Chapter 13

Buffy awoke to find herself in a circle of candles. Each one possessed a glowing wick. She tried to move, but couldn't. There wasn't any rope tying her, but instead some kind of force was keeping her down.

The red demon hovered over her. "Nice sleep?"

"You bastard! What has my baby done to you?" Buffy cried.

"It's not what he's done, but what he will do. The battles are coming. Good and evil will face off. Everyone must take a side. And that. . ." He pointed at her taut belly. ". . . will be a great compromiser, bring demons to the side of light. It's disgusting!"

The demon stepped back. "Time to end this before it has started."

He started to chant strange gibberish. Light formed over her, creating a dome. The being inside her moved in distress. Buffy moaned. Pain was growing inside her. It intensified, and she let out an agonizing scream. She felt as if her womb were being ripped apart.

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Spike and Angel heard Buffy's scrream. They ran inside.

The demon stood with his arms raised. "Conovan concrede montuvae inteday goncave."

"What the bleeding fuck is he saying?" Spike asked Angel.

"Whatever it is, it's bad," the vampire replied. "Go check on Buffy, I'll start kicking his ass."

When Spike approached Buffy, she was flailing her head from side-to-side. He was suddenly thrown away. Some kind of barrier was around her.

"Buffy, luv, I can't get to you!"

Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "It hurts, Spike, God it hurts!"

Spike rammed into the force field again. He was knocked to the floor. Helplessness overtook him. He got his feet. The sight of Buffy being in so much pain was unbearable.

Spike turned. Angel was fighting the demon, but not holding up so well. He bolted at the creature. Spike sent a hard kick to the side.

The demon growled. He slashed at Spike. His shirt tore, and blood seeped through.

Spike threw a punch. The demon hit him, making him fall to the ground. His hand bumped into something. He looked over to see it was a candle. He quickly grabbed it and another one.

"Hey, git, over here!" Spike yelled.

The demon stepped toward him, ignoring Angel. "You wrecked my plans! If only you had stayed dead."

"Gotta learn, the hell mouth doesn't like to keep people in their graves."

"The child never would have been conceived if it wasn't for you!"

Spike shrugged. He brought up the candles. He smashed the flamed into the demon's eyes, blinding him. A holler erupted from the demon. Reaching to his head, Spike twisted. There was a cracking sound, then a thump as Spike dropped him.

Angel came up. "Good work."

Moans hit their ears. Spike hurried to Buffy's side. Spike hurried to Buffy's side. The barrier had fallen now, granting him entrance. She clutched her stomach, writhing.

Spike knelt. "What has he done to you?" he asked. Fear was evident in his voice.

"The baby. . ." she gasped.

"Oh God, you don't think he. . .?"

She sucked in air. "The baby. . . is coming."

"What?" he inquired in disbelief. "You still have three weeks."

She hissed as a contraction swept through her. "With all the excitement it decided not to wait."

"We need to get her to the hospital," Angel advised.

Buffy blinked. "Angel? What are you doing here?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "Got a distress call."

She nodded, trying to regulate her breathing. "Hurry, it's coming fast."

Spike hoisted her into his arms. She felt better in his embrace. She grasped onto him as another contraction hit her. It was stronger than the last. Her fiancé stroked her hair. "There, there, pet, it's gonna be all right."

She shut her eyes, holding him closer. "I can do this. I can do this if you're with me."

Her words melted his heart. "I've got you, I'm not letting go."

Angel watched his child and ex. He was jealous, of course he was. But they were in separate worlds now. And he had to admit Spike would never leave her. He would take care of her, something Angel couldn't do.

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The battle was kind of lame, I know. But the candle thing was kind of creative, right? I'm not too good at fighting scenes.