Chapter 23

May 1, 2000

Liz refused to stomp down the stairs, she wanted to so the others would know she was upset but she refrained from following that thought process. When she reached the lobby floor Lorne smirked at her. Could he read her aura without singing? Liz remembered him telling her once that if the emotions were strong enough he could, but were hers strong enough now?

"So sugar dumpling how'd the alone time go?" Lorne questioned.

"Oh shut up." She grumbled. "Never leave me alone with that man again." She pointed upstairs.

Fred came around the front desk and stood in front of her. "Why? Did he hurt you? Are you all right?" Fred looked her over but couldn't find anything wrong, except Liz's face was a little flushed and her breathing was a bit deeper than normal.

"No—it's just…" Liz glanced around at everyone. Cordelia and Lorne were listening intently. "Can we go talk in the kitchen?" She asked her cousin.

"Of course." Fred laid a hand on her arm, guiding her away from the group. They descended the three steps that led into a hallway and down to the massive kitchen. Once Fred reached the light switch she turned on all the overhead lights. After living in a cave for years and being a slave in Pylea she needed a lot of light to make her feel comfortab le. "So tell me what happened." She leaned against the stainless steel stove.

"Spike's attracted to me." Liz blurted out.

Fred smiled, "Well of course he is, you're a beautiful girl." She saw Liz bite her lip. "Is that a problem?"

"No…yes…I don't know for sure." She rested her chin on her folded arms and hunched over the table.

Fred pushed away from the stove and sat next to her. "Is it because he's a vampire or because you're pregnant?"

"Would it be awful if I said both?" Liz asked. She played with the hem of her buttoned down dark blue shirt. The fabric hung loosely and reached down to her upper thighs when she stood. "What if he's not attracted to me if he finds out I'm pregnant?"

"He probably already knows. So I wouldn't worry about that Liz. If you're worried that he won't be attracted to you then you must like him too…oh this is so great. Although I'd be a little hesitant about that no soul thing. Then again Buffy let Angel out and he doesn't have a soul at the moment…"

"Whoa, whoa. Take a breath Fred. And what do you mean he already knows I'm pregnant?" Liz glanced down at her body. Ok, she wasn't as slim as she usually was, and her belly stuck out a little sometimes brushing the loose fabric of her shirt, but she didn't think it was glaringly obvious. She found that she took after her mother when it came to being pregnant. Mom hadn't begun to show too much until she was in her fifth month and Liz was only five months.

Fred shrugged. "He could probably smell the baby." She explained. "Angel noticed it the second you walked up so I wouldn't be surprised if Spike sniffed it out too."

"Angel noticed? That's kind of creepy." Liz rubbed her stomach gently feeling her stomach flutter. "But then why would Spike be moaning on me and sniffing my hair?" At Fred's expression she realized how much she said. "Forget I said that last part would you?"

"You two were only up there for five minutes. Wow, Spike works fast." Fred commented.

Liz opened her eyes widely, a thought flashed through her mind. "Maybe he's working fast so he can screw me before my pregnancy becomes really pronounced and then he just casts me aside like—like—something not good."

Fred nodded quickly. "That's certainly a possibility. I mean he could be one of those guys who think a woman pregnant is ugly…or even lucky to have a shot at someone like him. Or he could just not care and want to have sex with you anyway but like you said cast you aside for someone that has big boobs and blonde hair and not pregnant…your complete opposite."

"Not helpful Fred." Liz pouted. Was Fred right, would she not be attractive to men while pregnant. And would she only attract jerks that want to sleep with her and toss her to the curb? "I want my Daddy." She hit the table with her forehead.

"Sorry." Fred glanced down sad that she made Liz feel worse instead of better. "Hey, maybe you could call your Dad. If that's what'll make you feel better."

"I like that idea." Liz stood up and went to the phone that had been installed in the kitchen and dialed a very familiar number.

~*~*~

Meanwhile upstairs in Spike's room he tossed his duffle bag in the chair next to the window and plopped down on the bed. Nothing could have prepared him for meeting the girl in the lobby. All he wanted to do when he got there was take care of Poofter's friends, get paid, and leave. There was no way he was doing this little babysitting routine without getting some kind of compensation.

Instead he saw the brunette and suddenly the money didn't seem all that important. Oh it was still important enough, he was getting what he deserved and that was final but that didn't mean there hadn't been a new perk added.

The second he was close enough to her as they climbed the steps he could sense the young life growing inside her. That wouldn't dissuade him in the least. Before when he was with Drusilla he'd have captured her so Dru could have a tiny doll to care and play with once the child born.

There was something that about Liz that he couldn't shake. Before he knew she was pregnant he felt the call of her, her siren call sent quivers through his bones and he was beckoned to answer. And when the hint of another life hit his nostrils his demon roared to protect her.

Even now while he was upstairs in his room he could feel the beast inside him demanding he seek her out and watch over her. Kill anyone who dared come near her to harm her. He was man enough to admit that he was love's bitch; he'd get to the point of obsession when he saw something he desperately wanted. Hell he was with Dru for a hundred years but he never had that kind of primal reaction towards her. Not to the extent he was feeling it now.

Angel liked to think that he could separate the man and the demon. Spike on the other hand knew he and his demon were one. William and Spike had merged a long time ago, they were both in agreement when it came to the young brunette, she was his and they'd protect her.

TBC