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Buffy still couldn’t believe she had been in a coma for four weeks. A month. Well, that didn’t matter anymore; she was going home today. After the last three days spent in that horrid hospital Buffy had insisted, over the very angry protests of the doctors and nurses, that she was leaving. Even Angel and Giles had tried to talk her into staying a little longer. She had finally signed all those “against medical advice” papers and promised she would return in two days for a check up. Unfortunately she hadn’t been able to convince them to take the darn cast off her leg. She was certain it was well healed by now, but they hadn’t even considered it. Well, she would fix that as soon as she got home.

Giles pulled the car up the driveway as far as possible and Angel’s car had pulled in behind them. Buffy started to fumble with the crutches the hospital had given her when they were pulled out of her hands. Buffy started to protest when Angel leaned in the car and scooped her up in his arms.

“I can walk you know. They gave me some nifty crutches and everything so I would,” Buffy said very annoyed. This babying stuff was getting old before she had even been attacked.

“I know.” Angel responded dryly as he carried her through the door right behind Giles. He carried her over to the couch and set her down as the whole flock of potentials converged in the living room. Each one seemingly excited about having Buffy back, and talking over each other asking her “how she was”, “had she killed the demon” and what her coma “was like”, and several obviously eyeing Angel in a very non threatening way.

Buffy had let out a small chuckle as Angel had backed up a bit and was shaking his head rather annoyed at the potentials. Giles chose that moment to try to disperse the girls insisting that Buffy would have time for questions later, but right now needed time to rest and get settled back in. Buffy was secretly grateful, as she was still exhausted. Giles covered her with a blanket as Angel rearranged the pillows so
Buffy could lean back a little.

“Buffy, I know I told the girls to wait, but I think we need to have a talk. I feel the sooner the better.” Giles said as he sat on the end of couch.

“Um, Giles, is Spike staying in Angel’s car tonight? Cause, I’m thinking the basement might be more comfortable.” Buffy said as if actually debating which would indeed be more comfortable.

“Ah, Spike. Yes, I’d forgotten. Angel, would you mind?” Giles looked at Angel who simply rolled his eyes before heading back out the door.

“Now, would you like to start or shall I?” Giles pointedly looked at Buffy.

Buffy really didn’t want either to start. She had hoped to find some way to tell Giles about the pregnancy without him getting too angry with her and then insisting like everyone else that she had to stop slaying.

Giles took her silence to mean she wasn’t going to start so he decided he would. “Very well then, I think I have a fairly good guess as to some things that may be occurring, but I really need you to tell me everything. I can’t help you or the girls if you don’t talk to me Buffy.”

Buffy just bit her lip and watched Angel deposit Spike in one of the chairs in the living room. He still looked horrible. He wasn’t healing at all and despite her, Willow, and Angel trying he hadn’t fed, talked, or really moved. He just sat there and occasionally his eyes closed for a few hours. They had tried everything they could think of to pull him out of it.

“Do you think he’ll come back to us?” Buffy questioned Giles.

“I really don’t know. There’s no precedent for this sort of thing. I mean, there’s no shortage of vampires with sanity issues, but I’ve never heard of one in his state of catatonia.” Giles looked at Spike and flinched. He had thought Spike had looked bad before Angel had arrived, but the beating Angel had issued the blond vampire was truly frightening. Especially since no one had told him why Angel had done it in the first place.

“Buffy, you need to tell Giles. Everything.” Angel was now sitting on the coffee table and staring at her pointedly.

Buffy just stared at the two and then turned he head defiantly to the window.

Angel let out a hiss and stood up. “Look Buffy, you want to be stubborn and get yourself killed? Because that’s what is going to happen here. The first time you go back out patrolling alone again you WILL die. I’m not even sure that I could protect you, and Spike here isn’t exactly in any position to either. If you want to die, then why the hell did you come back?” Angel said clenching his jaw tight.

Buffy looked at Spike, and then to Angel. He was right. She knew in her heart she was right. But what would she do? She had always had a place. She had lived her calling for years now. If that was gone, what would she do? Who would she be? As tears began to burst forth, she began telling Giles what had happened.

Giles had patiently listened as she went from Spike’s humanity to the Mowrok demon. When she had finished he sat there silent for several minutes staring at his glasses dangling in his hands. “You should have told me Buffy,” He finally said. It all made sense now. Buffy’s recent illness and fatigue. Spike’s over protectiveness when he had returned. Spike’s look of terror when Buffy had gone out alone.

Buffy tears were now stopping as she quietly voiced her fears. “Who am I now? If I can’t slay Giles, what do I do. What do I become? How do I help those girls Giles?” She was now staring out the window again.

“Our first priority right now is your safety. Buffy, you know how inherently dangerous being a slayer is. This pregnancy only increases the danger. Buffy, you should know that this is not unprecedented. There have been several instances of pregnant slayers. Unfortunately, none of them survived very long. I believe you may have already surpassed all the others in your gestation, but that doesn’t mean you will survive to bring them to term.”

“I’ve defeated the odds lots of times before Giles, I can do it this time too,” Buffy said quietly, stroking her abdomen. “Besides,” she added absently, “That boy told me I would get to see them if I came back.”

“Boy? What boy?” Giles asked.

“While I was in the coma. I saw them. He told me if I didn’t come back ‘they’ would never be. That I would see them if I came back. He also said “my souled one” needed me. He was right about that, though I don’t know what to do for him.” Buffy glanced sadly at Spike.

“Buffy, was the boy dressed funny? Kind of old fashioned?” Angel asked.

“Yeah, way old fashioned. Why?” How had Angel known about the boy, she wondered.

Angel looked at Giles. “Oracle. The boy is an Oracle. He spoke to Willow and I. Told us that Buffy and the children had been foretold.”

“Fascinating. What did he say exactly?” Giles inquired again polishing his glasses.

“He said ‘Of two souled ones and a slayer, the lines will begin. One of Slayer, the other, Champion.’ Then he told me that she would need my love, and his.” Angel spat out the ‘his’ like it had burned his tongue.

Giles pondered the statement a moment. “Have you any idea what it means?”

“No. I thought at first maybe he was talking about Connor. But Buffy didn’t have anything to do with Connor. Oracles are usually kind of cryptic, but I can’t figure that ‘two souled ones’ part,” Angel said thoughtfully.

“Yes, well that part does seem a bit strange. But the prophecy does bode well for the children.” Giles was having some hope for the first time since hearing Buffy say she was pregnant.

“Can we worry about prophecies later guys. Giles, we have to get him back. I want to go in and get him.” Buffy said squeezing Giles arm with her urgency to have Spike back.

“No.” Angel had flatly stated.

“That is extraordinarily dangerous to attempt on humans Buffy, much less a vampire. I’m not even sure it would be possible. And you are still very weak,” Giles said.

“Giles, I have to try. We’ve tried everything else.” Buffy pleaded.

“Perhaps you should consider letting Willow, or even Angel, attempt the spell?”

“Yes, because we all know that Spike and Angel have an candle burning for each other, that will guide him through the darkness,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes. “No. It has to be me.”

“No,” Angel echoed his earlier comment. “Buffy, you have no idea what it’s like inside his mind. There’s more than a hundred years of killing and torture. Add a soul to the mix, and the fact he blamed himself for your assumed death....I’m not sure even I would go in there. I won’t let you do it.”

“Angel there is no ‘letting me’ do anything. You heard that oracle boy. I need him. They need him.” Buffy looked back to Giles, “Giles get Willow. I’m doing this.”

“Buffy, I do wish you would reconsider…” Giles started.

“Giles! I’m doing this. With or without you.” Buffy had that very determined look on her face. “So either help me, or get out of the way, because I’m going to bring him back one way or the other.”





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