Chapter Seven

“Twins?” Willow asked as if Angel had misspoken. Then she thought a second. “Twins,” She repeated and seemed a little please with the knowledge. In the weeks before her injury, Buffy had confided to Willow that she was actually beginning to come around to the idea of having a child, that she thought it seemed to help fill the void left by her mother’s death. And that Joyce would be happy that Buffy had a chance to experience motherhood. It was also some small comfort that once her expiration date arrived, part of her would still go on living.

“Well, now that prophecy makes a little more sense,” Willow pointed out. “And you have to admit you were wrong,” She slyly grinned.

Angel continued to stare at Buffy like a puzzle.

“Something bothering you, Angel?” Ok, so it was a dumb question. But…

“Destiny,” Angel answered.

“I thought the oracle covered that?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter right now. We still have to get Spike back to the land of the not insane. And I’m figuring he’s not going to heal too well either if he doesn’t feed soon,” Willow said, shooting eye daggers at Angel.

“I can’t do anything for him. He’s punishing himself. Which means he has to want to *stop* punishing himself. I don’t see that happening until she wakes up.” Angel and Willow both seemed to be pondering that statement when one of Buffy’s monitors alarmed for a few seconds but then stopped. Angel saw Spikes head snap up, and Angel looked at Willow with concern apparent on his face.

“It does that every so often,” Willow quickly supplied, but noticed Angel didn’t relax. “They said it has something to do with the whole swelling, pregnancy, blood volume interaction.” Then the alarm sounded again.

This time, it kept alarming.

************

Buffy was sitting on a velvety blanket in the meadow down by Creighton Park. It was so beautiful there. She was watching two small children chasing each other around in circles, playing tag. There was a little boy with dark sandy blond ringlets and a little girl with dark brown hair. Buffy felt so content just watching them laugh and play. Everything was so wonderful here, so peaceful. There were no monsters, no worries, no pain, just always the same two children playing happily without any care. She wished she could stay here forever.

“If you stay, they will never be.”

Buffy looked up to see a small boy standing next to her. “Oh, you’re new!” She said cheerfully.

“No, I am very old,” The boy said rather sheepishly. “And it is time for you to go back.” Now he looked very serious. “Or they will never be and he will be lost to eternity.”

“But I want to watch them,” Buffy said reluctantly.

“You will... if you go back now. You must choose your path, though. You have been there before, and you will be again, but you must choose when. And you must choose now. Which journey will you make?” The boy asked, extending his hand out to Buffy.

************

Several nurses came rushing in the room and quickly began checking wires and grabbing equipment. Spike somehow managed to stand up and was backing up toward the wall, slowly shaking his head and mumbling ‘no’ over and over. Angel grabbed Willow and moved them both out of the way as best he could.

A doctor dashed into the room and was barking orders. A mask had been placed on Buffy’s face and was pushing air into her lungs. A nurse was doing chest compressions, another putting medication in her IV. Angel tried to listen through the noise, but he couldn’t hear Buffy’s heart at all and the two fainter ones were speeding up and beating unevenly.

Just as the doctor put the paddles on Buffy’s chest, the room filled with a gasp and everyone froze. It was from Buffy. Everyone in the room was holding their breath as the monitors proclaimed that there was indeed a pulse now. Then another breath. Angel could hear the small faint hearts speeding up again, and then slowing back to their normal pace. Buffy’s eyelids fluttered a bit and there was a faint groan.

The medical team continued to work on Buffy. After a while, the doctor finally turned and looked at the three people huddled in a corner of the room and smiled. “I think she’s coming out of it,” He proclaimed. “Scared us for a second there, but she’s back with us.”

He then issued several more orders and it had been almost an hour but the room had finally cleared out again.

Willow finally glanced around to see Spike huddled on the floor, staring into space. She bent down and shook him gently, then more firmly when she failed to get a response. Willow looked into his face and saw that he wasn’t really there.

Angel had moved and was now sitting on the edge of the bed. Buffy was still moaning a bit and hadn’t really opened her eyes. Hearing Willow call his name, Angel glanced over at her. She looked concerned.

“I think we lost Spike.” She motioned toward the unmoving, unspeaking vampire. Angel took one look at him and knew that they had.

Angel rubbed a hand over his face. “Must have been during all the commotion.”

“Spike.” The whisper was so tiny, only Angels had picked it up.

“Buffy?” Angel nervously glanced around again at Spike, and then back to Buffy.

"Spike?" Came the raspy reply.

“He’s here, Buffy. Willow’s here too.”

“Where am I?” Buffy’s eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times and she frowned. “Angel?”

“Yeah.” Angel gave her his patented half smile. “You’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

Buffy thought for a moment. Why would she be in a hospital? Her brain tried to recall exactly what happened. Demon. There had been a demon. No, the last thing she remembered were two children in a park. Had the demon attacked the children? No, that didn’t seem right. The demon had attacked her. A Mowrok had attacked her. Children...

“Oh god, the.....” Buffy’s eyes grew wide with terror as her hand instinctively covered her abdomen.

“They’re fine Buffy.” Angel placed his hand over hers.

“They?” Buffy looked at him with confusion until it registered. They, as in more than one. The children. The boy and girl she had been watching. They were hers. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. She smiled faintly at the memory of watching them and tears began to fill her eyes. God, and she’d accused Spike of being stupid. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! She glanced back up at Angel and saw that he looked almost pained even though he was still smiling at her, and she tugged his hand until he leaned down and she weakly put her arms around him.

They sat there like that for a long time. Long enough for Willow to leave the room and come back. Willow was still a little worried. What were they going to do with Spike now? She cleared her throat and Angel pulled back from Buffy.

“Giles should be here soon. Angel, maybe you and him could get Spike back to the house? Or at least out of the floor maybe?” Willow asked tentatively.

“Spike is here?” Buffy asked. “Where’s he been? Floor, what floor?”

“Um, that floor.” Willow pointed to the corner Spike was still sitting in. He still hadn’t moved or spoken.

“Spike?” Buffy called over to him, looking around Angel, to see him sitting there.

“Buffy, I don’t think he hears you.” Angel was trying to catch her eyes.

“What do you mean he can’t hear me; he’s right there.” Buffy pointed at Spike’s form.

“Buffy, there was an incident earlier. Your heart stopped. I guess Spike couldn’t handle it,” Willow sheepishly offered. “You should have seen him, Buffy. He’s been a wreck since you’ve been here.”

“I can see that. Boy, something sure beat the heck out of him. Looks like Glory all over again,” Buffy off-handedly remarked.

Angel shifted nervously and glanced down at the floor. “Yeah, um, sorry about that.”

“*You* did that to him?"

"It's his fault you're in here Buffy!"

"No, it's my fault. Guess we both have something we need to make up for, don't we Angel?"

Seeing Angel flinch at her reprimand, she decided it best to change the subject for the moment.

“So how long have I been in here anyway?”