Title: Nine Months
Author: Sweetness
Rating R (there's also some swearing in this one too)
Pairing: Spike and Andrew (kinda)
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss Whedon and Co.
Distribution: BTVS Inspiration, otherwise ask.
Notes: Set during ATS season 5, after "Damage"
In response to Challenge #36
Feedback: Yes Please.

Part One – The First Month

Spike woke up in his bed with the worst hangover ever. He
couldn't really remember why his head hurt as much as it did, but it
was really sore, as was the rest of his body. He tried to think back
why he had been drinking so heavily the night before and couldn't
quite remember what had started him on the drinking binge. He knew
that it had nothing to do with finding out that the guy who had
called himself
"Doyle" wasn't who he claimed to be and was just another jerk who
wanted to get at Angel through him. His thoughts were distracted when
he moved and his body brushed up against something warm and soft. He
removed the covers from over his head and looked at his companion,
thinking that if he knew who was sharing his bed then maybe he would
know why he was so hung over.
What Spike saw was something that nothing could have ever
prepared him for. He screamed when he realized that the cute little
blond he had been envisioning as sharing his bead turned out to be
none other than Andrew. Spike thought for sure that he had definitely
gone to Hell when his scream woke up Andrew and the other man reached
over as if to kiss him.
"There Spike, no need to have any more nightmares. I will take care
of you." Andrew whispered to Spike.
"What the fuck are you doing in my fucking bed?" Spike yelled at
Andrew.
"Spike don't you remember? Last night was the most special night in
my whole life." Andrew grinned at Spike.
"You're most special night? What the fuck happened?" Spike jumped out
of bed, not realizing he was naked until he noticed Andrew's grin.
"Hmmm… you are truly magnificent Spike." Andrew sighed.
"Quit looking at me like that!" Spike grabbed a pair of jeans and
quickly put them on.
"Like what?"
"Like you want to eat me!"
"Don't worry tiger, you wore me out last night." Andrew stretched and
through off the blankets. "But you don't really remember, do you?"
"Okay first of all mate, no calling me tiger, and get the hell
dressed and then explain to me what the hell you're talking about."
"Alright!" Andrew's face fell a bit as Spike yelled at him but he got
dressed.
"Well are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Sure, I came here to Sunnydale yesterday to tell you that Buffy was
getting married. I thought that it would make you actually realize
that you and Buffy belong together, and that as a true champion that
you should leave Angel and his friends before their taint sticks to
you. But you told me to sod off and that if Buffy was getting married
that it was none of your business."
"Yeah well it ain't my business. And that doesn't explain why you
were naked in my bed."
"Well I thought that maybe if you had something to drink, it would
make you angrier and that you would agree to go to Rome with me to
stop Buffy. I am sorry as much I as like you; I think you belong with
Buffy. Plus working with Angel and his lawyers, well that can not be
good for you."
"Ok so you got me drunk. Why the fuck were you in my bed?"
"Well that's kind of hazy to me too. All I know is that we were at
some bar and having a few drinks, when this guy comes up to us and
starts buying us the drinks."
"What was this guy's name?" Spike growled in impatience.
"Hmmm, I think he said it was Ethan. He got us really drunk and took
us back here. And that's the last thing I remember. Trust me I would
have remembered if anything happened between us."
"Ethan? Why does that name sound familiar?"
"I dunno. So are you going to go after Buffy?"
"Look, I told you before mate, Buffy's life is her own. She doesn't
need me in it."
"But you two belong together." Andrew whined.
"Sure perhaps we do, but right now Buffy needs normalcy in her life,
she doesn't need someone who is forced to live in the shadows while
she lives her life in the sun. And that includes me and Angel."
"But Spike…"
"No! There's no but's, I want Buffy to be happy. If she's getting
married then good for her. She needs some stability in her life. All
of her boyfriends have only ever hurt her. I love her but she doesn't
love me. Got that? This is a closed discussion between you and me."
Spike glared at Andrew.
"Sure. I guess I should be heading back to England. I have left my
duties far too long." Andrew said, assuming his persona of the inept
nerd.
"Look, don't be like this, Andrew. Look I know you only meant well
but that chapter is closed for Buffy and I. She…"
"I understand. You love her and you can't be with her. Look I am
might not be much of a hero, but I know that the two of you are, and
I just wanted to try to make things work out for you. But now I have
to return to England and become a Watcher. Giles and the others need
me. I still think you should come back with me and work for us and
not Angel. But it's your choice." Andrew threw his arms around Spike.
"It's okay, Andrew. But do you mind if I stay here?"
"Sure, I understand, you don't want to ruin Buffy's life, make her
have second thoughts?"
"Yeah something like that."
Spike saw Andrew to the door, and after he re-made his bed
with clean sheets, he went back to bed. He didn't know what to think
but things were definitely weird. HE would talk to Angel about it
later in the day.

** Two weeks later **

Spike growled in frustration, although Angel had recognized
the name Ethan and had assumed that it was Ethan Rayne, no one had
gotten any further than that. All the files on him at Wolfram and
Hart were cut short, the last that they had heard of him, he had been
taken into custody by the US military. And for some reason, Wolfram
and Hart's files ended there. There was no evidence that there had
been foul play that night, but Spike still had the suspicion that
something wrong had happened. Andrew's description of the man at the
bar had also fit the description of Ethan, but no one, not even
Giles, could figure out what business Ethan would have with Spike or
Andrew for that matter. The last time, Ethan had come up against the
Slayer, Spike had not really been in the picture, except as an
informant, and Andrew was still in high school arguing with Jonathon
over what Star Trek movie was the best one. Giles had decided to
help, but had agreed to keep silent about Spike's resurrection.
However, Giles had not been able to find anything in the Council's
writings about Ethan either. He had finally had to resort to asking
Willow to do some research for him. Willow had come to L.A., and had
hacked into the military database and found nothing about him either.
The last thing in the records about Ethan Rayne had dealt with his
arrest and then for he had practically dropped off the face of the
planet. Willow had not known why she was researching for Angel about
Ethan Rayne but had forced the brooding vampire to spill. She was
shocked when she found out about Spike being alive, and had insisted
on speaking to him.
"Spike, you're alive. Why haven't you told us?"
"Because I thought it was best that I left you and Buffy and the
others alone."
"But you have to know that Buffy cares about you? She cried after you
had died."
"Yeah but do you think that me coming back into her life after all
the damage I've done to it, is a good thing?"
"I guess not, it's just…"
"I know, I owe her and all of you a lot more. But I just can't be
near her and not want her. She deserves to have a life in the
sunlight now and not one in the shadows."
"Ok. Now tell me everything about the night you ran into Ethan Rayne."
Spike found himself telling Willow everything that he
remembered, and everything that Andrew had told him, and he even told
her about waking up in bed naked with a naked Andrew. Willow had
looked at him and not said a word. Instead she grabbed Spike by the
hand and took him upstairs to Fred's lab.
"Hey Fred, I think Spike needs a full physical." Willow told the
scientist.
"Why, he should be fine. He just had one a few weeks ago."
"Yeah well he needs another."
"No I don't."
"Yes Spike you do. Just trust me on this one Fred."
"Fine, Spike let's get this over with."

** A day later **

Fred sat in her office, staring at the result of Spike's
physical. She was horrified by what she saw; somewhere deep inside of
her she knew that what she read could only have disastrous results.
But this was bad, very bad, Spike was pregnant and she didn't know
how it could have possibly happened or much less how to tell Spike
that he was pregnant.


Part Two – The Second Month

Angel was sitting in his office; he had just spoken to Spike
and the blond vampire looked like he was in good spirits. Angel had
been worried that Spike would be still furious, as he had been when
he had found out the news. Everyone was shocked, Spike was pregnant,
and the strangest thing was that it looked like he was pregnant by
Andrew. No one had known what to say when Fred had blurted it out to
Spike in Angel's office, in front of everyone. Willow had been the
first to speak, she had warned Spike that this was very dangerous,
and with the help of Lorne and Wesley and started to search for the
missing Ethan Rayne. When they had found him, he refused to talk, so
Angel had brought in Harmony and allowed her to torture him (Angel
had found it very helpful having an evil vampire in his employ,
especially since she could do all the dirty work that he couldn't
force himself to do). Finally, Ethan had told them what he had done;
he had put a spell on Spike and Andrew, which had resulted with
Spike's pregnancy. Ethan had done so in order to take out one of the
supposed champions, or one of the two vampires with souls. He had
done so to appease his god, Janus, the god of chaos. However, Ethan
was unable to reverse the spell, which worried Angel. The only other
time he had seen a vampire pregnant had ended up with the vampire in
a pile of dust because the baby was going to die otherwise. Angel had
spent lots of time with Fred, trying to figure out a way to ensure
that Spike would live when it came time for the baby to be born. But
Fred was still at a lost for how Spike could actually be pregnant,
and how he could carry the baby to full term. Wesley and Willow
continued to research in an effort to find out a way to reverse the
spell and failing that to make sure that Spike and the baby survived
the pregnancy. Although everyone on Angel's team, including Giles,
Willow and Andrew, were inclined to believe that if the Shanshu
prophecy were true, it pertained to Angel, they all needed to make
sure that Spike was not going to be a victim of one of Ethan's
tricks. However, it looked like there was no way of reversing the
spell, so Angel was forced to do something he had tried to avoid.
He had called in Gunn, Wesley, Lorne, and Fred into his office for a
meeting. They slowly filed in the office one by one, all with fatigue
etched on their faces. The issue with Spike, on top of their daily
business was wearing them all out. Angel knew that what he was going
to tell them was not going to sit well, but he didn't know how much
time Spike had left. So he knew that he needed to tell them the truth
about Darla, he was ashamed of his actions, especially after Cordelia
had accused him of raping the minds of his friends, which despite his
noble intentions was what he had done. And he didn't want to tell
them that he had done this. But he knew that even if Spike had not
become pregnant, he would need to tell them.
They had all reacted the way in which Angel had expected.
Gunn had left the law firm, dressed in his old clothes, and patrolled
the streets, taking his anger out on vampires that weren't Angel.
Fred had retreated to her office with a look of pain on her face.
Wesley had left the building and returned to the Hyperion Hotel to
think about what Angel had done. Lorne had lectured Angel about the
wrongness of what he had done, and how Angel shouldn't always try to
carry the weight of the world on his own shoulders when he had his
friends. The next morning, they had all returned to work and started
working with renewed vigor to make sure that Spike would survive this
pregnancy. They also all avoided Angel, messages and information were
passed through to him through Harmony.
Angel did the only thing that he could do; he left his
office, and visited Spike, who still lived in the apartment that
Lindsey had given him. Although it was Angel who was paying the bills
on the apartment and not Lindsey.
"What do you want?" Spike asked Angel.
"I came to talk."
"No you came here to feel better about yourself."
"Spike." Angel warned the other vampire.
"Oh save it, Angel. You did a bad thing and you came here to absolve
yourself."
"It's not like that."
"Oh isn't it? How many other people's minds have you played with?"
"It's really not like that." Angel looked away, hurt written on his
face.
"Really? It looks like it to me, and it certainly sounds like it from
your friends."
"You don't know what it is like to be a champion." Angel growled in
frustration.
"Oh, I don't? My soul's not as pretty as yours, is it Angel? I didn't
suffer what you suffered, did I? But I will tell you this; I was
always honest with Buffy and her friends. Were you?"
"Yes." Angel's voice cracked.
"What else did you do?" Spike sat down on the couch.
"I … Buffy doesn't know."
"She won't find out from me, she doesn't even know I am alive."
Angel started to tell Spike about the one day that he had
with Buffy as a human and then had lost. And then about how the
Oracles had left him with the memory of that day and no one else.
"Good grief, with an example like that I don't blame you for what you
did. But this is a very different matter than a day shared with
Buffy."
"Yeah but I couldn't tell them about Connor or what had happened."
"Seems to me what you didn't want them to know was how Cordelia
betrayed you for your son."
"It wasn't like that Spike, she was being controlled by Jasmine."
"Sure but that didn't stop you from feeling betrayed, now did it?"
"No." Angel whispered.
"Look Angel, I haven't had the same past as you and our souls are
very different but I am tired of being in competition with you. But I
will tell you this, what you did was wrong. It was probably the worse
thing you've done with your soul. And I am not referring to what you
did for Connor, but what you did to your friends, that was wrong. Now
if you don't mind, I am tired so leave."
"You know that they are working to make sure you and the baby
survive?"
"Right now I don't care."
Angel left Spike's apartment feeling worse than he had before
he had arrived. But he knew that he had found a little piece of peace
from listening to Spike. And he knew that Spike was right about why
he had had the memory of Connor erased from the minds of his friends.
But now he was going to have to work with them to make sure that
Spike lived.

** A week later **

Willow came to visit Spike before leaving L.A., they had not
solved the problem yet but Fred was confident that Spike would be
able to have a caesarian section that would save the baby and Spike
as well. Willow was needed elsewhere but she wanted to say good-bye
to Spike.
"So how are things going, Spike?"
"How do you think? I am pregnant."
"Well I know it's hard but still, other than that?"
"Angel won't let me fight, or drink."
"Well that's because of the baby. All we know about Ethan's spell is
that unless the baby survives, you won't."
"I know but I hate taking orders from Angel."
"He's only concerned about you."
"Yeah sure. He's real concerned about me."
"Spike, do you think that he would have told his friends about what
he did to them, or devote so much of his time to finding out how to
help you and the baby?"
"He's got a soul so do I."
"Yeah but that doesn't mean he has to help you as much as he is. He
spends more time working on this than on anything else."
"So Cordelia's little visit was a waste of time."
"No, he has to redeem himself, and he sees this as another chance to
do so. He tries to redeem himself when it comes to any of his
victims, and he sees you as one of them."
"Oh bloody hell. I am one of the Poof's victims now?"
"Not in the sense that you're thinking, Angel cares about you and
feels that he did more damage to you than anyone else. He was vicious
to you, when you looked up to him. You wanted him to teach you about
how to be a vampire and he tortured you like he did any of his other
victims. He used Drusilla against you, when he knew you loved her. He
also knows that he turned his back on you and her, when you needed
him the most."
"Willow, don't."
"Spike, please let them help you."
"Fine."

to be continued..