Author’s Note: Thanks to Rae for the encouragement. Thanks to Hang Nga for giving plot advice. Thanks to Peta for doing a fabulous Beta job – any and all remaining mistakes are mine! BloodshedBaby – here’s a little season 1 bitey.
Chapter 1
He watched her as she picked Will up under the arms and ran his chubby bare feet through the brightly colored pile of leaves. The giggles coming from his 18 month old son went straight to his heart. He didn’t even mind that he’d have to rake that pile up again. Seeing his wife and son playing in the fall sun filled his soul with joy. A tiny little hand slipped into his own and gave it a squeeze.
“My turn daddy,” Anne said determinedly. She wasn’t about to let her little brother have all the fun.
He looked down at his four year old daughter who was, as he knew from countless past experiences, fully capable of running through a pile of leaves all on her own, and he grabbed her under the arms. “You ready, kitten?”
“Ready, daddy,” Anne told him.
“Let’s show them how it’s done, eh luv?” He took off at a run and let loose a war cry as he skimmed Anne over a pile of leaves. She laughed in delight as the leaves went shooting up in the air all around her.
“Show off!” His wife yelled as she walked toward them. Will ever present on her hip. He was the spitting image of his father, dark blonde curls and bright blue eyes.
Anne looked like a cross between the two of them. She had her mother’s eyes and mouth, but her father’s hair and nose. She was high spirited like her father though, where Will was more subdued like his mother. How he loved them. All three of them. His family.
“Let’s go inside. We can rake these up again tomorrow,” his wife told him. “And by we, I mean you of course.” She slipped her arm around his waist as he was balancing Anne around his neck and shoulders.
“Sounds like a plan, luv.”
They walked into the house on Revello Drive. They loved this house. Her mother had left it to them when she’d died. Cancer. It had nearly torn his wife’s heart out. She’d been expecting Anne at the time. Both women had dearly hoped Joyce could make it to see her first grandchild, but it just wasn’t meant to be. They’d named Anne after her grandmother, Joyce Anne Covington, but somehow she ended up being called Anne.
“Mmm,” he moaned appreciatively. “That roast smells almost as good as mommy.”
Anen laughed which made Will laugh too. He plucked her off of his shoulders and sat her down on the ground. She took off for the telly at breakneck speed. He pried Will off of his wife and he immediately toddled off after his big sister.
Then he turned to his gorgeous bride and pulled her into his arms. He rocked her back and forth for a moment just savoring the feel of her against him. He bent down and captured her lips with his own in a heated kiss. “Oh, how I love you, Buffy. Love you so much,” he said as he broke the kiss.
“I love you too, Spike. You are my always.”
Spike awoke with a gasp. He hated these dreams. They’d started about seven months ago. Each and every time he closed his eyes, he dreamt of them. His family. The one that didn’t exist and couldn’t exist. The heart that did not beat inside of his dead body. The soul that had fled over a hundred years ago. Vampires didn’t play with their children in the fall sun. Each and every time he awoke to that horrible realization, and it broke his heart all over again. If he didn’t need to take care of Drusilla, he’d walk out in that sunshine. It was too much. Too damn much.
He rolled over and pulled his dark princess into his arms, trying to seek what comfort he could. Then he closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep. Time to see what that roast tasted like.
As Spike closed his eyes, Drusilla opened hers. She hated causing her boy so much pain, but it was necessary. The pixies had whispered to her the most wonderful things. They told her where her Daddy was. Miss Edith said they should wait. That it wasn’t their time yet. That Daddy needed to fall in love with the little Slayer so that he could lose his soul. The pixies told her the truth, though. Miss Edith was a bad, bad girl. Daddy’s soul would only stay away for a time. Not long enough. Not nearly long enough! She wanted him back forever. So she’d found a spell. Now she just needed to get her Spike to take her to the Hellmouth. To Daddy and the Slayer. So she sent the dreams. It was time for a sea change.
Chapter 2
The boat was rocking as Spike and Drusilla lay nestled in its hull. They were in a wooden crate, surrounded by soft straw and cotton. They’d done this many times before. They gorged themselves on blood and then went into a state of hibernation while they traveled. Their instincts were as sharp as ever, however, and the slightest disturbance would have them awake and in game face. The trip wouldn’t take long. For Spike, it offered uninterrupted bliss. He did fear that going under so deep would be the end of his sanity upon awakening. Dru had insisted they go, however. She said she knew of a cure for her weakness at the Hellmouth in California. Spike had agreed easily. If he could get her strong again, then he could shuffle off this immortal coil without guilt. For now, he slept.
“Spike!” His wife yelled. “Get your ass in here.” She hated when he took an inordinate amount of time in the shower. Honestly, what did the man do in there?
He opened the bathroom door and walked out with the water still dripping down his naked body. “Woman, have you not heard of patience? Is it a completely foreign concept to you?”
Buffy watched the little rivulets run down his body and she jumped to her feet. She stalked over to him. “Wanted to watch that movie with you. I’ve changed my mind.” She leaned in and started to lick the water off of his body. “This is much more fun. I need to make you get out of the shower quickly more often,” she moaned between licks.
Spike hardened in response to her words. He looked down at the gorgeous blonde licking her way across his torso and he thought he must be the luckiest man in the world. He had the perfect wife. Two beautiful children. He actually got paid for writing. He lived in a fabulous house. They had terrific friends. What more could he possibly ask for? He felt a hot little mouth surround his lower extremity. Okay, there was always that. “Ungh… baby. Oh, just like that. Just like that,” Spike chanted while his wife sucked away.
“Buffy… gonna cum baby,” Spike warned. His wife just sucked harder, giving his balls a firm cup. Spike nearly fell backwards as he spent himself inside of her greedy little mouth.
Buffy pulled up and looked at him. “Mmm… yummy. Now my turn.” She ran from him and bounced on the bed.
He turned to go after her when the door to their room opened. He ran to the closet to pull out a pair of boxers.
“Mommy?” Anne asked. “Can I sleep with you? It’s hot in my bed.”
Buffy took one look at her glassy eyed daughter and knew she must have a fever. “Come here, Annie girl.” She opened her arms wide so that Anne could climb on the bed and have a snuggle. Yep. She was warm. “Ah, baby, you’re sick.”
“She’s what?” Spike asked worriedly as he came out of the closet. He walked over to Buffy’s side of the bed and touched Anne’s cheek. “She’s burning up! I’ll call the doctor.”
“Spike, wait. Just get me some Motrin out of the medicine cabinet. And a measuring cup. Oh, and a glass of water too, or she won’t take it.” Buffy stroked Anne’s golden curls. She’d been afraid of this. They’d been at little Xander’s birthday party two days before and the birthday boy had looked decidedly unwell. His parents had sworn he was just teething.
Spike came back into the room with the required items and handed them to Buffy. “This is all that Harris kid’s fault. What two year old gets a fever from teething!”
“Spike calm down. They didn’t know.” She finished forcing the medicine down Anne’s throat and handed the little plastic cup back to her husband. “Please put that back, and wash it out or we’ll get ants again. Then go and check Will. See if he seems hot to you, too,” Buffy requested. Spike nodded his head and took off for Will’s room.
“You’ll feel better in a little while, sweetcakes. The medicine makes the hotness and the achiness all go away.” Buffy laid the child down beside her, giving her a kiss on her right cheek. “My sweet princess. I’m so sorry your sick.”
“Got another one I’m afraid,” Spike said as he carried his son into their bedroom. “He’s not as hot as Anne, but still hotter than he should be.” He deposited the groggy child into his mother’s arms for confirmation.
“Yep, that’s a fever,” Buffy said. She was actually grateful that they’d be sick at the same time. It got it over with that much sooner. “More Motrin, honey. You’ll have to read the back for the dosage, and you’ll need to use the plunger thingy. It’s in the cabinet.” She rocked Will back and forth. She missed those days when he was nursing. She always felt like she could cure any ill through the power of her breast milk.
“Here, pet. You hold him down and turn his face this way and I’ll squirt it into his cheek.” Spike waited for Buffy to immobilize their surprisingly strong 18 month old, and then he squeezed Will’s mouth open with one hand while inserting the plunger and squirting with the other. “Done, and no spillage,” he said as he watched his son instinctively swallow.
“Can you get me a sippy cup for him with water in it?” Buffy asked. “There should be one by the bed.”
“Sure thing, luv.”
After a rough night of medicine, water, diaper changing, and much tossing and turning, Buffy awoke to see her three loves all curled up like a pile of puppies in the bed. They really needed to think about getting a king. This queen was just too small for a family of four. She got up and went to the bathroom. After washing her face and brushing her teeth she came back to the bed to wake up her husband. If the kids slept another fifteen minutes, she thought she might be able to get a quickie in the bathroom. She tiptoed over to him and leaned down to give him a wake-up kiss. Damn it. He was just as hot as Annie had been the night before. Stupid little Xander Harris and his germs!
She walked out of the room and went downstairs to make herself a nice cup of Echinacea tea. It was going to be a long week and no doubt she’d get sick just about the time all of them were getting well.
Three hours later Spike watched as his wife settled them all down stairs with cartoons, tissues, and water. She was an angel. His angel. He couldn’t believe he’d awoken just as sick as the kids. He ached everywhere and he couldn’t breathe! He hated being sick. Stupid little Xander Harris and his germs. On top of it all he hadn’t been able to give his wife a good seeing to, and after that nice blow-job she’d gifted him with, too. It just wasn’t right.
He patted the space beside him on the couch. She shook her head and moved away back towards the kitchen. “Please, Buffy,” he said in a nasaly voice. “I need somb cuddles. I’mb all stuffy.”
She stopped mid stride and turned around. She came back to the couch and took a seat beside him. She let him lean his head on her breast as she wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry your sick, baby.”
“Mbe too.” He sniffed. “I just want to kiss you senseless and carry you off to bed.”
Buffy felt herself grow moist at his words. That’s all she wanted too. “The carrying part is out, but I’d be up for a senseless kiss or two,” she told him.
He rotated his head so he was staring up at her. “I don’t wand to get you sick.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth then he jerked his head away and sneezed violently.
Buffy reached over and pulled a tissue out of the box on the side table. “Here you go, honey.”
Spike took the tissue and blew in it loudly. “Imb so sick.”
“Yeah, you might have a point about that whole kissing thing.” She said as she looked down at his red nose.
Spike wilted a bit at her words. He didn’t want to get her sick, but he still really wanted to kiss her and had been hoping she’d override his protest.
Buffy looked at his sad frown, and then she looked over at her two wilted kids. One of whom had an unpleasant trail of snot leaking out of his nose and realized there was no way she was escaping this. She looked back at Spike and leaned down and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. She let go and slipped her tongue in to meet his very hot one. Mmm… hot tongue. Oh the things that he could do with that if he just felt a little better.
Spike kissed his wife senseless. And promptly past on his germs.
From within the crate the vampire’s eyes opened slowly. There was no heat here. Everything was cold, including the woman sleeping deeply in his arms. If he chose to breathe, he would breathe freely. No germs inhabited his dead body. What he wouldn’t give for just one sneeze. He closed his eyes again and resumed his journey. Soon it would be his turn to do the taking care of.
Chapter 3
“Welcome home, Mommy,” Spike said, meeting Buffy at the front door with a kiss. “We have something to show you.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. “Now, watch the top of the stairs.” He turned to look with her. “We’re ready!”
Anne came out of her brother’s room leading him by the hand. She bent down on her knees and whispered not so quietly, “Kay, now do it for Mommy. Go Will, go!”
Buffy held her breath as she watched what was happening. The baby gate was wide open, and Will was about to go down the stairs. By himself. She moved forward as if to intercede, but she was stopped by Spike’s hand grabbing her wrist. “He’ll be fine, pet. He’s gotta learn for his own safety. Now, just relax and be proud of him.”
Buffy took a calming breath. Normally when the kids showed her new things she squealed with excitement, urging them on. Not this time. She didn’t want to distract him. She stood as still as a stone as she watched every wobbly step. He nearly fell twice. Each time she felt her heart try to move up her throat. Finally, he was at the bottom. She clapped her hands, “William! What a big boy. Look what you did! Mama is so proud of you!” She walked up to the beaming baby, yes he was still a baby, and picked him up. She swung him around in the air and peppered kisses all over his chubby cheeks.
Spike looked at his wife and son. He was really quite proud of her. He knew how badly she had wanted to run up those stairs and stop Will from his descent. He felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down at Anne.
“Now, Daddy! Put the music on now!” Anne insisted.
Spike gave her a smile. “Right. I’m on it.” He walked into the living room and put the stereo on. It was Ciny Lauper’s Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun. As soon as the music hit her ears, Anne started to move. Not wanting to be outdone by her brother, she’d made up a little dance to show her mother when she got home.
Buffy watched as her daughter punched the air and jumped around. She had good rhythm even if the moves were a little hysterical. Still holding tightly to Will, Buffy bounced around with the music. She looked over at her husband who was staring raptly at their little dancer. She had a mental image of him practicing this with Anne all afternoon. She walked over to him. “So, did you get any writing done today?”
“Nope. Not a word. Shh..., here’s the big finish,” he warned her.
Sure enough, Anne ran to the end of the room and then came back at them. She slid to her knees on the hall rug and opened both of her hands, wiggling her fingers. Buffy put her fingers to her mouth and gave an appreciative whistle. “That was incredible honey! Look at all the things you guys get up to while I’m at school.” She only went to classes three times a week, which was a good thing if you considered how little her husband got done when she wasn’t around.
“So, what’s for dinner? I can smell it, but I can’t identify it.” Buffy walked into the kitchen to snoop. She was hoping she might get a little taste, too.
Spike followed her with Anne at his heels.
“Daddy just made soup,” Anne complained.
Buffy looked back at her husband. “French Onion soup?”
He gave her a knowing smile, and then leaned against the counter as he watched her scrambling madly for a spoon. She loved his French Onion soup. “I just thought with this rain we’ve been having it would be appropriate. All warm and inviting. Tara and Willow said they’d be by about six.” He looked down at his watch. “That gives you a couple of hours to have a bowl, digest it, and be ready for another bowl in time for company.”
Buffy looked at him. “Very funny.” She couldn’t deny what he was saying as she was already looking for a bowl to go along with her spoon. “Are there croutons?”
“Would I make French Onion soup without croutons?” Spike was insulted. “I also made a salad and a pasta dish for the kiddies.”
Buffy came over to him and leaned in for a kiss. Which he obliged her. “I love you so much. You’re the greatest house-husband ever!” She broke away and went into the living room to eat her soup. “Who wants to watch a movie while we wait for Antie Willow and Auntie Tara?”
“Me! Me!” Anne yelled coming into the room as fast as her four year old feet would carry her.
Spike was right behind her with Will looking droopy eyed in his arms. “Think this one is going to go down again. Too much excitement with the whole stair thing.”
Buffy put her soup down. “You want me to take him upstairs, baby?”
Spike sat down on the couch. “Nope, I kinda just want to hold him.”
Buffy picked up her bowl again. She got that. She really did.
Anne was a wiz at the DVD player. She had the Princess Bride in and was hitting the play button within a minute and a half. She walked over to the couch and wiggled her way between her parents.
Spike closed his eyes and fell asleep with Will.
He felt cold hands caressing his face. At first he thought Buffy must have gone outside again, then he came to and realized it was Drusilla. He was awake again. He hated being awake.
“We’re here, my Spike.” Dru hated seeing the pain behind her boy’s eyes. It was necessary, however. He must be moved. It was the only way.
Spike let his senses out. It was dark. They’d be safe. With his arms braced on each side of the crate he gave a shove. The crate splintered, freeing them. They pushed the straw away. It was everywhere. Then Spike turned to look for the other crate. The one that held Dru’s things and a few of his own.
Fifteen minutes later, with full bellies, they made their way off the ship and into the town of Sunnydale. Spike could feel the energies of the Hellmouth. Dru hadn’t explained what it was here that would return her to full strength. Spike figured it was probably the Hellmouth itself. He’d heard there was a Slayer here. He supposed he could always kill her and drag her corpse to his weakened sire for feeding. Slayer blood would probably do the trick.
“We need to stay at a hotel this time, deary. Great-grandpa is here and you know how he likes to run things. Don’t want him trying to take my beautiful boy now do we?”
“Uh, bugger it all, Dru. Why the soddin’ hell didn’t you tell me the ugly old shit was here? He got something to do with your cure?” Spike hated The Master. Hate was not a strong enough word. The big freak was all into ritual and bloodlines. Boring as hell. Spike hadn’t heard from him in a long while. Hoped he’d fallen into some hell dimension. No such luck.
“Shhh, not so loud. This town has ears and eyes. Not safe to speak your mind,” Drusilla warned him.
“Alright, poodle. Let’s get you set up in a posh room, shall we?” Spike took her arm in his as they walked. He’d get her settled in, then he’d scout the place out a bit. Maybe get a hook on the Slayer. Then he wanted to go back to sleep. He was dying to know if Tara and Willow liked his soup. He was quite proud of it. Plus, he was fairly certain he’d be rewarded later by his golden girl for slaving over a hot stove and what not.
Chapter 4
Buffy walked home with one thing in mind. Getting the hell out of Sunnydale. She couldn’t believe how Giles and Angel had reacted. They were so damn excepting. She didn’t want the Hellmouth to open, but she didn’t want to die either. She was sixteen. Didn’t they get that? So she said she quit. Of course, here she was in the middle of the park fighting off a bunch of fledglings. Apparently, she wasn’t allowed to quit.
Spike shook his head as he walked along the wet streets of the town. He didn’t know what had gotten into Drusilla tonight. She hadn’t tried to stop him from leaving, but she’d held onto him at the door and kissed him like she’d never see him again. A sudden thought hit him. Blast it! If she’d had a vision of his imminent death and didn’t tell him he was going to be pissed. He’d haunt her, make those damn pixies look like background noise he would! He was about to turn on his heel and head back to the hotel, no matter how badly his muscles were screaming for action, when the sound of a scuffle hit his ears.
He walked down an alley and saw a park across the street. He broke into a run. He followed the sound to a playground. He felt his senses tingle. Slayer. One who, by the sound of it, was already engaged in battle. Cool. He’d wait for the perfect moment, join in the fight, bag his third, take it home to Dru, get her strong, and then go off and meet the sunset. These dreams were killing him.
He peered through a tall hedge running along side the playground and got a glimpse of several vamps fighting a little blonde girl. Something about her… He tore out of the bush with a roar in full vamp face. He threw the vampire on her back to the ground and used the heel of his boot to remove the vermin’s head. Then he grabbed another and used his hands to accomplish the same. He turned back around and saw that there were two more left. He didn’t even pause to realize that she was handling her own. He moved in and took the stake out of her hands. As quick as a blink he had the two fledglings staked.
He fell to his knees, the stake rolling out of his fingers. He looked up at her with tears flowing down his face. “You’re the Slayer,” he rasped.
Buffy didn’t know what to think. Maybe he had a soul. That had to be it. Another souled vampire like Angel. She walked over to touch him and he flinched away. She pulled her hand back. “Sorry, I just… Do you have a soul?”
He looked up at her with a world of regret. “No. No soul.” He searched the ground for the fallen stake. Spotting it, he got up on shaky legs. He walked over and picked it up. He turned with the blunt end pointed to her. “Let me introduce myself. The name’s Spike. Got that from torturing my victims with railroad spikes. Other name is William the Bloody. Killed two Slayers in my time. One even had a kid. I’m as evil as they come.” He handed her the stake.
Buffy absently grabbed the wooden item from him and slipped it into the back of her jeans. She so couldn’t figure this guy out. There was something about him, though. “Why did you help me?”
Spike couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was real. She was right in front of him. “Need that stake, luv. It’s time for you to put me down. Things like me shouldn’t walk the earth. Not right.”
Buffy shook her head. “I can’t just stake you. Not when you ask me to. It’s wrong.”
Spike went down on his knees again as a sob tore out of his throat. “Fine. Just go, please. I’m going to wait here. Wait for the sun. Wanted to help Dru, but I can’t. Not now.”
“Who’s Dru?” Buffy wondered at the weird little tug she felt in her stomach at the sound of a woman’s name coming from this vampire’s lips.
“My sire. She’s been sick. Said we needed to come to Sunnydale so that she could get better.” He gave a bitter laugh and closed his eyes. “Bet it was just to punish me. She must know about the dreams,” he said quietly to himself.
“So what changed, William?” Buffy couldn’t call a grown man Spike.
He looked up at her again with anguished eyes. “Don’t call me that. Don’t ever call me that! I don’t deserve that name.” He was crying in earnest now. “Please, baby, just stake me. End it. I can’t take the pain.”
It was the ‘baby’ that did it. Buffy walked behind him and used the blunt end of the stake to hit him hard in the back of the head. He slumped forward. She reached down and hefted him into a fireman’s hold. Suicidal vampires. Whoever heard of suicidal vampires? Now, where to take him? She could put him in a crypt somewhere but he’d just walk out in the sun when he woke up. Nope. No crypt. She was going to have to keep her eye on him.
She realized that she must be on the same side of crazy as the vampire if she was seriously thinking of taking him home, but when a girl was faced with only 24 hours to live she got kind of loose. What exactly was there to fear? Death? Nope. That was one thing she could check off the list. That he would attack her with his scary manhood? Hell. That was one thing she needed to check off the list. How wrong would it be to tie him up and use him for a little de-flowering?
She stuck to the bushes and shadows as much as she could. It would be beyond embarrassing to be caught by one of her friends hefting a vampire home. Or even worse, not one of her friends, so that rumors of Buffy the super-freak could spread all over campus again. That was always a world of fun. Not!
She walked around to the kitchen door and went to walk through. She bounced backwards. Barrier. “You’re invited Spike,” she said to the unconscious vamp as she made her way through the backdoor. She carried him upstairs and deposited him onto her bed. Her mom was sleeping by now, and besides, it wasn’t like he could kill her. No, Giles had told her that The Master got the privilege.
She’d tie him up. Spend the day ridding him of his suicidal tendencies. Have him out of the house before her mother returned. Then go to her immanent death with at least one good deed on her list. Of course, she’d have to fight him and kill him once his will to live was restored. Couldn’t let him go off snacking on the populace.
Situation under mental control, she rolled him onto his stomach, and then promptly sucked in her breath. She’d actually found him attractive when he’d been in vamp face, but now… Wow! He was beautiful. She never realized before how beautiful a man could be. She reached out a hand and traced his cheekbones. She felt a tingle shoot through her hand. She jerked it back. Why was she feeling this way? She had Angel.
Well as much as anyone could have Angel. He was always popping in and out of her life. He hadn’t exactly been hell bent on taking on The Master for her or anything. He didn’t exactly share things about himself. When she thought about it, she realized she didn’t really know anything about Angel at all. She knew he’d been the Scourge of Europe. She knew he was a vampire. Sometimes, she thought she knew he loved her. Other times, she wasn’t sure at all. Like tonight.
She opened her dresser drawer and dug around. They were in here somewhere. She pulled her hand back up in triumph. “Aha! Knew you were in there.” She walked back to the bed and handcuffed the vampire. She looked down at his feet. She walked back to the drawer and got out a roll of duct tape. She took his boots off and then taped his ankles together.
Then she walked into the bathroom and got ready for bed. She knew the handcuffs wouldn’t hold him indefinitely, but his struggles to get free would at least wake her. Otherwise, she was going to have to stay up for who knew how long. Did they make vampire Prozac, she wondered?
She walked back into the room and locked her door. Then she went over to the bed and lifted the quilt. Somehow having this man in her bed brought her comfort. She snuggled into the vampire’s chest with her head resting underneath his chin. It was her last free night on earth, tomorrow night she went to her death, so she might as well be comfortable.
Chapter 5
“Daddy!” Will sing songed as he made his way over to his father. “Ghi, Daddy. Ghi!”
Spike looked down at his son. It was weird and utterly charming to see such a small version of himself looking back at him. “You want to play the guitar, Will?”
“Ghi!” Will agreed eagerly.
“Okay, son.” Spike got up from his computer and took the Less Paul off of the wall. He plugged it into the Velocette and sat down. Will was immediately scrambling onto his lap. He placed his chubby little fingers knowingly on the strings and started to play. “Mama love me… Ann Ann love me… Daddy love me…” his baby boy voice sang out.
This was a ritual the two of them did several times a week before bed, just after bath. Spike loved this time. Some nights he bathed Will, but some nights Buffy did it so that he could get some uninterrupted writing time in. It was on those nights that Will would come in for some ‘daddy time’. Spike breathed in deeply. He loved the smell of the Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. He wondered, idly, if he could convince Will to use it once he started school. Nah, wouldn’t do to have the kids pick on him.
Anne ran in the room with one of the old baby towels on her head. She had a Barbie nightgown on and her hands firmly pressed against her ears. “Too loud! Too loud!” she yelled. This was just another part of the ritual. Spike and Will would laugh and keep on playing, tormenting the girl thing in the funny night clothes.
Buffy came into the room. “Alright, alright. Enough. Spike, turn off the guitar. It’s time for bed. You two,” she pointed at her children, “follow me.”
They put Will down first. Into the crib he went. Then Buffy, Spike, and Anne would read him ‘There’s a Wocket in my Pocket’ by Dr. Seuss. Anne knew all of it by heart, and she would pantomime parts throughout Will’s room, making him laugh. When it was over, they would each give Will big kisses and file out of his room with a special ‘good night’.
Then it was Anne’s turn. She liked each of her parents to get into bed with her as they read whatever story she picked out for the night. Spike would usually do the reading while Buffy laid her head on Anne’s little shoulder and offered the occasional peppered kiss. When it was done, they each gave her a proper good night kiss and the left the room.
Buffy slipped her arms around her husband’s waist. “Mmmm, I’m tired. You gonna keep writing?”
Spike thought about it for a minute. Writing? Bed? Bed. “No, I’m feeling a bit knackered. Let’s call it a night.”
Buffy leaned all of her weight against him. “Okay, drag me to bed Superman.”
Spike chuckled and did as she asked. He wrapped his arms around her and held her all night. This was life. This was bliss. This was everything. This was why he looked forward to the morning light. Life was good.
Buffy’s Slayer senses kicked in and alerted her to the waking of the vampire beside her. She glanced at the bedside clock. It was a Saturday. Her mother would be at the gallery by now. She turned back to stare at his closed eyes only to find herself looking into the most beautiful shade of blue that she’d ever seen. So much emotion.
Spike smiled. He loved waking up to her every morning. All at once the rest of the room came into focus. He gave her a funny look. “Luv, what are we doing in Anne’s room? And where’s all her stuff?”
“Who? What?” Buffy asked confused. She thought last night that this one might have a screw loose.
The previous nights events came crashing back onto Spike. He began to struggle. He was cuffed and tied. He looked at his wife, not his wife; the Slayer. “Are you nuts!” he screamed. “I can’t believe you invited a vampire into our home! I could have killed you!”
“No you couldn’t,” Buffy said confidently, thinking of the prophesy.
“Oh, please. Don’t think for one second that these handcuffs would have held me long.” He looked down at his feet and then back up at her. “Should have used the duct tape on both the hands and the feet. Also should have wrapped it several times around my head, covering my mouth. That would do it. Next time… Not that there will be a next time. Hasn’t your watcher taught you anything?”
Buffy reached up and put a finger across his lips. “Shh, that’s not what I meant. You are so weird by the way. What I meant is that you can’t kill me. It’s been prophesized. I die tonight. The Master is going to kill me.”
Spike started struggling all over again. “The hell he will,” he yelled as he broke the cuffs and reached down to remove the duct tape. “No one touches you. I don’t give a damn what some prophesy says.” He held out his wrists to her.
She rolled over and grabbed the little key off of her nightstand. Then she unlocked his cuffs. “Did ya have to break those? They were a gift from Xander.”
Spike looked at her irritably. “Since when does Harris buy you bondage equipment?”
Buffy’s eyes turned suspicious. “How do you know Xander?”
“That’s not important. Where’s your Watcher? You’re a Slayer, you must have gotten a Watcher. Need to talk to him. I want to take a look at that prophesy myself.” He grabbed her by the arms. “You are not going to die.”
“Yes, I am. That’s what Slayers do. We fight. We die. End of story. I thought I could quit. I even said that I had, but I was on the way home and ran into a group of fledglings out looking for some of The Master’s childer. Just came off a boat or something. They didn’t care I quit. They sensed that I was the Slayer and immediately went into attack mode. I can’t quit. It’s what I am,” Buffy finished forlornly.
“You are so much more than that, baby. You’re the world. The whole bloody world.” He pulled her close. “I’m gonna stand by you. Not gonna let you die. Not tonight. Not until you’re old and gray with sixteen grandkids. You hear me?” Spike told her as he rocked her back and forth.
Buffy was crying. “Who are you? Where did you come from? Why you? Why didn’t Angel react this way when he found out I was going to die?”
Spike stilled. He pulled her away and looked at her. “Is Angel your boyfriend?”
She looked down, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “Sort of. He’s this mysterious guy that comes in and out of my life. Whispers dire warnings and occasionally kisses me. He has a soul. That’s why I asked you last night if you had one.”
“Oh no. No fucking way.” Spike felt a part of himself shrink right up. It was always about him - Angel. Angelus. Soul. Gypsies. It all made sense now. That’s why he left. “Should have figured. Can’t ever have something for myself.”
“What are you talking about?” Buffy asked. He’d pulled away from her. She found herself wanting to cling to him, to bring him back. She’d never reacted so quickly to someone before.
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll help you anyway. Won’t leave you. Even if I have to stand by and watch. Again.” Spike lay back against the bed and closed his eyes.
Buffy looked down at him. He was in pain. She could almost feel it. She lay down beside him and boldly wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, but whatever’s wrong we can fix it. We can do it together. I don’t know how I know that. I just do.”
Reluctantly Spike slipped an arm around her. “Can’t fix this one, baby. It’s bulloxed every which way.”
She turned her face up to look at him. “Hey, you’re the one who seems to think you can stop a prophesy. I would think someone with that much faith and determination could find a way to fix anything.”
He opened his eyes and looked down at her. He felt a tingle of hope. “You’re right. You are bloody well right.” He pulled her up and kissed her fiercely.
Buffy’s world changed right then. With one kiss. Her perspective shifted completely. She’d thought Angel’s kisses were dreamy. But this. This kiss. This man. This man’s kiss. It filled her soul. It made her more than she had been. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes again. “Who are you?”
“I’m yours,” Spike said simply.
Buffy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you are. I thought… I was so wrong about so many things. You’re the one. It’s been you all along, only I didn’t know.”
Spike heard the things she said and his heart leaped. The part of him that had shrunk up at the thought of Angelus was stretched back out again. It was pulled by hope. “We need to go see your Watcher, pet. Got to take a look at that prophesy.”
“Okay. Just let me shower really quick.” She jumped up and opened her closet door to pull out some clean clothes. There was a beautiful white dress hanging there. “I saw this at the mall. My mother must have bought it for me. There’s a dance tonight. I wasn’t going to go.”
Spike came up behind her and gasped. It looked just like her wedding dress. “You’ll look lovely in this, baby. Trust me. Now, go have that shower.” He needed her to leave. He just wanted to sit here and stare at the dress for a while.
Chapter 6
Buffy was getting out of the shower when she heard a crash. She tore out of the bathroom and saw Spike leaning against the wall. He had the door to the guest room open. Buffy’s mother used it for storage. He was staring into the room with a look of horror on his face. She walked over and kneeled down beside him. There was an indentation in the wall where his head lay. That’s where the crash had come from. She took his hand in hers. “Spike? What’s wrong?”
He didn’t even look at her. “He’s not in there. There is no part of him in there. Anne’s room still had traces of Anne, you know? The wall paper. The bed. The stuffed animals. All things of yours that we kept for her. They’re hers now. I could see Anne in there. But this. Fuck. This is… There’s nothing of him in there,” he trailed off on a sob.
Buffy maneuvered herself onto his lap. “Who are you talking about, Spike? Who’s he? Who’s Anne?”
“Our children,” he said softly.
He really was nuts. Strangely, she was okay with it. She’d take him just like he was. “We don’t have children. I’m the Slayer, remember? You’re a vampire. A kind of crazy vampire who actually wants to stop me from dying.”
He looked at her. He reached up one hand to trace her cheek. “I know that, luv. It’s just.” He took an unnecessary breath and swallowed. “About eight months or so ago I started dreaming. Every time I fell asleep I slipped into another world. A world without vampires or slayers. It was like watching a movie. I was a father and a husband.” He looked at her. “You were not so young in my dreams, by the way. We met in college. We got married. We had Anne. Then we had William. You went back to finish school. You’d stopped when you got pregnant with Anne. Took a break for a while.” He didn’t want to tell her that she’d stopped to take care of her dying mother.
Buffy didn’t know what to think. It certainly explained a lot. She looked at him with sad eyes. “So, it’s not really me you have all these feelings for, is it? It’s your wife. Someone who comes to you in your dreams that looks just like me.”
Spike gave a harsh laugh. “Have you not listened to anything I’ve said? It’s not just you. It’s this house. It’s all the same. It’s all about you, Buffy Anne Summers. I know everything about you. I know what you like, what you dislike, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry. Everything.” He pointed to a scar peeking through her towel. “You got that scar from a pool sweep named Charlie when you were seven. You were scared to death of that pool sweep ever after. Your dad had to go and buy a new one. You named the new one Melody. You said that anything as sweet as a melody couldn’t possibly hurt anyone.”
Buffy closed her eyes remembering. “Wow. That’s kind of creepy.”
Spike tilted her chin up. “Told you. It’s all about you. Maybe the dreams were sent to me so that I would help you. Save you from The Master. I just wished they’d left the kids out of it.”
Buffy heard the heart-break in his voice and felt her own heart answer. She opened her eyes and looked into his. “I don’t understand what’s happening here. I don’t know why I feel the way about you that I do, or why you were sent those dreams, and I can’t give you children, but I can give you me,” she offered, and then waited, scared that she wouldn’t be enough for him.
Spike gripped her tightly and stood up with her in his arms. “I’m a bastard for taking advantage of you when you think you’re about to die, but Buffy Anne Summers I gladly accept your offer.” He didn’t explain what he meant. He just walked over to her mother’s bedroom door and opened it. He set her down on top of the bed and then lay down beside her.
“Could we not do whatever we’re about to do in my mother’s room?” she asked. It was kind of squicking her out.
Spike just gave her a level look. “And our daughter’s room seems more appropriate?”
Buffy thought about that for a moment. She had so many questions for him. She wanted to hear what that other life was like. She wanted to know what their children looked like. “This room. Definitely this room,” she agreed.
Spike gave her a smile. “Thanks for understanding, pet.” He leaned down and captured her lips in his own. “I’m going to make love to you. Then I’m going to make you mine. You offered. I accepted. I’m going to claim you. You will never belong to another. Do you understand?”
Tears filled her eyes. “I want this. I want it so much. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster that won’t stop, and I don’t want it to. Please, Spike, make me yours.”
“First let’s take off this towel.” He grabbed the end of the towel but was stopped by her hand.
“Nuh-uh. Not fair. You’ve seen me naked like a million times. Strip.” Buffy had never seen a naked man in the flesh before. She was curious, excited, and a little afraid.
Spike stood up, not reading her signals in his own haste to plant himself inside of her. He had a desperate need to get home. He took his clothes off as quickly as he could and came back to the bed. He gripped the towel and pulled. “Much better,” he said as he lay down on top of her. Skin to skin. Body to body. Heart to heart.
Buffy had been shocked at the feelings one look at his naked body aroused in her. Moisture had flooded her thighs. He was perfect. She’d never reacted this way to Angel. With him it was always slow and simmering. With Spike it was entirely different. There was an urgency, a desperation. She needed him to fill her. She spread her legs and let him enter. She knew there would be pain. Her mother had had the ‘talk’ with her a year ago. She’d taken health class.
The pleasure. No one had said anything about the sheer pleasure that came with the pain. She felt herself tear, and it hurt like hell, but more than that, more than anything, was the pleasure of joining herself to this man.
Spike had pushed through her maidenhead with one driving thrust. Then he stopped. Shocked. He hadn’t expected her to be a virgin. Not if she was dating Angelus. The man had been a complete reprobate before he’d been turned.
Spike looked down at his wife. He couldn’t stop thinking of her that way. “I am so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know…”
Buffy just smiled. “I’m kind of used to pain. Don’t worry about it. Just don’t stop, and don’t ever leave. I want you inside of me always.” She knew she sounded way needy, but she didn’t care.
“Never. I’ll never let you go. Never leave you. You have no idea what you’ve given me,” he said tenderly as he started to move. The scent of her blood hit his nostrils as he slid in and out of her. He wanted to taste her so badly, but first things first. He wanted to make sure that her first time, and every time after, was amazing. He also needed to claim her. Then he could leisurely lap at every inch of her delectable body.
Buffy threw her head back and gasped. Without warning Spike had pulled one of her nipples into his mouth. All of these sensations were new to her. She was overwhelmed. She could feel herself reaching towards something. There was this pressure building up in all of her nerve endings.
Spike could tell she was nearing completion. He knew exactly what she liked. Knew just how to throw her over the edge. He brought a hand down between them and dipped a finger in her juices. Then he rubbed up and down the sides of her clit. When he felt her start to shudder he vamped.
For Buffy two things happened at once. The first orgasm of her life overtook her, and she gave herself up to the bite of a vampire. Seeing Spike’s fangy visage she’d immediately turned and offered her neck. She trusted this man. She wanted him in every way.
Spike bit into her neck, so sweetly offered. He took in her blood. He felt it make its way through his system. He felt his balls tighten as he released his seed deep into her womb. “Mine,” he growled as he pulled away. “My wife.”
“Yours,” Buffy agreed in an age old ritual she knew nothing about.
He rolled over in exhaustion and brought her with him. He licked the wounds closed on her neck and then let her head rest on his chest.
“That was amazing,” Buffy mumbled sleepily.
“We’re just getting started, luv,” Spike promised.
Chapter 7
They spent the time waiting for sunset making love and talking. Spike told her about his dreams. They cried together as he described the beauty of their children. Buffy was barely more than a child herself, but she found she was suddenly desperately wishful for the impossible. It was the way he talked about them, as if they were real. Her arms were beginning to ache for the weight of children who never were and never would be. It wasn’t fair.
“Tell me about when they were born,” Buffy asked.
“The dreams started after all of that, but I still know. I know just like I know who I had for breakfast yesterday,” he said. He closed his eyes in horror at what he just said. “Sorry, about that, pet. I’m still struggling with the identity thing here.”
Buffy just snuggled into him. “I know what you are, Spike. My eyes are wide open. I don’t know if it’s because I’m about to exit this world…” She felt him stiffen and placed a hand across his mouth. “Hold on, let me finish. The reality is that I’ve been told that I’m going to die. Soon. My world just shifted, and it’s not the first time. The first time was when I was called. Everything I thought I knew was thrown off balance. I wasn’t who I thought I was, and the world wasn’t what I thought it was. Then last night I overhear my Watcher and my very much ex-boyfriend talking about my coming death. The world got all tilty again, and just as I decided to except death gracefully and put the world back on its axis, you come into my life.”
She swallowed. “I don’t have the words. I’m only sixteen years old. I think I have a right to take what I can for myself in the last hours of my life, you know?”
Spike wanted to deny what she was saying. Sixteen. Fuck he’d known it, but he hadn’t thought about it. She was sixteen. Just a baby. “I know what you’re saying. Still gonna try and not throw my evil ways in your face though, okay?” He avoided telling her yet again that he wasn’t going to let her die. He didn’t want her thinking about death.
“Okay, no vamp talk. Now tell me about my babies,” she said as she slipped her hand into his.
“Alright…”
“It hurts,” Buffy moaned.
“I know, baby. I know.” Spike helped her get out of the car. He reached behind her seat and grabbed the hospital bag.
“You don’t know!” she yelled. “Don’t even try and say you know. You’ll never know! So unfucking fair!”
He flinched. It was bad if she was cussing. Cussing was his thing. Not hers. He decided silent support might his best option. He gently grabbed her arm and walked her into the emergency room. The doors swung open and they made their way over to the night nurse.
She smiled at them knowingly. “Are you two registered?”
“Yes, we pre-registered,” Spike answered.
“Good, how far apart are her contractions?” she asked.
She had a form in her hand. When did she pick that up Spike wondered? “Ahh, about a minute and half for the last hour.” Spike had done his homework.
“Okay,” she said as she wrote that down. “I’ll let them know you’re here. See if they have a bed ready. You two need to head into the waiting room and tell Jan that you’re already registered. She’ll still have some forms for you to sign.”
Buffy let out a loud moan. Spike looked at the nurse incredulously. “What do you mean waiting room? What forms! Why did we bother to pre-register!”
The nurse just waived them along. Other people, bleeding people, had walked in behind them. She’d seen women in the last stages of labor. Her money said blondie wouldn’t deliver for another 12 hours.
Spike let his wife dig her nails into his skin until her contraction subsided. Then he led her into the waiting room. She refused to take a seat. He talked to Jan. He signed the forms. He even made a joke. The surprise was that Buffy made one too. He was just about to try and talk her into taking a seat again, with a door he hadn’t even noticed before opened. A smiling face popped in.
“Buffy Matthews?” The voice looked right at them. They were the only obviously pregnant people in the small waiting room.
“That’s us,” Spike said, steering Buffy towards the nurse.
Soon they were comfortably seated in a mauve colored birthing room. Spike looked around. Everything was mauve. Everything. Mauve must be relaxing. Another nurse had come in and introduced herself to them. She had more forms. What was with all of the forms? Spike feared for one moment that his sweet wife was going to throw the clipboard at the nurse’s head.
Eventually, the forms were filled. The epidural was discussed and declined. Then it was renegotiated and inserted. Six and half hours later, there was a lot of pushing. A tad bit more cussing. And finally the sweetest sound they’d ever heard.
“Waa, waa,” the tiny wail filled the room and the hearts of two people who had already thought their hearts were full. They had no idea.
“Congratulations, it’s a girl,” the doctor said as he placed the baby on Buffy’s tummy. “Would you like to cut the cord, Spike?”
“No, thanks. I’m a bit sqeemish.” He didn’t even look at the doctor as he answered her. His eyes were all on the little beauty lying on his wife. He felt the tears flowing down his face. He heard a sniff and looked up at Buffy.
“Thank you, baby. Thank you so much,” Spike sobbed as he leaned down and gave his wife a kiss.
“She’s so beautiful, Spike. She’s the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen. I don’t deserve her,” Buffy cried.
Spike laughed through his tears as he held both mother and daughter tenderly. “Of course you do, luv. You are the most deserving woman in the world.” It was at that moment that Anne opened her eyes.
“Oh, look at that,” Spike said in wonder.
“So I did good? I didn’t punch anyone or anything?” Buffy was fascinated by his words.
Spike laughed. “No, luv. In my dreams you aren’t quite the violent little thing you are here. Just a few cuss words and some heavy duty hand squeezing. Course you were well medicated. That kept you in line.”
“Did I have an epi-whatever with Will too?” Buffy asked.
“No, not with Will. You were determined to do it natural with him. I think you were just lookin’ for braggin’ rights,” he snarked.
Buffy punched him in the arm. “Just shut up and tell me.”
Spike looked down at her and kissed her nose. “Which is it, kitten. Shut up? Or tell you?”
“Oh, you!” Buffy growled as she rolled on top of him and started to tickle him. “Now tell me about the day my son came into the world, or I will continue to taunt you with my fingers!”
“Okay, okay…”
“Spike,” Buffy whispered. She was trying not to wake the sleeping toddler curled against him. She shook him again. “Spike.”
Blue eyes opened slowly and blinked a few times. “Wha?”
“It’s time. I’ve called Willow and Tara. They’re on their way over to watch Anne,” Buffy explained. Then she got a pained look on her face.
Spike sat up, careful not to wake his sleeping beauty. “Time? The baby. She’s coming now?”
“Nowish,” Buffy ground out. Damn this hurt.
The doorbell sounded from down stairs. Spike went to answer it, leaving his wife to watch over Anne. She’d been crawling into bed with them a lot lately. They were trying to break her of the habit, but neither of them was terribly consistent. It was just too yummy to cuddle up with her. Plus they slept better. Otherwise, one or both of them were constantly going into the room to check on her.
Willow and Tara came into the bedroom. They put down their duffle bag and came over to offer Buffy a hug. Spike ran around the room getting his clothes together. He disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared a moment latter fully dressed. He walked over and grabbed his wife by the elbow, offering their two friends a smile of thanks as he led the quietly moaning woman out of the room.
The drive to the hospital was intense. Things were moving far more quickly this time. Spike feared they wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time. He had a little chant going on in his head. “We’re almost there. We’re almost there.” He didn’t dare chant it out loud. He knew from experience that his best bet was to keep his mouth firmly shut. They finally pulled into the hospital parking lot. Spike let out a huge sigh of relief. That was until the first stream of curse words hit his ears. Oh, yeah. Things were moving faster.
He didn’t even remember how they got into the birthing room this time. Suddenly, they were there. They were there and the nurse was asking Buffy if she felt the need to push.
“No, not yet,” Buffy answered. She laid her head back against the pillows in exhaustion. She’d been in labor for most of the night. She’d gotten up around midnight with a sudden pain. She saw Anne curled up between them, and not wanting to wake her she’d slipped out of bed and went downstairs. Little by little as the night wore on, it became obvious she was in real labor.
“Spike,” she moaned as she gripped the bed handles. “Get the nurse. Tell her I have to push!”
“Push? But you just said you weren’t feeling any pressure,” Spike said stupidly.
“Now! Oh shit!” Buffy yelled.
Spike ran out to the nurse’s station. He looked around frantically for their nurse. Then he gave up and went for any nurse. “It’s my wife, Buffy Matthews, she needs to push.”
“Okay, we’ll send someone right in,” the unknown nurse assured him.
They were true to their word. No sooner had Spike stepped back into the room, then their nurse opened the door after him.
“Push, huh?” she asked as she slipped on a pair of gloves and lifted up the sheet. “So you do. The baby’s crowning. Let me just call the doctor. You keep breathing like you’re blowing out a candle.” She walked out the door.
“Spike, I have to push. I have to push now. Get her back in here right now!” Buffy screamed.
Spike ran out the door and found a bevy of nurse’s running at him. He backpedaled as quickly as he could.
“We heard. You just stay by her head, okay?” Their nurse said. Two other nurses had come in with her. One took the other side of Spike, and the other was at Buffy’s feet with their main nurse.
Within half a minute Will was born. Buffy and Spike looked on in amazement. They’d thought for sure it would be another girl. The little rascal had been shy during the ultra sound, keeping his legs drawn up tight.
“It’s a boy!” the nurse shouted as she placed the quiet baby on top of Buffy.
“Shouldn’t he be crying?” Spike asked worriedly.
“He’s fine,” the nurse to his right assured him. She was reaching over and rubbing Will vigorously with a blanket while suctioning out his nose and throat. Will started to fuss a bit at the rubbing and the nurses all laughed. The parents sighed huge sighs of relief.
“Another beauty, eh luv?” Spike asked letting the tears fall.
“Oh yeah. A boy. We have a little Will,” Buffy said through her own tears.
“That we do…”
They’d changed the sheets on her mother’s bed and tried to think of a logical explanation for the hole in the wall. In desperation, Buffy decided that the one thing that would distract her mother from the broken plaster was a big dress and a camera. So she changed into the white dress her mother had bought and filled the camera with film. The look on Spike’s face when she’d come down the stairs had taken her breath away. She’d never felt so beautiful.
They sat on the couch, waiting for the sun to go down and for Joyce to walk in the door. They kissed like the teenagers one of them was, and they talked about what they wanted. It was clear. They wanted a life together. Whatever kind they could have. They made ultimate goals and they made realistic goals.
Suddenly, Spike jumped up from the couch, inspired, and went to the stereo. He looked through the CDs until he came to what he wanted. He put it in the CD player and searched over to the right number. He hit play and walked over to Buffy with his hand held out. Something in the Way She Moves by James Taylor started to play.
Buffy moved into Spike’s arms and let him lead her in a slow dance. “I have always loved this song,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said with a smile. They were both so into the moment they didn’t hear the door open.
Joyce had seen the silhouettes through the closed curtains. Her daughter was dancing. She sent off a little prayer of thanks that she’d splurged on the dress. She wished Buffy had come home in time for her to have given it to her last night. She opened the door and just watched the couple for a moment. The man was obviously a little older than Joyce would have liked, but the emotion between the two was very clear. Joyce felt a little sad that her daughter hadn’t felt like she could confide in her that she had a boyfriend. She shook the feeling off and decided to be grateful that she was sharing it with her now. She spotted the camera and picked it up. She turned on the flash and took a picture.
Spike and Buffy both looked up in surprise. Buffy gave her mother a sheepish smile, tugging at her hair to make sure the bite marks from earlier were covered. Spike just stared. It was Joyce. It was his mother-in-law, alive. He let go of Buffy and walked up to Joyce and pulled her into a big hug. “I have missed you so much,” he cried.
Buffy walked up to him and gently pulled him away. “I’m sorry mom; Will just means that he has missed getting to know you. He’s been bugging me to introduce the two of you for a while.” Buffy hated to lie to her mother, but frankly she’d grown used to it sense coming into her slayer powers.
Joyce just laughed. What an unusual young man. If anyone else had done that, she would have been very uncomfortable, but something about this man felt right. She had a sudden premonition that this was it. She was seeing her daughter’s future. Although Buffy was far too young to be serious with anyone, Joyce couldn’t shake the feeling that this was meant to be. She held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Joyce Summers, Buffy’s mom.”
Spike took her hand in his. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Summers. I can see where Buffy gets her beauty and her character.”
“Why thank you, Will.” She motioned to the two of them with her camera. “Now, I am going to fill this entire roll, and then I’ll let the two of you start your evening.”
After the pictures were taken, Joyce shooed the two of them out of the house, promising them both that she would stay in for the night. She assured them that all she wanted to do was have a TV dinner and watch the news. For some reason they thought the streets wouldn’t be safe.
Chapter 8
After getting Joyce’s promise that she wouldn’t leave the house or invite anyone in, Spike and Buffy headed out for the library. They only had a few hours before Buffy was supposed to meet her death at the hands of The Master, so they walked quickly. They were surprised at how little vamp activity they met with as they made their way across town. Something was up.
They walked into the library just as Giles was arguing with Jenny. Apparently, he thought he could take The Master on instead of Buffy. It was sweet. Also, totally not happening. “Giles, I want you to meet someone,” she interrupted the two not-quite-lovebirds.
“Oh, Buffy. No time for that now, I have to go,” he said trying to move around her.
“I appreciate that you’re willing to go off and die for me and all, but I’m afraid I already have a champion.” She grabbed Giles by the shoulders and forced him into a chair. Then she took Spike’s hand. “This is Spike, otherwise knows as William the Bloody.”
Giles looked up in surprise. He’d recently read all about William the Bloody and his sire Drusilla. He’d been trying to learn more about Angel. “You’ve been turned then?”
“No silly,” Buffy said. “I’m all with the living. This is hard to explain…”
“She belongs to me, Watcher. That’s why I need to see the prophesy. The Master will not kill her. I won’t allow it,” Spike stated.
Giles stood up and walked over to his slayer. He looked at the marks on her neck. He could see her pulse beating beneath them. She was alive, yes, but she’d been claimed by a master vampire. He sat back down. “The prophesy is in the book to your left.”
Spike picked up the book. The page was open to the section concerning the prophesy about Buffy. He read it several times. He gave Buffy an encouraging smile as he walked around the room. He knew what he was holding in his hands. It was The Codex. Every demon knew about The Codex. Buffy would die this night by the hands of The Master. The thing about prophesies, as Spike knew, was that they could be manipulated. He did the math in his head. Darla dead. He’d felt it. Angel ensouled. Drusilla mad. If the ugly old fart died in the next hour or so, then Spike would be The Master. There was hope. He just needed to talk to Drusilla.
“I’ve got it, but I need to talk to my sire.” Spike put the book back on the table. “I know you don’t trust me, and you shouldn’t,” he said to the Watcher. “But her interests are my only interests. I can beat this prophesy. Don’t you go off half-cocked and get yourself killed. The wife would never forgive me. I’m taking Buffy with me now.”
“Can you tell me why you are doing this? You’ve killed two slayers. Why protect and claim a third?” Giles asked. Jenny came over to stand behind him. She put a hand on his shoulder to offer support.
Spike took a deep breath and let it out. “About eight months ago, whenever I would fall asleep I would dream. I dreamt I was human. Buffy was my wife. We had two children, William and Anne. The most beautiful children in the world,” Spike’s voice caught. Buffy slipped her hand into his and leaned against him. “Every day I dreamt of this family. Then last night I came across her fighting these vampires. She’s real, and Slayer or no, this is my wife. I can’t separate her from my dreams. I don’t think I’m supposed to.”
Giles looked at the vampire. The man’s emotions were laid bare for all to see. He was telling the truth. “Perchance to dream,” Giles said quietly.
“Aye, there’s the rub,” Spike answered equally as quiet.
“Go, the both of you. There isn’t much time,” Giles told them, realizing this was Buffy’s only chance.
“Right,” Spike agreed. He led Buffy out of the library and into the night. “Where would your boyfriend be?”
Buffy hit him in the shoulder. “Ha ha. Stop for a minute will you.” They both stopped outside of the school. Buffy looked down at the ground. “There’s something I forgot to say to you today. It’s funny when you think about it. I never told you that I love you.” She looked up at him. “I love you Spike.”
Spike pulled her against him. “Bloody hell, how did we skip that part! You know don’t you? You know how much I love you?”
Buffy nodded her head against his chest, “Yeah, I knew from the moment I looked into your blue eyes, but it’s still nice to hear.”
“Then look at me when I say it.” He tilted her head up so that she looked into his eyes. “I love you, Buffy. With all of my heart. I need you to trust me. I thought of a way around the prophesy, but it’s not something you’re going to like.”
She put her hand in his. “I trust you. Whatever it is, I trust you.”
“Good. Now about that boyfriend. Where can we find him?” Spike asked again.
“Why?”
“Because wherever he is we’ll find my sire. Dru is like a moth to a flame where Angelus is concerned,” he said derisively.
Buffy suddenly understood where his reaction from this morning came from. “Angel has an apartment. He’ll probably be there, just waiting for me to die.”
“Pillock,” Spike growled.
“I don’t know what that is, but I totally second it,” Buffy said, as she led Spike through the streets towards Angel’s.
When they came to Angel’s door, they decided it would be best to have Buffy do the knocking. Spike stepped to the side. He was hoping that Drusilla’s presence would confuse Angel to his whereabouts. He knew his scent would be intermingled with hers. The door opened.
“Buffy? What are you doing here?” Angel asked in confusion.
“I know, weird. Here I am supposed to be off dying. I am such a rebel,” she quipped. “Can we come in?”
“Of course,” Angel stepped aside as Buffy came through the door, dragging someone with her.
“Spike!” Angel yelled as he caught sight of the blonde menace.
“You found her!” Dru exclaimed with excitement.
Angel turned to look at the three of them. “What’s going on?”
Spike pulled Buffy toward him. “I’m doing what you’re not willing to. I’m going to save her.”
Angel looked at the ground and shook his head. “It’s not that simple, not that I understand for one moment why you’d want to save a slayer, but the prophesy… it’s from The Codex. There is nothing I can do. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
“There is something.” Spike turned to Drusilla. “Poodle, I need something from you. I need to know if you can hold a soul down during a turning.”
Dru knew what Spike wanted. It was exactly what she’d been waiting for. “I can do it, my Spike, but there’s a cost.” She looked at Angel. “Would you do anything to save this child?”
“Of course,” Angel spoke without hesitation.
“Good. After we have killed The Master, Spike will be the head of our line. He will be the one destined to kill the light. There is no stopping this,” she said clearly. It was times like this where her madness seemed to simply fade away. “I have a spell, it will allow her soul to stay, so long as another is given.”
Buffy looked to Angel. “No, no I won’t do that. It isn’t right. I can’t ask Angel to give up his soul.”
Angel walked up to her and grabbed her hands in his. Immediately Spike’s claim hit him. He looked over at Spike curiously. He was so confused, but he was quite clear on one thing. “Buffy, this isn’t your decision. They’re right, it’s the only way. I love you. I don’t expect you to say it back. I can tell that you and Spike… I don’t get it, but I can feel it. What I’m trying to say is this: my soul for yours isn’t a hardship, it’s an honor.”
Buffy felt the tears pool up in her eyes. “Oh, Angel, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s selfish as hell really. My soul gets to rest. No more guilt for me, and I get Dru in the bargain.” He let go of Buffy’s hands and walked over to his childe. “I’ll be fine. The world will be in for a bit of trouble with Angelus loose again, but I’ll be just fine.”
“It’s done then,” Spike stated. “Let’s go kill ourselves a grandpa!” He liked this part. He wasn’t worried about failure. He knew the four of them would be unstoppable.
Chapter 9
Anyone who saw the four deadly creatures walking with such purpose quickly turned away not wishing to draw attention. There was one, however. One small child who waited. It was his place to lead her. It was his destiny. As it was hers to die. When he caught sight of the beautiful vampires marching across the green, he didn’t hesitate. It was prophesied. She would die by the Master this night. He stepped forward and held out his hand to her.
Buffy slipped her warm hand into the cold one of the child. She thought briefly about her own son. Spike’s words had painted vivid images of his chubby face in her mind. She gripped the hand in hers a little more tightly. This was no destiny for a child. Her purpose was renewed. The Master would not live out the hour.
The boy led them through the sewers. He came to a tunnel opening and pulled his hand away from the Slayer. As he walked away he thought of how very beautiful she was, like an angel. It was right that she was going to die. Such goodness should not be suffered.
Buffy spared a pained glance at the child as he walked away. She turned haunted eyes to Dru. She didn’t dare ask Spike. Dru nodded her head, understanding exactly what the young girl was asking.
She stepped back away from the three. She moved like the wind. The child never knew what hit him. One moment he was walking away, the next he was dust. Dru felt no joy at this kill. She wiped the dust from her dress and made her way back to the side of her family. No one said a word as they continued their journey.
They came to the large cavern. They could not see The Master, but they could feel him. He was everywhere.
“You dare to corrupt our moment with others!” His voice echoed off the walls. “This was to be a union. Now it’s nothing more than a quick kill.”
Spike, Buffy, Dru, and Angel fanned out along the cave walls. They knew when Buffy was alone, he would strike. It’s exactly what they would do.
“Sorry to ruin our special moment and all, but I got lonely on the way over. Picked up some friends. I think you might know them. One of them killed… Oh what was her name again? Donna? Dolly? Oh, that’s right. Darla! It was Darla.” Buffy tensed as the words came out of her mouth. Sure enough, ugly took the bait. She felt his rank breath on the back of her neck. This guy moved better than Dru.
“You will pay for his actions. He did that for your sake. Worthless creature that you are!” he hissed.
Buffy threw him over her head, conveniently right in Angel’s waiting fist. “Actually,” the big vampire said as he pummeled his grand-sire, “it might have had something to do with her blowing me off over the whole soul thing. Not the most nurturing of individuals, our Darla.” Angel gave the leather clad ancient a hard kick that sent him backwards to Spike.
“It’s time for a change in leadership, gramps!” Spike plunged a wooden stake deep into The Master’s heart. He held onto him tightly as he slowly began to disintegrate. When there was nothing but bones left, he let go and fell to his knees. The power flew into him just as he hoped it would. It was a heady feeling, but it was nothing compared to the way Buffy made him feel. He would gladly give it up to Angelus to have his wife by his side for eternity.
Spike got to his feet and looked around the cavern. “Anyone see anything about that we can use to grind this bastard’s bones?”
Buffy laughed and flew into his arms. “You did it!” she squealed as she gave him a passionate kiss. “My hero. Now hurry up and kill me!”
Spike closed his eyes and sighed. “Very funny.” He set her down. “First things first, we need to crush his remains and then have them scattered. Preferably in a churchyard.”
“Oh, I’m glad you said that,” Buffy said in relief. “I was afraid for a second that you were going to say we had to take them to the four corners of the earth or something.”
“The earth is round dearie, no matter what anyone tries to say differently,” Drusilla assured her as she looked around for a good mallet. She found a nice stash of weapons and gave a little whoop of discovery. She reached down and tossed out a weapon to each of them. “Let’s have some fun!”
They set to work on the bones with relish. It was a great stress reliever. Soon there was nothing left but dust. Drusilla had found a nice wooden chest, and was working to put as much of the remains as she could inside. When she was done, she stood up. “Daddy and I will take care of this. You take your girl to say her goodbyes.”
“Meet us back at my place. We’ll do the ritual there. I have chains. I want Dru to keep me chained until you two have left. Just in case I’m a little cranky after having been ensouled for so long,” Angel told them.
“Alright, mate. See you in about thirty minutes.” Spike grabbed Buffy’s hand and led her out of the cave.
“Do we head to your mum’s or to your Watcher?” Spike asked her as they walked along.
“We’d better go to Giles. I don’t think I can handle saying goodbye to my mom. She doesn’t even know that I’m the Slayer. I think it might be best if Giles explained everything to her. That way he can take his time. Let her know I’m okay. It would be very uncool to go in there and say ‘hey, mom, guess what I’m the Chosen One. I kill vampires. Will here’s a vamp. Now he’s going to kill me, but don’t worry it’s all for the best’. It’s not like we can’t come back and talk to her after things are settled,” Buffy said quietly.
Spike pulled her against him. “You sure are wise for a sixteen year old. You do realize what a dirty old man this all makes me.”
“Yep, but since you have that whole evil vampire thing going for you I thought I’d let it pass.”
Spike laughed. “Sassy.”
They’d reached the library doors. “Now or never, kitten,” he said opening the door for her.
Giles, Xander, Willow, Cordelia, and Jenny stared back at them. They looked a little disheveled. “Buffy,” Xander was the first to yell, “you’re alive.”
“For the next half hour anyway,” Buffy agreed.
“Who’s this?” Xander had a bad feeling in his gut.
Buffy looked at her Watcher. “You didn’t tell them?”
“I was rather unsure of what it was I would be telling. You didn’t exactly explain things before you left. I assume your venture was a success?” Giles asked.
“Yeah, why do you all look like you’ve been through hell?” Buffy asked looking around the thrashed library.
“Well, we nearly were. Apparently, we have the great fortune of standing directly above the Hellmouth. It started to open earlier. Vampires were everywhere. It was less than pleasant,” Giles explained.
“Huh,” Buffy mumbled, “you all had it worse then we did. All we had to do was listen to Punch Mouth blabber.”
“Buffy, who is this?” Xander wasn’t about to be diverted. He did not like the way this guy was hovering over Buffy. First it was Dead Boy, now it was some Billy Idol wanna be.
“This is my husband, Spike,” Buffy informed the group. “We aren’t really married, only in dreams.”
“Well actually, the claim we did earlier is similar to a marriage. In the demon world, pet, we’re hitched,” Spike told her.
“Demon! He’s a demon. Please tell me he’s some nice breed of demon. Please tell me he’s not a…” Xander trailed off as he spotted Spike’s game face. “Why?”
“Oh calm down Harris. Not like you’d ever get her anyway. Some day you’re going to marry yourself a real nice little capitalist and have a fat, germy little grub who likes to go breathing on perfectly healthy children,” Spike still hadn’t forgiven little Xander for getting them all sick.
“What?” Xander asked. Great. A vampire and a nut-bar all rolled into one. Buffy sure could pick them.
“Nothing,” Buffy rushed to intervene. “He’s just a little excited at all the killing and stuff. We have to go now.” Buffy looked down at her watch.
“Go where?” Willow asked.
Buffy looked at her friend. She wished they’d had more time. She bet they would have had a wonderful friendship. At least she had Spike’s dreams. “I’m sorry guys, I have to go.” She looked at Giles. “You need to explain things to my mother, okay? Let her know that I’m fine. Eventually, we’ll come back and see her.”
“I believe Willow asked where you were going, Buffy.” Giles had a bad feeling about this.
“You know where I’m going Giles. The prophesy still has to be fulfilled. It will be okay. I’ll have my soul.” She looked around at these people who had come to mean so much to her over the past few months. “Thanks guys for being there for me like you have. I hope you have beautiful lives.” She gave them one last smile, and then she turned and left amidst the sounds of their protests.
Chapter 10
Dru opened the door to Angel’s apartment. “Come in. Daddy’s all chained up.”
Spike and Buffy tried very hard not to smile at her ruffled appearance. They’d obviously gotten up to some hanky panky while they waited.
Spike grabbed Drusilla by the arm. “You’re sure, my ripe wicked plum, that this will work.” He was terrified at losing Buffy as he had his mother.
Dru gave him a brilliant smile. “Oh yes, it will work. Then the two of you can go travel the world over looking for mortality.” She turned away and walked over to Angel.
“What do you mean?” Spike asked.
“There’s a demon, I don’t know its name. I don’t know where it rests. All I see is a jewel in the middle of its forehead. Kill the demon and use its blood. The blood is the life.” To emphasize her point she reached up to her shackled Sire and bit into his neck. “Yummy,” she turned back to Spike and Buffy. “Let us start so that I may play with him.”
Spike pulled Buffy against him. “It’s time, luv.”
She looked up at him with trusting green eyes. “I’ll follow you anywhere, William, into death and beyond.”
“Even into life?” he asked thinking about Drusilla’s words.
“Even into life,” she stated firmly. She turned and offered him her neck. There was no fear. So much of her young life had been lived in fear, but not now.
Spike shifted and sank his fangs into the marks he had left earlier. He held her tightly against him, as he pulled long and hard at her blood. He could feel it rush through his system. He heard the growls coming from the other end of the room and new that his sire and grand-sire were as affected as he was by the powerful Slayer-blood filling the room.
He heard a strange sound as her heart begin to slow. He realized it was him. He was sobbing. He was killing her light, taking her into the darkness. Even as he cursed himself for doing so, he drew out a dagger and slit his wrist. He put the damning blood up to her mouth and watched in morbid fascination as she began to drink, willingly. His cries came harder. She was doing this willingly. She was allowing herself to walk the earth in its shadows in order to be by his side. He was humbled by such love and devotion. It was everything he had ever dreamt of. Well, almost everything.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her now lifeless body to the bed. He placed her on top of the red comforter and then curled up beside her. He was still weeping. He just couldn’t seem to stop. He felt familiar hands run over his body, offering him comfort. He looked up. The blue eyes of his sire and the dark brown ones of his grand-sire looked back at him.
“It’ll be okay, Will. You’ll see.” The Irish brogue hit Spike’s ears and made a sweet chorus sound in his head. It was Angelus. The soul was gone. That meant that Drusilla’s spell was working.
He gave a cross between a laugh and a sob, “Thought you were tied up.”
“Angel was tied up. When have you ever known me to stay down for long?” Angelus said cockily as he reached for Dru and brought her against him roughly.
“You two go off an’ have yourself a reunion shag. I’ll be okay. Just wanna hold her,” he told them.
It was the longest day of Spike’s life. Dru and Angelus had been by his side nearly the entire time. They left only to shag and to feed. Spike made Angelus promise to stay clear of Buffy’s friends and family. He’d been put out, but had complied at Drusilla’s insistence. He couldn’t refuse both of his childer at once, not when he was feeling so damn grateful to be free.
Spike suddenly stilled. It was time. He stared down at the face of his beloved, wanting desperately to see love filled eyes stare back at him. Her dark lashes fluttered once and then the planes of her face began to move and take the shape of the demon. She opened wild amber eyes to Spike’s. “Hello, lover,” she purred.
“Buffy?” he asked hopefully.
“You were expecting someone else?” she teased.
“Just want to make sure it’s you,” he answered.
“It’s me, baby. It’s always gonna be me. I’m yours forever,” she promised. She let all the love she felt shine through her eyes; she let him see into her soul.
Spike gasped, “It’s you. You’re here.” He scooped her up and held her against him tightly. “You’re here,” he sobbed.
“I’m here, William. I’m here.” She assured him. She spotted Dru and Angelus over his shoulder. “Aren’t you supposed to be tied up?”
Angelus just smirked and gave her a shrug.
“No snacking on my friends or my mom!” Buffy warned.
Spike laughed. Yep. This was his girl. He moved his face against hers. “I love you, Buffy.”
“Love you, too. Is it time to go?” She asked him.
“Go where?”
“Go get us some demon blood, of course. Anne and Will are waiting for us,” she explained.
“It might take awhile, baby,” Spike warned her.
“That’s okay, I have that whole eternity thing going for me now,” she said confidently.
“That you do, luv.”
“Enough already!” Angelus groaned. “Let’s leave this hellhole!”
Epilogue
“Mommy! Daddy!” Two sets of voices chimed as they took off on eager young legs. They barreled against their parents, nearly toppling them over.
“Hey, does this mean you missed us?” Buffy asked her daughter.
“Yes, oh yes!” Anne cried. It wasn’t that she didn’t like staying with Granny Willow and Granna Tara, but she really missed being with her parents. “Will missed you more than I did, ‘cause he’s a baby.”
“Am not!” Will explained, his voice muffled by the side of his father’s neck. “Not a baby!”
“Tha’s right. Will’s daddy’s big boy, aren’t you?” Spike agreed as he switched him off to his mother. He reached down and lifted his daughter into his arms, cradling her against his chest like he did when she was little. “Now, Anne’s daddy’s baby. Yes, she is. My little, wittle, baby!” He rocked her.
“Daddy! I’m not a baby! I’m older than Will!” Anne giggled.
“You’ll always be our babies,” Buffy explained. She liked date night. It was nice getting to spend time with her husband, but coming home to Will and Anne’s happy little faces was the very best part. She looked up at Willow and Tara. The women were in their sixties now. They’d never had children of their own, devoting themselves instead to their craft and to defending the Hellmouth with every new generation of slayer, until seven years ago when it had been sealed forever. Now they took every chance they could to take care of Spike and Buffy’s little ones.
“Thank you so much for watching them for us,” Spike told the older couple.
“It was our pleasure, as always. They’re angels,” Tara assured him.
“The hell they are! Both of them are mine. Just look at them. They look nothing like the Neanderthal,” Spike joked.
“Very funny, honey,” Buffy punched him in the shoulder. “Good night, guys.”
“Good night, Buffy,” both women said as they got in their car and drove away.
Buffy turned to her husband, each of them with a kid on their hip. “Kiss?”
He leaned down and pulled her mouth into his own.
“Eww!!!” Anne exclaimed with Will echoing her.
The End.