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many thanks for all those wonderful reviews. they really are special,
hope you enjoy the new chapter
Sam was clearing up the kitchen when the pains hit. She leant on the work surface and grimanced. It was too early.

Baya noticed her sharp intake of breath and turned to see Sam go far paler than a human should be. She didn’t know what to do, she’d never been near a sick human before, she knew she couldn’t catch anything but it was scary and she didn’t want to be blamed for Sam’s apparent illness. They were safe here and she needed to keep her baby safe.

Baya thought the safest action would be to get Riley, he would know what to do for his mate, but when the solider arrived he went pale as well. Perhaps it was highly contagious; whatever it was making the humans go white and weak. Riley looked worse than Sam: she seemed to be getting some of her strength back.

Sam managed to finally get some words out. ‘Baby coming, Baya: I need to get to Martin.’ It suddenly made sense to the poor female demon: Sam was nesting. She called for Clem to help Riley and she helped Sam to walk the hundred or so paces to where the medics were. Johnson thought it typical of the weird week they’d all been having as a pair of demons helped a very pregnant human get to Martin in the infirmary. Riley’s inability to even think was typical first time father behaviour.

Riley paced up and down outside the curtains as Morgana examined his wife; it seemed she was a fully qualified midwife back in Britain and had brought a lot of her kit with her. She knew she’d need it.

‘Yes my dear, you are in active labour.’

‘But it’s too early, the baby…’

‘The baby will be fine, it seems he has an adventurous spirit and wants to join in all the excitement,’ Morgana said with a smile.

Martin had been prepared as well and had set up a small room, it looked more like a storage cupboard, as a delivery suite just in case. Sam was in safe hands. Though her shouts could have raised the dead, unfortunately Spike was still unconscious.

Buffy woke up feeling like she’d slept for hours, in fact from the position of the shadows in her room she had. She also realised that she stank: she needed a quick shower before heading down to see Spike. She wanted to run straight to him, but she wanted to look her best as well. She showered amazingly quickly and pulled on some low jeans and a skimpy top. Might as well remind him of what he was missing.

Buffy took the stairs two at a time, the wetness from her hair making her top damp and clingy. Riley was outside the medical area pacing up and down. Despite her anxiousness to get to Spike there was something about the way her ex looked that made her slow down and look at him.

‘Is everything OK?’ She asked quietly.

‘Sam’s in labour, and it’s too soon.’ The way he said the words broke her heart. Buffy held out her arms and let him hug her: he needed the comfort and he was a friend.

‘It’ll be OK.’ She said ‘Now aren’t you supposed to be in there holding her hand and getting yelled at?’ She smiled.

Riley nodded and turned back to the Dining Room. ‘Thanks Buffy.’

‘My pleasure.’

Buffy took a deep breath and made her way into medical.

Anya was sleeping quietly, Xander holding her hand tightly as he sat by her side. He looked uncomfortable leaning half asleep on the bed. There was a table at his elbow with the remnants of a meal on it.

‘How is she?’ Buffy was scared by all the drips and drains in her friend, she looked pale and sickly, her hair all over the place and the thick pad of a dressing around her stomach.

‘Better: she woke for a minute or so about two hours ago and asked for water. Martin says she’s going to be OK. Willow keeps coming in every couple of hours and doing some magic to aid healing on her, says it will help.’

‘I’m glad, but you should rest as well.’

‘I’m not leaving her,’ Xander said in a harsh whisper.

‘Didn’t think you would.’ Buffy answered, but she pulled a spare bed over and put it by the side of Anya’s. ‘There, you don’t even have to let go her hand.’

Xander smiled his thanks and settled down beside his love. He fell asleep between one breath and the next, not even looking at Buffy.

She’d put it off long enough: no more denial, girl. She went behind he curtain that hid Spike from the sun: although he was wearing the Gem of Amara, they didn’t want the vampire panicking when he woke up and felt sunlight on his skin.

Woke up, that was a joke, he just lay there as if dead, the blood dripping straight into his mouth from the container hanging above him. He hadn’t moved in hours, but he wasn’t dust. Martin was just adding some sort of injection into the blood when Buffy arrived.

‘He should be round soon, we’re lowering the doses of pain relief as he heals. His legs are the worst, though: he lost the skin and flesh off of one in the explosion, and…’

‘What explosion?’

‘When he went back the second time: look, I’ll do what’s needed here and you let Willow fill you in. It was Cordy’s idea before you yell at anyone.’

A scream from Sam cut the air. ‘And I think I’m needed elsewhere.’ Martin hurried away from the confused looking slayer. Second time? Explosion…

Willow had already appeared carrying coffee goodness for Buffy. She sat her down on the chair next to Spike and over coffee and donuts she filled Buffy in on what had happened in the 28 hours since she’d been sent to sleep.

Buffy wasn’t happy about that: twenty-eight hours, being sent to sleep and the choices that had been made while she was out the way, but she tried to understand. It had been done for the best, and perhaps a full day of looking at a corpse wouldn’t have done her any good at all.

They sat there in silence looking at Spike. He looked worse than he ever had, his legs were a mess and his face red and raw from the burns.

‘The Slayer blood is helping.’ Willow said trying to help the situation.

‘What?’ Buffy came round from where she was just looking at the man who held her heart in his hands, trying to listen to what Willow was telling her.

‘The slayer blood, all the girls here donated a pint or so, to help him heal quicker.’

Buffy felt the tears well up. ‘I should have been first to give him some.’

Spike heard a noise: through all the confusion and pain, he could hear Buffy crying. Never did like that noise. He could smell fresh slayer blood as well, in fact he could taste it. He ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth, catching the next drip as it fell.

His mind worked overtime. He could hear Buffy crying and tasted blood; where was he, some hospital somewhere where they were experimenting on him again? He went into game face, growling as he did. She might not be his but Buffy would always have his and his demon’s loyalty. He pictured some poor Slayer with her throat cut hanging above him and bleeding onto him, but he couldn’t smell that much blood. He opened his eyes carefully to see Buffy hugging onto Willow and still crying.

‘Buffy,’ he tried to say but all that came out was a croak. But Buffy heard him, or at least her heart felt him speak.

‘Spike…’ she ran over using slayer speed and held onto him tight, causing him to wince.

‘Buffy, what happened?’

‘You were in an explosion, don’t you remember?’

‘No, nothing. Last thing I remember is Peaches facing down a dragon, then I woke up here.’

Buffy stroked his beloved face. It was covered in burns still but he was alive. Spike grabbed her hand when it touched his cheek, looking at the ring on her finger.

‘Nice sparkly love, where did you get it?’

Buffy, lost in his blue eyes, answered quickly without thinking. ‘Riley gave it to me.’

She watched as those eyes turned stormy and he pushed her away from him. She fell on the floor.

‘Riley,’ he spat. ‘And you smell of him as well, pet. Didn’t take you long to get over the Immortal, did it?’

‘What?’ Buffy realised he’d been talking; she’d just been watching his precious face.

‘You and Riley. Look, I need to rest. Just piss off will you?’

He turned his back on Buffy, not noticing the blood dripping down onto his cheek.
Buffy couldn’t understand. ‘What about me and Riley?’ But Spike wouldn’t answer her. Buffy was furious, the man wouldn’t talk at all.

‘Talk to me, Spike, please!’ she begged, but he feigned sleep and turned his back each time she walked around the bed.

‘Bitch,’ she heard him whisper.

Buffy looked at the vampire. Lying wounded in the bed, blood dripping down his face, down his bumps and onto the pillow He didn’t want her: that much was obvious.

Willow reached across and readjusted it so it dripped into his mouth, then led the quietly sobbing Buffy out the room.

‘He didn’t want me Willow, that’s why he didn’t contact me that last year, it was nothing to do with Giles, he just didn’t want me. He even mentioned the Immortal: I only saw him once, in Rome for a business meeting, and now he thinks I’m with Riley!’

She was pushed aside by a running Dawn. ‘He’s awake?’ She yelled as she ran to her friend.

Buffy looked back to see Dawn sitting on the chair by his side, holding his hand and talking quietly. The tears began to fall again when she saw him reach up and stroke Dawn’s face. Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again. Willow led her away, away from the yells from Sam and away from the sight of Spike’s turned back. Dawn he would talk to, but he didn’t want her.





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