Chapter 28: "It’s There"

Rated: NC17

Disclaimer: See first chapter

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Buffy walked through the front door of her house just as the sun was setting over Sunnydale. After leaving Dr. Morris’s office, she’d found herself wandering aimlessly around town, still reeling from the news Dr. Morris had given her, trying to let it fully sink in. She couldn’t, no, -wouldn’t- let herself believe she was no longer pregnant. She’d even gone to the drugstore and purchased several pregnancy tests. Sure, they could prove that Dr. Morris had been right, but she hoped that just maybe, they would prove the opposite.

Buffy climbed the stairs up to the second floor slowly, in an almost zombie like state. She made her way to the bathroom near her room and entered it, closing the door softly behind her.

The plastic bag she held in her hand was dropped carelessly to the floor by her feet. Lifting her head, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like hell. Her hair was tied loosely into a ponytail, and her clothes seemed to hang off her body like a second skin. Her eyes gave no hint of any emotion, but deep inside she was dying. She knew it was stupid to be so bothered by this, why should she care that she no longer carried Spike’s baby? She should be rejoicing, celebrating the fact that she had her normal life back. But then again, nothing about her life was normal in the first place. Maybe that’s what it was. That the baby, her baby, had made her feel normal, that the life that had once been growing inside of her showed her that she could reproduce like every other woman. It made her feel normal, not unique, not like the Slayer. And now it was gone and she was once again the Slayer with nothing to live for- only everything to die for.

Buffy gripped the edge of the counter and lowered her head. She closed her eyes and started to take short, deep breathes. She felt sick. Nauseous. Why did this have to happen to her?

Buffy still had her head lowered and was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open. Not until she felt a cool hand against her flesh did her eyes open and her head lift up. She looked in the mirror to see who it was, and then realized how pointless the action was, she knew who the hand belonged to and said person would not be reflected in the mirror.

Buffy stood unmoving as the hand on her arm moved around her waist, coming to rest just under her breasts. She should stop him, but she really wanted his touch right now- needed his touch. Her eyes focused on her image in the mirror and she watched as the hem of her shirt was slowly lifted to reveal her stomach. Her eyes closed once more as the hand returned to her skin, this time resting directly on her abdomen. A soft sigh escaped her lips as a gentle kiss was placed on her neck. She moved her head to the side, giving him better access. He kissed his way down the curve of her neck, then back up to the area just below her ear. The hand that had remained dormant on her abdomen started to move its way further up until it came into contact with one firm globe and closed around it.

Now it was time to end this before it got to far.

"Spike…not now." Buffy said, her voice sounding unconvincing even to herself.

"I can’t," Spike told her, kissing her along her jaw line now. "Can’t stop touching you. Don’t wanna."

Buffy whimpered. Maybe she should give in? Let herself feel something, anything, other than what she was feeling now? But, no she couldn’t. She had to tell him. He had a part in this too, and he had the right to know that the baby was gone.

Before Buffy could say anything at all, Spike stopped his ministrations. He’d caught sight of the bag on the floor and he detangled his hand from around her to reach down for it. Lifting it up close to his chest, he opened it up and peered inside.

"Wha’s this for?" He asked, taking a box out and holding it up.

Buffy turned to answer him. She took the box out of his hand and set it on the counter beside the sink. Keeping her head down, she began.

"Spike," she began, "early this morning, or maybe it was late last night, I had this dream. When I woke up, I had this funny feeling about the baby."

Spike’s grip on the bag loosened and it dropped back to the floor. He stared at her intently, waiting for her to continue with the story. Deep down, he did not like the feeling that this was giving him.

"I went to see Dr. Morris and she did an ultrasound." She paused before beginning again. "So they could see the baby, monitor its heart rate, tell if everything is progressing the way it should-"

"I know what they are, Slayer," Spike sighed. "Just get ta’ the point."

Spike knew he had sounded harsh just then, but he was fast approaching the point of not caring. There was something wrong and she wasn’t telling him. He just wanted to know what it was, without all the lengthy storytelling.

"There is no point," Buffy admitted.

Spike furrowed his brows at this. He gestured to the bag on the floor and asked, "Then wha’s with all this?"

"The baby didn’t show up on the ultrasound. Dr. Morris didn’t know if something was wrong with the machine or if-" She bit her knuckle for a long moment, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape. "She didn’t flat out say it, but I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m not pregnant."

"Wha'? I mean wouldn’t you know if somethin’ like that were true? Woman instinct an’ all that rot?" Spike insisted. He was trying to understand everything she was saying, but also trying to fight the overwhelming emptiness that seemed to settle like a wet blanket over his body. What if the baby really was gone? What would happen then? Would they go back to being mortal enemies again? Granted, they still were, but after being with her, being in her bed, in her arms, he didn’t know if he wanted to do that. If he could do that. What was he saying? Why should he care if the baby was gone? Wasn’t that what he’d wanted? To go back to the way things had been? Like Dru had said, "In the end, everything will be the way it was." Not like being the father of the Slayer’s child would have been good for the rep. The baby being gone should be a good thing- right?

"That’s why I got the tests," Buffy informed him, "my gut is telling me that Dr. Morris is wrong. But, I won’t know until I take these tests."

"Then take ‘em," Spike told her, reaching around her to grab the box off the counter. He thrust it at her. "Well?" He frowned when she didn’t take it, only stared at the small box in front of her.

"I have to do this alone," She told him, reluctantly taking the box from his grasp, "please go."

"No." Spike argued. "As much as I hate the fact that I am a part of your life now…" He was lying, more and more he was beginning to dislike the idea of no longer being in her life. And it scared him to know that if what she was saying was true, then it would quickly become a reality. "This involves me too."

Buffy sighed roughly. "Spike, I don’t really want you to watch me pee on a stick."

Spike blanched at her statement. That wasn’t something he wanted to see either. As much as he loved seeing her naked and imagining her naked, he wanted to keep that visual as far away from his fantasies as possible.

"Right then," he said, back peddling quickly towards the door. "I’ll just be…waitin’ in your room."

Buffy watched as Spike opened the bathroom door and slipped out into the hallway. When he was gone she turned to face the mirror again. Glancing down at the package in her hand she let out a weary sigh.

"Have to face this sometime," She told herself before ripping open the box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later and Spike was still sitting on the Slayer’s bed, waiting. He’d been able to hear her in the bathroom, moving around, for the past forty minutes. But, at the forty minute mark, everything had grown silent. He had waited, like he said he would, for her to come get him, tell him the news. She still hadn’t come. And the wait was about to drive him mad. Finally his impatience got the better of him and he bolted off the bed and stomped his way down the hall to the bathroom. When he reached the door, he pressed his ear to the wood and listened. Tiny, barely audible sobs coming from Buffy were all he needed to yank the door open to find out what was the verdict.

He froze just inside the doorframe as his eyes caught sight of Buffy, curled up on the tile floor by the toilet. His resolve broke. He moved to her quickly and knelt by her side. Brushing a stray hair out of her face he asked, "What is it?"

Buffy unconsciously turned toward him, maneuvering herself until she was nestled against his body. Comfort was what she was seeking, and his was what she craved right now. Who he was and what they were didn’t matter right now. Nothing mattered right now.

"Buffy."

"I don’t know," Buffy whispered into his shirt. "I don’t know."

Spike placed his hands on her upper arms and pushed her back a little, so he could look at her. "Don’t know what, luv?"

"The tests," she managed to get out through her tears. "Positive. Negative. Positive. Negative." She mumbled over and over.

Spike cursed under his breath. He yanked Buffy up to her feet, ignoring the protest that came from the woman still trying to burrow herself into his chest. He should have done this a long time ago. Shoulda never trusted science over his own, natural, instinct.

He pushed Buffy up against the wall, gently so as not to hurt her. When he was sure she would remain there, and not fall back to the floor into a fetal position, he knelt in front of her. His hands caught the bottom of her shirt and started to lift, but he was halted by Buffy’s voice.

"Spike, please don’t," She cried, looking down at him with watery eyes.

Spike stared at her for a minute before going back to the task of lifting her shirt. "Trust me…." Was all he said as he placed his ear against her now exposed stomach.

He listened. And listened. And listened, for what seemed like hours. Until finally he heard it. It was faint but it was there. The tiniest heartbeat. He sighed in relief.

Spike pulled down her shirt and straightened up. He hooked his finger under Buffy’s chin and lifted it. Slowly he leaned in and placed the softest kiss on her lips. So many emotions were running through him at that very moment, he was unsure of how he truly felt. But one feeling was very clear. He was happy that their baby was still inside her, growing. He was glad she still had a part of him.

Pulling back and resting his forehead against hers he whispered, "It’s there."

Buffy stopped crying when she heard him. "What?" She asked, afraid she hadn’t heard right.

"The baby."

"You heard?"

"A heartbeat," he assured her. "A tiny heartbeat, beating a mile a minute."

Buffy choked on a sob as it tried to escape her throat, a smile slowly forming on her face. A heartbeat. Spike had heard one, which meant the baby wasn’t gone. She was still pregnant. Relief flooded through her at the thought, and she wrapped her arms around Spike’s neck, pulling his body flush with hers. She buried her face into his neck and breathed deeply.

"Thank you." She whispered against his skin. “Thank you.”...

Chapter 30: Interruptions

Rated: Overall NC 17

Disclaimer: Refer to first chapter please. J

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"Well, what do you need then?"

"You," Buffy answered as she slowly leaned forward, closing the distance between their lips.

"Well, well, well-- what have we here?"

Buffy pushed roughly against Spike’s chest, startled by the intruder’s voice. She closed her eyes and prayed silently that it wasn’t someone she knew. Or worse, someone that knew Angel.

Spike hissed angrily, wiping at his bottom lip with the back of his hand. He had accidentally bitten his lower lip when Buffy had shoved him away.

"Bloody bitch," he mumbled under his breath, glancing over at her then down at his hand and checking for any sign of blood.

"Spike," the unknown intruder spoke again. "Do you always speak so affectionately of your kills?"

Spike rolled his eyes heavenward. "She’s not my kill and who the-" he began before finally looking at who the unwelcome intruder was. "Oh, bloody hell," He moaned when he saw who it was.

Buffy cringed inwardly. If Spike wasn’t pleased with who he saw, then it sure as hell couldn’t be good for her. She managed to calm herself and slowly opened her eyes to see who it was that Spike seemed just so happy to see. Relief washed over her when all she saw were three other vampires standing there, one of them standing a few feet from Spike.

"Who are you?" Buffy asked, hoping to alleviate some of her confusion.

The vamp closest to Spike shifted his gaze momentarily away from the peroxide blonde to look at her. His yellow eyes slowly roamed up and down her body, taking in every inch of her as if storing it to memory. His lip curled up in a sneer as his attention once again turned back to Spike.

"Spike, what is a…" he stopped mid-sentence and lifted a finger to his lips. "Oh, what was that word you used once? Ah, yes ‘Big Bad’," he said, lifting his hands into the air and making a quotation gesture with his fingers. "Now, what is a big bad such as yourself doing making out with the Slayer?"

"What are you doing ‘ere?" Spike asked, deliberately avoiding his question.

"I think you know the answer to that question," the leader vamp replied, lowering his eyes to the ground and closing the distance between them a little more. "But, right now I don’t think you’re in a position to be the one asking questions."

Spike snorted at that. "I’m not in a position…You know tha’ the Slayer’s standing no more than two feet from you right now, an’ you think I’m the one that’s not in a position to be askin’ questions?"

"Hello?!" Buffy spoke, her voice sounding more than a little peeved that her earlier question had been ignored. "I think the only person who has the right to ask any questions is the girl with wooden stakes strategically placed all over her body!"

Her statement seemed to work as all attention promptly shifted towards her.

"Now, once again I ask, who are you?"

The as yet unnamed leader clamped a hand over his chest where his undead heart would be. "Buffy you wound me. Do you really not recognize me?" He mocked hurt as he moved away from Spike to stand closer to her.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and shot a sardonic smile his way. "You know I hate to break it to you guys. But, you all tend to look the same once the bumpies and fangs are out full force."

"Oh," he said before shaking his head and shifting back to his human guise. "Now do you recognize me."

Buffy gasped softly as she stared at the familiar face of her crush from her preteen years. "Jonathan," she uttered still in shock that he was standing right in front of her and that he was a vampire. Of course she already knew he was, from Spike telling her, but to see it face to face made it a reality and all the more shocking.

"Call me John," he told her.

"Wow," she whispered. "I can’t believe it’s you."

"Well it is," he assured her. "Undead and in the flesh."

"As beautiful as this little reunion is," Spike huffed, angry at how Buffy was acting towards Johnny Boy. "Buffy and I ‘ave to be goin’ now."

"You can go Spike," John spoke up, his gaze never leaving Buffy. "I think Buffy and I have a little catching up to do."

Spike stalked over to Buffy’s side and glared at John. "Buffy and I were in the middle of something."

Spike took a hold of Buffy’s arm and started to lead her away. Buffy, still in shock, refused to take her eyes off John as Spike continued to pull her away.

"Yes, you were," John agreed with a little chuckle. "The Slayer and a vampire - never thought I would live to see that."

Buffy jerked free of Spike and made her way back over to John. She felt Spike try to grab her arm again but yanked it away before stopping in front of John. There was no way she was going to walk away letting John and his minions believe they had interrupted something between her and Spike.

"Listen John, you’re wrong about what you think you saw," she tried to explain. "There was - is - nothing going on between Spike and I."

John smiled down at her. "I know what I saw Buffy," he told her, reaching up to touch the side of her neck. "What I see."

Buffy felt his fingers brush over the scar left by Spike. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying hard not to show him how much it effected her, having someone touch Spike’s mark. It almost felt like she was cheating on him, as strange as that was.

Buffy’s eyes shot open when she heard Spike growl. She saw Spike shove John away before placing himself in front of her.

"Why so angry, Spike?" John asked curiously. "I don’t sense a claim. And, according to her there’s nothing going on between you two."

"Don’t touch her," Spike warned between clenched teeth.

John ignored Spike’s threat, turning his attention back to Buffy. "So, how have you been Buffy?"

"Fine," she replied stepping around Spike so she could see John more clearly. "And yourself?"

"Living the immortal life to its fullest."

"That’s good."

"Although I do hate leaving my lush hotel to come to the slums of Sunnydale in search of my darlin’ sister," he informed her rather bluntly, his eyes drifting over to Spike and fixing him with a glare.

Spike sighed roughly before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a folded up slip of paper. "You want to know where your sis is?" He asked thrusting the paper into John’s chest. "She’s holed up there. Go fetch her and leave."

John unfolded the piece of paper and read it. He glanced up at Spike and smiled. "Been holding onto this for a reason?"

"Actually I’ve been meaning to throw it away. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet, my mind has been focused on more important things."

"My sister isn’t important to you?" John asked, but smiled before Spike could answer. "You know she’ll be disappointed to hear that."

"I could care less what your-"

"Hey boss."

John looked over his shoulder to see what his minions wanted.

"There’s someone coming," the minion informed him, gesturing with his head towards some trees.

John nodded his head and once again regarded Buffy and Spike. "Well, I guess this is my cue to leave."

"Bout bloody time," Spike mumbled.

"It was nice seeing you again Buffy," John told her. "I hope to run into you again real soon."

"Sure," Buffy agreed then chuckled lightly before adding, "Hopefully I won’t have to kill you next time."

John smiled at her. "We’ll see."

Buffy watched as John disappeared into the darkness followed closely by his minions. During their exchange she had felt something weird happening within her. Almost like her body was trying to warn her somehow. She hadn’t felt the strength of it until he was gone. It still lingered but it was milder now, and she was able to think more clearly. She brushed the feeling off as it being her Slayer senses. After all he was a vampire and that was the only logical explanation for it.

"Wanker." She heard Spike growl beside her.

"He hasn’t changed one bit," Buffy mumbled to herself, but knew that Spike would more than likely hear her.

"Bloody annoying is what he is," Spike commented.

"Well," Buffy said on a sigh. "He’s gone now. And, I’m pretty sure we won’t be seeing him again."

"Ready to finish what we were starting?"

Buffy rolled her eyes when she saw Spike leering at her, his lower lip caught between his teeth. As tempting as it was to continue her earlier romp with Spike, she had lost all interest after seeing John again. Besides, she hadn’t gotten the chance to kill anything, which usually got her in the mood for some other form of rough and tumble.

"I’m going home," she told him and then started to walk away.

"Yeah," Spike agreed, catching up with her. "Might be a good idea to finish it there. Don’t really feel like another interruption."

"I didn’t say you were coming with me."

"But I am."

"No. You’re not."

"Yes. I am."

"No..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel watched, hidden behind an Oak tree as Spike and Buffy disappeared into the woods, their bickering turning to silence the further away they got. He had witnessed the exchange between John and Buffy earlier and did not like what he had seen. There was something about that guy that didn’t sit well with him and he wanted to find out why.

He contemplated on whether to follow after him, to see where he went off to. But, Spike and Buffy had prevented that from happening. He didn’t want Buffy to know he had been following her, so he stayed behind in the shadows until they started to head home and then followed them to make sure Buffy got home safely.

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John stretched his limbs as he walked into the secluded house hidden well within the cemetery. It had been easily acquired from an elderly groundskeeper, whose passing had been very much unexpected and all too painful. Of course his end had been near, so John had done him a considerable favor by ending the prolonged misery he was sure to suffer in his dying days.

John smiled proudly to himself as he made his way from the foyer in to the living area where the only piece of furniture that existed after ransacking the place was a single sofa chair. It was the one piece that hadn’t stunk of mothballs and Ben gray when they arrived, so it had been spared from destruction.

John continued his trek across the room towards the built in shelves along the north wall. His prized liquors were placed there when he hadn’t seen a wet bar in the house anywhere. He snatched the neck of the decanter that held one of his finest and popped it open. The amber liquid sloshed around the glass as he carelessly poured it from the bottle. He filled it to the brim, then lifted the glass into the air with his hand. It wasn’t until the glass touched his lips that he realized he was no longer alone.

"We need to work fast," he informed the shadow standing in the doorway. "There’s no claim, but the way he was acting…" the words died on his lips as his mind raced with images of days not yet born. "It won’t be long before he makes one."

He listened as the person moved deeper into the room, light steps sounding loudly as they echoed off the walls.

"I will kill him," he confessed, once again raising the glass to his lips and taking a sip. "One of them has to die. If our plan fails...it will be him."

He heard the person whimper and decided to quickly change the subject.

"But, on a lighter note," he spoke loudly. "When do you plan on letting Spike know of your return?"

"He knows already…" the person answered, emerging from the dark into the moonlight that draped the room.

John’s gaze drifted over the fragile woman standing before him. "How so?"

"Miss Edith."

Chapter 31: "Feels like Rain Again"

AN: Sorry for the delay. I started my new job last week and since I work for a newspaper we have a lot of deadlines to meet and they thrust me right into the work. On top of that I was sick. I wore myself out not getting the rest I needed to get better faster. But here it is finally and "GE" should be out tomorrow.


Las Vegas: One year ago

The two huge maple doors to Jonathan Williams’s penthouse suite burst open with such force the whole hotel seemed to shake. One of the servants who happened to be cleaning the living room right then hurriedly made her escape before her boss made his appearance. She knew from experience to never be in his presence unless called upon, to do otherwise would bring big consequences.

"That mother fucker is going to pay!" Johnny yelled at no one in particular as he stalked across the hardwood floor of his foyer towards his study.

He entered his office and made his way around his desk. He punched the intercom button on his phone and barked an order to the person on the other end. "Get Bryan in here now!"

He released the button and reached over to open a drawer in his desk. His hands shifted through the contents, while his eyes sought out what he was searching for in the drawer. He found what he was looking for and pulled free the vanilla envelope tossing it onto his desk in front of him. He was about to open it when Bryan arrived.

"What’s up boss?" Bryan asked out of breath from rushing to get there.

"Bleached British bastard is what’s up." Johnny replied plopping down into his executive chair. "I go out of my way to help him and what does he do? Fucks my sister and ruins one of the biggest business transactions of my career in the process."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Kill him," Johnny whispered under his breath. "Find him and kill him," he said a little louder this time. "I want to dance the fucking jig in that bastards ashes."

"Can do boss."

Johnny swiveled his chair around to face the floor to ceiling windows that lined one wall of his study. They had a special coating on them that allowed the sunlight to filter through without causing him to burst into flames. He rose from his seat and made his way over to them. He lifted his arm up to lean against them.

"Made me waste all that time looking for his crazy girlfriend…"

"We found her," Bryan informed his boss.

Johnny pushed off the window and spun around to face his most trusted minion. "What did you say?"

"Last night," Bryan elaborated. "We located her finally. Casey and Tad should be arriving with her in the next few hours."

A smile slowly started to form on Johnny’s face. "Well then, this changes everything."

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Sunnydale: Present Day

Johnny stood behind the dark-haired beauty as she gazed out the window towards the wet streets of the Hellmouth. When it had started raining he wasn’t exactly sure, but it made no difference to him because he wasn’t planning on leaving the house anytime soon. He had things to attend to, plans to prepare for. Any day now both he and Dru would make their presence known to the Slayer and hopefully he would get his best revenge on Spike yet. Dru did not know of the latter and he wasn’t about to tell her either. If she knew then none of this would be worth his time. All he cared about right now was making Spike pay.

"Boss." Johnny heard Bryan speak beside him. "Some of the minions are getting hungry. Since it’s raining and all can I let them free to go hunting? I don’t think most of them can wait until nightfall."

Johnny nodded his head. "Fine. Just make sure they stick close to the sewers in case the sun decides to peek out again."

"Okay."

"Oh, and make sure they stay out of the Slayers sight," Johnny added as a last precaution before Bryan left the room. "Although I am sure she’s preoccupied right now, we ca never be too careful."

"I’ll tell them."

Johnny went back to watching Dru once Bryan had left the room. She was still standing by the window, her body swaying slowly back and forth to the invisible music playing in her head. When he first met her it hadn’t taken him long to figure out why Spike had been so adamant about finding her. She had this alluring quality about her that made you want to care for her despite knowing how powerful she really was.

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Las Vegas: One year ago

"So this is the Drusilla," Johnny stated out loud as he eyed the woman through the two-way mirror.

After being informed by Bryan that Casey and Tad had arrived with their cargo, Johnny had had them place her in one of the rooms to his penthouse. He wanted to watch how she reacted to her surroundings before he officially introduced himself. Right now however she wasn’t doing much but standing in the middle of the room facing them and looking straight ahead.

"Why does she have that doll?" Johnny asked, for the first time noticing the doll she held in her arms.

"Don’t know. Wouldn’t let us take it from her that’s for sure," Casey replied, crossing his arms in front of him.

Tad, the skinnier of the two minions nodded his head in agreement. "Kept talking to it the whole time too. What did she keep calling it? Miss…."

"Edith."

Tad snapped his fingers. "Yeah that was it."

"Did you hear what she was saying?"
Both minions shook their heads at Johnny’s question.

"Alright, you can go. Take the rest of the day off. You two deserve it."

"Thanks Johnny."

"Thanks."

Both minions left Johnny alone in the tiny room to continue observing Drusilla.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Johnny wondered to himself. She still had not moved from that one spot she was in since being placed in the room. Her eyes are what intrigued him most. They seemed to be looking right at him even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

He took two steps to the right, keeping his gaze trained on Dru as he did so. If he had the ability to breath he surely would have held it once he saw her eyes shift with the movement of his body.

"She can’t possibly." He took three steps to the left and sure enough her eyes followed him again. "She’s watching me."

"And listening." He heard her finally speak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunnydale: Present Day

Drusilla’s moaning snapped Johnny out of his daydreaming back into the present. Her back was turned to the window and she was looking at him.

"What do you see?" He asked her, closing the gap between them as he crossed the room towards her. "Is it Spike?"

"Sky weeping. Daddy weeping," Dru began to chant. "So much pain."

"Who feels pain Dru?"

"Its all wrong," She screamed, dropping Miss Edith to the floor and reaching up to clutch her head with both hands. "The painting is all wrong."

Johnny picked Miss Edith up and went to Dru. "What painting? What do you see? What does Miss Edith tell you?" He held the doll out for her to take.

"No!" She yelled knocking the doll out of his hand and sending it sailing across the floor. "So much pain. So much…." Her voice trailed off as she slowly lowered her hands from her head to rest in front of her. She bit her lower lip and groaned. "Delightful pain."

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Rovello Drive: Present Day

Spike held the arms of the woman beneath him above her head as he entered her. His pelvis rocked against her hips each time he slid deeper into her warmth, setting his pace to the rhythm of the rain outside as it hit her bedroom window. His eyes connected with hers when he heard her moan. When he had closed his eyes he didn’t know, but he wouldn’t do it again. He wanted to watch her this time, savor every image he could capture from her tonight.

It had taken a lot of convincing on his part to get where he was right now. The whole way home she had stuck by her refusal to share a bed with him tonight. By some miracle, or maybe because he had followed her into her room and began to undress, she ended up changing her mind.

"Buffy." Spike moaned when he felt her legs tighten around him. "So sweet," Spike commented, his mouth closing around one pert nipple. "So perfect."

Buffy stared mesmerized as Spike’s mouth traveled from one breast to the other, lavishing the same amount of attention on both. He repeated the process a few more times before Buffy took a hold of his face and forced him to look at her.

Spike waited for her to say something.

"Do you feel it?"

Spike shook his head, not understanding what she was talking about.

Buffy positioned her hand between their bodies over his chest where his heart was. "Your heart beating. Do you feel it?"

Spike looked away before taking her wrist in his grip and pinning it above her head again. "No," he finally answered, starting up his thrusting again.

Buffy shut her eyes and turned her face. This was becoming too much for her. The longing, the loathing, the fear. Everything was spinning out of control inside of her and it had nothing to do with the vampire currently above her. Everyday she could feel herself becoming more attached to Spike and it scared her. She could keep lying to herself and make believe that it was the baby causing it, but it wasn’t.

Deep inside she knew her heart still belonged to Angel, but she could feel his presence there fading. Something was pushing him away and there was no way to stop it.

Thunder crashed outside. Buffy’s eyes shot open in time to see the lightening brighten the night sky and for her to see Angel watching through the window. Her heart stopped for a brief second before the room went dark again and Angel was gone.

That couldn’t have been him. She told herself. Her mind had to be playing tricks with her.

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Angel slid down the wall next to Buffy’s window. His mouth hung open in shock at what he had just seen. He knew there had been something going on between her and Spike, but to witness it like that was too much for him. His soul burned so much he could almost feel his undead heart aching.

She had seen him. Hopefully he had moved away from the window in time before her brain was able to process that he was really there.

Angel managed to stand up and jump down off the roof onto the lawn. He couldn’t chance her seeing him again. Too much was at stake to let that happen.

TBC…………..

Chapter 32: "Even Angels Fall"

His lungs felt like they were on fire and his heart felt like someone was squeezing it in their fist, pumping all the blood out of it with each squeeze.

Spike bolted upright in bed, gasping as he choked on the air that was filling his lungs. He clutched at his chest and felt the rise and fall of it as he breathed for the first time since he had become undead. Just as quickly as the breathing had started, it stopped. Still, every five seconds he could feel his heart thump against the palm of his hand where it lay on his chest.

He grunted out an amused laugh once his brain was able to process everything that was going on around him.

"Now I can breath," he scoffed out loud. "What next? Will I be able to stand in sunlight once again?" He asked no one in particular.

He glanced over at the sleeping figure lying next to him in bed and wondered if killing her right now would end the hell he was going through. It was her fault after all. Her and her gang of Scooby friends. Wouldn't be in this mess if they had kept their noses in their own business.

Deciding against that course of action he flung the covers off his naked body and got out of bed. He felt around in the darkness for his clothes and jerkily put them back on. Once fully dressed he took one last look at Buffy then crawled out her window into the open night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel sat atop one of the many tombstones lining the cemetery. He had come here after leaving Buffy's house and hadn't moved even when the rain had cleared up and the dawn was threatening to peak over the horizon. It was still a couple hours till sunrise anyway, but he could feel it approaching and knew he should be moving inside soon.

He ran a hand through his hair which was still wet from walking through the downpour earlier. His clothes were soaked to the bone and hung off him like a second skin. None of this mattered to him though. For some reason he couldn't feel anything right now.

"Bloody hell," a voice groaned in the distance, Angel had no trouble telling who it belonged to.

Angel jumped off the tombstone and turned in the direction he knew Spike was coming from. No more than two minutes later his bleached, pain in the ass grandchilde appeared out of the trees, stumbling as he walked. Before he could stop it a growl sounded from his throat.

Spike stopped dead in his tracks. He did a quick scan of the area in front of him before his eyes landed on his grand sire. He tried to smirk but the sudden pain in his chest had him cursing again.

"What's wrong with you?" Angel asked, stepping closer to Spike in concern, despite the overwhelming urge to want to slam him into the ground and shove a stake through his heart.

"I'm fine," Spike gritted out through clenched teeth. "Just having a little difficulty remembering how to breathe."

Angel was thrown back by his statement. "When did this start happening?"

"Not but thirty bleeding minutes ago," Spike answered, taking a few shallow breaths between each word. "There," he sighed once the pain had gone away and he no longer had to breathe. "Comes and goes it does. Don't know what the bloody hell is going on, but it's becoming a big pain in the arse."

"Have you told Buffy about this?" Angel asked, instantly regretting it when he realized he had just opened the conversation to include Buffy. "Never mind."

Spike eyed him curiously. Something was going on in his Grande poppy's head and he wanted to know exactly what it was. Anything he could find to use against Angel he was more then willing to waste his time looking for.

"Didn't have a chance to tell Buffy," Spike replied, circling Angel as he did so. "She was asleep when I left."

Angel could feel his insides boiling, his body itching to attack Spike when he was so close to him.

Spike saw Angels face twist up in fury, his hands twitching at his sides. Ah, there was that bone he wanted to hit. So, it apparently had something to do with Buffy.

"She was asleep."

Spike bit his lower lip and smiled. "Out like a light. Something must've worn the pretty little thing out."

"Is that right?"

"Come to think of it," Spike continued. "We did have a rough and tumble earlier this evening. Had her pinned beneath me a few times. She did manage to pin me a few times, gave as good as she got I guess you could say."

Angel snapped. He flew at Spike and soon there was a blend of leather flying through the air as the two men started to fight each other. Angel somehow managed to pin Spike against a tree, his arm pressed against his neck holding him there.

"So you were there," Spike choked out through a stifled laugh. "I knew I sensed you. Thought maybe it was Buffy thinking about you while I was screwing…," Angel cut off his sentence by pressing his arm a little more into his throat. "What do you think of your precious Slayer now?"

"You don't love her," Angel growled.

"No, I don't," Spike agreed, lifting his leg to kick Angel square in the chest, sending him flying back onto the ground. Spike rubbed his hand over the spot on his neck Angel's hand once occupied. "Never will either."

Angel had just regained his thoughts and was about to stand up when he felt a sharp kick to his ribs. Next thing he knew his head was being forced into the ground by the bottom of Spike's shoe.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Spike sneered, digging his heel a little deeper into Angel's cheek. "Angelus the demon who caused chaos throughout Europe in the 18th Century, who left tears and trails of blood in his wake, is now a weak pathetic thing shedding tears of his own over a Slayer."

Spike pulled open his leather jacket and dug around the inside pockets in search of his cigarettes. He pulled one out and lit it. He inhaled sharply off the end, filling his lungs with the calming nicotine they craved.

"You know," Spike began again, taking another quick drag off his cigarette. "I never thought I would live to see the day that Angelus, my grand sire, was nothing more than dirt under my shoe." He emphasized his point by pressing his weight down even more on Angel's head.

Spike bent t his knees a little and leaned over so he was closer to Angel. "I think I know why you're so weak now," He spoke slowly, methodically. "Why the Slayer makes you the way you are. The first time I had her, didn't recall a bloody thing. The second time was just about getting laid," he chuckled softly before continuing. "I would've fucked anything that was willing at that point in time. But the third, the third time, that's when it changed for me.

"I don't know what did it though. Maybe it's how her legs feel when their wrapped around my body. Or, it could be those little sharp intakes of air that she makes just before she's about to come. It could be anything." He leaned in a little closer. "How does it feel knowing that your Buffy screams my name at night? That it's me whom she wants inside of her. That it's my child she's carrying, not yours. That the little fantasy you have in your head with her is just that. A fantasy."

The cigarette in Spike's hand went sailing through the air as his whole body was propelled backwards. Spike didn't even know what hit him until he saw Angel standing over him, the left side of his face coated in mud and grass blades. Spike started laughing. His whole body shook as he looked up at Angel who was seething in anger, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Got your knickers in a twist, did I?" Spike asked, moving to get up. He was stopped, however, by a kick to the head. He fell back onto his back, his hand reaching up to touch his nose. "Bloody fuck I think you broke my nose." He looked up at Angel. "Can't stand….?"

Spike's question went unasked when he saw the wooden stake held tightly in Angel's grip. His eyes widened in horror as Angel sent it straight towards his heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"NO!!!"

The blood chortling scream pierced the silent air of the newly acquired groundskeeper's house hidden deep in the woods of the cemetery. Several vampires, who had felt a chill run down their spines, watched as the raven haired owner of the scream passed them and burst through the front door, disappearing into the night.


TBC...............

“Chapter 33: Between Mind and Heart”

Buffy bolted upright in bed, the slicing pain that she was feeling in her lower stomach having woken her up from her sleep. She pushed the covers off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“Mom,” she hoarsely cried out. The pain sliced through her lower abdomen again, this time sending her to her knees on the floor.

Buffy’s mouth fell open as she began to desperately gulp for air. The pain was making her head dizzy and her body weak. She managed to get up on her feet, slightly hunched over, and walk her way to the bedroom door. The door felt like it was made out of two tons of metal as she pulled it open and stepped out into the hallway. She glanced down the hall towards her mother’s room and a sense of vertigo instantly came over her.

“Mom!” Was the last thing she managed to scream before falling to the floor and passing out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike howled in pain when the stake pierced his chest mere inches from his heart. He couldn’t believe Angel had done it. Albeit, he thought the bastard was going to dust him not injure him.

Angel jerked up at the sound of the familiar scream traveling through the trees. He glanced down at Spike and realized because of that scream he had missed staking Spike in the heart. It startled him when he heard it the first time, causing his aim to be off and for him to miss his target. He heard the scream again and tore his eyes away from Spike to search the trees.

“You arse!” Spike spat out, rolling onto his side. “You tried to kill me!”

“Do you hear her?” Angel asked, ignoring the complaints of his grandchilde. “She’s getting closer.”

“What the bloody hell are you yammering about? I’ve got a bleeding stake in my chest, which you put there, and you’re …” Spike ground his teeth together as another wave of pain shot through his chest.

“She’s out there.”

Spike got to his knees, one hand placed gently over the stake in his chest to keep it from moving around to much. The thing was so close to his heart he was sure that if he moved too much the damn thing would kill him. He rose to his feet and started walking around the tombstones littering the ground. More pain sliced through him when he was jolted to a stop by Angel gripping his arm.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Angel told him, grabbing his arm just a little bit tighter. “We need to get out of here.”

“That’s what I was bloody tryin to do until you stopped me.”

“I know where you need to go,” Angel told him, looking down at the stake in his chest then out towards the darkness of the trees where he knew his childe was.

“I don’t need your help,” Spike argued weakly. “Why not just throw me onto the ground and finish the job you failed to…”

Angel caught Spike in his arms just as the bleached vampire passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giles flipped on his hall light and cursed under his breath at the person who was banging on his door this late at night. This was the first night he was actually getting some well deserved rest and he could just kill the human being who dared to disturb him.

He swung the door open and came face to face with Angel who was barely managing to hang onto Spike, who was hunched over from the middle.

“What are you doing here?” Giles asked trying to get a closer look at Spike.

“Spike needs to be invited in,” Angel said, choosing to ignore the watchers question until they were safe inside.

“It’s three o’clock in the morning Angel. Do you really think…”

“Invite him in now,” Angel repeated, this time with a noticeable growl to indicate the urgency of the situation.

“Bloody hell,” Giles moaned with a roll of his eyes before stepping out of the way and inviting Spike in.

Angel carried Spike over to the couch in the living room and set him down upon it. He made sure that his movements were extremely slow so as not to disturb the wooden stake. Once he was sure Spike would be alright for the time being he turned to address Giles who was still standing by the closed door completely baffled by the site of them showing up at his house.

“Spike needs your help.”

Giles blinked at the abrupt remark from Angel that had no explanation behind it as to why they needed his help. He lowered his head and moved around Angel towards his kitchen. He opened up his fridge and pulled out the cream he needed for the cup of tea he was about to make. He was sure this was going to be a long night and a jolt of caffeine would help to keep his mind focused.

“Giles,” he heard Angel say as he came into the kitchen. “You’re the only one I could think to come to.”

“What are you doing here Angel?” Giles asked again, turning to face him. “I do plan on helping you, but first I would like to know exactly why you need my help.”

Angel sighed heavily. “Spike has a stake in his chest that he needs taken out. I don’t know how close it is to his heart or if it will kill him or not, but it needs to be removed. He’s in a lot of pain”

“I see,” Giles spoke calmly, pouring the freshly brewed tea into his cup and adding a bit of cream to it. “How did this stake get into his chest by chance?”

“As much as I would love to play 21 questions with you right now Giles, there is not time,” Angel lamented. “He might be bleeding internally.”

Giles balked at this. “Bleed to death? How is that possible? He’s not even human.”

“He’s becoming human or at least I think he is,” Angel told him. “You know about his heart beating, right? Well, now he’s breathing.”

“Good heavens.” Giles set down his cup and stalked into the den where Spike still was. “We have to take him to a hospital.”

“We can’t. It would be too risky.”

“And it would be just as risky to have me operate on him if he is human. I’m not skilled in that kind of thing.”

“You’ve done this before; I’ve seen you do it.”

“Angel,” Giles said with a sigh, dumping the rest of his tea into the sink and pulling a glass out from his cupboard. “There is nothing I can do aside from driving you both to the nearest hospital.”

Angel watched as Giles poured straight scotch into the glass he had in his hand and took one hard sip of the stuff. He looked over hi shoulder towards Spike and sighed deeply.

“I’ll do it,” He finally mumbled under his breath after a long moment of silence had hung in the air. “Show me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“Angel,” Giles began to protest. “You can’t….”

Angel grabbed the front of Giles shirt firmly in his hand, stopping the Watcher midway through his sentence. “If we don’t save him, Buffy may die as well! Do you want that to happen?”

“Of course not.”

“Now will you help me?”

“Yes.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Buffy!” Joyce yelled when she saw her daughter lying on the carpet. “Buffy are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Buffy heard her mother’s cries as she slowly regained her senses and remembered where she was. Her head hurt badly but the pain that had nearly killed her earlier was gone. She lifted her head to find her mother hovering over her.

“I’m okay mom.”

“I heard you screaming. Are you sure you’re okay?” Joyce asked once again, helping her daughter to her feet.

“My stomach was hurting, but now I’m fine,” Buffy reassured her. “Might have been something I ate.”

“Are you sure you’re okay. You sounded like you were near death and then I found you on the floor.”

“Mom,” Buffy cut her off. “I’m fine.”

“I guess it could have been something you ate,” Joyce agreed warily. “When you’re pregnant you do get some weird cravings that you come to regret.”

Buffy rested her hand against her stomach, listening to her mom go on and on about the different stages of pregnancy and some of the cravings she had during hers. She had convinced her mother that the pain had probably been from food, but she had failed to convince herself. Something else had caused that sharp pain and she was sure it had to do with her situation. Maybe Giles would know what it was and how to stop it from happening again. Tomorrow she would make a stop by his house so she could talk with him privately.

“Wow, all this talk about food has gotten me hungry,” Buffy interrupted her mom for the second time that night. “Want to go downstairs and raid the kitchen?”

Joyce glanced down at the hand resting against her daughter’s stomach then back up into her eyes. Those eyes that she used to be able to read so well but now appeared so distant. “Yeah, let’s go do that.”

Joyce wrapped her arm around her daughter as they both made their way down the steps to enjoy a late night of snacking.

~~~~~~~~~~

Johnny looked in on Dru before closing the door to her room and walking into his. She had almost been seen tonight by Angel and Spike out in the cemetery. Why she had ran out of the house earlier would be a question he would have to save until morning, but he did know that he had to keep a closer eye on her then he had previously thought. As much as she was helpful to him, her skills could also be a danger to his mission. If his minions hadn’t of caught up with her when they did he was sure she would have reached Angel in no time and ruined everything. He was also very sure that Spike must have heard Dru screaming into the night.

“Why would he leave though?” Johnny wondered aloud. “He was so hell bent on locating her in Vegas, why would he not run to her when he heard her coming to him?”

“Yo, Johnny.”

“Where did they go?” Johnny asked the minion that had just interrupted him.

“Followed them to some lofty apartment place here on the other side of town. The boys couldn’t see inside to well and didn’t stick around long enough to try. Daylight was breaking through the clouds.”

Johnny shook his head. “Alright, did they catch who might live at the place? Was the Slayer with them?”

“Nope, the third figure we saw looked kinda tall. Safe to say they probably went to see a man.”

“What about Dru? Has she said anything about Spike?”

“Nah, keeps mumbling on about some baby.”

“A baby?”

The minion nodded his head. “Something about a baby being the beginning of the end. Real nut job we have in there boss. I don’t know how she made it….”

“A baby?” Johnny repeated to himself, cutting off his minion. “I wonder if the Slayer has something to do with this.”