[Reviews - 93]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3589 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 15

“Spike? Spike? Where are you?” Buffy asked, roaming the halls of their home. A little giggle escaped the mouth of the tot that was toddling along in front of her. “Go find Daddy. I think he’s hiding from us.” The baby clapped his hands together, and Buffy reveled in the sight of her son. Bright, blue eyes like his father, and naturally blonde hair like his mother’s. Of course, most thought he looked like Spike, and Buffy didn’t have the heart to explain that part of Spike’s budget each month was two bottles of peroxide.

“Daddyyyyyy,” the baby called. “I find you!” The boy rushed into the master bedroom, where Spike was sitting on the edge of the bed. Buffy frowned at the site of him, paler than usual, his eyes nearly blackened as he stared straight ahead.

“Spike?”

“Th…co…I…”

“Oh God,” she breathed.

“Daddy?” the boy called. Buffy knelt down in front of Spike and took his hands.

“Spike?” His lips moved, but only sputtering sounds came forth. His eyes darkened even more, and he finally grabbed firmly onto her shoulders. She jumped at the sudden contact. “Spike? You’re scaring me…”

“They’re coming.”

“What?”

“Get out.”

“Spike!” His face suddenly hardened and transformed into the face of an enemy. She gasped a little. It had been so long since she’d seen that face appear in anything but battle. He tightened his grip on her shoulders, bracing himself, bracing her.

“RUN!”

***

Buffy sat up in bed, gasping for breath, as the images from her dream settled down against her like a wet blanket. She looked over to see Spike sprawled out next to her sleeping soundly. How sound do vampires sleep, anyway? Though, she did recall having trouble waking him the evening after they’d first had sex, but she’d just had a nightmare next to him, and he hadn’t noticed. Frowning, she thought about checking to see if he was brea…Nice, Buffy. He doesn’t have a breath.

Gathering herself out of bed and pulling on some regular clothes, she headed silently out of the apartment. Peeking out of the door to make sure all was secure, she headed out and down the back stairs, which eventually led her out into the alley. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as soon as her feet were on the pavement.

She realized then just how achy she was. But, achy in a good way. Achy in the way that made her want to go right back upstairs and wake Spike from his sleep. But, he was sleeping so well…

“Slayer?” Not well enough, apparently. Buffy turned at the sound of his voice.

“Spike?”

“If you wanted to patrol, you coulda woke me.”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s been a while since I had a good rough and tumble.” Something about those words brought a smile to the Slayer’s face. “But you might want these.” He handed her a couple of stakes.

“Right. Thanks.” Where was her head these days, anyway?

“I think I have mushy pregnant brains. Is that a condition? Maybe we should look into it.” They started off in silence, Spike’s hands shoved deep in his pockets, Buffy’s clutching both stakes. Finally, he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pockets, and he lit one up. Buffy glanced at him sideways. For a moment, she was really agitated.

“Vampires,” she muttered.

“’Scuse me?”

“You. You vampires,” she replied.

“So…that’s a derogatory term then, is it?”

“No. Just…ugh.”

“Ugh…there’s a statement.”

“Don’t make fun of me.” Spike didn’t know where the hell this was all coming from, but he sure didn’t like it. “It’s just, you don’t have to worry about anything. You don’t have to worry about getting sick, or…or having babies. Not even vampire women! All you do is walk around going ‘la la la’ I’m a vampire, I just have to stay out of the daylight, and you have to avoid pointy wooden things.”

“Yeah…and you’re just now realizing this?”

“No! That’s the point! You don’t have to go through any of this. You can smoke, because…because you don’t have something growing inside of you, sharing whatever you eat. I mean, well, vampires don’t, I guess, but some demons…maybe?”

“Buffy, what’s this about?”

“You’re smoking, Spike! You can’t smoke around our baby.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, luv,” he said slowly. “Is this…is it hurting the baby?” Buffy sighed, crossing her arms. It’s not the smoking that bothers me. It’s the fact that you’ll be around to watch our baby grow up. You’ll still be here when our great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren are here.”

“Sorry,” she said softly. She decided to go the route of avoidance. It was a little easier than talking about how scared she was that she was going to die, and Spike was going to be left to raise their child. Not that he wouldn’t be a good father. He’d taken good care of Dawn those months when she was…well, dead. But an infant? In his world? She shivered a little. Demons didn’t gamble for babies too, did they?

She started off ahead, and Spike stayed back a few moments, taking a few quick drags off of his cigarette before tossing it down into a puddle. She could hear the sizzle, and when she turned around, he was walking toward her.

“Sorry,” she said again. “I thought Slayers were somehow…you know, immune to mood swings.” Spike chuckled, cupping her cheek in his hand.

“Sorry to break it to you, luv, but you’ve never been immune to those.”

“Hey!” she swatted at him, but he ducked out of her reach, pulling her with him against a wall, holding her close, his mouth joining with hers immediately. He felt her relax in his arms, and she leaned into him, her tongue tracing the outline of his lips, before he opened up, drinking her in. She moaned against his kisses, and he turned her, gently backing her against the wall, kissing her mercilessly. His hands first balled in her hair and then moved to her face, down her shoulders, and now, he was holding her, embracing her against him as he tried to bring her closer.

“God, I love you,” he whispered against her ear, as her hands caressed his abs through his shirt. She closed her eyes at his words. She couldn’t get enough. It was as if not only they were making up for lost time, but they were making up for what time they didn’t have together in the future. Stop that. Stop thinking that way. Not only was the past off limits, but so was the future. The here and now was what mattered, and she liked it that way. Still, her heart was restless, and her stomach was doing flip flops. Or was it the baby? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want him to ever stop kissing her, because the moment they stopped, the world began spinning again, and she didn’t want that.

“Well well, what do we have here?” Spike pulled back, and both he and Buffy turned in the direction of the voices. It was so dark that even Buffy’s keen Slayer sight couldn’t make out more than the silhouettes of their company, but she was certain Spike could see much better.

“Fresh meat,” one of them laughed, like a predictable villain in any movie.

“And, isn’t it romantic? All over each other. Such passion. Makes the blood hotter.” Buffy slipped a stake into Spike’s hand.

“Seriously?” she asked, stepping forward. “Did someone tear you out of a Danielle Steel novel? Because if you must know, passion makes the blood saltier, and…”

“And how might you know that, little girl?”

“Oh, I don’t,” Buffy said sheepishly. “But my boyfriend does.” Spike glanced at her in the darkness. Boyfriend, eh? At the same time, she looked at him. Yeah, that’s what I said. Damn. That was kinda lame, wasn’t it?

“Oh yeah? What’s he know about blood?” Buffy could practically hear the glee jumping from nerve to nerve through Spike’s body, as he put on his game face and stepped just enough into the moonlight to show their stalkers exactly who…or what he was. He saw the confidence drain from their faces just a little.

“Oh, man, sorry. Didn’t know you already had this one.”

“Clean the slime out of your ears, you stupid git. Didn’t you hear what she said?” The vampires looked at him and then at Buffy, who stepped into the light as well. He pulled his arm around her, smirking. God, I love that smirk. Buffy cleared her throat. No time to think about that! “I’m her boyfriend.” That sounds so strange.

One of the vamps chuckled, and he motioned toward Buffy to step forward. She did so, with her hand secured tightly around the stake behind her back. She put on an innocent face.

“Sweetie,” he laughed, through his bared teeth. “Do you know what vampires do? They bite. They kill. They like it.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. And you know what they like best?”

“What’s that?” she pondered.

“They like it when their kill puts up a fight. Nothing like it.” Buffy glanced at Spike, and he shrugged his shoulders. Turning back to the vamps, she smiled a half-cocked smile, almost a smirk that would make Spike proud.

“You mean…like this?” And she kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying back against the brick wall. She ran after him, and Spike jumped in, kicking the other vamp across the face, sending him down to the ground.

“Bitch!” Buffy’s vamp yelled. He licked at the blood that trickled out of his nose.

“Gross,” Buffy grimaced.

“Hey!” Spike said.

“Sorry?” she offered with a shrug, as she ducked and lifted to send her assailant flying over her and landing against the steel garbage can behind Spike. Spike ducked just in time, sending a kick into the gut of his attacker.

Spike couldn’t help but keep an eye on Buffy as she rushed after her opponent, and for that instant, his guard was down, letting his own opponent get a sharp blow to his jaw in.

“Bloody hell,” Spike growled, laying into him, taking him by the throat. He raised his arm, stake fully in grasp, and he brought it down, feeling the flesh and muscle beneath the vampire’s breast tear, sink, pull away, as he went right for the heart. In a moment, all that was left was dust.

Nearby, Buffy let out a little gasp, and Spike turned on his heel in time to see her get a kick in the face, and he rushed to her assistance. As she was stumbling backwards, Spike drove the stake into the second vampire’s chest, turning him into a million little dust bunnies.

“Are you ok?”

“I had him,” Buffy pointed out, rubbing her nose.

“I know. Just helping’s all. You’re ok?”

“Fine. Stop asking.” Spike sighed, putting the stake into his coat pocket. “I just got distracted.”

“By what?” he asked. Buffy hesitated for a moment. “Buffy?”

“I felt something,” she said quietly, looking down at her stomach. Spike’s gaze drifted there too, and without thinking, he reached out, placing his hands there.

“The baby? It kicked or…?”

“I think it was a contraction.”

“How do you know?”

“It felt like a cramp, only a lot worse,” she said quickly.

“Let’s get you back then, eh?”

“It was just a second. But that’s all it takes. I knew that, and…”

“Yeah? And so did I.” He maneuvered them into the light and lifted up his shirt to show a dark bruise forming on his side. She placed her hand gently over it, only for him to suck in a sharp breath.

“Boy, we’re a pair, aren’t we?”

“That we are, luv. Come on. Let’s get back to Hell Beastie Headquarters.”





You must login (register) to review.