Chapter Sixteen: Return
"I'm not going to the wedding tomorrow," Buffy announced from her position on the couch.
"What do you plan on telling them?" Spike asked, looking down at the figure that was using his lap as a pillow.
"I don't care," Buffy moaned. "Tell them I'm sick. Tell them I died. Tell them that I'm preventing another apocalypse. Tell them anything."
"You're still not feeling well?" Willow asked, coming into the living room and handing Buffy a packet of Saltines.
Buffy shook her head and shut her eyes. They had just come home from Xander and Anya's wedding rehearsal dinner. The actual rehearsal had gone fine, despite the mixture of demons and Xander's family but then during dinner Buffy had disappeared. Willow had found her on the floor of the lady's room, vomiting. Willow had had one of Xander's more stable relatives who was a nurse look at Buffy. She had said that it was morning sickness and to go home and rest.
"Are you going to make it to the wedding?" Dawn asked, concerned. Ever since her talk with Spike things between her and Buffy had improved. Dawn was trying to be more considerate of her sister's feelings and Buffy was trying to pay more attention to Dawn.
"Right now I'm going to try and make it to bed," Buffy said. She tried to move but then changed her mind. There was nothing left in her stomach to bring up right now but she was still racked with nausea. "No, I think I'm just going to stay down here. I feel okay as long as I don't move."
"Okay, that's fine," Willow said. "You can sleep right here if you want to."
"I think I will," Buffy murmured.
"I thought you were doing better," Spike said, stroking her hair. "You haven't been sick for the past few mornings."
"It's switched to evenings," Buffy said. "It hasn't been too bad but then tonight…"
"Just get some rest," Spike said, making a mental note to call the midwife as soon as he could. They'd talked to her once and she'd said that everything was fine but Spike wanted to be sure.
"At least we don't have extra people staying here," Willow pointed out. Chronus, the chaos demon was staying in Spike's crypt and Giles was supposed to be staying with them but he hadn't shown up yet and Buffy was a little relieved. She desperately wanted to see Giles but she didn't feel up to having to explain everything to him.
"Yeah," Dawn agreed. "I talked to that chaos demon. They're disgusting." She looked at Spike. "Drucilla really must have been crazy to leave you for a guy like him."
"Thanks, Platelet," Spike said. He looked down at Buffy, "Is there anything I can get you?"
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Get me a stake so I can kill you for doing this to me."
"Wasn't all my fault," Spike pointed out. "You were there too and this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Glinda the good witch."
"Okay," Buffy groaned. "I'll kill her too."
"Hey," Willow protested.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, "Willow, get that and tell them to go away," Buffy told her.
Willow nodded. She went to answer the door. She opened it and saw Giles standing in the doorway. "You're here," She said excitedly. "We weren't sure if you were coming."
"I had some last minute details to clear up before I could leave," Giles explained, coming into the house. "Fortunately I was able to catch a late flight." He turned and walked into the living room, stopping short at the sight of Spike sitting on the couch with Buffy's head in his lap. He turned back to Willow and said, "Willow, have you been casting spells again?"
"No," Willow said. "No slips."
"Then why are Buffy and Spike….." He gestured to the pair.
"I think I'm coming down with something," Buffy lied. "And as soon as I got home I just collapsed on the couch and Spike just happened to be here." She shot Spike a look, pleading with him not to say anything.
"What's wrong?" Giles asked, concerned.
"I think it's just the flu," Buffy said. "I'll be fine for the wedding." She shut her eyes, trying to think. She couldn't move from the couch but she didn't want to have to deal with Giles's questions.
Fortunately Spike spotted her dilemma, "Come on, pet," Spike said, standing and picking Buffy up in his arms. He carried her upstairs, undressed her and put her to bed. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."
"Thanks," Buffy said. She looked at him and said, "Don't start a fight with Giles, please. I can't deal with that tonight."
Spike leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "I'll be good. Now get some sleep." He stayed with her until her even breathing told him that she was asleep. Then he quietly went back downstairs.
Giles was sitting on the couch, reading. Willow and Dawn were nowhere to be found. "Where's Red and the Nibblet?" Spike asked.
"They went to bed," Giles said. "They wanted to get a good night's sleep before the wedding."
"Okay," Spike said, heading towards the basement. He'd sleep there until Giles had left.
"Where are you going?" Giles asked.
"I'm staying down here tonight," Spike explained.
"Why?" Giles asked.
"Because there's a bloody chaos demon sleeping in my crypt," Spike said. "And I'm not sharing my space with one of those things."
"And again," Giles said. "Why is Buffy letting you stay here?"
"Things have changed while you were gone," Spike said, sitting down across from Giles. "Buffy's attitude towards me has softened quite a bit."
"I see you're just as deluded as ever," Giles said. "Spike, get this through your chipped skull, Buffy doesn't and never will love you. You are a nuisance that she keeps around for her own amusement, that's it."
"Whatever you say," Spike said, taking a drink from his flask.
Giles studied the blond vampire sitting across from him. Something was going on and he didn't like it. Spike was even more confident than usual. He was acting like he belonged in this house. Giles looked around and noticed other things. There was a pack of cigarettes on the table, Spike's brand, and he'd seen bags of blood in the fridge so it looked like Spike was a frequent visitor. It just didn't make sense. Buffy hated Spike, they all did. In fact Dawn was the only one who could tolerate him. So why was he here? And why did Giles feel like he was the intruder, not Spike.
Spike stood up, "I have to go out for a bit. Do a little patrolling, that kind of thing."
Giles looked up from his book, "Oh I'm sorry. I thought that you were talking to someone who cared."
Spike didn't say anything. He just grabbed his duster and walked out the door. He headed towards his crypt. The chaos demon should be asleep by now and he needed to check on his pet project. He was hoping to see some results tonight because so far nothing had happened. He'd tried different combinations but nothing had worked. It was starting to get frustrating.
He went down to the lower levels of his crypt. The chaos demon was snoring away and the chair Spike had placed over the trapdoor was still there. He went down and inspected his projects. There was no change. He growled in frustration, stormed upstairs and headed out into the night.
Slaying a few vampires and demons helped his bad mood. He finally stopped to rest on a headstone. He lit a cigarette and puffed thoughtfully. Ever since he'd taken over patrolling he'd noticed that the number of demons and vampires he'd slayed was increasing each night. Something was happening. He could feel it. The others were too preoccupied to notice even Buffy too was wrapped up in her pregnancy to notice.
He threw down his cigarette and stalked off, shaking his head. He was getting as crazy as Drucilla. It was probably nothing, just a bunch of demons getting cocky. He wouldn't say anything to Buffy or the others. They probably wouldn't believe him anyway. He glanced at the sky. He was going to have to get back. It would be day soon and he was not turning into a pile of dust, not with a baby coming and the sense that something was happening, something that no one would foresee until it was too late.
"I'm not going to the wedding tomorrow," Buffy announced from her position on the couch.
"What do you plan on telling them?" Spike asked, looking down at the figure that was using his lap as a pillow.
"I don't care," Buffy moaned. "Tell them I'm sick. Tell them I died. Tell them that I'm preventing another apocalypse. Tell them anything."
"You're still not feeling well?" Willow asked, coming into the living room and handing Buffy a packet of Saltines.
Buffy shook her head and shut her eyes. They had just come home from Xander and Anya's wedding rehearsal dinner. The actual rehearsal had gone fine, despite the mixture of demons and Xander's family but then during dinner Buffy had disappeared. Willow had found her on the floor of the lady's room, vomiting. Willow had had one of Xander's more stable relatives who was a nurse look at Buffy. She had said that it was morning sickness and to go home and rest.
"Are you going to make it to the wedding?" Dawn asked, concerned. Ever since her talk with Spike things between her and Buffy had improved. Dawn was trying to be more considerate of her sister's feelings and Buffy was trying to pay more attention to Dawn.
"Right now I'm going to try and make it to bed," Buffy said. She tried to move but then changed her mind. There was nothing left in her stomach to bring up right now but she was still racked with nausea. "No, I think I'm just going to stay down here. I feel okay as long as I don't move."
"Okay, that's fine," Willow said. "You can sleep right here if you want to."
"I think I will," Buffy murmured.
"I thought you were doing better," Spike said, stroking her hair. "You haven't been sick for the past few mornings."
"It's switched to evenings," Buffy said. "It hasn't been too bad but then tonight…"
"Just get some rest," Spike said, making a mental note to call the midwife as soon as he could. They'd talked to her once and she'd said that everything was fine but Spike wanted to be sure.
"At least we don't have extra people staying here," Willow pointed out. Chronus, the chaos demon was staying in Spike's crypt and Giles was supposed to be staying with them but he hadn't shown up yet and Buffy was a little relieved. She desperately wanted to see Giles but she didn't feel up to having to explain everything to him.
"Yeah," Dawn agreed. "I talked to that chaos demon. They're disgusting." She looked at Spike. "Drucilla really must have been crazy to leave you for a guy like him."
"Thanks, Platelet," Spike said. He looked down at Buffy, "Is there anything I can get you?"
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Get me a stake so I can kill you for doing this to me."
"Wasn't all my fault," Spike pointed out. "You were there too and this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Glinda the good witch."
"Okay," Buffy groaned. "I'll kill her too."
"Hey," Willow protested.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, "Willow, get that and tell them to go away," Buffy told her.
Willow nodded. She went to answer the door. She opened it and saw Giles standing in the doorway. "You're here," She said excitedly. "We weren't sure if you were coming."
"I had some last minute details to clear up before I could leave," Giles explained, coming into the house. "Fortunately I was able to catch a late flight." He turned and walked into the living room, stopping short at the sight of Spike sitting on the couch with Buffy's head in his lap. He turned back to Willow and said, "Willow, have you been casting spells again?"
"No," Willow said. "No slips."
"Then why are Buffy and Spike….." He gestured to the pair.
"I think I'm coming down with something," Buffy lied. "And as soon as I got home I just collapsed on the couch and Spike just happened to be here." She shot Spike a look, pleading with him not to say anything.
"What's wrong?" Giles asked, concerned.
"I think it's just the flu," Buffy said. "I'll be fine for the wedding." She shut her eyes, trying to think. She couldn't move from the couch but she didn't want to have to deal with Giles's questions.
Fortunately Spike spotted her dilemma, "Come on, pet," Spike said, standing and picking Buffy up in his arms. He carried her upstairs, undressed her and put her to bed. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."
"Thanks," Buffy said. She looked at him and said, "Don't start a fight with Giles, please. I can't deal with that tonight."
Spike leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "I'll be good. Now get some sleep." He stayed with her until her even breathing told him that she was asleep. Then he quietly went back downstairs.
Giles was sitting on the couch, reading. Willow and Dawn were nowhere to be found. "Where's Red and the Nibblet?" Spike asked.
"They went to bed," Giles said. "They wanted to get a good night's sleep before the wedding."
"Okay," Spike said, heading towards the basement. He'd sleep there until Giles had left.
"Where are you going?" Giles asked.
"I'm staying down here tonight," Spike explained.
"Why?" Giles asked.
"Because there's a bloody chaos demon sleeping in my crypt," Spike said. "And I'm not sharing my space with one of those things."
"And again," Giles said. "Why is Buffy letting you stay here?"
"Things have changed while you were gone," Spike said, sitting down across from Giles. "Buffy's attitude towards me has softened quite a bit."
"I see you're just as deluded as ever," Giles said. "Spike, get this through your chipped skull, Buffy doesn't and never will love you. You are a nuisance that she keeps around for her own amusement, that's it."
"Whatever you say," Spike said, taking a drink from his flask.
Giles studied the blond vampire sitting across from him. Something was going on and he didn't like it. Spike was even more confident than usual. He was acting like he belonged in this house. Giles looked around and noticed other things. There was a pack of cigarettes on the table, Spike's brand, and he'd seen bags of blood in the fridge so it looked like Spike was a frequent visitor. It just didn't make sense. Buffy hated Spike, they all did. In fact Dawn was the only one who could tolerate him. So why was he here? And why did Giles feel like he was the intruder, not Spike.
Spike stood up, "I have to go out for a bit. Do a little patrolling, that kind of thing."
Giles looked up from his book, "Oh I'm sorry. I thought that you were talking to someone who cared."
Spike didn't say anything. He just grabbed his duster and walked out the door. He headed towards his crypt. The chaos demon should be asleep by now and he needed to check on his pet project. He was hoping to see some results tonight because so far nothing had happened. He'd tried different combinations but nothing had worked. It was starting to get frustrating.
He went down to the lower levels of his crypt. The chaos demon was snoring away and the chair Spike had placed over the trapdoor was still there. He went down and inspected his projects. There was no change. He growled in frustration, stormed upstairs and headed out into the night.
Slaying a few vampires and demons helped his bad mood. He finally stopped to rest on a headstone. He lit a cigarette and puffed thoughtfully. Ever since he'd taken over patrolling he'd noticed that the number of demons and vampires he'd slayed was increasing each night. Something was happening. He could feel it. The others were too preoccupied to notice even Buffy too was wrapped up in her pregnancy to notice.
He threw down his cigarette and stalked off, shaking his head. He was getting as crazy as Drucilla. It was probably nothing, just a bunch of demons getting cocky. He wouldn't say anything to Buffy or the others. They probably wouldn't believe him anyway. He glanced at the sky. He was going to have to get back. It would be day soon and he was not turning into a pile of dust, not with a baby coming and the sense that something was happening, something that no one would foresee until it was too late.