Lindsey didn’t make it long in jail as it turned out. They’d gotten him not only for embezzling, but for attempted murder for what he had done to Buffy. He claimed temporary insanity as he ‘never wanted to hurt her’, but that notion had been thrown out of court due to his possession of a date rape drug he’d used on Buffy for years – a drug he’d blackmailed a doctor to get. His whole intention on using the drug had been to make Buffy compliant to his whims and to ‘punish her’ when she ‘talked back’ to him.
Hearing the truth had been jarring and disturbing. Buffy still hadn’t gotten her memories back, but she really didn’t want them back at that point either. She didn’t want to have to remember all she’d gone through with Lindsey. She wished that she could remember her time with Spike, but it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. They were together now and that was all that mattered.
So, as it turned out, Lindsey had gotten into a fight in jail and had been murdered. He’d only been in the state penitentiary for about four months before it happened.
Buffy felt in some way that she’d gotten gypped out what Lindsey deserved, but she’d made her peace with it, with Spike and her brother’s help, and moved on. It was time to put it to rest along with her amnesia. It was time for new memories to be made.
After the night she’d beat Lindsey up and essentially brought him to justice, Spike had reneged on his demands that she move in and they get engaged. He wanted her to be sure and didn’t want her to feel forced into something like that. She imagined he felt that perhaps demanding her as he had was akin to what Lindsey had done to her and was abhorred at the idea of being anything like the man.
However, Buffy assured him she wanted to do it. She was ready – and not because she was feeling emotional after all that had happened, or because she felt she needed him to take care of her, she could take care of herself just fine she’d realized, but she did not want to waste anymore time with Spike.
It was full speed ahead. That didn’t mean though that she was about to let Spike cart her off to Vegas as he wanted, and marry her. No, she wanted to do it up right and give herself the romantic conclusion that she deserved. She imagined that her old self hadn’t been too keen on getting married to such a man as Lindsey and that the prospect of a wedding hadn’t exactly been a happy subject, however, this Buffy wanted a big wedding. She wanted her friends, and what little family she had, the see her walking down the aisle and joining her life happily to the man that was her future. Though, as much as she wanted the fairy tale wedding, she also did want it done quickly, and her wedding was planned in a short six months.
It had been a glorious day and Angel not only gave her away, but served as Spike’s best man – and managed to be set up with a woman, Cordelia Chase, that Spike taught with at Boston University.
“It’s about time I found a woman of my own,” Angel told her, “Your love life is no longer a worry anymore.”
It was funny because it was true.
Currently the pair was living together and Cordelia was dropping big hints in the form of ring advertisements placed daily on the kitchen table, as to where she saw her future going with Angel. Angel, for his part, enjoyed driving her crazy by pretending not to take the hint though he had a ring already picked out and was waiting for ‘the right time’ to propose.
And now, Buffy was pondering the past few years of her life, and all the memories she’d made, as she was arranging photo’s in the photo album she’d bought on her way home from work.
She’d been leaving work early these days due to her state of pregnancy. Two more months and the little bun in the oven – who would be name Joyce after her and Angel’s mother – would arrive.
“Honey, I’m home!” Spike called throughout their home and she smiled.
“I’m in the dining room,” she called back to him.
He graced the top of her head with a kiss, “What are you doing?” he asked and loosened his tie, whipped it off and then shed his jacket.
She smiled, “I’m putting all these photo’s away so they don’t get lost in the mound of pictures we’ll be taking of Joyce.”
Grinning, Spike sat down next to her and reached out, placing his hand over her belly. “How’s my little girl in there?”
“Enjoying making her mommy have to use the bathroom every five minutes.”
Spike laughed, “So I guess that answers my question on how my big girl is doing.”
She smiled and looked up at him, “And how’s my big boy?”
He grinned mischievously,. “Currently wanting some attention…he knows he might not get a lot when the baby arrives and he wants to save up some while he can. . . “
“My, my, Mr. Knightly, are we feeling randy this afternoon?”
Leering at her, he waggled his brows, “Quite, Mrs. Knightly.”
She frowned then, “I don’t know how you can want to make love to me like this. I feel like I’m all over the place.”
“Buffy, you have to know that you are so sexy like this. Swollen with my child – do you know how hot it gets me?”
She pouted, “No, why don’t you tell me some more?”
Standing up, taking her hand and gently tugging her to her feet, he kissed her sweetly, “How about I show you instead?” he asked huskily.
She started for the bedroom, and he halted her. She looked up at him in question.
“Buffy, my luv,” he told her, nudging her to sit on the table. “You and I have made love all over this penthouse. When the baby comes, we won’t be able to be as adventurous in our lovemaking. So, I say we take full advantage of the freedom now.”
She smiled, “I like the way you think.”
“When you actually listen to me,” he muttered, and grinned when she playfully swatted him.
“Now, you listen – oooh….keep doing that.”