Good evening, All:)
Well, I decided to ease you into the drama, but don't get to comfortable, because it is coming ::::insert evil grin:::. This chapter should give you an idea of what is to come, and I know I will get hate mail about how it ends. But you love me, right?
Right?
Next chapter on Thursday. Hope it's not too hard to wait! Let me know what you think.
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Buffy, and a widdle Spike, and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Blows (Time - Chapter Ten)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (with, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Set directly after While You Were Sleeping. Takina returns to take the infant back to the ICU. Spike goes back to the waiting room to find an unwelcome visitor. Xander is confronted about what actually happened at the house that morning. But will he tell Spike the truth? Sam puts the plan to distract the One and steal Emma into motion. But what does that plan entail?
Blows
There was a gentle rap at the door. Buffy had the baby curled against her, cooing as his drowsy eyes flickered, straining to keep looking up at his mum. Must be a hereditary trait, Spike thought.
"I truly hate to do this," Takina began as she entered the sanctuary, " But I need to take him back to the ICU."
"Can he please stay here?" Buffy pleaded, looking up at the doctor with soft, wide eyes. "You can put him back in the ... box thing... if you have to, but I want to be able to see him."
"I'd love to Buffy, but he needs a little extra care for the next few days. Then you can both go home. Alright?" Takina answered softly.
Spike leaned over, brushing Buffy's cheek with the back of his hand. "Best do as she says, Pet." His hand dropped to the boy, letting his fingers rest against William's cheek. "Stop giving your mum those eyes. Trick I shouldn't teach you for years."
"It's a thrall!" Buffy mocked, gasping. "I *knew* you had a thrall." She kissed William gently and let Takina ease him from her arms, tucking him back into the incubator.
"S' not a thrall, Pet. Just my natural charm," Spike snarked, laying his head back on the pillow so his breath blew in her ear.
"Oh, please," Buffy groaned. "Stomach already of the queasy." She turned back to Takina. "When can I see him again?"
The doctor glanced at her watch. "If he stays this stable, I'll bring him up before you go to bed."
"Thank you," Spike said, nodding. Takina began to move through the door and hesitated before she drifted from their line of sight.
"I know that several of your... group... are anxious to see you," she commented, smiling. "You can only have two visitors at a time, but you are more than welcome to have them back."
"Two including Emma?" Buffy asked, her eyes wide and innocent, tucking her daughter closer against her side.
"Two and a half then," Takina corrected. "I'll take William down to the ward and, if it's alright with you, show the rest where they can look at him through the glass."
"That'd be fine," Spike agreed. Takina nodded, taking William through the door. When Spike turned back to Buffy, the tears had started anew.
"S'alright, Pet," Spike whispered, relaxing against her, sliding his arm under her shoulders and pulling her closer.
"I know," she said so softly that only his hearing could pick the words out. "Just doesn't seem right like this, you know? He should be with me. With us. So we can watch him."
Spike sighed, kissing her nose. "He will be soon, Love."
"I just.. he's all alone down there in a *box*," she gasped, blinking big, wet, green eyes up at him. Now, who was it that had a thrall?
"Think of it this way, Love," Spike comforted. "Box is there to protect him 'till we can. As for alone, do you have any *concept* of the merry band in the waiting room? The boy's going to have an ego the size of a Jynarax demon by the time they're done fawning all over him."
Buffy smiled. "Will you make sure someone stays down there? At least where he can see them?"
"Don't think I'll have to do much coercing there, Pet," Spike answered, kissing away a tear from her cheek. "Now, I think that your sis and the rest of the tribe might want to visit. You up for that?"
Buffy looked up at him, a weary smile on her lips. "Think I'll manage." Her voice became quiet again. "Do you have to leave?"
"Not leaving. Be right outside. Take all night if we don't let them go two by two," Spike joked. "Besides, must be getting sick of old Spike by now."
"Never," she giggled, pressing her lips to his. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, losing himself in her for just a moment. Emma giggled between them, causing Buffy to grin against his lips. "Think she's on to us."
"That she is," Spike responded, leaning down to kiss the little girl's nose.
"Mind if she stays with me? I'd kind of like to have *one* of my babies nearby," Buffy asked, letting her palm skim over his cheek.
"Dunno. Kind of like to have *one* of my girls nearby," he sighed, staring into her eyes. Hers closed slowly, capturing him. Feeling her wrap around him inside. Taking away the pain. The fear. "But, as you've had a rough day, I think I can let you win this once." He sat up slowly, pecking Buffy's forehead as he rose.
"Let me, hunh?" Buffy chided as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reluctantly stood.
"Leave a man his dreams."
*****
Spike felt... good. Safe. Wasn't often they'd run into something horrifying and walked away relatively unscathed. Buffy was, if uncomfortable, recovering at an alarming rate. Well, alarming if one wasn't used to the whole Slayer healing gig. His son, tiny and unexpected as he'd been, was safe and right as rain.
It'd almost been too easy.
Don't question the good, he reminded himself as he approached the door into the waiting room. He swung it open with relative ease. The room was silent. "Buffy is up to..." Spike began before noticing the silence and looking up to scan the room.
In the far doorway was the soldier boy, all pressed and flushed and farm- boyish, holding a handful of daisies and looking overwhelmed.
It occurred to Xander, as Spike flew across the room, that he hadn't quite remembered to tell him that part of the story. Note to self: add a zillion more be-nice-to-Spike points to the tally, if he lets me live long enough to use them.
Giles caught Spike just before the vampire made contact with Riley. "Spike!". The Watcher's voice was nearly calm. Reasonable. "This is not the time nor the place."
Spike stopped his advance, clenching his fists and growling. "What are *you* doing here?"
Riley looked at the peroxide Vampire with equal parts fear and amusement glinting in his eyes. "I'm stationed in the area and I stopped by earlier to say hello. I didn't know that..."
Giles tightened his grip on Spike's shoulder as Spike's body pulled forward. "You... were at my house?"
"I didn't know," Riley stuttered. "She collapsed and I thought..."
Spike's head swung around to Xander. Those points clicked into piles in his head like quarters in a Vegas slot machine. "Harris?" Spike hissed.
"He came to the door as as Anya... When I found out...I'm sorry," Xander blurted.
Spike looked at the whelp in disgust, then turned back towards Riley. "*You*," Spike snarled, lunging against Giles' grip yet again. "S'your fault she's here. Your fault she..."
"Spike," Giles reprimanded again, catching the Vampire's attention just as a right hook made contact with Riley's jaw. The boy dropped like a drunken sailor. "Enough!" Giles demanded. "I understand that you're upset and I can't say that I blame you, but there are better ways of handling this."
Spike panted with range, eyes flashing yellow to blue like a broken strobe light. "*He* is what upset her, Watcher."
"Understood," Giles replied, releasing Spike's shoulder. "But you need to concern yourself with Buffy and your son. Riley and I will have a little heart to heart in the meantime." The Watcher pushed open the door, gesturing to the bruised young man as he slid his way back up the wall.
"I... I'm sorry, Spike," Riley stuttered as Giles ushered him out. "I didn't know."
"Get him out of my bloody sight," Spike demanded, disgusted. "Leave her alone, mate, or I will kill you."
Riley stared at him a moment, nodding, and then ducked out the door.
Spike took several deep breaths, straightening his shirt, pulling himself together. Cyrus caught his gaze, giving him a place to focus. One he didn't want to pummel into raw meat and shiny bone.
"You alright then?" Cyrus asked as Spike deflated like a cat who'd stepped away from a territorial dispute.
"*Hate* that git," Spike muttered, inhaling, and then turning on a heel towards the rest of the room. The girls sat in stunned silence, Xander tucked in the middle, afraid, for the moment, to speak. "Sorry ladies... Harris," Spike apologized.
"Shoulda kicked his ass," Dawn commented.
"Dawnie," Willow nudged.
"Later, Pet. Buffy's feeling a bit lonely back there. Doctor said you can visit two at a time. Suss it out amongst yourselves. Harris? Talk to you a moment?" Spike's voice was calm. Metered.
Xander gulped. He knew it wasn't going to be as easy as the car ride. Spike was *not* going to like the story in its entirety. But, Xander thought as he stood and walked like a willing lamb to slaughter, he did deserve the truth. Damn Takina. Making me all mature, the boy thought.
*****
Takina rolled the incubator to a spot right next to the viewing window, hooking monitors and tubes and alarms to the boy and the box. She hated to take him down here. Alone. But she knew the faster they could stabilize him, the more likely it was he'd be home this week. Hope he inherited accelerated healing with a Slayer for a mother and a Vampire as his father.
"Night, Prince William," she cooed, shutting the door. The baby blinked up at her. Once. Twice. Three times and he was out.
The doctor spoke briefly to the ward nurse and slipped out the back towards the locker room. Her long weekend off, she chuckled. Needed to put on some normal clothes.
The locker room was quiet as she dug through her endless supply of clothes and toiletries in order to find something comfortable. Locker just isn't enough space to put a week's worth of clothes, she mused, grabbing a yellow button down and jeans. Takina slipped her top off, tossing it in the laundry bin. And that's when it hit her.
Literally.
She heard a loud crack and felt her head snap forward before the world slipped to black.
*****
"Right then," Spike announced, tossing Xander up against the wall outside the waiting area. Xander sighed. Nothing cracked or broke or even really hurt as he hit the wall, so Spike wasn't going to be *too* hard on him. Maybe Riley would take more of the anger, Xander hoped. This was followed quickly by the thought, is it bad to think that?
"You're going to tell me *exactly* what happened before Buffy collapsed," Spike clipped, half-heartedly holding Xander to the wall by the shoulder. Well, half-heartedly for a creature of supernatural strength, which meant that Xander's shoulder throbbed under Spike's grip.
Xander considered, for a moment, lying. Or rather omitting the bit about his little Buffy rant. But Takina would be disappointed. Not to mention that there was a brutally honest Vengeance Demon present at the time. "Alright," Xander whined. "What do you want to know?"
Spike dropped his arm at Xander's compliance. "Start from where you came in," Spike commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm assuming you came by to tell Buffy about you and the good doctor..."
Xander blinked, wide-eyed. "How ... how did you..."
"What is it with you people?" Spike huffed. "Vampire. I can smell her all over. you. Not to mention, I already talked to her."
"She told you?" Xander gulped.
"Oh, relax," Spike sighed. "I cornered the girl. She's a good one, Harris. Don't bugger it up because you're particular about demons."
Xander opened his mouth to debate Spike's opinions of his personal life, but thought the better of it. Spike could be pummeling me, he thought. Talking is of the good. "Right," Xander agreed. "We stopped by to tell her."
"How was she when you got there?" Spike questioned, cocking a leg out and pulling his arms tighter to his chest.
"Happy!Buffy," Xander answered. "All with the glowy, I'm-having-a-baby look."
"Alright. That's how I left her," Spike responded, looking pensive. "Then what?"
"When I came in, she got pretty wigged. I didn't know why. Just thought she was being moody," Xander continued. Spike thought to say he should've just left, but Xander had a point. Hard to tell what was going on in her mind.
"Alright, then what?"
"We talked. I told her. She looked stunned, but mostly fidgety. Not quite the 'that's great' I was going for, but it'd do," Xander went on.
"Mind on the bird in the kitchen," Spike mused, watching the drama unfold in his mind.
"I guess," Xander answered. "Anyway, the door blew open and the dog ran out. Takina went to chase him and lo and behold, my *dead* ex fiancée comes out of the kitchen."
"And Buffy panicked," Spike thought out loud. "You know she only kept it quiet because Rupert asked her to. Just came in last night."
"Well, wasn't thinking too straight what with the *resurrection*," Xander snarked. Spike felt his anger rise, but chased it down, wanting to hear the rest of the story. Couldn't really blame him for being caught off guard.
"Alright, and?" Spike settled on saying.
Xander tensed. "Then...," he began. "Spike, I didn't even know I was doing it..."
"Doing what?" Spike snarled, his hackles up.
"Yelling at Buffy," he said, his eyes dropping, voice full of guilt and remorse. "I freaked and Buffy,... she should have told me... we are best friends..."
Spike grabbed him by the throat, pinning him against the wall. "You *were* til you decided to abandon her like every other bloke who came trotting through. But you've got issues with me, so you left her out there, Harris. She doesn't owe you a sodding thing."
Xander stared at the Vampire, blinking at the anger in his blue eyes. "I know that, Spike. That's why I came. I screwed up. I'm sorry."
Spike studied him a moment, then dropped his hand in disgust. "What kind of man yells at a pregnant woman anyway?"
"Not a very good one," Xander agreed, his eyes dropping back to the floor. "Don't you think I feel like hell for this? If I could've taken it back, I would've. But I couldn't. All I could do was help her and get you."
Spike looked away, taking a deep breath. Collecting himself. "You owe her, Harris. If anything had happened to her.... if William had died."
"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself, Spike. You forget. I've loved her longer than you've even known her." The boy's voice dropped, his eyes searching the tile floor. "But she's yours. And I have to live with it. But I'd never hurt her, Spike. Never."
Spike sighed, shuffling his feet. "Summers girls get under your skin," he finally said, feeling sorry for the whelp for a fleeting moment. "But you've got to work on your control. Not easy thinking of the Slayer as helpless, but she *is* in a lot of ways. Put her up against the biggest bad, she'd tear 'em to shreds. Give one of her precious Scoobies a sodding paper cut and she's shattered. Need to be a little more mindful of her."
Xander snorted. "This lesson brought to you by Captain Peroxide Evil Boy."
"Oh, yes. Who's dastardly plot includes destroying the universe with pink pigs and stethoscopes," Spike snarked. "Get over it. Not all demons are horrid beasties. For example, your girl..."
"What d'you know about her?" Xander snapped defensively.
"Precious little," Spike responded. "But she's Taraq. You know what Taraq's do?"
Xander flashed to the feat of wondrous amazement in her bed, and then shook the thought off. "They're healers," he muttered.
Good," Spike patronized. "Know of what?"
Xander shot him a patented what-the-hell-are-you-getting-at look in response.
"You *stupid* git," Spike huffed. "They heal *everything*. Demon. Human. Matters not to them. Almost like angels, really. All soft and glowy and white. Point *being*, doesn't matter to her that you are a lesser being, with all manner of hang-ups. Who are you to hold it against *her* that she's descended from a line of mystical demons who, shudder gasp, heal things?"
Xander looked at him, shaking his head. "You're a weird... VampMan, Spike."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Alright. After you were done publicly berating a pregnant woman...," he chastised.
"There was s knock at the door. Buffy got up. I didn't think much about it since I figured she wanted to get away from yell-y old me. She looked stiff. But she answered the door. I saw Pony come back in and then looked up, saw her gasp, then fall. Riley was standing at the door," Xander continued. "After that, I called an ambulance and hitailed it to Giles' place with Anya to find you."
Spike rolled the idea of telling Xander about Giles and Anya in his head, but thought that vengeance was not something one served with other peoples' news. Besides, the git was paying for his idiocy in guilt and karma. "So, Riley's the one that sent her sprawling?"
"That's when she collapsed," Xander confirmed.
Spike nodded. "I'll deal with him."
Xander thought about saying something, but he wasn't quite sure what. "That's everything."
Again, Spike nodded. "Right then. Go in. See Buffy. Don't upset her," Spike snarled. "If she so much as sneezes because you're there, I'll rip your throat out."
Xander had a million come backs, but let them all slide in favour of the current position of his larynx. "I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me, tell her," Spike responded, stalking away down the corridor.
*****
Slowly, Sam dressed herself in a yellow shirt and jeans. She took a moment, admiring herself in the mirror. Perfect, shiny, almost black waves, curling down around her shoulders. Eyes the colour of summer storm clouds. Pouty, ruby lips and some honking great cleavage. Takina Noel was one girl she could get used to being.
She shut the locker, strolling over to the janitor's closet, and peeping inside. The good doctor lay sprawled on the floor, only her undergarments for cover. Her arms and legs were tied. Her mouth taped. A pretty stream of crimson winding down the back of her neck and dripping to the floor in tiny rivulets. Alive, but out cold, Sam mused. No need to off her. Least not now.
Sam closed the closet door, locking it behind her and tucking the key into her jeans pocket. Whistling, she sauntered into the hall and towards the neonatal ICU. The ward nurse looked at her with an odd little smile as she swung open the door.
"I thought you'd signed out," the nurse asked as Sam signed herself into the ward.
"Thought I'd check on our little prince one last time," she answered, flashing Takina's perfect smile.
The ward nurse chuckled. "He's asleep, but go ahead in."
"Perfect," Sam answered, returning the smile and pushing the door open as the nurse buzzed her through.
To be contd.
Well, I decided to ease you into the drama, but don't get to comfortable, because it is coming ::::insert evil grin:::. This chapter should give you an idea of what is to come, and I know I will get hate mail about how it ends. But you love me, right?
Right?
Next chapter on Thursday. Hope it's not too hard to wait! Let me know what you think.
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Buffy, and a widdle Spike, and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Blows (Time - Chapter Ten)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (with, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Set directly after While You Were Sleeping. Takina returns to take the infant back to the ICU. Spike goes back to the waiting room to find an unwelcome visitor. Xander is confronted about what actually happened at the house that morning. But will he tell Spike the truth? Sam puts the plan to distract the One and steal Emma into motion. But what does that plan entail?
Blows
There was a gentle rap at the door. Buffy had the baby curled against her, cooing as his drowsy eyes flickered, straining to keep looking up at his mum. Must be a hereditary trait, Spike thought.
"I truly hate to do this," Takina began as she entered the sanctuary, " But I need to take him back to the ICU."
"Can he please stay here?" Buffy pleaded, looking up at the doctor with soft, wide eyes. "You can put him back in the ... box thing... if you have to, but I want to be able to see him."
"I'd love to Buffy, but he needs a little extra care for the next few days. Then you can both go home. Alright?" Takina answered softly.
Spike leaned over, brushing Buffy's cheek with the back of his hand. "Best do as she says, Pet." His hand dropped to the boy, letting his fingers rest against William's cheek. "Stop giving your mum those eyes. Trick I shouldn't teach you for years."
"It's a thrall!" Buffy mocked, gasping. "I *knew* you had a thrall." She kissed William gently and let Takina ease him from her arms, tucking him back into the incubator.
"S' not a thrall, Pet. Just my natural charm," Spike snarked, laying his head back on the pillow so his breath blew in her ear.
"Oh, please," Buffy groaned. "Stomach already of the queasy." She turned back to Takina. "When can I see him again?"
The doctor glanced at her watch. "If he stays this stable, I'll bring him up before you go to bed."
"Thank you," Spike said, nodding. Takina began to move through the door and hesitated before she drifted from their line of sight.
"I know that several of your... group... are anxious to see you," she commented, smiling. "You can only have two visitors at a time, but you are more than welcome to have them back."
"Two including Emma?" Buffy asked, her eyes wide and innocent, tucking her daughter closer against her side.
"Two and a half then," Takina corrected. "I'll take William down to the ward and, if it's alright with you, show the rest where they can look at him through the glass."
"That'd be fine," Spike agreed. Takina nodded, taking William through the door. When Spike turned back to Buffy, the tears had started anew.
"S'alright, Pet," Spike whispered, relaxing against her, sliding his arm under her shoulders and pulling her closer.
"I know," she said so softly that only his hearing could pick the words out. "Just doesn't seem right like this, you know? He should be with me. With us. So we can watch him."
Spike sighed, kissing her nose. "He will be soon, Love."
"I just.. he's all alone down there in a *box*," she gasped, blinking big, wet, green eyes up at him. Now, who was it that had a thrall?
"Think of it this way, Love," Spike comforted. "Box is there to protect him 'till we can. As for alone, do you have any *concept* of the merry band in the waiting room? The boy's going to have an ego the size of a Jynarax demon by the time they're done fawning all over him."
Buffy smiled. "Will you make sure someone stays down there? At least where he can see them?"
"Don't think I'll have to do much coercing there, Pet," Spike answered, kissing away a tear from her cheek. "Now, I think that your sis and the rest of the tribe might want to visit. You up for that?"
Buffy looked up at him, a weary smile on her lips. "Think I'll manage." Her voice became quiet again. "Do you have to leave?"
"Not leaving. Be right outside. Take all night if we don't let them go two by two," Spike joked. "Besides, must be getting sick of old Spike by now."
"Never," she giggled, pressing her lips to his. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, losing himself in her for just a moment. Emma giggled between them, causing Buffy to grin against his lips. "Think she's on to us."
"That she is," Spike responded, leaning down to kiss the little girl's nose.
"Mind if she stays with me? I'd kind of like to have *one* of my babies nearby," Buffy asked, letting her palm skim over his cheek.
"Dunno. Kind of like to have *one* of my girls nearby," he sighed, staring into her eyes. Hers closed slowly, capturing him. Feeling her wrap around him inside. Taking away the pain. The fear. "But, as you've had a rough day, I think I can let you win this once." He sat up slowly, pecking Buffy's forehead as he rose.
"Let me, hunh?" Buffy chided as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reluctantly stood.
"Leave a man his dreams."
*****
Spike felt... good. Safe. Wasn't often they'd run into something horrifying and walked away relatively unscathed. Buffy was, if uncomfortable, recovering at an alarming rate. Well, alarming if one wasn't used to the whole Slayer healing gig. His son, tiny and unexpected as he'd been, was safe and right as rain.
It'd almost been too easy.
Don't question the good, he reminded himself as he approached the door into the waiting room. He swung it open with relative ease. The room was silent. "Buffy is up to..." Spike began before noticing the silence and looking up to scan the room.
In the far doorway was the soldier boy, all pressed and flushed and farm- boyish, holding a handful of daisies and looking overwhelmed.
It occurred to Xander, as Spike flew across the room, that he hadn't quite remembered to tell him that part of the story. Note to self: add a zillion more be-nice-to-Spike points to the tally, if he lets me live long enough to use them.
Giles caught Spike just before the vampire made contact with Riley. "Spike!". The Watcher's voice was nearly calm. Reasonable. "This is not the time nor the place."
Spike stopped his advance, clenching his fists and growling. "What are *you* doing here?"
Riley looked at the peroxide Vampire with equal parts fear and amusement glinting in his eyes. "I'm stationed in the area and I stopped by earlier to say hello. I didn't know that..."
Giles tightened his grip on Spike's shoulder as Spike's body pulled forward. "You... were at my house?"
"I didn't know," Riley stuttered. "She collapsed and I thought..."
Spike's head swung around to Xander. Those points clicked into piles in his head like quarters in a Vegas slot machine. "Harris?" Spike hissed.
"He came to the door as as Anya... When I found out...I'm sorry," Xander blurted.
Spike looked at the whelp in disgust, then turned back towards Riley. "*You*," Spike snarled, lunging against Giles' grip yet again. "S'your fault she's here. Your fault she..."
"Spike," Giles reprimanded again, catching the Vampire's attention just as a right hook made contact with Riley's jaw. The boy dropped like a drunken sailor. "Enough!" Giles demanded. "I understand that you're upset and I can't say that I blame you, but there are better ways of handling this."
Spike panted with range, eyes flashing yellow to blue like a broken strobe light. "*He* is what upset her, Watcher."
"Understood," Giles replied, releasing Spike's shoulder. "But you need to concern yourself with Buffy and your son. Riley and I will have a little heart to heart in the meantime." The Watcher pushed open the door, gesturing to the bruised young man as he slid his way back up the wall.
"I... I'm sorry, Spike," Riley stuttered as Giles ushered him out. "I didn't know."
"Get him out of my bloody sight," Spike demanded, disgusted. "Leave her alone, mate, or I will kill you."
Riley stared at him a moment, nodding, and then ducked out the door.
Spike took several deep breaths, straightening his shirt, pulling himself together. Cyrus caught his gaze, giving him a place to focus. One he didn't want to pummel into raw meat and shiny bone.
"You alright then?" Cyrus asked as Spike deflated like a cat who'd stepped away from a territorial dispute.
"*Hate* that git," Spike muttered, inhaling, and then turning on a heel towards the rest of the room. The girls sat in stunned silence, Xander tucked in the middle, afraid, for the moment, to speak. "Sorry ladies... Harris," Spike apologized.
"Shoulda kicked his ass," Dawn commented.
"Dawnie," Willow nudged.
"Later, Pet. Buffy's feeling a bit lonely back there. Doctor said you can visit two at a time. Suss it out amongst yourselves. Harris? Talk to you a moment?" Spike's voice was calm. Metered.
Xander gulped. He knew it wasn't going to be as easy as the car ride. Spike was *not* going to like the story in its entirety. But, Xander thought as he stood and walked like a willing lamb to slaughter, he did deserve the truth. Damn Takina. Making me all mature, the boy thought.
*****
Takina rolled the incubator to a spot right next to the viewing window, hooking monitors and tubes and alarms to the boy and the box. She hated to take him down here. Alone. But she knew the faster they could stabilize him, the more likely it was he'd be home this week. Hope he inherited accelerated healing with a Slayer for a mother and a Vampire as his father.
"Night, Prince William," she cooed, shutting the door. The baby blinked up at her. Once. Twice. Three times and he was out.
The doctor spoke briefly to the ward nurse and slipped out the back towards the locker room. Her long weekend off, she chuckled. Needed to put on some normal clothes.
The locker room was quiet as she dug through her endless supply of clothes and toiletries in order to find something comfortable. Locker just isn't enough space to put a week's worth of clothes, she mused, grabbing a yellow button down and jeans. Takina slipped her top off, tossing it in the laundry bin. And that's when it hit her.
Literally.
She heard a loud crack and felt her head snap forward before the world slipped to black.
*****
"Right then," Spike announced, tossing Xander up against the wall outside the waiting area. Xander sighed. Nothing cracked or broke or even really hurt as he hit the wall, so Spike wasn't going to be *too* hard on him. Maybe Riley would take more of the anger, Xander hoped. This was followed quickly by the thought, is it bad to think that?
"You're going to tell me *exactly* what happened before Buffy collapsed," Spike clipped, half-heartedly holding Xander to the wall by the shoulder. Well, half-heartedly for a creature of supernatural strength, which meant that Xander's shoulder throbbed under Spike's grip.
Xander considered, for a moment, lying. Or rather omitting the bit about his little Buffy rant. But Takina would be disappointed. Not to mention that there was a brutally honest Vengeance Demon present at the time. "Alright," Xander whined. "What do you want to know?"
Spike dropped his arm at Xander's compliance. "Start from where you came in," Spike commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm assuming you came by to tell Buffy about you and the good doctor..."
Xander blinked, wide-eyed. "How ... how did you..."
"What is it with you people?" Spike huffed. "Vampire. I can smell her all over. you. Not to mention, I already talked to her."
"She told you?" Xander gulped.
"Oh, relax," Spike sighed. "I cornered the girl. She's a good one, Harris. Don't bugger it up because you're particular about demons."
Xander opened his mouth to debate Spike's opinions of his personal life, but thought the better of it. Spike could be pummeling me, he thought. Talking is of the good. "Right," Xander agreed. "We stopped by to tell her."
"How was she when you got there?" Spike questioned, cocking a leg out and pulling his arms tighter to his chest.
"Happy!Buffy," Xander answered. "All with the glowy, I'm-having-a-baby look."
"Alright. That's how I left her," Spike responded, looking pensive. "Then what?"
"When I came in, she got pretty wigged. I didn't know why. Just thought she was being moody," Xander continued. Spike thought to say he should've just left, but Xander had a point. Hard to tell what was going on in her mind.
"Alright, then what?"
"We talked. I told her. She looked stunned, but mostly fidgety. Not quite the 'that's great' I was going for, but it'd do," Xander went on.
"Mind on the bird in the kitchen," Spike mused, watching the drama unfold in his mind.
"I guess," Xander answered. "Anyway, the door blew open and the dog ran out. Takina went to chase him and lo and behold, my *dead* ex fiancée comes out of the kitchen."
"And Buffy panicked," Spike thought out loud. "You know she only kept it quiet because Rupert asked her to. Just came in last night."
"Well, wasn't thinking too straight what with the *resurrection*," Xander snarked. Spike felt his anger rise, but chased it down, wanting to hear the rest of the story. Couldn't really blame him for being caught off guard.
"Alright, and?" Spike settled on saying.
Xander tensed. "Then...," he began. "Spike, I didn't even know I was doing it..."
"Doing what?" Spike snarled, his hackles up.
"Yelling at Buffy," he said, his eyes dropping, voice full of guilt and remorse. "I freaked and Buffy,... she should have told me... we are best friends..."
Spike grabbed him by the throat, pinning him against the wall. "You *were* til you decided to abandon her like every other bloke who came trotting through. But you've got issues with me, so you left her out there, Harris. She doesn't owe you a sodding thing."
Xander stared at the Vampire, blinking at the anger in his blue eyes. "I know that, Spike. That's why I came. I screwed up. I'm sorry."
Spike studied him a moment, then dropped his hand in disgust. "What kind of man yells at a pregnant woman anyway?"
"Not a very good one," Xander agreed, his eyes dropping back to the floor. "Don't you think I feel like hell for this? If I could've taken it back, I would've. But I couldn't. All I could do was help her and get you."
Spike looked away, taking a deep breath. Collecting himself. "You owe her, Harris. If anything had happened to her.... if William had died."
"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself, Spike. You forget. I've loved her longer than you've even known her." The boy's voice dropped, his eyes searching the tile floor. "But she's yours. And I have to live with it. But I'd never hurt her, Spike. Never."
Spike sighed, shuffling his feet. "Summers girls get under your skin," he finally said, feeling sorry for the whelp for a fleeting moment. "But you've got to work on your control. Not easy thinking of the Slayer as helpless, but she *is* in a lot of ways. Put her up against the biggest bad, she'd tear 'em to shreds. Give one of her precious Scoobies a sodding paper cut and she's shattered. Need to be a little more mindful of her."
Xander snorted. "This lesson brought to you by Captain Peroxide Evil Boy."
"Oh, yes. Who's dastardly plot includes destroying the universe with pink pigs and stethoscopes," Spike snarked. "Get over it. Not all demons are horrid beasties. For example, your girl..."
"What d'you know about her?" Xander snapped defensively.
"Precious little," Spike responded. "But she's Taraq. You know what Taraq's do?"
Xander flashed to the feat of wondrous amazement in her bed, and then shook the thought off. "They're healers," he muttered.
Good," Spike patronized. "Know of what?"
Xander shot him a patented what-the-hell-are-you-getting-at look in response.
"You *stupid* git," Spike huffed. "They heal *everything*. Demon. Human. Matters not to them. Almost like angels, really. All soft and glowy and white. Point *being*, doesn't matter to her that you are a lesser being, with all manner of hang-ups. Who are you to hold it against *her* that she's descended from a line of mystical demons who, shudder gasp, heal things?"
Xander looked at him, shaking his head. "You're a weird... VampMan, Spike."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Alright. After you were done publicly berating a pregnant woman...," he chastised.
"There was s knock at the door. Buffy got up. I didn't think much about it since I figured she wanted to get away from yell-y old me. She looked stiff. But she answered the door. I saw Pony come back in and then looked up, saw her gasp, then fall. Riley was standing at the door," Xander continued. "After that, I called an ambulance and hitailed it to Giles' place with Anya to find you."
Spike rolled the idea of telling Xander about Giles and Anya in his head, but thought that vengeance was not something one served with other peoples' news. Besides, the git was paying for his idiocy in guilt and karma. "So, Riley's the one that sent her sprawling?"
"That's when she collapsed," Xander confirmed.
Spike nodded. "I'll deal with him."
Xander thought about saying something, but he wasn't quite sure what. "That's everything."
Again, Spike nodded. "Right then. Go in. See Buffy. Don't upset her," Spike snarled. "If she so much as sneezes because you're there, I'll rip your throat out."
Xander had a million come backs, but let them all slide in favour of the current position of his larynx. "I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me, tell her," Spike responded, stalking away down the corridor.
*****
Slowly, Sam dressed herself in a yellow shirt and jeans. She took a moment, admiring herself in the mirror. Perfect, shiny, almost black waves, curling down around her shoulders. Eyes the colour of summer storm clouds. Pouty, ruby lips and some honking great cleavage. Takina Noel was one girl she could get used to being.
She shut the locker, strolling over to the janitor's closet, and peeping inside. The good doctor lay sprawled on the floor, only her undergarments for cover. Her arms and legs were tied. Her mouth taped. A pretty stream of crimson winding down the back of her neck and dripping to the floor in tiny rivulets. Alive, but out cold, Sam mused. No need to off her. Least not now.
Sam closed the closet door, locking it behind her and tucking the key into her jeans pocket. Whistling, she sauntered into the hall and towards the neonatal ICU. The ward nurse looked at her with an odd little smile as she swung open the door.
"I thought you'd signed out," the nurse asked as Sam signed herself into the ward.
"Thought I'd check on our little prince one last time," she answered, flashing Takina's perfect smile.
The ward nurse chuckled. "He's asleep, but go ahead in."
"Perfect," Sam answered, returning the smile and pushing the door open as the nurse buzzed her through.
To be contd.