Title: A Mother's Wrath

Author: Tycho

Contact: tychocelchu@optusnet.com.au

Series: BtVS

Chapter: Two - Hush-a-bye

Rating: PG-13

Code: - B/S

Summary: An AU of the Glory Saga. The Monks create someone closer than a sister.

Timeframe: Takes place during "Hush"

Archive: You betcha. Just lemme know.

Disclaimer: Whedon owns all.

* * * *

Buffy awoke slowly, the same way she had awoken every morning that week. She tried to focus her mind on something else, but the world was silent. Quickly reality intruded, and she jumped out of bed, pausing only long enough to grab her robe, and rushed down the hall to the dorm's bathroom. There she relieved her stomach of last night's dinner.

It didn't cross her mind that she couldn't hear herself retching.

Buffy went back to her room. Inside Willow was stretching her arms and greeting the morning with an enthusiasm that her roommate definitely did not feel. The redhead waved at her and said "Hi." Or tried to. But she couldn't speak.

Neither could Buffy. Nor could anyone in Sunnydale, living or dead.

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Walking through Sunnydale, the two girls were disturbed by what they saw. *I guess Yeats was right. The center cannot hold. Is this what the end of the world will look like? This has something to do with my dream yesterday, I know it.*

While Willow bought two whiteboards from a silent hawker, Buffy went into one of the few open stores in the street - a chemist. When she came out, there was a brown paper package in the bag she carried on her back.

The package stayed there while they met the others at Giles' apartment. It went into a drawer when they returned to the dorm room. Willow found it there while Buffy was receiving a kiss from Riley Finn, but left it as it was. She did borrow a shirt though.

It wasn't until the rush to the toilet the next morning that Buffy remembered, and made use of the contents.

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Willow started as she heard a knock on the door. Without speech to fill in the blank spaces, noises of all sorts were suddenly more noticeable. She finished pulling her top on, and opened the door. Outside was a girl from a room down the hall. *Nadia. That's her name, from History, with the spunky new teacher. * Nadia waved in greeting, but not in cheer. She handed Willow a piece of paper and left.

Ur Roomie. Bathroom. Crying.

Willow blinked in surprise. Rarely had she ever seen Buffy cry. Laughter, anger, concern and confusion were all common, but laughter? Willow could count the teary times on one hand. And most of them had to do with Angel. She grabbed the tissue box with one hand, her whiteboard with the other and made her way to the floor bathroom.

Within Willow found her friend seated on a toilet, her head in her hands. Willow knelt down and gave Buffy a tissue, who took it and wiped her face, giving the witch time to write.

Tell me.

Buffy hesitated, then wrote. Remember your spell? Your will be done?

The guilty look on Willow's face showed that she did.

Buffy wrote again. Action=Consequence

Willow's face twisted into the worried look her friends usually associated with end-of-the-world type news. Consequence?

A trembling hand dropped a tiny piece of card one the board. A stick, really. A pink stick. Willow's eyes widened as her brain added up the clues into one undeniable fact: the Slayer was pregnant.

Spike's?

Buffy's nod was the only reply.

When will you tell him?

No response.

Are you going to tell him?

Buffy looked away, face undecipherable. Willows eyes widened in alarm as she thought of a more important question.

You aren't going to....?

Willow saw why her friend had been crying - torn between duty and maternal instinct, love and hate, fear and revulsion.

I don't know.