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Chapter 10

Buffy shimmied back into her jeans, while Spike finished doing up the buttons on his button down shirt. His hair, normally slicked back, was looking a bit messy, and Buffy couldn’t help but smile at him from a few feet away.

“What?” he asked, catching wise of her grin.

“Your hair.”

“What about it?”

“You have bed head.”

“No bed, luv.”

“Yeah, well, you totally reek of ‘I let Buffy do all the work while I just lay there on the floor.” Spike smirked at that.

“I seem to recall doing my fair share, pet.” Buffy grinned and sauntered over to him. She licked her hand and slid it down the back of his head, smoothing it out. “You just spit in my hair.”

“Oh, don’t get all clean-freak on my now, blood boy.”

“Not fair. You can’t use my past status as a vampire to get back at me anymore.”

“I can’t?” she mused, placing her hands on his toned chest, pressing him up against the wall. Her lower lip stuck out just a bit, and he couldn’t resist another smirk.

“Look at that lip,” he purred, leaning down to suck it between his own lips, torturing it slowly with his tongue. She moaned quietly against him, her hands slipping up underneath his shirt. Her touch was feather-light, and it made his muscles jump at the slight contact. “You’re playing with fire, luv.”

“Good thing we’re not flammable.” Their lips joined again for a brief but hot kiss. And she broke free for just a moment to utter, “or maybe we are.” He smiled, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. When Buffy finally broke free to straighten her hair in a dusty old mirror, Spike took the opportunity to walk up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. They both stared at the reflection of their bodies molded together so perfectly. His head was resting on her shoulder, and he started kissing her neck. “I’ll never get sick of this.”

“What’s that, pet?”

“Seeing us like this. Together. All…you know, reflective.”

“Ah,” he whispered, nibbling at her ear, sending a shiver down her spine, as one hand moved up her ribcage and brushed against the side of her breast. She closed her eyes, leaning back against him, feeling him harden against her backside. She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, looking up into his eyes with an innocent little pout, as she seductively ground herself against him, making him flinch, holding back every urge inside of him that screamed for him to take her once more against that very wall.

“I guess I still don’t get why vampires aren’t reflective,” she said, dampening the mood. “I mean, dead people have reflections, right? So why not a vampire? I mean…it’s a walking corpse. Didn’t you ever think about that?” Spike cocked his eye at her.

“You really want to talk vampire biology, pet?”

“No,” she murmured. “Sorry, I guess something I read in one of Wil’s books got me thinking.” He smiled slyly.

“You think too much, Slayer.” He was obviously trying to recapture the mood, but he could tell she was already distracted, so he let her go so she could pace, while he slowly sat down on a nearby desk, willing his cock to stop straining against his jeans. Trying to focus his attention anywhere but on the need that was still apparent between his own legs, he cleared his throat.

“What…uh…what was it that you read, luv?” Buffy thought for a moment, trying to remember the exact words, but failed.

“Something about re-siring and retaining a soul.”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Do you know anything about that?”

“I’ve heard talk, but never experienced it myself, obviously.”

“The book was newer, so maybe it was just written?”

“What else did it say?”

“Well, re-siring, I guess…I guess that would mean becoming a vampire again.”

“Sure,” Spike said slowly. “I heard rumors that it was possible, you know. If a vampire were saved from damnation once that if he was turned again, he’d be saved. He’d still have his soul.”

“But you’ve never seen it happen?”

“Well, pet, I’m the only ex-vampire I know, so…no. And I don’t plan on becoming one again, but it’d be nice to know that if it did, I wouldn’t, you know, want to rip your heart out.” He raised an eyebrow, and his thoughts went back into the gutter. “Especially when the casing is so beautiful.” Buffy seemed apprehensive. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a dream that you were a vampire, remember?” Spike sighed heavily. “Slayer dreams aren’t exactly something I can forget about, Spike.”

“Doesn’t mean a thing, luv. I don’t plan on getting sired again.”

“But if you do…”

“If I do…well, I guess if what Red’s book says is true, I won’t have to worry about you staking me.”

“Still,” Buffy said quietly, “if it’s being written about now, I think it’s important that we look into it. For future reference.”

“You worry too much, luv.”

“I know. But I’m worried about you, so cut me some slack.”

“Right,” Spike said casually. “Alright, let’s go see if we can borrow the witch’s book, then. We’ll see what other goodies might be in store, should I get…”

“Vampified?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a roll of his eyes. But, he decided to humor his wife anyway, because if anything, it might put her fears at ease.

***

“Fucking thing,” Faith muttered, kicking the water heater in the basement, as she tinkered with various valves and buttons that she wasn’t even sure actually belonged to the damn thing, trying to figure out exactly what went where and how she was supposed to fix it. After training, one of the Slayers had nearly had a meltdown after the hot water had run out completely. Now the water was staying cold, and after everything they’d been through, these girls at least deserved warm showers. Still, why’d they have to send the one person who knew jack about mechanics? What? She was a tough broad, sure, but that didn’t mean she spent her childhood looking over Daddy’s shoulder as he played Mr. Fix-It.

“Who’s down here?” Faith froze at the voice and turned to see Robin coming at her with a box. He stopped abruptly. “Oh, I didn’t know you were…”

“Yeah, they sent me to have a look. Why the hell didn’t they send a guy.”

“You think just because we’re guys, we know how to fix this stuff?” Robin asked with a raised eyebrow. “I thought you of all people would know how to take care of something like this. You don’t like to rely on anybody, after all.” Faith deflected that blow with a smirk.

“Yeah, well, I guess I missed the course on water heater repair when I enrolled at How to be a Tough Bitch University.” She started to go, but he caught her arm.

“I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s cool. No sweat.” She tried to wring herself out of his hold, but he held her there, his piercing eyes searching hers. She didn’t want to look at him, but she was a tough girl. She could withstand anything. She’d learned to hide pain, fear, and weakness a long time ago, and even though they’d been close once, she was certain she could hide most anything from even him if she had to.

“Faith.”

“What?”

“We have to talk about it.”

“What?”

“You know what.” Faith’s eyes dared him to say it.

“No, I don’t think we do,” she said, pulling her arm out of his hand. “There’s nothing to talk about, okay?” Robin sighed and let the box drop with a thud.

“Fine. You want to hide behind this persona, fine with me. But I’m sick of watching you try to dodge me every time I come into the room. It’s not supposed to be like this.”

“Then what’s it supposed to be like, Robin?” she asked. “Break ups are messy. They’re not supposed to be friendly and…”

“Maybe not where you come from,” Robin said quietly. “But we have a past, Faith. And a lot of it…maybe a lot of it was bad. Maybe downright painful. But there was a lot of good, wasn’t there?”

“Sure,” Faith said with a shrug, “but it doesn’t make up for what went wrong.”

“What went wrong? You walked out, Faith. You left and didn’t come back.” He eyed her, waiting for her reaction, but she only looked away. “I got used to your mood swings. I got used to sleeping alone, but when you never came back…what did you expect me to do, Faith?”

“I didn’t expect anything,” Faith pointed out. “I left and I didn’t come back.”

“So why are you acting like this? You’re acting like I did something to hurt you.” Faith felt her heart pounding. No. She wasn’t doing this.

“I should get back up. We’re training again in…”

“They can wait. Or they can go on without you. We’re talking about this. Right now, Faith.”

“What do you want me to say?” she demanded. “I got pregnant. I didn’t want a kid. You knew that. But somehow, you got me thinking I could do it. I could be happy. But I knew I couldn’t. And then the baby was gone. And I hated myself for it. I hated you for making me keep it…making me want it…making me…making me go through that.” She tried to calm herself. Her voice was steady, but her eyes showed a world of pain. Robin swallowed hard.

“I thought maybe you would settle down. I…I always wanted to be a father.”

“That’s where we went wrong. We wanted different things. We did…until I changed my mind. I let myself thing I could have something more. And guess what? I couldn’t. Now here you are…”

“I’m not gonna apologize for my daughter, Faith.”

“You don’t have to. You deserve to be a dad. You deserve all that stuff that comes with it.” She pointed to herself. “I don’t. I’m not supposed to have that, because I’m a Slayer, and you and me? We both know that having kids and being Chosen doesn’t mix. B’s fooling herself if she think she can keep playing house and keep everything from completely fucked.” She shook her head. “I lost her, Robin, because I’m not supposed to have her. She died, because…” She knew what she was going to say would hurt both him and her, but she had to. She had to in order to convince herself. “Better a bathroom floor than at the hands of a demon.” She turned and walked off, leaving Robin feeling even worse than before. He had thought that talking about it might give him some closure, but it had only opened new wounds. He knew she was lying. He knew she would rather have that baby right now than have lost it, but Faith was tough, and she’d learned to deal with things as they came, and she’d tried to do that this time by telling herself it was ok. It didn’t matter. But he knew Faith better than she thought. He knew she wasn’t over it. He knew she was barely coping at all.

***

“What do you think?” Buffy asked, as she and Spike stood before Giles and Willow. Giles removed his glasses, cleaned them, replaced them neatly on his head, and then he took the book in his hands.

“I know someone I can call,” he said slowly. “But is this really necessary? It has nothing to do with the battle we’re fighting now.”

“It has everything to do with it,” Buffy stated, arms crossed. “I’m not saying Spike’s going to get bitten…or be made to drink from said biter, but it’d be nice to know just in case.”

“I suppose I can check in on it,” Giles said, trying to appease the Slayer, despite the fact that he felt more time should be spent in helping Willow with this stronger spell. He looked at her for support.

“It’s alright. I think I’m about ready,” Willow said, nodding as she flipped through the pages one after the other. Giles sighed and nodded his head.

“I guess I’ll be on my way to make that call then.” He cleared his throat, and Buffy smiled.

“Thanks, Giles. You’re the best.” Looking at her smiling up at him took him back to the days when she was a somewhat nonchalant teenager who would rather go out to parties than spend a night in going over research materials and studying the best methods for slaying demons.

When Giles left, Buffy took Spike’s hand and looked at Willow.

“Need any help?”

“I think I’ve got it!” she said brightly.

“No kidding?” Spike asked.

“No kidding,” Willow nodded. “Maybe you can go watch Bella and see if anything happens.” Buffy’s eyes widened.

“Oh my God! Angel’s still up there.” Smooth, Buffy. Leave your ex with your twins all afternoon. That won’t make anything less tense. She pulled at Spike’s arm, brining him with her, as Willow settled down to attempt the spell once again.

***

Buffy and Spike arrived at their room to find the kids practically bouncing off the walls, while a haggard Angel sat on the bed, chin in his hand. He looked up at the sound of the door opening. He noticed the apprehensive, apologetic look on Buffy’s face and his tension slowly subsided.

“Um…I guess ‘how were they’ wouldn’t be the right question?”

“Mommy, Angel gave us piggy back rides.” Spike couldn’t help but smirk, fold his arms, and lean against the door frame. The picture of his grandsire galloping about with two tow-headed, blue-eyed kids on his back was enough to crack a smile.

“That’s nice, Bell,” Buffy said with a smile. “Tell Angel good night. It’s time for bed.”

“ Good night,” Bella and Bex said in unison. Bella hopped up on the bed when Angel stood, and she wrapped her little arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“I like him, Mommy.” She put her hands around her mouth as if she were whispering something secret. “I think I love him.”

“Alright, young lady,” Spike said, trying his best not to laugh at Angel’s obvious discomfort. “By the time you’re old enough for a boyfriend, just think how old he’ll be.” He made a face, and Bella giggled. Buffy glanced at Angel. Truth was, he wouldn’t look any different than he did right now. Spike looked over at Buffy and at Angel and it suddenly struck him. He was going to get old and wrinkly, and Angel would still look like…well, Angel, whom Buffy had obviously found attractive at one point. Buffy caught Spike’s gaze, and she gave him a sideways smile, as if telling him they were going to have another chat. Bloody hell, how can she read me like that?

“Thanks for your help, Angel. Sorry it took so long.”

“It’s fine. I…uh…bye, kids.” He waved stiffly and headed down the hall. Bella giggled and jumped on the bed, which riled Bex up, and they both began jumping together. Buffy and Spike shared a tired smile before each taking a child into their arms.

“Settle down,” Buffy laughed. “Go changed into your pajamas. Bathroom’s down the hall.”

“I remember,” Bella said in one of those whiny Mo-o-o-o-m tones that was often reserved especially for teenagers. The kids headed off with their little packs, and Buffy turned to Spike, who was just starting to open his mouth.

“Before you say anything,” she said, pressing her fingers to his lips, “I refuse to acknowledge any questions about my feelings for Angel when you start to wear your age.” She smiled at him. “Your human age, I mean. Because, just remember, some day, I’ll catch up to you if my super-awesome Slayer powers don’t decrease sagging and wrinkles in places I’d rather not have it. So if I’m going to look old and wrinkly, so is the man I spend the rest of my life with.”

“Yeah, but you might feel different when I’m Polydenting my dentures and sporting a bad comb-over, and Captain Forehead’s flashing his pearly whites and clipping out ads of hair club for men to send in the mail…just to torture me.”

“Spike?”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

“Right,” he said, clearing his throat, as Buffy leaned in to kiss him. “What can I do to convince me that I’ll always want you, even if you’re old and wrinkly. How can I convince you that it’s not your amazingly chiseled abs or your…” She felt her mouth already watering. “That’s not what makes me want you, Spike.” She was staring at him now like he was a piece of meat, and damn it, he liked it.

“So what is, luv?” he asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow, as he felt her fingers toying with his belt loops. She smiled, knowing what he was expecting her to say in order to carry their conversation into bed, but she pressed her lips lightly to his.

“Your heart,” she said softly, and with a giggle, she rolled her eyes, “perv.”

“Oh, mature, Buffy. Real mature.”

“You love it.” She kissed him again. The fact that their twins were just down the hall was almost forgotten until a loud yelp from Bex was heard, followed by Bella’s immediate return to the room, eyes wide.

“I didn’t mean to, Mommy! I swear!” Buffy and Spike quickly followed their daughter to the bathroom where Bex was covering his bloody nose.

“She hit me!” he cried.

“I didn’t mean to!” she cried louder. “He took my doll, and I was trying to get it back. “I didn’t hit him very hard..”

“Did so!” Bex yelled.

“Did not!” she insisted, smacking her hand down on the sink, only to shift it slightly from the force. Everyone stopped.

“Whoa,” Spike said slowly. “Everybody…just…calm down.”

“Mommy, I broke the sink,” Bella said sheepishly.

“It’s…um, it’s ok, Bell. Let’s just…”

“She hit me!” Bex exclaimed, tears running down his face.

“Bella, what you did was wrong, do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mommy,” she said, hanging her head.

“I want you to apologize right now. Go on.” Bella slowly moved toward her brother, while Spike and Buffy exchanged knowing and worried glances behind their backs.

“Sorry, Bex. I didn’t mean to, honest.”

“Yeah right,” Bex said, rubbing his nose, which was starting to hurt less.

“Bex,” Spike said slowly. “She apologized.”

“Fine,” Bex grumbled. “I forgive you, Bella.”

“Now hug,” Buffy directed. They both sighed but hugged, and then they went about their way. Buffy turned to Spike, and he shook his head. “Well…”

“Well,” Spike agreed with a nod. “Looks like we’ve got a Slayer-in-training on our hands.” And more than that, it appeared that Willow’s spell had worked.





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