Chapter 1
Tara Maclay took a deep breath before addressing the couple facing her. “All right, let’s start at the beginning.”
“Haven’t we already been through this? We met in high school, got married right out of college, and now we're about to be divorced. There’s not much more to it.”
William Pratt, also known as Spike to his friends and colleagues, glared at his soon to be ex-wife. “You make it sound like our lives have been boring. I don’t even know why we’re here. You see what I’ve had to deal with,” he complained to their therapist.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like it’s been a real picnic for me. Fine, we’ll start at the beginning.”
* * * * *
“Bloody hell, watch where you’re going!”
Buffy scowled at the boy who had the nerve to crash into her, then blame her for it. “Excuse me? You’re the one that wasn’t paying attention, nearly knocking me over in the process. I should sue your ass.”
William was taken aback, not used to dealing with such a spitfire of a woman. Usually they got all blushy in his presence and he couldn't help but liking her already. “Sorry, I can see we got off on the wrong foot. I’m William Pratt, just moved here from England.”
She ignored his outstretched hand. “Buffy Summers, the pleasure is all yours.”
William grinned, he really liked this girl.
* * * * *
“Stop being such a bloody git, you can do this. Great, I’m talking to myself now.”
“Talking to yourself? That’s a true sign of insanity,” Buffy commented with a grin.
Spike smiled at his lady love, taking a deep breath before approaching her. “Just giving myself a pep talk, I needed all the encouragement I could get for this.”
Buffy gasped when he got down on one knee, pulling out a diamond ring in a black box. “I love you, Buffy. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears were clouding her vision, but there was no hesitation in her answer. “Yes, of course I will.”
He smiled, placing the ring on her finger, then enveloping her in a big hug. “You’ll never regret this, baby. We’re going to be so happy together.”
* * * * *
Buffy was broken out of her musings at the sound of Spike’s cell going off, rolling her eyes when he answered it.
“Agent Pratt,” he said, listening to his partner on the other end, then nodding his head. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” Spike flipped his phone shut, turning his attention back on the others. “There’s a robbery downtown, I have to get going. We can reschedule, right?”
Tara nodded. “Yes, of course.”
Spike gave Buffy one more glance, then walked out of the office.
She let out a sigh at his departure. “Now you see what I’ve had to deal with.”
“I could imagine it must be difficult, putting up with a husband that has such a risky job. I’m sure it must be scary at times.”
Buffy shrugged. “I guess. I know he’s good at his job, but lately it seems to be all he cares about. He saved the life of some harlot a few weeks ago. Since then she’s been constantly around him, being all flirty even when I’m there. We got into a huge fight because of her. I could tell how much he loved the attention, and he just accused me of being jealous. Well, I think when your husband flirts with another woman; you have a right to be. Not that I thought anything was going on, but we haven’t been so close lately. He’s out working late a lot of the time, there’s no telling what else he’s doing. If this was a couple of years ago, I never once would have doubted Spike, but things are different now. I feel like I don’t even know who he is anymore.”
Tara took it all in. “Let’s discuss when the problems really started. Can you tell me about Samantha? I know it must be a difficult subject, so I would understand if you don’t feel up to talking about it.”
Yes, it was a hard subject, but Buffy felt that it was about time she got her feelings out.
* * * * *
“There’s something I need to tell you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to take it.”
Spike sat on the couch, worried about why she was so serious. “You can tell me anything, love.”
Buffy sat down across from him, taking in a long breath. “I’ve been feeling nauseous lately, so I went to the doctor’s. They just called back with my results and, well, I’m pregnant.”
Once the shock wore off, a smile lit up his handsome features. “You’re pregnant? I’m going to be a father?”
Buffy nodded, squealing in surprise when he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground a little.
“You’ve made me the happiest man on earth, sweetheart. I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby.”
She relaxed in his embrace, glad to see that he was taking the news so well. They hadn’t really talked about children, so she was relieved by his reaction, even though a part of her didn’t think she was ready for this yet.
* * * * *
“God, she sure is doing a number on my bladder. Only two more months to go, and it can’t come soon enough.”
Spike smiled fondly at his wife. “Come on, aren’t you going to miss being pregnant?”
Buffy raised her eyebrows. “Are you kidding me? I ache everywhere, I haven’t been able to see my feet in weeks, and I can’t stop going to the bathroom. You try having the kid and see how you feel about it.”
He chuckled, placing his hand over her bulging belly. “You’ll be here soon, Samantha, but until then, try to take it easy on your mum.”
Buffy could feel the baby start to calm down inside of her, which usually happened whenever she heard Spike’s soothing voice. He was going to be a great father; Buffy just wished she could be that sure she'd be a good mother herself.
* * * * *
Spike paced the waiting room of the hospital, feeling beyond nervous. Buffy had begun with contractions three weeks early and there'd be some kind of difficulty, so he was asked to wait outside. He wanted nothing more than to be in there with her, holding her hand. Spike glanced up just in time to see the doctor head in his direction, moving over to him in a hurry.
“What happened? Is my wife okay? Is the baby all right?”
The doctor looked at him sadly, shaking his head. “I’m sorry; we did all that we could.”
With those words said, Spike felt his entire world collapse.
* * * * *
He held the shaking form of his wife, not knowing what else to do. No words would be much of a comfort right now.
“She was so tiny,” Buffy whispered a moment later. “She was just laying there, she wasn’t breathing. I couldn’t protect her enough.”
Spike pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Shhh, just rest now, this wasn’t your fault. Sam knew how much you loved her.”
Buffy shook her head as more tears fell from her eyes. “It wasn’t enough.”
* * * * *
Tara handed Buffy a tissue, which she took with a small smile.
Buffy wiped at her eyes, not even realizing that she was crying. “I’m sorry, I guess it was harder to relive than I thought.”
“That’s perfectly understandable, is that when everything started to fall apart?”
She nodded. “I wanted to keep busy after that. I guess Spike felt the same way, he was always working. We drifted apart after that. The loss of a child is supposed to bring you closer together, but I guess it was the opposite for us. We were always fighting; sometimes we just didn’t even talk to each other at all. It was my idea to file for divorce, and Spike just went along with it. He said that maybe it would be for the best. I guess I was hoping that he would fight more for this marriage, for me, but I can’t even get him to sit through a full therapy session.” Buffy stood up, giving Tara one more look. “Thanks for the help, but I don’t think we’ll be coming here anymore. I guess this marriage really is over.”
Tara watched with a heavy heart as Buffy left, hoping that she and her husband would manage to work things out on their own.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
This is just another short story I thought of, only two parts long. Kind of angsty for the most part, but of course has a happy ending. Thanks to dusty273 for the read through. Hope you guys like it=)