[Reviews - 93]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 5694 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 2

“I know what I said,” Buffy said quietly, as she paced back and forth in the lobby of a quiet hotel, as the small group stood around her, waiting. “I know I said I could go, but I’m not ready yet.”

“Buffy, I know you miss Spike, and I know you don’t want to leave, but this is all…it’s all because of you. You got this organization up and running, and you’re just going to…not take control?” Xander asked.

“I can’t. Not yet.” She shook her head. She looked at her friends. Faith, Willow and Kennedy, Giles, Xander, Andrew and even Robin were all staring at her, wondering what her next words would be.

“You all have places to be and you have Slayers to track down. I know there are more Slayers here. I’m going to find them.”

“But what about Scotland?” Xander asked.

“Willow’s new and improved Buffybot is pretty lifelike,” Dawn piped in, entering the scene with three Buffy look-alikes. Buffy #2, as they called her, would be accompanying Andrew and Dawn to Italy, where both would receive education while also searching for more Slayers. Giles, Faith and yes, even Robin, were headed to England with Buffy #3, while Willow and Kennedy were going to Brazil with #4. Buffy was supposed to be accompanying Xander to Scotland, but it was in this moment that they all realized that wouldn’t be happening.

“You can take #4,” Kennedy offered. “We can take care of ourselves. A Slayer and a Wicca goddess? I think we’ve got it under control.”

“Are you sure? I mean…”

“Hey, you’re the one with the eye patch, my man,” Faith pointed out. “I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a butt kicking babe at my side, even if she is all wires and metal on the inside. She might save your ass a time or two.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Xander muttered. “All right. I’ll take her. But where’ll you go?” Buffy hesitated, and Xander sighed.

“No, you can’t do that to yourself.”

“What?” Kennedy asked. “Do what?”

“He’s right, Buffy,” Willow pointed out, ignoring her girlfriend’s confusion. “You can’t do that to yourself. He’s…he’s in charge of Wolfram and Hart now. You don’t know what kind of…”

“Who said I was going, anyway?” Buffy asked. “I might stop by for a visit?”

“Yeah, a quickie, huh?”

“What are you talking about, Xander? Things aren’t like that between us anymore. We’re…we’re different people.”

“Yeah,” Xander replied, “but you’re still the one girl that gets his vampy senses tingling.” Buffy rolled her eyes.

“I’m not looking to get back together with Angel. I’m not looking to be with anybody.” She touched the rounded bump of her stomach and shook her head. “I think I have enough to deal with right now.”

“I think it would be best if someone stayed with you,” Giles pointed out.

“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. Hello, Slayer? As in one of thousands now. You start building our army on the other side of the world, and I’ll hit up the ladies here in the good old U.S. of A.” She looked around at her friends, her family. “Besides, I’m not ready to say goodbye yet, even if home is impossible to go back to.”

“There’s still so much we don’t know about this…this mystical pregnancy,” Giles said, motioning toward Buffy’s rounding form. “All we know is that when you and Spike connected there at the end…something passed through to you…”

“I can’t talk about this right now,” Buffy said softly. “I know it’s impossible for a vampire and a human to have a child, but…” She shook her head. “I know this is something Spike left me with…something I’m supposed to take care of…carry on for him.”

Only a month and a half had passed, yet the signs had hit her hard and fast, and a trip to a medical facility had confirmed her suspicions that yes, she was pregnant, and had allayed her fears that the child was something other than human. From what she could tell, she had a human child growing in her, part of her, part of him, and all she could do was protect it with the best of her ability and bring it into the world as it was meant to be.

Closing her eyes, and placed her hand on her belly. If it wasn’t meant to be, it never would have happened.

“You’re adamant about this, aren’t you?” Giles asked.

“I have to do this. I have to stay. When I’m ready, I’ll find you. You know how to reach me.” Giles nodded, taking off his glasses and cleaning them.

“It’ll be ok, B. Willow’s sending us instructions on Buffybot repairs, but if we need any extra help, we know where to call.” Buffy nodded.

“So…this is it?” Dawn asked, a little tensely.

“Yeah,” Buffy said quietly. “I’ll write you. You know I will. And I’ll visit when it’s time.” Dawn nodded.

“Yeah. I know. Just…don’t take too long. I want my niece to know her favorite aunt.” Dawn smiled, as Buffy hugged her tenderly and let out a little cry. “Hey, I won’t be disappointed if it’s a boy. Hey, don’t cry.”

“Sorry,” Buffy said, wiping a couple of tears away. “Hormones.” She smiled and she went around hugging her friends, even Andrew, who turned away to get something out of his eye, as he put it.

“I’m about to call Angel…tell him what’s going on,” Willow said quietly. “You want me to tell him…”

“No,” Buffy said with a shake of her head. “I’m not going right away, I don’t think. I need time. I’m…just…just don’t tell him I’m staying.” Willow nodded in understanding and put her arm around Kennedy’s waist. Buffy stared at the group before her. For a moment, she felt as if she was meeting them all over again for the first time. In many ways, they were still the people she’d known for so long, but in other ways, they were so different. This last battle had changed them all in ways that would never be reversed. She knew all too well about that.

And then they were gone, all heading off to separate corners of the world, while she stayed put on her home soil. She felt alone, but at the same time, reaching down to brush her fingertips against the beginnings of her pregnant belly, she knew she would never be alone again, and she had Spike to thank for that.

***

“Bugger,” Spike muttered, as his hand passed through the flask. Angel only smiled with amusement as he watched this so-called hero struggle to get his hands on his most prized possession.

“Stings doesn’t it? Passing through? So I’ve heard anyway. Or is it cold?”

“Kinda like a mosquito bite,” Spike said slowly. “A mosquito the size of a soddin’ bear.” He sighed in frustration and gave up. “Any word from Fred?”

“Spike, she can’t spend every minute of her time looking for ways to make you corporeal again.”

“Well, I sure as bloody hell don’t want to spend the rest of eternity talking to you, now do I? I’d rather be a pile of ashes…again.”

“There’s always Harmony. You could talk to her. You know, I’m sure you have plenty to catch up on.”

“No thanks. Talking to Harm is like talking to a bleedin’ deaf mute…only not mute. She won’t shut her gob long enough to…”

“Angel?” Harmony came prancing into her boss’ office.

“Speak of the she-devil,” Spike muttered.

“Huh?” Harmony asked, placing her hand on her hip.

“Nothing, Harmony. What is it?” Angel asked, trying to make this as quick and painless as possible.

“Oh, I just got a call from Buffy’s Scooby bud, Willow. They’re all heading out.”

“All of ‘em?” Spike asked, turning.

“Well, yeah,” she said. “She said “we’re leaving the country to look for Slayers. Make sure Angel knows.” Then she threatened to turn me into dust if I used this knowledge to my own advantage. As if! I’m not that girl anymore.”

“You’re not even human,” Spike smirked.

“Yeah, well, look at you, you big, stupid, bleached…ghost!” Harmony turned, her hair whipping around as she did so, and she pranced from the room like a vampy nymph.

“So, Buffy’s leaving the country.” Spike paced for a moment, and then a look of revelation flashed across his face. “You know, I might go talk to Harmony after all.” Angel shook his head at the other vampire’s actions, as he disappeared through the closed door.

“Harm!” he bellowed, following her over to her desk.

“What?” she asked, irritated, but also trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. “What do you want? Now that your Slayer’s gone, you want to come back to…”

“A world of no,” he said, echoing the words his lovely Slayer had used what seemed a lifetime ago. “Besides, even if I wanted to, I can’t touch you. Incorporeal, remember? Listen, did the red witch happen to mention where Buffy’s going?”

“No. And you can’t leave anyway. You get so far as the edge of town, and you’re back here, remember?” Spike only glared at Harmony for a moment before turning and heading off for a little solitude. “What is with him?”

“You have to make me corporeal again,” Spike said impatiently, as he paced in front of Fred in the lab. She stared at him, both concern and annoyance creasing her brow.

“I don’t know how many ways there are to tell you that I’m doing the best I can. Spike, if I could make you corporeal again right now, I would, but I still don’t have all the calculations, and I don’t…I don’t know what might happen if we try.”

“So far, we’ve just had a few demons in accounting explode and a short power outage.” Fred stared. Spike continued, “Look, my lady’s leaving the country, and I need to get to her.”

“I thought you weren’t going to tell her…”

“Well, I don’t want her to see me like this, now do I? Those last few nights with Buffy…I can’t even…” He shook his head. “I need to get to her, Fred. Do you understand what it’s like to love someone so much that you’d rather die than be without ‘em? And I don’t mean die and come back and a ghost. I mean die and leave this plane of existence, because being here without really being here and still knowing that she’s here and getting further away from me every minute…”

“Ok, ok,” Fred said quickly, “calm down, Spike. Look, I’ll put in a few extra hours a day, if it’d make you feel better. I think we’re getting close to a cure. I just need more time.” Spike sighed heavily, but he knew there was nothing more he could do. He had to be patient, and he never had perfected the art of acting cool as a cucumber.

Turning, he left the room, his mind racing with images of Buffy getting further and further away from him. He had no idea of where she was going, but all he knew was that as soon as his feet were corporally on the ground again, he was going to search the world so he could find her and do things right. He was still the vampire—no, the man, she’d called him—he was those last few nights, and he was going to hold her and watch her sleep every single night if she’d let him. The time was coming, and until then, all he could do was ache until he had her back in his arms.





You must login (register) to review.