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Chapter 9: Mending

Three days later:

Xander brings the plate of pancakes over to the kitchen table where Anya sits in her silky red pajamas organizing names on a print up of the table layout for the wedding. She doesn’t notice the pensive look on his face as he sits down beside her. Xander grabs one of the pancakes and pulls it on to his own plate, Anya looks up and he does and sees his thin lips and wrinkled brow.

“You have that look on your face, like you’re trying to figure out the Sunday Crossword puzzle,” Anya says.

“Huh?” Xander looks up, “Oh uh… sorry, I’m just…”

“Thinking about Buffy.”

“What, why would I…”

“Come on Xander, Buffy’s pregnant with undead spawn and you’re upset about it, for some reason I can’t quite understand.”

“You can’t understand why I’d be upset about Spike knocking her up?”

“Yeah yeah, with all the touching and the sex, and whatever… the point is you’re not upset about Buffy getting some much needed orgasms, you’re upset because you’re avoiding your best friend.”

“I’m not avoiding…”

“I believe by ignoring and refusing to talk to her that that’s the definition of avoiding. Xander, Buffy needs you. Soon she’ll be swelling up like a hot air balloon and suffering from back aches and puffy ankles. She needs her friends, you should forgive her.”

“It’s not that easy Ayn.”

“Yes, it is.”

--

Buffy opens the door to see Xander standing on the other side. She hasn’t spoken to him since he stormed out of the Magic Box last Friday and right now Buffy isn’t sure what to say to him. He stands before her with his hands shoved into his coat pockets and an uneasy expression. The last few days the Slayer has found herself exhausted, even though she hasn’t been doing much. Patrols have been cut down to a quick sweep and sleep has been a top priority. She hasn’t seen Spike since he came over to talk to Dawn with her and Buffy’s sure her continued denial of any sort of relationship between them is bothering him more then he lets on.

“Can we talk?” Xander asks and Buffy realizes that she hasn’t said a word since opening the door.

“Uh, yeah,” Buffy says and steps aside to let Xander in. He wanders into the living room as she closes the door but he does not sit down.

“I um… I don’t really know what to say here,” Xander says tuning to face her and Buffy crosses her arms and sets her eyes on the floor. “I can’t say I understand cause I don’t…” Xander shakes his head and Buffy can see that there’s more anger beneath the surface, to his credit however she can tell that he is trying to keep it from bubbling over. “You had sex with Spike… I can’t even…” Xander stops and takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to tell you how disappointed I am, how… disgusted…”

“Xander is there a point to this conversation other then beating me down?” Buffy’s words are harsh.

“Buffy, you’re my best friend I don’t want to feel this way, and I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be angry with you… I should be trying to help, and I know that… look I don’t get it, but I don’t want to push you away, I want you to ride with me to the Magic Box after driving Dawn to school, and I want you to come to the Bronze with all of us on Saturday nights, I want to argue over the last jelly donut and… and I don’t want to fight.” Buffy nods and a little bit of the anxiety seeps away.

“I don’t want to fight either,” She says and meets his eyes.

“So let’s not fight… I can’t… I can’t understand, but I can be there for you, and I still wanna be uncle Xander, so could we just be best friends again?” Tears start to well in Buffy’s eyes and she jumps to Xander embracing him in a tight hug. He hugs her back with all his strength and they can both feel the love they have for one another. “Uh, still need to breath Buffy,” Xander breathes out and Buffy lets him go.

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright… what’s a few broken ribs among friends anyway,” Xander jokes and Buffy smiles. “Well I’ve got to get back to work, but I guess Will wants to have a big baby research Scoobie bash tonight so…”

“I’ll see you there,” Buffy says wiping tears from her eyes. Xander smiles at her one last time and gives her another quick hug before heading out the door.

--

Buffy waited until Dawn got home from school and had a frozen pizza in the oven before she left. Now as she walks toward the Magic Box Buffy wishes that she’d waited until Dawn had the pizza out of the oven before leaving and she prays that the teen doesn’t burn the house down.

Buffy walks through the glass door of the Magic Box and walks toward the round table where Willow, Xander and Tara sit. They greet her with smiles and Buffy is glad for the majority of the tension between them to have dissolved.

“Hey guys,” Buffy greets, “what’s the hub-bub on the research-y-ness?”

“So far we’ve got nada on anything evil,” Anya says.

“That’s because you’ve been reading bridal magazine again hun,” Xander says, “As for the rest of us though… well actually yeah, we’ve got nada on anything evil.”

“Well that’s good right,” Buffy says as she takes a seat at the table beside Xander.

“Well, yeah,” Willow says a little hesitantly, “except that we also still don’t know how you’re pregnant.”

“Right, I forgot about the whole this is impossible thing.”

“Are you sure that… Spike is the…” Xander says a little wistfully.

“Yes, trust me if there was another explanation I’d be diving into that… oh, ow,” Buffy says as she feels a kick.

“What?” Willow asks with her brow creased.

“Nothing, he just… kicked… or maybe punched, I’m thinking he’s got my right hook.” Buffy rubs her hands across her belly.

“Oh… can I?” Willow asks gesturing to touch her belly and Buffy nods. The red witch gets up from her chair and kneels beside Buffy. She places her hand on her belly and lights up when she feels the baby kick. “Wow… that’s so… wow.” Willow then moves back to her chair.

“S-so have you thought of any names yet?” Tara asks glancing up from her text for a moment. Buffy shrugs.

“Not so much… I was thinking Jack or Hayden… I like James too.”

“All boy names,” Anya comments.

“Ah, feeling like buying blue onesies?” Xander asks.

“Yeah, I mean… I just kinda think it’s a boy, but I’ll know for sure in a few days at my doctor’s appointment.”

“Uh guys,” Tara says. “I… I think I found something.” Willow leans over to peer at the book her lover reads. Buffy brings both her hands to her stomach as she fills with worry.

“What’s it say?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Tara says.

“It’s in… ancient Sumerian I think,” Willow says. “Buffy, it’s a prophecy.”

“It talks about a baby born of life and death, but I don’t know if I’m translating it right… I t-think we should send this to Giles.” Buffy feels her gut sink in her stomach, partly for the possibility of there being a prophecy about her baby but also partly for having to tell Giles. The thought of talking to him about any of this hasn’t even occurred to her. She’s still reeling from his sudden departure., and feeling like he’s left her hasn’t made her want to go to him for help or advice.

“Giles?”

“You haven’t told him yet have you?” Xander asks.

“Meh.” Buffy sinks further down into her seat as if to try and protect herself.

“T-this is important Buffy… it could explain everything, I think we should call him tonight.” Tara says.

“I’ll fax this over right away,” Willow says as she gets up from the table taking the book with her. Buffy just takes a deep breath and prepares herself for a long conversation.

--

“Well I must say I certainly wasn’t expecting this,” Giles says as Willow speaks to him on the phone, she’s gone into the back room to call Giles and break him in on the news to ease some of Buffy’s stress. Now after getting all the facts out to him she thinks she can even hear him cleaning his glasses on the other line.

“So, do you wanna talk to her?” Willow asks and then hears Giles take a deep breath.

“I… I don’t think I’m quite sure what to say to her at the moment; Willow, listen to me… mystical births are very strange things, often such circumstances alter the mother in such a way that she’s not entirely thinking rationally. If something is using Buffy to bring itself forth it could essentially brainwash her into doing whatever is necessary to protect the… well, baby, for lack of a better term.”

“We’re pretty sure the baby is human though, I mean it has a heartbeat and it doesn’t seem all demon-y or anything.”

“I’m just saying be careful Willow, I’m not positive that you can trust Buffy entirely in this time… until we know more just keep in mind that this could be anything,” Giles takes a deep breath. “I’ve just received your fax… Dear lord.”

“What?”

“I recognize the title of this prophecy… It’s called… The Children of the Dead… Tell Buffy I’ll call back in a few days once I’ve read over this passage you’ve sent me, and do please keep an eye on her.”

“Ok, I will… thanks Giles. I’ll let her know.”

Willow hangs up the phone. The Children of the Dead, Willow replays the phrase in her mind and it leaves her stomach feeling uneasy. She’s not entirely sure what to think of it, what does it mean? Certainly of the dead could refer to Spike being dead, or even the fact that Buffy was recently dead, but the thought that it could mean something more sinister does not escape her. What’s more puzzling however is the word children, plural, as in more than one; she’s glad to hear the word children and not something like “things” or “creatures” but could this mean that Buffy will have more than one baby? Would there be twins? Triplets? Willow just hopes that Giles is able to uncover the nature of these children soon. She wants so badly to believe that this will turn out well, but the thought that this child could be evil still remains.





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