Brace Yourself by Enigmaticblue

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Chapter 14: Council Business

"If this should end tomorrow/All our best laid plans/and all our typical fears/Am I running out of lifetimes?/This is not the first time/something ends in just tears./But tomorrow I can't imagine/How am I supposed to know/what's yet to go down?/Is there only one religion/The kind that whispers/when nobody comes around/The world can wait/the world can wait/I want to drink the water from your well/I want to tell you things I'll never tell/The world can wait/The world can wait/I'm wide awake/and the world can wait." ~Over the Rhine, "The World Can Wait"

Mothering was instinctual for Tara. It was partly due to the fact that she had taken care of her father and Donny after her mother's death—and they had needed a lot of looking after—but she also enjoyed it. Tara liked cooking, and she liked taking care of people and things. Knowing how Bracken was probably feeling, having been a stranger in a strange land herself, led Tara to show up at Spike's door early the next morning, Merlin under one arm and a hot breakfast casserole under the other.

Bracken was the one to open the door, and she saw the hesitation in his eyes. "Here," she said, holding Merlin out, knowing that there were few who could resist a purring kitten.

He wasn't among the few apparently, because he immediately cradled Merlin, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "What is it?"

"That's a kitten," Tara replied. "Are you hungry?"

Bracken shook his head. "I'm fine."

Tara knew how much food a young man his age normally ate. Her brother could have eaten all day and not been satisfied. "I hope that you can eat," she observed. "Because I don't think that potato sausage casserole is up Spike's alley."

Bracken's eyes were on the covered dish, even as he scratched Merlin behind his ears. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble," Spike said, coming out of his bedroom, his damp hair giving away where he'd been. "We don't let people go hungry around here."

Bracken nodded slowly. "Then I can eat."

Spike snorted. "I'll bet."

Tara gave the vampire a stern look. "Be nice, Spike. Sit, Bracken."

He sat down obediently, still holding Merlin—at least until Spike took the kitten from him. "You'll need your attention for breakfast, lad."

Tara dished up on the plate she'd already found; she knew her way around Spike's kitchen. She could see Bracken trying to restrain himself, eating slowly at first as though he was used to savoring every bite. Tara was only halfway through with her breakfast by the time he'd cleaned his plate, however, and she dished up a second helping without asking, knowing that he would probably refuse out of some mistaken sense of courtesy.

"Thank you," he said, before falling on the second plate with the same restrained desperation. By the third helping, Bracken was finally beginning to slow down, looking satiated. He flushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Bracken, I brought the casserole by for you. There's no need to apologize." Tara made sure that her tone was gentle.

Spike chuckled. "Better listen to her, Bracken. Tara's queen of the kitchen among us."

Bracken ducked his head. "Thank you," he repeated. "It was very good."

Tara nodded, satisfied. "Good. I'll just put the rest in Spike's fridge for tomorrow." She was thankful that she'd gone ahead and made a full batch, because Bracken had eaten close to half the pan on his own.

She smiled to herself. It looked like she was going to have another person to cook for, and since he was such an appreciative partaker, Tara didn't mind a bit.

~~~~~

Giles frowned, seeing the van driving past the Magic Box for what seemed the third time that day. He was sure it was the same one, and it was starting to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

The phone in the store rang, and he pushed thoughts of the mysterious van to the back of his mind. "The Magic Box, Giles speaking. How may I help you?"

"Is she still going through with it?"

Giles recognized Travers' voice immediately, and the chill returned. "Buffy has to make her own decision, Quentin," he responded, his voice cold. "I suggest you not interfere."

"I see." There was a pause. "I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, Rupert."

The line went dead, and Giles immediately dialed Buffy's number. "Summers' residence," came Dawn's cheerful response.

"Is your sister there, Dawn?"

"Giles?"

"It's me. Where's Buffy?"

"She left to go to the store," Dawn replied. "What's wrong? What's going on, Giles?"

Giles bit his tongue, not wanting to frighten the girl more than necessary. "Perhaps nothing. Has Spike shown up yet today?"

"Not yet," Dawn said. "He's supposed to bring Bracken over soon, though. Do you want him to call you?"

"Please," Giles said. "And tell your sister to do the same as soon as she gets home. I need to speak with her on an urgent matter."

Giles took a deep breath once he'd hung up the phone. Surely Travers wouldn't do anything stupid; they had tried to hold Faith—for a much greater offense—and that had not turned out well for anyone involved. It would behoove the man to remember that the Council acted on the behalf of the Slayer, and not the other way around.

Not that Giles actually expected Travers to believe that.

He hesitated, then dialed Nigel's number. "Nigel?"

"Rupert? What's wrong?"

"I just received a rather disturbing phone call from Quentin Travers," Giles replied. "Have you heard anything?"

Giles could hear the pause. "I'm not certain," Nigel hedged. "But Travers held a closed door meeting last week, and there are rumors that the special team will be busy for the next few weeks."

"Bloody hell," Giles muttered, not liking the sound of that at all. "Thank you, Nigel."

"If he touches one hair on your Slayer's head, Travers is done on the Council," Nigel said in a fierce, low voice. "There are enough of us who are agreed on that. We do not take out Slayers who are actively guarding a Hellmouth, but he must make the first move."

Giles understood, but he didn't like the idea. It was possible that Buffy would repel any attack that Travers might throw her way, and the entire business could be quietly taken care of. It was also possible for something to go horribly wrong.

"Thank you, Nigel," Giles said. "I'll let you know if anything happens."

He hung up the phone, pulling off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. He had a feeling that things were about to get very interesting.

~~~~~

Anya stared at Xander in disbelief. "What?"

"Let's go," he said. "I said we would after Dawn was back, right? You have the day off, I've already taken the weekend, and we wouldn't have to be back until Monday."

"The shop," Anya protested weakly, knowing that she wasn't putting up much of a fight. In truth, she didn't want to; she just wanted to know how hard Xander was going to push.

"Call Giles from the road," Xander replied, grinning like a kid. "Play hooky. He's not going to fire you."

That was true; Giles wouldn't fire her. Anya couldn't help but think that they shouldn't leave town, particularly since she couldn't shake the feeling that more trouble was on the way. On the other hand, maybe that was exactly why they should leave now, before anything could come up. If they waited, and the Hellmouth happened—as it always did—she might never get married to Xander.

And Anya wanted to be married to Xander.

"Okay. Give me a minute to pack." It didn't take her long to grab what she needed; she knew how to travel light when she needed to, and Anya had a feeling that once they'd tied the knot, she and Xander were going to be spending most of their time in bed.

Once her suitcase was packed, Anya quickly dialed the Magic Box, leaving a message when Giles didn't pick up. "Giles, this is Anya. Xander and I are going away for the weekend, but I'll be back on Monday. I'm sorry about the short notice."

"Are you going to call anyone to let them know?" Anya asked him as she locked up.

Xander shrugged. "I'll call later, once we've visited the wedding chapel."

Anya gave him a sharp look. "We're not getting married by an Elvis impersonator."

For a moment, she thought that he was going to argue, but he shut his mouth with a snap. "Okay, no Elvis impersonators. Anything else I need to know?"

Anya stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as they headed for Xander's car. "Are we really doing this, Xander?"

He smiled at her, holding out his free hand, her suitcase hanging from the other. "We're really doing this, An. When we get back, we'll be Mr. and Mrs. Harris."

Anya took his hand, deciding that she would take him at his word. In just a few days, she would have what she had always wanted, even though she wouldn't have her dream wedding.

Sometimes, she knew, a person had to be willing to compromise to get what they really wanted.

~~~~~

Willow smiled at Callie. "Good job."

Callie beamed. "Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg!"

Willow had learned that it didn't take much to make some of her students happy, whereas others seemed to complain about everything. It was a mix of good and bad, but she was still enjoying herself. She'd already arranged to change her major to secondary education when she went back to UC Sunnydale, and her parents had taken the news well.

Better than they'd taken the news about her having a girlfriend, that was for sure.

"Willow?"

She glanced up to see Buffy standing in the doorway of her classroom. "What's up, Buffy? Is everything okay?"

The Slayer was just beginning to look pregnant, although it was a small enough bump that it was easily hidden. "Everything is fine. I just thought I'd let you know that we're having a baby shower thing next week. Dawn's supposed to be putting it together, but I think Bracken is presenting a distraction."

Willow hid a smile. "I can understand that."

Buffy grimaced. "He seems like a nice guy, but Dawn's really into him. It worries me."

Unable to help the snicker that escaped, Willow quickly composed herself. "I'm sure Dawn's going to be responsible about everything, Buffy."

Buffy glared at her. "What?"

"Buffy, if you were Dawn, and there was a cute guy you felt responsible for, would you be acting any differently?"

"No," Buffy admitted with a reluctant smile. "I don't blame her, but it worries me. We don't even know if Bracken is going to stay."

"Has he said anything about leaving?" Willow asked, frowning. "Why would he want to go back, after what Dawn told us?"

"It's still his home," Buffy replied. "I think Spike's going to put him to work, helping set up the nursery, and Xander said that he might be able to find a spot for him on his crew. Maybe once he gets settled in, Bracken will decide that this dimension is better."

Willow nodded. "He might." She shut down her computer. "You want to get something to eat? I was too busy to stop for lunch today."

"Are you kidding?" Buffy asked. "I've been eating for three people the last week. I'm always hungry."

Willow smiled. "I've heard that's normal."

"At least the medicine the doctor gave me is keeping the nausea under control," Buffy responded.

The bright California sunshine was pleasant after a day spent inside, and Willow lifted her face to the warmth.

"It's good to have you home, Will."

Buffy's words were a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. "It's good to be home. I'm just glad you're still willing to be my friend after what I did."

The Slayer shrugged. "We've all done some pretty crappy things, and it's turned out okay."

Willow nodded, not knowing what else to say. Most days, she still felt as though she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, like she'd gotten off too lightly for her actions and there was more karma coming her way.

It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

~~~~~

"Is anyone here?"

"We're up here, Giles!" Dawn called, poking her head out of what had been her room.

The Watcher mounted the stairs, frowning as he caught sight of the furniture in the hallway. "What is going on?"

"We're movin' things around," Spike replied. "What's it look like?"

Giles glared at him. "I can see that. Why are you moving things?"

"For the nursery," Dawn replied. "Buffy said that I could have my room or hers, so I'm taking her old one. We have to paint, and then we'll get furniture. I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Step aside," Spike warned, as he and Bracken carried Dawn's old dresser out and headed down the stairs. "We'll put this in the basement, an' then we'll be back. Figure out what desk you want, Nibblet!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "He's been bossy all morning."

"Someone has to get things movin' or the kid will be grown before he's got a room!" Spike called up the stairs.

Dawn always forgot how well Spike could hear. "He's been like that since he got here today. I think he's getting really excited about the baby. I tried to tell him that Bracken was supposed to be resting, but Bracken said he was fine." Dawn's eye roll told Giles exactly what she thought about that. "So, what's up?"

Giles sighed. "I was hoping to speak with your sister."

"She went to see Willow," Dawn replied. "I think she wants to put a lo-jack on me."

"A what?" Giles asked, bemused, watching as she gathered an armful of clothing from the closet.

"A lo-jack," Dawn replied. "You know, like a tracking device? Buffy would like to be able to find me no matter where I am, but I don't think that's possible, not when there are as many dimensions as Anya says."

"I see."

She caught a worried note in his voice, and Dawn frowned as she brushed past him. "What's wrong, Giles?"

"I just spoke with one of my contacts on the Council," he admitted. "I wanted to talk to Buffy about it."

"She should be back in time for dinner," Spike said, coming up the stairs. "Which desk, Dawn?"

"Mine," Dawn said. "You can move Buffy's downstairs."

"What are you doing with the old furniture?" Giles asked.

Spike shrugged. "Up to the Slayer, innit? You alright there, Bracken? Your ribs okay?"

"Yes, thank you," the young man replied politely, picking up the other end of the desk.

Giles blinked. "What exactly brought this on?"

"Buffy's over four months pregnant," Spike pointed out on his way down the stairs. "It's half over, an' we haven't even started getting a room ready. What if the little nipper shows up early?"

Dawn smirked. "I told you he was getting excited. You want to help?"

Giles had a feeling that he didn't have a choice. "Have you heard from Xander or Anya?" he asked.

Dawn frowned. "No. Is something up with them?"

"Anya called the Magic Box while I was out getting lunch and said that she and Xander were going away for the weekend and would be back on Monday." He sounded rather disgruntled. "It was most mysterious.

Dawn raised her eyebrows. "Do you think they went off to Vegas?"

"Who?" Spike asked.

"Xander and Anya," Dawn said.

"Why would they do that?"

"They left town for the weekend," Giles explained. "At least, that's what Anya's message said."

Spike smirked. "Vegas seems like a good bet."

Bracken frowned. "Vegas?"

Dawn took him by the arm. "Come on, and I'll explain. I've got to get my bookshelves set up again, and you're supposed to be resting anyway. Giles can help Spike finish up." She couldn't help the evil grin that formed, knowing how much Spike enjoyed winding Giles up, particularly when he was in his current mood.

It had been a fun afternoon so far; Dawn just wished that Tara hadn't needed to rush off to her work-study job. Bracken seemed to really like her.

~~~~~

"Do you think the Council will try something?" Buffy asked incredulously. "I haven't done anything wrong! It's not like when Faith killed somebody." Giles had waited until just before they were heading out on patrol to talk to them. Willow had long gone home, although Bracken was still there by necessity. The last Buffy had seen them, Dawn was about to introduce him to movies and popcorn.

"Easy, luv," Spike said.

Giles nodded his agreement. "Now is not the time to be getting upset," he agreed, looking at the slight bulge in her abdomen significantly.

Buffy sighed. "Okay, guys. The coddling isn't going to work for me. I've still got five months to go, and it's going to get old fast."

"Fine," Spike shot back. "Forgive us for wantin' to keep you safe."

Buffy sighed, knowing that her Watcher and fiancé were just trying to help. "Okay, you're right. There's no point in getting upset about something when there's nothing I can do. What do you know for sure, Giles?"

"All I'm certain of is that the Council team normally dispatched to take care of their dirty work has been assigned to a task, the nature of which was a mystery to Nigel." Giles shook his head. "That alone would concern me, but there are rumors that Travers is unhappy about your decision, Buffy."

"I got that when he called," she said dryly. "So what, though? He hasn't been thrilled with other choices I've made, but he's never sent assassins after me."

Giles was silent for a long moment. "Vampires do not have children in the normal way."

"Tell me something I don't know," Buffy said impatiently. "Giles—"

"Buffy." Spike laid a hand over hers. "He's sayin' that they don't know what your kid is going to be. They don't even know if it's going to be human."

"There is every reason to believe that your child is human, Buffy," Giles said soothingly, shooting Spike a look. "But Spike is right. The Council is likely to act to take control."

"What can we do?" Spike asked, his tone serious.

Giles shook his head. "Nothing, I'm afraid, other than keep a close lookout. The Council's team is very good at what they do, and while they will likely try to catch Buffy alone, they won't hesitate to take you out as well, Spike."

"The question is if they want me alive or dead," Buffy said, feeling a chill run up her spine. Neither possibility was a pleasant one.

"My guess would be alive," Giles stated. "I think they'll wait to see what kind of threat your child presents."

"And if there is no threat?" Buffy asked. "They're not just going to let me go."

"No," Giles agreed softly. "That's why I think it imperative that you not be caught in the first place."

"We can talk to Red," Spike said. "'Bout a protection spell for the house. Maybe for the baby, too."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, and until then, we'll just be extra careful."

"Think you should have somebody with you when you leave the house," Spike said slowly, obviously knowing how much Buffy was going to hate his suggestion. "They might hesitate to try somethin' if you've got someone with you."

Buffy didn't like the idea, but she knew Spike was right, and she was beginning to realize that she had to think of her child before herself. Maybe she didn't like the idea of needing a bodyguard, but Buffy would deal with it if it meant that her baby would be safe.

"Okay," she said slowly. "And we talk to Willow about the protection spell for the house. But Giles, I don't want to spend the next five months looking over my shoulder for the Council's goons. We need to get this taken care of before they try something, if at all possible."

"I'll do what I can," Giles promised.

Buffy knew that he would, but she was deeply afraid that he would not be successful, and that the Council would manage to get through their defenses. She was just getting used to the idea of being a mother, and the thought of losing her child made her blood run cold.

There was no way that the Council was going to harm her child.

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