[Reviews - 58]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 4946 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 11

Spike crawled into the bed next to Buffy. He spooned behind her, cradling her lower stomach with his large cool hand. The vampire kissed the Slayer's shoulder with soft, careful caresses.

"I'm not going to break, you know," Buffy whispered softly. She tilted her head to let Spike kiss her neck. She never thought she'd be turned on by having a lethal vampire so close to her jugular, but it was Spike. As if that explained it all.

"I know, luv," Spike whispered into Buffy's flesh. "I just think my girl needs the softness sometimes to remember she's a girly girl under that tough Slayer exterior."

Buffy rolled over to cup Spike's face in her hands. "I love you so much, Spike. Thank you for everything." She pulled him down for a kiss.

Spike settled against Buffy's body, reveling in the feel of her naked breasts and limbs touching him. After a few minutes he pulled away. He cradled her head in his hands, and he played with her hair. He asked himself how he could approach the Slayer with the idea of a mating that wouldn't get him staked.

"That's an awfully serious face you got there," Buffy pouted. "I wanted some smoochies."

"Pouty. Gonna get it," Spike snarked. He grinned when Buffy squealed with giggles as he moved one hand down to tickle her ribcage.

"Stop," Buffy huffed through her laughter. "You know, my engagement ring's still at home in my jewelry box." She abruptly switched the subject.

Spike arched an eyebrow. "You kept that old thing?"

"Well, of course. Now I'm glad I did." Buffy nibbled on her lip for a moment. "You know that question you whispered in my ear while we were under the spell?" She looked up at the vampire nervously.

"About us matin' on our weddin' night?"

"I never did answer the question before Xander and Anya interrupted." Buffy closed her eyes and forged ahead. "I'd like to answer now."

Spike felt his heart leap into his throat. He hoped that Buffy said yes. Anything else he was sure would devastate his heart.

"Can this be our wedding night, Spike? Please say yes, and make me the happiest woman on earth."

"Oh, Buffy, of course it's yes!" Spike replied in an enthusiastic, yet slightly mocking tone. "I can't believe I just said that."

"I won't tell if you don't, Big Bad." Buffy giggled as she gave him a small kiss on the lips. "Yum. Spike lips. Lips of Spike."

"When I'm done with you, pet, I won't be able to get the taste of Buffy out of my mouth for centuries." Spike's lips went for Buffy's throat, hitting all the sensitive spots as he did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The A.I. team entered the garden courtyard in front of the Hyperion hotel. Cordelia was reassuring Fred, the newest member that the group had rescued from an alternate dimension, that both tacos and soap were still very much a staple of this dimension.

"Whose van was that parked out front?" Gunn asked. "I've never seen it before."

"Neither have I," Wesley commented. He looked up at the hotel. "There are some lights on upstairs. We might have intruders."

"Let me go in first," Angel cautioned. He surged forward to push open the front doors of the building. A crossbow arrow slammed into the wooden doorjamb, barely missing Angel's nicely coiffed hair. He immediately put a hand up to check the top of his head.

"You owe me a beer, Harris," Spike chortled.

"I really didn't think he'd check the hair first thing," Xander replied. "I thought for sure he'd attack you right off, Spike."

Cordelia pushed past Angel. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Shouldn't you be in Sunnydale?"

The rest of the A.I. team squeezed into the lobby, past the now shocked, immobile Angel.

"We needed someplace to hide from a hell-bitch." Buffy slowly walked down the stairs. She was trying to put up a tough front, and she didn't want the ex-cheerleader to see that she was incredibly nauseated.

Angel and Cordelia watched in amazement as Spike's eyes immediately went to the Slayer. Instead of being full of hate and contempt like they expected, the bleached blond vampire's eyes softened at the sight of the Slayer. This was not the vampire that they had known in Sunnydale.

"I thought you were gonna help Pete commune with Red and the witchlet?" Spike hurried to Buffy's side. Staying in Los Angeles helped the Scoobies in several ways. First, it gave them a place to hide out. Secondly, L.A. was also home to a possible mentor for Willow's growing and uncontrolled abilities. While in Sunnydale, Spike remembered a man named Pete that he met quite a few years ago. He was well trained in magic, and he had a nice little store in Los Angeles. He had hoped that after talking to him, Pete would be willing to take Willow on as a student. Thankfully Pete and his wife had agreed to come over and talk to Willow personally.

Spike took Buffy's hand in one of his. She looked up into his eyes, a little 'green around the gills'. Spike protectively lowered his other hand to her lower stomach. "Oh, I see. Harris, get the crackers and 7-up."

"Again?" Xander asked. "I thought it was called morning sickness for a reason." He hurried off towards the kitchen area.

"What the hell is going on?" Angel demanded to know in a loud voice.

"I already told you. We're hiding from a Hell God. She wants my Key, and she can't have it." Buffy was feeling a little more bitchy than usual, but she allowed her mate to guide her over to one of the couches where they sat down.

Xander came out of the kitchen with a plate of crackers and a 20-oz bottle of cold 7-up. He set it down on the table in front of Buffy. Then he slowly backed away to sit on one of the other couches.

Buffy nibbled on a cracker while Spike opened the soda for her. She took bottle from the vampire with a wan smile.

"You're pregnant?" Wesley asked. Buffy didn't look well, and the requested crackers and 7-up seemed like a familiar remedy for a poor stomach.

Spike looked at the tall, lean man sporting an English accent. He glanced at Xander with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's Wesley," Xander answered Spike's silent question. Then he studied the other man himself. "Lookin' good, Wesley. How's life been treating you?"

Wesley in turn studied the little tableau in front of him. Buffy was still nibbling on her crackers while Spike acted quite solicitous towards her. It was absolutely not what he'd expect from a vampire of Spike's stature. Xander sat back watching the proceedings with an amused eye.

"Buffy, how could you jeopardize yourself like this?" Angel blustered. "You should have used birth control."

"Didn't think I needed it," Buffy said around the cracker in her mouth. "You and Giles always told me vamps shoot blanks." Then, she took a swig of her soda.

Angel growled at Buffy's words. He stepped towards Spike when he realized that the bleached blond vampire must be the father and not the soldier.

"Oh, get over yourself, Angel," Buffy grunted. "I've moved on as I'm sure you have."

Spike chuckled as he turned to give his grandsire the once over. "So, how's the old diseased whore, Gramps? Did she spread her legs so you could dive into that well-used cunt of hers?"

Xander and Buffy stared at Spike wondering what the hell he was talking about. Then, Buffy remembered that Drusilla had been in town just before Joyce had died. For the first time she wondered what exactly the ho-bag had told Spike.

"He didn't have sex with Darla!" Cordelia gave the bleached blond vampire a dirty look. "He said so."

"Oh, like he's never lied before," Spike chortled. "Hell, even Harris' called him a liar."

"He told you that?" Buffy looked at the two male Scoobies with open curiosity.

Xander looked confused for a minute. Then, his face cleared as the memory of Parent-Teacher night came forward. "Oh, yeah, I did. You missed it, Cordy. I think you were hiding in the closet with Willow at the time."

"Spike, I'm going to kill you." Angel advanced on the younger vampire.

"You touch my boyfriend, Angel, and we'll be sweeping you up off the floor with a Dustbuster," Buffy growled while her eyes flashed in anger. "You know, I am a big girl now. I'm a whole two decades old. I think I know myself well enough to know what I want in a mate. You and Giles can just go shove your ideas of what's good for Buffy up your butts." She jumped to her feet, and she stomped up the stairs mumbling the entire way about overbearing males.

"You just had to piss her off, didn't you, Gramps?" Spike sighed. He knew that they'd probably have to bring her more crackers soon. Her stomach wasn't going to like the added stress factors.

"How far along is she?" Wesley asked.

"She's almost twelve weeks along," Xander answered. "Luckily Pete's wife Junia is a midwife. She says that everything is hunky dory. We even got to hear the heartbeat."

"It's alive?" Cordelia gave a look of astonishment.

"Well, of course it's alive, you bint," Spike growled angrily. He wanted to rip into the brunette's neck for insulting his child. "It's the man, not the demon that produces the sperm." Spike shook his head. "Besides, now that I know it's there, I can hear it all the time."

"Where have you guys been all this time?" Xander asked. "Spike and I had to go rescue a girl from this nasty demon that shoots mucus from its nose."

"Buffy didn't go with you?"

"No, and a good thing too. She would have puked all over the place. She can't even handle the sight of one of Dawn's peanut butter and jelly pancakes." Xander shook his head. "She's quite hormonal right now. So, watch yourself."

"Actually we're glad you're back." Spike rose to his feet in a casual manner. He kept one eye on Angel as he crossed to where Willow's books were stacked on the counter. "We're just waiting for the Watcher here to tell us that Red's research is up to par since we're missin' our own Wanker." The bleached blond vampire spit the last word out with such malice that everyone except Xander blinked at him in surprise.

Fred whimpered when she heard the harsh voice. This prompted Cordelia to lead the young woman away from the emotionally charged lobby into the kitchen. The dark-haired ex-cheerleader just hoped that there were taco fixings in the kitchen. She was quite surprised to find the fridge and shelves nicely stocked, and she wondered which one of the Scoobies had managed to do that. Cordelia had just got Fred to sit down at the table when another woman entered the kitchen.

"H-hey. I'm Tara," the young woman said. "C-can I get you something?"

"I'm Cordelia. Fred here would really like some tacos." Cordelia indicated the young woman sitting at the table. "We can just order out, no biggie."

"N-no, I think w-we have what it t-takes to m-make that," Tara stammered. She went to the fridge. "Spike likes spicy stuff. So, we usually try to accommodate."

"You do know he's a ruthless killer, right?" Cordelia asked, earning a whimper from Fred.

"Y-yes, it's been mentioned." Tara kept busy gathering the supplies for tacos. "He's my friend though. I like him, and he really loves Buffy."

"It's your funeral." Cordelia shook her head and let it go. It wasn't any of her business.

Out in the lobby, Angel and Wesley were questioning Spike, Xander, and Willow about Giles departure from Sunnydale. Angel was getting broodier by the second. The Scoobies treated Spike like he was part of the group rather than the evil, soulless killer that Angel knew Spike was capable of being. They never treated him with as much respect as they were giving Spike.

"Your research is correct, Willow," Wesley said absentmindedly. "The convergence is now passed. You have indeed averted an apocalypse by running away."

"Does that mean we can go home?" Anya entered the room with Dawn. "I need to get back to my money."

"You miss doin' your little dance to capitalism, don't you, demon girl?" Spike smirked at the young woman. "Hey, Niblet. Tara went to make some food. Why don't you go see if she needs any help."

Dawn nodded with a chuckle. "I'll hide the pb&J so Buffy doesn't slay it." She hurried off towards the kitchen.

"So, is there going to be an intervention to watch because Spike and Buffy are mates now?" Anya asked bluntly. "Because if there's going to be vampire wrestling I want to get some popcorn."

"What?" Wesley and Angel said together. They both turned to stare at Spike. Somehow they had missed the part about Buffy knowing what she wanted in a mate in the comment she made earlier.

Angel let out a furious roar. He was about to launch himself at Spike when he realized that Xander had picked up his crossbow. The young man had it leveled at the dark-haired vamp's chest.

"You might want to rethink that, Deadboy," Xander said with deadly calm. "Last time someone messed with Buffy's boyfriend, he ended up in a wheelchair for several months."

"Oh," Anya moaned. "You are so sexy right now, Xander. Hurry up with the threats so we can go upstairs and have some orgasms."

"The mating was my idea." Buffy's voice echoed through the now quiet lobby. She came down the stairs with the most mismatched of couples. "Junia, Pete, meet Angel, Wesley, and some guy I don't know."

Junia had dark skin and was taller than any other person in the room while Pete was so short he looked like a little doll. They each walked on one side of the Slayer. Pete looked the newcomers over very carefully. "Very interesting group of beings here, Slayer."

"Yeah, but the vampire is gonna feel my hormonal wrath if he touches my mate," Buffy grumbled.

"Now, now, my dear. No need to work yourself up." Pete patted Buffy's leg. "Your love would not get hurt if he was attacked by Angelus. He is confident in your commitment to him."

Buffy gave the little mage a small smile. "So, Wills, can we go home now? I'm really ready to be back in my own bed."

"Tacos in ten." Dawn poked her head out of the kitchen door.

"I wish to discuss this, Buffy," Angel said through clenched teeth. "What does your mother think about you dating another vampire? I'm sure she's quite disappointed in you now." He had to talk some sense into her, and he remembered how much Joyce Summers hated Buffy dating him because he was a vampire.

Buffy gave Angel a cold glare. She knew that neither Angel nor the other A.I. members knew that Joyce was dead, but that was just dirty pool. "Mom liked Spike very much, Angel. Before she died, she was quite happy that Spike and I were together."

"Your mother passed on?" Wesley said softly. "You didn't call to tell us."

Buffy shrugged. "Spike and the Scoobs were there for me. I knew if Angel came to Sunnydale, he'd try to stage an intervention. After we eat, we'll be out of your hair, Wesley." She held her hand out to Spike, who took the offered appendage. Together with Pete and Junia, they went to the kitchen.

"Willow, Xander..." Angel said in a voice that was almost a whine. "You can't possibly go along with this."

"Oh, but we do," Willow said. "Buffy's happy. She's happier than I've seen her since she first moved to Sunnydale. If you do anything to make her unhappy, there will be hex on your parts that will take you centuries to lift." She glared at the dark-haired vampire.

Xander and Anya joined Willow with nods. Spike was a Scooby in ways that Angel never tried to be. He had proved to them that he controlled his demon, not the other way around just by not hurting them despite the absence of the chip.

"Time to eat," Xander said.

"I don't think they like you very much," Gunn said to Angel. "What on Earth did you do to them?"

Angel shrugged, unsure of how things had gone terribly downhill. Buffy was supposed to find someone normal to have kids with, not a vampire. Come to think of it, exactly how did a vampire get somebody pregnant? It was virtually impossible. He sat down on the couch where he started to brood as he went over the past few years in his mind trying to figure out what he'd done wrong.

"Let's go eat, Gunn." Wesley grabbed the other man by the arm. "I'm starved. It looks like Angel has some thinking to do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It was really nice getting to know you better, Wesley," Buffy said. She gave the ex-Watcher a hug. "If you need anything -- anything at all -- don't hesitate to call."

The other Scoobies had already said their good-byes, and they were waiting inside the van for the trip back to Sunnydale.

"If you need any help researching, Buffy, I'll be happy to help," Wesley offered in return. He was still a little miffed at Giles for abandoning the Slayer and the Hellmouth without finding a replacement Watcher. Although, Wesley was pretty sure there were very few members of the Council that wouldn't freak over Buffy's involvement with an infamous vampire like Spike.

"I will, I promise." Buffy stepped back from Wesley. "Keep Angel out of trouble. I'm pretty sure he's gonna be kinda difficult for while he adjusts to my truly moving on."

"Good luck, Buffy," Wesley said. He watched as the petite blond climbed into the van. He waved at the Sunnydale crew as they pulled away.





You must login (register) to review.