Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

by PineTranio

**COMPLETE** Five years after Seeing Red, a chipless, soulless Spike has a new life, friends, job and unlife is good. Then, the Slayer tracks him down in Buenos Aires. Can they get along and stop the threat that takes them to England and to the Council?

22. To Dance

Disclaimer: If wishes were horses than beggars would ride.  And knowing me and my sense of balance, I'd probably fall down.  Also, I don't know nor have any ties to the group known as English Heritage, which is involved in the keeping of historical locations throughout England.

Distribution: Here, the Crypt at Fonts of Wisdom and at Impish Eyes.  If you want it, just ask me.

A/N: I noticed a mistake in the last chapter regarding the location of the prophecy, which I will change, so forgive me.  It's not huge, but I need to be consistent.  Thank you all my readers and reviewers!  I love you all and your responses to the last chapter made me extremely happy and grateful.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Be safe out there:)

Chapter 18: To Dance


O'Malley stayed awake the entire night. Shortly after the rain began, he saw Leila on the street below, pacing and fighting with herself. Her eyes kept rising to Spike's bedroom windows. After what looked like a fierce argument, Leila climbed up the side of the building with the stealth of a panther and entered through the window.

  The corner of his mouth rose to meet his bright green eyes. He prayed for such an event.

Now, Shamus O'Malley sat smoking his pipe, waiting for Spike to come downstairs. He wanted to talk to his good friend and find out what was said between him and the Dark beauty. Did she reveal her boss's identity? Is she going to help defeat him? When Buffy came down a few minutes ago, she refused to say anything except that Spike would be down shortly and would answer questions then. Buffy and her Watcher then went into the kitchen, leaving O'Malley alone in the living room. He had a feeling about what they were discussing.

   "So, you learned nothing on patrol?" Giles asked as he poured tea for his Slayer.

She gave him a small smile as she accepted the cup. "Well, I wouldn't say nothing."

"Oh, really?"

Buffy nodded. "I'm in love," she blurted out.

Giles swallowed a mouthful of tea. "In love? You are positive?"

"More than positive.  Giles, he loves me too."

"Well, I can hardly say I'm surprised at that," Giles admitted.  Honestly, the new bite mark on her neck she wore proudly was a pretty good indication that their relationship had progressed mutually.  "He's always loved you, Buffy."

"But, he told me last night. For the first time in five years, he said it. Giles, I don't think I've been this happy in a long time."

"I'm glad you're happy, Buffy, I truly am..." Giles sipped some more tea, letting the hot liquid slowly trail down his throat.

"...But...?" Buffy asked when he didn't complete his thought. There had to be a "but." There always was with Giles.

"No buts."

Buffy stared at him in disbelief. "No fatherly words of warning?"

Giles smiled slightly at his former charge.  "You wouldn't listen even if I did. I like Spike, Buffy. I will admit I was concerned how the two of you would react to each other this time around, considering the destructive nature of your relationship."

"It's all in the past, Giles," she assured him. "I'm better now and so is Spike."

"I know, Buffy. Oddly enough, you two are good for each other. The father in me is happy you chose him." Buffy let out a hard laugh at that. "I'm serious. I believe Spike is the only man that you've' been involved with that I have really gotten to know...and respect. If you make him happy and he makes you happy, then I have nothing to say anymore."

"We've gotten the official fatherly blessing, Watcher?"  Spike walked up to Buffy and kissed her temple before snatching her mug.

  "Yes, Spike, you have my blessing. Not that you need it."

"I don't," he concurred, "but it doesn't hurt." Giles gave him a knowing look; Spike returned it, reaffirming their mutual respect and friendship.

"As touching as this is, and as happy I am to see you two together, we really should get to the matter at hand."

The three obeyed the request from the leprechaun in the living room.

Spike sat on the edge of the cushion as he relayed Leila's message to the group.

"So, she's not going to help us," Giles concluded.

"No more than she already has, it seems," O'Malley agreed, puffing thoughtfully on his pipe.

"So," Spike began, slapping his hands together, "any thoughts on this riddle?"

Giles grabbed a map of England. "A circular stone barrier where Gods used to reside." He placed the stem of his glasses in his mouth as he mulled it over. "Well, we are dealing with some sort of sacred circle, but I have not heard of any such place matching Buffy's description."

Buffy peered at the map. It was full of shires, towns, and rivers she didn't know.  Sure, the names were familiar, seeing as most of the eastern United States was name after them, but she didn't know what any of them looked like. Then one name in particular caught her attention. She wracked her brain trying to remember why it was so familiar. Think, Buffy, think! It hit her! She silently thanked God that Dawn made her watched hours of the Discovery Channel.

"I know where it is. I know where the ritual is going to take place."

"Where, love?" Spike wondered, still staring at the map. He had no idea and he was certainly glad someone had a thought.

"Stonehenge." The men stared at her in confusion. "Think, guys. It's a stone circle and it was thought to have been used in rituals thousands of years ago. So, the Gods must have been present." Buffy finished her sentence with a large smile spread on her face. She loved it when she was the smart one!

"Of course!" Giles exclaimed. "It's out in the open, the only structure for miles since English Heritage finally cleaned up the area. Of course lightning would be attracted to that spot."

Buffy unconsciously squeezed Spike's hand at the mention of lightning. He squeezed back as he listened to Giles reprimand himself.

"Buffy, how did you ever come up with this? I'm very glad you did, but Stonehenge was the furthest thing from my mind."

"Let's just say that after we save the world, thank my sister. So, how should we handle this? Should we try to delay Leila or should we wait until the big boss man tries to take her powers?"

"Firstly, we should get there by sunset. As for timing, we need to make sure we get Leila's employer."

"We also have to deal with the demons that will be waiting for us," Spike added. "One of us needs to make him priority while the others fend off the minions."

"I'll go after Leila and her boss," the Slayer stated, to which no one answered.

"What? I'm the Slayer; I get the big guns, right?" After an extensive silence she added, "or not."

"You'll back up Spike, Buffy, while he goes after the boss," Giles told her.

"Okay, whoever doesn't remember the part about Spike getting electrocuted in my dreams, please raise your hands," she said patronizingly.  "Shouldn't we try to avoid that at all costs?"

"We still will, Buffy," Spike said. "This boss may be human, but he's good, whoever the Hell he is, to have this kind of hold over Leila. Now, I have no problem taking him out; you do."

"Spike, if it comes down to killing an evil human and saving you, I wouldn't think twice about killing him."

"I'm not going to give you that choice."

"But-"

"William is right, lass, and you know it," O'Malley put in. "You'll still cover him and hopefully with Giles' and my help, their guard will quickly be disposed of."

Buffy looked at her lover. He looked nonchalant, but she knew he wasn't as composed inside. She knew this was the way it was meant to play out; it didn't mean she had to like it. She also knew Spike kept his promises. He promised to get back to her and he would. He had to.

"Fine, we do it your way," she sighed with defeat. "You make with the magic; we make with the fists."

Giles nodded. He was proud of his girl. She matured a great deal since last he saw her. She always so head strong, wanting to take the universe head on, knew she would come out victorious. This woman before him still believed that, but she knew when to let the others in, knew when she needed to let someone else lead the battle, even if it was the man closest to her. "Very well. Why don't we get all of our supplies ready unless there's anything else that needs to be said right now."  The Watcher looked at the faces around him.  The leprechaun smoking his pipe seemed a bit more flushed than usual.  "Shamus, is something wrong?"

"Ai," he answered.  "Buffy, Spike, Rupert, I think I should confess something." O'Malley faced the Slayer. "I lied to you yesterday. La Naskita is derived from another word; I do know what it means."

Buffy's eyes darkened. "Why did you lie, Shamus?"

"Because it wasn't the time to tell you. I doubt now is the right time either, but you can not go into this without knowing everything."  Shamus paused for a moment, his silence weighed heavily in the air as he tried to think of the best way to break the news.

"Spit it out already, man," Spike growled.

"La Naskita... it translates into 'The Birth.'"

Spike cocked his head to the side. " 'The Birth?'"

"Yes, William."

"The birth of what?" he asked the inevitable question.

O'Malley sighed as he stood to pace the floor.  "That is not entirely clear."

"Are you saying I'm pregnant?" Buffy blurted out.

Spike whipped his head around, his blue orbs wide and shining with disbelief.  "You can't be pregnant, love. Not unless there's something you didn't tell me," he added, his voice laced with a growl.

Buffy bypassed Spike's comment. "That is what you are saying, isn't it, Shamus? We might have a child?"

"It is very possible that you and Spike are going to have a baby, yes."

Spike threw his hands up in the air.  Was he not in the room?  Did they not know what they were saying was impossible? "What's all this 'we' stuff? I can't have kids. If I could, I would have knocked up the Slayer years ago."

Buffy rolled her eyes and groaned.  Why were men so thick about these things? "Try to think for a second, Spike. Dawn said it to me when I was in all that pain. Maybe I was in labor."

Spike shook his head vehemently. This was not happening to him. "There's got to be another explanation."

"Also, William, Leila herself is the product of a vampire and a human coupling. She was conceived on the Night of Ill Fated, which is today. If I'm not mistaken, you two..." O'Malley didn't finish, just pointed from one to the other.  Everyone in the living room understood him perfectly.

Spike eyes darkened and looked down at Buffy, then to her stomach where Buffy's hand rested. "You're serious about this."

"It is not for certain. We will have no way of knowing for a few more weeks obviously. It is also possible that my suspicions are unfounded."

Spike placed his hands on the back of the chair next to Buffy. He took several very necessary breaths as his fingers curled into the brocade beneath them. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Would you have done anything differently?"

Spike went to speak, but closed his mouth. He honestly didn't know the answer. If he knew last night that making love to Buffy could result in having a child, would he have done something differently?  Would he have changed anything about one of the most perfect, most life fulfilling moments of his entire existence? "Well, maybe I would have worn a condom," he joked with a shrug.

   "Maybe?" O'Malley asked.

Spike looked at the strangely silent Buffy. She just stared at her belly where his baby was possibly growing. His baby. Their baby, created the night its parents confessed their love for each other. He fell back on the sofa next to her, completely aghast at the thoughts in his head, a being with his eyes, her smile and their strength growing in front of him, calling him Dad.  No way in Hell!

Giles cleared his throat. "Buffy...Spike, while this is...good news," Giles choked out the last few words, "there's a possibility you might not be pregnant. Birth can mean many things."

Buffy looked at Giles vacantly. She knew he was talking to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.  She stopped listening to those around her a few minutes ago.

"I only mean to caution the both of you in case..."

"Giles, I might have a baby," Buffy finally said, her voice tiny, but her face aglow.

Giles saw the elation on her face and could only smile back at her.

"Rupert is right, Buffy dear," O'Malley interjected. "This is only a theory."

Spike took Buffy's hand, away from her stomach and held it in his cool one. "Buffy, did you hear O'Malley?"

Buffy's brow furrowed and pulled her hand away abruptly. "I heard him, Spike. I'm no deaf. It just... it seems to fit.  Don't you think so?"

"I don't know, love," the vampire whispered.

"Are you not happy about this?"

Spike turned to the other gentlemen in the room, his blue eyes begging them to leave so he could be with Buffy in private. They heard the message and quickly vacated the bottom floor.

"Buffy, if it's true, I would be so happy, but we don't know. We shouldn't get over hopes up."  Buffy locked eyes with him, her green depths dark and it wasn't from lust. "Look, love, this wasn't supposed to happen to me. I'm dead; I accepted the lack of kids concept a long time ago."

Buffy snarled.  "So, you don't want a baby. You don't want this baby that is half yours."

Her words stabbed his heart and he visibly winced at the pain. "Buffy, you aren't listening to me. I gave up on children.  I wanted them badly when I was alive.  I wanted nothing more than to marry and see my wife bear my children. The idea that I could have one now after all these years is incredible. But, I can't get me hopes up.  I don't want to get attached to someone I can't have...again."

Buffy's shoulders slumped and turned to face him. Spike's jaw tensed as he repeatedly swallowed the lump in his throat. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her forehead on his chest. "I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice muffled in his shirt. 

"Buffy, I would love any life that is a part of you. No question."

"And I you."

Spike ran his fingers through her soft tresses. "So, we may or may not have an addition to the Summers clan."

Buffy pulled back from him.  They would be okay…as long as they both remembered it might not happen.  Still, Buffy was excited at the possibility. "And to the...huh...I don't know your last name. I wouldn't consider the line of Aurielus as extended family." Buffy scrunched up her nose at that thought.

"Bloody hell no!" he exclaimed. The last thing he wanted was his child anywhere near the Poofter or near is loony bin ex- girlfriend.

"So, what's the name?"

Spike sighed at his nancy boy name. He wasn't ashamed of it, but it was just so...old sounding. "William Jacob Henry Curtis III."

Buffy mouthed the name slowly, savoring it. "That's a lot of names."

"That's why Spike is easier. Nice, short, to the point."

Buffy laughed.  "I'm sorry about jumping on you before. I should have thought about it first. I didn't realize..."

" 'Sall right, love. I guess we should go get ready, you know, weapons and such."

"I love you." She kissed him quickly.

"I love to hear you say that."

"Get used to it, baby." She got to her feet, pulling Spike with her.

He reverently placed kisses on both her hands. "I don't think I will."

"Then I'll just have to tell you twice as often."

Spike chuckled. "I won't complain."




Colin paced his study back and forth, back and forth. A few more hours, just a few more hours and it would be over. Soon, he would be all powerful and able to take proper revenge, the painful, bloodbath variety.

"First thing I'll do is rid the world of that bleedin' vampire. Buffy will get over this unhealthy fixation quickly enough and then I won't have to hear Leila prattle on and on about him."

Then he recalled; Leila would be gone by then. She wouldn't be there to see him exact vengeance because she'd be dead. In a few hours, he would kill his lover. No more Colin and Leila against the world.

"God damn it!" he cursed out loud. "I knew I shouldn't have done this; I knew I shouldn't have slept with her." 

Colin flopped into his chair. The cushion cradled his tense body. He was attached, had been since the first time he kissed her. Colin wasn't one to sleep around; sex wasn't just another step in a relationship to him.  It was important; it had to mean something and with Leila it did.  She was so sweet; she entrusted herself to him when only minutes prior she said she couldn't trust anyone. He loved the way she made him feel, like a smart, desirable man. No woman ever made him feel that way before.  Who would do that for him when she was gone?

Colin shook off the thought. This had always been the plan. Years in the basement library of the Council Headquarters took their toll. As luck had it, while researching some dual mental demonic humanoid, code name Leila, Colin found an ancient book, half a book.

Colin Travers was his father's son; he knew to open the door when opportunity knocked. He had come too far to turn tail and run. Nothing and no one could stop him, not even the most intoxicating woman he'd ever seen in his life.

She's an addiction. Once she was gone, Colin would forget about her and move on, maybe with Buffy. She was beautiful and enjoyed powerful men. He would spare her, but the rest of them were expendable.

Yes, he would do the ritual, survive, and live out eternity as one of the most powerful men in the world.

"Colin?"

Colin looked up when he heard Leila's voice. She was wearing black leather pants with a sheer long white poet shirt. Her hair was down in loose waves, her lips free from of dark lipstick, just a gloss.

"You are stunning," he said honestly. She actually blushed. He noticed her mood change of the past two days. He figured it was the anticipation of the ritual. "Come here." He held out his arms to her and she climbed into his lap as she often did. She rested her head on his shoulder, not moving, not saying anything.

"Nervous, love?" he asked her.

She nodded. Colin was quite used to her two sides and he enjoyed both. This side, the calmer, "good" side, always made him feel like a boyfriend consoling his girlfriend. While her other side made him feel powerful, like a leader. These quiet moments were pleasant though. It took a great deal of energy to be in control all the time.

"Everything will go according to plan. We've gone over it so many times we could do this in our sleep. All the minions have their assignments should something go awry. I don't foresee that happening though. The Slayer and the Watchers have no idea about the location of the spell. It could be in Timbuktu for all they know. And they have no idea about me." Leila didn't say anything.  Colin looked down at the small form curled up against him. "Leila, is something the matter?"

"Hmmm? No, love, just thinking."

"Anything specific?"

Leila shrugged.  "About tonight...about us."

"Us? What about us?"  He was surprised at this.  Leila never talked about the nature of their relationship; there was never any reason to before.

"Just wondering how things will be when this is all over. I'm going to be different, more powerful and..."

"You're not sure how I'll react to you. Leila, things between us won't change. This had always been about you. My feelings won't change."

The torn girl gazed into her lover's eyes.  "How do you feel exactly? Do you love me?"

"...Leila..."

"It's all right if you don't," she finished quickly, turning her gaze back down to his chest.  "In fact, it's probably better that you don't. I-I was just curious."

"Leila, I care about you very deeply. I always have and always will; you know that."

"I know," she answered truthfully.

Colin tightened his arms around her.  "Look, you're just anxious. It won't be long now. Why don't you rest up a bit?"

She cuddled in closer and breathed him in. "I'll just stay here for a bit if you don't mind."

Colin patted her back gently and stroked her hair. "Never, love."

  "Buffy? If it's not a baby, what kind of birth are we looking for?" Spike called out.

"I have no idea. I guess we'll know it when we see it."

Spike poked his head out of his small walk in closet. Buffy was standing in front of the full length mirror on the wall; her eyes fixated on her lower half. "What are you doing?"

Buffy jumped back in surprise. "Nothing, just looking," she answered. To herself, she added, "I wasn't thinking about gaining twenty-five pounds with your baby. And I wasn't smiling because I know even though I'll be huge, you'll still think I'm beautiful."

Spike stepped out and leaned against the closet door. "Want to look your best while fighting evil?"

Buffy smiled broadly. "Always. You never know who might show up.  After all, I did meet you that way. " Buffy turned back to the mirror. "I am going to look so bad in my bikini," she mumbled.

"Buffy, you never look bad in anything."

"Compared to all the other thinner, non-pregnant women in California, I will."

Spike chuckled.  "Maybe you'll luck out and it will be cold this year."

Buffy looked into the mirror where Spike's reflection should have been. "Spike?

Where are we going to live?"

Spike slumped into the wall and huffed. "Do we have to discuss this now, love?"

"I was just wondering. You have a townhouse and an apartment on two different continents and I have a house on another. There's no way in hell the baby- if there's a baby," she added quickly, "and I are living in a different country than you. We've got three choices."

"I don't know, Buffy. We'll have to sit down and discuss this at length, but now is not the time."  If living situations were their biggest problem, Spike would have felt much better than he did right now. He disappeared once more into the closet and continued rummaging through his clothes.

"What exactly are you looking for in there?"

"This," he answered as he came out with a familiar piece of clothing, one Buffy had not seen in five years and secretly missed.

"Your duster."

"Yeah. Told you I still had it." He held it out in front of him, his trophy, his prize, courtesy of his second dead Slayer. He felt strange just staring at it, as if waiting for it to bite him. He wasn't sure why he decided to resurrect the relic now; he just knew he had to put it on once again. If he was going down, that jacket would be on his body when he went.

"I thought you didn't want to wear it anymore? Bad memories?"

Spike shrugged. "They weren't all bad, were they? Besides, I've made peace with my past, sort of. I could also use some of the Big Bad tonight." He slipped the leather on slowly, the buttery fabric draped down his frame perfectly, as it hadn't spent the past five years on a hanger. He turned to Buffy. "What do you think?"

Buffy's hands ran over the lapels of the duster lovingly. She met his eyes, her own smiling at him. "I think you're ready to dance."