Daddy’s home
“Dawn, you gonna get that?” Buffy called after the second ring of the doorbell. Not getting an answer, she sighed and pushed herself up from the chair she had been sitting on, groaning a little when the familiar pain shot through her back. It had been getting worse in the past couple of weeks, and she was still only seven months pregnant. ‘Just two more months to go’ Buffy thought to herself as she walked through the house ‘You’ve made it this far, you can do it’.
As she walked up to the front door, she heard the sound of Dawn’s music from upstairs. The doorbell sounded one more time, and Buffy reached for the doorknob.
“Alright, I’m coming.”
*****
Spike absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair while he tried to summon up the courage to ring the doorbell. He wasn’t sure how long he had been gone, it could have been weeks, could have been years, and he didn’t know what to expect from the woman inside the house. Especially not after what happened the last time he saw her...
He pushed the thought aside and pressed the button for the doorbell before he could change his mind. He needed to at least let her know he was back, even if he didn’t know if he would stay or not. And, yes, even if he was met by a stake. After all, he deserved it.
He rang the doorbell again, knowing someone was home. He heard a voice, her voice, from somewhere inside and drew a sharp, unneeded breath. Here goes. But there was still no answer. He pressed the button again, and heard an annoyed ‘Alright, I’m coming’ from the other side of the door before it opened to reveal her.
“Oh, God.” She whispered, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Spike kept his eyes on Buffy’s face, where the expression went from shock, to relief, to... happiness? He barely had time to react before he had a crying Slayer pressed against him.
“Where have you been? I thought you were... you weren’t there when I, and I thought...”
“Shh, it’s OK.” Spike cautiously brought a hand up to caress her hair, and she buried her face against his neck. Spike used his other hand to hold her close to him, while he kept stroking her hair in a soothing motion. God, it felt good to have her this close. He listened to her heart beat as it slowed a little when she calmed down. As he did, he realized there was another sound that didn’t use to be there...
Before Spike had time to figure out what the unfamiliar sound was, Buffy pulled back. She leaned against the door frame and he knew what he had been hearing. A baby’s heart beat. She was pregnant. How could he have missed that? He took a step back, trying to grasp the situation. He shouldn’t have come back...
“I... I didn’t... I shouldn’t have come back...” Buffy could see pain in his eyes before he turned and ran from the house, ignoring her calls.
“Spike! Spike, please don’t...” But he was already gone.
*****
“Who was that at the door?” Dawn asked as she came down the stairs. She realized something was wrong when she saw Buffy on the couch, crying. She hurried to her sister’s side and put a supportive arm around Buffy’s shoulder.
“What happened? Is something wrong?” Buffy leaned her head against Dawn’s shoulder, sobs ripping through her body. “Buffy please say something, you’re scaring me!” Dawn’s voice was slightly hysterical now, and Buffy managed to pull herself together.
“It was Spike... he was here, but he... left, I don’t know what to do, he just...”
“It’s gonna be OK, Buffy.” Dawn tried to comfort her sister, inwardly screaming at Spike for being such an asshole. How could he?
At that moment, Willow and Tara came through the door.
“What’s going on?” Willow asked as she made her way to sit next to Buffy, Tara sitting down on the table opposite her. Dawn looked up at Willow, anger visible in her eyes.
“Spike was here, and he took off.” Dawn gave Buffy’s shoulder a final squeeze before getting up. “Can you guys stay with her?” She asked Willow an Tara, who nodded. “Good. I’ve got some vampire hunting to do.”
Dawn was out the door before either of them had time to react.
“Buffy, sweetie, you wanna tell us what happened?” Tara asked, handing Buffy a couple of tissues. Buffy dried her eyes and nodded.
“I answered the door, and there he was. Just like that.” Buffy gave her friends a little smile.
“What did he say when you told him about the baby?” Willow asked. “He just left?” Buffy shook her head.
“I didn’t tell him.” She said.
“You didn’t tell him?” Tara asked. “He doesn’t know?”
“Well, if he doesn’t, he’s pretty stupid.” Buffy managed to joke. “I mean, look at me.”
“Oh.” Willow said.
“Anyway, that’s when he took off. Said that he shouldn’t have come back, and left.” Buffy felt tears in her eyes again, and angrily wiped at them. “After all, why would he want to stay?”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sure he’ll be back.” Tara tried to reassure. “He just needs some time, that’s all. I mean, this must be pretty overwhelming for him.”
“Especially since he doesn’t know the baby is his.” Willow said, causing the two other women to give her confused looks. “I mean, he’s a vampire. I’m pretty sure he didn’t know the effect the kiss of blood would have, so for all he knows, vampires can’t... you know.”
“He thinks I... but how could he think that? I mean, we were...” Buffy cut herself off, realizing what Willow meant.
“You were just sleeping together. You told him yourself a number of times that what you had together wasn’t a relationship. He must think you were with someone else at the same time.” Willow concluded.
“That stupid, stubborn vampire!” Buffy got up and started pacing the room. “He can’t stick around for an explanation, nooo, he has to jump to the worst possible conclusion and take off. God, sometimes he just makes me so mad.”
“Buffy, honey, maybe you should sit down? You’re getting worked up, and it’s not good for the baby.” Willow said, but Buffy didn’t come back to the couch. Instead, she headed for the door.
“I have to find him, talk to him, explain.” She grabbed her jacket and opened the door, but Tara put a hand on her shoulder. Buffy turned to face her.
“Dawn is already out looking for him.” Tara said, and Buffy relaxed a little. “You need to keep your focus on the baby, OK?” Buffy nodded and followed Tara back to the couch.
“Besides.” Willow chipped in. “Dawn is bound to give him an earful.”
*****
The walk to the cemetery hadn’t done anything to calm Dawn down. If anything, it had made her more worked up, to the point where she was practically fuming. As she got closer to the crypt, she saw a light inside and hoped it was Spike, and not Clem.
Throwing the door open, she got her answer.
“What the bloody hell d’you think you’re doing?” Came Spike’s voice from downstairs. “This is my place, you can’t just come...” He came through the whole in the floor, and spotted Dawn. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Damn right it’s me!” Dawn yelled, taking a couple of steps into the room. Spike went over to the fridge where he found a jar of blood. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting myself something to eat.” Spike replied and took a mouthful of the blood. “What’s it look like?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it!” Dawn took the jar from Spike and threw it across the room, breaking it against the wall.
“Hey, what’d you do that for?” Spike asked, getting annoyed.
“That was for being a pig-headed jerk.” Dawn replied before she slapped him across the face. “And that was for walking out on my sister – AGAIN!”
“She doesn’t need me there.” Spike said, rubbing his left cheek. Damn, the girl could hit. “She’s got what she wanted, a normal life and whatnot.” Spike sat down in the armchair.
“A normal life? A NORMAL LIFE?” Dawn almost yelled. “There’s nothing normal about it. She’s the Slayer, for Christ’s sake. Her sister’s an ancient key, and her friends are witches and thousand-year-old ex-demons. And now, to top it all of, she’s having a baby by a vampire. Last time I checked, that’s not normal.”
“I know she’s the Slayer and all that stuff, but now she can at least...” Spike cut himself off as Dawn’s words began to sink in. “What did you just say?”
“I said that she’s far from normal. Slayer, witches, demons and stuff.” Dawn replied.
“Not that. About the... baby.” Spike said, his eyes wide with confusion.
“You didn’t...” Dawn realized he didn’t know, and all the anger she had felt disappeared. “You two didn’t talk about it?” She asked and Spike shook his head.
“I... I realized I shouldn’t have come back, that she had moved on with her life. I should have just... stayed away. So I left. Didn’t give her a chance to say anything, I suppose.”
“Spike, no.” Dawn saw the pain in the vampire’s eyes, and crouched down on the floor in front of the chair, forcing him to look at her. “These past four months have been horrible. Buffy was devastated when she realized you were gone, and then with the baby... it’s been pretty weird around here.”
“I’ve been gone four months?” Spike asked and Dawn nodded.
“You don’t remember?” She asked, seeing the confused look on Spike’s face.
“No, it’s all pretty blurry. I remember leaving Sunnydale and going to Africa...” Dawn cut him off.
“What were you doing in Africa?” She asked.
“Went to see a demon that could help me get the chip out.” Dawn let out a gasp at his words, and he quickly continued. “At least, that’s what I thought I wanted. I went through some trials, and then the demon gave me what I had been asking for. My soul. After that, I was pretty disoriented.”
“You... you got your soul back?” Dawn asked. “But that’s great!” She jumped up and dragged Spike out of the chair. “You’re coming back to the house with me right now.”
Spike stood up, but Dawn noticed he hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
“Are you sure she’s gonna want me there? After...” Spike couldn’t meet Dawn’s eyes, and she knew what he was talking about.
“Spike, she forgave you a long time ago. So did the rest of us.” Spike looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. “OK, maybe not Xander, but he’ll come around. In the end he just wants what’s best for Buffy and the baby. He just has to realize that that’s you. And as for Buffy not wanting you there... she was looking all over for you after you left. She had Tara do a locator spell, but, you know, vampire, so that didn’t work.” Dawn expression softened. “I’ve listened to her crying herself to sleep for the past four months. So please, don’t even question if she wants you there.”
“OK, OK, I’ll go back with you.” Spike said. “But... you’re sure? About the baby, I mean.” Dawn smiled and nodded. “But... how? I mean, vampire here!”
“Buffy haven’t really explained it, but I’m guessing there was a little more to it than... you know, the natural way.” Spike blushed at Dawn’s words and she giggled. “Oh, come on, I’m fifteen, I know about this stuff.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to talk about it.” Spike replied.
“Fine, I won’t mention it again. Now will you come with me? Buffy’s probably freaking out big time by now.” Dawn moved towards the door, and Spike followed her.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming.”
*****
Willow and Tara were alone in the living room when Dawn an Spike came back, they had managed to get Buffy to go lie down. They both looked up as the door opened, and a flash of relief crossed both of their faces as they saw Spike with Dawn.
“You found him.” Willow said, sighing. “Thank God. I don’t think we could have kept her from going out herself if you two didn’t show up soon.”
“Where is she?” Dawn asked, looking around the room.
“We got her to go upstairs to rest a little.” Tara said. “She was pretty upset.”
“It’s my fault.” Spike spoke for the first time.
“No, it’s not.” Willow said. “Well, I mean, it kinda is, but you didn’t know.”
“You knew he didn’t know?” Dawn asked and Tara nodded.
“We figured it out when Buffy said he left after finding out about the baby.” She said.
“Oh. Why didn’t I think of that?” Dawn frowned.
“It’s OK, Niblet.” Spike said. “I think I needed to hear it.”
“Told you she’d give him an earful.” Willow said to Tara and they both giggled a little. When Tara saw the uncomfortable look on Spike’s face, she smiled at him.
“Why don’t you go talk to her? You two have some... catching up to do.”
“Yeah... is she?” Spike motioned to the stairs.
“She’s in our old room.” Willow said. “We got an apartment near campus, so we made Buffy’s bedroom into the nursery and she took our room.”
“OK, I’ll just...” He still hesitated.
“Just go, already!”
*****
Spike hesitantly walked up the stairs, listening to the two heart beats he could hear from the bedroom. He stopped for a moment outside the open door to Buffy’s old bedroom and looked in. The room had been painted in a soft yellow color, and was furnished with a crib, a changing table, a dresser, bookcase and a rocking chair in the same style. There were stuffed animals in various places around the room, and a mobile was hanging above the crib.
Spike continued to the door to Buffy’s bedroom and stopped for a moment. The door was slightly ajar, and he looked in through the opening. The light was out and Buffy was lying on the bed, a blanket over her. She looked... peaceful. He didn’t think he had ever seen her peaceful before.
He opened the door carefully, not wanting to wake her, and walked in. He kneeled beside the bed, and looked at the sleeping woman. The woman of his dreams, the woman he had loved since before he even knew it. The woman he had hurt in a way he didn’t want to think about.
“Hey, I’m back.” He whispered and brushed a stray strand of her hair away from her face. “I’m sorry I took off like that, I was just... I don’t know. I should have let you say what you were trying to say without jumping to conclusions, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He sat quietly for a little while, staring into space as he kept stroking Buffy’s hair without thinking about it.
“You came back.” Spike looked at Buffy, who looked back at him.
“You’re awake.” He smiled at her and saw tears forming in her eyes. “Hey, don’t cry.” He wiped the first tear away with his thumb before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close.
“I didn’t think I would see you again.” She mumbled against his shoulder.
“I’m back now. I’m not leaving again.”
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!