Chapter Three


AN: Thank you to Just Sue for her betaing skills.


While Spike was in the shower getting all wet and glistening... Marie shook her head and forced the images from her head. Bad Marie, bad. That was so not going to happen and would only lead to trouble. She went out to her car to get the bags of clothes she had bought for her visitor. She had nearly made it out of Wal-Mart before realizing that Spike had only arrived with the clothes on his back and he wouldn’t be able to borrow hers – no matter how cute he would look. And, while she didn’t mind him wandering about naked, he definitely would mind her getting a free show especially after he found more of that fan stuff on her computer while she was out shopping. He had proclaimed that she saw way too much of his manly bits.

She went into her room and dropped one of the bags by the bathroom door then went over to the computer to check her email then maybe do more searches for Wiccan practices that might help them. The research was set aside when she saw there was an update to one of her favourite stories at the Bloodshedverse. So engrossed was she in the update that the wet arm snaking out to grab the bag of clothes actually went unnoticed.

“Look, you bloody witch, I appreciate all the help you’re givin’ me, but this is the last straw,” Spike growled as he stepped out of the bathroom wearing navy jeans and a white button up shirt.

She wasn’t paying attention to him at all and this only irritated him more.

“Marie!”

Still, her head didn’t rise and he was considering grabbing her for a moment or two. Then she finished reading and lifted her face to glare daggers at him, causing him to take a step back warily.

“You jerk!” She grabbed up a notepad and threw it at him.

He lifted his arm and ducked the projectile. “Sorry, luv,” he said defensively, “I should be glad to be gettin’ any clothes.”

She blinked at him, unaware of what he was talking about. Stabbing a finger towards the screen, she elaborated with, “You’re an ass.”

Finally, Spike craned his head to see what had caught her attention to see that she was reading another of those damned stories about him.

“An’ just what was this wanker accusin’ me of?” he asked dryly.

Her bottom lip poked out. “You were mean to Buffy.”

He took one look at her and would have burst out laughing if he didn’t think the hormone queen would attack him again. “Luv, I was mean to Buffy a lot an’ she was mean to me. It kept things from gettin’ borin’.” He grabbed the mouse and clicked the window closed to change the subject. “Now, why don’ we do more research to get the Big Mean Vampire back home so you don’ have to keep takin’ care of him.”

She looked at him a minute before reaching up to pinch the underside of his arm.

“OI! What the bloody hell was *that* for?!”

“Complain’ ‘bout the clothes.” She gave him a dirty look then turned back towards the computer. “Even *I* don’t wear all black all the time. Not to mention, since I’m havin’ to support your broke ass, I got what my poor college ass could afford! So if you want better, *you* pay for it!”

“Yes, mum- OWW!!”

======

The nice sunny day didn’t even register for the slayer as she picked at her salad, sitting at an outdoor café. She didn’t have much of an appetite, feeling sick for a few days now. It was weird, because she rarely got sick, being a slayer and all, and even if she did it usually worked its way out of her system quickly because of the slayer genetics. So being sick was rare and being sick for a few days was unheard of.

She hoped it wasn’t mystical, but she would have to bring it up with Willow eventually so that her friend could check to make sure before it was too late to stop it if it was. But, Willow would immediately worry and then so would her sister... They were already clucking around her like mother hens trying to get her to feel better about losing Spike, she didn’t need them getting worse with the added sickness.

The thought struck her that maybe she could find someone else, surely in a town as big as this, that could do the mystical scan thing. Someone who didn’t know here and wouldn’t cause mass hysteria among her friends, leading to Scoobie-stock at her apartment as Willow called for them all to fly in to work through the big emergency.

*Oh no, Buffy’s sick. It must be an apocalypse!* She rolled her eyes. It was bad enough that even Dawn thought she could just get over Spike’s death and move on, because why would she miss *him*. That would be absurd! This time she snorted, not caring if she got looks. Crazy American.

With plan in mind, she tossed some money on the table and went off down the street to begin her search for some magical help with her problem. Maybe there was a magic shop, or a fortune teller who might be more than just a person conning tourists. It didn’t hurt to try and if nothing came up she could call Giles, use some creative excuse for getting him to tell her the name of some people in the area that might be of some help.

Buffy started walking some of the back streets where there was sure to be less souvenir shops and the like. As she wandered the streets, she was unaware of being followed again. The shadow trailed her at a distance and didn’t set off her slayer sense. A vampire wouldn’t be out on a sunny day anyway and it obviously wasn’t a demon either then.

The first store Buffy happened upon was just some old woman conning tourists by claiming to be an oracle. She had met a real oracle and this woman was just a fraud. Leaving, she had nearly run over a man and apologized in embarrassment before continuing her search for a real magic shop. And eventually, she found one.

A young Italian woman in a plain green dress walked over to greet her as she entered. She had long, dark hair that fell in thick waves to her waist and bright blue eyes that shone in her olive skin.

“Buona giomo. I am Aurea. How may I help you today, signora?” She flashed a polite smile.

“I have been staying here for awhile, but not long enough to have found some a proper magic shop.” Buffy returned her smile. “As in not tourist traps.” The woman chuckled at her elaboration. “And well, I need help because I don’t normally get sick, but for the last few days I’ve been feeling ill. I need to know why and make sure it isn’t something mystical since usually that’s the only reason I get ill.”

The woman nodded and motioned for Buffy to sit at the bench against the wall before walking into the back room to get something. Buffy watched her leave, worried but at the same time hoping it was all in her head.

======

Marie scrolled through yet another page on Wiccan practices with Spike hovering over her shoulder no matter how many times her shoulder *accidentally* hit his nose.

*Gah, like I want him breathing his blood breath down my neck... and why does he breathe? He’s a friggin’ vampire!*

But still, she searched for some ritual that might help them. It was good that she had an active imagination, because as they found new rituals she thought over any possibilities of it being useful to them. So far, not really anything remotely helpful, though. And the impatient vampire became more agitated with every useless page they came across.

“Okay, if you don’t sit down I’m gonna knock you on your okole.” She pushed at him yet again.

He growled and tried to make a grab for the mouse to do the searching himself, sure he could do it better. With her own growl, Marie grabbed for the mouse to wrestle it from him but of course was no match for vampire strength. So she resorted to sinking her teeth into his arm angrily.

He gave a yowl of pain and let go to nurse his wounded arm – and pride – with a very manly pout. She flashed him a cheeky grin then turned back to the computer.

“Never touch a geek’s computer,” she told him over her shoulder as she moved on to the next page, humming Elvis’ “Hound Dog”.

With a roll of his eyes, he sat down heavily. This was taking forever and the longer it took, the lower his hopes fell. If he was stuck here, he was definitely going to go nuts from putting up with this loony bird. Not to mention, eventually the temptation would get too strong to get a peek while he was in the shower or something. What with her seeming infatuation for him, walls bearing witness to that.

“Hmm, I think I got somethin’...” she finally drawled after a moment.

======

“That can’t be possible,” Buffy said in shock. She shook her head and took a step back from the shopkeeper. “Your spell has got to be off.”

“I have already checked three times, but I can try again if you like,” Aurea replied calmly. She understood that such news could be a big shock to a person.

“But... it’s just that... I haven’t in a very long time!” the slayer wailed in despair, not that embarrassed to be broadcasting loudly about her sex life or lack thereof. “So it must be something evil or wrong or something!”

“The spell and my own natural abilities do not sense anything unnatural or evil.” The Latin woman looked at the blonde with sympathy. She really did want to help.

Buffy sighed. “There was once... but... he doesn’t have the ability to father children. So it can’t be him.”

“Maybe he can father them after all.” Aurea patted her hand with a look of concern. “If you ever need help during the pregnancy, you come back here and I will do anything I can to help.”

Buffy smiled at her with a nod before getting up to leave. She was so dazed by the news that she nearly walked into someone as she was leaving the store, wondering how she was going to tell her friends that she was potentially impregnated by a vampire. It wouldn’t matter to them that he had saved the world. They would want to research and make sure it wasn’t something evil... even if she had thought the same thing. But, they wouldn’t be assured that it wasn’t evil just because the shopkeeper said so. They might even try to talk her into getting rid of it.

Dawn would probably be happy for her, though.

Was she happy for *herself*? How did she feel about the prospect of having a baby that her friend might want to get rid of? Well, if this was truly of the non-evil variety and so obviously Spike’s child, then she was happy. In fact, it would be amazing to be left with a piece of Spike, to carry him inside her.

“Oh! Signora!”

Buffy turned, drawn out of her inner turmoil by the shopkeeper’s voice calling after her.

“I thought you might like to know that it is a girl that you carry!”


Tbc...