AN: Hold on as we spin further and further out of canon. Weeee! Hehe. And thanks to my lovely betas; Aribelle, Tami, and Jessica. They were a big help to a blonde who writes in the early morning while she's half asleep... *pouts* For some reason, that's the only time my muse gets all spunky... the bleached menace...
Buffy lifted her head after what seemed like forever. The water had turned cold long ago, but she hadn't cared. She looked up at Spike and slid her hand up his body to cup his cheek. She still marveled at being able to touch him again after thinking he was dead these many months. She knew he was probably feeling the same way. She could see it in his eyes as their gazes locked.
She stretched up and kissed him slowly, coaxing his mouth open so she could deepen the kiss. Her hands smoothed down his body, eagerly touching every inch of skin she could.
"Bloody hell, luv... you don' know how many nights I've dreamed of this an' now it's come true," Spike murmured into her neck as he clutched her more tightly against him.
"I have, too," she said softly. "I dreamed that I had you again and this time I didn't treat you badly. I didn't deny your love. I didn't deny my own feelings. And, once I had you, that I didn't let you go." She leaned her head back and smiled up at him. "Then I dreamed of the sappy 'happily ever after' with you."
"An' that involved the claimin', yeah?" He grinned down at her, not letting her forget what she had started.
As if she would.
"Of course," she rolled her eyes.
"An' you plannin' on makin' a bloke beg for it?" He teased, nipping at her throat.
"If you keep being a pain about it, I will."
She nipped back and he gave a little growl, clearly aroused even without the prodding at her stomach. She slid her hand over his length and kissed him again. She gave him a few more strokes as she pressed kisses to his jaw and neck.
"So, mister persistent... did you still want a quickie in the shower or to make with the claiming then?" She tilted her head and arched a brow, laughter dancing in her eyes.
"Are you completely daft?" His brows drew together as he gave her one of his patented Spike looks. "Of course I want the claim... bloody annoyin' bird..."
"And here I thought sex was the most important thing to you." She laughed.
He gave a warning growl before kissing her roughly, reaching around her to turn off the water. He lifted her against him by grasping the backs of her thighs and carried her out of the shower, but only as far as the sink, where he set down a towel before sitting her down on the counter there. He kissed her again then let his mouth trail down her body as he knelt in front of her.
"So beautiful... lovely golden goddess..." he murmured as she started to spread her legs for access.
"I thought we were going to be claiming each other, not doing the quickie?"
"Is there a rule that says I have t' bite your neck an' have no imagination?" he gave her an exasperated look.
"I guess not... Continue."
He rolled his eyes at her with a snort then lowered his head again. He gave her inner thigh a long lick all the way up to her core where he continued licking eagerly. He ran his tongue along her slit, giving her clit a flick and grasping her thighs when she started to writhe. His eyes rolled upwards to watch her face as she moaned softly in pleasure. He continued to watch her as he delved his tongue in her core.
His brows immediately went up and he jerked back. "What the bloody hell?"
"What?" She frowned, not sure what to make of his reaction.
"You taste... different..."
"Different? Like I came back wrong or... bad different??" Her face flushed and started to scoot away from him self-consciously.
He kept hold of her legs and dragged her back to him so he could lick her again experimentally.
"Pet..." he looked up at her worriedly. "Have... did you an' the poofter... since you came back?"
"You taste Angel?" Then she shook her head. She went from being shy to sheer indignation. "And even if you could, a world of NO! I did not! I've been mourning you since I got back and didn't just hop into bed with the next eligible bachelor!"
"No, I didn' taste Angel... I tasted somethin' else," he took a slow breath, unsure of how she was going to take the news. Not yet sure how he was taking the news. "You... you're pregnant, Buffy."
"You've got to be kidding me," she laughed incredulously. "I haven't had sex since... since you back in Sunnydale!"
"You sure no one..." he made a motion with his hand and lifted a brow.
"You sure you didn't get it wrong?" Her lips pressed together and she pushed him back so she could stand.
"Vampire, pet." He looked up at her as if he were talking to a child.
"So what, besides having the icky smell thing, your tongue is a pregnancy test strip?" She planted her hands on her hips. She frowned at him, "Maybe I should pee on it to make sure..."
"As lovely as that sounds..." he remarked dryly as he stood. "I'm sure if we continue with the claim I'll be able t' sense what's goin' on with your body more clearly. Use the link the way mates do t' make sure you're okay an' I should be able t' sense the child if there really is one... or if it's somethin' else, sense that, too."
She looked away. "What if I'm not in the mood now?"
He frowned then in the blink of an eye he was on her, pressing her to the wall.
"No backin' out now, luv." He kissed her hotly, grinding into her. His hand buried in her hair and used it to pull her head to the side, baring her neck to him. "Mmm, glad you didn' shorten your hair too much. Love my goldilocks." He ran his tongue over her pulse. "Love every soddin' bit of you."
He shifted into game face, dragging his fangs over her throat before sinking them into her flesh. Blood flowed into his mouth and he groaned, grinding into her more eagerly than before. He forced himself to stop after a moment and licked his lip, looking down into her eyes.
"Mine. My mate now and forever." He brushed a kiss across her lips, "No matter what all this mess with you bein' pregnant is all about."
She smiled and kissed him back. "There has to be a logical explanation for all this, Spike."
"Just get t' bitin' me back, pet," he bent his neck in offering. "Then we can start sussin' it out."
"Mmm," she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck before biting down. She applied pressure and worried at his skin until her teeth broke the surface, getting a gush of blood. She lifted her head to look up at him after she was sure she had taken enough, not enjoying the blood as much as the vampire obviously had. "Mine."
They looked at each other and both their gazes flashed silver like Buffy's had when she first initiated the claim the day before. Both felt the bond as it tightened between them and their mouths connected again, tongues dueling as their hands moved to grasp at each other.
"Buffy," Spike purred against her mouth. "You've... can' tell you how... how happy this has made me. Been waitin' years for you t' be willin' t' be my mate."
"I'm sorry for being so stubborn," she smiled softly. "Now... as for our problem...?" She pointed down.
"Would you see it as a problem t' be havin' a child with your mate?" He watched her carefully as he pulled her back into the bedroom. He set her on the bed and knelt in front of her.
"It can't be yours, Spike. We haven't had sex in like a year... and I've been dead half of that time." She shook her head.
"But, either way, I'm not leavin' your side an' I'm goin' t' be the itty bitty's father. Not biologically... but still..." He lifted a hand to her cheek. "Goin' t' take care of you both, I will."
"Just tell me if I really am... please." She sighed and looked down, distress etched clearly on her face. "And if I'm mysteriously pregnant... who's to say it's even human or... or even all with the evilness."
"We'll figure it out. Together. Okay?" He squeezed her hand and kissed her flat stomach. "Now just let me concentrate an' see what I can get out of our new bond. This is new... not somethin' a vampire does all the time... claimin' willy-nilly. You have one mate an' you're with them until you're dust."
He closed his eyes and nuzzled her stomach, then stilled as he concentrated. His hands traced comfortingly circles on her back as he checked out his earlier diagnosis. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and looked up at her with concern. She knew what he was going to say and started to draw away from him shaking her head.
"It can't be... I mean, you can't be... try again, please..." She pleaded.
"There's no doubt about it now, pet. I can sense it growin' in you now," he laid a hand over her abdomen.
She whimpered and her lower lip began to quiver. Immediately, he was on the bed beside her and drawing her slight body to him. He tucked her head under his chin and rocked her gently.
"Shhh. Soothe, luv. We'll figure it out," he said softly.
She opened her mouth to say something but there was a knock on the door just then. They looked at each other then went to the closet to quickly pull on clothes. Spike was quicker about yanking on his usual jeans and a shirt so he went to answer the door while Buffy finished getting dressed, giving her a moment to collect herself. She finished pulling on a black pair of slacks and a blouse before following him.
"Cordelia," she gasped as she walked into the living room. "They said... were they lying about that as well?"
"No," Cordelia shook her head and looked between them. "I was in a coma, but not exactly. And now, I'm back. To help you. I take it you found my other gift by now?" She smiled at their puzzled expressions then grinned at Buffy. "You look nice in my clothes, by the way. Do I have taste or what?"
Spike paced as usual while Buffy watched him nervously. Willow and the remains of Angel Investigations were watching Cordelia. Buffy finally made herself stop watching Spike before she got motion sickness or something and glanced at Cordelia. After a moment, she leaned forward to bury her face in her knees and link her hands over her head. Gawd, she just needed a moment to adjust to everything. For the last day it seemed a constant barrage of things, each turning her world upside down just when she thought it couldn't get any stranger.
She felt a weight beside her on the couch and knew who it was before the hand caressed her back. Before the silky voice whispered to her mentally, //Are you all right?//
She lifted her head to smile up at Spike slightly, "Just needed a short breather. Don't worry."
"Well, I'm here to help make sense of everything," Cordelia smiled down at her softly. "Hopefully you'll feel a little better after you understand what's happening."
"Hopefully."
"First," Wesley lifted a hand. "Could you please tell us... how? How are you back? You just woke up? I would believe that, but with a complete recovery as if you had never been gone... That's very strange, to say the least."
"That's because I wasn't in a simple coma. I was in a sort of limbo. My soul went back up to be a higher being, like before... but my body was still stuck here in that vegetative state." Cordelia tilted her head, "And, that's how I was able to keep an eye on all of you and help you when the time came."
"Help us? How?"
"As you all know by now, Angel was spiraling out of control by the day." She motioned to Buffy. "I couldn't wait much longer for you and Fred to find the right spell to bring you back. Who knows what Angel might have done before then. So I sped up the process considerably."
"You sent the flash in the box?" Buffy blinked.
"Yup, you can thank me for that. But, it wasn't just renewed life I gave you."
"You..." the slayer pointed at her stomach. Her brows went up and she said in a slightly higher voice, "That too?"
"Huh?" Willow looked between them. "What's in her stomach?"
"Her womb." Cordelia amended and nodded at Buffy.
"Her... huh?" She looked boggled.
"After we woke up, Spike... well, he discovered I was pregnant," Buffy turned to Willow to explain to her and the others what Cordelia was talking about. She smiled faintly, "Takes a load off 'cause I'm not sure Spike was convinced I didn't sleep with anyone since I came back, what with me being pregnant and all."
"Yeah, I knew such a strange pregnancy would cause some confusion, which is why I knew I had to come back to help explain everything I did," Cordelia told them. "And help you with the upcoming battle. I'm not good with being stuck on the sidelines, especially when I know I can be a big help."
"Wow, you have changed," Buffy teased her lightly. She looked down at her stomach and rested her hands on it, "So... then who is the father... or is it some weird 'made of me' thing like Dawn was?" Her eyes got wide and she looked at Spike.
He chuckled. "We'll call Nibblet later an' tell her the good news... got a lot t' tell her, too, yeah?"
"Oh, I already called them," Willow looked sheepishly. "They're on their way."
"Good. You're going to need their help," Cordelia tried to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand. She looked back to Buffy, "Well, yeah, I had to work a bit of strange magic to make it of you since, yeah, you were dead and it came with the resurrection, which meant no eligible sperm donor. But," she said before the slayer could interrupt her, "because of that claim I know you just did, the baby will be linked to Spike as if he were the natural father."
Buffy pouted slightly and opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it again and shook her head. There were some things she just didn't have to know... Spike curled his arm around her and pulled her closer, reassured knowing that this wasn't something to be concerned about. He didn't really believe Buffy had jumped into bed with someone, but was worried that this could be something evil and harmful to his mate. He didn't care for something happening to her after just getting her back.
"You... you keep alluding to something to come," Fred spoke up. "Surely you just don't mean the pregnancy."
"I don't," Cordelia shook her head. "You caused a big problem for yourself when you killed Angel. The reason Angel was turning evil was because of the deal he made with the Senior Partners, obviously. Whatever they did to 'anchor' his soul left it open to corruption, which is obviously what they had in mind when they offered that deal to him. The place was literally poisoning him. It was even in the blood he was drinking. They wanted him on their side to do their dirty work in this dimension, help them take it over. Also, it would get one of this dimension's greatest champions out of their way. They probably didn't count on you awakening all the junior slayers, but when you did they still figured they could do away with a few newbies."
"So... they're pissed at me for ruining their plans even though my killing him still got him out of their way?" Buffy blinked.
"Yeah, 'cause now they have to start out all over again finding someone to help them do their dirty work and corrupting them and all that boring stuff." She paused and looked down at Buffy solemnly. "That means they might come after you, Spike, or even your baby to corrupt you. Spike is another souled vampire to them, you are the slayer who has thwarted many apocalypses, and the baby would be easy to corrupt."
Buffy groaned and bent forward to bury her face in her knees again.
"Pet, it'll be okay. You got me an' all the others." Spike ran his hand over her hair then looked up at Cordelia. "So what are we goin' t' do, just lay low an' hope they lose interest in us?"
"That won't happen." Cordelia shook her head. "But right now, we basically make sure that baby is born. That baby is the key to getting rid of the Senior Partners. I begged the Powers for their help with this one and they gave the baby their own little gift. After she is born, she will have the power to banish the Senior Partners from this dimension."
"Bloody good of them..."
"My baby is a girl?" Buffy finally lifted her head, looking up at the other woman in awe. Her fears were temporarily forgotten at the idea of having a little daughter.
"Oops."
"No, thank you. I'm glad you told me."
"I wanted a lil' boy t' teach him how t' tease the girls," Spike pouted.
"Well you can teach our daughter to rip on boys," Buffy rolled her eyes at him. She looked back at Cordelia, "Okay, deferring my usual leader-y role to you since you seem to know what to do here more than I do. So tell us, oh great leader lady, where do we start? You said our role is basically to make sure the baby is born, right? So, what do we do besides that for nine months?"
"We start with getting you settled into your new life," Cordelia nodded. "And me, too, I guess. So, we start deciding where we're going to 'set up shop' and who's going to be there to help us. Basically, who is going to be the support system, our new Scooby crew. I'm sure you can even get some of the new slayers that are trained up enough to come with you to help, too."
"I guess I don't want to make any big decisions until the others get here then," she leaned into Spike tiredly. Already it had been another emotionally exhausting day. "So let's just relax until then."
"How about you birds go do some shoppin', know how that always makes you feel better, pet," Spike stroked her hair. "You an' Cordelia need t' get some clothes an' things anyways, right? Willow can let you use the nifty charge card she has from the Council an' I'm sure even Fred would like t' go along."
"Okay. Do you need anything?" She started to get up slowly. She was a little reluctant to leave him, but wasn't sure if it was because she had just gotten him back or because of the claim. Maybe both. "We can come back with take-out and a movie, sound good?"
"Yeah, sounds bloody great," he stood and kissed her before she started to head for the door with the girls.
"Fred, I am so getting some Chinese. You tortured me with it all while I was a ghost and now I can finally eat it!" Buffy teased as they left the suite.
tbc...