Chapter 5

Giles was sitting on a chair he had put back right side up and dusted off as best he could. When he saw Buffy walk out he started to get up, but she waved him back down as she picked up another chair and set it down next to him. "How did you know?" Buffy asked.

"About Willow? A coven in Devon told me. They sensed a massive force, powered by rage and grief, rising in Sunnydale. I had so hoped it wasn't…, or that I might've been able to do something… Buffy, what's happened since I went away?"

Buffy wrapped her arms around herself. When it became clear she didn't know where to start he gave her a gentle prod. "Willow's been abusing magic, obviously."

"No. She hasn't. At least I… I thought she was fine after you left. Wait, not what I meant," she said when she realized what it sounded like. Giles just nodded patiently and waited for her to continue. "She told us she'd cut down on spells. And she started dating Amy, who was a real girl again."

"What about Tara?"

"They broke up the night you went back to England. Willow made Tara forget an argument about magic they had. I should have been there for them, but I was too caught up in my own life."

"You were trying to adjust. No one blames you."

"Willow did. At least that's what she told me. She said I hated her because she brought me back." Buffy shivered and tucked her legs up. "I think, she might have been right."

"Nonsense," Giles said. "You don't have it in you to hate, Buffy." When Buffy didn't answer Giles put his arm around her. "Tara, Anya and Xander participated in the spell as well, and you don't hate them. As a matter of fact, Anya was particularly frantic after…" Then he sighed and seemed to age ten years. "If you hate anyone it should be me."

Buffy looked up at him in surprise. "What, why?"

Giles looked around the ruined hospital. "I never should have left. If I'd stayed…"

"No, you were right to go. I – we needed to grow up. We were depending on you too much. You have a right to your own life too."

Giles leaned his head back and chuckled without the slightest hint of a humor. "The only thing that felt like home in England was the demons."

"It couldn't have been…"

"It was. But most of my old friends had moved on, and the other watchers were ponces. It was were I grew up, but it wasn't home."

Buffy put her hand on Giles' arm. "Well, you don't have to go again."

Giles shook his head. "I'm not needed here."

Buffy jumped up in her seat. "What?"

"It was clear even before we fought Glory. You don't need me as a Watcher."

Buffy wrapped her arms around him and pulled him towards her. "Maybe not as a Watcher, but don't ever think I don't need you. You have no idea how much I've missed you, how many things I wanted to say to you. I had to remind myself everyday you were gone."

"I'm so sorry." Giles patted her back as she cried into his shoulder. When they finally pulled apart he smiled and added, "I guess the contacts don't help me see as well as I thought."

Buffy giggled as she wiped her eyes. "But it makes you look more rugged. Like a cowboy."

"A cowboy? Blast," Giles muttered, but the corners of his mouth lifted just a fraction in pleasure at the thought. Then he leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair. "What else have I missed? How was the wedding? I hope they liked the flowers."

"They were lovely," Buffy assured him. "But they didn't get married."

"What, why not?"

"One of the guys Anya cursed came back for revenge. He showed Xander a nightmare view of their future and Xander called it off."

Giles frowned as he thought back to what he saw in the hospital room. "I would've thought they'd be at each others throats now. You must've been…"

Buffy took a deep breath and just jumped in. "The three of us are together now."

Giles paused and reached up to polish his missing glasses, only to grimace when he realized they weren't there. "Pardon?"

"Xander, Anya and I. We're together now."

Giles reached for his missing glasses again. "Blasted contacts," he muttered before he finally met Buffy's worried eyes. "I do believe that that's illegal in this country. In most countries as a matter of fact."

"So's breaking into an armory and stealing bazookas. Or blowing up schools. Or breaking into secret government instillations."

"True," Giles said with a patently British smile. "You better be sure, Buffy."

"I am."

Giles sighed and leaned back. "Then follow your heart. You've earned that much at the very least."

"Really?" Buffy said in surprise.

"I'm not your father, Buffy, and you're not a child anymore. I'm not going to wag my finger and tell you no."

"You're more of one than the real deal."

"And for that I'm truly sorry."

There was a commotion down the hallway and they watched as a group of orderlies pushed gurney after gurney down the hallway. "What're they doing?"

"They're evacuating the patients to Santa Dominica Hospital. A couple of chaps stopped by a few minutes ago for Xander and Anya, but I managed to buy you a few minutes."

"Thank you."

"You're more than welcome," Giles said. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Now Buffy was the one who looked guilty. "I wasn't sure how you'd react. After all, you are British."

Giles chuckled. "Well, you have to remember we sent the truly stuffy lot over here." Then he saw her confused stare and explained, "The Puritans. A dreadful bunch, terrible bores."

"Ah. Fire bad, trees pretty."

"I'll try to remember that. I take it that that was the big news?"

"Well, not really," Buffy said as she shuffled her feet on the dirty floor.

Giles cocked his eyebrow at her in curiosity and a touch of fear. "Then what is it?"

"Willow stole my slayer powers…"

Giles frowned. "I doubt that, but I'll check the books to make sure…"

"… and I think I'm pregnant."

"…"

The hospital staff finally figured out that they had extra visitors soon after and chased everyone out. Tara and Spike went back to his crypt, where she had all the supplies she needed to heal his injuries. Giles was transported back by to England by the Coven so he could pack his few belongings for the trip back to Sunnydale.

It was well after midnight when Buffy and Dawn finally got home. Buffy opened the front door and ducked under the police tape. Neither girl said a word as they looked around the nearly black living room. The floor was a mess of dried mud, a gift from the police who had walked in and out of the house looking for evidence, but the book Dawn had left on the table was still sitting there like nothing had happened. It almost felt like they'd gotten into the wrong house after the light and life that had filled it just that morning.

Buffy walked through the house with all the emotion of a robot as went to the back door. Dawn followed two steps behind her sister and tried not to look around, afraid of what else might have changed. Buffy opened the door and stepped out onto the porch while Dawn flipped on the outside light. Buffy was about to walk down the steps when Dawn grabbed her arm.

"What?" Buffy asked, her voice heavy as she looked down at the dark stain in the grass. She could almost see Xander and Anya still lying next to each other and she had to go to convince herself...

Dawn didn't answer, she just pointed down to the dried blood Buffy was about to step into. Buffy stiffened and turned away as Dawn wrapped her arms around herself and shivered in the warm night.

"I can't stay here, Buffy."

Buffy looked around the backyard and nodded. "Pack your things. We'll go home until we can clean this place up."

"Home?"

It took Buffy a moment to figure out what the problem as. "The apartment. Xander and Anya won't mind." Dawn just nodded and all but ran back inside the house. Buffy stayed a moment longer to look around, and then she followed her sister in.

The doctors kept Xander and Anya in the hospital for another two days for observation. For some reason they didn't believe in or trust magical cures. It turned out that Willow had fixed almost everything. It was almost enough to make Buffy believe that she had tried her best to help her friends. Almost, but not enough. She could still hear Anya hacking for air.

"She should have been there," Anya was saying to Xander as they walked down the hall to their apartment.

"Tara said she was fine," Xander said, but he didn't convince himself anymore than he did Anya. Finally he shook his head. "If Giles doesn't find her at the Box we'll go look ourselves," he said as he unlocked the door and they walked in.

"Look for what?" Buffy asked as she pushed herself off of the back of the couch and smoothed out her white with a pale pink print sundress.

Xander ran over and scooped her up in a bear hug. "Where were you?"

"Here. Everything… going… black," Buffy gasped in his ear.

Xander blushed and let her go. Buffy got a half a breath in before Anya got her. "You had us worried sick."

"Sorry about that, but I had to get everything ready," Buffy said.

"What?" Xander asked as he looked around and finally took in his house. Every available flat surface had a candle burning on it, and together they became a hundred little stars lighting the room. Then he turned and saw the big turkey dinner sitting at the table, which was set for three with crystal he knew they didn't have yesterday. "Is all this for us?"

"Well, kinda. I think you're going to want to sit down," Buffy said as she lead them over to the couch and sat down in a chair in front of them. Then she took a deep breath before she finally told them the news that she'd been dying to let loose. "I'm pregnant."

Xander and Anya almost jumped out of their skins. "What?" They shouted together, and followed with, "How?"

Buffy looked down and patted her stomach as she wondered for the first time how much longer it would be this flat. "When we were fighting… Well, long story short I saw mom and Cordy. Mom's the one who told me. And I went to a doctor yesterday and he confirmed it."

"I think I might need the long version." Xander blinked furiously as he tried to wrap his mind around it, but it was too much after the past few weeks. "But how?"

Buffy smiled coyly. "How do you think?"

"Then when?" Anya added.

"Our first night together. Or maybe that morning, I can't tell."

"But," Xander stuttered.

"You didn't have any protection?" Anya said. The look of wonder in her eyes completely undercut the scold in her voice.

Buffy grinned. "Well, I wasn't with anyone for a year, not including the time I was dead, so it wasn't like I was on the pill. And you two didn't have anything with you."

Now Xander really looked uncomfortable. "Anya is, and that night kind of came out of nowhere."

"I know. Trust me, no finger pointing here," Buffy said patted his knee. "Anyway, that's why I've been sick so much lately. Or at least I think it is. It could still be that awful cereal."

"We're going to have a baby," Anya whispered as she reached over and touched Buffy's stomach in awe.

Buffy grinned as she wrapped her hand over Anya's. "You can't feel anything yet."

Xander grinned back. "I don't know. You are on the skinny side."

"Just for that, you can sleep on the couch, mister."

Xander sighed. "Such is my lot in life." But then he leaned over and kissed Buffy, who was more than happy to reciprocate.

Anya ignored them. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a little early yet, hon," Xander began.

"Mom says it's a girl," Buffy interrupted.

"I don't suppose she told you any lottery numbers?"

"Sorry, no."

"How about Joyce?" Anya said suddenly. Her two lovers turned to stare and she added. "For the baby's name?"

Buffy shook her head and winced. Seeing her mom one last time had helped so much, but, "No, it's still too soon."

"Then what about Jessica?" Xander said and looked down. "For Jessie."

"Jessica Harris," Anya said.

Now Xander was the one shaking his head. "No, no more Harrisses. I think the world's suffered enough."

Anya shrugged. "I'm not like I'm attached to my name, so that'd be silly. What about Summers?"

"Jessica Summers," Buffy tasted the name, then she grinned. "I like it."

She looked up and caught their eyes and the three of them began giggling madly as they got up and danced in each other's arms.

Back at his apartment in England, Giles sat at his rickety dining room table, a cold cup of tea sitting forgotten by his hand, as he read from the Codex and tried to keep the worried look out of his eyes.

End.