A/N : Thanx to those who reviewed chapter 3, I know I kind of left it on a cliff-hanger but it seemed like a good place to stop ;-) Here's the next part, which I hope you enjoy, and please remember to review - I love to know your opinions, good or bad (so long as the bad is constructive criticism and not just people being mean) it does help and I do appreciate it.

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4 - Comforting Her

Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, his entire brain and body seized up for a moment, unable to process the information he'd just received. Buffy, his precious girl, was pregnant...and the father? There was only one candidate for that.

"O'Connor" Spike all but growled as his thought processes returned. Now more than ever he wanted the bastard dead. Was it not bad enough the wanker was using Buffy, the girl who was currently a sobbing mess in her friends arms, was it not so bad that she was in love with the ponce while he thought of her as nothing more than a sex toy? Now he'd got her pregnant and reduced her from the strong young woman she was into a mess of salt water and limpness, so innocent and lost. God how he'd mistreated her, chewed her up and spat her out as Spike knew he ultimately would. He blamed himself almost as much as Angel for what had happened. Why hadn't he done something sooner? Well, he knew the answer to that. His highly constructive plan would have involved a lot of spilt O'Connor blood and that would only have made Buffy mad at him and pushed her closer to the ponce.

Spike hugged her tightly to him, nothing else he could do now. His boiling blood simmered down some as his anger at the man was overtaken by a stronger emotion, his love for Buffy. With less rage came a more level head and suddenly a thought struck him.

"Sweetheart, as much as I hate...him" Spike began gently as he could, faltering a little when he actually had to mention the creep, Angel, "I thought you'd be happy you two had something like this together" it pained him to admit it, but if Buffy loved Angel so damned much, shouldn't she be smiling like an idiot over the impending birth of the creation they'd made together.

After waiting several minutes for the crying, sniffling and shaking to cease, Spike got the answer he was waiting for.

"He was so angry" Buffy choked out, still clinging to her best friends shirt which she had already substantially soaked, "he just...he yelled and...he..." tears overtook the girl once again and she just couldn't continue, burying her head in Spike's chest once again, shoulders shaking like her sobbing would never end.

Spike rubbed one hand on her back soothingly, trying to calm her, but to be honest he needed someone to calm him before he exploded. If Angel had laid a wrong hand on Buffy... 'so help me God he won't live to see a child born' Spike thought to himself, a sickening feeling taking over his stomach 'he won't even live long enough to know what hit him'

"Buffy, luv" he said as calmly as he could, which wasn't very, "you have to tell me if he hurt you..."

He felt her head shake against his body in a negative response and his heart beat a little steadier. The very thought of his best friend, the woman he loved (even if she didn't know it) being in the same bed as the moron made him feel queasy enough, but if he'd hurt her...it was too horrible to think about, too painful and too dangerous for everyone concerned.

But at least he could have done something, could have made a difference even if it wasn't a sensible difference, but as things stood, Spike was less than helpless. He could hold Buffy whilst she cried, but he couldn't end her tears. He could tell her everything will be okay, knowing in his heart it was impossible to predict such luck. He could promise to help but he just didn't know how. The only thing he was certain of was his love for her and how could he tell her that now? How selfish would it sound? How ridiculous?

'Oh Buffy, I know your pregnant by a creep who you're in love with who now doesn't want to now you, but do you think you could be my girlfriend instead because I've just realised I'm in love with you' - selfish, stupid and so pathetic, Spike could've laughed, if the whole situation hadn't have been so tragic.

"I'm sorry" Spike was surprised to hear then, muffled words from the sniffling girl in his arms, but there was no doubting what she'd said.

"For what?" he asked her, unsure as to why she needed to apologise to him.

"Everything" came her answer as she pulled herself up, her sobbing finally over for now at least, "for yelling at you, for not listening when you told me about Angel, and for not telling you about this before" she choked out.

"I think I did my share of yelling too" he smiled slightly, knowing he did more than his fair share of that on the subject of Angel, "and I didn't exactly inspire you to pay attention to me, what with the shouting and getting angry and all"

"You were just trying to protect me" she realised aloud, "like you always do" she smiled a little too, realising just how true it was.

No-one could have a best friend as great as hers, Buffy was sure. They'd been through everything together, stuck by one another and never considered walking away, they're relationship just meant to much to be thrown away for any reason.

There was a strange silence in the apartment then, as both friend realised just how much the other meant, perhaps more so now than ever before. What could either of them say now? How could Buffy ask for his help after being such an idiot? What could Spike ever say to make her feel better?

"How long have you known?" Spike asked eventually with a slight frown. He and Buffy had always been so completely honest with each other, they had no secrets, but there was no way she could have found out she was pregnant, confirmed it and had an argument with Angel in a time that can have been no more than fourteen maybe fifteen hours?

"I wasn't sure...I mean, I thought maybe...since Wills' party..." Buffy quietly mumbled, and without thinking Spike was back to doing what he'd regretted just moments before - he yelled.

"That was three weeks ago!" he all but screamed, shocked that she would keep something like this from him and for all this time.

"It was two and a half" she corrected in a small voice, "and I was too scared to do a test til two days ago"

In a second, Spike was off the sofa, pacing the room, frantic and frankly amazed that his friend, no, his best friend, had kept something this huge from him. Okay, so it wasn't as if it was his baby but the two of them were practically family, more so since he told her much more about his life than he would ever tell his parents or cousins that he saw quite a bit of.

"Please don't be mad at me" Buffy begged as she watched him go up and down the room, almost too angry to even speak.

"I'm not mad" he told her, though his tone and actions gave him away, "Why would I be mad?" he laughed humourlessly, "it's not as if it's my kid or that I matter or anything"

"Spike, that's not fair!" Buffy shouted this time, unable to take such words from him. She was on her feet and by his side, grabbing his arm to make him stop his pacing.

"You mean the world to me" she told him as she made him look at her, fresh tears in both their eyes now, "and I wanted to tell you about this...I was just so scared..." she finished more abruptly than she'd meant to, her tears overflowing once again and Spike just couldn't bear to see it. He wanted to be angry at her, really wanted to hate her for not trusting him enough to tell him about this sooner, for carrying on with that loser, Angel, even after her told her what he was really like...but how could he hate her? He could do nothing but love her, nothing but be in love with her.

"Come here" he whispered, pulling her close to him again, allowing her to re-soak the shirt he was wearing, which had barely dried from her first onslaught, as he hugged her tightly once more.

"You don't have to be scared" he told her in soothing tones, "because I'm going to take care of you" he promised, "I would never let anything bad happen to my girl"

With a sniff, Buffy lifted her head to look up at him.

"Thankyou" she said sincerely, her voice cracking even now, "I know everything will be okay when you hold me" she said in a whisper, before going back into his tight embrace.

Spike appreciated her words, even if she didn't mean it quite the way he would have liked. She loved him and trusted him, he had no doubt of that, but he was almost certain Buffy would never be in love with him, and even if she could be, he wasn't going to find out right now.

Holding her to him, he rubbed small circles on her back to soothe her final sobs, rocking her gently as he breathed in the scent of her hair and realised he'd be quite content to stand there, holding her like this, for eternity if she'd let him.

"Can I stay here?" he heard her ask softly, "Just for tonight"

Pulling away a little to see her face, but keeping her in his arms, Spike nodded gently.

"You can stay here as long as you like, pet" he assured her, knowing it would be his greatest wish for her to stay forever, "I'll take the sofa" he added, reality reminding him his apartment was a one bedroom place.

Buffy looked up at him with an expression that said 'what the hell?!' and he soon realised why. Things hadn't changed for her, her feelings for him hadn't at least and she assumed sleeping arrangements wouldn't have changed either.

Since they were kids, Spike and Buffy had often slept over at each others houses, and in the same bed too. It never occurred to either of them that it was inappropriate as they grew up, because neither of them ever saw the other as anything other than a best friend, practically family. For Spike, things were different now, very different and he wasn't sure how he felt about sharing a bed with this woman tonight.

"Why are you looking at me like I've got three heads, luv?" he asked, knowing full well why but needing to buy some time whilst he thought of an appropriate excuse for making a change.

"Why would you sleep on the couch?" she asked him with a frown, "There's plenty of room for the two of us in your bed, there was last time I stayed here" she reminded him and of course she was right. Just a couple of months back, when they'd had one of their movie nights, watching videos, eating popcorn and drinking a little too much. It had gotten late and Buffy was a little drunk so she'd stayed at Spike's and slept in his bed, in his arms, as usual. It never occurred to her that things would ever change.

"I don't know, pet" Spike conceded, knowing he couldn't tell her the truth, not right now, "We can share the bed if you like"

"I do like" she smiled going back into his arms, unaware just how many mixed emotions she was causing for him just by being there.

To Be Continued...