Title: Love, Hellmouth Style 23-24
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.



"You look a lot better." Buffy eyed her husband critically. "What did Mom feed you?"

"Oh lord, I'm not sure what it was. All I knew was your mother and Willow wouldn't let me up until I'd eaten all of it. I seem to dimly recall some sort of casserole."

Buffy smiled at him, though her eyes showed how tired she was. He stroked her hair back and kissed her forehead.

"How are you feeling, luv? Were you too lonely while I was gone?"

"I'm a little tired, but okay. And Spike came by and kept me company."

"Spike? Are you certain it's wise..."

"Don't go all Watcher on me, Rupert. He saved my life. I'm not letting my guard down anytime soon, but we actually had a couple laughs." She held Giles' hand as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"I brought you something I thought might cheer you."

Giles reached into his overnight bag and pulled out Mr. Gordo. Buffy gave a small squeal of delight and hugged the stuffed pig to her chest.

"I love you, Rupert."

"And I love you."

He leaned down and kissed Buffy as deeply as he dared with her injuries.

"Jeez, you guys don't ever give it a rest, do you?"

The two looked up to see Cordelia smiling at them from the doorway.

"I don't believe it; you two even blush like twinsies now." Cordelia breezed into the room as Buffy and Giles both turned quite pink. "So what's the what? Angel wouldn't say what had happened."

"Well, it's something of a long story..." Giles began.

"Fledgling skewered me with my own stake."

"Or perhaps, not so long."

"A fledgling? As in a brand new vamp?"

"He's strong, Cordelia. How he ended up that powerful with Harmony for a sire..." Cordelia held up her hand to stop the blonde in her explanation.

"Wait a minute, Harmony? Harmony Kendall is a vampire? No way. She'd like, self-destruct without mirrors."

"Nevertheless" Giles interrupted "she is a vampire, and a fairly strong one. What's more, she and Spike are...involved, for lack of a better word."

"Spike? She's with Spike? Mr. Sex Pistols and torture my boss, Spike?"

"Torture? What are you talking about?"

"When Spike came to town to steal that Gem of Amarra thingie you sent him last year...which I guess Angel never told you about. I can see we've got some catching up to do if we're gonna be working together for the next few days while Buffy gets better."

"Actually, it's more like the next few months."

"Months? How bad did this vamp shish your kebob?"

Giles and Buffy looked at one another sheepishly.

"No way! Well, I guess this is even more appropriate than I thought."

The brunette handed Buffy a package. Buffy opened it and clutched her side again as she laughed.

Inside the box lay nestled a Teletubbie.

Tinky Winky.

*****

Cedric Giles approached his son's apartment in a foul mood. He'd been there two days and not once had his unruly offspring seen fit to contact him. He knew he had to nip this nonsense with the Slayer in the bud. It would bring nothing but disaster to the Giles family if it wasn't stopped at once.

He could only pray he wasn't too late.

He knocked loudly on the door, but got no answer. After his second knock received the same lack of response, he tried the handle.

Of course. For such a secretive and defiant person, Rupert had a bad habit of leaving doors unlocked.

Cedric shut the door behind himself and settled into a chair to wait.

He could wait as long as he had to.

*****

"So, Cordy...are you and Wes still together?"

"Yeah. In fact, we've been talking about maybe moving in together in a bit. Even Dennis likes him."

"Who's Dennis?"

"Oh, my roommate. He's a ghost."

"But he likes Wesley?"

"He really does. And Dennis is very particular about who I spend time with."

"Must be the accent."

The two girls grinned at one another. Giles had gone to make a phone call and see that Anya was doing alright by herself at the shop. Buffy took a breath before asking her next question.

"So, have you guys told Angel yet? About you two getting all couple-y?"

"We didn't have to. We came to work the day after your wedding - separately, so he wouldn't see it - and he just comes up to us both and sniffs us. Then he gets this big ol' smile on his face and says 'it's about time' and disappears into the back. It really creeped me out, in a happy kind of way."

"How is he? I was a little harsh the last time we talked."

"He's okay. Broody, but okay. Then again, he's always been broody, so that's sorta a good thing, isn't it?"

"So why isn't he up here brooding before my very eyes yet? And where is Wes?"

"I sent them to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee or something. I just wanted to make sure you and Giles were ready to see Angel."

"I'm ready. And Rupert will be okay, too. But thanks, Cordy. Why don't you get them now? The coffee down there isn't putting Starbucks out of business anytime soon."

*****

"Lord, but this coffee is dreadful."

Wesley put down the cup and shuddered.

"Then don't drink it. I didn't think you liked coffee anyway."

"I don't, but I thought it a safer choice than the tea. Obviously, I was mistaken."

The vampire and the Englishman shared a wry smile.

"Yeah, they just don't have a clue how to brew tea in this country do they?"

The two fell silent.

"Angel?'

"Yeah?"

"How bad is it?"

"How bad is what?"

"This. Whatever we've been summoned here for. there's no great love lost between Mr. Giles and myself, and he hates you. It must be something tremendously important."

"Buffy must be in terrible danger. It's the only thing that would make him call for me."

Just then, Cordelia arrived. She sat next to Wesley with a thump and promptly stole his coffee. He made no protest.

"Yuck! What did they put in this coffee? It tastes like motor oil."

She shoved the cup away with a grimace.

"And since when do you know what motor oil tastes like?"

Wesley smiled at his lady. He enjoyed the rare opportunities he got to one up her.

"Since you made that icky thing and called it dessert last week."

"That was a proper steamed pudding, I'll have you know."

"Okay, first off pudding comes in chocolate or butterscotch and is a creamy thing. It isn't something cakey filled with fossilized fruit peels. I tell you, Angel, it was disgusting."

Angel got a faraway look in his eyes.

"Really? You know how to steam a pudding?"

"I'll make us one for Christmas. How would you like that?"

Cordelia looked from one to the other in disgust.

"What sort of Gay Boys in Bonding is this?"

"You should never have let her watch your Monty Python DVD's, Wes."

The Englishman shrugged. "At least now she gets some of my jokes."

Angel turned to his assistant.

"How is Buffy? Is it serious?"

"Well, that all depends on your definition of serious. She got her own stake in her guts, but she'll be fine really soon. In fact, they may let her out of here tomorrow."

"I don't get it. If she's not badly hurt, why did Giles call us?"

"When she gets out of here, she's still on bedrest for a while."

"But with Slayer healing..."

"That's not the problem. If it had been anyone else, she'd probably be dead now. Since she's Buffy, she's gonna be fine. But it's not just her anymore."

"What are you saying, Cordelia?"

"I'm saying Buffy's pregnant."

Both men's jaws dropped.

******

"If I'm well enough to go home, why do I have to stay in bed all day?"

"We've been over this, Buffy. The doctor still feels there is a serious chance of miscarriage. I know it's frustrating, but we'll simply have to do our best to make do."

Buffy's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know how much lying around I can take, Rupert. I'm already ready to climb the walls."

Giles gathered his wife to him.

"Shh, I know, luv. Everything will be fine, dearest."

"But what if it isn't?"

"It will be" he told her firmly. "You're going to get plenty of rest and the baby will be perfectly fine."

He handed Buffy his handkerchief so she could dry her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I just get so...and then Spike said..."

"Why on earth would you listen to anything Spike says?"

"Because he knows about the baby. He said you told him."

"I didn't! Not as such, at any rate. But so what if he does know? He can't hurt you."

"No, but he can tell the other vampires and demons. He said once the word gets out, they'll all be trying extra hard to get me. Is that true?"

Giles sighed.

"I don't know, luv. I imagine so. Pregnancy leaves you more than usually vulnerable. It wouldn't surprise me if some demon tries to use this opportunity to make an attack. And then, there's the prophecy."

PART 24

"Great. So our kid is just as stuck as we are."

"I'm afraid so. I wish it could be otherwise, but my translation thus far makes it clear that our child is, as you say, stuck."

"And the more pregnant I get, the more I'll have a big sign around my neck saying 'demon chow'."

"Assuming any of the local creatures of the night are aware of the prophecy."

"And the odds of that are not exactly in our favor, are they?"

Giles held Buffy a bit tighter and pressed his lips to her temple.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I swear it."

"Don't promise me that. You know you can't make that promise."

He held her face in his hands and looked her in the eye.

"Listen to me, Buffy. If it is humanly possible to keep you safe, I will do it. I will move heaven and earth if I must. You are everything to me."

He kissed her cheeks, brushing away the salt of her tears with his lips.

"I know you're frightened, and I know you're frustrated. So am I, luv. But I will do all that lies within my power to protect you."

"And so will I."

The couple turned to the figure in the doorway.

"Angel."

"Buffy. Giles." After his dramatic entrance, the vampire looked uneasy. He held out a package awkwardly. "I got you a wedding present."

Buffy took the proffered gift with a small smile.

"Thank you."

The two men looked uncomfortably at one another as Buffy unwrapped the box.

"So, Giles...how've you been?"

"Well enough. And you?"

The vampire shrugged.

"Not too bad. There's plenty of evil to fight in LA."

"As there is here in Sunnydale."

Buffy regarded her ex-boyfriend with some amusement.

"Satin sheets? You got us satin sheets?"

"Are they the wrong color?"

*****

Wesley and Cordelia snuggled closely between the sheets in their hotel room. The Englishman kissed his lady softly as she ran her hand through the light feathering of hair on his chest.

"Wesley?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why do the PTB keep bringing us back to Sunnydale?"

"What do you mean?"

"We keep ending up here. We're gonna be here for months."

"Only until Buffy has the baby."

"Yeah, which takes months research guy. A whole bunch of 'em."

"True, but it's not as if the move is permanent. When this is over, we can go back to Los Angeles."

They lay and cuddled for a few moments.

"Wesley?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will we want to go back?"

*****

By the time Harmony returned to the crypt, Spike had prepared a surprise for her.

"Spike! Oh my God! What are you doing?!"

"Just having a bit of fun, pet."

His boots rested on the back of a naked, bound Parker.

"You're using my childe as a footstool. Stop it!"

"Not until he's learned his place in the scheme of things, Harm."

The vampire girl swatted her lover, who merely laughed and ground a boot heel into Parker's kidneys. Parker shrieked in agony.

"Lesson the first: you defy me, Puker here suffers. Remember that. Oh, and Harm, I've used up quite a lot of your paints and varnishes. Be a love and get some more."

Harmony crossed her arms over her ample bosom.

"No. I don't have to take orders from you, Spikey. I'm a strong and beautiful person in my own right"

She looked proud of herself as she recited the affirmation. Spike rolled his eyes and pulled out an electric cattle prod.

"Did you or did you not hear what I said?"

"You wouldn't do it."

Spike grinned. "Oh wouldn't I?"

He applied the prod to Parker's bare buttocks as the fledgling howled in pain.

"Just do what he says! Make him stop!"

Harmony rushed over and began to swat Spike with her open palms. He laughed at the ineffectual attack and prodded Parker again.

*****

For a moment after he awoke, Cedric Giles looked about himself, disoriented. Where the hell was he? Oh, yes. Rupert's flat. He pulled himself out of the chair in which he'd slept with some difficulty. A glance up to the sleeping loft made it clear that neither Rupert nor his Slayer had returned in the night.

Cedric limped out to the kitchenette and rummaged for tea. He knew if nothing else English remained about his son, there would be good tea on hand. He was shocked to find Earl Gray teabags on the premises.

Earl Gray!

Teabags!

That was exactly the sort of slackness that led to a Watcher trying to marry his own Slayer.

With a snort of disgust, Cedric returned to the living room and settled himself back into the chair, his mouth set in a grimly determined line.

This nonsense must end.

*****

When Buffy awoke, Giles was there next to her, holding her hand as he had done almost non stop since she had been injured. She smiled when she realized he was still asleep.

After a moment, she became aware that someone else was in the room.

"Mom? Hey. What are you doing here this early? I won't be sprung for at least a few hours."

Joyce sat in a chair next to the bed. She seemed uncertain how to start.

"I know, Honey. I just wanted to stop by in case I couldn't be here later on. You know those headaches I've been having?"

"Yeah. You said they were getting better."

"I didn't want to worry you. You've got so much to deal with already. And the doctor kept saying it was all in my head - which I don't think he meant as a pun. Anyway, I finally saw someone else and he wants me to have a CAT scan. I'll be checking in for it in a little while."

"CAT scan?"

"It's just a precaution. And since they haven't found anything yet, the doctor thinks that if they do find something it will be early enough that it can be dealt with easily. Really, I'm lucky. If I hadn't had that fainting spell I might have waited longer. This way, it'll all be taken care of before anything can get out of hand."

"Are you trying to convince me or you?"

Joyce smiled tightly. "Probably a little of both. I'm sure it will be fine, Buffy. Don't worry about me. If you want someone to worry about, I suggest you concentrate on that baby of yours. Start practicing now so you can be an expert before it's here."

Buffy reached out her free hand to her mother.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Buffy. Don't worry. Everything's going to be just fine."

Joyce brushed back her daughter's hair from her face.

"It's going to be just fine."

*****

Harmony couldn't sleep. She paced the confines of the crypt, her eyes never wavering from the bed where Spike lay asleep. He'd been mean to her and her sweet Parker. There had to be a way to get even with him.

And poor Pu- Parker! His name is Parker!-all bruised and made up. Her precious baby was suffering. No mother could allow that.

As she watched Spike roll over in his sleep, she got an idea.

Sweet revenge.

*****

The doctor straightened as he finished his examination. He shook his head, but smiled.

"It's amazing. I've never seen anyone recover so quickly from abdominal surgery."

"So I'm all better now, right? I can go home today?"

"Yes you can. Of course, you will have to remain on bedrest as I told you yesterday. And when I say bedrest, I mean quiet bedrest. You and your husband will have to suspend...activities for a while."

"Activities?"

"The kind that got you pregnant in the first place."

"Oh." Buffy blushed. Then she frowned slightly. "How long? Until we can...y'know...again?"

"Barring complications, you should be able to resume a normal life in a few weeks."

"A normal life? What's one of those?"

*****

Once he knew Buffy would be coming home, Giles became a whirlwind of activity. He gathered as many Scoobies as he could to come help set up the flat for Buffy's homecoming. Since Anya had to watch the shop, Tara had class that morning and Angel couldn't come out in the daylight, he was left with Xander, Willow, Cordelia and Wesley to help out.

"Right, you all know what to do. We haven't much time. I'll be going back to pick Buffy up in about two hours time, so we'll have to..." He stopped dead in his tracks. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Cedric Giles stood and faced his son.

"And where have you been for the past two days? Who are all these...people, anyway?"

He waved his cane at the assembled Scoobies. Giles folded his arms across his chest.

"They're friends of mine and Buffy's."

"Giles? Who is this guy? 'Cause with all the tweed, I'm thinkin' evil Watcher up to no good." Xander moved to stand in front of Willow.

Giles sighed and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck.

"Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Wesley, this is Cedric Giles."

"Giles?" Willow's eyes went wide. "Like you're Giles, Giles?"

"Ah yes, I've heard of you, Mr. Giles. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce."

"Ah yes, the one who managed to lose two Slayers. One to darkness, and one to rebellion. Your reputation precedes you, sir."

"Hey that wasn't his fault! Faith was already a psycho and Buffy is...well, she's not good at taking orders. But Wesley did everything by the book." Cordelia's eyes flashed with anger.

"A book, I might add, that very nearly got us all killed. Strangely enough, Buffy's way is far more effective, I find." Wesley looked steadily at the old man.

"Okay, so we know he's a Watcher and we know he's got the same name as Giles, but who is this guy already?" Xander merely waited on the word to attack.

"He's Giles' father, Xand. Right, Giles?"


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