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Giles winced in sympathy as he listened to the retching in the bathroom, looking concerned when Erin finally emerged, her eyes slightly glassy.
"Are you still ill?"
Erin rolled her eyes, looking a little frustrated, "My stomach's unsettled, that's all, Uncle. I'm going to have to kill Willy if I find out he's the reason I'm getting sick."
Giles shook his head as she shuffled back into her bedroom to lay down and wait for the nausea that had plagued her every morning for a week to disappear.
Erin sighed as she looked around the college campus, hopelessly lost yet again. She had only been there a few times and she could never remember where Buffy and Willow's dorm room was.
She saw Riley Finn walking towards her, and sighed in relief. At least in the process of finding Buffy, she could do a little good and get him talking to Buffy. She's so gone on him...Erin thought fondly, getting his attention.
He lifted his head in surprise, nearly tripping on his own big feet, and Erin laughed softly, arching an eyebrow, "Hi..."
"Um...hi," He glanced around as if trying to figure out who she was talking too, and Erin smiled, "I'm one of Buffy's friends, and I was wondering if you could show me the way to her room? I'm supposed to meet her for lunch."
"Buffy?" He grinned widely, looking almost excited, "Yeah, sure, this way," He gestured for her to follow him, "I'm Riley Finn, by the way..."
"I know, I mean...I've seen you around. I'm Erin."
"Good to meet you," He paused long enough to shake her hand, "So, you're a good friend of Buffy's?"
"Yep. She's one of the best I ever had," Erin smiled brightly, toying with the ring on her finger, twisting it around. Spike had given it to her the night before over a romantic dinner of blood and pizza. He's a charmer, she thought, rolling her eyes.
Riley's eyes followed the movement, "Nice," he said, raising an eyebrow at the heartshaped diamond, and she smiled at it, thinking the silver stake seperating the two halves was a nice touch. "You're engaged, huh? Does he go here?"
"Hmm? Oh, no...Spike doesn't go here. Just my friends, Buffy, Willow and Xander. I'm the non-college girl in the gang."
"Must be why I didn't recoginize you," Riley said, pausing outside the girl's dorm, "Here you go...can you find the rest of the way?"
"Uh..." Erin searched for an excuse to get him up when Buffy and Willow came out the door, "There you are, Er...jeez, took long enough. Just cause your man has no sense of time doesn't mean...oh...Riley!" Buffy beamed brightly at him, completely ignoring Erin in favor of him.
Erin rolled her eyes at Willow, "Hello fellow wheel."
Willow sighed, watching as Buffy started walking off with Riley, and they followed behind, "Oh! He finally got it! Let me see! Let me see!"
Erin grinned, showing off her ring as Xander jogged up, slinging an arm over both their shoulders, "Cool...shiny!"
"You're taking this rather well," Erin told him, smiling widely, "Except for when you yelled out in the middle of the resturant that necrophilia was illegal and I can't marry dead people."
"Hey, I'm cool, I'm calm...and my roommate smoked enough weed to give half of Sunnydale a buzz, so I'm feeling pretty good right now...and really hungry...speaking of which..." he gave them a wide-eyed, pleading look, "Where are you girls heading?"
"I should say this is a girl's thing," Erin glanced up at Buffy and Riley, rolling her eyes, "However, it just turned into a group date thing."
"Cool. I'm there."
"Oh, Erin, before I forget," Willow handed her a vial filled with herbs, "Giles said you were feeling kind of sick, so I made this up for you. You make it just like tea and drink it whenever you're feeling ick."
"Thank you, I'll do that," Erin slipped it into her purse, "But I'm feeling better right now and would kill for some blood and a cheese burger."
"Should I be worried because that sounded completely natural to me?" Xander shook his head, "We've been living on the Hell Mouth for way too long."
Later that night, the group found themselves at the Bronze, and Buffy was currently dancing with Riley, and Xander was trying desperatly to pull Erin out on the dance floor too, but the redhead wouldn't budge from her seat.
Oz joined them and was participating in some heavy cuddle time with Willow. "It's not fair," Xander complained, pouting, "Buffy's got college Joe over there, Willow's got the Ozmeister, and Erin's got a blood-sucking, soulless fiend...and I don't have anyone!"
"Is he making fun of Spike again?"
"You have to ask?" Willow countered Erin, shaking her head, "Come on, Xand, you'll find someone."
"Oh-oh..." Xander's eyes suddenly widened, "It's the hell-beast!"
"Who?" Erin looked around and Xander groaned, "Oops...made eye-contact! Quick! Hide me!" He ducked behind Erin, his face level with her butt, and she tried to move, "Don't! I can't let her see me..."
"Harris, you better have a good reason for staring at my woman's arse!"
Xander yelped, leaping to his feet and whirling to face an irate Spike, whose arms were crossed over his chest,"Sorry!"
Spike growled at him warningly before wrapping his arms around Erin's waist, "What the hell is he doing?"
"Hiding, apparently," Erin shook her head, shooting a confused look at Xander, "From who, I can't figure out."
"Anya!"
"Anya?" Spike repeated, his eyes narrowing, "The one who gave me tits?"
Riley and Buffy decided to rejoin the group at that point, and Riley stared at Spike in shock, "What was that?"
"Forget it, mate, long story I don't want to recount," He replied, eyeing Riley appraisingly, and Erin rolled her eyes as Xander ducked behind the vampire instead.
"Riley, this is my fiance, Spike, Spike, that's..."
"Riley, got it the first time, pet," Spike shook his head, offering his hand, which Riley took with a wide grin, "So, you're the lucky guy?"
"You have no idea," Spike affectionatly nuzzled Erin's neck and she leaned against him as a girl with brown hair came towards them, looking around curiously, "Where's Xander? I saw him here. I have to kill the little prick."
Spike chuckled, "Behind me, luv. He can't wait to see you."
Xander swore at Spike, finally stepping out, "Listen, An, I'm really sorry about your crappy necklace..."
Anya's eyes narrowed and Xander's widened, "I mean...I don't want to be...you know, turned into a girl or anything..."
He backed away as she stalked towards him, a panicked look on his face, and the others watched warily, ready to intervene, save Riley and Spike, one of which was looking on in confusion.
Xander thought fast, "Hey! Are those new shoes? They're nice!" He blurted out, breathing a sigh of relief when Anya looked down with a huge smile, "Yes, they are! I'm glad you noticed! Men never notice these kind of things!" She peered at him, "Xander! Dance with me! Now!"
Spike chuckled as Anya grabbed Xander's arm, dragging him onto the dance floor, struggling, looking down at Erin, "Almost feel sorry for the lad. But only almost."
"What was that?"
"Um...they used to date," Buffy explained to Riley, taking his arm as he took her out for another dance.
"Should we be worried that Anya is making goo-goo eyes at Xander?" Willow asked worriedly, and Oz patted her hand comfortingly, "She's not a demon anymore," He reminded her.
Xander looked over at them desperatly, but Anya grabbed his head and forced him too look back at her, and Spike shook his head, "This group is bloody weird," he muttered in Erin's ear, and she smiled at him, "You have to tell me?"
He peered into her face, frowning, "You're a little pale, pet? You feeling all right?"
"I'm fine. Apparently, my vampire immunity does not extend to the flu bug."
"Hmm," He nipped at her neck amorously, "Anything I can do to make it better?"
She glanced at her watch, then towards Buffy, "Want to patrol with me? I think Buffy's a little distracted with Mr. Finn at the moment."
"Sure thing, luv," Spike kissed her before swinging her off his lap, "Course, staking my brethren wasn't what I had in mind."
"It never is," She teased, throwing a small wave at the others before they headed out.
Spike ducked a flying kick, snarling as he snapped a punch into his opponent's back and sending her flying through the air.
Erin pulled her body into a flip, landing on top of a grave marker, jumping as he tried to kick her legs out from beneath her.
Her leg shot up and his head rocked back when her foot connected with his chin. He grabbed her leg on the next round, and sent her into the ground, quickly covering her body with his, "You're dead, luv."
"We both are," He felt something prick his chest, and he looked down at the stake pressed against him, and sighed, "Good move, pet."
She shrugged with some difficulty, and he quickly removed the stake from the uncomfortable position it was currently pointed out, and shook it at her disapprovingly, "Now, luv. You have to be careful, or you're like to put someone's eyes out with this thing."
"A safety lesson, William?" She looked up at him innocently as she squirmed beneath him, eliciting a moan from the vampire, "And how did you get your nickname?"
"Keep moving and I'll show you," he said with a slightly lewd grin, and Erin laughed, lightly shoving him off of her, "Patrol," She reminded him, "Me stake vampires, remember?"
Spike rolled onto his back as she stood up, giving her a piteous look, "I'd rather be staking you," he grumbled petuantly, and Erin sighed, "You know, I used to be able to blush when people said stuff like that to me. I think I'm corrupted."
"Nobody better be bloody saying stuff like that to you," He growled threateningly, and she rolled her eyes at his possessivessness, and glanced at her watch. "You better scoot, darling. It's almost sunrise," she glanced around the graveyard, "And it's dead around here anyway."
Spike groaned at her terrible pun, pushing himself to his feet, "You think you'll get home all right?"
"I'm fine," She smiled, kissing his cheek, "Now, shoo. I'm going to do a final sweep, okay?"
Spike nodded, then drew her back to him, kissing her again, but this time deepening it, his tongue lazily exploring her mouth. She finally had to pull away to breath, her eyes shining, "Go home, Spike..."
He shot her a cocky grin, and she rolled her eyes as she picked up her bag, and jogged off into the cemetary. He waited a few minutes before following her as she did her last sweep of the night. He didn't want her to get hurt on his watch.
He leaned against a crypt, smiling as he watched her take out a pair of lurking vampires swiftly and efficently, sighing with jealously as she drained one of them. Have to convince her to do that to me sometime, he thought to himself as she took one last look around, then started to head home.
He turned in the opposite direction, lighting up a cigarrette with a small grin.
He suddenly tensed, sensing something nearby, and his eyes narrowed as he peered around him. He could literally feel eyes watching him.
"All right, mate...whoever you are, you'll do well to show yourself!" He growled challengingly into the night.
He cocked his head as the smell of a human wafted towards him, and frowned when he saw someone clad all in black move back into the shadows.
"What the hell?" He muttered, then his entire body tensed up as something slammed into his back, and his muscles clenched together as a bolt of electricity shot through him.
His eyes rolled back in his head as he collapsed to the ground, and the last thought in his mind as he passed out was that he hoped Erin was all right.
"That does it," Giles shook his head, watching as Erin grimaced, drinking down the herbal tea Willow had given her, "This is obviously more then the flu, Erin. I'm making an appointment with the doctor today."
Erin sighed, rolling her eyes, "I think you're overreacting, Giles. It's only a little nausea. I didn't even vomit this time."
His stern look told her that there was no room for an argument, and she rolled her eyes, "Fine, Doctor it is..." She suddenly looked hopeful, "Course, if I am sick, I really shouldn't be training..."
"Ha ha, nice try."
Erin sighed, "Yeah, it was," she shook her head as she dumped the rest of her tea down the sink, "I love Willow dearly, Uncle, but her healing spells need a little more work...or at least a little more flavor."
Giles chuckled softly, glancing at his watch, "She's late again."
"She's Buffy. She's always late," Erin reminded him with a small smile, "Jeez, Unc, give the girl a break. She's got school and all that..."
"Which reminds me..."
Erin followed his gaze to her forgotten books, actually gathering dust, "Oh...damn..."
"Yes, damn. You want your GED this year, Erin, so you cannot fall behind your studies or you will fail the test."
She rolled her eyes, "You know, I never had to worry about this stuff when I was alive!"
"Yes, but you were always considered property and couldn't vote."
"Giles, I'm from England. I still can't vote."
Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose as he went towards the phone to make the appointment, "Infuriating child."
"I try, Uncle, I try."
The images in Spike's head were disjointed. They flashed across his vision swiftly, and seemingly with no sense of order.
He watched as he killed his first Slayer, reveling in the blood the Chinese girl left in his mouth, the sounds of the Boxer Rebellion surrounding him. He wondered idly if anyone mourned her among the many dead left by the carnage of men and vampire alike.
Next, he was assailed with images of Erin upon her cross, her face uplifted to the stars as tears ran down her face, waiting for death to finally claim her.
He stood there, watching the play of his life run out into a white, stark landscape, and he looked around curiously as he heard a crunching sound.
He turned to see Erin walking towards him, her face flushed from the cold, snow clinging to her long skirts, her smile brilliant as the bright, crisp snow through which she was walking.
"Erin..." He muttered softly, and she cocked her head slightly, "She was pregnant and screamed in the pain of her labor, awaiting her delivery," She quoted, and Spike frowned, confusion written all over his face, "Huh?"
"He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her child, ready to eat the baby as soon as it was born," Her face saddened at her own words, and Spike shook his head, "You know...you used to make sense."
"Libera me Domine de morte aeterna. In die illa tremenda quando caeli movendi sunt."
"With the Latin again?" Spike groaned, "Could you at least bring a translator with you next time?"
"My sweet," she slid up to him, pressing her lips against his cheek, "You must listen, and you must remember. For our lives depend on it."
"Erin?" Spike eyed her doubtfully, shaking his head, "What are you yapping about?"
"My dear, sweet William," she kissed him again, "Libera me Domine de morte aeterna. In die illa tremenda quando caeli movendi sunt."
"What? Erin..."
"LIBERA ME DOMINE DE MORTE AETERNA! IN DIE TREMENDA QUANDO CAELI MOVENDI SUNT!" She shouted at him, her nails raking down his cheeks, and he jerked away from her in surprise.
"DIES IRAE! DIES ILLA SOLVET SAECLUM IN FAVILLA! TESTE DAVID CUM SIBYLLA! QUANTUS TSIZER EST FUTURUS QUANDO JUDEX EST VENTURUS!"
He stared at her with horrified facisnation, then his eyes widened when her skin began to burn, but she didn't seem to notice as she stroked the very cheek her nails had punished, "Dies Irae," She repeated, "In die tremenda quando caeli movendi sunt."
Dr. Walsh stared at the monitors, frowning as she turned up the volume on one of them, listening the the ramblings of the unconcious vampire within, "Dies irae...dies illa solvet saeclum in favilla..."
"Dr. Kingsington..." She gestured for one of her collegues, and he crossed towards her, "I thought vampires didn't dream."
"They don't," Dr. Kingsington replied, cocking his head, "Did he just say Domine?"
"Yes," she shook her head, confused. It sounded for all intents and purposes that he was praying in Latin, and she frowned, deciding to look up some of the words she didn't reconginze, "Keep an eye on him. Maybe the dreams are an effect from the chip."
Dr. Kingsington shook his head in perplexment, "Perhaps so...but if not, then he is a most interesting subject.
Maggie Walsh couldn't help but agree.
The moment of waking was so abrubt, it had been almost like he hadn't been unconcious at all. One second, he was mumbling Latin, the next, he was on his feet, growling as he surveyed his surroundings, waiting for his mind to catch up with him.
The smell of fear was thick in the air, and it pushed his demon to the forefront, his stomach clenching.
A bloodbag dropped from the ceiling, and Spike picked it up. He ripped it open and was about to start feeding when his delicate nose picked up the faint scent of drugs. He snarled flinging it against the wall, then turned to investigate the invisible barrier in front of him.
He could smell the faint scent of burning ozone, and sighed, knowing that he was locked in with an electrical barrier, shaking his head. The black ones...
He swore beneath his breath, rolling his eyes. Maybe he should have listened to the Plinak demon that had warned him about the apparently not so fictional beings.
He tensed, watching as a demon in a pen across from him collapsed to the ground, and several minutes later, a bunch of men in white lab coats showed up with a gurney, and loaded him up on it.
Spike watched this with interest, noting their movements and storing it away for future reference. He looked around his sterile white cell, running a hand through his hair, his eyes narrowing.
He didn't like this...not one bit.
Erin fidgeted in the doctor's officer, rolling her eyes as she glanced at her watch. They had already been there for over two hours while the doctor performed all kinds of tests on her.
Giles shot her a look, and she rolled her eyes again, grabbing a magazine older then her and flipped through it boredly.
It was another hour before the doctor finally called for her to come back into the examination room.
He looked a bit nervous as he looked over Giles and Erin, fidgeting with his metal clipboard, "Um...well, Mr and Mrs Giles..."
"Miss," Erin corrected with a sigh. Couldn't even use my real name...she smiled to herself then, remembering that her name would be Giles anyway. Or the Bloody, she hadn't really brought that up with her fiance.
Mrs. Erin the Bloody...has a ring to it...
Giles looked just as nervous, fearing the worst, "What is it?" He blurted out, "Is there a cure?"
The doctor looked taken aback, then smiled, "No..."
Giles paled, and the doctor hastened to finish his sentence, "I mean, there's nothing wrong with her."
"Oh, good," Erin sighed in relief, "Can we go now?"
"Just a moment," the doctor sighed, "Miss Giles...are you currently involved with someone?"
"Yes, I am. My fiance," she said it with some pride, and Giles grunted, glaring at the doctor, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I have a feeling this wasn't planned, then..."
"What wasn't planned?" Erin began to look annoyed, "Get on with it, man."
"Miss Giles...you're...uh...pregnant."
"Pregnant?" Giles and Erin repeated in astonishment, and she suddenly laughed, shaking her head, "You're mistaken, Doctor. I can't be pregnant. My fiance...is unable to have children."
"Well, you are...and apparently he is."
Erin's eyes widened as she looked towards Giles, "There has to be some mistake. I mean he really, really can't have kids!"
"Have you...um..."
"No!" Erin looked offended, "There was only him, and he CAN'T HAVE CHILDREN!"
"Erin, voice," Giles lightly admonished her, still in shock, "There's no mistake, then?"
"No. She's about three months along..."
Erin groaned, counting back in her head, "It was only the once..."
"That's all it takes," The doctor told her, and she buried her face in her hands, "I hate this town," She mumbled into her palms.
Giles stared at Erin with wide eyes, "Good Lord..."
Riley made his rounds, taking an inventory of the current nasties residing in the Intiative complex. He paused outside the cage of a demon, taking down notes on his appearence and behavior.
He continued on his way after a few minutes, throwing glances at the cells everyone once in a while, distracted by thoughts of a certain blond girl, her body pressed against his as they danced.
Oh boy...Forrest's right...she's so hot, she's Buffy...
He froze suddenly, taking a few steps back and looking into a cell he had just passed, his eyes widening, "Spike?"
Spike whirled around, his face registering shock, then it fell into an impassive mask, "And so the circle continues," he muttered beneath his breath, referring to Buffy's bad luck with men.
"What are you doing in here?" He looked through his notes, finding Spike's page, Hostile 17...vampire...
"You're a vampire?" He asked in disbelief, and Spike shrugged, leaning against the wall as he fished for his cigarretes, sighing when he came up empty. They had taken everything out of his pockets. "Yeah...so what of it?"
Riley suddenly looked angry, "You son of a bitch! You were after Buffy!"
"Why would I be after Buffy?" Spike asked warily, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Cause she's the Slayer!"
Fuck me...they know! Whoever the hell they are...his eyes took in Riley's stiff stance, and the way his legs were spread, rigid as poles. "You're a soldier. The good ole U S of A finally decided to take demon matters into their own hands, huh?"
Riley stiffened, and Spike nodded, "Right...great...just bloody great..." he swore beneath his breath, turning his back on the man radiating anger with every breath. Fuckfuckfuckfuck...
"Does Erin know?" Riley asked, and Spike tensed a bit, "No. I was using her to get to the Slayer," he growled, looking over his shoulder as Riley snorted in disgust, moving on.
Spike leaned his head against the padded wall of his cell, trying to force his tired mind to think.
After several minutes, he gave a snarl of frustration, knowing it was hopeless. No one knew he was even missing, and even if they did, he didn't want Erin coming after him.
Not with her unique condition.
He groaned, sliding down the hall to rest on the floor and close his eyes, conjuring up an image of his woman, savoring it as he slipped back into a restless sleep fraught with dreams.
Riley Finn watched uncomfortably from across the Bronze as Buffy and Willow sat at a table with Erin, who was looking inconsolable at the moment, feeling a wave of guilt.
He wondered if he should mention anything about her 'fiance' but decided against it. It was more out of a wish not to hurt Buffy's friend then the gag ordered the Intiative had leveled on all their employees.
He sighed, deciding to come back later when his troubled thoughts were more in order, and backed out of the Bronze, his eyes on the small blond who patted the redhead on the back.
"I thought vamps couldn't..."
"Yeah, I know," Erin muttered as Willow shook her head, "But I thought that..."
"I know!"
"And that..."
"I know!" Erin said, sounding a lot more snippy then she wanted too, and she sighed, closing her eyes, "What am I going to tell him? He'll never believe me..."
"He will," Willow said surely, "He would never suspect you of cheating."
"He's a guy, Wills. They all do that. Look at Angel, for God sakes..."
Erin groaned, and Willow glared at her friend as Buffy smacked herself in the forehead, "Oh...sorry...bad slip."
Erin dropped her head on her arms, groaning, "I'm so dead! I can't have a child! I'm the Slayer!"
"Hey..."
"Right...you're the Slayer, and I'm a Slayer has-been," Erin corrected with a deep sigh, "Any sign of him?"
"Nope, what time was he supposed to meet you?"
"Eight," Erin sighed, "It's nine already. Where in the hell is he?"
"I told you. Vamps have no sense of timing. I guess it has something to do with being immortal or something..."
Erin shook her head, which was still burrowed in her arms, as if she could hide from the world. "I'm so bloody worried," she muttered, "What is this child going to be like? And do I even want it? And what about Spike? What does he want...and...and..."
"Erin, you're panicking. Putting the ponies before the shopping cart..."
Erin lifted her head to stare at Buffy, who frowned, "Wait, that didn't sound right..."
"Hey...it's the gloom and doom table," Xander teased as he came up, arm around Anya's waist, and Willow raised an questioning eyebrow at him, which he ignored, "Jeez, Er, it looks like you're trying to beat out Angel for the gold in the Brooding Olympics."
"She's pregnant," Buffy blurted out, and Erin moaned, "Thanks, Buff. That was the fastest secret spilled in history."
"Pregnant?" Xander frowned, "Vampires can't make babies..." his eyes widened, "WHOA! Erin! You cheated on Spike?! Man! Is he going to kill you!"
"She did not cheat on Spike," Willow defended her, "She's just pregnant."
"Vampires are the best lovers," Anya announced, "They're really, really energetic. Like...that little rabbit on tv with the drums..."
"Uh...Anya...remember what we talked about this morning?"
"Oh...that?" Anya rolled her eyes, "You know, like, a thousand years ago, I heard about a vampire knocking up a Slayer. There was some kind of demon upraising...and they were both killed. That was around the time I cursed this guy so that his penis was so big that he couldn't..."
"Wait, wait, backtrack!" Buffy nearly shouted, and Anya frowned, "You don't know? Nothing outlasts Energizer..."
"No! After that!"
"Oh, the Slayer bit..." Anya shrugged, "I don't know. It was supposed to be this whole big thing about the end of the world..."
Erin's eyes widened as she looked towards Buffy, shooting to her feet, "Giles'! Now!"
Free me, Lord, from everlasting death. On that terrible day, when the heavens shall move.
Day of wrath. That day shall consume the world in ashes. As prophesied by David and the sibyl. What trembling is to be when the Judge is come.
Maggie Walsh tapped her pen on her desk, staring at the translated words of Latin that HST 17 had mumbled in his sleep.
Below that, were the words Erin, Spike, Buffy and Slayer. Erin's name was circled with a thick line scratched beneath it.
She looked up as Riley Finn knocked, then saluted her, "At ease," She gestured at the chair in front of his desk, eyeing him across it. "Your conversation with 17 was taped, Agent Finn. Who is Erin?"
He shifted visibly beneath her gaze, and her eyes narrowed at the hesistation, "Do not play with me, boy. Who is she?"
"She's...well...she thinks she's engaged to Hostile 17," Riley informed her. "She doesn't even know he's a vampire..."
"You have spoken with her?"
"No," Riley shook his head, "Sp--17 said she didn't know..."
"He could be lying," Walsh shook her head, "You have no idea whether she knows or not, do you?"
Riley sighed, "No, ma'am, I don't. Not for sure."
Walsh looked thoughtful, "Engaged, you say...and she's a friend of Summers? The Slayer?"
Riley nodded miserably. "Yes. They're good friends."
"Uh-uh...and 17 told you that he was only using her to get to the Slayer...yet, you claim they are engaged. In the amount of time for that to have taken place, Buffy Summers could have been killed twice over."
Riley frowned, not really having thought of that before, "I do not get your meaning, ma'am."
Walsh rolled her eyes, flipping on the monitor behind him, "This is from two hours ago, when 17 was sleeping."
Riley watched as the vampire thrashed in his sleep, snarling at something only he saw in his dreams. He was repeating Latin phrases over and over again. Suddenly, his entire body tensed as his demon came to the forefront, and he suddenly roared Erin's name, his eyes shooting open.
He raised an eyebrow as 17 buried his head in his hands, his entire body shaking as he swore over and over again, just as before he had been speaking Latin. He lifted his head, his game face still visible and Riley stared at the blood running down his face.
"Holy sh--is he crying?" He asked in disbelief as Walsh shut off the monitor, "Yes, he is," She looked a bit surprised herself, "Apparently, there is some kind of feeling for this girl. Are you sure she's human?"
Riley nodded, "Yeah, she's human. I saw her out during the day."
Walsh shook her head, "Keep a close eye on her an--"
Her words were interrupted by the sound of her intercom buzzing, and she punched the talk button impatiently, "What is it?"
"HST 17 took the blood. He's out."
Walsh smiled to herself, "Great. Bring him out."
Spike heard the sound of army issue boots on the floor coming towards him, and forced his body to remain completely still.
The sound of buttons being punched reached his ears, and a rush of cool, fresh air struck him, signeling the barrier being shut off.
As a doctor reached for him, his hand shot out and he whirled to his feet as he broke the doctor's arm over his knee.
Spike suddenly howled as white-hot pain laced through his entire body and doubled over with the force of the pain.
He quickly recovered as a doctor came at him with a syringe, and used the doctor's own hand to plunge it into his body and injected him with his own drug.
The doctor pitched forward as Spike made a mad dash for the exit.
"Well...anyway, the baby was supposed to herald the ending of the world," Anya informed the Scoobies, who listened with great interest, "And there was this huge demon uprising. The Slayer and her vampire were targetted by humans and demons alike, cause everyone thought that if they had the kid on their side, it would mean more power to them. It's in the Bible, you know," Anya took a sip of her coke, shaking her head.
"Most of the stuff in there is nonsense, and it's really sexist..."
"Anya, please," Erin pleaded softly, her eyes slighlty moist, "Just finish..."
"Oh, right. In Revelations, it talks of a baby being born and that a dragon was going to swallow it or something, which it would give it more power..."
"Satan. 'When the thousand years end, Satan will be let out of his prison...'" Giles quoted from memory, and Erin shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Anya nodded, "Yeah. I've been around for like, three thousand years, so I know. That uprising was the letting loose, I think...but he didn't get out, cause the Slayer and her kid died before it could happen..."
"So...to prevent this, all I have to do is die before my baby is born..." Erin whispered, and Anya nodded, "Right...so...no problems..."
"Oh...Christ..." Erin shook her head in denial, "I can't do this...it's way too much..."
"We don't know anything, Erin. It could just be a coincedence, you know..." Xander tried to assure her, "No one believes in the Bible, anyway...well...except for maybe millions of people world-wide..."
Erin groaned, tears spilling down her cheeks, "God...no..."
Everyone jumped as the door slammed open, and Spike rushed in, closing and locking the door again, then ran to the window, drawing the blinds.
After several minutes of searching the street to make sure he hadn't been followed, he turned towards the others, frowning as his eyes flickered over the entire assemebled group, plus Anya. "That was fast."
"What?" Giles stared at him in confusion, and Spike's eyes went towards Erin, who was staring at him, her tears glimmering on her cheeks, and he crossed over to her, "Hey, baby...don't worry, I'm back..."
"Back...?" She repeated, bewildered by his strange behavior, and he realized that they didn't even know he had disappeared yet. "Nothing, luv, I'll tell you later...but what's wrong?"
Erin suddenly burst into loud sobs as he gathered her against his chest, and he looked around at the others in confusion, but their eyes held no answers for him as Erin clutched to him, her face burying against the base of his neck.
Spike stared up at the night sky, laying on his back on top of a picnic table in Giles' backyard.
He was still reeling from the news and had rushed outside for a smoke and a good long think.
It was all too much.
In less then two days, he had been kidnapped, become a father, heard the world might end, in the real, Biblical sense, and then learned his woman was probably going to die. Her or his child.
He heard a door softly open, and he sat up, perching his elbows on his knees as Erin came out to stand behind him. She remained silent for several minutes, "I'm sorry," she finally whispered.
Spike didn't answer her.
"I know this probably isn't something you wanted...and I'm sorry for it..."
He thought about that for a moment, unsure of what to say. She needed assurance, her tone of voice begged for it, but he, for once, was utterly speechless.
He couldn't tell if he was happy, angry, sad, disappointed...afraid...he didn't know what he was feeling and he wasn't sure about how he should feel.
"Spike? Please...say something. Yell at me...scream...say you hate me...but please, just say something..."
"Cor, luv," He looked over his shoulder, shaking his head, "I don't hate you," he sighed as he stood up, digging the toe of his boot into the grass, frowning slightly.
"Then please, tell me something...anything."
He finally met her eyes, and he could see the fear in them, and she chewed on her bottom lip, as if trying to hide the fact it was trembling.
He crossed towards her, still not saying a word as he gathered in his arms, holding her tightly against him, sinking his face into her hair and inhaling her sweet, comforting scent. "I love you, Erin," he whispered after several minutes, "And I'm not going to let you face this alone. I'm not leaving you...even if you ask me too..."
She lifted her head, and he kissed the tears silently trailing down her face, "And we'll beat this," he muttered, feeling a fierce, protective urge washing over him. She was his Slayer, his fiancee. God and all the demons of Hell be damned, he wasn't going to lose her or his child to some stupid prophecy in an archaic old book. "Me, you and our child."
The sides of Erin's lips curled slightly, our child...she repeated in her mind, and Spike picked her up in his arms, allowing her to rest her head against his chest, "We'll beat this," he repeated softly as Erin wrapped her arms around his neck.
We will...we'll beat it...
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