142

After a long, stunned silence, which rivaled the one that had taken place after Angel had announced that Rose was drinking blood, Fred said, "Wait a minute, there's no way that could be possible." It was spoken by someone who knew she had all the scientific laws on her side. A very gentle nudge from Wesley reminded her that Rose's was a mystical pregnancy, and that those things usually told the scientific laws to take a hike. Fred shut her mouth and looked a little embarrassed.

"You're absolutely sure?" Wesley asked. He was ready to believe, but wanted confirmation. "I mean, you heard actual voices?"

"Oh, yes," replied Rose and Lorne in chorus.

"I heard those little voices as clearly as I hear you," Lorne added. He turned to Rose. "Did it sound like normal speech to you, blossom?"

"Most of the time it does." Rose blushed, realizing that she hadn't yet let on that hearing her unborn children was more than a one-shot deal. "But the first time I really heard them, the night I started drinking blood, they weren't speaking so much as crying. They were crying for the blood." Her eyes misted over. "I couldn't just let them cry, could I?"

"'Course not, pet." Spike kissed her cheek. "Told you, you were gonna be a good mum, didn't I?"

"Is it just me?" Gunn asked. "Or is there something a little ironic about blood being one of the first words Spike's kids learn?"

"What's that bloody well supposed to mean?" Spike bristled. "Is that some kind of bloody shot..," His voice trailed away as he got the point.

"I rest my case," Gunn remarked with a grin.

&&&&&&&&

That night, Spike was listening again. Things had changed, however. Now, instead of laying his head atop Rose's stomach, Rose lay on her side, with Spike curled up beside her. With the twins getting larger and more active, having his head on top of her was uncomfortable, and as always, Spike was willing to make concessions for Rose. And the fact that he had once gotten kicked soundly in the ear had absolutely nothing to do with it.

"I hear their hearts beating," Spike commented. "And you digesting your dinner, luv. But I don't hear bug.., I don't hear a word from the kids." Since the children obviously were learning language, Spike had been strongly cautioned by Rose to try to moderate his speech. And he was giving it the old school try, but the habits of several lifetimes were very strongly ingrained.

"The first time I heard them, they really wanted something," Rose remarked. "And I think Lorne has an advantage, being an empath. But maybe you should try talking to them. Or singing. The first time Lorne heard them, you were singing to them. Maybe they liked that."

Spike felt the babies wriggle against his ear, as though in agreement with Rose. Spike was more than a little dubious, not to mention, he felt a right nit. At least there was no one to witness it but Rose. "Hello kids," he murmured, stroking Rose's swollen abdomen as he spoke. "I'm your daddy." Hell's bells, what in buggering hell was he supposed to say to them? "I love you both very much. As much as I love your mum." It was getting easier now, and felt a bit less foolish. "The happiest day of my life was when your mum told me you two were on the way." He paused, still listening, and still hearing nothing that a doctor wouldn't have heard with a stethoscope placed against Rose's belly.

"Why don't you try singing to us?" Rose suggested drowsily. She was more than half asleep, and was hoping that Spike would get this out of his system, at least for the night, so she could get some rest.

Spike started humming at first. Brahms' lullaby. He and Rose had gotten a book of children's songs as a baby gift, and he'd been sneaking peeks when he thought no one was looking. The whole father thing was going to play hob with his Big Bad image. Finally, he began softly crooning the words. It was working on at least one person, Rose was drifting off to sleep, as evidenced in the change of the rhythm of her breathing.

He kept singing for a while longer, and on about the third repetition of the song, he could have sworn he heard two little voices start singing with him. He stopped singing and whispered, "I love you. But your mum has been working very hard taking care of you, so why don't we let her get some rest?" He kissed Rose's stomach, the closest he could come to kissing his kids right now. "Good night, my little darlings." And in his head, two little voices echoed. "Good night, daddy."

&&&&&&

"Rose, do you recall what you said in your evaluation of Anna Monroe?" Wesley asked, a few days later at work.

"I don't think it was very good," Rose admitted. "But she has been slacking off in her work lately. Should I not have done it?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Wesley assured her. "I was just thinking that maybe the low performance rating you gave her, that resulted in her getting a smaller raise than she might have been expecting may have been why she was so.., catty to you the other night."

"How did you find out about that?" Rose asked. "I know I didn't tell anyone. As far as I know the only people who know about it are the people who were there. And Spike, of course."

"First of all, Fred was one of the people who was there," the Watcher pointed out. "That was my source of information. But not all of the women present were too close-lipped. I've been given to understand that the word has been spreading rapidly."

"But why would she want to do something so mean spirited?" Rose wondered. "I didn't give her a poor rating out of pettiness. I did it because that was what her work merited."

Wesley gave her a fond smile. "You're still so innocent in some ways, Rose," he remarked. "Some people will take offense at any criticism, no matter how richly deserved it is. I can't reprimand her for something that happened at a social event, but I have given her to understand that her performance must pick up, or I'll let her go."

"She'll probably blame me for that, too," Rose muttered. "Why can't people take responsibility for their own actions?"

He shrugged. "No one wants to be wrong," he replied. "So a lot of the time, people will try to shift the blame just to feel better about themselves."

Rose closed her eyes for a moment, trying to sort it all out. "Tell me again why I wanted to be human?"

Now, Wesley was grinning broadly. "Because you fell in love with Spike," he answered.

"Oh yes, that was it." Rose smiled back.

&&&&&&&

Spike almost dragged the back of his hand across his forehead before he remembered there was a streak of yellow paint on it. Rose had already gone to Angel's flat, under protest, and soon he would be joining her. She'd insisted on painting the nursery a sunny yellow, and Spike had acquiesced with the proviso that she not do any of the actual painting or even be around while it was going on. He would confess, under pressure, that he may be just a bit overprotective, but he didn't want her breathing in paint fumes while she was pregnant. He looked around at his handiwork, scanning for missed spots. But he seemed to have done a thorough job of it. Once the paint was dry, he'd start moving in the baby furniture currently cluttering up their spare bedroom. He was starting to chafe under the continual need for security though. He could use a night out on the town, and Rose certainly deserved one. On the other hand, as much as Rose deserved a little fun, she was slowing down a bit despite her best intentions. While he was concentrating solely on the babies growing inside her, Rose was dealing with sore feet, swollen ankles and backaches, and Spike had to admit that sometimes he forgot the trials that she was going through to give life to their children unless Rose, or occasionally, someone else reminded him. Well, maybe since taking her out just wasn't on, he should get her some flowers. Something to let her know that he appreciated the effort. He looked at the time and started rushing through his clean-up. Almost time to be singing to the kids. He never missed a night now, since that seemed to be the only time his children had anything to say to him. Of course, since he was neither an empath, nor was he carrying them around in his body, this was about the only time he had to listen to them. And damned if he was going to miss out on it.

&&&&&&&&

"Are you just going to sit there looking at the pretty paper, or are you going to open it?" Angel teased. "Go on, Rose, I absolutely promise that it won't bite."

"I didn't think that it would," Rose replied, missing the joke. "But you've already done so much for us, Angel, that it doesn't seem right that you should be giving..,"

"It's for the kids," Angel interrupted. "You know how much I missed out on with Connor. Let me have a little of that with your children." He gave her an appealing look. "Just a little bit?"

Rose smiled. "I'll remember that when Spike wants a night out and I need a babysitter," she said. She started tearing the wrapping off the package. "Books? But won't it be a while before they can read?"

"The way those two are going, who can tell?" Angel replied. "But when they're small, you read to them, Rose. That's what you do with those books."

"Dr. Seuss," Rose read. "What is he a doctor of?"

&&&&&&&&

Spike let himself into Angel's flat, fair worn out, and looking forward to a little family time, and was a bit irritated when he saw that family time had started without him. Rose and Angel sat on the sofa, dark brown head leaning towards the chestnut one. Rose was speaking.

"'I meant what I said And I said what I meant An elephant's faithful One hundred percent'." Rose looked up from the book and saw Spike. "Hello, darling. Did you finish painting the children's room?"

"Nothing to do but let the paint dry," he replied, going over and kissing her, totally disregarding Angel's proximity. "What are you reading, pet?"

"Something that Angel got for the children," Rose answered. "I don't believe I've ever actually read anything just for the fun of it. I've always been researching something. I didn't even realize that all those books in the bookstore were anything but research materials."

Spike slid down on to the seat beside her. He put his arm around her, 'accidentally' hitting Angel as he did so. "Sorry," he said insincerely.

"Jerk," Angel said very sincerely. He looked at the appendage that had hit him. "Your hand's yellow."

&&&&&&&&

They were finishing up in the nursery. Rose had already put sheets and blankets in the cribs even though it would still be a few months before they were used. Each crib was also occupied.

"Who contributed the pink and blue teddy bears?" Spike asked.

"Harmony," Rose replied. "Aren't they sweet? Everybody else bought books or clothes. Harmony was the only person who thought of toys."

Spike hadn't actually thought that they'd need a bookshelf in the nursery, but now he was glad that Rose had insisted on putting one in. It was already getting to be well occupied. He scoped out the titles. There were the Seuss books that had been Angel's contribution. "Who got The Chronicles of Narnia?" he asked. "Bit advanced for babies, I'm thinking."

"Wesley," Rose answered. "He wanted to get them something nice, but I agree with you about how advanced they are. I enjoyed reading them though. And they'll still be around when the children are old enough to enjoy them."

"Figures," Spike muttered. "Watcher has to come up with a gift with a moral to it. What about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle?"

"Fred," Rose said. "She said she used to love them when she was little. And the books about the girl named Alice were from your friend Zelda. By the way, how do you know her?"

"She's the one who opened the portal for me so I could go get you out of dog-boy's paws," Spike explained. "I never did get a chance to thank her proper. Think I ought to send her some flowers or some such?"

"That might be nice," Rose agreed absently. "Well, I guess that come what may, our children will be well read."

"If they take after you, they'll probably have their noses in a book so often we'll have to make them take time to play," Spike said. "Speaking of playing, luv, if we're all through in here..," He let his voice trail off suggestively.

Rose smiled at him and held him as close as her bulging tummy would allow. "You must have a thing about fat women," she teased.

"I have a thing about you, babe," Spike replied, picking her up and carrying her off to the bedroom. He leaned down and said to her stomach. "Time to go to sleep, kids. You're too young to see this."

&&&&&&

"I'm sorry, Rose," Dr. Pratt said. "But with you being built so small, carrying twins is putting a lot of strain on you. And while I don't know exactly what you do at work, the stress levels are obvious from your charts. Your blood pressure is up again. I'm going to have to take you off work until after your children are born."

"But that's three whole months," Rose wailed. "What am I going to do for three months?"

"Get plenty of rest, reasonable exercise and eat balanced meals," the doctor said firmly. He sighed. "I'm not doing this arbitrarily. But if you want to have healthy children, and incidentally keep yourself healthy so you can look after them properly, you need to go on maternity leave. Now." He hesitated. "It won't be a problem with your job, will it?"

"Not in the slightest," Spike assured him. "My aged grandsire runs the place." He gave the o.b. a conspiratorial wink.

Rose groaned. What was she going to do for three whole months?