Buffy was in Weatherly Park fighting a vampire. Spike and Drusilla had been sending one after another trying to wear the slayer down. It was working. Buffy felt like crap.
After finally dusting the vamp, Buffy began to feel woozy and passed out. Luckily, Willow and Oz passed by and took her straight to the emergency room.
Angel was with Giles trying to figure out Spike and Dru's next move.
"Surely you must have some idea how they think? What they would be up to?"
"Well, Spike's still wheelchair bound and Drusilla's ... Word of advice; if you ever obsess over a woman with psychic abilities, don't drive her insane." Angel advised his lover's watcher.
"Yes, I'll remember that."
The library phone rang and Giles answered it. "Hello?"
"It's Willow. Buffy's in the emergency room."
"What happened?" He asked with concern in his voice.
"We're not sure yet. She was patrolling and she fainted. We brought her straight here."
"Have you called her mother?" When Giles said that, Angel walked over to him.
"What's happened to Buffy?"
"She's on her way. Is that Angel?" Willow asked.
"Yes."
"Okay, well, tell him too. We tried to call him, but he wasn't home, obviously."
"We'll be there as quickly as possible." Giles hung the phone up.
"Buffy?!" Angel asked desperately.
"She's in the emergency room. According to Willow, she fainted. I'll just get my keys and..."
Giles didn't get the chance to finish. Angel was already gone.
When Angel got to the hospital, they were taking Buffy to a room.
"What's going on?"
"They're admitting her." Joyce informed him. "Buffy has a nasty case of Strep Throat and the flu. She has to have I.V. antibiotics."
"May I go see her?" He was anxious to see his love.
Joyce smiled at his concern. "As soon as they get her settled, they said they'd come get us."
"Isn't there some kind of pill I can take? I really don't need to stay here!" Buffy argued with the nurse who was trying to put the I.V. in her hand.
"Miss Summers, the only way to fight this particular strain of the flu has to be fought aggressively. Add on top of that you have Strep Throat. You're not responding quickly enough to the oral meds. So just relax and let me get this needle in your hand."
Buffy closed her eyes tightly and winced as the needle pricked her hand. The nurse was about to insert the antibiotic when she was interrupted.
"The orders have changed. He's changed the antibiotic."
The nurse checked the new order. Then, Buffy watched as they exchanged the bags. "What's going on?"
The larger, older woman explained. "The doctor will be in here in just a few minutes to explain everything."
Buffy didn't like the sound of that. "Is my mom here?"
"I'll go check." The nurse left.
A man in his mid-forties entered the room wearing a white lab coat and stethoscope. He grabbed Buffy's chart from the nurse and began writing in it.
"What's going on?!"
The doctor dismissed the remaining nurse.
"I'm Dr. Burke." He shook her hand. "When you were in the ER, they asked you if you were sexually active and you said yes."
Buffy nodded. The only thought that went through her mind was that Angel had given her some weird vampire sex disease.
"When the answer is in the positive, we automatically do a pregnancy test. Now I realize that you are only seventeen, but there are several options available..."
Buffy realized what Dr. Burke was telling her. "I can't be pregnant!"
"The blood test came out positive." He assured her.
"Well, do it again! You don't understand, my boyfriend's a vam ... he's sterile."
"And you've been with no one else?"
Buffy shook her head. "Never!"
"Well, I hate to break this to you, but it sounds like your boyfriend used the 'you can't get pregnant 'cause I'm sterile' line."
There was a knock on the door. Buffy saw her mother and Angel.
"Don't tell them, okay?" She whispered to the doctor.
"I'll leave it up to you." He winked at her. "Mrs. Summers, your daughter will be better in a few days."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Dr. Burke stopped in front of Angel. "You the boyfriend?" Angel nodded. The doctor just shook his head and left the room.
"You scared me!" Angel told the love of his life.
"You scared all of us." Joyce added.
Buffy was barely listening to them. All she kept thinking was that, somehow, she was pregnant. She knew Angel hadn't lied to her so it must be because of her slayer status.
Angel sat next to her and grabbed her hand. "Buffy?"
"What? Sorry, I'm just kind of tired."
Willow and Giles appeared at the door.
"I think Buffy needs her rest. Why don't we come back in the morning."
Giles looked at Buffy. "Don't worry about..." He looked at Joyce. "... your *school* work. I'll make sure it's, um, taken care of."
"Thanks Giles. Will, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure. Feel better."
"Thanks."
Joyce kissed her daughter's warm forehead. "I'll be back in the morning."
"Bye Mom." She squeezed Angel's hand. "Can you stay with me for a little bit?"
"Sure." He kissed her hand.
"Not too long." Joyce told him.
The group left the lovers alone.
Fear filled Buffy's eyes. "I need to ask you something and I don't know how to do it exactly."
"Why not just ask."
Buffy licked her dry lips. "Have you ever heard of a case ... where a vampire ... I mean..."
"What is it Buffy?"
"I'm pregnant."
Angel looked like he had just been staked.
"Before you ask, it's yours. I haven't been with anyone else."
He kissed her softly on the lips. "I know that. I just don't understand how this happened."
Buffy looked at the I.V. in her hand. "What do we do? I can't slay like this, something could happen to the baby. But then again, I don't know if we should even have the baby because every vampire and demon in Sunnydale will be after it because it's mine."
"Ours." Angel added. "The first thing we do is tell Giles."
"No!" Buffy shouted. "He can't know. Not yet anyway."
"Honey, we need to know if there have been other slayers that were pregnant. He has the information we need."
"Not yet, okay?" Buffy pushed her hair behind her ear. "This is so completely unreal."
"I'm sorry Buffy. If I'd known anything like this would happen, I would have used protection."
Buffy laughed slightly. "This isn't entirely your fault, Angel. So don't get all broody on me."
"Tell you what, why don't you go to sleep. I'll sit with you until before dawn. We'll talk more about this tomorrow."
She smiled at him. "You know I love you, right?"
"Yes, I do. I love you too."
Angel got in bed beside her and cradled her as she fell asleep. The thoughts of being a father had eluded him. Now, this beautiful woman in his arms had somehow made it a reality. He smiled.
On the other side of town, Drusilla held her head in pain.
"What is it, Pet?" Spike asked her.
The pain dissipated and Dru got a wicked look on her face. "Things will be changing very soon. Destruction. Hell in Earth. We're going to open the gate way to Hell."
"And just how are we going to do that, Luv?"
"Acathla."