Title: Tomorrow 13/?
Author: Madsdog
Rating: Errr- probably up to R
SPOILERS: UP UNTIL THE END OF 'TWO TO GO'
Distribution: NHA, AEFM, ODD
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: If I just owned Willow's body, Dawn's hair and Giles' voice to sing
me to sleep... okay... none of it's mine- those bits belong to the actors and
the rest is Joss' and Marti's (Tara-killers) and Love Letter #1 belongs to Red
“Ahh- Will this’ll be great.” Buffy held up a dark green patterned maternity top.
“Buffy you could get three of me in there.”
“You are aware that give that little fellow a couple of months and it’s gonna grow. Outwards is the preferred direction, so I’ve been told.”
“But look at how big it is. I’m not gonna get that fat. Am I?”
“This is the smallest size they have.” Willow’s eyes bulged in surprise at the realisation that- yes; maybe she was going to grow that much. A sudden hunger pang hit her with such force that she didn’t notice how still Buffy had gone.
“Can we get food first, before we discuss my fatness anymore? Buffy?”
“Keep looking at the clothes. Nothing’s changed.”
“What’s happening?”
“There’s someone watching us, I’m just… get down!” Used to her friend’s orders, Willow ducked as Buffy attacked something that had been directly behind her. There was the sound of a solid hit landing, an ‘oof’ from the victim, and then a crash as a body collided with a precariously balanced clothes rack. Then silence.
Willow looked up. Buffy was in exactly the same position as a moment before the ‘attack,’ looking over at the slowly rising body of-
“Riley?”
***
“So anyhow, Riley and Sam are on the trail of this mercenary demon, who’s come to Sunnydale on a job.” Willow finished explaining to Xander and Anya.
“Cool. So. What’s the target?” Sam answered Xander’s question.
“Who’s the target you mean. And we’re not entirely sure. It’s a double job and the slayer is secondary to the other.”
“I’m not top banana?”
“No, but we need to find out who is.”
“Who’s paying?” Anya asked.
“One of those giant private businesses, that are always there, have loads of money, but no one really knows anything about.”
“Someone’s been reading Iain Banks books.” Xander laughed. “Either that or Ben got the evil hospital staff thing down pat. Or The Council’s finally had enough of you Buff. Or The Mayor’s found a way to order his groupies to cleanliness from beyond the grave. Or… why are there so many ors? Is there no way to get rid of these guys once and for all… What’d I say?” He looked around: Anya and Buffy were both looking worriedly at Willow, who was looking well… mainly shocked, but also a little scared. Sam was looking between the three of them, as if, if she looked at them for long enough, she’d be able to tell what they were thinking. Eventually she gave up and just asked.
“You know something?” Willow and Anya both shook their heads- but not before Buffy had jumped in.
“Willow’s the main target.”
“Willow? Why?”
“Because of her baby.” Xander and Riley both looked, slack-jawed, between the two girls.
“Wha- there’s a baby? Willow has a baby? When- Who- huh?” Buffy realised what she’d done with a start.
“He doesn’t know?” She pointed at Xander.
“No! Well he didn’t.”
“But- you said Anya knew!” Said ex-demon stood up, hands on hips.
“So because I know, I, of course, go and tell everyone else. That’s it, Anya the tactless blabber mouth.”
“Just a minute… Willow has a baby?” Riley and Xander tried to get a grasp on the situation as Anya and Buffy continued to argue. Only Sam noticed Willow leave the room. She followed.
“Do I need to know?”
“If the demon’s working for The Council, then I guess so.”
“Is that The Watcher’s Council?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened?” Willow cast her eyes down on the table in front of her.
“I got pregnant to someone who doesn’t want me, and whose former employers are trying to kill me for it.”
“Giles does want you.” The two women turned to face the doorway where Dawn stood. “He- he phoned this afternoon looking for you- he was almost in tears. Giles is scary like that- he shouted.”
“Why did he shout?”
“Because I didn’t know where anyone was.”
“How dare he! I hope you told him what for. He has no right to-”
“Willow, it’s okay.” No one said anything for a minute and they realised that the shouting in the other room had died down too.
“I should go check Ri hasn’t said anything stupid.” Sam slipped out, leaving the two former maths geeks alone.
“You look tired.”
“It’s late.”
“You wanna talk to Xander now or in the morning?” Willow groaned and laid her head on her arms. Dawn smiled. “I take it that means in the morning?” Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
“Just how old do I look to you? I don’t need to be put to bed, thank you.” They grinned at each other and then headed up the stairs, leaving the voices of the others behind them.
***
“Why did you tell Buffy? Wasn’t I good enough at helping?” It was the first time in a week that Anya and Willow had been alone together. Since Riley and Sam had left, either Xander was there asking questions, Dawn was jumping up and down talking baby clothes, or Buffy was guarding her, and although she was nervous as hell right now, sitting in a room waiting for an ultrasound, it was the first time since then she’d felt at all relaxed.
“Oh Anya, you’re better than good enough. Look at you- tomorrow’s your wedding, there are a million and one things to do, and you’re sat here because I asked you to be.”
“Well your timing could have been better, but why did you tell her then- I thought you didn’t want her to know.”
“She’s snoopy.”
“She’s a small cartoon dog with a cross between a banana and a rooster for a friend?”
“No,” Willow let out a small laugh, “she nosed through my stuff and found out.”
“But-” Anya looked a bit insulted, “but that’s not cricket.” Willow gave her a confused look of disbelief.
“That’s not cricket? What?”
“Oh!” Anya was suddenly very proud of herself. “Well, I thought that as you seem to like English things, I’d find out something about it- because I never went there when I was in Europe. I was going to ask Spike, but as we’re not talking to him because he helped that demon Riley was after, I went to the library and looked on the internet- I found a vast cacophony of phrases to use for every situation.”
“So ‘that’s not cricket’ means what?”
“That’s not playing fair.”
“Right.” Before Anya could impart anymore of her newfound wisdom, a woman came into the waiting room and called Willow’s name, before asking them to follow her. It wasn’t long before the grey and black picture came up on the screen.
Anya was amazed and Willow was in awe. Both were speechless.
“Did you want to know the sex?”” It took Willow a minute to take her focus away from the screen to the technician.
“Pardon?”
“Did you want to know the sex?”
“Oh, Willow already knows the sex.” Both Willow and the technician turned puzzled faces to Anya.
“I-”
“That’s how she got pregnant in the first place.” Neither of the other two knew what to say. “What?”
“Ahn, I think she meant did I want to know if the baby’s a boy or a girl.”
“Oh right. You can tell that! Wow! So?” She looked eagerly at the woman.
“It’s up to Ms Rosenburg.”
“I don’t know if I want to know. I mean… No.”
“Okay. Do you want a video of this?”
“Yes please.” The technician went into the other room and suddenly it hit her. “Anya?”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to have a baby.”
“Yes Willow, that’s why you’re here.”
“No, I mean…” She didn’t know how to put it, “in a few months, I’m going to be a mother, I’m going to be changing diapers, breast feeding, then I’m going to be looking for nurseries, day care, picking it up from its friend’s house. This is a little person inside me.” She looked up to her friend who had a vaguely shocked expression on, but was silent nonetheless, so she continued. “What- what if I’m not a good mother- I’ve got to find some time and somewhere to work, and I can’t finish college, I… I…” she finished on a whisper, “I don’t know if I can do this. I wish Rupert was here.” She bowed her head as a single tear slid down one cheek. When Anya put her arms around her and pulled her in for a hug, she let her, but she didn’t’ respond. She didn’t know if she could, she just… she wanted Rupert to be the one holding her, comforting her, telling her it would be alright, but he wasn’t going to be any of that, he wasn’t here and he didn’t want to be. Relaxing, she lean! t into Anya. She didn’t have him, but she could make the best of what she did have, because, she looked up and smiled at the woman beside her, she had a lot.