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Chapter 10: Distracted

Buffy twirls her stake with anxious fingers as she walks through the graveyard. Having a prophecy revolving around her baby is making her twice as nervous as before, but then again the Slayer thinks that she really shouldn’t be surprised. Prophecy girl, thy name is Buffy after all. One thing the Slayer has to be glad for however is that the Hellmouth seems to be in it’s off season as she hasn’t seen a lot of activity recently, which is good because every day she feels more tired than the last. Now as she sails among the headstones she’s so unconcerned by the lack of recent activity that she allows her brain to focus entirely on her fears for her baby. Overall, the Slayer is immensely distracted.

“So baby, guess you take after me in more ways than one,” Buffy says as she rubs her belly. “Already have your own prophecy.”

“Well well, what do we have here,” a voice calls and Buffy looks up to see a vampire step out from behind a tree to stand before her. She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even been trying to feel for vampires.

“The Slayer is pregnant, now that’s rich,” another voice calls and Buffy turns to see a second and third vamp off to her side.

“See Mack, I told you it was true.”

“Now if you boys are here for the baby shower you’re a little early,” Buffy quips as she raises her stake. The three vamps around her however just laugh.

“You know what this means right Mack?”

“Two for one special?” The vamp asks licking his lips. Then before he can say another word his head flies back from a heavy punch from Buffy. The vamp stumbles back but quickly regains his balance. “Bitch,” he grumbles then charges Buffy, she dodges him easily, but as she turns to throw a kick at vamp number two she finds her belly a little restraining to her movements. Buffy stumbles and the second vamp gets a hit in.

Buffy reaches to touch her jaw feeling the pricking pain rip through her face. All three vamps move in on her now and Buffy swings out. She hits one in the face and kicks another in the groin, then finds herself winded faster than usual, the third grabs her by the arm and then a second is back to his feet and grabs her other arm. Thrashing about Buffy finds that her skill is seriously hampered by her pregnancy. The extra weight, swollen ankles, sore muscles, all of it adds up to a Slayer who’s able to be restrained by three vamps who normally wouldn’t be a problem for her to take out. More than that though, she feels weaker than usual, as if the baby is pulling at her energy.

They hold her tight taking no chances while the leader of their little group steps toward her and leers down at her. His dark hair hangs in his face and he glares at her with yellow eyes and smiles with equally yellowed teeth.

“So tell me one thing Slayer, what do you think the kid’s father’s gonna say when he finds you beaten and broken and drained of life?”

Buffy’s heart catches in her throat. For a moment she actually pictures Spike’s face, heartbroken, angry and vengeful. Buffy starts thinking of ways to escape their grasp, but at this moment she truly finds herself frightened for herself and her child. There’s nowhere to turn, nothing she can do. Then as her heartbeat speeds up and her breath quickens the vamp before her suddenly disappears into a cloud of dust.

“I think the kid’s father’ll say that you shouldn’t’ve messed with his mum,” Spike says and the two vamps holding Buffy in place instantly loosen their grasps, Buffy uses this opportunity to knock both of them to the ground.

Spike leans down and grabs one of the vamps by the collar while the other scurries to his feet and takes off.

“So, word’s out that the Slayer’s got a bun in the oven, eh? We’ll here’s a new bit of gossip for you to spread, I’m the father and if anyone hurts my kid I’ll burn this sodding town to the ground, got it?”

The vamp nods and when Spike lets go of him he runs off. A beat of silence passes by as they watch the vampire disappear then Buffy turns to Spike.

“I had it under control, I didn’t need you to rescue me,” She says then storms off. In truth she’s grateful for Spike’s intervening, what upsets her is that she’s feeling so under the weather, so tired, and weakened that she needed his help.

“Oh, is that so?” Spike asks as he follows behind and catches up to her. “Looked to me like I was saving your life, our baby’s life,” Buffy stops; she crosses her arms and turns to face Spike. “At very least I saved you from getting right roughed up, what’re you doing patrolling anyway?”

“Who else is gonna do it?”

“Your pals managed all summer, think they’d give you maternity leave or what have you.”

“I’m fine… I was just a little… distracted.”

“That’s exactly the point, you know as well as I do that that’s all it takes.”

“Yeah well, with your little warning there I’ll be lucky to see any more vamps for the rest of the month.”

“Good,” Spike replies and Buffy huffs and rolls her eyes then walks off, Spike follows and for a short time they walk side by side. Eventually Spike lets out an unneeded breath. “Sorry,” he says, “’m just… I don’t know, anxious about all this.” Buffy lets out a breath.

“It’s okay… I get it… I’m anxious too… it’s why I was distracted actually.”

“How so?”

“As it turns out our little bundle of joy has a prophecy of his very own already… it’s got me on edge, I had a nightmare the other night that during my ultrasound I found out the baby has three heads and a pig tail.” Spike snorts but when he sees Buffy’s face again he can tell that she doesn’t find it funny at all, she’s seriously worried.

“I don’ think you need to be worryin ‘bout extra heads love, not unless you’ve been making it with a balcarov demon behind my back.”

“I know that, but… it’s just the thought that something could be wrong, I just really hope they get this prophecy translated soon so I know what I’m up against… but anyway I should get going, doctors appointment at ten.” Spike nods and Buffy starts to walk off.

“Slayer,” Spike calls and she stops then turns to him. “If you want to take some time off patrolling I’ve got your back.” Buffy nods in understanding then vanishes from sight.

--

With each step the man’s face beneath the boardwalk becomes a little clearer. Buffy squeezes the blue-eyed boy’s hand reassuringly and continues to make her way through the sand. The sunset over the ocean slowly lowers beneath the horizon of waves and slowly the world around her fills with the blues and purples that replace the fleeting oranges and yellows of the sun. She can start to make out his face now, his high cheek bones and pale skin. His frame is lean but muscular and his hair is lighter then the sand.

Spike smiles at her as she nears, his hands loosely resting within the pockets of his duster. She smiles back and then notices as he looks to the boy who walks beside her. Buffy looks down at the small child for a moment and he looks up at her with round blue eyes and a sweet smile. Then Buffy looks back to the vampire on the beach.

“Spike,” Buffy says.

“That’s not your baby,” Spike says and Buffy’s face falls.

She doesn’t understand. She looks down to the boy once again, but this time when she looks back up Spike isn’t the only face to be seen. There is another in the background. A taller man with broad shoulders who leans against one of the boardwalk’s structural pillars, the water splashes up against his feet and then he looks at her; his dark brown eyes meeting hers.

Buffy wakes up with a startled gasp. That’s not your baby, Spike’s words ring through Buffy’s mind. Could this have been a Slayer dream and if so what did it mean? Buffy sighs then looks to her alarm clock, its 9 am. She gets out of bed slowly, feeling more fatigued today than usual, but she pushes through her uneasiness and readies herself for her doctor’s appointment trying not to worry anymore then she’s been doing so already.

--

The waiting room is bright and her chair is uncomfortable. Buffy glances at the stack of magazines that sit upon the end table to her left, but she doesn’t want to read. She doesn’t want to even look at the pictures, she just wants to get this over with… and maybe eat something. The Slayer’s stomach growls and Buffy wishes that she’d eaten that second helping of pancakes that Tara had offered. These days it seems that even after she’s full she still feels hungry. She also wishes that someone could be here with her, but the girls had school, and Xander had to work, and so did Anya, not that being here with Anya would’ve made her feel a whole lot better, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

Buffy looks around the hospital waiting room and tries to focus her attention on the abstract artwork painted in pastels on the wall or at the other women waiting for their appointments. One blonde woman sits across from Buffy appearing to be close to a full nine months has her hand wrapped up tightly in her husband’s. They look so content, so perfect, so happy, so normal. Buffy thinks that they probably have a nice size house somewhere with a dog and white picket fence, and now they’re working on having those two point five kids and living the American dream. Buffy frowns knowing that that will never be her life. No she’ll be a single mom raising her half demon child and fighting the armies of darkness beside the vampire who… who’s walking into the waiting room.

Buffy stands as she sees Spike make his way down the hallway and into the waiting room. The vampire seems a lot paler then usual under the fluorescent lights.

“Spike, what are you doing here?” Buffy asks.

“You have a doctor’s appointment.”

“Yeah I know… that’s why I’m here… what are you doing here?”

“You said you wanted me to be around for the baby so I figure this is one of those things I should be around for; sides thought you might need someone to lean on if this thing does turn out to have three heads.”

“Buffy Summers,” a nurse calls and Buffy looks up to see that it’s time for her appointment to start. She glares at Spike then walks toward the office. He follows.

--

“Dr. Turner will be in in a minute,” the nurse says and leaves Buffy and Spike alone in the office. Once the door clicks shut Buffy turns to Spike.

“You don’t have to be here,” Buffy says.

“Yeah, well… I am.” Buffy is silent for a moment. She’s really not sure why she’s upset, she had after all just recently been thinking that she wished she wasn’t here alone. She’s just not sure where the line rests dividing what she wants Spike to be in her life for from what she wants to avoid having with him. Then the door opens, successfully silencing Buffy’s thoughts as a man with graying hair and a stocky build walks in. He smiles then looks down at his clipboard.

“Mrs. and Mr.… Summers… I’m Dr. Turner, how are you?”

“Oh, it’s just… Miss Summers, call me Buffy, and this is Spi… William,” Buffy says and Spike’s ears perk up at hearing his given name.

“I apologize, I suppose I’m just a little bit… old fashioned, I didn’t mean to assume, so William, you are the…”

“He’s the father,” Buffy says.

“Good good,” Dr Turner says as he looks over the paperwork on his clipboard once more then sits down in a rolling chair across from her and Spike.

“Now I see… Buffy, that you haven’t had any prenatal care up to this date, is that correct?”

“Um yeah.”

“Okay, well I’m gonna have to get some history before we get started and then we’ll move on to an ultrasound and get you a picture of your baby.”

--

Twenty nine weeks, that’s how long Buffy, Willow and Tara decided that Buffy was along the night before, or at least how far along she appeared to be. Buffy sat for nearly a half hour going over family history and other various facts that could affect her pregnancy. Now Buffy lies on her back with her shirt pulled up as cold jelly is spread across her belly. Spike stands beside her as the doctor pulls forth the scanner of the ultrasound machine. She notices that Spike seems truly interested in everything that’s going on. Then the scanner touches her skin and an image can be seen on the fuzzy black monitor. Both Buffy and Spike’s faces light up with awe.

“Good good,” Dr. Turner says, “Everything is looking great.”

He moves the scanner across her belly and Buffy can see more clearly the outline of her baby. Her whole body fills with emotion and for a moment the Slayer thinks she may cry. It’s so beautiful, so perfect, and somewhere in the back of her mind Buffy takes notes that the baby only has one head for which she’s glad.

“Would you like to know the sex of the baby?” Buffy’s eyelashes flutter and she looks away from the monitor to stare at Dr. Turner. Images of the boy from her dream float back into her mind and then she thinks of dream Spike’s words, that’s not your baby.

“Yes,” Buffy says a little fearful to hear that her baby is a boy as she’s thought so far.

“Well it looks like you’re carrying a healthy baby girl.”

A girl, not a boy. This turns everything upside down. Buffy’s dream no longer haunts her although she now wonders who the boy was who walked beside her. Healthy he said, a healthy baby girl, human girl with a heartbeat and a soul. In just those few short words Buffy finds herself almost completely calmed. She looks to Spike and sees a look on his face that she’s never seen before. His face is a mix of awe, and wonder, appreciation, and love.





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