadn't come to LA, she would still be alive!"
"It's not my fault she died, it just happened!"
By now they were both shouting at each other and she had tears in her eyes.
"No, it was because of. uhn." She bent over in pain. Buffy rushed over and led her to the chair that one of the other students had offered. She glared at Wesley.
"Thank you Xander. Wesley, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Don't you know you could have caused her to go into labor?" The librarian shouted.
"I'm sorry; it's just that I. Never mind!"
She looked at him, hatred in her eyes.
"If it weren't for you, Jess wouldn't have been a. a."
"A what? A slayer? No, that was her destiny, not my choice. She died in the line of duty, not because of me!"
"What, was it written some where that she was supposed to die?! Read me the books Wesley, tell me what the ancients said! I really don't give a damn!"
The librarian stepped forward.
"Wesley, did you just say that her sister was a slayer?"
"Yes, Rupert, her sister was the slayer before Buffy. She died just last month. She had also flat-lined a couple of years ago, much like happened to you, Buffy."
Diana looked at Buffy.
"You died?! This can't be happening. First you die, then you come back, then you die and your family and friends all expect you to come back, but you don't, which adds to the pain, and then everyone cries and mourns, then you get blamed for your sister's death, and."
Wesley walked over and put his hands on her shoulders and tipped her head toward his eyes.
"Diana, no one blames you, it was just an accident."
"No, it was my fault! If I weren't pregnant, I would have been able to get to her in time and she wouldn't have had to save me! It's my fault Wesley, it's all my fault!"
She broke down in tears. Wesley gently hugged her, letting her cry until she was finished. After she had stopped, the bell had already rang. Rupert looked at the students.
"Why don't we all just stay here and discuss some things." Buffy suggested.
"That sounds fine to me!" A boy with black hair agreed.
"Xander, you would do anything to get out of class!" a young woman with long dark hair said sarcastically.
"Shut up Cordelia!"
Diana laughed and they all stayed there until lunch and talked. Buffy introduced the librarian as Rupert Giles (but she said just to call him Giles) and the students as Cordelia, Faith, Xander, and Oz. Over the rest of the day they quickly became friends. They hung out together, talked about stuff, you know, teenaged things. That night, Diana conned them into letting her go patrolling with them. As they scoured the dismal cemetery, Diana thought about her new friends. She came back into reality when she heard a snapping of a twig come from behind one of the mausoleums. She slowly walked over, her stake in her hand, ready to strike. She slipped up to one of the sides and cautiously turned the corner. She made a high pitched squeak when she ran into a handsome man. She quickly hid the stake behind her back. The younger looking man smiled and gave a little chuckle. She saw that he was looking behind her. She turned to see Buffy, Oz, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia, who were also patrolling, running up behind her. She was relieved when Buffy ran up and kissed Angel. Buffy turned to her.
"Diana, this is Angel."
Diana reached out and shook his hand. She could easily see that he was looking at her massive belly. She looked at him.
"Nice to meet you Angel. Angel, that's kind of a girly name, isn't it? Are you like a girl or something?"
He blushed and she knew she had hit a nerve like she had meant to. She gave him a coy/mocking smile. The others just laughed. Willow turned to him.
"She caught you staring at her, didn't she? *laughing* Angel, how old are you again? Haven't you learned that any pregnant woman will retaliate if they catch you staring at them, especially a teen?"
They all started laughing at him again, but this time Diana and Angel joined in. Angle turned to Diana, a smile on his face.
"Sorry about that, but in my 241 years I've only encountered a few pregnant teens."
"241 huh? You must be a vampire if you're that old."
"That's right, how'd you know?"
"You're way too good looking to have no tan. Besides, my sister was the slayer before Buffy."
She suddenly got a distant look on her face. He looked sympathetic for her.
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok, it had to happen sooner or later, didn't it?"
They finished up the night of patrolling and then all went their own ways. Buffy had gone with Angel to his place and Willow had decided to walk Diana home, just incase something decided to jump out at her or such.
"Diana, how did you end up in Sunnydale anyway?"
"Well, after my mom died a few years ago, my dad was left to take care of me. My sister helped a lot with the female stuff. When I ended up pregnant, my dad just couldn't handle it. He ended up kicking me out of the house. Jess, my sister, took me in and helped take care of me. When she died, I tried to live by myself, but I just couldn't do it. My dad called my mom's sister, my only living relative besides him, and she said I could come and live with her. She's great. She acts a lot like Jess did."
"I'm sorry that you've had it so rough."
"Don't be. Everyone keeps telling me that their sorry and that I'm holding up well, but the truth is, I can't do anything else. After all that's happened, I've just become emotionally numb. I can't feel much to the effect of my emotions."
"That's terrible!"
"No, no it's not. Without it, I would have been dead long ago."
They walked a while longer in silence. As they walked, Willow recognized where they were. Diana stopped at a white house with the address of 1632.
"Why did we stop here?"
"That's my aunt's house."
Willow pointed to the house next door.
"That's Buffy's house."
"Oh wow! Would you like to come in?"
"No, I've got to get home, mom's probably worried. Wait, what am I thinking? No she's not! I've got a lot of homework to do though."
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Right. Bye!"
"Bye!"
Diana walked up the paved walkway to her house. She looked at her watch and saw that it was about two in the morning already. She silently snuck into the house. She had just taken her coat of and turned around when her aunt surprised her.
"Aunt Julie! You scared the shit out of me!"
"You did the same to me girl! I thought that you were a burglar or something."
"I'm sorry. Hey, did I wake you up?"
"No, I was up waiting for you."
"Jules, I told you that I was going out to patrol, you know how long that takes."
"I know, I just wanted to make sure you got home safely."
"Well, I'm safe. Hey, I just found out that our next door neighbor is Buffy Summers, one of my new friends and one of the current slayers."
"One of them? I thought there was only one."
"Well, apparently Buffy's died once before, like Jess." Diana got that distant look in her eyes again. Julie walked over and gave Diana a hug. Diana pushed away from her aunt.
"Hey, I'm gonna go to bed, I'm really beat."
"Alright Hun, good night."
"G'night Jules."
Diana walked up the stairs to her bedroom that was once an office. She slipped into her nightgown and turned out the lights. She climbed in between the covers and fell asleep.
***
"What do you think?" Willow asked.
"I like the idea, Will, but we don't know how she would feel about it." Xander replied.
"I think it's a great idea! I mean, she's obviously stressed about her sister dieing. She needs some time off to relax." Buffy said.
"That and a good make over. I mean, she's really started to show signs of aging." Everyone stared at Cordy when she said this.
"Cordy, as insensitive as that sounded, I think you're right. You all are. Diana really needs this, it'll take her mind off of things, if it's only for one night." Giles said.
Just then, Faith walked into the library where they were having a meeting.
"Hey guys, what's up? New bad guy?"
"Baby shower."
"Sorry, not my domain. Who's it for, anyway?"
"Diana, the new girl in school. Her sister was the slayer before Buffy. None of us are really up to speed on them." Willow told her.
"I've been to a couple of baby showers."
"Angel!"
"Hey Buffy. Anyway, not that it's any of my business, but I could help."
"Thanks Angel."
They got to planning the shower.
***
Later that night, Buffy showed up at Diana's door wearing a nice slinky dress. She rang the doorbell and waited. Julie opened the door and looked at Buffy.
"You must be Buffy. I'll get Diana for you."
"Thanks." Julie called for Diana.
"Coming Jules!"
She walked down the stairs wearing a nice dress that Julie had bought for her. She walked over and hugged her aunt.
"Thanks again for letting me go Aunt Julie."
"No problem. If I wasn't so busy myself, I'd go too."
"Well, see you Jules."
"G'bye honey, have fun at the dance club."
Diana and Buffy walked down the sidewalk towards the Bronze. The talked about everything from demons to baby names. Just as they reached the entrance to the club, four vampires jumped out at them. Buffy pulled out two stakes and passed one to Diana. Inside the Bronze, the others heard the commotion. Angel, Cordy, and Xander all ran out to help. Buffy had already staked one and was fighting a second one. Diana staked one as another came and kicked her in the back, knocking her down. Angel rushed over and fought the vampire while Xander and Cordy rushed over to help Diana. Buffy staked the one she was fighting and helped Angel. When they had killed it, they ran over to check on Diana.
"Oh my god! Diana, are you ok?"
She winced in pain but then looked at them with a coy smile on her face.
"Never... uhn. felt better..."
They all laughed at her and helped her inside. As they walked through the doorway, everyone jumped up.
"Surprise!"
Cordy and Xander let go of Diana as she stood up all the way and gasped. She looked at all the presents and baby decorations. For the first time that they had known her, she smiled her first genuine smile of joy. Then came tears.
"Thank you so much! You guys really didn't have to do this for me."
"Sure we did! Come on, you know you like it." Xander said.
"Yes Xander, I do like it."
"Don't be shy, we don't bite." Then looking at Angel, Faith snickered. "Well, most of us don't anyway."
Diana laughed. She sat down with a wince. Angel looked at her.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just having trouble getting comfortable."
"Well, maybe you'll be more comfortable after opening presents and eating cake." Willow said.
Giles and Wesley carried out a large cake while Oz and Willow brought her the presents. She opted for opening presents first because after the fight she wasn't really hungry. The first gift was from Faith. It was a small box with comics as wrapping paper. She opened it to find four new pairs of earrings.
"Thanks Faith, I was wanting to get some new ones."
She then opened the present that Oz had gotten her. She looked at the odd shaped package. She opened it to find a cat carrier.
"Um, what is this for?"
"Open this and you'll find out." Willow handed her another box, this one with holes in the sides. Diana opened it and went google-eyed when she opened it. She reached in and pulled out a tiny black kitten.
"Thank you, Willow!"
"It was Oz's idea."
She reached over and hugged him.
"Thank you Oz."
She opened the gift from Cordelia and found a home make over kit. Cordy said it was for the signs of aging that were showing. Xander's present was a set of clothes.
"Xander, where ever did you find such cute clothes?"
"I found them on sale at a baby store and thought that you would like them."
"That's so sweet Xander, Thank you."
She opened Wesley's present and found a picture of Jess and herself, along with a few sets of clothing. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you. This is the best."
"I took a visit to your father. He gave me the picture and the clothes. He said that they had been Jess's."
"Oh Wesley! Thank you I."
She got a sudden look of pain on her face.
"Diana, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I, uh, just have to go to the bathroom."
"I'll show you where they're at."
"Thanks Willow."
"No problem."
They walked to the bathroom together, Diana's look of pain slowly easing away. When they reached the bathroom, Willow went in first and held the door open for Diana. Diana got inside and started toward a stall. Willow looked at the wet spot on the back of Diana's blue dress.
"Uh, Diana, the back of your dress is all wet."
She backed up to a mirror and looked at it. She gasped and then leaned against the sink in pain.
"Diana?!"
"Uhn. Willow, I think I'm in labor!"
Willow panicked.
"I'll go get the other!"
"No, don't leave me alone."
Willow helped her to a wall where she could lean on. As another contraction hit, she slid to the floor, gasping in pain. She shut her eyes tight and Willow noticed a few tears roll down her cheek. Just then, Faith walked in. She turned to see Diana sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall gasping for breath. Willow turned to her, panic in her eyes.
"Faith, Diana's gone into labor, go get help!"
"Right!"
Faith ran out of the restroom and up to the others who were all talking. One look at Faith's face told them that something was wrong.
"Faith, what happened?"
"It's Diana, she went into labor!"
"Oh my god!"
They all ran to the women's' bathroom. Cordy, Faith, Willow, and Buffy all went in while the guys stayed outside. Diana's contraction had passed and she was leaning against the wall, tears streaming down her face. Buffy bent down and looked into her eyes.
"Diana, do you think you can get up?"
Diana nodded and Buffy and Faith helped her up.
Cordy opened the door and led them out.
Willow went to Oz.
"Oz, we need to use your van to get her to the hospital."
"No problem, I'll drive."
They led her to the van while Xander and Cordy put the presents and such in the back of her car. Just as they got to the van, Diana had another major contraction. She groaned loudly in pain. Buffy and Faith lifted her the rest of the way into the van. Willow had already laid out a couple of blankets and they laid Diana down so her head was on Willow's lap. Buffy and Faith climbed in the back with Diana and Willow, while Angel got up front with Oz. Giles and Wesley got into Giles's car and Cordy drove her and Xander. Giles and Cordy went the regular speed limit, but Oz sped down the road. They soon got pulled over by the police. The officer walked up to Oz's window.
"Where's the fire?"
"No fire, ma'am."
"Then why were you speeding?"
"Take a look in the back."
As if on cue, Diana had yet another contraction, this one causing her to give a little scream. She now had sweat pouring down her face.
"I see. Do you guys need an escort?"
"That would be great officer."
The officer got into her car and turned on the siren. They pulled back into traffic and sped the rest of the way to the hospital. Angel got out and ran for a wheel chair. Buffy and Faith helped her into it as it arrived. Angel pushed the wheelchair in, Buffy and Faith running ahead and Oz and Willow waiting for the others to arrive. A nurse met them at the door and quickly led them up to the Maternity ward. Angel, Buffy, and Faith were all told to go to the waiting room, but Diana begged them to let Buffy stay with her. They let Buffy in to help coach her breathing. They put her in a room and waited for a doctor to arrive. When she finally got there, Diana was drenched in sweat. They had already gotten her into a gown and the doctor checked her cervix. She looked at Buffy.
"How long has she been in labor?"
"Um, I believe her water broke about 15 minutes ago."
"Well, she's ready to push already."
They wheeled her into the actual delivery room. They started her on pushing with the next contraction. Buffy held her hand as she pushed. She had been pushing for an hour when they actually began to see something.
"Oh dear lord, Diana, you're gonna have to push harder."
"I can't!" She sobbed loudly.
Buffy looked at the doctor strangely. She moved to the doctor and she showed Buffy what was beginning to show.
"The baby's breached, which means that the buttocks will come out first." The doctor explained. Buffy moved back to Diana's side and squeezed her hand. Buffy smiled, even though her hand was in tremendous pain. Another contraction hit and Diana pushed harder then before. As she pushed, a sharp scream emerged from her. Tears started to stream down her face. She stopped pushing and took another breath, then started to push again. She was half screaming and half sobbing in pain and exhaustion about an hour and a half later when the butt and legs finally emerged.
"That's it Diana, just a little more, you're almost there."
"I can't!" She sobbed once again.
"You can do it Diana," Buffy told her, gently squeezing her hand in reassurance.
Diana began pushing again. She struggled as hard as she could to push the baby out. After another 45 minutes, when Diana felt she could no longer push, a sharp cry came from not her, but a tiny little baby that the doctor was holding. Diana cried in both relief and exhaustion. The nurse took the baby and cleaned it up. She weighed and measured it and then handed it to Diana. The doctor smiled.
"It's a girl."
"My little girl. you're so precious. How could anything so tiny cause so much pain?"
"Do you have a name yet?"
"Yes. Jessica Marie Walker."
"That's a beautiful name."
"It was my sister's."
"I'll go write it down."
"And I'll go tell the others."
Buffy got up and walked out the door and down to the waiting room. Julie, who had come two and a half hours ago after Wesley had called, jumped up.
"How is she? How is my little girl?"
"She's fine. And so is her mother."
"A Girl! Oh my goodness, a little girl!"
"Her name is Jessica Marie Walker, after her sister."
Julie gave a little cry of happiness.
They all went in to see Diana as soon as they would let them. They allowed Diana to leave the hospital after four days of observation. Julie and the others had Diana and Jessica's room all made when they got there.
***
After the girls had been home for a couple of days, Diana got a phone call.
"Hello?"
"Diana, it's dad."
"Dad?"
"Honey, I heard about the baby. I'm so sorry that I acted so insensitively."
"It's ok Dad, really."
"Honey, what I really called to say is. I want you to come home. The house has been so quiet since you left. After what happened to your mother and then your sister, having you get pregnant was too much for me to deal with."
"Oh, Daddy! Of course I'll come home! I've missed you so much. And I want you to meet your new granddaughter - Jessica Marie Walker."
"Jess. You named her after your sister."
"Yes Daddy, I did. I'll go pack now and I'll get Julie to drive me home tomorrow."
"Good. I'll see you then. Oh, and Diana."
"Yes?"
"I Love you."
"I love you too Daddy. 'Bye."
Diana hung up, a tear in her eye. She went straight up and packed her things. The next day she told everybody the news.
"You're really leaving?"
"Yes, my dad wants me to come home."
"That's good for you."
"Well, Aunt Julie wants to make sure we get there before Jess needs to be feed again, so we have to go now."
She said farewell and hugged everyone, making sure Buffy would tell Angel what happened. She gave one final look at the gang before they drove off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A/N 2: Ok, kinda corny I know. And also very anti-climactic. It's also the first story I've ever finished (go me!). Anywhosit, there is a sequel in the making, I just have to finish it. So look for it soon!
Author: Glorywillow143
Rating: PG-13 for strong language and some sexual situations/references
Disclaimer: *Sigh* Sorry to say, but Buffy and Co belong to Joss and his people, as much as I hate to admit it. All other characters are mine, so no stealing!
Distribution: Just ask if you want to borrow please!
Summary: A young woman by the name of Diana Walker shows up in Sunnyhell. Is she friend or foe?
A/N: stop reading this junk and get on with the story!
FIC ME~~~~
As Diana entered the halls of her new school, she was very aware of the hundreds of stares she was getting from fellow students and teachers alike. She thought that maybe it was her clothes. Her black shirt and jeans with a rose on the right rear pocket usually caught people's eyes. Or maybe it was her jewelry. Most people felt uncomfortable with the strange mix of her pentagram necklace, sliver claddagh ring, two sets of hoop earrings, and her charm bracelet. Or perhaps it was her hair or eyes. Many people thought that her reddish/brownish hair was really pretty and her large hazel eyes caught everyone's attention. But no, she knew what they were staring at; they were staring at her oversized stomach. That was one thing nobody missed. How could they? She was 8 months pregnant. She just looked at everyone staring and stared back with an expressionless gaze. She didn't care what they thought. She didn't care what anybody though. Well, except her sister that is. Her sister was a 24-year-old beautiful brunette with the same large eyes, thin as a super model, and taught her everything she knew. She was also dead. She had died while slaying. Diana blamed herself for what had happened.
*Two vamps jumped them. Her sister pulled out a stake, as did Diana. Of course, since she was pregnant, the vampires jumped her first. Her sister jumped at them. One vamp turned on her sister. Each of them was fighting the hardest they had ever fought. She staked the vamp that was attacking her and, seeing her sister struggling went over and helped. She quickly staked the one left and reached down to help her sister up. She stood, but started to fall quickly.
"Jess, are you ok?!"
"I'm fine, I just. Oh my god!" She pulled her hand away from her neck where she had been rubbing a sore spot. Her hand was drenched in blood - her blood! Diana yelped.
"Jess, we need to get you to a doctor!"
"No, I." as she staggered, she decided to change her mind. They got to the hospital just as Jess was ready to pass out from the loss of blood. She found a doctor and they started an immediate blood transfusion. Once they had gotten her stable, they put her in a room in ICU and let Diana stay with her. Diana had finally dozed off when she was jerked awake by the sound of alarms. She looked up to see her sister's heart monitor flat- lining. She screamed for help. She took her sister's hand. The doctors came in and told her to stand back. They started to use the electric paddles on Jess. It was only about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. They finally stopped and turned the alarm off. One doctor came over and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but we've lost your sister. The blood loss was just too great."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The doctor started to say something else, but it just didn't make sense. Her sister wasn't dead, she couldn't be. Then it hit her - her sister was dead because of her. If she hadn't been pregnant, Jess would still be alive. She then thought of the time Jess had died before, when she had flat-lined three years before. She came back. She looked the doctor in the eye and realized that it wouldn't happen again.'
While she was lost in thought, she ran right into someone. She quickly came back to reality. The person she ran into was a short man with a balding head and a sour look on his face. It was the same man that her and her aunt had come to see a couple of days ago, the same one that had finally let her into the school after many hours of begging and pleading. He was the only one in southern California who would let her into the school with her record. She was pregnant, was known for skipping classes every once and a while, and got into lots of fights. He looked her up and down and then motioned her into his office.
"Ms. Walker, so nice to see that you came to school on your first day."
"Well sure, if I hadn't come, it wouldn't be my first day, now would it?"
"Don't get smart with me, young lady. I have your list of classes and a list of books you need to get from the library for your classes."
As she took them, she glared at Principle Snyder. "Is that all?"
"Yes, now go."
She put her hand to her head in a mock salute. "Sir, Yes Sir!"
He scowled her as she left. She walked down the hall and looked at her list. There were a few text books and one for a reading assignment, but she had read it already. She needed to find something new to read while at the library. She walked around for a while until she found a sign that told her that she had found her destination. She pushed open the door and walked in. She looked around in wonder at all the books. An older looking English man got up from the table he was sitting at with a few other students. He walked over to her and put his glasses, which he had been cleaning, back on.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Um, yeah, I need some books." She handed him the list. He looked them over and then looked back at her.
"You must be Diana Walker."
"Yes I am sir."
"Well, welcome to Sunnydale Ms. Walker."
"Thanks."
He pulled out a pile of books that had apparently been waiting for her.
"Here are your books."
She scanned them to make sure that they were all there. She looked up at the taller man.
"Um, are there any particularly good books to read in this library?"
Taken aback by the question, he stuttered a bit.
"Well, I believe there are quite a few. What kind are you into?
"Anything classic."
"Well, we have Shakespearian work."
"I've already read them all."
"Robin Hood."
"Read it."
He started to ramble off a large list of books to which she merely replied that she had read them all. He glanced at all the shelves.
"Perhaps you should look through the books we have and you can choose yourself."
She nodded and started to wobble toward the stairs with all of her books.
"Um, you can leave your books on the counter while you look."
"Thanks a lot," She huffed. She set her books down and started towards the stairs again. The other students were obviously staring at her. She just looked at them with a forlorn look in her eyes. She used the railing to help her up the stairs and started towards one of the shelves. She fingered the book bindings as she read the titles to herself. She was amazed at the amount of supernatural books there were. She found one particularly interesting book about spells and demons. Since she was a witch and the sister of a former slayer, she was curious as to what this book had to say. She slowly made her way to the counter desk again. The man looked astonished when he saw what book she had picked out.
"Why on earth would you want this book?"
"I just want to read it, it sounds interesting."
"Alright," he said as he shrugged. He finished checking her out and she picked up all eight of her books. She staggered under their weight and tried to control them. Before she even got to the door, they all fell from her arms. A couple of the other students rushed over to help her. She was close to the counter so she put her hand against it and started to shimmy down. She had gotten down as low as she could and started to reach for one of the books, but it was just too far away. She huffed and puffed, but no amount of stretching would do her any good. Then one of the two girls that had come over to help started to restack the books while one offered to help her up.
"No, I've got it." She said as she shimmied back up the short wall, her face red from the effort. She stood up and reached out to get her books again. The one that tried to help her up stopped the other from giving her the books.
"At least let us help you carry them to your locker. That way you won't drop them again."
"Alright, thank you. By the way, I'm Diana."
"I'm Buffy and this," she said pointing to the red-head holding her books, "is Willow."
She smiled at them both and reached over and took four of the books, leaving Buffy and Willow with two each. She looked at her other piece of paper and headed toward her locker.
"What locker number are you?" Willow asked.
"59."
"Hey, that's right next to our lockers!" Buffy exclaimed
"Then you won't have very far to go then." Diana said briefly to her.
Just as they reached the door, a younger looking English man pulled the door open. She just stared at him, amazed. He stared back at her, an equally amazed look on his face. Buffy and Willow looked from Diana to him and then back to Diana. Buffy broke the silence.
"Diana, this is Wesley. Wesley, this is."
"Diana? Diana Walker?!"
Everyone looked at the two of them and were all shocked that Wesley knew who she was. She dropped her books and started to back away. The amazement in her eyes turned to fear. She looked like a caged animal. She started to mutter to herself.
"This can't be happening! I thought I had gotten away from this all! You can't be here!" She started to get louder as she spoke. "I thought you went away! I left LA, hoping to get away from it all! You can't be here!"
The librarian looked at Wesley.
"Do you know this young woman?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I do."
Buffy looked at Wesley.
"Wes, explain!"
"I'm not sure it's really my place to explain, is it Diana?"
"No, it's not! You know what? It's your fault Jess ended up dead! If you hadn't come to LA, she would still be alive!"
"It's not my fault she died, it just happened!"
By now they were both shouting at each other and she had tears in her eyes.
"No, it was because of. uhn." She bent over in pain. Buffy rushed over and led her to the chair that one of the other students had offered. She glared at Wesley.
"Thank you Xander. Wesley, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Don't you know you could have caused her to go into labor?" The librarian shouted.
"I'm sorry; it's just that I. Never mind!"
She looked at him, hatred in her eyes.
"If it weren't for you, Jess wouldn't have been a. a."
"A what? A slayer? No, that was her destiny, not my choice. She died in the line of duty, not because of me!"
"What, was it written some where that she was supposed to die?! Read me the books Wesley, tell me what the ancients said! I really don't give a damn!"
The librarian stepped forward.
"Wesley, did you just say that her sister was a slayer?"
"Yes, Rupert, her sister was the slayer before Buffy. She died just last month. She had also flat-lined a couple of years ago, much like happened to you, Buffy."
Diana looked at Buffy.
"You died?! This can't be happening. First you die, then you come back, then you die and your family and friends all expect you to come back, but you don't, which adds to the pain, and then everyone cries and mourns, then you get blamed for your sister's death, and."
Wesley walked over and put his hands on her shoulders and tipped her head toward his eyes.
"Diana, no one blames you, it was just an accident."
"No, it was my fault! If I weren't pregnant, I would have been able to get to her in time and she wouldn't have had to save me! It's my fault Wesley, it's all my fault!"
She broke down in tears. Wesley gently hugged her, letting her cry until she was finished. After she had stopped, the bell had already rang. Rupert looked at the students.
"Why don't we all just stay here and discuss some things." Buffy suggested.
"That sounds fine to me!" A boy with black hair agreed.
"Xander, you would do anything to get out of class!" a young woman with long dark hair said sarcastically.
"Shut up Cordelia!"
Diana laughed and they all stayed there until lunch and talked. Buffy introduced the librarian as Rupert Giles (but she said just to call him Giles) and the students as Cordelia, Faith, Xander, and Oz. Over the rest of the day they quickly became friends. They hung out together, talked about stuff, you know, teenaged things. That night, Diana conned them into letting her go patrolling with them. As they scoured the dismal cemetery, Diana thought about her new friends. She came back into reality when she heard a snapping of a twig come from behind one of the mausoleums. She slowly walked over, her stake in her hand, ready to strike. She slipped up to one of the sides and cautiously turned the corner. She made a high pitched squeak when she ran into a handsome man. She quickly hid the stake behind her back. The younger looking man smiled and gave a little chuckle. She saw that he was looking behind her. She turned to see Buffy, Oz, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia, who were also patrolling, running up behind her. She was relieved when Buffy ran up and kissed Angel. Buffy turned to her.
"Diana, this is Angel."
Diana reached out and shook his hand. She could easily see that he was looking at her massive belly. She looked at him.
"Nice to meet you Angel. Angel, that's kind of a girly name, isn't it? Are you like a girl or something?"
He blushed and she knew she had hit a nerve like she had meant to. She gave him a coy/mocking smile. The others just laughed. Willow turned to him.
"She caught you staring at her, didn't she? *laughing* Angel, how old are you again? Haven't you learned that any pregnant woman will retaliate if they catch you staring at them, especially a teen?"
They all started laughing at him again, but this time Diana and Angel joined in. Angle turned to Diana, a smile on his face.
"Sorry about that, but in my 241 years I've only encountered a few pregnant teens."
"241 huh? You must be a vampire if you're that old."
"That's right, how'd you know?"
"You're way too good looking to have no tan. Besides, my sister was the slayer before Buffy."
She suddenly got a distant look on her face. He looked sympathetic for her.
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok, it had to happen sooner or later, didn't it?"
They finished up the night of patrolling and then all went their own ways. Buffy had gone with Angel to his place and Willow had decided to walk Diana home, just incase something decided to jump out at her or such.
"Diana, how did you end up in Sunnydale anyway?"
"Well, after my mom died a few years ago, my dad was left to take care of me. My sister helped a lot with the female stuff. When I ended up pregnant, my dad just couldn't handle it. He ended up kicking me out of the house. Jess, my sister, took me in and helped take care of me. When she died, I tried to live by myself, but I just couldn't do it. My dad called my mom's sister, my only living relative besides him, and she said I could come and live with her. She's great. She acts a lot like Jess did."
"I'm sorry that you've had it so rough."
"Don't be. Everyone keeps telling me that their sorry and that I'm holding up well, but the truth is, I can't do anything else. After all that's happened, I've just become emotionally numb. I can't feel much to the effect of my emotions."
"That's terrible!"
"No, no it's not. Without it, I would have been dead long ago."
They walked a while longer in silence. As they walked, Willow recognized where they were. Diana stopped at a white house with the address of 1632.
"Why did we stop here?"
"That's my aunt's house."
Willow pointed to the house next door.
"That's Buffy's house."
"Oh wow! Would you like to come in?"
"No, I've got to get home, mom's probably worried. Wait, what am I thinking? No she's not! I've got a lot of homework to do though."
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Right. Bye!"
"Bye!"
Diana walked up the paved walkway to her house. She looked at her watch and saw that it was about two in the morning already. She silently snuck into the house. She had just taken her coat of and turned around when her aunt surprised her.
"Aunt Julie! You scared the shit out of me!"
"You did the same to me girl! I thought that you were a burglar or something."
"I'm sorry. Hey, did I wake you up?"
"No, I was up waiting for you."
"Jules, I told you that I was going out to patrol, you know how long that takes."
"I know, I just wanted to make sure you got home safely."
"Well, I'm safe. Hey, I just found out that our next door neighbor is Buffy Summers, one of my new friends and one of the current slayers."
"One of them? I thought there was only one."
"Well, apparently Buffy's died once before, like Jess." Diana got that distant look in her eyes again. Julie walked over and gave Diana a hug. Diana pushed away from her aunt.
"Hey, I'm gonna go to bed, I'm really beat."
"Alright Hun, good night."
"G'night Jules."
Diana walked up the stairs to her bedroom that was once an office. She slipped into her nightgown and turned out the lights. She climbed in between the covers and fell asleep.
***
"What do you think?" Willow asked.
"I like the idea, Will, but we don't know how she would feel about it." Xander replied.
"I think it's a great idea! I mean, she's obviously stressed about her sister dieing. She needs some time off to relax." Buffy said.
"That and a good make over. I mean, she's really started to show signs of aging." Everyone stared at Cordy when she said this.
"Cordy, as insensitive as that sounded, I think you're right. You all are. Diana really needs this, it'll take her mind off of things, if it's only for one night." Giles said.
Just then, Faith walked into the library where they were having a meeting.
"Hey guys, what's up? New bad guy?"
"Baby shower."
"Sorry, not my domain. Who's it for, anyway?"
"Diana, the new girl in school. Her sister was the slayer before Buffy. None of us are really up to speed on them." Willow told her.
"I've been to a couple of baby showers."
"Angel!"
"Hey Buffy. Anyway, not that it's any of my business, but I could help."
"Thanks Angel."
They got to planning the shower.
***
Later that night, Buffy showed up at Diana's door wearing a nice slinky dress. She rang the doorbell and waited. Julie opened the door and looked at Buffy.
"You must be Buffy. I'll get Diana for you."
"Thanks." Julie called for Diana.
"Coming Jules!"
She walked down the stairs wearing a nice dress that Julie had bought for her. She walked over and hugged her aunt.
"Thanks again for letting me go Aunt Julie."
"No problem. If I wasn't so busy myself, I'd go too."
"Well, see you Jules."
"G'bye honey, have fun at the dance club."
Diana and Buffy walked down the sidewalk towards the Bronze. The talked about everything from demons to baby names. Just as they reached the entrance to the club, four vampires jumped out at them. Buffy pulled out two stakes and passed one to Diana. Inside the Bronze, the others heard the commotion. Angel, Cordy, and Xander all ran out to help. Buffy had already staked one and was fighting a second one. Diana staked one as another came and kicked her in the back, knocking her down. Angel rushed over and fought the vampire while Xander and Cordy rushed over to help Diana. Buffy staked the one she was fighting and helped Angel. When they had killed it, they ran over to check on Diana.
"Oh my god! Diana, are you ok?"
She winced in pain but then looked at them with a coy smile on her face.
"Never... uhn. felt better..."
They all laughed at her and helped her inside. As they walked through the doorway, everyone jumped up.
"Surprise!"
Cordy and Xander let go of Diana as she stood up all the way and gasped. She looked at all the presents and baby decorations. For the first time that they had known her, she smiled her first genuine smile of joy. Then came tears.
"Thank you so much! You guys really didn't have to do this for me."
"Sure we did! Come on, you know you like it." Xander said.
"Yes Xander, I do like it."
"Don't be shy, we don't bite." Then looking at Angel, Faith snickered. "Well, most of us don't anyway."
Diana laughed. She sat down with a wince. Angel looked at her.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just having trouble getting comfortable."
"Well, maybe you'll be more comfortable after opening presents and eating cake." Willow said.
Giles and Wesley carried out a large cake while Oz and Willow brought her the presents. She opted for opening presents first because after the fight she wasn't really hungry. The first gift was from Faith. It was a small box with comics as wrapping paper. She opened it to find four new pairs of earrings.
"Thanks Faith, I was wanting to get some new ones."
She then opened the present that Oz had gotten her. She looked at the odd shaped package. She opened it to find a cat carrier.
"Um, what is this for?"
"Open this and you'll find out." Willow handed her another box, this one with holes in the sides. Diana opened it and went google-eyed when she opened it. She reached in and pulled out a tiny black kitten.
"Thank you, Willow!"
"It was Oz's idea."
She reached over and hugged him.
"Thank you Oz."
She opened the gift from Cordelia and found a home make over kit. Cordy said it was for the signs of aging that were showing. Xander's present was a set of clothes.
"Xander, where ever did you find such cute clothes?"
"I found them on sale at a baby store and thought that you would like them."
"That's so sweet Xander, Thank you."
She opened Wesley's present and found a picture of Jess and herself, along with a few sets of clothing. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you. This is the best."
"I took a visit to your father. He gave me the picture and the clothes. He said that they had been Jess's."
"Oh Wesley! Thank you I."
She got a sudden look of pain on her face.
"Diana, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I, uh, just have to go to the bathroom."
"I'll show you where they're at."
"Thanks Willow."
"No problem."
They walked to the bathroom together, Diana's look of pain slowly easing away. When they reached the bathroom, Willow went in first and held the door open for Diana. Diana got inside and started toward a stall. Willow looked at the wet spot on the back of Diana's blue dress.
"Uh, Diana, the back of your dress is all wet."
She backed up to a mirror and looked at it. She gasped and then leaned against the sink in pain.
"Diana?!"
"Uhn. Willow, I think I'm in labor!"
Willow panicked.
"I'll go get the other!"
"No, don't leave me alone."
Willow helped her to a wall where she could lean on. As another contraction hit, she slid to the floor, gasping in pain. She shut her eyes tight and Willow noticed a few tears roll down her cheek. Just then, Faith walked in. She turned to see Diana sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall gasping for breath. Willow turned to her, panic in her eyes.
"Faith, Diana's gone into labor, go get help!"
"Right!"
Faith ran out of the restroom and up to the others who were all talking. One look at Faith's face told them that something was wrong.
"Faith, what happened?"
"It's Diana, she went into labor!"
"Oh my god!"
They all ran to the women's' bathroom. Cordy, Faith, Willow, and Buffy all went in while the guys stayed outside. Diana's contraction had passed and she was leaning against the wall, tears streaming down her face. Buffy bent down and looked into her eyes.
"Diana, do you think you can get up?"
Diana nodded and Buffy and Faith helped her up.
Cordy opened the door and led them out.
Willow went to Oz.
"Oz, we need to use your van to get her to the hospital."
"No problem, I'll drive."
They led her to the van while Xander and Cordy put the presents and such in the back of her car. Just as they got to the van, Diana had another major contraction. She groaned loudly in pain. Buffy and Faith lifted her the rest of the way into the van. Willow had already laid out a couple of blankets and they laid Diana down so her head was on Willow's lap. Buffy and Faith climbed in the back with Diana and Willow, while Angel got up front with Oz. Giles and Wesley got into Giles's car and Cordy drove her and Xander. Giles and Cordy went the regular speed limit, but Oz sped down the road. They soon got pulled over by the police. The officer walked up to Oz's window.
"Where's the fire?"
"No fire, ma'am."
"Then why were you speeding?"
"Take a look in the back."
As if on cue, Diana had yet another contraction, this one causing her to give a little scream. She now had sweat pouring down her face.
"I see. Do you guys need an escort?"
"That would be great officer."
The officer got into her car and turned on the siren. They pulled back into traffic and sped the rest of the way to the hospital. Angel got out and ran for a wheel chair. Buffy and Faith helped her into it as it arrived. Angel pushed the wheelchair in, Buffy and Faith running ahead and Oz and Willow waiting for the others to arrive. A nurse met them at the door and quickly led them up to the Maternity ward. Angel, Buffy, and Faith were all told to go to the waiting room, but Diana begged them to let Buffy stay with her. They let Buffy in to help coach her breathing. They put her in a room and waited for a doctor to arrive. When she finally got there, Diana was drenched in sweat. They had already gotten her into a gown and the doctor checked her cervix. She looked at Buffy.
"How long has she been in labor?"
"Um, I believe her water broke about 15 minutes ago."
"Well, she's ready to push already."
They wheeled her into the actual delivery room. They started her on pushing with the next contraction. Buffy held her hand as she pushed. She had been pushing for an hour when they actually began to see something.
"Oh dear lord, Diana, you're gonna have to push harder."
"I can't!" She sobbed loudly.
Buffy looked at the doctor strangely. She moved to the doctor and she showed Buffy what was beginning to show.
"The baby's breached, which means that the buttocks will come out first." The doctor explained. Buffy moved back to Diana's side and squeezed her hand. Buffy smiled, even though her hand was in tremendous pain. Another contraction hit and Diana pushed harder then before. As she pushed, a sharp scream emerged from her. Tears started to stream down her face. She stopped pushing and took another breath, then started to push again. She was half screaming and half sobbing in pain and exhaustion about an hour and a half later when the butt and legs finally emerged.
"That's it Diana, just a little more, you're almost there."
"I can't!" She sobbed once again.
"You can do it Diana," Buffy told her, gently squeezing her hand in reassurance.
Diana began pushing again. She struggled as hard as she could to push the baby out. After another 45 minutes, when Diana felt she could no longer push, a sharp cry came from not her, but a tiny little baby that the doctor was holding. Diana cried in both relief and exhaustion. The nurse took the baby and cleaned it up. She weighed and measured it and then handed it to Diana. The doctor smiled.
"It's a girl."
"My little girl. you're so precious. How could anything so tiny cause so much pain?"
"Do you have a name yet?"
"Yes. Jessica Marie Walker."
"That's a beautiful name."
"It was my sister's."
"I'll go write it down."
"And I'll go tell the others."
Buffy got up and walked out the door and down to the waiting room. Julie, who had come two and a half hours ago after Wesley had called, jumped up.
"How is she? How is my little girl?"
"She's fine. And so is her mother."
"A Girl! Oh my goodness, a little girl!"
"Her name is Jessica Marie Walker, after her sister."
Julie gave a little cry of happiness.
They all went in to see Diana as soon as they would let them. They allowed Diana to leave the hospital after four days of observation. Julie and the others had Diana and Jessica's room all made when they got there.
***
After the girls had been home for a couple of days, Diana got a phone call.
"Hello?"
"Diana, it's dad."
"Dad?"
"Honey, I heard about the baby. I'm so sorry that I acted so insensitively."
"It's ok Dad, really."
"Honey, what I really called to say is. I want you to come home. The house has been so quiet since you left. After what happened to your mother and then your sister, having you get pregnant was too much for me to deal with."
"Oh, Daddy! Of course I'll come home! I've missed you so much. And I want you to meet your new granddaughter - Jessica Marie Walker."
"Jess. You named her after your sister."
"Yes Daddy, I did. I'll go pack now and I'll get Julie to drive me home tomorrow."
"Good. I'll see you then. Oh, and Diana."
"Yes?"
"I Love you."
"I love you too Daddy. 'Bye."
Diana hung up, a tear in her eye. She went straight up and packed her things. The next day she told everybody the news.
"You're really leaving?"
"Yes, my dad wants me to come home."
"That's good for you."
"Well, Aunt Julie wants to make sure we get there before Jess needs to be feed again, so we have to go now."
She said farewell and hugged everyone, making sure Buffy would tell Angel what happened. She gave one final look at the gang before they drove off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A/N 2: Ok, kinda corny I know. And also very anti-climactic. It's also the first story I've ever finished (go me!). Anywhosit, there is a sequel in the making, I just have to finish it. So look for it soon!
