ext_15387 ([identity profile] angearia.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] seasonal_spuffy2009-11-05 12:58 am

FIC: To Be Born Again




Title: To Be Born Again
Author: [livejournal.com profile] angearia
Summary: Buffy has been brought back from the dead twice already, but the third time's the charm.
Timeline: Post-Not Fade Away.
Warnings: None.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500

Author's Note: First off, thank you to [livejournal.com profile] enigmaticblues for keeping this amazing community going! I have a confession - I was this close to not posting something today. This close! I have two other stories I'd worked on and then discarded in the past month.  *shakes fist at WIPs*  Then some scans of Sarah Michelle Gellar in People Magazine inspired me last night and voila! I hope you enjoy my humble offering (it truly is ever so humble in light of all the grand fic plans I'd had and hope to still write).  This is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.


Rebirth: a new or second birth; a spiritual regeneration.


I. Denial

“So you’re back,” Buffy said, sitting on the couch with her hands pressed in-between her knees. “Convenient timing. Showing up at my most pathetic.”

“I didn’t plan it this way.”

“You never plan anything, Spike,” she spat, standing. “You just… ” Hand covering her mouth, she rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Stomach flip-flopping inside out, she dry heaved into the sink, her knuckles gripping the counter top.

“Buffy!” Spike’s fist banged against the door.

“Go away,” she sobbed. “Just… go.” Staring at the pink plus sign on the applicator, she whispered, “I don’t want you here.”



II. Anger

“Leave me alone!” The vase Giles gave her for her birthday shattered on the wall next to his head. “God, can’t you take a hint. I want you gone.”

“Go ahead. Do your worst. I’ll still be here when you’re done with your little whiny tantrum.”

“You’re not a part of my life anymore. You stopped being a part of it when you didn’t tell me you were alive again.”

“Undead, again.”

“Shut up! Why do you care anyways? You’re not the father. You could never-”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She threw the heavy porcelain bowl of fruit next. She didn’t miss.



III. Bargaining

“What do you want? Forgiveness? Sure, I forgive you. Whatever.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Why are you here?”

“I… I needed to see you.”

“So you’ve seen me. Done. You can go now.”

“Buffy, is it so hard to believe that I needed time away from you to know what I was missing? I want to be a part of your life. Please.”

“No.”

“I can help you. I can help with the baby.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“You don’t have to do this alone. I can-”

“No. I don’t need your help because I’m giving it away.”



IV. Depression

“Why won’t you go?” she cried, lying curled on her side on the bed.

He lay behind her, rubbing her lower back. She pushed her face into her pillow, her wet cheeks staining the linens with tears. Her hands lay slack atop her swollen belly.

“You should hate me,” she whispered. “For what I did. What I said. Everything.”

“I could never hate you.”

“You used to hate me.”

“I’ve forgotten how. Must be getting dotty in my old age, yeah.”

“I hate me,” she said, wincing at the internal kick against her ribs. “Sometimes it’s all I can feel.”



V. Acceptance

She fell back with a gasp, sweat pouring down her temples.

“Buffy, love, do you want to hold her?”

“It’s a girl?”

“Yeah, here she is.” The baby cried, upset at being jostled. “Think she misses her mum.”

Arms too weak to move somehow reached out and then she was in her arms, warm and small and wrinkled pink.

“Oh,” she breathed, staring at the perfection of tiny lashes on smooth round cheeks. “Hello, you.”

“She’s beautiful, just like her mum,” Spike said, pushing back wet strands of hair from her forehead.

Smile awed, eyes tear-filled, she could only nod.



******


If you'd like more schmoop, check out "His Girls"

[identity profile] musicbitch.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 06:42 am (UTC)(link)
Wow, you do work fast...lol! So, who's the father? Or is that just one of those things you never reveal? I'm okay with that, I never like the idea of her being with someone else, but I'm glad Spike is there now. This was good, I liked seeing the change in her moods as we got to the end. That's our Buffy for you;)

[identity profile] xc-runner50.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
Ah! This was awesome. He refuses to leave once he is back, even though she really doesn't make it easy to be there. I love Buffy being a mother.

[identity profile] urania-calliope.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
Cool! Someone else who wrote through Kübler-Ross!

Wonderful!

[identity profile] dontgetanyolder.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
loved this. <3

[identity profile] cindergal.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 08:19 am (UTC)(link)
Good thing Spike is even more stubborn than she is. ;-)
ext_7259: (Default)

[identity profile] moscow-watcher.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 08:57 am (UTC)(link)
You know, it was a surrealistic experience - first reading Sarah's interview and the, a minute later, proceeding to your fic. Now I can't separate Sarah's words from your words; I've got a single big tableau of happiness and joy.

Thank you!

[identity profile] zanthinegirl.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 09:14 am (UTC)(link)
What a cool fic idea-- Kubler-Ross's steps as a series of drabbles. That's just... Neat!

Also I have to admit to a sad, sad weakness for babyfic. I know. I'm so ashamed! But this is one that really works for me. It makes sense for the characters, and it shows us just enough to tell the story. I like!

I saw that story from people too; I wondered how long until babyfic popped up. I did think it might take longer than a couple of hours!
gillo: (connection)

[personal profile] gillo 2009-11-05 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
Very sweet and touching.

[identity profile] larabeckinsale.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 11:35 am (UTC)(link)
OMG... this was so good! Great character voices and I can totally see that one happening... Brilliant!

[identity profile] jamalov29.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Hee ! Lovely.:)

[identity profile] lil-leti.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
As always Spike has put Buffy first. He may leave for a period of time but he always comes back. Just love it.

[identity profile] slaymesoftly.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
That's our Spike. Never give up, wear the girl down and force her to see what she's got. Nice little glimpses of how he did it. Thanks :)

[identity profile] penny-lane-42.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 12:56 pm (UTC)(link)

She threw the heavy porcelain bowl of fruit next. She didn’t miss.
Very, very Buffy. She would never miss two times in a row.


“Why won’t you go?” she cried, lying curled on her side on the bed.
I love when people reuse lines from the show in new contexts. This one in particular made me happy.

And the end was so sweet! With the "Hello, you." Gah. I do love good babyfic so much that it's embarrassing, and this was lovely, all those little moments. Yay!

I also meant to add that this was the perfect way to start my morning. Yay again!
Edited 2009-11-05 13:02 (UTC)

[identity profile] gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww!

Just woke up and can't be bothered to think of more to say. This made me smile, which is an awesome way to start out my day, though!
next_to_normal: (Default)

[personal profile] next_to_normal 2009-11-05 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Very cute (especially considering I'm not much for babyfic), and as others have mentioned, I like the clever structure.

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[personal profile] next_to_normal - 2009-11-05 15:21 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] next_to_normal - 2009-11-05 15:27 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] petzipellepingo.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
That Spike just doesn't know the meaning of "quit" - and it's a darn good thing.

“Hello, you.”
Aww...

[identity profile] jen-nsync-landl.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
All of this is lovely. But this?

“You should hate me,” she whispered. “For what I did. What I said. Everything.”

“I could never hate you.”

“You used to hate me.”

“I’ve forgotten how."


I'm so in love with this I kind of don't know what to do with it. :) Those final three words are so wonderfully, perfectly Spike.

[identity profile] auntiero.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
*wipes the tears*

That was beautiful.

*sniffle*

I love the ending. :)

[identity profile] louise39.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
“I don’t want you here.”
But Spike is stubborn. Love Buffy's progressive emotions and Spike's determination.

Love your icon.

[identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, very nice.

Convenient timing. Showing up at my most pathetic.

That's just how your life goes, Buff. You oughta be used to it by now. ;-)

“She’s beautiful, just like her mum.”

C'mon Spike, tell it like it is: newborns are funny-looking. Don't worry, though, she'll be gorgeous.

[identity profile] amyxaphania.livejournal.com 2009-11-05 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww. So sweet. And I loved the format.
sarian71: (Spike Reading)

[personal profile] sarian71 2009-11-05 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Yup, that's how Buffy would react to being pregnant. :)
Fortunately Spike was there for her, all the way.

[identity profile] dragonflylady77.livejournal.com 2009-11-06 09:45 am (UTC)(link)
Of course Spike came back stay. That's what he does! Good thing for Buffy he's more stubborn than her!!

That was lovely!!! *off to read His Girls now*
ext_15338: (buffy copper)

[identity profile] devylish.livejournal.com 2009-11-06 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
lovely
sweet
sigh

[identity profile] riccadonna.livejournal.com 2009-11-08 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
This is pretty elegant! I really like the way you've peeled off any extras, what's left is nothing more and nothing less than it's good for narrating your story. Very good! And the icon is a kind of epilogue...

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