Things that go bump in the night

~One Month Later~



Horus lay on the couch with Asher sprawled out on top of him, snoring softly. There had still been no sign of his vampire mother. He felt guilty over what leaving Raya would do, he knew what it had meant to her, to all of three of them to be together. But he knew he would do what it took to save his son and he knew his mother was right.



Turning to switch a channel on the TV, ignoring the protests from all the girls on the floor including Andrew, he sighed and turned it back. Carefully standing up he cradled Asher and carried him downstairs into there room, carefully stepping over the girls that had already bedded down for the night.



This fight would be a noble fight, one he wished he could be in. But his wishes paled in comparisons to the needs of his pack. Kissing the boys cheek he turned and went back upstairs to join Giles for a ‘night cap’…he enjoyed the older mans company. Found him to be a wise and good man.



********



“Dammit what am I missing? Why wont this fucking work?!?” Yakumut turned angrily to the vampires that were kneeling before her. Pulling her hair into a tight pony tail she picked up the parchments and several vials, striding over to the shaman she kicked him onto his back. Planting her foot onto his chest she glared down at him.



“Do you know why I let you live shaman? It is because you are the only one that can read this damn incantation. If you get it right ill let you live, if not…well you know how it goes.” Digging her heal into his chest until he winced she threw the parchments and vials onto the table and strode back to the main table.



“Mistress, why do we need the incantation? We know where the wolf is, why can’t we just take her?” Yakumut turned to the insolent vampire that had asked that.



“Because, if I thought for a moment that any of you COULD take her I would send you. But she is strong, and what’s worse she lives with slayers and a powerful witch. And her blood won’t work. We need the boy, he isn’t a skin-walker yet and until he reaches puberty his abilities are easily influenced, the only way to get rid of that bitch is through the boy…do you understand?” When the young vampire nodded she turned and went back to work with her men, working to decipher the words in the books and parchments spread out before her.



********



Faith watched her mate nervously as she steered the car further up the bluff. Why Raya wanted to come here she didn’t know but whatever it was it had the Wolf all but sweating from the nerves. When they pulled up and parked Raya got out and opened her door for Faith, partly because she was pregnant and partly because thanks to Giles she had developed a love for old movies and now had the chivalrous gentlemen thing down pat.

They walked to the edge and looked down at the lights below them; Raya took Faiths hand in her own and smiled at her.



‘Okay something’s up.’ Faith studied her lover out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure what the wolf had planned or why they were here but she knew she would get around to it eventually.



So when Raya whispered her name and knelt down before her, Faith felt as though time froze. She wasn’t all that surprised…ok she was. But shit she wasn’t expecting this because she knew Raya already felt they were married and it had never been a big deal and that was when she realized that it was the perfect thing for them to do.



“Faith, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Because you have become my life. You and this child have made me happier than any woman on this earth. Because of finding you I have my son back, and a whole family but most of all…because of you I have the other half of my heart” Faith smiled, ok she sooo heard that last bit in an old movie but who cares “ Faith Lehane, will you marry me?”



Raya knelt there nervously, the gravel was biting into her knee and damned if she didn’t feel like her heart was going to explode in any moment from the anxiety so when Faith whispered yes and kissed her she thought she would die from happiness.



*******

~Two Weeks later~



Raya sat on the computer; the downstairs was empty except for a couple potentials bent against sleep in the kitchen. Looking intently at the screen, she read the information it pulled up on Egypt. Part of her was so happy to see how far it had come and how long it had reigned. The other part was saddened to see what it had become today.

Switching windows she pulled up a site detailing the different traditions and customs that went along with marriage and the wedding ceremony. A lot of it seemed to be drawn out and a bit archaic but it was tradition and sometimes that in itself was important.



Looking up when she smelled Dawn coming down the stairs before she heard her she smiled at the young girl. Dawn smiled back wearily and came and sat down beside her.



“What are you doing up still?” Dawn rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.



“Faith wasn’t feeling well and the baby keeps catching its foot between her ribs, so I took her a hot pack and i'm down here finishing up some research. Raya had learned to dread that word were it ever to pass from Giles or Buffy’s lips because then it meant hours upon hours of reading documents in Persian or Babylonian which she honestly wasn’t proficient in anymore.



“Mmm…whatcha looking at?” Dawn asked curiously when she saw the bridal icon on the corner of the screen. She knew what Raya had done and she knew the two wanted to keep it quiet for now…but honestly didn’t the woman know Anya couldn’t keep a secret?



“I’m looking at different customs that go with your humans mating traditions. I do not wish to offend anyone.” Dawn didn’t feel like telling her that a lot of the romance and ‘tradition’ had been burned out of most marriages these days but that thought stopped her in her tracks….ok…’evil’ plan in the works here…grinning she knew it would be so easy. And at the moment she did not care one iota.



“Hey Raya…you want to know a REALLY important tradition?” She smiled when she saw Raya’s ears perk up in interest. ‘God this was going to be so bad yet so easy’. “Its tradition to withhold from sex until your wedding night.”



Raya’s eyes widened comically.” Truly? Why has no one told me this?”



“Well…because its not a very much talked about tradition. You know how weird we humans can get about sex and all.” Dawn had to stop herself from nearly jumping up and down in glee when Raya nodded in agreement. Okay it WAS a little mean that she had all but killed there sex-lives for the near future but she didn’t really think they would hold out. But god did she ever need some sleep instead of waking up almost every night at the sounds of them going at it.



“Okay Raya goodnight.” Raya noticed the sudden change in Dawns behavior and chalked it up to her being able to help Raya with this interesting information. Deciding that there had been enough research for het night she went upstairs to her room and carefully laid down behind her mate. Resting one hand on Faiths protruding stomach, she knew she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That would never change no matter how much the world seemed too.



*********

The next morning as Andrew was busily showing the potentials what he had managed to pull together from the abandoned grocery store when they all jumped when they heard a shrill cry from upstairs that sounded suspiciously like Dawns name.



‘FUCK’ was the only clear thought going through Dawns head when she dropped the box of Cheese Nips and made a beeline for the backdoor as a very pregnant and pissed Faith waddled as fast as she could down the stairs to kill a certain Summers sister.

With murder in her eyes Andrew was the only one smart enough to point her towards where Dawn had run off too.



Everyone in the room went to the window cramming to get a good look outside as they watched Faith try to catch Dawn who not being pregnant could run and move easier but when Faith eventually pulled off her flip flop and threw it directly at Dawns head they watched her go down to the ground and as Faith made her way over towards the prone girl Buffy decided the fun was over and went outside to hold Faith off as Raya shoved her way through the crowd.



“FAITH…baby calm down.” Raya wrapped her arms around her mate and held her off until she calmed.



“That whole no sex thing is soo not a good idea baby. Please let’s just forgo that one.” Faith had finally had the chance to have sex with Raya for the first time in days because she finally felt like she had enough energy and Raya wasn’t running off doing God knows what and Dawn just had to open her mouth.



“No Faith, I agree it will not be easy but I see many good things about it. It will make that night much more special” Raya knew she wasn’t going to give up on this one.



“Dammit why did you have to get sucked into the fucking twenty-first century mentality? I mean fuck where’s that caveman persona you had when you first got here dammit” This just wasn’t her morning she decided.



Turning she waddled into the house with as much decorum as she could muster.

Raya shook her head and helped Dawn to her feet before heading in herself, she opted to make Faith something to eat, both giving her time to cool down and feeding her. Lately the only thing that seemed to make her happy.



After she managed to make three turkey sandwiches and steal the last of Andrews hot pockets she went into the living room and let Faith stand up long enough for her to get comfortable so Faith could lean against her chest.



Once Faith had finished eating they sat there in silence for a long while. Raya’s hands rested on Faiths stomach, they both would gasp whenever the baby would kick. It was almost time. She knew this baby was developing fast and thanks to Willow they knew why. It seemed that Faiths slayer healing was somehow advancing the babies development quickly. They had already discussed the differences between this child and a human child. The baby would be born full Skin-Walker because it seemed that there gene pattern (Raya wasn’t sure what that was for sure but hadn’t want to seem stupid she went along) was very strong and dominated over other genes. This explained why she was full even though her father was human.



She wanted so much for the baby to be here. Faith wouldn’t let Willow tell her what the gender was only that it was strong and healthy. Once all this mess with the First was over and with Yakumut she planned on taking Faith on a vacation.



TBC



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