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: PG-13

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

**Author's Notes: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed thus far, keep it up guys! Also, I've completely lost the concept of a timeline in this story, I should go back and reread my chapters, but I'm too damn lazy. So if this chapter seems a little out of place, it probably is! **

Buffy lay in bed staring at her ceiling and thinking. Beside her, Spike lay on his side facing away from her, his body completely motionless. Any normal person would have thought him to be dead, what with the absence of a rising and falling chest and the lack of pigment in his pale skin, but he wasn't dead. He was un-dead to be exact.

Thoughts raced a mile a minute through the Slayer's mind; everything from the two beautiful miracles that were busy trying to punch a whole through the wall of her abdomen, to her dispute with Angel. Though it had been almost three weeks since the night of the party, Buffy had been plagued by a string of continuous questions. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right; but then again, things rarely were in Sunnydale.

A series of soft kicks interrupted her thoughts momentarily.

"Calm it down in there." she demanded of her body in a hushed whisper.

"Luv," Spike asked still motionless, "who are you talking to?"

Buffy smiled, "Your children."

Spike finally turned over, his sapphire eyes connecting with Buffy's own hazel ones. "Oh so now they're my children? No longer ours?"

"Yes, when they cause me pain they remind me of you." Both the vampire and Slayer shared a tiny laugh. Spike absently began tracing circles on the girl's stomach, relishing in the way his babies kicked and punched when he touched them.

"Oh yeah, get them even more riled up." Buffy moaned. "It's not like the pain is a discomfort or anything."

"Sorry Luv." Spike offered a heart felt apology even though he knew the blonde beside him was only teasing.

"Spike?"

"Yeah Luv."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," she said.

Spike sat upright in bed, his face marred with fright. "Oh God." he said in a hushed voice.

"What?" Buffy asked, becoming scared.

"A Slayer thinking, isn't that like a sign of an impending apocalypse?!" A slick smile graced his lips, but was soon wiped off when a perfectly planted fist landed against his chest. "Hey! What was that for?"

"For your smartass remarks." Buffy said with a smile. She lay back down in bed and grabbed her midsection, crying out in pain.

"What's the matter Luv?" Spike inclined his mind automatically switching to red alert.

"I-I think I just had a contraction." Buffy stammered as the pain subsided. She looked up at Spike; he looked paler than usual, if that was even possible.

"Now?!" Spike shouted. Immediately he was out of the bed and around to the opposite side, helping the Slayer to stand up. "You can't have these babies now!" It was more of a command rather than a request, almost as if Spike thought he could actually control the event.

"Spike," Buffy moaned as she found her footing, "I don't really control these things. It's out of my hands, literally!" She began wailing again when she felt a series of sharp kicks.

Dawn burst into her sister's room wondering desperately what all the screaming was about. She had been having a wonderful dream about Brad Pitt when Spike's loud voice woke her up. "You people do know it's like past midnight, right? What the hell is going on?!" she asked only half awake.

"Your niece and nephew decided that now was a good time to see the world." Spike supplied. He was trying to lead Buffy to the doorway, but she was being unbelievably sluggish.

It took Dawn a few minutes to piece together what Spike was saying. Suddenly her face twisted from excited to worried and back to excited. "Oh my God!" she screamed bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Now? Like right now?! Oh my God!"

"Bit, you're gonna need to calm down." Spike scolded her.

"Why?" Dawn asked becoming increasingly excited with every passing second.

"Because if you don't stop jumping around you're going to make me nervous! Now I'm gonna go call the hospital, tell 'em we're on our way, you help your sister get dressed." Spike felt almost like an army officer, giving orders and such. He left the room and the steps two at a time then dashing to the kitchen phone. 'All hell's about to break loose,' he thought as he picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number.

The lights in the Magic Box still burned; there was still life inside the shop. Most people were home at this time of night, asleep in their warm beds. Most people had nothing more to worry about than children, jobs and pets. Most people led normal lives.

Rupert Giles did not.

He was a Watcher and therefore it was his sacred duty to do whatever he could to protect his Slayer. Tonight that meant spending countless hours researching the latest cult to hit Sunnydale: the Guild of Zaranah.

It was nothing new for Giles to hear news of a new demonic cult hitting the streets of Sunnydale. And to hear that their intention was none other than to bring death to the Slayer was even less surprising. The Watcher's heart swelled when he thought of the petite-well once petite-blonde who had become a daughter to him. Her life had been on the line so many times and yet she had always come through; she was truly the strongest of them all.

Though he didn't know much about said cult, from what he and Spike had witnessed in the cemetery that night long ago, he could deduct that this group of-whatever it was that they were-worshipped the savior of the damned: Zaranah. Things had been oddly quiet in the past few weeks, which should have calmed Giles's nerved, but it only succeeded in making him tenser.

Only mere hours ago had he put together part of the riddle: Two of the two that never should be. Which, when translated, Giles felt was suggesting a connection to the twins. His insides lurched at the thought that these children growing and thriving inside his Slayer were evil, or that they were in any sort of danger.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing reluctantly drug Giles from his previous thoughts. "Who is possibly calling here at this hour?" he wondered aloud. Clutching the cream-colored device in his hand, the Watcher raised it to his ear and listened for a moment.

".I'll be right there Bit." He heard a familiar voice call.

"Spike?" His voice was a mixture of amusement that Spike would resort to calling him for any reason, and a tad on the worried side. If Spike was calling him chances were something was wrong-something concerning Buffy.

"Watcher," Spike snapped to attention, "got a little surprise for you."

Willow never knew she could run so fast. 'Maybe I should have gone out for the track team in high school.' She thought dryly. White, sterile walls rushed passed her as the red head made her way through Sunnydale Memorial Hospital; her girlfriend trailed a few steps behind her.

Seeing a large sign hanging from the ceiling that read Reception Desk, Willow skidded to a halt.

"Maternity ward?" she asked hurriedly.

A younger woman with long black hair pointed her towards to elevators. "Third floor and to the right." she instructed her.

"Thanks." Willow called back as she and Tara dashed for the elevator.

"You know.we don't really have.to rush." Tara managed while trying to catch her breath.

"Buffy's in labor Tara." Willow stated rather matter-of-factly. She was nervously watched the blinking light as it ran up the elevator wall, illuminating a new number with every passing floor.

"She could be in labor for hours, sweetie." Tara pointed out as the cold metal doors slid apart revealing yet another sterile white hallway.

"She could?" Willow asked feeling a little embarrassed. It was true, she didn't really know much about childbirth. Only what she and Tara had watched on the discovery channel one morning at 4:00 a.m. when neither of them could sleep.

"Yes." Tara said and quickly added, "This could even be false labor pains."

"They aren't false." a voice said causing Willow and Tara to jump.

"Dawnie." Willow said giving the youngest Scooby a quick hug.

"How is she?" Tara asked.

"Doctor said everything was fine. Spike asked me to come out here and wait for you guys. She's down in room 344." The girl pointed to her left.

The Wiccas started walking but stopped after a few steps.

"Aren't you coming?" Willow asked, noticing that Dawn hadn't moved with them.

"Gotta wait for Xander and Anya," she informed them. "I'll be in as soon as they get here."

"Ok." Tara said with a genuine smile before sprinting to catch up with her girlfriend who was already to Buffy's door.

Spike sat in the corner of the hospital room massaging his hand. Flexing it, the vampire felt a number of bones snap back into place. "Blood hell Slayer." he cursed as the pain shot through his hand and up his arm. Buffy had grabbed his hand during a particularly strong contraction and nearly smashed every one of his bones. Spike soundlessly thanked the Gods that h healed quickly.

"Big baby." Buffy teased. "I'm the one in real pain here." She was lying in yet another hospital bed. A nurse had brought her a gown to change into and then left, the doctor returning in her place to do a check up. Everything was fine.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was a complication in delivery.

"Oh Buffy." A wavering voice called from the doorway. Buffy snapped to attention, seeing Willow and Tara standing there. The red headed witch ran to her bedside and threw her arms around her best friend. "You look so beautiful."

"Oh yeah, because this is the cutest damn thing I own." Buffy pulled at the tacky paper clothing and laughed.

"How are you feeling?" Tara asked.

"Well aside from the horrific contractions and the constant whining from William the Bloody," the Slayer jested, pointing her laughter at Spike, "I'm just dandy!"

Willow was about to add another comment when Buffy's face twisted in pain. "Oh God what's wrong?!" the witch cried, panicking.

"Nothing's the matter." Giles informed them. "It's just another contraction. We'd be helping her through the pain but that's already been proven a bad idea." To signify his point, Giles held up his right hand, which had been shielded from view by the bed; only to reveal a new, plaster white cast.

"Oh wow." Tara gasped.

Buffy calmed her breathing and rejoined the conversation. "Look," she said in an apologetic tone, "I already said I was sorry-twice! And you of all people should know better."

"Very well," Giles admitted in a rather British tone, "Best get this show on the road."

Time had stopped. Neither of those annoying, little, black hands had moved a centimeter. Spike sat in the hospital waiting room, his skin tingling with anticipation, his last nerves buzzing. He couldn't take the waiting. 'I should be in there!' he thought bitterly, cursing the doctor that said he looked pale and feared he might pass out.

A million nurses, doctors, and the like had walked past the rough assembly of people gathered in the blue upholstered seats. Xander sat in a corner seat biting his nails, Anya snug in his lap. Giles and Tara sat a few seats down quietly discussing everyday topics. Dawn was pacing like a madman in front of the lustrous metal doors.

"What's taking so long?" she asked.

"Bit, calm down." Spike ordered. He knew if he watched the girl pace any longer, nausea was bound to set in.

"How can you be so calm?" Dawn asked the vampire, staring him down. "Aren't you even the least bit worried that-" She was cut off before she could finish when the broad doors swing open and Willow came trotting out. She'd been the only one to stay with Buffy through the delivery since Spike wasn't allowed and the Slayer didn't think that Dawn would be able to handle it.

"How is she?" Dawn asked quickly before anyone else could get a word in.

"Everyone's fine." Willow said with an immense smile.

"How are they?" Spike asked and then clarified, "I mean are they all- bumpy."

"I don't know." She told the quickly gathering crowd.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Spike asked becoming almost angry. His worst fear was that the twins would be weird in some way; half vampire, half Slayer, or some such.

"Well I didn't look."

"Why the hell not?" he demanded.

"Because I decided that you and Buffy should be the first to see the little angels." The witch added, earning a grin from everyone including Spike.

The vampire took a step towards her and cupping her face gently in his hands kissed her cheek lightly. "I knew there was a reason I liked you." He whispered in her ear before disappearing behind her.

The room was bright, almost too bright, but none of that mattered now. As Buffy stared down at the little bundles lying in her arms, her heart melted. Nothing mattered anymore, nothing except them; not Slaying, not the Hellmouth, not another apocalypse. A single tear ran down the Slayer's cheek as she stared at her children and she silently wished that her mother could see them.

"God mom you would love them so much." She said in a whisper.

If it was at all possible the room grew brighter. "Geez what is up with the lighting?" she laughed. In her arm, Audra's mouth opened wide as a tiny yawn racked her system. "Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Buffy asked no one.

"It really is." A voice answered. Buffy looked up expecting to see Dawn or Willow standing there, but what she saw took her breath away.

Before Buffy stood her mom, Joyce Summers. She looked just as she did before she had died. Her chestnut hair was curled and laying on her shoulders, her face was beautiful not a mark, just the way she remembered it. The only thing that was off was the bright glowing essence that seemed to surround the older woman.

"M-mom?" Buffy stared, unblinking.

"Yes, dear." Joyce answered. She moved across the room with a cat-like grace until she was standing beside her daughter. "Oh Buffy they're gorgeous."

"Where? How?" Buffy couldn't help but stumble through the words.

"I don't know." Joyce admitted. "I was watching and suddenly I'm here." She leaned down and wiped a stray tear from her daughter's face. "Sweetie, I want you to know that I'm always watching over you and Dawn, even Spike. And know I've got these little wonders to watch too."

"I've missed you so much." Buffy blurted feeling fresh tears race down her cheek.

"Me too honey." The older woman added. "I'm sorry I can't stay, but you no longer need me."

"I always need you."

"You've got everything you need right here." With one final glance at her first grandchildren, Joyce Summers began to fade into nothing. "Don't let them out of your sight, Buffy. Cherish them and love them."

"Don't-" she pleaded, but it was no use, her mother was already gone.

"Luv?" Spike called as he walked into the room.

"Spike." She said simply.

As he came closer to her, his eyes finally fell onto the two babies. "Oh my God." Spike gasped. It was the first time since he'd been turned that the vampire had called out to a man that used to govern his entire way of life. Well other than when he and Buffy were-enjoying other activities. Such activities that were responsible for these two. "They're perfect."

"I know." Buffy agreed. She handed her children to their father, immediately missing the feel of them in her arms.

Spike couldn't believe it. These tiny thing, tiny people, were his. They were his doing and his responsibility. His face lit up like a kid at Christmas and a single tear ran down his cheek. "Hi." He said in a gentle voice, "I'm your da."