Hey, Baby
by Rin
What's Going On?
[reviews]
A/N: I hated leaving this fic but I've been emailing back and forth with publishers, and sending stuff out like crazy. Plus, I've been giving guitar and mandolin lessons to people, and working at a photo development shop. All of these ideas pop into my head, and all my little notes are indexed, and I'm always too tired to sit down to write them. This is my big fic, and I really did hate leaving it hanging like that for so long. I'm ashamed of myself, and can only beg for forgiveness. I know this is short but it's what I could get in a half hour.
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Six months pregnant, and abandoned. It was hard to explain what happened but it did. At first, she panicked that she was losing her husband but the panic turned to anger when said husband never came home at night, took care of their two-year-old daughter, or even touched her anymore. That's how Anya came to be living in Willow and Buffy's house, sleeping in their guest room, and using the crib there for baby Jesse. All she did was cry at night, and she would dream of demons extracting vengeance upon the men of the world. Xander had arrived home one night to a rude awakening; his family was no longer where he left them.
Buffy and Willow were having their own marital problems. Watchers Records shot back up again, and Eve was helping to turn things around again but Willow was still staying late at the office, which caused Buffy to become suspicious. Of course, the redhead had been completely faithful, and was staying in the office to finish the work that Xander screwed up for the day. She was trying to cover for her friend but didn't know how much longer she could do it; there was no way that she was going to give up her family just because the man was screwing up his.
Faith and Kennedy had been extra sweet lately, and came over to baby-sit Jesse a lot. Dawn's school had finals next week, and then she would be out for the summer. The Nerds and Rogue Slayer dropped their new albums, and that boosted sales for Watchers Records tremendously. Renovations were happening at the Bronze again because some idiot decided to smash all the banisters, causing the upper balcony to drop, hurting several people in the process. Willow fitted the bill for each of their treatments; she was lucky not to have a lawsuit against her.
Again, Willow found herself stuck in the office until one in the morning, and she still wasn't finished. Xander was supposed to do these rep sheets two weeks ago, and they were due tomorrow. The only thing he turned in was the doodles he'd made at that morning's meeting with the manufacturing company. She was beyond pissed. It was time to kick some sense into her friend, and nothing could stop her.
Buffy sat in front of a blank television, waiting for her wife to return home from work safely. She had recently started therapy to help with her self-centered thought process lately, and hoped that she could ease some of Willow's mind. The redhead was so frazzled these past few months, and the blonde felt like the pregnancy was nothing but a hassle. She knew that was silly; they were both still ecstatic but it was hard to show with so much going on around them. No matter where they'd turn, something new would be thrust at them. Buffy's super-horniness hadn't been quelled in over three months. When they made love, Willow never even released because she was too tired to continue after Buffy came. Not only was it frustrating, it was making her take things into her own hands, and the blonde wasn't too happy about that. Never once in their time together had Buffy relied on her own hand to satiate her need; it's not that they didn't masturbate, more like Willow just wasn't doing it for her lately. She was beyond pissed. It was time to do something about it, and nothing could stop her.
Anya tucked Jesse into her crib before lying down in the bed. She hated that she had to leave Xander; it was the last thing that she wanted but he had made it clear that he didn't want her anymore. Never coming home at night, and when he did, he was passed out from his drunkenness. Always smelling of smoke, alcohol, and other women. Looking scruffier than she'd ever seen him; greasy hair, scruffy beard, and clothes a mess. Her marriage had fallen apart, and she was six months pregnant. They even had a daughter to take care of, which he never even bothered seeing for four months. The man had completely changed after his father died, and their family fell apart completely. She was beyond pissed. It was time to knock some sense into her husband, and nothing could stop her.
Xander was thrown out of Willy's Bar. He'd overstayed his welcome again, and the bouncers threw him out the door. Landing in a garbage pile, all he wanted was another drink. He couldn't get the picture of his old man out of his head. Everything he'd ever learned from his father was starting to come out full force, and his family was in a shackles. He wasn't even sure if he went to work today, and couldn't remember the last time he saw Anya. When he went home, he was looking for a good lay, and knew he could count on his wife to give him what he needed. Not even sure what time it was, he didn't care if he woke her up to please him. When he got home, nobody was there again, and he threw a tantrum; throwing things around the house, breaking picture frames. Going to grab another beer from the refrigerator, he saw a note tacked to the door, stating that Anya and Jesse were living with Buffy and Willow now. He was beyond pissed. It was time to get more alcohol, and nothing could stop him.
Kennedy was excited. Never in her life had she felt so loved and adored. For some reason, Faith was all bundles of nice with her. When she came to her apartment, screaming that she was in love with her that first night, the younger brunette was speechless. When she had said she loved Faith, Kennedy didn't expect the girl to reciprocate her feelings, at least verbally. The musician took her breath away, and even wrote a song about them that she added at the last minute to the new album, which was on the cutting room floor. As the new producer, Kennedy had no problem stopping production for an hour in order to get the track recorded. Willow wasn't too happy about the costs but in the end, all was well...the cut was well worth the effort. Faith had topped the charts again with that song. It was so heartfelt, and completely meaningful that the younger brunette cried the first time she heard Faith sing it to her live at the Bronze, the day the CD hit stores. 'Five by Five' was the latest love song on the airwaves, and records were selling like crazy. It was the highest selling record in Watchers Records history, and Rogue Slayer was playing gigs all over towns. Already having a big fan base, the band kept gaining followers all over the globe. For the first time, the label had imported CDs to other countries than just England, and the profits margin was exceptionally high, making shareholders extremely happy campers...which should have made Buffy and Willow extremely happy campers, since they held the highest share of the stocks. It was too bad about their marital problems.
Faith sat in Birdland, listening to some jive tenor sax player wailing about lost love ones, and new love interests. Missing Kennedy, she started to remember all of their great times lately, and how much they seemed to be clicking more than usual. For some reason, their relationship just grew into something unbelievable to the dark brunette. It was hard to imagine going from a neglected Boston home to a loving, committed relationship in Sunnydale. Sighing, she took another swig of her sweet, slow-burning bourbon before putting out her cigarette, and catching a taxi back to her hotel. She needed to quit smoking; Kennedy had asked her to, and she had been trying hard. When she got back to Sunnydale tomorrow, she would buy some gum, or the stupid patch. She was willing to make sacrifices to keep the girl. After all, Ken had given up hating jazz music for her; it was the least she could do for her lover. Her lover...she liked the sound of that but something was missing. Driving by Tiffany's, she made a mental note to start shopping tomorrow.
Jesse was a baby. She was confused as to why her mommy was crying all the time, and why she hadn't seen her daddy in days. When she would cry out for him, he wouldn't come like he used to, and it was upsetting her even more. For some reason, she was sleeping in her bed at Aunt Willow and Buffy's, and even though it was more comfortable, she missed the smell of her room. This place didn't smell like her mommy and daddy. Clutching her stuffed giraffe, the girl fell asleep to the sounds of her mommy's quiet sobbing.
Dawn sighed. Andrew was adorable, and sweet as could be. For some reason, she attracted criminal masterminds, and the girl couldn't figure it out yet. At least the blonde was in New York with his band, making the rounds on the talk shows: morning and night. Soon, he would return, and the young Summers wasn't sure if she was excited or not. The boy was going way too slow in their relationship; they hadn't had sex yet, and she was craving some lovin'...big time. It seemed that they always argued whenever it came to the subject. She was beginning to think her boyfriend didn't prefer the fairer sex. Otherwise, she would feel unattractive and unable to be loved. Suddenly, she understood what her sister felt all those years ago with Angel, and she made a mental note to talk to her as soon as she got the chance.
Andrew sighed, and looked over in the bed beside him. He was tired of all these random trysts; he wanted something more than sex. Picking up groupies backstage wasn't his idea of fun anymore but he couldn't resist this particular yummy treat. Sighing, he remembered his girlfriend back in Sunnydale. She was a peach, and he wasn't sure how he felt completely about her but he did know that he liked her a whole lot. Whenever the subject of sex came up, he would freak. He had never come clean about his highly sexual past, and whenever the subject appeared between them, he would panic, and run out of her apartment in a daze. He knew it wasn't fair to her; she had a right to know that he was tainted, all because of his quick tricks during tours. One time can change your life forever, and he was drunk enough not to pay attention. Resolved, he made a plan. First, he would kick this guy out of his hotel room. Then, he would finish this short advertising trip. Finally, he would return to Sunnydale, and explain to Dawn that he was HIV positive. If she still wanted him, then he would devote himself to her...completely.
Fred turned around, and looked at the empty spot in the bed. She had dumped Charles; they just weren't working out anymore. When she was the keynote speaker at her old alma mater, her professor had attacked her, intent on torturing and killing her. The physicist was prepared to kill the guy that had tortured her for five years but Charles had stepped in, breaking his neck in the process. The trial was quick, and the man only had to spend two years in jail for self-defense manslaughter. She tried to make things work but the sparks were just dead since the incident two months previous, and all she could think about was Willow. Her ex would call her in the middle of the night, crying because she couldn't take it anymore. Everything in Sunnydale seemed like it was falling apart, and LA wasn't much better. Cordelia and Angel were on some major forbidden love thing, and it was driving her insane. Her friend Lorne had visited a few times, to take her out to his karaoke bar but she still couldn't get her thoughts straight. The only thing she knew was that she missed her parents, and she missed the comfort of home.
Bubbles crawled onto the couch with Buffy. The blonde didn't pay much attention to her lately but the hyper little baby did. Whenever it looked like the baby was about to attack, the dog would go into protect mode, ready to kill for her owners. Willow wasn't around much lately but she could still hear her in the early morning hours, when Buffy was already asleep in the bed, and she was sprawled out on the floor beside the dresser. Something was going on in this house, and she wasn't sure what.
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A/N: I'm not giving up on the story. It's an ongoing deal, and no telling how long it'll end up being but I can say...I want to know what happens as much as you guys do, so it will be continued...How does that sound?