Chapter 20
Xander had been feeling like a prize heel all day, Anya had made sure of that. It was just that he was so confused. Buffy and Spike, together and having babies was still something that he couldn't quite get his head around. Maybe he never would, but one thing was for sure, things were changing. Maybe that was his problem, the fear of change.
He sighed heavily as he sat down on the gaudy orange PVC chair. The very same one he used for Spike, when he stayed overnight. Anya came padding down the stairs, returning from one of her rare visits into the upper part of the Harris household.
"So, have you seen sense yet?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
"I'm the only one still making sense in this situation," said Xander.
Anya frowned at him, giving him a glimpse of what it would be like to be on the wrong side of her if she was still all demony.
"You love Buffy right?" asked Anya.
"Yeah, of course I do," he replied.
"And she's your best friend?"
"Yes of course…but,"
"Well, get your ass over to UC Sunnydale and tell her then, before you lose her forever you big idiot,"
Xander looked at her in surprise, before grabbing his jacket.
"You're right, I mean I have been all judgy about the whole thing. As long as Buffy's happy, right?" he asked uncertainly.
Anya nodded.
"Go get her, but not in a guy kinda way. I'll stay here, you want me to warm the bed up for your return?" she asked matter-of-factly.
"Sure why not," he grinned before giving her a quick kiss and exiting the basement.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The last class for the day was over. Buffy rubbed her eyes tiredly as she and Willow made their way back to Stephenson.
Willow glanced at Buffy, surprised to see the pallor in her cheeks.
"Are you okay Buffy, you don't look so good," said Willow in concern.
"I don't feel so good. I feel kinda queasy. It came over me all of a sudden, while we were in class. Thought I was gonna embarrass my self and yak," she groaned.
Willow frowned.
"Do you think it could be morning sickness?" she asked.
"I doubt it, it's a bit soon for all that I think," said Buffy doubtingly.
"We'd better get you straight back to the dorm. You're starting to look a little green around the edges," said Willow.
"Thanks Will, I can't hear that enough," Buffy retorted.
They turned the corner and walked right in to three men all dressed in black leather jackets.
"Oh, uh sorry," Willow apologised.
"Where's the fetish party," asked Buffy sarcastically as she eyed their outfits.
Buffy and Willow tried to walk around the men, but they stayed where they were.
"Miss Summers?" said the first of them.
Buffy gasped at the sound of his accent.
"Mr Travers requests your presence, so if you'd like to come with me," said one of the other men.
"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen," said Buffy.
One of them had tried to sneak behind her and had stupidly attempted to restrain her arms. Buffy shook him off easily and threw him to the ground.
"Anyone else dumb enough to want a piece of me?" asked Buffy in defiance.
The other two rushed forward, Willow launched herself on one of Buffy's attackers.
"Willow, no! Be careful let me deal with this trash," said Buffy in alarm.
Willow was flung to the ground on her back, temporarily winded. She was helpless as she gasped for breath. All she could do was watch Buffy come to blows with the men. They were strong, but still no match for Buffy. The first guy got up behind her while she fought the others, and kicked Buffy's legs out from under her. Buffy fell to the floor hard, banging her head as she made contact with the sidewalk. Blackness started to engulf her.
"You bloody idiot, you weren't supposed to harm the girl, just restrain her. Travers will have your job," said one of the men.
"Well we did restrain her," said the other, pointing at Buffy's unconscious form.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Xander was walking across campus. His thoughts on Buffy, and what he was going to say to her. He really hoped that Buffy would be in, as he wanted to make it up to her for his previous bone headedness. He turned the corner, stunned by the sight that met his eyes.
Willow was lying on the floor clutching her chest, and Buffy lay motionless next to her. Three dark coated men were in the process of lifting Buffy from the ground.
"Just what do you think you're doing with my friend?" demanded Xander.
"Piss off kid, unless you want trouble," said one of the men.
"Trouble's my middle name, well it's Lavelle actually, but that's another story. And I suggest that you put Buffy down, unless you want me to scream? I can scream louder than any girl, and there are about a hundred college jocks round the corner, just begging to let off a little steam," said Xander.
"Xander," gasped out Willow.
"It's okay Will, these gentlemen were just leaving," said Xander.
"Sod that," one of them replied.
Xander opened his mouth and took a deep breath as if to scream.
"Come on we'd better go, don't want to attract more attention," said the other as he looked around nervously.
Luckily for Xander half the college football team just came round the corner, sweaty and dirty from practice. One of the boys looked over at the small gathering.
"Everything okay Rosenberg?" he asked.
"Yeah, Buffy and I had er a fall, these men were just assisting us," said Willow.
The footballers continued on their way. Buffy was starting to come round. Xander tapped his foot impatiently.
"You stupid little boy, you have no idea who you are dealing with," sneered one of the men as they started to walk away.
Xander let out a huge sigh of relief as soon as they were out of earshot. He rushed to Buffy's side, taking off his jacket, rolling it into a ball, and gently placing it under her head.
Buffy opened her eyes to look at Xander. Her eyes widened as she struggled to sit up. A wave of dizziness washed over her.
"Where are they?" asked Buffy.
"If you mean the tall dark and British guys, they took a hike," said Xander.
"You okay Buffy?" asked Willow as she got up from the ground.
"Apart from my head, I think so…owww," groaned Buffy, as she clutched at her stomach.
"Call 911," said Xander.
"No, I don't think that's really necessary," said Buffy.
"Xander's right, we are not taking any chances. Better call Giles too, Spike will wanna know," said Willow, as she dialled the numbers on her cell phone.
"I want Spike," Buffy groaned again.
Xander squeezed her hand.
"The ambulance is on its way, and I couldn't get a hold of Giles. There was no answer at his place," said Willow.
"Is the pain bad?" asked Willow, as she looked at Xander.
Buffy nodded, biting her lip.
· * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Can't this piece of crap go any faster? It would be quicker to get out and walk," Spike snarked from beneath the blanket as he lay on the backseat of Giles's car.
"I'm doing the best I can, we are almost there," said Giles as he turned into the campus parking lot.
They were met by the wailing of ambulance's siren.
"It's Buffy, I know it, " said Spike.
Spike, was firmly wrapped in the blanket as he and Giles ran towards Stephenson. Smoke billowed out behind him as he ran off in the direction of her dorm.
The ambulance was pulling away as they got there. A small group of onlookers had gathered, but they were already starting to disperse. Spike pulled back the door to Buffy's dorm and stepped inside. He put out the little flames that had started to ignite on the blanket.
He left it and ran down the corridor, to Buffy's room. Willow was there; sitting on her bed. Anxiety clouded her face.
"Where's Buffy?" Spike asked as he felt another jolt of pain go through him.
Willow wiped away a tear, Giles burst in the room, out of breath.
"She went in the ambulance, she was in so much pain. I don't get it though, she had a fall and hit her head, but the pain was in her stomach," said Willow.
"I know," said Spike as he winced.
Willow frowned
"What's up with him?" she asked, motioning towards Spike.
"It seems Spike and Buffy share a connection, and as far as I can tell, it's related to the pregnancy," said Giles.
"Look can we pass on the small talk? Buffy is in pain and she needs me," groaned Spike.
"Okay, I promised Buffy I would wait for you, but you're here now so lets get over to the hospital," said Willow.
· * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Xander held Buffy's hand in the back of the ambulance. She just lay there whimpering Spike's name repeatedly. He sighed, but tenderly stroked her brow.
"I'm sure he's on his way Buff," said Xander, as he tried his best to comfort her.
The paramedic took her temperature and blood pressure.
"Her heart rate is a little on the fast side, but otherwise normal. Is there anything else I should know?" He asked.
"Well, er she is pregnant, with twins," admitted Xander.
"You should have told me sooner," frowned the attendant.
He lifted up the blanket that was covering Buffy, to gently feel her abdomen.
"She feels like she is in the first trimester, around three months I would say," said the paramedic.
"Three months, but…" trailed off Xander in confusion.
"Are you the father?" the man asked.
"Merciful heavens no! I'm her best friend," said Xander.
The ambulance pulled up at the hospital.
"We need to get her in for a full exam and a scan A.S.A.P. Lets see if we can find out what's going on in there," smiled the paramedic, as Buffy opened her eyes.
"Would like to know myself," mumbled Xander.
"Are we there?" asked Buffy.
Yes, it's gonna be okay now," said Xander with more conviction than he felt.
"Good, cos I feel a whole lot of better," said Buffy.
The ambulance doors were opened and she was wheeled out of the vehicle and into the hospital.
· * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Giles negotiated the traffic smoothly trying not to exceed the speed limit.
"So what happened Willow?" asked Giles as he glanced in the drivers mirror at her.
"It was some guys from the watchers council, they were all creepy and dressed in black. They kinda took us by surprise," said Willow.
"Sounds like the bastards that tortured me back in London," groaned Spike.
Spike was laying on the backseat, his head resting across Willow's legs. He was balled up in pain under his blanket. He suddenly stopped groaning and peeked at Willow from beneath the edge of the blanket
"Hey, c'mon we're nearly there now," soothed Willow.
Giles turned the car into the hospital, parking up at the emergency entrance. He flung open the passenger door. Almost dragging Spike from the car in his haste to locate Buffy. Willow followed the pair into the hospital.
"You know I'm feeling a hell of a lot better now," said Spike.
Giles grabbed a male nurse,
"Buffy Summers? Blonde around eighteen years old," gasped out Giles.
"Oh, the teenage pregnancy? She's in exam room one, you family?" asked the nurse.
"Yeah, he's her dad and I'm the babies father," said Spike.
The nurse looked at Willow questioningly.
"And I'm her… er… sister," stammered Willow.
"Good cos it's family only. She's waiting for the doc," said the nurse as he walked off.
Spike had already gone.
He opened the door and saw her lying in the hospital bed. She looked so tiny and pale. Xander was watching her with anxiety and care all mixed into one as he held her hand in his.
"Hey Harris, I can take over now," said Spike.
Xander looked up at him in surprise as he placed Buffy's hand back on the coverlet. Spike and Xander passed each other as Spike sat in the seat that Xander had just vacated.
"And thanks mate," said Spike sincerely, as Xander was about to exit the room.
"No problem, anything for Buffy,"
"Yeah, she kinda has that effect on people," grinned Spike.
Xander was almost knocked unconscious, as the door flew open and Willow and Giles piled into the room.
"Could you guys be any louder?" asked Spike at their arrival.
Buffy's eyes fluttered open.
"Spike?" she beamed.
"Hey," he replied, as he gazed at her lovingly.
Willow watched the couple as they hugged and Buffy lay back against the pillows.
"How about we give them some alone time guys," said Willow as she guided Xander and Giles out of the room.
"Suits me, cos we really need to talk," said Xander.
The last thing Willow saw, before she closed the door, was Spike tenderly stroking Buffy's face, and pressing a gentle kiss on her lips.
· * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What's wrong Xander?" asked Willow, as they all sat down in the hospital waiting room.
"Something strange happened in the ambulance on the way over here," said Xander.
"What?" asked Giles.
"The medic examined Buffy, you know felt her stomach. He said that Buffy was well… at the end of the first trimester of her pregnancy, in other words that she was at least three months pregnant," Xander replied.
"Oh, so that means that Spike's not the father," said Willow sadly.
"Not at all," said Giles.
"Yeah, but Buffy and Spike weren't at it three months ago Giles, even I can do the math," said Xander.
"Spike and Buffy have been experiencing something similar to a psychic connection. They asked for my help last night. While researching in my books, I also found out that a vampire/human pregnancy has occurred before. The connection of which they both spoke was mentioned, but.."
"Why is there always a but?" asked Xander.
"As I was saying, the other pregnancy didn't last as long as a normal human pregnancy. The growth rate was some what accelerated. The woman gave birth within four weeks. I am thinking it will take a little less time for Buffy. The fact that she is carrying twins will be sure to have some bearing on the matter,"
"So, you think that the pains she was feeling may just be due to some kind of growth spurt?" asked Xander.
"Oh, I don't want to be the one to tell Buffy that she has a little less time to prepare for motherhood than she thought," said Willow.
"You won't have to Willow. That's why Spike is going to tell her," said Giles.
· * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The doctor had just left the room; it was silent except for the sounds of the baby heart monitor. The sound of his children's beating hearts was the most beautiful sound to him in the world. He was lost in the euphoria of it, a far away look in his eyes.
Buffy looked at him, her bottom lip trembling.
"I can't explain it Spike, he must have been reading his instruments wrong. There's no way I could be three months pregnant. I wasn't even in a relationship then,"
Spike arched an eyebrow at her.
"What about the enormous hall monitor then?" he asked.
"Riley? But we never you know…" Buffy trailed off blushing furiously.
"Sorry love couldn't resist teasing you. I know the babies are mine, but there is something I have to tell you," said Spike.
"Good or bad?" asked Buffy apprehensively.
"Depends how you look at it," he began.
Spike explained Giles's findings to her. Buffy's complexion whitened to almost the same shade as the hospital sheets. He could see the distress on her face as he told her the news. He got up from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed, taking her in his arms as the tears flowed down her face.
· * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Buffy had fallen asleep, so Spike removed himself from the position he had taken up alongside her. He left the room in search of the others. He found them in the waiting room, their faces eager for news of their friend.
"Is she okay?" asked Giles.
"She's fine for someone who is in the third month of pregnancy after only a week, if that's what you mean," said Spike.
They breathed a collective sigh of relief at Spike's words.
"When can we take her home?" asked Willow.
"Soon, they just want to keep her in a little longer for observation," answered Spike.
"So, how did she take the news that the stork was gonna pay you a little visit sooner rather than later?" asked Xander.
"How do you think she took it mate? I take it that Giles has filled in the gaps then?" Spike replied.
He turned to face Giles.
"You were right, we should have got out of here last night," said Spike.
"I'm glad you've finally decided to see sense on the subject," said Giles.
"What's going on? I feel as though I have skipped the main course and gone straight to the dessert," said Xander in confusion.
"What it means, is that Buffy and I are leaving Sunnydale," said Spike.
"When?" asked Willow.
"As soon as she gets the all clear. Which should be in a couple of hours," said Spike.
TBC
A/N thanks to every one who had read and reviewed. Much appreciated thanks!