Chapter Three

The ride back home was silent. Buffy didn't know how to approach the baby topic with her mom. She wasn't sure how to ask her about it and then she started thinking of her mother's possible reactions. What if she said it was a bad idea? How could I get through this if my mom disowned me and I had to live with Spike, who doesn't exactly share the same eating habits as me? And he doesn't have a shower. Would I have to go to Willow's and Xander's every other day just to bathe? How do you brush your teeth without water? That pastey taste would stay in my mouth til morning. Better than not brushing at all I guess but that doesn't-

"Home sweet home." Joyce put the car in park and turned the key.

"Please don't disown me and leave me to turn into a hobbit," Buffy blurted out.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, it's just… you haven't said anything since we left the hospital and I don't know how to bring it up so I'm racking my brain with all these possibilities and questions and can heads really explode because I should be careful?"

"Buffy calm down. I don't want your head exploding in my car."

"Mom!" Buffy whined.

"I'm just trying to relax you by using that sarcasm you use all the time."

"Not working."

"Buffy," Joyce put her hand on her daughter's cheek, making her gaze face her, "I'm happy for you. Granted I didn't think you'd be this young or the father would be a vampire- Spike is the father right?"

"Of course."

"I'm just checking."

"To see if I rate high on the slut scale?"

Joyce avoided the sarcastic reply and said, "You seem happy and that's what matters the most to me."

Buffy smiled at the loving reply. All her brain could come up with were bad remarks and arguments. "I am happy."

"And I'm gonna be here for you. Through the morning sickness and midnight cravings and back problems and nausea-"

"Okay, stop helping."

"Sorry," Joyce said with a smile, realizing she didn't give the most flattering description. "And I'll be there when he or she is born."

"Thanks mom. That's the exact amount of Hallmark moment I wanted."

"Glad I could help." They fulfilled the moment with a hug and then, "All right let's go inside and look at baby clothes."

"You have nine months to go," Buffy reminded her alarmingly relaxed mother.

"See, we're already behind."

Later that night Buffy and Spike were roaming a graveyard, hand in hand. They had already visited one and found only one victim of a stake through the heart. Spike was enjoying the easy night because he didn't even want Buffy to go out to begin with. "Are you sure you should be doing this?' Spike asked.

"I told you I'm just here as back-up. No overexertion. I only kicked that other vamp earlier."

"And punched it and staked it."

"But it didn't punch me."

"Except that one time across the face."

"Okay seriously, how do you pay that much attention to a fight when you're knocked over a gravestone?" Buffy asked.

"I just want you to be careful."

"I am. I figure since most pregnant women exercise this could be my exercise."

"This is diff'rent than trike ridin' and sit ups love."

"I'm gonna take it much easier the further along I get but I still am the Slayer."

"The pregnant Slayer."

"It's happened once before." Spike stopped and looked at her questionably. "A Slayer being pregnant, not me pregnant."

"Really?"

"How did I suddenly become a tramp?"

Spike further explained his comment. "I meant 'really' about the pregnant Slayer that isn't you."

"Oh. Yeah, Giles told me about it. But he doesn't really support the me slaying either."

"Majority wins. Go home."

"Tell them." Spike followed her gesture and saw three vamps walking towards them.

"Bloody hell."

"That went well. And see," Buffy held out her arms, "still in one piece." Spike gave her a quick kiss then took her hand again.

"I had a thought today."

"Did you write it down and frame it?"

"Hey." Spike turned her left arm behind her back and pretended to bite her neck. Buffy laughed and spun away from him.

"That tickles."

"Then play nice." Buffy held out her right hand and Spike filled it with his. "So I though that tomorrow we could go out for a celebratory dinner."

"I fully support that idea. Like, getting dressed up, my hair done and paying lots of money for a french fry?"

"I was gonna say pizza. Less obvious I'm not eating anything."

"Why don't we get it to go and then stay at your place? We could snuggle up in bed, watch tv." Buffy put her arms around him and locked her fingers around his back.

"Have a bit of a rough and tumble."

"Sounds great to me."

"It's a date."

The next day Buffy arrived home late from school. "Mom?" she yelled when she opened the door. The only sound was her keys jingling as she pulled them from the lock. "Mom?"

Still no noise.

She ran upstairs to her room and quickly changed into grey sweats, a white tank top and a black zip-up sweater. "And now for the main ingredient." Buffy took a stake fro,m her stockpile of goodies in the chest by her bed.

She descended the stairs quickly and ripped a piece of paper from her notebook in her backpack. 'Went out quick. Be back by 8. Love, Buffy.' She taped the note to the banister so her mother would see it when she walked in the door.

A half hour later she had easily dealt with one vamp and mildly two. She was now going back home to prep for her first date with her boyfriend of two years. She stopped when she heard a low growl. Buffy carefully walked around the crypt and grabbed the vamp by the jacket. With a swift jerk she pulled him to the ground. "That is how you sneak up on someone. Not that you'll actually be able to use that knowledge seeing as you'll in two seconds you'll be dead. Again."

"Someone's a little sure of herself. You might want to recount your chickens."

"recount my chickens? Is it amateur night?" The vamp growled and ran at her. She dodged him and kicked his back as he went by. He fell to the ground. "That's a cool trick, running your back into my foot. What's next? Your head into my fist?" he ran at her again only this time when she went for the punch, he blocked it and landed a right hook on her cheek. Buffy staggered.

"That all princess?"

"Not in the least." Buffy through a punch which he ducked but he lost sight of her knee which rammed into his skull. He staggered back and fell when she kicked him. He got up and greeted her with a kick aross the face. She used the momentum to backhand his cheek. Next she raised her stake and thrust it towards his chest. The vamp was too quick and stopped her action. He spun her around and rammed the stake into her abdomen. Buffy immediately screamed as it punctured her skin and she started to bleed.

Joyce arrived home at 7:30. "Buffy?" she called to the empty house. She pulled in some boxes and brought them straight to the living room. "Buffy, are you home?" She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the mail from the island. She focused on the envelopes as she walked up the stairs.

Once she made it to her room the doorbell rang. Joyce dropped the mail on her bed and went downstairs. Her hand hit the note Buffy left, making he stop her pursuit to the door. The doorbell rang again and she answered as she read the note. "Oh, hello Spike."

"Joyce. How're you?"

"Good. And yourself?"

"Anxious."

"Well come in." Spike stepped through the doorway after the invitation even though he already had an all access pass. "Buffy's not here right now but she'll be back soon."

"Mind if I wait?"

"Of course not," Joyce said. Spike walked into the living room and sat in the lonely chair across from the couch. Joyce took a seat on the couch after resting Buffy note on the table by the door. They sat in silence which randomly was interrupted by Spike's fingers tapping. "Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"No thanks. I'm on a diet."

Again silence. They looked around the room as if something was hiding out in the open. "Has Buffy been taking it easy?"

"In her own way. If I had it my way she'd be strapped to the bloody bed." Spike's eyes widened once he finished his sentence, realizing what it sounded like. "So she wouldn't go out and get hurt. Not in the… other way."

And more silence.

…

"What kind of teas do you have?"

Back at the graveyard Buffy was looking down at the stake that was protruding from her body. She landed a left hook on his jaw, stunning him and making him fall to the ground. She ran as fast as she could but she was practically jogging. She held the stake in place and could feel her body's energy draining.

Suddenly she saw Xander and Willow walk around from behind a crypt. They ran to her side when they saw her desperate state. "Buffy- oh my God Buffy!" Willow exclaimed.

They looked behind her and saw a vamp running from the distance. Xander quickly lifted her into his arms and ran at full speed. Willow wasn't far behind and sadly, neither was the vamp. Xander leapt into the backseat with Buffy and Willow jumped into the front seat without a second thought. She revved the engine and sped down the street towards the hospital.

Author's note: Sorry if there are any typos but I had no time to reread it.