Buffy rested her head on the back of the chair, enjoying the feeling of sun on her face. After the intense discussions of the previous day, everyone had made the unconscious decision to distance themselves from the heavy emotions. Moving the discussion outside seemed like the best way to do so. Giles had placed a comfortably padded sun-lounge on the lawn for her and she was taking full advantage of the opportunity to spend some time out of the house.
Thinking about her husband immediately took the happiness out of her sunlit morning. After his mini-emotional display last night, Giles had said nothing. Well, not completely nothing - he had asked how she was, found her some fruit tea and even had a five-minute discussion about the merits of sun block. But he was steadfastly refusing to talk about the bombshell Mary had delivered last night.
Buffy shifted slightly and forced the tension out of her shoulders. Really, there was nothing for her to worry about, was there? As she had commented before, Giles was the emotional marathon man. He would be stoic and silent until he worked through it all and then she would have her loving husband back. It was the way he did things.
This time, though, that felt completely wrong. She was his wife, and part of that job description was to be his support and helpmate. How could she watch him go through this alone? When they married, part of their promises to each other had been to help, support and trust. It might not have been the way he was used to handling his problems, but things were different now and she needed to make him see that.
The warm sunshine soaked through her skin into her soul, and for the first time in a long time she could feel the hope that maybe everything would work. After all, if one Slayer's child had survived maybe others had. Maybe her own would. Buffy stilled as she remembered what Louisa had done. But this time it did not have to end that way. Her situation was completely different from Louisa's; she had a family that cared about her and each one of them had skills and knowledge that could be put together to form a plan. This time it could be different.
Her mind slid away from the task of thinking of a plan and returned to the man who was the other half of her soul. Before she did anything about a plan, she needed to talk to Giles.
***
Mary shaded her eyes as she peered out of the kitchen door into the garden. The bright morning sunshine contrasted with the cool dimness of the house and it took her eyes a moment to adjust enough to see. She could hear Rupert pottering around, fixing tea, and she could feel the discomfort washing out of him in waves. It was a good thing, she decided, that she had spent the night at her hotel; the boy's reserves were strained enough from trying to deal with her revelations the night before. Having her around last night as a reminder would probably have been too much.
She spotted Buffy in her sun-chair, surrounded by other chairs and a table next to her littered with magazines, bottles of water and a large tube of sun block. The girl had sunglasses on but her posture suggested that she was nearly asleep. Mary smiled faintly as she noticed that, in defiance of the large bulge in her abdomen, Buffy was wearing a vest-top and comfortably loose cotton trousers. In her day pregnant women had always covered up as much as possible, but she thought that this attitude was much healthier. After all, pregnancy brought new life so was nothing to be ashamed of.
Mary did not realise how quietly she was approaching the blonde girl until she spoke and Buffy jumped.
"Hello, Buffy."
It took the younger girl a few moments to recover her composure. "Hi . . . uh . . . what should I call you? It feels weird to call you Mary, but I guess you're family so I can't call you Miss . . . Mrs . . . Ms Stewart. I've never had to cope with in-law people."
Grinning, Mary shrugged. "Whatever makes you feel comfortable, dear. I feel like a schoolteacher when I'm called Miss Stewart so I'd much rather stay away from that. How do you feel about Aunt Mary?"
Buffy considered it for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds a bit better. So, Aunt Mary, do you wanna sit down?"
Selecting one of the more padded chairs, Mary sat. "How are you this morning?"
"Fine. I think the baby like the sunshine."
"I must say that it's a pleasant change from England at this time of year."
"I've never been. It's always raining on TV shows though."
"Well, August is not the driest month of the year. You should visit in May or June - that's when England is at it's best."
"I'll try." Buffy cocked her head. "How long are you here for?"
"I'm not sure yet, child. Until it's time for me to leave, I suppose." Mary's eyes unconsciously flickered back to the house. "Rupert had to know the truth after all this time. He may never want to see me again."
"Uh-uh," Buffy shook her head vehemently. "He's in shock; he'll recover. I know he doesn't blame you. I'm not sure what he's feeling right now - getting him to talk about his feelings is like pulling really, really deep-rooted teeth - but I know he still loves you."
"Thank you, dear."
Buffy glanced at the house, and Mary could see the worry in her eyes. "Do you mind excusing me? I need to talk to Rupert."
"Of course." Mary smiled warmly at her. "If at first he won't talk, just keep knocking on that stubborn head of his. He'll talk eventually. He's a lot like his father; he tries to keep everything inside and deal with it all himself. In my experience that isn't a healthy way to cope."
"I know."
Slowly, Buffy levered herself up until she was standing and waddled into the house with a quick wave.
Mary closed her eyes and sat back to absorb the sun, smiling as she felt the warm light soaking inside her. California may be loud, foreign and filled with brash Americans, but the sunlight and warmth could not compare with England's dank dreariness. Maybe, when this was all over, she would stay. Just for a while.
Her sharp ears caught the sound of someone quietly walking through the grass. The steps were too quick and light to be Buffy returned, so she cracked one eye open and watched as the redheaded young witch approached. Opening both eyes, she raised her head and smiled.
"Hello, Willow," she greeted, picking up the bottle of sun block and holding it out.
Willow smiled shyly and too the bottle. Her shorts and top exposed a lot of fair skin and Mary knew from her own, painful past experience that it she did not wear the block she would be the colour of a baked lobster by lunchtime.
"Hi, Miss Stewart," Willow said, sitting down and opening the bottle. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm enjoying the sunshine," Mary said cheerfully. "And you? I'm surprised at how early all the young people here are up."
"I woke up and I didn't want to wake Tara so I got up. Uh, it wasn't safe for her to walk home late last night," the redhead said uncomfortably.
Mary nodded and said nothing.
"Normally," Willow continued, "we don't get up this early during vacation. But we've got less than a month to find a plan so I don't think any of us are sleeping right now."
"You all care about Buffy a great deal, don't you?"
"She's my best friend. Giles taught me so much; I hate to see them unhappy. We're a family."
"Good."
Mary rested her head back again and closed her eyes.
***
Gizmo finished washing her ears and began on the important taste of washing every inch of her tail. Her newly clean ears, meanwhile, pricked up as she heard her owner slowly enter the kitchen. The blonde one smelled of worry and the little cat put all her attention into listening. She shifted a little so that she could watch as the blonde one put her arms around her mate and held him awkwardly.
"Rupert, are you all right?"
"Love, I'm fine."
Gizmo did not believe that for one moment. Over the past eight months she had become familiar with all of their scents, expressions and habits. The blonde one's mate was tense and upset, and trying to hide it.
"Look, I know you like being all stoic and 'I'm a tough guy, I don't need help', but you shouldn't have to be like that around me." With strength surprising in someone as small as she was, the blonde girl turned her mate and made him look at her. "I'm here. I'll always be here. You can talk to me about it; that's what marriage is about. God knows, you've listened to me often enough. This isn't a one-way street. It goes both ways - I'm here when you need it. You're here for me. We're partners."
"Love . . ."
"Uh uh, don't. Whatever objection you're about to find, just forget it. I love you. Now, can we talk about it?"
The tall man put his arms around his mate and held her tightly, shuddering. The emotions in the room were so intense that they almost made Gizmo sneeze, so she decided that now was the time for a tactical retreat. They would work out their problems just fine without her, and this part was not really her job. That would come later.
Giving her fur one last swipe to settle it properly, Gizmo stood and padded out of the kitchen. The dark haired female was still in bed and always gave her a cuddle, even though she pretended not to want to, and Gizmo liked the pretty sky in her lair.
***
Some time later everyone, apart from Spike, was sitting in the sunshine. Buffy was back in her sun-lounge and Giles had a chair next to her so that they could hold hands. Faith, wearing the briefest shorts and top possible, was draped on another sun-lounge. Xander and Anya had chosen matching chairs, putting them as close together as they could, and were playing footsie as well as holding hands. Tara was seated at Willow's feet so that the redheaded girl could braid her hair and Mary was watching them with a smile.
"So," Buffy said to start the meeting, "we never heard the rest of your story last night, Aunt Mary."
"The rest?" Mary asked curiously. "I wasn't aware that I had left anything out."
"You didn't tell us how you stopped the Comedores killing Rupert as soon as they worked out that he was still alive," Buffy said.
"Ah." Mary paused for a moment. "Well, we never actually worked out why they didn't find out about Louisa's trick. That protection spell must have been more powerful than we had thought."
"Rupert isn't wearing it now and the demons aren't trying to sacrifice him," Buffy pointed out. "It would be a lot easier to use him rather than waiting around for me to give birth, wouldn't it?"
"That was something we didn't find out for a while after he was born," Mary said. "Albert was looking for something, completely unconnected to the Comedores, and he tracked down a book. I think it had been lost for centuries, but he found it. He was looking through it for some information when he saw a reference to the Comedores. As you can imagine, that sparked his interest. It turned out that there is a time limit within which the sacrifice must be made. After that, the child is no more use to them than any other human child."
"A time limit?" Giles asked curiously. "I've searched through every book I could find and haven't seen anything about a time limit."
"I suspect that over the years someone, or several someones, have done their best to ensure that nobody knows about the time limit." Mary snorted. "I think we can guess who that might have been."
"The Watchers," Buffy stated flatly. "It would be just like them. Great way to get their pregnant Slayers so terrified that they'll gladly go back to the fold and have their babies taken away."
"Yes, I think you're right." Mary sighed. "They always have liked to control whatever they can. I think that may be why they've failed so spectacularly with their last few Slayers. Times have changed but they haven't."
"So, what's the time limit?" Faith asked.
"Six weeks," Mary said. "The sacrifice must be made within six weeks of the child's birth or it will be useless."
"Six weeks?" Buffy asked. "I was hoping it would be more like six hours, or maybe six minutes."
"It's six weeks. How much do you all know about biology?"
Several heads shook, although Willow's face brightened.
"Very well, I'll give you a quick lesson," Mary continued. "After six weeks, a baby will have replaced its entire blood supply. Prior to that there may be traces of the mother's blood and the baby's own blood cells are slightly different. Once the baby has replaced all of its blood it can truly be said to be a separate being. That's why blood tests to determine paternity cannot be performed immediately after birth."
Several faces frowned, although Willow nodded her head with understanding.
"I believe that the Comedores need that early blood for their sacrifice. Once that has been replaced they cannot use the child. If we had found out sooner . . ." Mary sighed sadly. "As it was, we did not discover this until Rupert was three years old. Maybe Louisa would still be alive if we had found out sooner. I don't know. But I do know that this time we can make different decisions."
Buffy took in the words but it was several breaths before the meaning sunk in. There was hope. Maybe it was not the overwhelming good news she had been hoping for, but this was more than they had been given before. She rested her free hand on her bulging abdomen, feeling a kick beneath her palm, and smiled. Turning her head she realised that Giles was watching her with hope matching hers in his eyes.
"Rupert, we might make it," Buffy whispered.
"Love, I never doubted it," he whispered back, squeezing her hand.
Buffy turned her attention back the conversation around her in time to hear Xander say, "We need to thin out the Comedores."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
There were several rolled eyes and sighs, and she realised that her question had already been answered earlier.
"Because," Xander said patiently, "if we want to keep them away from you and the baby for six weeks we need there to be fewer of them."
"Got any ideas?" Buffy asked. "Not to rain on anyone's parade, but so far each time we've met them the things have pretty much decimated us. They're bigger, stronger, and there are a lot more of them."
Xander looked thoughtful while Faith said lazily, "Shame we can't just nuke 'em all. Big bang, very satisfying."
"Faith, we're the good guys," Buffy said with a sigh. "We can't make bombs in case they hurt other people, and that cavern is right below the town so it would probably take a lot with it when it collapsed."
"It was just an idea," Faith said, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe," Xander said, a feverish intensity in his eyes. "Maybe . . . Wil, Tara, could I see you in the basement?"
"Uh, sure," Willow said uncertainly as Xander stood. "But why?"
The dark haired boy shook his head. "I think I have an idea. But I don't want to get all excited until I'm sure. So, are you coming?"
Tara and Willow exchanged glances before quickly standing and following him into the house. Anya watched them go with a worried expression.
"I trust him, I really do," she said. "I have complete trust in my boyfriend going to the basement with his ex-girlfriend and her friend. We trust each other."
"Uh-huh," Buffy nodded.
"We do not feel a need to be jealous," Anya continued, her eyes fixed on the kitchen door, "because we trust each other completely."
"Yeah, I can really, really see that," Buffy said.
Anya watched the door for a few moments. "Do you think they might like some iced tea? I could go and get them some."
"Sounds like a solid plan," Buffy said, hiding a grin behind her hand.
Immediately Anya stood and very carefully did not run into the house. She walked swiftly and intently, but it did not fit the legal definition of 'running'.
"Have I missed something?" Mary asked.
Buffy shrugged. "Not really. Anya's just being Anya. What we need is a plan."
There was silence in the garden. They had facts, ideas and suppositions, but the plan was still being elusive. Buffy sighed. Trying to stop fifty large, strong demons from attacking and taking away her baby was still the biggest sticking point in their plan. They could repel magical attacks and hide the baby's presence, but at the end of the day they would still be in the house and the Comedores would know that.
"I don't want to leave here," she said sadly.
"I know, love," Giles said. "And at this stage I don't know where we could go. As much as I hate to say it, I think this is where we'll have to make our final stand."
"Final stand. It sounds so . . . final," Buffy mused. "I guess we just have to make the best of what we have."
"You have a lot more than Louisa did," Mary said with a smile. "You have lots of talented friends who are willing to do anything to help you. I think that's where your strength will be. And I'll be here, if you want me."
"You will?" Buffy asked eagerly, feeling a strange companionship with the woman even though she had known her for less than a day.
"Of course I will. Unless you want to bring an innocent mid-wife here to birth the baby, with all the risks that would entail."
"I hadn't even thought of that," Buffy admitted. "I guess I haven't even got that far in working out what we're doing."
Mary sighed, and exchanged a despairing glance with Faith. "You mean you've been so busy worrying about demons that you haven't even thought about how you're actually going to give birth to this child? And you, Rupert, didn't even consider where you'd be?"
Buffy and Giles exchanged mutual ashamed looks and blushed.
"Really," Mary continued, throwing up her hands. "I know that you're newly married, but you could have at least had the brains to think about this? Did your minds dribble out when you put those rings on?"
"Nah, I think they're just-" Faith cut off whatever she was about to say in the face of Buffy's murderous expression, but her leer spoke volumes.
"Well, I think it's a good thing that I'm here to remind you about the less supernatural aspects of the process," Mary said.
Faith quickly stood and began sauntering back to the house. "I'll just get something to drink. I don't think you guys need me right now."
***
Buffy sighed, feeling the evening sunshine warm her skin, and rubbed her hand over the spot where an elbow or knee was trying to drill through her stomach. The entire day had been spent planning and they now had some idea of what they would do. There were still some details she had no idea what to do with, but they were a little more organised than they had been. She admitted privately that Mary had done them a favour; forcing them to make real plans rather than just running around pointlessly. Although the baby was technically not due for another month, babies were notorious for not doing as they were supposed to.
Another kick impacted on her kidneys and she winced. Right now, the idea of it all being over was incredibly appealing.
Buffy opened her eyes and pushed herself upright. Maybe a bath would settle the baby down. As she began gathering up her things from the table, she glanced towards the house and watched Faith poke her head out of the door and begin to make her way over.
"Hey," Buffy greeted when the dark haired Slayer was closer. "I thought you were getting ready to patrol."
"Don't sweat, I'm going in a minute," Faith said, sitting down next to Buffy. "I just . . . I have some info. Thought you should know."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Don't know what you'll do with it, but I thought it could be useful."
Buffy listened with interest as the other Slayer spoke, occasionally objecting but mostly content just to hear her out. When she finished, Faith raised an eyebrow and waited.
"Uh, thanks," Buffy said uncertainly.
"It's nothing," Faith said with a grin. "Thought you could use it. And now I'd better get patrolling."
Buff glanced up at the sky, where there was now just a faint red glow from the sunset. She could feel the slight chill in the air and knew that the nighttime activity in Sunnydale was probably just about to start. For a moment she felt a deep longing to be out there, hunting vampires and doing her part to keep the world safe. But a sharp jab from the baby quickly reminded her why she was here instead and she absently rubbed the spot, rewarded when the baby quietened down.
"You ok?" Faith asked, standing.
"Yeah. The baby's a bit restless, that's all," Buffy said, accepting a hand from Faith to help her up.
The dark Slayer's eyes darkened for a moment, longing showing through, before the expression was replaced with a bright grin. "You're lucky, you know that B?"
"Yeah, I know."
As she walked across the lawn Buffy felt the final part of the plan fit into place in her mind. She knew what she was going to do now. Yeah, she was lucky.
*finis*