A/N : Thanx to all you wonderful people that left reviews on the previous chapter; Ann, iluvglorfindel, bo-bob, Samolly, Malfeus, Spuffyluvr, spuffyfan-1, spikeswife1, Bunny, CraZy4SpikE09, sunnyhell, naiya-isis, Katie, velja, rubi-elektra, Moluvsnumber17, MaidenRo, Artemis Moonshine, ms trick, Bridge, Rachel, libraflyter, Moonglow13, Screeching Dragon, Shania Maxwell, Eurika, electricgurl, Princess Consuela, Spuffyfan4eva, SweetBitter, books41.
Seems we had a bit of a mixed reaction to Riley's death - kinda scary how most people were glad about it, but then I'm always glad when he dies too! ;-) I think this chapter will answer most of the questions I was asked in the reviews...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 15
"Psychology class was cancelled" Willow choked out, looking first at Xander and then across the table at Giles "Professor Walsh, she's...oh Giles, her and Riley" she sobbed "they're dead"
"Good God" Giles gasped. Though he didn't know Riley or the Professor very well, it was a shock to find out they were dead, but then considering the field they worked in, perhaps it was not so entirely surprising.
"Do they know what happened to them?" he asked Willow, as gently as he could. She continued to cry on her best friends shoulder, and Xander was oblivious to the nasty looks Anya was giving him for hugging a girl that wasn't her.
"I don't know" the red-head hiccuped, "We just got told they were..." she trailed off, unable to say anymore. Though the Professor was really no more than that to her, and Riley just her best friends ex, Willow felt it badly when these things happened, especially since she was more or less alone when she heard the news. Surrounded by classmates and yet without any of her friends to comfort her as she heard the dreadful news.
"Er, Anya" Giles finally spotted the girl shooting metaphorical daggers from her eyes as she watched Willow and Xander, "Would you make some sweet tea please, it's very good for shocks of these kind"
"Why is that your solution to everything?" she huffed as she headed for the kitchen, "British people always do that" she mumbled as she went, "Things going wrong? Drink tea, that'll fix it..."
"Oh God" Xander said suddenly, "Giles, what about Buffy. I mean, do we tell her?"
"Until we know what we're dealing with exactly it may be best not to" the Watcher reasoned, "In her condition a shock of this kind could be dangerous to both her and the baby" he explained, "Besides which if this does turn out to be a demon of some kind that has escaped from the Initiative, I don't think it would be wise to have Buffy rushing back here to do her duty as it were"
"So what next?" Xander asked, still hugging Willow and she sniffed and coughed.
"I shall go the college, see what I can find out" Giles decided, "In the meantime, I suggest you find as much as you can about the Slayer you were reading about a moment ago, and look after Willow and Anya until I get back"
Pulling the book on the table towards him and keeping his other arm firmly around Willow, the boy smiled tightly.
"Xan-Man's got it covered" he promised Giles, who nodded absently as he pulled on his jacket and left.
- - - - - - -
"So, we headed for these shops or what, pet?" Spike asked her as he came out of the bedroom fully dressed again. A part of Buffy was decidedly disappointed by the fact she could no longer see his beautifully toned body, but hey, memory and imagination were wonderful things sometimes. She found herself smiling and on the verge of blushing as she got up from the sofa and walked over to him.
"What's up with you?" he asked, wondering if he could guess. He wasn't quite so bothered about taking a shower really, but when he'd left the room before and accidentally found himself in the bathroom he'd decided he might as well. The idea to walk out into the living room, all dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel had come afterwards, when he'd overheard her call him gorgeous, amongst a lot of other less complimentary words. She was fighting what she felt for him, he knew it for certain now as she agreed to walk with him and fetch some food and supplies, a pink tinge to her cheeks as she brushed past him towards the bedroom where her jacket was.
In a moment she re-appeared and they both moved towards the door. Without thinking he opened it for her.
"What's that about?" she asked, frowning.
"I opened the door" he answered flatly, as if it were no big deal, "It's bloody polite to open doors for ladies, okay?" he said, more agitated by her incredulous look. Suddenly she was smiling shyly again like a school girl.
"I'm a lady now?" she asked, stupidly flattered by the remark.
"Always, luv" came Spike's quiet reply as they headed out into the cool night air.
They walked in silence for a while, neither really knowing what to say to the other. The only proper conversations they'd had were about her pregnancy and it really didn't seem like a fitting topic as they strolled along beneath the glowing moon.
It was the perfect romantic night, Buffy realised with equal amounts of pleasure and horror. Usually she didn't have time to appreciate the soft breeze, the pale moonlight, the silver stars, before she was savagely attacked by several of the undead, and yet here she was enjoying all these things in the company of a vampire who was completely different to any she'd met before.
A small sigh escaped her lips as they continued to walk in silence, a strangely comfortable lack of sound instead of those awkward moments she'd had on dates before when you don't really know what you're supposed to say next. Not that this was a date exactly, although she was attracted to Spike and him to her it seemed...
"I think there's a convenience store round the next corner" he said suddenly, shattering her pleasant and dreamy thoughts as reality came rushing back.
"Oh, good" she replied, switching back to nasty Slayer mode, "the less time I have to spend out here walking with you the better"
"Sing us a new one, pet" he said, shaking his head, "that one's getting stale"
"What are you talking about?" she asked tiredly as they rounded the corner.
"The whole 'I hate you cos you're evil' act" he told her as they stopped walking right outside the store, "Just drop it, luv, it's getting boring now"
"Oh, I'm sorry" she snapped, sounding anything but, "Just because some spell or something happened so you could get me pregnant, that means I'm supposed to forget you're a demon?" she asked somewhat angrily at the suggestion.
Spike looked annoyed at first but then smirked at her in that annoyingly gorgeous way he had.
"Y'know something, Slayer" he said, leaning in close, loving the fact her heart beat double time as he did so, "You're bleedin' gorgeous when you're angry" he told her, turning to walk into the store before she had time to react.
Buffy was stuck in the middle of wanting to tear the guy limb from limb and seriously wanting to kiss him senseless. Since he'd walked into the store and left her behind, she didn't have much option of doing either as she made to follow. One step forward and her head spun wildly. She managed to balance herself enough to get in through the door, but no further.
"Spike?" she managed his name right before the tiled floor came racing towards her, or more accurately she collapsed onto it.
- - - - - - -
"Oh baby, I just heard" Tara gasped as she rushed from the recently opened door of Giles' apartment to where Willow was sitting on the sofa, "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked as she held her girlfriend, and Willow found the embrace only caused more tears, this time of relief to have the one she loved there with her.
"I couldn't believe it" she told her, "I just...I mean, they were good people"
"I know, baby" Tara held her close and tried to comfort her as best she could. Anya seemed pleased that the two young women had each other to lean on now and that Xander's attention could be more focused on her. The only problem was, he still had his nose in those musty old books!
"Xander are you done with the research yet" she asked from across the table, "I'm very tired but also in need of sex" she told him matter-of-factly. Xander sighed.
"Ahn, this has to be done first" he told her tiredly, "We can't leave until Giles gets back and we figure out whats going on with the Initiative and with the Buffster"
"Why do these people always come first?" she demanded to know, "Why do they never have to wait whilst you spend time with me? Why is it always the other way around"
"I can't deal with this right now, Anya" her boyfriend told her, rubbing his tired eyes with his hand and trying to focus on the page in front of him, "Just try to understand that some stuff is more important than us and...what we do together"
Anya made an audible huffing sound as she violently flipped open the nearest book and half-heartedly read the random page.
'Today Nikki confessed to me that she is having a child...'
"Xander!" she suddenly realised she'd found what he was looking for, the Watcher's Diary that proceeded the one he'd found earlier, the one that told of a Slayer's pregnancy.
"Anya, I already said no" he told her, "Please, be quiet"
"But this is it!" she told him, pointing excitedly, feeling ridiculously pleased with herself for having found the vital information, "This is about the pregnant Slayer"
"What?!" Xander gasped, talking the book from her and scanning the pages, "Hey guys" he called over to Willow and Tara a moment later, "Things are looking up"
"I fear you may have spoken too soon" said a voice from the doorway and all four young people turned to see Giles there.
"W-what did you find out, Mr Giles?" Tara asked nervously as the older man came into the room, sitting down heavily in the armchair.
"I ran into one of the commandos, one of the more stupid ones, thankfully" he rolled his eyes before continuing, "He was in a state over the deaths of his comrades and slightly worse for wear for the alcohol he'd consumed. It seems there was some sort of project at the Initiative, operating in a secret lab, known by all as simply three-fourteen" he explained.
"But what does that have to do with Riley and Professor Walsh?" Xander frowned as he and Anya came to stand behind the couch where Willow and Tara still sat.
"The project was to build a being more powerful and intelligent than any human, demon, or machine, a type of hybrid if you will" he told them.
"That's what killed them?" Willow asked with a tremble in her voice, "The hybrid?"
"The Professor referred to him as Adam" Giles continued, "After the first man on Earth, one presumes. I understand he was not so easily controlled as the Professor believed he would be" he said sadly, and Willow knew the answer to her question was yes.
"So where's the scary-hybrid-Adam-monster now?" Xander asked, the first to recover from the shock of what they'd been told.
"That is the biggest problem" Giles admitted, "He escaped from the lab and now, he could be anywhere"
- - - - - - -
"Are you sure she's okay?" the shop assistant asked worriedly as she led Spike, carrying a semi-conscious Buffy, to a back room where a couch was situated.
"She'll be fine" he nodded as he lay her down, "I don't think she's eaten much all day, and what with that and the being pregnant..."
"Oh you two are having a baby?" the young girl grinned widely, "Congratulations"
"Thanks, pet" Spike smiled absently, "Do you think you could get a few bits together for me, whilst I sort out my friend here?" he asked, pulling a few dollars from his back pocket and handing them to her, "Essentials, y'know, bread, milk, maybe some cookies and stuff"
"No problem" the girl smiled, "I'll be right back" she said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Spike turned his attention back to Buffy who was by now mostly awake.
"Did I pass out again?" she asked, embarrassed and confused by her current situation.
"Seems that way, luv" Spike sat down beside her on the edge of the couch, "See, that's what happens when you don't eat all day. Can't skip meals now you're carrying the nibblet in there"
Buffy laughed in spite of herself. The situation was truly ridiculous when considered objectively. Here she was, in the staff area of a convenience store, many miles from home. There was a vampire leaning over her, checking she was okay and admonishing her for having not eaten lunch like a good girl, also referencing the fact she was having his child, which on it's own should be an impossible event.
"I hate that you're right" she said, no longer laughing but still smiling, "How is it you can be right so much, when everything about you is so wrong?" she asked, not meaning to insult him as such but finding she seemed to have done it by accident as he stood up swiftly and headed for the door.
"I'll get you some water or something" he mumbled as he left. Buffy frowned.
Most of the time, it was starting to seem that he cared about her, or at least the kid she was carrying and her own self by association. It was fairly obvious that she was physically attracted to him, and she liked him, more than she'd care to admit, when he was being nice to her, but there seemed to be something indefinable that kept anything from really happening between them.
Her thoughts were shattered by Spike's return to the room, complete with a glass of water, as promised.
"Here, thought you might want this" he said, handing it to her.
"Thankyou" she smiled at him but found he didn't return it this time, "Aren't you going to sit down?" she tried.
"Er, can't" he shook his head, "Girl's getting together some stuff for us then we've gotta go...if you're up to it" he added as an afterthought. It had hurt somewhat when she'd said he was 'all wrong'. He was used to her stupid, petty insults, and the whole 'evil, soulless thing' riff, but to have her say something like that, when he was so worried about her, when he really thought they were making a connection, that hurt more than any punch she'd ever thrown at him.
There was a knock on the door and the young girl from before appeared with several bags of groceries and big grin on her face. It occurred to Buffy that she was probably smiling like that purely for Spike's benefit, she clearly found him attractive, though he really didn't seem to notice it. He thanked her vaguely for sorting the shopping and for the use of the back room as Buffy pulled herself to her feet, feeling more steady now, though decidedly hungry too.
Soon they were walking back towards their temporary home, Spike carrying all the groceries and refusing to let the Slayer help. She found she didn't have the energy to protest right now.
The night did not seem half so romantic anymore, only a little too cool and crisp as the hour got later.
"I'll put this lot away" Spike said as they entered the apartment again and he headed for the kitchen. Buffy followed him and pulled herself up onto one of the two stools by the counter in silence.
"Spike..." she said, after a while, but he interrupted, as he placed a bag of cookies on the counter in front of her.
"Here, get you sugar levels right back up, they will" he told her, "Tomorrow we'll have to make sure you eat something decent"
She nodded slightly, prising open the bag and looking in at the cookies but not taking one just yet.
"What about you?" she frowned, "You didn't get any blood" she realised as he put the last of the groceries away. He turned to look at her then.
"Careful, Slayer" he warned, "You'll have me thinking you care in a minute"
"As if" she shot back automatically, immediately feeling bad for it, "but I kind of need you around right now" she admitted, "I think maybe, I want you to be around, y'know" her voice got so quiet it was barely audible by the end of her sentence but Spike heard every word with his finally tuned ears. He walked over to where she sat, eyes staring at the floor, and dared to reach out his hand to her face. His fingers under her chin, tipped her head up til she was looking at him and he smiled at her.
"Don't fret about me, luv" he said softly, "I'm not going anywhere"
"Good" Buffy found herself whispering back as his hand slid back into her hair and his eyes gazed into her own. If she didn't know better she'd have thought she could see right into his soul through the clear blue of those eyes of his. Before her mind could even process what was happening, he leaned closer to her, lowering his head until his lips touched hers. Deep down she knew she should be disgusted by this, but deeper than that she knew that this was all she'd wanted for quite some time, as she kissed him back in equal measure. The dizziness she'd felt before was nothing compared to the way her head was spinning now, but she didn't want to stop as his arms wound around her and hers around him.
For the first time since Willow's mixed up Will Be Done spell, Spike felt truly alive. He'd taken a gamble, daring to kiss Buffy like this, but it seemed that putting a stake through his heart was the last thing on the Slayer's mind. Whatever happened afterwards, it didn't matter. She could never deny that she wanted him, maybe even liked him, not after this.
What Spike didn't know was that Buffy was suddenly contemplating the fact that she more than liked him. Could this really be love?
To Be Continued...
A/N2 : Less shocking ending, more sweet and happy, at least that was the plan. Thoughts, comments, and opinions please - in other words, please review! :-)