Good Evening, All:)
Here is chapter four, and it's on time. Wow, four in a row that I got out without a hitch (or at least not a big one).
Because of the new episodes and all of the discussion, I think that I will change my posting schedule slightly as Wednesdays seem to be pretty full of talk on the state of the show ;) So, The next chapter will be out on Thursday and the one after that on Saturday. Sound OK? If I get ahead again, I will send out a notice and an extra chapter.
Thanks for all of the feedback. Please keep reviewing and telling me what you like and what you don't. It helps me more than you know.
Your support is precious.
*Cheery Vibes* , Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Spike and a widdle Buffy and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Love and Luck (Time - Chapter Four)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (with, of course, the exception of Emma, who belongs to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Set immediately following Newsflash. The Big Bad arrives in Sunnydale. Xander makes a decision that will effect the rest of his life. Buffy and Spike catch Giles and Anya up on personal events. Spike and Giles leave to patrol, leaving Buffy to have a very personal conversation with Anya.
Love and Luck
The unmarked military plane landed at an airstrip just outside Sunnydale. A similarly bland jeep picked up the Captain and his partner, taking them to a safe house in town. There was no talk. No discussion of the mission. What the Captain has been given was top-secret information. The fate of the World, of all the Worlds, quite literally depended on it.
There was no team backing them. The location of the Peacemaker was unknown to all but the elite of the Special Investigations Division, portions of the Council of Watchers, and the inner sanctum of the child's family and friends. Oh, and, of course, the Evil who had been searching for her since the First. The Captain smiled. The rest did not need to know the last bit.
The pair settled into the safe house, unpacking their sparse possessions. Home sweet home, the Captain thought. He'd gone over and over in his head just *how* he was going to get close to the Peacemaker. How he'd manage to distract her parents long enough to deal with the child. The specifics escaped him, but, as he looked out into the moonlit street mere miles from his target, he decided that he'd start by knocking on the Windsor's front door.
*****
They walked home in silence. Takina was a smart girl. She knew what that meant. The only time that Xander had ever criticized Anya was in regards to her past as a Vengeance demon. When Takina had questioned Xander about why he had such a difficult time accepting Buffy's relationship with Spike, it always boiled down to Spike's vampirism. It wasn't about Anya. It wasn't even about Spike. It was about demons.
That's why she'd held off so long in telling him her secret. She'd fallen for him the first time she'd met him. On Buffy's porch as she left from a visit and he tripped over the front steps as he watched her walk away. She'd rushed back as he yelped and hopped around holding one ankle. The thought made her want to smile, but she couldn't. Not now.
Somewhere, she had known that it didn't matter if she were smart or funny or attractive, or even if he'd already developed feelings for her when she finally came clean. What would matter was her heritage. The thought made her furious and sad at the same time. Takina knew that he was walking her home now only to be polite. Their fancy dinner, their professions of feelings, were all in the past. She bit her lip hard trying to hide the anger and the fear. Everything in her wanted to tell him there was no need to walk her to her apartment. That she could handle herself. At the same time, she didn't want him to leave this last time.
They reached her apartment too soon. She fumbled in her purse for the keys, then unlocked the door, popping it open with a click and a hiss of wood against carpet. "You're welcome to come in," Takina said, unconvincingly.
Xander looked at her briefly, then looked away. "I... I'd better not," he stuttered. "I have... I need to think."
"Yes," Takina sighed. "Well, don't think too hard, Xander Harris." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Some things aren't about thought. They're about feeling. Until you learn to trust your heart, you'll always be alone." She ran a palm over his cheek and he smiled sadly back at her.
"Takina," he breathed, losing himself in her beautiful, violent eyes.
"Goodbye, Alexander." The door clicked quietly shut.
He stared at the door for a moment, then turned, walking down the hallway to the stairs feeling exactly the way he had felt when he'd walked away from his wedding to Anya. Confused. Scared. Depressed.
Mistaken.
Wrong.
Xander turned on a heel and jogged back down the hall to her apartment, slamming his fists against the door before he had time to think. There was no answer. God, not too late, he thought. Not too late already. He pounded now until finally the door cracked open and he saw her profile against the darkness of her apartment.
"What?" Her voice was choked. He could hear her tears.
"Takina, open the door," he panicked.
"Please, just go," she whispered in response.
"Open the door!" He demanded, his own voice shaking as tears started to build. "Please!"
She unlatched the chain and opened the door just enough for him to see her perfect shape in the doorway. Her tearstained cheeks were red as if those stormy eyes had burst.
"Xander... I..," she stuttered.
He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her hard towards him, letting his lips crush against hers until all of his anger and fear and confusion melted against her buttery soft lips and she crumbled against him. Xander pulled away, stroking her hair back from her face. "Takina, I'm in love with you. I'm going to need some... help... understanding. But I can't screw this up. Not with you. I'm so sorry."
She stared up at him with wet and childlike eyes. "Stay with me," she breathed, her voice needy and low.
Softly, he kissed her again, backing her into the apartment and kicking the door shut behind him.
*****
"So, is it that obvious?" Buffy joked, pushing herself from Spike's shoulder. "I'll give you three guesses. Four in case you're jet-lagged."
"How?" Giles asked. "Emma was prophesized, but this.. it shouldn't be... possible."
"Oh, it's possible," Buffy groaned, shifting uncomfortably.
"You alright, Love?" Spike asked as her faced blanched.
Buffy's attention turned back to Spike. "Yeah. He's just doing that spin/kick combination." Spike nodded, brushing her hair back off her shoulders.
"Not quite sure, Rupert," Spike answered. "It certainly was... unexpected."
"Yes," Giles concurred, wiping his lenses yet again. "There's no indication of a second child from the union of the One. I'm not sure how this could be."
"Well, it's *obvious* how it happened," Buffy interjected, trying to lighten the conversation. "I mean, logistically speaking."
"Is it different? I mean, when you have sex and that sex makes you pregnant, does it feel different? Do you know?" Anya asked, her head tilting.
"Anya," Giles said softly. "A bit personal for this stage."
"I'm sorry," Anya corrected. "I just wondered about the mountains moving part."
"Mountains always moving. Regular mobile Everest for us," Buffy answered, pacifying the demon for the moment. Giles blushed. Spike chuckled. "Anyway, I don't think that there *is* any prophesy. Any foretelling or missions or 'One Boy in All the World'."
"You mean, he's a regular kid. A baby?" Anya responded, smiling her understanding.
"Pretty much," Buffy answered. "A really active one." She shifted again and Emma crawled into her mum's lap, resting her head on Buffy's belly. Instantly, they both settled.
"How much longer?" Giles asked.
"Thirty eight days," Spike answered, stroking Buffy's shoulder. The concern was back in his eyes.
"Not soon enough," Buffy added, running her fingers along Emma's back. The little girl yawned and stuck her thumb in her mouth. "It's been much harder this time."
"How so?" Giles asked, studying Spike's face uneasily.
Buffy moved to speak but Spike interjected. "Love, it's getting late. I need to patrol." She looked up at him, nodding. "Want me to take you home first or would you rather stay here and I'll fetch you on the way back?"
Buffy looked at Giles. "Is there somewhere I can lay Emma down a while? It's way past her bedtime."
Giles nodded. "Of course. You can lay her in our bed. Spike?" He turned towards the Vampire. "I'd quite like to go with you, if that's alright."
Spike smiled at the Watcher. "Missing the nightly spot of violence?"
"Not particularly," Giles replied. "But you should probably catch me up on your routes and the local demon population." Spike looked at him, knowing that there was more.
"Right then," Spike answered, standing up and picking up Emma. Softly, he kissed Buffy's forehead. "I'll put her in Giles' room and be back in a bit."
Buffy nodded, looking up at his perfect blue eyes. "Beat something up for me," she pleaded, smiling.
"Always, Pet," he answered, returning her smile and ruffling her hair.
*****
"Want some tea?" Anya asked, rummaging through boxes on the counter. Giles had sent their possessions along ahead of them. She pulled several small boxes out of the moving crate. "We even have herbal. No caffeine."
"That'd be great." Buffy smiled softly at the girl. Anya put on the kettle and walked back in, settling on the arm of the couch.
"I know this is weird for you, Buffy. I mean with Giles and... I know that you must be mad that we lied. And Xander is your friend so it's even more complicated." Barely cogent thoughts tumbled restlessly from Anya's lips.
"It's OK," Buffy answered quietly. "I can't really say I know how I feel about... any of it... yet. But I get it."
"Giles has been good to me, Buffy. I love him." It was simple. A fact. Buffy saw her contentment. It was a look of peace she hadn't seen when Anya had been with Xander. At least not since the wedding had been called off.
"I'm glad," Buffy finally replied. "Just don't let him down, Anya."
Anya smiled. "I won't."
Buffy studied her a moment. Anya looked at her as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. "What's wrong?" Buffy asked, watching Anya's expression.
"I... I guess the only real downside is that I am still... I won't age," Anya added, her voice almost a whisper. "And I don't want to watch everyone go. Especially not Rupert."
Buffy was silent, feeling her hurt. She remembered having the same conversation with Spike when Tara had been killed. Before he had changed. He'd cried that night about burying them all. Even Buffy. Even Emma. But he was mortal now and at least had a chance of just falling asleep one night and drifting away. Buffy hoped she'd go with him if he did. "I'm sorry," she finally said. " I guess my mortality has always been a little obvious. What with the dying every few years."
Anya chuckled in response. Buffy looked at her more closely. She needed answers. Needed to deal with this. "Maybe you can talk to Spike about this. I think he might... I don't know. At least he'd understand," Buffy completed.
"You.. You wouldn't mind?" Anya asked.
"Mind what?" Buffy responded, furrowing her brow.
"If I talk to him. About the whole demon in love with a human thing?" Anya questioned.
Buffy sighed. "No. Anya, what Spike... what we have is beyond anything. Just don't worry about it. Talk to him."
"Thank you," Anya answered, her voice relieved.
The kettle whistled and Anya made her way to the kitchen, pouring two cups of tea. She brought them in, setting one on the table and one in Buffy's hands. Buffy thanked her and shifted again uncomfortably. Anya sat down across from her, curling up on the couch.
"So, what about you? Are you happy?" Anya asked, smiling cheerfully.
Buffy chuckled, setting her cup on the side table, both hands traveling to her child. "Ask me again in thirty eight days." The baby was thrashing inside of her again and her back throbbed in response. Buffy closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. William settled a bit but shifted again as soon as she was comfortable.
"Don't you like... I mean, don't you feel... happy? That you have a baby growing inside you? I would think you'd be so content," Anya questioned, her eyes curious.
Buffy thought a moment. Despite all of the frustration and pain, there *was* something she loved about being pregnant. Maybe it was knowing that she and Spike had made something incredible. It was part of them both. And she got to protect him at the very beginning of his little life. "I am," Buffy said softly. "It's just getting past the sick part, the kicking, the never being comfortable and always being hot, the no fighting, no sex..."
"No sex?" Anya asked. Buffy giggled. Now this was the Anya she knew.
"Now," Buffy clarified. "Not at the beginning. And more for me because this one hasn't wanted to stay put so I'm not supposed to do anything athletic or get really upset. Or excited."
"So you could? Before?" Anya asked, her face very serious as if the world depended on the answer.
"Yes," Buffy finally said. "And that is a good thing, because the hormones... wanting of the sex. At least me." Buffy's hand nearly jumped from her stomach as a kick hit home. She groaned. "Although, not on my top ten list right this minute."
"What... what happened?" Anya asked, her eyes trained on the bulge of Buffy's abdomen. It was all very odd to Anya. The Slayer was so tiny. Her arms and legs and face were almost exactly the same. Lean. Small. But she looked as if she'd swallowed a beach ball and her breasts strained against her dress. Spike must like that, Anya thought.
"That would be a roundhouse, I think," Buffy snarked, grimacing.
"The baby kicks that hard," Anya asked, crinkling her nose. Buffy nodded, rubbing her side. "Does it hurt?"
"The kicking?" Buffy asked.
"All of it," Anya questioned.
"Sometimes," Buffy answered, thoughtfully. "Sometimes, it hurts a lot. The kicking is bad. And the back thing. And my skin feels all stretched out. Good thing for Slayer healing or stretch mark central. But sometimes it feels really... amazing. Sometimes, I feel him curl up and sleep and I feel so complete. Full. Loved."
Anya's face was soft. "You are loved, Buffy. I mean, Spike..."
"I know," Buffy whispered, her face lighting in a smile. "He's really... he can barely contain himself about his son," she laughed. "You'd think it was the second coming." Buffy giggled to herself. It sort of was.
Anya stared at the stretched fabric of the dress over Buffy's stomach, fascinated. It might have seemed rude, but Buffy knew that Anya was trying to come to terms with everything. "Do you want to touch?" Buffy asked, as William kicked her again. Buffy rubbed the spot sorely.
"Do.. do you mind? I've never known any human that I could ask. And last time, Xander would not have approved," Anya stuttered.
"Not at all," Buffy said softly. Anya stood, rounding the coffee table and sitting on the couch next to Buffy. Buffy shifted so that she was turned towards her and took her hands.
"His head is about.... here," Buffy explained, placing Anya's hand a little lower than the midline of the right side of her belly. Anya's eyes grew wide, feeling the baby seemingly under the fabric of the dress. Buffy smiled at her awe. "And the feet of doom are here. At least for the moment," Buffy placed Anya's other hand on the middle left of her stomach.
William kicked, hard, and Anya felt the foot to her palm through Buffy. Instinctively, Anya rubbed the spot as if to soothe Buffy's aching side. "That was the baby?" Anya asked.
"Yep," Buffy answered. "He's definitely *our* son."
Anya's hand brushed over the side of Buffy's belly, feeling the baby move. "That's... incredible. There's a person in there!" She gasped, completely overwhelmed.
Buffy chuckled. "A very small, yet fully functional one," she joked. "You can hear him too. His heart. Kind of hard unless you're a Vampire, but you can at least hear him move."
"Can I?" Anya asked, looking up at her with wild and childlike eyes.
Buffy leaned back, her shoulders on the arm of the couch and her tummy stretched forward. "Just put your ear up against me."
Anya leaned forward, her hands still pressed to Buffy's sides. She let her ear touch the silky smoothness of the dress, resting her head, and closing her eyes. As the background noise disappeared, she could hear the child moving inside Buffy and the steady thump of Buffy's heart. In the background, Anya could hear a soft, fast beat.
"Buffy," Anya gasped. "This is amazing." She lifted her head and looked up at Buffy's face. Anya's eyes were damp. "Do you know how amazing that is?"
Buffy smiled, letting her hands roam over her child. "Yeah, " she answered. "I do."
"You're *very* lucky," Anya commented, her face so serious. "One perfect little girl. A little boy inside of you. A man who loves you and would die for you." Anya's hand rested once again on the fabric of Buffy's dress.
"I am lucky," Buffy mused, watching Anya's amazement. "Thank you for reminding me."
To be contd.
Here is chapter four, and it's on time. Wow, four in a row that I got out without a hitch (or at least not a big one).
Because of the new episodes and all of the discussion, I think that I will change my posting schedule slightly as Wednesdays seem to be pretty full of talk on the state of the show ;) So, The next chapter will be out on Thursday and the one after that on Saturday. Sound OK? If I get ahead again, I will send out a notice and an extra chapter.
Thanks for all of the feedback. Please keep reviewing and telling me what you like and what you don't. It helps me more than you know.
Your support is precious.
*Cheery Vibes* , Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Spike and a widdle Buffy and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Love and Luck (Time - Chapter Four)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (with, of course, the exception of Emma, who belongs to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Set immediately following Newsflash. The Big Bad arrives in Sunnydale. Xander makes a decision that will effect the rest of his life. Buffy and Spike catch Giles and Anya up on personal events. Spike and Giles leave to patrol, leaving Buffy to have a very personal conversation with Anya.
Love and Luck
The unmarked military plane landed at an airstrip just outside Sunnydale. A similarly bland jeep picked up the Captain and his partner, taking them to a safe house in town. There was no talk. No discussion of the mission. What the Captain has been given was top-secret information. The fate of the World, of all the Worlds, quite literally depended on it.
There was no team backing them. The location of the Peacemaker was unknown to all but the elite of the Special Investigations Division, portions of the Council of Watchers, and the inner sanctum of the child's family and friends. Oh, and, of course, the Evil who had been searching for her since the First. The Captain smiled. The rest did not need to know the last bit.
The pair settled into the safe house, unpacking their sparse possessions. Home sweet home, the Captain thought. He'd gone over and over in his head just *how* he was going to get close to the Peacemaker. How he'd manage to distract her parents long enough to deal with the child. The specifics escaped him, but, as he looked out into the moonlit street mere miles from his target, he decided that he'd start by knocking on the Windsor's front door.
*****
They walked home in silence. Takina was a smart girl. She knew what that meant. The only time that Xander had ever criticized Anya was in regards to her past as a Vengeance demon. When Takina had questioned Xander about why he had such a difficult time accepting Buffy's relationship with Spike, it always boiled down to Spike's vampirism. It wasn't about Anya. It wasn't even about Spike. It was about demons.
That's why she'd held off so long in telling him her secret. She'd fallen for him the first time she'd met him. On Buffy's porch as she left from a visit and he tripped over the front steps as he watched her walk away. She'd rushed back as he yelped and hopped around holding one ankle. The thought made her want to smile, but she couldn't. Not now.
Somewhere, she had known that it didn't matter if she were smart or funny or attractive, or even if he'd already developed feelings for her when she finally came clean. What would matter was her heritage. The thought made her furious and sad at the same time. Takina knew that he was walking her home now only to be polite. Their fancy dinner, their professions of feelings, were all in the past. She bit her lip hard trying to hide the anger and the fear. Everything in her wanted to tell him there was no need to walk her to her apartment. That she could handle herself. At the same time, she didn't want him to leave this last time.
They reached her apartment too soon. She fumbled in her purse for the keys, then unlocked the door, popping it open with a click and a hiss of wood against carpet. "You're welcome to come in," Takina said, unconvincingly.
Xander looked at her briefly, then looked away. "I... I'd better not," he stuttered. "I have... I need to think."
"Yes," Takina sighed. "Well, don't think too hard, Xander Harris." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Some things aren't about thought. They're about feeling. Until you learn to trust your heart, you'll always be alone." She ran a palm over his cheek and he smiled sadly back at her.
"Takina," he breathed, losing himself in her beautiful, violent eyes.
"Goodbye, Alexander." The door clicked quietly shut.
He stared at the door for a moment, then turned, walking down the hallway to the stairs feeling exactly the way he had felt when he'd walked away from his wedding to Anya. Confused. Scared. Depressed.
Mistaken.
Wrong.
Xander turned on a heel and jogged back down the hall to her apartment, slamming his fists against the door before he had time to think. There was no answer. God, not too late, he thought. Not too late already. He pounded now until finally the door cracked open and he saw her profile against the darkness of her apartment.
"What?" Her voice was choked. He could hear her tears.
"Takina, open the door," he panicked.
"Please, just go," she whispered in response.
"Open the door!" He demanded, his own voice shaking as tears started to build. "Please!"
She unlatched the chain and opened the door just enough for him to see her perfect shape in the doorway. Her tearstained cheeks were red as if those stormy eyes had burst.
"Xander... I..," she stuttered.
He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her hard towards him, letting his lips crush against hers until all of his anger and fear and confusion melted against her buttery soft lips and she crumbled against him. Xander pulled away, stroking her hair back from her face. "Takina, I'm in love with you. I'm going to need some... help... understanding. But I can't screw this up. Not with you. I'm so sorry."
She stared up at him with wet and childlike eyes. "Stay with me," she breathed, her voice needy and low.
Softly, he kissed her again, backing her into the apartment and kicking the door shut behind him.
*****
"So, is it that obvious?" Buffy joked, pushing herself from Spike's shoulder. "I'll give you three guesses. Four in case you're jet-lagged."
"How?" Giles asked. "Emma was prophesized, but this.. it shouldn't be... possible."
"Oh, it's possible," Buffy groaned, shifting uncomfortably.
"You alright, Love?" Spike asked as her faced blanched.
Buffy's attention turned back to Spike. "Yeah. He's just doing that spin/kick combination." Spike nodded, brushing her hair back off her shoulders.
"Not quite sure, Rupert," Spike answered. "It certainly was... unexpected."
"Yes," Giles concurred, wiping his lenses yet again. "There's no indication of a second child from the union of the One. I'm not sure how this could be."
"Well, it's *obvious* how it happened," Buffy interjected, trying to lighten the conversation. "I mean, logistically speaking."
"Is it different? I mean, when you have sex and that sex makes you pregnant, does it feel different? Do you know?" Anya asked, her head tilting.
"Anya," Giles said softly. "A bit personal for this stage."
"I'm sorry," Anya corrected. "I just wondered about the mountains moving part."
"Mountains always moving. Regular mobile Everest for us," Buffy answered, pacifying the demon for the moment. Giles blushed. Spike chuckled. "Anyway, I don't think that there *is* any prophesy. Any foretelling or missions or 'One Boy in All the World'."
"You mean, he's a regular kid. A baby?" Anya responded, smiling her understanding.
"Pretty much," Buffy answered. "A really active one." She shifted again and Emma crawled into her mum's lap, resting her head on Buffy's belly. Instantly, they both settled.
"How much longer?" Giles asked.
"Thirty eight days," Spike answered, stroking Buffy's shoulder. The concern was back in his eyes.
"Not soon enough," Buffy added, running her fingers along Emma's back. The little girl yawned and stuck her thumb in her mouth. "It's been much harder this time."
"How so?" Giles asked, studying Spike's face uneasily.
Buffy moved to speak but Spike interjected. "Love, it's getting late. I need to patrol." She looked up at him, nodding. "Want me to take you home first or would you rather stay here and I'll fetch you on the way back?"
Buffy looked at Giles. "Is there somewhere I can lay Emma down a while? It's way past her bedtime."
Giles nodded. "Of course. You can lay her in our bed. Spike?" He turned towards the Vampire. "I'd quite like to go with you, if that's alright."
Spike smiled at the Watcher. "Missing the nightly spot of violence?"
"Not particularly," Giles replied. "But you should probably catch me up on your routes and the local demon population." Spike looked at him, knowing that there was more.
"Right then," Spike answered, standing up and picking up Emma. Softly, he kissed Buffy's forehead. "I'll put her in Giles' room and be back in a bit."
Buffy nodded, looking up at his perfect blue eyes. "Beat something up for me," she pleaded, smiling.
"Always, Pet," he answered, returning her smile and ruffling her hair.
*****
"Want some tea?" Anya asked, rummaging through boxes on the counter. Giles had sent their possessions along ahead of them. She pulled several small boxes out of the moving crate. "We even have herbal. No caffeine."
"That'd be great." Buffy smiled softly at the girl. Anya put on the kettle and walked back in, settling on the arm of the couch.
"I know this is weird for you, Buffy. I mean with Giles and... I know that you must be mad that we lied. And Xander is your friend so it's even more complicated." Barely cogent thoughts tumbled restlessly from Anya's lips.
"It's OK," Buffy answered quietly. "I can't really say I know how I feel about... any of it... yet. But I get it."
"Giles has been good to me, Buffy. I love him." It was simple. A fact. Buffy saw her contentment. It was a look of peace she hadn't seen when Anya had been with Xander. At least not since the wedding had been called off.
"I'm glad," Buffy finally replied. "Just don't let him down, Anya."
Anya smiled. "I won't."
Buffy studied her a moment. Anya looked at her as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. "What's wrong?" Buffy asked, watching Anya's expression.
"I... I guess the only real downside is that I am still... I won't age," Anya added, her voice almost a whisper. "And I don't want to watch everyone go. Especially not Rupert."
Buffy was silent, feeling her hurt. She remembered having the same conversation with Spike when Tara had been killed. Before he had changed. He'd cried that night about burying them all. Even Buffy. Even Emma. But he was mortal now and at least had a chance of just falling asleep one night and drifting away. Buffy hoped she'd go with him if he did. "I'm sorry," she finally said. " I guess my mortality has always been a little obvious. What with the dying every few years."
Anya chuckled in response. Buffy looked at her more closely. She needed answers. Needed to deal with this. "Maybe you can talk to Spike about this. I think he might... I don't know. At least he'd understand," Buffy completed.
"You.. You wouldn't mind?" Anya asked.
"Mind what?" Buffy responded, furrowing her brow.
"If I talk to him. About the whole demon in love with a human thing?" Anya questioned.
Buffy sighed. "No. Anya, what Spike... what we have is beyond anything. Just don't worry about it. Talk to him."
"Thank you," Anya answered, her voice relieved.
The kettle whistled and Anya made her way to the kitchen, pouring two cups of tea. She brought them in, setting one on the table and one in Buffy's hands. Buffy thanked her and shifted again uncomfortably. Anya sat down across from her, curling up on the couch.
"So, what about you? Are you happy?" Anya asked, smiling cheerfully.
Buffy chuckled, setting her cup on the side table, both hands traveling to her child. "Ask me again in thirty eight days." The baby was thrashing inside of her again and her back throbbed in response. Buffy closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. William settled a bit but shifted again as soon as she was comfortable.
"Don't you like... I mean, don't you feel... happy? That you have a baby growing inside you? I would think you'd be so content," Anya questioned, her eyes curious.
Buffy thought a moment. Despite all of the frustration and pain, there *was* something she loved about being pregnant. Maybe it was knowing that she and Spike had made something incredible. It was part of them both. And she got to protect him at the very beginning of his little life. "I am," Buffy said softly. "It's just getting past the sick part, the kicking, the never being comfortable and always being hot, the no fighting, no sex..."
"No sex?" Anya asked. Buffy giggled. Now this was the Anya she knew.
"Now," Buffy clarified. "Not at the beginning. And more for me because this one hasn't wanted to stay put so I'm not supposed to do anything athletic or get really upset. Or excited."
"So you could? Before?" Anya asked, her face very serious as if the world depended on the answer.
"Yes," Buffy finally said. "And that is a good thing, because the hormones... wanting of the sex. At least me." Buffy's hand nearly jumped from her stomach as a kick hit home. She groaned. "Although, not on my top ten list right this minute."
"What... what happened?" Anya asked, her eyes trained on the bulge of Buffy's abdomen. It was all very odd to Anya. The Slayer was so tiny. Her arms and legs and face were almost exactly the same. Lean. Small. But she looked as if she'd swallowed a beach ball and her breasts strained against her dress. Spike must like that, Anya thought.
"That would be a roundhouse, I think," Buffy snarked, grimacing.
"The baby kicks that hard," Anya asked, crinkling her nose. Buffy nodded, rubbing her side. "Does it hurt?"
"The kicking?" Buffy asked.
"All of it," Anya questioned.
"Sometimes," Buffy answered, thoughtfully. "Sometimes, it hurts a lot. The kicking is bad. And the back thing. And my skin feels all stretched out. Good thing for Slayer healing or stretch mark central. But sometimes it feels really... amazing. Sometimes, I feel him curl up and sleep and I feel so complete. Full. Loved."
Anya's face was soft. "You are loved, Buffy. I mean, Spike..."
"I know," Buffy whispered, her face lighting in a smile. "He's really... he can barely contain himself about his son," she laughed. "You'd think it was the second coming." Buffy giggled to herself. It sort of was.
Anya stared at the stretched fabric of the dress over Buffy's stomach, fascinated. It might have seemed rude, but Buffy knew that Anya was trying to come to terms with everything. "Do you want to touch?" Buffy asked, as William kicked her again. Buffy rubbed the spot sorely.
"Do.. do you mind? I've never known any human that I could ask. And last time, Xander would not have approved," Anya stuttered.
"Not at all," Buffy said softly. Anya stood, rounding the coffee table and sitting on the couch next to Buffy. Buffy shifted so that she was turned towards her and took her hands.
"His head is about.... here," Buffy explained, placing Anya's hand a little lower than the midline of the right side of her belly. Anya's eyes grew wide, feeling the baby seemingly under the fabric of the dress. Buffy smiled at her awe. "And the feet of doom are here. At least for the moment," Buffy placed Anya's other hand on the middle left of her stomach.
William kicked, hard, and Anya felt the foot to her palm through Buffy. Instinctively, Anya rubbed the spot as if to soothe Buffy's aching side. "That was the baby?" Anya asked.
"Yep," Buffy answered. "He's definitely *our* son."
Anya's hand brushed over the side of Buffy's belly, feeling the baby move. "That's... incredible. There's a person in there!" She gasped, completely overwhelmed.
Buffy chuckled. "A very small, yet fully functional one," she joked. "You can hear him too. His heart. Kind of hard unless you're a Vampire, but you can at least hear him move."
"Can I?" Anya asked, looking up at her with wild and childlike eyes.
Buffy leaned back, her shoulders on the arm of the couch and her tummy stretched forward. "Just put your ear up against me."
Anya leaned forward, her hands still pressed to Buffy's sides. She let her ear touch the silky smoothness of the dress, resting her head, and closing her eyes. As the background noise disappeared, she could hear the child moving inside Buffy and the steady thump of Buffy's heart. In the background, Anya could hear a soft, fast beat.
"Buffy," Anya gasped. "This is amazing." She lifted her head and looked up at Buffy's face. Anya's eyes were damp. "Do you know how amazing that is?"
Buffy smiled, letting her hands roam over her child. "Yeah, " she answered. "I do."
"You're *very* lucky," Anya commented, her face so serious. "One perfect little girl. A little boy inside of you. A man who loves you and would die for you." Anya's hand rested once again on the fabric of Buffy's dress.
"I am lucky," Buffy mused, watching Anya's amazement. "Thank you for reminding me."
To be contd.