Buffy awoke from another dream that she couldn't remember. And promptly ran to the bathroom and threw up. Three weeks. Three weeks since Riley died. She still remembered when the Initiative doctor told her that he didn't make it. That they didn't get to him in time. That his heart simply failed.
She was upset. She had cried. But in the end, she was relieved. She knew that if he was no longer strong enough to fight along side her, then he would be a liability. She would constantly have to protect him and that would deter her from her job.
She threw up again and groaned inward. It was nothing but bile. She hadn't eaten anything last night or this morning. She opened the medicine cabinet in the bathroom that she and Dawn shared. On the top shelf, behind all of her cold remedies, was the pregnancy test she bought a week ago. She had been sick since Riley's funeral, but she just thought that it was nerves or grief.
Two Minutes Later
Buffy looked at the little white stick in her hand. At the plus sign at the end. /.....bad stick...../ She thought to herself. /.....very bad stick...../
Riley had always been Mr-Prepared-For-Everything. This was impossible. She couldn't be pregnant. The Slayer could _not_ be pregnant.
She had a job to do. She briefly imagined herself in a maternity wear tank top trying to fight a demon. The demon not reaching out for her face to punch, or her legs to trip, but to her stomach to extract. What a horrible thought!
She took the stick with her back to her room and laid it on her side table. She flopped face down onto the bed and cried.
At The Magic Box, Later that Day
"Anya, could you please stop reading the books instead of coding them for shelving?" Giles asked in a pleading, yet condescending tone.
Anya held up the book that she was engrossed in and said, "I gave him these visions. He decided to take up the scholarly pursuits instead of the orgasm pursuits and his girlfriend called me."
Giles rolled his eyes and turned to look at the cover of the book she was holding. "The Prophecies of Nostradamus".
Willow looked to Anya, impressed. "You gave him the visions?"
"She wanted him to be accused of sorcery and have him burned at the stake, but he was really good at hiding his new talent from the locals. So I just left him that way."
She opened the book and flipped through it idly.
"--She the chosen one
Joined with the soulful demon
The fates are returned;
--He will do battle
Another will take his place
Patience for the three.--"
The others looked up sharply at the first line, knowing that it was about Buffy. And most likely Angel. They looked at each other quizzically as Anya finished.
Buffy walked through the front door and seeing no customers, flopped into a chair at the table where everyone was sitting.
"I'm pregnant."
Willow went over to her friend and gave her a hug. "Riley...?"
Buffy nodded her head and broke into sobs. She didn't want to be pregnant. She didn't want to know that she wasn't going to be able to slay, and if she tried she and the baby would be killed. But this was all she had left of Riley. What could she do?
After she calmed down, she looked up at Giles who had still said nothing. "What will I do Giles?"
"Buffy, I don't know. Never in the histories has a Slayer been pregnant or a mother. I'll have to go through them again."
Xander spoke up. "What about the prophesy?"
They all shot him sharp looks and looked back at Buffy. "What prophesy?" she asked.
Reluctantly, Tara took the book from Anya's lap and handed it to Buffy.
Buffy looked up, stricken. What could this mean? She and Angel....? But that was completely impossible. She would remember! She would never forget that!
And as far as she knew, Cordelia hadn't called in a panic saying that Angelus had returned, so now what?
Buffy left the Magic Box and her friends staring stunned after her.
Angel Investigations
"I got us another case!" Cordelia announced, very proud of herself.
Wesley rolled his eyes and asked "Divorce or supernatural?"
The door banged open and Buffy appeared in the entryway.
"Geez, Buffy, don't you know how to knock?" Cordelia asked blithely.
"Is Angel here?" she asked curtly.
"Right here." he said appearing at the bottom of the wide sweeping stairs. He looked at Cordelia and Wesley and raised his eyebrows.
"And we were just going out to meet Gunn. Right, Wesley?" She asked and dragged the ex-Watcher with her out the door.
Angel gestured to the large assortment of big comfortable furniture. "Make yourself comfortable. What's wrong?"
"Riley's dead."
Angel couldn't help a small smile from escaping. He never liked that guy. But he put that aside for Buffy's sake. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.
"I'm fine. But there's more. Angel, I-I'm pregnant, and I have reason to believe that it's not Riley's."
Angel leaned back. "How do you know?"
Buffy handed him the book that she took with her from Sunnydale. It opened to a page that was obviously well read.
Many emotions crossed his face as Buffy watched. But she didn't know the thoughts behind the eyes. The Oracles had said that no one but him would remember that day. And they hadn't exactly been careful. But, they had turned back the day. Nothing that happened, happened. But now the Oracles were dead and he couldn't even ask. All he could do now was explain what happened to Buffy and hope that she would remember, and if she couldn't, that she would understand.
Later That Evening
Tears rolled down Buffy's face as he recounted their last seconds together that day. She remembered going up to LA to yell at him for interfering, even though he had saved her life. She remembered the Mohra (sp?) demon attacking and Angel killing it immediately. . But as Angel was recounting the most shared intimacies of the day, she would get a flash or two of memory. But try as she might, she couldn't remember the whole day.
"So, this baby, is yours?" she asked between hitched breaths. He nodded. "But, you're not human anymore. You gave that back and we still can't be together."
He nodded again. "It was for the best Buffy. You and I both know that."
She nodded tearfully and fell against him in a fierce hug. They stayed like that for a while. She crying into his chest and he stroking her hair thoughtfully. She turned up to look into his eyes and he smiled at her. She knew that everything would be ok.
He moved his hand down to her lower stomach and rested it there. But only for a second before he jerked it back.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, scared.
Angel put his finger to his lips, and leaned down with his ear against her still flat stomach. He leaned up again and smiled. "There are two of them in there."
Buffy looked down at herself, awed. "Why don't you ask the Oracles about this?" she asked."There must be some reason why they allowed us to keep this part of the day." she gestured to her lower abdomen.
Angel's face darkened as he said. "I can't. They're dead.A couple of weeks after that day, I went to ask them a question and found them lying in pools of their own blood, murdered. Their ghosts remained and the female told me that she didn't like being dead. She gave me a brief answer because she no longer had the strength to stay to answer any more questions." He paused. "Buffy! Show me that prophesy again?"
The book was laid on the table in front of them, still open to the page. She lifted it up and into both of their laps. "The fates are returned....Could it be?"
Buffy frowned and asked "What are you talking about?"
"Buffy, the Oracles are dead, but somehow they allowed us to keep our children. I think that they will be reincarnations of the Oracles."
Buffy shook her head. Too much, it was all too much. "What will we do?"
"Well, no matter what, they have to be protected. But, you and I both know that we can't be together." Buffy nodded. "I will stay here in L.A., but I want to hear progress and details from every time you go to the doctor!"
Buffy nodded again, this time smiling. She didn't want to be apart from Angel, but at least he wanted to be a part of her life and their childrens'. It would have to be enough. She got up to leave and Angel walked her to the door. They hugged again and she was gone.
Angel walked over to the phone and began to dial.
Sunnydale Cemetary, Before Dawn
She walked through the cemetary, stealthily. There was still enough time to patrol before sunrise. Mr Pointy was perfect in her grip and she knew that she heard a sound coming from behind a monument. She snuck around and peeked to see Spike sitting facing eastward, with a half full bottle of gin next to him.
"Spike what are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?" Buffy hauled him to his feet roughly.
"What do you care, Slayer? Nobody wants me around, including you." He looked at her pathetically and she could hear the slight slur in his voice. He noticed the stake in her hand and opened his coat and shirt to reveal his well muscled chest. "Here's your shot Slayer. Kill me. Now."
"Spike, shutup. I don't want to kill you."
"But you don't like me. I'm beneath you. You can't even pity me because I'm so bloody pitiful."
Buffy sighed as she began helping him back to his crypt. He was so drunk he'd probably not remember this in the evening.
"Spike, I don't hate you. I actually consider you my friend. With that chip in your head you can't hurt anyone including me. But, you've helped me even when you could've sat back and watched me die. Is it ok if we're friends?"
"But, I don't want to be just your friend."
Buffy turned her head and made a face. "Do you remember when Willow cast that spell on the two of us?" He nodded as she tucked him into his sofa. "Do you really want to be like that again?"
He shook his head and stuck out his tongue. "Blechhh."
"Right. Get some rest, Spike."
She looked at him as he closed his eyes and began to rest. Through the barred window, she could see the first rays of morning coming through. Just in time. She kissed him on the forehead as he slept and got up to go. As she reached the door, he called out to her. "Slayer!"
She turned to see him with his eyes open and smiling at her. "Congratulations to the two of you."
She smiled wryly at him and closed the door behind her.
click here for Part 2