*****
Chapter 24: Misery
*****
"How long has it been since you've talked to her?" Buffy asked Spike.
"Almost three weeks. Three bloody weeks, Slayer. I'm sodding miserable. I can't live without her."
They were at a table in the Bronze. The Scoobies had been seeing a lot of Spike since he'd turned human. Not that they hadn't seen a lot of him before.
"She just needs some time to think. She's confused."
"Well, she's not the only one. She loves me, I know it. I could see it in her eyes." Buffy said nothing. "Have you talked to her?"
"No," Buffy lied. "Not since a few days after you became human again."
She'd called Andrea about a week ago to tell her what they'd found on Spike's sudden humanity. Evidently, it was some prophecy (again) about a love profession from a slayer, etc. Andrea said yes, she had said she loved him, but he hadn't heard her. So Buffy lied to Spike. Told him it had to do with him saving the world. And he bought it.
"Hey, I know that you're pretty depressed about Andrea, but does this also have anything to do with what James told you?" He frowned in incomprehension.
"How did you know about that?" He hadn't told anyone about what that prat had said to him.
"Oh, please. I've fought enough of them to know that bad guys love to talk. Whatever he said, I can pretty much guarantee you it's not true." He sighed.
"Thanks, In the back of my mind, I think I knew that, but it's nice to hear someone tell me."
"Don't worry. Everything will work out for the best. I promise."
* * *
"Andie, you alright?" April asked from the hall outside the bathroom.
"Yeah." The door opened and Andrea's red-headed cousin appeared, gazing down at her. Andrea sat on the floor next to the toilet, dressed in gray sweats, clutching a bottle of Pepto-bismal in one hand.
"Hey," Ben said, materializing next to April. "Sure you're all right? I mean, that's, like, the seventeenth time you've barfed today."
"He's right."
"I'm fine, guys. Really. Ben, would you mind running to the drug store to get me another bottle of Pepto-bismal?"
"How 'bout let's not and say we did?"
"Stop being a shithead," Andrea playfully scolded her older brother.
"Yeah, oka- no."
"I'll kick you ass," she warned, shaking her fist menacingly at him. He considered this.
"Yeah, okay. I'll go." April whispered something in Ben's ear as he turned to leave. He arched an eyebrow at her. "What for?"
"Just do it." Ben shrugged and left. A few seconds later, they heard the door shut. Andrea got to her feet and sluggishly went downstairs to sit at the kitchen table with some flat gingerale.
April and Ben had gotten there three days before. Ben had been sleeping on the couch and April had a cot in the study.
April had left her family back home in Canada. Her husband Cody and two year old daughter Sydney were taking care of their dog, Lucifer.
"So," April joined Andrea at the table. "I'm usually pretty good about sensing stuff, so I haven't brought up Wonder Boy yet. But I'm about to." Andrea groaned.
"April, don't. Please."
"Look, I've always been able to tell when you're depressed. Do you love him?"
"It doesn't matter. He doesn't love me."
"Did he tell you that?"
"No," she admitted timidly.
"Then what happened?" April frowned.
"He turned human." He cousin grinned.
"That's great! Right?"
"No. I mean, yes. For him."
"But?"
"He's human. He can be normal. He can move away and -"
"- and have a normal girlfriend?" April finished. Andrea nodded sadly. "Has he moved yet?"
"No. Buffy said that he's been moping around looking for a job."
"Because he loves you."
Just then, Ben came through the front door, carrying a plastic bag. He held it up.
"Got your shit, Andie." April took the bag from Ben and tossed the Pepto-bismal to Andrea. Then she reached into the bag again, producing a small box, which she slid across the table to her cousin.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Andrea said, looking down at the box. "A pregnancy test?"
* * *
"There, you happy?" Andrea said, coming out of the bathroom. "I took your damn pregnancy test. But I'm not pregnant," she added stubbornly. April shrugged.
"At least we'll know for sure. How long do we have to wait?"
"I think ten minutes. A pink plus sign is supposed to show up if I'm pregnant."
"Which you're not."
"Exactly."
"So," Ben said casually, "you want me to kick his ass?"
"No!"
"You sure? I could dump some hydrochloric acid on his -"
"No!"
"Please? I got this bat I've been dyin' to try out -"
"NO!"
This conversation went on for almost twelve minutes as they discussed various ways in which to inflict bodily harm on Spike, before April realized the test would be ready.
"Who's gunna check it?" Andrea inquired quietly.
"I will," April replied softly. She sighed and reluctantly walked into the bathroom. She cautiously approached the white stick sitting on the counter on a cup. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the test out and searched it for results. She grinned. "Hey, Andie! Spike knocked you up!"
"Yes!" yelled Ben. "I mean. . .That bastard!" Andrea shot a glare at him.
"There's no way I could be pregnant. I mean, we only found out he was human right after. . ." She trailed off, instead finishing the sentence with a smack to her forehead.
"Right after you boned him?" Ben suggested.
"So if he was human before and you didn't notice -"
"Then there's every possibility I could be carrying Spike's child."
"How long has it been since you've talked to her?" Buffy asked Spike.
"Almost three weeks. Three bloody weeks, Slayer. I'm sodding miserable. I can't live without her."
They were at a table in the Bronze. The Scoobies had been seeing a lot of Spike since he'd turned human. Not that they hadn't seen a lot of him before.
"She just needs some time to think. She's confused."
"Well, she's not the only one. She loves me, I know it. I could see it in her eyes." Buffy said nothing. "Have you talked to her?"
"No," Buffy lied. "Not since a few days after you became human again."
She'd called Andrea about a week ago to tell her what they'd found on Spike's sudden humanity. Evidently, it was some prophecy (again) about a love profession from a slayer, etc. Andrea said yes, she had said she loved him, but he hadn't heard her. So Buffy lied to Spike. Told him it had to do with him saving the world. And he bought it.
"Hey, I know that you're pretty depressed about Andrea, but does this also have anything to do with what James told you?" He frowned in incomprehension.
"How did you know about that?" He hadn't told anyone about what that prat had said to him.
"Oh, please. I've fought enough of them to know that bad guys love to talk. Whatever he said, I can pretty much guarantee you it's not true." He sighed.
"Thanks, In the back of my mind, I think I knew that, but it's nice to hear someone tell me."
"Don't worry. Everything will work out for the best. I promise."
* * *
"Andie, you alright?" April asked from the hall outside the bathroom.
"Yeah." The door opened and Andrea's red-headed cousin appeared, gazing down at her. Andrea sat on the floor next to the toilet, dressed in gray sweats, clutching a bottle of Pepto-bismal in one hand.
"Hey," Ben said, materializing next to April. "Sure you're all right? I mean, that's, like, the seventeenth time you've barfed today."
"He's right."
"I'm fine, guys. Really. Ben, would you mind running to the drug store to get me another bottle of Pepto-bismal?"
"How 'bout let's not and say we did?"
"Stop being a shithead," Andrea playfully scolded her older brother.
"Yeah, oka- no."
"I'll kick you ass," she warned, shaking her fist menacingly at him. He considered this.
"Yeah, okay. I'll go." April whispered something in Ben's ear as he turned to leave. He arched an eyebrow at her. "What for?"
"Just do it." Ben shrugged and left. A few seconds later, they heard the door shut. Andrea got to her feet and sluggishly went downstairs to sit at the kitchen table with some flat gingerale.
April and Ben had gotten there three days before. Ben had been sleeping on the couch and April had a cot in the study.
April had left her family back home in Canada. Her husband Cody and two year old daughter Sydney were taking care of their dog, Lucifer.
"So," April joined Andrea at the table. "I'm usually pretty good about sensing stuff, so I haven't brought up Wonder Boy yet. But I'm about to." Andrea groaned.
"April, don't. Please."
"Look, I've always been able to tell when you're depressed. Do you love him?"
"It doesn't matter. He doesn't love me."
"Did he tell you that?"
"No," she admitted timidly.
"Then what happened?" April frowned.
"He turned human." He cousin grinned.
"That's great! Right?"
"No. I mean, yes. For him."
"But?"
"He's human. He can be normal. He can move away and -"
"- and have a normal girlfriend?" April finished. Andrea nodded sadly. "Has he moved yet?"
"No. Buffy said that he's been moping around looking for a job."
"Because he loves you."
Just then, Ben came through the front door, carrying a plastic bag. He held it up.
"Got your shit, Andie." April took the bag from Ben and tossed the Pepto-bismal to Andrea. Then she reached into the bag again, producing a small box, which she slid across the table to her cousin.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Andrea said, looking down at the box. "A pregnancy test?"
* * *
"There, you happy?" Andrea said, coming out of the bathroom. "I took your damn pregnancy test. But I'm not pregnant," she added stubbornly. April shrugged.
"At least we'll know for sure. How long do we have to wait?"
"I think ten minutes. A pink plus sign is supposed to show up if I'm pregnant."
"Which you're not."
"Exactly."
"So," Ben said casually, "you want me to kick his ass?"
"No!"
"You sure? I could dump some hydrochloric acid on his -"
"No!"
"Please? I got this bat I've been dyin' to try out -"
"NO!"
This conversation went on for almost twelve minutes as they discussed various ways in which to inflict bodily harm on Spike, before April realized the test would be ready.
"Who's gunna check it?" Andrea inquired quietly.
"I will," April replied softly. She sighed and reluctantly walked into the bathroom. She cautiously approached the white stick sitting on the counter on a cup. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the test out and searched it for results. She grinned. "Hey, Andie! Spike knocked you up!"
"Yes!" yelled Ben. "I mean. . .That bastard!" Andrea shot a glare at him.
"There's no way I could be pregnant. I mean, we only found out he was human right after. . ." She trailed off, instead finishing the sentence with a smack to her forehead.
"Right after you boned him?" Ben suggested.
"So if he was human before and you didn't notice -"
"Then there's every possibility I could be carrying Spike's child."