Chapter 2
To say Spike was stunned would be an understatement. He supposed he should have known that Buffy wouldn’t have been alone, but for some reason, he never expected for her to have a little one of her own. Gazing down at the sleeping child, he could see so much of her mother in her, she was very beautiful. The little girl was tiny, possibly about six or seven. She was way too pale for his liking, and it looked like her head was recently shaved, but that did not take away from her natural beauty.
He sat down in the only available chair in the room, not sure what to say. “How long has she been here?” was all he could manage to get out.
Buffy took in a deep breath. “It’s been a little over two weeks now. She’s too sick to get proper care at home, and I can’t afford it. I can barely afford to keep her in the hospital. I got laid off a few months ago, and we both moved in with my mother. It just seemed like the best solution.”
“Where is her father? If you don’t mind me asking,” Spike wondered.
“He’s not in the picture anymore. I was pregnant at nineteen, right when I started college, which led to me not even completing a full semester before I dropped out. Riley supported my decision. He said he would be there for the baby, that we could get married, but I turned him down. I didn’t love him, and I didn’t want him to only marry me because I was pregnant. We just agreed to settle on a friendship, and as time went on, it became more than that, but no matter what, I just couldn’t love him. A part of me knew he wasn’t who I was meant to be with. We had so many problems in our relationship. When Ella was born she became the most important thing in my world, and Riley couldn’t handle that. He was actually jealous of his own daughter. We had so many arguments, it seemed like all we did was fight with each other. He blamed me for ruining his life, that he had plans to play professional football, and he had to give it all up to take care of Ella, even though I never asked him to do that. To make a long story short, he took off one day and never came back. No note, nothing, I just came home from work to find all of his stuff gone. It was only last year that Ella was diagnosed with Leukemia, things have been tough ever since, but we’ve managed. My mom has been a huge help, I honestly don’t know where we would be right now if it wasn’t for her.”
For the second time that day, Spike found himself completely stunned. He had no idea that things were so bad for her. He envisioned Buffy having the perfect life once she left high school. Spike didn’t realize just how wrong he was, but she wasn’t finished.
“It just breaks my heart seeing her lying there, so young and helpless. Even more so knowing that she has to spend Christmas in a hospital, that’s always been our favorite time of year. She would wake me up at six in the morning, then wait for me downstairs. She never opened any of her presents, unless I was there to see her. The one thing she really wanted was a dog, and I wish more than anything that I could get her one, but it’s just so much responsibility, not to mention how expensive having a pet could be. I know she’s disappointed, but would never say that she was. Things just won’t be the same this year, and knowing that this might be the last Christmas we’ll get to have together…” her voice trailed off then, tears in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to share so much. It’s just hard to think about.”
Spike nodded, reaching across the still sleeping child to take Buffy’s hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. “You don’t have to apologize for that, love. It’s horrible what you’re going through. I just wish there was something I could do.”
She smiled now, squeezing his hand back. “You’re already doing it just by being here. I don’t really have anyone besides my mom; it’s just been me and Ella these last few years. It means so much that you’re here now. I’ve really missed you.”
His eyes widened as he released her hand. “You have?”
Buffy looked away from his intense stare, a blush tinting her cheeks. “I’ve never told anyone before, but I used to have a crush on you in school. You were so smart and collected; I always envied that about you. I figured you just saw me as some shallow airhead like everyone else, so I never acted on the crush, but I thought about you all the time. Whenever I was with my friends, I always wished I was with you instead. God, I’m sharing too much again,” she finished, her cheeks growing even warmer under his startled gaze.
“Bloody hell, I never thought that you even noticed me. I know you were the only one to really be nice to me, but I just figured you did it out of pity.”
Her eyes flew back to his, shaking her head adamantly. “No, it was never pity. I was going to tell you how I felt after graduation. I know, I chose the perfect time, but when I went to your house, you were already gone.”
He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was eighteen, legal to be Dawn’s guardian, but I knew I couldn’t handle it by myself. So, as soon as I graduated, we took off. We moved to London to live with my grandparents, only just moved back here about two years ago. Dawn chose to come with me instead of stay there.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you came back.”
Spike smiled, feeling his heart swell. Not only was he around the woman of his dreams again, but she also admitted to having feelings for him, which was something he never would have expected. Things were definitely going to be different from now on, there was no way he was ever letting her go again, but there was something he needed to do first. Buffy deserved a good Christmas, and she deserved to spend it with her daughter, not in some hospital room. “I have to get going, but I’m coming back to visit Dawn tomorrow. Would you like to get something to eat with me? Even if it is only in the cafeteria,” he said, hoping she would agree.
“It’s a date,” she replied with a smile.
Spike smiled as well, he couldn’t help it around her. “I’ll see you then.” He stood up, staring at the child one last time, then back at Buffy. “She’s really beautiful, just like her mum.”
Buffy blushed again, feeling pride at his words. “Thank you.”
He nodded to her, then headed out of the hospital, flipping open his cell phone once he left the building. “Xander, it’s Spike, I need a favor.”
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