Chapter Six: Confrontation

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked, surprised.

"I'm saying that even if I have this baby, I'm not going to tell anyone that it's yours."

"I'd like to see you try getting away with that lie," Spike snarled.

"I would," Buffy retorted. "Who are they going to believe? If I tell them that you're not the father then they'll believe me."

"Then how are you going to explain who's the father? That you got pregnant by yourself?"

"No," Buffy said. "I'll think of something and my friends will help me raise this child. What am I saying? I'm not having this child."

"Why not?" Spike asked, simply.

"Because this child is a freak of nature," Buffy yelled. "We don't now what it's going to be, if it's going to be a normal child or a…."

"Try again," Spike snapped. "That excuse isn't going to work because no one knows how their child is going to turn out. Do you think my mother knew what I was going to be like or yours?"

"It's not the same," Buffy said. "Besides, what right do I have to bring a child into this world? I've already died twice and the life span of a slayer is not a long one. How can I have a child when I don't even know if I'm going to be around to see it grow up?"

"I'll be here," Spike said, simply.

"Like you're the most dependable person in the world."

"Who do you think helped take care of Dawn while you were dead?" Spike snapped. "And do you think I stayed with Dru for over a century for her conversation skills? Besides I do know something about kiddies."

"What?" Buffy said. "That they taste better than adults?"

"Hey," Spike said, insulted. "I never cared for the taste of little people. Dru was the one who liked to eat them."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Buffy said.

Spike ignored her, "And who do you think helped Mother raise…" He stopped, and pulled away from Buffy.

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing," Spike said. "It's not important. What's important is that you are having this child and I am going to be it's father."

"When did you become all paternal?" Buffy asked. "You don't even like children?"

"How would you know? You don't know anything about me other than how I make you feel."

"I know that you're a heartless killer who is incapable of feeling," Buffy told him. "And I would not expose an innocent child to you. No father would be better than you."

Spike hid his hurt and said quietly, "Like your own? Has he even visited you since your mum died? Does he even care about you and Lil Bit?'

"It's not the same," Buffy said. She stood up, "I don't even know why we're having this conversation. I am not having this child."

Spike grabbed her by the wrist and said, "Oh yes you are. You'll have this child. I don't care if I have to follow you everywhere you go for the next nine months, you'll have it."

"It's my choice," Buffy said. "I know you were born over a hundred years ago but I think you probably have heard of something known as a woman's right to choose."

"I have," Spike said. "But do you have any idea what kind of risk you'd be taking?"

"Risk?" Buffy asked, confused. "What are you talking about? It's a perfectly safe and legal procedure."

"There's nothing safe about it," Spike told her.

"How would you know?" Buffy asked suspiciously.

"During the sixties Dru developed a taste for pregnant women. She used to make me take her to illegal abortion clinics, where she would eat people in the waiting rooms. I saw a lot of things there, women bleeding to death, the screams…..You called me a killer, well that was nothing compared to what those doctors did. And I am not going to let you risk your life that way."

"That was over forty years ago," Buffy snapped. "Abortion is legal now and it is perfectly safe." She turned to leave. "And you are not going to stop me."

"Think of what you'd be giving up," Spike told her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Buffy, this might be only chance you'll ever have at having a child of your own, the only chance either one of us is going to have. How can you give that up?"

"I don't have a choice," Buffy cried. "I can't raise a child. I can't even take care of Dawn and what are social services going to do when they find out that I'm single and pregnant? They might decide to take Dawn away and put her in a foster home. I can't do that."

"It won't happen," Spike said. "I won't let it. We'll think of something."

"Spike……."

"At least think about this," Spike said. "You keep calling this child a freak of nature but really it isn't. This child shouldn't have even been conceived at all but it was, doesn't that tell you something. For all you know it could be a part of some prophecy."

Buffy closed her eyes for a minute, and then said tearfully, "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you torturing me like this?"

"I'm only telling you the truth, luv. It's not pretty but it's the truth and if I don't tell it to you then no one will."

"I have to go," Buffy said, pulling away. "I have to work tomorrow."

"No, you don't," Spike told her. "You're not going to work at that place, not as long as you're carrying my child."

"I have to work," Buffy said. "Otherwise the bills don't get paid."

"I'll take care of that," Spike said. "I promise I'll take care of you, Dawn and this child."

"How?"

"Don't worry," Spike said. He took her elbow.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked.

"I'm taking you home."

"I don't need you to escort me," Buffy snapped.

Spike looked at her intently, "Until this child is born, I'm going to be on you like a troll on the local virgins."

"Nice analogy," Buffy snapped.

"It's the truth," Spike said. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."

:"Just try it," Buffy asked. "What are you going to do when I want to go out during the day?"

"Simple," Spike said. "I have plenty of friends who'll help me keep an eye on you."

"Friends I can kill," Buffy said. "Now I really have to go." She started to leave but Spike wouldn't let her go home alone. He followed her home and into the house. Dawn and Willow were asleep but Tara was still on the couch. She looked up in surprise at the sight of Buffy followed by Spike.

"So have you guys talked?" Tara asked.

"Yes," Buffy said.

"No," Spike said at the same time.

Tara looked at them both, "Um I see. Well did you decide anything?"

"Yes," Buffy said.

"No," Spike said at the same time. He looked at her irritated, "Stop doing that?"

"What am I doing? We've decided everything and you don't get a say in what I do."

"The hell I don't," Spike said. "This is my child too."

"I don't know why I even told you," Buffy snapped. "I don't even know how you got me pregnant in the first place."

"I don't know either," Spike yelled back.

"Quiet, do you want to wake the whole house?" Buffy shushed him.

"That sounds like a good idea," Spike said. He walked to the foot of the stairs and yelled, "Hey Lil Bit, Red, want to hear what I finally managed to do?"

Buffy grabbed him and pulled him away from the steps, "Shut up!"

"They're going to hear it sometime," Spike pointed out. "Unless they think you're just getting fat because you're eating too much."

"I'm not going to get fat, and bloated and sick," Buffy told him. "I am not having this baby. I told you that."

"And I told you that I am not going to let you not have it."

"I would like to see you try and stop me," Buffy said.

"Oh I can," Spike said. "Believe me, I can."

"Stop it, both of you," Tara said. She finally decided it was time to break them up. "There's something that you need to know."

"What?" Buffy asked.

"About your baby," Tara said. "How you managed to pregnant in the first place."

"Yeah," Spike said. "I was wondering about that. How did that happen?"

"It's my fault," Tara said, unable to look at either one of them. "It's my fault that Buffy's pregnant."