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Author's Chapter Notes:
latest in the series, you really need to read the others to understand
Chapter 1

“Lighter!” Buffy clicked her fingers and then waggled them at Spike, who handed over his precious Zippo lighter. Buffy lit the one blue candle on the cake and carefully began to walk in the lounge carrying it.

“All ready, Xander?” She looked up and Xander had the video camera to his eye trained on Billy.

“Here we go then! Happy Birth-“ ‘DING-DONG!’ Everybody stopped singing and looked at the front door, and as Willow was the nearest, she answered it

“Not too late am I?”

Angel quickly stepped over the threshold and threw down the smoking blanket.

“Who invited him?” Spike asked no one in particular

“Buffy just lit the candle on the cake” Willow explained

“Ready – okay ready with the camera Xander, after 3, sing everybody, 1,2,3 - Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Billy, Happy Birthday to you-oooooooooooooooo!” Buffy blew out the candle on her son’s behalf, and everybody cheered.

Young Billy was sitting in his high-chair, ever happy to be center of attention, gave a toothy grin, clapped his chubby hands and then continued trying to bite the leg off Mr Ted, his favourite soft toy.

“Who invited him – did you invite him, coz I certainly didn’t invite the ponce!” Spike said to Buffy, frowning at Angel

“No, I didn’t, he just turned up”

“Well I don’t like it – not one little bit”

“Well don’t blame me!” Buffy hissed, exasperated.

“Are you sure you didn’t say, ‘Oh, and we’re having a birthday party for Billy on Friday, something like that, when you were chatting on the phone to him, which, incidentally, is ANOTHER thing I don’t like, hmm?” Spike followed Buffy into the kitchen

“Ah, um………well…” Buffy bit her lip and Spike rolled his eyes

“Oh terrific!”

“Oh come on Spike, it IS Billy’s birthday!” Buffy opened the cutlery draw searching for a suitable knife with which to cut the cake

“When he turns up, or we have to go to ‘Wanker’s ‘R’ Us in LA, there’s ALWAYS trouble, and now we’ve got Munchkin in there, we don’t DO trouble!”

“Don’t jump to conclusions! He might have just turned up to see Billy on his birthday, that’s all” Buffy said, side-stepping Spike and going back into the lounge calling out

“Okay then, who’s for cake?”

The ‘camaraderie’ that Spike and Angel had had on the night Billy was born had soon evaporated, and each went back to his own mutual loathing as soon as Angel was back in LA.

“Spike can you bring me some more plates in please” Buffy’s disembodied voice called out, and Spike opened the cupboard and reached in picking up a stack of six

When he got in the lounge with them, he saw Angel talking to Giles

“Where’s Billy’s bib, else he’ll cover himself in it…” Buffy sorted her son out, putting several bite-sized pieces of frosted sponge in front of the baby

“Hmm, Buffy, this is lovely cake, did you make it?”

“Me – haha! I don’t think! Bernice, Willow’s mom made it” Buffy said smiling and wiping Billy’s mouth

“Billy…Billy…look at uncle Xander…look… I’ve got Mr Ted…look at the camera Billy…”

“Um, Xander, Billy’s got cake…and when Billy has food, NOTHING takes precedent over it!” Buffy said smiling, and then her smile turned to a slight frown, as she could see Angel and Giles involved in what looked like a deep and serious conversation. She turned away quickly and asked

“More cake anyone, who wants tea, anybody? – Spike, put the kettle on please”

“Tea be buggered! We’ve got Champagne in the fridge; it’s our son’s first birthday nothing’s more important than that! We can’t have tea - so who’s for a drop of Champers…Red? – Bernice?” Spike said rubbing his hands striding towards the kitchen

Both ladies eagerly grinned and nodded and Spike went into the kitchen and busied himself getting the champagne opened.

“Try not to waste any!” Buffy called as she came into the kitchen

“I won’t, told you my method was foolproof, you take the foil off first, then the wire cage, wrap the bottle in a tea-cloth, (Spike was doing these things as he spoke) and then you just HOLD the cork, and twist the BOTTLE, that’s how the professionals do it, see!” with a loud pop the bottle was opened, and the only thing that came out was a slight vapour.

Buffy smiled as Spike began to pour the bubbling amber liquid into the glasses, and she began handing them round. When she got to Giles and Angel, Giles said,

“Er Buffy, when you’ve got a moment, there’s something rather urgent I’d, - (he glanced at Angel) we’d like to discuss with you”

Spike stood in the archway between the lounge and the kitchen, watching like a hawk as he sipped his drink

He didn’t have to say anything; Buffy could almost FEEL the ‘I told you so’ vibes coming off Spike………

“Spike, Giles and Angel want to-“

“No”

“But”

“No buts pet, the answer, is no, you know the deal, we don’t do danger now we’ve got Billy, simple as that – blimey there are enough slayers at Cleveland Central” Buffy nodded, and resignedly and went to get more champagne for her neighbour

Spike wasn’t very happy – not only had his grand-sire turned up unannounced and uninvited, but it seemed like there was an ulterior motive behind the visit too, and he couldn’t work out which annoyed him more

**********************


“Okay Buffy, see you tomorrow, bye!”

“Bye Red, Bernice, drive carefully”

“Yes bye – oh and thanks for making the cake Bernice, it was lovely!”

Buffy and Spike stood on the doorstep waving until they were out of site. Buffy knew what was coming next and she wasn’t looking forward to it.

Spike locked up. Billy was fast asleep tucked up in his cot, being passed around like a parcel and jiggled up and down all afternoon between various ‘aunties’ ‘uncles’ and neighbours instead of his usual nap, and it had tired him out.

Spike surprised Buffy by saying,

“If you want to go on and have a bath pet, I’ll tidy up down here,” instead of what she THOUGHT he was going to say, ‘okay, out with it, what did Angel want?’

“Oh – really – um great, are you sure? – I could load the dishwasher and-“

“No, no – you’ve done enough today, go and relax, I’ll sort down here”

“Right, er, thanks!” Buffy quickly went upstairs. She HAD been expecting the third degree from Spike, as she’d stood talking to Giles after Angel had left for a good quarter of an hour, and it was only when Spike came over and told her that her cousin was leaving did she leave Giles’ side. All the time she’d been talking/listening to Giles, Buffy could feel Spike’s eyes on her.

Thankfully Angel had picked up on the frosty reception from Spike and had gone about ten minutes after his glass of Champagne, and leaving Billy a present.

Spike now went around the lounge holding a bin-bag in his hand throwing away wrapping paper, paper plates and half eaten sandwiches. He was half tempted to throw away Billy’s present from Angel un-opened, but then he knew Buffy would berate him for being childish.

**********************


Buffy raised one leg out of the scented water and soaped it, before rinsing and doing the other, thinking all the time what Giles had told her. She’d have to find someway to get Spike to agree to let her go to Wolfram and Hart.

Spike was going to bide his time, she’d HAVE to tell him sooner rather than later, especially if it involved going to LA, because she’d want to take Billy – and Spike wasn’t about to give in on THAT one any time soon…





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