Monkey Baby

[maevebran]

Title: Monkey Baby
Author:Maeve Bran
Summarry: Buffy has some news for Daniel
Notes:This set just after "The Scourge" 9.17. Also written for the Ninja Daniel challenge that Michael Shanks has issued at several conventions.
Disclaimer: I own niether Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Stargate SG1 serries. I am just having some unprofitable fun.
Raiting: FR 13
Word Count:1768


Buffy sat staring at Dr. Carolyn Lam. She could not believe what the good doctor had told her. This could not be happening to her. Well, yeah, actually it could. She knew it was physically possible but some how she had thought Slayers didn't have this happen to them. She should have remembered that is was possible. Robin Wood was proof that Slayers could get pregnant. Buffy mused that the real reason there weren't more children born to Slayers was that they died too young before they had a chance to reproduce. She briefly wondered if this was going to be more common now that there were hundreds of Slayers in the world. She'd have to call Willow. Only she'd wait until she was used to the idea of being an unwed mother.

Oh, gawd, Buffy thought. She'd have to tell Daniel. And Col. Dixon. And General Landry. She figured there was no way she was joining SG1. Ever. She'd probably be stuck on world for the next eight months. Oh boy.

"Buffy," Carolyn said softly as she reached for the Slayer's shoulder. "Can I get you something? Or someone?"

"Uh no. To both. I'll be fine. Once this sinks in." Buffy weakly tried to reassure the doctor.

"There are options if you want to discuss them." Carolyn brought up cautiously because she had to mention them.

"No. I'm keeping it. I have spent to much of my life fighting so others could live that I will not abort a child just to make my life easier." Buffy said emphatically not knowing that was how she felt until she said the words.

"Uhhmm." came a male voice from the doorway. "Did I just hear the words 'abort' and 'child'?" Daniel asked as he walked over to his girlfriend, looking shocked.

Buffy looked up into blue eyes that were stormy with an emotion that she couldn't define. "Yes, you did. If you had been listening you would have also heard the words 'will not' as well."

The meaning of what Buffy was trying to tell him sank in. "Good." He noticed Dr. Lam then. "So Doc, are you done with Buffy? Because she and I need to talk."

"Yes, Buffy can go for now as long as she comes back to talk to me sometime latter this afternoon. I'll get a prescription of prenatal vitamins ready for her." Dr. Lam said smiling at the idea that for once she would be helping to bring a life into the world rather than trying to patch someone back together. "But, Dr. Jackson, I'm not finished with you. I assume you just got back from off world."

"I did indeed." Daniel answered knowing his conversation with Buffy was going to be delayed a bit. "But we were beamed to the Odyssey. I've had the post mission check up there. In fact I was bringing you the files from the ship board doctor to you." He hand over the files he had been carrying.

"Ok. I'll let you both go." Dr. lam said with a smile.

Daniel took Buffy's hand and lead her to the surface. They found a covenant rock to sit on and watch the sunset in peace for a few minutes.

"Daniel, that wasn't the way I wanted you to find out," Buffy started. "In fact, I had just found out myself. If you had come into the infirmary five minutes earlier you would have learned about the baby the same time I did."

"I had hoped you weren't keeping this from me for long." Daniel said as he reached for her hand. "So how would you have told me?"

"I don't know. I hadn't had a chance to think about it yet when you walked in." Buffy replied as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Are you happy about it?"

"I don't know. I have always wanted a child but had figured it wasn't meant to be when Sha're and I didn't have one." Daniel confessed. "Not to mention the fact that I don't really have much of an example to follow in being a Dad."

"I think you will be a great Dad. I just hope I can be as good of a Mom as my Mom was," Buffy said. "There were a couple years where I thought she was horrible but that was because she didn't know about the Slaying. Once she did and got used to it, she was amazing. She practically mothered all of the Scoobies. Heck, she even mothered Spike before he got the chip in his head. Apparently, after Drusilla dumped him, he came and vested Mom and had hot cocoa with her while she listened and gave him advice. My mom the confidant of William the Bloody." Buffy laughed.

"She sounds like quite a woman." Daniel agreed. "She had to be to have such a fine daughter. And I'm not just talking about looks."

Daniel's arm went around her shoulders then. She smiled feeling that they just might be able to do this parenting thing if they did it together. For the first time since she got the news an hour ago, she wasn't panicking.

They sat there for a while lost in thought. Each trying to come to terms with the way their lives were going to change. The sun set and they were left in twilight.

"Buffy, maybe you should move in with me?" Daniel suggested.

Buffy pulled away far enough to look into his face. "Why not you moving in with me? After all I have a larger house. Not to mention a really nice housekeeper."

"Either way." Daniel agreed.

"Daniel, I will never deny you access to your child no matter who lives where. You believe that, right?" Buffy said seriously, hoping to reassure him.

"I know that." Daniel agreed. "That wasn't why I suggested moving in together. I want to be there for you as well. Not just our child. I care for you and want to be able to show it for the next - how far along are you?"

"Carolyn said I was about six weeks along. I'm due in the middle of October." Buffy informed him.

"I'll be there even if I have to Ascend and descend again." Daniel vowed.

"Please don't Ascend. I'd rather have you alive, with your memory whole." Buffy laughed.

"I just meant, I'll do whatever it takes to be by your side no matter what." Daniel explained.

"Thanks." Buffy leaned back into him, absorbing his strength. It was one of the things she liked about being with Daniel- she didn't have to be the strong one all the time. He let her take his strength when she needed it but if she needed to be the strong one he let her. She felt more of an equal with him than any of her past relationships. She wasn't sure if she loved him- not in the all consuming way she had loved Angel, but she felt more at peace with Daniel. She supposed there were worse ways to feel about the father of your child.

Daniel eased his arm from around her and stood up. He reached down and gave her a hand up saying, "Come on I'll take you home."

"Your place or mine?" She queried.

"Mine. I don't really want to have to face Clem just yet. Not to mention he'll tell your friends . . ." Daniel said.

Buffy laughed as she walked with him to his jeep. "Willow really did a number on you when you talked to her last week didn't she?"

"Yeah. There was mention of shovels and lots and lots of pain if I hurt you. I'm pretty sure getting you pregnant might qualify." Daniel said.

Buffy looked at Daniel in surprise. "She's still using that threat?" Daniel nodded. "Don't worry after being mad at you for a bit she will get all excited about the baby. All the remaining Scoobies will. We've all had enough death and not enough new life. Don't worry. They will all like you."

They got in the jeep and left the mountain before Buffy continued, “Wills admitted to liking you after she talked with you. She also saw the picture of us that Jack took before he left. The one of us sparring. While Wills bats for the other team, she admitted that in her words that you are 'a fine hunk of man flesh'. Then there is the fact that you speak more languages then she and Dawn combined. You have nothing to worry about. It's me she'll be disappointed in."

"Why would she be disappointed in you?" Daniel asked. "Wait she called me what?"

"Oh you heard me. She basically called you handsome. Which is an opinion I whole heartedly share." Buffy skipped over the serious question.

They reached Daniel's place and settled in on the sofa before Buffy returned to Daniel's question about why Willow would be disappointed in her.

"Wills will be disappointed in me for forgetting that though rare, Slayers are women too and can get pregnant." Buffy said flatly.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"Well very few Slayers who made it into their late teens let alone their twenties. Daniel, I'm 25. No other Slayer has ever reached that age. So not too many Slayers have had children. Although there was this Slayer in the seventies. I actually worked for her son in Sunnydale before the collapse. But since it was so rare, I assumed that along with the super healing and high metabolism that we were sterile. That is why I never worried about birth control or condoms. Plus I knew with all the medical check ups we go through there was no worry about disease." Buffy explained.

Daniel was stunned. It happened to him every time Buffy explained some new aspect of the shortened life span she expected. He hated knowing that civilization had been saved by generations of young girls dieing and no one knew.

"Wills will tell me I wasn't thinking and I should have known that the Shadow men wouldn't have thought of their expendable girls being able to have babies since they weren't supposed to live very long. That is why she'll be disappointed in me." Buffy concluded. Daniel scooted closer to her and pulled her to him.

"Enough serious thoughts for tonight. How about we order pizza and watch a couple movies before bed?" Daniel suggested.

Buffy agreed. They did just that and lost themselves in the peace and joy of just being with each other for the rest of the evening.