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Chapter 21

“Stupid, sodding…” Spike loosed his tongue as soon as he’d slammed the door, despite having Michael in one arm. “Just pretend you didn’t hear that, ok nip?” Michael looked at him curiously and mimicked the nodding that Spike was doing. “That’s my boy.” Spike beamed, and got a return grin. “Well, let's get you reacquainted with your mum, shall we?” Spike turned from the door, only to find the room devoid of said person.

“Buffy?” Spike called to the emptiness, and was met with only silence. There were no other windows, and he knew she hadn’t gone out the door, which only left the bathroom, and the door was closed. “Bathroom again then. Do me a favor nip and stay in here,” Spike said as he pulled the comforter off the bed, and tossed it on the floor before setting Michael down. He quickly rummaged through the baby bag and pulled out a couple of small toys for him as well. Then closed the space to the bathroom door.

It was only as shut as a door that had been previously kicked in could be. Spike pushed against it, expecting it to easily give, but there seemed to be something holding it closed. “Buffy, it’s just me. Let me in,” Spike ordered, adding a belated “please.” He was met with only silence.

“Buffy, please. Don’t think I can handle a repeat of this morning. Really need you to open the door.”

After a few more seconds and Spike debating if he should kick the door for a second time, the sound of some shuffling and the door creaking slightly open signaled her acquiescence to his request. He slowly stepped into the room, to find Buffy turned away from him, staring out the bathroom window.

“Get out,” she quietly demanded.

“Just let me see that you’re…”

“I want you gone. I trusted you. I thought…” her strained voice trailed off. “Get…out…”

“Buffy, I didn’t intend for Willow to find out it was you, and I sure didn’t plan on dad following her. And either way, it doesn’t matter. They’re gone, and I won’t let them in until you’re ready.”

Buffy lifted a hand up to the window and slid her fingers gingerly across the glass. It seemed like she was seeing something precious on the other side, if only she could just break the barrier between her and the prize on the other side.

Whoa! Break…glass… not a good thing. Spike came up behind Buffy, put his hand gently on her raised arm and slowly slid his hand up until it rested on top of her hand. With a gentle squeeze, he pulled her hand back from the glass. She offered no resistance, but suddenly she spun around and faced him and started beating earnestly on his chest.

“Stupid, useless, bleach brained, jerk,” She sobbed out, punctuating each word with a blow to his chest. “Why.. won’t.. you.. leave?” She stopped hitting, and simply dug her nails into his pectorals, as she hiccupped out, “I’ve tried and pushed and screamed…”

“Ssshhhhh…” Spike folded her into his arms. “Not going anywhere, love. Gonna see this all the way through.”

“What if I don’t want to see this through?”

“Then this’ll take a lot longer than I planned,” Spike countered, earning a small snort that he could almost take for a laugh.

“So what now?”

“Now, we go back out there and…”

“Pi! Pi! Pi!” A babbling interrupted Spike’s reply, as it’s source crawled up to the open bathroom door.

Spike heard Buffy’s sharp intake of breath and felt her body go as rigid as stone. Spike pushed Buffy back far enough to see her response. As her eyes widened, a shaky hand came up to cover her mouth. He steadied her for a moment, then turned and swept up Michael into his arms, and turned back around to face Buffy.

“Michael, do Uncle Spike a favor and say hello to your mum,” Spike glanced between the child and Buffy. Michael seemed to ignore him and banged on Spike with the toy in his hand. “Hey, now, none of that. Michael,” Spike chucked the little boy under his chin, “mum.” Spike pointed toward Buffy, who still stood stunned.

Michael looked at Buffy a few seconds, then pointed at her with his toy and proudly proclaimed, “Mum, mum!” Then he returned his attention to his toy.

Spike held his breath and waited. The next step was Buffy’s to take.

“He…he knows who…” She left the question unfinished.

“Who you are? Sure, why not? The nip here knows his mum, his dad,” Spike was interrupted with a chorus of “da,da,da,da,” from Michael. “Though he uses ‘da’ for your sis too,” He finished. “Had lots of pictures around. Knew one day you’d be back. Felt it was only right that he knew.”

“What does he call you?” Buffy softly asked.

Spike gave her a half smirk, before he turned a comically serious face to the boy. “Who’s the most handsome, smartest, coolest guy in the world?”

“Pi, pi!” Michael replied automatically.

“You brainwashed my son to call you Popeye?” Buffy asked, looking very confused.

Spike rolled his eyes. “No! It’s ‘Pi’! He just says it twice, like everything else,” Spike defended before realizing what Buffy had just done. She’d claimed Michael. It was a small step, but a step none-the-less, and it brought a smile to Spike’s face and an idea to his head.

“Did you hear that, Michael? You’re mum’s little man. What say you pop over and say hello to her?” Spike said, as he handed Michael to Buffy. She tried at first to step back from him, but Spike persisted until she had no choice but to take the hanging child. She fumbled a little at first, but then seemed to find her proverbial footing. Michael cocked his head to the side, in a move that he clearly had learned from Spike. After a second he smiled at her, then promptly hit her in the nose with his toy and started rambling off, “mum,mum,mum,mum.”

“Hey, now!” Spike intervened, and took the toy from Michael, as Buffy brought a hand up to her offended nose. “Think your mum’s had more than her share of that. How’s about giving her kisses instead? Kisses?”

At the recognized command, Michael leaned in and planted his little baby sized pucker on Buffy’s cheek, causing her eyes to once again go very wide. Her hand slowly moved from her now forgotten nose, to her freshly ‘kissed’ cheek. Spike watched as she blinked a few times at her son. He could almost see the carefully placed walls starting to crumble.

“You know, it’s usually customary to return a kiss from a handsome fellow,” Spike prodded, and hoped he was right in pushing while the opportunity presented itself.

Buffy looked a little panicked for a moment, but then looked down at Michael’s little head. Ever so slowly she leaned in, and placed a gentle kiss to his little forehead. As she did so, her eyes rolled shut. Spike watched, entranced, as Buffy took a slow, full, breath, filled with the scents of her son. She rolled her cheek to the side and pulled him into a real hug, as small tears began to leak from her eyes.

And in that moment Spike knew… his Buffy was coming back.

Tbc…





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