Chapter Text
~@~
Buffy sat up suddenly in bed, her hand covering her mouth as she rushed to the bathroom and threw the door open. The moment she got near the toilet, she gagged and fell to her knees, suddenly throwing up. She closed her eyes as everything she had her stomach emptied, which granted, wasn't much, into the white porcelain bowl. The moment her gagging stopped, she wiped her mouth with a thin square of toilet paper and quickly flushed the toilet.
She sighed as she got up, steadying herself against the bathroom wall when the light headedness struck, as it always seemed to do when she stood up too fast these days. She was getting really tired of this happening. She'd been dealing with this stomach bug for nearly a month, since before they'd left the crater that had once been Sunnydale, and nothing seemed to be helping it.
Back in Sunnydale, she'd attributed it to the stress they'd had because of the First and the coming battle. However as the weeks passed by, she had to admit that it couldn't be stress anymore. Things had calmed down too fast and she was no longer anxious and tense every moment, like she had been in Sunnydale.
The strange part was that she didn't always feel nauseous. At times, she felt perfectly fine, maybe healthier than normal. Nevertheless, just when she thought she might be getting better she would suddenly find herself crouched over the toilet bowl and throwing up again. The best she could hope for is that she hadn't woken Dawn this morning.
"Again?" Dawn said suddenly from the doorway, making Buffy jump as she shakily made her way over to the sink to brush her teeth.
<There went that hope…>
"Don't you think it might be time to go see a doctor Buffy? Stomach bugs don't last this long. Maybe something else is wrong?" The worry in Dawns voice was practically palpable, as it was every time she found Buffy in this situation.
Buffy shook her head.
"I'm fine Dawn. It'll go away." She said before shoving her toothbrush in her mouth. It was the same thing she'd told Dawn every time she found Buffy throwing up. Thankfully, it had only been a few instances, such as when it happened right as she woke up or right before bed. Buffy had managed to hide it the majority of the rest of times, either because Dawn was in class or she, herself, was at work.
Dawn sighed behind her. "You know, I was talking to Janice the other night and she said her oldest sister has been throwing up nonstop because she's pregnant. If I didn't know better, I'd say the same thing about you."
Buffy snorted and rolled her eyes, nearly choking on her toothbrush in the process. She leant down and spit in the sink before turning towards Dawn. "We both know that's pretty much impossible after everything that's happened over the past few months."
"How am I supposed to know that? It's not like I keep track of your sex life. Last person I remember anyone talking about you having sex was when it was with Spike. Besides the fact that he's a vampire, it was also almost a year and a half ago. I'm just suggesting that if you've had sex with anyone in the past few months that you haven't told anyone about, then you should probably take a test!" Dawn huffed as she stalked back towards her room, slamming the door behind her.
The moment Dawn left, Buffy stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was paler than it used to be, her cheeks drawn in. She had dark circles under her eyes. <If Willow saw me right now, she'd kill me…>
Dawn was getting frustrated with her, she knew that. The irony of the situation hadn't exactly escaped her notice. Problem was, she also knew for a fact she couldn't be pregnant. The last person she had sex with was Spike and, barring anything freaky and pretty much impossible, she couldn't have gotten pregnant from him anyway. Besides Dawn was right, it's been almost a year since her last time with Spike. So yep, pregnancy not a remote possibility.
<For that to happen you do have to have sex, something that's been severely lacking in my life for a very long time.>
With that likelihood off the table, Buffy kept coming back to a stomach bug. She didn't need to see a doctor over something so simple. Whatever bug she had, she knew they'd tell her to go home, get some bedrest, and drink lots of fluids. She'd been doing all of that already and didn't think she needed some random doctor to look at her and reiterate what she already knew. Besides, the last thing Buffy wanted to do right now was visit a doctor. After all that time spent in the hospital with her mother, and then getting shot by Warren, it was the last place she wanted to be.
<Well second to last…> she thought suddenly with a tinge of frustration.
The last place she wanted to be right now was anywhere near or around Giles. The fact that he had plotted with Robin to kill Spike wasn't the issue, despite the fact that Spike had been the one to save them all. She was still hurt because of the way he had treated her. Over the past few weeks, whilst ruminating over what had happened, she had found herself getting more and more pissed off. All she could think of was the excuses he'd been giving her since she came back from the dead.
First he left her alone, essentially telling her she needed to grow up and take care of herself and Dawn. Then, after she learns how to become the adult he claimed he wanted her to be, he comes back and treats her like a child! It was like he didn't remember that he'd left her and told her to stand on her own two feet. No, instead he goes 'patrolling' with her, all the while keeping her distracted, while Robin tries to kill Spike for 'her own good.'
He may have well just offered her a cookie and patted her on the head. He'd essentially treated her like a toddler in a doctor's office! <After all, isn't that how they make sure the kid's not paying attention when the big needle comes into view? They give them a goddamn sucker to keep them from looking!>
Buffy grumbled, aggravated that her thoughts had moved towards Giles again. It seemed like she thought of him at least twenty times a day anymore and every single time it brought forth two emotions; uncontrollable anger and a heart-wrenching longing to see him. The anger was easy. She'd been dealing with that since the night she'd closed the door in his face. It was the longing that bothered her. She craved to see his face, to see him give her one of those smiles that he saved just for her, his Slayer. After that, she'd remember the hugs he used to give her, tight and soft at the same time, as if he'd never wanted to let her go.
Shaking off her frustration, she looked around and realized she was still standing in the bathroom, propped with her hip against the counter. She shook her head and walked towards her own room. If she didn't get a hurry on herself, not only would she be late for work, but Dawn would be late for school as well.
<Not that Dawn would mind.> Dawn's number one complaint these days was the fact that she didn't want to go to school in Rome. Actually, her number one complaint was that she didn't want to be in Rome. School was her second complaint. Buffy refused to listen to Dawn's objections about the situation. <She'll get over it. Just gotta give her time to come to grips with our current situation. Though, at this point, I'm starting to wonder if she's ever gonna let up and stop whining at me.>
Buffy remembered when they'd moved to Sunnydale because of her parents' divorce. <Not because I'd burnt down the school gym!> she'd complained nonstop about it to her mother back then as well. It's what teenagers did. Though she wouldn't have been able to go back to Hemery High, she'd wanted, had insisted, that she needed to stay in LA. At the time, it was where everything she'd knew and loved was at. However, if they hadn't moved to Sunnydale she wouldn't have all the people in her life that she did now. Her family, as it were, Willow, Xander, and Giles…
"Damn it!" Buffy said, frustrated at the fact the he'd come to mind, again.
Buffy hurriedly shoved her thoughts aside and rushed around, finishing her morning routine, and rushing out the door with Dawn in tow. They'd stop for something to eat for breakfast on the way.
~@~
Dawn sighed as Buffy dropped her off at school. It was the only American school in Rome and she hated it with a passion. Not only did she not have any friends there, but the girls that were there, were stuck up snobs. They all felt that since they lived in Rome then that made them hot shit.
<Yeah. They need to drop the 'hot' part of that.> She thought viciously. She hated Rome, she hated her school, and she missed their family.
And she especially missed Giles.
The only problem was the fact that Buffy refused to let her talk about Giles. Every time she mentioned his name, Buffy got this look on her face that made Dawn want to scream. She had no real idea what had happened between them, but she couldn't understand why they hadn't gotten over it yet. Typically, when the people in their family fought, they stayed mad at each other for a couple of weeks and then started talking again. It was always a tad strained, but they eventually got over it and, within a few more weeks, they would begin acting normal towards each other again. Yet, for some reason, this time Buffy and Giles were completely torn apart. And because of that fact, Dawn was now apart from all of them and made to suffer in Italy of all places.
Dawn scowled as she made her way to her classroom. She hated staying in one room all day. She missed being able to move from one class to another. At least then it gave a change of pace and scenery. But now she was stuck in a school that kept her hostage in one room all day, excepting when it came to PE, and played musical teachers. It was so boring. It was also impossible to make friends if she was stuck with the same ten people day in and day out. She missed classes that had twenty to thirty other kids. At least then she'd been able to make some friends. Now it was six girls besides herself, all of whom were stuck up, and three guys who were too shy to look up from their desks, much less talk to any of the girls in class.
She had to get Buffy to understand how miserable she was. If only Buffy would get over her 'stomach' bug, something that Dawn was seriously beginning to question, maybe she'd really listen to her when she explained how much she wanted to go to another place, any place… as long as it was closer to England. The Council had a ton of branches all over the place. Why couldn't they go to somewhere else? She'd be ecstatic if it was England itself, but with the way Buffy was acting right now, she knew that her sister would rebel about being that close to Giles. Dawn would've loved Paris. Not only had she always wanted to go there, but at least then she'd actually be close enough to visit with Giles and Willow. As it was right now, she had to take a flight to England and Buffy refused to allow her on a plane alone. However, Paris was only a couple of hours away by train. If they lived there, she could take a train, which was way cheaper, and be there within the same amount of time.
Dawn got to her classroom and slammed her bag on top of her desk making everyone in the room jump. She smirked as she looked down and began to pull out her books. <Nice to finally get a reaction out of you idiots!> she thought snidely.
It wasn't until she was sitting down that she noticed a new girl in the class. The girl was staring at her oddly, Dawn looked at her for a moment and then stared out the window. Time to get through, yet another, boring school day.
~@~
Later that afternoon, Buffy swung by a grocery store. If she waited another day, they'd be out of both milk and cereal. Considering the fact that cereal was all that Dawn would eat in the mornings when they had the time, it would be a bad thing if they ran out. She was distractedly walking down an aisle when she realized exactly where she was in the store and saw pregnancy tests in front of her. She knew for a fact that she wasn't pregnant, but she could tell that Dawn was suspicious. Buffy grabbed one of the tests and threw it in her basket. At least if she took the test and showed it to Dawn then she could prove that it was all in Dawn's head.
After checking out and heading home, she put everything away and then grabbed the box with the pregnancy test and laughed. The one she'd grabbed was a multi pack. Ironically enough, the damn box had three tests in it. No wonder it had rung up higher than she'd expected.
<Oh well, I guess I can save the other two for later. Though at this rate they'll probably never get used.>
~@~
An hour later, Dawn came home.
"I'm home. Are you here Buffy?"
When she didn't get an answer, she walked towards her bedroom. It was getting dark so at first she didn't see Buffy sitting on the couch in the living room. She was practically curled in herself and she was paler than Dawn had seen her in a long time. Dawn sat down heavily next to her.
"Who died?" Dawn asked quietly.
When she heard Dawn's voice Buffy startled as if she hadn't realized she was there.
"No one died Dawn." Buffy said softly. "What do you want for dinner?"
Dawn winced when she heard Buffy. She hadn't heard that tone in her voice since just after Giles left them the first time to go back to England. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Dawn stared at her sister for a moment before getting up and wandering into their little kitchen.
"Can we order something in? You don't look like you could make anything. At least not without hurling again. Maybe you should go lay down for a while? I can call you when the food gets here." Dawn said, trying to keep her voice light. She didn't think Buffy would notice.
She was right. Buffy nodded distractedly and wandered back towards her room, shutting the door softly behind her. After she closed the door, she walked slowly over to her bureau. Buffy closed her eyes, shook her head and then opened them to look one more time. It hadn't worked the first twenty times she'd tried closing her eyes and waking up, so she figured one more attempt wouldn't matter.
On the bureau were all three pregnancy tests. Every single one showed positive for pregnancy. She let her eyes continue down the line one at a time. On the end were two more tests. Both ones she'd gone out and purchased after the other three gave her the same result. They were most expensive ones she found, more than she ever thought she'd spend on a pregnancy test. But they were almost guaranteed to be 100% accurate. One of them had a plus sign, but it was the other one she focused on… the most expensive of the bunch. It made sense that it had cost so much money considering the digital display. Very clearly, on the front in bold capital letters it read one word.
"PREGNANT"