Chapter 46: Start as You Mean to Go On.
Author's Notes: Betaed by Maria and Flight Of
Fancy.
When
morning finally arrived, Buffy and Spike showered together, helping
each other get the sticky chocolate and whipped cream off their skin.
As they dried and got dressed, they talked about their plans for the
day.
While Spike headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, Buffy picked up
the phone and started to set their plans in motion.
First Buffy called her mom and invited her over to the warehouse at
eight for a Scooby meeting. Joyce knew that tonight was the night that
Buffy and Spike would tell the rest of the gang about the mating, and
that Buffy wanted her mom there to show support. Both women agreed that
Joyce would explain the situation to Kendra that morning, and would let
Kendra know that she would also be welcome to attend. Buffy wanted the
Slayer to know exactly what she was walking in to…she didn’t want Spike
staked by accident.
“Two down with just one call. Mom and Kendra have been invited. Now for
Giles. Which reminds me, have you seen Merrick?”
“Not today.” Spike placed a cup of coffee in front of her. “I'll go
look for him and invite him for breakfast if he’s around.” He placed a
kiss on her head as he walked by.
“Love you,” she said softly to his back.
Pausing at the top of the stairs, Spike sent her an air kiss before
disappearing from sight.
When Giles finally answered the phone, he readily agreed to come and
stand at his slayer and her mate’s side. Buffy smiled, satisfied. Giles
finally understood that things were as they should be, and that if he
tried to get between the mates, he would be the one that lost.
“Morning, Buffy.” Merrick took a seat at the table. “You look happy.”
“I am. Mom, Kendra and Giles are coming tonight. They’re all firmly on
our side. I really believe that Giles has finally come around.”
“About time.” Merrick took the coffee Spike handed him.
“Will you be here tonight?”
“I'll be here. Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
“Thank you, Merrick. It means a lot to us, to have your support.”
“Before you start talking on the phone again Luv, tell me what you want
in your omelet,” Spike interrupted. “And make it quick, because you’ve
still got a lot of calls to make.” He pointed the spatula at Buffy.
Pouting, Buffy told him what she wanted, before grabbing the phone
again and moving away from the kitchen area.
Oz was easy to get on the phone. He had just arrived home from a gig in
L.A., and promised to stop by after he caught a few hours of sleep.
Xander was quick to accept Buffy’s invitation, and seemed quite excited
about the visit until he realized that he wasn't the only one invited
to her home.
When Buffy reached Willow, the Wiccan sounded tired and scared, and
turned down the invitation to Buffy’s home. “I...I can't come. I have
to go see Giles.”
“Giles will be here tonight.”
“Oh. Then I'll come, I guess. I need to talk to him.”
“Can you stop by Angel’s apartment and ask him to come along with you?”
“Sure.”
Buffy ended the conversation, giving Willow the address for the
converted warehouse, as she had done with the other invited guests who
didn't already have it.
Cool arms circled her waist from behind. “Does the poofter have to
come?”
“I'm hoping he'll give up harassing us once he knows we’ve mated.”
Buffy relaxed against him for a few seconds. “I still need to call
Cordelia.” She sighed.
“Do you think she'll come?”
“You never know with Cordelia.”
“Okay, I'll wait a bit longer before I start to make your omelet.” He
kissed her brow, and left her to her phone call.
Buffy got the housekeeper at Cordelia's, who let Buffy know that
Cordelia still had her jaw wired shut. With the housekeeper as a go
between, Buffy invited Cordelia to join the group. Sadly, Cordelia
refused to attend. She hadn't been out of her house since The Episode,
as she called it.
In fact, Cordelia had done a pretty good job of cutting herself off
from the rest of the world while she waited for her jaw to heal. Other
than a few phone calls from Giles, she hadn’t spoken to anyone in the
group. She also hadn’t spoken with Angel, or even received a “Get Well”
card, for that matter. It wasn’t that Cordelia ever wanted to see him
again, but an apology would have been nice.
Buffy was enraged when she heard how Cordelia had been neglected, and
couldn’t stop herself from letting out a frustrated shriek after she
very politely and calmly said goodbye to Cordelia and her housekeeper.
In the kitchen Spike and Merrick looked up, panic in their eyes when
they heard Buffy yell. They rushed around the wall to see Buffy drive
her fingers into her hair and bend over, as if in pain.
Spike rushed to Buffy and embraced her. “What's wrong?” Spike was
reacting instinctively to the sight of Buffy in pain, forgetting that
he also had the ability to reach out to her through their bond. When he
finally remembered and did a little scan, he realized that what he and
Merrick had witnessed was not pain at all…it was anger. White hot,
twisted, overwhelming rage. “Buffy! What is it? What’s happened now?
Tell me,” Spike begged.
“Angel! That miserable son of a bitch hasn't even apologized to
Cordelia. I doubt she’d let him in her house, but still! He could at
least have sent her a card. He’s so full of himself and how he’s the
Champion…I'm really starting to hate him.” She turned in Spike's arms
and let loose another frustrated growl.
After a while Buffy calmed down, and Spike led her into the kitchen and
fed her some breakfast. Later Spike packed a basket with a little of
this and a bit of that, and then took Buffy out for a picnic on the
beach. It was their first day together as a couple in the sun, but it
would be far from their last.
Merrick left for Joyce's. He was planning to enlist her help, as he had
been given a shopping list of items needed for the meeting that night.
As the day wore on, Buffy, Spike, and Merrick once again gathered at
home. The men quickly realized it had been a good thing that Spike had
kept Buffy busy for most of the day, because a day of watching her as
she was now would have driven them nuts. It was obvious that she was
under a lot of stress; when she wasn't running around doing last minute
things, she was pacing the room.
Buffy had even spent some time alone in her hidden room, after which
she told them that she had cast a shield spell around the upstairs
area. She knew that things would probably get a bit crazy tonight, and
she wouldn't have her privacy invaded by their visitors. The only ones
allowed upstairs would be Spike, Merrick and herself.
Merrick and Spike looked at each other, both a bit confused by Buffy’s
extreme reaction to their impending guests.
The next time Buffy whipped past Spike, he pulled her down onto his
lap. “Talk to me, sweetheart.” With his arms around her, he waited for
her to say something.
Hiding her face in his neck, Buffy admitted that she was nervous and a
little scared. “At least this time they can't separate us.” With a
sigh, she rested her forehead against his. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. To the end of the world.” Spike promised, before
leaning in and kissing her softly.
The knock on their front door told them that their guests had begun to
arrive.
Spike disappeared upstairs, as Buffy breathed in and dried her hands on
her pants before opening the door for her mom and Giles.
Giles looked around nervously. “Where is Spike?”
“He's upstairs. We didn't want the meeting to start with a screaming
contest. There are things that need to be said and stuff my friends
need to hear. If Spike is down here, they won't listen.”
“You're quite right, Buffy. Wise decision.”
“Thank you, Giles. Do you want anything to drink?” Buffy led them to
the big table.
“We can wait. Are we staying down here?” Joyce asked, as she placed her
coat over a chair.
“Yes, I’d like to keep the upstairs private… at least for now.”
There was another knock. Buffy opened the door for Oz. He didn't say
much, just looked around with interest, before he greeting the others
and joining them at the table.
Before Buffy could close the door, a hand reached out to keep it open.
It was Xander, looking anxious and unsure. He wasn’t really confident
of his welcome, after their last meeting in the library.
With Xander was a pale looking Willow. A Willow who could barely spare
the time to smile a greeting at Buffy, before she rushed over to Giles.
Willow started to whisper something to him while wringing her hands.
After he had heard the first couple of sentences, Giles stopped her
with a gentle hand on her arm. “I know, Willow. You'll get an
explanation later.”
“Have you taken my powers away?” Her voice became shrill. “You just
can’t stand that I’ve got more power than you, can you? You had no
right to take my powers. Give them back.” Willow had a hard grip on
Giles' arm, and was shaking him, her face a twisted mask.
“Let go, Willow.” Buffy said, as she took hold of Willow’s wrists.
Willow turned to Buffy. “Make him give them back,” She begged Buffy.
“Sit down. We'll talk about it when we're all here. You too, Xander,
sit down.”
“You're on his side now! I see how this works! You're suddenly best
friends, you and Giles.” Willow was nose to nose with Buffy.
“Sit down or leave, Willow.” Buffy turned away, ignoring the frustrated
red-head. Buffy asked Merrick to make tea and her mom to make coffee,
before going herself to pull soft drinks from the fridge.
Willow looked wildly from one guest to the next. Not one of them would
return her glance. With a sigh she sat down, moping.
Just as Buffy closed the door to the fridge, the last two guests
arrived. “Sorry I'm late. Ran into a couple of demons who were up to no
good.”
“I know how it is, Kendra.” Buffy leaned forward and hugged her. Behind
her came Angel.
“Buffy.”
“Angel, come in.”
As Angel walked past her, he bowed his head and smirked. I’ve got
her now. This is the start, an invite into her home. It won't take long
and she’ll be mine.
Buffy had managed to see a glimpse of Angel's face before he moved past
her. She smiled to herself, knowing that he would get the shock of his
unlife that night.
After she had closed the door, Buffy returned to the table. “Have a
seat, everyone.” At that Buffy looked directly at Angel, who was about
to lean against a cupboard behind her. “Make yourself comfortable. Get
a drink before we start.” Buffy poured herself a cup of tea.
“So, why are we here, Buffy? Are you finally going to tell us you
succeeded in dusting the blond pest?” Xander joked, rubbing his hands
in anticipation.
“Shut up, Xander. Actually, since you’ve so graciously decided to start
the conversation, why don't we start with you?”
“Me? What about me?” he croaked out, sinking down in his chair.
“Are you finished lying to people yet?” Standing up, with her arms
crossed over her chest, Buffy waited. “I refuse to have friends that
think it’s ok to lie to each other and cause each other pain.”
“I'm sorry, but why are you blaming me? What about Giles?” He pointed a
finger at Giles, who was sitting close by.
When Xander pointed at Giles, he pushed Giles' glasses crooked. “I
apologize profoundly, Kendra. I never thought of how much our deception
would hurt you,” Giles said, as he straightened his glasses.
Kendra sent Giles a faint smile, before looking away. She didn't like
the attention she was getting.
Joyce reached out to hold her hand.
Grateful for Joyce’s motherly support, and forgetting her Slayer
powers, Kendra almost squished her hand.
Buffy was still looking at Xander, as if expecting something.
“What?” he threw his hands up.
“Don't you have an apology of your own to make?” Buffy glanced quickly
at Kendra.
“It wasn't my fault. The Changelings made me do it. I can't be blamed,”
he angrily claimed.
“Did they make you lie about remembering?”
That made Xander deflate like a hot air balloon. After he had swallowed
several times, Xander finally spoke up, “I'm sorry for lying, Kendra,
and I'll try my best to stay away from you.”
Everyone could see how the words made Kendra relax a bit. It was no
longer her word against his. Xander had admitted to the group that he
had treated her badly, and it was clear that she had not been lying.
“As you all may have noticed, Giles is finally beginning to understand
what’s happening around here. Am I right in assuming that you're still
translating the book?”
“Yes, you are quite right. The book has confirmed that Buffy is the
one. The second prophecy describes Buffy, and says that she will be
surrounded by family and friends. Not just humans, but also demons.
Everyone can join with the light, even soulless demons.
The book is clear though, every individual, whether human or demon, can
choose to be good or evil. It's up to each to decide which side we'll
work for: dark or light.
Finally, the book tells us that Buffy will find her mate, who will be
with her for the rest of her immortal life. Since a human would die
within a span of 100 years at most, that seems to suggest that Buffy’s
mate will be a demon.” Slowly Giles moved his finger down the paper in
his hand. “There is still more prophecy to translate, but that is all I
have complete at this point in time.”
“Your translation must be wrong. Demons can't be good.”
“You mean Angelus can't be good.” Buffy looked at Angel with contempt.
“I'm a demon. I know what I'm talking about. You're just a human
teenager.” Angel straightened up in his chair, trying to look down at
her.
“You're forgetting that this body and my soul aren’t the same age. I'm
older than I look. By the way, you're sitting in a house that was
renovated by demons, and not one person or demon was harmed in the
process.” She smirked.
“It can't be true. You must have been deceived.”
“No, there are harmless demons out there, living normal lives, with
normal jobs.” Buffy looked around at her guests. Oz seemed interested.
Willow didn’t really seem interested in the conversation. Her body was
vibrating, and it was clear that she was waiting for this topic to end
so she could move on to getting her powers back. She appeared jittery,
and her legs occasionally bumped against the underside of the table
when she couldn’t stop her knees from bouncing.
Xander kept shaking his head in denial.
“Who do you think drives the cabs at night, or delivers the pizzas we
order after dark?”
At that Angle slumped down in his chair, eyes fixed on the table.
Xander whispered, “Oh, no. Oh, no.”
“Xander?” He seemed out of it, his attention turned inward to something
the group couldn’t see.
He didn’t respond until Buffy finally shook him lightly.
Xander looked up suddenly. “I didn't have to stake Jesse. He could have
been good, but I didn’t even give him a chance.”
“He was about to eat you.” Buffy sighed. “For some reason, vampires are
the species least likely to choose the side of the light.” She patted
his shoulder and returned to her seat.
“Before I forget, I'd better tell you that I've taken care of the
creature that attacked this body.” Buffy flushed. “With all that
happened, I forgot to tell you guys.”
“Who was it?” Giles leaned forwards. “Anyone we know?”
Unlike Giles, who was filled with curiosity, Joyce was finally able to
relax. She didn’t need details, didn’t care who it was that had
attacked Buffy such a short time ago. The important thing to her was
that the threat to her daughter was gone.
“An old enemy from my past. I wonder if he'll still be in this future?
That might be something you could find out, Giles. He calls himself The
Immortal. I'll give you what I know about him later.”
Giles nodded.
“The next item on my list is Willow.” She looked over at the girl.
Willow seemed lost in her own thoughts. “Willow?”
Giles had to touch her before she reacted. “Huh? What do you want?”
Willow asked. It was clear to everyone that she was exhausted and
stressed. “I don't have time for this. I have important business with
Giles to take care of.” Willow turned to face the watcher, sending him
a look that made it clear she held him responsible for her troubles.
“More important than your magic?”
“What do you know about my powers?” No longer looking at Giles, Willow
straightened in her chair and gave Buffy her full attention.
“They don't work, right?”
“Right. It's Giles. He knew how powerful I was becoming and he was
jealous. That’s why he stole my powers.” She turned to look at Giles
with contempt.
“Wrong. Giles wasn’t jealous of your powers; he was worried that you
were going to do something damaging with them. We all were, and that’s
why we decided to bind your powers until you could learn to use them
wisely, instead of like a child.”
“You! You took my powers.” Willow threw herself at Buffy.
With her strength, Buffy easily got Willow under control and returned
her to her seat. “Stay there, or leave my home.” Slowly Buffy removed
her hands, waiting, to be sure Willow stayed in her seat.
There was no trace of the gentle Wiccan in the eyes that looked at
Buffy with such hatred now. “Give me my powers back. They’re mine. No
wonder you can do magic when you steal power from others.”
“Now you're getting nasty, Willow.” Buffy looked sad. “You still have
your powers. They’re just bound to stop you from hurting yourself or
someone else with them.”
“Untie them!” Willow snarled, standing up and leaning over the table.
“It's not that simple. You'll have to earn them back.”
Buffy didn't let Willow's behavior affect her, staying seated and
looking relaxed on the outside.
“How? How do I earn them back?”
“By learning to use your magic responsibly and showing self-control.
You'll get a teacher from a coven Giles knows, and they will help you
find your path.”
“Who gives you the right to decide what I should do?” Willow spat.
Buffy didn't move a muscle, just looked at her with those sad eyes.
Merrick reached over and placed his hand over hers, providing quiet
support to the emotionally exhausted girl. Blinking for a moment, as
though just waking from a dream, Buffy once again focused her attention
on her schoolmate.
“It's in my job description, now that I’ve found my other half and have
become complete. Together we are charged with stopping anyone who tries
to end the world, or who willfully chooses to harm the humans or demons
of this realm.” Buffy watched as each person in the room realized the
implications of her statement about being complete.
Angel straightened up, as did Xander, eyes opening wide. The rest of
the group hardly reacted, as they knew about the mating already. Oz
didn't say a thing, just lifted an eyebrow.
“Do you mind repeating that?” Angel was suddenly standing up, bracing
his knuckles on the table and appearing to have difficulty
understanding what he had just heard.
“Repeat what?” Buffy couldn't help it, she played dumb. In her head,
she heard Spike chide her. “That ain't nice, Pet.” Buffy could
also feel his pleasure at her teasing of the broody one.
“Complete? You said you're complete?”
“That I did!” She pushed her hair back over her shoulder, revealing
Spike’s claiming mark to everyone.
Angel moved with lightning speed, grabbing her shoulders, and shaking
her. “What have you done?”
“That’s exactly what I want to know.” Xander had materialized beside
Angel.
“Let go of me, Angel.” He didn't respond, his face twisted in rage.
Buffy grabbed Angel’s wrists, squeezing them until the pain was too
great and he finally had to release her. With a shove, Angel ended up
on the floor beside the treadmill.
Buffy turned to Xander. “Did you have something to say?”
Xander looked from her to Angel and retreated. “No, sorry.”
“As I said before: I'm complete. I've mated with my other half.”
Angel got to his feet, a wounded look on his face. “How could you?”
“I love him! He really does complete me.”
“You love me,” Angel claimed. “You were supposed to be mine.”
“I can't be given away. I'm my own woman, and I make my own choices
about who I want to be with.”
Angel looked defeated when he sat down. “Is it because of the curse on
my soul?”
“You don't have a curse on your soul anymore. I removed it when I
returned your soul.”
“You returned my soul?”
“I did, and this time I made sure you can never lose it again!”
Angel's eyes lit up for a second, before returning to his normal sad
puppy-dog look. “The curse doesn’t matter now anyway. You're the one I
want, and you’ve let someone else claim you. There’s no danger of me
being perfectly happy ever again.” He sighed. “Who?”
“Will you behave if I tell you?”
With a sour look, Angel nodded.
Buffy looked around at the people seated at the table. “Alright. I’ll
invite my mate down to meet you all, but you need to understand one
thing before you meet him. Kill him, and you kill me! Hurt him, and I
will not hesitate to hurt you!” She walked over to the stairs. “Honey,
will you please join us?”
Xander, Willow and Angel leaned over, trying to see who was coming down
the stairs.
Buffy and Spike met at the bottom of the stairs for a quick hug and
kiss, before walking to the table, arms around each other.
“You!” Angel screamed, just a moment before he lost control and
attacked.
When they saw Angel flying across the room in their direction, Buffy
and Spike simply parted and let the enraged vampire’s momentum carry
him past the smiling couple.
When Angel finally managed to stop and turn around, he was fully vamped
out and blinded by his rage. Like a bull seeing red, he charged again.
This time Buffy didn't pull away.
Angel ran directly into Buffy's fist. Dazed, he sank to the floor.
While he was still knocked silly, Buffy and Spike grabbed Angel under
his arms and dragged him out of the house. Angel was just picking
himself up off the ground when Spike locked the door.
Back at the table, Spike sat down in Buffy’s chair and pulled his mate
down to sit in his lap.
“You all know my mate, Spike.”
--------------------------------------
In the months following Buffy and Spike’s big reveal, Giles made sure
Willow was paired with a calm and experienced tutor from the local
coven. With time, she learned to control herself and came to understand
why Buffy had chosen to bind her powers. As she grew in wisdom, Willow
began to help Buffy with necessary spells and enchantments, allowing
Buffy to use her time and energy for other things.
Oz stayed a member of the group. When he wasn't traveling with his
band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, he sometimes traveled to complete tasks for
the Judges, helping Buffy and Spike when he could.
Not long after Buffy and Spike's mating, Xander left Sunnydale and
spent a month touring North Africa. As the years went by, he got older
and wiser, but something had changed and he and Buffy never really
rebuilt their close friendship. He would still visit from time to time
though, more frequently after he married Anya Jenkins, who was herself
a former demon.
When things were busy, Giles spent so much time in Buffy and Spike’s
home that it seemed like he was living there. He helped out when
visitors arrived to petition the couple, or when they asked for help to
settle a disagreement, or to end hostilities and violence with
neighboring groups of demons. Of course, there were also a few attempts
to end the world to deal with too, and Buffy occasionally grew
frustrated with the crowds populating the warehouse. Accommodations
were in such demand, that the couple eventually bought and renovated
another warehouse nearby. Clem was in charge of the remodeling, and
when it was done The Judges had an official courtroom, with holding
cells in the basement, and guest rooms on the upper floor.
Though Buffy and Spike kept him busy, Giles somehow found the time to
befriend Jenny Calendar. At some point, he even summoned the courage to
ask her to marry him. Buffy and Spike were invited to their wedding.
Joyce and Merrick became close over the years. It was no surprise when
he asked Buffy's permission to move into Joyce’s home. It was, however,
a surprise to all when Spike, ever the Victorian gentleman, insisted
that Merrick make an honest woman out of her.
Cordelia left town right after high school graduation. Buffy
occasionally got a postcard from her, but the girls were never close.
The last Buffy heard, Cordelia had become a fashion model.
With the help of the team in Sunnydale, Kendra lived for almost ten
years before an apocalypse got the better of her. She lived every day
to the fullest, appreciating each one and knowing that it might be her
last.
Angel stayed in his apartment for months after learning about Spike and
Buffy’s mating. The only time he came out was to buy blood from the
butcher, or to borrow the odd book from Giles’ collection.
One night, when Giles couldn't sleep, he organized his books. It was
then that he discovered that Angel still had several volumes in his
possession, and that most of the books he had borrowed were about
vampire claims and black magic.
A warning call was immediately placed to Buffy. Extra shields were
placed on the warehouses, and the homes of Scoobies new and old.
Once Buffy and Spike knew everyone they cared about was safe from
attack, they went hunting for Angel. When they found him, he had
barricaded himself in an underground cavern and was in the middle of a
very dark spell had that drained him of most of his energy. The spell
was stopped, but there was no way to heal Angel’s body. Seriously
weakened, it took him several years to recover from the damage caused
by the interrupted spell.
Angel used what little strength remained in his body to stalk Buffy.
Every once in a while he would try to convince her that Spike was evil
and couldn’t be trusted, but eventually he seemed to give up. After a
few years, he left town and the group lost track of him. Nobody knew
where he was, and nobody knew what he was up to.
Buffy and Spike decided to enjoy the peace and quiet, but both secretly
believed that one day Angel would be back, and would try to separate
them again.
The years went unnoticed by Spike and Buffy, possibly because neither
of them visibly aged, though the Scooby gang was clearly growing older.
Buffy was still a fresh-cheeked sixteen year old, and Spike hadn’t aged
a day since Drusilla turned him all those years ago.
One day Buffy was transported to a visit with the Powers in her dreams.
She looked around for Spike, but he wasn't there. Buffy wasn't used to
being without him. Being alone made her feel unsure, scared even. The
bond they shared seemed to be blocked.
She turned around in the white room. “Will someone tell me what the
bloody hell is going on?” Her fear made her quick to lash out, and her
years listening to Spike made English-isms common in her vocabulary.
“It's time.” A woman in a golden dress was standing before her.
“Time for what?” Buffy was ready to attack if necessary.
“Relax. There is no danger here. I'm a representative of The Powers.
You have accomplished the impossible. Therefore, we have agreed to get
you started on your reward early.”
“What reward?”'
“You'll have it in about nine months.”
“Nine months? What....? You mean?” Buffy's face shone with an inner
light. “You're sure?”
She nodded. “It has already started.”
Buffy woke up with a start, looking over her shoulder before moving
closer to Spike. She went back to sleep, after pulling his a hand
protectively over her lower stomach.
The next day she went to buy a home pregnancy test. It was positive.
Spike could feel Buffy was hiding something from him but, though she
desperately wanted to share with him, she was determined not to say
anything until she was sure.
Buffy was a human, so she considered doctors to be the ultimate
authority for such things. She had to wait a week for her appointment.
Spike was going mad. He was picking up on some of Buffy’s emotions, but
they were all over the place. He never knew what to expect from her…she
was running the gamut from happy, to sad, to excited, to terrified and
back again, so fast that he was barely able to keep up.
Finally, the day for her appointment arrived. That morning, she snuck
out of the house while Spike was sleeping, not telling him where she
was headed. When she finally came home from her secret outing, Spike
cornered her. “Tell me. I have to know. What's going on? Please, I
can't stand it.”
Buffy could feel how scared he was. She pulled him close. “I love you,”
Buffy whispered in his ear. “Come upstairs and I'll tell you.” She
pulled him behind her. Spike followed with a tight grip on her hand, as
if he was afraid she would disappear.
Buffy led Spike to the bed, and urged him to lie down. After retrieving
a small shopping bag from her purse, she lay down as well, snuggling up
close to his side. With a gentle smile, she passed the bag to her
lover, and waited for him to open it. Spike seemed to have other plans
though, and simply looked at the bag while clutching Buffy just a
little bit tighter.
“Open it, Sweetheart. It won't bite.”
Spike tossed a skeptical look at the packet. “Are you sure?”
Buffy just smiled softly.
Slowly, Spike opened the bag. “What?” He looked puzzled as he pulled
out a tiny sleeper and held it up. “Sorry Kitten, but I think it’s way
too small for either of us.”
“It'll fit.” Buffy took the little sleeper and placed it on her
stomach. “Baby will grow into it over the next nine months.
When Buffy looked up, her breath caught at the sight of beautiful blue
eyes, shimmering with tears. She wasn’t worried though…the love and joy
coming through their bond was unmistakable, and she knew everything
would be alright.