Getting Ahead of Myself
by sailor80
Three
[reviews]
Outside, Faith woke first. Tara slept on her shoulder, and Faith used the early golden light to admire Tara's features. She remembered what she had said last night, and Tara's response, and began to grin. Then she noticed Buffy standing in the doorway. Buffy crooked her finger. Faith nodded, kissed Tara's forehead, and eased herself away.
"What's up?"
"Wanna go for a run?"
"You couldn't come out and ask?" Faith demanded.
"No, cause I knew you'd say no," Buffy answered.
"Damn right," Faith growled, and let Buffy sweat for a few seconds. "Yeah, gimme a minute to change."
"All right." Buffy let Faith pass. While she waited for her to return, she started coffee, and got some cash so they could get mochas.
Faith reappeared shortly. She had changed her leathers and boots for cutoffs and sneakers, and they started. When it became apparent to that Buffy had no goal in mind, Faith set their course. Buffy was glad for the opportunity to burn off some of her anxiety, and when she felt better, suggested that they head toward home by way of the coffee shop. Faith agreed, as long as she could have "real coffee, not that crap you drink."
They took two chais and a dozen donuts back home with them. Both Joyce and Tara were up, showered and dressed when they arrived. Joyce was reading the paper, and Tara was keeping her company. Faith hurried off to shower and dress for work. Buffy fidgeted around the kitchen, unable to stay in one place for more than a few seconds, and hurried off for her own shower as soon as she heard Faith end hers.
Willow, washcloth on her forehead, dozed on their bed, and Buffy paused to look at her before stripping off her sweaty clothes. When she came from the shower, Willow was gone. Buffy dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. "Willow?" she called from the stairs.
"In the kitchen," Willow answered.
Buffy went to the kitchen. Willow was drinking tea and looking over the morning paper. Buffy got herself coffee and a donut before taking the stool next to Willow. "Feel better?"
"Yeah. How was patrol?"
"Weird. There's a bunch of digging going on in one of the mausoleums. Faith and I will head over there this afternoon."
"And in the meantime?" Willow asked.
"I know. We need to talk."
"We do." After a long pause, Willow asked, "What are we going to do? I'm not ready to be a mom. I don't even know how to be a mom. It's not like I had a good example. And diapers. I don't have a clue about them. Or what babies eat. Or anything else."
"Willow," Buffy said urgently, to interrupt the panicked babble. "I have to tell you something."
"What?" Willow asked distractedly.
"Neither do I."
"That doesn't help, Buffy."
"C'mon, Will, you know you'll make with the research. Mom will help us. Everything will be okay. I promise."
"You don't want me to leave?" Willow asked in a small voice.
"Why would I want that?"
"You were so mad after the doctor," Willow began.
Buffy interrupted. "I wasn't mad, Will. " She grazed Willow's cheek with her fingers. "Worried, I'm worried about you. I love you, Willow. Either of us leaving is the last thing on my mind, okay?"
"Okay." Willow inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I just...I don't know," she trailed off again.
"Everything will be fine," Buffy said with confidence she didn't feel.
The phone rang, giving them a brief reprieve from their conversation. Buffy answered, then brought the receiver across the kitchen to Willow. Buffy listened to Willow's side of the conversation, and began to frown when Willow's face collapsed into confusion.
"But that's not possible...yes, I know, but...yes...yes...are you sure there isn't some mixup?...There's not...Wednesday at 3, yes, we'll be there...thank you." Willow handed the receiver back to Buffy without looking at her.
"You're scaring me, Willow," Buffy said when she returned to Willow's side.
"We have another appointment Wednesday at 3," Willow said evenly. She looked down at the paper so Buffy wouldn't see her confusion and apprehension. "For a sonogram."
"I thought they didn't do them until later."
"They must be wrong."
"Wrong about what?"
Willow lifted her head and faced Buffy. "They said I'm three months, the baby's three months." She was silent for a few moments. "How?"
Buffy slid from the stool and wrapped her arms around Willow. She buried her face in Willow's soft red hair and took comfort in the familiar smell of her shampoo. "It's all right, sweetheart," she said quietly as Willow slumped against her.
After lunch, Buffy headed downtown to get Faith. She had called Giles, who agreed to meet them at the cemetery, and she wanted plenty of daylight on their side. Willow had agreed to talk with Tara, but made Buffy promise not to tell anyone else until they knew more.
Faith looked happy to be relieved of her duties in the gallery, and she kept up a steady patter of conversation during the walk to the cemetery. She knew it would do no good to try to get Buffy to open up about what was bothering her, and ignored the blonde Slayer's unusually intense countenance.
Giles gave them a brief lecture that boiled down to "Don't do anything stupid," before handing each of them a small duffel bag of weapons. They returned sooner than Giles expected.
"There's no one down there now," Faith reported. "Lots of digging, but no vampires or anything else."
"I'll check it out this evening," Giles said. "Just in case they aren't finished."
Late the next afternoon, both Slayers and their witches, as well as Xander, Joyce, and Giles met around the Summers' dining room table. Giles reported first, telling of the Ring of Amara and that if it had been in the catacombs, it was now gone. He had seen or heard nothing so far to indicate who was looking for it or whether it had been found. "I'll keep looking," he promised.
Xander spoke up. "I ran into Harmony last night, and what she was saying makes sense now."
"Harmony Kendall?" Willow asked.
"Yeah. She's a vampire now," Xander began to explain.
"What did she say?" Buffy and Faith asked at the same time.
"I'm getting to that. Aren't you surprised that Harmony's a vampire?"
"Whoever turned her probably bit her to shut her up," Willow said snidely.
"What did she say?" Buffy repeated.
"That Spike was going to kill the Slayers, and then they would own Sunnydale," Xander told them.
"What else?" Buffy asked while Willow asked incredulously "Spike? I thought he had better taste."
"That you wouldn't expect it, even if I told you about this." He looked sheepish. "I thought she was just running her mouth, you know, name dropping like she always did."
"If Spike has the Ring of Amara," Faith asked, "what can he do with it?"
After a long pause, Giles told them, "It makes the wearer invincible."
"Invincible how?" Faith asked. "Does he get more super powers?"
"Invincible as in he can't be killed," Giles said, and all eyes turned to him. "You can't stake him, and holy water, crosses, and sunlight won't affect him."
"Crap," Buffy muttered.
"So how do we stop him?" Faith asked.
"You have to get the ring from him," Giles explained. "Then he will be just another vampire, if there is such a thing." After a brief silence, he waved his hand toward Buffy. "The floor is yours."