Dreams

10 hours later, Spike walked out of the private surgery a chip free vampire, still undecided about how he felt about it he decided the best thing would be to talk it over with Buffy. He turned and headed back to the hotel.

The hotel was looked like a bomb had hit it, and there was no one in sight, well if you didn’t count the dead bodies laying about the floor. Spike scanned the room, his eye’s coming to rest on the cage. A growl erupted from his mouth as he flew out of thers. rs. He didn’t know where he was going but he knew that if the council had laid one finger on Buffy he would hunt them down and kill the lot of them.

A few blocks later he stopped. He needed to think, closing his eye’s he tried to get a sense on Angel, Angel wasn’t his sire but they had a blood connection. It was faint but it was there, he took of in that direction.

Spike spotted Cordelia first, at the opening of an alley. As he rushed to her he saw Angel coming out of the alley holding a baby wrapped in his coat.

“Cordy, what’s going on? Where’s Buffy, is she okay? And what’s that?” Spike barked out the questions, gesturing to Angel.

“It’s my son.” Angel said simply.

“Spike, Buffy’s in the hospital, she went into labour. We left Gunn with her.” Cordy knew that Spike wouldn’t get any sense out of Angel at the moment.

“But it’s too soon; she’s not due for another couple of months.” Spike answered stupidly as if it would make it not true.

“It was a whole thing with Darla; she went into labour and pulled Buffy along for the ride.” Cordy explained.

Spike stood staring at her for a moment then asked.

“Where’s Darla?”

“She didn’t make it; she couldn’t have the baby so she staked herself so the baby could be born.” Cordy answered sadly.

“Buffy’s in the hospital.” Spike said again.

Cordy shook her head. What was it with Vampires and their children?

“Come on wonder boy, we have to go anyway to get the baby checked out.” Cordy guided both of the vampires to the car.

“Buffy. Hospital.” Spike said for the third time. Angel just held up his son and smiled.

As they pulled up to the hospital Spike seemed to have regained some of his senses. He jumped out of the car and ran in through the entrance. He skidded to a halt at the front desk.

“Buffy, baby, where?” He gasped.

The receptionist smiled at him, understanding that he must be a new father.

“Second floor, left corridor.” She smiled again as the young manhed hed of to the stairs.

Spike made it up to the delivery and was met by Gunn.

“Where is she?” Spike barked out again.

“Man, I don’t think things are going to well, they wont answer any questions and there seems to be a lot of Doctors coming in and out of her room.” Gunn said seriously.

At that moment a shout came from the room opposite. Spike rushed to the room only to be stopped by to nurses as he opened the door.

“I’m sorry sir, you can’t come in here.” One nurse said while trying to hold him back.

“Like hell I can’t, that’s my woman and my baby.” Spike growled.

At this Buffy saw Spike at the door.

“Spike! Please, Spike.” She sounded exhausted.

At the commotion, the doctor came over.

“Sir, you can’t come in here, this is very…..” The doctor broke of as Spike interrupted him.

“I’m coming in now or do I have to eat someone?” With that Spike flashed his fangs at the doctor.

The doctor backed up immediately. “Let him in.”

Spike rushed to Buffy’s side.

“Baby, what happened, are you ok?” He kissed her forehead and wiped her sweat soaked hair out of her face.

bab baby’s coming Spike and it’s too soon, the doctors are trying to stop the contractions, but they keep coming back.” Buffy sobbed as she gripped Spikes arm.

“Ok Miss. Winters, we have given you another shot and hopefully that will slow down the labour, but I think you have to prepare yourself that the baby is probably going to come sooner rather than later.” The doctor informed her.

Buffy sobbed again. “Is my baby going to die?”

Spike wanted to kill him just for mentioning it to her. He scowled at the doctor who took a step back.

“Miss Winters, babies born this prematurely do have a good chance at survival. We have the best Neo natal unit in LA, and I can assure you that we will do everything we can.” The doctor added hastily.

“Right well I’ll leave you and you’re… husband alone for a while. Should you need anything, just press your button.” And with that he quickly gathered up the nurses and they left the room.

Buffy started to shake as the tears rolled down her face. Spike slid onto the side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

“Please let the labour stop.” Buffy whispered and Spike realized she was praying.

“Buffy luv, the doctor has pretty much said that he doesn’t think that the labour will stop, so we have to deal with that. The baby is coming.” Spike wanted to comfort her but he knew that they had to be realistic about it.

“But she’ll die. At least if she stays inside me she has a chance,’s a’s alive now Spike, I can feel her moving. But what about when she comes out, it’s too soon, she’s going to be so tiny, and she won’t even have a chance.” By this time the tears were still rolling but Buffy barely noticed them.

“Buffy listenme. me. She is not going to die. The doctor said that she has a good chance and she’ll be a strong baby, she has to be, you’re her mum.” Spike felt a tear roll down his own cheek, he felt so helpless.

“Try and rest for a bit pet, save your energy, Miss Winters.”

Buffy smiled a little, “Dodging the council.”

Spike smoothed her hair away from her face and whispered comforts to her. As Buffy dozed, Spike began to pray, but not to God, instead he prayed to Lillis.

A shimmer appeared at the foot of the bed and it solidified into the form of Lillis.

“Please help.” Spike pleaded.

“Spike you misunderstand my power. I have no say over who lives and who dies.” She explained gently.

“But you gave us this child; you can’t just let them take it away from us.”

“Spike I am not the powers that be, I am not even from this world. There is nothing I can do. But I will bless your union and your unborn child if you will allow it.” Lillis’ heart went out to the vampire and slayer before her and she wished dearly she could offer some help.

Spike nodded, and she approached the side of the bed. She raised her hands and they began to glow. She spoke rapidly in what spike assumed was her own language.

Spike relaxed somewhat as he felt a feeling of love surround him, he heard a sigh from Buffy and knew that she felt it to. He closed his eyes and when he opened them Lillis was gone.

Buffy awoke as a contraction pulled her stomach taut. They had come back and it seemed with a vengeance this time.

“Buffy love it’s going to be fine.” Spike pressed the button to get someone’s attention. A few moments later the doctor and a nurse entered the room.

After the doctor had examined her, he spoke.

“Well Miss Winters, this is the real thing, although your contractions stopped for a while, you’ve continued to dilate. You’re at about seven centimetres already. This baby wants to be born, and there’s not much we can do to stop it, we’ll prepare to room and have everyone stand by. The nurse is going to stay with you now, and we’re going to attach a heart monitor to the baby so we can see how it is through thrth rth okay?”

Buffy nodded mutely. There wasn’t much she could do about it, and the baby was coming.

Spike watched as she visibly pulled herself together. She pulled herself to sit up in the bed and brushed her own hair off her face.

“Is there anything you want me to do love?” Spike asked.

“Just be here and your doing that already.” Buffy offered him a smile.

The nurse wheeled over a heart monitor and wrapped the straps around Buffy’s back and over her bump. As soon as she switched it on the sound of a rapid little heart beat filled the room and Buffy beamed.

“See I told you she was strong.” Spike whispered before kissing her temple.

“Now Buffy, what about pain relief, we need to do something now if you want to before it’s too late.” The nurse smiled at her.

“It can affect the baby can’t it?” At the nurses nod Buffy shook her head. She had been beaten bloody many times before, she would cope. She was determined to give her baby the best chance possible.

Buffy’s face dropped a little as another nurse wheeled a little incubator into the room. Spike noticed immediately.

“Better safe than sorry love, give her the best chance.” He picked up Buffy’s hand and held it in his own.

Buffy marvelled at his thoughts travelling in the same direction that hers were.

About an hour later and the room was full of hospital staff, the doctor examined Buffy one last time and announced that she was ready to push.

A look of panic swept through Buffy’s eyes as the reality set in but Spike whispered to her.

“Come on then love, I’d like to meet my daughter.” He gave her a quick kiss.

“Okay Buffy when the next contraction comes I want you to push with it okay? A nice big push, hold it for ten then breathe ok?” The midwife smiled at Buffy as she nodded.

“…and on 3. 1..2..3, good, push Buffy.”

“That’s it luv, you can do it.”

“And push again Buffy”

Buffy lost track of everyone speaking to her.

“Okay and that’s the head out, one last push and it will all be over, and push.” The doctor crouched at the other end of the bed.

“You have a beautiful baby girl.” The doctor announced as he whipped the baby off to the other side of the room to the equipment that was waiting.

Buffy slumped back on the bed and looked at Spike. Tears were streaming down his face, a couple of the nurses were staring, Buffy supposed it was because the tears were tinged with blood.

She reached up and wiped his cheeks.

“Is she ok, can you see her?” Buffy asked anxiously.

A cry sounded through the room and Spike beamed at her.

“She’s beautiful, just like you.”