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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's chapter five for you. Not much more to go now. Hope you like it.
I don't own any of the characters.
Thanks to my beta, Nichole, for her help.
Chapter five

Buffy put the bassinet with a sleeping Caitlin on the porch before curling up in the porch swing. She had been home from the hospital for almost four weeks now, and everything was going great. Caitlin was an easy child that slept a lot, which Buffy knew she would be very grateful of when school started back up in six weeks. She had dropped Dawn off at the bus station the day before, she had gone by bus to LA. She and Janice had stayed at the house for almost a week. Buffy sighed and opened the book she was reading, Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, but before she could start reading, she was interrupted by the back door opening. She turned to see who it was, and froze.

“Dad?”

“Hi, sweetie.” Hank was standing just outside the door. He was looking at Caitlin. “She’s beautiful.”

“What are you doing here?” He came a little closer.

“I know I’m not welcome, but I just had to... I don’t know, try to apologize I guess. I’m really sorry about the way I behaved that day, I know I overreacted. I just want to make everything OK again. I want you and Caitlin to be a part of our life, mine and Dawn’s and Kelly’s. I want us to be a family again. Do you think you can forgive me?” Buffy got up and gave her father a hug.

“Of course. I love you, and I’ve missed you so much.” They sat down in the swing and Hank picked up the now awake Caitlin from her bassinet. She looked up at him, eyes wide. He smiled and turned to Buffy.

“I also came by to tell you that we’re moving back to the States.” Hank didn’t take his eyes of the child in his arms.

“Really? Dawn didn’t mention that.”

“She doesn’t know yet. I just got a great job offer that I accepted yesterday, after seeing these.” He picked up some of the photos Dawn had taken the first time she came to visit Buffy in the hospital. “How could I stay away from this? I’m going back to Spain next week to finish up some business, and then I‘m having everything shipped to LA. I was thinking that Dawn could stay here while I’m away, if that’s OK. I now she misses both of you. I was also thinking that we’d come up here, all three of us, this Friday and we’ll all have dinner. I want you to meet Kelly, and I know she’s really looking forward to meeting you. What do you say?”

“I’d love that. I’m so glad you’re moving back, it’s been so hard to have you all the way across the globe.” Buffy gave her father another hug.

“I’ve missed you too, sweetie. I’ve missed you too.”

*****

Buffy was in the living room when she heard the front door open and close.

“Hello? Anybody here? We’re back.” Spike. He had been in London all summer with Dru. Now it was August 29th, and school would start in only three days.

“In here.” Buffy put the magazine she had been reading down on the table as Spike and Dru came into the living room. Spike dropped the suitcase he’d been carrying on the floor and gave her a hug.

“Where is everybody? I thought they...” Buffy interrupted him by hushing him and pointing at the bassinet beside the couch.

“Don’t wake her, she just went to sleep.” Spike went over to the bassinet.

“Too late.” He picked up Caitlin and watched in amusement as she waved her little hands around, looking at him.

“She’s beautiful, love. Sorry we couldn’t be here.”

“It’s fine, you had to. Don’t worry.” Caitlin started crying and Spike turned his attention back to her.

“What’s wrong, Catie? You hungry?”

“I just fed her, she probably needs a diaper change. Here, I’ll go change her.” Buffy reached out to take the baby from him, but Spike didn’t let her go.

“I’ll do it. Gotta learn anyway, right?”

“OK. The diapers and stuff are in my bathroom.” He headed up the stairs. “Call if you need help.” Buffy was now alone in the room with Dru, who did not seem happy. She tried to start a conversation. “So... how was London?”

“Wonderful. I’ve always loved London in the summer. We had so much fun.”

“I’m glad.” Buffy tried to think of something else to say, but didn’t know what. Dru wasn’t too keen on keeping the conversation going either, and both stayed silent until Spike came back down with Caitlin, who had fallen asleep in his arms.

“See? All better.” He put Caitlin down in the bassinet and went to pick up his suitcase. “I’m just gonna put this away, be right back.”

When Spike had left the room, Dru went up to the bassinet. She looked down at Caitlin, who was now sleeping soundly.

“She looks an awful lot like her Daddy, don’t you think, Sunshine?” Dru gave Buffy an evil smile. “I know your secret. But don’t worry, I’ll keep it. For now...”

*****

Buffy tried to repress a yawn as she closed her heavy Shakespeare book. She loved her classes, but hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep lately. Caitlin, who was now almost five months, had started waking up at night, sometimes four or five times, keeping Buffy up almost all night. Buffy put the book on her desk and checked on Caitlin who was asleep in her crib, before laying down on her bed to get a little sleep before dinner.

An hour later she woke up from a knock on her door.

“Buffy, love? Time to eat.” Spike peaked in through the half open door and was hit by how innocent and sweet she looked sleeping. He pushed the thoughts away. He had done that a lot when it came to Buffy lately. Just let it go, man, he thought to himself. She’s your friend, she doesn’t think of you that way. And, besides, forgot about Dru? She’s still your girlfriend. Even if things hadn’t been going great lately and she was back in England for a couple of weeks.

Buffy didn’t seem to have heard him, so he knocked on the door.

“Buffy? You awake?” She stirred on the bed and opened her eyes.

“Mmm... I’m up. Did you say something about food?” Spike went into the room, stopping at the crib where Caitlin was lying, now awake.

“Yep, dinner’s ready.” He picked Caitlin up and sat down on the bed next to Buffy. “Tired?”

“Yeah. Haven’t gotten a lot of sleep lately.” Buffy tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

“She been keeping you up?” Spike gave her a concerned look.

“Mm-hm. But it’s fine, I’m OK.”

“When is your first class tomorrow?”

“8.30. Why?”

“I don’t have class until 2 p.m. How about I’ll take her tonight, so you can get some sleep?” Buffy took Caitlin from him and headed out the door. Spike followed.

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t. I offered. Buffy, come on. You can’t keep going like this. You need sleep. “

“Fine.” Buffy gave in with a sigh. “But just this once, OK?”

“Of course.”

*****

Just this once turned into every Monday and Thursday night, since Tuesday and Friday were the days Spike only had afternoon classes. Three weeks later, Dru returned from England, and Spike decided it was time to pull the plug.

“Dru, we need to talk.” They had been sitting in the living room at the Summers house, watching TV.

“What about, sweet William?” Dru turned on the couch to look at him.

“I don’t think this is working.”

“What isn’t working?”

“This, you and me. It hasn’t for a while now and I don’t think it’s fair to keep it up. Not to either of us.” Dru smiled.

“This is about her, isn’t it?”

“Who? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play me for a fool, William. I’ve seen the way you look at her. She’s all around you.”

“Dru, please. I didn’t want it to end like this.” Dru looked at him for a long time before saying anything.

“How sweet. You’re in love with her. I wonder if it will survive the truth?”

“What do you mean?”

“She still hasn’t told you, has she?” At that moment, Buffy entered the living room. Dru turned to her. “You still haven’t told him?” Buffy froze in a step and Dru turned back to Spike. “I really thought you would have figured it out by now. Actually, I thought everyone would have figured it out by now, but I guess you’re all more stupid than I thought.”

“Figured what out?” Spike tried to catch Buffy’s eyes, but she was busy looking down on the floor.

“The father who no one has seen. The excuses. But of course, you were counting on this, weren’t you, Sunshine?” Buffy looked up at Dru.

“Please, Dru, don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what? Tell him the truth? Don’t you think he deserves to know?” She looked from Buffy to Spike. “I would have personally thought that the eyes would give it away. So blue...”

“Buffy, what is she talking about?” Buffy refused to meet his eyes.

“You still haven’t figured it out? I’m talking about your precious Catie. Your daughter.” Spike looked like he’d been hit.

“What? No, that’s not... Buffy, tell her it’s not true.” Buffy was still avoiding his eyes. “Buffy? It’s not true, it can’t be... tell her.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to happen like this.” Buffy’s voice was little more than a whisper, but as the words hit Spike, realization did too, and he did the only thing he could. He ran.





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