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Joyce stood and walked into her ex-husband's open arms as soon as he entered the waiting room. It was not the hug of lovers, but that of parents in pain seeking solace from one another.

"How is she?" Hank asked his voice raspy with unshed tears.

"No change. The doctors are waiting for all the tests to come back," Joyce explained, avoiding the topic of Dr. Rayne's unofficial theory on it being stress induced.

"Joyce, I know this is bad timing, but Spike is here. But before you say anything please listen to me," Hank said as he held her tighter against him. "I found out why he felt he had to leave our girl. I'm doing everything in my power to help him work it out. When you hear what I've found out I think you might understand it yourself. Doesn't make it right but it will give you a different picture of him, one that’s not so dark."

"Then let me see him alone, first," Joyce said to where only Hank would hear.

"He has his son with him. There was no way he could leave him alone or anywhere near that crazy bitch of a mother," Hank explained as he gave her a knowing look, hoping she would begin to understand.

Joyce noticed the anger and disgust on his face and asked, "Has she hurt that boy?"

"More than I care to know. I'm not sure I want to tell Spike the extent she has abused that child," Hank informed her while trying not to let his emotions show.

"Where are they?" Joyce asked, seeing the horror in Hank's face that told her all she needed to know.

"Down in the emergency waiting room," Hank replied.

"Go and talk to Dawn, let me go and speak with Spike," Joyce told him, deciding she needed some alone time with her ex-son-in-law before the others attacked him.

"Be easy, he may not look it, but he is holding on by a thread and he doesn't know that Buffy's pregnant," Hank warned her. "He was a total mess when I found him."

"I can't say I feel sorry for him, because I don't," Joyce said as she turned to go and find Spike and judge for herself just how terribly affected he was.

Hank walked toward his youngest daughter and felt her wrath. He opened his arms and started to cry when she ran into his embrace calling out, 'Daddy'. After today he just might have to think about retiring. He never really loved the job as much, since he'd taken the desk job a few years back.

*******

Spike sat in the waiting room as he listened as two hospital personnel talked about an unconscious pregnant woman who had been brought in earlier. Saying how sad it was that she might not wake up and hold her babies if they survived. Then he remembered Dru's threat and all thought of the poor girl and her unborn babies was forgotten and replaced with his own fears of losing his son or his Goldilocks.

The first thing Joyce noticed was how tight Spike was hugging the young boy sitting on his lap. The next thing she noticed was how lost he appeared. She could see the anguish radiating from his face. He'd lost weight he didn't need to lose over the months as well.

She walked until she was standing in front of him. The words he was mumbling broke her heart reaffirming what Hank had told her. He was suffering and a part of her was glad.

"She's the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. If she leaves this world I don't know what I will do," Spike mumbled with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around the only thing that was keeping him sane.

"Then explain to me why you left her," Joyce demanded.

Spike looked up at her and she gasped. Where his eyes were normally bright, full of laughter, carefree and sparkled with life, they now appeared full of pain, sorrow, and devastation. "I didn't want to leave her. I felt I had no choice, for you see, I had to save my son."

"There's Social Services," Joyce snorted as she stood with her hands on her hips, refusing to look directly at the boy.

"Dru would've run before they could have done anything. She's good at hiding, starting a new life with a new identity and never being found again," Spike explained as he hugged his child closer. "I would never have found him again. He would have been at her mercy and I couldn't let that happen."

Joyce knew what he was saying was mostly likely true. The Children's Welfare system reputation for being poorly staffed and bogged down by legal red tape was widely known. It was also the reason several of the children never benefited from their protection.

"Please tell me she’s okay. Lie to me, if you have too," Spike said, his voice almost pleading as his eyes begged Joyce to make it okay for just a little while.

"Spike, she's in a coma, the doctors are still doing some tests," Joyce decided to tell him the truth, not sure if now would be the best time to tell him about the babies.

Spike's world started to spin as he zoned out, not wanting to hear anything further she had to say. There was no way he could lose her, not like this.

Candice walked out of the bathroom and noticed the distress her employer was showing. She quickly walked over to do her best to be there for him and Nigel.

Joyce glared as she noticed the young woman sit next to Spike and touch his arm. She could not help but think it looked too familiar and intimate for her liking.

"Mr. Bledsoe, would you like for me to take Nigel?" Candice softly asked, having placed her hand on his arm to offer her support and to get his attention gently.

"No Candice, I wish to keep him with me right now," Spike replied, still feeling insecure after his recent talk with Dru.

Nigel kept huddled close to his father, feeling the anger, and frustration coming from the strange woman towering over them. Her voice scared him, reminded him of how his mother would talk to him before locking him in the closet.

"Who are you?" Joyce asked, her voice cold and angry.

"Hi! I'm Candice Welch, I'm Nigel's nanny," she introduced herself, hoping to find out just who this rude woman was.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me," Spike mumbled having not heard Candice or felt her touch. "Joyce this is Candice, Nigel's nanny. Candice this is Joyce Giles, Buffy's mother."

Candice stood and hugged the older woman. "I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. I truly believe she will be okay, I just know it." Joyce on reflex returned the hug as the young girl continued to ramble on, "Mr. Bledsoe and Mr. Summers have been very worried about her."

"Daddy, are you crying?" a small voice asked, as he reached up to touch the tears running down Spike's cheeks.

"Daddy's sad, Poppet," Spike tried to explain as he took his own hand and started to wipe the tears away.

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Not your fault Daddy's sad, Nige."

"Mummy says I'm bad when I make her cry."

"No, you're Daddy's good boy and you didn't make me cry," Spike reassured him as he took his son's face between his hands and kissed his forehead and then his little turned up nose.

"I love you, Daddy," Nigel said as he reached and kissed his father's cheek.

"How much?" Spike asked, as he played the same game his mother had taught him as a child.

Nigel giggled as he opened his arms and said, "This much."

"Oh, my! that's a lot," Spike chuckled.

"How much Daddy?"

Spike spread out his arms wide and answered, "This much and so much more."

Nigel's laugh was infectious as his father wrapped his arms around the little body and started to tickle him and promise. "I will always love you Poppet."

"You won't lock me in the bad room?" Nigel asked.

"Who locks you in the bad room?" Spike felt the need to ask, even though he knew whom the culprit was.

"Mummy does," Nigel said as his eyes widened in fear. "Please don't tell her."

Spike heard Candice and Joyce both gasp as he hurried to comfort his son and promise. "No one will take you away from me, no one. Your Mummy will never ever hurt you again. I love you!"

Joyce quickly knelt down so she would not be talking down at the young boy and said, "Nigel, look at me sweetie."

Nigel shyly looked at her, and for the first time she noticed how much this boy looked like Spike. She slowly raised her hand and brushed his cheek softly as he wormed his way into her heart.

"Nigel, honey, no one is going to hurt you here. You're safe I promise you," Joyce said as she gave him a warm, welcoming, smile. "I wonder, are you hungry?"

Nigel nodded his head as his stomach growled causing him to giggle. "My tummy says so, too."

Joyce laughed as she ruffled his curly hair and said, "I think you like chicken nuggets, don't you?"

Nigel nodded as he replied, "With ketchup."

"Well of course. What are nuggets without ketchup," Joyce agreed, regretting she had let her emotions forget she should not have let her anger at Spike upset his son. "Maybe Candice can take you to get some."

"Yeah, brat, let's go. I could use some pizza myself," Candice stood giving Joyce an understanding smile. "We can get your dad something, too."

Spike gave Joyce a smile that didn't reach his eyes, but showed her he was grateful for her actions as he turned to tell Candice. "Don't want anything. Just come back right after he eats, okay?"

"Sure, where do I come back to?" Candice asked as she turned her attention back to Mrs. Giles.

"We’ll be up in the intensive care waiting area on the second floor," Joyce told her.

"Okay, we'll meet you there after we feed Mr. Tummy Growler here," Candice reached down for Nigel's hand.

"Please be careful," Spike said as he gave Candice a worried look, having regretted agreeing to his son leaving his sight.

"She isn't that quick," Candice reassured him.

"I know you're right, but still I don't overestimate her to not and try to pull something," Spike said, his voice sounded wary and strained.

"I promise to protect him with everything I have," Candice promised. "He has kind of grown on me, ya know?"

Spike and Joyce watched as the young girl took Nigel toward the cafeteria. Both stood silent, neither knew what they should do next.

"Joyce, I never wanted to hurt Buffy. Never in a million years. I thought for sure I would have proved Dru unfit before the divorce became final. I thought for sure I would have found out enough to get him away from her, but she's covered her tracks and I couldn't find anything to use against her," Spike whispered. "This is the first time he has spoken out against her. But then it's the first time I've really had alone time with him, without her being close by."

Joyce moved closer and put her hand on his shoulder offering her support. She was sure now that finding out about Buffy being pregnant would hurt him deeply. She wondered why he didn't tell his wife, her daughter, any of this.

"Before you ask, I couldn't say anything. Dru is shrewd and feeds on other's pain, and Buffy cannot lie to save her life, we both know that. Dru would have detected I was not hurting as I should have been. It kept getting worse. I could feel myself being pulled back to my Goldilocks wanting to come home. But I would look into his eyes and know he needed me to survive," Spike's voice became more hoarse as he fought the tears.

"It won't be easy," Joyce said, "They hate you, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I don't blame them, not really," Spike told her.

"She loves you and that’s what will make it all work out in the end," Joyce reassured him, knowing once Buffy heard any of this, all bets of her staying away from Spike and his son were off.

Joyce decided not to forewarn Spike about his pending fatherhood, not wanting to be the one to add to his plight. She figured at least he would have hers and Hank's support and once the others realized the sacrifice Spike had made for his son, they might be there for him as well.

"Joyce, can you tell me what happened?" Spike asked.

"I think it's best if we have the rest of this discussion upstairs," Joyce said, again wanting Hank to be there when Spike found out about the twins.

*******





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