William and the gang sat around his lounge room, mountains of books and papers scattered and stacked unevenly all around them. It was just on dusk, although going out to slay vampires were the last thing on William’s mind at the moment. They where all still desperately trying to decipher the prophecy about Buffy and why she had come back. William hadn't heard a word from her in the past two months although she would occasionally call Dawn she never asked to talk with him. He couldn't help but miss her. He had tried his hardest to try and not think about her but his thoughts where plagued by her, haunted by her.

He still loved her and longed for her even after that hurtful day when she had told him she didn't love him and that what had happened between them were nothing more then a mistake. He had replayed their conversation over and over in his head; her words still cut him deep. He was pulled from his thoughts by Willow's high pitched voice.

"UH HUH!" She yelled grabbing everyone’s attention.

"I kept having problems trying to interpret this one word... you see Ga-Shundi is a really tricky language, hence why it’s taken so long..." William could tell Willow was on the road to rambling and once she headed down that road it was hard to stop her.

"Will!" He interrupted her.

"Oh right sorry. So I thought it meant to be brought fourth or to appear right? But as it turns out it means to be born." Willow explained. William looked at her slightly confused. Giles and Xander leaned forward in anticipation.

"So what Buffy's was brought back to make sure some kid gets born?" Xander asked. Willow started to shake her head in response. She looked down into the text on her lap.

"No, Buffy was brought back in order to give birth to this child, this champion.... it says ‘Not of good and not of dark but of both, when the end of days come they three will stand strong, one of light’. That would be you Spike, ‘One once of darkness’. That’s Buffy, and ‘one of both.... united’." Willow breathed out, the words finally making sense. Giles nodded his head, understanding what the red head was saying.

"Oh my god..." Willow whispered as everything slotted into place.

"Willow what?" William looked at his friend, not understanding what she meant.

"Buffy was brought back to have your child." Willow stated looking William dead in the eyes.

"That’s ridiculous! Buffy won't even talk to me let alone... you know." He said standing from his seat. William begun to pace in front of his chair, carefully avoiding the piles of books that surrounded him.

"Well if my calculations are correct and I think they are then the conception should have happened.... About two months ago."

"Oh man two months ago, your little trip to L.A." Xander reminded him.

"Wait. You slept with Buffy?" Willow asked looking slightly hurt that he hadn't told her. William stopped pacing and faced his friends.

"She would have called and told me by now."

"Maybe not, I mean it's possible she doesn't even realize she's pregnant yet." Xander reasoned with him.

"No. Buffy isn't pregnant! I'm sorry Will but you translated it wrong." William snapped.

"No. I didn't Spike. I’ve been working on this prophecy night and day for five months, I'm not wrong." Willow retorted her voice steady.

"You have to be." William whispered. Willow could see his friends blue eyes swimming with emotion. She felt torn, wanting to comfort her friend but knowing there was nothing she could say. Instead, she stood almost tossing the book she had in her hands aside and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes, smiling softly. William looked back, realization washing over him.

"Oh my god, that means..." He started. He was interrupted by a voice he thought he would never hear again.

"I'm pregnant." William felt his head instinctively turn to were the voice was coming from. There was no mistaking it. There standing in his lounge room was Buffy with Drusilla at her side. William felt his younger sister slide her hands around his waist in comfort and her head rest on his side as he instinctively lifted his arm and wrapped it around her. He didn’t even see that she had come from behind the pair or recognized that it would have been Dawn to let them in. All William could do was gape at the pair before finally finding his voice.

"What?" He gasped his eyes only for Buffy now. His body aching to touch hers but knowing that it was best to keep his distance from her. She looked amazing, so beautiful, a vision.

"I'm pregnant." Buffy repeated. Her gaze was steady.

"Are you sure?" William felt the words fall out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Went to the doctors. I haven't been well, throwing up and all that... I made him run the test three times, they where all positive... so yeah I’m sure." She answered nodding her head. William felt himself step forward, Dawn’s grasp loosing. Buffy moved back a step, closer to Drusilla.

"Don't. You've done enough damage." She hissed. William felt as though he had been stung across the face and he stepped back, cringing at the hash words she had just spoken. Buffy watched as his face crumble, feeling guilty. Her mood swings had become more unpredictable these days, sometimes she struggled to control them like now.

"Oh god I’m sorry. I didn't mean that, the doctors say its normal... mood swings. I'm all up, down and all over the place, its crazy." She tried her best to explain.

"Yeah she's been a nightmare to live with." Drusilla breathed and Buffy threw her a sideward’s glance.

"What?" Dru asked giving her an apologetic smile.

"Its okay I understand." William replied smiling softly at Buffy. She felt like melting, that brilliant smile on his perfect lips always made her feel like kissing him. But she had promised herself that she would be strong, control her feelings and keep her distance, she had interfered in his life enough already.

"We're here because Buffy was attached at the hotel after her doctor’s appointment." Dru informed them. William practically leapt forward to Buffy and placed a protective hand on her shoulder. His friends and sister forgotten for the moment. All that mattered was her.

"What? Are you ok? The baby?" He asked overly panicked his eyes locked on hers. Buffy felt slightly surprised she thought he would be freaking out about her being pregnant but instead here he was slipping into the protective father roll.

"Where both fine, Dru protected us." Buffy cooed. William turned to Dru.

"Thank you." He whispered to her. Dru noticed with some amusement that he hadn't taken his hand of Buffy's arm and Buffy had made no attempt to move away from him.

"You’re welcome. While Buffy was packing I did some poking around in the under ground and Buffy's pregnancy has spread like wild fire down there. They’re not happy about it either; I mean lets face it this isn't a normal pregnancy. This baby has them all worried." Dru informed them.

"No I didn't think the demon community would be at all pleased about the news." Giles interjected.

"This pregnancy has them all scared, worried that he or she is going to grow up and destroy them all." Dru continued. Dawn diverted her attention to Buffy who had now managed to find a clear spot on the lounge to take a seat. William stood dumbly near by, not wanting to leave her but not wanting to get too close. Dawn could see the look of sadness and fear in her eyes. She looked like a women with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Hey! You’re upsetting her." Dawn hushed them. William looked down at Buffy. Never had he seen her look so scared, so fragile before.

"Luv, why don't you go lay down for a bit? Dawn can take you to your room." Buffy nodded numbly and stood before walking over to Drusilla, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you for everything." She whispered in her ear.

"I'm always here for you Buffy, remember that. I’m just a phone call away if you ever need me." She smiled nodding lightly, letting go of the vampire she had grown to see as a friend. Buffy followed Dawn upstairs to William’s room, noticing that she had grabbed her bags. Buffy smiled again. Always looking out for me that one. She could hear the remaining people in the lounge room talking, no doubt about her. Exhausted she slumped onto William’s bed, staring into nothingness, letting her mind wander.

William now stood at his opened bedroom door, gazing in on the figure lying on his bed. Drusilla had left about ten minutes ago after informing them on the information she had found out from one of her many snitches in L.A. He examined her; she was curled up on his bed. She looked so lost, so small and almost all alone. Thinking best to leave her to get some rest, William turned to leave when Buffy’s voice stopped him.

"You can come in, I'm awake." William turned back around almost dream like before walking into the room and sitting on the bed next to her. She slid up the head board into sitting position, cuddling one of his pillows.

"How are you feeling?"

"Aside from the morning sickness, just peachy." she replied sarcastically.

"Your not alone Buffy." He told her earnestly laying a hand on her exposed arm.

"That’s kinda the problem isn't it?" She whispered.

"Buffy do you not want this baby?" He asked stung by the very possibility of his words.

"Oh Spike it’s not that." She replied. She lightly punched the pillow.

"I never thought of having a baby is all. For two hundred years I couldn't it wasn’t in the whole make up of things. It’s just kinda sudden."

"I know it’s a shock for me too."

"When that demon attacked I couldn't defend myself, there was just too much risk for the baby... how am I suppose to protect this baby when I can't fight?"

'I'll protect you's" He whispered rubbing her arm gently.

"I'm scared Spike. I'm so scared, everyone and everything is going to be coming for me and this baby.... for centuries now I didn't have to be afraid of anything and now I’m sick with it." She confessed to him, her eyes glassing over.

"Everything is going to be okay I promise." He replied cupping her cheek, lifting her face so she was looking at him. He felt lost in her eyes as he moved forward to capture her lips with his. Their lips touched briefly before Buffy jerked away from him and stood from the bed anything to put distance between them.

"This isn't a way for us to... finish what we started in L.A." she snapped.

"Buffy I just want to be with you. Please understand that." He said moving around the bed to stand in front of her.

"I don't want to be with you." She replied fiercely.

"You’re lying Buffy. I can see it in your eyes... I felt it in your touch in L.A." William moved towards her again only to have her move around him so her back was now facing the bedroom entrance.

"Stop it! This is crazy... it wasn't suppose to go this way. I jumped knowing I would die, I was meant to stay dead, what gave them the right to bring me back? I was done, finished. What gave them the right to put us in the situation? To turn our worlds completely upside down?"


"Buffy..." He tried moving towards her again only to have her move back once more.

"No you don't get it Spike.... what do I have to offer a child, a human child?"

"Buffy you are human."

"But I wasn't always... what where they thinking picking me for this? I not exactly a shining beacon of good."

"Buffy they chose you because even without a soul you where capable of good, you gave your life for some else that’s why they picked you."

"You know what’s funny when the demon attacked today I was more hurt by the fact that he called the baby a abomination then by the fact that he was there to kill us." she laughed softly. William smiled at this.

"Of course you where, your a mother now, you feel a bond." Her face saddened at this.

"I can't do it Spike, I can't have this baby." She whispered tearfully.

"What are you saying?"

"I can't bring a child into this world knowing what I know, pushing it into the darkness with the vampires and monsters... to them he or she is just their champion, chosen one or what ever name they have for it but for me its my baby, my child... how can I expect it to face the things that we have? Is that the life you want for your kid?"

"Of course not but we will be there for him to guide and protect him." William fought desperately to reassure her.

"I can't." she whimpered.

"This child was destiny. It is meant to be born. There’s no stopping that. All we can do now is protect it." Buffy nodded slightly at this.

"Buffy I want to be there for you and the baby... I want us to be a family." He told her stepping forward. He was relieved when she didn’t step back and he reached forward cupping her cheek.

"Spike..." She started to protest.

"Buffy us being together is another thing that was destined to happen. It’s written in an ancient scroll, how many couples can say that?"

"We’re not a couple." She informed him firmly.

"Not yet but I want us to be... Buffy you know I love you." She stepped out of his reach but didn’t break eye contact she looked into his eyes.

"No... You love this heartbeat." She whispered before turning and walking out the bedroom door. William stood stunned looking after her, is that what she truly thought? That he only loved her because she was human? Taking a deep breath he knew now what he had to do now and he didn't care if it took forever. He would prove to Buffy that he had loved her before. That he loved her not because she is now human. But of how she is and always has been... the one.

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