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Chapter 27

Buffy yawned, walking into the nursery to find both Bex and Bella awake and ready to be fed. She smiled, picking them both up and carrying them into the master bedroom. Two warm bottles waited on the night stand, and Spike lay sleeping on his side of the bed. Buffy grinned and placed both Bex and Bella on the bed, right against their sleeping father. Bella let out a little squeak, and Spike slowly opened his eyes to stare directly at his beautiful babies.

“What time is it, Buffy?” he mumbled.

“Three forty five. A.M.”

“Brilliant,” he yawned, sitting up. He took Bella into his arms, and Buffy took Bex. She handed Spike a bottle, and she took the other. Together, they sat in an exhausted silence as the little ones suckled. The twins were a month old now, both already developing their personalities and making their parents exhausted at the same time. Willow was on her way to Ohio, which was fantastic, because the first thing Buffy was going to ask her when she arrived was if she could babysit. “How long did they sleep?”

“Two hours and forty three minutes. Their best time yet,” Buffy said with a proud and tired nod.

“How’re you holding up? How was patrol?”

“Oh, I’m alright. But before I staked a vamp, I burst out in tears and told him he didn’t know how hard it was being a slayer and a full-time mommy.” Spike winced. “I know. It wasn’t pretty, but he’s a big, fluffy pile o’ dust now, so it’s alright.”

“The world will never know.”

“Exactly.” She smiled.

“You’re feeling alright?”

“Still a little sore,” she admitted. “I thought for sure my super slayer healing powers would kick in for child birth too. Nope.”

“Sure worked on you getting your figure back though.”

“How about that, huh? You know, I was at the grocery store the other day with the babies, and nobody believed me when I told them they were mine. They all said they hated me, because I look like I do. It’s not my fault. You can vouch for me. I eat like a pig.”

“That you do, luv, but I think it’s sexy.”

“You would,” Buffy said with a laugh, rolling her eyes. “Wow, Bex is almost half done with his bottle.”

“Bella’s gonna beat him, I think.”

“They’re not competing,” Buffy pointed out, “but, man! Look at our girl go!” Buffy looked over to see Bella going to town on the bottle. “Why is it you can always get her to do anything? You can get her to sleep so much faster than I can, and she won’t go to sleep when I feed her, only when you do.” She nodded, as the baby’s eyes started to drift closed. “Case in point.”

“She’s her daddy’s girl, what can I say?” Buffy laughed, nodding.

“You have a point. Ugh, don’t tell me she’s going to be riding around on a motorcycle when she’s sixteen and wearing leather jackets.”

“Hey, her mum wears leather jackets.” He nodded toward the chair across the room, where Buffy’s coat was draped across the back of it.

“Oh. Well, she has to wear dresses sometimes.”

“When did you ever wear a dress, Slayer?” Buffy thought.

“Um…casually? When I was…oh, five? But prom? Hello? And I wore skirts.” She sighed. “I just want her to be all girly and pink, and…”

“If she’s not?”

“She’s still my little girl. And Bex…if he turns out like you, we might have to think about sending him to Uncle Xander, who has some residual memories from his time as a soldier.”

“One night, luv,” Spike replied.

“So? He was an officer!”

“Because of a sodding spell.”

“Yeah, well,” Buffy said quietly.

“Well, she sure as hell isn’t going to be like the me that I was before I was a vampire.”

“Even if he is?”

“Well…he’s my son.”

“Exactly. Oh look.” She nodded toward Bella, who had finished her bottle in record speed. “Why don’t you burp her and put her back to bed, Daddy.” Buffy winked at him, and he just furrowed his brows.

“You know, pet, that would’ve really got me going hot and heavy a while ago. Now, it has a whole other meaning.” Buffy laughed.

“You better get used to it. If she’s anything like me, she’ll be sweet talking you, calling you daddy to get the keys to the car, your credit card, and anything else she can possible squeeze out of you, because she’ll have you wrapped around her finger.”

“You’re probably right, luv.” He put the bottle on the night stand and stood up, putting the baby against his chest and gently rubbing and patting her back. “Come on, Bella. Off to bed again.” Spike left the room, and Buffy soon followed, trying to burp Bex. After she was satisfied with a couple of good rumblings out of the baby, she put him back in the crib with his sister. They were sharing a crib, as they seemed to sleep better that way.

“Look at ‘em. So peaceful when they’re sleeping. ‘Course, they’ll wake up in another couple hours, and we’ll be at this all over again.”

“Yeah. We should probably get back to bed and try to sleep.”

“Already on my way, luv,” Spike announced from the hallway. Buffy smiled and turned back to the crib. She leaned over it, watching the rising and falling of their tiny chests. It was incredible how something so instinctual, so simple, was so reassuring at the same time. Seeing their little fingers and toes curling in their sleep made her feel like all was right with the world, which was rare for a slayer.

With a contented sigh, she cast another glance down at her little ones before she tiptoed out of the room and back into the master bedroom. Spike was fumbling with the night stand drawer, and Buffy yawned, climbing into bed. He turned toward him but closed her eyes, and when he finally settled down in the bed, she was too tired to open her eyes. But, when he cleared his throat, she opened one eye and then another, focusing on something that was right in front of her face. She craned her neck back a little and looked at the faux velvet covered box.

“Spike?”

“I got you a little something, luv.” Buffy sat up in the bed, staring right into his misty blue eyes. “Just my way of saying thank you for...for giving me the family I never thought I’d have.”

“Spike…you didn’t have to…”

“And it’s my way of telling you that I love you,” he whispered, opening the lid to reveal a simple but elegant diamond ring, “and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Oh my God. Spike…I…why are you…I mean…”

“Luv, I’m trying to be romantic here,” he said with a sheepish smile. “If you don’t want it, I can take it back.”

“No!” she exclaimed. “I just…I’m surprised.”

“We live together, luv. We almost died for each other. Well, I died and came back, you went into a coma, and then you risked death to keep going and give us a family. I don’t think marriage is such a scary thing after all that, do you?” He took the ring out and put the box on the night stand. “Buffy, I love you. You can’t imagine what it’s like to go from being what I was to what I am now. I want to be good for you.”

“You’ve always been good for me,” Buffy admitted, “even when you weren’t.” She brushed away a tear. “Some Slayer, huh? Getting all misty eyed at a diamond ring? Must be the hormones.”

“Can’t blame everything on those, luv,” he chuckled. “What do you say? Wanna give me a shot?” She nodded.

“Yes, William. Yes. I’ll marry you.” She caressed the side of his face with her free hand, while he slid the diamond onto her ring finger, a perfect fit. She pulled her hand back and examined it carefully. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a soft, wet kiss, wishing they could take it further. But it was still too early. Before long, they both had to pull away. He didn’t want to hurt her, and she didn’t want to risk one very badly executed moment of passion. “Sorry. Just a few more weeks.”

“I can wait, luv. I’m not a patient man, but for you, I can wait.” He kissed her softly, and she curled up in his arms, and they both fell asleep, waiting for their next wake up call.

***

“You don’t think she’ll be mad, do you?”

“You’re her sister, Dawnie. She won’t be mad. Andrew and Buffy #2 can hold down the fort anyways.”

“We weren’t getting much action, and I have to see the babies. You sure they won’t mind me staying too?”

“Buffy couldn’t say no to her little sister, and Spike, well, you’re pretty much a sister to him too.”

“I know, but it’s different now. He’s…he’s a human. What if…”

“Trust me, Dawnie. He might be human, but he still looks at Buffy like he did. He loves her. He’s gonna be happy to see you.”

“I hope so,” Dawn replied. “I haven’t exactly been the best sister to Buffy.”

“She understands. You’ve been busy with school and everything.”

“Is Xander coming?”

“I don’t know. He isn’t too thrilled, you know?”

“He’s her friend. The fact that she’s with Spike shouldn’t matter.”

“I know, but Spike and Xander have a lot of bad blood between them…no pun intended.”

“What exactly did Spike ever do to Xander personally? Before he had the chip? He can’t be mad at that really, because Spike was an honest to goodness vampire. After the chip? Well, chips aren’t exactly souls. I get that now. And Spike and Buffy didn’t exactly have a healthy relationship before. Trust me, I’m still mad about what he did to her, but I know he’s better now, and he wouldn’t hurt her.”

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, because I’ll deny every word,” Willow said quietly, as she and Dawn sat in the airport, waiting for their final flight.

“Oh,” Dawn said with a nod, making a motion as if she were zipping her lips.

“I don’t think Xander ever fully got over how he felt for Buffy. I think…I think he honestly loved Anya, and he wanted to be with her, but I think he still felt more for Buffy than a friend should. I think maybe that’s why he’s having such a hard time. I don’t know.”

“Maybe,” Dawn said quietly. “But if Buffy can forgive Spike, you’d think Xander could too.”





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