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Chapter 11: Developments

Buffy lies in bed. She dreamed about the baby again last night, different then the dreams she’d been having. This dream was not a possible foretelling forecast symbolized through the crashing waves of the ocean, this was just a dream. Buffy remembers holding her baby in her dream, such a tiny thing all wrapped up in a pink blanket to keep her safe and warm. After her ultrasound, after hearing that the baby would be a girl, and seeing her image upon that black and white screen the reality of what’s to come has truly hit her. She wonders if she’ll have her green eyes or Spike’s blue ones. If she’ll have curly hair like Spike, and if she’d rather it be straight just like Spike seems to as he’s always slicking his back. Will she like sports or art, or both? Will she be as independent as her mother, or as stubborn? Will she have Spike’s deep cheekbones, or her own pouty lips?

So many scenarios run through the Slayer’s mind, so many different thoughts about who her daughter will turn out to be. One thing that Buffy knows for certain however is that she’ll be proud of her, whoever she becomes.

Buffy thinks then that she should get out of bed and get a start on the day. There are so many things that need to be done, books to read to try and figure out this prophecy, and more importantly things to get in order for when the baby comes. Buffy frowns realizing that she hasn’t bought a single thing for the baby. There’s so much she needs, books and toys, clothes and diapers, she doesn’t even have a crib; but she just feels too tired to get moving on any of it. She feels too weak, and maybe even a little sick. Buffy rolls over on to her side letting the phrase just five more minuets runs through her mind, but she wonders if five minutes will turn into a whole day with how exhausted and drained she feels. Then her stomach twists violently.

--

Willow wakes up to the sun shining behind the blinds warming the room in an amber glow. She turns over in bed to see that she’s alone, but as her sleep fades away completely she can hear Tara humming in the kitchen as she cooks. Willow smiles and gets out of bed stretching her arms above her head. She flicks her wrist and opens the blinds with a burst of magic letting the warm sun brighten the room then wraps her robe around her and makes her way into the hall.

As she walks past the bathroom Buffy rushes before her and maneuvers her way through the bathroom door slamming it with more force then she intended. Willow frowns, she thought Buffy was past the puking her guts out stage but she guesses that she was wrong. For a second the tingling of magic that still rests in her fingertips from opening the blinds gives Willow the idea that maybe she should do a spell, something to make the morning sickness go over a little easier for the Slayer, but she shakes the idea away.

Willow makes her way into the kitchen and sees a stack of waffles and bacon sitting on the counter of which Dawn is quickly depleting. The red witch sits down next to the teen just as Tara makes her way from the fridge to the island with a bottle of maple syrup in her hand.

“Good morning,” Willow says and Tara gives her a peck on the lips as she sits down beside her.

“Morning,” Dawn mumbles through a mouth stuffed with bacon.

“Is Buffy alright?” Tara asks cutting into her waffle.

“Morning sickness,” Willow replies then grabs a plate for herself and begins filling it with food, beside her Dawn is drowning her waffles in syrup. Then just as she grabs her fork and is about to dig in the phone rings and Willow sets her fork down, but before she has a chance to stand Tara gets up and answers it.

“Hello,” Tara says. “Oh… um yeah, I’ll get her… Willow, it’s for you.”

--

Xander sits at the counter in the Magic Box while Anya goes over her ideas for the wedding. His head rests in his palm and he’s only half paying attention as she drones on about seating arrangements and color schemes. Part of his brain is wishing he’d taken Jose’s Saturday shift like he’d asked, but no, Anya needed him today. As Xander listens to her speak however he isn’t quite sure what she needs him for.

“So, we defiantly need to push it back until after Buffy has the baby because I can’t have a fat bridesmaid, but what do you think about the dresses. Should I go with the green or lavender?”

“Wha… oh, um… green?” Xander blinks trying to pull himself back to reality.

“Yeah, I was thinking that too, so what about…” The phone rings and Xander jumps out of his seat as if he had just been zapped with a cattle prod. He rushes to the phone without even looking back to his fiancé.

“Got it,” he says a little too enthusiastically as he picks up the receiver. “Magic Box… oh hi Willow… what… Yeah… yeah okay, we’ll be right over.”

--

Dawn rushes down the stairs. She’s just checked on her sister who’s currently reeling from the worst morning sickness she’s yet to experience. Dawn had barely gotten two words in to the Slayer before she was sent away; but the glimpse of Buffy that she got made Dawn worry as she appeared very sick sitting on the ground, leaning against the tub as the toilet seat sat open, her eyes dark with bluish circles setting in beneath them and her skin seeming almost translucent. As Dawn walks into the living room with a shrug she sees that Xander and Anya have just arrived and Willow has everyone gathered in the living room. Dawn takes a deep breath and sits down next to Tara.

“I don’t think she’s coming down anytime soon,” Dawn says and Willow frowns.

“We’re just gonna have to discuss this without her then,” Willow says from her position on the sofa and pulls up the letter Giles sent her on her laptop.

“So, what’s up Will… we got some big bad baby news?” Xander asks as he leans forward resting his forearms on his knees and folding his hands.

“Giles translated the prophecy,” Willow says and all eyes open wide as they stare at her. “He told me a little about it over the phone but I wanted to get everyone together before I read it.”

“It’s not evil is it?” Dawn asks fearful. “I mean, Buffy doesn’t think its evil, or well she… she’s not evil, and the ultrasound picture is so cute and…”

“Dawn, hunny, it’s okay,” Tara says rubbing Dawn’s back to calm her.

“The baby’s not evil,” Willow says and Dawn lets out a sigh of relief.

“I feel a ‘but’ coming on…” Xander says.

“But, there’s defiantly some big mojo about it… her.”

“Guess Buffy was wrong about it being a boy,” Anya says. “I’m a little disappointed, I was thinking about planning her a shower and there were these really cute…”

“Ayn,”

“Right… off topic, sorry.”

“I think it’ll be easiest for everyone to understand if I just read it to you,” Willow says. “So… here it goes… The Children of the dead, there shall be two… um blah blah, time, space, impossible, okay… both shall be born from death, and delivered through death, into the world of light. And Giles has a note here that…” Willow’s voice trails off leaving behind a deathly silence.

“What?” Dawn asks.

“That… he thinks this means that for the baby to be born that Buffy will have to die,” Willow pauses for a moment then looks back at her screen. She doesn’t know what to say or even how to feel. They just got her back, could they lose her again? Does she even want to stay?

“He could be wrong though,” Willow says softly and everyone is silent for a moment.

“Go on Wills, what else do we have to worry about?”

“Okay, um… Two champions, mates, shall be the bringers of the light in the era of great darkness and defeat the evil power… Sahjhan and his lord Ra-ga-nu-shahead… yeah.”

“So there’s supposed to be two champions?” Tara asks.

“But Buffy’s just having one baby,” Dawn says.

“Guess there’s someone else out there expecting a part demon-y bundle of joy,” Xander says and Willow squints as she reads the next line.

“The four, two parents for each child, shall create this life through death. Two unions of dark and light, of the souled and soulless…” Willow stops reading as a crash is heard upstairs, it’s a loud, destructive noise that makes the witch’s eye go wide and puts everyone on edge. “What was that?” She asks then sets her laptop down and stands, Xander follows her as she makes her way to the stairs.

“Buffy,” Willow calls as she takes the steps one at a time, but there’s no response.

Her pace picks up and she makes it to the hallway. Buffy’s bedroom door is open and the lights are off, the bathroom door however is closed and Willow can see the light from under the door. Willow rushes to the bathroom door and twists the knob, she swings the door open and sees that the cabinet that sits above the toilet has been pulled from the wall and crashed to the ground. Its contents lie scattered around Buffy who sits on the ground with her back against the tub; and Willow hurries to her side kneeling down beside her. She looks terrible, sickly almost as if she were on her deathbed with sweat gleaming from her brow and dry chapped lips. It’s a sudden change in appearance for a woman who only days earlier was glowing.

“Buffy, Buffy are you okay,” Willow asks. She turns back to glance at Xander who looks on with just as much worry as she.

“I… I just got so dizzy and…” The Slayer’s eyes roll back.

“Buffster, you still with us?” Xander asks and Buffy responds with a hazy moan.

“She doesn’t look good,” Willow says reaching a hand to her forehead feeling how clammy it is. “We should get her out of here.” Willow steps aside and Xander moves to pick Buffy up, he carries her out of the bathroom and starts to take her into her bedroom. “No, let’s take her downstairs, I’m worried, I wanna keep an eye on her.” Xander nods and moves down the stairs with Buffy in his arms. “What happened, she seems like she got sick so suddenly.”

“She said she’s been feeling more and more tired lately,” Dawn says, “but I thought it was just, well, you know… baby stuff.”

“Don’t worry Dawnie,” Tara says, “we’ll figure this out.”





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