The Protectors
By Heather Martin
Rated – R
Summary- The monks gave Buffy and Spike one night of fake memories. That would have been enough to change their lives. But when you add a glowing key in the form of an unborn baby, well . . . things wouldn’t just change, they would be turned completely upside-down
Disclaimer- Joss Whedon owns Spike’s eyebrow scar, his bleached hair, his crystal blue eyes, his manly arms, his muscular chest, his tight . . . *cough* Too bad isn’t it? But a girl can dream, right?
Spoilers- Starts during Out of My Mind. The entire Season 5, although I changed it tremendously to suit my own purpose
Chapter 5
Willow plopped down on Buffy’s bed. She had on a goofy grin.
“This is just like old times. I was thinking we could stay up late and watch tear-jerker movies. I brought that Carey Grant one with the Empire State Building. And don’t you have Sleepless in Seattle?”
“Will-“ Buffy interjected.
“Or Moulin Rouge. But can we skip the end? I don’t know if I can take it. I packed some snacks too. Do you like Cheetos? Wait, you love cheese.”
“Willow!”
“Huh, what!?” Willow’s lips zipped closed.
The slayer took in a breath. “Wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get a word in there. Excited much?”
Sheepishly, Willow said, “Sorry. It’s just, ya know, me and you with the slumber party. It seems like we haven’t had any one-on-one in a long time. I miss you.”
Buffy smiled. “Miss you too, Wills.”
She hated to crumble Willow’s glee over the girlie movie veg-out. It sounded fun. Although at the rate she’d been crying as of late, she would probably end up flooding the house. But best friend bonding time wasn’t why she had asked Willow over.
Willow is a very understanding individual, she reminded herself. This should be a piece of cake. It’s Xander and Giles I should be concerned about. Oh, and I was so okay with the gay thing. She kind of has the obligation to accept this.
“Your mother seemed a little on edge. Is she all right?” Willow commented.
Buffy moved to sit next to her friend. She grabbed Mr. Gordo the pig and clutched him to her chest. She took a deep breath and faced Willow.
“Uh, Willow . . . I actually brought you over here to talk.”
“Oh.” The red-head straightened, looking attentive. “Go ahead, my ears are ready.”
Buffy caught her gaze wandering. She forced them back on target. Willow waited expectantly.
“A lot of things sure have changed since high school, huh?” Buffy blurted. She could have slapped herself. Where had that come from?
Nodding, Willow agreed. “Way. Hello, gay here. And Xander with Anya.” She rolled her eyes. “Giles actually owns his own store. And you . . .”
Buffy shifted. “Yeah, about me . . . I’m pregnant.”
“Huh?” Willow blinked.
“You know. With child. Expecting.”
Willow put a hand over her mouth. “Oh God. That’s awful.”
Awful? Buffy fingered Mr. Gordo’s ear. She didn’t know how to respond.
“Buffy? I didn’t mean it the way it came out. Babies aren’t awful. They’re cute and cuddly. I only said it was awful because of Riley being gone. Poor baby won’t have a daddy. That’s just sad.”
Buffy shut her eyes. She wished things were different. She wished the father really was Riley and he was alive. She felt like she let her child down somehow by being a single parent.
You wouldn’t have to be. Where did that thought come from? It was totally irrational. She couldn’t let Spike know the truth. He was good enough as a back-up fighter but she could never trust him further.
“You’re not mad?” Buffy questioned.
“No, why would I be?”
“I don’t know. I won’t be able to up and leave for the Bronze anymore.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I get loads of benefits to make up for it. I’ll be Aunt Willow and get baby hugs and kisses. And the spoiling, that’s always fun.” Willow’s eyes twinkled. She reached out a hand. “Can I feel?”
Buffy snorted. “There’s nothing to feel yet.”
“Humor me.”
Buffy lifted her pajama top. Willow’s warm palm sprayed across her flat stomach. The witch shut her eyes in concentration. A few minutes later she opened them again and beamed.
“I can feel her. She may be small but she has a powerful aura. Bright and green. Shiney.”
“Wow,” Buffy whispered. She touched the spot Willow had vacated.
“Tara taught me how to read people. You can learn a lot from it. Green means peace.”
Maybe Buffy was crazy but she could just about see what Willow described.
“You’re going to be a great mom,” Willow said.
“Really?”
Willow took her hand. “Yep. And I’m here for you, to babysit or whatever.”
“Thanks, Wills.” She squeezed her hand back. “What do ya say about getting on those movies?”
Willow hopped up. “I’ll grab the snacks. You collect the videos.”
* * *
Next on the list . . . Giles or Xander? Neither sounded appealing. She supposed she should go for Xander. Giles would be scary. He had that fatherly authority figure going on. Frankly she wasn’t sure how Xander would react. He’d probably be all fish-mouthed over it. Yeah, she’d try Xander. Or should she get the worst over with first? She’d just go to the Magic Box and see who was around. Whoever she ran into first would be the lucky guy.
When she stepped inside she had the immediate urge to backtrack. She regretted her decision. Xander ‘and’ Giles were there. The whole gang was actually. Willow and Tara sat at the table, only a stack of books dividing them. Xander straddled a chair and tapped his fingers on the table top. Giles scanned his book collection. Anya stood near the register, writing something down on a piece of paper.
Willow smiled warmly in greeting. “Hey, Buffy.”
Tara glanced at her girlfriend and then smiled as well.
The watcher glared over at Xander. “Would you please stop that infuriating tapping?”
Xander halted his hand. “Sorry. Can’t help it. I’m bored.”
Giles tossed a heavy volume into Xander’s lap. Dust went flying. “Make yourself useful.”
Buffy slumped in the chair between Xander and Willow. “What are we researching?”
“The beastie,” Xander said. “We’ve been going around in dizzy circles here for hours.”
Glancing shyly up, Tara said, “Maybe she isn’t in the books.”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked.
“I mean, what if she's not a demon or sorceress or spirit or whatever these books cover? What if she's something else altogether?”
Giles stepped over with interest. “Something new you mean?”
“She was like nothing I’ve ever come across before, that’s for sure,” Buffy said. She smiled over at Giles. “Can I name her? You know, like if you find a comet or bug in the jungle?”
Tara shook her head. “No, I mean something old. Something so old that it pre-dates the written word.”
“The Dagon Sphere!” Willow declared excitedly. Buffy could practically detect the light bulb over her head. “You said it repelled . . .”
“That which cannot be named,” Giles muttered. He removed his glasses.
A perplexed expression formed on Xander’s face. He glanced over at Buffy. She shrugged. Why was he looking at her? She was never brainy-girl.
He slammed his book shut and pushed it toward the center of the table. “Well, if it means I don’t have to read anymore . . . then whoo with a big hoo.”
Buffy smiled. She was surprised that she could be so cheery under circumstances. She got to her feet. Might as well get this over with before she lost her nerve. She realized that there were people all over the store.
“Can we go in the back?”
“Yes, yes of course,” Giles replied.
Everyone stood up, curious. Willow met Buffy’s gaze. She saw support and understanding in her friend’s eyes.
They assembled near the pommel horse. Buffy’s heart thundered in her chest. How could she say this? Maybe if she said it in a certain way it wouldn’t be so bad. She could give a long introduction about how things happened against people’s control. Or . . .
“Buffy? Buffy?” Giles touched her shoulder. She jumped, coming out of her reverie. “You wanted to speak with us about something?”
“Yeah, I . . .” She could feel herself begin to shake. She clung to the exercise equipment in front of her. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t handle Giles’s disapproval along with her mother’s.
Willow came over to Buffy’s side. “Guys, I know what Buffy has to say. What she is going to tell you is hard and so you should try to be understanding.”
Good ol’ Will. She could always rely on her.
“Dear lord,” Giles murmured. “Do get out with it then. This prologue is perturbing instead of preparing me.”
Without looking at them, Buffy said, “I’m pregnant.” Her eyes slid upward to gage their reactions.
Tara, of course, seemed sympathetic. Xander’s complexion had gone white. Giles . . . She should be referring to him as Ripper. She had never seen his features so hard and cold.
Xander laughed. The sound echoed through the room. “Giles, you really need to get a couch back here. Times like these, you have to have a place to sit down.”
“Wow, Buffy,” Tara said. “This must be difficult for you. Is it R-Riley’s?”
The slayer nodded. “Yeah.”
Silence suffocated Buffy. Say something, she silently begged Giles. Please.
“Giles?”
His eyes had darkened. They stared holes into her. “How could you be so irresponsible? At a time like this!”
She crossed her arms. “You think this was my choice!? That I planned this!?”
“You are the slayer,” he growled. “You have responsibilities. This thing not only affects you but the whole world. Countless people may die because of your rashness. This is why past slayers didn’t have mates. There was a slayer in the seventies who had a child. She let the duty for her son outweigh her duty as the slayer. It killed her.”
“Well, maybe I was irresponsible. But that doesn’t change the fact that it happened. You don’t have to be happy about it, but I need you to accept it. I can’t do this on my own. Please.”
Just then Anya stormed in. She waved a piece of paper in her hand. “Hey!”
“Ahn, could you come back in a few? We’re kind of dealing with something,” Xander told his girlfriend.
“Giles, you sold someone a Khul’s amulet and Sobekian bloodstone. Are you stupid or something? Everybody knows you don’t put a Khul’s amulet and Sobekian bloodstone together. Bad news.”
“Oh no,” Willow said. “Sobekites were an ancient Egyptian cult, heavy into dark magic.”
“And the Khul's amulet, wasn't that a transmogrification conduit?” Tara questioned.
“Their leader Khul had great mystic power. He forged an amulet with transmogrifying crystal,” Anya said.
“Transmogrifying is changing a living thing into a different thing,” Willow informed.
“It was her,” Buffy said. “How could you not know?”
“She came in like an ordinary customer. . . She’s creating a monster,” Giles whispered.
“What for? What does it do?” Buffy asked.
“Research?” Willow suggested.
“You guys work on it, I’ll go kill it.” Buffy went over and snatched a large knife off the wall.
“Buffy?” Giles protested. “What do you think you are doing!?”
Willow’s eyes went wide. “You can’t!
“She creamed you last time,” Xander agreed.
“I can’t just sit here. I have to do something,” Buffy said. She addressed Giles. “And to answer your question; I’m going to do my duty. Isn’t that what you want?”
Buffy stomped off.
____________________________________________________
Sorry for the wait, guys. I’ve been busy with school work. A lot of you are eager for Spike to find out the truth. It won’t be long.
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