Lily had her own private room, in the hospital. When she’d woken up, the first person she saw, was a very concerned Spike. She tried to sit up.

“Take it slowly,” He said, gently helping her. “The doctors say you almost lost the baby.” He adjusted the bed, so she was propped up. “You should never have been swinging that big axe, in your condition.”

“You’d rather I’d left you there?”

“No but now, you’re stuck with bed rest until you give birth.”

“That long?”

“’Fraid so but not to worry, I’ll be here as much as I can. You’ve got the telly, I’ll bring DVDs and books, you’ll be fine.”

“You mean I’ve got to stay here?”

“Yeah, they want to keep a close eye on you. Now, get some rest, I’ll be back, later.” He kissed her forehead and left.

Lily watched him leave, relieved that things had worked out. She’d found her way to the cellar of the look-alike house, without meeting any vampires. She was ashamed that she’d been horribly sick when she had seen the other Lily but Spike had been reassuring. She was entitled to take it badly, he’d told her, as she had swung the axe to hack through his chains and release him. After all, it wasn’t every day that you found your ‘twin’ hanging dead, naked, violated and bled out.

As they made it to the top of the stairs, their luck almost ran out. Lily had never seen so many female vampires, all ex-slayers. She had started swinging the axe, tricky in close quarters but she had managed to clear a path and they had made it back to their own dimension.

Lily had then embarrassed herself again by fainting after they came through the portal. She had woken up in hospital.

After Spike left, she spent a lot of time, thinking about the other Lily. In her world, she had been the only slayer and, like Lily, she had no watcher. If Willow’s spell hadn’t called all the slayers, would Lily be the slayer, now? No, she realized, as she fell asleep, Faith would have to have died…

* * * * *

Spike was feeling real despair, now. He pulled on his chains, swearing in frustration. The Gem of Amara made him invincible but it didn’t make him any stronger and the chains wouldn’t budge. If it had just been the metal cuffs on his wrists, he would have considered taking off the Gem and gnawing his own hands off but Lilith had seen that one coming. At some point, he wasn’t sure when, she had thralled him and added a chain around his neck. All he could do now, was watch.

Lily had come to rescue him and now she was in the cell opposite his. Laying docile, on a bed, in a deep thrall.

“Isn’t it delicious, darling?” Lilith gloated, “She thinks she’s in the hospital. She thinks she’s rescued you and has to lie down until the baby’s born.”

Spike said nothing, just seethed, quietly.

“A slayer having a baby with a vampire.” Lilith smirked, “What powers might it have?”

“It’s not mine.” Spike said, coldly.

“Little liar. Mummy can always tell, don’t you know that? Not to worry, your little trollop won’t be harmed until after my grandchild arrives. And then, you and I will fuck her and drain her, together. Just think, I’ll have two identical slayers to share my bed.” She said the words with such relish, as if already tasting slayer blood.

After she’d left, Spike tried shouting to Lily but she was way past hearing. Trapped in a world of Lilith’s making. Desperate, he started pulling at his chains, again…

“There’s really no point. Those chains won’t break, they’re too strong.” William said, when Spike had fallen silent.

“Spelled?” Spike asked.

“No.”

“Then there’s always hope.” Spike said, tugging some more.

“Yes.” William agreed, “But, consider your chances of breaking them and getting Lily out of here without anyone noticing.”

“Is there another way?”

“Lilith wants you broken and willingly participating. It isn’t as much fun, for her, if she has to thrall you. She’ll tell you that all you have to do is whatever she wants. Don’t. I’ve seen prisoners come and go, she never keeps her word.”

“I’m not going to help her kill Lily, or any other slayer. Do you see anything helpful in the future?” He asked, trying to forget that, once again, the vampire that was once his mother was trying to get him into bed.

“The future is never clear, as I told you. The best I can see, is just choices and you don’t have many.”

“What bloody use are you?” Spike shouted, in frustration.

“None, that I’ve ever been able to determine.” William said, sadly.

* * * * *

Lily was as happy as she could be, considering she really didn’t want to be in hospital. Spike had come back, bringing a big stack of books and DVDs, in a large box. He’d snuggled on the bed with her, and they’d watched films until she was tired and then he’d left.

She’d asked him about patrolling and he’d been vague, said there was nothing much to report and she shouldn’t worry. He really didn’t seem like his usual self. Of course, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, he was probably traumatized by his experiences in Lilith’s cellar…

* * * * *

The nurse that brought Lily’s breakfast, was strangely familiar. Lily was sure she knew her from somewhere.

“You can call me Nikki,” She said, when Lily asked.

“You’re American?”

“Yeah, it’s an exchange thing, see how other countries have different procedures, yer know?”

Something tugged at Lily’s memory but she couldn’t quite pin it down. Nikki handed her a tall glass of pineapple juice. Lily gulped it down, greedily.

“I know the feeling, Girl.” Nikki said, with a smile, “When ma Robin was on the way, it felt like there weren’t enough pickles in the world, to meet ma needs. Not to worry, hon, with yer daddy picking up the bill, you can have all yer want.”

Lily blushed, obviously they all knew whose daughter she was. She blushed again when Nurse Nikki asked if she needed help to use the bathroom.

* * * * *

Spike watched, as Nikki did her ‘nurse’ routine for Lily. He saw the slight frown on Lily’s face as she tried to work out where she had seen Nikki, before. Of course, Lilith had no way of knowing that Lily had Spike’s memories of killing Nikki. At least they were taking care of her, he thought, as Nikki helped Lily to the en suite bathroom.

William had told him about the ‘waiting room’, where Lily was being kept. Lilith kept her captive slayers, alive and thralled, in relative comfort until she could afford to drain and sire them. She wasn’t above taking the odd sip, now and then but she was careful not to kill them until she had the replacement lined up. William had been fairly certain that Lilith wouldn’t risk messing with Lily, for fear of damaging the baby.

Nikki emerged from Lily’s room and walked across to the barred door of Spike’s cell.

“Did you sire me?” She asked him, “When yer killed me in your dimension.” She clarified, at his blank look.

“No,” Spike replied, looking up at her. “I didn’t even taste you, I just broke your neck and stole your coat.”

“Ma coat, why?”

“Because,” he said, looking embarrassed, “It was a great coat.”

“Yeah,” she said, remembering, “I guess it was. Yer don’t have it now?”

“No.” Spike put a lot of regret into his voice, “For years, it was like my second skin, all those handy weapon pockets. ‘Course, Robin recognized it as soon as he saw it, tried to take it back. Then, last year, I sort of got blown up, in Italy. The coat was ruined.”

“Yer got blown up, and yer sad about losing ma coat?” She laughed, “Man, you’s one of a kind.”

“Not quite,” Spike said, jerking his head in the direction of William’s cell.

“Oh, he don’t count.” Nikki said, smiling. A scraping sound distracted her.

Spike turned to look. The other Lily, still hanging against the wall, had woken up and was struggling.

“Oops, I’d better get her outta here, before her majesty hears and realizes something’s wrong with her little health care fantasy.”

She went over to vampire-Lily and undid her manacles.

“C’mon little sister,” She said, sympathetically, putting her arm round the girl, “Let’s go get yer some blood and,” She said, looking her up and down, “Some clothes.”

Spike watched them leave and wondered if he had found an ally in Nikki. Maybe, he thought, if he was nice enough to her, she might help. At this point, anything was worth a try…

* * * * *

Lily wasn’t sure when she started to think that something wasn’t right. It was a vague, niggly feeling, that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

It had to do with her visitors. She’d had visits from everyone she’d expected but something was off. Her father had been too quiet, no, that wasn’t right, they were all too quiet. Even Spike and Spike liked to talk. Sometimes, she thought she could hear him, talking to someone else, outside her room.

She wondered if it was her. Had the doctors told her father and Spike, that she was going to die? Was it a medical certainty? Would her life end, when Jennifer Anne was born? That would explain the stilted conversations she’d been having but it didn’t explain the strangest thing that she’d noticed.

Spike only visited at night.

She hadn’t questioned him about it. Some deep rooted instinct had stopped her but she wondered…

* * * * *

Spike was starving. His vague plan of befriending Nikki, wasn’t working. Everyone in the household was too afraid of Lilith, to move against her.

She had the whole county under her thumb. Humans actually competed to become minions, simply because it was considered a better option than being food.

Food humans, were kept chained and cannulated, for any vampire that wanted a snack. Worse, they were so plentiful that they were totally expendable - if a minion felt like it, he or she could torture captive humans, in any way they saw fit.

Un-life was good, for obedient minions. Any, even minor transgressions were punished harshly. The tongue burning incident had been accomplished, slowly, drip by drip with holy water. Lilith was more than happy to personally apply the same punishment to other, even more sensitive areas…

No one was going to help Spike.

He was emaciated, now. He wouldn’t ‘die’ but he kept drifting in and out of consciousness. For a long while, he imagined that he was chained in Giles’ bath tub. Giles asking him what happened to vampires that couldn’t feed. Spike couldn’t imagine what was funny about starving humans - but he remembered saying it…

He saw Dawn, his Nibblet, her huge blue eyes looking into his. He remembered how he had felt when she had threatened him. Somehow, she had found out what he had tried to do to Buffy and, much as she loved him, she couldn’t let it go. She’d delivered her threat, beautifully; holding his gaze, speaking with calm sincerity.

He’d known that she’d meant it. Part of him had been proud of his fiery Little Bit but mostly, it had hurt. He had just wanted to break down and cry - tell her about his soul and explain his total remorse - instead, he had tried to keep up his ‘soulless’ act.

Big failure.

Oh, he remembered how he was before his soul but after, the focus had shifted and, try as he might, he couldn’t fake it.

Had Dawn ever forgiven him? He couldn’t remember. Had she mourned his ‘death’? William would know, William knew everything. Spike was tired, now but he’d ask William, later, after he’d slept…

* * * * *

Lily gazed out of the window, at the hospital grounds. As ever, the sun was shining down on the immaculate flower beds and perfect lawns. Her vague sense of unease was back. Had she ever seen anyone mowing the grass? Tending the flowers? Weeding?

“You shouldn’t be out of bed, without a nurse.”

“Sorry, Doctor,” Lily said, getting back into bed.

The doctor was such a nice lady; so caring, she made Lily feel as though she was the only patient. Doctor… what was her name again? Looking up into her eyes, Lily couldn’t remember. Did it matter?

What had she been thinking about? Something to do with the gardens? She turned to face the wall, seeing a window, seeing outside. The gardens were perfect, why had she thought they were wrong?

Was it important?

Was anything?

“Time for your blood test, my dear…”

* * * * *

Spike was starving. That damned chip wouldn’t let him feed and he couldn’t go to any other vampires for help. They’d kill him, for his weakness.

Was that the reason? Or was it something to do with a ring? Yes, that was it, he couldn’t let anyone have the ring.

Maybe he was a Hobbit.

He laughed. Yes, that sounded right. He had to protect the ring. He was wearing it and that kept it invisible. No, if he was a Hobbit, wearing the ring would make him invisible. Wouldn’t it? Wasn’t that how it worked?

He couldn’t quite remember. Either way, he wasn’t taking it off.

‘Spike’ was an odd name for a Hobbit, he thought… maybe it was William the bloody Hobbit. He laughed some more.

Buffy.

That name was even funnier. So how come he felt so sad, when he thought of it?

Bloody chip, starving him to death. Buffy would help, wasn’t that what she did? Help the helpless? It was Thanksgiving, too, wasn’t it? When bloody Americans all gave thanks for… something or other. Maybe extend the hand of friendship to those less fortunate. Hopefully not feed him to the bear. How was a bear in the dining room, related to giving thanks, anyway? He wasn’t sure but he vaguely remembered a Thanksgiving dinner where there had been one…

He’d go in daylight. They’d find him less of a threat, then. All he needed was his blanket…