Part 8:

Buffy hurried around the kitchen, trying to decide what to cook for dinner. Her mind was in a thousand places all at once and she felt like she was going on auto-pilot as she moved around the kitchen. Her thoughts were suddenly pulled out of nowhere when the phone rang.

She was a little relieved to hear Willow’s friendly voice on the other end of the line. After chatting for a few minutes Buffy decided it was time to tell Willow about Spike. Willow reacted as only Willow could…she started babbling on, reminding Buffy of everything Spike had done in the past, and wondering why he’d picked now to come back, and wondering where he’d been for the last five years.

Buffy interrupted her babbling. “Willow, stop. How many times have I said that I wished he was here, that he wasn’t missing so much of Maggie’s childhood?”

“Well, a lot of times but, Buffy, but are you really sure that this is a good idea? Have you told Maggie yet?”

“No, I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to tell her yet. But Will, she already thinks the world of him. I’m going to talk to him and see how he thinks we should tell her.”

“Well, I’m sure that you’ll do what’s best for Maggie. This still seems a little weird, Buffy. I mean, you don’t even know where he’s been or what he’s been up to…”

Buffy sighed. “Will, I know you have reservations. I do too. But I’m asking him to trust me in all of this, and I think that trusting him is the least I can give in return. I just need your support.”

Buffy could tell that Willow was getting choked up when she started to speak again. “Buffy, I’m sorry. Maybe if we had all been more supportive of you in the beginning none of this would ever have happened. He might never have left and Maggie wouldn’t have spent all these years not having her father in her life…”

“No, Willow. Please don’t do this. None of what happened was your fault, and what’s done is done. But now I have to focus on what I can do to make this right. And this feels right.”

“Well, then, I’m happy for you. If there’s anything I can do you’ll tell me, right?”

“Of course I will.” Buffy reassured Willow. “You’re still coming for Maggie’s party next week, right?”

“I’m going to try. We’ve had some weird stuff come up at the school, but I’ll know for definite by the weekend. You’ll give her my love?”

“Sure thing Will. Listen, I’ve got to go. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

Just as Buffy hung up the phone and went back to her dinner decision, she was interrupted again by a knock on the front door. She didn’t even have to look at the clock to know that it was time for Spike to arrive.

She went to the door and swung it open with a grin. Spike was standing there holding a bouquet of flowers; tiny sterling roses, sweet Williams, freesia, and stargazer lilies, all tied with a simple purple ribbon. Buffy’s smile grew even wider as she exclaimed “Oh, Spike! You didn’t have to bring those flowers for me.”

Spike smirked. “Actually, pet… I didn’t. These are for Maggie.” He watched as the pout that he loved so much replaced her huge grin.

“Oh,” was all she could reply.

Spike then brought his other hand out from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of blood red roses. “These, love, are for you.” And there was the smile he loved even more. Buffy blushed as she took the flowers and closed the door behind him. She led the way to the kitchen, and Spike followed, noting how quiet the house was.

“So, I was just getting ready to cook dinner. Any suggestions?” Buffy grinned as she went about gathering pots and pans from the cabinets.

“Um, what do you know how to cook?” Spike looked away when Buffy shot him an evil look. “What? I never knew you to cook much of anything, except for that one Thanksgiving that you insisted on making a big feast. And even then I wasn’t allowed to eat, so how do I know you’re any good at this domestic, Betty Crocker bit?”

Buffy smiled. “Ok. Point taken. But I’m actually not bad at the Betty Crocker bit. Maggie actually eats most of what I cook for her.”

“Probably just ‘cause she doesn’t know any better” Spike joked. “Where is Bitty Buffy anyway?”

“She’s upstairs taking her nap.” Buffy told him over her shoulder. “I had the hardest time even getting her to go down for a nap. She was afraid she’d miss your visit. Like I’d just let her sleep right though you being here or something.”

“Really? So how’d you get her to go to sleep?”

“I had to promise her that you’d still be here when she woke up. When I promised not to let you leave without seeing her she finally agreed to take her nap. I was just about to go get her up when you got here.” Buffy told Spike. “I guess I’d better go do that now, or she’ll never go to sleep tonight at bedtime.” Buffy walked around the island toward the door. When she reached the door, Spike stopped her.

“Wait, Love, can I do it?”

“Can you do what?” Buffy asked, turning to face him.

“Can I go wake her up from her nap? Unless you think it would scare her for someone different to wake her.”

“No, I don’t think it would scare her. If you really want to do it, you can.”

Spike beamed with a genuine, happy smile that Buffy had rarely seen on his face. As he made his way down the hall toward the stairs, Buffy called after him “Just a warning, Spike… she’s not really a ‘morning’ person.”

“Neither am I, pet, neither am I” he called back, before running up the stairs.

+ + + + + + +

Spike peeked into Maggie’s room and tried to be as quiet as he could be as he went into her room. He watched her sleep for a minute. Spike thought back to his first impression of her when he found her the day before, he’s thought she looked like an angel. And he thought she surely looked like a little angel when she slept. So peaceful and pretty, without the slightest hint that she had a worry in the world.

He sat down on the edge of her bed, and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Maggie’s hand came up to swat at her forehead, trying knock away what ever was bothering her in her sleep. “Maggie… it’s time to wake up” he cooed softly.

Spike watched as her eyes fluttered open and she squinted to look at him.

Suddenly she opened her eyes all the way and a smile spread across her face as her eyes started to twinkle. “Will-yum!” She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a huge hug. Spike hugged her back “Mommy promised that you would be here when I woke up. Did she tell you that you were in my dream?” she asked.

“No, she didn’t. Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

Maggie told him about her dream and how he saved her from the monsters. Then she went on to tell him about her picnic at the park and everything she’d done that day. Spike just sat there, holding her in his lap and smiling at all of the things she thought of to tell him. She finally ran out of things to tell him about and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you came back, Will-yum. Will you tell me a story later? And can we color pictures and watch tv?”

“Well, Bit, we’ll see what your Mum says about all of that. But now we need to go downstairs, because she’ll start to worry about us if we don’t get down there soon. And, I think you might find a surprise with your name on it in the kitchen.”

Maggie’s eyes lit up as Spike swooped her up in his arms to take her downstairs. As they went into the kitchen, Maggie spotted the flowers on the counter. “You brought my Mommy flowers,” she said to him.

Spike reached out with one hand and grabbed the small bouquet. “Yes, I did, but not these. These are for you,” he said as he handed her the flowers tied with the purple ribbon. She tightened her arms around him again.

“Thank you Will-yum.” She turned to look at Buffy. “Mommy, did you see? He brought me flowers and they are purple. I love purple!” she exclaimed.

“I know baby. William is a very nice friend to bring you such a sweet surprise. Do you want to watch some TV with him while Mommy finishes dinner?” She could tell by the look on Spike’s face that he didn’t mind, although she would have to make sure he didn’t try to let their 5 year old watch Passions.

The two retreated to the living room to watch tv while Buffy stayed in the kitchen, preparing dinner. A little while later, they heard a crash in the kitchen, followed by a loud “Spike, help!”

Spike told Maggie to stay where she was, as he ran into the kitchen to see what Buffy was yelling about. Spike found her standing over the sink, clutching a dish cloth in her hand. There was a large knife laying in the sink, and blood was dripping from her hand. “Good Lord, pet, what did you do?” He asked as he unwrapped her hand and wiped up some of the blood dripping down her fingers.

Tears started to leak from Buffy’s eyes and she told him “I was just slicing some lemons, and the knife slipped and I cut my hand. It really hurts, Spike.”

“I’m sure it does, pet. You probably got lemon juice in it. But I don’t think it’s as bad as you think it is… here, look at it” he told her as he turned on the faucet to wash out her cut. Once the blood washed away she could see that it really was only a tiny cut, one that with a band-aid would probably heal over night. The sound of little feet made them turn their attention to Maggie as she entered the kitchen.

“Mommy, why did you call Will-yum Spike?” the child asked, not being phased a bit by the blood on the towel that Buffy still held onto.

“Um, because that’s kind of his nickname, sweetie. You know, like Auntie Dawn calls you Lil’Bit. When we were friends a long time ago I called him Spike.” Buffy explained.

“But *why *?” Maggie asked again.

Buffy looked at Spike, knowing that she couldn’t tell her the real reason his name was Spike. Spike decided to intervene. “Well, Bit, see how my hair is kind of spikey? Well, it was like that way before you were born, too, and some people just started calling me Spike because of it.”

“Oh.” She said, and frowned a little. “I thought you called him Spike because he had spikey teeth, like the count has. You do have them, don’t you? Can I see them?” she asked innocently.

Buffy paled, and Spike lost what little color he had to begin with. Buffy looked from Spike to Maggie, not really sure what to say. Finally, she croaked out “Maggie, what are you talking about? What kind of a question is that?”

Maggie looked like she might cry as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t know she’d said anything wrong, so she said “I’m sorry Mommy. I thought all vampires had fangy teeth like the Count. Will-yum’s not a vampire like the Count?”

Buffy and Spike’s eyes flew wide as they contemplated how to answer this most observant question from their daughter.

TBC… (Hopefully tomorrow) :)

Part 9:

Maggie looked like she might cry as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t know she’d said anything wrong, so she said “I’m sorry Mommy. I thought all vampires had fangy teeth like the Count. Will-yum’s not a vampire like the Count?”

Buffy’s and Spike’s eyes flew wide as they contemplated how to answer this most observant question from their daughter.

Buffy had no idea what to say to her daughter, and while Spike could formulate a few answers to Maggie’s question, he wasn’t totally sure that Buffy would be happy with any of them. Finally he leaned over and whispered to Buffy “Well, pet it looks like she inherited your slayer sense.”

Maggie giggled. “I heard that.” She told them. Spike looked shocked, not realizing he’d said it loud enough for anyone but Buffy to hear.

Buffy opened the back door “We’ll be right back sweetie. Sit right there.” She told Maggie as she pulled Spike onto the back porch. Once they were outside and she closed the door, she hissed “And she inherited your super sensitive hearing it seems. What are we going to tell her Spike?” Buffy demanded.

“Well, pet, this may be a novel concept to you, but how’s about we tell her the truth? She obviously knows what I am, and it doesn’t scare her, so we might as well tell her the truth.”

“Oh, right Spike. Like I’m going to march in there and tell my little girl ‘oh, by the way, your Daddy’s a big scary vampire. All evil and grr, but don’t worry he’s not going to hurt you. Disregard everything I’ve told you about vampires when it comes to him. He’s a good vamp.’ Is that what you think I should do?” Buffy blurted out as she started to shake unconsciously.

Spike reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms. “No, Buffy, that’s not what I propose you tell her. I think we need to find out exactly what she does know, and how she figured it out. Then, if she really does know that I’m a vampire, and it’s not just some crazy idea she dreamed up, then we’ll tell her it’s true and make sure she’s not scared. But if it is just some crazy idea she dreamed up, I still think we should tell her the truth so that she’s not scared when she finds out later. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, pet, it’s that the truth always comes out sooner or later. Better she hears it from us, from people she trusts, rather than from someone else.”

“When did you start making so much sense, Spike?”

“I’ve always made sense, love, you just never listened.” He kissed her forehead. “Now what do you say we go back in there before she starts to think she did something wrong.”

The two blondes entered the kitchen, but didn’t see Maggie. They stopped, and heard her voice coming from the living room. She was talking to someone, but they had no idea who. As they got closer to the living room, they saw that Maggie was talking to her Count doll.

“I just knew he was like you, Count, I just knew it. Was I not supposed to ask him about his teeth? You never mind when I talk to you about your teeth. Maybe he doesn’t have fangs like you do, Count. Or maybe Mommy didn’t know he had them…” she kept on talking to her doll, coming up with new theories on what she had done to make Buffy and Spike react the way they did. She turned around to look at them when they came in the door. “Mommy, did I do something wrong?”

“No sweetie, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Buffy told her. “But listen, Spike and I want to talk to you about something, ok?” Maggie nodded her head. “Now, we’re not mad at you, but what made you think that Spike was a vampire?”

“Well,” Maggie began “remember yesterday when he blew on my cut to make it stop stinging? His breath was cold. And his skin is always cold too. And he’s so white. And whenever he’s around, I get all tingly feeling like whenever Angel was here.”

Buffy heard a growl rumbling in Spike’s chest when Maggie mentioned Angel, but he stopped when she touched his arm and shook her head at him. Maggie paid them no attention, however, and kept on talking. “And I remember Auntie Dawn telling me about her friend that was a vampire once, and when you said that he was your friend from before then I just thought he was the same person. Was I wrong, Mommy? Is he not like Angel?”

Spike had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Buffy rolled her eyes at him, and concentrated on what to tell Maggie. “Well, sweetie, Spike is very much not like Angel… in so many ways he’s not like Angel, but you weren’t wrong. He is a vampire.” Buffy waited for Maggie’s reaction.

Her eyes lit up, and she beamed. “I knew I was right, I just knew it!” A look of confusion crossed Spike’s face at her overzealous reaction. Maggie ran over to Spike and jumped in his lap. “So can I see them, can I ,can I?”

“Um, Lil’Bit, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I don’t want to scare you or anything. My fangs aren’t quite as pretty as the Count there.”

Maggie frowned and looked at Buffy. “I promise I won’t be scared, Mommy. I’m not afraid of him. I just want to see what real fangs look like. Pleeeaase???”

Buffy sighed. She knew that Maggie wouldn’t quit until they showed her. “Go ahead, Spike. She won’t give up until you show her. She’s very determined, just like her father…”

Spike smiled, and then turned away from Maggie, who was still sitting in his lap. She looked confused, but when he turned back around, his game face was on. Maggie screamed, and Spike shifted back into his normal face. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back and forth. “Shh, pet. See, I didn’t want you to be scared and now you are. I’m sorry.”

“Do it again.” She whispered in his ear.

“What?”

“Do it again. I’m not scared. I promise. Please do it again.”

Spike looked up at Buffy, and she nodded that it was ok. He vamped out again. Maggie smiled this time, and patted his cheeks with her little hands. Then she ran her fingers over the ridges on his forehead. When she reached out to touch his fangs, he pulled back. “Be careful, Bit. My teeth are a little sharper than the ones the Count has. Don’t want to cut your little fingers.” He winked at her as she continued her exploration of his face. She reached out again and barely touched the edge of one of his fangs, and then touched her own teeth. She leaned back down to whisper in his ear again.

“Why do your eyes turn yellow?”

“They just do, Bit. Comes with the fangs and all that.”

“I want them to be purple.”

“Well, for you, I’d try to make them be purple. But for now we’ll have to stick with yellow.” She touched his face again and his game face slipped away.

Buffy slipped into the kitchen to take dinner out of the oven. After calling Spike and Maggie to the kitchen and having dinner, the rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. After dinner they all watched one of Maggie’s favorite shows, and then convinced her it was time to go to bed. Spike and Buffy both tucked her in and kissed her good night. Before they reached her door to turn out the light, Maggie called out to them.

“Mommy, Will-yum?”

“Yes, baby?” Buffy answered.

“Since Will-yum is my friend now too, can I call him Spike?”

Spike smiled and went back to her bed. He kissed her forehead again. “You can call me anything you want to, Lil’Bit. Sweet dreams.”

As Maggie drifted off into dreamland, Buffy and Spike settled into a comfy spot on the sofa to do some more catching up on everything they missed in the last five years.

TBC…(more filling in of the blanks coming in a couple of days) :)

Part 10:

As Buffy and Spike settled into a comfy spot on the sofa, Buffy smiled as she felt Spike’s arm instinctively wrap around her and pull her close to him. She’d forgotten how right this could feel, and how much she’d missed the feeling of safety and happiness she’d always felt in his arms, even though she’d been too stubborn to ever admit it before. Spike was also enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms again, and he was thankful that she was allowing him to be this close to her. He’d honestly thought that he would be in for the fight of his life when he showed back up in her life. They sat there in silence for a few moments, before Buffy started to wonder about something.

*He’s been back for two whole days, and hasn’t tried to kiss me once. What’s up with that?* Buffy silently thought to herself. Her insecurities came sneaking back into her mind, and she started to wonder if he really had come back to be with her, or if he was now just tolerating her because of Maggie.

Spike could tell that something was wrong. He didn’t have to be looking at Buffy to feel when the smile faded from her face and was replaced by a contemplative frown. He knew that “what’s wrong” was a loaded question, and one that was better left alone. He figured that if he just gave her time she’d talk. So instead of pushing, he simply tightened his hold on her and lovingly kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek there.

The kiss to the top of her head did it. She inched out from under him and turned slightly to look in Spike’s eyes. “Did you mean it last night when you said that you still loved me, Spike?” she asked, searching his eyes for an answer, and finding it before he even spoke.

He tilted his head to the side and gave her that innocent look that could turn anyone’s knees to jelly. “Yes, Love, I meant every word. I’ll always love you, Buffy.” He started to get worried when her frown didn’t totally disappear following his declaration. “What’s the matter, Love?”

“Nothing” she replied, sounding less than convincing.

“Nuh-uh, pet. Something’s bugging you, I can tell. Now you can either tell me what it is now so we can fix it, or you can let it bug you some more and I’ll keep asking you what’s wrong until you tell me and let me help fix it.”

She looked a little embarrassed before she told him what was on her mind. “Well,” she started a little hesitantly, “it’s just that you’ve been back for almost two days and…” she took a deep breath, “you haven’t even tried to kiss me once.” She pouted, thinking she could break his resolve.

He looked partly shocked and partly amused that she was worried because he hadn’t kissed her, remembering a time when she’d have knocked him across the room if he even tried to touch her. But then decided to try to make her feel a little better. “I have kissed you Buffy, twice, if I recall.” He thought that the roll of her eyes was not a good sign.

“Yeah, on the forehead. I mean you kissed Maggie on the forehead Spike.” She was still pouting. And it finally became too much for him to take. He crooked a finger under her chin, and lifted her face up to gaze into her hazel eyes; eyes that drifted closed as he inched closer and closer to her. When he reached her, he gently kissed her lips. She kissed him back, and brought her hands up to his neck, pulling him closer to her. Neither could have told you if the kiss lasted for minutes or hours, but they poured all of the emotion they’d been holding on to for the past five years into that first kiss since their reunion. When they finally pulled apart, Buffy’s smile had returned to her face.

“I really missed you Spike. Have I told you how glad I am that you’re back?” She asked him as she settled back into his embrace.

“No, but you can keep on showing me how much you missed me if you wish,” he said with his trademark smirk plastered across his face. He lightly began rubbing her back as she laid her head on his chest. He looked over her and saw that the book she’d been showing him the night before was still laying on the coffee table. There was a picture sticking out of it, and he could tell that it was of Buffy but he couldn’t really tell when it was from. He leaned forward and pulled the picture out of the book, and smiled when it revealed an obviously pregnant Buffy at the beach. She was wearing a light blue sundress and hat, with sunglasses and the water was just barely skimming her bare feet. “When was this picture taken, Buffy?”

“Hmm? Which one?” she asked, while sitting up to look at the picture in his hand. “Oh, that was about a month and a half before Maggie was born. Things were slow here, so Willow and Xander surprised me with a trip to LA and we went to the beach one afternoon.”

Spike traced her image in the photograph and got a faraway look in his eyes. “I’m sorry I missed that, Love.”

“Well, I can tell you all about it, if you want.” She opened up the book and pulled out some more photos before settling in to tell him about the vacation and the rest of her pregnancy.

+ + + + + + +

Sunnydale, June 2002

Life around the Hellmouth had been…dare they say it? Boring. No big bad’s, no weirdness floating around town, no need to crack open a single volume of the ancient texts Giles left behind. However, as Willow entered the front door of Buffy’s house, she normally would have thought there was a huge demon battle being waged inside when she heard the commotion coming from upstairs.

“Ugh! This has <grunt> got to be <crash> easier <sigh> than you’re doing it!”

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Pick it up… you’re pinching my finger! Stop!”

Willow rushed up the stairs, to find Xander and Dawn attempting to put together a baby crib, while an amused Buffy watched from her new rocking chair. She had to laugh as she watched them. Dawn was trying to hold up the side of the crib while Xander attached the rails, and all they were really accomplishing was a lot of dropping and pinching and cursing under their breath.

“Willow!” Buffy excitedly welcomed her to the crib assembly fiasco. “I’m so glad you’re back. Maybe you can help them so that my baby’s crib doesn’t fall apart the first time I put her down in it!”

Dawn and Xander rolled their eyes at her and decided to take a break. Willow walked over to Xander and whispered to him “I got everything. Can we give it to her now?” He grinned and nodded. Buffy started to wonder what was going on when the three of them gathered around her, all looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“Uh, guys? What’s going on?”

Willow couldn’t stand it any longer. “We got you a surprise Buffy! We’re all going to L.A. on a vacation!”

Buffy was stunned. “We’re going where? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Oh, Buffy it will be fun. Things have been so slow around here and we thought that it would be nice to just get away for a little while before the baby’s born. And if you’re worried about seeing Angel, you don’t have to. He doesn’t even know we’re coming and you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to.” Willow babbled.

“Well, I wasn’t worried about seeing him until you brought it up, but now I am. What if we run into him somewhere? I haven’t talked to him since, well, since that time I met him to tell him I was…back. And now I might accidentally bump into him and have to explain to him how I’m pregnant with Spike’s child? This is too much. It’s too stressful. Did Dr. Birch even say I could travel?”

Dawn interrupted. “Yes, Buffy. I called her and she said it would be fine for you to go on a little trip. You’ve got two months left until your due date, and she said you would be fine. And I’m sure Willow didn’t mean to get you all wiggy by mentioning him,” she said while shooting a glare at Willow.

After a little more convincing, they convinced Buffy that a vacation would be good for all of them. A chance to escape the everyday life of Sunnydale and do something fun for a change. So they all packed their bags and headed out for four days in Los Angeles. The road trip was just like any other road trip, except for the added stops for Buffy to go to the bathroom. The girls all laughed and sang along with their favorite CD’s while Xander drove. Once in LA, they did every possible touristy thing imaginable. They took tours of the star’s homes, toured everything connected to show business, went to a baseball game, and spent a day at the beach. Dawn was obsessed with taking pictures and took enough to fill three albums. She kept insisting on taking pictures of Buffy, despite the fact that Buffy objected and said she looked too fat to be in any pictures by herself. Dawn would just smile and say “Trust me, Buffy, you’ll want these one day.” On the way home, the baby was very active, kicking and moving and constantly reminding Buffy that she was there. The more she felt her baby move, the more her thoughts turned to Spike. She took her journal out of her bag and began to write to him.

June 20

Buffy put her journal back into her bag, and closed her eyes to take a nap. Before she knew it they were back home in Sunnydale. Buffy managed to sneak out of the house and go to Spike’s crypt in the hope that he’d come back while they were gone. But she found it just as empty as when they left. She allowed a tear to fall down her cheek as she walked back home, wondering where Spike was and if he would ever come back.

The next month and a half passed by without much action. Buffy managed to get the nursery totally set up, and everything was ready to bring the baby home. Now she just had to wait until it was time, and according to her doctor she had about two weeks left. Dr. Birch instructed Buffy to take it easy, and get plenty of rest. Five days after that visit to the doctor, Buffy woke up with a feeling that she’d never felt before. She got up out of bed, and just as she stood up a sharp pain shot through her stomach. “Oh, I think it’s time,” she said to herself. She went out into the hallway and started calling for Willow and Dawn. “Will, Dawn… come quick! I think it’s time! Hurry!”

Willow and Dawn came running out of their rooms. Dawn looked scared. “But Buffy, the baby is not supposed to be here for like 10 more days!” Willow managed to calm Dawn down by assuring her that babies are born early everyday. They grabbed Buffy’s bag and headed to the hospital.

About 12 hours and many curses and screams later, Buffy heard her baby cry and watched in wonderment as the nurse wrapped the little child in a blanket and placed the baby in her arms. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the child. Buffy whispered “Hey little one. You’re finally here. I feel like I’ve waited so long to see you, and now you’re here. I love you so much, and I promise I’ll keep anything bad from happening to you.” Dawn and Willow had been allowed to stay in the room with her the whole time, and both girls watched from the corner as Buffy spent the first few moments with her daughter.

The nurse came over and gently interrupted Buffy. “Have you decided on a name yet, Ms. Sinclair?”

Buffy blinked her tears away and replied, “Yes. Her name is Margaret Anne.”

“Buffy, you named her after Spike’s sister. That’s so sweet!” Dawn cooed from across the room.

+ + + + + +

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy again as she told him about Maggie’s birth. He really hated that he missed it, that he had stayed away for so long, but he knew that he really didn’t have a choice. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to hold your hand, Love. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to be there to welcome her into the world.”

“Well, if I’d let Dawn have her way we’d have it on video. She wanted to tape the whole thing and I wouldn’t let her.”

“That’s probably a good thing. I mean as much as I would’ve liked to be there, I don’t really think it would be the same watching it on the telly.”

Buffy laughed and got up to go check on Maggie. Spike went to the kitchen to make some hot cocoa, and took with him a huge stack of photos that Dawn had taken of Buffy while she was pregnant. He smiled as he flipped through the photos and made hot cocoa for he and Buffy. Then he remembered that Maggie had mentioned Angel being there before. When Buffy came back he’d definitely have to ask her about that.

TBC….

Part 11:

Buffy walked into the kitchen and found Spike stirring marshmallows into two cups of hot cocoa. She smiled when she saw that he was looking through the rest of the photographs he’d found earlier, but she noticed that he had a bit of a contemplative look on his face. She walked around the island and stood across from him. He looked up at her when she reached out and touched his hand.

“You’re wondering when and why he was here, aren’t you?”

“Who’s that, pet?” he replied, trying to act nonchalant.

“You know who… you’re wondering about Maggie mentioning Angel before. You want to know when he was here and why he was here.”

“Well…”he hesitated a little, “ I guess I was a bit curious about her mentioning the great poof earlier. She didn’t seem too impressed by him though. Did he brood too much for the Lil’Bit?”

Buffy suppressed a giggle, and picked up her cup of cocoa while leading Spike back into the living room. “It really wasn’t a bit deal,” Buffy said as she sat back down on the sofa, motioning for Spike to sit with her, “ In fact it was quite a surprise. For me and for Angel. Maggie was about three when he came here, looking for help with some big case they were working on in LA. I hadn’t seen him since, well… long before you left. The last time I’d seen him was when we met just after I came back. Anyway, he just showed up here one night thinking that we might have some information that would help with his case. Maggie and I were playing in her room, and Willow answered the door. She was trying to find out what he wanted before she told me he was here, but before she could I came downstairs, carrying Maggie, and practically ran right into him.

“Maggie demanded to know who he was around the same time Angel was wondering who Maggie was. And you were right. She was less than impressed with him. I think she didn’t like it that he wouldn’t give her his undivided attention and dote on her like everyone else does. And he was more than a little confused about her. I didn’t even bother to try and convince him that you were her father. I told him the truth, and if he chose to believe it fine; if he didn’t that’s fine too. He didn’t stay very long. Willow helped him dig around in the research books and find some stuff to help with his case, and then he left. He hasn’t been back.”

Spike looked a little enlightened. “That must be why he tried to contact me a while back then.”

“He tried to contact you? How’d he know how to find you? I mean we tried everyway we could think of and couldn’t find you.”

“It’s that vampire family connection thing. Anyway, he tried to contact me, but I wouldn’t acknowledge it. I figured that he was just trying to stir up trouble with me, so I ignored him. I guess he was going to tell me about Maggie. Or get my version of the story to see if they matched up. Who knows…”

“Spike, what are we going to tell Maggie? I mean, do you want her to know that you’re her father?”

“Of course I do! Buffy why would you wonder about that?”

There was no way Buffy could really explain all of her thoughts and fears to him. She got nervous and started to ramble again. “Well, I mean, I just didn’t know how long you were planning on staying, or if you wanted her to know, and if you’re just planning on leaving again soon I just don’t know how she would take it. I mean she already thinks you hung the moon and you’ve only been here two days and if I tell her that her Daddy’s here and then you leave I think it might crush her because she’s waited so long for you to come back and…”

He interrupted her by kissing her. She was still mumbling at first, and then realized that he was kissing her, so she stopped trying to talk and kissed him back. He trailed little kisses along her cheeks and down her neck. Buffy was totally lost in the moment when he whispered, “I have to go.”

“What? You’re leaving us? Just like that? I can’t believe you!”

Spike smiled and held her closer, despite her efforts to wiggle out of his embrace. “Not for good, pet. But look out the window. Sunrise is almost here, and if I don’t go soon you’ll have to explain the big pile of dust on the front sidewalk to Maggie.”

“Oh.” Buffy said, only then realizing that they’d sat up and talked all night. “You know, you could stay here.” Spike’s eyes got wide and she could tell he was about to protest, so she continued. “Dawn’s room is all made up, so you could stay there. The curtains are pretty thick in there so you’d be safe from the sunlight, and you can get some sleep, and then later this afternoon we’ll figure out something to tell Maggie.”

“She’s going to wonder why I was here all night, pet.”

“I know. We’ll tell her the truth. We were having such a good time talking and catching up that we lost track of time and you didn’t have enough time to get back to your place. She knows that you can’t be out in the sunshine.”

“Ok, you talked me into it.”

The two walked quietly up the stairs and peeked into Maggie’s room before going to their own rooms. She was sleeping so soundly, and they thought that she must have been dreaming when they saw a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Buffy tucked her blanket back around her and smoothed her hair back from her face. Spike leaned down and kissed her forehead before whispering “ Sweet dreams, little one.”

Spike went into Dawn’s room and noted how much it had changed since he left. All traces of the fifteen year old that lived there were gone, and there was plenty of evidence of the young woman who now only came here for school breaks and holidays. He lay across the bed and contemplated the little family that lived in this house, and how much he hated having to be away from them for so long. He drifted off to sleep remembering where he’d been the past five years and why it was so important that he stay away. Now that he was back, though, he intended to do everything he could to make sure that Buffy and his daughter were as happy as they possibly could be.

+ + + + +

A few hours after Buffy and Spike had gone to sleep, Maggie woke up. She decided to creep into her mom’s room and wake her up again, but was distracted in the hall way when she noticed that the door to Dawn’s room was closed. Well, mostly closed; it was actually just barely open. She went over to the room, and peeked inside. It was a little bit dark, and even though Maggie was usually afraid of the dark she was feeling pretty brave this morning. She ducked inside the room and saw Spike sleeping in Dawn’s bed. Suddenly, waking Spike up seemed much more fun than waking up Buffy.

Maggie crept over to the bed, and climbed up beside Spike. She reached out and touched him, giving his arm the slightest little shake. He didn’t budge. She patted his cheeks, and he still didn’t budge. Her mommy was usually awake by now. She leaned over and cooed in his ear “Will-yum…Spike. Wake up. Wake up wake up wake up. Please?? Pleeaasse?” She saw his eyes twitch, but he didn’t wake up. She immediately went to her last resort, and started jumping on the bed. The sudden jarring woke him up, and when Maggie saw his eyes fly open she stopped jumping and flopped down beside him. “Good morning!” she gleefully said.

Spike looked at her from the corner of his eye, trying to figure out what time it was and how long he’d been asleep. He saw Maggie staring at him with a big grin plastered on her face, apparently very pleased with her efforts to wake him. “Morning, Bit. What time is it?”

“Time to wake up. Why are you here? It’s light out side.”

Spike explained to her about staying up too late talking with Buffy and not being able to get back to his place before sunrise. She was excited at the prospect of spending the entire day with Spike, not really caring that he’d only slept a few hours. Spike glanced around the room and found Dawn’s clock. It was 7 am. “Maggie, you didn’t wake your Mum, did you?”

“No. I saw that you were here and woke you up first.” She smiled coyly at him, and he smiled back, amazed at how much this child could wrap him around her little finger every time she was with him.

“Well, let’s let her sleep for a little while then. What do you say we go downstairs and get some breakfast?”

The unlikely pair ventured down the stairs, being careful to be very quiet so as not to wake Buffy. When they reached the kitchen, Maggie announced that she wanted ice cream and cookies for breakfast. Spike talked her out of it, and she settled for a bowl of cereal and some toast. Spike was a little surprised to find containers of blood in the fridge, but took out a packet and poured it into a mug to warm in the microwave. After breakfast, Spike and Maggie turned on the TV and watched it in the background as she talked him into playing her favorite games with her.

Later, Buffy woke up and looked at her alarm clock. She sat straight up in her bed when she realized she had slept until 11. Rubbing her eyes and putting on her robe, she rushed into Maggie’s room only to find that she wasn’t there. Buffy started to panic until she also found that Spike was missing from his room. When she got downstairs what she saw caused fresh tears to spring to her eyes. Spike and Maggie were sitting in the chair; Maggie was curled up in his lap with her head on his shoulder. He was reading her a story, but she had fallen asleep. Spike kept reading to make sure she was asleep. Buffy walked into the room, and he motioned for her to be quiet. She walked over and sat on the side of the chair beside them, and took the book from Spike as he closed it.

Buffy leaned over and whispered to Spike “How long has she been asleep?”

“Just a few minutes. I was reading to her, and she just tuckered out. I guess we just had too much fun this morning and she was worn out,” he whispered back.

“Too much fun this morning? Spike how long has she been up?”

“We’ve been up since 7, Luv. We had breakfast, played some games, watched some TV, colored some pictures, and read some stories. She fell asleep during the third story.”

“You’ve been up with her since 7? Spike you didn’t even go to bed until 5! You should have came in and got me up.”

“Nonsense, pet. You looked so tired when you turned in last night, I thought you could use some extra rest.” Spike tried to stifle a yawn as he said “we really did have fun this morning.”

Buffy smiled. “Spike, you look exhausted. Why don’t you put her down on the sofa and go get some sleep. I’ll make sure she doesn’t wake you up again.”

Spike smiled back at Buffy. “Can I just hold her for a little while longer? I really don’t mind. She’s ok…”

“Ok. Spike. I just didn’t want her to bother you. I’m going to get some coffee. Stay there as long as you want.” Buffy turned and went to the kitchen to put some coffee on. When she returned to the living room, this time she couldn’t stop the unexpected tears from falling from her eyes. Spike was still holding Maggie, and he had also fallen asleep in the chair. Buffy took the blanket off the sofa and lightly covered them up, and kissed them both on the cheek. “Sleep well, my loves.” She whispered, before returning to the kitchen to start making Maggie’s lunch, leaving Spike and Maggie to their sweet nap-time dreams.

Ch 12: Daddy

Buffy finished off her second cup of coffee as she made lunch for Maggie. She still couldn’t believe that she had slept in until 11, and that Spike had been up all morning with their daughter. She crept back to the living room door and gazed at the two of them, still sound asleep in the big, comfortable chair where he’d been reading to Maggie. Maggie had obviously fallen soundly asleep, and was totally relaxed. Her little arms fell limply at her sides, and she was curled up so that her head rested sideways on Spike’s shoulder. Her little mouth was tightly closed, almost forming a pout, which only highlighted her little cheekbones more than usual. She was so relaxed that Buffy would be afraid of her falling in the floor, mid-dream, if it weren’t for the way Spike was holding her.

Spike’s arms were wrapped securely around the little girl, as if his very life depended on protecting her. His head was cocked to the side ever so slightly, just enough that Maggie’s little forehead rested on the edge of his chin. From this angle, Buffy could see just how much Maggie resembled Spike. She had always thought that Maggie was the perfect little combination of the two of them, but now it was so much easier to over look the resemblances to Buffy and concentrate on her resemblance to Spike. They shared the same cheekbones, the same curl in their hair (if only Spike wouldn’t comb his back so straight-like), and after Maggie’s little incident with Alex, it looked like they might even share the same scarred eyebrow.

Buffy stood there for a few more moments, completely loosing herself in her thoughts. She had to tell Maggie soon that Spike was her father. But she honestly had no idea how to do it. She’d told Maggie so much about her father over the years, and now she wondered how her little girl would think Spike measured up to the stories. * This would be so much easier if I had known he was coming * Buffy thought. * Then I could have prepared her… Now that he’s here, what do I do? Say ‘oh, by the way, that guy that you’ve gotten really attached to? He’s your Daddy.’ Of course that’s not what you tell a 5 year old. Maybe Spike will have some idea of how to tell her. But we have to tell her soon…*

The beep of a kitchen timer snapped Buffy out of her thoughts, signaling to her that the cookies she’d put in the oven were done. Buffy scurried back into the kitchen to take them out of the oven before they burned and the smoke detector alarmed the whole neighborhood. Buffy put the cookies on a plate to cool while she finished up making Maggie’s favorite lunch. The phone rang, and she snatched the cordless out of its cradle before the second ring, hoping that she caught it before the ringing woke either Spike or Maggie.

“Buffy, Hi!” She smiled when she heard Willow’s voice.

“Hey, Will. This is twice in two days I’ve talked to you on the phone. I feel honored,” she almost laughed as she talked with her best friend.

“Well, I emailed you, but you didn’t write back, so I figured I might as well call you on my break,” Willow sighed.

“So sorry, Will. But I’ve been a little pre-occupied. Haven’t even switched on the computer in the last couple of days. Nothing’s wrong is it?”

“No! No, Buffy, I was just letting you know that everything here is working out much more smoothly than we’d anticipated. So it looks like I’ll be able to make it out a couple of days early for the big 5th birthday party!”

“Wonderful! Maggie will be so excited. She was just asking me the other day if Auntie Willow was coming for the party. She’ll be glad to get to see you before the party. That is… if I can tear her away from Spike long enough.” Buffy giggled, and Willow did too.

“So, am I to assume that things are going well between all of you?” the witch prodded.

“Yeah, things are going really well, Willow. Maggie has Spike wrapped around her little finger, and he’s really great with her. I haven’t quite figured out how to tell her about him yet, though.”

“Well, Buffy, I’m sure that it will all work out. Listen, I’ve got to run in a minute, students will be coming in… I’ll be back in Sunnydale on Thursday now, instead of Saturday, and Xander is picking me up from the airport. We’ll call you as soon as we get to his house and I get settled in.”

“Oh crap… Xander!” Buffy exclaimed.

“What? Oh… you haven’t told him about Spike?” Willow inquired.

“No. I haven’t even talked to him or Anya lately. He’s gonna flip, Will.”

“Nah, he won’t. I think he finally realized how important it is to you to have your family together. Xander’s grown up a lot over the last five years, Buff. He’ll be ok. You just concentrate on my favorite little munchkin and her birthday.”

“Can do, Will. Call us as soon as you get here. Talk to you then.”

Buffy snuck back into the living room, and held her breath as she hoped that Spike still slept as soundly as he had five years earlier. She gently loosened his grasp on Maggie, and sighed when she realized he hadn’t really budged. *Still sleeps like the dead * Buffy mused, as she gingerly picked her daughter up in her arms. She carried her down the hallway, and Maggie warily opened her eyes to look at her.

“Good morning sleepy-head.” Buffy cooed to her little one.

“Mommy!” she said excitedly, around a yawn. “Spike and I were playing and I fell asleep.”

“I know you did. Come on now, let’s wash up for lunch.” Buffy told her, as she pulled a little step stool up to the kitchen sink so that Maggie could reach her hands under the faucet.

“Where’s he at?” Maggie inquired as Buffy helped her rinse her hands and dry them on a towel.

“Hmm? Oh, Spike’s still sleeping in the chair. You woke him up awfully early this morning, Little Bit.”

Maggie was dancing around the kitchen, while Buffy was bringing their plates to the table. Buffy was still thinking about how sweet Spike had been that morning and how they would tell Maggie that he was her father, as she heard Maggie talking. “I’ll go get him so he can eat lunch with us” Maggie said as she danced around the kitchen island toward the door.

“No,” Buffy said, still lost in her thoughts, “Let your Daddy sleep a little longer, he was up very late last night.”

As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, Buffy’s eyes grew as wide as saucers, and her hand came up to cover her mouth. Maggie looked a little confused, then squealed. Spike immediately sprang to the kitchen door when he heard Maggie’s squeal, mistaking it for a cry.

“What’s wrong, pet?” He asked, taking in the horrified look on Buffy’s face and the look of wonderment crossing Maggie’s features as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Everything was happening too fast, from where Buffy was standing. She sat down heavily in the chair, holding her head in her hands. She felt like she could still feel that word, “Daddy”, bumping around in her brain, and still she couldn’t believe she’d been so lost in her thoughts that she let it fly unchecked out of her mouth. She peeked out at the scene before her through her fingers, wondering what Spike’s reaction to her verbal blunder would be.

She watched as a huge grin broke over Maggie’s face, as she looked up at Spike. “Daddy?” she questioned, searching his face for an answer.

^^^^^^^

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