Things that go bump in the night

Horus followed the rest of the girls as they followed Buffy into the house. Tonight had been a rough night. They had tracked down a man called Caleb and the man was obviously possessed by the First. They had lost a few good potentials and the one called Xander had been injured.



They had left Giles with him in the hospital, and he planned on going back there with Buffy later that night. Walking into the house he immediately searched out Asher, he knew the boy wouldn’t be asleep until he had returned. They had had a fight over this numerous times but he had finally just decided it would be better to let the boy have his way.



Finding him sitting at the dining room table playing cards with Andrew, Horus went to him and told him to say ‘goodnight’ and come to bed. Standing Horus felt himself observing the boy closely. There were times when he was taken by surprise at how much his son had grown. Asher had grown at least five inches since they had come to stay here. He was lankier and his body was putting on more muscle and he was loosing the soft look that children had. His left arm was smaller than his right because it was still healing from when he had broken it. Once he ascended his healing properties would all but triple and bones breaking would no longer be much of an issue.



“Dad, where’s Xander?” Asher looked around and didn’t see the tall man; he had been looking forward to reading more comics with the man.



“He was hurt.” When Andrew looked about to say something Horus shot him a silencing look “He will be fine.” Asher studied him closely. ‘Gods he looked like Raya’



“What did he hurt?” Asher knew his father wouldn’t lie to him. Since coming here they he had sworn not to keep anything from him.



“His eye…the one called Caleb tore it out.” Horus watched as his son paled. The two had become friends in a way. Xander doted on Asher the same way he did Dawn.



“But hell be okay?” Asher sometimes forgot that they were the ones that were different here. Those humans couldn’t heal the way he could.



“Yes. Well go see him tomorrow. But I am tired and you have the beginning of your ascension tomorrow so we must go to bed.” Nodding mutely the young Skin-Walker followed his father as they went into the basement and lay down on the large bed.



***********



Spike stood in the shadows of the dining room as the next morning Buffy sat with Willow, Giles, Raya, Anya and Horus going over the latest plan. The mood was downright depressing. Everyone was still reeling from the news that Xander had lost his eye.



Sighing Spike looked out the window, wincing at the suns brightness. Faith was sitting in a chair while Asher was showing off some new move that Buffy had shown him. He had to admit the kid was cute. He was incredibly mature for his age and acted a lot like the adults around him but there were times like this when he would act his age.



Turning when he heard the subject change from there food inventory he looked across the table. This battle had taken its toll on everyone, there faces were long and there was exhaustion to all of them.



“Raya Will brought something to my attention yesterday. What would happen to Faith were you to die in this battle?” Buffy looked across the table as the two wolves looked at eachother and looked back at her.



“What do you mean Buffy?” Raya was confused. Why was this being discussed? They had more important things to talk about. Ashers safety, how they were going to deliver Faiths baby and the First. What did this have to do with anything?



“With the two of you already mates, will she die if you die?” Buffy was tired. On top of everything that had been going on this had come up and it wouldn’t do anyone any good to lose Raya and Faith simultaneously.



“Yes, its said that that is how it goes. But I have never seen anything to believe it to be true.” Raya believed that legend to be a myth. If it were true there was nothing she could do to stop it.



“Alright. Just to be safe, I don’t want either of you to put yourselves in harms way. More so now because there’s going to be a war…soon.”



********



That night Faith lay down to bed, praying the cramps she felt would fade away. They had been bothering her all day. She looked up at Raya, watching her as her lover readied herself for bed.



Since she had decided the no sex thing the wolf had taken to wearing boxers and a t-shirt to bed. Climbing in comfortably she curled around Faith. Resting her hand on her stomach, smiling at the subtle kicks she felt.



“He sure is active today.” Raya kissed Faiths shoulder and looked down at her concerned when she saw Faith twitch, as if in pain.



“Are you alright baby?”



“Yeah, its just some cramps.” When Raya asked her to describe them she didn’t expect the woman to jump out of bed and race out of the room, coming back moments later with Vikki, a potential that had worked in a Vets office before she came here. ‘Great, she brings me a kid that knows how to birth cattle’ Faith rolled over and answered the questions that Vikki asked her. When Vikki asked to look ‘down there’ Faith just looked at the girl like she was stupid until Raya asked her to do what the girl asked.



After a few minutes of uncomfortable probing Vikki announced that Faith was in the early stages of labor. Raya helped Faith up carefully helping her down the stairs and into the dining room. Since the hospital had been cleared out there were no longer any doctors in Sunnydale. Xander had caught the last one before he to left as soon as Giles went to retrieve him.



For the next few hours, the initial interest had worn off and the potentials were now all in the living room trying to sleep. Finally when Faiths water broke and the contractions began to come faster and faster until they felt like they were no longer separate Raya and Buffy helped Faith to lie down on the table. As Vikki and Horus waited as Faith began to push. Raya took her hand and got up onto the table to support Faith, letting her mate lean back against her.



~Three Hours Later~



“FFUUCK….GET HIM OUT OF ME!!!” Faith screamed again as another contraction hit her and she gripped Raya’s ankles again. Raya winced when her nails dug into skin but she didn’t stop whispering comforts into Faiths ear until Faith told her to “Shut the fuck up”



“We have the head, okay Faith your doing great, a couple more pushes and you’ll have your baby” Vikki looked to Horus in excitement. ‘God this is so much better than birthing colts’ she thought as she watched the shoulders push through and finally the baby slipped out.



Faith panted looking down as Horus cut the umbilical cord and Vikki wrapped the small screaming child in a blanket and walked over to Raya and Faith. Holding the baby out as Faith took it and cradled it to her chest she opened the blanket, ignoring the screams of protest.



‘A girl, I have a beautiful baby girl.’ Smiling when she heard Ray’s gasp She looked up to her lover who only had eyes for there daughter.



“She’s so beautiful.” Raya hoarsely whispered, gently running her finger over the screaming little angel. “She has your nose…and hair.” Raya studied the baby, she was a long baby, with a head full of dark tufts of hair, the tiny pointed ears and she could see two lone canines protruding from her otherwise bare gums. Ten fingers, ten toes, absolutely perfect.



*********



Faith looked down at her sleeping daughter. They were back in there room and had finally gotten rid of the last of the well-wishers. The baby had stopped screaming and she had just been fed. Faith already felt her slayer healing taking care of the damage that had been done during the birth. She studied her daughter as Raya came and knelt beside her on the bed.



The baby looked intently at the both of them, smiling at the bright blue eyes that looked up at her. ‘Where did she get blue eyes?’



“Ray, where do you think she got those blue eyes?” Raya thought for a moment and looked down at them more closely.



“My mother I suspect. She was from Britannia, she had eyes as blue as the sea. They look just like I remember hers being.” Raya smiled as the baby snorted and nodded off. No one ever told you how much noise newborns make. It was adorable all the same.



“What do you want to name her?” Faith asked. They hadn’t really talked about girl names.



“Skylar…for her eyes.” Raya looked at Faith, pleased when Faith seemed to like it. “Skylar Talsen Lehane.”



TBC



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