Part 18:

Spike awoke feeling warmer than he’d felt in years. He sighed before opening his eyes, relishing the feel of waking up holding the woman he loved in his arms. When he did open his eyes, he could almost felt his heart beat, noticing how beautiful Buffy looked. She was curled up in his arms, with her head resting on his chest, a peaceful look on her face and a contented smile gracing her lips. He felt a wave of happiness wash over him; before she had never let him hold her like this, they’d never spent an entire night together (aside from the first night in that abandoned house) and he certainly had never woken up to see a smile plastered on her face before she even woke up. Then a stab of pain found its way into his heart as he remembered the few times that they’d actually spent any time together after their marathon romps around the crypt. He remembered how he would think that he saw a spark of caring in her eyes, and then they would glaze over again, replaced with a cool, non-caring gaze before she would remind him what a huge mistake they were making and then bolt out the door. His eyes misted up with tears when the fear and uncertainty of her reaction this morning crept into his mind. What if she did it again? What if what happened last night was all just comfort for her, and this morning she would again think that they’d made a mistake? Spike didn’t think that he would be able to take it if that was her reaction, and he carefully started formulating a plan to try and avoid any reaction at all from her. He tried to contemplate a way that he could get up and sneak out, but judging from the way Buffy was still wrapped around him and holding onto him, he didn’t really know how he could manage to escape.

Buffy shifted a little in her sleep, and her slight movement jarred Spike from his thoughts. He flinched when he felt her move, and jostled her just enough to wake her from her peaceful sleep. She opened her eyes, a little warily at first, and turned her head to squint up at Spike. He waited for her reaction, having already convinced himself that it was going to be bad; that they were doomed to fall back into their old patterns.

She studied him for a moment, creasing her forehead with worry while she took in the hesitation and uncertainty in his eyes. Finally, she said “Good morning Spike.”

Good morning. That’s a new one, he thought as he continued to stare at her. “Morning, Love,” he replied.

The silence stretched between them once again, and they just continued to lay there, neither one moving. Finally, Buffy let a huge grin break over her features. “Morning? That’s all I get, Spike? Really, I thought that given the chance you’d be a lot more romantic.” Shock took over the look of uncertainty as she started to pout at him. “Don’t I even get a good morning kiss?”

“Oh, I’ll show you romantic, pet. I’ve been waiting five years to show you romantic,” he practically purred.

Buffy squealed as Spike held her closer to him and rolled her over on her back. Neither of them cared that the sheets were now tangled around them or that they’d just managed to kick the comforter off into the floor. Spike leaned down and kissed Buffy until she was breathless, and then kissed her a few more seconds before releasing her to breathe.

He pulled back slightly to look at her flushed face. He grinned as her eyes fluttered open again and she panted to catch her breath. “Good morning, Love.”

She smiled and reached her hand up to caress his cheek. “Wow,” was all she could come up with. She swatted his hand away as he tried to pull her closer to him again.

“Spike… stop. If you don’t stop I’ll never get anything done today.”

“Would that be so bad, pet?”

She rolled her eyes and playfully said “No, I guess not. We’ll just stay here in bed all day, then you can explain to your daughter why her birthday party isn’t planned.”

“Right then. Off you go.”

She kissed him and scampered off to the shower. He propped up in the bed, and contemplated how great things were turning out. Then, he remembered that Maggie’s party was in a few days, and he started thinking of how much of Maggie’s life he’d missed out on. When Buffy came back from the shower, she found Spike sitting in the middle of her bed, flipping through a photo album and looking like he was on the verge of tears.

“Spike?” Her brow knit together when he looked up at her and the look in his eyes made her heart feel like it was breaking. “What’s wrong, Spike?”

“I just can’t believe I wasn’t here. I missed her birthday parties, and all of this other important stuff in her life, and there’s no way I can make that up to her. Ever.”

“Spike. You have got to stop beating yourself up about this. Sure, I would’ve loved it if you were here for all of those birthdays and milestones. But you’re here now, and you’ll be here for all the good things that will happen from now on. She’s so excited that you’ve come home, and she’s not going to understand if you’re sad every time you look at her because you regret not being here.” She pulled him into her arms and held him, trying to soothe away his sadness. “I think that from now on, we should just have no regrets. What’s done is done, and if we dwell on what happened five years ago, how can we make the next five years of her life wonderful?”

“I know, Buffy. Ok then, no more regrets. So what do we have to do to make sure our princess has the best birthday party ever?”

+ + + + +

The next few days passed by quickly, and each day Maggie got more and more excited about her party. On the morning of, Spike and Buffy were awakened by an overly ecstatic Maggie jumping on their bed. She climbed up onto the bed, and pounced right in the middle of them.

“It’s my day! I’m five! I’m five!” She chanted as she bounced on the bed. Buffy stifled a giggle as she heard Spike groan and open one eye to look up at Maggie.

“Sweetie, stop jumping on Mommy’s bed.” Buffy prodded, trying to get her child to calm down, even though she knew that it was probably a lost cause.

“But it’s time for my party, Mommy! I’m so excited…” she said, as she started to test her bouncing skills again. “And Auntie Willow is coming today, right? And I get to have cake, and Daddy will be there. It’s my best party ever!”

Spike decided he should probably jump in. “Uh, Bit, it’s still pretty early. Your party doesn’t start until later this afternoon, remember?”

Her smile faded as she considered what he said. “Oh. Yeah.” She stopped bouncing and just sat there, looking at Spike as a frown settled on her face.

“Oi, what’s that frown for?” Spike asked as he reached out and grabbed Maggie, pulling her close to him and cradling her in his arms.

“Nothing,” she said quietly. “I just want my party to be here, and you said I had to wait.”

Buffy watched in awe, knowing that Maggie was just working to wrap Spike around her little finger a little bit tighter. Spike kissed the top of her head, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Tell you what, Lil’Bit… you go in your room and get your little table cleaned off, and I’ll go make us some breakfast, and you and I will have our own early party, just for us. How does that sound?”

Her eyes lit up as she thought about his proposition. “We can eat breakfast in my room?”

“We sure can,” Spike told her.

“But… Mommy doesn’t let me eat in my room, only if I’m sick.” She told him.

“Well, I think that Mommy will let us make an exception for your birthday. And if you like, it’ll be our special time. We’ll always have birthday breakfast from now on. Just us.”

“Really? You mean it?” She asked, the smile that lit his world slowly returning to her face.

“I really mean it. Now go on, and get ready. I’ll be there in just a bit.”

“Ok!” she exclaimed, jumping off the bed and heading for the door. When she got to the door, she turned back. “Mama, you’ll help Daddy cook my breakfast, right? So that it’s good?”

Buffy almost laughed out loud, right in front of Maggie. The look on Spike’s face was priceless as his daughter questioned his cooking skills. “Yeah, sweetie, I’ll make sure he gets it right,” she said, turning to wink at Spike. Maggie seemed satisfied, and ran down the hall to her own room. Buffy snickered, and finally just lost control and started giggling, much to Spike’s dismay.

“Uh, pet, what’s so bleeding funny? Have you lost it or something?”

“No, Spike… I just wish that you could have seen your face, when she asked if I’d make sure you made her a good breakfast. It was like she’d just delivered the insult of the century.” By this time, she was laughing so hard, she was gasping for air. “And I just kept thinking… the Big Bad Vamp is sitting here, with his pride wounded because his daughter thinks that he can’t cook.”

Spike rolled his eyes and flopped back down on the bed. “Fine, have a good laugh, slayer. I just wanted to do something special,” he grumbled, as he turned away from her. Buffy could tell that she’d pushed too far.

She scooted over closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, despite his attempts to squirm away. She placed a little trail of kisses from his temple to his ear, and then whispered “I think it’s sweet that you wanted to do something for her birthday, just the two of you. And you’ll never know what that will mean to her. She’ll look forward to it, every year.”

Spike turned to face her. “Well, pet, I just wanted to try and make up…”

“Spike, remember what we said a few days ago. No more regrets.”

“I know…”

“Oh! And you just experienced a family tradition. I forgot to tell you. She always comes in and wakes me up like that on her birthday. Dawn actually started it, and now that Maggie’s old enough to get up on her own, she does it every year. She comes in and pounces like that, and reminds me what day it is, as if I could forget.”

Spike smiled. “What do you mean Dawn started it? Tell me the story.”

“Well, Mom used to wake us up early on our birthdays and remind us that it was our special day. When Maggie was one, Dawn remembered how Mom used to do it, and decided to alter the tradition a bit. She went in and got Maggie up early, and then crept into my room, and bounced on the bed with Maggie, singing some little song she made up about it being her birthday. Maggie’s done it ever since. On her birthday and at Christmas. I’m so used to her doing it, that I totally forgot to tell you last night that she’d likely wake us up this morning.”

“I actually sort of enjoyed the surprise, Love. Now, I guess I’d better get up and go make breakfast for my princess.”

+ + + +

While Spike and Maggie had breakfast in her room, Buffy finished cleaning up the living room and the kitchen in preparation for the impending onslaught of the 5-year-olds of the neighborhood. Just as she was pouring her second cup of coffee, a small knock on the back door caught her attention. She went to the door, and was happily surprised when she opened it.

“Willow! I didn’t think you were coming over until later, with Xander!” Buffy ushered the red head into the kitchen, hugging her as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Well, that was the original plan. But I woke up this morning with way more energy than I though I’d have after my flight yesterday, so I decided to come see how my favorite little munchkin was doing.”

“Well, she’s actually upstairs having a special birthday breakfast with her father,” Buffy told Willow, smiling slightly at her best friend. “Come upstairs, but quietly. You have to see this.”

The two friends climbed the stairs and stood quietly outside Maggie’s room. Spike was sitting on the floor, and Maggie sat in her little chair at the tiny table in her room. A little tea set sat in the middle of the table, while full size plates, forks, and glasses took up most of the room on the table. The two sat there, happily munching on pancakes and scrambled eggs, and Maggie sipped milk from her glass while Spike nonchalantly sipped a strange combination of coffee and blood from his coffee mug. They each wore a little paper hat, with “Happy Birthday!” written on the front, that Spike had found among the party decorations that Buffy had assembled for later. While they ate, Spike was telling Maggie an amazing story about a princess and her father, the king, who celebrated birthdays in a castle in England.

Willow’s eyes got misty as she stood and watched the two of them together. She couldn’t believe that she’d had any doubts about Spike being back in Buffy’s life, and at that moment she knew that she’d do nothing but support his presence.

Buffy tugged on Willow’s sleeve, and motioned for her to follow back downstairs. Once they were back in the kitchen, tears began to slip down Willow’s cheeks. “Will, what’s wrong?” Buffy asked, growing concerned.

“That was the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever seen,” she started. “Buffy, about the other day when I called. I didn’t mean to not be supportive. And I just want you to know that I’m so happy for you that he’s back, and I promise from now on I’ll be nothing but supportive for you and your family.”

Buffy walked over and hugged her friend again. “Oh, Will, I know. And thanks. I’m so happy to have my family together and happy, and it means so much that you’re happy for me.”

They smiled, and Willow wiped the tears from her face. Buffy, however, started to chew on her bottom lip, worry crossing her features. “I knew that you would be happy for me, Willow, and Dawn was too, once she got over the initial shock. Xander on the other hand…”

Willow put her hand up, motioning for Buffy to stop. Then she put on her famous resolve face. “Don’t worry about it. You just let me handle Xander.”

(TBC…)

Part 19:

Spike groaned as he listened to the conversation coming from the room next to him. Maggie insisted that she wear her pink princess outfit to the birthday party, while Buffy gently tried to convince her to wear the new sundress that she’d bought just for this occasion. After about twenty minutes of the debate, Willow had jumped into the fray, desperately trying to help Buffy convince Maggie to wear the dress. After about fifteen more minutes, Buffy appeared in the doorway, glaring at Spike as he stood in the doorway to their bedroom listening to what was going on.

“Help me!” she demanded, knowing that all it would take was Spike coming into the room for Maggie to settle down.

Spike sauntered into the room, taking in the sight of an exasperated Willow sitting on Maggie’s bed holding the new sundress while Maggie danced around in her little shorts and t-shirt, with her princess outfit dangling from her right hand and a little tiara dangling from her left. Buffy followed behind him, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing.

“Wow, Red, that’s a very pretty dress you have, I bet it’ll be lovely on,” Spike drawled, the only response from Willow being a roll of her eyes.

“That’s not Auntie Willow’s dress, Daddy, it’s mine” Maggie said as she stopped dancing around and looked up at him. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, but it looks like you’d rather wear your princess outfit, so I guess I won’t get to see you in your pretty new birthday dress.”

“You want me to wear it?”

“I would love for you to wear the dress to your party. And I think that Mommy would be happy if you wore the dress that she bought for you too.”

“Ok. Auntie Willow can help me. How long till my party starts?”

Buffy looked at her watch. “A little less than an hour. Will you be good and let Auntie Willow help you get dressed while I go finish up some things in the kitchen?”

Maggie nodded her head, and Buffy and Spike went downstairs to finish the party preparations. Once in the kitchen, Buffy turned to glare at Spike again. “You couldn’t have done that about twenty minutes earlier? You knew all she needed was for you to come in and tell her you like the dress for her to agree to wear it.”

“I know, Pet. But it was too much fun listening to my girls go round and round. She definitely takes after you when it comes to trying to get her way.” Spike smirked as he stepped closer to Buffy and reached out to pull her toward him.

“Oh, no you don’t. Don’t think you can just swagger up to me and give me some sexy smirk and make me forget why I’m dangerously close to making you sleep on the sofa tonight.”

He continued to pull her into his arms, despite her pitiful attempt to struggle. Spike wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him before turning her around and massaging the tight muscles in her shoulders and back. As she started to relax against him, he leaned in and kissed her earlobe, his voice sending shivers along her spine as he whispered “You won’t make me sleep on the sofa, Love, because you know if you do then we won’t get to continue this later.”

“And you like to think you’re not evil anymore,” she said, laughing as she turned around to kiss him briefly on the lips. “Now, lets get the rest of these decorations put up before every child in the neighborhood gets here.”

Soon Maggie bounded down the stairs, with Willow following closely behind. Maggie was wearing the new sundress that Buffy had bought for her, but the tiara that went with her princess outfit sat lopsided on her little head. Spike and Buffy grinned as they noticed it, deciding to let her wear it, since it was her birthday. Before she could realize it, Spike swooped her up into his arms and spun her around, telling her how beautiful she looked.

“I love you Daddy, I’m glad that you’re here for my party” she said, bringing a huge smile to Spike’s face and causing Buffy and Willow’s eyes to get misty.

“I love you too, Lil’Bit.” He replied, as he reached up to straighten the tiara on her head. Just as he put her down, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the first wave of guests. Buffy opened the door, and Spike was amazed at the sight of all the children pouring into the living room, most of them followed closely by their parents, each carrying gifts wrapped in all shades of paper and ribbons. All of the moms made sure to tell their little ones to be good before confirming with Buffy what time they should be back to pick them up. Spike noticed Maggie talking with one of the little girls, and overheard her call the girl Chloe. He grinned as he thought of the idiosyncrasies of children, how they would be having the fight of a lifetime one day and be best friends again the next. He strolled over to Buffy and Willow, just as both of them were noticing that the Harris family had not yet arrived.

“They didn’t say anything about being late when I left this morning, Buffy. I’m sure that they’ll be here soon.” Willow said. “ If they aren’t here in a little while I’ll call and make sure everything is okay. I really have no idea what could be keeping them.”

At that moment, Anya walked through the front door, with little Alex in tow. “I’ll tell you what kept us. Xander was acting like more of a four year old than his son, that’s what!” she exclaimed. “Honey, go tell Maggie Happy Birthday and put her gift on the table. I’ll be there in a minute. Spike! Willow mentioned that you were back! How have you been?”

Spike took in the flurry of movement and speech that was Anya, noting that she really hadn’t changed much at all, just like the rest of the Scoobies. He grinned, and replied “I’ve been pretty good, Anya, especially since I got back and have been spending time with Maggie and Buffy. I’m surprised that the whelp didn’t tell you I was back though… he did see me the other day when he stopped by.”

“Oh, well, you know Xander. Sometimes he can’t get over himself long enough to act like a grown up.” She said, rolling her eyes. Spike smiled at her bluntness, and was thankful when the front door opened yet again and Dawn breezed in, carrying a huge gift bag and two boxes, all wrapped in dark purple paper and tied with lavender ribbons.

Spike went to help her with her load, as Buffy, Willow and Anya all greeted her. “Dawnie, you’re going to spoil her with all those presents,” Buffy started. “I told you only one.”

“Oi! She can spoil my little girl all she wants to” Spike interrupted. They all made their way into the living room to get the party off to a proper start. First the children gathered around and played a game with Dawn; while the other adults watched and giggled at how much fun the children seemed to be having. Then it was Willow’s turn to entertain them with her neat card tricks that Maggie seemed to love so much. After several more games, Buffy convinced them to watch the newest Blue’s clues video while she and Dawn got the cake ready. Maggie insisted that her Daddy watch with them, and that she sit in his lap while they watched.

A few minutes into the video, Willow thought she noticed a familiar brunette pass by the front window. “Uh, Spike… are you ok with the kids? I need to go outside and get some air for a minute.” She knew it was a lame excuse as soon as his scarred eyebrow shot up to question her sudden outburst, but he nodded anyway, and she excused herself from the room.

Once the front door closed behind her, she looked around but didn’t see him. “Xander Harris, I know you’re out here, so you might as well go ahead and come out.” Xander stepped around the side of the tree that Spike used to hide behind so many years before and tried to put on a resistant face to counter Willow’s resolve. “What are you doing lurking around out here? Why didn’t you just come inside like a normal party guest?”

“You know why, Willow. He’s there. And I’m just not so sure about him being back yet,” he told her, as he started kicking the dirt at his feet with the toe of his shoe.

Willow rolled her eyes. “You have got to be kidding me. Anya was right. You do act like a four year old sometimes.”

Xander’s eyes shot up, and he looked as if he didn’t know whether to be really offended that his wife thought he acted like a four year old or that his best friend agreed with her. “I do not act like a child!” he said, as he continued kicking around in the dirt.

“Ok.” Willow stated, motioning to his actions. “Xander, come here.” She commanded. Once he was on the porch, she pushed him over to the window, so that he could see all of the children and Spike sitting around watching the television. As if on queue, Maggie leaned her head over on Spike’s shoulder and Spike kissed her on the forehead, whispering something endearing to her. “Now, tell me, Xander, what exactly looks wrong with that picture?”

“Well, nothing if you don’t know that he’s an evil soulless vampire.”

“Xander, just stop it. Why can’t you grow up and realize that what matters is that Buffy and Maggie are happy. That little girl loves her father more than you or I could ever imagine. And Buffy loves him too. And he loves them. They are finally a family. Why can’t you just support Buffy and be happy for her?”

Xander just stood there, looking at Willow and not really knowing what to say as she continued. “You know, in all honesty, if we hadn’t been so unsupportive of her relationship with him in the first place, they might not have lost all that time together and Spike wouldn’t have missed out on seeing his little girl be born and start to grow up. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let your attitude ruin this day for any of them. He’s back, and he’s a part of their lives now, and everyone is fine with it. So you can either suck it up, come in and act like an adult and be happy for Buffy, or you can go home and sulk like a child. What will it be?”

Just then, the video ended and Maggie noticed the pair standing outside, looking in the window. She started waving wildly, and smiling at Xander and Willow. As he waved back to her, Xander said softly “I guess I’m coming in.” They both went inside and Xander was tackled by his own son and by Maggie, both demanding hugs from him.

“Uncle Xander, you’re late.” Maggie said frankly.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry. I didn’t miss presents did I?”

“Nope. Mommy says I have to wait till after cake.”

Spike regarded Xander with a little curiosity until Xander finally spoke. “Hey, man, welcome back. I don’t guess I ever got around to saying that the other day.”

Spike was even more curious at the way in which Xander was speaking to him. He wondered just what Willow had said to him while they were outside, but decided that as long as he didn’t cause any problems it really didn’t matter. “Yeah, thanks. So, Maggie seems pretty excited that you made it to her party. Sorry that you had to be late.”

Xander smiled. “Yeah, well as long as I didn’t miss cake and presents I guess it’s all the same, right?” Their brief conversation was cut short as Buffy called all of the children into the dining room for cake. Spike watched as Buffy brought a cake into the room with a picture of the Count on it. Five candles were placed carefully around the Count’s picture, and after Spike told her to make a wish Dawn snapped a picture just as Maggie blew out the candles.

Later that night, as Spike tucked Maggie in, he couldn’t remember a time when he’d been happier. “Daddy, I’m glad that you were here for my party. It was my best party ever,” she told him as she hugged him tightly.

“I’m glad I was here for it too, Bit. Now you settle in and get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” He tucked her in and turned to see Buffy come into the room to kiss her daughter goodnight. They both stood in the doorway, watching as Maggie blew kisses to them as they turned out the light.

Buffy crossed the hall to her room, but stopped as Spike headed for the stairs. “Spike, where are you going?”

“Well, Love, I seem to remember you saying that I had to sleep on the sofa tonight.”

“Get over here,” she started, reaching out to grab his arm and pull him into their room. “You still owe me a massage.”

A low rumble started in his chest as he gave a saucy look and replied, “That I do, Love…”

TBC…

Ch 20: Something’s off…

Buffy tossed and turned for a moment before finally opening her eyes and sighing heavily. Her eyes fell immediately to the moonlight and bright stars shining through her open window, and she thought how beautiful they were before confusion set in. Why was the window open? She never forgot to cover the windows at night; if she did Spike would be all dusty in the morning. Even more confusing was the fact that he was not laying next to her, and that in the pre-dawn darkness her room looked strange.

She sat up in bed, blinking as she looked around her room. Wait a minute, this is my old room. What’s going on? She looked around and confirmed that she was indeed sitting in her bed, in her old room. Buffy snuck out into the hall, and peeked into the rooms next to hers. Dawn slept peacefully in her bed, and Willow was curled up under the covers in Joyce’s old room. As Buffy walked back into her room, she tried desperately to figure out what was going on. Where were Maggie and Spike? Why were Dawn and Willow here? She didn’t remember feeling this strange since just after the scare with the demon serum and the mental institution hallucinations.

Was I dreaming? Buffy flopped down on her bed, trying to make sense of what was happening. Everything had felt so real. Maggie was turning five years old, and Spike had just come home, and they were a happy family. Now she wakes up and not only are the two people she loved the most not there, but there was no evidence that it had ever been true.

The sudden, slight fluttering in her tummy brought everything crashing back into reality.

She rummaged through the drawer of her nightstand, picking out the worn and usually forgotten journal that she kept there. She looked from the last entry to the calendar that hung lopsided on her wall. Everything was clear as she read her journal through the tears that began to prickle at the back of her eyes. It had only been two days since she’d taken the pregnancy test, and she hadn’t yet told any of her friends about it. She’d told them that she just wasn’t feeling well, and had basically been sleeping in her room since the little white stick had mockingly stared back at her with a positive result. Today was April 1st, and Buffy knew that if she’d waited until today to take the test she would have sworn the result was the most horrible April Fools joke in the history of such pranks.

All of the feelings from her dream came flooding back to her, but the one that stuck out the most was the loneliness she’d felt without Spike. But then she realized that her feelings of loneliness weren’t a dream. She had alienated Spike so many times that he was finally leaving her alone. She knew that he was still in Sunnydale, because Dawn had slipped up and mentioned going by the crypt to see him. But he was effectively ignoring Buffy. She put her hand over her stomach protectively, noticing that she was filling out a little bit, but not enough for anyone to notice just yet. “Don’t worry, baby” she said, as she got up and got dressed, “I’m going to tell him, and you won’t have to grow up with out him. I know he’ll love you just like we dreamed.”

+ + + + +

Buffy opened the door to Spike’s crypt, a little out of breath from sprinting through the cemetery in the thick night air. Ok, baby, we’re gonna have to discuss this getting winded thing. It doesn’t really work with the whole slayer calling. She called out for Spike, but eventually saw no signs that he was there. She crept down to the lower level, and instantly felt bad when she surveyed the remnants of the damage left over from the explosion a few weeks earlier. He had cleaned up part of the debris, but the bed was still pretty damaged, and black smoke stains covered the stone walls. She picked up a few candles and sat them on and old dresser that stood in the corner of the room, only partially charred by the blast. She looked down at the rug she was standing on, noticing how it was all but destroyed. Just a few weeks earlier, she had complimented that same rug, commenting on how nice Spike had managed to make the place. That was all gone now, she mused, as she climbed the ladder back to the upper level.

She wandered around for a few minutes, wondering where Spike could be. Buffy finally sat down and switched on his tv, deciding to wait for him to come back, but her mind just couldn’t concentrate on the countless infomercials that graced the screen in the early morning hours. Her thoughts drifted to the very vivid dream she’d just had, and she suddenly realized what scared her the most. There was a chance that Spike would leave. He always told her he wouldn’t, but she still didn’t feel confident enough to think that he wouldn’t ever leave her. Where is this coming from? This is Spike. What would it matter if he really left? But she knew that was a loaded question, and one that begged an answer.

She’d been trying from the very beginning to deny that she had any feelings for Spike at all. Now, she knew that she felt something, but she still just wasn’t sure what those feelings were, if she was really ready to admit them, and how much they were being affected by her present condition. She’d heard that pregnant women got all hormonal and emotional… could her judgment be clouded? Even so, Buffy found herself in a predicament. What if her dream came true… what if she didn’t tell Spike about the baby right away and he left town and she had to raise the baby all alone? On the other hand, what if she told him and his reaction was still the same? All of the worrying about his reaction and the reaction of all of her friends was taking its toll on Buffy, and she finally let the soft glow and hum of the infomercial soothe her into a troubled sleep.

Spike wandered through the tunnels and into the crypt, cursing the swimminess he felt in his near-drunk state, deciding he hadn’t drank nearly enough to dull the pain of Buffy’s most recent rejection. All thoughts of not being drunk enough left his mind as he registered the sounds of the tv coming from upstairs. He climbed the stairs, distinctly remembering turning the set off before he left.

He stopped in his tracks when he advanced closer and saw the slayer curled up in his chair, sleeping fitfully while the loud man on the telly raved about getting red wine and grape juice out of your laundry. She didn’t look peaceful at all, and his heart nearly broke when he saw the anguish that crossed her features. Nearly. Until he began to wonder what would possess her to come to his crypt in the wee hours of morning. Probably came for another round of kick-the-Spike, he thought ruefully. But, something wasn’t right. He was close enough to her now that he could hear her heartbeat if he was quiet enough, and it sounded off. Like it was normal at first but then had these fast little trippy sounds underneath. She looked pale, but not really sickly. In fact, he thought she wasn’t looking as skinny as she had a few weeks ago, but she looked so tired, even in her sleep, that he wondered what was up with the slayer.

He wouldn’t have to wonder for long.

A particularly vivid image of Spike walking away penetrated her sleepy mind, and her eyes snapped open when the pain gripped her heart. She looked up and saw Spike standing over her, regarding her presence with a skepticism that was purely his. She sat up, pushing her hair out of her face and attempting an explanation.

“Spike, you’re back. I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back at all. I mean, not that it’s any of my business, of course, but I just wondered…” she cursed herself when she realized she was babbling. She rolled her eyes and looked away as he stepped back and shook his head.

“Did you need something, Slayer?”

He noticed that she flinched, and her voice sounded way too tiny when she said, “Please don’t call me that.”

He tilted his head and quirked his eyebrow, wondering where all this vulnerability was coming from. “Ok…. Buffy. Did you need something?”

She finally raised her eyes to meet his again, and took a deep breath to bolster some confidence. Out with it, Buffy. Just tell him what you came here to tell him and get it over with. What’s the worst that will happen? He won’t believe you and you’ll find the information to make him believe and all will be well. “Um, I.. um, I need to tell you something, Spike. And I need to know that you’ll hear me out and give me a chance to explain.”

“Look, Buffy. If you’re here to remind me about how we’re over, then you can stop now. I’ve heard this tune so many times that I’ve memorized it.”

“No, Spike, this is important. Well, it’s important to me anyway, and I hope it will be important to you.” She said, before her thoughts took a nosedive and she started babbling again. “ I mean, I think you’ll think it’s important, and just please don’t leave again, because I don’t think I could take that feeling again and having to explain to her where you were and why you left us, and….”

“Buffy!” Her eyes snapped up at his tone when he interrupted her. “What the bleeding hell are you going on about? Just spit it out already. I’ve got things to do.”

Something in his tone pushed her over the edge, and she was acutely aware of how he must have felt all those times that she dismissed him without a second thought. She decided to stop beating around the bush and just tell him. “I’m pregnant Spike.”

His eyes grew as wide as saucers as he considered for a second that the child was his. But then reality set in and he remembered that he wasn’t ‘set up’ for children. He was about to shoot back some clever quip when Buffy cut him off. “I know that right now you probably don’t think it’s yours, but it can’t be anyone else’s. And you’d know that if you stop and think for a half a second.”

Her eyes were pleading with him to believe her. “But, I can’t… vampires can’t….” He sighed at his lack of eloquence. “You know this Buffy. Children aren’t possible with vampires.”

“Yeah, under normal circumstances,” she calmly replied. “But Spike, we live on the Hellmouth and our circumstances are hardly normal.”

He sat down with a huff on the stone sarcophagus in the center of the room. Buffy crossed the room and stood in front of him, looking at him and silently asking him to believe her. “I know this is pretty unbelievable, Spike. But I’m pretty sure that I can figure it all out in the next couple of days. Will you just promise me that you won’t leave until then? Just please say that you won’t leave me. I don’t think I can do this by myself.”

Spike’s brow creased as one eyebrow rose in confusion. He took a chance and reached out for her; surprised when she willingly went into his arms. “Hey now, Love, what makes you think that I’ll be leaving anytime soon? Haven’t you told me on countless occasions to get out of town?” She nodded against his chest. “And how many times have I obeyed?” She looked up at him and grinned before settling back into his embrace.

He held her for a long moment, enjoying the feeling of having her willingly in his arms. It was then that he realized what was odd about her earlier. It wasn’t her heartbeat that sounded strange; it was the baby’s that he was hearing, fluttering beneath hers. Buffy started to fidget in his arms, and he tried to still her.

“Spike, this isn’t the most comfortable position I’m standing in.”

“Well, we can fix that.” He swooped Buffy up into his arms before she even had a chance to protest, and carried her with him over to the chair she’d been occupying earlier. “Better, Love?” he asked, once they were settled with Buffy securely perched in his lap.

To his surprise, she snuggled further into his embrace and laid her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s better,” she sighed.

“Good, now stop your squirming so I can hear my little girls heart beating.”

“How do you know it’s a girl?” Buffy whispered, her breath tickling his neck and making him almost groan.

“I just know, Pet. What made you think I’d leave?”

“I just had this dream, that was part bad, and part good.”

“Want to tell me about it?” He asked, trying really hard to concentrate on anything other than the way her breath felt on his neck, or the way her fingers were absently exploring his chest.

“In a minute.” She replied, while lazily raising her head to look at him. Her tired, hazel eyes met his brilliant blue ones, and she knew that she couldn’t push her feelings away any longer. She loved this man, and didn’t want to spend another moment with out him. And she certainly didn’t want to wait until their daughter’s fifth birthday to tell him. She reached her hand up and ran her thumb across the sharp plane of his cheekbone, gently bringing his face closer to hers. His expression drifted back to confused, until they were within a breath of each other. When she closed the distance between them and kissed him, he was completely shocked. It took him a moment to register what was going on before he responded, kissing her back but keeping the pace slow and gentle. “There’s something else I want to tell you before I tell you all about the dream.”

He smiled at her; a genuine smile free from innuendo or sarcasm. “And what’s that, Pet?”

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Ch21: Resolve

Three days later, Buffy sat on the table in her doctor’s office; slightly uncomfortable in the little paper gown the nurse had given her. The doctor had already been in for her examination, and had confirmed what Buffy already knew to be true. She was about four months pregnant and everything seemed to be free of complications as far as the pregnancy was concerned.

Buffy wished that she could say the same for her life.

After telling Spike all about her epic dream and laying all her fears out for him, she had decided that it was time to face the music and tell her friends about the baby. She’d gone to the magic box, and was not really too shocked when she went straight to the shelf where the book was that explained her mystical pregnancy. The prophecy wasn’t quite as cheesy as the one from her dream, in fact, it was more like one of those “if…then” statements from high school calculus or science. “If the slayer and the vampire meet certain circumstances, then this will be the result”; but it was still just as complex and she still needed Giles to decode it for her.

She had of course told Dawn the news first, which was no problem at all. Dawn thought it was nothing short of the coolest thing that could’ve happened, and she was even happier to hear that Buffy and Spike would not be breaking up after all. The Summers women then set out to call Giles, making sure to call him during normal waking hours in England, since their news was likely to set him off enough without the whole middle of the night factor to deal with.

Buffy had asked Giles to decipher the text for her, which he gladly did, before realizing its implications. He was shocked at first, and almost started lecturing her on the reasons why having a baby with Spike was a bad thing, before Buffy interrupted him and told him that she was actually very happy with the situation. For the first time since her friends had brought her back from her grave, she felt totally and completely happy. Her only concern was that there was something she was missing, and that some horrible evil would be coming after her child. Giles promised to do more research, and in fact found that there were no such strings attached (that he knew of). After calming her fears and realizing that she was happy and healthy, Giles couldn’t really argue with her or focus on the negatives. He had promised to come visit soon and of course be there when the baby was born.

Telling Dawn and Giles had been so easy, that Buffy was lulled into a false sense of security when she told the others. She’d called everyone together for a meeting at the Magic Box, and tensions were high to begin with between the ex’s in the bunch. Anya stayed perched behind the cash register, glaring at Xander who sat at the table across the room. Willow and Tara didn’t glare at each other, but they didn’t exactly make with the friendly conversation either. Dawn watched them all, and tried everything she could think of to break the ice before Buffy and Spike got there.

When the two blondes finally entered the shop, tension was so thick it could practically be cut with a knife. Xander immediately bristled, wondering aloud why Spike had to be there. Once Buffy told them what her news was, all hell broke loose. Xander had threatened to stake Spike on the spot, Anya had broken down and started crying about the unfairness of Buffy having a baby before her, and everyone had found out that Tara knew about Buffy and Spike’s “relationship” before anyone else. Buffy had tried her best imitation of a resolve face when she told them all they could either support her or not be a part of her pregnancy, but the night had finally ended with all of the Scoobies leaving in an angry huff, and Buffy sobbing on Spike’s shoulder.

Buffy was startled out of her memories when the door to her examining room clicked open. She turned, expecting to see the doctor, but smiled when she saw a familiar blonde head peek into the room.

“Spike! What are you doing here? How did you get here? How did you know I was here?”

“Hey, Love,” he smiled, closing the door behind him and coming to kiss her gently. “You know, I can get anywhere I want to during the day as long as it’s on my “tunnel route”. And you told me you had to come to the Doctor’s office today…last night, remember?”

Her face flamed and she grinned as she did just that… remembering the things they’d done the night before after giving in to Dawn’s requests to spend the night with a friend. Her being pregnant certainly hadn’t slowed them down in the ‘making up for lost time’ department. “The nurse said it was ok that I come in with you, but if you want me to go…” He playfully turned away, as if he would walk out of the little room.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, stilling his movement. “No. I want you to stay. Dr. Birch is coming back and she’s going to do an ultrasound today.”

“That’s where you can see the baby on that little monitor?”

“Yes, that’s the one. And if the baby is in a good position, we might can tell if it’s a boy or a girl.”

Dr. Birch entered the room, and was thrilled to see that Buffy wasn’t alone. She did the ultrasound, and confirmed their suspicions that the baby was a girl. While Buffy dressed, Dr. Birch spoke with Spike in the hallway.

“It’s going to be very important, William, for you to be supportive of her in the upcoming months. She needs to be as stress-free as possible, and I’m giving her some prenatal care information today. She’ll need to take her vitamins and be sure to follow all the instructions I give her.”

“That won’t be a problem, Doc.” He assured her. “I’d die before I let anything happen to my girls.”

+ + + + +

As the weeks passed, all of the Scoobies began to warm up to the idea of Buffy having a baby. All of them, that is, except for Xander. He refused to even talk to Buffy about it, and refused to see that any good could come from a relationship with Spike that didn’t include a dusty ending. He had made his feelings crystal clear- he was disappointed with Buffy for even having a relationship with Spike in the first place, and he was even more unnerved by the fact that she now thought she was in love with the so-called evil, soulless monster and wanted to bear its spawn.

He had even taken to stalking Spike’s crypt and trying to pick fights with the vampire, which Spike gracefully declined, making Xander even more angry. When he couldn’t get either Buffy or Spike to respond to his antics, he started in on Tara, thinking that she would be an easy convert. But that only lead to Willow finding out, which explained why she showed up on his doorstep one evening seething with anger.

“Xander, what the hell is wrong with you?” she asked when he opened the door.

“Well, hello to you too, oh best friend of mine.” He said with a snort. “Why don’t you come on in?” he mused when Willow pushed past him and stalked into his living room.

“Xander, why is it that everyone but you is supportive of Buffy? Why can’t you stop for one second and see that she is happy, and that she needs the support of her friends?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Will. Maybe it’s the monster that’s responsible for her being in this predicament to begin with.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Do you even stop to think about the crap that comes tumbling out of your mouth before you say it?” Her tone was so motherly that Xander had no response, other than to look wide-eyed at her like a child who’s in deep trouble. “Think back if you will, and tell me this. Who put his own feelings aside and took care of Dawn last summer when we were all too caught up in our own grief to worry about it?”

Xander’s eye roll was not enough for her. “Answer me!”

“Spike did.”

“Yes, Spike did. And how many times did he try to hurt her, or ask us for anything, any single thing in return?”

“None,” Xander barely whispered, not wanting to admit defeat.

“Right again. He did it out of respect for the woman that he loved and had lost. And now, when we have the chance to pay him back just a little by being supportive, you act like a four year old. You have got to get over this disillusion that you are Buffy’s ultimate protector. She’s safe with Spike, and she’s happy.”

“But…”he started, only to be cut off by his best friend.

With her resolve face firmly in tact, she presented him with his options. “No buts, Xander. Now it seems to me that you have two choices here. You can either suck it up and go apologize to Buffy for the way you’ve been acting and truly be her friend, or you can keep acting like a childish…child and risk loosing her friendship forever.”

Xander stared at her, slack-jawed, trying to process where this outburst had come from. Before he could really register any sort of response, she was out of her seat and breezing out the front door.

“I’ll leave you to think it over. I trust you’ll choose wisely,” Willow said over her shoulder, just before the door closed behind her.

(tbc)

Part 22:

Willow sat in Buffy’s old room, stenciling little white moons and stars above the new chair rail on the freshly painted twilight-colored walls. She smiled as she looked around at the white baby furniture, noting the delicate design of the pieces Buffy had chosen. She had fallen into an easy habit with the painting, and started reflecting over everything that had happened over the last few weeks.

When she’d returned home after her talk with Xander, she’d been met at the door by an ecstatic Dawn proclaiming that Buffy and Spike were engaged. After getting over the initial shock, she ventured into the kitchen where the couple in question affirmed what Dawn had told her. He had proposed, and she had accepted, neither wanting their daughter to be without either parent if she didn’t have to, and wanting them to be a legal family when the baby was born.

The next few weeks had been a flurry of planning: for a wedding and a honeymoon and a nursery. The gang had barely been able to keep Buffy calm during all of the excitement, and by the time the wedding was a few days away, she was freaking out because the nursery was barely started. Willow chuckled when she remembered Spike making an off-handed comment about hormonal pregnant women, and the look on his face when Buffy actually made him sleep on the sofa that night.

Now the two were married, and off on their long weekend honeymoon in San Francisco. Buffy wasn’t comfortable traveling very far, but she and Spike both knew that this would basically be their last chance to get away together before the baby came. San Francisco had seemed a natural choice, since it wasn’t too far away and didn’t hold any of the obvious baggage that Los Angeles did.

Willow, Tara, Anya and Dawn had been working almost non-stop on the nursery since the couple had left, hoping to have it finished by the time they got back. Willow had decided it was time to move out, and find a place of her own. Things still weren’t great between Willow and Tara, but they had managed to start working toward a friendship again, both wondering if they would ever get back to the relationship they’d once had. Buffy and Spike would be taking over Joyce’s old room, and Buffy’s room was being transformed into the cutest nursery Willow thought she’d ever seen.

Just as she finished painting the last little moon on the wall, a knock at the front door jarred her from her thoughts. Anya and Dawn were due back from the baby store at any moment, insisting that they go and pick up the linens for the crib and other supplies for Buffy’s surprise baby shower, and Willow figured they were back and needing assistance bringing in all the stuff they’d bought. She jogged down the stairs, and flung the door open, expecting to see two women loaded down with packages. Instead, she saw no one, and was a little bit suspicious until she looked around the porch and noticed that the caller had left something behind. Sitting off to the side of the porch was the most beautiful little white bassinet that she’d ever seen, complete with little detailing that almost matched what Buffy had picked out for the baby’s room.

Willow brought it inside, and instantly recognized the handwriting scrawled across the envelope, addressed simply to “Baby Sinclair”. Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at the bassinet, and thought of the time it must have taken Xander to make it, and she wondered how he had managed to copy the detail on the furniture that Buffy had already chosen. She was still sitting there, contemplating the thought that Xander might actually be coming around when Anya and Dawn did get home. Each girl had their own thoughts about his gesture, and both wanted to open the letter and see what he had to say. Willow finally convinced them that it would be wrong, that Buffy should be the one to open the letter and read it.

+ + + + +

The Summers/Sinclair home looked like baby central on the day Buffy and Spike were scheduled to arrive home from their honeymoon. The nursery was completed, and the baby shower was all set. The living room was decked out in pastel colors (which all of the girls thought Spike would hate, but would have to deal with), and little baby shower decorations were placed everywhere. Streamers flowed over the doorway, almost creating a curtain, and a banner with little shapes of safety pins, diapers, and baby bottles was tacked up over the entrance to the kitchen. Giles had sent money to buy a stroller, and the girls had picked out the most extravagant one they could find. It was the Cadillac of baby strollers, one with so many features that “grew” with the baby, they were certain she’d be able to use it until she was at least two. Willow, Tara, Dawn and Anya had each picked out an outfit for the baby, along with some essentials like tiny towels and baby lotion and baby bath, except for Anya, who had brought over a gift certificate for a case of diapers along with the little layette she’d picked out for the baby. “One can never have too many diapers when there is a new baby around” she’d reminded them.

“Hurry, hurry!” Dawn screeched, as Willow put the finishing touches on the cake for the shower. “I see their car… they’ll be in here any minute now!” Each took their place in the living room to surprise the newlyweds when they came in.

Buffy noticed that a light flicked off and then on and then off again in the living room just as she started walking up the front sidewalk. “That’s odd… why are the lights flickering like that? Spike, you don’t suppose anything’s wrong do you?”

“No, Love, I’m sure Bit is just trying to find the perfect light to watch a movie in…you know how she gets when it’s cinema time.” He had all ideas that the girls were planning something, he just didn’t know what, and if it was indeed a surprise for Buffy there was no way he was going to be the one to spoil it by speculating on the light show inside the house.

They ascended the front steps, and before she knew it, Spike had carefully swept Buffy off of her feet and into his arms. “What are you doing?” She said around her laughter, leaning in to kiss Spike before they went inside and were bombarded with honeymoon questions from their friends.

“I’m preparing to carry my bride over the threshold, of course,” came his simple reply, smiling when she relaxed into his arms.

“Hmm… I never pegged you to be one for tradition, Spike.”

“Well, Love, we’ve already broken so many, I thought it might be nice to actually stick by one for a change.”

He reached down and opened the front door, and nearly dropped Buffy when the four young women jumped out of nowhere, in the semi-darkness, and yelled “SURPRISE!” He surged into his game face before even realizing it, his only thought being to protect his girls. The fit of laughter he heard caused him to shake it off, and roll his eyes at the hysterical girls in front of him.

“What’s so funny?” he demanded. “Don’t you people know by now that you don’t jump out of the bleeding darkness and yell at the Slayer and a Vampire?”

Dawn continued to laugh, trying desperately to catch her breath after her fit of laughter. “Oh, come on Spike, you had to know something was up… I mean we kept flicking the lights on and off, just so YOU wouldn’t be freaked out when we yelled surprise.”

Buffy looked around at all of the decorations as Spike put her down, amazed at the lengths her friends had gone to to try and make this a special homecoming for her. “You guys did all this for us?”

“Of course we did. Happy Baby Shower Buffy” Dawn gushed, pulling her sister into a tight hug.

“T-there’s presents in the living room, a-and cake in the kitchen” Tara told her, leading the way so that Buffy could see the rest of the shower set-up.

Willow’s smile grew brighter when she saw the awed look that blossomed over Buffy’s face as she looked at everything in the room. “Buffy, the nursery is all finished, too. You won’t believe how beautiful it looks,” she said, glancing at the others for the confidence to go on. The other girls nodded, signaling she should tell Buffy and Spike about the bassinet. “Um, another gift arrived the other day, along with a letter… we didn’t read it, we thought we should let you and Spike open it up and read it.”

Buffy’s brow creased with worry, thinking the worst; that Giles had been wrong and that something or someone was going to come for her baby. “Is it something bad?” she asked, turning to Spike and hoping for the best.

“Oh, no!” Willow rushed to recover, “It’s nothing bad. It’s just a gift, um, from, um… Xander. It’s upstairs, in the nursery, if you want to go see it now.” Each of the girls hoped that she’d go ahead and read the letter, because each one was dying to know what he’d said in the letter.

Spike immediately sprang to the defensive. “If that whelp does anything to upset you…” he started, until Buffy shushed him into silence.

“Spike… let’s just go see what it is. Give him a chance, you never know… he might be coming around,” Buffy urged.

Spike grumbled, but followed her up the stairs to the baby’s new room. Both of them teared up when they opened the door and saw the transformation from Buffy’s bedroom to the nursery for their daughter. Tears fell down her cheeks when Willow showed Buffy the bassinet from Xander. “I’ll just leave you two alone. We’ll all be waiting downstairs for you.”

Buffy picked up the letter, running her fingers over the surface of the envelope before opening it. Spike sat down in the new rocking chair, and pulled her into his lap to read what Xander had written to their unborn baby.

Buffy looked up at Spike with tears streaming down her face, and noticed with a little shock the tears glistening in his eyes as well. “Do you really think he means it, Spike? Do you think he might be willing to try to accept us and be happy for us?”

Spike put his arms around her and held her close, brushing the tears from her cheeks and tucking her hair behind her ears. “It sounds like it, Pet. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask him yourself.”

Buffy looked a little confused, remembering the party that awaited them downstairs. “Go, call him, Love. Invite him to your shower and talk to him. He was actually grown up enough to write the letter, now you be grown up enough to call the whelp and give him a chance to explain things in person.”

Buffy smiled and kissed Spike briefly, before going to do just that. Later that evening, when Xander came over, Willow smiled, thinking to herself, “it’s about time…”

+ + + + +

Later that summer, on a hot August day, five very nervous friends paced the waiting room at the Sunnydale Hospital. Three women had already gone in, and proud papa’s had brought the news back that their babies had been born. Two of them had boys; one had a girl. Yet the rag-tag group who huddled in the front corner of the room had no news. Every now and then Dawn would come out, and tell them that Buffy was ok, and that her labor was progressing, but still no baby.

“I just don’t understand what’s taking so long.” Anya whined. “These other women came in after Buffy, and they got out first. Doesn’t her baby know that we had to close the shop to come here and wait for her to be born?”

Giles rolled his eyes. “Anya, I’m sure that Buffy’s baby doesn’t really care that you closed the shop today, but one day I’ll bet that she will be eternally grateful that you gave up your profits for today to await her arrival.”

Willow chuckled at her reaction, and smiled when Xander tried to talk to her and explain why these things take time. She was glad that he had finally came around and decided that Buffy was too good of a friend to loose, and that Spike could be a good friend to all of them as well. He also seemed to be slowly patching things up with Anya, which made Willow glad. She and Tara still hadn’t been able to make much progress toward being a couple again, but they were still friends, and it made Willow happy to know that at least some good could come from all the pain they’d all experienced over the last year.

Finally, Dawn burst through the double doors leading to Labor and Delivery, sporting the biggest grin any of them had ever seen. She gushed out the news so fast that they all wondered how she managed the speech without taking a single breath. “She’s here! She’s finally here! And she’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen in my whole life! Spike got squeamish at the sight of all the blood, and I totally laughed at him, because, hello? He’s supposed to be Mr. Blood-and-Guts! But then, we heard this tiny little cry, and there she was!”

They all cheered and hugged, and prepared to go welcome the newest member to their group that was more like an extended family than a group of friends thrown together by less than normal circumstances. When the doctor allowed them, the group ventured into Buffy’s room to meet her daughter.

Buffy sat in the middle of the bed, holding the baby wrapped snugly in a pretty pink blanket, and Spike sat beside her, stroking her hair and smiling like someone had just given him the world. Buffy and Spike had already decided on her name long before coming to the hospital to bring her into the world, having no doubts as to what their daughter’s name was, but hadn’t shared the name with anyone else until that moment.

The group made their way quietly into her room, bringing with them flowers and balloons and smiles of congratulations.

“Oh, Buffy, she’s beautiful, just like Dawn said,” Willow cooed, reaching out to touch her tiny fingers.

Giles and Xander merely stood and watched, allowing their manly pride to prevent them from gushing over the baby, but instantly knowing the second they laid eyes on her that she would one day wrap them around her little finger. “Have you named her yet?” Giles spoke up, bringing some attention back to Buffy and Spike.

Buffy shifted her daughter in her arms so that the group could see her a little better. “We have, actually. Scooby gang, I would like for you to meet Margaret Anne Sinclair.” She leaned down and kissed the baby’s forehead, before whispering, “Maggie, this is your family.”

Epilogue

Children overtook the living room of the house on Revello Drive, all there to celebrate Maggie’s fifth birthday. Gifts of all shapes and sizes were placed on the coffee table and on the floor around it, wrapped of course in all shades of purple-her favorite color. Spike silently mused that they would have to build another room onto the house to accommodate all of Maggie’s new possessions. The joyous sound of children’s laughter filled the air all afternoon as they all played games, and ate cake and opened presents.

At the end of the party, Maggie declared that this was her best birthday ever, and all of the adults laughed, remembering that she’d made that same declaration after each birthday party since she could speak. Giles had been absent from the party, having commitments in England that kept him from attending this year, but he had sent spectacular gifts from some of the most exclusive children’s shops in London. Willow was there, as usual spending the last of her summer vacation in Sunnydale before heading back to teach her classes at the small private college in New Orleans where she had finally settled down and started a life of her own. Tara had stopped by, not wanting to miss the little princess’s big day, nor the interaction between Maggie and Alex, Xander and Anya’s little boy who was only a year younger than Maggie.

Later that evening while Spike put Maggie to bed, Buffy disappeared to the little library they’d created in their home office. She sat in her overstuffed chair, taking a moment to reflect on her life and the changes that she never would have imagined before having Maggie. Spike had of course demanded that she quit the DoubleMeat Palace after learning that she was pregnant. He’d started writing, and actually managed to get several of his books published. He had such a wide range of genres to write in, from historical perspectives to fiction best sellers, and he was an instant hit with his readers, allowing the royalties from his work to more than amply support them. After Maggie was born Buffy had gone back to school, and finished her degree in English. She now worked from home, with Spike, doing most of his editing for his new books.

She walked to the bookcase, seeking out a very specific volume. As she ran her hand along the titles, searching out the one she needed, the well-placed reading lights glinted off the blood-red ruby of her engagement ring, and highlighted the diamonds in her wedding band. She had actually wanted just a simple, gold band when Spike proposed to her, but he insisted that she have nothing but the prettiest, flashiest band the jeweler had to offer. Finding the book she was looking for, she plucked it from the shelf and settled back into her chair to read the passage she needed to confirm her suspicions. Once she found it, she simply smiled and placed the book back in its place, before going up the stairs to kiss her daughter goodnight.

Buffy settled under the covers of her bed, and lingered just a moment when Spike kissed her before snuggling into his embrace to fall asleep. It was in quiet moments like these that she was most thankful that the Powers had seen fit to send her the dream of Maggie, and had given her the chance to avoid all that time away from Spike, without him knowing about his daughter. Her eyes drifted closed as Spike wrapped her up in his embrace, and she decided to wait until morning to tell him her news; that their prophecy apparently wasn’t a one-shot deal. There was another little miracle on the way, and somewhere, deep in her heart, she just knew that the new baby she was carrying was going to be boy. She would name him William, after his father.