Part Six
Angel hadn’t been found. It had been 6 months since he’d disappeared and Buffy’s depression deepened everyday. Buffy was reaching her eighth month now and the mood swings had become vicious and there was no Angel to take it out on to fight with and relieve her stress. Xander, Anya and Spike were worried about the Slayer. She had stopped college again and never left the house. Xander and Anya had wanted to have Buffy stay with them but with the baby found it impossible so Spike moved in with her only 2 months after Buffy had revealed her pregnancy. Buffy spent her days on the sofa with Spike watching ‘Passions.’ He was there to take care of her and provide whatever she needed.
“Spike where’s the peanut butter?”
“In the garbage.”
“Why is it in there?”
“Cos you tell me off when I leave empty jars in the cupboard.” Spike stood in the doorway and watched the Slayer. It occurred to him how strange this was he a vampire had discovered that a Slayer was his best friend and not only that but he was protecting and caring for her at any woman’s most vulnerable time, during pregnancy.
“Why did you eat it in the first place?”
“Just did.”
“You don’t need to eat I do so don’t eat what I need to eat. I want some peanut butter and cookie dough ice cream and you have eaten the peanut butter! How could you eat the last of the peanut butter?”
“Well I didn’t think it would matter since for the last week the only thing you have eaten is a pears covered in cheese.”
“Well I want peanut butter now!” Buffy moved forward and took a swing at Spike. He caught her arm easily and held her fast so she didn’t topple over. Tears followed fast as Buffy waddled from the room and collapsed on the sofa. Spike followed and pulled her into a sitting position and held her tight as the tears soaked his shirt.
“Come on Slayer it’s not that bad, I’ll go get some peanut
butter, there’ll be a store open somewhere.”
“Angel, he liked peanut butter and cookie dough ice cream, not together but he
liked them. He always had cookie dough ice cream for dessert and peanut butter
chunky style on toast in a morning with a glass of freshly squeezed mango,
orange and guava juice. Then he’d grab an apple to eat during the morning. He’d
always have one chocolate thing a day from the vending machine at work. He
hated cheese. I don’t, I love it but we could never have cheese in a meal. I
think he might have been allergic to it.”
“Come on Slayer I don’t think discussing Peaches eating habits is gonna help with your hunger.”
“Today is the anniversary of the day we moved in here together. When mom died I decided to sell the house, it was too hard to be there.”
“I remember you told me.”
“This house was gonna be mine but then Angel became human and we decided to live in it together. Spike they’ve been searching for 6 months and they haven’t found him. What if they never do? I love having you here but he should be the one who holds my hair back when I’m being sick in a morning and he should be the one I yell at for eating the last of the peanut butter. He should have been the first person to rest their hand on my stomach and feel my baby, our baby kick. But he’s not here.” Buffy hands slid up to cover her face as the tears fell. She felt like she had already cried a river and yet they never stopped. Buffy had cried herself to sleep ever since he’d left and at first she’d tried to hide her tears from everyone but it was no good, she could never hold them in. The pain Buffy felt was almost unbearable but she knew she had to survive she had to bring Angel’s child in the world and she had to raise it to be a credit to it’s father, Angel’s name would be continued. But what was his name?
“Spike what was Angel’s name?”
“Peaches he was never really one to talk about stuff like that it was more bragging of how he killed his parents but he did mention Liam.”
“Liam what?”
“Don’t know. Let me sleep on it and I’ll get back to you.” Spike took Buffy’s outstretched hand to pull her up and helped her up the stairs. He left while she struggled to change and then came back to sit and watch over her while she went to sleep. He always did, she said she hated going to sleep and having no one there.
“I’m glad you saved the last dance for me.” Buffy looked up.
“Angel! Where have you been? Are you…have you been…”
“Buffy I’m alive you can’t give up the battle. I don’t where I am. Buffy I miss you and want to be with you. Don’t give up please, don’t give up I will find a way back to you.”
“Angel I love you.” He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He held her tight as if afraid that when he let go he would return to the hell he’d been in these past 6 months. The hell had become worse when his tormentor told him that his beloved Buffy was pregnant. As he looked at her now he tried to imagine what she was like but the only image in his mind was of the girl he was holding now. His beautiful Buffy.
Buffy bolted up as much as any woman at this stage of pregnancy could. The dream hadn’t scared her. What sacred her was that she had returned to reality and here Angel couldn’t hold her. She knew that however far from reality the dream was that Angel really was telling her that he was alive and to not give up on finding him. She turned and saw the blond vampire collapsed in a chair. Gripped in his hand was a jar of peanut butter. She smiled. She knew that she would never have survived without Spike these last few months. He was her lifeline. At one time Willow and Xander would have been the people she held dearest to her heart in such a friendship way as she held Spike. But Willow was with Giles in England studying, she spoke to them both at least one a fortnight, she Xander and Anya often but the boy and his ex demon wife were always so happy together with their 2 children that it hurt Buffy to witness what her child wouldn’t have, the perfect happy family.
Spike held her hand and helped with her breathing as she pushed Angel’s child from within her. The doctor passed the child to her and she beheld the beautiful face. But the pain she felt didn’t diminish.
“Doctor!” The nurse shouted and the doctor rushed over. Panic surged through the blonds and Spike gripped Buffy’s shoulder. Fear gripped her and she knew she couldn’t die, she couldn’t leave the small helpless infant with no parents. But she wouldn’t have to.
“Miss Summers I’m sorry that we didn’t know sooner but this isn’t over. Sometimes this happens.”
“What happens?” Spike demanded, he feared losing the Slayer not just because she was his best friend and his life but he feared for the poor child. Inside he made a promise to always care for the child no matter what. The nurse hurried to them and took the child from Buffy’s arms as the doctor explained.
“Miss Summers you’re having twins, sometimes one baby eclipses the other and so we only get the one heartbeat.”
“Tw…tw…twins!” the pain no wonder it didn’t leave there was still another child trying to fight it’s way out. After yet another fight and rest while the nurses cleaned the newborns she was handed her children. She looked adoringly at them.
“Spike do you want to hold one?” Spike flashed a smile at Buffy and held out his arms for the child.
“What are you going to call them?”
“Well I always thought Angel would be back to name them with me.”
“Well how about you leave middle names open for when Peaches gets back.” Anyone other than Spike would have crushed Buffy’s hopes of Angel ever returning. Buffy smiled at the vampire as thanks. But she knew that she could never give Spike anything to repay him for everything he’d done for her and what she was sure he would do in the future.
“I think for,” Buffy nodded her head towards the small child in Spike’s arms, “that sweet little thing, Liam after his dad.”
“Liam McGregor, nice.”
“McGregor?”
“Yeah I finally remembered Peaches last name.”
“Thank you Spike. I liked the middle name idea but I changed my mind about his name. Liam is now his middle name. Will Liam McGregor.”
“Will?”
“I know I can never tell you how grateful I am because there’s no words to describe it. And I can never thank you enough for what you’ve done but this is a way for it to recognised. Spike they’ll know the truth when they’re older they’ll the truth. About me about Angel and about you. You’re related to them. Sort of like a brother, if we miss a generation.”
“Me a big brother, I like it. What about your daughter?”
“I don’t know maybe something like Kelly or Katherine. I don’t know.”
“Mind if I make a suggestion?”
“No did you even have to ask.”
“How about Emily?”
“That’s so sweet and it suits her.”
“She, Emily was perfect like I’m sure this little girl will be.” Spike realised his slip after saying it and knew that Buffy would follow with a question he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer.
“Who was Emily?”
“Emily was my father’s illegitimate child. His mistress bore her. I knew about her, we all did. She was 11 years younger than me. The world she grew up in was so different to mine. I have my father’s name and money and position behind me, she had nothing. In those days a child born with only their mother’s name was an outcast, frowned upon. But she wouldn’t let them decide her worth. She knew who she was. My father beat me black and blue when he found out I’d been visiting my little half sister and her mother for years. I’d even taken them a little of the money he handed out every week to me. He was stupid thinking because I was a boy I needed so much and he gave them both a pittance. I’d been going since she was born. When he found out she was 7. I had to be more secret about it but he could never stop me going, would never. As a vampire I saw her when she was older. She was 15 when I died. I saw her 3 years later. I think I might have drained her but something inside stopped me. The demon was fighting it but Drusilla wanted to leave and so dragged me away before either could win. I’m glad she did. I couldn’t live now knowing ‘d killed her. I can only imagine what Angel goes through. I hate myself for being that close to doing it but the poor bloke must be going through hell.”
“Spike you didn’t do anything except love her. And I think Emily is a lovely name, Emily and Will Liam McGregor.”
“I called Xander when you went into labour he’s probably going out of his mind I’ll go let him know.” Spike handed Will back to Buffy and left. Buffy stared at her children with love.
“Hey I’m gonna be the best mom ever I promise. I know you’ll miss your dad but you’ll have me, supermom and you’ll have your big brother. Daddy won’t be away forever.”
Please review this, I am working on the next in this
series so look out for ‘Emily, Will and Riley’ I might change the name of that
at a later date if I do I will change this so you will know what to look out
for.
