Title: Change
Author: MSKBSwedish
Rating: Mature
Summery: Three years have come since the fateful night that Linn was brought home safely from being held in the clutches of Angelus and Dru. Now Buffy and Spike, who have put their parenthood before slaying, have to not only battle vampires and demons but their children as well.
Note: I own nothing of the Buffyverse.

Chapter Two – In The Dark

Giles rushed into the familiar Summer's house. "Buffy?" He called out when he opened the door.

"In here." Spike's voice replied in the living room.

Giles closed the door and hurried into the living room to see Buffy sitting on the couch with Linn in her arms who was still tossing and turning as Buffy tried to keep her still.

"I'm sorry, Giles. I didn't know who else to call. Willow is on her way over to see if maybe she could help but... I don't know what to do. She won't stop." Buffy's voice cracked. She was close to tears in desperation for her daughter.

"I need you to lay her down flat and help me hold her." Giles said, getting down to business.

Buffy slid Linn off of her lap and onto the couch where she began to toss and turn further until Buffy pressed her hands firmly against the child's shoulders to keep her still but her head still thrashed about.

"I thought she was having a seizure at first but she's not convulsing." Buffy explained further to Giles.

"No, it's not a seizure." Giles grabbed a little flashlight from his bag and used it to look at Linn's eyes. He pulled the eyelids open with his thumb to see. "No, they are normal. Have you taken her temperature?" Giles asked, looking up at the parents.

Spike sighed and eyed Buffy. "Yeah. Her temperature was 104.3." Spike responded for the both of them.

"Oh dear lord." Giles responded in concern.

"What do I do, Giles?" Buffy's voice cracked once more. "I can't take her to a regular doctor. She's not normal. They'll take her away from me." Buffy's eyes shimmered with tears. "I can't let them take my baby." A few tears escaped onto the slayer's cheeks.

"We will not let that happen, Buffy." Giles reassured her. "Spike, go run a warm bath. Fill it up about a quarter of the way." Giles had an idea that he think would work to at least bring her temperature down.

Buffy sniffled and pulled her daughter back into her arms, holding her tight to try and keep her still.

"Mummy? Is Linny okay?" Emmy looked scared. She didn't know what was going on and unfortunately, no one else knew either.

"Yes, baby. She will be fine." Buffy lied. She didn't know if her daughter would be okay or not but she was going to do everything in her power to keep her daughter alive.

Giles continued to examine Linn while in her mothers arms and once the bath was ready, Spike came downstairs.

He took Linn into his arms and the three adults, along with Emmy following went upstairs to the bathroom.

"Emmy, why don't you go lay down in mine and daddy's room for a bit." Buffy suggested to her youngest.

Emmy eyed her mother, almost contemplating whether or not to do it but within seconds she nodded her head and walked out of the bathroom.

Spike quickly undressed Linn. "I'm getting in there with her. I don't want her to hit her head." Buffy nodded in agreement but Spike kept his clothes on and simply got into the tub. He laid his daughter against him and let a good portion of her body be submerged into the water.

Grabbing the girl's cup that they used to rinse their hair out, Spike began scooping water into it and splashing it over his daughter's body that wasn't submerged.

Buffy sat down on the closed toilet and watched Spike care for their daughter. Moments like this, Spike's dedication and love for his children really shined.

"Buffy!" The door to the house opened and Willow called out for Buffy.

"Up here, Will!" Buffy answered.

Within minutes, Willow had joined the others in the bathroom. Her eyes fell over Spike and Linn in the tub before looking at Buffy and then Giles.

"What happened?" Willow asked, walking over to the tub to look down at Linn who was no longer tossing and turning.

"We don't know. Spike and I were... about to..." Buffy hinted towards the obvious. "And Em came in and said that something was wrong with Linn. We found her in her bed just tossing her turning. She was burning up. I thought it was a seizure at first but she's not convulsing and she's not clenching her teeth either." Buffy explained to Willow.

Willow knelt down beside the tub and felt Linn's forehead which was still hot. "Oooh. She is warm."

Grabbing her bag from her shoulder, Willow sat the bag in her lap and pulled out a few things. She had a little cup that she dunked in the water to fill the cup about half way. She pulled a vial of powder from her bag and mixed it with the water. Then she grabbed another powder and put that in there as well.

"What's that?" Buffy asked.

"It's a concoction I created. Tara has a friend who gets sick a lot. I was trying to come up with a natural way to help with her fevers. I'm only using a little since Linn is so much smaller." Willow explained.

Buffy didn't like that they had to guess and hope for everything but it was all she had right now.

"We have to wake her up and get her to drink this." Willow said firmly.

"We've tried to, Will. Nothing is waking her up." Buffy explained to the red head.

Nodding her head, Willow sighed and closed her eyes. She said a small, quiet chant and within seconds, Linn's eyes flashed open. Immediately she began to cough violently.

Spike sat up straight, making his daughter sit up straight. He rubbed her back and patted it slightly to try and calm the cough but it only seemed to grow worse.

"She's gonna puke." Spike said quickly. "Trash bin! Now!"

Willow grabbed the empty waste basket and handed it to Spike. He held it in front of Linn's face just in time for her to start vomiting into it. Willow reached over and held the little girl's hair back for her.

"Let it out, love. Go ahead." Spike said softly. Whatever it was that was causing his daughter to become ill, she needed to get it out of her system. "Daddy's here, sweetie." Spike planted a kiss on the top of his daughter's head as she coughed up what she could.

When she was done Linn laid back against Spike as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Shh. It's alright." Spike whispered and rubbed her arms softly.

"Mummy." Linn cried out for her mother.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here." Buffy said loud enough for her daughter to hear her voice.

"Mummy, mummy." Linn cried harder as she reached for her mother.

"I'm here, Malin. Daddy's got you. You need to stay there." Buffy's heart was breaking. If this was just some sort of sickness, it was one hell of a sickness. She wanted to pick her daughter up into her arms and take all of the pain away but she couldn't.

"Mummy!" Linn cried harder and began to struggle in her father's arms but Spike held her firmly. Not enough to hurt her either.

"Will..." Buffy said, trying not to cry.

"Linn, here, take this." Willow said and held out the cup but the little girl stuck her nose up at it.

"Malin Joyce, you have to take this." Spike spoke just as firmly as he held onto his daughter.

"NO! MUMMY!" Buffy put her hand over her mouth to try and keep her own cry from coming out. It was ripping her up to see Linn like this.

"She needs to take it or the fever isn't going to come down." Willow said to Spike.

"I'm gonna have to hold her mouth open." Spike said, still struggling to keep his daughter in his arms.

"She needs to take it, Spike." Willow said again.

Spike hated having to be the enforcer but he was the strongest person they knew and he wasn't going to hurt his children especially not on purpose.

It was an effort on both Willow and Spike's part. He reached up and firmly took Linn's chin in his hand as Willow timed the moment she could toss the liquid into her mouth but it wasn't going to work. They needed more hands.

"Let me help." Buffy begged Willow seeing that they were having such a difficult time with her.

"No. We can't afford you to catch what she has, if it's an illness at all." Spike demanded of Buffy.

"Let me." Giles said as he leaned over the tub. "You two hold her, I will do the medicine."

Willow handed the medicine to Giles. Spike wrapped his arms around Linn and Willow took a hold of Linn's forehead in one hand and her other held the child's jaw.

"Quickly. Before I lose my grip." Willow said to Giles.

Quickly, Giles poured the liquid down the child's throat. She coughed and sputtered in response but she swallowed the majority of it.

Willow and Spike let go immediately once the concoction was gone. What little bit spilled out and that Linn managed to cough out, Spike used a rag and wiped it up.

Buffy immediately stood up and grabbed a towel. She couldn't take it any longer. Linn still cried for her mother.

"Willow, move." Buffy said firmly.

"Buffy, I don't think-" Willow tried to explain.

"No. Don't think. Just move." Buffy said once more.

Willow got off of her feet and moved out of the mother's way.

"Buffy, stop." Spike demanded.

"Spike, let her go. She wants me. I can't do this. Just let me take her." Buffy argued back with the vampire.

"But if you catch something that is going to harm that baby, you're not going to forgive yourself. Linn will be fine, she is just out of it because of the fever." Spike tried to reason with Buffy but the mother wasn't having it.

"I don't care. I'm taking my child." Buffy pushed Spike's hands off of Linn.

Buffy pulled her daughter up from her father, wrapped her in the towel and picked her up into her arms.

"Mummy... mummy..." Linn cried in her mothers arms. She wrapped her arms around Buffy's neck and held her tight.

"I know, baby. I know. I've got you. Mommy's got you." Buffy walked past Giles and Willow and walked into her own bed room.

Spike quickly got up and looked at Willow and Giles who stood looking at one another. They had just come between a mother and child, not the smartest thing to do.

"Mind stepping out for a moment?" Spike said with a slight chuckle.

Willow and Giles nodded and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind them to give Spike the privacy to undress and pull a towel around his waist.

Inside their bedroom, Buffy sat down on her bed with Linn in her arms.

Spike came in, moments later and grabbed a sleeping Emmy from his side of the bed. "I'm putting her in her room." Spike said quietly. Buffy simply nodded in response and Spike walked out.

"Mummy... mummy..." Linn cried once more as Buffy laid down in the bed with Linn and rubbed her back.

"Shh. It's okay. Mommy's here." Buffy stroked Linn's back as they lay there. "Shh. Calm down, baby. Calm down." Buffy continued to try and sooth her daughter.

Meanwhile, Spike tucked Emmy in her bed and walked out to the hallway to see Giles and Willow.

"Do you want me to stay?" Willow asked Spike who wore a towel around his waist.

"It's okay. Go home, get some rest. We will monitor her fever through the night. If we need anything we will call." Spike smiled. "Thank you both for rushing over. Whatever this is, it's never happened before." Spike explained.

Giles nodded. "They are like granddaughters to me. I'm a phone call away if you need me." Giles patted Spike on the shoulder.

"Same. Just call me if you need anything. Here." Willow went into her purse and pulled out a few things. "These are for the fever." She said, handing him three vials of each of the powders. "Mix them together equal parts and keep giving that to her. That should keep the fever down. Here is some oil to put in her food or drink. It's to help if she starts throwing up again." Willow sighed softly. "Take it easy on Buffy, please." Willow said, defending her best friend.

"I just.. I don't know, Will, something feels off. I worry about the bit." Spike sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I know but this is Buffy we are talking about. She will be fine, Spike." Willow insisted. "Just call if you need me."

Spike nodded his head and watched the two walk down the stairs and outside.

Walking back into his bedroom, Linn was no longer crying out for Buffy but she was gasping slightly and hiccuping here and there like children tend to do after they had a loud, hard cry.

Without saying a word, Spike began to pull some clothes on while Buffy soothed their oldest.

"Her fever is coming down." Buffy whispered, hoping it was loud enough for Spike to hear which indeed it was.

Spike turned from pulling his shirt over his head. Slowly he laid down on the other side of Linn who was curled up against her mother.

"Good." Spike whispered back. "Look love, I'm-"

"Don't." Buffy said, shaking her head. "Not now. Please." Buffy looked into Spike's eyes. "Just let it go." Buffy insisted. She didn't want to focus on them right now. It wasn't the time.

Spike nodded and placed his hand against his daughter's leg and rubbed gently. "She's not as warm." He simply said to Buffy. "Willow gave me some more of that stuff in case she needs more." Spike smiled a little.

"Good. I'll call her in the morning and make sure I thank her." Buffy smiled. She loved Willow dearly and was lucky enough to call her, her best friend.

Right now, it was time to take care of Linn who was starting to fall asleep once again in her mother's protective embrace.

...TBC...