*AUTHOR'S NOTE* Someone posted me a review that said they thought the Harry Potter reference was stupid. Apparently they thought that it was a lame idea to introduce a journal resembling Tom Riddle's journal... Well I just say Phhtttthhhhpppp!!! My story, so HA! No seriously, come on, why wouldn't something resembling Tom Riddle's journal show up on the HELLMOUTH?! Hello, portal for weird mystical and magical objects! Okay, sorry, I went off on a rant. My point is, it's my story. Besides...I thought it was kinda fun to use a Harry Potter reference. >shrugs<
Chapter 4: The Watcher’s Diary
“This is so cool! It’s like having Tom Riddle’s journal from Harry Potter!” Dawn wrote in the journal.
“I beg your pardon? I don’t believe I know this ‘Harry Potter’ chap. Is he a friend of yours?” Nigel’s words appeared on the page.
“No one cracks a book around here…then again, you are a book. So how does this work anyway?” Dawn wrote.
“It’s quite simple, really. When I was a Watcher I came across an incantation that would put my essence into a journal, therefore I could live beyond my years. Oliver Travers suggested the idea, he thought it was a brilliant way for my expertise to survive for all Watchers to access.” Nigel wrote.
“You were a watcher? Hey cool! Rupert Giles is my Sister’s Watcher.” Dawn wrote.
“You are the Slayer’s sister? Well, this is fortunate indeed!” Nigel Wrote. “To fall quite literally into the Slayer’s hands is quite a benefit, you see. That was my original idea, to be of aid to all Slayers… but Oliver Travers wanted to keep me within the Watcher’s Headquarters.”
“Oliver Travers? Is that Quentin Travers’ father?” Dawn wrote.
“Why yes, I do believe so. Oliver’s wife was pregnant with little Quentin when I transferred myself. How is the young chap doing?” Nigel wrote.
“Well, he’s not so young anymore. He’s the Head Watcher. He hates Giles and Buffy, though. He’s kinda creepy in a power hungry kinda way. Buffy quit the council, and he wasn’t happy about it.” Dawn wrote.
“My word, a Slayer quitting the council? Are you sure?” Nigel wrote.
“Positive.” Dawn wrote.
“Dear Lord…” Nigel wrote.
“What? What’s bad?” Dawn wrote quickly.
“I beg your pardon?” Nigel wrote. Dawn could almost picture the Watcher itching to clean his glasses.
“Whenever Giles realizes something bad, he says ‘Dear Lord’.” Dawn wrote.
“Oh, yes, quite. Not too far from the mark, I’m afraid. Your sister doesn’t happen to be associated with the ‘Vampire with a heart’ does she?” Nigel wrote.
“Well I guess you could call Spike that. This creepy guy named Doc did anyway. Spike doesn’t have a soul, but he’s a big softie…or he *was* anyway.” Dawn added sadly.
“Was?” Nigel wrote.
“He was staked… About two months ago. Poor Buffy is pregnant now and he’s gone.” Dawn wrote.
“My word…it’s begun.” Nigel wrote.
“What? What has begun?” Dawn wrote eagerly.
“DAWN!!” Buffy called from the bottom of the stairs.
“What?” Dawn called back as she read Nigel’s reply.
“It’s nothing you should concern your self with, my dear.” Nigel wrote.
“Phone for you! It’s Connor!” Buffy called back.
“Tell him I’ll call him back!” Dawn yelled as she wrote; “It’s obviously something. Come on, tell me.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything more at this time. Please don’t ask me about it again.” Nigel wrote.
“Nigel…!” Dawn wrote.
“I’m sorry, I must go now. Good bye.” Nigel wrote. The page blurred, and then stiffened.
“Nigel...? Nigel! Mr. Hawthorne!” Dawn wrote, but got no reply.
“He says he needs to talk to you now!” Buffy called up the stairs again. Dawn growled in frustration.
“Fine, I’m coming!” Dawn called out, shut the diary as hard as she could and then ran down the stairs.
* * *
As Dawn grabbed the phone out of Buffy’s hand with a look of annoyance that Buffy couldn’t place, there was a knock at the door. Buffy sighed and walked over to open it.
“Hi Giles. What’s up?” Buffy greeted him as he entered.
“Hey Giles.” Dawn called out to him as she walked back up to her room, already engrossed in her conversation on the phone.
“The Council I’m afraid. Something I didn’t think of before.” Giles said as they walked into the living room and sat down.
“What now?” Buffy groaned. Giles was silent for a moment as he nervously cleaned his glasses and fidgeted. Buffy couldn’t believe how much she had missed him…he had decided to postpone his trip back to England after Spike’s disappearance, but he was still going to move back eventually.
Giles sighed and stood up to pace. “Buffy, it won’t be long before the Council finds out about your pregnancy.” He warned.
“Oh…that. I didn’t even think about it.” Buffy frowned.
“Yes I know. We’ve all been a bit preoccupied I’m afraid, which is understandable.”
“Okay, I don’t see what the big is.” Buffy shrugged.
Giles gave her a look. “Buffy, you are carrying the child of a Slayer and *a vampire*. That is the big, as you put it. The council will not allow the child to live if they ever find out about it.”
“WHAT?!” Buffy shrieked and stood, outraged.
“There is no telling what kind of powers or strengths your child will have. The council’s policy is to destroy any offspring of a vampire and a Slayer, no matter how remote the possibilities are of that occurring. They consider it an abomination.”
“And you agree with this?!” Buffy yelled.
“Of course not Buffy! I am merely warning you! We must hide the fact that the child you are carrying is the offspring of a Vampire, or Quentin will flood this place with assassins to kill you *and* your child.”
“What?” Buffy half whispered. She had a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“We both know that Quentin would have no problem with destroying your child, he also wouldn’t care if you perished along with it. He only needs an excuse, and he would do it. This would be his excuse Buffy. For your future and your child’s…we must form a plan. The council must not know if it.” Giles told her.
Buffy nodded while wiping a tear from her eye. “Fine. Where do we start?”
“We come up with a story…” Giles began, and for the next few hours, he and Buffy planned the story for when the C.O.W. came snooping around.
* * *
Watcher Headquaters, Spike’s cell…
Spike did his best to pace his small quarters. He needed a cigarette, but the wankers would never give him any. He reckoned the drugs in the blood they gave him were starting to wear off on him… maybe he was building some sort of tolerance to it. He had a bit more energy now. He could pace in his small cell for at least two minutes before starting to feel drained and lethargic. But if he waited long enough….maybe, just maybe he could get his hands around that prick Quentin’s throat and tear it out before they dusted him.
Spike felt a pang go through him every time he though of it. He hadn’t wanted to really kill anyone for a long time now…and he knew that he was playing right into that prick Quentin’s hands.
Quentin wanted Spike to crack and turn his back on the Slayer. He wanted to break Spike’s resolve, and prove him to be just another demon. The thing Spike hated most was, he could feel his resolve slipping. He was fighting it, tooth and nail, but his demon was raging inside of him to do something. To take revenge.
Without Buffy’s calming presence, Spike was loosing his ground. He knew he had more control of his demon because of Buffy and Dawn…and hell, even the rest of the group. There was that whole ‘positive reinforcement’ thing, or whatever. Now with them removed…would he turn into the demon the Council of wankers all expected him to be? Without his anchors, would he return to his old way of life?
No… Spike knew deep down he could never return to his former self. He cared too much; he had gotten too close to those humans. But that still left him in a gray area. When Buffy and her beloved Scooby gang were all gone…how would he cope?
Then again, he suspected he’d never see them again. They all thought he was dead anyway. Which brought him back to his original dilemma. He would probably never get out of here. He was stronger now…and if he could just get a hold of Quentin for a minute…then they would stake him, and it would all be over. One thought made him smirk though:
At least he’d get to take the prick to hell with him.
* * *
Sunnydale, four months after Spike’s disappearance…
“Buffy! Hurry up, your gonna be late!” Dawn called up the stairs impatiently. Giles stood at the foot of the stairs with her, trying to look calm.
“I’m coming, just a minute!” Buffy called back.
“You said that *five* minutes ago!” Dawn retorted. There was some shuffling around in Buffy’s room, a loud thud and the sound of something fragile breaking. Some more thuds, and Buffy came down the stairs at a quick pace, her small round belly slightly visible against her tight shirt.
“Ready.” She declared as she joined them.
“It’s about time.” Dawn sighed as the three of them headed out the door and piled into Giles’ car.
“Oh please. Doctors are always late to the appointment, what difference does it make if I’m not on time?” Buffy said as they pulled out of the driveway.
“This sounds an awful lot like your movie theory.” Dawn rolled her eyes.
“Movie theory?” Giles questioned while driving.
“Buffy believes in being ten minutes late to the movie theater so that you don’t have to watch the previews. I think it’s a faulty theory, seeing how you never get any good seats.” Dawn grumbled.
“Oh come on. The front row isn’t that bad.” Buffy said lamely.
“Yeah if you don’t mind getting a permanent kink in your neck and watching a movie at a weird perspective.”
“Alright, alright, I get the point.” Buffy muttered.
“I rather like watching the previews.” Giles said.
“Ha! See!” Dawn said triumphantly, as if proving a point.
“What is this, team up on Buffy day?” Buffy pouted.
“No, it’s ‘prove Buffy wrong’ day.” Dawn giggled and dodged a playful slap on the arm from her sister.
“Its sad that I’m the only mature adult in this car.” Giles muttered to himself as he pulled into the clinic parking lot. He let Buffy and Dawn out at the entrance, found a parking space and went inside to join them.
Buffy and Dawn were sitting in the clinic waiting room, making fun of magazines as he sat in the empty chair next to Buffy.
“Did you check in?” He asked.
“Yes Daddy.” Buffy rolled her eyes at him and grinned at his frustrated look while Dawn giggled.
“Buffy Summers?” A female nurse read off her chart.
Buffy turned to her sister with a triumphant look on her face. “You see, arrive at the doctors office late, still get there on time.” Buffy said, practically sticking her tongue out at her sister.
Buffy stood and followed the nurse as she led Buffy down a hall of exam rooms. The nurse stopped in one, motioned for Buffy to enter and followed in after her, closing the door.
The Nurse asked Buffy some questions, took her blood pressure, height and weight, then told her the doctor would be with her shortly. Buffy sat in the room all alone, glancing around at the pictures on the wall. One was a poster of the phases of pregnancy, another was one of those cheesy posters with inspirational sayings, and there was a rather ugly painting. Buffy sighed and toddled around the small room. She peered into the ‘mystery’ cabinet, where doctors keep all those weird bottles of things and bandages, peered inside each of the little jars sitting on the counter with tongue depressors, cotton balls and long Q-tip looking things, flipped through the out-of-date magazines, and got herself a little paper cup full of water while she waited. Twenty minutes had passed by the time the Doctor finally came in.
“Hello Ms. Summers, my name is Dr. Clarke.” The female doctor smiled warmly at Buffy as she checked her chart. “I understand you are about 4 months pregnant?”
“Yeah, at least that’s what the E.R. physician said.” Buffy told her. The doctor flipped through a few pages on her chart.
“Ah, yes, Dr. Rice. She is a very good Doctor, I don’t doubt she was correct. Well great. I think we can fit you in for an ultra-sound today. If you would like, we should be able to tell the sex of your baby.” Dr. Clarke told her.
“Really?” Buffy said, astonished.
“It depends on if the baby is turned the right way, but hopefully we will be able to tell.” Dr. Clarke smiled, “I’ll just go check and see if we can squeeze you in today. I’ll be right back.” The doctor smiled and left the room, leaving Buffy’s head spinning with the prospect of seeing her child.
Ten minutes later Dr. Clarke returned with the news that Buffy was scheduled for an ultrasound in 15 minutes. Dr. Clarke said that she would be doing the ultra-sound in a room down the hall. She also told Buffy that her friend and Sister could join if she wanted, so Buffy went back out into the waiting room to ask Giles and Dawn if they wanted to come. Dawn was excited, and Giles just had a dumbstruck look on his face, but agreed. So the three of them went down the hall and entered the Ultra-sound room. There was a large panel of equipment on the far wall and a table for the patient to lie down on next to it.
“Please Ms. Summers, lie down and lift your shirt up to your breasts.” Dr. Clarke said as she readied the Ultra-sound. Giles looked a bit out of place among the women-oriented posters of childbirth and cute babies adorning the walls, but he found a chair near-by and sat in it gingerly.
“Would you like to have this taped Ms. Summers?” Dr. Clarke asked.
“You can do that?” Dawn said excitedly. The doctor nodded.
“Yes, please.” Buffy said. The doctor hit a button on the machine and turned back to Buffy.
“This’ll be a bit cold.” Dr. Clarke warned Buffy as she squirted some kind of gel on her stomach. Dr. Clarke then took what looked kind of like a computer mouse and started moving it around on Buffy’s abdomen. A picture appeared on the screen, weird lines odd shapes moving around as the doctor moved the apparatus, but quickly a large balloon shaped object filled the screen, and in it was a small fetus on it’s back.
“Oh wow!” Dawn exclaimed.
“Good heavens.” Giles gapped.
“Oh my god…that’s my baby,” Buffy said, nearly in tears, “I wish he could see this.”
“Your baby looks perfectly fine Ms. Summers. It looks to be about 4 months old, so you’re right on schedule. Would you like to know the sex?” The Doctor asked.
Buffy was too choked up to speak, so she just nodded eagerly. Dr. Clarke smiled in understanding.
“You’re going to have a baby girl.”
* * *
Watcher’s Headquarters, Spike’s cell…
Spike was dreaming, he knew he was. He was back home with Buffy and Dawn, and he was happy. This dream wasn’t anything like the angst filled dreams of torment that he had been having for the past two weeks.
The giant prick Quentin hadn’t shown his face once in two weeks, so Spike was saved from his rash fantasies of tearing out the prick’s throat, edged on by his intense dreams that crushed his hopes for returning home. But he still couldn’t escape his dreams.
Tonight’s dream was different. Buffy was smiling at him, and telling him they were going to have a baby. Dawn was excited about being an Aunt and Giles was honored to be chosen as the baby’s Godfather. Spike wished he could hide away in his dream world forever, but then he awoke, and it was almost worse than the nightmares.
The dream world disappeared as the real world took hold…he began to realize that he was thousands of miles away from everything he loved. He would then remember that it was impossible for Buffy to be pregnant with his child, and Rupert would never be happy even if such a thing could happen.
Spike felt defeated. He didn’t have the energy to care anymore. He would never get out of this place…Buffy would move on and Dawn would grow up. They would all go on living, and forget all about him. Maybe it was all for the best anyway…
The metal door clanked open and the big prick walked in with seven other Watchers, as if they expected a big scene.
Spike hardly hazard a glance at them.
“Feeling better today Mr. Spike?” Quentin asked.
“Fuck off.” Spike snorted.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Quentin pulled a chair out of the corner of the room and sat six feet away from Spike. “My sources dug up some news about your Slayer.”
“I care piss-all about you and your sources.”
“Oh that’s too bad…” Quentin said condescendingly, “Because it turns out Buffy Summers has been cheating on you.”
Spike’s head snapped up and looked Quentin directly in the eyes.
“Oh, I see I finally got your attention.” Quentin chuckled.
“She would never.” Spike glared daggers at the prick.
“Oh? Then how did she get pregnant? I have the files right here…” Quentin held up his hand and one of his lackeys placed a small manila folder in his hand. Quentin opened the folder and handed Spike a copy of Buffy’s medical file.
The file listed the questionnaire they had Buffy take at the Doctor’s office. In it she listed the father as Parker Abrams.
“My sources checked out the information. It seems she had a one-night stand with Mr. Abrams shortly after you ‘died’. Apparently the Slayer didn’t love you as much as you thought. I believe you know this boy…Parker, is it? My sources say that Ms. Summers has had…. relations to Mr. Abrams before.”
Spike looked at the ultrasound picture and the medical file in shock.
Quentin smirked at Spike’s bewildered look, stood and moved the chair back to the corner of the room.
“Good day Mr. Spike.” Quentin said as he left the cell, all seven watchers trailing behind him. When the Iron door was bolted shut, Quentin walked to the one-way mirror and looked in at Spike still staring at the file in shock.
“What now sir?” One of the Watchers asked.
“Now we give him a day or two… By then he will be willing to tell us whatever we want to know.” Quentin smirked, as he watched Spike break down and start to cry. “Check mate.”