Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox,
etc... except of course the ones I make up.
Summary: Spike and Buffy are going to have a baby together!!! I know, I know, it's been done about a million times but I promise that this one is different. Anyway, it also deals with all different types of families that could exist in the Buffyverse.
Spoilers: None really
Continuity: It's the sequel to "Apocalypse now... Again". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It picks up a few weeks after where "Apocalypse Now... Again" leaves off. Also, I just thought I'd point out that Tara is alive and with Willow, both witches are living with Buffy. Also, Xander and Anya are married.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
FAMILY
Chapter 24: Warmth, and the Lack Thereof
Dawn pressed her lips against Dave's and she could feel his warm breath on her skin. To the Slayer, it was bliss at its finest. Her boyfriend reached just below the bottom of her shirt and passed his hands over the small of her back. A slight giggle escaped from Dawn's mouth as Dave buried his face in the hollow of her neck, and she ran her fingers through his dark brown hair.
"I love you."
Dave looked up at her and smiled widely. Dawn was sure that if she had been standing, she would have collapsed. The backs of her knees tingled slightly and Dave slowly brought his lips up to hers.
The young lovers were pulled abruptly from their bit of paradise when they heard knuckles rap twice against David's bedroom door. They struggled to get their hands off of one another and both had that classic look of a teen just barely caught on their faces as Dave's dad entered. He knew immediately what his son and son's girlfriend had been up to but chose to ignore it simply due to the fact that he didn't want to think about it.
"Dinner's ready," he informed the pair before rolling his eyes and shutting the door behind him as he left. Dawn broke into a fit of giggles as Dave's cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment. He took his girlfriend's hand in his and lead her from his room.
Dawn took a seat across from Dave and between his mother and father at their dining room table. She had been invited over for dinner and how could she refuse some of Mrs. Levitz's cooking? Of course she couldn't, and so there she was. She smiled at David, her passion for him flaring in her eyes as she did and he grinned at her kindly, warmly, lovingly.
"Leg, thigh, or breast?"
Dawn was suddenly pulled away from her boyfriend's eyes. "Huh?"
Mrs. Levitz laughed and smiled kindly. "Sorry to interrupted, honey. Do you want a leg, breast or thigh?"
Dawn's eyes wandered to the large bird that had been placed in front of her and she considered her options for a moment before answering.
"Thigh, please."
"As you like it," the woman spoke warmly to Dawn, just the way a mother should. It was a way that Dawn loved being spoken to, regardless of whether or not the woman standing beside her was really her mother.
"So," Mrs. Levitz began as she sat herself down at the table and served herself, "what do you two have planned for tonight."
"Just some vid," Dave answered as he stabbed a bite of chicken. "I rented a few flicks for us to watch."
"That sounds nice," the woman nodded at her son warmly. "Oh! And before I forget..." she said before rising from the table once again and leaving the room. She came back a few moments later, holding a shiny red gift bag with some tissue paper coming out of the top. Mrs. Levitz smiled and handed it to Dawn.
"That's for your sister," she informed the teen. "Actually, it's for the baby. Just a little gift, I thought it was cute. I saw it in the store and it reminded me of one of Dave's favorites from when he was a baby."
"Aw, Maryann, this is so thoughtful of you," Dawn sighed as she wrapped her arms around the woman's neck. "I'm sure she'll love it. Um... can I look at it?"
"Of course. Just tuck the tissue paper around it again when you're done."
"All right," Dawn spoke quietly as she carefully pulled back the decorative paper. She gently took out the contents of the bag and it showed itself to be The Count from "Sesame Street". Dawn had to stifle her amused giggle as she thought of what Spike's reaction would be when he got a load of the cuddly yet firm stuffed toy that Dawn was holding.
"This is absolutely perfect," Dawn informed her boyfriend's parents with a huge grin spread across her face. She looked across the table at David, who was also doing his best not to laugh.
Dawn placed the toy back in the bag and tucked it back in so that it was hidden by the tissue paper. She sighed, nodded, and looked at Mrs. Levitz with an amused grin.
"Oh yeah... Buffy's gonna LOVE this!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy stared at the TV blankly as Dawson explained his most recent tryst with what's-her-name to the other guy on the show... Macey, Gracey, Lacey... whatever. She sighed loudly and picked up the remote to turn it off or at least change the channel when Spike reentered the living room, bearing the glass of apple juice that Buffy had requested.
"Hey!"
"What?"
"Why are you changin' that?"
"Please tell me that is rhetorical."
Spike stared at her blankly as he handed Buffy the glass.
"This is crap," she informed him matter-of-factly.
"What? Is not!"
"Yes it is! It has no plot, no point, and no big picture. It's so unrealistic and just... stupid."
"So what then?" He challenged her, "you call 'Joe Millionaire' high quality television?"
"As a matter of fact I do! At least it's remotely entertaining..."
"Buffy..."
"Okay! I'll admit it! It's an addiction. What do you want from me?"
"That's a good start. You know, the first part of dealing with addiction is admitting that you have a problem..."
"I'll give up 'Joe Millionaire' when you give up smoking," Buffy laughed as she swiftly grabbed a pillow and hit her lover in the face as hard as she could, being that it was merely a pillow. Spike couldn't help but laugh out loud as he gave in to Buffy's want and he clicked off the TV. The Slayer smiled her gratitude and kissed him softly on the lips.
"You know..." Spike half mumbled half purred, "if you're not into watching the telly right now, we could always go for other types of recreation..."
"Hmm, sorry sweetie, not in the mood."
Spike pulled back a bit and raised his brow curiously. "You? Not in the mood? Now that's not something I thought I'd ever hear you say, love."
"Oh!" She gasped, "really? Well look who's ta-"
Buffy was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. She glanced quickly at the clock which told her that it was nearly ten. She rose, steadied herself, and ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair.
"Who could that be?"
Spike shrugged as Buffy waddled her way over to the door. She turned on the porch light and prepared herself for anything. To her extreme surprise, it was the very last people she was expecting to see.
"Oh my God."
"And good evening to you, Ms. Summers."
"Oh. My. God."
Without thinking, Buffy slammed the door in her visitor's face. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat and head as she began to hyperventilate. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails were digging painfully into her skin, and she could feel the clamminess of her shaking palms.
Spike could hear the intensity of Buffy's heart and breathing from the other room and he immediately ran to her side.
"Who is it? Buffy, what's wrong?"
"It-it-it... it's them. Th-th-the Council."
"Like... THE Council?"
"Duh! What other 'council' would I mean?"
"What are they doing here?"
"Damned if I know. But my money's on-"
"The baby," Spike finished Buffy's thought and she nodded. "All right, well, why don't we let them in and deal with this properly, then."
"No! Bad, BAD plan! Why don't we lock them out and make them go away. Please, Spike, make them go away. I want them to be not here. I don't want them to... what if th-they want to take her away or-"
Buffy's banter was stopped when Spike pulled her tight against his chest and held her there. He took a few deep breaths, hoping that the sound of air passing slowly in and out of his lungs would create a pattern for Buffy. After a few minutes it did, and he pulled back from her just enough so that he could take her hands.
"Buffy, listen to me. Be calm. The best thing you can do right now for you and Kat is to be calm. We can handle this and we will. Nothing's going to happen. Nothing will get out of our control because I won't let it, WE won't let it. Right?"
Buffy nodded. "Right."
"Right, then," Spike spoke calmly as Buffy reached out and opened the door.
"Ms. Summers?"
Buffy nodded weakly and tried to smile, but she couldn't manage to force her lips into an upward curl. "Uh- Mr. Travers. Hiya."
"Hello. I'm sorry to drop in on you so abruptly but, may we come in?" He asked, 'we' referring to himself as well as two other watchers that had previously made the trip to Sunnydale, Lydia and Nigel.
"Uh-" Buffy looked back at Spike who merely raised his eyebrows and smirked at her. She sighed heavily and turned back toward the door. "Yeah, sure."
Without a word, Travers walked by Buffy with Nigel and Lydia on his tail. They followed him like the good little puppies they were trained to be. They walked elegantly and rather obnoxiously to the living room where they all took a seat on the couch. Buffy closed the door softly, though she felt like she could slam it so hard it might break the glass. She walked to where the watchers were now sitting, with Spike by her side. Before she sat herself, there were a few things she wanted to get out in the open.
"Okay, look, I don't know why you're here, and I don't really care all the much. The point is, for whatever reason, you're here, sitting in my home and I want to make a few things clear. First, if this is for some sort of review or impossible test that you are so notorious for, forget it. Get out of my house now and nothing will get broken. Second, if you are planning on staying, there will be no harassment of my friends or family. If you want to talk, you talk directly to me, period. Are we understood?"
Travers smiled warmly but his grin didn't reach his eyes. He was so eerie in a way that made a chill run up Buffy's spine.
"Please, Buffy, why don't you have a seat and we'll-"
"Are. We. Clear?"
"Very. Your terms are understood. Now, will you please sit so we can explain to you the purpose of our visit?"
Buffy nodded and sat in on of the chairs by the coffee table. Spike sat on the arm of her chair and watched the interaction taking place before him without a word. Buffy opened her fist and lay her hand flat on the arm of the chair by where Spike sat. The vampire used the tips of his fingers to soothingly stoke from her palm up to the tips of her fingers.
"So, you wanna tell me what the hell you're doing here then? More specifically, how'd you know about the baby."
"Very good, Ms. Summers. I'm not surprised that out motives are rather obvious to you. Yes, we heard about the baby-"
"But my question is who told you?" She asked calmly, though her voice was shaking with anger from knowing that one of her own had betrayed her trust.
"That's not important, Ms. Summers. What is, is that we are not here to give you a hard time or cause you any trouble. We simply come bearing information. Anything you want to know that we can answer, we will tell you."
"But..."
"But nothing. No tests, no trials, simply information."
"So no strings attached?"
"No strings, whatsoever."
"Oh, okay then," Buffy stammered a bit, now feeling the onset of the awkwardness of her situation. Also the discomfort because she could see the look of a liar in Travers' eyes. "Well, uh, thanks. I mean, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head except... actually... there is one thing I've kinda been wondering about."
"And that is?"
"Have there been any before me? Slayers, I mean. Am I the first slayer to ever have a child."
"No. You're not. There haven't been many, but there have been some in the past. The most recent was... I believe... Nikki Wood. Lived in New York, and she had a four year old son when she was killed by..." Travers trailed off and he took the time to shoot a cold glance at Spike. The vampire's eyes widened when he realized the watcher's implication and he barely felt when Buffy grabbed his hand and gave it a powerful squeeze.
"Well," Travers continued, "we needn't get ourselves wrapped up in the more sordid details of her past. The point is, Ms. Summers, that no, you are not the first."
"Oh," she said coolly and emotionlessly. "All right. Is that all?"
The elderly man nodded politely at the slayer. "Yes, Buffy, that's all."
"Okay. Then could you please leave my house now?"
Lydia and Nigel both shot shocked glances at their "master" who smiled sardonically at the blonde who he despised for having so much power over him. He stood and the other two did the same. Buffy watched as they headed wordlessly toward the door, but she decided to stop them for one last word of caution.
"Oh hey, Travers?" They all turned to look at her. "One more thing, if you or any of your... uh... associates come within thirty feet of my child without my or Spike's direct permission, I will kill you. No questions asked, I will kill you and make sure that your bodies are never found. See, I'm not taking any chances, and a final word to the wise, I don't make idle threats."
"Yes Ms. Summers, we understand. Your conditions are acceptable. And bye they way, congratulations." Without another word, the council left.
Buffy buried her face in her hands and let out a loud, relieved sigh. Spike kneeled by her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
"Are you all right?"
Buffy looked up from her hands and into Spike's deep blue eyes. Tears were shimmering at the brim of her own eyes but she forced them not to fall. She smiled weakly and shook her head.
"I guess so. I just don't like them being here. They're much more fun when there's an ocean keeping them from me and the people I love."
"Yeah, I get that."
"And Spike, don't listen about what they said. We don't know if what they tell is true."
"I do. I killed a slayer in New York, I know this. And if she had a child I... it wasn't me. I mean, it wasn't the same me, I mean-"
Buffy placed her lips gently on top of Spike's in order to cease his distressed banter. "Spike, I know exactly what you mean."
He smiled sadly and rested his forehead against hers. The chill of his flesh balanced out the heat of Buffy's flushed skin.
"I just can't believe that..." she choked as more tears threatened to fall, "who would tell the council. I mean who-"
Buffy stopped and stood abruptly. She headed toward the door without a word and Spike ran after her and grabbed her arm, bringing her to a halt.
"Hey, love, where are you going?"
"I think I- I have to go. I'll be back soon I promise. There's just something I need to do. I'll be fine."
Buffy then turned from him, grabbed the keys to the car, and left the house without a look back. She left a rather baffled Spike staring at the front door which she had shut behind her.
TBC...
~*~
Hey everyone. I'm really sorry this took so long to update. I haven't had much of a chance to get to the computer in the past few weeks. But fortunately, Spring break is in five days and I'm hoping to get up at least two more chapters then. In the meantime... keep reviewing!!!
Summary: Spike and Buffy are going to have a baby together!!! I know, I know, it's been done about a million times but I promise that this one is different. Anyway, it also deals with all different types of families that could exist in the Buffyverse.
Spoilers: None really
Continuity: It's the sequel to "Apocalypse now... Again". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It picks up a few weeks after where "Apocalypse Now... Again" leaves off. Also, I just thought I'd point out that Tara is alive and with Willow, both witches are living with Buffy. Also, Xander and Anya are married.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
FAMILY
Chapter 24: Warmth, and the Lack Thereof
Dawn pressed her lips against Dave's and she could feel his warm breath on her skin. To the Slayer, it was bliss at its finest. Her boyfriend reached just below the bottom of her shirt and passed his hands over the small of her back. A slight giggle escaped from Dawn's mouth as Dave buried his face in the hollow of her neck, and she ran her fingers through his dark brown hair.
"I love you."
Dave looked up at her and smiled widely. Dawn was sure that if she had been standing, she would have collapsed. The backs of her knees tingled slightly and Dave slowly brought his lips up to hers.
The young lovers were pulled abruptly from their bit of paradise when they heard knuckles rap twice against David's bedroom door. They struggled to get their hands off of one another and both had that classic look of a teen just barely caught on their faces as Dave's dad entered. He knew immediately what his son and son's girlfriend had been up to but chose to ignore it simply due to the fact that he didn't want to think about it.
"Dinner's ready," he informed the pair before rolling his eyes and shutting the door behind him as he left. Dawn broke into a fit of giggles as Dave's cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment. He took his girlfriend's hand in his and lead her from his room.
Dawn took a seat across from Dave and between his mother and father at their dining room table. She had been invited over for dinner and how could she refuse some of Mrs. Levitz's cooking? Of course she couldn't, and so there she was. She smiled at David, her passion for him flaring in her eyes as she did and he grinned at her kindly, warmly, lovingly.
"Leg, thigh, or breast?"
Dawn was suddenly pulled away from her boyfriend's eyes. "Huh?"
Mrs. Levitz laughed and smiled kindly. "Sorry to interrupted, honey. Do you want a leg, breast or thigh?"
Dawn's eyes wandered to the large bird that had been placed in front of her and she considered her options for a moment before answering.
"Thigh, please."
"As you like it," the woman spoke warmly to Dawn, just the way a mother should. It was a way that Dawn loved being spoken to, regardless of whether or not the woman standing beside her was really her mother.
"So," Mrs. Levitz began as she sat herself down at the table and served herself, "what do you two have planned for tonight."
"Just some vid," Dave answered as he stabbed a bite of chicken. "I rented a few flicks for us to watch."
"That sounds nice," the woman nodded at her son warmly. "Oh! And before I forget..." she said before rising from the table once again and leaving the room. She came back a few moments later, holding a shiny red gift bag with some tissue paper coming out of the top. Mrs. Levitz smiled and handed it to Dawn.
"That's for your sister," she informed the teen. "Actually, it's for the baby. Just a little gift, I thought it was cute. I saw it in the store and it reminded me of one of Dave's favorites from when he was a baby."
"Aw, Maryann, this is so thoughtful of you," Dawn sighed as she wrapped her arms around the woman's neck. "I'm sure she'll love it. Um... can I look at it?"
"Of course. Just tuck the tissue paper around it again when you're done."
"All right," Dawn spoke quietly as she carefully pulled back the decorative paper. She gently took out the contents of the bag and it showed itself to be The Count from "Sesame Street". Dawn had to stifle her amused giggle as she thought of what Spike's reaction would be when he got a load of the cuddly yet firm stuffed toy that Dawn was holding.
"This is absolutely perfect," Dawn informed her boyfriend's parents with a huge grin spread across her face. She looked across the table at David, who was also doing his best not to laugh.
Dawn placed the toy back in the bag and tucked it back in so that it was hidden by the tissue paper. She sighed, nodded, and looked at Mrs. Levitz with an amused grin.
"Oh yeah... Buffy's gonna LOVE this!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy stared at the TV blankly as Dawson explained his most recent tryst with what's-her-name to the other guy on the show... Macey, Gracey, Lacey... whatever. She sighed loudly and picked up the remote to turn it off or at least change the channel when Spike reentered the living room, bearing the glass of apple juice that Buffy had requested.
"Hey!"
"What?"
"Why are you changin' that?"
"Please tell me that is rhetorical."
Spike stared at her blankly as he handed Buffy the glass.
"This is crap," she informed him matter-of-factly.
"What? Is not!"
"Yes it is! It has no plot, no point, and no big picture. It's so unrealistic and just... stupid."
"So what then?" He challenged her, "you call 'Joe Millionaire' high quality television?"
"As a matter of fact I do! At least it's remotely entertaining..."
"Buffy..."
"Okay! I'll admit it! It's an addiction. What do you want from me?"
"That's a good start. You know, the first part of dealing with addiction is admitting that you have a problem..."
"I'll give up 'Joe Millionaire' when you give up smoking," Buffy laughed as she swiftly grabbed a pillow and hit her lover in the face as hard as she could, being that it was merely a pillow. Spike couldn't help but laugh out loud as he gave in to Buffy's want and he clicked off the TV. The Slayer smiled her gratitude and kissed him softly on the lips.
"You know..." Spike half mumbled half purred, "if you're not into watching the telly right now, we could always go for other types of recreation..."
"Hmm, sorry sweetie, not in the mood."
Spike pulled back a bit and raised his brow curiously. "You? Not in the mood? Now that's not something I thought I'd ever hear you say, love."
"Oh!" She gasped, "really? Well look who's ta-"
Buffy was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. She glanced quickly at the clock which told her that it was nearly ten. She rose, steadied herself, and ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair.
"Who could that be?"
Spike shrugged as Buffy waddled her way over to the door. She turned on the porch light and prepared herself for anything. To her extreme surprise, it was the very last people she was expecting to see.
"Oh my God."
"And good evening to you, Ms. Summers."
"Oh. My. God."
Without thinking, Buffy slammed the door in her visitor's face. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat and head as she began to hyperventilate. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails were digging painfully into her skin, and she could feel the clamminess of her shaking palms.
Spike could hear the intensity of Buffy's heart and breathing from the other room and he immediately ran to her side.
"Who is it? Buffy, what's wrong?"
"It-it-it... it's them. Th-th-the Council."
"Like... THE Council?"
"Duh! What other 'council' would I mean?"
"What are they doing here?"
"Damned if I know. But my money's on-"
"The baby," Spike finished Buffy's thought and she nodded. "All right, well, why don't we let them in and deal with this properly, then."
"No! Bad, BAD plan! Why don't we lock them out and make them go away. Please, Spike, make them go away. I want them to be not here. I don't want them to... what if th-they want to take her away or-"
Buffy's banter was stopped when Spike pulled her tight against his chest and held her there. He took a few deep breaths, hoping that the sound of air passing slowly in and out of his lungs would create a pattern for Buffy. After a few minutes it did, and he pulled back from her just enough so that he could take her hands.
"Buffy, listen to me. Be calm. The best thing you can do right now for you and Kat is to be calm. We can handle this and we will. Nothing's going to happen. Nothing will get out of our control because I won't let it, WE won't let it. Right?"
Buffy nodded. "Right."
"Right, then," Spike spoke calmly as Buffy reached out and opened the door.
"Ms. Summers?"
Buffy nodded weakly and tried to smile, but she couldn't manage to force her lips into an upward curl. "Uh- Mr. Travers. Hiya."
"Hello. I'm sorry to drop in on you so abruptly but, may we come in?" He asked, 'we' referring to himself as well as two other watchers that had previously made the trip to Sunnydale, Lydia and Nigel.
"Uh-" Buffy looked back at Spike who merely raised his eyebrows and smirked at her. She sighed heavily and turned back toward the door. "Yeah, sure."
Without a word, Travers walked by Buffy with Nigel and Lydia on his tail. They followed him like the good little puppies they were trained to be. They walked elegantly and rather obnoxiously to the living room where they all took a seat on the couch. Buffy closed the door softly, though she felt like she could slam it so hard it might break the glass. She walked to where the watchers were now sitting, with Spike by her side. Before she sat herself, there were a few things she wanted to get out in the open.
"Okay, look, I don't know why you're here, and I don't really care all the much. The point is, for whatever reason, you're here, sitting in my home and I want to make a few things clear. First, if this is for some sort of review or impossible test that you are so notorious for, forget it. Get out of my house now and nothing will get broken. Second, if you are planning on staying, there will be no harassment of my friends or family. If you want to talk, you talk directly to me, period. Are we understood?"
Travers smiled warmly but his grin didn't reach his eyes. He was so eerie in a way that made a chill run up Buffy's spine.
"Please, Buffy, why don't you have a seat and we'll-"
"Are. We. Clear?"
"Very. Your terms are understood. Now, will you please sit so we can explain to you the purpose of our visit?"
Buffy nodded and sat in on of the chairs by the coffee table. Spike sat on the arm of her chair and watched the interaction taking place before him without a word. Buffy opened her fist and lay her hand flat on the arm of the chair by where Spike sat. The vampire used the tips of his fingers to soothingly stoke from her palm up to the tips of her fingers.
"So, you wanna tell me what the hell you're doing here then? More specifically, how'd you know about the baby."
"Very good, Ms. Summers. I'm not surprised that out motives are rather obvious to you. Yes, we heard about the baby-"
"But my question is who told you?" She asked calmly, though her voice was shaking with anger from knowing that one of her own had betrayed her trust.
"That's not important, Ms. Summers. What is, is that we are not here to give you a hard time or cause you any trouble. We simply come bearing information. Anything you want to know that we can answer, we will tell you."
"But..."
"But nothing. No tests, no trials, simply information."
"So no strings attached?"
"No strings, whatsoever."
"Oh, okay then," Buffy stammered a bit, now feeling the onset of the awkwardness of her situation. Also the discomfort because she could see the look of a liar in Travers' eyes. "Well, uh, thanks. I mean, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head except... actually... there is one thing I've kinda been wondering about."
"And that is?"
"Have there been any before me? Slayers, I mean. Am I the first slayer to ever have a child."
"No. You're not. There haven't been many, but there have been some in the past. The most recent was... I believe... Nikki Wood. Lived in New York, and she had a four year old son when she was killed by..." Travers trailed off and he took the time to shoot a cold glance at Spike. The vampire's eyes widened when he realized the watcher's implication and he barely felt when Buffy grabbed his hand and gave it a powerful squeeze.
"Well," Travers continued, "we needn't get ourselves wrapped up in the more sordid details of her past. The point is, Ms. Summers, that no, you are not the first."
"Oh," she said coolly and emotionlessly. "All right. Is that all?"
The elderly man nodded politely at the slayer. "Yes, Buffy, that's all."
"Okay. Then could you please leave my house now?"
Lydia and Nigel both shot shocked glances at their "master" who smiled sardonically at the blonde who he despised for having so much power over him. He stood and the other two did the same. Buffy watched as they headed wordlessly toward the door, but she decided to stop them for one last word of caution.
"Oh hey, Travers?" They all turned to look at her. "One more thing, if you or any of your... uh... associates come within thirty feet of my child without my or Spike's direct permission, I will kill you. No questions asked, I will kill you and make sure that your bodies are never found. See, I'm not taking any chances, and a final word to the wise, I don't make idle threats."
"Yes Ms. Summers, we understand. Your conditions are acceptable. And bye they way, congratulations." Without another word, the council left.
Buffy buried her face in her hands and let out a loud, relieved sigh. Spike kneeled by her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
"Are you all right?"
Buffy looked up from her hands and into Spike's deep blue eyes. Tears were shimmering at the brim of her own eyes but she forced them not to fall. She smiled weakly and shook her head.
"I guess so. I just don't like them being here. They're much more fun when there's an ocean keeping them from me and the people I love."
"Yeah, I get that."
"And Spike, don't listen about what they said. We don't know if what they tell is true."
"I do. I killed a slayer in New York, I know this. And if she had a child I... it wasn't me. I mean, it wasn't the same me, I mean-"
Buffy placed her lips gently on top of Spike's in order to cease his distressed banter. "Spike, I know exactly what you mean."
He smiled sadly and rested his forehead against hers. The chill of his flesh balanced out the heat of Buffy's flushed skin.
"I just can't believe that..." she choked as more tears threatened to fall, "who would tell the council. I mean who-"
Buffy stopped and stood abruptly. She headed toward the door without a word and Spike ran after her and grabbed her arm, bringing her to a halt.
"Hey, love, where are you going?"
"I think I- I have to go. I'll be back soon I promise. There's just something I need to do. I'll be fine."
Buffy then turned from him, grabbed the keys to the car, and left the house without a look back. She left a rather baffled Spike staring at the front door which she had shut behind her.
TBC...
~*~
Hey everyone. I'm really sorry this took so long to update. I haven't had much of a chance to get to the computer in the past few weeks. But fortunately, Spring break is in five days and I'm hoping to get up at least two more chapters then. In the meantime... keep reviewing!!!