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The house was quiet when they came back, and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief that her mother wasn't waiting at the door to start things up again. Her car was in the driveway, so she was obviously still there, but she had retreated somewhere in the house, leaving it quiet and peaceful, the only light that which was coming from the Christmas tree.

"Hey, Buffy, it's Christmas Eve."

Buffy turned towards her sister when she spoke, almost asking Dawn what she meant when she remembered and a small smile crossed her face. "And it's getting late, too. We better hurry." The Summers girls took off in a run, ignore Giles' almost-instinctive rebuke at their actions.

"Where are they off to?" Spike asked.

"The kitchen. They used to bake cookies for Santa every year and decorate them. Horrible monstrosities, really, and they usually ended up having more frosting on themselves than the actual cookies—which let me tell you, was quite a feat, considering the amount they used there—but they always had fun."

Spike chuckled. "Hope they have fun this year, too. Buffy needs it."

"Yes, she does," Giles agreed. He paused for a moment, clearing his throat. "You're quite taken with her, aren't you?"

"I love her, Da. Completely."

"I know," Giles said. "Son, I want you to know that no matter the circumstances involved in how the two of you came together, I'm happy that you are. You've brought some much-needed happiness into each other's lives, and that's something I'm grateful for."

"I appreciate that," Spike replied. "Means a lot, coming from you."

Giles placed his hand on Spike's shoulder. "And I also want you to know that, well, that I'm proud of you. No matter what's gone on between us in the past or what might transpire in the future, you've grown into a very fine young man."

Spike was startled a little at that, words of encouragement from his father being few and far between in recent years. "Thanks. I…I never wanted to be a disappointment."

"You never were," Giles assured him. "Granted, I was worried about you for a while there, and I did wish that you'd find something better for yourself than Drusilla and her lot, but you were never a disappointment. You're my son, and I love you."

"I love you, too, Da." A long silence followed the confession until Spike broke it. "So, um, are we supposed to hug or something now?"

"We're British and we're men. We don't hug," Giles replied.

"Right," Spike agreed with a nod.

They stood apart from each other for a moment before Giles stepped forward, embracing his son. The hug was quick and awkward, but the emotions were there, and Giles almost breathed a sigh of relief just knowing that his son did care.

Giles removed his glasses, giving them a quick polishing before replacing them. "As much as I don't want to, I should probably go upstairs and check in on Joyce."

"Best of luck with that," Spike said. "I'm going to stay down here, where it's at least relatively safe."

Giles shot Spike a look before taking a deep breath and trudging up the stairs to the bedroom he shared with his wife, shutting the door behind him.

Spike went into the living room, stopping when he reached the tree. He smiled when he saw a gingerbread man-shaped ornament with a small picture on its belly of a much younger Buffy sitting on Santa's lap, her blonde hair gathered up in pigtails. He surprised himself with a sudden thought of what their own children could look like, imagining a tiny combination of Buffy and himself looking back at him.

What really surprised him the most was how okay he was with that thought. He didn't want kids any time soon. He knew he wasn't ready to be a father, and he doubted Buffy was ready for children either, especially since she was still in school, but he could see it happening someday, could see himself settling down with Buffy and starting a family. He'd loved Drusilla, but he'd never really wanted that sort of thing with her, instead just thinking only about one moment to the next, living for the day. With Buffy, he wanted everything, the whole package. For the first time in his life, growing old with someone was really something he could look forward to.

The silence in the living room was broken by giggles and squeals in the kitchen, Buffy and Dawn obviously enjoying their cookie-baking activities. He loved hearing Buffy so happy, even in the face of what her mother was putting her through. She deserved to smile and laugh. His girl had spent enough time suffering already.

Spike knew his father had been right when he'd said he and Buffy were happier together. He'd noticed the spark that had been stuck back up inside Buffy since they'd fallen in love, but he'd been astute enough to notice it in himself, too. Before, he'd only been able to find any sort of solace in a nameless woman or too much to drink, and then it had been empty, something that merely distracted him until the morning when he woke up feeling worse than he'd felt the night before. His plan of get up, get out, get drunk, repeat as needed had only gotten him so far. Beyond that it had all been misery and self-loathing.

And then there had been Buffy. They'd both been sinking in despair, yet they'd somehow manage to become bright spots in each other's lives, getting each other through the pain to a place Spike hadn't ever thought he could be.

"Ah! Not my hair! Oh, now you're in for it!"

Buffy's cry from the kitchen followed by a scream from Dawn stopped Spike's train of thought. He went into the kitchen, stopping short at the sight of both girls smeared in green and red frosting. They looked sharply at him when he came in, their eyes widening as they were caught. Buffy and Dawn both pointed to each other, their accusations of "she started it" coming in unison.

Spike kept a straight face for only a moment before he began to laugh, the sight too comical for anything else. "I think that's supposed to go on the cookies," he said.

"They're not finished baking yet," Buffy said with a pout, as if that explained everything.

"You are just too bloody adorable," Spike said, walking over to her. He leaned in a licked a bit of frosting off her nose. "Makes you even sweeter than usual."

"Ugh, gag me," Dawn said from beside them, rolling her eyes in true teenager fashion. "You two are so lame."

"You just wait until you're in love," Spike said, wagging his finger. "You'll be 'lame,' too."

"What on earth happened in here?" Giles asked, coming into the kitchen. "You two look a mess."

"Frosting fight," Dawn said. "Buffy totally started it."

"I did not!" Buffy protested. "It was Dawn."

Giles tried to look stern, but ended up just shaking his head, chuckling softly. "Just make sure it's clean before your mother wakes up. She'll throw a bloody fit."

"She's asleep, huh," Buffy said. "Let me guess, curled up with the empty bottle beside her?"

Giles sighed. "Buffy, your mother…"

"Giles, I lived with her for eighteen years. I know the drill. Mom yells and then she drinks," Buffy said, cutting him off. "Or sometimes she does them together. Either way, there's yelling and there's drinking."

"At least she's asleep now," Dawn said. "She can't yell if she's asleep."

"Yes, well, I suppose that is something to be grateful for," Giles replied, polishing his glasses yet again.

The kitchen was silent for a moment before the timer on the oven went off. "Cookies are done," Buffy said quickly, grabbing an oven mitt before pulling them out. "Now they just have to cool."

"Did you save any frosting for the cookies themselves?" Spike asked with a smirk.

Buffy turned, waving her oven-mitt-clad hand at him. "Yes, we did. And you watch your mouth, mister, or that hair of yours is going to be red and green. Bet it would show up real well with that white."

"Oh, don't you even think about it," Spike warned.

"Or what?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms and sticking out her tongue.

"Something so horrible I haven't come up with it yet," Spike replied.

"I think you're all talk," Buffy replied.

Spike rushed her then, grabbing her around the waist and tickling her, making her screech. Dawn covered her mouth to hide her giggles, and Giles just shook his head, clucking softly. They really were quite a pair.

*** *** ***

"Those are the ugliest cookies I have ever seen," Spike said, looking down at the plate sitting on a table beside the tree.

"Hey! They're…creative," Buffy said, elbowing him.

"They're deformed. What, are you trying to get Santa's sympathy by making him think there's something wrong with you so you'll get more presents?"

"Oh ha, ha," Buffy replied. "No."

"What the hell is that one supposed to be? It looks like a green blob covered with freakish red eyes. Is it some sort of Christmas demon?"

"It's a tree!" Buffy exclaimed. "Those are ornaments, not eyes!"

"If you say so, luv," Spike said, kissing the top of her head.

"Well, poor Giles has to eat them. It's part of the tradition. He says they send him into hyperglycemic shock."

"So my da's St. Nick, huh?" Spike said with a chuckle. "Guess he must save up all his jolly for once a year."

"Giles can be jolly. When he's not being stern librarian guy, anyway," Buffy said.

The clock struck midnight then, and Spike turned Buffy in his arms, smiling down at her. "Happy Christmas, luv."

"Merry Christmas to you, too."

"I said Happy Christmas," Spike pointed out.

"And I said Merry Christmas," Buffy replied, sticking her chin out definitely.

"Which makes you wrong," Spike teased.

"Nu-uh. You English types just don't know how to speak proper…"

"English?"

"American."

"American's not a language. We've had this discussion."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "And you're still wrong."

"There you go, pouting at me again," Spike said, leaning in and nipping at her bottom lip. "You know what that does to me."

"Why do you think I do it?"

"Oh, you're just evil, missy," Spike replied. "Might have to just take this back and not give it to you now like I was plannin'." He pulled back and took a present from under the tree.

"You're giving me something now?"

"I might," Spike said with a wink. "Wanted to give it to you when it was just the two of us."

"Oh." Buffy frowned. "It's not something kinky, is it?"

"No, it's not kinky," Spike replied. He handed her the present. "Here, just open it."

Buffy pulled away from Spike and sat down on the couch, unwrapping the box, then lifting off the top, gasping at the sight of a ring nestled in tissue paper. It was an oval-cut emerald with diamond accents on either side, set in gold. She lifted it out, noting on closer examination that it looked to be an antique. "Spike…it's beautiful."

"It was my mum's," he said, his hands thrust in his pockets. "Been in the family for years. She…she gave it to me shortly before she died. Told me to hold on to it until I found a woman I really loved to give it to."

Buffy's eyes teared. "Thank you," she said softly.

Spike sat down beside her. "I think Mum would've wanted you to have it," he said. "She would've liked you, Buffy."

"I think I would've liked her, too."

Spike watched as Buffy turned the ring over a few times before he reached out slightly. "Want me to put it on you?"

Buffy nodded, handing him the ring. Spike took her left hand, slipping the ring on to her finger. "Until I can put something else there," he said, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing the emerald.

"Planning on doing that, are you?"

"Someday," Spike replied with a wink. "You're going to have to make do with the emerald for now, though."

"I think I can do that," Buffy said with a smile. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Spike lifted her up so she was sitting in his lap, and Buffy rested her head against his chest, happy just to be where she was.

"This has been a good day," she said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Oh yeah?" Spike asked, his scarred eyebrow arching.

"Yeah. I mean, sure, Mom was a total bitch and we had that little spat this morning, but overall, it's been good. I like getting to spend time with Dawn and Giles, and hey, how can a day that ends with us being all snuggly be bad?"

Spike chuckled, the sound traveling through Buffy's body. "Don't know, pet. It's certainly my favorite way to end a day."

"So let's just stay like this forever then," Buffy said, her eyes sliding closed.

Spike kissed her forehead, his arms tightening around her. "You won't get any complaints from me."

*** *** ***

Yeah, that chapter was pretty much all fluffy, but I thought you might need it after several heavier ones. Hope you liked it!

Please remember to review.





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