TITLE: RAGING MOON
DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN THE STORY AND THE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS I MAKE UP.
FEEDBACK: DO I EVEN HAVE TO ASK?
AUTHORS NOTE: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO SENT FEEDBACK. I DECIDED TO POST THE NEXT PART AS A THANK YOU TO EVERYONE. AND YES…YOU GUESSED RIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
SUNNYDALE
"What?" Faith sputtered. Had she just heard Buffy say she thought she was pregnant?
"You heard me. I think I'm pregnant." Buffy answered looking at Faith calmly. She was determined to have her way and Faith would just have to accept that fact.
"How…?" Faith asked, she still had trouble working through the information Buffy had just given her. Buffy was pregnant? How long…? That must be why she was taking so long in the bathroom the other day. Buffy had a guilty expression on her face and Faith saw it before she managed to hide it.
Buffy gave a small laugh, "I'm sure you know how…" even though she was not feeling very humoristic at the moment. She didn't even know how it was possible. She didn't know what to make of it either and she sure as hell didn't know how to explain it. Buffy had always been so careful when she and Angelus were together, or so she thought. Obviously they weren't careful enough.
Faith scoffed at her but couldn't contain the smile that spread over her face. Faith knew Buffy adored children and wanted her own one day. But by the look on Buffy's face it was clear that she was distressed. Why? She was supposed to be happy.
"I did two home pregnancy tests yesterday and two again this morning. All of them were positive." Buffy replied dejected.
"I'd say congratulations are in order." Faith moved to give Buffy a hug then she saw the tears in her eyes. "Buffy, what's wrong? I thought you wanted kids?" Faith asked bewildered. Had Buffy maybe changed her mind? She couldn't believe that was the case. Unless…
"I do, you don't know how much I want this. It just…I don't…Angelus doesn't want kids. I don't know how he will react to the news. We've never spoken about this before but I'm pretty sure he won't be happy with the news. How am I supposed to tell him I'm pregnant knowing that?" Buffy explained, on the verge of tears again.
Faith didn't buy it for one second. She knew Angelus adored Buffy and no matter what the situation might be Angelus would never shun her because she was pregnant. Faith took a deep breath and wondered how to handle the situation.
"How about we go back into the hospital and do a proper pregnancy test? Those over the counter test aren't always accurate and if you are pregnant you should see a doctor anyway. Doctor Addison Welsh it a great gynecologist and she can check you out. " Faith asked, Buffy nodded her agreement Faith wanted to do an air punch at her victory but contained herself at the last moment.
As they strolled back into the hospital Faith kept a look out for Dr Webber and was pleased that he was nowhere in sight. If he tried to get close to Buffy again Faith was going to give him a good ass-kicking. He was bigger and stronger than her but she was thankful to her parents for making her take those martial arts lessons when she was younger, they would sure come in handy.
She sat Buffy down in a private examination room while she went to call Addison. To her relief, Addison wasn't very busy at the moment and happily agreed to see Buffy. She herself was six months pregnant and she loved her job. Addison and Faith enjoyed working together and formed a friendship over the years.
Addison made Buffy feel very comfortable while examining her and thirty minutes later Buffy had the test result. It was true…She was five weeks pregnant. Buffy was still reeling with shock as Faith led her out to the car and drove them home.
Buffy was so lost in thought that she didn't even realize they were home and seated on her bed. Faith came in with a cup of hot cocoa then took a seat next to her. "Buffy, you ok?"
"Yes, thank you." Buffy said. "Thank you for caring and looking after me. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you to lean on." Buffy said sincerely. This would also explain why she was feeling so overly emotional the last couple of weeks.
"Ah B, don't do that, you're making me all sappy here." Faith laughed but hugged Buffy back. They both laughed together and then pulled back after a short while.
"So you know you have to phone Angelus now right?" Faith tested. This was a great time in a couple's life and she didn't want Buffy going through it alone.
Buffy's head snapped in her direction. "NO! I don't want him to know. If I call him now he'll rush over here and as soon as he sees me he'll know something about me is…off." Buffy said. She didn't want to say too much. Faith had no idea of her wolf status or any mystical things and she didn't want her to find out either.
"You mean he will pick up your pregnant… As in…his wolf senses will pick up the difference in your body?" Faith asked calmly. Buffy slowly turned her head to look at Faith. He mouth fell open and her eyes were as big as saucers. There was no way to explain the shock she was feeling. How the hell did Faith know? How could she be so calm? Why wasn't she running?
"I know what you are Buffy. I've always known. I'm not a total idiot." Faith joked trying to make light of the situation. By the look on Buffy's face the news shocked her completely.
"How…?" Buffy couldn't even form a full sentence.
"I don't know. I just felt something was different about you. When I started working at SGH I drew your file and read what happened. Everyone said it was a biking accident but they way your injuries were described it clearly showed that you were attacked by a large animal. I followed you one night into the woods and I saw you transform." Faith told her, as calm as ever like she was telling her a bedtime story.
"You…you knew all this time, and still you were friends with me?" Buffy asked stunned.
"Yes. You are still the person you were before you were changed. I cared about you before and I still care about you. Just because your anatomy changes every once in a while doesn't change that." Faith answered honestly. Did Buffy honestly think she was going to judge and abandon her because of something like this? Not a chance in hell!
"You aren't scared I might attack you or something?" The idea of Faith knowing was oddly a huge relief.
"No. Why do you want to attack me?" Faith joked and Buffy couldn't help but laugh. "I could take you down anytime, wolf or no wolf." Buffy couldn't help but laugh as Faith joked about it.
"How did you know about Angelus?" Buffy asked after they stopped laughing.
"Well I figured since he was so damn protective about you he must be a wolf too. No human male gets so protective about their girlfriends like he gets about you." That got Buffy thinking. It was true that Angelus was very protective of her and she missed that.
"I'm not so sure. He's a great guy but somehow I don't see him wanting kids. He'll do the responsible thing and take care of the child even if he doesn't want it. I can't do that to him. I can't force him into a situation that he doesn't want." Buffy's eyes pleaded with Faith to understand.
"I can't believe that. Angelus adores you. I'm sure he will be delighted to find out he's going to be a daddy." Faith let go of the breath she had been holding and sighed. "Ok B, you know him better than I do. If you want to wait that's fine by me. Just think about it ok?" When Buffy nodded Faith felt somewhat relieved.
She wished that Buffy would just give in and phone Angelus. He deserved to know the truth but she stood behind Buffy and would support her in whichever decision she would make. After all, she was on Buffy's side and at the moment Angelus was the 'evil cheater' so there was no way she was going to support him now…maybe later when things settled down…maybe…
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Ben sat behind the bar at the Bronze, the only club in Sunnydale. Empty beer bottles stood all around him. He raised his finger at the barman, showing he wanted another beer. Lenny frowned but placed an ice cold beer next to him.
Lenny had seen his fair share of drunks in his days but none of them had ever unnerved him like the guy sitting before him now. There was something about the guy that made him feel very uncomfortable. Maybe it was his dark empty eyes that set him off. Lenny was not about to strike up a conversation with the guy so he moved as far away from him as the bar allowed.
Ben didn't notice anyone or anything around him, he just stared into the bottle he had in his hand. He had been trying to control his anger so he decided to grab a couple of beers to soothe himself. It didn't help one bit.
The events of the past day were still very fresh in his mind. When he walked into the hospital that morning he felt something was going to happen, he just didn't know what. He had dealt with a few trauma cases and had just finished with surgery when he noticed the petite blond in the hallway.
As he pulled air into his lungs he caught her scent and his nostrils had flared with the familiar scent. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Buffy Summers. He had always adored her from afar, tried to get her to notice him but she never did.
He first met Buffy at the art gallery that her mother had owned. Joyce Summers had been a pleasant lady and he had bought numerous paintings from her gallery in hopes of catching Buffy's attention. She never even noticed him.
She was always busy with friends or that ignorant asshole boyfriend of hers. Ben felt his anger rise at the thought. He still felt resentment and jealousy towards the taller blond man. Riley Finn had Buffy for himself and Ben hated him for it. He didn't deserve her, no one did.
Ben then tried to get Buffy's attention in other ways. He visited her mother's gallery frequently in hopes of encountering her. He followed her to see where she regularly hung out and where she shopped. Luckily for him, she never noticed. He 'bumped' into her once at the supermarket and she had been very polite and apologized for not looking where she had been going. Before he could start a conversation with her she was already walking away.
The sound of her sweet voice enticed him even more. It also angered him that she dismissed him so easily. That day was a turning point for him. He knew he had to make her his, and he would stop at nothing to get her. Everything about her called out to him and he didn't care what he had to do to make her his.
A few weeks later he made his move.
One night, as she was making her way home he followed her as he always did. His hunger for her had burned in him so long he had trouble containing himself. Try as he might he couldn't control the beast that was inside of him. No one knew what he really was, as he had gone through great lengths to ensure his secrets remained hidden.
He had transformed into his wolf shape before he could summon the change and stalked after her as she turned a corner and moved out of his sight. He sped after her with inhuman speed and attacked her before he could control himself. Once he had the taste of her blood on his lips he was lost. She tasted so sweet, like nothing he had ever tasted before.
Over the haze that clouded his mind he could hear her screaming but paid it no mind. He had her within his grasp and nothing else mattered. She managed a kick in his face which momentarily distracted him and crawled under a fence to try and get away. He again got hold of her but had to let her how as three younger men pulled her through the fence and out of his reach. Losing control never crossed his mind, but he should have known better. Where Buffy was concerned he had trouble thinking straight.
He still remembered the smell of her blood and the fear in her eyes. He had reveled in it before he regained his mind, and changed back to his human form. Shock and anger at what had happened made him regain control over the beast. Ben had rushed to the hospital and arrived just five minutes before the men brought Buffy in.
She was unconscious and had wounds all over her, wounds that he had inflicted. He felt some pride when he had looked down on her knowing she would forever have the scars. Scars that proved she belonged to him. They had rushed her to the E.R. and he tended to her. He wanted to shout at all the medical staff to leave them but knew it would never happen.
During the few days she was in the hospital he had stayed with her while no-one noticed. He hated that he had to leave her there when his shift ended but knew all he had to do was wait. Ben had planned on taking her that night. He just had to wait for the staff to change shifts then he would take her away and no one would ever see them again.
When he returned a few hours later, she had been gone. Faith was busy finishing up her discharge papers. It took all his will power to keep himself from attacking the brunette. Something about the way she had looked at him made him think she knew what he had been planning.
Ben never got another chance to get Buffy back. He heard later that she had moved and he had no way of finding her. Try as he might Buffy had disappeared. He was sure Faith new more but she refused to talk to him. He had lost control of himself that night, he wouldn't let that happen again. When he got a hold of her now, he would remain in control of his beast and Buffy would be his.
Ben placed a few dollars on the counter then strolled out of the bar. Now that Buffy was back in town he was going to make sure she didn't leave him again.
In a small way he was glad Buffy didn't remember him. If she did, there was no telling what she might do. To his relief she couldn't place him. Now it worked in his favor. She would never expect him or know what was coming.
Ben himself didn't fully understand his other half. He had been an orphan since birth. His first memory was of him and a foster family when he was five. The family had been staying with were very kind to him. Unfortunately, his adoptive father and mother had died in a car crash a few years later and he went back to foster care when he was nine.
Most of his memories after that were very vague. His first change had happened when he was thirteen. The school bully had followed him home and cornered him in an abandoned ally, not too far from his home.
The bully had mocked and teased him then advanced on Ben and knocked him around for a while. While Ben had lain helpless and bleeding on the cold concrete, he felt a change in him. He had thought it was the end of his life. He waited for the bully to strike him again but the blow never came. As he risked a glance up to his assailant he could see the fear and denial in his eyes.
Ben transformed into a wolf for the first time that day, and he could not have been more relieved. Billy Thompson had never picked on him or anyone else from that day on. Not that he could. Ben had made sure to dispose of his body. The search for Billy was unsolved till this day.
Billy Thompson had been his first victim but certainly not his last. As Ben's thoughts drifted once again to Buffy, he smiled to himself. Yes, he had waited long enough. Buffy had returned home to him.
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Buffy sat in Faith's guest room waiting for the bath to fill with water. After the day she just had she needed a warm bath to soothe her aching muscles. She had been suffering bouts of morning sickness for a few days now. After her appointment with the gynecologist Buffy felt a bit better knowing everything was ok with the baby.
The unknown had been driving her insane and she didn't want Faith knowing about it. Luckily for her, Faith was a great friend and had taken everything in stride. Faith's level-headedness was a saving grace. Buffy had felt like she was going to explode. She didn't want to keep her pregnancy a secret form Faith and she was relieved that Faith now knew.
As Buffy stepped into the hot water she could feel her muscles starting to relax. She sighed and closed her eyes trying to calm her nerves down. Buffy still couldn't believe Faith knew about her being a wolf. For all those year Faith had known and protected Buffy's secret like it was her own.
"Hey B, you in there?" Faith called through the door. She had just finished her shift at the hospital and had some interesting news to tell Buffy.
"Yeah, come in" Buffy called back. The bathroom door eased open and Faith poked her head through the door. "You're not throwing up are you? Coz if you are I need to go get my apron first." Faith joked and got a chuckle from Buffy.
"I'll be sure to warn you before any of my gag reflexes start working again." Buffy joked back.
Faith took a seat on the toilet and sipped on double chocolate ice smoothie, Buffy's was placed next to her head and she took the offered drink and smiled appreciatively at her friend.
"How are you feeling B?"
"I'm fine. Just tired and I wish I was over the morning sickness part. That really sucks." Buffy replied as she thought back to the morning, she had been hunched over the toilet for a good hour before she felt steady enough to get back up.
"Yeah I hear morning sickness is a pain in the ass…" Faith mumbled. Buffy only laughed at her.
"So…boy or girl?" Faith asked Buffy. At her questioning expression she explained. " What do you want? A boy or a girl?"
Buffy smiled at the thought and replied without hesitation, "A boy. So that he can watch over his little sister." Buffy didn't mind either way, she would love her baby unconditionally. Buffy could see it all before her, she could imagine Angelus' dark orbs looking back at her through her babies eyes. It's hair a shade darker than her own.
Faith smiled at her answer and nodded her head, "True. I'd like a girl though. Their so cute and you can play dress up with them all the time which is great." Buffy now laughed at Faith as she looked up at her. "I didn't know you wanted kids Faith"
"Oh I don't. Not right now anyway. Their much too winey and they make a mess of everything. I'm so not up for that and probably won't be for the ten to twenty years."
"Faith…" Buffy chided her but knew that was how her friend felt. Faith had always operated better when she was alone and Buffy didn't see that changing in the near future. Faith had trouble keeping boyfriends, not to mention kids. Faith liked kids, but only from a distance.
"You wanted to tell me something?" Buffy asked
"Oh yeah. That idiot Ben Webber was in a terrible mood today. He was shouting at people left right and center, had one of the junior nurses in tears at one stage. He was just about to go off on another resident when the chief walked in and witnessed the whole thing.
Man I get chills just thinking about it. The chief ordered him to calm down…big mistake. Webber threw a tantrum like you've never seen before. Once the chief had enough he suspended Webber for two weeks and told him to calm down before returning to the hospital. Webber went hysterical after that, throwing files and stuff around like a spoilt little brat.
You have no idea what joy I felt when I saw the look on his face. Security had to escort him out of the building. Looks like Dr Webber has joined the unemployed line." Faith said with a satisfied smirk on her face. Thank heavens she didn't have to look at his face every day anymore .
Buffy took it all in before replying, "I have the strangest feeling that I know him from somewhere but I can't place him." Buffy told Faith.
Faith contemplated it for a while then shrugged her shoulders. "Must be from you stay at the hospital or something."
Buffy nodded her head but didn't say anything. Faith was probably right but Buffy was sure there was more to it than that. At least she didn't have to worry about him. The unease in her gut told her not to dismiss him so quickly but Buffy ignored it.
Ben Webber couldn't possibly mean her harm. He seemed like a stand-up citizen. After all, he was a doctor, and they were good people. Buffy thought to herself as he got out of the bath and padded to her room. She got into bed and placed her palm over her still flat belly.
She wished Angelus was next to her, with his large palm warming her growing belly. She tried to stop her train of thought but couldn't help it. She missed Angelus next to her. She wished she could share this wonderful news with him. Her body was cold and she wanted Angelus snuggling tight against her and telling her everything was going to be alright, that he was happy they were going to have a baby.
She held back her tears. She refused to cry anymore. This was supposed to be a great time in her life and she wasn't going to waste it crying. That night she fell asleep with a smile on her face for the first time in weeks.
END CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
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