"No Slayer has ever survived pregnancy."
The words seemed to echo around the room. Willow did not know what to think. She had been prepared for the world ending, huge demons rising without a Slayer to defeat them - anything apart from this. Her knees began to shake as the meaning of his words sunk in and she sat down suddenly, missing the chair behind her. The shock of landing on the hard floor startled them both out of their stunned thoughts and Giles immediately moved to help her up. Even the kittens seemed to realise something was wrong. Button jumped up into Willow's lap and began to chew her robe as he purred to comfort her. Gizmo just looked at Giles, managing to convey worry even though she could not know what was wrong with her mistress.
Eventually Willow broke the silence. "A-are you sure? I mean, how many pregnant Slayers can there have been? And how do you know they all died?"
"It was mentioned during my training several times," Giles replied. "Slayers may not live long, and Buffy is one of the oldest, but until a hundred years ago or so it was not uncommon for girls as young as fourteen or fifteen to be considered old enough to marry and have children. Usually Slayers don't marry, but they have been known to have . . . l-lovers or even relationships with their Watchers."
"And they got pregnant," Willow finished. "But what happened?"
"They all died or disappeared before the child was born," Giles told her heavily.
"Oh."
There was silence as Willow tried to think of something to say.
"What are you doing?" she asked finally, indicating the books and papers strewn over the table.
A light of hope began to shine in his eyes. "I'm going through the relevant Watcher's diaries, trying to find some hint as to why all those Slayers died."
"And?"
"Four died in the late stages of pregnancy because they grew too clumsy to defend themselves. Their Watchers tried to stop them patrolling but . . ."
"If they were like Buffy then that would have been pointless."
"Exactly. But they're not who I'm interested in. Four Slayers died before their movements were being affected by the pregnancy and their Watchers reported that they were suspicious about the deaths."
Willow began to have a vague idea as to where Giles was going. "Suspicious how?"
"They were being followed during the weeks before the deaths. One Watcher, John Franklin, in 1866 even stated that he feared the Council would 'do something' if they found out about the child."
"And yet he recorded it."
Giles looked offended. "Of course."
"Not the most logical step."
"No one would look in the diary unless the Watcher left his post for some reason so it was perfectly safe and would hopefully provide a future reference."
"Ah." Willow thought for a moment. "What happened to the Slayers that disappeared?"
"That's what I'm trying find out."
Willow stood, put Button on her chair, and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Giles called after her.
"I'm waking Xander and rallying the troops."
***
They researched all night and into the morning. On one level the research was promising but as they put it together a disturbing picture began to unfold. Eventually Giles straightened from the notes he had been writing and looked around the table. Gizmo and Button were asleep and the humans were not much better.
"You should all get to bed," he instructed.
"I'm awake," Xander insisted. "I'm just studying my eyelids."
"I appreciate your efforts but I have to go to the hospital soon and you'll be of more use awake and refreshed."
"When you put it that way . . ." Xander muttered and began to stumble up the stairs.
***
Buffy was on a ward with several other pregnant women, although she was the only one not showing. By the time Giles arrived she dressed and sitting on her bed trying not to look impatient. As soon as she saw him she sprang up with a happy grin.
"Hi Dad-to-be," she whispered as she hugged him.
He gave her a quick, hard kiss and released her. "Hello."
"Honey, if this is your hunk'o'love I can see why you're pregnant," an older woman in the bed next bed said with a lascivious grin. "Sure you don't wanna swap?"
Giles and Buffy both blushed but the blonde girl grinned back at the woman. "And have your Sam mad at me? Uh-uh. He's mine."
"Shame," the woman sighed theatrically. "Sugar, you and me could have had some fun."
Giles blushed even more ferociously. The woman was in her mid-thirties and quite pretty but she spoke with the brash accent of a New Yorker and seemed determined to embarrass him.
"Wanda, stop it. You're embarrassing him," Buffy ordered, but the cheeky grin she shot him said she was enjoying it as much as the older woman was.
"Are ya sure he was a librarian?" Wanda asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Very."
"I guess you would know best."
Giles decided he had allowed the women enough fun at his expense. "When you've quite finished . . .?" he queried.
Buffy smiled at him and said, "Party pooper."
She walked over to Wanda's bed and hugged her. "Take care," she ordered.
"'Course I will," Wanda responded with a grin. "Not much chance I'll be able to do anything else in here."
"Well then, good luck."
"Honey, I think you need the luck. Don't fall down anymore stairs, ya hear?"
"I hear."
Wanda looked at Giles with a serious expression. "You take care of her, sugar. She's not a strong as she looks."
Giles smiled back at her, slightly amazed that the brash woman could be so perceptive. "I know. Are you ready, love?"
"Yeah. Take me home."
***
It took a few minutes to finish all the discharge procedures. The doctor treating Buffy was amazed by her rapid recovery but saw no reason to keep her. She ordered Giles to take his wife home, put her to bed for a couple of days and make her take her vitamins. Buffy grimaced at the orders but said nothing. She made an appointment for a check-up and almost ran from the hospital when she was allowed to leave.
When they reached the car, before Giles could turn on the engine, Buffy turned to him.
"What's wrong Rupert?"
"W-wrong?" Giles asked, hoping she had not noticed how worried he was.
"Rupert, you look like you haven't been to bed yet." Giles winced. "I was right! You've been up all night and now you're acting jumpy. Something is up."
This was one of those moments when Giles wished Buffy did not know him so well. "We'll talk when we get home."
"Now you're really worrying me." She took his hand. "Just tell me what's wrong. It . . . you do want this baby, don't you?"
Awkwardly in the cramped car Giles pulled her to him in a tight hug. "Of course."
"Good. So if it's not that, why won't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry if I frightened you but it really would be better to talk at home."
Buffy sighed in defeat and sat back in her seat. "Ok."
***
Buffy was edgy, and felt more jumpy the closer the got to home. She could tell something was very badly wrong and if Giles was reluctant to tell her what it was then she was not going to like it. As they went she watched him out of the corner of her eye and worried. He looked rumpled, his eyes were bloodshot and he repeatedly ran his hand through his hair. As the house came into view she breathed a sigh of relief. That was short-lived however. Giles led her down to the Basement where she found Willow and Xander bent over books, both of them also looking short on sleep.
"Ok, now I'm scared," Buffy commented.
Willow looked up and smiled. It was a little strained but it was a smile.
"Buffy, hi! How are you feeling? How's the baby?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Xander stood wearily and hugged her. "Hi. You look better."
"I feel better. What's going on?"
Xander and Willow turned to Giles.
***
Buffy took the news of previous Slayers' early death quite well. She paled slightly, and Giles could see her gripping the arms of her chair tightly, but there were no hysterics as she calmly asked what they had found out about the Slayers that disappeared.
Willow, Xander and Giles all looked at each other but it was the older man who spoke. "We think many of them went into hiding."
The Slayer looked at them in disbelief. "Hiding? Why?"
There was not a great deal Giles could tell her. "In several cases, seven so far, the new Slayer was not found for several months after the previous one disappeared. They could have been missed and not found as soon as they were called, as you were, but it happened too many times to be coincidence. The time gap is large enough that they could have given birth and lived for months afterwards. They all died eventually but I don't think it was a result of the pregnancy. Two of those Slayers disappeared with their Watchers, and they hinted that they were the fathers of those babies."
"So what you're saying is that something killed several pregnant Slayers and forced several more into hiding."
"That's about the size of it," Willow said sadly.
"That means there's something or someone out there that does not want Slayers to have children," Buffy reasoned. "And it's been around for a long time."
*finis*