Chapter 8
The weird food cravings started in the fourth month of Buffy's pregnancy. First it was simple things, like ketchup on her chicken. It progressed into wanting peanut butter and cucumbers. Her favorite thing to do now was watch Passions with Spike while munching on slice after slice of cucumber slathered up with peanut butter.
"And you thought watching me drink blood was disgusting, pet," Spike complained, clearly grossed out.
Buffy ignored the comment but shot him an angered look and turned back to the TV. She's more obsessed with the show more than I ever was, Spike thought to himself, Oh, well. At least I have someone to watch it with.
After the show, it was around the time when they usually have dinner, so they went to the kitchen, and fixed themselves whatever they could find. They used to have scheduled meals, but lately Buffy complained about the food set in front of her and made her own meal. And instead of sharing her meal, which he wouldn't have even if she asked him to, Spike would eat what he wanted. Tonight, Spike was having his new favorite, spaghetti and meatballs, and Buffy was having popcorn, which she would dip into a little dish of salsa.
It was the last Monday of the month, which meant it was their night to go out. They decided to start furnishing the room that was reserved as a nursery. They had already cleared it out; all it needed was a crib, a changing station, the few necessities that a baby's room needs, and a rocking chair. They went to the closest furniture store in the second car they owned, a Dodge truck. Picking out a dark brown crib with a matching rocking chair, they decided that was all they should do for the night. Buffy was tired so she went to bed early, saying she would help put it together it in the morning.
Dawn was just getting used to the idea of only her and her mother in the house when she found a note taped to the inside of her door. Picking it up, she immediately recognized the handwriting. Before she could read it, her mother burst through the door, making her jump and hide the note under her pillow. It was Wednesday and Joyce was taking her out of school to go shopping for summer clothes. It was nearing the end of the school year, being the last week in May, and she had begged her mother to go shopping.
"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" Joyce exclaimed as she walked across the room to push open the drapes and let the morning light shine into Dawn's face. "Are you ready to go shopping?"
Dawn looked down at herself then up at her mother, then down at her sleepwear again.
"I'm gonna take a shower and change, then I might be ready," she said finally.
Joyce just grinned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
When she got to the top of the stairs, her smile faded as her features crumbled, letting tears fall down her cheeks. Wiping the wetness hastily from her face, she moved to the bathroom to refresh.
Meanwhile, Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow gathered in Giles' living room like they did every week.
"Any news?" Giles asked, knowing that they would come up with the same answers as they always did.
"Actually, I think I may have found a locator spell in one of my books," Willow smiled proudly, "Although, as for the ingredients, they might be harder to find. Pretty rare stuff. But it's the only spell I found that might possibly help us find Buffy."
"Well, that's better news that what I usually hear every week," Giles commented after the red head finished.
"It may take some time to actually get what we need. One is…" Willow fought to remember, "Oh yeah! It's the petals of a flower that can only be found blooming in the month of September, and it originates in…Texas." She looked around the room grimly.
"I've always wanted to go to Texas," Xander commented, with a sympathetic smile in Willow's direction. "Me and Anya can go," he looked over at his girlfriend, "right?"
"Texas? What's Texas?" Anya asked, confused.
"Texas is a state. Just like California." Willow explained.
"California?" Anya looked around the room, confusion shining in her eyes.
"Forget it," Giles sighed.
At the mall, Joyce and Dawn were enjoying their lunch in the food court. Dawn was having a meal from McDonalds while her mother was munching on a salad. They were surrounded with bags, proof that they had bought many new outfits and accesseries to go with them. And they still had the rest of the day.
"After this, we'll drop this stuff off in the car and start on the other half of the mall, what do 'ya say?" Joyce was asking her daughter.
Her mouth being full, Dawn just smiled and nodded her agreement.
After dropping their load off, mother and daughter spent the rest of the afternoon trying on outfits they would never wear, outfits they thought were 'the cutest lil' things', and most of all, spending money. Returning to the car with their hands filled with more bags, they drove home in silence dispite the good time they were having.
"Mom, do you think what we're doing, having fun and laughing, do you think that it's bad, seeing as Buffy may be in trouble, or…or…" Dawn broke off, unable to finish her question.
"Of course not, sweetie. If anything, I think she would want us to enjoy ourselves. I don't think she would want us to sit around moping," Joyce told her daughter, trying to cheer her up.
Dawn just looked up at her for a moment, then turned away to stare out the window for the rest of the ride home.
That Thursday, Buffy had been avoiding Spike, trying not to have to talk to him. Finally, he had to know what was going on.
"OK, Buffy, what's the deal? You've been avoiding me for almost two days now. What's your deal?" he asked when they were eating lunch and she wouldn't look up from her meal.
"Um, it's just…well, IsnuckoutandleftDawnanoteTuesdaynight." Buffy rushed through her sentence and looked up into Spike's eyes. When he didn't say anything, she continued in barely a whisper, "But I told her not to tell anyone about it, and I didn't say where we were." She looked down again and Spike saw the single tear that had slipped down her cheek. Instead of replying, he stood up and went to her. He squatted next to her chair and lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at him.
"It's alright, pet. I know that you've been worrying about them. I just wasn't expecting that," he told her and softly kissed her nose. Buffy nodded her understanding but more tears escaped down her face. Silently she threw her arms around his neck and let herself go, wetting the shoulder of his shirt. Spike just held her, stroking her back and hair until she was finished. When her tears ceased, she pulled away and nervously straightened her shirt. Looking up at him, Buffy let out a weak laugh, which he returned.
"There's another thing I hate about pregnancy. One minute you're remotely happy, the next you're bawling your head off," she said as she rubbed at her cheeks.
Spike just chuckled as he pulled her into a warm embrace that she had grown to love instead of the cold touch that he used to have.
The weird food cravings started in the fourth month of Buffy's pregnancy. First it was simple things, like ketchup on her chicken. It progressed into wanting peanut butter and cucumbers. Her favorite thing to do now was watch Passions with Spike while munching on slice after slice of cucumber slathered up with peanut butter.
"And you thought watching me drink blood was disgusting, pet," Spike complained, clearly grossed out.
Buffy ignored the comment but shot him an angered look and turned back to the TV. She's more obsessed with the show more than I ever was, Spike thought to himself, Oh, well. At least I have someone to watch it with.
After the show, it was around the time when they usually have dinner, so they went to the kitchen, and fixed themselves whatever they could find. They used to have scheduled meals, but lately Buffy complained about the food set in front of her and made her own meal. And instead of sharing her meal, which he wouldn't have even if she asked him to, Spike would eat what he wanted. Tonight, Spike was having his new favorite, spaghetti and meatballs, and Buffy was having popcorn, which she would dip into a little dish of salsa.
It was the last Monday of the month, which meant it was their night to go out. They decided to start furnishing the room that was reserved as a nursery. They had already cleared it out; all it needed was a crib, a changing station, the few necessities that a baby's room needs, and a rocking chair. They went to the closest furniture store in the second car they owned, a Dodge truck. Picking out a dark brown crib with a matching rocking chair, they decided that was all they should do for the night. Buffy was tired so she went to bed early, saying she would help put it together it in the morning.
Dawn was just getting used to the idea of only her and her mother in the house when she found a note taped to the inside of her door. Picking it up, she immediately recognized the handwriting. Before she could read it, her mother burst through the door, making her jump and hide the note under her pillow. It was Wednesday and Joyce was taking her out of school to go shopping for summer clothes. It was nearing the end of the school year, being the last week in May, and she had begged her mother to go shopping.
"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" Joyce exclaimed as she walked across the room to push open the drapes and let the morning light shine into Dawn's face. "Are you ready to go shopping?"
Dawn looked down at herself then up at her mother, then down at her sleepwear again.
"I'm gonna take a shower and change, then I might be ready," she said finally.
Joyce just grinned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
When she got to the top of the stairs, her smile faded as her features crumbled, letting tears fall down her cheeks. Wiping the wetness hastily from her face, she moved to the bathroom to refresh.
Meanwhile, Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow gathered in Giles' living room like they did every week.
"Any news?" Giles asked, knowing that they would come up with the same answers as they always did.
"Actually, I think I may have found a locator spell in one of my books," Willow smiled proudly, "Although, as for the ingredients, they might be harder to find. Pretty rare stuff. But it's the only spell I found that might possibly help us find Buffy."
"Well, that's better news that what I usually hear every week," Giles commented after the red head finished.
"It may take some time to actually get what we need. One is…" Willow fought to remember, "Oh yeah! It's the petals of a flower that can only be found blooming in the month of September, and it originates in…Texas." She looked around the room grimly.
"I've always wanted to go to Texas," Xander commented, with a sympathetic smile in Willow's direction. "Me and Anya can go," he looked over at his girlfriend, "right?"
"Texas? What's Texas?" Anya asked, confused.
"Texas is a state. Just like California." Willow explained.
"California?" Anya looked around the room, confusion shining in her eyes.
"Forget it," Giles sighed.
At the mall, Joyce and Dawn were enjoying their lunch in the food court. Dawn was having a meal from McDonalds while her mother was munching on a salad. They were surrounded with bags, proof that they had bought many new outfits and accesseries to go with them. And they still had the rest of the day.
"After this, we'll drop this stuff off in the car and start on the other half of the mall, what do 'ya say?" Joyce was asking her daughter.
Her mouth being full, Dawn just smiled and nodded her agreement.
After dropping their load off, mother and daughter spent the rest of the afternoon trying on outfits they would never wear, outfits they thought were 'the cutest lil' things', and most of all, spending money. Returning to the car with their hands filled with more bags, they drove home in silence dispite the good time they were having.
"Mom, do you think what we're doing, having fun and laughing, do you think that it's bad, seeing as Buffy may be in trouble, or…or…" Dawn broke off, unable to finish her question.
"Of course not, sweetie. If anything, I think she would want us to enjoy ourselves. I don't think she would want us to sit around moping," Joyce told her daughter, trying to cheer her up.
Dawn just looked up at her for a moment, then turned away to stare out the window for the rest of the ride home.
That Thursday, Buffy had been avoiding Spike, trying not to have to talk to him. Finally, he had to know what was going on.
"OK, Buffy, what's the deal? You've been avoiding me for almost two days now. What's your deal?" he asked when they were eating lunch and she wouldn't look up from her meal.
"Um, it's just…well, IsnuckoutandleftDawnanoteTuesdaynight." Buffy rushed through her sentence and looked up into Spike's eyes. When he didn't say anything, she continued in barely a whisper, "But I told her not to tell anyone about it, and I didn't say where we were." She looked down again and Spike saw the single tear that had slipped down her cheek. Instead of replying, he stood up and went to her. He squatted next to her chair and lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at him.
"It's alright, pet. I know that you've been worrying about them. I just wasn't expecting that," he told her and softly kissed her nose. Buffy nodded her understanding but more tears escaped down her face. Silently she threw her arms around his neck and let herself go, wetting the shoulder of his shirt. Spike just held her, stroking her back and hair until she was finished. When her tears ceased, she pulled away and nervously straightened her shirt. Looking up at him, Buffy let out a weak laugh, which he returned.
"There's another thing I hate about pregnancy. One minute you're remotely happy, the next you're bawling your head off," she said as she rubbed at her cheeks.
Spike just chuckled as he pulled her into a warm embrace that she had grown to love instead of the cold touch that he used to have.