Buffy awoke with a start as she felt a sharp pain wrack her body. Rolling onto her back, she realized it was still dark out. Becoming more aware of her surroundings, she realized that the bed was wet beneath her.

"Oh God." Buffy gasped, then reached over and began shaking her husband frantically. "Angel, wake up!"

Angel yawned and opened his eyes. "What, Buffy?" Feeling the wet bed, he sat up, confused. "Buffy, what happened? Did... did you wet the bed?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Why is the bed wet, then? What's going on?"

"I think I'm in labor." She told him in a quiet voice, as if she said it too loud that would make it true... which she definitely wished it wasn't. Just the day before, at lunch with Willow, Buffy had lamented about wanting the baby to be born already. Now it was happening and she was terrified.

"What?! Well, you can't! You're not due for 2 weeks, you can't have the baby now!" Angel replied, panicking.

"Tell the baby that." Buffy replied, struggling to get out of the bed.

Angel jumped up and began pacing. "What do we do? Oh God, what do we do now?!"

Buffy took a deep breath. Obviously, she had to be the calm one. "Help me up. We'll get dressed and go to the hospital."

"Okay." Angel said, nodding his head as he carefully got his wife out of bed.

"I'm gonna go shower so I can get this off of me... you want to join me?" She asked, toddling over to the bathroom.

"You want to have sex in the shower *now*?!" He asked incredulously.

"No, I want to wash this off of me and I wanted to know if you wanted to wash it off of you too. God, I'm in labor, I'm not in the mood, Angel!"

"Sorry..." he replied feebly, following her into the bathroom.

2:20 a.m.

As they hurriedly headed out the door when Buffy felt her insides contract sharply. She held tightly onto the stair banister for support as she hunched over in pain.

"What's going on?!" Angel asked, panicked as he stood in front of her with her suitcase.

Less than a moment later, the pain was gone. "Contraction." She explained.

Suddenly, the front door opened and Spike walked in. "What's going on? Are we going on a trip?"

"Oh great... of all the things I *didn't* need right now!" Angel sighed, seeing his childe approaching them.

"I'm in labor, Spike... we were heading to the hospital." Buffy explained as she walked the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Oh... jeez!" Spike exclaimed. "Well, it's a good thing I got home two weeks early or I would have missed this!"

"Well, you're going to miss it anyway, because you can't come!" Angel sniped.

"Yes I can, Buffy told me I could!" Spike retorted.

"Well, *I* say you can't!"

"Shut up, the both of you!" Buffy shouted. "Angel, let Spike come. He's my friend."

Smiling happily, Spike looked at Buffy. "Did you want me to videotape?"

"Well, Xander wants to do it in the delivery room, but do you want to do some stuff now?"

"Sure.. it'll be fun." He grinned.

Sighing, Angel led them out of the house and into his car so that they could get to the hospital.

3:00 a.m.

"Are you going to want any pain medications when the time comes, Mrs. McKellen?" The nurse asked as she jotted down Buffy's information as she rested as comfortably as possible in the hospital bed.

"Totally... Demerol... epidural... anything and everything you can give me." Buffy told her, obviously petrified of the pain.

"You'll do fine." The nurse smiled, patting her knee before leaving her and Spike alone.

"How are you doing, Pet?" Spike asked, moving his chair beside her bed so he could hold her hand.

"Scared."

"Scared? Why?"

"Because labor is supposed to be so hard and painful and I just... I know it's ridiculous, but I want my mom!" She sighed.

"Well, don't worry, Luv." Spike comforted her. "Angelus is calling your mum and friends... and we'll all be here to help you."

Buffy smiled at him. "You're so sweet to me. I'm glad you're back."

"Hey, I know! Before the big poof and your idiot friend get in here and blubber, why don't you give your baby a few words on camera? They can look at the video later to see what you wanted to tell them when they were being born." He suggested.

"That sounds good!" Buffy grinned, happy for the distraction.

5:25 a.m.

"Buffy!" Cordelia greeted as she entered the hospital room. Angel had called her at *three* in the morning. It had taken herself a while to look presentable. After all, with the baby being born she was sure to be in some pictures. Which was why it had taken her almost two and a half-hours to get there.

Buffy giggled. "Hi Cordelia!"

Cordelia stopped short. "What's her deal?"

"They gave her pain meds." Angel explained as he paced in the room.

"Drugs are gooood." Buffy grinned. "Just say yes!"

"They gave her too much, that's for sure." Cordelia commented as she set her purse down. "What now?"

"We wait." Spike told her, still seated beside Buffy.

"Where's my Xander?" Buffy asked. "We gotta make a movie!"

"I told you, Buffy, he didn't pick up the phone when I called, remember?" Angel told his wife.

"Oh yeah! Angel... come here." Buffy pleaded.

Angel did as she asked, sitting in the chair on the other side of her and taking her hand.

"I love you, Angel."

He smiled; she was so cute when she was out of it. "I love you too."

Spike made gagging noises and Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Where's Giles and Buffy's mom?"

"The Watcher had to stay with their kid until they can leave him with a friend in the morning and Joyce is getting some coffee." The vampire explained.

"Are you staying all day?" She asked him, checking herself in the mirror.

"Of course! I'm not missing my sibling's birth! Buffy told the nurse I was allergic to the sun, so they'll keep the blinds closed all day."

"Aww.. how sweet." Cordelia remarked sarcastically.

"Examination time!" Dr. Crawford announced as she walked into the room.

Spike covered his eyes, as per Angel's insistence, and Cordelia made sure to turn away as the doctor made Buffy bend her knees so she could check out the baby's position.

"Oh boy! Buffy you are seven centimeters dilated. I bet Baby McKellen will be making an appearance within a few hours." The doctor announced.

"Cool." Buffy replied.

Angel got a bit more nervous. He'd be a father with an actual child that was out in the world crying, screaming and doing actual things within a few hours. Terrifying!

8:00 a.m.

"Okay, Buffy, why don't you just lay back and relax, Baby? Take a break." Angel told his wife as he wiped a cool cloth on her forehead.

"You want to listen to music instead, Luv? I brought my Sex Pistols CD." Spike smiled.

"She doesn't need music, she needs rest!" Angel insisted.

"She can talk!" Spike argued.

"Go away!" Buffy growled, glaring at them both.

Frightened, they both quietly moved from her bedside, giving her space.

Shaking her head at them, Cordelia moved next to Buffy, picked up the cloth, and began gently dabbing a grateful Buffy with it.

"So Buff, do you feel as gross as you look?" Xander teased from behind the video camera.

Buffy breathed deeply as she braced herself for another contraction. "Xander, get away from me before I take that camera and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS!"

"Alright, why don't you move back, now, Xander?" Giles suggested.

"Good idea." The boy replied, looking fearfully at the woman in labor.

Joyce and Cordelia held Buffy's hands as she endured a strong contraction. Two moments later, it was over, but they expected another one in a few minutes.

Deciding he better just ignore Spike and focus on his wife instead, Angel moved back over to Buffy and took her hand. "How you doing Baby?"

"I'm in pain!" She panted.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. You know if I could I would take all the pain and feel it myself."

"Oh, how sweet." She replied sarcastically, then bit his hand hard. "There's some pain."

"Ow." He replied, in shock.

"Oh shut up, this is all your fault!" She yelled at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, truly confused.

"If you hadn't touched me, I wouldn't be in this position, but nooooo."

"Here comes another." Cordelia announced, looking at the monitor.

Buffy cried out as her insides contracted together and her whole body was in pain. She was beyond nervousness; she just wanted to have her baby so all this pain could be over. Everything was irritating her. Angel bickering with Spike, then trying to be all sympathetic, Xander and the damn camera, the nurses that kept coming in and telling her soon. She wanted to get the kid out of her so that she could go home and sleep! Of course, after she'd told her mother that, Joyce had laughed and told her there was no way in Hell she'd get to sleep in a house with a newborn. That had also annoyed Buffy.

9:15 a.m.

"Come on, Buffy, just a little bit more." Dr. Crawford urged her patient. A few more pushes and the baby would be out.

"I can't." Buffy panted, exhausted.

"Come on, Buffy, try another push, really hard." Cordelia replied.

Nodding tiredly, Buffy bore down and pushed with all her might. For their part, Cordelia and Joyce continued pushing Buffy's knees to her chest as Angel supported Buffy's back as he sat behind her on the bed, all helping her bear down.

"The head's out!" The doctor announced excitedly. "Okay, Buffy, Honey I need you to just give me one more good push and we can pull out the rest of your baby."

Spike and Xander sat, pale, in the corner of the room, trying not to look, but dying of curiosity despite the grossness.

"Okay, okay, just give me a second." Buffy pleaded, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm so proud of you Buffy." Angel told his wife. "Our baby's almost here."

Buffy felt a bit of adrenaline. She wanted to hold her baby! She began pushing again.

"Good... good, here we go. You're doing great, Buffy!" The doctor encouraged as she pulled the baby out.

Finally, the Dr. Crawford held their baby in her hands. Buffy and Angel waited anxiously to hear their child cry for the first time....

The End

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