By
PassionFish
This page can be found
at: https://www.angelfire.com/rebellion/morbiddesires/index.html
AN: Thanks to Marsters’ Girl for beta-ing this
chapter!!!
Chapter Eight
"Surprise!"
"So are you ready
for graduation?" Joyce asked as she
absently collected the various coffee-making ingredients from Buffy's
cupboards. Sometimes she felt like she
knew her daughter's home betters than she knew her own!
"Ugh. No.
I can't believe I'm actually going to university." Buffy pouted, as she watched her mother mill
about. "I'm too little!"
Joyce laughed at her
daughter. Saviour of the world. Married for three months, but still her
little baby inside.
"You'll be
fine." Joyce soothed, pouring the
fresh coffee in the two mugs that were on the side. "College is a big step, but once you're there you'll get
used to it. And you have Willow and all
your friends with you, so you can all go through it together."
"Yeah, go through
the torture. Can't I just stay on
holiday forever?" Buffy tried to
wheedle, but Joyce shook her head and took a sip of her coffee.
"Mmm, how's
Spike? I haven't seen him in a few
days."
A glazed look crossed
Buffy's eyes as she thought of her husband, and Joyce smiled knowingly behind
her cup. "Oh, he's being all lazy lately, not doing anything but sleeping
and-"
"Buffy?" Joyce frowned when her daughter suddenly cut
off. "Buffy!" The older woman darted forward as she
watched the cup fall from Buffy's hands, her own slamming on to the counter.
The slayer's cup hit the
floor at the same time she did. It
smashed upon impact, shards of porcelain and splashes of coffee marred her
face. Joyce dropped to her knees,
ignoring the coffee/shard mix as it soaked in to her trousers.
"Buffy, baby, can
you hear me?" Joyce tapped her
daughter's cheek as she tried to rouse her.
"Mommy?" Buffy blinked as she woke, and Joyce helped
her into a sitting position, leaning her against the side of the counter.
---
"Mom, this really
isn't necessary. I'm fine." Buffy repeated for the sixth time, as the
sat in the sterile hospital room, awaiting the arrival of the doctor.
"Humour
me." Joyce smiled maternally, but
Buffy could see she was concerned.
"Seriously mom, I
probably just haven't eaten enough or something."
"Mrs.
Windsor?" The doctor glanced up
from the chart he was holding.
"Yep, that’s
me. All fine and dandy." Buffy laughed self-consciously.
"She fainted a few
hours ago. I just wanted to have it
checked out. She never usually gets
sick, so I was worried." Joyce
spoke up.
"But I'm
fine." Buffy reasserted.
The Asian man smiled at
her reassuringly. "Well, how about
we just give you a quick, routine check-up just to make sure?"
"Please
Buffy."
Buffy took a deep breath
at the pleading look in her mother's eyes.
"Okay."
"Okay, a nurse will
be along in a minute to get you started."
He smiled, then pulled the curtain open and left, closing it once more
behind him.
---
"Buffy, you here,
pet?" Spike called as he threw his
keys onto the coffee table. He shifted
the groceries in his hand as he walked to the kitchen and stopped dead in the
doorway at the shattered cups and spilt mess he was greeted with.
"Buffy?!" He called again, a bit more worried. He knew she wasn't here. He couldn't sense her. But the rational part of his brain wasn't
working, the rest of his mind seemingly content in mulling over the hundred
horrific possibilities that could explain the mess. That was when he spotted the note, pinned to the counter.
Spike,
Sorry about the
mess. Buffy had a bit of an accident,
and I've taken her to Sunnydale ER; just to check her out.
I'll clean it up when
I bring her back.
Joyce.
Spike barely had time to
digest the turn of events before he'd grabbed his keys and was speeding towards
the hospital.
---
"Mrs. Windsor? We have the results from your check
up."
"Is there a
problem?" Buffy frowned, looking
over at the doctor who had just entered.
"No. You're a very healthy lady."
"I...uh, work
out." Buffy hedged.
"There is something
that we found, however. Is there a way
to contact your husband?"
"My husband? Why, what's wrong?"
"Buffy?" Buffy looked up as Spike suddenly appeared
from behind the curtain and moved swiftly to her side. "What’s wrong?"
"That’s what we're
about to find out. Dr. Patel, this is
my husband, uh, William." Spike
reached out for the obligatory handshake.
"So, Doc, what's
up?"
"I have some good
news for you both. Buffy, you're
pregnant."
----
*BANG*
Everyone laughed and cooed
as the champagne cork hit the ceiling.
The overflow of bubbles briefly splashed Giles in the face before it was
poured into seven glasses.
The watcher passed the
nearly empty bottle to Joyce who put it on the side out of the way, and then he
raised his glass.
"To Buffy and
Spike. Congratulations for giving me
yet another thing to worry about!"
The group laughed and
spoke in unison, "To Buffy and Spike!"
Everyone sipped from the
bubbly glasses, except Buffy who had orange juice in lieu of champagne.
"Thanks guys. Wow, this is really..."
"Weird?" Xander suggested and Cordy elbowed him.
"Thanks, Xand, I was
gonna go with special. But surreal is
another good word." Buffy smiled;
too happy to let Xander’s flippant remarks go to heart!
"Well, I think its
cool. Just think of all the shopping
we've got to do!" Cordelia said,
in an unusually generous mood.
"Oooh, yeah. Baby clothes. Oh, we have to throw you a baby shower!" Willow smiled, her green eyes sparkling with
happiness for her friend.
"Looks like your
bank balance is in trouble again."
Buffy smirked at her husband.
"You'll just have to
make it very worth my while."
Spike suggested, with a wiggle of his eyebrows, leaning down to kiss
her.
---
"What you
thinkin'?" Buffy eventually asked
after he'd been silent for way to long.
"Hmm, what was that,
pet?"
"What you thinking
about? I can hear your brain moving!"
She sat up slightly, rolling so that she could fold her arms over his
chest. She rested her head of them, watching
him as he spoke.
"Just thinkin' 'bout
the baby, pet." Spike admitted.
"What about
it?" Buffy asked warily.
"Just silly
stuff." He absently brushed a lock
of hair out of her eyes.
"No, tell me."
He sighed, "Sunlight
mostly… and stuff I'm never gonna be able to do with him."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Spike sighed, then frowned as he felt
something wet drop on to his chest.
"Hey, what’s this?"
"I was thinking
about that slayer whose mate died and then she.....Sorry, not helping here, am
I?" Buffy murmured as she lay her
head down. "Pity there's not some magical invincibility thingy for vamps,
huh?” She yawned loudly. “Solve both our problems..."
Spike froze. "Say that again?"
"What? Oh, just thinking you know how I'm all
immortal....pity there’s not something like that for vamps, but with sunlight
perks etc. I know just wishful
think-"
"No, pet, I think
you may be on to something." Buffy
sat up as Spike slid out from under her and walked out of the room.
"Spike?"
"Where is
it?" Spike muttered, as he skimmed
the numerous titles in their library.
"There." He retracted
the book, flicking through it until he found what he wanted. "Fuck."
"Spike, what you
got?" Buffy padded naked into the
room and peered down at the book in his hands.
"The Gem of Amara? What’s
that?"
"A magical
invincibility thingy for vamps, pet."
Spike said smugly, pulling her into his arms with a smile.