Love Remember Me

Chapter 3

As Buffy lay in bed seven months later giving birth to their child, she screamed, begged, and pleaded for him to be there just so she could kick his undead ass.

“He has missed out on this entire pregnancy!” Buffy screamed as she pushed.

“He should be here. I should be biting him and not you,” she yelled looking at Xander.

Xander who had incurred most of the injuries in the delivery room, silently agreed as he backed away, holding his much bitten arm.  For once, he found himself desperately wishing that the “Bleached Wonder” were around.

“It’s ok, Buff. I can help from back here,” Xander called from his place against the wall. Buffy rolled her eyes at him, calling him a “sissy man” under her breath.

“One more push, Ms. Summers,” the doctor announced from his position between her legs. The room got ghostly quiet as Buffy pushed, her face turning red from exertion. Everyone seemed to hold his or her breath until at last a lusty cry was heard.

“It’s a girl!” the doctor said proudly, holding the squalling infant in his hands.

Buffy cried out and smiled, tears slipping silently down her face. The baby girl was cleaned up and wrapped in a sterile blanket by a nurse before being brought to her.

“Hello, little one,” she whispered, smoothing the tuff of white-blond hair from her forehead. The baby heard her mother’s voice and stopped crying. She opened her crystal clear blue eyes and stared at her.

“My God… you look just like your father,” she mused as she pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Mmm… I know what you are thinking. You want to know what your name is. Don’t you little one? If I was a good mommy, I would have had you named by now… wouldn’t I? Well, how about Katie? Does that work for you? Katie Amber Summers.”

The baby looked up at Buffy and yawned, raising her tiny fist in the air as if to say that was fine with her. Buffy cooed at her child as Katie fell to sleep in her arms.

Buffy watched her baby sleep, her tiny chest rising and falling with each breath she took into her small lungs. She smiled at her little miracle, her vision blurring as tears made their way down her face.

“I promise you, Katie, that I will be the best mommy in the whole world. I won’t let anyone hurt you… ever. I’m the slayer, dammit, and no one touches my baby. I love you, sweetie.” Buffy pressed another kiss to the baby’s head and held her close, promising all the things in the world to her.

*~*

Meanwhile, somewhere on the other side of the world, Spike was engaged in a fighting to the death. His chest and back were scratched and bleeding. His face was bruised, swollen, and dirty. He lay on his back his eyes closed.

“You have endured the required trials,” a chilling voice announced.

“Bloody right I have.” Spike struggled to get to his feet. Finally, he managed to pull himself upright, standing tall and proud. “So give me what I want. Make me what I was, so Buffy can get what she deserves.”

“Very well,” the demon replied.

“We will return your soul!” The demon’s hand shot out and landed on Spike’s chest. Spike cried out as the demon’s hand settled over his chest, the point where its hand lay was glowing bright; Spike’s eyes, too, were glowing as his soul was returned to his body.

*~*

Spike didn’t remember how he managed to get back to Sunnydale. But here he was, two years later, back in his old crypt. Clem had kept his promise and had left the place nice and clean. He had even stocked the fridge with blood and beer before Spike had come home.

Spike had been in emotional anguish since the return of his soul. He was constantly seeing everyone he had killed over the course of his vampire existence, hearing their taunting voices in his head, feeling the pain of their death. He felt remorse for every single person that he had hurt or killed. It was over whelming, driving Spike to the point of insanity. Half of the time, he would be talking to the voices reverberating in his head, scaring the hell out of the people around him.

He went out at night, never straying too far from his crypt for fear of running into Buffy. He didn’t want her to see him just yet…not like this. He wanted to wait until he had the right words and a sane mind to face her. His disgust with himself over what he had almost done to her in her bathroom nearly drove him to staking himself. His pain and anguish so intense that he knew even death wouldn’t make it go away.

He glanced down at himself, disgusted at the dirt and grime that marred his frame. He made his way down the ladder to his bedroom and into the makeshift shower he had. While he was washing his hair, he made a decision that he would see Buffy that night. She didn’t need to know he was there; he just needed to see her and make sure she was ok.

Little did he know things had changed dramatically since he had been gone.

*~*

“Ok, Katie, hold on. Mommy’s coming,” Buffy soothingly called out from her position in front of the stove, where she was quickly warming the baby’s food.

“Mama, Mama?” Katie called as she walked unsteadily into the kitchen.

“Honey, I said I was coming with your yummies,” Buffy said smiling indulgently at her daughter as she reached down and picked Katie up in her arms.

“Kiss,” Katie demanded, puckering her small lips. Buffy laughed and kissed her beautiful little girl.

“Who’s Mama’s baby?”

“Me!” Katie yelled, flinging her arms around Buffy’s neck.

Buffy laughed and finished getting Katie’s dinner ready. Together, they went to the dining room table and sat down, Katie in her high chair. She was 15 months old now and naturally, very curious. She was into everything: things she should be into, but more often than not, things she shouldn’t be into. Buffy chalked up that characteristic to being just like her father.

Katie was the spitting image of her father. Except for her nose, she looked just like him. Her blond hair was getting whiter and whiter making Buffy wonder if Spike even bleached his hair. Her eyes were still that deep blue that would change according to her moods.

She found Katie giving her looks that were so much like Spike that Buffy would start looking for him around the house. Katie would cock her head and say Mama as if she didn’t believe what Buffy was trying to tell her, another Spike characteristic. Buffy would roll her eyes and pick Katie up and swing her around, their laughter ringing through the halls.

Buffy took pictures of everything Katie did and had them scattered in various frames around the house. The living room was literally littered from top to bottom with everything Katie owned. Katie’s new favorite thing was Dora the Explorer and she would watch it religiously. She was afraid of Oobi and didn’t understand how hands could talk like that. Buffy would try to show her, but Katie would end up crying. So Dora it was and boy was it. Dora and Boots was the prominent theme in her house.

The only people home tonight were Buffy and Katie. Dawn was out at a friend’s house. Willow and Tara had moved out and were living together in Tara’s dorm, and Xander was out on a date. Buffy relished the time she had alone with her daughter. It was so amazing to her that she had this little person who was hers. Dawn was her sister, but Katie was all hers. She made Katie, she and Spike. She would gaze upon her daughter’s form while she slept and fall more in love with her with every passing moment.

After Katie had finished dinner, they sat down on the couch to watch a little TV. Katie had dozed off in Buffy’s arms and Buffy put her down on the couch, covering her with a blanket. She was just about to start cleaning the toys when the doorbell rang. She glanced quickly at the slumbering baby and went to the door. She opened it and looked outside.

“Hey, kid,” a man’s voice said, stepping away from the blanket of shadows.

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