Chapter Twenty-Nine: That Old Familiar Face
"You're sure I look okay?" Buffy asked Willow, looking the mirror.
"You look fine," Willow assured her. "You can't even tell you're pregnant."
"I know I must sound really shallow," Buffy said. "I mean, the father of my baby might be dying and all I can talk about is if my old boyfriend will notice that I'm pregnant."
"Buffy," Tara said. "Angel's going to find out about the baby eventually. Why don't you just tell him?"
"Because then I'd have to admit that I've been sleeping with Spike," Buffy explained. "And I'm not ready to deal with that. I'm going to tell Angel about the baby but not right now, not until this thing with Spike is over."
"Okay," Willow said. She didn't agree with Buffy wanting to keep her pregnancy a secret from Angel but it was her decision.
They walked downstairs to the living room. Spike wasn't there anymore. Willow, Tara and Dawn had carried Spike upstairs and put him in Buffy's room where he'd be more comfortable. Dawn was with him right now. She had refused to leave his side and Buffy didn't try to make her.
Buffy walked over to the window and looked outside, "When is he going to get here?" She was both nervous and excited at seeing Angel again. She knew that there could never be anything between them but she still missed having him around. She did care about Spike but Spike and Angel both occupied different places in her heart.
"Do you think Angel will be able to help Spike?" Willow asked.
"I hope so," Buffy said. "Because if Angel isn't Spike's sire and Drusilla really is then we have to find Drusilla. That'll take time and Spike doesn't have that."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Buffy froze. She shouldn't be scared to answer the door. It was just Angel. Tara sensed her nervousness and quickly answered the door.
It was Angel. He looked the same as the last time she had seen him. The only difference was the sleeping baby he was holding.
"Hi," Angel said, walking into the living room, Cordelia behind him.
"Hi," Buffy said, pulling on her shirt so that her pregnancy was even more hidden. "Thank you for coming."
"No problem," Angel said. He indicted the baby in his arms. "This is Connor. I had to bring him with. I wasn't sure how long I would be gone and he's going through this separation anxiety phase and I didn't want to leave him."
"I understand," Buffy said. She understood better than Angel knew.
He gestured to Connor, "Is there anywhere I can set up the crib? He just fell asleep so he'll sleep for awhile."
"Sure," Buffy said. "Will, can Connor use your room?"
"Sure," Willow said. Angel handed Connor to Cordelia and they went upstairs.
"So what's going on?" Angel asked. "Willow really didn't say what was wrong."
"Sit down," Buffy said. She and Angel sat on the couch, Tara on a chair. "It really complicated but I need to know something."
"Sure, what?" Angel asked.
"It's about Spike," Buffy said.
Angel shut his eyes and groaned, "He's in town? What has he done now?"
"Buffy," Dawn called from upstairs. "Can you come up here?"
"I'll be right back," Buffy said, hurrying up to her bedroom. "What wrong?" She asked.
Dawn gestured to Spike, "He's getting worse. He just keeps getting warmer and warmer and now he thinks that I'm Charlotte."
"Angel's here now," Buffy said. "Once we know more we'll be able to help him."
"What if Angel can't help him?" Dawn asked tearfully.
"He will, " Buffy assured Dawn.
Dawn looked at her sister, "He can't die, Buffy. He's the only one who really understands me. I need him."
"He's not going to die," Buffy said. "I'm going to talk to Angel and see if he can help." Then she hurried back downstairs. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay," Angel said. "Now what's going on with Spike? How long has he been in town?"
"Awhile," Buffy said. "But he's not dangerous, not anymore. You remember that government organization that was in town?" Angel nodded. "Well they implanted a chip in Spike's head so he can't hurt people anymore."
"I bet he loved that," Angel said. "So why's he still hanging around?"
"Where else could he go?" Buffy said. "He can fight demons so he's been helping us patrol."
"Why?" Angel asked.
"He was on the verge of staking himself when he figured out that he could still fight something."
"So what's the problem?" Angel asked.
"Drusilla came to town," Buffy explained. "I don't know exactly what happened but she chained Spike to a table and nearly beat him to death. Then she gave him this poison that is slowly burning him from the inside."
"Sounds like Dru," Angel said, remembering his own torture at her hands. "But what can I do?"
"Willow found a way to help him but it needs the blood of Spike's sire. Spike's too out of it to tell us who really sired him. I was hoping you could."
Angel stood up and paced around the room, "It was both me and Dru. That night I followed Dru to the stable where Spike was, to make sure she actually went through with it. She drained him dry but then panicked at the last second. She wouldn't let him drink so I stepped in and he drank from me."
"So Spike drank your blood," Buffy sighed with relief. Spike still had a chance. "Spike needs the blood of the one who's blood he drank when he was turned. He needs your help. Will you help him?"
"Why?" Angel asked. "You hate Spike. Why does it matter to you if he lives or dies?"
"A lot's changed," Buffy said. "Spike's helped us a lot. Look, if you don't want to help him for me then do if for…" She almost said her baby but she quickly changed it. "For Dawn. She adores him and he feels the same way about her. He's the only one she'll listen to."
Angel looked concerned. He knew Spike's patterns, "Is Spike in love with Dawn?"
"No," Buffy quickly said. "But they bonded while I was gone and even before that. He let himself be tortured by a god rather than betray us. I think Dawn reminds him of his sister and he wants to protect Dawn the way he couldn't protect his sister."
Angel nodded, "Okay, that sounds more like Spike" He studied Buffy carefully. Something didn't make sense. She hated Spike. Why would she want him helped for her sake. Then a sudden awareness hit him, "What are you wearing?"
"Huh?" Buffy asked and then looked down in horror. She had been in a hurry to hide her pregnancy from Angel and none of her clothes were fitting right, let alone hiding a pregnancy just starting to show. She had borrowed one of Spike's button down red shirts with a lose pair of jeans.
Angel stepped forward, his vampires senses taking in everything, "You smell like him, almost like you've been…" He couldn't say it. "Buffy, what's really going on here?"
Buffy sighed, "What do you want me to say? That I've been sleeping with Spike? Alright, I admit it I have been."
"Why?" was all Angel was able to say. "You hate him. He hates you."
"Wrong," Buffy said. "He loves me. I tolerate, verging on like him."
Angel stared at Buffy with even more growing horror. She looked different than the last time he had seen her. She had put on some weight, her face was rounded and her curves were more accented. He noticed that most of the weight she had put on was in her stomach. It was almost as if…., "Buffy, are you…?"
Buffy saw Angel's realization slowly sinking in, "Yes," She said quietly. "I'm pregnant and it's Spike's."
"You're sure I look okay?" Buffy asked Willow, looking the mirror.
"You look fine," Willow assured her. "You can't even tell you're pregnant."
"I know I must sound really shallow," Buffy said. "I mean, the father of my baby might be dying and all I can talk about is if my old boyfriend will notice that I'm pregnant."
"Buffy," Tara said. "Angel's going to find out about the baby eventually. Why don't you just tell him?"
"Because then I'd have to admit that I've been sleeping with Spike," Buffy explained. "And I'm not ready to deal with that. I'm going to tell Angel about the baby but not right now, not until this thing with Spike is over."
"Okay," Willow said. She didn't agree with Buffy wanting to keep her pregnancy a secret from Angel but it was her decision.
They walked downstairs to the living room. Spike wasn't there anymore. Willow, Tara and Dawn had carried Spike upstairs and put him in Buffy's room where he'd be more comfortable. Dawn was with him right now. She had refused to leave his side and Buffy didn't try to make her.
Buffy walked over to the window and looked outside, "When is he going to get here?" She was both nervous and excited at seeing Angel again. She knew that there could never be anything between them but she still missed having him around. She did care about Spike but Spike and Angel both occupied different places in her heart.
"Do you think Angel will be able to help Spike?" Willow asked.
"I hope so," Buffy said. "Because if Angel isn't Spike's sire and Drusilla really is then we have to find Drusilla. That'll take time and Spike doesn't have that."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Buffy froze. She shouldn't be scared to answer the door. It was just Angel. Tara sensed her nervousness and quickly answered the door.
It was Angel. He looked the same as the last time she had seen him. The only difference was the sleeping baby he was holding.
"Hi," Angel said, walking into the living room, Cordelia behind him.
"Hi," Buffy said, pulling on her shirt so that her pregnancy was even more hidden. "Thank you for coming."
"No problem," Angel said. He indicted the baby in his arms. "This is Connor. I had to bring him with. I wasn't sure how long I would be gone and he's going through this separation anxiety phase and I didn't want to leave him."
"I understand," Buffy said. She understood better than Angel knew.
He gestured to Connor, "Is there anywhere I can set up the crib? He just fell asleep so he'll sleep for awhile."
"Sure," Buffy said. "Will, can Connor use your room?"
"Sure," Willow said. Angel handed Connor to Cordelia and they went upstairs.
"So what's going on?" Angel asked. "Willow really didn't say what was wrong."
"Sit down," Buffy said. She and Angel sat on the couch, Tara on a chair. "It really complicated but I need to know something."
"Sure, what?" Angel asked.
"It's about Spike," Buffy said.
Angel shut his eyes and groaned, "He's in town? What has he done now?"
"Buffy," Dawn called from upstairs. "Can you come up here?"
"I'll be right back," Buffy said, hurrying up to her bedroom. "What wrong?" She asked.
Dawn gestured to Spike, "He's getting worse. He just keeps getting warmer and warmer and now he thinks that I'm Charlotte."
"Angel's here now," Buffy said. "Once we know more we'll be able to help him."
"What if Angel can't help him?" Dawn asked tearfully.
"He will, " Buffy assured Dawn.
Dawn looked at her sister, "He can't die, Buffy. He's the only one who really understands me. I need him."
"He's not going to die," Buffy said. "I'm going to talk to Angel and see if he can help." Then she hurried back downstairs. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay," Angel said. "Now what's going on with Spike? How long has he been in town?"
"Awhile," Buffy said. "But he's not dangerous, not anymore. You remember that government organization that was in town?" Angel nodded. "Well they implanted a chip in Spike's head so he can't hurt people anymore."
"I bet he loved that," Angel said. "So why's he still hanging around?"
"Where else could he go?" Buffy said. "He can fight demons so he's been helping us patrol."
"Why?" Angel asked.
"He was on the verge of staking himself when he figured out that he could still fight something."
"So what's the problem?" Angel asked.
"Drusilla came to town," Buffy explained. "I don't know exactly what happened but she chained Spike to a table and nearly beat him to death. Then she gave him this poison that is slowly burning him from the inside."
"Sounds like Dru," Angel said, remembering his own torture at her hands. "But what can I do?"
"Willow found a way to help him but it needs the blood of Spike's sire. Spike's too out of it to tell us who really sired him. I was hoping you could."
Angel stood up and paced around the room, "It was both me and Dru. That night I followed Dru to the stable where Spike was, to make sure she actually went through with it. She drained him dry but then panicked at the last second. She wouldn't let him drink so I stepped in and he drank from me."
"So Spike drank your blood," Buffy sighed with relief. Spike still had a chance. "Spike needs the blood of the one who's blood he drank when he was turned. He needs your help. Will you help him?"
"Why?" Angel asked. "You hate Spike. Why does it matter to you if he lives or dies?"
"A lot's changed," Buffy said. "Spike's helped us a lot. Look, if you don't want to help him for me then do if for…" She almost said her baby but she quickly changed it. "For Dawn. She adores him and he feels the same way about her. He's the only one she'll listen to."
Angel looked concerned. He knew Spike's patterns, "Is Spike in love with Dawn?"
"No," Buffy quickly said. "But they bonded while I was gone and even before that. He let himself be tortured by a god rather than betray us. I think Dawn reminds him of his sister and he wants to protect Dawn the way he couldn't protect his sister."
Angel nodded, "Okay, that sounds more like Spike" He studied Buffy carefully. Something didn't make sense. She hated Spike. Why would she want him helped for her sake. Then a sudden awareness hit him, "What are you wearing?"
"Huh?" Buffy asked and then looked down in horror. She had been in a hurry to hide her pregnancy from Angel and none of her clothes were fitting right, let alone hiding a pregnancy just starting to show. She had borrowed one of Spike's button down red shirts with a lose pair of jeans.
Angel stepped forward, his vampires senses taking in everything, "You smell like him, almost like you've been…" He couldn't say it. "Buffy, what's really going on here?"
Buffy sighed, "What do you want me to say? That I've been sleeping with Spike? Alright, I admit it I have been."
"Why?" was all Angel was able to say. "You hate him. He hates you."
"Wrong," Buffy said. "He loves me. I tolerate, verging on like him."
Angel stared at Buffy with even more growing horror. She looked different than the last time he had seen her. She had put on some weight, her face was rounded and her curves were more accented. He noticed that most of the weight she had put on was in her stomach. It was almost as if…., "Buffy, are you…?"
Buffy saw Angel's realization slowly sinking in, "Yes," She said quietly. "I'm pregnant and it's Spike's."