UnKnown
by Colleen Hillerup
Buffy lay on her couch with her feet up. "Back to reality. In other words, back to deep fry duty. I swear, if I ever see another french fry ... which I will, since I'm Buffy the potato slayer."
"Here." Willow handed her a cup of tea. "I had a rough day at school, but at least I like it there. I don't know how you do it, day in and out, slaying demons and selling burgers. Oh, and I know what you told Dawn. I'm not helping her with her chores. She's pitching in. I am helping her with her homework, so hopefully her marks will improve." She grinned at her friend. "So you just take a big dose of resties, and all will be well."
"All will be well, as soon as I hit the bathroom. And just when I was comfortable, too." Buffy stood up, and doubled over in pain. "Oh, god," she groaned. "What now?"
Willow put an arm around her shoulder. "Buffy, are you alright? What's the matter?"
"I don't know Will, I ..." She panted heavily. "Help me ..." she moaned.
"You're so pale. Come and sit down." Willow led her to the couch. "Buffy. Buffy, your pants. You're bleeding."
*****
The door was open, but no one answered Spike's knock. Concerned, he stepped inside. "Buffy? Bit? Anyone home?" he called. When no one answered, he climbed the stairs. "Bit? Slayer? Red?"
"I'm in here, Spike," Dawn said from her sister's room. "Come in."
He found her packing an overnight bag with Buffy's things. "I came to check on Buffy. See how she's doing after her snap back to reality." He realized the girl's face was moist with tears. "What's wrong? Dawn, what happened?"
"These are for Buffy. She's in the hospital. She didn't have anything with her, and Willow asked me to get some things."
"The hospital." He looked stricken. "What ...?"
"I have to get her some things. Her clothes were all bloody." She shook her head. "I'm so, so sorry, Spike."
He put his hands on her shoulders, and shook her gently. "Dawn. Tell me what happened."
"The doctor said it was the poison. A toxin, he said. She didn't even know."
"Sod it, Dawn, what happened?" he pleaded.
"She was going to have a baby."
*****
"I didn't know she was even seeing anyone, Will," Xander said, standing with his friend in the hospital corridor. "This is just horrible."
"No wonder she's seemed so sad lately. Keeping it bottled up. I wonder why she didn't tell us. We'd be happy for her, if she found someone."
"She's been really down. Maybe it was just a one night thing."
"Buffy?" Willow shook her head. "No, Buffy isn't like that. She probably just didn't want to tell us about him, what with my problems with Tara, and you and the, well, the wedding ..."
Dawn and Spike stepped out of the elevator. "Great," Xander hissed, "the peroxide kid. Just what she doesn't need."
Willow put her hand on his chest. "Please don't cause a scene."
"Don't worry," he said, pushing her aside, "I'll handle it." He stood in front of her door. "You are not going in there."
"You are not going to stop me," Spike growled.
"Please, Spike," Willow urged. "Just go. I know you love her, but this isn't the time."
"Not the time." He looked at her with tear filled eyes. "It was my baby."
"Okay, that's enough." Xander swung him around. "I've had enough of your delusions. You get your ass out of this hospital now." He swung back his fist, ready to connect with Spike's jaw.
Dawn grabbed his arm. "Stop it," she cried. "He's telling the truth. Buffy told me. They've been sleeping together."
Xander dropped his arm. "She was sick. She didn't know what she was saying." He looked at Willow, standing in shock. "It can't be true."
Tara opened Buffy's door and stepped into the corridor. "What is going on out here? Buffy needs her rest." She paused when she noticed Spike. She placed her hand on his upper arm. "I am so, so sorry. You should go in to her now. Don't expect too much. She's pretty out of it."
Spike nodded and stepped inside.
******
She was lying on her bed, staring into space. There was an IV bag on a stand, dripping into her arm. Her eyes were red. She looked tiny.
He tried not to cry. He sat on the chair beside the bed, but didn't touch her. "Buffy?"
"Hi Spike," she said quietly. "I screwed up."
"No, love. No." He put his hand on hers. She didn't pull back. "You didn't do anything. It was that demon."
"I should have known. I had a little life inside me. Shouldn't I have known? I didn't think it could happen with us. Someone must have changed the rules." Her lower lip quivered. "We lost something precious, and we didn't even know it was there." She looked at him with her big, luminous, empty eyes. "They all know, don't they?"
"Yeah. They know." His voice broke, and he leaned forward onto the bed. He started to cry.
She put her hand on his head. "I would have loved it. Do you believe me?" He didn't answer her. He was sobbing. "I wanted to love something again. I wanted to feel. I didn't want to feel like this." She closed her eyes. "You love so much. How do you do that?"
"I don't know, pet," he sighed through his tears. "I just do."
"Teach me."
by Colleen Hillerup
Buffy lay on her couch with her feet up. "Back to reality. In other words, back to deep fry duty. I swear, if I ever see another french fry ... which I will, since I'm Buffy the potato slayer."
"Here." Willow handed her a cup of tea. "I had a rough day at school, but at least I like it there. I don't know how you do it, day in and out, slaying demons and selling burgers. Oh, and I know what you told Dawn. I'm not helping her with her chores. She's pitching in. I am helping her with her homework, so hopefully her marks will improve." She grinned at her friend. "So you just take a big dose of resties, and all will be well."
"All will be well, as soon as I hit the bathroom. And just when I was comfortable, too." Buffy stood up, and doubled over in pain. "Oh, god," she groaned. "What now?"
Willow put an arm around her shoulder. "Buffy, are you alright? What's the matter?"
"I don't know Will, I ..." She panted heavily. "Help me ..." she moaned.
"You're so pale. Come and sit down." Willow led her to the couch. "Buffy. Buffy, your pants. You're bleeding."
*****
The door was open, but no one answered Spike's knock. Concerned, he stepped inside. "Buffy? Bit? Anyone home?" he called. When no one answered, he climbed the stairs. "Bit? Slayer? Red?"
"I'm in here, Spike," Dawn said from her sister's room. "Come in."
He found her packing an overnight bag with Buffy's things. "I came to check on Buffy. See how she's doing after her snap back to reality." He realized the girl's face was moist with tears. "What's wrong? Dawn, what happened?"
"These are for Buffy. She's in the hospital. She didn't have anything with her, and Willow asked me to get some things."
"The hospital." He looked stricken. "What ...?"
"I have to get her some things. Her clothes were all bloody." She shook her head. "I'm so, so sorry, Spike."
He put his hands on her shoulders, and shook her gently. "Dawn. Tell me what happened."
"The doctor said it was the poison. A toxin, he said. She didn't even know."
"Sod it, Dawn, what happened?" he pleaded.
"She was going to have a baby."
*****
"I didn't know she was even seeing anyone, Will," Xander said, standing with his friend in the hospital corridor. "This is just horrible."
"No wonder she's seemed so sad lately. Keeping it bottled up. I wonder why she didn't tell us. We'd be happy for her, if she found someone."
"She's been really down. Maybe it was just a one night thing."
"Buffy?" Willow shook her head. "No, Buffy isn't like that. She probably just didn't want to tell us about him, what with my problems with Tara, and you and the, well, the wedding ..."
Dawn and Spike stepped out of the elevator. "Great," Xander hissed, "the peroxide kid. Just what she doesn't need."
Willow put her hand on his chest. "Please don't cause a scene."
"Don't worry," he said, pushing her aside, "I'll handle it." He stood in front of her door. "You are not going in there."
"You are not going to stop me," Spike growled.
"Please, Spike," Willow urged. "Just go. I know you love her, but this isn't the time."
"Not the time." He looked at her with tear filled eyes. "It was my baby."
"Okay, that's enough." Xander swung him around. "I've had enough of your delusions. You get your ass out of this hospital now." He swung back his fist, ready to connect with Spike's jaw.
Dawn grabbed his arm. "Stop it," she cried. "He's telling the truth. Buffy told me. They've been sleeping together."
Xander dropped his arm. "She was sick. She didn't know what she was saying." He looked at Willow, standing in shock. "It can't be true."
Tara opened Buffy's door and stepped into the corridor. "What is going on out here? Buffy needs her rest." She paused when she noticed Spike. She placed her hand on his upper arm. "I am so, so sorry. You should go in to her now. Don't expect too much. She's pretty out of it."
Spike nodded and stepped inside.
******
She was lying on her bed, staring into space. There was an IV bag on a stand, dripping into her arm. Her eyes were red. She looked tiny.
He tried not to cry. He sat on the chair beside the bed, but didn't touch her. "Buffy?"
"Hi Spike," she said quietly. "I screwed up."
"No, love. No." He put his hand on hers. She didn't pull back. "You didn't do anything. It was that demon."
"I should have known. I had a little life inside me. Shouldn't I have known? I didn't think it could happen with us. Someone must have changed the rules." Her lower lip quivered. "We lost something precious, and we didn't even know it was there." She looked at him with her big, luminous, empty eyes. "They all know, don't they?"
"Yeah. They know." His voice broke, and he leaned forward onto the bed. He started to cry.
She put her hand on his head. "I would have loved it. Do you believe me?" He didn't answer her. He was sobbing. "I wanted to love something again. I wanted to feel. I didn't want to feel like this." She closed her eyes. "You love so much. How do you do that?"
"I don't know, pet," he sighed through his tears. "I just do."
"Teach me."