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Chapter 6

“Who’s coming?” Wesley asked with shock, as Angel paced back and forth in front of the desk.

“Buffy. She’ll be here. She said she had something important to tell me…to talk to me about.”

“And…what do you think that might be?”

“I don’t know. I…the last time we spoke, we were talking about relationships and…”

“And you think she’s coming here to tell you she wants you back?” Fred asked.

“No. She…she sounded serious.” He glanced up at her. “You think she wants me back?”

“Um, Angel, did you happen to mention Spike’s being…all corporeal again?” Gunn wondered. Angel cast him a glance. “She still doesn’t know he came back, does she?”

“Kind of slipped my mind.”

“Angel!” Fred scolded. “From the way Spike talks, he and Buffy were very close. She’d want to know…”

“Fred’s right,” Wesley said quickly. “How do you think Buffy will react when she learns that someone she lo—”

“Don’t say ‘loved,’” Angel interrupted.

“Someone she…cared about…is alive, and you didn’t tell her,” Wesley finished slowly.

“She sounded kinda upset on the phone. I didn’t want to upset her.”

“I think she’d be happy, Angel,” Fred said softly.

“What is it with the women around here? Always swooning over that bleached…”

“Hey, if you’d give him half a chance, you’d see he’s changed from whatever it is you used to know,” Fred defended. “All I can say is that you’d better have a good excuse when Buffy gets here. She deserves to know, and if you think you can woo her back, you’d better be honest with her, because maybe, just maybe, you’re not the only man she’s ever loved.” Fred turned and left quickly, casting a glance at Wesley, as if asking for backup after she left. He cleared his throat.

“Fred’s right, Angel. You do need to tell Buffy about Spike. You should be honest with her. I don’t think keeping something like this from her will have her swooning over you, do you?” Angel knew the right thing to do was to tell Buffy about Spike, but the first thing on his agenda was to help her with whatever it was she needed. She was more important than anything, and after it was all said and done…then he’d tell her about Spike.

“I’ll tell her. I just want to find out what she need. She’ll be here in a few hours. Please, just…don’t be here when she gets here. I want to talk to her alone.”

***

The flight had been uncomfortably long. She’d had to get up every twenty minutes to use the cramped plane bathrooms, and the baby wasn’t making it any easier on her by pressing his knee into her bladder just to make it a little more interesting.

Now, she was in a cab and on her way to downtown L.A. Wolfram and Hart was only blocks away. She’d never been inside the building before, and she’d hoped she never would have to. But now that Angel and his team were running it, it couldn’t be all that bad, right? Still, the thought of going in there and being surrounding by people that were mostly likely evil creeped her out just a little bit.

It wasn’t long before the cab pulled up in front of the tall building, and Buffy got out, stretching her arms and legs. She paid the driver, and he hurried off without a second glance in her direction. Placing her hand on her expanding stomach, she squinted upward at the towering building, wondering which window Angel might be looking out. She couldn’t even imagine the look on his face when he saw her in all of her pregnant glory for the first time. Then again, she was certain the look on his face when he found out that Spike was the father wouldn’t exactly be one of joy.

She took a deep breath and started inside, where she was gawked at by a few of the guards at the front door. They seemed to understand exactly who she was though, so they asked no questions. She felt a little like royalty, though she made a mental note to keep an eye on anyone who gave her a sideways glance. At Wolfram and Hart, nobody could be trusted. Deep inside, she wasn’t even certain she could trust Angel anymore. She wasn’t even sure what side he was even on these days.

“Oh my God. What are you doing here?” Buffy turned around at a familiarly annoying voice. Her eyes widened when she saw Harmony decked out in work clothes, carrying a file of papers and a mug of something that definitely wasn’t coffee.

“Um, I’m here to see Angel…what are you doing here?”

“Uh, hello? I work here,” Harmony replied. “Doesn’t Angel tell you anything?” She looked down at Buffy’s belly. “Well, it looks like he’s not the only one holding out on info!” She hurried over. “Ok, spill. Who’s the father? It’s not Xander Harris is it? I mean, ew.”

“Harmony, shut up. I need to see Angel. Where is he?”

“Twenty-third floor,” Harmony replied. “Oh, and don’t think that just because you’re back he’s going to come running back to you. Ever since…well…he’s been looking at me. He might be all hung up on you and everything right now, but he’ll know what he’s missing soon enough.” Buffy stared at Harmony, a dumbstruck look upon her face. Deciding that the blonde vampire had no idea what she was talking about, she headed to the elevators, pressed the button, and got on, only to come face to face with a green demon. She ran right into him, making him spill his coffee.

“Whoa! Hey Sunshine, watch where you’re walking, will ya?” He looked into the lovely green eyes of the Slayer and immediately realized from pictures he’d seen, that this was the woman Angel had pined over for so many years. “Oh, you’re Buffy, aren’t you?”

“Who are you?” Buffy said a bit nervously.

“You want my full name? Well, that’d make for a long lunch. The short of it is…hi, I’m Lorne. I manage the Entertainment department here. You’re here to see Angel? And whoa, I’d say you have some news for him alright.”

“Uh, yeah,” Buffy said nervously. “I need his help. Mystical pregnancies…they’re not exactly common to me. I mean…I know he’s dealt with it before…with Cordelia. Only, my baby’s human…and I’m still not quite sure what Cordelia’s were. Anyway, um, have you seen him?”

“He’s waiting on you. Cleared out most of the people on the twenty-third floor. I think…well, you better be prepared for some questions, because I don’t think this upcoming bundle is one of joy for the big guy.”

“Yeah…thanks,” Buffy said, feeling even more discouraged. The elevator stopped on floor three, and Buffy stepped off. Lorne smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

“Good luck.” Buffy gave a nod to the demon and headed down the hall toward the large doors that led to what she could only assume was Angel’s office.

“I can do this. I’m the Slayer. I’m tough. I can…I can.” She suddenly felt like she was putting herself in the shoes of the little engine that could, so finally, she just hurried up to the door, turned the handle, and let herself in.

He was looking out the window, staring out over the skyscrapers. It was strange to see him bathed in sunlight. She was so used to him hiding in the shadows in the day and walking around at night.

She didn’t know what to say. Hello didn’t seem right. She just couldn’t find the words. They were frozen inside of her, and her breath was caught. She wasn’t sure words were even necessary. She knew he knew she was there. Vampires had great hearing, after all.

“Buffy.” He turned, expecting to see her beautiful face. He wasn’t disappointed, but he immediately saw the swell of her belly, and his heart dropped. “Buffy?”

“Surprised?”

“Um…yeah. I…I’m…confused.”

“This is what I need your help with.” Buffy closed the doors, and Angel ushered her over to a comfortable chair. She sat down a little slowly. She might have been the Slayer, but this Slayer’s back was killing her.

“What…what…I don’t…understand.”

“Neither do I, some of the time. Other times, I know this is meant to be. But…well, Giles found out about a prophecy.” Angel practically shuddered at the term. Prophecies…his world seemed to be surrounded by them at all times.

“What’d it say?”

“Oh, you know, it’s mysterious, something about restoring a balance. Oh and, apparently, for that balance to be restored, I have to die.” Angel didn’t move. “Aren’t you going to tell me it’s not worth it? I shouldn’t have this baby? A little too late for that. He’ll be here in a few months.”

“He.”

“My son,” she said quietly. She watched Angel wince as if physically wounded. “Angel?”

“You’re having a son.”

“Yeah. And…you’re the only person I knew to go to. I hate to ask for help from anybody at Wolfram and Hart, but I’m sure you’re linked to something that speaks of the prophecy. Right?”

“I can check. I’m sure there’s something.” He got up, unable to look at her. “What did it say? About the baby’s origins?”

“That’s no mystery,” Buffy said quietly.

“You…you know who the father is?”

“It’s mystical, but I know how…” Angel closed his eyes, preparing himself for the words he knew were coming. “When the amulet triggered, Spike and I joined hands, and…and something happened. Next thing I knew, Spike was gone, and shortly thereafter, I found out I was pregnant.”

“Spike’s the…” He began to pace again, thinking of prophecies, sons, fathers, Buffy.

“The child of two natural enemies. A Slayer and a vampire. Only, the prophecy writers didn’t really count on me falling in love with my enemy.” Angel spun around. Buffy froze, not believing she’d said the words aloud. To him.

“So you were in love with him.”

“Angel…” She sighed heavily. “Can we just…stay on track here? Spike’s gone, and I’ve started to accept that. I just have to figure out how to bring this baby into the world and, well, still be able to stay here and make sure he’s safe.” Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t want to die, Angel. This baby’s all I have left of Spike, and I want to be there…” Each word stung like a knife ripping through his flesh. She really was in love with Spike. She was in love with the memory of Spike, and now Angel had to be the stand up guy and tell her that the vampire she loved really was alive, and he was searching for her.

“Buffy, you need to know something. I…I don’t know how to say it.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure nothing’s going to surprise me as much as this last prophecy. You know, I am prophecy girl. I should be used to be it by now. Lay it on me. What’s going on?”

“It’s about Spike.” Then it hit him. Spike. The amulet. Angel thought back to his wonderings about why he’d been given the amulet. He had been meant to wear it, but Spike had taken his place. Had Spike not been the one in the Hellmouth that day, he very well could have been the father of the child Buffy carried. It wouldn’t have surprised him in the least. First Connor, then this. The child of a vampire is an impossibility, but here was Buffy, pregnant with the human child created mystically between her and Spike.

“I know what you’re going to say. You think that because of who Spike was, the baby might be…well…no. No, you’re wrong. You didn’t see the way he changed, Angel. He was a good man. He saw it out to the end. He saved the world.”

“Yeah, so I’ve heard, about three hundred times.”

“What?” Buffy wrinkled her brow and gently patted her stomach to try to ease the baby out of his kicking spree.

“You’re not gonna believe this, so just…just stay where you are. Sitting’s probably the best position for you right now.”

“Angel, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

“A little over five months ago…well, I got a package in the mail. I didn’t know who it was from, and I didn’t know what it was, but when I got around to opening it…it was…it was the amulet.” Buffy felt her heart jump up into her throat.

“What? How can that be? It was…it was in the Hellmouth.”

“Yeah. When I released the amulet…it…well…it wasn’t exactly alone.”

“What? Angel…”

“Spike…it was…Spike. He came back.” Buffy stood quickly.

“What?! Angel, what are you doing? Is this some…some way of trying to pay me back for Spike…”

“I’m telling you the truth, Buffy. He came back. He…he didn’t want to contact you, because he didn’t want you to see him like he was. He didn’t know if he was here to stay…and…and we all agreed not to tell you.”

“Oh, so the man I’ve been grieving for these past six months comes back and nobody has the decency to tell me?!”

“Aren’t you listening? He didn’t want you to know. He wanted to tell you in his own way, but he wanted to wait until he was really back. And that didn’t happen until recently.”

“So, Spike’s alive again?”

“Spike’s…still a vampire, if that’s what you mean. But he’s not a ghost anymore. He’s…he’s really back.” Buffy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She sunk back into the chair, her heart pounding wildly, her cheeks flushing with both anger and disbelief.

“Where is he?”

“I don’t…”

“Tell me where he is!”

“I don’t know!” Angel exclaimed. “We thought you were going to Europe…so for all I know he’s on his way there.”

“Can you call him?”

“No. He doesn’t have a phone. Only way to talk to him is if he calls here, and he didn’t exactly leave with a farewell party.” Shaking her head, Buffy stood up again.

“This is too much. I can’t…I just can’t. I…no. This isn’t happening.” She started to pace, and Angel watched her with uncertainty and concern heavily present in his dark eyes.

“Sit down. You need to rest.”

“Rest? You expect me to just sit down and be all ‘la la la’ and relax after telling me that the man I love…the father of my child is alive, and he’s out there looking for me right now?! Great. Thanks. I think I can manage that.” Apparently she’d gotten really good at sarcasm over the years.

“Buffy…”

“No. No. I can’t deal with this right now.” She turned and fled the office, and it took Angel a moment to compose his emotions long enough to run after her. He caught up with her at the elevator.

“Buffy, please, just…just wait.”

“Nobody told me, Angel!”

“Spike didn’t want you to know! He didn’t want you to know he was back but not really…back. Now he is, and he’s looking for you.”

“And he’s probably roaming around Europe somewhere. I guess it is partly my fault. I didn’t exactly have Willow explain that I wasn’t going either.” She shook her head, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s too much.” She placed her hands on her stomach. “Spike dying…this baby…now he’s back. I don’t understand.”

“Nobody really does, but I’ll have somebody look into it. You and the baby are safe here, and you’re free to stay as long as you like.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Buffy, you’re a Slayer pregnant by a vampire in Los Angeles. We deal with some of the most evil forces imaginable every day, and we’re still standing. You’d be safe here. Safer than out there.” Buffy knew he was right. She knew that she’d be better protected from the demons looking for a quick buck if she stayed in their fortress of…what was it, not-so-evil anymore evil? It was too much to take in, but she knew she’d rather not have to run and fight demons for once. She wanted to rest and think about everything. Spike was back. He was alive. He was looking for her. And she had no idea what was going to happen when he found her, but the anxiety building up inside of her was already getting to her. It hurt to know he was out there and she hadn’t known. She wasn’t with him.

Fred yawned as she finished putting away the equipment and materials used that day. Wesley was taking her out to dinner, since Angel had instructed them to stay away for most of the evening. She didn’t know what was going on with Buffy, but it was certain to be emotional. Especially considering the little tidbit of news Lorne had expressed. The vampire slayer was pregnant, and Spike was the father.

Cordell, one of the newer assistants in the lab, came walking in.

“Fred? It’s ok if I call you Fred, right?”

“It’s fine, Cordell. What’s wrong?”

“Phone call from you. Some British guy…sounds like Spike?” Fred’s eyes widened, and her heart leapt into her throat. Was she supposed to tell him Buffy was there? Certainly he’d want to know about the baby. But was it really her place to say? What would Angel think?

“Um. Ok. Thanks.” She waved Cordell into the other room, indicating this would be a private call, and she picked up the phone. “Spike?”

“Hello, pet. How are things around the Wolf, Ram, and Hart?”

“Interesting. Um, where are you?”

“An airport in New York. Got a lead she might be there, but no luck. I’m getting ready to head to London, see I can get some information out of the watcher.”

“Oh.”

“What’s wrong? You aren’t your normally chatty self.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Spike. Just…don’t…don’t go to London.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t find Buffy there. Buffy’s…well, she’s here.”

“What?”

“She’s with Angel right now…she came to him for help. Spike…you need to know something…” But the phone line went dead before she could say. “Spike?” Nothing. Sighing, she hung up the phone, and she knew things were about to get a whole lot crazier.





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