Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot (and even that's sort of second-hand).
Notes: (Big, huge, incredible sigh). I wasn't gonna post this big chunk of the story so soon, but I've heard such bad things about 'As You Were' that I decided to try and cheer people up by giving them more. I personally haven't seen it yet (I'll see it Sunday night on Fox), but if it's as bad as people make it sound, I'll have to rethink the idea of bringing Riley into my story later on. If he DOES show up, I can guarantee that he won't stay, or leave happy even.
Also, about the characters - I think they're pretty in-character. The only one I don't have a real handle on is Dawn, but from what I've heard, a lot of people don't really like her anyway. Since no one knows how she's going to react to something in the show, I figure if she acts weird in here, it's normal.
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Buffy was the last person to arrive at the Magic Box the next day, walking over with Dawn after she arrived home from school. Anya was helping a customer, Xander and Willow were sitting at the table talking softly, Tara standing a little off to the side, Spike leaning against the wall beside her.
Dawn immediately went to join Willow and Xander, who, as Buffy found out when she moved closer to them, were talking about the upcoming wedding. She waited for Anya to finish with the customer, standing just in front of the step dividing the room. She glanced over at Spike and Tara. Tara gave her a small supportive smile, having been told earlier about what she was going to do. Spike looked a little pale and preoccupied, but tried to smile at her as well.
Taking a deep breath, Buffy started speaking as Anya took the last chair at the table, between Xander and Dawn. "I, uh, have something to tell you guys." ((Please, don't let me mess this up. Too much.)) "I know, lately, I've been a little . . . unavailable. See, I've been seeing someone, for the past few months, actually. I didn't tell you 'cause I was worried about how you'd react."
"Who? You've been dating someone and you didn't tell us?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded, continuing her explanation.
"Like I said, I was afraid of how you'd react. But, recently, something has come up that has forced me to re-evaluate the situation, and I've realized that it really would be best if we just got it out in the open."
Dawn shocked everyone - though Buffy the most - when she asked bluntly, "Are you pregnant?"
"What!" Xander cried, staring at Dawn. "Come on, Dawn, Buffy wouldn't do that! Aside from the whole TMI issue, she knows to be careful when . . . you know."
Dawn rose an eyebrow skeptically at Xander. "Having sex?" She smirked when she saw how flustered Xander got. He was getting married to Anya in less than a year, but even now he had a problem thinking of Buffy with other guys. It was funny, really.
Buffy sighed in resignation at her sister's behavior. At least she wasn't sulking. "Yes, Xander, I know to 'be careful'. Believe me, Mom preached to me constantly after she found out about me and Angel." She shifted her gaze to Dawn. "And yes, Dawn, I'm pregnant."
Dawn squeaked a shout, raising her hands in triumph. "I was right!" Then, her sister's words sunk in and her arms fell, her face showing shock. "I was right? You're pregnant?"
Buffy shook her head. "I'm really beginning to hate that word. Yes, I am expecting. About seven to eight months from now I will have a perfectly healthy baby." To herself, she muttered, "God willing, it'll even be human."
"So, who's the father? Do we know him?" Willow asked quickly, and somewhat enthusiastically. Buffy gave her a wan smile. "Yeah, you know him." She took a deep breath. "Spike. I'm . . . seeing Spike."
Silence met her words, and she began to fidget. She didn't like feeling like she felt now - like a bug under a microscope. Everyone staring at her, trying to understand her. And when she felt uncomfortable, she usually did one of two things: made a graceful but hasty exit, or got angry. Anger gave her an adrenaline rush that uneasiness didn't, and she had a feeling she was going to need the adrenaline. It also made her speeches much more passionate and persuasive.
"I'm not telling you this so you can all jump to judge me and tell me your opinions. I'm not telling you so we can all suddenly feel awkward. I'm telling you so that you know. I am with Spike, and I am staying with Spike. He is going to be part of the team, the way he should have been the entire time, even before we got together." She didn't give her ultimatum of 'him or me', saving it in case the situation took a radical turn.
"So . . . you're dating Spike?" Willow finally ventured slowly. Buffy pushed her lips to the side as she regarded Willow. Her eyes flicked to Spike before answering. "We aren't //dating// . . . we're just seeing each other. We're together." From the look already on Xander's face, she knew it would be going too far to call themselves a couple at this point. But they were. For the sake of appearances, if nothing else, they were a couple, and they were going to continue to be a couple. However, right now, she was walking a thin line between acceptance and revulsion.
Xander was her main antagonist in this little drama of hers. Willow, though she didn't really think Spike loved her, just wanted Buffy to be happy. As her best friend and fellow girl, Willow understood her better, and if she was concerned, she had the option of voicing those concerns later in private. Anya . . . She didn't have as good a fix on Anya as the others, but as far as she could tell, Anya just wanted everyone to be happy. If Xander was persuasive, though, she might be against Spike just because she loved Xander. Dawn liked Spike anyway, and appeared to be the only one who believed Spike could love her, and the only one visibly happy at the news of their relationship. Tara, of course, was supportive of her decision, though earlier when Buffy'd asked her opinion of Spike, she'd simply replied, "It varies at times." Boy, did she understand that!
That, of course, left only Xander. She decided to confront him now, head-on, not giving him a chance to think up a clever argument to hide how he really felt. She crossed her arms, though keeping them loose enough so as not to look stern. "Well? Out with it."
No one breathed. Dawn shifted in her chair and grimaced when it creaked. Buffy and Xander paid no mind though, eyes locked as they gauged each other, sizing each other up. Finally, Xander sighed in defeat. "It's not going to matter if I point out that //this is Spike//, is it?" Buffy shook her head mutely and he sighed again. "Fine. You know I don't like this, right?" He held up his hand immediately. "Sorry, rhetorical question." He paused, thinking over his next words. When he met her eyes again, she unconsciously held her breath. "I just want you to be happy, Buff. That's all I've ever wanted," he said earnestly. "In the beginning, I thought I could give you that happiness." He glanced at Anya, but quickly looked back to Buffy before he continued. "Fortunately, I was wrong." He inspected his hands twined together for a moment, as if holding her eyes too long was impossible. But he always met them when he spoke, as he did now. His voice was grave as he stated his concern. "I've seen you with another vampire, Buff. And even now, without jealousy clouding my perception, I remember how much he hurt you. Granted, I did my part during the whole Acathla thing, but . . . you ran away! We've had some of our hugest fights over Angel, and most of them were valid!" He took a deep breath, as if just realizing he'd raised his voice. "The point is, Angel made you miserable, and most of the time, that was //with// his soul. I just . . ." he paused, then finished passionately, "I just don't want you to get hurt again."
Buffy smiled wryly. "Believe me, my pain threshold has risen considerably since Angel." She shook her head to dismiss the remark before anyone could comment. "Let me point out, for the record, that we aren't talking about Angel. We're talking about Spike. Yes, they're both vampires - but that's about where the similarities end. For one thing, when we couldn't be together, Angel left. When I //told// Spike we would //never// be together, he never left. Even after I died, and he thought there was never even going to be a chance with me."
"Which just proves Spike's a moron," Xander muttered. Buffy glared at him.
"If Spike's a moron, then so are you, Xander!" she said vehemently, a small part of her mind comprehending the fact that she was defending Spike and marveling at how well she was doing, and how easy it seemed. "You stayed here too, slaying vampires all summer right beside Spike."
"But I knew there was a chance of getting you back!" Xander argued.
Buffy countered, "Are you saying you would've left if you hadn't known?" Despite the fact that she was arguing with one of her best friends, she felt amazingly exhilarated, like when she was in a battle, or when she fought Spike, and she knew she had the upper-hand. It was almost euphoric. But, just like in battle, she still had to be careful, watchful for hidden weapons, twists she wasn't anticipating.
"Wha-? No!" Xander cried, looking uncomfortable. He sighed and shook his head. "I get it, okay? You're defending Spike. And damned well." He muttered the last to himself. "Fine. You and Spike are together." He gave her a piercing glance that made her want to fidget. He was going to give an unexpected twist. "Do you love him?"
If Spike hadn't already warned her, she would have been shocked by the question and instinctively said 'no', which was obviously what Xander was trying for. The game would have been lost, then. But she'd been planning on telling them anyway, so she forcibly shoved her first response away and answered naturally, "Yes. I may not like him immensely all the time, but I do love him." She was bothered slightly at how easy the words came; she was more bothered by the penetrating look Spike was giving her. His lips hadn't moved, but she could almost see the smirk in his eyes.
"This isn't fair!" Anya suddenly cried. Several incredulous stares turned her way. It was Xander who finally asked, "How's that, Ahn?"
Anya huffed the way only she could when she thought an injustice was being done to her. "Well, we're getting married, and Buffy's skipping right to the having-a-baby part! It's not fair!" she repeated sulkily, crossing her arms over her chest in a very immature fashion.
Spike rolled his eyes at the display she was giving. "Technically, it shouldn't even be possible."
"Hey, yeah!" Willow said excitedly, sitting up straighter in her seat. "It, it shouldn't be possible! I-I mean, Spike's a vampire, and vampires can't have babies - right?" she turned the question toward Spike, who nodded. "Took me by surprise, too."
Buffy sighed. "It shouldn't be possible, which is how it happened in the first place." When she got confused looks, she tried to - delicately - elaborate. "Neither of us thought Spike could . . . have kids, so we didn't . . . that is, we weren't . . ."
Once again, it was Dawn who 'came to the rescue'. She piped up helpfully - and a bit too eagerly - "You didn't use protection?"
Buffy turned to stare at her sister in shock, yet again. "Dawn! What the hell?!" She wasn't angry at her, she just wanted to know why it was her fifteen-year-old sister who kept blurting out things everyone else felt uncomfortable mentioning.
Dawn shrugged. "Hello, I'm in high school. What do you think high schoolers talk about?" She frowned, realizing that wasn't really a good way to earn her sister's trust. "I mean, I hear other kids talk about it. I, personally, have no knowledge of such things." She was glad when Buffy let her off with a suspicious look. "Yes, we didn't use protection, okay?"
Willow looked around at everyone before asking, "Is anyone else thinking, 'Hellmouth'?" Buffy raised her hand instantly, having already come to that conclusion. Spike raised his hand readily enough at the possibility, and Xander's hand slowly went up. With a shrug, Anya's rose as well.
"See, I think it happened while I was invisible," Buffy explained. "I don't know how much of a Hellmouth-y thing it is, and how much of a something-else thing it is."
Xander paled noticeably, and asked, "You were with Spike when you were invisible?"
Buffy opened her mouth in surprise that he remembered that and had put two and two together so quickly. "Um, yeah. I was."
Xander persed his lips, nodded resolutely, then stood up. "If you'll all excuse me," he said, heading toward the training room without waiting for anyone to reply. He very deliberately shut the door, and a moment later, they all heard a muffled, "Gaaaahhhh!"
Buffy closed her eyes and grimaced. She heard Spike chuckle and turned to glare at him. "It isn't funny, Spike!"
His response was to let his chuckle grow into a full-out laugh. "It's not my fault the boy doesn't know how to knock!"
This was one of those times when she didn't like him immensely. In fact, this was one of those times when she didn't really like him at all.
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For anyone who doesn't know, TMI stands for Too Much Information. I've been told that several times, and I still sometimes forget. (Course, I'm dumb like that.)
Notes: (Big, huge, incredible sigh). I wasn't gonna post this big chunk of the story so soon, but I've heard such bad things about 'As You Were' that I decided to try and cheer people up by giving them more. I personally haven't seen it yet (I'll see it Sunday night on Fox), but if it's as bad as people make it sound, I'll have to rethink the idea of bringing Riley into my story later on. If he DOES show up, I can guarantee that he won't stay, or leave happy even.
Also, about the characters - I think they're pretty in-character. The only one I don't have a real handle on is Dawn, but from what I've heard, a lot of people don't really like her anyway. Since no one knows how she's going to react to something in the show, I figure if she acts weird in here, it's normal.
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Buffy was the last person to arrive at the Magic Box the next day, walking over with Dawn after she arrived home from school. Anya was helping a customer, Xander and Willow were sitting at the table talking softly, Tara standing a little off to the side, Spike leaning against the wall beside her.
Dawn immediately went to join Willow and Xander, who, as Buffy found out when she moved closer to them, were talking about the upcoming wedding. She waited for Anya to finish with the customer, standing just in front of the step dividing the room. She glanced over at Spike and Tara. Tara gave her a small supportive smile, having been told earlier about what she was going to do. Spike looked a little pale and preoccupied, but tried to smile at her as well.
Taking a deep breath, Buffy started speaking as Anya took the last chair at the table, between Xander and Dawn. "I, uh, have something to tell you guys." ((Please, don't let me mess this up. Too much.)) "I know, lately, I've been a little . . . unavailable. See, I've been seeing someone, for the past few months, actually. I didn't tell you 'cause I was worried about how you'd react."
"Who? You've been dating someone and you didn't tell us?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded, continuing her explanation.
"Like I said, I was afraid of how you'd react. But, recently, something has come up that has forced me to re-evaluate the situation, and I've realized that it really would be best if we just got it out in the open."
Dawn shocked everyone - though Buffy the most - when she asked bluntly, "Are you pregnant?"
"What!" Xander cried, staring at Dawn. "Come on, Dawn, Buffy wouldn't do that! Aside from the whole TMI issue, she knows to be careful when . . . you know."
Dawn rose an eyebrow skeptically at Xander. "Having sex?" She smirked when she saw how flustered Xander got. He was getting married to Anya in less than a year, but even now he had a problem thinking of Buffy with other guys. It was funny, really.
Buffy sighed in resignation at her sister's behavior. At least she wasn't sulking. "Yes, Xander, I know to 'be careful'. Believe me, Mom preached to me constantly after she found out about me and Angel." She shifted her gaze to Dawn. "And yes, Dawn, I'm pregnant."
Dawn squeaked a shout, raising her hands in triumph. "I was right!" Then, her sister's words sunk in and her arms fell, her face showing shock. "I was right? You're pregnant?"
Buffy shook her head. "I'm really beginning to hate that word. Yes, I am expecting. About seven to eight months from now I will have a perfectly healthy baby." To herself, she muttered, "God willing, it'll even be human."
"So, who's the father? Do we know him?" Willow asked quickly, and somewhat enthusiastically. Buffy gave her a wan smile. "Yeah, you know him." She took a deep breath. "Spike. I'm . . . seeing Spike."
Silence met her words, and she began to fidget. She didn't like feeling like she felt now - like a bug under a microscope. Everyone staring at her, trying to understand her. And when she felt uncomfortable, she usually did one of two things: made a graceful but hasty exit, or got angry. Anger gave her an adrenaline rush that uneasiness didn't, and she had a feeling she was going to need the adrenaline. It also made her speeches much more passionate and persuasive.
"I'm not telling you this so you can all jump to judge me and tell me your opinions. I'm not telling you so we can all suddenly feel awkward. I'm telling you so that you know. I am with Spike, and I am staying with Spike. He is going to be part of the team, the way he should have been the entire time, even before we got together." She didn't give her ultimatum of 'him or me', saving it in case the situation took a radical turn.
"So . . . you're dating Spike?" Willow finally ventured slowly. Buffy pushed her lips to the side as she regarded Willow. Her eyes flicked to Spike before answering. "We aren't //dating// . . . we're just seeing each other. We're together." From the look already on Xander's face, she knew it would be going too far to call themselves a couple at this point. But they were. For the sake of appearances, if nothing else, they were a couple, and they were going to continue to be a couple. However, right now, she was walking a thin line between acceptance and revulsion.
Xander was her main antagonist in this little drama of hers. Willow, though she didn't really think Spike loved her, just wanted Buffy to be happy. As her best friend and fellow girl, Willow understood her better, and if she was concerned, she had the option of voicing those concerns later in private. Anya . . . She didn't have as good a fix on Anya as the others, but as far as she could tell, Anya just wanted everyone to be happy. If Xander was persuasive, though, she might be against Spike just because she loved Xander. Dawn liked Spike anyway, and appeared to be the only one who believed Spike could love her, and the only one visibly happy at the news of their relationship. Tara, of course, was supportive of her decision, though earlier when Buffy'd asked her opinion of Spike, she'd simply replied, "It varies at times." Boy, did she understand that!
That, of course, left only Xander. She decided to confront him now, head-on, not giving him a chance to think up a clever argument to hide how he really felt. She crossed her arms, though keeping them loose enough so as not to look stern. "Well? Out with it."
No one breathed. Dawn shifted in her chair and grimaced when it creaked. Buffy and Xander paid no mind though, eyes locked as they gauged each other, sizing each other up. Finally, Xander sighed in defeat. "It's not going to matter if I point out that //this is Spike//, is it?" Buffy shook her head mutely and he sighed again. "Fine. You know I don't like this, right?" He held up his hand immediately. "Sorry, rhetorical question." He paused, thinking over his next words. When he met her eyes again, she unconsciously held her breath. "I just want you to be happy, Buff. That's all I've ever wanted," he said earnestly. "In the beginning, I thought I could give you that happiness." He glanced at Anya, but quickly looked back to Buffy before he continued. "Fortunately, I was wrong." He inspected his hands twined together for a moment, as if holding her eyes too long was impossible. But he always met them when he spoke, as he did now. His voice was grave as he stated his concern. "I've seen you with another vampire, Buff. And even now, without jealousy clouding my perception, I remember how much he hurt you. Granted, I did my part during the whole Acathla thing, but . . . you ran away! We've had some of our hugest fights over Angel, and most of them were valid!" He took a deep breath, as if just realizing he'd raised his voice. "The point is, Angel made you miserable, and most of the time, that was //with// his soul. I just . . ." he paused, then finished passionately, "I just don't want you to get hurt again."
Buffy smiled wryly. "Believe me, my pain threshold has risen considerably since Angel." She shook her head to dismiss the remark before anyone could comment. "Let me point out, for the record, that we aren't talking about Angel. We're talking about Spike. Yes, they're both vampires - but that's about where the similarities end. For one thing, when we couldn't be together, Angel left. When I //told// Spike we would //never// be together, he never left. Even after I died, and he thought there was never even going to be a chance with me."
"Which just proves Spike's a moron," Xander muttered. Buffy glared at him.
"If Spike's a moron, then so are you, Xander!" she said vehemently, a small part of her mind comprehending the fact that she was defending Spike and marveling at how well she was doing, and how easy it seemed. "You stayed here too, slaying vampires all summer right beside Spike."
"But I knew there was a chance of getting you back!" Xander argued.
Buffy countered, "Are you saying you would've left if you hadn't known?" Despite the fact that she was arguing with one of her best friends, she felt amazingly exhilarated, like when she was in a battle, or when she fought Spike, and she knew she had the upper-hand. It was almost euphoric. But, just like in battle, she still had to be careful, watchful for hidden weapons, twists she wasn't anticipating.
"Wha-? No!" Xander cried, looking uncomfortable. He sighed and shook his head. "I get it, okay? You're defending Spike. And damned well." He muttered the last to himself. "Fine. You and Spike are together." He gave her a piercing glance that made her want to fidget. He was going to give an unexpected twist. "Do you love him?"
If Spike hadn't already warned her, she would have been shocked by the question and instinctively said 'no', which was obviously what Xander was trying for. The game would have been lost, then. But she'd been planning on telling them anyway, so she forcibly shoved her first response away and answered naturally, "Yes. I may not like him immensely all the time, but I do love him." She was bothered slightly at how easy the words came; she was more bothered by the penetrating look Spike was giving her. His lips hadn't moved, but she could almost see the smirk in his eyes.
"This isn't fair!" Anya suddenly cried. Several incredulous stares turned her way. It was Xander who finally asked, "How's that, Ahn?"
Anya huffed the way only she could when she thought an injustice was being done to her. "Well, we're getting married, and Buffy's skipping right to the having-a-baby part! It's not fair!" she repeated sulkily, crossing her arms over her chest in a very immature fashion.
Spike rolled his eyes at the display she was giving. "Technically, it shouldn't even be possible."
"Hey, yeah!" Willow said excitedly, sitting up straighter in her seat. "It, it shouldn't be possible! I-I mean, Spike's a vampire, and vampires can't have babies - right?" she turned the question toward Spike, who nodded. "Took me by surprise, too."
Buffy sighed. "It shouldn't be possible, which is how it happened in the first place." When she got confused looks, she tried to - delicately - elaborate. "Neither of us thought Spike could . . . have kids, so we didn't . . . that is, we weren't . . ."
Once again, it was Dawn who 'came to the rescue'. She piped up helpfully - and a bit too eagerly - "You didn't use protection?"
Buffy turned to stare at her sister in shock, yet again. "Dawn! What the hell?!" She wasn't angry at her, she just wanted to know why it was her fifteen-year-old sister who kept blurting out things everyone else felt uncomfortable mentioning.
Dawn shrugged. "Hello, I'm in high school. What do you think high schoolers talk about?" She frowned, realizing that wasn't really a good way to earn her sister's trust. "I mean, I hear other kids talk about it. I, personally, have no knowledge of such things." She was glad when Buffy let her off with a suspicious look. "Yes, we didn't use protection, okay?"
Willow looked around at everyone before asking, "Is anyone else thinking, 'Hellmouth'?" Buffy raised her hand instantly, having already come to that conclusion. Spike raised his hand readily enough at the possibility, and Xander's hand slowly went up. With a shrug, Anya's rose as well.
"See, I think it happened while I was invisible," Buffy explained. "I don't know how much of a Hellmouth-y thing it is, and how much of a something-else thing it is."
Xander paled noticeably, and asked, "You were with Spike when you were invisible?"
Buffy opened her mouth in surprise that he remembered that and had put two and two together so quickly. "Um, yeah. I was."
Xander persed his lips, nodded resolutely, then stood up. "If you'll all excuse me," he said, heading toward the training room without waiting for anyone to reply. He very deliberately shut the door, and a moment later, they all heard a muffled, "Gaaaahhhh!"
Buffy closed her eyes and grimaced. She heard Spike chuckle and turned to glare at him. "It isn't funny, Spike!"
His response was to let his chuckle grow into a full-out laugh. "It's not my fault the boy doesn't know how to knock!"
This was one of those times when she didn't like him immensely. In fact, this was one of those times when she didn't really like him at all.
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For anyone who doesn't know, TMI stands for Too Much Information. I've been told that several times, and I still sometimes forget. (Course, I'm dumb like that.)