~*Chapter Nine*~
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Dawn wasn't sure what was going on but she was blinking back bright lights and she could hear people talking around her, rushed voices. She could hear Xander's voice above all, saying something, and she felt herself wanting to retreat when she heard Buffy's urgent voice telling someone not to let her die.
Die? How could she die? She wasn't hurt.... She got a clear view of Anya's anxious face, but then things went blurry and her eyes closed again.
When she blinked open her eyes again, she thought it might have only been a few minutes since she'd open her eyes that first time, but obviously not. This time her view was clear right from the start, the lights were dimmed, and she could totally feel her body. It was sore and....
Her eyes went wide and she jolted straight in bed, hissing in pain, then panic when her hands met her stomach. "My baby!" She said in a rush, then jumped as a hand touched her shoulder.
"Shhh...it's okay..." Dawn's shoulders relaxed as Willow's familiar voice to her ears. "Your babies are okay."
"Babies?" She squeaked, letting the red head push her back down against her hospital bed.
"Twins, a boy and a girl." She smiled gently, noticing the girls shocked look. "We were all puzzled by that, infact... we sent Anya to go get that book we found on the prophecy... Xander's gone with the nurse to bring the babies back..." A frown started on Willow's lips, "You've been out for three hours, we were afraid you wouldn't wake up. You took quite a fall, that demon pushed you straight down the stairs.." She didn't stop talking and didn't see Dawn's own frown come to play, "We called Spike...he and the others were out, taking care of that case, but Fred told us she'd get the message through....I bet Spike and Connor are on their way right now... Buffy's out in the hall, do you want me to go get her?"
"No!" Dawn said quickly, then tried to keep herself calm. "No...I....I would like to be alone for a little bit...please?" She looked pleading up at the red head, then sighed with relief as she left without question.
Everything was coming back slowly, but it was coming back. Her arguement with Buffy. It was all so clear now. Buffy had found out about Spike and Willow somehow and had been in one of her moods.... she'd accused Dawn of betraying her but never letting her know what a coniving bitch Willow was being, stealing Spike from her. She remembered yelling that Spike wasn't hers, just as Angel wasn't hers. They'd yelled about Connor then....
Dawn had slapped Buffy. For the first time ever, she had slapped Buffy....and Buffy....
"Pushed me down the stairs..." She whispered in horror. She remembered that she'd blacked out right when she hit the ground, but she'd come through. Buffy hadn't apologized, she hadn't said...done anything..she'd smirked and just looked at her until she began to moan in pain, and then she had called an ambulance.
"So much blood..." She whispered and looked at her clean hands, but she remembered how the blood had pooled around her quickly, the contractions that had come with the fall, the pain. She had been so afraid she'd lose her child...and instead...she'd gained one.
She could remember the paramedics talking to her, telling her to keep her eyes open, and then when they were in the ER, she'd been told to push, she'd felt someone holding her hand...Willow...she remembered Willow, and Xander with Anya standing outside the glass door, but no Buffy. The babies...oh god she could remember their cries when they came into this world. She had felt so drained after that....everything after that was a blur-
"Here we are..." She looked up from her hands in surprise as Xander's happy voice broke through her toughts, "Will told me you were up, glad to see it..." He came walking into the room, carrying a child in his arms, Willow following with another one and Buffy coming in last, a smile on her lips, though their was a dangerous gleam in her eyes that put Dawn on edge immediately.
"Do you want to hold one?" Willow asked, unaware of the tension and fear in the teenage girl from her own sister.
"Oh umm...yeah..." Her attention snapped back at Willow and Xander, flustered and anxious as they set the boy and girl into her arms. "They're so tiny...I'm afraid I'll hurt them..." She said quietly, gazing down at the infants that stared back at her with dark hair and blue eyes.
"Nurse tells me you have until you go to check out to name them.."Xander inform her, standing on one side of the bed, just as Willow was doing, though Buffy strayed from them.
"I already have something picked out...I decided on something a few weeks ago when i didn't know what I was going to have..." She said in a quiet tone, never looking up from the babies...HER babies. "Macayle Joy for the girl..." She started softly, "I think I want to call her Mac...or maybe just Joy....and for him.." Her eyes moved to the boy, "I think Michael William...." She looked up at Willow and Xander, then slowly brought her gaze over to where Buffy was, but she had vanished.
'Good' She thought, 'I don't have to pretend.'
"Guys...could...could you put them in their crib thingys." What were those things called again? She couldn't remember, but the two did as she asked. "There was no demon...there was no demon.." She began in a rushed voice, hurriedly, afraid Buffy would show back up before she could say anything. She tried to get out of the bed, they couldn't stay there, they couldn't...Buffy would come back and-
"Whoa whoa whoa...what are you doing?" Xander asked with a frown as he pushed her back down, "Calm down, your getting hysterical."
"No you don't understand!" Dawn tried, but this time was cut off by the door banging open. She held her breath for a moment, fearing Buffy had come back, but as strong....familar arms...WARM arms circled her body, she knew it wasn't Buffy. "Connor!" She hugged him so tightly, feeling tears stinging her eyes, her exhaustion evident as she slumped against him, sniffling as he whispered soft words to her and stroked her hair.
"Move aside boy." Spike said in a gruff voice, "Bloody hell..." He forcefully removed Connor from the bed and sat down, pulling Dawn to him, and that's when her sobs broke out. "Shh...now now nibblet..." He stroked her hair and held him to her, glaring lightly at his witch and the moron who were staring at him with silly little grins for his show of affection. He slowly let Connor take over holding Dawn.
He watched the two teens warily for a second before moving away and glancing towards the hospital baby carriers. "Two?" He muttered to himself, "Two lil' bitsizes around?" He said in wonder, then an angry scowl and a low growl came from him.
"The demon Dawn. What type of Demon?" He asked in a threatening tone.
"Buffy." She said simply.
"She saw it, you didn't?" Connor asked with a frown as he pulled back to look down at his love.
"No...there was no demon. Buffy pushed me down the stairs." She said with a grimace, watching how shock went around the room.
TBC
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Dawn wasn't sure what was going on but she was blinking back bright lights and she could hear people talking around her, rushed voices. She could hear Xander's voice above all, saying something, and she felt herself wanting to retreat when she heard Buffy's urgent voice telling someone not to let her die.
Die? How could she die? She wasn't hurt.... She got a clear view of Anya's anxious face, but then things went blurry and her eyes closed again.
When she blinked open her eyes again, she thought it might have only been a few minutes since she'd open her eyes that first time, but obviously not. This time her view was clear right from the start, the lights were dimmed, and she could totally feel her body. It was sore and....
Her eyes went wide and she jolted straight in bed, hissing in pain, then panic when her hands met her stomach. "My baby!" She said in a rush, then jumped as a hand touched her shoulder.
"Shhh...it's okay..." Dawn's shoulders relaxed as Willow's familiar voice to her ears. "Your babies are okay."
"Babies?" She squeaked, letting the red head push her back down against her hospital bed.
"Twins, a boy and a girl." She smiled gently, noticing the girls shocked look. "We were all puzzled by that, infact... we sent Anya to go get that book we found on the prophecy... Xander's gone with the nurse to bring the babies back..." A frown started on Willow's lips, "You've been out for three hours, we were afraid you wouldn't wake up. You took quite a fall, that demon pushed you straight down the stairs.." She didn't stop talking and didn't see Dawn's own frown come to play, "We called Spike...he and the others were out, taking care of that case, but Fred told us she'd get the message through....I bet Spike and Connor are on their way right now... Buffy's out in the hall, do you want me to go get her?"
"No!" Dawn said quickly, then tried to keep herself calm. "No...I....I would like to be alone for a little bit...please?" She looked pleading up at the red head, then sighed with relief as she left without question.
Everything was coming back slowly, but it was coming back. Her arguement with Buffy. It was all so clear now. Buffy had found out about Spike and Willow somehow and had been in one of her moods.... she'd accused Dawn of betraying her but never letting her know what a coniving bitch Willow was being, stealing Spike from her. She remembered yelling that Spike wasn't hers, just as Angel wasn't hers. They'd yelled about Connor then....
Dawn had slapped Buffy. For the first time ever, she had slapped Buffy....and Buffy....
"Pushed me down the stairs..." She whispered in horror. She remembered that she'd blacked out right when she hit the ground, but she'd come through. Buffy hadn't apologized, she hadn't said...done anything..she'd smirked and just looked at her until she began to moan in pain, and then she had called an ambulance.
"So much blood..." She whispered and looked at her clean hands, but she remembered how the blood had pooled around her quickly, the contractions that had come with the fall, the pain. She had been so afraid she'd lose her child...and instead...she'd gained one.
She could remember the paramedics talking to her, telling her to keep her eyes open, and then when they were in the ER, she'd been told to push, she'd felt someone holding her hand...Willow...she remembered Willow, and Xander with Anya standing outside the glass door, but no Buffy. The babies...oh god she could remember their cries when they came into this world. She had felt so drained after that....everything after that was a blur-
"Here we are..." She looked up from her hands in surprise as Xander's happy voice broke through her toughts, "Will told me you were up, glad to see it..." He came walking into the room, carrying a child in his arms, Willow following with another one and Buffy coming in last, a smile on her lips, though their was a dangerous gleam in her eyes that put Dawn on edge immediately.
"Do you want to hold one?" Willow asked, unaware of the tension and fear in the teenage girl from her own sister.
"Oh umm...yeah..." Her attention snapped back at Willow and Xander, flustered and anxious as they set the boy and girl into her arms. "They're so tiny...I'm afraid I'll hurt them..." She said quietly, gazing down at the infants that stared back at her with dark hair and blue eyes.
"Nurse tells me you have until you go to check out to name them.."Xander inform her, standing on one side of the bed, just as Willow was doing, though Buffy strayed from them.
"I already have something picked out...I decided on something a few weeks ago when i didn't know what I was going to have..." She said in a quiet tone, never looking up from the babies...HER babies. "Macayle Joy for the girl..." She started softly, "I think I want to call her Mac...or maybe just Joy....and for him.." Her eyes moved to the boy, "I think Michael William...." She looked up at Willow and Xander, then slowly brought her gaze over to where Buffy was, but she had vanished.
'Good' She thought, 'I don't have to pretend.'
"Guys...could...could you put them in their crib thingys." What were those things called again? She couldn't remember, but the two did as she asked. "There was no demon...there was no demon.." She began in a rushed voice, hurriedly, afraid Buffy would show back up before she could say anything. She tried to get out of the bed, they couldn't stay there, they couldn't...Buffy would come back and-
"Whoa whoa whoa...what are you doing?" Xander asked with a frown as he pushed her back down, "Calm down, your getting hysterical."
"No you don't understand!" Dawn tried, but this time was cut off by the door banging open. She held her breath for a moment, fearing Buffy had come back, but as strong....familar arms...WARM arms circled her body, she knew it wasn't Buffy. "Connor!" She hugged him so tightly, feeling tears stinging her eyes, her exhaustion evident as she slumped against him, sniffling as he whispered soft words to her and stroked her hair.
"Move aside boy." Spike said in a gruff voice, "Bloody hell..." He forcefully removed Connor from the bed and sat down, pulling Dawn to him, and that's when her sobs broke out. "Shh...now now nibblet..." He stroked her hair and held him to her, glaring lightly at his witch and the moron who were staring at him with silly little grins for his show of affection. He slowly let Connor take over holding Dawn.
He watched the two teens warily for a second before moving away and glancing towards the hospital baby carriers. "Two?" He muttered to himself, "Two lil' bitsizes around?" He said in wonder, then an angry scowl and a low growl came from him.
"The demon Dawn. What type of Demon?" He asked in a threatening tone.
"Buffy." She said simply.
"She saw it, you didn't?" Connor asked with a frown as he pulled back to look down at his love.
"No...there was no demon. Buffy pushed me down the stairs." She said with a grimace, watching how shock went around the room.
TBC