Description: Buffy's not feeling well, Spike won't go away, and Dawn knows more that she should. The Scoobies lives are about to be changed forever.

Rating: R

Pairing: Buffy/Spike (did you think otherwise?)

Giles had spent the rest of the night in the Magic Box researching. There were dozens upon dozens of books spread across the table, open to various pages. But he could find nothing. There was nothing in any of these books that explained why, or rather how, a vampire could impregnate a Slayer. Giles had checked every book he could think of. The only other option was to contact the Council.

'Oh yes that would go over smashingly,' he thought. 'Ah Giles, what brings you to ask us?' 'Well I would just like to know how exactly a vampire could get my Slayer pregnant. That'd be bloody spectacular.'

After another short period of research, Giles decided to take a break. He went into the backroom and made himself a pot of tea. It wasn't until he looked at the clock on the coffee pot that he realized what time it really was.

'7:52!' he thought, surprised. 'I should phone the others and tell them.'

He made his way back out to the main store and picked up the phone behind the counter. He quickly dialed Willow and Tara's number and listened for several seconds while it rang.

Willow was busy studying for a huge psych test she had next week when the phone rang.

"You gonna get that?" Tara called from the bathroom.

Willow heard the shower turn on, and figured that Tara wasn't going to get it. "Yea I got it." She pulled herself off of the bed and over to the phone. "Hello?" Willow asked.

"Willow? It's Giles."

"Giles, hey. What's up?"

"It's Buffy." Giles said simply.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked, her voice suddenly concerned.

"She's fine, but she's been taken to the hospital."

"What?!"

"It's nothing serious." Giles assured her. "Could you meet us there in half an hour?"

"University Hospital?"

"Yes. I'm going to call Xander now."

"We'll be there." Willow said and hung up.

Giles put the phone down and picked it right back up. He thought for a moment then punched in Xander's number.

"Anya, would you stop vacuuming?" Xander asked annoyed. "The carpet is only getting so clean."

"I must vacuum though." Anya argued. "It's my American responsibility to keep a clean home and to give you many children."

"Remind me to hide every book that was published before 1980." Xander laughed. Then the phone rang.

"I'll get it." Anya jumped and ran towards the phone. "Harris residence, Anya speaking." She said into the phone. Xander just groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh," Anya said in disappointment, "Xander, it's Giles." She tossed him the phone and went back to her cleaning.

"Hey G-Man." Xander greeted Giles.

"Xander I told you never to call me that." Giles warned.

"Sorry, momentary memory lapse. What's happening?"

"It's Buffy. She's been taken to University Hospital." He explained.

"Oh my God, is she okay? What happened?" Xander's questions came a mile a minute.

"She's fine, Xander." Giles said, trying to calm him down some. "We're all meeting over there in a half hour, can you be there?"

"Of course," Xander said. "I'm grabbing the keys right now."

"Good, I'll see you there."

Xander hung up. "Anya!" he called until his girlfriend appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. "We gotta go, Buffy's been taken to the hospital."

"Do we have to?" Anya asked; Xander stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"What do you mean? Of course we do! It's Buffy!"

"But, it's just that, hospitals are so depressing." Anya whined. "All those sickly people, they make me feel depressed."

"Are you coming or not?" Xander asked angrily.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Anya said. She snatched her purse off the kitchen table and followed Xander out the door.

Giles hung up the phone and let out a loud sigh. 'Well here we go.' He thought. 'I better get over there before everyone else does.' He left the books sitting where they were, and left the shop. He locked the door behind him and jumped behind the wheel of his red convertible.

"What?" Buffy asked. Her body had almost gone into shock when the doctor told her she was having twins. 'I heard him wrong.' She thought. 'I had to hear him wrong. Twins?!'

"You sure doc?" Spike asked, his eyes wider than golf balls.

"Yes." The doctor replied. "Here," he pointed to the screen, "here is one and here's the other."

Buffy watched the screen absently. She had no idea what she was looking at. Every thought of assurance she had had suddenly vacated her mind. The thought of one baby had been easy, well as easy as raising children could get. But two? At the same time! This was going to be harder than Buffy or Spike or even Dawn had ever thought.

"Miss Summers?" the doctor asked.

"Huh?" Buffy was suddenly snapped back to reality.

"I think I'll just let you all a moment to ponder this all." He said. "As soon as the office gets your release forms cleared you'll be free to go. And I tell you, Miss Summers you should be visiting a doctor every month from now on. Gotta keep them little guys safe." He smiled at the crew and earned a smile back from Dawn, but no one else. The doctor wheeled to machine back out of the room and was gone.

The room was cast into silence. Nobody really knew what they should say next.

"So what now?" Dawn asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I don't know." Buffy admitted. "We need to call Giles."

"I'll do it." Spike said. "Should I call the Magic Box or his flat?"

"Try the Magic Box first and if he doesn't answer there call his place." Buffy answered. "And Spike?" she called before he could leave the room. "Thanks. For everything."

"My pleasure." He flashed her a smile and left the room.

Again there was a strange silence in the room as just the sisters were left alone.

Once again Dawn was the one to break with silence with, "Look Buffy. I know this isn't what you planned on but this can still be a good thing." Upon the look from Buffy, Dawn continued. "Well you always say that you wish that I had someone to put me through all the things that I put you through. And.well.these kids, they're gonna be good for you.for us. When Spike took care of me, the summer that.the summer that you were gone." Both Buffy and Dawn cringed at the memory of the summer that Buffy had been dead. "He was.it was almost like mom was back. I know he'll be a great father. And you. Buffy you've been a mom for a while. You've been a wonderful mom to me, and these kids are lucky to have you."

Buffy lay in her bed and looked up at Dawn. The girl she had always thought of as her annoying little sister, she now saw as a beautiful young woman. Dawn had just showed Buffy an enormous amount of maturity and love. Buffy couldn't believe that this was all happening, but knowing that she would always have Dawn's support made things a little easier.

"Dawnie." Buffy whispered. She waved her sister over to the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Dawn hugged her sister back tightly.

"Buffy?" Giles asked as he entered the room. The sisters broke their embrace and looked to the doorway.

"Giles, Spike just went to call you." Buffy said.

"Must have just missed him." He said. "Uh Buffy, Tara, Willow, Xander, and Anya are on their way over here."

"What? Giles, I don't.I don't want to tell them. Not yet." Buffy said.

"Well I didn't say anything," Giles assured her. "But I figured that if they found out without one of us telling them, it would be a worse situation."

"Good thinking." Buffy said.

"Buffy I could reach the Watcher." Spike said as he came into the room. "Oh, well that was a bloody waste of time."

"Hello to you too Spike." Giles smirked.

"Ugh, Giles?" Buffy said with a shaky voice. "There's a little bit more news you need to hear."

"What?" Giles asked, preparing himself for the worst while praying for the best. "Is the b-baby okay?" He could hardly bring himself to say the word. It still hadn't fully hit Giles that Buffy was pregnant. And with Spike's child non the less.

"The baby is fine." Buffy said placing a hand gently on her stomach. "It's just that.well.this is bigger than we realized."

"Buffy, what are you talking about?" Giles questioned her, his face twisted with uncertainty.

"Well.umm."Buffy stumbled. 'Why is this so hard?' she thought bitterly. 'I've already told him I'm pregnant what's the big deal?'

"She's talking about twins." Spike finished before Buffy had a chance to speak again.

"Thanks Spike." Buffy said with fake enthusiasm.

"What?" Giles asked again.

"It's true, Giles." Buffy confirmed. "The doctor gave me a sonogram this morning and he said there were twins."

"Twins like.two babies.not just one." Dawn offered.

"Thanks I got that Dawn." Giles said. "Well no matter what Buffy, we'll get through this."

"Yes, we will." Buffy said looking at Dawn.