Chapter 14- Everybody Loves Buffy
Giles glanced at the dark-haired girl next to him as they departed the plane. The apprehension of seeing everyone again was obviously causing her some discomfort. He hadn't wanted to bring her back so soon, but this prophecy had forced his hand. All of his research had still been unable to turn up any information about the counter-action. So, he had wanted to have her help available should it be needed. They had been training heavily for this past year, trying to forget all of the past. He just hoped that she was ready for this.
"She still hates me G. Plus, with all of this going on, she'll want to take it out on somebody. I am the perfect candidate for that. Hell, I even think it would be more fair if I was the one in this predicament. I wouldn't sweat a three-some with Angel and Spike," her voice was quiet. No matter how flippant her comment may have been, the effect of being back in Sunnydale was evident in her voice.
"Faith, I will handle Buffy. And, um.. you aren't in love with them. So, let's um.. not talk about being in this predicament." Giles grimaced. How in the world were these two slayers, the most powerful in the history of slayerdom, so attracted to two of the worst vampires in history?
Faith's eyes clouded over with an emotion Giles couldn't read. "But I could be, it wouldn't be hard," she whispered.
Freshly showered and properly dressed, Buffy stepped out of the bathroom into her bedroom. She let out a little gasp of surprise as she caught sight of Dawn sitting on her bed waiting for her.
"Will you tell me what's going on now? Or do I have to keep guessing? Because to me, it looks like my big sister is sleeping with not one, but two vampires!" Dawn's voice shook with anger. She wasn't really angry about the fact that Buffy probably was sleeping with them, honestly, they were pretty hot, and her sister was a mature adult. But something was going on, further proven by the appearance of Angel's friends and Gile's pending arrival. Why was she always left out of the loop? She was almost 18, an adult in her own right!
"Dawn, I should have told you. I know that. Sometimes, I still have trouble accepting that you are old enough to deal with.adult stuff." Buffy sat on the bed beside her, laying her hand on her knee.
"Buffy, when you were my age, you had lost your virginity, dealt with you boyfriend losing his soul and sent him to hell in order to save the world. I think that I can at least handle whatever is going on." Dawn's voice was calmer now, but she was still a little upset. She didn't like hurting her sister by bringing up her past, but Buffy needed to understand that she was not a little kid anymore.
Buffy winced at Dawn's words. God, she didn't want to think about all of that; hadn't in fact thought about it in sometime. "I know. Do you really want to know what's going on? I'll tell you, but it isn't pretty."
Buffy explained it all, a blush on her cheeks the entire time. She left out the parts about sleeping with Angel and Spike in the past two days. She was willing to concede that Dawn was old enough to know, but she hadn't even had a chance to talk to Willow about her goddess-aided lack of inhibitions.
"Cool! So you get to basically act out the fantasy of women all over the world and you get to guaranteed have a baby with the man that you love. Plus, you get to live forever in a utopian like world. Yup, Buff, I would definitely say that you drew the shitty card this time!" Dawn rolled her eyes at her older sister. Honestly! Sometimes Buffy acted like she was some little kid still. Slayer or not, there were definitely times that Dawn felt more mature.
"Hey! Watch your mouth! Besides, well, I mean, isn't it kind of slutty? Sleeping with them at the same time?" Buffy was shocked at how casually Dawn was taking all of this. Was she really that immature that her seventeen year old virgin sister could deal with all of this without batting an eye?
"Nah. It would be slutty if it was a bunch of random people who you had no feelings for, but two guys you are in love with? I think it's pretty cool. You get to act out a fantasy with the excuse of being forced to by a prophecy. No one can say anything!"
The sisters sat quietly again, lost in their own thoughts. "You're going to have a baby in nine months Buff. I think you need to be more worried about that then the act of making the baby. Will you marry whoever is the dad? Will the baby be a vampire? Am I going to have to move?"
Buffy looked at her sister, completely shocked. "What? Why on Earth would you even ask that? I don't know the answers to any of the questions before that, so I'll need all of you here for support. Plus, you are my sister; I am not going to kick you out just because I am going to have a baby. Don't be dumb. Now, go downstairs and tell everyone that I will be down in a minute."
Dawn hopped up. She started to turn and leave, but she hugged Buffy instead. "I love you ya know? Everything is going to be okay." She scurried away quickly then, having no desire to deal with the mushy stuff.
Buffy smiled and sat at her vanity to brush out her hair. She grimaced a little as the brushing motions pulled at the bite mark on her breast. She had been in such a hurry to clean herself in the shower that she hadn't bothered to look at the marks on her body. She pushed the neckline of the tank-top down to look at the mark. "God, I hope this heals soon. I don't want anybody to see this," she muttered to herself, running her finger-tip over the two perfect puncture marks next to her nipple. A deep purple bruise was forming around them. A little thrill coursed through her as she flashed back to the vision of Angelus sinking his fangs there, his hands gripping her ass as he held her against the wall.
"They won't. He, I mean, we marked you; on both spots. They'll scar just like the mark on your neck. He wanted you to remember, even if Spike wins." Angel's voice behind her shocked her out of her memory.
"Jesus! Doesn't anybody around here knock anymore?" Buffy yelled, jerking her tank-top back up in place. "How am I going to explain these marks to Spike?"
"Don't. He won't ask because he doesn't want to know. He is the one who released Angelus; he doesn't want to think about any of the possible outcomes of that. But, I didn't come up here to talk about what happened, but then I saw you," his voice deepened with arousal.
"I was just checking on the damage. If you didn't come up here to talk about that, let's don't. I don't feel like dealing with it right now. Plus, not to throw a bucket of cold water on your raging libido, but I think I am all sexed out for the week. Unless my little kiss starts acting up again."
"Right. Sorry. You're kind of like a drug Buff, I can never get enough. But, the reason I came up here is talk to you about something that I did that might piss you off, but I hope you will see that it is for the best."
"Angel." Buffy's voice warned. She hated when he did stuff in the name of what was 'for the best'. Why did she always have to fight to make her own decisions with him?!
"Listen, Buffy. This is non-negotiable. I set up a trust-fund for the baby. Just in case."
"Why would you do that? I don't need your money; we do just fine here on our own." Buffy's voice began to rise as the anger started seeping in. Underneath the anger though, she could feel the truth in the words. Money was really tight around here right now. She was only making the bills by doing a well rehearsed juggling act.
Angel just looked at her quietly. He knew he should tell her that he was all to aware of her bill problems, had in fact, stepped in and paid a few when he had learned of the bill collectors getting ready to repossess. Angel had his connections, and he knew that when Buffy got to stressing really hard, it was easy for her not to question things. Deep down, she would know that something must have happened to make the collectors back off, but it was easy to ignore that voice when relief stepped in. "Buff, I know that it's bad. I... umm. sort of."
Buffy raised her hand. "Don't. If you say it out loud then I have to admit it is true. I know, but if we say it, then I have to deal with knowing. So, let's talk about this trust fund okay?"
Angel nodded, "Fair enough. I set up a trust fund for the baby that will provide you with an allowance of $2000 a month until the baby is 18. When they turn 18, their college is provided for, and they will receive a small amount when they graduate."
"Oh my god, Angel. That is crazy! That is like 430,000 dollars! And that is just for the allowance. I can't accept money like that! Besides, where did you get that kind of money?" Buffy yelled.
"Actually the total amount of the trust fund is 650,000 dollars. $432,000 for the allowance, I allowed $100,000 for college, and that leaves the baby with $118,000 upon graduation. That is enough for a house. I have collected a lot of money, property and valuable items over the past 240-someodd years. And, technically, the money isn't for you, it is for the baby. Even if the baby isn't mine, I want them to be provided for. Spike doesn't have a whole lot of money, he usually gambled it all away, and I know you are pretty strapped. This just made sense. I talked to Spike a few minutes ago about it. He doesn't like it, but even he has to admit that it is in the better interest for the baby." Angel said nothing else, only turned and walked downstairs.
Buffy growled in frustration. "You might as well come in here Spike. I can feel you out there in the hallway. Did you honestly agree to this?" The platinum vampire stuck his head into the room. His eyes washed over Buffy, relieved that Angelus had left no marks anywhere visible. 'Probably in his usual spots, the breast and thigh', he thought to himself. Still, he wasn't angry with her. Just incredibly jealous and threatened. "I actually did pet. It makes sense, and we shouldn't deny our baby out of pride."
The day had been so long and eventful that Buffy wasn't up to correcting him. Besides, he was right, the baby could just as easily be his. It was up to fate and the competency of dead sperm to decide. "Come sit by me," she whispered. Spike happily complied, easily sharing the vanity seat with the petite blonde.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, surprised that she didn't feel guilty. Dawn was right, she needed to grow up and deal with her own sexuality. She had more important things to think about soon. "What's your real hair color?" Buffy suddenly asked. She was as surprised as Spike by her question, but it suddenly seemed very important.
"Dark brown. Why?" His fingers toyed with the blonde locks. Just being near her made him feel alive again. He nuzzled his nose against her hair, inhaling the soft hibiscus scent of the shampoo she wore.
"Because, if the baby is yours, then I was wondering what it would look like. What would we name them?" She leaned back against him further, entranced by the idea of a baby. She hadn't really thought about these parts of the prophecy. She could imagine a baby with Spike and Angel.
"Well... if it is a boy, I was thinking we could name him Liam." Buffy looked up in surprise. "What?! But that is Angel's name!"
Spike nodded. "I know. But it is also a play off of my real name, love. Plus, I was thinking about it. If it is our baby, of which I have no doubt, I would kind of like to have something to remember all of this. I don't want to replace your memories with Angel, they are what made you into the woman I fell in love with. Plus, Angel and me, we used to be best mates. I do have a little respect for the old poof, and... I wouldn't want to name my son Peaches in his honor."
Buffy giggled and stood up. "Come on Dork. Let's go downstairs. I have company."
"Buffy wait." Spike grabbed her hand, and kissed her. Not his usual passionate or playful kiss. But a deep soulful kiss that took her breath away. "I really love you."
"Yeah, I've been getting a lot of that today. What can I say, I am just loveable."
Giles glanced at the dark-haired girl next to him as they departed the plane. The apprehension of seeing everyone again was obviously causing her some discomfort. He hadn't wanted to bring her back so soon, but this prophecy had forced his hand. All of his research had still been unable to turn up any information about the counter-action. So, he had wanted to have her help available should it be needed. They had been training heavily for this past year, trying to forget all of the past. He just hoped that she was ready for this.
"She still hates me G. Plus, with all of this going on, she'll want to take it out on somebody. I am the perfect candidate for that. Hell, I even think it would be more fair if I was the one in this predicament. I wouldn't sweat a three-some with Angel and Spike," her voice was quiet. No matter how flippant her comment may have been, the effect of being back in Sunnydale was evident in her voice.
"Faith, I will handle Buffy. And, um.. you aren't in love with them. So, let's um.. not talk about being in this predicament." Giles grimaced. How in the world were these two slayers, the most powerful in the history of slayerdom, so attracted to two of the worst vampires in history?
Faith's eyes clouded over with an emotion Giles couldn't read. "But I could be, it wouldn't be hard," she whispered.
Freshly showered and properly dressed, Buffy stepped out of the bathroom into her bedroom. She let out a little gasp of surprise as she caught sight of Dawn sitting on her bed waiting for her.
"Will you tell me what's going on now? Or do I have to keep guessing? Because to me, it looks like my big sister is sleeping with not one, but two vampires!" Dawn's voice shook with anger. She wasn't really angry about the fact that Buffy probably was sleeping with them, honestly, they were pretty hot, and her sister was a mature adult. But something was going on, further proven by the appearance of Angel's friends and Gile's pending arrival. Why was she always left out of the loop? She was almost 18, an adult in her own right!
"Dawn, I should have told you. I know that. Sometimes, I still have trouble accepting that you are old enough to deal with.adult stuff." Buffy sat on the bed beside her, laying her hand on her knee.
"Buffy, when you were my age, you had lost your virginity, dealt with you boyfriend losing his soul and sent him to hell in order to save the world. I think that I can at least handle whatever is going on." Dawn's voice was calmer now, but she was still a little upset. She didn't like hurting her sister by bringing up her past, but Buffy needed to understand that she was not a little kid anymore.
Buffy winced at Dawn's words. God, she didn't want to think about all of that; hadn't in fact thought about it in sometime. "I know. Do you really want to know what's going on? I'll tell you, but it isn't pretty."
Buffy explained it all, a blush on her cheeks the entire time. She left out the parts about sleeping with Angel and Spike in the past two days. She was willing to concede that Dawn was old enough to know, but she hadn't even had a chance to talk to Willow about her goddess-aided lack of inhibitions.
"Cool! So you get to basically act out the fantasy of women all over the world and you get to guaranteed have a baby with the man that you love. Plus, you get to live forever in a utopian like world. Yup, Buff, I would definitely say that you drew the shitty card this time!" Dawn rolled her eyes at her older sister. Honestly! Sometimes Buffy acted like she was some little kid still. Slayer or not, there were definitely times that Dawn felt more mature.
"Hey! Watch your mouth! Besides, well, I mean, isn't it kind of slutty? Sleeping with them at the same time?" Buffy was shocked at how casually Dawn was taking all of this. Was she really that immature that her seventeen year old virgin sister could deal with all of this without batting an eye?
"Nah. It would be slutty if it was a bunch of random people who you had no feelings for, but two guys you are in love with? I think it's pretty cool. You get to act out a fantasy with the excuse of being forced to by a prophecy. No one can say anything!"
The sisters sat quietly again, lost in their own thoughts. "You're going to have a baby in nine months Buff. I think you need to be more worried about that then the act of making the baby. Will you marry whoever is the dad? Will the baby be a vampire? Am I going to have to move?"
Buffy looked at her sister, completely shocked. "What? Why on Earth would you even ask that? I don't know the answers to any of the questions before that, so I'll need all of you here for support. Plus, you are my sister; I am not going to kick you out just because I am going to have a baby. Don't be dumb. Now, go downstairs and tell everyone that I will be down in a minute."
Dawn hopped up. She started to turn and leave, but she hugged Buffy instead. "I love you ya know? Everything is going to be okay." She scurried away quickly then, having no desire to deal with the mushy stuff.
Buffy smiled and sat at her vanity to brush out her hair. She grimaced a little as the brushing motions pulled at the bite mark on her breast. She had been in such a hurry to clean herself in the shower that she hadn't bothered to look at the marks on her body. She pushed the neckline of the tank-top down to look at the mark. "God, I hope this heals soon. I don't want anybody to see this," she muttered to herself, running her finger-tip over the two perfect puncture marks next to her nipple. A deep purple bruise was forming around them. A little thrill coursed through her as she flashed back to the vision of Angelus sinking his fangs there, his hands gripping her ass as he held her against the wall.
"They won't. He, I mean, we marked you; on both spots. They'll scar just like the mark on your neck. He wanted you to remember, even if Spike wins." Angel's voice behind her shocked her out of her memory.
"Jesus! Doesn't anybody around here knock anymore?" Buffy yelled, jerking her tank-top back up in place. "How am I going to explain these marks to Spike?"
"Don't. He won't ask because he doesn't want to know. He is the one who released Angelus; he doesn't want to think about any of the possible outcomes of that. But, I didn't come up here to talk about what happened, but then I saw you," his voice deepened with arousal.
"I was just checking on the damage. If you didn't come up here to talk about that, let's don't. I don't feel like dealing with it right now. Plus, not to throw a bucket of cold water on your raging libido, but I think I am all sexed out for the week. Unless my little kiss starts acting up again."
"Right. Sorry. You're kind of like a drug Buff, I can never get enough. But, the reason I came up here is talk to you about something that I did that might piss you off, but I hope you will see that it is for the best."
"Angel." Buffy's voice warned. She hated when he did stuff in the name of what was 'for the best'. Why did she always have to fight to make her own decisions with him?!
"Listen, Buffy. This is non-negotiable. I set up a trust-fund for the baby. Just in case."
"Why would you do that? I don't need your money; we do just fine here on our own." Buffy's voice began to rise as the anger started seeping in. Underneath the anger though, she could feel the truth in the words. Money was really tight around here right now. She was only making the bills by doing a well rehearsed juggling act.
Angel just looked at her quietly. He knew he should tell her that he was all to aware of her bill problems, had in fact, stepped in and paid a few when he had learned of the bill collectors getting ready to repossess. Angel had his connections, and he knew that when Buffy got to stressing really hard, it was easy for her not to question things. Deep down, she would know that something must have happened to make the collectors back off, but it was easy to ignore that voice when relief stepped in. "Buff, I know that it's bad. I... umm. sort of."
Buffy raised her hand. "Don't. If you say it out loud then I have to admit it is true. I know, but if we say it, then I have to deal with knowing. So, let's talk about this trust fund okay?"
Angel nodded, "Fair enough. I set up a trust fund for the baby that will provide you with an allowance of $2000 a month until the baby is 18. When they turn 18, their college is provided for, and they will receive a small amount when they graduate."
"Oh my god, Angel. That is crazy! That is like 430,000 dollars! And that is just for the allowance. I can't accept money like that! Besides, where did you get that kind of money?" Buffy yelled.
"Actually the total amount of the trust fund is 650,000 dollars. $432,000 for the allowance, I allowed $100,000 for college, and that leaves the baby with $118,000 upon graduation. That is enough for a house. I have collected a lot of money, property and valuable items over the past 240-someodd years. And, technically, the money isn't for you, it is for the baby. Even if the baby isn't mine, I want them to be provided for. Spike doesn't have a whole lot of money, he usually gambled it all away, and I know you are pretty strapped. This just made sense. I talked to Spike a few minutes ago about it. He doesn't like it, but even he has to admit that it is in the better interest for the baby." Angel said nothing else, only turned and walked downstairs.
Buffy growled in frustration. "You might as well come in here Spike. I can feel you out there in the hallway. Did you honestly agree to this?" The platinum vampire stuck his head into the room. His eyes washed over Buffy, relieved that Angelus had left no marks anywhere visible. 'Probably in his usual spots, the breast and thigh', he thought to himself. Still, he wasn't angry with her. Just incredibly jealous and threatened. "I actually did pet. It makes sense, and we shouldn't deny our baby out of pride."
The day had been so long and eventful that Buffy wasn't up to correcting him. Besides, he was right, the baby could just as easily be his. It was up to fate and the competency of dead sperm to decide. "Come sit by me," she whispered. Spike happily complied, easily sharing the vanity seat with the petite blonde.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, surprised that she didn't feel guilty. Dawn was right, she needed to grow up and deal with her own sexuality. She had more important things to think about soon. "What's your real hair color?" Buffy suddenly asked. She was as surprised as Spike by her question, but it suddenly seemed very important.
"Dark brown. Why?" His fingers toyed with the blonde locks. Just being near her made him feel alive again. He nuzzled his nose against her hair, inhaling the soft hibiscus scent of the shampoo she wore.
"Because, if the baby is yours, then I was wondering what it would look like. What would we name them?" She leaned back against him further, entranced by the idea of a baby. She hadn't really thought about these parts of the prophecy. She could imagine a baby with Spike and Angel.
"Well... if it is a boy, I was thinking we could name him Liam." Buffy looked up in surprise. "What?! But that is Angel's name!"
Spike nodded. "I know. But it is also a play off of my real name, love. Plus, I was thinking about it. If it is our baby, of which I have no doubt, I would kind of like to have something to remember all of this. I don't want to replace your memories with Angel, they are what made you into the woman I fell in love with. Plus, Angel and me, we used to be best mates. I do have a little respect for the old poof, and... I wouldn't want to name my son Peaches in his honor."
Buffy giggled and stood up. "Come on Dork. Let's go downstairs. I have company."
"Buffy wait." Spike grabbed her hand, and kissed her. Not his usual passionate or playful kiss. But a deep soulful kiss that took her breath away. "I really love you."
"Yeah, I've been getting a lot of that today. What can I say, I am just loveable."