Chapter 9: four months later
After the wedding life had returned to normal, or as normal as it could be. Buffy continued to work at the Magic Box with Willow, Tara, Anya, and Giles. Life had been pretty good for the first two months after the wedding but gradually Buffy had started forgetting things and having lapses in memory. The doctors told her that there was nothing that they could do for her then but if she survived her pregnancy they could begin chemo. Buffy relied on Willow and Tara's knowledge of herbs and herbal remedies more and more as she could no longer take normal painkillers without causing her baby harm. They were more than happy to oblige and with the continuous use of their skills they ever thought about opening a little herbal shop inside the Magic Box. They even giggled and confessed to her how well Oz was working out as a shared boyfriend, he really like both of them and really like having sex with two girls and not getting bitched at!
Buffy loved to hear them talk about it. It reminded her that even if she died, life would continue with out her. Her friends would undoubtedly be devastated by the loss of their Buffy, but they would live. She worried for Spike though. He would have everyone to fall back on, but to him the loss of her would be the greatest. Please, please, just let me have the baby, Buffy thought to herself daily. If Spike had the baby to take care of she knew he would make it out of the depression her death would cause.
Buffy's thoughts returned to the Magic Box as she heard the door chime. She looked at her watch and realized that she had spaced out for fifteen minutes. Everyone had been nice enough to not point out how her thoughts would wander during the day and that she had problems concentrating. It was nice of them but it annoyed Buffy to no end.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes, can I help you?" Buffy smiled and tried to cover that fact that she hadn't even realized his presence, even though she had heard the door chime.
"Yes, I need a Theban Orb please." Anya and Tara giggled and Buffy gave her an inquiring look.
"Buffy, slugs!" Buffy gave her a blank look then remembered that the last person who had asked for a Theban Orb had turned himself into a slug. This guy didn't look like he'd be too upset if he was changed into a slug.
"Yeah, we have one of those let me go get it for you!" She smirked at Anya as she walked back to get it. She had to be careful how she walked as she was definitely getting larger. Her belly was not huge but it was definitely there. Everyone time she had gone to see Dr. Wood he told her that the pregnancy was going extremely well "all things considered".
She got back to the storeroom and had to pause to think what she was there for. "Anya?" she called back.
"What?"
"What am I back here for again?"
"Theban Orb!"
"Thanks!" She grabbed the orb and stomped back up to the front, furious that she couldn't remember a stupid orb. "Here you go and just remember, if you turn yourself into a slug we don't offer refunds." She smiled at the baffled man then went into a fit of giggles with Anya and Tara.
That night Buffy had to stop trying to help Joyce make dinner because she kept forgetting what she had put in the sauce. So she and Spike just sat on the couch and watched TV. After ten minutes of channel surfing Spike realized that Buffy was crying and tried to comfort her.
"Buffy its okay, luv!"
"It's not, I hate this! I can't remember what I've done and what I haven't!" Her voice was so distraught that Spike began to cry too. It broke his heart to know how hard this was for Buffy and that it would probably only get worse. He stroked her hair and held her until they stopped crying. After dinner they skipped board games and decided to have a night to themselves. The next morning Spike went to see Tara and his sister.
"Willow please do this for me. Tara, talk some sense into her! I know you can do this. Please, do it for me? For her?" He pleaded with them. Oz merely looked on in awe of his girlfriends'.
"Spike I don't know if we can! There are spells we could do but I'd be so afraid of hurting her!" Willow leaned into Oz's shoulder.
"We can look through our books and see though." Tara glanced at Willow. "There may be something we can do, but no promises okay?"
"Okay, but please, it's getting worse. It just breaks my heart to see her struggling to remember a word or what she's done."
"We know, we'll try." Willow kissed his cheek then leaned back against Oz.
"Thanks sis! Thanks Tara!" He gave Oz a quick look, "So, is it as good as I dream?"
"Better," Oz purred and hugged his girlfriends.
"Okay, have a good afternoon all!"
That afternoon the Willow, Tara, and Oz looked for spells to get rid of Buffy's tumor or anything that would help. At the end of the day they had found a mental clarity spell but would have to order some roots from England so it would be a little while before it could be used. They decided to look in the Sunnydale Library for more spells the next day.
After the wedding life had returned to normal, or as normal as it could be. Buffy continued to work at the Magic Box with Willow, Tara, Anya, and Giles. Life had been pretty good for the first two months after the wedding but gradually Buffy had started forgetting things and having lapses in memory. The doctors told her that there was nothing that they could do for her then but if she survived her pregnancy they could begin chemo. Buffy relied on Willow and Tara's knowledge of herbs and herbal remedies more and more as she could no longer take normal painkillers without causing her baby harm. They were more than happy to oblige and with the continuous use of their skills they ever thought about opening a little herbal shop inside the Magic Box. They even giggled and confessed to her how well Oz was working out as a shared boyfriend, he really like both of them and really like having sex with two girls and not getting bitched at!
Buffy loved to hear them talk about it. It reminded her that even if she died, life would continue with out her. Her friends would undoubtedly be devastated by the loss of their Buffy, but they would live. She worried for Spike though. He would have everyone to fall back on, but to him the loss of her would be the greatest. Please, please, just let me have the baby, Buffy thought to herself daily. If Spike had the baby to take care of she knew he would make it out of the depression her death would cause.
Buffy's thoughts returned to the Magic Box as she heard the door chime. She looked at her watch and realized that she had spaced out for fifteen minutes. Everyone had been nice enough to not point out how her thoughts would wander during the day and that she had problems concentrating. It was nice of them but it annoyed Buffy to no end.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes, can I help you?" Buffy smiled and tried to cover that fact that she hadn't even realized his presence, even though she had heard the door chime.
"Yes, I need a Theban Orb please." Anya and Tara giggled and Buffy gave her an inquiring look.
"Buffy, slugs!" Buffy gave her a blank look then remembered that the last person who had asked for a Theban Orb had turned himself into a slug. This guy didn't look like he'd be too upset if he was changed into a slug.
"Yeah, we have one of those let me go get it for you!" She smirked at Anya as she walked back to get it. She had to be careful how she walked as she was definitely getting larger. Her belly was not huge but it was definitely there. Everyone time she had gone to see Dr. Wood he told her that the pregnancy was going extremely well "all things considered".
She got back to the storeroom and had to pause to think what she was there for. "Anya?" she called back.
"What?"
"What am I back here for again?"
"Theban Orb!"
"Thanks!" She grabbed the orb and stomped back up to the front, furious that she couldn't remember a stupid orb. "Here you go and just remember, if you turn yourself into a slug we don't offer refunds." She smiled at the baffled man then went into a fit of giggles with Anya and Tara.
That night Buffy had to stop trying to help Joyce make dinner because she kept forgetting what she had put in the sauce. So she and Spike just sat on the couch and watched TV. After ten minutes of channel surfing Spike realized that Buffy was crying and tried to comfort her.
"Buffy its okay, luv!"
"It's not, I hate this! I can't remember what I've done and what I haven't!" Her voice was so distraught that Spike began to cry too. It broke his heart to know how hard this was for Buffy and that it would probably only get worse. He stroked her hair and held her until they stopped crying. After dinner they skipped board games and decided to have a night to themselves. The next morning Spike went to see Tara and his sister.
"Willow please do this for me. Tara, talk some sense into her! I know you can do this. Please, do it for me? For her?" He pleaded with them. Oz merely looked on in awe of his girlfriends'.
"Spike I don't know if we can! There are spells we could do but I'd be so afraid of hurting her!" Willow leaned into Oz's shoulder.
"We can look through our books and see though." Tara glanced at Willow. "There may be something we can do, but no promises okay?"
"Okay, but please, it's getting worse. It just breaks my heart to see her struggling to remember a word or what she's done."
"We know, we'll try." Willow kissed his cheek then leaned back against Oz.
"Thanks sis! Thanks Tara!" He gave Oz a quick look, "So, is it as good as I dream?"
"Better," Oz purred and hugged his girlfriends.
"Okay, have a good afternoon all!"
That afternoon the Willow, Tara, and Oz looked for spells to get rid of Buffy's tumor or anything that would help. At the end of the day they had found a mental clarity spell but would have to order some roots from England so it would be a little while before it could be used. They decided to look in the Sunnydale Library for more spells the next day.
