Part 4:

Dawn stood in the kitchen, in complete awe. She had words forming in her head, but she couldn’t get her mouth to work to say them. Maggie had caught on to the nickname that Spike called Dawn.

“Hey- you called Auntie Dawn Lil’Bit. Sometimes she calls me that.” Maggie told Spike.

He smiled at the child. “Does she now?”

Buffy decided to intervene, before Dawn said something stupid to reveal more about Spike than Maggie knew. “Dawn, I just remembered something I need to show you in the living room…could you come with me please?”

Dawn followed Buffy, still staring at Spike the whole time. Maggie, thankfully, stayed in the kitchen with no protests, to talk to Spike more about England and the princesses that lived there. Once they reached the living room, Dawn’s mouth started working again.

“Buffy! Why didn’t you tell me he was back earlier?” She hissed at her older sister. “I mean, when did he get here? How long is he staying? Where has he been? Does he know about Maggie? Does Maggie know about him?”

“Slow down, Dawn. He had only been here about an hour when you called. We haven’t really had the chance yet to talk about where he’s been or why he’s back. But…” Buffy continued tentatively “I did tell him about Maggie.”

“You did? What did he say?”

“Well, as you would expect, he didn’t believe me. Well, he didn’t believe me at first. But I think he’s starting to. When I got off the phone with you, I found him in the hallway upstairs watching her play. I swear to you Dawn, he was just about to cry. I promised him that after dinner I would explain everything to him. But, Maggie doesn’t know anything yet, except that he’s a really nice person who helped her get home this afternoon.”

“Wow. Buffy. I can’t believe you are being this calm about him coming back. Part of me is really glad to see him, and the other part of me want to smack him and ask him why he left like he did.”

“I’m right there with you little sis.” Buffy gave her sister a half-smile. “Oh, that does remind me, though, will you go upstairs to your room and get the book? I’ll need it when I talk to him after dinner.”

“Sure Buffy, I’ll be right back.”

Buffy walked quietly back into the kitchen. Maggie and Spike were sitting, facing each other on the bar stools at the kitchen counter. She was firing question after question at him, just like an inquisitive child would be expected to. Spike looked up to see Buffy standing there, but she motioned for him to stay where he was, she didn’t want to interrupt the Spanish Inquisition between father and daughter. Spike just smirked at her, and listened intently to Maggie’s questions and observations.

For a few moments, Buffy just stood in the doorway, looking at Spike. *He hasn’t changed a bit.* He looked exactly as she remembered, with his strong muscular frame, bleach blonde hair, and trademark black apparel. He was still the beautiful vampire (man?) she’d secretly fallen for all those years ago. Buffy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice Spike staring at her in much the same way that she was staring at him.

He was trying his best to listen to Maggie, and answer her questions when she presented them. But mostly, he was looking over her little head at Buffy. * She’s even more beautiful now, if that’s even possible* he thought to himself, while letting a smile creep to his lips. He gazed at her, noting how she had aged over the last five years. Well, not exactly aged, he noted, just grown up. She still had the same petite frame, the same tiny features, the same blonde hair. But something in her eyes told him that she’d done a lot of growing up in his absence, and he figured that the small child sitting before him was the main cause for the changes he could see in Buffy.

Just as their eyes locked on each other, Dawn bounded through the doorway and interrupted the moment. “Here Buff- I found the book you needed from my room. What’s for dinner?” Dawn asked as she slipped past Buffy and placed a thick leather bound book on the counter.

Spike and Buffy both snapped out of their gaze, and Buffy moved to get place settings for dinner from the cabinet. “Um, tonight’s Italian, Dawn… spaghetti and salad- it’s all I really had time for considering our little “incident” this afternoon” Buffy said while looking pointedly at her daughter.

“Well, it sounds great. I’m starving. I didn’t think we’d ever get out of Lit class tonight.” Dawn said as she moved to the dining room with Maggie.

Spike stopped Buffy before she followed them. “Pet, I think that I should leave for a little while- give you time to enjoy your dinner with your family.”

“What? No! Spike you promised you’d stay and we could talk. Where are you going?”

“Calm down, Love, I’ll come back in a little while… if you want me to, that is. I just…need to find a place to stay. I was planning on doing that shortly after I got into town today, but then the Bite-Size in there sort of altered my plans.”

“Well- you could stay here, in Dawn’s old room….” Buffy started.

“No Buffy. I don’t think that’s a great idea. Not right now anyway. I mean, how would you explain that to Maggie?”

“I guess you’re right. But you’ll come back after dinner? I really want us to talk tonight Spike. There’s so much I need to tell you.”

“Of course, Love. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Kiss Nibblet and Bite- size goodnight for me, and tell them I’ll see them soon.”

Buffy entered the dining room, and found questioning eyes from both girls seated there. “Mommy, where’s Will-yum? I though he was gonna eat with us.” Maggie inquired. Dawn just shot Buffy another questioning glare that mirrored Maggie’s question.

“Well, sweetie, he had an errand to run, but he’s coming back a little later.” This answer seemed to appease both Maggie and Dawn, and the three Summers girls shared a relatively normal dinner. Following dinner, Maggie went to her room to play while Dawn and Buffy cleaned up.

“So, where did he have to go that was so important?” Dawn asked.

“He went to find somewhere to stay. I told him he could stay here, but he didn’t think that was such a hot idea. Didn’t want to confuse Maggie and all…”

“Yeah, well, Buffy, he’s probably right. I mean, what are you going to tell her about him?”

+ + + + + + + + + +

A little while later, Dawn had left Revello drive to go back to her dorm, and Buffy was tucking Maggie into bed. She decided she had to tell her daughter something about Spike, even if it wasn’t yet the whole truth.

“Maggie, do you remember when William told you that he was coming here to find an old friend of his?”

“Yes, Mommy, why?”

“Well, William is actually one of Mommy’s old friends. I am the person he was coming here to look for. We were friends before you were born, and then he went away for a while, and we lost touch.”

“Kind of like Daddy?”

Buffy’s heart skipped a few beats. “Yes, sweetie, kind of like Daddy. But William is coming back tonight, so that he and I can chat and catch up.”

Maggie’s brow furrowed for a moment, then her eyes brightened and she smiled. “So, Mommy… if he was your friend, and now he’s my new friend, can we keep him?”

Buffy smiled. “We’ll see. Now you go to sleep. Good night Little Bit.”

“ Good. I like Will-yum. Night Mommy.” Maggie said, as she clutched her “count” doll and drifted off to dreamland.

+ + + + + + + + + +

Spike’s timing was perfect; he knocked on the front door just as Buffy descended the stairs. She opened the door, still a little awe-struck that he was really back.

“You just missed bedtime, Spike. I think Maggie was a little sad that she didn’t get to tell you good night, so I guess I’ll just have to tell you for her.” Buffy told him as they moved into the kitchen.

Spike smiled. “So, she’s already asleep, then?”

“Yes. Well, hopefully. But I’ll go up to check on her in a while… you can go with me if you want. I told her that you were coming back.”

“Ok.” Spike replied. “So, Love, I guess we have some catching up to do?”

Buffy reached for the book that Dawn brought her earlier. “You have no idea, Spike.” She led him into the living room, and settled into a comfortable spot on the sofa, inviting Spike to sit with her. “Let’s see…” she began, “ I guess to get to the beginning, I should start in the middle.”

“Love, that doesn’t really make a lot of sense.”

“Just stay with me. It will. I hope.”

(TBC)

Part 5

Notes: It’s finally here… how Maggie came to be! This chapter (and possibly the next few chapters) will flashback and forth between season 6 and the year 2007 (which is when the story is taking place). I hope it won’t be too confusing. Thanks to all of you fantastic readers who are reviewing. Your wonderful reviews are keeping me on target :)

+ + + + + + + + + + +

Buffy took a deep breath, getting ready to tell Spike how Maggie had “happened”. “Ok, Spike. Here’s how it happened. This may get a little confusing, but I’ll do my best to explain.”

“Ok, Buffy.” He gave her a reassuring smile as she started to describe events that unfolded five years earlier.

“Alright then. We have to start in the middle, with me finding out I was pregnant, to get to the beginning, of how it happened- well, not exactly how it happened, because we both know *how *- but you know what I mean…”

Spike just smirked as Buffy rolled her eyes and started telling him the story.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

Buffy walked out of the training room at the Magic Box, to find Willow and Xander sitting at the table, staring at a large pile of books.
”Whatcha doing, guys? I don’t remember there being anything around that we needed to go into research-mode over.”

Willow looked up at Buffy, and noticed that she looked a little pale. “There’s not. That’s just the thing, though. Doesn’t it seem a little strange that we haven’t seen anything resembling a Big Bad lately? I mean, we do still live on the Hellmouth, right?”

“Yeah, I never thought I’d say this, but life is a little boring without some nasties to research and hunt down. Guess my Big-Bad non wedding scared them all away.” Xander laughed a little bitterly, and tried to change the subject that he really didn’t mean to bring up. “Buff, are you ok? You’re looking a little pale these days.”

“Yeah, sure, I’m fine.” Buffy said as she swayed a little, lost her balance and flopped rather ungracefully down on the nearest chair. “Or, maybe I feel just a little woozy. I probably just have one of those 24 hour bugs or something.”

“Buff- I don’t ever remember you being sick before. Don’t Slayers have some sort of, like, super hero immune system or something that goes along with your super healing powers?”

Buffy rolled her eyes at Xander. “I guess. But I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe I’m just a little tired from working so much lately, or maybe I just picked up some Doublemeat germs or something.” They all laughed lightly at the mention of the DMP.

“Well, Buffy, since there’s not really anything to research or slay tonight, why don’t you go home and get some rest? Xander and I can take Dawn out for pizza and an movie, and you can have the whole house to yourself. Maybe you’ll feel better after a long bath and some extra sleep.”

“You know Will, that actually does sound like an excellent idea. Are you guys sure that you didn’t have other plans tonight? I hate to feel like I’m pushing Dawn duty off on you.”

“We don’t mind at all Buffy. You go, and get some rest”

With that, Buffy headed out the door and toward home. Once there, she filled the tub with warm water, adding in some of her favorite vanilla bubble bath, and grabbed her newest copy of Cosmo from her room. As she settled into the water, she realized that reading in the bath was *not * going to work. She tossed the magazine to the floor and proceeded to enjoy her bath. Once out, she plucked the magazine from the floor and strolled to her room, deciding to read it while she was snuggled into her bed.

While flipping through the pages, she stopped on an article that for some odd reason caught her attention. The headline drew her in… “True story: Surprise pregnancies in the new millennium” She was reading it and was totally engrossed in the women’s stories, before she even realized it. Buffy read one girl’s story and made a noise that sounded something like a cross between a snort and a laugh when she read the line “I didn’t even realize I was pregnant until I was about 4 months along. I was always so active that it didn’t even occur to me that I’d missed my cycle all those months.” * Ha * Buffy thought, *What kind of dummy doesn’t realize when they’ve missed FOUR months in a row?*

She suddenly felt very sick to her stomach, and left the book lying there while she ventured to the kitchen to find something to settle the queasiness she felt. When Buffy returned to her room with Saltines and Ginger Ale, he eyes fell back on the article she’d been reading. …it didn’t occur to me that I’d missed all those months… Buffy’s eyes darted back and forth between the book, the calendar on her wall, and the glass of ginger ale in her hand, while trying to push away the waves of nausea she still felt.

“No.” She said out loud to herself. “There’s no way. Absolutely no way. Is there?” Looking at the clock, she knew she had at least two more hours before Dawn and Willow would be home. Buffy jumped up, grabbed on the first clothes she picked up, and headed out to the nearest drug store.

The next morning, she woke up before anyone else in the house, on purpose. She’d taken two tests the night before, but they’d both said that you get the most reliable results if you take the test first thing in the morning. So, first thing in the morning it was, and Buffy found herself sitting in her bathroom, staring at two more little white wands balanced precariously on the edge of the sink. One sported two little blue lines, one stared back at her with a pink plus sign; both gave her the same results as the two tests from the night before.

She heard someone stirring in the hallway, then a soft knock on the door. Willow’s voice called through the door “Buffy? Are you ok? You’re up awfully early…”

Buffy cracked the door open, and motioned for Willow to come in. “No, Will, I’m not really ok. And I’m not too sure how to tell you this…”

“Buffy, what’s wrong?”

“Well, remember how you and Xander were bummed that there was nothing to research? I think I’ve found something. You see, for the past few months, Spike and I have been… well, together. And now…” Tears sprang to Buffy’s eyes as she became light headed again.

“Buffy, you’re scaring me. What’s up, and why would we need to research anything about you and Spike, although I can’t really say I’m shocked by this revelation.”

Buffy motioned to the two little wands on the sink.

“Oh.” Was all that Willow could manage to say.

“Yeah. Do that for about ten more hours and you’ll be about where I am. Well, minus the being pregnant with a vampire’s child and all.”

“What are you going to do, Buffy?”

Buffy started to cry. Willow hugged her best friend, and led her back to her room. “Buffy, you know that you can tell me as much or as little about this as you need to. I promise that I won’t judge you. I mean, I’m the last person who should be judging anyone these days.”

Buffy calmed down, and told Willow the whole story. Everything from how she and Spike first got together, to how she’d recently broken up with him and told him that being with him was killing her. “But ,Will, I miss him. I need him, a part of me has always needed him I think. And this baby is a part of us. No option other than having this baby ever entered my mind.”

“So, when are you going to tell him?”

“I- I don’t think I can tell him. Willow, he won’t believe me. I don’t even know how this is possible. Vampires aren’t supposed to be able to… will you help me find out how this could have happened? In the meantime I think I need to go to the doctor, and make sure everything is alright, and then once I’ve got more facts, I’ll tell him.”

“Sure, Buffy. What ever you need. You know I’ll help however I can. Xander will too. He’ll probably be a little wigged at first, but he’ll just have to get over it.”

“Thanks Willow. So I guess we should head over to the Magic Box and get started on reading some dusty old books, huh?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The girls and Xander plundered through the books all week, after Buffy broke the news to Dawn, who took it amazingly well. The four friends sat around the table, scouring every volume that Giles had left behind, looking for anything that could explain Buffy’s “delicate” condition. Buffy had managed to get an appointment with her doctor, who confirmed what the four home tests had already told her. She was indeed pregnant. About four months along, she’d told Buffy, and the baby seemed to be in perfect condition. She even went ahead and did the first sonogram, producing the first official “picture” of Buffy’s baby. The baby wasn’t turned the right way in the first sonogram to tell the gender, but Dr. Birch had told Buffy that they would try again on her next visit. The picture from Buffy’s sonogram was lying on the table one night as Spike came breezing through the back door of the Magic Box.

“Well, hello, lovelies.” He said as he strolled toward the table, taking in the sight of Buffy, Willow, and Dawn all with their nose in a book. “What’s going on that has you three up to your ears in research at this late hour?”

“Not much, just researching the latest weirdo occurrences in Sunny-D, that’s all” Buffy said lightly as she stood up and faced him, trying to ever-so-slyly slide the sonogram picture off the table and into her pocket. “What brings you around to annoy us while we are busy doing actual work?”

“Well, you know, pet, I wasn’t actually coming to annoy. I was walking by, and saw the lights on, and thought it was rather late for the Scoobies to be researching, so I thought I’d see if I could help. I see now that was a mistake.” He started for the door.

“Spike, come back” Dawn called. “You probably can help us.” Buffy shot Dawn a warning glare.

“No, Lil’Bit. I think big sis has made it all too clear that I’m really not needed. So I’ll just go.” He turned when he reached the door. “Night ‘Bit, Red…. Slayer.”

Buffy cringed and looked away when he called her Slayer. She couldn’t really remember him calling her that in the last few months. It had always been ‘pet’ or ‘love’ or even ‘Buffy’. Not ‘slayer’, not recently. When she turned back around, he was gone.

“Buffy, you should have told him” Dawn instructed.

“I know” she replied, as tears formed in her eyes and fell down her cheek.

“Oh! Buffy look! I think I found something… this has to be it. I mean, it describes the two of you exactly.”

Buffy turned her teary gaze to Willow. “What is it, Willow?”

“A prophecy… it seems that you’ve fulfilled yet another one of these cryptic prophesies. I think.”

+ + + + + + + + +

“Wait.” Spike interrupted Buffy’s story. “That night. The night I left. You knew then that you were pregnant with our baby?”

“Yes” Buffy whispered.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Buffy, I never would have left if I had known.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly know that when you said ‘I’ll just go’ you meant for good!”

“You still should have told me. I mean, I was right there, for crying out loud, and you couldn’t even bother to say, ‘Oh by the way, I’m carrying your child’?”

“Would you have believed me if I had just blurted it out like that?” Buffy glared at him.

“Well, probably not. But you still could have told me, and then worried about convincing me later.”

Buffy could tell Spike was hurt that she hadn’t told him that night. “Look, Spike, I’m sorry. Ok? Of all the really stupid things I’ve ever done, not telling you that night ranks as number one in my book. But you know now. And I have all this stuff to show you” she reached for the book on the coffee table. Just then, a shrill cry pierced the night and Buffy and Spike both jumped up at the sound coming from upstairs.

“Mommy!! Mommy! Monsters, hurry!!”

They both bolted up the stairs, immediately forgetting the impending argument they were about to have. They reached Maggie’s room, and found her lying in her bed, kicked out from under the covers, and squinching her eyes tightly as she fought off monsters in her sleep. Buffy sat on the edge of her daughter’s bed and gently gathered the child in her arms, while Spike watched from just inside the doorway. Maggie immediately clung to Buffy, still sleepy-eyed and crying.

“Shh, baby. Mommy’s here. What happened? Did you have a bad dream?”

Maggie nodded. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“I was lost, and couldn’t find my way home, and there were big green monsters and ugly white ghosts everywhere, and they chased me, and said that they would take me away and that I’d never see you again.”

“Well, it was just a bad dream, sweetie. I’m right here. And I’ll never, ever let anything happen to you.”

Maggie opened her eyes and looked at Buffy. “I know Mommy.” She caught a glimpse of Spike’s blonde head over Buffy’s shoulder. “Will-yum! You came back!” Buffy turned and saw him standing there, and motioned for him to come into the room.

“I did, pet. So what’s this I hear about monsters sneaking into your sweet little dreams?”

“They were mean, and ugly.” She told him.

He reached out and stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. “Well, I’ll just have to see if I can’t find those mean monsters, and have a little chat with them. Tell them I won’t have them interrupting your dreams anymore.”

“You can do that?”

“I’ll certainly try.” He assured her.

Buffy tucked Maggie back into her bed, and she and Spike both kissed her forehead and watched as she drifted effortlessly back into sleep, before sneaking quietly back into the hallway.

“So, love, about this prophecy…”

Buffy nodded and led Spike back downstairs to fill him in on the rest of the story.

Part 6

Notes: Thank you to everyone who’s been reviewing this story and telling me to hurry up and update! I’ve been very sick and have just started to feel up to writing again. Sorry for the delay, but hopefully things are back on track now. There’s a whole lot left to this story (I think…) and I hope you’ll stick with me till the end :) Thanks again for the wonderful reviews and the encouragement to write faster. Hopefully the next update won’t take as long as this one did…

Spike rolled over in his bed and squinted against the thin ray of sunshine that was creeping in through the crack in the curtains. He promptly rolled the other way, out of bed, and walked around the bed to close the small slit in the curtains. Much to his chagrin, the curtains would not stay closed. The tiny crack kept reappearing, directing the single ray of sunlight to the precise spot on the bed where he’d been laying. Finally he was so frustrated with the process, he pulled a chair over to the window and used it to trap the curtains closed.

* Ha! * he thought smugly *even a wayward window covering can’t foil the sleep plans of the Big Bad.*

As he crawled back in bed and snuggled under the covers, he wondered if his little Maggie was still snug in her bed, or if she’d already woken up to find some new adventure for the day. Judging by the way Buffy was trying to stifle a yawn when he left her house the night before, he hoped for her sake that Maggie was still asleep. He smiled to himself as these thoughts invaded his head. The Big Bad has a daughter, who in the span of a couple of hours already had him wrapped around her little finger. Well, that could certainly put a crimp in the whole “I’m evil, Grrr.. Argh…” persona.

Across town, a very stealthy five year old snuck into her mother’s room virtually undetected. Of course, when your mother is the Vampire Slayer, with all those heightened senses, it’s quite a trick to get away with much of anything. Rather than spoil her daughter’s attempt, and actually a little curious as to what she was going to do, Buffy lay perfectly still and kept her eyes closed as Maggie approached her bed.

Maggie climbed up onto Buffy’s bed and lay down, facing her. She then took her little hand and started patting Buffy’s cheek, whispering “Mommy, wake up, Mommy”. When she received no response from her whispers, her voice grew louder, and a little more demanding. “Mommy Mommy Mommy… it’s time to wake up!” Buffy opened her eyes and looked into her daughter’s smiling face.

“Good morning, my sweet little bit. Did you sleep ok?” Buffy asked as she noted the time on her alarm clock: 7 a.m. Maggie excitedly nodded her response as Buffy yawned. “Well, what do you say we snuggle back into Mommy’s warm bed and sleep a little longer this morning, and then we’ll go have a picnic in the park later?”

“Ok!” Maggie crawled under the covers and curled up next to Buffy. “After we go to the park, can we go see Will-yum?”

Buffy hesitated before saying, “No, baby, I think he had a lot to do today. But he’s coming back over tonight because we still have some things to catch up on. So you can see him then. You really like him, don’t you?”

“Yes. He was in my dream last night. I started having that dream again where the monsters chase me, but he came and told them to go away, just like he promised. And they left and I only had happy dreams after that.”

“Well then you’ll have to tell him about that when he comes over later. I’m sure he’ll be very glad to know he saved you in your dream.” Every night I save you…she remembered his words vividly. Buffy held her daughter close, and they drifted back to sleep, both having sweet, yet quite different, dreams of Spike.

+ + + + + + +

While a young mother and her daughter enjoyed a picnic in the park, a sleepy bleach-blonde vampire was finally waking up to start his “day”. Spike looked at the clock and knew that he had several hours to kill before time to go back over to Buffy’s, and he had no idea how he planned to waste the time.

He sat up, propped against the headboard and took in his surroundings. The Sunnydale Inn was one place that had most definitely changed since he’d left. He remembered driving past the place years ago and noting how disgusting it looked. Now, it was one of the nicer places to stay in the small California town. It was nicely furnished with cushy beds and soft linens, with pretty carpets on the floors and marble in the bathroom. He wasn’t sure who had taken over management of the place, but he had to give them credit for a job well done. He hadn’t told Buffy where he would be staying, and he briefly wondered if she would be surprised at this choice of accommodations. * She probably thinks I just moved right back into the crypt when I came back * he thought. Funny what a little time in nicer surroundings would do to a person.

A snort escaped his nose as Spike thought Oh yeah, I’m the Big Bad, alright- sitting an almost posh Inn wondering what my precious little girl is up to today and counting the hours till I see her again. Oh well…

As he warmed up his breakfast in the little microwave in his room, he thought back over the events of the past 24 hours. When he decided to come back to Sunnydale, Spike had assumed that he wouldn’t find things exactly as he’d left them. But never in his unlife did he expect to come back and find Buffy with their daughter, and seeming to be so happy with the child and the prospect of him being back. He’s expected her to be angry with him, throw a few punches, tie him up and make him explain exactly where he had been for the last five years, and then make him earn his way back into her good graces. And he’d actually been prepared for that. But now… she seemed to welcome him with almost open arms. It was all very strange. She hadn’t even so much as asked him where he’d been or why he chose now to come back, much less demanded anything from him. Spike had to admit he was a little unnerved by the whole situation.

And then he thought back over all the things he’d missed. Taking care of Buffy while she was pregnant. Watching her grow into that cute little pregnant figure that he was sure she’d had (he just knew that she was probably the most beautiful pregnant lady that ever lived). Being there to hold her hand when Maggie was born, to soothe her and tell her the pain would be over soon. She’d promised him that she would tell him all about it, but a part of him was a little sad that he’d missed it nonetheless. Then he thought about Maggie. He’d missed her first word, her first step, all her first holidays. Maggie was the only child that he’d ever have, and he missed all those things.

Just then, he made up his mind that he would explain everything to Buffy and beg her to let him be a part of their lives from now on. He just couldn’t bear to miss anymore of Maggie’s life.

+ + + + + + +

Buffy and Maggie came through the back door, Buffy carrying all of their stuff from the park earlier. Maggie skipped into the kitchen, totally ignoring the fact that Buffy was struggling with the picnic basket and all of her toys that she’d insisted on bringing to the park.

“That was the most fun picnic ever, Mommy!” the child exclaimed.

“Well, baby, I’m glad that you had fun. Now go on upstairs and I’ll be up soon to tuck you in for your nap.”

Maggie stomped her little foot on the floor. “I don’t want to take a nap.”

“You have to take a nap.”

“But Mommy…” she pleaded, as crocodile tears welled in her eyes. “If you make me take a nap, I’ll miss him.”

“Miss who, sweetie? It’s not time to watch the Count yet. Remember, he comes on at 4.”

“No, not the Count, Mommy, Will-yum. He’s coming to see you, isn’t he? And if I’m asleep I won’t get to see him. Will you make him stay, please?”

Buffy smiled. Maybe telling Maggie about her father was going to be easier than she’d anticipated. “Maggie, he’s not coming until just before dinner. You’ll be up and I promise you’ll get to see him. Now, up to your room for a nap, Little Bit. I’ll be up in a minute.”

A huge grin broke over the child’s face, and she skipped happily up to her room for her nap. Buffy was amazed at how accepting of Spike Maggie had been. But still, she was a little apprehensive about telling her that he was her father. She just wasn’t sure how to do it. But Spike was back now, and he could help her find the right way to tell her. At that moment, when Maggie was so happy to know that Spike was coming back, Buffy decided that after they had caught up on everything, she would make sure that Spike would stay with them, and be a part of their lives. He had already missed so much of Maggie’s childhood, and Buffy didn’t want him to miss anymore.

{Next}