”Do you have a dog?” Buffy sighed, rolling her eyes, but Hannah just ignored her mother and looked at Spike with an expectant look on her face. From the moment Spike arrived, Hannah had followed him like a puppy, asking all kinds of questions, and she wasn’t about to stop just because they were now siting at the dinner table.
Luckily, Spike didn’t seem to mind. “No, I don’t have a dog.”
“Oh.” Hannah looked disappointed for a moment, then the smile was back. “Do you have a cat?”
Spike chuckled. “No, I don’t.”
“Hannah.” Buffy gave her daughter a warning look. “Stop asking so much, and finish your dinner.”
Hannah sighed loudly, rolling her eyes at Spike as if to say ‘see what I have to put up with?’, and took a small bite of her sandwich. After chewing and swallowing, she already had her next question ready. “Do you hate animals?”
Buffy groaned, giving Spike an apologetic look, but he just seemed to be amused by the whole thing. “No, I like animals. But my…” He hesitated for a moment, which passed unnoticed by Hannah, but not Buffy. “…ex, couldn’t have pets in the house. She was allergic.”
Hannah nodded in understanding. “Oh. What a bummer. I’m not allergic to anything, but mommy’s allergic to shellfish. She likes it, but she can’t eat it. She says it gives her gas.” She then showed some more chicken into her mouth, oblivious of the horrified look on her mother’s face.
“Hannah!” Buffy’s face had turned bright red.
“What?” The girl gave her an innocent look. Spike did his best to stay serious, but failed miserably. He tried to cover up by coughing, before looking at Buffy with raised brows. She glared at him, too embarrassed for words. Then she mumbled something about dessert, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Hannah looked after her mother in confusion, then gave Spike a worried look. “Did I say something wrong?”
Spike tried to keep from chuckling, finding Buffy’s embarrassment extremely funny, but not wanting to hurt Hannah’s feelings. “Not at all, little bit.”
The girl looked relieved, then kept talking like nothing happened; “When I was little, I really wanted a rhino. But mommy said I couldn’t have one.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, I understand a rhino would be a little too big for sleeping in your bed.”
Hannah giggled. “He wouldn’t be sleeping there, silly! He’d be sleeping in the bath tub!”
“Of course.”
The girl went on, and Spike caught himself wondering if she ever needed to breathe. “If I had a dog, he’d be sleeping in my bed. Mommy wouldn’t like it, but I wouldn’t tell her. He’d have to stay down on the floor until mommy comes to say good night, and then I’d tell him to jump up when she leaves.” She suddenly got a worried look on her face. “Don’t tell mommy I said that.”
Spike couldn’t see the point of telling, since the girl didn’t even have a dog, but he put on a serious expression, pretending to zip his lips closed. “Your secret’s safe with me.” Hannah looked very pleased.
Buffy came back into the living room, a moment later, carrying three bowls of ice-cream. “Hannah, if you want dessert, you’ll have to drink your milk.”
Hannah pouted. “But mommy, I don’t like milk!”
“You don’t?” Spike pretended to be surprised. “You’re really lucky to get milk, all I ever get to drink at dinners is water, or red wine, like this.” He nodded at his glass with a grimace, pretending to be disgusted. Then he winked at Buffy to let her know he didn’t really minded, but Hannah didn’t notice, she just looked at Spike with wide eyes.
“You like milk?”
“Are you kidding?” Spike gave her a serious look. “I love milk!” Hannah kept looking at him for a moment, as if to see if he really meant it. Then she looked down at her glass. Buffy held her breath, waiting to see what would happen. And she wasn’t disappointed, Hannah picked up her glass, a determined expression on her face as she lifted it to her mouth, and drank it all. Then she looked from her mother, to Spike, looking extremely proud of herself.
Buffy just stared at her daughter, mouth open in shock, she’d never gotten Hannah to drink her milk that easily. That’s it, I’m so keeping him! Then she snapped out of it, looking down at the table where she’d put down the ice-cream. “Looks like I forgot the spoons.”
“I’ll get them!” Hannah jumped up from the chair, eager to help, and rushed into the kitchen.
Buffy just shook her head in amusement. She waited until she was sure Hannah wouldn’t hear her, before speaking; “That was quite impressive, how you got her to drink her milk.”
Spike just shrugged, smiling. “Was nothing. Just a little reversed psychology, works every time.”
“Still, I’m impressed.” She smiled back, before adding; “You really should have kids of your own, you’d be a great dad.” His smile disappeared, and Buffy realized that she’d said something wrong. Although, she didn’t get the chance to ask what it was, or apologize, as Hannah came running back with the spoons.
The girl had heard the last part, and now gave Spike a curious look. “Why don’t you have kids?”
Buffy jumped in before Spike could answer, not that he’d had any idea what to say. “Hannah, that’s not a polite thing to ask.”
Hannah looked confused. “Why not?”
“Because…” Buffy gave Spike a helpless look, but he seemed to be at loss for words. “Because things like that are personal. Now, eat your ice-cream, it’s already past your bedtime.” Hannah started to object, insisting that she shouldn’t have to go to bed so early when Spike was there, but Buffy gave her a firm look, and the girl gave in with a sigh.
They finished their desserts in silence, and Buffy started to feel a little uncomfortable, for the first time that night. It was almost a relief when Hannah loudly declared that she was done eating, and wanted to go upstairs and get ready for bed. Buffy reminded her to brush her teeth, and then Hannah was gone, after making Spike promise that he’d come up when she was done, to say good night.
When they were finally alone, Buffy took a deep breath, giving Spike a worried look. “I’m sorry if I said something wrong before.”
Spike smiled at her, but just like earlier, in the supermarket, the smile seemed a bit strained. “Don’t worry about it, it’s okay.”
“No, really.” Buffy looked down at her hands. “I sometimes have a tendency of putting my foot in my mouth without even realizing it. I think it runs in the family, Hannah’s exactly the same, sorry about the third degree she was giving you, by the way.”
He chuckled then. “No worries. She’s a nice kid. Smart, too.”
Buffy laughed. “She sure is. They suggested that she’d skip first grade, but I said no. I don’t want her to feel like she’s different than the other kids.” She became quiet for a moment, before adding; “God knows she gets to hear that enough as it is.”
Spike gave her a curious look. “What do you mean?”
Before Buffy could answer, they could hear Hannah calling from upstairs; “I’m all done! I want a bedtime-story!” Buffy started to get up, when the girl called again; “Not you, mommy, Spike!”
Buffy rolled her eyes, then gave Spike an apologetic look. “You don’t have to…”
Spike interrupted her, pretending to be hurt. “You don’t think I can read a bedtime-story?”
She blushed, opening her mouth to protest, when she realized that he was only teasing her. “Very funny. Consider yourself warned, though, once she’s got you reading her stories, you’ll be stuck there for hours.”
He gave her a grin. “Yeah, well, what can I say? If the niblet wants a story, that’s what she’ll get. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pretty lady waiting for me upstairs.” With that, he got up and headed for the stairs.
Buffy pouted for a moment, finding herself all alone in the living room. Great, dumped for a seven-year-old! Then she couldn’t help but giggle. She’d be lucky if she got to see him again, at all, tonight, Hannah had a tendency of making the shortest bedtime-story last forever. Well, she had warned him, after all. But then she remembered how patiently Spike had handled all of Hannah’s questions at dinner, and realized that he probably wouldn’t mind too much. Yeah, she thought, smiling to herself, I’ll definitely keep him!”
TBC
Saving You by Pet
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you Buffymon for making this nice banner for me, I love it!