Disclaimer: I have to say this cause I can’t afford a lawsuit but all my characters in this story? They’re not really mine. They belong to some genius mind by the name of Joss Whedon and all the companies that had a part of bringing us 2 terrific shows. I’ll miss watching them. Thank God for DVD’s!

Oh also, I’m reading A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle to my 10 yr old. Thanks Ms. L’Engle for sharing part of your astounding piece of literature with us. (I used a name from that book! ;) )

~~*~~

Chapter 1

He sat on the edge of the bed, peering intensely into the bassinet, and knew if given the opportunity, he’d pour himself into it right alongside the fascinating creature he had just only met. His fingers itched with want to stroke creamy pink skin left uncovered, but something was holding him back. His eyes wandered over smooth, miniature features to the light honey-hued fluff that seemed to softly twirl into delicate curls on top of her perfectly shaped head. Stubby pink digits (all ten, he mentally checked) poked out from under the blanket lying casually over her.

Funny he didn’t realize he had leaned even closer, his chin amusingly resting on the edge of the wicker cradle in what would look like a seemingly uncomfortable position to any onlooker.

“Any closer and you’ll be falling right in there with her.”

Spike sat up quickly at the sound of the familiar voice, never taking his eyes off of the precious package sleeping soundly before him.

“You know, you can touch her...and pick her up...and hold her. She won’t break. I promise.” Spike allowed his gaze to travel slowly over to the nibblet standing in the doorway of the sisters’ suite.

“She’s sleeping so deeply. I didn’t want to disturb the little…piece of joy.” Spike noticed an odd look crossed over Dawn’s face as he finished his sentence.

“What is it, bit? Is something wrong with her?” Spike protectively reached out and placed his hand lightly on his daughter’s chest, feeling the soft, quick beats of her tiny heart while her lungs filled and emptied rhythmically. The hum and warmth from her tiny frame traveled like an electrical current through his fingers and up his arm to spread invitingly across his own chest.

‘Well, that definitely didn’t take very long’, he thought to himself. The love for this new addition to his family rooted itself and bloomed in every crack and crevice of his body. He had known her for less than an hour.

‘Must be something in the Summers’ genes.’ he silently chuckled at the play on words before realizing Dawn had not answered his question.

“Dawnie?” he pleaded for a response.

Dawn shook her head. “No, no. Of course not. Nothing is wrong with her. It just caught me off guard. The...affectionate nickname you gave her. It’s...perfect.”

Spike smiled softly at his nibblet as it hit him that he didn’t even know the name of his own child yet.

“Speaking of names…uh, she has one, don’t she?”

“Naturally. But I think joy suits her. Everyone has been calling her AJ, drives Buffy crazy.” the teen leaned against the doorframe and giggled merrily.

“And if it drives the sis crazy, what does she call her?” Spike was extremely curious at the moment.

“Well, I suppose, since you are the father and everything, you do have a right to know your own child’s name. Don’t you think Buffy should be the one to tell you, though?

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes, irritated beyond any scope of reaction. Gritting his teeth, he slowly answered, “I don’t rightly believe it really matters, bit.”

Dawn stood up straight with a slight laugh in her tone. “Calm down. Buffy calls her AnJoy. It’s a combination of her first and middle names. Ananda Joy. Not only did she want a name that meant what she was feeling, she wanted to use portions of our mother’s and your mother’s names as well.”

Spike smiled slightly, bouncing the name around in his head before saying it out loud. “Ananda Joy.”

“Yep. I think she did her own little baby name research, trying to find the perfect one. She said it means, ‘That joy in existence without which the universe will fall apart and collapse’. It’s Sanskrit and I’ve got it memorized now.” Spike stared at her. “People ask, it’s such an unusual name. I think Buffy came across it in a book she had either read or was reading, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”

Dawn walked over to the bed and sat down next to the vampire who was listening to every word even though he kept his attention on the babe. The shift of the bed brought him out of his reverie and he peered back at his nibblet.

“Buffy never expected to ever, ever have a child of her own, Spike. The last 9 months were ubër hard on her. Even harder than slaying I presume. We didn’t find out she was pregnant until her fourth or fifth month. She wasn’t able to hide it then. I thought she was just getting fat, moping around the home and eating constantly. I gave her some space because I knew how torn up she was about losing...well, of losing you.”

Spike’s shoulders sagged with the weight of guilt as he looked back into the crib again. Dawn continued. “We, the gang, decided that if after six more weeks she was still acting all mopey, we had to intervene and remedy the mopiness she was carrying around on her own shoulders. So go figure, she beat us to it and spilled the whole can of beans. Everything about the two of you, the night before the battle, the amulet that Angel gave to her and that you wore, the feelings of deep loss over your “suppos-ed” second death and finally the surprise bun in the oven. She poured her heart and soul out before breaking down and crying for a good 15, 20 minutes. Funny though how all of us were tremendously excited about the prospects of a little one running around, but we, especially me, knew she was terrified.”

Spike heaved a heavy sigh. “I wish I had been there to help. Wish I could have seen her transformation as the baby grew inside.”

Dawn laid a warm, comforting hand on his back. “If you ask me, I think I know why you didn’t try to contact her. In a way you were with her through the whole thing.”

“How do you figure?” Spike looked at the girl sitting next to him. In the year since he had last been in her company, she had blossomed into quite an intelligent young woman.

“Well, there were times when she thought she was alone that I overheard her talking to the baby, telling her about everyone, the past, present and future, but more so of you. “Daddy was a brave man with a big heart and even bigger soul”. She’d get quiet for a little bit and then start talking to you. Telling you everything that happened throughout the day and whatever seemed important for her to confide in you about. I believe it lessened her anxiety over the whole outlook of bringing the baby into the world without the kid’s daddy around.”

“I’m happy she found that peace of mind. It doesn’t really make me feel better. I wasn’t there. Flat out missed the whole soddin’ miracle of it all. Didn’t get to see her belly expand, didn’t get to feel the baby move…bloody hell, wasn’t there to see her born, hear her first cry, hold her, both of them, in my arms. All because of my fears of….”

Dawn heard his voice crack and wanted desperately to fix things. “You know, it’s hard, I’m sure, that you missed a very big thing. But it’s done and over with. You have to move forward, step on up and take the reins so to say. You’ve got a kid now. You! A vampire with a soul. Besides, in the morning?...If you fix me breakfast, I’ll show you all the pictures I’ve taken over the past year. I’ve got three photo albums just brimming with.”

A weight seemed to be lifted as he sat up straighter and turned his gaze back to her. “Really?”

Dawn grinned from ear to ear as she nodded her affirmation.

“How ‘bout I buy you a breakfast fit for a queen. The building has a nice restaurant with a grand buffet. They have these little sausages….”

“Okay, okay, you’ve won me over. Breakfast buffet it is…at your expense, mind you.” She winked and smiled at him mischievously. “I’ll bring the pictures and delightful conversation. Maybe Buffy would like an invitation? You know, when you get a chance to ask her that is.”

“Maybe. If I get a chance, I’ll ask.” His voice softened as he leaned back over the bassinet.

Dawn stood unexpectedly. “Here. Allow me.”

She scooped the baby up gently and placed her tenderly into her father’s arms, planting a kiss on the infant’s forehead and then quickly one on his cheek before slipping out of the room.

He was holding her….He was alone and holding her….He was petrified being alone and holding her. What if she woke up screaming and crying? What should he do? He began to panic. Making a move to stand up, his plan to run over to the doorway to call Dawn back seemed futile as he sat back down. Eyes restlessly darting around the room to find some level of comfort backfired on him as well. He promptly leaned over to place her back in the crib, but fear of dropping her in or jostling her around too much crept through his head. She sighed and squirmed in his arms.

“Bugger it all,” he whispered. “Please don’t cry, please…don’t…cry.”

He turned slightly to the side, and leaning back onto the bed, he placed the baby in the center of the mattress while he rested on his side, head propped up on his fisted hand. The other hand busily made sure all exposed skin was recovered with the soft blanket that was wrapped about her.

“There, there sweet joy. Daddy’s here, right here beside you. Nothing to worry about, not anymore.” He liked his new title as he quietly observed, drinking in every tiny detail of her from head to toe, the sound of her breathing, the soft sighs and the quick beats of her heart, the smell of baby powder and shampoo, a clean, soft distinct smell. He failed to notice the warm body that had joined them in their solitude until she spoke.

“I knew it.” Spike slowly shifted to a sitting position to stare at the petite blonde that now stood in the doorway.

“And what is it exactly that you knew, pet?” Spike questioned the amused slayer.

Buffy waved a hand through the air as she walked towards the bed and its precious contents. “Oh, just that you’d fall head over heals in love with this itty bitty angel and forget all about the one who carried her for nine months, birthed her with a labor from hell, and considering my lack of care giving for an infant, doing whatever I can to be the best mom I can be.”

Spike remained speechless even as she finished her speech. It made Buffy nervous that she may have sounded too brutal without meaning to.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just blabbering on and being quite selfish. It’s been hard, I won’t lie to you about it. But I’ve loved every second of it. Being a mother…it’s a job I don’t mind, not one bit. I cherish each and every day.”

“Buffy, I’m…I’m really happy that you get to do something, be something you never thought you would ever be. And pet?” Spike looked at her, really looked at her since she had stepped through those office doors. “I could never forget about you. I just had to shift you all around and make some more room.”

He smiled genuinely at her while he placed his hand over his unbeating heart. “All the Summers still residing here. It’s a permanent dwelling, I’m afraid.”

Buffy returned his affectionate smile as she gently sat near the top of the bed, close enough to stroke Ananda’s plump cheek.

“Nibblet told me what you named her….Thank you for thinking of my mum. I wish she…well, never mind. Seems quite absurd to wish she were here.” Spike rolled off the foot of the bed and kneeled on the floor instead, watching mother and daughter.

Buffy brushed her finger over the soft curls adorning the wee bits head. “No, no not really. I wish the same. But I am absolutely, positively sure they are looking down on her. Her guardian angels maybe?”

“Sounds…good,” Spike replied followed by a brief silence. “Ananda. Where did you come up with such a name though?”

Buffy sat up and smiled softly. “Funny, I was reading a book I found in the doctor’s office while waiting for my examination. They let me keep it so I could take it home to read. I know what you’re thinking and yes I do read from time to time.” Spike chuckled at her humor.

“Anway, the book had a name in it that just seemed to pop out at me while I was reading it. It just seemed to fit, I don’t know why. Maybe I’ll never know. Did Dawnie tell you what it means?”

Spike nodded his head.

Another round of silence fell between them as they shared in the peaceful moment. “Buffy, I need you to know…I need to tell you…I’m so very sorry. I’ve been such a git, not trying to get in contact with you, not telling you about coming back, being here, even though I still to this day don’t know why I’m here.”

“Oh, I know why you’re here, why you’re back.” He looked up at her with puzzlement in his eyes. She continued, “You weren’t finished. Like me, the reason I came back. You had more to accomplish here. And, honestly, I understand now why you didn’t tell me. I’m not angry, well, not anymore. Just disappointed we didn’t get to share…but hey, it’s over and done with. We need to live in the here and now. And I’d really like to find out if there are any more surprises in store for us.”

Spike growled softly. “It’s that bloody amulet.”

Buffy nodded. “I do believe it has a lot to do with just about everything going on here. We didn’t get to do much research and what we did come up with…well, it seems irrelevant. Granted we didn’t have very good sources to look through. Giles is trying his best to rebuild the Watcher’s library that got destroyed in the explosion. It’s a slow process. But you know Giles and books, he’s just delighted to do the job.”

“Sounds like Rupert. Speaking of which…uh, what was his reaction to the pregnancy news?”

“I’m not quite sure. He was all with the happy when he knew I was happy about it. I think it just fascinated him that a vampire could procreate. Wait til I tell him about Angel and Darla. That’ll unravel his tweed.”

Spike smiled, something Buffy was growing more anxious to see more often. He sighed as he stood. “Mental note, ask Angel to share his reproduction story. Well, the rated PG version at any rate. See if there were any mystical charms hanging about or whatnot.”

Buffy stood as well and she crossed her arms across her chest with a tilt of her head. “I’d like to hear about this odd “relationship” you two have. Last time, the both of you were close to ripping each other’s throats out.”

“Still are…to an extent. Just learning to deal with one another, long enough to get things done. I still love the thrill of annoying the poofter. Long, bloody boring story anyway, pet. Long history. So now, I should be going and letting you get your rest.”

“You’re not running away?” Buffy’s voice held a bit a fear in it.

Spike turned before crossing the threshold. “Not running, not in a million years. I’m taking the bit out for breakfast in the morning. Join us?”

She nodded once. “I think I can arrange that in my busy schedule.”

“Good. Goodnight then….And sweet dreams, Buffy. To both of you.”

“I think they will be now. Goodnight.”

To be continued…

A/N: I said I’d try and update weekly, doesn’t mean that will happen. LOL Actually, the holidays threw me off, family visiting, kitty quandary, sick computer and job hunting so I apologize for taking so long. Thank you for the reviews and just to let you know, this isn’t going to be a long story. Maybe 10 chapters tops unless more readers seem interested in it. ;)

***Remember this is a sequel to my one chapter fic, ‘Out of the Blue’. So you’re not confused, you should probably read that story first.

Disclaimer: I have to say this cause I can’t afford a lawsuit but all my characters in this story? They’re not really mine. They belong to some genius mind by the name of Joss Whedon and all the companies that had a part of bringing us 2 terrific shows. I’ll miss watching them. Thank God for DVD’s!

**~**~**

Morning came too quickly for Spike, who really hadn’t slept a wink through the night. Too many thoughts and ideas jumbled about, not to mention too much worrying about the future and what was to come. Funny though, he was never much of the contemplator, never fretted over the what-ifs, never anxious about outcomes and whatnot. He was, rather, the jump-into-the-fray-and-suffer-the-consequences-sort-of-chap. The do now, think later concept of life. Quite contrary to what he was before he had been turned; complete opposite, in fact.

But now…now he had someone who depended on him. Someone who would end up relying on him in the years to come. Right? A child he never thought in his wildest dreams he would ever possess. She was his. Given to him. A 125 plus year old souled vampire fathering a mystical child with a vampire slayer? Outrageous but otherwise miraculous. He wasn’t going to fault anyone for allowing it to happen.

But none of that helped him stop the ol’ mind from wandering. Oh, he would definitely be a father to the child. A bloody damn good one at that. There were no questions about his loyalty in that respect. His concerns were more related to the issues the girl would raise in her later years. How would he deal with questions she would surely lob at him about his…specialness and unique abilities? How would things be explained and when would he see her and…and…oh, bollocks. His main worry in all of this weirdness? Where did this put him and Buffy?

He sighed as he finally coaxed himself out of bed, knowing that he would see all three of them, his slayer, his nibblet, and his daughter, in less than an hour. Hit the shower, get dressed, and pick up his girls for breakfast. That’s all he should be concerned about at the moment. Thank God Angel was all wrapped up in the sentimentality of family to offer him a room for the night. It was nice to be close to loved ones even if they were on the other side of the building.

~~*~~*~~

On that other side, in another suite similar to Spike’s, Buffy woke to gurgles and babbles coming from the small basket set nearby. She laid there and smiled, content in listening in on the solo conversation her daughter seemed to be having. Not even a month old and she was already so animated. Happiness seeped out of her as she realized her world of chaotic scribbles was finally straightening out and forming an unbroken circle, engulfing all her loved ones in it and keeping them all safe and sound.

Of course, she was always leery of happiness clauses. She could never delude herself into thinking that, in the world they lived in, they would ever be safe, sound and truly happy. Which brought her to thoughts of amulets and mystical pregnancies.

Until concrete facts were unearthed about all of this dark and cryptic confusion, she would keep the happies to a minimal level. At the moment, she was delighted to know that Spike was indeed actually back among the “living” and that he had been fully receptive to the idea of having a child in this world.

Divide and conquer. One thing at a time. And right now, she had to get herself and Anjoy up and ready to conquer the breakfast buffet.

~~*~~*~~

9 a.m. he was standing in the lobby waiting. The everyday hustle and bustle of Wolfram and Hart flowed around him: Harmony answering the phone at the reception desk, Lorne in all his greeness and flamboyant attire, whistling a jaunty tune as he carried on with keeping the employees in line and happy, Gunn all suited up and looking stylish, running back and forth from his office to Angel’s, who apparently was in some type of conference, and even Wes had the decency to pop his head out before quickly shutting himself back up in his office .

Even though his world had been flipped upside-down momentarily, their lives, Angel’s and the gang, carried on with a sense of normality in what could be deemed a world as abnormal as a horde of vampires sunning themselves at the beach. But Spike was always prepared for the catastrophic, always on his toes, ready at the gate for anything life hurled his way. This was a big one, this fatherhood bit, but he was totally ready.

The doors to the elevator slid open and they were all graced with the eardrum piercing wail emanating from inside. Buffy, carrying the wee bit over her shoulder, shuffled off with Dawn in tow. Heads turned to see the exasperated mother bouncing the shrieking baby up and down while patting her back. Spike panicked at the shrill sound and the bewildered look of the slayer.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Did anything happen? She hurt?” Spike rushed question after question out as he leaned forward apprehensively yet still stood rooted in the same spot.

Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side. “To answer all your questions: I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, and I bloody well don’t know.”

“Well, what do we do? What needs to be done?” Spike look absolutely terrified.

“Could you quiet the kid down? This is a place of business,” somebody in a suit and shiny shoes sneered.

Spike snarled. “Oh, bugger off. Can’t you see she’s in distress?”

He turned back to Buffy, feeling absolutely incompetent. She held her out to Spike suddenly and that rise of panic clutched at his stomach again.

“Here, take her, hold her, please. I’ll go fix a bottle for her. Maybe she’s still hungry.” Buffy turned to rifle through the diaper bag hanging on Dawn’s shoulder.

“But, Buffy, I-I don’t think…,” Spike stuttered. Slowly Buffy turned back to look at him as Dawn leaned around her older sister to gawk at him as well. He looked back at them, confused.

“What…?” At that moment, he realized his little one was momentarily pacified except for the post-crying hiccups that shook her tiny body slightly. He looked down at the bundle cradled in his arms; round eyes the color of the deep sea peering up at him intensely. Every person, place and thing around him disappeared as he was pulled deeper into her compelling stare.

Time slowed as he sunk deeper into the pools of cobalt liquid, but he felt no fear. He felt safe and warm, his very soul engulfed by love and hope. A distinct impression tickled at the back of his brain as though she seemed years older than just the few weeks she had been living and breathing and wiser than any mortal he had ever known. It was comforting, like a familiar old soul.

She appeared to be memorizing every square inch of his face, his sharp features, every lock of platinum blonde hair on his head, every speck of gold in his sky blue eyes. The look on hers was not of fear either but of curiosity as she strained to envelope every particle of his being, every inflection in his voice as he began to speak softly to her, for her ears only, low and faraway. She took a quick breath before a line of nonsensical babbles spilled forth from her tiny mouth and knocked him out of his trance.

Buffy had moved to his side during the staring contest and he was well aware she was close by as he turned his attention to her.

“What was that all about?” She whispered, a little afraid of his answer.

“M’not sure, pet. I think…well, I think she’s just introduced herself to me and committed me to her memory. Buffy? Has she ever done anything out of the ordinary around you?”

Buffy standing on tiptoe, rubbed her finger softly over Anjoy’s tummy. “Uhh, not that I can think of. That was the first time I’ve seen her do anything odd like that. It was kind of…cool. Intense but cool.”

“Yeah, it was cool.” Spike agreed.

Dawn cleared her throat as she raised her hand in the air as if to get permission to speak. “Um, yeah. Now that all the…weirdness is over, who’s for morning tummy yummies? I know I am!”

Spike smiled at his nibblet. No matter how old the Summers girls would get, they always had a way of making him smile with their adolescent cuteness.

“Alright, bit. Let’s go fill your tummy with nummy pancakes and sausages. Did I tell you about the lil’ sausages they…?”

~~*~~*~~

Back in his suite at the hotel, Spike reflected on the mid-morning festivity he and his family had shared in the restaurant. Dawn came toting a photo album, while Buffy had whipped out their daughter’s birth certificate for his perusal. He felt light and giddy and to tell you the truth, that’s something vampires never feel, or at least tell anyone they feel. He didn’t care, really; he was too happy. He didn’t even care when the phone in his suite began to ring.

‘The phone? Where the hell is the phone?’ he wondered as he looked about aimlessly for the annoying contraption.

Upon finding it, he picked up the receiver and answered cheerfully.

“‘lo, Spike ‘ere.” (I said cheerfully, not properly.)

“Spike, Angel wanted me to call…oh, this Harmony.”

Spike rolled his eyes for his own benefit. “I know who you are Harm.”— ‘I had to listen to that irritating voice drone on and on forever for a fraction of my lifetime,’ he thought but for some odd reason, he didn’t want to say it out loud and hurt her feelings. “What’s he need?”

“He wants to see you in his office ASAP,” she finished.

“Got it, be down shortly.”

Spike hung up, and spun around to snatch his duster off the sofa as he made his way out the door. Usually it would irritate him to be ordered about by Angel. Normally he just showed up whenever he heard something was going down through the grapevine because it was typical for Angel to not even include him when he passed out office memos about board meetings and such. Unusual for Angel to actually be calling him in, and even though he felt a twinge of worry, he casually covered up the brief concern.

He stopped in front of Angel’s office door and reached for the door handle yet halted before turning it. He was amazed as he watched his hand rise up and actually knocked on the door, waiting until he heard a firm “Come in” from the other side to open it and enter.

Angel looked up as he did enter and a weird look crossed his face. A look of disbelief mixed with panic?

“Came as soon as I got the call you wanted to see me,” Spike informed his grand sire with a genuine smile splayed across his face.

Spike noticed the expression on Angel’s face and that twinge of alarm hit him again as his smile faded. “What’s up, boss? Is it another apocalypse?”

Angel nodded his head up and down slowly. “Yeah, you knocked on the door, then waited until I asked you in. The world is going to perish.” He looked back down at his desk with a hint of a smirk playing at his mouth. “Or hell is going to freeze over, whichever.”

Spike grabbed his stomach and threw his head back with a fake and boisterous guffaw, stopping suddenly as he snapped back to his original stance. “I vote for frozen hell, cause you just made a funny.”

Angel chuckled softly more to himself, though Spike heard, as he nodded to his grandchilde. The younger vamp sat in the chair on the other side of the desk and waited as patiently as he could stand for Angel’s briefing. He watched as the elder shuffled the papers about on his desk, opened his desk drawer, pulled a pen out, twiddled it around in his fingers, held it hovering above the paper for a second or two, then opened his desk drawer and put the pen back in.

Spike slid down into the chair, threw his head backward to rest on the back of the seat and let out an exasperated sigh.

“For Pete’s sake,” Spike growled below his breath. He lifted his head and stared at the great poufter with irritation. “S’no time like the present.”

Angel smiled a nauseatingly sweet smile as he clasped his hands in front of him and looked on at the younger male. “How is fatherhood treating you?”

Spike looked at him warily. Was this all that Angel had asked him in for? To carry on a polite conversation about children and parenting? Nah, there was something up his sleeve, to be sure of. Yet…

“Not bad so far, thanks for askin’,” Spike’s smile split his face again and Angel returned a sincere one.

Another round of silence permeated the air and Spike itched to ask questions of his grand sire. Truth be told, he truly trusted Angel’s judgment on certain things and he always had a niggling feeling he actually looked up to him. Of course, he would never tell Sir Broods-a-lot that in a million years. But he really needed someone else’s input, someone who had been in the same predicament he felt he was in.

“Did it scare you to hold your kid?” Spike voiced softly

Angel looked on in amusement. “You’re telling me that you, “The Big Bad”, the “Slayer of slayers”, is frightened of holding a child?”

Spike scoffed and looked away, “Pfft, NO! Well…”

He dropped his chin to his chest and with a defeated tone he said, “I was askin’ you. Were you?” Spike gazed at Angel with expectation.

Angel looked down at the papers he was sifting through. “Terrified.” He could hear the cocky vampire’s release of breath as he looked up at him. Spike had looked overwrought a few seconds ago but now he had relaxed with Angel’s admission.

“Good, I didn’t want to be the only poufter too nervous about this whole fatherhood bit. What d’ya do ‘bout it?”

“I held him…a lot. I talked to him, I fed him, I changed him, I played with him, I sang to him…”

“Oh heaven help the poor soul. You could’ve killed the poor nipper with your singin’.” Spike chided.

“Hilarious.” Angel looked at him seriously. “I will tell you one thing. Spend as much time as you can with her because you never know.”

The older vampire turned his head and softly added, “You never know if you’ll ever hold them again.”

Spike noticed his change in behavior and wondered if it was a good time to ask him about it all. Just when he was about to speak, Angel cleared his throat and picked up a manila folder sitting to his left.

“I received some information from a colleague dealing with the amulet. At least I believe it does. It’s in another language though and we’ll have to find someone to decipher it. That is once we figure out what language it actually is.” Angel handed the envelope over to Spike for his inspection and the younger took it almost reluctantly. Angel noticed.

“Hey, at least it’s something, right? Don’t start dreading anything until we’ve got more to go on. And even then, I don’t want you dreading a thing, because we’ve been through a lot, seen a lot, and we’ve overcome countless situations before and have lived to tell the tale.”

Spike nodded once. “Right.” He pulled the information out and scanned its contents for a moment.

“Looks to be some kind of Indo-European language. Not something I’m fluent in, though.” Spike informed.

“Me, neither. We have employees that may be able to help us out so that’s it. Just thought I’d let you in on the matter at hand.”

“Thanks, ‘preciate it, mate.” Spike stood and slid the folder back onto the desk as he walked away. He felt Angel’s eyes following him and turned back at the door. They looked at one another for a few seconds until Spike looked away.

“Sometime, I’d like to hear about your…son.” He took a chance and glanced back at his grandsire. Angel looked surprised.

“I’d like to tell you about him…sometime.” Spike nodded before ushering himself out of the office wondering if his little nipper was up from her nap and wanting some “fatherly” company.

~To be continued…

A/N: Sorry for the long, overdue wait. Life is a bugger sometimes as well as writer’s block…darn it! Thank you for the reviews and just to let you know, this isn’t going to be a long story. Maybe 10 chapters tops unless more readers seem interested in it. ;)

***Remember this is a sequel to my one chapter fic, ‘Out of the Blue’. So you’re not confused, you should probably read that story first.

Disclaimer: I have to say this cause I can’t afford a lawsuit but all my characters in this story? They’re not really mine. (Except the baby) They belong to some genius mind by the name of Joss Whedon and all the companies that had a part of bringing us 2 terrific shows. I’ll miss watching them. Thank God for DVD’s! Oh and Star Trek characters not mine either…using them for my benefit as well.

}}O{{

Chapter 3

Andrew was walking swiftly down the hallway when Spike turned the corner and they collided knocking the boy completely flat on his backside.

“Uh, sorry ‘bout that, Andy. Why in such a hurry?” Spike reached down to give him a hand up.

“Oh, well, I was just coming to find you, actually. Buffy kicked me out and…”

“What’d you do?” Spike growled, gearing it more to teasingly scare the boy into submission. He knew how annoying the chap could be at times — well, most of those times. And Buffy’s tolerance for annoying people? Not so much with the high threshold.

“Nothing,” the boy squeaked. “It was an accident. I woke up AJ from her nap and Buffy kicked me out of the room. All I was doing was playing cards with Dawn and out of the blue, she says, “You know, Captain Picard is so much better than Captain Archer.”

He did a fairly precise impression of his nibblet and that actually scared Spike a bit.

“And I was like “nuh-uh, Jon could kick Jean Luc’s pasty, bald head into the next generation if he wanted to” and Dawn said…”

Spike held up a hand with a severe snap to halt the boy’s animated ranting, and Andrew cowered from what he believed was going to be a smack down.

“Alright, alright. I get it already, really. You do realize she was just egging you on, right? Cause she learned that from the best.” Spike placed his hand over his chest and beamed with pride at having taught his Bit over a drawn out summer the basics of annoying wit.

Andrew smiled mischievously and nodded his head up and down slowly as if finally seeing the light. “Ahhh, cunning aggravation; a must have for proper deployment of your foes. I get her now; a beautiful mind to go along with the beautiful face.”

Spike crossed his arms over his chest with indignance and glared at the strange boy with a tilt of the head. “She’s not your type, so stay away from her, you hear?”

“I…but I’m not…what I meant…” Andrew stuttered frantically. Spike quickly jumped in with a reprieve.

“So, Buffy kicked you out?”

“Yeah, said I was getting too loud. AJ woke up all in a huff and she blamed me. I tried to explain that her sister started it all but she wouldn’t listen. Told me to go bother someone else. And here I thought we were finally connecting, finally getting over the past and working as a team.”

“Don’t take it so hard, kid. You gotta realize Buffy’s been through a lot this past year and m’sure being a mother is not always easy. ‘sides, women, hormones? Gets a bit edgy sometimes, gotta cover your ghoulies and step aside, let them bitch and moan. Nod your head every now and then, a few affirmative grunts and you’ll still be getting some…uh, not that you’ll be getting any from…”

“Uhhh…OK, I’ll file that away for further consideration.” Andrew looked away out of either boredom or embarrassment and didn’t see Spike roll his eyes and shake his head.

“You said you were lookin’ for me?”

“Oh, yeah.” The young man yanked on the strap that crossed over his chest to reveal a black bag dangling on the other end. Spike watched as he pulled out a video camera and cord and handed it over to the vampire. “Thought you might like to watch this sometime. You just need to plug it into a regular VCR or TV.”

As he passed it over, he stole a glance at his watch. “Oh, gotta go. They’re showing all five episodes of Star Wars on cable in five minutes. I have to be prepared for the third one when it’s released in theaters.”

“You better go then, don’t wanna miss a minute of it, you know?” Spike’s wide eyed look had Andrew wondering until he smiled at the clever vamp.

“Oh, that’s some of that wittiness you were explaining before.” Andrew deduced.

“No, that’s just sarcasm; perfected that, too.”

“OK, then. Bye.” Andrew turned sharply and ran down the hall.

Spike stood in utter amazement at the retreating form of the human he had been “bunk mates” with over a span of a few months amongst a slew of others of course, mostly teenaged birds. He realized it had been a while since he, himself had been completely human, but that boy left him puzzled and dumbfounded every time. Sighing and shaking his head in a moment of clarity on his part, he gave into the notion that the boy was always going to be in a world of his own, with his own little characters and his own little settings and props.

Spike shrugged his shoulders and turned to double back, deciding to take a detour to pass the time elsewhere before heading to Buffy’s suite. If she was in a pissy mood, he would rather wait to visit with all three of his girls until the irritation dissipated. He would just hop on over to Lorne’s media room and try to hook up the video camera as best he could, see what the lad deemed interesting for him to watch.

Thankfully, a technician was in the room when Spike arrived and politely stepped in when Spike, who continually berated and cursed at the electronic device the whole time, came close to breaking said equipment into millions of teeny tiny pieces of plastic and wiring. Cautiously, the specialist courteously asked if he could help the vampire with his problem. The irritated vamp thrust the camera and cord into the hands of the man and sulked.

“Technology is not one of my strong suits…I know how to plug a cord into the wall but that’s about it.”

“You’ll learn with time. Everyone does.”

“Yeah, but not everyone’s been ‘round 125 years. Guess I just had other things to do than to learn how to run 20th century gadgets.”

“Uh…certainly, I’m sure.” In not even half a minute, the man had the camera plugged in, the TV on and ready to go. Spike mumbled a contrite thanks before the man turned to leave.

His eyes glued to the flickering TV, he bent over and pulled an ordinary chair to within a foot of the screen and slid casually into it. Buffy and Dawn were sitting on a couch, going through a box, pulling out what appeared to be baby things: clothes, toys, cloth nappies and such. He was transfixed by the sight of his slayer, though a bit gaunt in the face, her hair mussed and darker than usual, the roundness of her belly that protruded in front of her made her extremely beautiful. That was what had him mesmerized.

The camera zoomed in closer as Buffy pulled a dainty dress out of the container and both his girls cooed and awed over it. Buffy continued to hold the delicate outfit up in front of her while Dawn pulled more items out. Spike watched as she lay the dress across her extended belly and looked down at it, every once in a while a sniffle escaping from her.

Her little sister must have noticed the change in her because she stopped her perusal of baby stuff and looked at the slayer.

“Buffy, what’s wrong?” The younger Summers implored of her older sis.

Spike heard the big intake of breath but wasn’t prepared for the crescendoing sob that followed. His Buffy was hurting, if not physically, then somewhere deep inside she was aching. Over what, he wasn’t sure but it was killing him to see her so depressed. He watched his nibblet wrap her loving arms around big sis to comfort her and he wished he could have been the one doing the consoling.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just the baby making me act all kinds of weepy.” He watched Buffy as she rubbed her belly, as if she was comforting the little one growing inside her as well. “Just feeling puffy and sore and blotchy and…Andrew, will you shut that damn thing off or we’ll find out just how a video camera operates from the inside out. Dawnie, make him shut it off before I have to put a world of hurt on him. I’m not responsible for my actions in this condition, you know?” The picture went black for an instant.

Spike had to chuckle. That was his Buffy, always with the threats. No wonder he had loved her so…still loved her. That would never change whether she ever returned his affections or not; it would forever be a constant in his life no matter how far his immortality took him.

He heard heavy breathing as the next scene on the telly faded in. The shot panned across to show all the Scoobs including Buffy. A very pregnant Buffy apparently in labor, waddling around her apartment panting like a dog while the others rushed to and fro gathering her necessities she would need in the hospital. Spike watched as Buffy evilly eyed a filming Andrew, one hand on her tummy, the other holding on to objects around the flat to keep her steady as she walked the room. As she passed by the front door, Spike glimpsed a very pale Xander, eyes tightly screwed shut, and mouth moving. He could faintly make out some kind of psychobabble mantra coming from the whelp.

“I’m in control — I’m in control — I’m driving the car — I’m driving the car.”

Red sped past and dropped a suitcase by Xander’s feet as Dawn walked calmly into the picture, phone cradled by her ear. Suddenly, Buffy growled an inhuman snarl and instantly she was stalking towards the kid behind the camera, a woman on a mission. Spike distinctly heard a terrified yelp before the camera went dead.

The blonde vamp felt a surge of anger rise from deep within him. He could have been there through the whole thing…well at least the last half of the pregnancy part including the labor and delivery. His fear and ignorance kept him rooted in LA the whole time though and he was mentally kicking himself for being such a bloody stupid git.

His inner berating was suddenly cut short by all the wailing babies filtering through the TV speakers. Spike slowly glanced up to the screen and it was filled with baby boys and baby girls in white bassinets with little color coordinated stocking caps sitting on their miniature heads. He wished he could tell which little one was Anjoy and as if reading his mind, Andrew had singled out one baby in particular as he zoomed in on her. The only baby out of the scattering to be lying in her bassinet content and peaceful while the others carried on a symphony of howls and yowls around her.

Nurses worked a miracle as they fluttered around the tiny babes and somehow they all calmed to peaceful whimpers. As the two medical workers moved out of the picture, Spike watched as Anjoy’s face hardened and a yell the size of Mt. Everest erupted from the tiny tot.

Spike chuckled, clearly amused by the whole act. “That’s my girl…standout from the rest of the group, let your presence be known…it’s all about you, baby. The loudest out of the lot…now who does that remind me of?” He smirked proudly at the moment.

Andrew flipped the camera to his own face and began a narration of events that happened beforehand and up to the delivery of his child. Spike listened intently and was shocked afterwards that the boy’s camera was still intact. Slayer strength was one thing, but mix that with a slayer in intense labor and you better remain at a safe get-a-way distance. Kudos for Andrew; he must be a smart enough lad after all and Spike laughed at the notion.

The following film clips were daily counts of everyone’s interaction with the newest addition to the household. Spike felt delight at being able to survey everything he had missed. The anger that he had felt before slowly drained away from him and he now knew it was indeed a privilege to be able to relive all that he thought he had missed out on. He now believed in his ability at being a good dad and he felt pride and honor. He would not disappoint his daughter or her mother he was sure of that. He would live up to his name, William: the protector. His soul was rejoicing as the picture on the telly flickered and grew dark.

Andrew, the little devious bastard, had snuck in on Buffy in a private moment. Apparently the slayer had no idea that the boy was anywhere near her. Spike leaned towards the screen and listened attentively.

“…and he would have loved you so much. The “Big Bad” would have melted at the sight of you. But don’t fret, baby. I know he is watching over us, protecting us, loving us still, holding us in his arms. I’ve missed him so, but having you here brings a little bit of him back to my waiting arms. I can hold you and know I am holding him as well.”

Spike heard Buffy’s fervent whispers to their daughter, heard the sniffling and knew she was weeping throughout the private conversation. His unbeating heart cracked a bit and he felt livid towards himself once more as he watched Buffy scoop the sleeping Anjoy up into her arms and held her to her chest.

“Yes, he’ll always be here with us, baby.” The screen went dark and remained black as Spike’s chin fell to his chest, sitting forward in his chair, arms sitting across each leg, a rollercoaster of emotions flowing through his mind.

He knew what he had to do and do it he would as he sat up with a new determination, inhaled a deep breath and slapped his hands on his legs. “Come on, Will my boy. We got a lot of catching up to do. We should be able to accomplish this fatherhood role.”

Spike unplugged Andrew’s equipment and enthusiastically headed out of the room, marching with vigor down the corridor to the lift.

}o{

“ANDREW!” Spike bellowed upon entering the lounge. The boy jumped a good foot off the couch and turned in mid air to face the raging vamp.

“What’d I do now?” His voice was barely a squeak.

Spike thrust the camera into the kid’s chest and stood his ground, glaring at him. Suddenly a smile like none Andrew had ever seen from the Scourge of Europe spread across his face. Andrew was terrified and wished he had brought his cross or his holy water or better yet his stake, his cross and his holy water. His body tensed when the bleached blonde reached out quickly, grabbed him ferociously and fiercely pulled him into a…hug?

“Thanks…for sharing your…“documentary” with me.” Spike released the confused boy, still beaming.

“Um…you’re welcome?”

Spike nodded once and not so gently slapped the kid on the arm. “Gotta go see my girls…lots of catching up to do.”

Spike jubilantly twirled away and marched back towards the door.

“Uh, Spike?” Spike halted and turned sideways to look at Andrew.

“This is your copy. I made it for you last night.” The boy nervously fumbled about trying to eject the tape, still feeling slightly confused at his favorite vamp’s passionate display of gratitude.

Spike smiled again and swaggered back to the kid’s outstretched arm.

“Thanks again. You’re not so bad, you know, for an extraordinarily annoying trekkie and geeky twit. Your heart’s in the right place and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise or else you can send them to me with well wishes.”

In a flash the vampire was out the door.

“Thanks,” Andrew whispered, a look of pure bliss spreading across his face as he stared at the empty doorway. Now he understood his unadulterated infatuation with the creature of the night known as William the Bloody. Spike was wicked cool in his unabashed honesty and Andrew so wanted to be his protégé.

}o{

A stretch of hallway took Spike directly to where he wanted to be as his pace slowed up and he paused in front of Buffy’s suite door. A barrage of questions jumbled about in his head: should he just come out and tell Buffy what his intentions were, how he still felt about her without really knowing how she felt about him? Sure she seemed like she cared about him, which is exactly what she had sprung on him before, a long while back during a strained and hectic year in a town once known as Sunnydale. He also understood that she had missed him but for what reasons, he still was not sure.

If truth be told, he wasn’t in the mood to be shot down again, when he was so close to letting it slip about his unwavering feelings for the slayer, not when his newly found relationship with AJ was at stake. However he didn’t want Buffy to not know how much he wanted to be a part of his daughter’s life as well as his daughter’s mother’s life. He sighed with a huff as he severely placed his right hand on his hip, the other rubbing the bridge of his nose with sheer annoyance. He had come to a conclusion: he was afraid; bloody, stupid git.

He sighed again for dramatic effect. Personally, there was no room in his mind for vacillations anymore and he raised his arm and watched as his knuckles rapped soundly on the door. It flew open quickly and Dawn stood there, finger placed over her lips to shush the visitor standing on the other side. Spike nodded as he silently slithered in and saw Buffy instantly, stretched out on the couch, their daughter asleep on her mother’s chest.

Dawn whispered, “They both fell asleep about the same time, I didn’t want to wake Buffy.”

Spike nodded again before moving to stand in front of them as Dawn brought out a blanket and handed it to him. He covered the napping pair, mother and daughter, and sat on the edge of the coffee table. He sat and he watched, content in the fact of just being there, in the same room with all of his girls, surrounded by warmth. He felt light, he felt needed, he felt worthy.

As he leaned forward to stroke first Buffy’s cheek then Anjoy’s, a sense of some preordained, mystic junction point came to light in his cleared mind. The trouble now, would he be able to follow through and voice his feelings without looking and sounding like a complete prat? He was positive he would soon know.

To be continued…