Chapter 1 Starts off as a revised ending to "Anne"

Buffy leaned in over the toilet bowl and puked again. Why was this happening? She had been sick every morning for the past week.

"Morning sickness." She said bitterly, "The worst part about being pregnant."

"Buffy, are you alright?" Lilly asked through the door.

"Yeah" Buffy replied, "I think I've thrown up everything in my stomach, I'm coming out now." Buffy walked in, brushing her teeth with one hand and fixing her shirt with the other.

"And here's the bathroom." She told Lilly through a mouth full of toothpaste. She spit it out in the sink and continued.

"This concludes our tour."

********************

Buffy sighed as she sat in the dark bus station. Didn't buildings have windows anymore?

"Bus 37 to Sunnydale." A voice over the loud speaker announced. Buffy slowly stood up and made her way towards the platform.

"Slayer" a voice behind her breathed, she whirled around.

"Spike?" she looked at him, yeah definitely Spike, same leather jacket and cocky smile. "What are you doing here, you know with the daylight and all figured you'd be someplace a little less sunny."

"Well hello to you too, so nice to see you again." He said pleasantly, Buffy glared.

He waved his arm around gesturing broadly.

"In case you hadn't noticed not much sun in here. This place is like the greyhound of the demon world. The buses all got a couple of closed in seats in the back so vamps can ride too."

"Great, out of all the buses in LA that I could've picked, I had to pick a demon one." She started to stalk off, but Spike grabbed her arm.

"You're not going to kill things are you? Because I'll get in big trouble if they find out I'm the reason the slayer decided to kill half the staff."

"Chill Spike." She said angrily, "I just want to get away from you"

Spike stood there confused what had he done? He thought back over what he had said. Nothing jumped out at him and screamed, this will piss off the Slayer.

"Last call for bus 37." The loudspeaker yelled.

Spike walked over towards Buffy.

"Umm.Buffy?" he said and tentatively reached out to touch her arm, "I'm sorry about whatever I did, but the bus is leaving now."

She stood up, "Thanks Spike, it's not you, really it's just that getting on this bus is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done."

Spike stared at her.

"Why did something happen to Angelus?" Spike grinned, "Did he die? Is he in some torturous place as we speak?"

Buffy couldn't handle it, she broke down and started to sob. Spike wasn't sure what to do. He hesitantly put one arm around her and guided her towards the platform as she cried.

They boarded the bus, Buffy was still crying, but softly.

"Seats in back are ready for you two, Spike, sir." The bus driver said nervously.

"Thanks" Spike replied. He led Buffy to the back and opened the door to the black compartment of vampire seats. There was only two in this bus.

"I think we need to talk." He told the sobbing Buffy. He sounded so comforting that Buffy couldn't help herself. She spilled out everything.

"Angel opened Acathala and then Willow gave him back his soul but it was too late so I had to kill him. I sent him into hell Spike," She stopped crying and looked at him with such self-loathing he was surprised that she hadn't killed herself. "I sent him into hell with a soul, and now he's undergoing eternal torture, and it's all my fault." She stopped abruptly, Spike started to speak, but she put a finger to his lips,

"And you know what the worst part is Spike?" Did she expect him to answer? He wasn't sure so he shook his head. "The worst part is that I am pregnant with a baby that will never know its Father.

Spike's mouth dropped open. The Slayer was pregnant, by Angel. She was going to have a baby. The Slayer, his Slayer. It was all to much to take, he shut his mouth slowly as a whole new idea struck him, the baby was Angel's what if it was evil. For some reason that he could not explain Spike felt drawn to this unknown being, like it was his own. He looked up, there were tears streaming down Buffy's cheeks as she watched him, fearful of his reaction, why? Why did she care what he thought? She hated him. As he watched Buffy something inside Spike broke, he felt like he was watching his little sister, Jessica, all over again, Buffy was cowered down in the seat like Jessica always had been when she felt she had done something wrong. All he'd ever wanted was to protect her, and instead he'd killed her. He wouldn't do that again. He would protect Buffy, it would be like giving his sister a second chance.

Spike leaned over and gently kissed Buffy on the forehead.

"It'll be all right," he told her quietly, "you're gonna be fine."

"How can you say that, Spike" she sobbed. "I'm the Slayer, the Chosen One, it's my destiny to fight vamps and kill them, like you."

"Woah!" Spike jumped up, banging into the door. "We were having a nice talk there Slayer, no need to kill anybody, besides since you're pregnant and all maybe you should take a break from the slaying for a while."

"But that's just it Spike!" she wailed, "I can't take a break, it's like my job, I take a break and all hell breaks loose, literally!"

"Yeah." he smiled, he had thought many times about how fun it would be if no Slayer lived in Sunnydale, vampires ruling, fresh humans whenever he wanted. But he also knew that Buffy was right, if she wasn't there the world would be sucked into hell. Acathala and Angel had proved that, without Buffy, Sunnydale had no hope.

"What about all your freinds and stuff? Your mum? I like her."

He thought about Joyce, maybe he'd pay her a visit while he was in Sunnydale, it'd be nice to talk with her again.

"She sorta kicked me out..." Buffy said quietly, "Told me that if I walked out that door I wasn't coming back in."

"Well that wasn't really fair." Spike said, "She should be thankful, she'd prolly be dead right now if it wasn't for you. And I'm sure, really she is missing you just about as bad as you're missing her right now."

Buffy looked up, Spike made everything seem so bright and hopeful. He made it seem like everything was going to be okay. Wait, why was he doing this anyway, Spike hated her, he was supposed to be far away with Drusilla somewhere, why was he here, and why was he helping her?

"Spike," she asked quietly, "Why are you here?"

Spike shifted uncomfortably, he had been afraid she would ask this.

"Well...unh...you see....Drusilla kind of left me....Yeah she wanted the world to end said it would be all 'Kittens and Roses' or something like that, she wailed on and on about Angelus and how much she missed him and I just couldn't take it."

"Did you kill her?" Buffy perked up, thinking how funny if Drusilla had been killed by her 'Spike'

"No." Buffy looked dissapointed, "I basically told her she could either get over Angelus or I was leaving, she kept talking about him so I left. She might die since she's all nuts and stranded." Spike added trying to cheer her up again.

Buffy thought about that, it was probably true, she wasn't sure if Drusilla had the brains to take care of herself.

"Yeah." she replied. She knew in her head however that Drusilla would find a way to survive, she was like a coackroach.

They sat there together in silence, both thinking about their own problems and lives. The bus jerked to a stop.

"Sunnydale" the driver said over the loud speaker. Spike glanced over at Buffy, she looked like she was going to be sick.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "Your mum and your friends will be thrilled that you're back, just give them the chance."

He reached over and patted her leg, she gave him a week smile, grateful for his support, and then stood up. He watched as she stood shoulders bared and walked confidently down the aisle.

That's my girl, he thought, then grabbed his blanket and ran out.

***********

Buffy raised her hand to knock then brought it quickly down again, I can't do this, she started to tell herself, but then she thought of Spike, he had been so nice, and so sure that her mother was going to want her back. Okay, on the count of three, one, two, three. Buffy knocked.

Joyce rushed towards the door and opened it.

"Buffy?" she said tentatively, then she rushed out to hug her as she started to cry. "Oh, I'm so happy to have you back, I missed you so much! Where were you? Giles was looking everywhere!"

"LA" Buffy told her mother, she was a little surprised that Giles had been looking for her, she thought he was smarter than that, nobody would have been able to find her. She frowned suddenly, remembering what Spike had said about giving her friends a chance, should she tell her mother about the baby? She looked down at her stomach, she could wear baggy clothes, but she wasn't going to be able to conceal it for much longer.

"Mom," Buffy started hesitantly, "There's something I need to tell you, you might want to sit down."

Joyce sat on the couch and Buffy faced her. "I'm pregnant."

Joyce's mouth fell open, "You're what!?" she repeated.

"Pregnant."

"Oh, who's the father? It's not that horrible Angel guy is it?" Joyce looked annoyed.

"Well.uh.he was a good guy before I slept with him but after he.changed."

"Men tend to do that," Joyce murmured sympathetically.

"Yeah." Buffy didn't bother to correct her about Angel.

"Well is he around? Is he going to help to raise your child?" Joyce asked angrily.

"Angel is sort of.well.gone."

"Oh."

"Hey mom, do you mind if I go up to bed? I'm kind of beat."

"Sure, honey." Joyce leaned over to give Buffy a kiss and then watched as she headed up the stairs. She had a tough time ahead of her.