Brace Yourself by Enigmaticblue

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Chapter 8: Pressure

"You found me/When no one else was looking/How did you know just where I would be?/Yeah, you broke through/All of my confusion/The ups and the downs/And you still didn't leave/I guess that you saw what nobody could see/You found me/So, here we are/That's pretty far/When you think of where we've been/No going back/I'm fading out/All that has faded me within/You're by my side/Now everything's fine/I can't believe/You found me..." ~Kelly Clarkson, "You Found Me"

Spike knew that the relative peace of the afternoon couldn't last; it wasn't Murphy's law that reigned on the Hellmouth but some other unwritten rule of the universe that said anytime he and Buffy shared a nice moment, all hell broke loose.

Since it was still sunny outside, he'd opted for taking the sewers to the Magic Box. Buffy wanted to do some research, and he had promised to help; while researching wasn't his cup of tea, he liked spending time with his girls—Buffy, Dawn, and Tara. Even Anya was fun to be around.

When he walked into the shop, it more resembled a strategy session than anything else, and Spike could immediately sense that something was wrong. "What's goin' on?"

"Dawn was followed home by one of the guys that grabbed her," Buffy said. "Willow showed up in time to discourage him from doing anything."

Spike snarled. "Do we know who he's workin' for?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, but we're going to find out." She turned to Tara. "Will you stay tonight? I think Spike and I are going to be out pretty late tracking this bastard."

"Of course, Buffy," Tara immediately agreed.

Anya chimed in, "I don't mind staying either."

"Thanks, guys," Buffy said.

Willow hesitated before suggesting, "I can help track him. I got a good look at him earlier."

Buffy nodded. "That would be good. I don't want to get the wrong guy." She gave Dawn an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Dawnie, but—"

"We already talked about it," Dawn said glumly. "Willow's going to pick me up after school, and I promise I won't go anywhere by myself."

"Good." Buffy grimaced. "It's only until we figure out what this guy wants and stop him."

Dawn shrugged. "I guess it's a good thing I didn't really have a social life to lose anyway."

"Doesn't mean you can't hang out with your friends, Bit," Spike said. "Just means you won't be walking by yourself to get there. As long as you're with someone, I think you'll be alright."

Buffy was quick to agree. "As long as you aren't alone, I think you'll be fine."

"You have homework, Nibblet?" Spike asked.

She shrugged. "Some Spanish, but that's it."

"Why don't we go over it here while we're waiting for the sun to go down?" Spike suggested.

He sat down with the girl, listening as Buffy held a muted conference with Tara, Anya, and Willow. While they did discuss what someone—or something—might want with Dawn, the topic of conversation soon turned to Buffy's earlier doctor's appointment. "How did it go?" Willow asked.

"Good," Buffy replied. "Everything seems normal."

"There's no sign that the baby isn't completely human?" Anya asked. "Because that would be interesting."

"That's the kind of interesting I don't need," Buffy replied. "But no, there's no sign that it's not 100% human."

Tara spoke up. "It wouldn't matter anyway. Even if it's not fully human, that doesn't mean the baby would be evil."

Spike could hear the dubious nature of her tone. "Even if there was something wrong, that wouldn't change anything. I'm still its mother, and Spike is still the father."

Spike was forced to pull his attention away from their conversation when Dawn asked him a question about how to conjugate a verb into the imperative. It hadn't even crossed his mind that the child might not be fully human; after all, Buffy was human, and she was carrying the child.

Buffy was also the Slayer, and he was a vampire, though, which seemed to indicate that there was at least the possibility that their baby could be—special.

Not that it would change anything for him, but Spike wondered how Buffy would deal with it if they discovered differently.

~~~~~

Dawn hugged her knees to her chest, watching the sky for falling stars or satellites, or something; she wasn't sure what she was looking for. A sign, maybe, that her life wasn't falling apart. If she knew that she wasn't going to end up in the same place she had with Rack—helpless, trapped, and incapable of rescuing herself—she might feel a little better. There was no guarantee of that, however, and Dawn was afraid that the next time she got grabbed, Spike and Buffy wouldn't get there in time.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Spike's deep voice came from behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see him framed in the dimly lit doorway. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Dawn." He lowered himself to sit next to her on the step. "You know your sis an' I wouldn't allow it."

"You can't promise that," Dawn objected.

He sighed. "No, s'pose I can't."

"Did you find him tonight?" Dawn asked.

Spike shook his head. "No, but we got some leads. I'm goin' to check with some people I know." There was a beat, and then Spike said, "Got something for you."

Dawn looked at him expectantly. "What is it?"

Spike held out his clenched fist, and Dawn extended her hand, palm up. He dropped something heavy and cold into her hand, and she frowned. "It's a knife."

He nodded. "That's right. You carry that with you; that way, you can get yourself out of trouble if it comes to that."

Dawn shook her head. "But—"

"You've been talkin' to Anya, right? Practicing with Tara?" he pressed.

She hesitated. "Yeah, I guess."

"You can open a portal without any of the herbs an' such now?" Spike asked.

Dawn began to see where he was taking this. "Yeah."

"Then if someone grabs you, if we can't stop it, you can use that—get yourself out of there. All you have to do is open a portal, get yourself to the safest dimension that Anya's told you about, and then come back to the Magic Box or the house. You just open another portal."

Dawn closed her hand over the knife, realizing that Spike had given her some measure of control over her own life. She didn't have to wait for anyone to rescue her; Dawn could rescue herself.

If the worst was to happen, Dawn would be capable of handling it. Even though she knew she could count on Buffy and Spike to come for her, it felt good to think that Spike thought she was competent. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he replied.

~~~~~

Buffy was not pleased about her inability to find the guy who had been stalking Dawn. One of Spike's drinking buddies had indicated that Willow's description might fit a sleaze bag named Ray, who did a lot of favors for various demons and other unsavory characters. Spike had thought he might know a guy who knew a guy who would know where this Ray could be found, but he'd gone to ground for the moment.

It was really too bad that he was smart enough to hide, because Buffy had been looking forward to beating the shit out of him. No one messed with Dawn and got away with it.

She and Spike had looked for the guys that had kidnapped her for Rack, of course, but the magician had been the only one capable of identifying them, and he was dead. Although Dawn could give vague descriptions, there was nothing that had allowed them to focus in on one person. In the end, their search had been fruitless, but Buffy felt like they had a second chance now.

If they could find him.

Glancing out the back window, she smiled, seeing Spike seated next to Dawn. One of the best things about their relationship was the way he took care of her sister; Buffy knew she could count on him to pick up the slack when she needed a break, or to play bad cop when she got tired of the role.

Should she actually marry Spike at some point, it probably wouldn't be that different than it was now; it was the sheer scope of the change. Adding another human being to the list of people she was responsible for didn't seem like it should be that big of a deal, but this was different. And the idea of going from being a girlfriend, to a fiancée, to maybe a wife—well, that was panic-inducing, considering the last wedding she'd almost been involved in.

Not that Spike would break it off with her; she didn't have any doubts about his ability to keep his promises.

"How did it go tonight?" Tara asked. "Any luck?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. We checked out the dives Spike knew, which I think covers all the ones in Sunnydale anyway. There were a couple of demons who seemed to corroborate the idea that someone matching his description does work for different demons on occasion. Other than that, no one had any idea of his whereabouts."

Tara grimaced. "Dawn will be disappointed."

"Yeah." Buffy glanced at her. "You should stay tonight. It's late, and we've got a spare bedroom."

Tara smiled. "Thanks. I think I will. How are you feeling?"

"The nausea comes and goes." Buffy sighed. "It's just—"

Whatever else she might have said was cut off by the ringing of the phone, and she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Is Miss Summers available?"

Buffy would have recognized that voice anywhere, and although there were technically two "Miss Summers" in the house, she knew which one he wanted. "This is her."

"This is Quentin Travers. I hope I didn't wake you."

Buffy frowned. "No, I was up late tonight. What can I do for you?"

"I had heard that you were seeing William the Bloody."

With the tone he used, Buffy knew he might as well have said that he'd heard she was fucking Spike. "Actually, we're engaged," Buffy replied with an evil smirk.

She could hear him choking on the other end. "Surely you can't be serious!" he objected. "He is a demon."

"Spike is one of the people I trust most," Buffy returned.

"You're pregnant by that monster," he accused.

Buffy was grateful for Giles' warning, because it allowed her to keep her calm, rather than losing her temper at the fact that the head of the Council was even aware of her pregnancy. "I don't think that's any of your business."

"You still work for the Council," Travers said, his tone icy. "If you do not wish us to take steps to prevent this monstrosity, you'll take care of it yourself."

"I don't think that's your choice," Buffy snarled. "The Council hasn't done anything for me, other than ask me to lay my life on the line. As long as the world keeps on turning, I don't think it's your place to tell me how to do my job. I suggest you leave me and my family the hell alone."

She slammed down the receiver, her hand going to the slight bulge in her abdomen. Buffy hadn't been certain that she wanted this baby up until that moment—she still wasn't sure that she was ready for motherhood. The very idea that the Council might be threatening her child's life, however—well, she wasn't going to stand for it.

"Is everything okay?" Tara asked anxiously.

Buffy nodded. "It's fine, just as long as the Council stays out of town."

"Buffy?"

She turned to see Spike, who was looking worried. "That was Travers."

He nodded. "We going to have trouble?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I hope he'll take the hint and stay away."

"Maybe he was just trying to scare you," Tara suggested hopefully. "Now that he knows he can't, he'll leave you alone."

Spike snorted. "Doesn't know you too well, then."

Buffy shook his head. "Travers has never known me, but scaring me wasn't his goal. He wants something."

"Like what?" Dawn asked.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Come on, Buffy, I'm old enough to know these things," Dawn protested.

"Maybe," she allowed. "But it's also past your bedtime, and we don't know anything right now, other than the fact that Travers is a jerk. That's not news."

Dawn grumbled a bit, but she turned to go up to bed. The three adults waited until she was out of earshot to resume their conversation. "You gonna call Rupert?" Spike asked.

Buffy hesitated. "I think I need to. If he has any other information about what the Council really wants, we're going to need it."

She had a feeling that they were going to need all the help they could get.

~~~~~

Xander set his toolbox down on the kitchen floor, glancing around curiously, but trying not to be too obvious about it. This was the first time he'd been inside Anya's new apartment, but he'd wondered what kind of a place she'd found.

"Where's the problem?" he asked.

"The garbage disposal is backed up," Anya explained. "The landlord said it would be tomorrow before he could get anyone here."

Xander tried to hide a grimace; unclogging garbage disposals was not his favorite job, and he knew that Anya knew how to fix it. He didn't mind helping her out, though, even though he would much rather have fixed a door or built some shelves. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

Silence descended, and oddly enough it wasn't uncomfortable. They had spent a lot of time in one another's company, and they hadn't always felt the need to talk. On the other hand, Xander thought that maybe they should have communicated a little more.

"You could stay for dinner, if you wanted," Anya suggested out of the blue.

Xander froze for a moment. "I'd like that," he finally admitted. Then, deciding to go out on a limb. "I've really missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Anya replied.

Xander had his head under the sink, and he wished he could see her face; he was not at a stopping place, though. "I'm sorry for calling it off," Xander said. "I was being stupid."

"Do you regret it?"

He considered her question for a long moment. "Sometimes. I don't know if it was the right thing to do or not, but I wasn't ready."

"Then maybe it was the right thing to do," Anya said. "I wasn't ready to get married either."

Xander had no idea what to say to that, whether to beg for another chance or just accept that their relationship was over and move on. It seemed an impossible choice. "Have you ever thought about giving us another try?"

"Sometimes." Anya crouched down, and if Xander craned his neck a bit, he could see her face, although her expression was inscrutable. "I think maybe we should start with dinner."

"I thought you were dating that other guy," he said, not really wanting to bring it up, but feeling that it was necessary.

She shrugged. "There wasn't the same kind of chemistry."

"Really?" Xander asked, feeling a ray of hope.

"Really." She looked at him expectantly. "So, dinner?"

Xander focused on the task at hand for a moment, wanting to be able to give her his full attention. He finished up, then extricated himself from the cabinet under the sink. "Dinner," he agreed. "Anything else you want me to fix while I'm here?"

Anya smiled. "I might be able to think of something."

~~~~~

The Koral demon glared at Ray. "You said she saw you?"

Ray shrugged. "She might have. Then again, pretty girl like that, walking home by herself, she might have just freaked out."

The demon didn't appear to be reassured. "We need a clean grab," he reminded the human. "If our buyer gets noticed by the Slayer, he's going to take it out on our hides."

Ray shrugged uncomfortably. "It's cool, man."

"I'm not a man," the Koral snapped. "We've got a deadline to meet, and I suggest you figure out where the best place to grab the kid might be. Otherwise, I'm going to make sure you're the one taking the blame for things going wrong."

"Nothing is going to go wrong," Ray said, but he wasn't too sure of that. He remembered seeing the redhead who had joined the kid somewhere before, and it bothered him. If she had recognized him, and if she was one of the Slayer's friends, things could get difficult.

More than difficult.

Ray left the Koral's cave, wondering once again why he'd involved himself. He probably should have just passed along the information and then allowed the demon to do the dirty work.

It was too late to back out now, though, so he was just going to have to make sure that they made the grab and got away clean. Ray had a week to figure out how they were going to do that. It should be enough time.

~~~~~

Spike hadn't been able to sleep for thinking about the events of the last day or two. As thrilling as it had been to see the ultrasound pictures of his child, this new threat bothered him.

Actually, the threat to both Dawn and Buffy worried him, if only because it seemed that their enemies in both cases were human, and there was nothing he could do about that. As long as he had the sodding chip in his head, humans were off-limits, even in defense of those he loved.

He had largely adapted to the chip at this point. Most days, Spike didn't even think about it, because these days he was fighting demons at the Slayer's side. Although he remembered human blood with nostalgia, he'd grown used to pig's blood.

A person could get used to almost anything, he'd learned, particularly when you had a good reason to find a way to live with it. If nothing else, Spike knew that the chip had given him a shot at being with Buffy. Without it, there was no way they would be where they were at present.

He glanced over at his coat, draped across a chair in her room. The ring was in the inner pocket; Spike had planned to give it to her that night, but then with the bastard following Dawn, and the call from the Council git, there hadn't been time.

At least he was more certain of her answer now, what with her telling Travers that they were engaged already.

That brought the Council back to mind again, and Spike knew that he was going to have to give serious consideration to getting the chip out. If humans were the ones presenting the real threat, there was no way he was going to sit on the sidelines.

"Spike?" Buffy's sleepy voice called to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, luv," Spike replied, not wanting to worry with his thoughts.

Buffy patted the empty space next to her. "Come to bed."

"Yeah, sure." Spike slid under the covers next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

The one thing stopping him from getting the chip out was the thought of losing this. He had no idea how Buffy would react, and the idea that she'd turn him away—that Buffy would indicate that she didn't trust him without the chip—hurt.

But Spike had sworn to protect her and Dawn, and he would do whatever it took to keep that promise.

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