Newborn:
Spike and Angel sit across from each other at Hank's dining room table. Both master vampires are attempting to glare holes through the other with steely gazes. Then their evil eyes are distracted as Dawn walks up with two mugs of blood setting one in front of each of them and then takes a seat at the table. Buffy also wanders over after having given her father a brief explanation of the situation. Hank didn't quite have a full grasp on what was going on, but he understood enough. As Buffy sits down she notices the uneasiness that floats through the air.
"So now, what exactly happened?" Buffy asks looking pointedly at Spike.
"Went to seek out Dru… got tired of waiting… found her down in the electrical tunnel… I went after her to kill her, but she… she caught me off guard,"
"How… Spike, what exactly did she do?"
"She kissed him," Angel then says.
"Oh," is all Buffy manages to choke out a little upset that Spike had kissed his ex, however unwillingly it had been.
"She did a spell… I've been tracking her the last week or so, she did a spell to suck out Spike's soul, I thought she'd been planning to use it on me but…"
"But she was after Spike," Buffy finishes Angel's sentence then looks at Spike's guilty face. "So what do we do… how do we get Spike's soul back?"
"From what my people have discovered, if Drusilla dies before Spike drinks from a human his soul should be returned to him."
"Alright good… As long as Spike doesn't eat anyone before we dust Dru we're in the clear… tomorrow night we'll suit up and go after her," Buffy says immediately receiving odd looks from everyone at the table.
"Uh, Buffy, remember what the doctor said?" Dawn asks.
"What? What's wrong with the baby?" Spike asks with concern dripping through every word.
"Nothing, the baby's fine… the doctor just said that I should expect to give birth soon… and so fine I won't go… Spike, you and Angel will have to handle Dru," Buffy replies and Spike calms upon hearing her words.
"I'm sorry; I know this is none of my business, but Buffy…" Angel begins to say.
"You're wondering why I'm as big as a house."
"Well… yeah… not that… I mean… I'm happy for you, I just feel a little out of the loop."
"I… it's Spike's… we've been together for over a year now and yeah I know vampire plus slayer usually doesn't equal baby, but there was a spell and it's a long story."
"I think I've got the gist of it… congratulations," Angel replies.
--
Faith and Mike meander through the night toward Faith's hotel. Faith finds herself surprised that she's growing fond of this man. It had been a long time since Faith found herself genuinely interested in anyone. After lunch they had spent the rest of the day together, but now as the stars shine bright across Boston their time together is coming to a close. They walk talking of various trivial things and then come across a graveyard. They will need to pass by it to get back to Faith's hotel and as they walk past headstones Faith is reminded of her calling.
"So you really speak seven languages?" Faith asks with an amused tone.
"Well, yeah… I mean two are a little shaky, but um… yeah languages and other cultures they've always really interested me… Oh God, I'm boring you by babbling on about myself aren't I… see this is why I end up asking lots and lots of questions."
"No, no, you're not boring me at all… I've just um… the only people I've ever met that are brainy like that, well they're old and dull and you're not so…"
"Well it's good to know that I'm not old or dull."
"Sorry I didn't mean that to come out…" Faith's words are cut off by a sound in the distance. "Did you hear that?" She says turning away from Mike.
Before Mike has the chance to respond Faith sees movement in the graveyard and sprints off in its direction. Mike follows her unsure of what to do. After years of slaying the undead even without her slayer senses Faith knows there's a vampire up ahead. Then the creature comes into sight and Faith pulls out a stake. She's kept one on her at all time since she's left London, not that she's been going patrolling at night, but for the off chance that she would get attacked.
Faith looks at the newly risen vampire as he's about to sink his teeth into a young female passerby. The vampire notices Faith right away, however he doesn't notice the stake that's being held firmly in her grasp. The vampire drops the girl he's holding. Once she's made her way back up onto her feet she runs off into the night. The vampire turns to Faith and attacks her. This time Faith remembers that she's not as strong as she used to be and ducks the vampire's first blow. As he stumbles she comes up behind him and drives the stake through the back of his chest.
Mike looks at Faith through the falling dust of the former vampire. "I have a feeling there's more about you I don't know," he says.
--
Everything is getting boxed up in Buffy's old apartment as Myla and Kennedy lift up the heavy sofa with ease and carry it out the door. Willow sits on the floor of the kitchen boxing up the gently used pots and pans just as Xander walks back in to grab another piece of furniture. Before Xander has a chance to get his hands on the oversized recliner Andrew steps in his way.
"What should I move?" Andrew asks.
"Nothing… just stand there and don't break anything," Xander replies.
"But… come on. I care about Buffy and Spike and Dawn and that ity bity baby just as much as all of you… I wanna help."
Xander glances at Willow who gives him a look back that says 'he has a point'.
"Here," Xander says handing Andrew a lamp "but don't break it." Andrew smiles and hurries off down the hall. Xander then turns to face Willow's whose still sitting indian style on the kitchen floor. "So Will, how's that boxing going?"
"Pretty good… I'm almost done; they don't have a lot of things, but I guess that's what happens when all your possessions are engulfed into the Hellmouth."
"Yeah… those apocalypses… sure do make moving a breeze though."
"It's kinda weird isn't it… Buffy and Spike having a baby."
"Yeah… a little bit… like at first things just went on like they always had, but then the baby belly set in and they left town… I kinda threw myself into this project to help me not think about it, but now that I am… yeah, it's weird, it's like when did we all grow up ya know."
"That's exactly how I feel… we've all been through a lot together… I'm starting to feel a little old."
"Ah, Nonsense Will… older, wiser, more handsome sure, but not old," Xander says and Willow smiles at him for his reassurance. "Were ah… we're mature."
"Yeah… I like that. Mature," Willow says to let the word soak into her brain. "We're a bunch of mature, young, adults with the world at our fingertips."
"There ya go Will. That's the sunny attitude I like to see."
--
Buffy wakes up to the feeling of Spike's cold fingers across her belly. He's still asleep. Buffy looks down at him in that moment and thinks to herself that if she didn't know better she'd have no idea that he was a soulless killer. Then Buffy hears a noise from the kitchen. Her slayer senses tell her that Angel is up most likely warming up a mug of blood. He had insisted upon staying the night because of Spike's soulless status. Buffy had tried to tell him that he didn't need to do that, but after they had finished talking it was near sunrise anyway and she reluctantly agreed to let him sleep on the couch. All night she knew that he was listening intently for any sign that she would need his help, but she never did. Soulless or not Spike loves her.
--
It's mid afternoon when Buffy walks into the kitchen. After staying up until sunrise the night before sleeping on vampire hours was much needed. She walks into the kitchen to see Angel sipping from a mug of blood and notices that her father has left for work. She smiles softly at her former lover as she opens the fridge to pull out a carton of orange juice.
"You know the last time I saw you, back in Sunnydale… when I figured out about Spike… I just never thought… you're really happy with him?" Angel asks watching Buffy pour herself a glass of orange juice. She takes a sip then turns to look right at him.
"I um… I don't know if I'm exactly cookies yet, but yeah… this is what I want, and I'm happy," Buffy replies avoiding direct eye contact.
"If he ever hurts you I'll kill him, you know that right?"
"Yeah," Buffy says as she hears a noise from behind her.
Within seconds Spike walks into the kitchen. His hair is tousled and Buffy notices how much his hair has grown by the length of his roots. He gives her a small smile then shoots a warning look towards Angel before opening the fridge and pulling out another container of blood. Angel watches him as he pours it into a mug and sticks in the microwave.
"What's the matter peaches… don't trust me?" Spike questions without turning around.
"You could say that," Angel responds keeping his eyes on the blond vampire before him and taking another sip from his mug.
"Alright boys, play nice now," Buffy says seeing the tension before her between the two vampires.
Just then Dawn enters the room and makes a b-line for the cabinets. She shuffles through their contents in search of something.
"Where did those cookies go you were eating the other day Buffy?" Dawn asks still facing the open cabinet.
"Um," Buffy says and Dawn twirls around to face her.
"You didn't."
"Sorry… I ate the rest of them yesterday," Buffy says with a guilty expression.
"We just bought them the yesterday! Uh… I will be so happy when you're done eating for two."
--
Faith knocks on Mike's door. Moments pass as she waits nervously at the threshold to his apartment. After he saw her slay that vampire the night before she quickly departed without giving him an explanation. Slowly the door opens and then Faith is met with his blue eyes.
"Faith…come in."
"No I can't I just came to say…"
"Daddy," a small voice calls from behind Mike. Faith watches as Mike turns to pick up a small girl with bright blue eyes and brown hair. She looks to be about five years old. "Who's here daddy?"
"Well firecracker, this is daddy's friend Faith," Mike says to the little girl then turns to face Faith.
"You have a daughter?"
"I'm sorry I never mentioned her before… I didn't want to scare you off," Mike says as Faith looks on at him with stunned eyes.
"It's alright," Faith says snapping back to reality. "Look, the reason I'm here is because… I can't see you anymore… I haven't been completely honest with you about who I am and what I do…"
"I kinda figured that from the other night."
"And I can't tell you… I have a flight back to London a week from now."
"Look Faith whatever this is that you're into, it's fine with me, and you don't have to tell me about it but I don't want you to go… I don't want to stop seeing you."
"I'm sorry Mike, but I just can't," with that Faith turns and leaves.
--
Angel and Spike walk side by side down the dark alley. Angel eyes up the soulless vampire beside him and wonders how he's such an anomaly. How can Spike be so similar without a soul to when he has one, but Angel knows the answer. Spike, unlike Angel, has always just been himself. When vampires are turned they keep a lot of their human personalities. Angel thinks back to his human self, he had been a true bastard and he knows the only reason that he's capable of being good now is because of the torment he feels from his soul. Spike had been good when he was alive and he always held on to some of his values even as a vampire, and from what Buffy had told him Spike was working on being good before he got his soul. In a way it made sense, after all there were good demons out there. None the less, Angel still doesn't trust him.
"She's close," Spike says.
"Why are you doing this, Spike?"
"Because I love her and because I'm not like you. Just because a ponce like you uses his demon as an excuse for all the bad things you've done doesn't mean I do… I changed a long time ago."
"So why do you need your soul then if you've changed so much?"
"What is this? Is captain forehead all pissy that his exclusive club won't be as tight anymore?" Spike says in a teasing voice. "Just because I've changed doesn't mean it's an easy thing for a demon to do… I don't fully get it without the soul, it's like a piece of me is missing."
"If this is some kind of act…"
"Oh can it already… you know…" Spike stops. He feels her and so does Angel.
"Hello boys," A voice calls from the darkness, a voice that is distinctly Drusilla's.
--
"Oh God," Buffy says. Her feet are wet and there is a puddle of water on the wood floor. Her left hand grips the granite counter top in the kitchen and her right hand wraps protectively around her belly. This is it, the baby's coming. "Dawn!" Buffy yells loudly and within seconds her sister as well as her father is by her side. "It's time," Buffy says as she sees them and watches as Dawn's eyes grow wide.
"Oh… I'll go get your overnight bag," Dawn says in a squeaky excited voice.
"Come on hunny, let me help you to the car," Hank says as he puts an arm around his daughter.
--
Drusilla steps out of the shadows with a blond girl beside her. She holds the girl by the back of her neck with her long fingers and stares at Spike and Angel with seductive yellow eyes.
"I've brought you something to eat," Drusilla says as she steps closer to her vampire family.
"Not hungry Dru," Spike says as he grips his stake.
"Now, now my sweet, you must eat for mummy or the stars will be very cross with you," Drusilla says as she walks closer to Spike.
Drusilla holds out the tiny blonde woman to Spike thrusting her arm forward and cutting her neck with her nails by squeezing her grip just enough so she bleeds. Angel and Spike can smell the blood in the air and vamp out as they do be it for the irony smell or the knowledge that they will soon be battling the dark vampire.
Spike casts a wicked glance back at Angel then looks at Drusilla as he reaches out to take the blonde girl that she's offering him. As Spike takes the girl into his arms, Drusilla smiles and Angel steps up closer to his grandchilid with worry. Spike lets an evil gleam shine in his eyes and nears the girl's neck. As he brings his fangs closer he keeps his eyes on Drusilla knowing full well that Angel was nearing fast from behind him.
Then just as it appears that Spike is going to rip into the girl's throat he tosses her to Angel who's rushing to stop him. Angel grabs the girl with surprise. He had been sure that Spike was going to kill her. Now Angel holds the girl as Spike grabs Drusilla by the neck. She looks back at him with defiance.
"Told you Dru, m' not hungry," Spike says with his hand around her neck.
"I was afraid you'd say that," Dru replies with vehemence in her voice. Then with a snap she brings her hand up to his face and twirls her fingers before his eyes trying to pull him into thrall. "Be in me," she says and for a second Spike appears to be falling into her trap.
Then a gasp of surprise falls from her lips and her yellow eyes grow wide. Spike watches as her soft skin falls to ash before him. Angel stands behind him with the scared blonde girl in his arms. Spike had actually done it, he had killed her. Angel watches in disbelief as the blonde vampire stares at the floating dust before him. He watches as a small blue light floats up from the ash and lights up Spike's whole body as it touches him.
--
Spike runs through the hospital. When he arrived at Hank's condo he found a note on the door from Dawn saying that Buffy had gone into labor. Now he flies with speed only stopping at the front desk to ask what room she's in then he's off again flying down the hallway. It's not long before Spike can hear her screams coming from down the hall. His pace picks up and he rushes toward her room. As Spike opens the door and enters the room he sees Buffy drenched in sweat with Dawn and her father at her side. The metal arms of the hospital bed are bent into unrecognizable shapes with deep finger grooves in them. She's panting and Spike watches as the doctor places their baby in her arms. For a moment Spike is frozen staring at the sight before him, then Buffy catches his eyes and within seconds Spike is at her side. They both stare at the tiny newborn with amazement.
A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, thanks for all your reviews "9.05 New Responsibilities" will be up on Thursday where we get our first glimpse of the big bad.