Chapter 12
“Faith, wait up!” Buffy yelled to her friend after they left the clinic.
The brunette turned around. “I just need to be alone right now, B.”
Buffy wasn’t about to leave her alone at a time like this. “Remember what you said? That no matter what happens; we’ll get through this together. Don’t shut me out, Faith. It’s going to be okay.”
“How is this going to be okay? I’m knocked up by my principal. There is nothing okay about that. At least you lucked out by having negative results. I knew it would be a mistake for me to come here.”
Buffy shook her head. “It wasn’t a mistake. It’s good that you found out. I may not be the pregnant one, but I’m still here for you.”
Faith wiped at her eyes angrily. She hated showing any weakness, but knew that Buffy would just see through it. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t have this baby, Buffy. I just can’t. I’m the last person in this world that should ever raise a child. The father is just someone that I’ve been screwing to stay out of detention. I was going to tell him that it’s over, there’s no way I can tell him about this. He’s married and has his own life to deal with. I’m not ready for any of this.”
Buffy wrapped her arms around the distraught girl and let her cry against her shoulder, giving Faith any comfort that she could.
* * * * *
Spike was grading papers at the end of the day and looked up when he heard a throat being cleared. He saw that it was Buffy and gave her a smile, which quickly faded at the somber expression on her face.
“Is everything okay?” he wondered.
She shook her head and moved closer to his desk.
Spike stood up and had a feeling that whatever she had to say was serious.
Buffy took a deep breath before speaking. “I went to your apartment the other day to tell you that I might be pregnant.” She saw the surprised look on his face and continued before he could say anything. “Don’t worry, I’m not pregnant. I know that for sure now, but it was a pretty close call.”
Spike sighed in relief, but had a feeling that wasn’t all she wanted to say.
“That close call has opened up my eyes a bit about our relationship. I think we really need to talk, and I don’t think it should be here.”
He nodded and was about to respond, but never got the chance.
“So, this is your classroom? It’s a bit plain.”
Spike cursed under his breath at the sight of Lilah now standing in the doorway. “What are you doing here? I’m talking to a student right now,” he explained, hoping that she would take the hint and leave, but there was no such luck.
Lilah stepped further into the room. “I just wanted to see where my boyfriend worked. I know how much this school means to you,” she replied and placed a quick kiss on his lips, then turned to Buffy. “Well, aren’t you just adorable? Would you be a doll and give us a moment alone, sweetie? I’m sure whatever you’re talking about can wait.”
Buffy was still in a state of shock when the woman entered the room, even more now that she claimed to be his girlfriend. She just shook her head and glanced back at Spike. “That won’t be a problem. Thanks for the help, Mr. Reynolds. It’s all perfectly clear to me now,” she commented, then left the room.
Spike could see the hurt on Buffy’s face and wanted to go after her, but that would only make Lilah suspicious. He just gave his soon to be former girlfriend a cold look. “What the bloody hell are you doing here? You never cared to show any interest in my work before.”
She shrugged and handed him an envelope. “I just thought you would like to see this. It’s the paternity test.”
Spike was nervous, but didn’t waste anytime to check it out. He had pure relief on his face when he read the results. “The baby’s not mine?” he wondered, just to be sure.
“No, the baby’s not yours. You seem pretty happy for someone that was being cheated on.”
Spike grinned. “Pet, I don’t bloody care how many men you’ve been with. I’m just glad to know that you’re not carrying my child. Let’s face it, Lilah. We’re not meant to be together, you know that. We can just go our separate ways now. You can have a life with him and forget all about me. I guarantee we’ll both be better off.”
Lilah nodded after a moment. “I suppose you’re right. It was good while it lasted. I’m still wondering if you’re this happy because there’s someone else in the picture that you would rather be with.”
Spike handed her back the envelope and snatched up his belongings. “I guess you’ll never know,” he said and made his way out of the classroom, not even bothering to look back.
* * * * *
He was surprised to see Buffy waiting for him when he got back to his apartment.
“Hey, I’m glad you’re here.”
Buffy nodded and waited for Spike to get the door open, then followed him inside.
Spike put his stuff down and turned to face her. “I can explain about Lilah. She was my girlfriend, but she’s not anymore. I’m sorry that I never told you about her. I planned on breaking up with her for months before I ever met you, it just never worked out. I wasn’t with her in the time that I’ve known you. I could have never continued being with her after you, Buffy. She’s finally out of the picture now, so you won’t have to worry about her ever showing up again.”
Buffy thought about what he said, but still knew that she had to do this. “I told you that I came by your apartment before. I heard you talking to a guy in here about how a baby would ruin your life. I just assumed that you found out about me maybe being pregnant, but the look on your face earlier proved that you knew nothing about it. You were talking about her, weren’t you? Is she pregnant?”
Spike let out a breath that he didn’t even realize he was holding. “She’s pregnant, but the baby’s not mine. That’s why she came by the school. It turns out that she was seeing someone else. I couldn’t be more relieved about that.”
“Do you want to have kids?”
He was taken by surprise at that question, but was going to answer her honestly. “Yes, I do want kids one day. I’m just not ready right now.”
“What would you have done if I was pregnant?” she wondered.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I would have dealt with it. I would have never left you to raise a baby on your own. I would have taken full responsibility.”
“And if she was pregnant with your child? What would you have done then?”
Spike threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know what you expect for me to say. Yes, I would have taken responsibility if the baby was mine, but that’s all. I still wouldn’t have chosen to be with Lilah, not even if she was having my child. The woman is horrible. I don’t even know why I stayed with her for as long as I did, but it’s over now. We won’t have to worry about her again.”
Buffy shook her head and looked away from his gaze. The next part would be the hardest to say, but she felt that it was the right thing to do. She glanced back at him and tried to fight the tears that wanted to come out. “Yeah, it is over. I don’t think we can see each other anymore.”