Let's Stay Together
PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Still.
For Man and Ade.
Author's note: Set at the end of season two. Sorry about the ratings, there isn't NC-17 stuff that'll be here anyway, though it may go higher. Thanks for the reviews.
Part One
Chapter One
Willow saw her best friend's face pale once again. She lost count on how many times it happened, as Buffy sped off to the bathroom. The inevitable yet influential sounds of regurgitation came from Giles' bathroom. Hopefully, Willow's bladder didn't need to be set for 'emergency' anytime soon. The better noise of the faucet being flipped on and running water was then emitted, before it stopped and Buffy emerged, clutching at her stomach.
"Oh God," she gasped, then swallow," I think I saw bits of my stomach floating around with my other insides."
"Buffy," Willow began, "this gastric-cum-food-poisoning attack thing is looking really bad for you. Serious, to say the least."
The blonde cleared her throat and relaxed. "I promise that I'll kill that sickness soon."
"By seeing the doctor," the redhead added, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes. "C'mon! You can't keep going on like this!"
Simultaneously at her speech, Xander entered with three large Burger King paper bags in his arms. "Going on like what?" he asked, setting all of it down on an empty space at the side of the table.
Willow reached into the first bag. "Your Whopper," she handed to Buffy, then passed the bag to her. She nodded, "Thanks," then unwrapped the thin layer of paper to take a small bit of her burger.
"And your chicken sandwich," Xander pushed the bag towards Willow. "And my double Mushroom Swiss, with Giles' fries."
"Oh," Willow raised a finger, "don't disturb him, he's…"
"…mourning," Buffy completed. "Leave him be, you have to understand."
"I thought it would be the end of his technophobia," the other girl sighed, whilst Xander took an enormous chomp at his own meal.
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this so much," he tried with a mouthful.
"I believe its fine," a familiar English accent voiced behind them. "Xander, my fries?"
"Oh," he recalled, reaching into the paper bag. "Here."
Giles picked at a fry, then took the packet. "Thank you. Buffy, I've been hearing your… Attacks, quite often this morning…"
Xander set down his burger in decision that he would pay the restroom a little visit.
"I'm okay guys, my white blood cells are gonna eat 'em germs and make them sorry." Momentary silence engulfed the room as she looked at anywhere but her friends.
"My, is the stench always here? Smells like cows and beet, whatever that means," Xander broke from within the toilet. Then a flush before he came out.
"Sorry, my bad," Buffy said. "Pukefest."
Xander grimaced at the thought. "Spare the details, please." He casually went back to his lunch. "Go see a doc, then. Won't hurt."
"Y'know what," Buffy stood and set down her meal. "I'll go now. It's no problem. It's just a short walk from here."
"Oz can send you here and back," Willow offered.
"I'm fine," she said, heading out before anyone had anything else to say.
"Buffy Summers."
At her name, Buffy felt her stomach do a flip. She wrapped her arms around herself in a hug and stood up, following the nurse.
The nurse knocked on the door for her and prompted Buffy to go in.
"Take a seat," the friendly doc said. She obliged. "Alright. Problems?"
"Uh," she hesitated, "nausea, tiredness, I think my throat may be a little sore." Buffy shifted uncomfortably in front of the female doctor. "Um---"
"Lisa, fix her up for a urine test, the usual." The nurse nodded.
"I know my gastric is bad, but---"
"Whoever said anything about gastric?" the doctor interjected. "The first things you tell me are enough for me to raise suspicions." She jotted things down in her book, in illegible handwriting. "Move along now, just knock when you're ready."
*
"Buffy felt bitter. Shocked. Quite horrified as well, but a little happy. In a way.
She had been waiting for diagnosis for quite a while, and after the doctor's many "hmm"s and "mmm"s, Doctor Stansfield spoke.
"Miss Summers, it seems to me that you're going to have a baby."
Buffy's mask of anxiety fell and turbo-panic was on. "T-what-wh… How?" Stansfield tapped the butt of her pen on her chin thoughtfully.
"Well, have you had sex with anyone about three weeks ago?"
"T-three weeks?! Oh my God." Just like before, she felt the nausea kick in, so she clapped a hand over her mouth. "I've been… Three weeks?!"
Questions ran through her mind. How was she going to mother? What would Giles say? How would everyone take it? How could she support herself? Would mom disown her?
"Miss Summers?" The doc reached for her hand to offer security. "Does this baby have a father?"
"Wh-well, um…" She looked around slowly. She hadn't slept with anyone since…
Angel.
"…Yes. Yeah. It does. Is it a boy or girl?"
Stansfield pulled her hand away. "Well, it's a little too early to tell now. I'm glad that it's not fatherless… Is he responsible?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I'm a gynaecologist and a general practician, so I'll see you in two weeks if it's okay with you?"
Buffy nodded absently, as Stansfield pulled out a card from a corner that printed 'Appointment' in big, bold black letters.
"Thank you," the slayer said, taking it.
Angel. Or the shell of the vampire with a soul he used to be. With a choked breath, she walked out, one hand over her tummy. This was impossible. Biologically impossible. Mystically impossible. Everything impossible. Every time she thought about her feelings versus the fate of the world, she would feel tears prick her eyes. This was Angel's child, not Angelus", but Angel's. She was glad for that.
What would he say when she told him? Despite all the doubts, she was somewhat relieved as well, that she was having Angel's baby. It should be quite legal, since she had the claddagh ring… But she was barely seventeen.
Everyday, there were scales in her head waiting to be tipped and defined. She had defined her own destiny, and that was to be a slayer and save the world, no exceptions to what it took. Even if it meant killing Angel. It was settled, she had told Giles, had told Willow. But now, this baby… Without a father?
Buffy shook all thoughts away. She would say nothing to anyone. It was easier that way. Light stung at her eyes when she got out to the much brighter surrounding, but she kept on.
She had to think about the future.
"Hey Buffy… How was the visit?" Willow asked. She avoided the question, avoiding eye contact as well.
"I.. saw a nice grey top at the mall on the way back," Buffy said. "Though, mom would kill me for the price."
"The one from Mango?" the redhead perked up.
Buffy nodded mildly. Her friend smiled at the thought of it. She set her bag down, then frowned at her unfinished meal from before. "Can I… Not eat this?"
"Uh… Yeah?" Willow permitted unsurely. "Or you can ask Xander to finish it for you." She made a face. "But that's a little icky."
"With you on that 'icky'," Buffy agreed. "It's okay. I'll just… throw it away." She rose from her chair and went for the trash. She stepped on the pedal, and –'tadah', she wanted to say- the lid opened, then in went her lunch. Spotting Giles' fridge made the pukey feeling rise again, so she made a quick turn to her seat.
Willow looked back down on her books. She was researching on something that would explain the Dark… A thought that made Buffy wince. Because it was something that reminded her that Angelus was a step ahead, it would make her cringe.
"I'm ready," Willow suddenly said to Buffy.
She blinked, appetite completely gone. "For what?"
"For you to break news to me. Something's up and you're not telling me. How was the visit?"
That woman was good.
"It was okay. I have an appointment with the doctor two days later." She saw the Wiccan girl frown.
"Appointment?"
"It's nothing. I mean---"
"Ooh, what medication are you on? I mean, for illness, so maybe if there's---"
"Oh, Buffy, you've returned."
Thank God for Giles.
"Giles," she acknowledged. "Um, could I take the night off? I don't feel too good. A-and finals are coming, I need Willow to help me with chemistry. About bonding. Major problems with that."
"That's alright, Xander and I can take over patrol tonight. Is Angel---" he stopped short and looked away. "I apologise. It slipped my mind."
Why did everyone do this to her?! "No, it's okay. Thanks," she said anyway. "You've got a lot on your mind."
Giles nodded in appreciation and apology again, before striding into another room.
Willow shook her head. "Poor Giles. The only person he's really loved is gone."
Buffy let out a deep sigh. Willow realised her implication. "N-not that you aren't a sorry soul, but Giles lost her permanently." She closed her eyes. "I-I mean, Miss Calendar's situation is more pitiful." She swallowed and shrank in her chair. "I think I should… just, keep my mouth shut."
The slayer just smiled warmly. "It's okay Will, let's not get a little too harsh on ourselves. At least there's no more of that 'attack of the swim team' thing anymore."
"Or poltergeists and spooks to possess you." Willow shrank even more. "Everything I say brings up A--- him. Sorry Buffy. I think I should really be quiet."
Buffy placed a hand on her abdomen. For once, she agreed.
Slap.
The blonde girl gave up and had slapped her pencil down. She groaned.
"This doesn't make any sense," she pouted.
Willow with much patience, attempted to help. "Well, sure it does. See…" But when she looked closer at the question, her face fell. "Oh no, this doesn't make any sense."
Buffy shrugged and her mind began to loiter away. She didn't need education. She was the slayer, she had no time for Finals. But then again, she wouldn't be able to support her child. Was it obvious now? It couldn't be, three weeks was much too early. How did the doctor know it was three weeks just like that anyway?
Willow resumed explaining to her how covelaent bonding worked. Finally understanding, she put her pencil down, and it rolled off the desk. She moaned. I'm pregnant and I'm doing stretching exercises. Suddenly, an epiphany hit her.
"Déjà Vu," Buffy said.
"Really?" Willow reacted.
Buffy placed the pencil on the desk again, and it rolled off. This time, she looked over and spotted the pencil and a yellow disk, reaching down to claim both items. "Oh, hey," she said, handing the unlabelled disk to the witch, "you dropped this." Willow frowned and stared at it curiously, inspecting it.
"It's not mine. It might be something of Miss Calendar's."
Something inside Buffy expected a surprise from it. It also gave her a little bit of the creeps, since she was going to look at a deceased teacher's property, as Willow inserted the disk into her laptop's floppy drive.
The program started up, and some text –Rumanian, if she was right- appeared in a window on the left. It wasn't her thing to be that interested, but looking at the text, as the translation program's percent complete bar zipped across the screen, aroused curiosity and anticipation, so much that when the English translation appeared on the right, she almost jumped, then looked extra closely at it. Ka-ching, jackpot.
"Does that say restoration?" Buffy blurted, almost kissing the screen.
Restoration. Spell. Soul.
"It's one of her spells, I think." Willow looked at Buffy. "Miss Calendar wasn't a practising witch, but she did dabble---"
"Willow."
The words repeated in her head as she drew away from the laptop.
Restoration. Spell. Soul.
Angel's soul would be, could be, restored with this spell.