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Chapter 36 – Tender Heart


“So,” Buffy said slowly, looking back and forth between Cordelia and Wesley and a man whom Buffy had never met named Charles Gunn. “Darla gets pulled back from whatever beyond she was sent to, Drusilla vamped her, Angel fired you, and now he’s on this obsession kick where he thinks he has to what? Kill her?”

“All I know is that he’s being a Grade A jackass,” Cordy spoke up.

“Personally, I’m more interested in the aspects of this pregnancy,” Wes spoke up, trying to get information from them again. He’d been persistent the entire way to the office, but Buffy and Spike had been too shocked with the recent discovery of the pregnancy to give him much information.

“I told you, Wes. It’s a prophecy,” Buffy said, pacing the length of the small room. “It’s not even one hundred percent guaranteed that I’m pregnant, just cause the green guy said so-”

“Lorne read you?” Cordelia asked, having already heard about the pregnancy the moment Wesley walked through the door and taking it with a grain of salt. “I think it’s safe to say that you are.”

“Okay,” Buffy said, feeling her stomach turn, one of the many signs of pregnancy that she was choosing to ignore for the time being. “We need to figure out how to get to Darla.”

“We’re not,” Spike said forcefully, causing Buffy to turn around and meet his strong gaze.

“I’m not letting these two go on a killing spree through the city.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Spike replied, shaking his head.

“I can handle them…and Darla wasn’t that hard to kill before.”

“Only because Peaches ran her through from behind! A Sire never expects her childe to stake her.”

Buffy’s eyes lit up. “Then you kill Drusilla,” she said, feeling relieved that they might have an advantage after all.

“What?” Spike asked, looking at her as if she was insane before shaking his head. “No.”

“No?”

“I can’t do it, Slayer.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Buffy asked, trying to cover up the hurt feeling that was welling up inside of her.

“Bit of both,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Do you still love her, Spike?” she whispered quietly, feeling her heart pounding in her chest while she waited for his answer.

“Buffy, she’s my sire.”

Her mind seemed to be warring against her at his lack of an answer.

‘Angel killed his sire for you.’

‘Angel had a soul.’

‘Spike says he loves you.’

‘He’s willing to let you face this alone.’

Visibly shaking her head to clear it of the disturbing thoughts, Buffy took a step away from him. A move that did not go unnoticed by the blonde vampire.

“Fine,” she murmured. “Do what you want.”

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Spike turned and headed for the door, already searching his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

Watching him leave, Buffy tried to fight the tears in her eyes- partly from her pregnancy hormones and partly because the girl inside of her felt like she was dying, knowing where Spike’s true loyalty lay. She knew it was unfair to ask him to do this, but the nagging feeling inside of her wouldn’t shut up.

“I’ll track them down,” she said softly when she noticed everyone’s eyes on her.

“Are you okay?” Cordy asked quietly as she studied the other woman.

“Fine,” Buffy said in a tight voice. “Where are we as far as weapons?”

Gunn took a step back and pulled open a cabinet, watching as Buffy walked over and grabbed a sword and a crossbow.

“I’ll find them. You three go make sure Angel is busy. The last thing I need is to find the three of them together.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Wesley said, his brow furrowed as he looked at his former Slayer.

“Maybe not, but it’s the plan,” Buffy replied, putting the weapons in an old bag so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself walking through the streets of L.A. Not like that many people would see anything out of the ordinary, even if she did.

“How are we supposed to keep Angel busy?” Gunn asked.

“Tell him I’m pregnant with Spike’s child,” she said, hoisting the bag onto her shoulder and walking toward the backdoor without a second look. “That will hopefully keep his mind away from Darla for the night.”

Slamming the door behind her, the three sat in shock, each looking at the other and wondering what they could do. Cordy finally stood up after a few long moments and walked toward the front door, opening it to see Spike staring out at the night sky and deeply inhaling on his cigarette.

“You’re an idiot,” Cordy said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Why’s that, pet?” he asked, never looking in her direction.

“Because the woman you love asked you to do something and you just walk out on her.”

“Do you have any idea what she asked of me?” he asked, spinning around to face her.

“I was there. And I know exactly what it means to kill your sire. But I can relate to a woman who thinks that the man she’s with…the man whose child she’s carrying, doesn’t love her enough to keep her safe from someone who just happens to be your sire.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?” Cordy asked in frustration. “That’s how a woman’s mind works, Spike. And I would bet my new pair of Prada’s that she’s comparing you to Angel right now.”

“What else is new?” he muttered, smashing the cigarette under his heel.

“She wants to be with you,” Cordelia said softly. “She chose you. The Powers chose you to be the father of her child. Not Angel…you!”

“It was probably just a mistake,” he said softly, feeling his heart breaking with the idea that Buffy might be questioning his love for her.

“Prophecies aren’t mistakes,” she said, studying the vampire.

“Sod off,” he muttered.

“Fine,” Cordy said with an edge to her voice. “I will. I’ll take my coworkers and try and keep Angel distracted while your girlfriend goes off to handle Darla and Drusilla all on her own and probably end up getting herself killed in the process.”

Spike’s head immediately snapped up to face her. “What are you on about?”

“Buffy. She left.”

“What do you mean, left!? Where’d she go?” he asked frantically.

“I just told you. You didn’t really expect her to sit back and watch while your psycho sire and her child/sire combo made happy meals of the entire city now did you? I thought you knew Buffy. She would never let that happen.”

“She left already?”

Watching as she arched an eyebrow in reply, Spike suddenly felt a pressing weight on his heart at the thought that he might lose her. “Which way?”

“Through the back. I don’t know where they are, but they’re probably leaving a pretty big trail.”

By the time she finished talking, Spike was already gone.





Thanks so much to: Kar, Kimber, Seraiza, Laine, gypsy_jin, spuffette, Steph, Bernardette, Rana, Crystal Pegasus, TammyAsh666, Bridget, Kate, Cordykitten, spikes eternal lover, Alicia, Revello_1620, Franchesca, Jenn, jenny, Caitie, BuffyandSpikeForever, blondiebear, & songgal1 for reviewing!





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