A/N : I know a lot of you love this fic, but there's actually not going to be that much more of it. Maybe I could make it longer, but I have a plan that kinda wraps it up in the next few chapters. I hope you'll all like how it goes anyway...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 13

Sunday passed in a strange kind of blur for Buffy. Michael didn't seem to want to leave her side for more than a moment and she wondered if it were to do with the almost-accident from the day before scaring him, or something else. What if he'd seen more than she thought at the hospital when she and Spike had been getting close, Buffy thought, what if he'd worked out something more than talking had occurred when he and Giles had been out? Buffy mentally slapped herself for being such an idiot. Her son was smart but he was only six years old, there was no way he could possibly know what was happening between his mother and Spike, and boy was Buffy glad about that.

Giles of course was different, he was an adult and he knew the ways of the world. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that Spike and Buffy had not been using their tongues for a conversation of the wordy kind on Saturday afternoon, and though he didn't say anything about it, Buffy knew he didn't approve.

It was late Sunday when the pressure of not talking about the situation finally got to her so much she cracked. Michael was tucked up in bed and finally asleep, leaving his mother and grandfather in the living room watching an old movie. As it ended and Giles flipped off the TV, Buffy spoke.

"I know that you know" she said, confusing her father slightly, "and I know you don't approve... about me and Spike"

"Ah" Giles nodded in understanding, "Yes, well, you are a grown woman Buffy, what you do and with whom is entirely your own, well, affair" he said, suddenly realising how accurate that particular phrase was. Though he disliked Angel intensely, in the eyes of the law Buffy was cheating on her husband, and it was not something Giles entirely condoned.

"I know it's crazy" his daughter sighed, "I know I'm probably so stupid for letting this random guy into my life, he could be anybody, Giles" she admitted, "but the fact is, he isn't. He's not just a somebody or an anybody... he's the man I love" she said quietly, realising it was the first time she'd fully admitted that, even to herself.

"Buffy, my dear" Giles shook his head as he reached to out a hand over hers, "I do understand the strong feelings you harbour for this man" he assured her, "I was young once you know, and simple physical attraction can be misinterpreted greatly over time..."

"Giles" Buffy interrupted, shaking her head, "This is not fantasy, it's not just infatuation or whatever either" she told him firmly, "I know that it's crazy, I'm not denying that, but I am in love with Spike"

Her father did not know what to say or think. She was his daughter, and though he hadn't known about her for a very long time, in the few short months he had known of her and Michael too, he'd accepted them as his family so easily and wanted nothing but to protect them and ensure they were happy. It seemed highly unlikely to him that Spike and Buffy could be in love as she seemed to think, he rather fancied she thought she loved him and that he was perhaps playing along for sexual gain. That could only ever end in tears and heartache and his girl had suffered enough already.

"Buffy, I do see why you might think that" he said, begging her to understand what he was saying to her, "but you don't know this Spike person, as you say it is rather strange to suddenly decide you're in love, especially when his feelings have yet to be discussed"

"I know" his daughter sighed, "but Giles, he doesn't have to say it, neither of us have said the words, but it's just there" she said, almost wishing she could make herself heard and fully understood, but finding it so difficult to put into words what she meant to say. It was then something occurred to her.

"Giles, how long did you know my Mom?" she asked, and he frowned slightly at the question, not really understanding where it had suddenly come from,. A quick calculation led him to his answer.

"Buffy that was entirely different" he pointed out but she shook her head.

"I didn't ask about differences" she reminded him, "I asked how long you knew her"

Giles sighed before saying what she already knew.

"In total, one month, before I was forced to return to England" he admitted, removing his glasses and polishing them vigorously, "but Buffy, I spent almost the entirety of that month in your mother's company, getting to know her, spending time just talking and..."

"And it doesn't make a difference" Buffy shook her head as she interrupted her father once again, "You know it doesn't. A person doesn't just sleep with another person after four weeks of knowing them without a reason, and you told me yourself you loved my Mom" she reminded him.

"Indeed I did" Giles smiled at the memory of dear Joyce, "From the very first moment I laid eyes on her I believe I was in love"

He started when he realised what he'd just confessed and he looked at Buffy who smiled slightly at her triumph.

"Love at first sight" she said quietly, "I'm not saying that's what it was with me and Spike, maybe, but I don't know" she shrugged, "What I do know is that I love him now, Giles. I love him, and I think he loves me"

Her father looked at her for a long moment before smiling and nodding his head.

"If that be the case, my dear" he told her, "I only hope you're right, that he does indeed love you and that he can prove he deserves you"

"What's to deserve?" Buffy choked on a laugh and a sob that came out together, "I'm so scared, Giles" she admitted, "I wanna believe he loves me but... I'm so scared that when I tell him about the baby he'll..."

"He'll run away?" Giles guessed what the rest of her sentence would've been had she been able to form the words. She nodded as he pulled her into a hug and held her a she cried. It was one thing she'd done far too much of lately in his opinion, but her hormones weren't helping and with one stressful thing after another being thrown in her path, it was a little wonder she spent much of her time in tears.

"Though I cannot guarantee Spike will respond positively to your news, my dear" he said, rubbing her back as she sobbed into his shoulder, "I do assure you that I shall keep my word. You and Michael and your new child are my family and I shall look after you all to the very best of my ability, truly I shall"

"I know" Buffy sniffed as she finally pulled away, trying to wipe the tears from her face and not shed too many more, "and I'm so grateful to you, I am... but it doesn't change how much I love Spike, and how much it'll break my heart if I lose him now"

Giles sighed, feeling wretched for his daughter who had come to mean so much to him and in such a short time. It was so very clear that Buffy's feelings for Spike ran as deep as any emotion could, but the young man in question, Giles did not know him at all and was terribly concerned that he may not feel the same.

Being a man himself he knew how easy it was for them to lead on the fairer sex, make them believe they were in love when it was really all about the physical side of things. Not that Giles himself had committed such a heinous act as to trick a woman for sex, but he knew of many who had, and there had been several occasions when he might easily have taken advantage, had he been the type to do so.

"I'm going to have to talk to him" Buffy said suddenly, blowing her nose on a tissue, "I have to do it fast too, not least because he's going to notice the situation before I tell him soon" she said, one hand going subconsciously to her stomach as she said it. She was two months pregnant now, fast approaching the point where there was no turning back even if she wanted too. If Spike walked away from her now, not wanting to be tied to her and Michael, as well as the baby, Buffy doubted she could abort her pregnancy even then. She'd survive, of course she would, with Giles' help it wouldn't be at all difficult to live comfortably as she did now. The problem would be that her heart would be broken into so many pieces, it would probably never heal again.

"Mommy!" Michael repeated loudly by Buffy's ear as he bounced on her bed.

It was Monday morning and the blonde had only managed to fall asleep about an hour ago, after so much time lying awake thinking about Spike, Michael, Angel, Giles, the baby that grew inside her, and the whole mixed up situation that she was in right now.

"Mommy! It's time to get up!" Michael told her, shaking her til she opened her eyes and groaned.

"Michael, sweetie, it's still early" she complained as she looked at him.

"Nuh-uh" he protested, shaking his head, "It's eight thirty" he told her, "Grandpa Giles was gonna take me to school but he's been talking on the phone an awful long time" he explained, though the only real part of the sentence Buffy took in was the fact it was eight thirty. She had less than a half hour to get Michael to the school that was ten minutes drive away, and she was still in her night-shirt and half asleep.

"Damn" she cursed under her breath as she leapt out of bed, immediately sitting down on the edge again as her head spun furiously. She blamed lack of sleep and getting up too fast, as well as her pregnancy for the symptoms she had as a wave of nausea hit her. She so didn't need morning sickness to kick in today.

"Michael, honey" she said turning to her son and helping him scramble down off the bed, "Go back to your room, get your bag, and put on your shoes, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy" he replied as he bolted from the room, making engine noises like a car as he zoomed away.

With a deep breath Buffy stood up again and ignored the urge to vomit as she found some clothes to wear. There was no time to shower or wash her hair right now, so she sprayed on deodorant and ran a brush through her hair as quickly as she could before pulling it up into a sloppy ponytail. It wasn't like she was going to see anyone important between here and the school, she thought, as she pulled on her sweatpants and an old T-shirt.

"Michael!" she called down the hallway and obediently the boy appeared with his shoes on and his bag in his hands, "Come on, let's go" she said, grabbing his hand and hurrying down the stairs. Giles was just coming out of the kitchen with his grandson's lunch in his hand.

"Oh Buffy, I'm so terribly sorry" he apologised, "I was quite prepared to get Michael ready for school and take him there indeed I'd written you a note and everything, but a very important contact of mine called and I couldn't just..."

"It's okay, Giles, really" Buffy forced a smile, just wanting to get Michael to school and herself home again before she was spectacularly ill, "I've got it covered, thanks for dealing with everything else" she called as she grabbed her jacket, got Michael into his and disappeared out of the door.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Michael asked as she drove him to school, her hand shaking slightly and her face pale.

"Sure I am" she forced a smile, glancing at him before concentrating on the road ahead once again.

Moments later Buffy parked the car in the school parking lot and Michael unclipped his seat belt. She leant across to kiss his forehead and say goodbye before the little boy scrambled from the car and ran to join his friends. Buffy smiled as she watched them head into the building, and even more so when her baby turned and waved to her one more time.

Her baby. The words stuck in her head and she glanced down at the almost non-existent bump at her stomach. Though it was doubtful anyone else would notice the tiny difference in the shape of her body, Buffy knew he or she was there, if nothing else the nausea kept on reminding her about it.

The overly warm air in the car wasn't helping and the drive home didn't exactly sound appealing at this precise moment, so Buffy decided to get out of the car and get a breath of fresh air. There was a park just across the road from the school where she could sit for a little while before she headed home.

It was strangely mild for a September day in England, especially since it was so early in the day, but Buffy was glad of the light breeze that blew the loose strands of hair out of her face where she hadn't quite got all of her locks tied back. Her eyes shut of their own accord as Buffy leaned back on the bench, enjoying the fact that if she took deep breaths and concentrated she could push away all the ill feelings she was getting today.

"Bloody hell" she heard a familiar voice say, "Not exactly how I planned on seeing you again pet, but I'm not about to complain"

Buffy opened her eyes and quickly turned her head to see Spike standing not three feet away, staring at her and grinning like an idiot. So many thoughts and feelings ran through her; the fact he was looking particularly gorgeous for this time of the morning did not escape her notice, and the thought of how terrible she must look made her feel awful, but the main feeling that overrode all others was how terribly sick she was feeling again all of a sudden.

"Spike..." was all she managed to say before her body convulsed and she threw up spectacularly at his feet.

To Be Continued...