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Nigel looked at all the strange faces before he recognized Hank and ran to him. He tugged on the man's pants leg and asked, "Where's my Daddy?"

Hank knelt down to the boy's level the best he could. "He is visiting a sick friend right now and asked me to help Candice look after you for a little while."

Nigel pouted, "I want my Daddy."

Hank knew the boy was tired and scared. "I know, Nigel. He’ll come out soon and see you. I promise."

The tears started to form as Nigel worried his mother would come for him first. "I want my daddy." His voice was louder this time as he began to panic.

"Hey, kid this is a hospital with sick people and you need to be quiet," Xander said, unaware of the dirty looks he received from the others.

Nigel began to cry, "She's going to come."

Hank picked him up and hugged him. "Well, she can come, but she will not get you. I'm much bigger than she is."

"Take me," Nigel said between his tears.

"Nope, she won't," Hank again promised as he found the others giving him concerned looks.

"Who is ‘she’?" Giles asked.

"His mother," Hank replied.

"Well, if she is his mother, doesn't she have the right to come and get him?" Xander asked, wondering what all the hoopla was about Spike's brat.

"Xander, please do not speak," Giles told the young man, whom he wanted to perform bodily harm on. "This child is innocent and does not deserve such deplorable treatment from you or anyone."

"Honey, Giles is right," Willow said as she put her finger against his mouth before he uttered another word. "We can talk about it later in private."

"Hank, take him into Spike," Joyce said from behind them, giving Xander a warning glance. "Tell them he is their son."

"Great idea, Joyce," Hank said as he carried the crying child to give to his father to comfort.

"What happened?" Joyce asked as she looked toward Candice for an answer.

"He's tired and scared that Dru, the witch, is coming to get him," Candice answered.

"She will never touch another hair on his head if I can help it," Joyce fumed. "If she even tries anything I personally will hurt her in places she never knew existed."

Lorne listened to the conversation and felt his heart break. He now knew the reason Spike had left Buffy had to be because of his son. From what he gathered here, the boy's mother was not a candidate for the Mother of the Year award.

"Lorne, do you think his mother beats him?" Dawn whispered.

"I'm thinking it could be why Spike left our Buffy," Lorne explained. "I know it's hard to prove if you aren't there to see it."

"You don't think he loves the kid's mother more than Buffy, do you?" she asked, again only so he would hear.

"I would have to say, no, pumpkin. I think there is much more to this story and we will need to be patient and it all will come out," Lorne said as he gave her an understanding look. "I'm thinking Spike put his son before everyone, including himself."

"I'm thinking the same thing," Dawn agreed. "He is a cutie."

"If he's anything to judge from, those twins are going to be, too," Lorne agreed. "Hmm, I like the sound of uncle Lorne, don't you?"

Dawn giggled. "Yep, has a great ring to it. Almost as good as Aunt Dawn."

Xander was feeling awful about the implications of Joyce and Candice's comments. It would mean the mother abused her son and that hit too close to home for him.

*******

Buffy noticed her father standing in door holding a young boy who she could only assume was Spike's son.

"Honey, I think we have a special guest," Buffy nudged Spike who was lying next to her, paying attention to her moving tummy. The babies were moving about and their father was enthralled.

Spike looked up and noticed her attention was not on them anymore. He turned and noticed Hank standing there with Nigel in his arms and that his son was crying.

"Here, here poppet, what's the matter?" Spike asked as he moved off the bed to retrieve his child.

"Daddy!" Nigel cried as he wiggled to get out of Hank's arms.

Hank set the boy on his feet and watched him run into his father's arms. He then in turn glanced over at his own child and smiled, "Hello, Princess, good to see you awake."

"Hi, Daddy," Buffy said with tears in her eyes, watching the father and son reunion and seeing her father's love directed at her.

Hank hurried to her bedside, giving her a hug and kiss telling her, "I love you, honey. I was so scared I wouldn’t get a chance to tell you that."

"I love you too, Daddy!" she said as she hugged him close. "Where's Mom?"

"Oh, I think she’s about to have a heart to heart with Xander," Hank chuckled.

"I hope she doesn’t heart to heart him too bad. It's just that he cares about me," Buffy said, hoping everyone would be able to work things out in the end.

"I know that, and so does your mom. I just think sometimes Xander just needs to be reminded he shouldn't let his temper rule his tongue," Hank reassured her.

"Now it would seem I have someone to meet," Buffy changed the subject as she directed her attention back toward Spike and his son.

"Care to introduce us, honey?" Buffy asked, as Hank took that as his clue to give them some privacy and quietly left the room.

Spike carried Nigel over toward where Buffy was waiting. He sat down on the edge of the bed and whispered soothing promises as he waited for Nigel to stop crying.

Buffy maneuvered herself so she could sit beside them, adding her voice and soft touches to try and soothe the child's fear.

"Hi, Nigel, I'm Buffy and I'm so happy to finally meet you," Buffy cooed as she leaned to nuzzle his hair with her nose. He smelled like Spike, without the cigarettes. "Your Daddy is right here, baby, and he won't let anything happen to you, and neither will I."

Nigel turned to look at her, his eyes red from crying. He continued to stare at her as she smiled at him, wiping his tears away, placing kisses on his face. She was so much nicer than his mother, he thought.

"I bet he's sleepy," Buffy said as she motioned to Spike with her eyes to lie him down on the bed. "I know I'm sleepy, too. Want to take a nap with me?"

Nigel tilted his head just like his father and continued to watch her. The action brought him deeper into her heart and she knew she'd love him as her own without any reservations. She scooted back onto the bed and positioned herself to make room for him to lie down next to her.

"You and Daddy can stay here with me," Buffy said as she patted the space beside her.

Nigel slid off his father's lap, crawling up to lay beside her. He curled up next to her and proceeded to drift off to sleep snuggled next to her.

Spike sat with a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched Buffy close her eyes and drift off to sleep beside his son. His dream was coming true, faster than he thought possible. His Goldilocks was carrying their future inside of her as his firstborn cuddled next to her as if he actually belonged there.

"They look good together, don't they?" Joyce asked, as she stood next to Spike who was still admiring his family.

"Effulgent," he whispered the first poetic word that came to mind.

"When is the last time you ate anything?" Joyce asked him, thinking that now would be a good time for them to talk.

"Dinner last night, just had coffee for breakfast," he answered, looking sheepishly at his feet.

"Then let's go and get something inside you before you faint and need the bed next to her," Joyce teased him, noticing how much weight he'd lost over the last couple of months.

"Joyce, I don't want to leave them alone," his voice sounding scared as he watched them sleep.

"They won't be alone. They’re getting a room cleaned for her to spend the night. Lorne and Xander will be here and believe me they will not let anything or anyone get past them. I also suspect Hank has a few agents hanging about as well." Joyce leaned to whisper in his ear, "Now, come and let's take care of each other, shall we?"

Spike stood and took her into his arms. "I missed you, Joyce."

"I missed you, too. Now, let's go, I suddenly find myself starving," Joyce replied as she noticed both her daughter and Nigel sleeping soundly. "She will be good for him."

"She’ll be the mother he should’ve had from the time he was born," he agreed as he let her lead him out of the room.

*******

"I want him arrested," Dru told the police officer. "I want my son back and that little whore arrested for conspiring with him to take my son."

"Miss Downing, don't worry. We'll have your son to you before the night's out," Officer Montgomery, of the Sunnydale Police Department promised the poor distraught mother. "We will have William Bledsoe and his lover, Candice Welch, in police custody in no time."

"Thank you. I'm just so worried. My baby has not spent a night away from me since he was born," Dru said as she dabbed at her forced tears.

"We’ll send a car out to the Giles residence right away," he told her thinking how special he was going to treat the kidnapper, William Bledsoe.

Dru hid her smile behind the hanky as she silently celebrated making William pay for double-crossing her. She had come to realize he had been planning on this from the beginning. The police would return her son to her, and then she'd be gone before anyone could stop her. She believed, without a doubt, Spike knew nothing about her past.

*******

Spike sat watching his little family eating. He smiled as Buffy offered Nigel a bite of her mashed potatoes in exchange for a bite of his macaroni and cheese. The doctors had returned and examined her and the babies thoroughly, giving them a clean bill of health. Still, they wanted her to spend the night and be observed to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Hmmm, I like your mac and cheese," Buffy said as she mixed her peas in her potatoes and offered him a bite. "Here, I bet you can eat your peas like this. It's how I eat mine."

Nigel gave her a suspicious look and said. "I don't like peas."

"I don't like them much by themselves either, but I do like this," Buffy said as she put the spoon in front of his mouth. "I double dare you, no, I triple dare you to try it."

"Can I spit it out if I don't like it?" he asked.

"Nope, have to swallow, but I won't make you eat it again," Buffy negotiated.

Nigel opened his mouth and let her feed him. He took a moment before he chewed his food.

"So?" she asked him.

Nigel smiled at her and said, "I like it, too."

"I knew we had something else we both liked." Buffy laughed as she leaned down and kissed his nose. "I’m going to keep you and your father forever."

"Really!"

"Yep, really. And you know what else?" Buffy asked as she bonded with this wonderful child more. "I think I like you so much, I want to have more just like you."

"More of me?"

"How would you like a brother or a sister?" she asked him.

Spike snorted, "Or one of each." Making Buffy giggle.

They had decided, for tonight, Spike and Nigel would spend the night with Buffy, since it was the only way she was going to stay overnight at the hospital. Ever since she had a bad experience when she was younger, she hated hospitals.

Nigel thought for a moment, making Buffy want to reach over and kiss his cute little face. He looked so darling as he was seriously thinking about wanting siblings.

"Just think, you’ll be their older brother and can teach them everything you know," Spike said, encouraging his son.

Buffy mumbled, "Until they start to get on your nerves and steal your things, like clothes and stuff."

Spike chuckled as he heard what she said. He was shocked at first when Nigel asked Buffy, "Will you love them more than me?"

"Never, ever, ever. How could I love them more than you? You like your mashed potatoes with peas just like me. Nope, we’re bonded really special, you and me," Buffy reassured him and then asked Spike, "Will you love them more than Nigel or Nigel more than them?"

"Nope, I will love them all this much and more,” Spike said as he spread his arms open as wide as they would go. “I have enough love for all of them."

"Oh, I like that," Buffy giggled as she offered the last bit of peas and potatoes to Nigel and he ate it.

*******





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