Rating: A PG-13 overall, just to be safe. Some segments will contain stronger ratings, and will have the appropriate warnings (hehe, didn’t I sound all official and business-like).

Disclaimer: How ever did you guess that I own everything here? That’s right, it’s all mine, baby! Joss Whedon who? I came up with it all, and if you believe that, then I have a nice bank account here in Georgia I’m going to need you to wire 1,000 dollars to immediately. I’m also gonna need those little numbers on the bottom of your credit card there…

Author’s Note: Okay, if you know me, then you know that one of my major peeves fic-wise is pregnancy fics. I rarely find one that doesn’t make me groan, *not in the good way*, and I’ve been a champion for making them stop. Well…guess what, I’m writing one, of sorts. While looking around Thia’s great site ‘Forever Beautiful’, I decided to take up one of her challenges, number 2 to be exact. The challenge goes like this *clears throat*

Pick one of the book covers from the fanart challenge as your fiction theme. It is supposed to be a biography-type of fiction about Buffy and Spike. - this doesn't mean that it will be a real *biography. It is simply a whole life experience since Spike became who he is now and as well as Buffy.. and how the relationship between them would have developed. I'm expecting these stories to be some kind of an epic journey of Buffy & Spike! Doesn't necessarily have to be like the show, though not too AU either. 'Make it just like Buffy and Spike', how we see them.

And I have done just that, and I bring you ‘In Between’. A collection of vignettes really, telling Buffy and Spike’s story, beginning in 2005 with the birth of their child, flashing back to their beginnings in 1997. Some events are actually taken from a story I began but never was able to finish. I liked it so much that I thought I’d cram it in here ;D. Hopefully this won’t suck horribly, and maybe, just maybe, it’ll leave me with an appreciation for this genre. Cross your fingers ;D. I should also probably be shot for starting another fic while I still have what feels like a million others to finish, but what can I say…I’m a true glutton for punishment.

March 24, 2005

Why were there so many of them?

His eyes widened as he took in the vast expanse of vending machines surrounding him. Ones with Coke or Pepsi printed on the side of them, in huge, bold letters, assuring they looked as corporate as possible. Others, seemingly filled with junk that was so off-brand, they were merely called Grape or Chips, they didn’t even deserve a catchy name…

He wondered briefly why a hospital would stock up on machines that promoted an overload of sugar and clogged arteries, then quickly reasoned it must be good for business.

It wasn’t like he had never seen one of these things before; on rare occasions he’d even used a couple. But at this moment they all seemed to blur together. A giant mass of Cheesy-Chips and Doritos. All he needed was one, just one, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t pick it out.

"Can I help you, sir?"

He offered a weak but grateful smile to the young orderly who stood before him. In his clouded, snack-food haze, he hadn’t noticed he wasn’t alone, and was eternally thankful someone up there had taken pity on him and sent this kid to help him sort through the mess of Cheetos.

"I—Ice. I need ice. Can’t seem to find the bleeding machine."

The young man gave him a soft smile and pointed to a small machine just to the right of him.

How the hell had he missed that?!

"Crushed, right?"

He gave a feeble nod in response, feeling like the biggest dolt to ever walk the planet. How was he supposed to be a father?! He couldn’t even do the simplest of tasks like getting Buffy’s stupid ice chips!

Random and rather disjointed pictures flew through his mind all at once, utterly scary things, like his daughter getting snatched up by demons on his watch… playing in traffic… shacking up with a Fyarl named Dex at 18, by far the most disturbing.

All of this somehow doomed to happen because he couldn’t get bleeding ice chips.

"Here you go, sir."

With another weak smile, Spike took the cup of ice from the orderly, slowly turning and making his way out of the cafeteria, down long corridor after long corridor, towards the very room that held his future, for better or for worse.

A genuine smile settled on his lips as his mind raced back to their beginnings. Who would have guessed when they first met nearly nine years ago that he and Buffy would have ended up where they were now?

TBC…

Rating: PG-13, for the most part. Though some segments will delve into the naughty, and those will be rated appropriately along with bunches of warnings ;D.

Disclaimer: I know I’m usually busting with wit on this part of the page, but I’ve been up all night, I’m tired, so therefore: I don’t own the characters in this story, they all belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, and countless other people who aren’t me. Do me a favor you guys…yeah you…*glares* and pretend that I just said something gut-bustingly funny. Guffaw, snort, wake up your neighbors, kick old ladies down flights of stairs, steal candy from babies, and then blame it on the complete funny-ness of this disclaimer right here ;D. Come on…kicking old ladies down stairs…you know you wanna…

September 30, 1997

She hadn’t meant to take this route.

Somewhere between her usual quick sweep of cemeteries one, two, and three (Shady Acres, Elm, and Restfield), through the alley behind Willy’s Bar, and down Tracie street, she must’ve gotten turned around. As much as she would have loved to be inside, grinding to the pounding music and killing cockroaches for a free soda, the back alley of the Bronze was not the place her feet were supposed to take her.

Yet in a way, she wasn’t at all surprised she’d ended up there.

His words had haunted her, repeating themselves over and over like a mantra. Three words had managed to instill a type of fear in her that she had all but forgotten. He wasn’t the least bit afraid of her, tossing a cocky smile her way as he clapped…

He knew one day they would fight to the death and he had no doubts about what the outcome would be.

Secretly, she’d hoped for a challenge – hell, she would’ve given her left foot for a vamp who wasn’t so easily wasted after a couple of kicks. Okay, maybe not her left foot, more like a toe, one of the pinkies. Whatever miniscule body part she decided to sacrifice for it, the fact remained that she was desperately hungry for a real fight, and ‘William the Bloody’, as Giles had called him, was looking to give it to her.

A strong wind whipped through the alley, effectively sending a chill down her spine. Buffy pulled her coat a little tighter, casting a glance over her shoulder. She could have sworn there was a pair of eyes on her, scrutinizing her, studying her. She could feel the weight of their intensity bearing down on her shoulders and she shivered again, this time not because of the wind.

That’s it. She had to get it together.

Buffy let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding, lightly fingering the stake in her right hand. This was ridiculous! She’d killed the Master, crushed his bones into a sticky paste, and shown no fear. There was no way she would let this one vampire get to her…

Come Saturday, she’d be ready for a challenge.

She groaned inwardly as she made her way out of the alley.

She would be ready for Saturday -- that is, if she survived ‘Parent-Teacher Night’ tonight.

He slowly emerged from the shadows, a wide, boyish grin playing across his features as he watched the Slayer’s retreating form.

There was no way he could wait until Saturday…

March, 24 2005

Buffy turned, casting a glance in the other direction, a smile forming on her lips as she spotted him in the doorway. She knew he was there, though he hadn’t made a sound; no matter what, she could always feel him. The weight of the intensity of his stare, seemingly bearing down on her shoulders, never failed to send a chill down her spine.

"Hi."

"Hi, luv."

In an instant he was at her side, placing the cup of ice on the bedside stand and gently easing Xander out of the way. Spike pressed a kiss to her forehead, slipping a few strands of her golden hair behind her ears.

"How are my girls?"

"Same old, same old," Harris sighed, a tiny smile on his lips.

Buffy looked down at her swollen belly, placing a hand atop it. "I don’t think little Caitlin is ready to make her world debut tonight," she sighed.

Spike scrunched up his nose, cocking an eyebrow in disdain. "We are not naming any child of mine Caitlin."

"What’s wrong with Caitlin?!"

"Oh nothing, just that every ponce with a minivan and a ‘Baby on Board’ sticker has a daughter named Caitlin."

Buffy huffed, "Well, if you can do better…"

"How about Xanderella?" Xander suggested, his face falling at the looks he got from the couple. "If I had said ‘Alexandra’, I could have avoided that whole crazy look I just got there, huh?"

TBC...