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Chapter 5 – Cats in the Bag


“Buffy, you’re late,” Willow said, running around the counter to greet her as she walked through the doors of Something Blue.

“I know, I know,” she said, barely able to maneuver through the spinning doors as she held Jordan’s car-seat in one hand, her purse, files, and briefcase in the other with a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. “Jordan woke up sick this morning, I couldn’t take him to daycare and it’s not like Xander could take him to the site.”

“You should’ve taken a sick day,” Willow said, hurrying up to her friend to help relieve her of some of the weight. “You own the business, Buffy, it’s okay for-”

“Yes, I own it, which means I should be here,” Buffy said, breathing a sigh of relief as she rearranged what she was holding, checking on the sleeping baby. Walking into the elevator, she pressed the button for the third floor, leaning against the wall as the doors closed.

“At least it’s not a Saturday,” Willow said, seeing her friend roll her head around to look at her.

“There’s no way I could plan a garden party today, let alone a wedding,” Buffy replied, stepping out of the elevator when the doors opened.

“Morning, Miss Summers,” her receptionist Harmony called as Buffy walked toward her office.

“Morning,” Buffy replied, smiling at Willow when the redhead opened the door for her.

Dropping her files on the desk and the diaper bag on the floor, Buffy carefully placed the car-seat next to her desk, leaning down to tuck the blanket more securely around the sleeping baby.

“Do you need anything?” Willow asked.

“No, but thanks, Wills.”

“Okay, I better get back to work.”

“Yeah, I should try and get something accomplished while he’s asleep,” Buffy said, looking at the baby with a tender smile.

“I’ll check in on you later,” Willow said, walking out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

Buffy exhaled heavily as she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. Picking up her purse, she grabbed a brush, pulling it through her hair until it fell in soft waves around her shoulders and down her back. Putting on a touch of mascara and some lip gloss, she recapped both tubes as she walked back to her desk.

Straightening the black pants she was wearing, Buffy sat down in the comfortable chair, leaning back for a moment, closing her eyes. After a night of walking Jordan through every room of the house, she’d barely managed to get two restless hours of sleep before having to get up and go to work.

“Miss Summers?”

Buffy sighed, pushing the button on her phone when she heard Harmony’s nasal voice float through her office. “Yes?” she asked, feeling slightly contrite at the irritable tone of her voice.

“You have a client here who is dropping off a check.”

“That’s fine,” Buffy said, shaking her head, wondering why the woman was still her assistant.

“Insisting that it be given to you personally.”

Buffy sighed. Of all days…

“Send her in.”

Slowly rising from her chair, she ran a hand over her face as she fought back a yawn.

“Not exactly a her.”

Buffy’s eyes snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice. Unable to say anything, she felt as if her entire body had paralyzed. “Oh,” she said, staring at him for a long moment before walking around the side of the desk that was furthest away from him, hoping to draw his attention from the car-seat resting on the floor. “So… you want to drop off a check? You know, for future reference, you can do that in the Accounting office.”

“I like to know where my money is going,” he said with a smile.

“Your fiancée’s money, actually,” she said with a slight smile, trying to stay relaxed.

Spike opened his mouth to respond, frowning when he heard a tiny whimper, seeing Buffy straighten immediately. Looking around the office, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of the partially concealed car-seat, tilting his head to get a better look at it.

“Yours?” he asked, taking a few steps forward.

Buffy briefly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she nodded. “Yeah,” she murmured, biting her lip as he stepped around her desk, smiling down at the baby.

A horrible thought ran through Buffy’s head as Spike crouched down to look at the baby. What if I tell him and he’s mad? What if he tries to take Jordan away? Tears nearly entered her eyes at the terrible thought. She knew it would take a lot for a man to take a baby away from his biological mother, but Spike obviously had powerful contacts if he was marrying Anya Jenkins.

“Feels a little warm. Should take him to the doctor, love,” he said, tenderly touching the baby’s forehead before picking up a dry cloth and wiping the tiny nose.

“I will,” she said, vaguely seeing his eyes turn to hers.

“You alright?” he asked, frowning when he saw her ghostly white face as she unseeingly stared at the wall.

“Fine,” she said in a chipper voice, turning to look at him with a smile. “I’m just fine.”

Spike tried to stamp out the jealousy that was spreading through him that Buffy and her boyfriend were obviously turning into a happy family. You’re getting married, you wanker. It’s not like you want her.

Standing up, Spike crossed his arms over his chest. “Hope your boy-toy knows what he’s got.”

“He’s not my ‘boy-toy’,” she said, never letting her gaze leave his.

“What’s he do?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s a contractor.”

“Never would’ve figured you for a blue-collar wife,” he said with a smile.

Buffy’s face flushed as she restrained every urge inside of her not to yell at the man. “You don’t know anything about me,” she said, her eyes flashing with rage. “If you did, you’d know I don’t care what kind of job my boyfriend has-”

“Relax, love,” Spike said, holding out his hands in a gesture of surrender. “My father is a plumber, I wasn’t knockin’ any chosen professions. You just seemed a little… uptight,” he said, knowing that he was going to catch hell for that word, surprised when Buffy looked down with a pout. “Don’t give me that face, Goldilocks.”

“Maybe I am,” she said with a shrug. “But I had enough sense to leave you before it got worse.”

“Worse?” Spike repeated in disbelief. “I don’t know what you remember from that night, but don’t pretend that it was meaningless.”

“It was-” she began to insist.

“Bollocks!” he replied, louder than intended. “It was a bloody revelation!”

“And what would that be?” Buffy asked, swallowing heavily as Spike narrowed his eyes on her.

“Never mind,” he muttered, turning toward the door. “Have a nice life with your happy family.”

“You’re one to talk,” she murmured, looking at the floor, closing her eyes when Spike turned to face her again.

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked, taking a step toward her.

“You’re a big person to judge things you don’t understand,” she said, sucking in a deep breath when he stepped even closer to her.

Spike tried to control his breathing, not wanting to yell with a child in the room. “Care to enlighten me on whatever it is that I don’t understand?”

“Because the baby is yours, you moron!” she cried, seconds before her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. “Oooh… crap,” she muttered, looking at the floor before hesitantly looking up and meeting his stricken gaze. “Don’t suppose we could just shove that particular cat back into the bag, huh?”

“What did you say?”

“Cat in bag equals good?” she said in a hopeful voice, her eyebrows raised as if to prove her innocence.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Spike said, his voice a rasping whisper as he tried to come to terms with what she’d said.

Buffy opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to think of anything to say as she looked at the floor. “The night that we were… together… we weren’t exactly playing it safe.”

Spike looked over at the baby in stunned silence, blinking several times before refocusing on Buffy. “I’m a father,” he whispered, unable to wrap his mind around the fact.

“Not if you don’t want to be,” she said quietly, taking a step back when Spike’s eyes snapped back to her.

“What?”

“I-I just mean… we don’t know each other, Spike. You’re getting married, your fiancée has no idea that we know each other, let alone slept together. This was kind of thrown at you out of leftfield, which is my fault, but…”

“I’m a father, Buffy,” he said, slowly walking over to the car-seat, crouching down to get a better look at the baby. “Nothing will change that. I’m not abandoning him.”








Thanks so much to: DaniD., Olivia-luv, Dee, Noelle, Pam S, NEO_trinityknot, fen, Whitelighter354, spufette, Cordykitten, caatje, Franchesca, spikestheman, ChrissieLinnit, blondiebear, MarstersGirl13, mjspuff, BuffyandSpikeForever, kim, jt, shelly, melissa g, jenny, Tuesday, willowmouse, Brittany, baby spikes & phantomwriter for reviewing!





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