One Good Lay | Come Back To Me by Pattyanne

Come Back To Me

Written by: Pattyanne
Author's Website

Summary: Once again. I'm writing about Spike leaving Buffy, but this is a different approach...I think.
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all of it's characters belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Feedback: snapkik@yahoo.com

Part One...

"What the hell is wrong with her?"

"She's unhappy."

"Oh, you THINK?" Xander asked, giving Willow his 'how stupid do you think I AM?' face.

"Xander..."

"Now, HOW did you know that, Wils? What gave it away? Was it the dark circles under her eyes..her lack of appetite?" He pointed to Buffy's mostly untouched dinner place. "The fact that she never smiles anymore..hardly ever comes out of her room..."

Willow was becoming increasingly annoyed with Xander's sarcasm fiesta.

"Oh, knock it," she snapped. "This isn't helping."

Xander paused and took a breath. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "So..do you have any idea WHY she's unhappy? Opinions? Hunches? Far fetched guesses?"

She stood up and began to clear the table.

"None of the above," she replied, carrying a stack of plates into the kitchen. "I know exactly why."

He watched her load the dishwasher. "Care to share?"

She poured the dishwashing powder into the receptacle, then closed the door and punched the buttons that started the wash cycle.

"She's unhappy because Spike's gone," she said, turning to face her best friend.

"Spike's gone?" Xander looked surprised. "Gone where? Where did he go?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know."

"Is he coming back?"

She leaned against the counter. "I don't know," she repeated.

"Why did he leave?" He held up his hand. "Wait...let me guess. You don't know."

"No. THAT one I know," she said. "Now, don't fly off the handle when I tell you."

"Fly off the handle? I do not fly off any handles. I am the essence of coolness under fire."

"No, you're not." Willow said. "But I'll tell you anyway. Buffy and Spike have been..well, they've...they've been.."

"Stop picking at the bandaid, Wils."

"...they've been...together..for a few months," she finished, bracing herself for the melt down.

Xander looked at her. "I already know that."

"You do?" she asked, surprised by this admission. This wasn't the sort of thing that Xander would have kept his mouth shut about.

"Yeah. They patrol together every night."

Okay, that explained his lack of reaction.

"That's not what I mean by together. I mean...together."

Xander's eyes widened, nearly bursting from their sockets. "You mean...TOGETHER? THAT kind of together? The BIG together?"

"THAT'S the one." She turned off the kitchen light and went into the living room, plopping down on the sofa.

Xander sat down beside her. "For the first time in my life...I'm speechless," he said. "Wait a second...no, I'm not. She told YOU this, and she didn't tell ME? Why didn't she tell me?"

"She didn't tell me," Willow said. "Not in so many words."

He was now completely confused. "She..I just...she...WHAT?"

Willow's cheeks turned bright red. "I sort of walked IN on them, okay? I didn't MEAN to," she added quickly. "It was a total accident and I left before they saw me and if they didn't want anyone to know about it then they shouldn't do it on the living room floor," she added in her defense, pausing to take in some air.

There was a brief silence between them for a moment, which Xander just HAD to break.

"I don't think there's anyone in the entire history of the world who's more confused than I am right now," he said. "If they're together..why did Spike leave? Isn't that what he's wanted, like...forever?"

"Lower your voice," Willow hissed, casting an eye to the staircase. "I think they had a fight," she mouthed silently.

"What..?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think they had a fight," she said again, a bit louder this time.

"Well, what's new about THAT?" he whispered.

Willow leaned a little closer. "It was one of those "relationship" fights," she explained.

"What the hell does THAT mean? What's a relationship fight?"

"The kind you and Anya have four or five times a day."

"The kind Anya and I...you mean they're fighting about place cards and center pieces, and having a cash bar?"

Willow stared at him. "A cash bar? At a wedding reception? Xander, that is tacky beyond belief."

"And, anyway," Xander said, ignoring her comment. "Those aren't fights. They're...discussions."

"Whatever." She waved her hand impatiently. "He wanted to know how much longer he was gonna be her "dirty little secret" and she said..."

"Hang on a minute," he interjected. "Were you eavesdropping on this fight..this discussion?"

She squirmed in her seat. "No...I'd never do that...on purpose."

"Willow..."

"For your information," she said heatedly, "they had that fight in her room...which is next door to MY room."

"So you...overheard them?"

"A DEAF man could overhear them," she said. "They just didn't know I was home."

"So, THEN what happened?"

"Well...Buffy said that she didn't want anyone to know about them yet. Then Spike asked her when she thought she'd be ready. Then SHE said that she didn't know, but him always pushing her on it wasn't helping matters. Then HE said that if she was so ashamed of herself then maybe he should just go ahead and leave."

"I see you didn't leave your room once the fight commenced," he interjected.

"So then he asked her if she cared anything about him at all, and then..."

"Then...what?"

Willow sighed. "That was it. Next thing I heard was Spike stomping down the stairs, and slamming the front door. And Buffy was..she started to cry."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Do you..." Xander began. "Do you think this was MY fault?"

"What do you mean?"

He stared down at his hands. "I've never been Spike's number one fan in the past..even after the chip changeover. Maybe Buffy thinks that.. maybe she's afraid that if she doesn't hide her feeling..."

Willow patted his knee. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Xander. Buffy's a grown woman. She shouldn't let her choices be made FOR her, according to other peoples opinions."

Xander looked up. "How do you feel about it? About them?"

"I don't know...they seem kind of good together. Spike has changed a lot..besides still being a vampire, I mean. He stuck around through some serious badness."

"I hate seeing her so unhappy!" Xander said suddenly. "She deserves to be happy. More than any of us."

"I know." Willow's tone changed abruptly. "But, you know what? I'm sure he'll come back," she said lightly. "YOU know Spike.. he can't stay away from Buffy."

"Yeah," Xander nodded, wanting to be convinced, if only for Buffy's sake. "You're right. He'll come back and we'll just all show Buffy that we're okay with it, and..."

Willow clapped one hand over his mouth when she heard Buffy's bedroom door squeak open, followed by the sound of the shower being run.

She took her hand away from Xander's mouth, giving him an apologetic look.

"I'm going home now," he said. "I need to tell my girl how much I love her."

Willow followed him to the door."Listen," she said quietly. "I'll tell Tara what's going on, but let's try and keep it quiet around Dawn, okay? She gets too upset when she thinks Buffy isn't happy. There's no point in making it worse, just yet."

"All right," Xander said. "And maybe he'll be back before she knows he's gone."

"Here's hoping." Willow crossed her fingers. "Anyway, you tell Anya..I'm sorry to put it this way, because I know it doesn't sound very nice, but you have to keep her from saying something that'll make Buffy feel worse than she already does."

Xander nodded. "I'm already there."

Halfway down the front path, he paused and turned around. "What if he never comes back, Wils. What the hell are we gonna do then?"

Willow shook her head sadly. "I don't know. I don't even want to think about it."

Xander tried to smile. "One disaster at a time?"

"Yes, please."

Shutting the door, she went upstairs, pausing in the hallway and listening to Buffy cry so heartbrokenly that it was audible over the sound of the pounding water.

Feeling helpless, she went into her own room and closed the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TWO WEEKS LATER...

Buffy walked through the cemetery at a pace that could only be described as trudging.

Although she had no conscious destination in mind, she wasn't surprised to find herself standing at the same place she'd come to the night before...and every night for the past fourteen days.

In her heart, she knew it was a waste of time. He was gone, and no amount of hoping or "Surprise! I just happened to be in the neighborhood" dropping in was going to make him appear.

She knew it every time she placed her hand on the door, the door she had kicked open so many times...in so many moods.. for so many reasons.

Descending the ladder to the lower level, she pulled out her flashlight. After lighting five candles and an oil lamp, she stuffed the flashlight back into her totebag and sat down on the side of the bed.

Her heel connected with an object sticking out from under the bed, and she reached down to pick it up.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where are you going?" she asked, stretching lazily on the bed.

"Don't be so nosy, Slayer," her lover scolded her. "I have a special treat for you, so you stay right there. I mean it" he added when she pretended to follow him. "Don't move, gorgeous."

He was up the ladder and back down in less than a minute, carrying a bottle and two glasses. She watched him uncork the bottle and pour something golden and sparkly into each glass.

Climbing back into bed, he lifted one glass to her lips. "Taste," he whispered.

She opened her mouth and let the champagne invade it, the liquid flowing smoothly down her throat.

He grinned at her. "You like?"

"Mmmm," she moaned, closing her eyes in bliss. "It's fantastic. More..."

He laughed. and tilted the glass again, letting a few drops of the wine trickle down her chin, leaving a trail that he licked off.

She laughed, and splashed some of the champagne on him, returning the favor.

They romped all over the bed, making playful love, with champagne ending up in places that.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her throat was tightening up, and her eyes were blurring with tears. The bottle slipped out of her fingers and landed on the carpet with a thunk.

This room was not a good place for her to be anymore. There was just too many memories waiting to pounce on her when she wasn't braced for them.

Draped over the back of the chair was the pink satin teddy that she'd worn for him on Valentine's Day.

On the nightstand, she saw the tattoo pens she'd bought in Hot Topic. She remembered straddling his waist, inking a red heart with a brown stake through it on the smooth skin of his upper left chest, then writing "Slayer" beneath it in black script.

"I'm branding you," she had said. "You're mine."

And, lying calmly beneath her, he'd vowed never to wash it off.

When she'd finished, he'd turned her over and inked a beautifully detailed crimson rose on her hip. As she'd marveled over this previously unrevealed talent, he'd added a couple of thorns and three teardrops of "blood".

Then he had reached for the black pen...and she had panicked, quickly telling him not to write his name, that someone might see it.

He had laughed, and assured her he'd had no such intention, then wrote "Buffy" in old-fashioned, gothic looking print.

When he was finished, he'd tossed the pens onto the nightstand and made surprisingly tender love to her, telling her over and over how beautiful she was...and how much he loved her.

The memory brought fresh tears to her eyes.

< Why didn't I say it back? I love him...why didn't I tell him? Coward...stupid...foolish coward, that's what I am. He was never afraid to say it. He wanted to tell the whole world how he felt... >

Falling back on the bed, she buried her face in the down comforter and cried...and cried.

< I do love you, Spike and if you come back to me I promise I'll tell you...I'll say it every day.. I miss you...I need you...more than ever...please come back... >

When she had no more tears left inside of her, she rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling.

This room has been "their place". They'd made love in her bed, as well as a few other choice locations that made her blush to think about them, but in this room they had been free to be together in a way they couldn't be anywhere else.

There was nothing furtive or hurried about the lovemaking they'd shared in this room. Here, they were safe from accidental dis- covery...from disapproving eyes and judge- mental attitudes.

They could do anything they chose, for as long as they chose to do it. There was no one to tell them it was wrong, this thing that was between them. That it was unnatural and nasty, nothing but obscene sex...as though there was no tenderness felt.

She was more alive and herself in this room than in any other familiar place, even the bed she'd slept in for so many years.

More memories assailed her, striking at her raw feelings and unguarded heart.

There, in the trash can, was an empty carton from the time he'd held her in his lap and fed her the most incredible chocolate fudge ice cream she'd ever tasted. Fed it to her, and refused to reveal where he'd acquired it, telling her that if she wanted more, she knew where she had to go.

And there...on the dresser was an ornate tortoiseshell hairbrush. He would sit behind her on the bed and brush her hair until it was shining with vitality and health, being far more gentle with the tangles than she'd ever been.

When he was finished, he'd toss the brush aside and bury his face in her hair, mussing it again, nuzzling her like a friendly puppy.

There was a book on the nightstand. Opened up and face down, it was a book of poetry, mostly on the subject of love.

He would read to her from this book for hours. Calling up some ancient and half buried memory of William, his voice would change, taking on a gentler tone and a more cultured accent.

Then, putting the book down, he would grab hold of her and pull her down on the bed and recite dirty limericks in his usual voice until she was convulsing with laughter.

No one in her life had ever made her laugh the way he could. Even Xander at his most amusing couldn't elicit the same reaction that Spike did so effortlessly by telling her jokes so raunchy that they made her blush.

A box of videotaped movies caught her attention, reminding her of the time they had set up the camera and taped themselves making love.

Reluctant at first, the idea began to take on a certain kinky appeal for Buffy after he'd promised her that no one but the two of them would ever know of it's existence.

That had been a powerfully arousing little piece of tape.

She continued to mentally catalog the room's contents, stopping when she saw a flash of red fabric.

Reaching under the pillow, she found herself holding a shirt that he'd apparently overlooked when he'd gotten his things together.

His red shirt, soft from frequent laundering, the one he would slip on her and button her up in after making love.

The first time she had donned this shirt, he had looked her up and down, then told her that she looked completely adorable in the oversized garment, much better than he did himself, so she should just consider it hers whenever she wanted to wear it.

Slowly, she slid her arms into the sleeves and wrapped the shirt tightly around her, wondering if he'd left it behind on purpose, as something to remember him by.

< But I don't want something to remember him by....I want him! >

She rocked back and forth on the bed as another storm of tears were wrenched from her guts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LATER THAT EVENING...

Willow jerked with surprise when the front door flew open with a bang, nearly knocking a glass of milk all over her laptop when she saw Buffy running up the stairs in tears.

< Oh, Goddess...what's happened now? >

"Buffy...are you..." Jumping to her feet, she took the stairs two at a time, arriving only to have Buffy's bedroom door slam shut in her face.

She waited a moment before she knocked.

"Buffy? Can I come in?" When there was no reply except the sound of her friend's harsh crying, Willow turned the knob and pushed the door open. "Buffy?"

The slayer had thrown herself face down onto her bed and was sobbing hysterically into a pillow. Willow approached the bed slowly and sat beside her.

"Buffy," she said again. "Has something hap- pened. I mean...can I do anything for you?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. Just...leave me alone, Willow...please."

Willow started to stand up, then changed her mind and placed one hand on Buffy's shoulder. They had to get this out in the open before her friend was so far gone that she couldn't find her way back.

"Buffy...please let me help you. I...I know why you're hurting so much, but I...I just don't know what to do. Please talk to me," she begged.

Buffy rolled over, staring at Willow with swollen, tear filled eyes. "You don't know...it's..."

Willow reached for Buffy's hand, holding it tightly between hers. "It's Spike...isn't it? The reason you're so unhappy."

Buffy wiped her face on her sleeve. "How...how did you know about it?"

"It doesn't matter," Willow said. No way was she getting into THAT little discussion right now. "Just tell me how I can help you."

"You can't." Buffy shook her head. "Nobody can. He's gone...and he's not coming back."

The pain in her friends voice nearly broke Wil- low's heart. "You can't know that," she said, trying desperately to say something...anything.. that would alleviate Buffy's sadness.

"And I don't believe it," she added firmly. "He loves you too much to stay away. I mean...well, he's tried it before, right?"

"It's different this time," Buffy said, swallowing hard. "I pushed him too far this time."

"No." Willow gently squeezed the hand she held in both of hers. "I'm sure that's not true. He'll be back. Maybe not right away, but...soon."

"I don't think so," Buffy said, her voice bathed in pain, as she began to cry again. "And I need him so much...more than ever."

"Why more than ever?" Willow asked, afraid to hear the answer.

The answer she got, though, was the absolute last one she would ever have expected.

There was a long pause as Buffy attempted to get herself under some kind of control.

"Because...because I'm pregnant."

Every bit of color drained from Willow's face as she absorped this news. "Pregnant? By Spike?"

Buffy nodded, biting her lower lip to hold off another crying jag. "I don't know how it happened...don't understand how it's possible for me to be pregnant by a vampire." She sniffled. "But I am. There hasn't been anyone else, Willow, I swear to God."

"Oh, Buffy...I know that." Willow was beginning to feel as though she was going to cry too. "You don't have it in you to love one man and sleep with another one."

Fresh tears streaked down Buffy's face. "God, Willow...what am I gonna do without him?"

Willow swept Buffy into a close embrace. "It'll be all right," she soothed her. "I'll help any way I can, you know that. So will the others."

"Yes," Buffy said. "I know that...but it's just that.. I'm going to have a baby and he'll never know about it. My baby will never know its father. Never know how special he is...how hard he tried."

As she sat rocking Buffy in her arms, patting her back and trying to offer some sort of consoling words, Willow began to formulate a plan.

Part Two....

"The situation has been upgraded from a disaster to a catastrophe."

The other three people sitting around the table just stared at Willow, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.

"We have GOT to find Spike," she told them. "And we have to find him NOW."

"Why?" Xander asked. "What's happened?"

Willow took a deep breath and dropped her bomb.

"Buffy's pregnant," she said. "Spike's the father. And don't ask me how it happened."

Xander was the first to find his voice.

"Don't ask you how?" he repeated. "What do you mean...don't ask you how? Spike is a vampire. Buffy's a human." He paused slightly. "How can they have a..."

Gritting her teeth, Willow slammed the flat of her hand down on the table.

"XANDER!" she yelled to get his atten- tion, then drew a calming breath. "It doesn't matter how it happened. We'll figure that out some other time when things are...settled. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay." He spoke in a tiny voice.

"Good," Willow said. "What we have to do now is deal with the reality, no matter how anyone feels about them."

When she saw that she had their attention, she went on. "Buffy is gonna have a baby...and she's not happy the way an expectant mother should be happy. She needs her baby's father to be here..with her. And we have to do everything we can to make that happen."

Everyone nodded agreeably.

"So, does anyone know just how we're gonna pull that one off?" Anya asked.

"That's why we're here," Willow explained. "To come up with an idea."

"I wish Giles was still here," Anya replied. "He was uptight and repressed, but he was pretty handy with the ideas."

"Yeah, I wish he was here, too," Willow said. "But he's NOT. That means that WE have to be the grown-ups now, so brainstorm me, people. Don't hold back. If you've got an idea, spill it."

"I've been thinking," Tara interjected. "What about a locating spell?"

Willow shook her head. "I thought of that, too," she said. "But it won't work."

"Why not?" Xander asked.

"Because he could be anywhere on the planet," she explained. "And if he's moving around a lot, he could be long gone. We could end up chasing him all over the world, and we don't have time for that."

"True," Tara agreed. "But maybe we could tweak it a little. Combine the locating spell with something else...make a whole new spell. It's worth trying, isn't it?"

"You can do that?" Xander asked.

Tara shrugged. "Yeah, I think I can," she said, smiling at Willow. "I think WE can."

Willow smiled back at her. "See why I love you so much," she marveled.

"Yes, that's very sweet," Anya said impatiently. "Now can we get going, before Buffy's baby goes off to college."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me again how this works."

Xander moved around the dim upper level of Spike's former home, lighting candles.

Willow and Tara sat on the cold floor, indian style, facing each other.

"It's a combination of a locating spell and the thing that Willow did to get into Buffy's mind," Tara explained. "I'll do the magicks, and overlap both spells."

"And you're sure this will work?" Xan- asked.

"It had better work," Willow said grimly. "It's all we've got."

Tara nodded. "Let's get started."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"BLOODY HELL!!"

"Hi, there!" Willow smiled and waved cheerfully.

Spike shot straight up in bed. "Where the hell did YOU come from?"

"I came from Sunnydale," she told him. "Well...actually, I'm still there. My body is still there."

Spike stared at her. "So you're...what? A bloody ghost?"

"Oh, no," she said quickly. "I mean yes. I mean kind of. Not a ghost in the sense that I'm dead. Because I'm NOT...dead."

She cocked her head contemplatively. "I'm guess I'm kind of a...

"I see YOU haven't changed a bit," Spike said, rubbing his eyes.

...having a vision sort of ghost," she finished with a hopeful smile. "Under stand?"

Spike leaned back against the pillows piled in front of the headboard. "Right. So.. who's having this vision, me or you?"

"You are," Willow said. "Although, I suppose you could say that I'm having it too..since I'm not actually here. Maybe.."

Spike cut her off before she rambled off in another direction. "Why are you here?"

Willow sank into a chair. "I'm here because..." She looked around the room curiously. "Where ARE we, anyway? Is this a hotel?"

He struggled for patience. All things considered, Willow had always been pretty decent to him...unlike her male sidekick...and he didn't want to be unkind to her.

"Yes," he said. "This is a hotel room. In Washington."

"No kidding?" She was surprised. "DC or State of?"

"State of."

"Hmmm," She finished her perusal of her surroundings. "This is a nice room."

"Actually, it's a suite," Spike said, a little exasperated by her small talk. "A penthouse suite."

"Really?" She left her chair and looked out the window. "Wow...we're really up here, aren't we?"

"We are indeed." "Looks expensive," she mused.

"Very."

"Well...if you don't mind my asking.."

"Mind?" Spike cut in. "Why would I mind? An- swering your nosy questions is what I live for."

Being the literal girl she was, Willow took his remark sincerely. "How are you paying for it?"

"Well..." Spike said slowly. "If you really must know...I traded sexual favors with the desk clerk for it."

Her brow furrowed. "You're kidding...aren't you?"

He nearly laughed out loud. She really was a cute little thing and he'd missed teasing her.

"The demon who owns the place is an old mate of mine," he explained.

"Friends in low places, huh?"

He smiled a little. "You might say that."

Time for polite amenities was over, Willow knew, time to cut to the chase. "Why are you here?"

"Didn't I just ask YOU that same question?" he reminded her. "And, by the by, Red..if you didn't know where I was, then how in bleeding hell did you find me?"

Willow shrugged. "Performed a locating spell combined with a kind of mind melding....thing."

"Okay, I buy the HOW," he said. "Having a little trouble with the WHY. What do you want?"

Willow tried to choose her words so as to im- part the maximum amount of urgency. "You have to go back to Sunnydale. Now."

It was the only thing she could think of to say.

Of all the possible answers in the entire world, it was the last one he had expected.

He let out a short laugh. "Huh! Are you insane?" he asked. "I just got loose of that shitty little town. No way in hell am I going back."

"But, there's a reason..."

"I don't CARE if there's a reason," he informed her. "I'm not going within a hundred miles of that Seventh Circle of Hell."

"Spike...please listen..."

"No!"

"But it's important...you think I'd BE here like this if it wasn't?"

"No!"

Willow was getting desperate. "It's about Buffy," she blurted.

Spike slammed both hands down on the bed and sat up. "Look," he snapped. "Are you deaf or something? I told you.." He changed directions in mid stream. "What about Buffy."

"She wants you to come home," Willow said. "She needs you."

He stared at her for a full thirty seconds. "Yeah, right," he said. "Now tell me another one and make it just as funny."

Willow wanted to scream with frustration. Wanted to hit, slap, and shake some sense into his head.

"I'm telling you the truth," she insisted. "Buffy needs you."

"Oh, please," Spike scoffed. "Slayer needs a lot of things, all right, but she does not NOW, nor has she EVER needed..me."

"Things change," Willow protested. "People change."

"Yeah, I used to think so too," he said. "But SHE taught me differently. She'll NEVER change!"

"Spike..."

"Forget it. I said no." He slid back down in bed and turned his back on her. "Now click your heels together three times and shove off."

Willows temper began to stir. "Damn it, Spike!" she said harshly. "I'm serious!"

"I'm serious, too...now get lost."

This wasn't going at all the way she'd hoped it would. She needed something bigger...something he could see.

Spotting a cheval glass mirror across the room, she dragged it over next to the bed.

Spike's curiousity won out over his irri- tation when he heard Willow mumbling something under her breath.

He sat up again, surprised when the mirror turned black, showing no reflection of the room.

The black began to fade, and a picture formed until it looked like a oval television screen.

"Hey, that's.." He pointed at the mirror. "That's Buffy's bedroom." He was about to say something else, when the door of her room banged open and she ran in.

Spike stared at her. "Slayer.." he whispered, his eyes hungry for the sight of her as she threw herself down on the bed and, to his complete and utter horror, burst into tears. "Buffy?"

"Watch this," Willow said, pointing at the mirror. "This is happening right now as we speak."

Spike watched helplessly as Buffy cried so hard that her small body trembled.

Then, abruptly, like Alice Through the Looking Glass, he found himself sitting in the tree next to Buffy's bedroom window.

"See?" Willow said from her own perch. "I've never seen her this unhappy before. Not when Riley left...not even when Angel left."

"What's wrong?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Buffy.

Willow shrugged. "Listen and learn."

"Please make him come back," Buffy begged an unnamed deity. "I'll do anything..I promise.. one more chance..please send him home...I love him so much..."

"Oh, God," Spike said softly as Buffy's raging tears turned to soft weeping. "What have I done?"

Willow sighed. "Don't blame yourself completely. She knows it was mostly her fault."

"No." He shook his head in denial. "No, I should have stayed. Should have tried harder."

"That doesn't matter, Spike," she said. "The only thing that matters is what you do now." She paused. "What are you gonna do?"

He wasn't listening.Every bit of his attention was focused on the girl huddling on her bed, crying out the anguish of a horribly broken heart.

"Don't cry," he begged softly. "Please don't cry...not over me."

His voice rose as he placed his hands on the window pane. "Buffy!" Desperate to reach her, he banged on the glass."Don't cry, sweetheart!"

"She can't hear you," Willow said. "You're in Washington, State of...remember?"

"Buffy!"

Willow rolled her eyes. "Spike! Look at me!" she demanded. "It's not too late. You can still fix this...if you go back now. Hurry!"

He looked wretchedly unhappy, and Willow was afraid that she was going to join Buffy in her crying.

She had to get him going. "Listen to me," she said urgently. "If you don't go back, you'll miss out on something very special. It isn't just about Buffy anymore. There's..something else that has to be considered."

Grabbing his chin suddenly, Willow forced him to look at her. "I don't know how much longer Buffy can take this. Go home now!" she said firmly, "before something happens that YOU can't take back."

Spike stared at her, sick with a sudden realization of what she was telling him.

"No...no!" He jerked his chin out of her grasp, and turned his eyes back on Buffy. "NO! BUFFY!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Buffy, no!"

Brought fully awake by the sound of his panic, Spike sat up in bed violently, his eyes darting around the dim room.

Willow was nowhere in sight...but had she really been here in the first place? Or did he just want to go back so desperately that he'd summoned her into his dreams to talk him into it.

And what about Buffy? Was what Willow had said true, or did he want it to be so badly that his subconscious mind had put the words in her mouth?

Yes. That had to be it, he deduced. Because only HE was capable of self-delusion on such a cosmic scale.

There was no way in hell that Buffy had ever felt such things, let alone voiced them outloud.

She and Willow, and the rest of her little band, were all back in Sunnydale, not one of them giving him a second thought.

The whole sorry experience was nothing but an illusion dreamed up and given life by him. Buffy wasn't lying on her bed crying over him, and Willow certainly hadn't been in this room....

He jaw sagged when he saw it. The mirror he'd looked into during his dream.

It was once again a plain and ordinary mirror. No pictures on it now, but someone had scrawled a message on it in what looked like lipstick the color of blood. A short message. Just three words....

GO HOME, SPIKE!

Half an hour later, he was in his car and heading towards Sunnydale. Heading back to Buffy.

Heading for home....

Part Three...

Willow's head dropped forward so suddenly that her neck popped.

Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes.

"Well?..Did it work?..Is he coming back?" Three different voices asked anxious questions.

Willow slowly raised her head..and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE NEXT NIGHT

He hit the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign just as twilight gave way to the darkness of a true night time sky.

Two minutes later, he turned onto Revello Drive, smiling when he saw the familiar little house come into view.

Spike was longing to see her, the yearning was almost physically painful. Never in any part of his existence had he wanted to see someone so badly.

He could only hope that she felt the same way.

Pulling into the driveway, he cut the engine and sat staring at the house. After taking a moment to gather his nerve, he stepped out of the car and forced his feet to carry him to the front porch.

Without bothering to knock, he threw the front door open, startling the girl sprawled out on the living room floor in front of the television.

"SPIKE??"

He didn't answer as he jumped the stairs two at a time.

Standing in front of Buffy's bedroom door, he paused and braced himself for a likely punch in the face before turning the knob and entering the room.

"Buffy?" He scanned the little room quickly. "Slayer?"

She wasn't there, and if she'd been anywhere else in the house, she'd already have been up the stairs to see what the hell was going on.

Spike fought a crushing feeling of disappointment, then went back downstairs to start looking for her.

Before he had one foot out the front door, he heard a small voice from behind him.

"Spike.."

The hesitant sound stopped him in his tracks, and he turned around to face Dawn. The expression on her face told him more clearly than any words just exactly what he had done.

A wave of shame washed hotly over him. This girl standing before him was one of the two people he loved most in the world, and he knew that she returned his affection.

Dawn had cared about him long before he'd redeemed himself in the eyes of the others. She'd been his staunchest defender, and had taught him more about friendship and loyalty than anyone ever had.

And what had HE done to pay her back for it? Why, he'd left her, of course. He had disappeared from her life without a word of explanation or farewell.

As he looked into her wide eyes, he saw the hurt in them, and knew that he'd been the one to put it there. He had not only walked out on Buffy, but on Dawn as well.

And she had done nothing to deserve such shabby treatment.

"I'm sorry, Little Bit," he said, pulling her into his arms. "How've you been?"

She stood stiffly for a moment, then returned his embrace. "Okay, I guess," she spoke into his shirt front. "But I missed you."

Spike smiled at the soft words. "I missed you, too," he said, stroking her hair, beating his impatience to run and find Buffy firmly into submission.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "How come you just left like that?"

He released her from his arms and stepped back, holding her hands. "It's...kind of a long story, luv. But I shouldn't have done it that way...and I'm sorry as hell." He lifted her hands and kissed each one. "Think you can forgive me?"

Dawn hesitated, then gave him her sweetest smile. "I guess I can," she said. "So long as you don't ever do it again."

"I won't, luv," he promised her. "Cross my heart and hope to you-know-what."

Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her forehead. "Listen, honey...I want to sit down with you and hear about everything you've been doing, school and all..and I promise you that we'll have a nice long chat, but right now...I need to find your sister."

Dawn made a face. "Well, it won't be hard," she said. "Just follow the trail of used kleenex."

These words brought back the memory of the dream-that-was-not-a-dream, of Buffy lying on her bed, crying herself to sleep.

With a sudden flash of clarity, Spike knew where she was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the second time that evening, he found himself standing in front of a closed door, desperately hoping that Buffy was on the other side of it.

He opened it quietly and stepped over the threshold of the crypt he'd once considered home. The upper level was dark, with the only illumination coming from the moon shining through the frosted windowpanes, and a patch of dim lamplight from the trapdoor that led to the lower level.

She was there, he knew it. And she was crying again.

Without stopping, he climbed down the ladder into the bedroom.

What he saw there, almost broke his heart.

Buffy was lying on his bed, wearing his red shirt, clutching it around herself as though his arms were in the sleeves holding her.

Something in his gut went thump.

>Heartless bastard. Look at what you've done to her you stupid son-of-a-bitch..>

He stood at the bottom of the ladder, irresolute, unable to make his feet move.

When her harsh crying began to taper off, Buffy rolled over onto her back, wiping her wet face on the sleeve of his shirt.

Her reactions were obviously impaired by her jumbled emotions, since it took her twice the time it should have for her to sense another presence in the room.

But, she finally rose into a half-sitting/ half-reclining position on the bed, and saw him.

"S..Spike?" Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible. "You're here?" Fresh tears coursed silently down her cheeks. "Are you real?"

All his words, all the things he had planned to say to her suddenly vanished from his brain, leaving him to feel stupid and speechless.

His silence was agitating her. "Spike...please! If you're really here then...then say something..."

Still frozen in place, he could only think of one thing to say.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Oh..." Buffy sat up on the bed. "Me, too."

"Buffy..."

"Spike.." She cut him off, extending her arms. "Hold me," she begged. "Please...just hold me."

Her words broke his paralysis. Crossing to the bed in three long strides, he sat down beside her and gathered her into his arms.

Buffy wasn't satisfied though, and she immediately climbed into his lap, clinging to him like a frightened child waking from a bad dream.

Burying her face against the side of his neck, she held on to him, and he tightened his embrace when he felt the warm wetness of her tears.

"No, sweetheart," he said, kissing the side of her face. "Don't cry, little girl. Please don't cry."

He rocked her gently on his lap as he murmured tender words of love and pleas for forgiveness into her ear.

As her crying began to ease, she pressed her hot, moist cheek against his cool one. "Hold me tight," she begged. "Don't let go."

"I won't." Spike shook his head. "I'll never let you go again." There was so much he wanted to say to her, he hardly knew where to start. "I love you." He pulled away a little and kissed her cheeks and forehead, and then the sweet promise of her lips. "I love you so much."

Buffy began to smile. With her eyes closed, she let her head drop back, relishing the tender passion he was lavishing on her skin. "I love you, too," she said. "And I missed you...I was so afraid you'd never come back."

She opened her eyes, looking into his. "Promise me..."

"Anything," he replied.

"Promise you'll never leave me again. Even if we fight...or I'm being horrible and you hate me...just don't ever be where I can't find you...and bring you home."

Spike swallowed hard to ease the ache in his throat. "I'm home now, baby. Home for good...I promise."

Her smile widened. "Now, kiss me...and tell me you still love me."

"I love you." He pressed his lips against hers in what was possibly the gentlest kiss they'd ever shared. "I've always loved you." Lowering her slowly down to the mattress, he nuzzled the curve of her cheek. "I always WILL love you," he whispered in her ear. "Always."

Although just moments ago she'd wanted to die, his touch and his words were erasing all the pain and torment she'd lived with constantly for the past few weeks.

Her man was home now, and everything was going to be all right...

As soon as she told him her other news.

"I'll make a deal with you," she said, an impish smile on her face. "I have something else I need to tell you, and if you promise not to leave me again...I promise I'll spend the rest of my life making you glad you stayed."

He smiled back at her. "That's the best offer I've had in a long time," he said. "So, tell me, kitten."

A sudden and unexpected shyness turned her cheeks pink as she considered the best way of telling him that he was going to be a father. This would be the surprise to end all surprises.

Unable to find the right words, Buffy simply took his hand and placed it on her stomach, hoping he would understand what she was trying to tell him, and praying he'd be happy about it.

His initial look of confusion abruptly changed to shock and disbelief. He looked, she thought, as though he'd been hit in the back of the head with a shovel.

"N..no," he stammered, slowly shaking his head. "No...you CAN'T be."

"Maybe I can't be," she shrugged. "But I am."

"You're...you mean, you're..."

He seemed to need help finishing the sentence.

"With child," Buffy provided. "Knocked up..in the family way..got a bun in the..."

"PREGNANT??" He finally got the word out. "As in..as in...PREGNANT??"

Buffy had never seen him so flustered. "As in..I'm gonna have a baby," she said clearly

"A...a baby? You and me?"

She nodded. How cute was THIS? "And baby makes three."

The information actually began to penetrate into his head, and he felt himself grinning like an idiot. "I'm gonna be a father?"

Loving him even more for not even thinking of questioning the paternity of their child, Buffy nodded again. "Yes, you are."

"And you're gonna be a mother?"

"Well, that's usually the way it works."

He shook his head in wonder. "How'd it happen?" he asked, staring at her tummy as though it would provide the explanation.

She just gave him a look.

"All right, stupid question," he agreed. "But I meant...I mean...I'm a...and you're a...I thought we...couldn't."

"Me too," Buffy said. "Imagine my surprise."

"Imagine MINE." A sudden memory came to him. The dream he'd had. Willow had said... something...

"Hey you," Buffy snapped her fingers. "What are you thinking?"

His eyes focused again. "Willow. She told me something."

Buffy's brow furrowed. "What?"

"She said...she told me that it wasn't just about you anymore. That there was some- thing else...something special that I was going to miss if I didn't.."

"Didn't what?"

He looked into her eyes. "Go home. She told me that I had to go home."

"Wait a minute," Buffy said. "I don't understand. When did you see Willow?"

He told her everything that had occured in the hotel room. "She must have been talking about the baby."

Buffy nodded. "Sounds like it to me."

"But if that was it...why didn't she just come out and tell me?" he asked.

"Because," Buffy said, smoothing the crease in his forehead away with a gentle finger, "she wanted you to hear it from me. She knew that I would want to tell you."

They sat together in silence for a moment.

"So," Buffy said. "Are you happy about all this?"

He stared at her in disbelief. "Hell YEAH!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" she teased. "Getting the slayer pregnant."

"Damn straight I am!" he announced with that cocky smile she absolutely loved. "I'm gonna go down in history. First vamp ever to knock up a slayer!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Gee, honey...you've sure got a way with words."

He grabbed her arms and pulled her forward, kissing her long and hard. "I've got other words," he said. "Don't you worry about that."

"Hmm..you mean like...I love you?" she asked.

"That's right," he agreed. "I love you."

"And..I'm happy to be a Daddy?"

"Well, I thought that one went without saying, but yeah. Of course I am. Never thought I would be..."

"Uh-huh." She glanced at him, then looked away biting her lower lip to keep from giggling. "And then there's..where shall we have the wedding?"

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded. "Where...wedding?" He looked at her nervously. "Now, wait a minute," he backpedaled. "Let's not rush ahead here."

Buffy's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, turning his back to her. "Well, you know...marriage...that's a big step. S'pecially for a vampire, ya know?"

"I see." She gave him a speculative look. "Well," she added, "If that's the way you feel." She jumped off the bed and took off his shirt, tossing it to him, then tugged the hem of her t-shirt down. "I'm sure I can find another guy to help me out through this."

With a shrug of her shoulders, she turned to leave. "I wonder if Angel's still at the same number. He never..."

Her words were cut off by a possessive growl, and a firm hand grabbing her wrist and yanking her back down.

Sprawled across Spike's lap, she looked up with innocent eyes.

"Very funny," he said, giving her a light swat on the bottom.

"Well, YOU started it," she said accusingly. "Tea- sing a pregnant woman about not wanting to get married."

"If I ever hear the name "Angel" spoken in the same sentence that has ANYTHING to do with you or with our baby, he's not gonna be around long enough to even SAY "Will you marry me?" let alone actually do it," Spike said warningly.

Buffy grinned. "To even say...what?"

Pulling her up until she was cradled in his arms, he lowered his head and looked into her eyes, suddenly quite serious. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she nodded, happily. "I'll marry you."

He kissed her, then stood up and set her on her feet. "Let's go," he said, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the ladder.

"Where are we going?" she asked, a little surprised. Usually, when they were anywhere near a bed, leaving was the LAST thing he wanted to do.

"To get you a ring," he said, nudging her up the ladder ahead of him. "A ring with a great big diamond in it, so that every guy who sees you knows that you're spoken for."

"I think they'll know that when they see that I'm pregnant," she said, skipping to keep up with him as they left the crypt.

Spike stopped and looked at her. "The baby won't show for a while yet," he informed her, as though she had no idea what she was talking about. "You don't think I'm gonna wait that long to make you my wife, do you?"

"Well, I..."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You're mine. And I'm going to tie you to me every way that I can, with every vow, bond, promise, gold ring, and legally binding document I can devise. Permanently."

It was the best marriage proposal she'd ever dreamed of.

Part Four...

"They're just standing out there," Xander said, peering through the living room drapes. "Why are they doing that?"

Willow hit the mute button on the remote. "I expect they want to be alone," she said.

Dawn crept up behind Xander and poked him in the side. "Stop peeping, Tom, or I'll tell Anya about your secret stash of Playboy magazines."

Before Xander could reply, Anya walked in with a bowl of popcorn. "Those aren't his," she said brightly. "They're mine."

Everyone stopped and stared.

"What?" she asked defensively. "What did I say?"

Willow cleared her throat. "You have a secret stash of Playboy?" When Anya nodded, Willow said, "That's a men's magazine. I know I like it, but..."

"No, no," Anya said. "I'm not interested in the naked women. Good heavens, all I have to do is look in the mirror if I want to see a naked woman. Or, at you and Tara at the gym for that matter..."

Xander cleared his throat, tugging on his shirt collar. "Is it hot in here?"

"I read it for the sex advice," Anya continued. "For instance, did you know that there's nine different ways for a man to position his...."

"ANYA" Willow shouted her down, glancing at Dawn. "Can I have some of that popcorn?"

"Sure." Anya offered the bowl as Xander flopped down on the couch next to her.

Willow turned up the sound again, and they all sat and pretended to watch the movie.

Ten minutes crawled by, and the front door finally opened.

Five heads turned at the same time and five voices called "SPIKE!" as cheerfully as though he was their oldest and dearest friend who hadn't been seen around in ages.

He watched them warily. "Evening," he said, with a half wave.

Buffy was absolutely glowing with happiness, Willow noted. Just the way an expectant mother should be.

She towed Spike across the room and turned off the television, then began to reel off her various news bulletins.

Dawn was the only one legitimately shocked by any of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, Buffy closed the door behind Xander and Anya, then turned to Spike.

"It's getting late," she said, casting her eyes up the stairs.

"So it is," he said, then pointed one finger at Dawn, snoring on the sofa. "Can you handle her?" he asked. "I wanted to talk to Red for a minute."

"Mm-hmm," she said, kissing him lightly. "Just don't take too long."

He watched as she roused the sleeping teenager and guided her up the stairs, with Dawn mumbling protests that she wasn't tired and didn't want to go to bed yet.

Spike picked up two empty glasses and the popcorn bowl and took them into the kitchen, watching from the doorway as Willow wiped up the counters.

"Thanks," she smiled, taking the dirty dishes from him and placing them in the sink.

Spike folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorjamb. "You were really there, weren't you?"

She gave him an innocent look. "Really where?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Come on, Red. Don't play games. Somehow...you came to my hotel room in Washington, to tell me about Buffy. About why I had to come home."

Willow just smiled. "I haven't been out of Sunnydale in ages," she informed him. "And I've never been to Washington at all. Though I've always wanted to go there. See the great Pacific Northwest."

Spike looked her in the eye. "How did you know I meant the state of Washington, and not D.C.?" he asked, lifting one eyebrow.

But Willow wasn't as easily flustered these days. "Well, you couldn't have gotten back from DC so quickly," she explained. "You must have really been speeding as it was to get back as fast as you did."

Spike nodded. "I definitely broke some laws," he admitted.

"Good thing you didn't get stopped."

"Willow..." He sighed, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," he said. "You were right...I wouldn't have wanted to miss it."

Her cheeks reddened. "I told you...I haven't been out of..."

"I know, I know," he said, turning to leave. "Good- night."

"Goodnight," she replied.

Before the kitchen door swung shut behind him, he said, "Oh, by the way...that's a nice shade of lipstick you're wearing."

He winked at her, then went upstairs to Buffy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He opened the door quietly, and saw that she was in bed, waiting for him.

Completely naked, with the sheet strategically draped over the proper places.

>Well, I'll fix that right quick<

His body responded instantly, and he began to unbutton his shirt.

When it was completely undone, he kicked off his shoes and crossed the room to the bed.

"You sleepy, kitten?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Mmmm, a little," she admitted. "I haven't been sleeping all that great lately. Missing you, ya know."

"Me either," he said, stroking her hair. "You should go ahead and get some sleep, luv. You and the baby need it."

"Are you crazy?" she asked him, grabbing his hand and pulling him down. "Do you have any idea what kind of a tizzy a pregnant lady's hormones can get into when she's not being properly attended to by her man?"

"Tell me," he urged her.

"Oh, it's...positively dangerous," she whispered, nuzzling his ear and tracing her tongue along his jaw. "People have been known to...flee in terror."

"Is that a fact?" he murmured, stroking the soft skin of her upper arm. "Well, your man is home now...and he's more than ready to attend to your needs, darling."

She shook her head. "But he's wearing too much clothing," she scolded. "I like it better when he's completely naked.." Her voice dropped in tone. "All...over..." she whispered.

Buffy sat up and eased his shirt off, then reached for the buckle of his belt.

As she worked at it, he kept distracting her by fondling her bare breasts and rubbing her still flat tummy.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully.

She glanced at him. "What?"

"I just can't get over the fact that there's someone else inside of you...besides me, that is."

His zipper slid down easily, helped along by her fingers and the pressure his erection was placing on it.

Buffy shoved his pants down around his ankles, and he stepped out of them, kicking them away.

As she scooted back in the bed towards the headboard, he slowly crawled up over her, the lowered his head to capture her mouth in a wet, penetrating kiss.

Buffy moaned softly in her throat, and her hands came up to frame his face as she returned his kiss in full measure, sliding her tongue between his parted lips.

Without breaking their contact, she sent her hands down his sides, finding hard muscle and smooth skin.

Placing one hand on his rear, she wrapped the fingers of the other one lightly around his cock, feeling it jerk in her hands.

"Harder," he rasped. "Squeeze it."

Buffy obeyed, squeezing firmly and rubbing her thumb against the head, smearing the drops of clear fluid oozing out of him.

"Ah, god.." he said, lowering his head to her throat, probing it's soft hollow with his tongue. He'd nearly forgotten how delicious those little hands of hers were, and he couldn't believe he'd been stupid enough to think he could live without the feel of them on his body.

Loosening her fingers slightly, she began sliding her hand up and down his shaft, slowly at first, then faster.

Spike's head jerked up as he arched his back. "Yes, baby...that's it. Touch me...play with me..."

Her hand moved down and fondled the heavy mass of his scrotum, feeling them move in her fingers.

"Spread your legs a little more," he instructed. "Now, raise your knees."

When he had her in the position he desired, he moved down and applied his tongue to her cleft.

Buffy's breathing escalated when she felt him probing inside of her, thrusting his tongue in deeply, then almost all the way out.

"Mmmm," he moaned, kissing her inner thigh. "There's that taste I love. That sweet cream I can't get enough of."

His tongue began to flick rapidly back and forth across her clit, and he then licked up all the wetness that trickled out of her.

Buffy lifted her hips, crying out her love and her pleasure to him. "Spike...yes, baby. That's good...so good..."

He sat up suddenly, grabbing her hands and pulling her up along with him. They knelt together in the bed, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as they fell into another earth shaking kiss.

Spike reached down and pushed his cock between her thighs, sliding it back and forth, coating it in her slick fluid.

He placed his hands on her bottom and lifted her enough to position himself and push inside of her, sheathing his hardness in her soft, wet heat.

Buffy gasped at the feel of his invasion, and began to moan when he started to pump his hips up and down, bouncing her on his lap.

She wrapped her legs around him, and felt him lift her a little higher, until her breasts were level with his hungry mouth.

Extending his tongue, the touched the very tip of one nipple with it, then drew wet circles around it before he took it into his mouth and began to suckle her.

Soon, his baby would be here, taking its nourishment from the place that gave him so much pleasure.

He just hoped the baby would be willing to share.

Moving his mouth to her other breast, he gave it the same lavish treatment. Buffy's head dropped back, and she stared sightlessly at the ceiling. The sensations of him pushing his cock in and pulling it out, along with the hard sucking of her nipples, was almost more than she could bear.

She ground herself down on him, wiggling her hips, and eliciting a soft groan of pleasure from him, the sound vibrating against her sensitive nipple.

"Oh, god...yes..yes.." she panted. "Suck harder...yeah...like that..."

Every pull at her breast made her womb con- tract, and every thrust of his cock rubbed her clit in just the right spot.

"Faster," she whined, "fuck me faster...unh.. yes..yes.."

Without losing their connection, he somehow got her back down on the mattress. Her legs stayed wrapped tightly around his waist, as he began to pound into her with everything he had, doing it for her.

Buffy dug her nails into the churning muscle of his ass, and began to whisper in his ear.

"Yes, baby...that's so good...do it...do it...ohhh...I'm so close...Spike...I'm so close..."

"Gonna come?" he choked out. "Zat what you want...?"

"Yeah...yeah, that's it...make me come...oh, please...I gotta come...I gotta..."

"I'll make you come," he grunted, pouring it on, grinding and thrusting, pumping her life a machine. "Make you see stars..make my girl come..yeah.."

Bracing his weight on one arm, he sent his free hand down between them to find and play with her clit.

Buffy arched her back, thrusting her breasts up and Spike took immediate advantage, lowering his head again and clamping his mouth firmly around her nipple.

He sucked hard three times, and on the third one, Buffy's body reached its limit. With a loud cry she tried to muffle with her hand, she came, twisting and writhing beneath him.

The tightening of her pussy stimulated his shaft even more, and he began the fast, deep thrusts that would bring him off.

He felt that it was ready. Pulsing and throbbing inside of him, ready to be ejected from his body and into hers.

"Fuck...Buffy...I'm gonna come, baby...gonna come in you...your tight little pussy...gonna fill it up...gonna shoot it all in...unh..unh..."

Burying his face in the pillow beneath her head, he released himself, his cock twitching and spurting inside of her, every drop splashing the tender heat of her passage, cooling her.

His body was a tautly drawn bow, freezing for an instant, then slowly relaxing until he collapsed in her arms.

Buffy stroked and caressed him, whispering to him just how much she loved him, would always love him and only him.

Spike was incapable of answering her just then, but she didn't seem to mind. She was perfectly happy to let this moment be all for him.

They stayed that way for a while, content just to be.

When he finally came back to himself, he pulled away and looked at her, concerned.

"You don't think that would hurt the baby, do you?" he asked.

Boffy smiled, smoothing his hair back. "No. Baby's way too small right now. He's only just beginning to grow."

"He?" Spike teased.

"Or she," Buffy amended.

"Or them!" he added, grinning. "Maybe it's twins."

She groaned. "Don't say that. Let me have one to practice on before you start planning the next one."

With a sticky slide, he pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. Buffy turned on her side and threw her arm across his chest, and one leg over his.

They stayed that way, each of them lost in their own imagining of the future as they succumbed to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know," Tara said, snuggling up to Willow. "We might have to move out of here sooner than we'd planned."

"Why?" Willow asked. "The baby won't be here for months. We have plenty of time."

"Because if THAT," Tara pointed her thumb at the wall between their bedroom and Buffy's, "is going to go on every night, we're never gonna get any sleep."

Moving into Tara's arms, Willow shrugged.

"Well...you know the old saying; If you can't drown them out...join right in...oh..wait a second...that didn't come right at all, did it?"

THE END

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