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Chapter 23
In the wake of such an intimate event, a profound silence settled throughout the interior. Except for the female soldier, none of the hardened men, or the lone teenage boy, had ever bore witness to the miracle that is childbirth. There was a heavy cloud of awe in the air, each overwhelmed with the part they'd played, and the fruit of that labor that was still crying mightily in her mother's arms.

That was until the high-pitched creak of a lowered window and a sudden burst of wind erupted through the confined space with all the subtly of a champagne cork welcoming a New Year, as the van raced ever onward.

"What the hell are you doing?" Xander yelped, as he threw the vampire behind the wheel an incredulous look.

"Just... need... some... fresh air," Angel mumbled, and it was at that moment that Xander realized the demon seated next to him was sporting a full set of ridges and fangs.

"Well, turn up the air conditioner then! What in the holy hot dog buns is wrong with you? Open window bad... remember? Makes glamour spell go bye-bye?"

"Put up that bloody window and pull yourself together, you fuckin' sod," Spike yelled from the back, arms still wrapped around Buffy as he held her against his chest, their daughter cradled protectively in the slayer’s arms, knowing that her body heat was crucial for the baby. He couldn't stop staring at the tiny features, unable to believe that this was his living, breathing flesh, swathed like a burrito in the slayer's arms.

His slayer.
His daughter.

"She's still bleeding," Angel growled back, practically salivating at the smell - and hating himself for it.

"Stop thinking with your bloody fangs, you wanker," Spike grumbled, noting that Christine flinched at the reminder of exactly whose company she was in, but doing nothing to assure her. The succulent aroma of slayer's blood was almost over-whelming, even for him - and he had lived with it for the past months. It was everywhere, forcing its way down into every sense the demon inhabited, taunting, teasing... Spike couldn't even blame Angel for his lack of control. Not that he'd ever tell him that, of course.

"I... uh... think it might just be the placenta," Christine replied, her voice wobbling with sudden panic as she shoved a towel between Buffy's legs to catch the new onslaught of blood flow. Her eyes searched Buffy's face for any signs of strain that might indicate possible decompensation, but found her friend doing surprisingly well considering the ordeal she had just suffered through; her features were relaxed and bore the awed expression of post partum mothers everywhere. Aside from an unnatural pallor, it would have been impossible to tell that she had just suffered an excruciating and terrifying labor.

"Do we need to get her to a hospital?" Angel asked, having thrust his burgeoning bloodlust behind his accursed shiny barrier of humanity, his voice now low with worry.

Christine took the towel away and gave a sigh of relief when she noted the bleeding appeared to have slowed and something icky that could only be the placenta having joined all the other yucky stuff on the pile of blankets under Buffy. "It's ok, I think it's getting better."

"Maybe we should find a hospital..." Spike mentioned, worry setting in. "The girl needs a bit of blood in 'er."

"Spike, I'll be fine," Buffy opened her eyes long enough to argue, her body just wanting to rest. No, not just wanting - pleading for rest. Buffy couldn't remember ever being so exhausted and sore in her entire life, and the lure of sleep was becoming almost painful to evade.

"Pet, not sure if you are fine," Spike argued, fear of losing her now after all they had gone through practically paralyzing him. "With your pregnancy anemia... then with me taking it from ya-."

Xander was quick to pick up on the meaning behind Spike's words. "You bit her? Drank her blood? When she was pregnant?" he accused, any respect that had grown for the vampire in the last hour was in danger of being seriously forfeit with that little admission.

Before Spike could respond, Buffy buoyed herself up to confront her friend, well aware of the prejudice that was most likely in place. "Can we so not do this right now?" Buffy pleaded tiredly. "It's really not as bad as it sounds, ok?"

Something clicked and understanding dawned in Christine's eyes. "Ah! So that's how you were able to counteract the drugs this time, and not be all handicapped vamp," she announced, admiration shining in her gaze.

Spike's nod of admission was curt, not quite able to cloak the small shadow of guilt that lurked behind the vivid blue backdrop of his eyes.

"That was pretty crafty," Christine told him. "Bet those morons never even thought of that possibility."


"Don't think they really had a soddin' clue what a slayer was, much less what slayer's blood could do for a vamp."
Angel sighed heavily at the continuing reference to slayers blood. There was only so much he could take. "So do we need to stop or not?" he asked, his demon much quieter under the rigid constraint of his soul. But if he was honest with himself, it wasn't just the weight of the soul. It was the knowledge that Spike had taken care of Buffy when she had needed him; and although his demon was screaming for him to rip the younger vampire away from Buffy and establish himself as her mate, he now had too much respect for what had been done to even entertain acting on his inherent impulses.

No matter what had occurred in the past between the two vampires, Spike now had Angel's respect.

Spike opened his mouth to voice his opinion but Buffy cut him off. "We're not stopping," she said firmly, cradling the now slumbering bundle more firmly in her arms. "We can't risk it."

Spike looked ready to argue but Buffy turned her head to capture his eyes and gave him her best resolve face. "Don't even start with me. You know I'm right. What are we supposed to tell them? Because having to explain a virgin birth and baby that is half vampire is not something-"

"You're still a virgin?" Xander blurted out, his head swiveling around from his position in the passenger seat. That disturbing declaration, by far, the most shocking thing he had heard thus far.

A hint of crimson colored the unnatural pallor of Buffy's cheeks and she cast her eyes downward. "Um..."

"What the bloody hell is your problem, you git?" Spike's expression was murderous as he regarded the boy who had probably saved his undead ass earlier. "That is none of your soddin' business."

Xander held up his hands in an attempt at peace. "You're right, my bad. Forget I asked. Because the visual there? So don't need it."

"Not the only one," Spike heard Angel mutter from the front compartment.

Any further conversation was quelled by the frantic cries of the baby, and Buffy's eyes widened with panic as she looked down into the angry red face of her daughter.

tbc...





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