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As Darla entered the room, Buffy just took in the older woman for a moment.

Darla seemed a little frailer than she ever had. The woman’s body was shaking slightly and she looked as if she’d been sleep deprived for over a week. “Hi, Buffy.”

“Sit,” Buffy ordered a little harshly. “Since it looks like you’re sober, I want to talk.”

Darla nodded and shakily went to sit in the chair. “Buffy…”

“Wow…do you realize this is the first time I’ve seen you sober since I was five?” Buffy stated with coldness in her voice.

“I know, sweetie, I…”

“Don’t you call me that. You lost the right to call me ‘sweetie’ and ‘pumpkin’ a long time ago.”

Darla nodded. “I’ve made mistakes, I know, Buffy. I haven’t been in the right frame of mind for a long time now.”

“Gee, ya think? I get pounded by your husband and you laugh.”

“Buffy…”

“You’re a bitch. I hope you know that.” Buffy had her arms crossed over her chest defiantly and was staring at Darla with a cold look.

“I know,” Darla admitted softly. “And I still have some problems…I know.”

Buffy’s gaze softened slightly. “So what happened? I mean…why the sudden change of heart?”

There was a long silence, and Buffy didn’t know if the older woman would actually answer. The blond teen was actually feeling a little sorry for being so harsh. Darla really did look sorry…and obviously very upset.

“I’m pregnant,” Darla said quietly, tears springing to her eyes.

“What?”

“I was getting sick…I passed out at in bar and they took me to a hospital. The doctor said I was two months pregnant…Oh, God…Buffy…I’ve been drinking so long, they don’t even know if the baby’s going to make it!” Darla paused to blink back her tears. “Angel will kill me if this baby doesn’t make it, Buffy…”

Buffy’s eyes were slightly wide and she had to swallow the lump in her throat. “Darla…” Buffy started. “What happened to you and Angel to make you like this? Drinking and getting high all the time?”


Darla stayed silent for a long while. “It was 12 years ago…when you were five. I got pregnant. Angel and I…we were happy. Really happy. We wanted to name it Connor if it was a boy, and Jessie if it was a girl.”

Buffy just stared in awe, not saying anything. “And what happened?”

“I…I was straining myself all the time…I…I fell one day. I don’t really remember details.” The older blond paused for a long time. “I remember every single moment of them telling me that my baby didn’t make it, though.”

“I…” Buffy was cut off though.

“So…Angel and I…we were upset for a long time. He started drinking more and more…and the only way I felt close to him was if I drank too. Eventually, the drinking got worse. The drugs started…and we both felt emotionless all the time.” She paused. “We didn’t want to feel again, because we didn’t want to remember the pain.”

Buffy had no clue what to say, how to comfort, or what she was supposed to do. She finally understood it.

Of course, that didn’t give them right to treat her as they did. But now she understood.

“Darla…”

“Have we hurt you a lot, Buffy?” Buffy felt her own tears at the weakness and sincerity in her aunt’s voice.

“Well…no,” Buffy said truthfully. “I…it hurts that I can’t be loved here. It hurts that I lost my mom and it’s my fault. But as far as physical pain? It hasn’t been too bad.”

“I’m…I can’t even say I’m sorry, Buffy…Sorry isn’t enough. I…”

Both continued to sit in the silence as they let the sadness wash and settle over them.

---Next day---

Spike had been told along with Giles, that they should head home with the knowledge that Buffy was going to be okay.

Now a shaky Darla, and a somewhat sober Angel stood in the waiting room talking to a doctor. Darla had convinced Angel not to drink for at least half a day. That way he wouldn’t be picking Buffy up drunk.

“Now, understand that Buffy may be feeling sick these next few days. This is her first offense. It’s going to be left up to you how she is punished. If you think she needs drug rehab, we could help you with her treatment. But, if you don’t believe it’s necessary, that’s fine. But, understand that if she takes illegal drugs again, the law will take care of her.”

Darla nodded and spoke before Angel could. “Thank you.” As the doctor nodded and walked away, Buffy slowly walked up to her guardians.

“Well. If it isn’t the little druggie,” Angel replied with an roll of his eyes. “So, why’d you do it?”

Buffy got the courage to glare up at him. “You asshole.” There was more seething hatred in these two words than she had ever spoken to anyone. “You know damn well what was wrong with me.”

Angel, being as sober as he was at the moment, was a little taken back. “Now--”

“Shut. Up.” Buffy pushed open the doors of the hospital as the two adults followed her out. “I’m tired. You can beat me up later for this,” she told him bluntly as they all got in the car.

Angel turned around in the front seat. He really didn’t remember what happened from day to day. He did remember vaguely, hurting Buffy. “Beat you up?” He asked, slightly annoyed.

“Gee, Darla. He’ll make a great father for your child won’t he?” Buffy had purposely brought it up, seeing it as the only way to get Angel to think about what he was doing.

With slightly shocked eyes, Darla turned to face Angel, giving him all the proof he needed that Buffy had told the truth. “You’re…”

“Pregnant. Yes,” Darla finished, avoiding eye contact of anything that resembled her husband’s eyes.

“I…when were you going to tell me?”

“The…I may lose the child.”

Angel tensed and seemed to anger at this. “You will not, you little-”

“Angel, if one more word comes from your mouth, you’re going to know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a fist,” Buffy assured him, sitting up straighter in her seat. “You’re the reason she goes out drinking all the time. You’re the reason you both do drugs. If she loses the baby, it’s as much your fault as it is hers.” She suddenly threw the car door open and stepped out slowly. “Jackass,” she muttered under her breath before slamming the door shut.

Turning, she started walking down the sidewalk, away from the house. It wasn’t long before Angel’s car pulled up beside her. “Get in the car,” he told her angrily. The only reason Buffy looked over was because she heard tears in his voice. Sure enough, the older man’s cheeks were tear-stained.

“Go home, Angel. Take care of Darla. Do your wife and child a favor and don’t drink.”

She continued walking and Angel kept the car going with her speed. “Bitch, I said to get in the car.”

Buffy don’t know what came over her, but she turned angrily toward her uncle. “No! If you think you have any say in what I do, you’re wrong! If I’m going to get hit anyway, I might as well enjoy myself. Stay the hell away from me. I’ll be home later.” When she was sure she’d gotten her point across, Buffy continued walking.

Angel turned the car around suddenly, grumbling inaudibly to Buffy as she continued walking the other way.

---Next day---

Buffy hadn’t actually gotten home until after a long walk, around eleven.

She’d walked through that front door expecting many things. Darla asleep on the couch, her head on Angel’s shoulder, as Angel sat there looking lost was not one of them.

For a moment, Buffy just stared at the two on the couch as Angel finally looked up to see that she’d walked in. The teen didn’t send him glares of anger or hatred, only of subtle sympathy and understanding.

“Buffy…” He’d whispered softly. But he hadn’t said another word. He kept wondering how he’d gotten where he had. His memories kept running through his mind: memories about a five-year-old Buffy sitting on his lap at Christmas. Joyce would be there too, laughing along with whatever was going on.

And now he was a lowlife drunk that beat his niece and couldn’t go three hours without getting drunk.

“Good-night, Angel,” Buffy had said in a calm voice after a while and walked up to her room.

Now she was at her locker, frantically trying to find her history book. “Aha,” she muttered as the book was found.

She’d been ignoring the looks she was getting from fellow students all day. News traveled fast in this town, and it was no surprise that half the school knew that she’d been overdosed on illegal drugs.

“Buffy!” She heard the familiar voice and smiled when Spike ran up to her. “You’re okay,” he stated.

“Obviously,” she replied with a smile and accepted the friendly hug he was giving her.

“So, you’re okay?”

“No,” Buffy answered truthfully. “But…I will be.”

The two shared a brief smile that was quickly interrupted by Giles frantic voice. “Oh, good. You two are together,” he exclaimed as he stood by them.

“What is it, Giles?” Buffy asked with concern.

“It’s Faith.”

Those two words. Buffy felt her entire world freeze for a moment. Even though it only took the older man another second to explain what had happened, she felt like everything was happening too slowly.

Sure, she hadn’t known Faith that long. But there was a sisterly kind of bond that she’d felt with Faith. It was the same kind of bond she’d always felt with Dawn.

“She’s just been taken to the emergency room,” Giles finished.

And if Buffy’s world hadn’t fallen before, it was sure crumbling now.





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