Willow watched Buffy out of the corner of her eye as they sat in the lecture theatre. The seats had not been built for women in the sixth month of pregnancy and, as the Slayer shifted uncomfortably again, she reflected that it was good that lecture would soon be over. They had another two days and then their finals before they were free for the summer and that could not come too soon for any of them. Maintaining a round-the-clock guard for Buffy was difficult when they had college. Despite their belief that the Commedores would not try anything until the birth, and may well have saved Buffy from the Watchers, in her condition none of them wanted to take any chances. Giles had actually tried to stop her leaving the house at all, until the Gang persuaded him that he was being unreasonable and it would not be good for her to be cooped up in the house for five months.
They had all (with the exception of the Slayer) agreed that it was not safe for her to patrol so instead the Gang was trying to keep the vampire population under control and praying that nothing drastic would happen in the meantime. Spike had taken up residence in the basement, partially so they knew where he was if they needed his muscles for a problem and partially because the local vampire population was not pleased to find him helping the Slayer. Giles had bought a new car, rationalising that the old Citroen just was not up to the job anymore. The fact that it was a minivan, built like a small armoured car, and had every modern safety device invented did not pass them by. Nobody asked where he got the money but it made everyone feel safer knowing that nothing aside from a small nuclear device could so much as dent the thing.
Buffy shifted again and sighed, and Willow looked down at the pad the blonde girl was doodling on instead of taking notes.
"Are you ok?" she whispered very quietly.
"Yeah. Backache," Buffy breathed back.
"We can escape in ten minutes."
"Good."
Willow went back to scanning the room and trying to pay attention to their droning lecturer. The class had thinned out since their first day, many students unable to cope with the dull presentation, but Buffy and Willow had managed to stick with it. The fact that they had missed several of the lectures for emergencies had probably softened the dullness.
A flash of blonde caught her eye and she looked down at the blonde girl sitting in the row in front of her. She was not the golden blonde of Buffy, more of a dark blonde, but Willow had noticed her over the year. Actually it was a little embarrassing - she had more than just noticed her. The girl seemed very shy and always left class as soon as the lecturer finished, not stopping to talk to anyone.
Watching the girl, Willow noticed that she was doodling on her pad as well. Guess this lecture really is boring. Wonder what it's about?
She was about to force herself to focus on the lecture when she realised what the girl was doodling. Hey, I recognise that. I'm sure those are the runes for a spell. For the spell to turn wine into water in fact. Could it be coincidence? Nah, no way. Could she be a witch? Makes sense...
As soon as the lecture finished Buffy turned to her. "Will, the baby's sitting on my bladder. Can we take a quick detour before going home?"
Willow smiled at her, noticing the embarrassed flush. "Sure, no problem."
They walked quickly through the crowd of students and found their way to a bathroom. Over the past couple of weeks they had probably mapped out the quickest routes to all the bathrooms on the campus. As her 'college guardian', Willow had to stick closely to Buffy all day. The blonde girl had actually spent more time in the library than she had ever expected to, and it was paying off in her grades. Joyce was actually starting to feel positive about the pregnancy after seeing that, although none of them were going to tell her why Buffy had been studying so much.
Willow leaned against the wall outside the bathroom with their bags and pulled out an old spell book, its spine showing its age, and began reading.
"Uh, hi," a voice said hesitantly from the other side of the book.
Willow lowered the book and found she was looking straight into the blue-green eyes of the blonde girl from the lecture.
"Hi," Willow said brightly.
"I-I-I...uh, is that Branir's book?" the girl asked with a slight stutter.
"Yeah. You know it?"
The girl nodded.
"I noticed you were doodling in class . . . I wasn't spying or anything but I just saw..."
"I h-hoped you would. I'm Tara, by the way."
"I know," Willow said and blushed when she realised that she had been caught out.
"A-and you're Willow," Tara said with a gentle smile.
Willow nodded.
"Do you want to talk sometime...a-about spells and stuff?"
"I'd love to," Willow said enthusiastically. "I'm waiting for Buffy right now, but maybe we could have coffee sometime."
"S-sure. I'd l-l-love that." Tara blushed.
The redheaded witch grinned at her new friend and began rummaging in her bag for a pen and paper. "Here's my number. Give me a call - I'm usually around...except when I'm not but then I'm not and..."
"I will. You're friend is very lucky."
"Her mom doesn't thinks so - pregnant and still at college didn't go down well."
"No, I meant to have you as a friend." Tara blushed again and began backing away. "Uh, thanks. I'll c-call you sometime."
"Great."
Willow was still grinning when Buffy finally emerged. The long jumper and skirt she wore concealed the growing bulge well and unless you knew it was hard to tell she was pregnant.
"Who were you talking to?" she asked taking her bag.
"Tara," was all Willow said.
***
**The meadow was sunlit again. It felt at once familiar and strange, as though she had been there before but could not remember when. The blanket was spread out on the grass and covered with plates of food, as it had been before, but there was something different. Ah, that was it - the Mayor was lying sprawled on one side of it. Something felt oddly wrong about that but she put it aside.
"Hey boss," she said, approaching the blanket.
"Well, look at that. My Faith is all grown up now," the Mayor said with a huge grin. "Don't we look nice?"
Faith looked down and realised she was wearing a floral print dress. "I guess. Can I have something to eat?"
"I'd say so. You need to keep your strength up."
"Why?" she asked, and grabbed a sandwich as she sat down.
"Well, you don't think you can stay here forever? You need to get out and see the world. My Faith shouldn't be hidden away from the world."
"Maybe I like it here."
"Now that's not a positive attitude. Where's that 'look out world, here I come' person that I remember?"
Faith shrugged and swallowed. "I don't know. I guess I'm just used to it here."
"And that means you can stay here, locked away from everything? Really, I had hoped for better. Could you wipe your hands on the napkin, not the blanket?"
The dark Slayer quickly snatched her hand away from the blanket. "Could we not talk about that right now?"
"I've never known you to run away from anything."
"I'm not running. I just . . . don't feel like talking about this right now."
"It's because of Buffy, isn't it?"
"That bitch? Nah, I got over that right about when she stuck a knife in my guts."
"You're afraid of her."
"No!"
"You should be."
Faith looked up to see Buffy looming over, holding the ornate dagger. The sky suddenly darkened and when she looked back the Mayor had disappeared.
"Oh sh-"
She cut herself off and rolled sideways to avoid the downward thrust of the dagger. The sun went out and the meadow was cast into darkness.
"B, you don't want to do this," Faith pleaded, crawling backwards.
"Oh, but I do. You hurt me so I have to hurt you," Buffy said sweetly.
"Please, no!"
Faith stood and began to run. **
***
"Ladies, your chariot awaits," Xander announced as he pulled up in front of the college.
Buffy awkwardly slid herself into the front seat and Willow climbed into the back. Since the kidnapping nobody was willing to let the Slayer wander around Sunnydale on foot, even if she was with people. So Xander and Giles insisted on driving her if she absolutely had to go out and Buffy, not so patiently, put up with it.
"So, how was your day?" asked Xander when they were safely in the moving traffic.
"It was college, Xand. You figure it out," Buffy replied grumpily.
"Can I take it this isn't a safe topic of conversation?"
"We just had to sit through a bad lecture," Willow explained. "Even I'm not certain what it was about. I just hope it doesn't come up on the exams."
"Do you suppose they have special dispensation for pregnancy?" Buffy asked. "Maybe shifting you up a grade because of the hormones?"
"Sorry, I don't think they do. But I'll help you study when we get back?" Willow offered.
"Let me have a nap first and then we'll study. And maybe a snack."
Buffy was yawning sleepily by the time they got to the house and she headed straight for the bedroom as soon as they got through the door. Xander waved to them and drove off to his shift at the hotel restaurant so Willow was left alone in the house. She pottered around for a while, tidying the living room and washing the dishes, but eventually she was left with nothing to do. For a long moment she stood leaning against a kitchen counter, tying the dishcloth into knots and then unravelling it.
Then she sighed and hung it up on a hook before getting her bag and going upstairs.
"Might as well get started on some work while Buffy sleeps," she muttered to herself.
She had just booted up her laptop and found the books she wanted when the telephone rang. There was a handset out in the hall so she ran to get it before Buffy woke.
"Hello?" she said breathlessly.
"H-hello? Can I talk to W-Willow?" a slightly hesitant voice said.
"Speaking," Willow said cheerfully, suddenly feeling as though the sun had come out from behind a cloud. "Hi Tara."
***
**It was like one of those nightmares she had as a child. No matter how fast she ran, her pursuer was still there slowly gaining on her. Only, unlike her childhood dreams, instead of her mother chasing her it was Buffy. Her fellow Slayer. Turning and fighting never occurred to her; she just ran on. **
***
Giles stood beside the bed and watched Buffy sleep. The past few months had been tough on her, despite her brave face, and the strain was beginning to show. Pregnancy was hard on a woman at the best of times, but she was trying to deal with so many other things. In sleep her face regained the almost child-like innocence he so loved, but awake the signs of strain would show again as she tried to be brave and keep everyone from worrying. Only he knew how afraid she was and how much she relied on her friend's support.
That was why this evening was going to be special. She had been studying hard with Willow and the young witch had informed Giles in no uncertain terms that his wife needed a night off to relax before her exams and this was the perfect excuse.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and lightly touched her arm. Immediately she stirred and opened her eyes, a slow grin appearing when she saw him.
"Hi," she whispered, her voice throaty from sleep.
"Hi, yourself," he said quietly.
"What time is it?" She looked at the clock. "Did I sleep that long? Someone should have woken me. It's my turn to cook tonight and I was supposed to do some sociology revision with Will."
"Ssh, it's all right. Willow said you needed the sleep and I've got supper under control."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what's got into me lately."
"Nonsense. You're pregnant - you can't expect to carry on as you have done. Now, you've got a few minutes to get ready and then we can eat."
"Ok."
He was gone before she could argue any more and she spend a moment rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before she levered herself upright and wandered down the hall to the bathroom.
Her skirt and sweater still looked reasonably respectable and Buffy did not have the energy to change. So she simply brushed her tangled hair until it shone and washed her face. Feeling much refreshed she wandered downstairs, following the sent of cooking food.
The dining room was dark when she went in and she looked around in confusion. Then a match lit in the corner and slowly moved towards a tall, white candlestick. When that caught and cast its soft light around the room she was able to look around and gasped at the change.
"Rupert, I...I don't know what to say."
The large table had been folded and pushed back to make room for a smaller one that had a crisp white tablecloth on it. Two tall white candlesticks sat in the middle of the table, along with silver cutlery for two and glittering crystal glasses. Dark blue napkins had been fashioned into swans and in one of them lay a single red rose. Giles stood next to the table with a gentle smile on his face and he beckoned her closer.
"Happy anniversary, love," he said and kissed her lightly on the lips before pulling a chair out for her.
"Anniversary?"
"Today it's been six months since we got married," he explained. "I know this isn't how I pictured our anniversary - I had imagined something involving expensive restaurants and violinists - but I though this might do at a scratch."
"It's perfect," Buffy said with a smile, lifting the red rose to her nose and sniffing it. "You're here, and I'm here, so that makes it everything I imagined."
Giles sat down opposite her. "Thank you."
From the corner where he had been standing unobtrusively, Xander cleared his throat. He was wearing his suit from the restaurant where he worked and had a white towel draped over his arm, completing the picture of a perfect waiter.
"Can I get your starters?" he asked.
Giles nodded and the boy disappeared.
"You got Xander to act as waiter? You really have gone all out," Buffy said with a smile.
"We can't go to a restaurant so I brought the restaurant to us."
"Aah."
Xander returned bearing to small plates and he carefully placed them on the table. Then he picked up Buffy's napkin and looked at her questioningly, unfolding it when she nodded. Something fell out of the napkin and landed on the table.
"Would you look at that?" he said with a grin. "Guess something was hidden in there."
He made his escape before Giles could say anything and hid in the kitchen. Buffy, meanwhile, was staring at the ring that had landed in front of her with some bemusement.
"What is it?" she asked eventually.
"It's a ring, love," Giles told her helpfully.
"Well, duh! I can see that. I was asking why it fell out of my swan."
"I suppose someone must have hidden it there."
She looked up at Giles' grin. "You're sneaky. Why are you giving me a ring? Don't I already have one?"
"You have a wedding ring. We didn't have time to get you an engagement ring so I wanted to give you this. I intended to give it to you on your birthday, but it didn't seem appropriate, and then I was going to give it to you on Valentine's Day, but events overtook me so I thought today was a suitable day."
She picked up the ring and examined it. The front half of the white gold band was studded with diamonds and there was an inscription inside the narrow band.
'B ~ my love forever ~ G'
"It's beautiful," she said as she put it on her finger and admired the sparkling diamonds. "Thank you."
Giles smiled, flushed slightly and said, "Thank you for everything you've given me over the past six months."
Smiling, Buffy was about to reply when her stomach rumbled. "Have you noticed how our most emotional moments are interrupted by my appetite?"
***
** The cemetery was dark but Faith ran towards it. Inside there were lots of places to hide. Maybe if she hid long enough, Buffy would give up and she could go back to her picnic.
"You can't stay locked away here forever."
The Mayor's words seemed to mock her and she found that she had tears running down her eyes and her breath was coming in panting sobs as she ran. Faith looked back and saw Buffy not far behind her. Swearing, she put on a burst of speed and then dived behind a statue of an angel.
Buffy walked past her and Faith held her breath. For a long time she crouched behind the statue, hardly daring to believe that she had lost the blonde Slayer. **
***
Dinner finished Buffy and Giles adjourned to the living room, where lamps gave the room a soft glow, and sat down on the couch. She curled up against his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Thank you," she said.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his cheek on her golden head. "No thanks are necessary. It's nice to hear but..."
She slapped his gently on the chest. "I think I need to withdraw all compliments from now on. You're getting far too big-headed."
They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the rare chance to spend time alone, and then Giles got up to turn on the stereo.
"No," Buffy said and reached behind the couch. "I found this when I was cleaning the other day and remembered you used to be in a band. Would you sing to me?"
She produced his acoustic guitar and Giles froze for a moment.
"Are you ok?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm f-fine," he assured her after a moment. "I was just a little surprised that you remembered."
"So was I, to tell you the truth. I wasn't listening to you very well at the time you told me, was I?"
"You listened more than I gave you credit for. Do you know, that day in the school when we talked after Eyghon was the first time I suspected that we might have something in common? It was probably the first time I began to understand you."
Buffy smiled at him and held out the guitar. "It was the first day I realised that you might actually have some idea of what I was going through."
"What would you like me to sing?" Giles asked as he took the instrument and began tuning it.
"Oh, I don't know. Anything. I don't think I've ever heard you sing. I bet you sound great."
"Anything? That's a tall order."
He thought for a moment before something occurred to him and he began softly strumming.
Buffy smiled as she recognised the opening bars of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight". She was right - he had a beautiful voice and as he sang she realised that she didn't have to imagine that he was playing it just for her because he was. When he sang the line about "she brushes her long blonde hair" she unconsciously touched her blonde hair and smiled.
***
** Faith looked around but Buffy appeared to have given up so she stood, brushed herself off and began to walk out of the cemetery. She was almost there when she heard footsteps behind her.
She did not even turn around because she knew who was there - she just broke into a dead run and made for the cemetery gates. It was like running through treacle; no matter how hard or fast she tried to run she was barely moving. Panicked, she turned and saw Buffy only a few feet behind her.
It was only a few more feet but she just could not make it. Buffy was closing in too fast and held the knife with a determined expression.
Faith closed her eyes and made a desperate leap for the gate where sunshine seemed to beckon to her so tantalisingly. Her hands closed around cold iron and she felt warmth on her face at last. **
***
In a hospital room in Sunnydale, Faith opened her eyes.
*finis*