Chapter 18
They were allowed to leave the hospital a couple of days later.
Buffy has yet to give Spike an answer to his proposal. She needed more time to think about it and wanted to wait until they got back home.
Spike was worried about the fact that she needed to think about it. They had two children together now and he figured her answer would have been easy. He had to keep in mind that all of this was still new for her and she might not be ready for marriage yet. He would be happy to wait until she was, even if that happened to be forever.
They put the babies down in the nursery with Emma, then headed into their room for the night.
Spike couldn’t handle the silence any longer. “Buffy, have you thought more about what I asked?”
She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I have. Spike, you know that I love you, but I’m just not ready to get married yet.”
He felt a little hurt, but tried not to let it show.
Buffy managed to see through it. She took his hands in hers. “I’m not saying it won’t happen. I definitely want to get married to you, just not right now. If you ask me again maybe in a few months, I might have a different answer for you. Is that okay?”
Spike nodded and gave a small smile. “I think I can handle that, as long as there’s a possibility. I rushed into marriage with Elizabeth. I don’t think either one of us was really ready for it. I want to take my time with you.”
Buffy sighed in relief. “That’s good to know. Now, let’s get some sleep. I have a feeling we might be woken up in the middle of the night.”
Spike agreed as they both got ready for bed.
* * * * *
Buffy groaned when a crying baby woke her up from a peaceful sleep. It was four months since they first brought the twins home and she hardly got any sleep in all that time. Emma was pretty easy, so she never had to deal with being woken up before.
Spike shifted next to her. “I’ll take care of it, love,” he said and got out of bed, putting his robe on. He made his way into the nursery to see Elizabeth sitting up in the crib and screaming her little lungs out. “What’s wrong, princess? You’re going to wake up your brother and sister.” He gently picked up the child and rocked her back and forth.
Elizabeth started to calm down.
Spike rubbed her back in comfort. “I guess all you needed was Daddy to hold you.” He gazed down at the infant’s angelic face. “God, you look so much like your mother. I’m going to make you proud of me one day. I’ll always be there for you.” He glanced at the still sleeping children, then back at Elizabeth. “You’re all my little miracles.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and saw that she was dozing off. He then placed her back in the crib and left the nursery, heading back to Buffy. He entered the room and removed his robe, lying back in bed. Spike turned to see that she was asleep. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, kissing her hair.
Buffy opened her eyes to look at him. “Is everything okay?”
Spike nodded and kissed the tip of her nose to assure her. “They’re perfect; I think Lizzie just needed to be held. Thank you so much, Buffy.”
She looked at him in confusion. “What are you thanking me for?”
“Just for everything that you’ve done for me. You brought two, beautiful children into my life. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Buffy caressed his cheek. “I didn’t do it alone.”
Spike nuzzled her hand. “You did more than you could possibly know. God, I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you. I was devastated when I lost Elizabeth, but losing you would have killed me.”
Buffy pressed a finger to his lips. “You don’t have to worry about that now. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. You’re bound to get sick of me,” she said with a smile.
He shook his head. “There’s no chance of that ever happening.”
“Good answer. Get some sleep, Spike. We’ll talk more in the morning.”
Spike smiled and rested his head back on the pillow. He grasped her hand in his and soon fell into a deep slumber.
* * * * *
“I think we need to get a new nanny.”
Buffy raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure we need one?”
Spike shrugged. “It might be good to get some extra help. We have three kids to care for now and we’re both not always around. You’ll be going back to work soon. I may work from home, but I could still use the help. I was barely able to take care of one child by myself.”
Buffy nodded. “Okay, maybe you’re right. You can put out another ad and hold interviews. Do you need my help with that?”
He shook his head. “I think I can manage. You have other things to worry about. Just trust me; I made the right decision when I hired you. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone else.”
Buffy agreed, even though a part of her was a little worried.
* * * * *
“You found someone already?”
Spike nodded. “It wasn’t all that hard. She was the only one that seemed qualified. She’s taken care of a lot of children before. I think you’ll like her.”
Buffy gave a fake smile. “That’s great; I can’t wait to meet her.”
Spike ushered Buffy into the living room, where there was an attractive, blonde woman waiting.
Buffy felt even more worried when she saw the blonde.
Spike smiled and introduced the woman as Darla Hart.
They shook hands and there was immediately something Buffy didn’t like about the woman, but she couldn’t quite place what it was.
Darla gave her a dazzling smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Buffy smiled in return. “Likewise, so, you’ve taken care of kids before?”
Darla nodded. “I love children. I can’t have any of my own, so this is as close as I’m likely to get. I promise that I’m always good at the job. You’ll have nothing to worry about.”
Buffy wasn’t convinced, but just kept the smile on her face anyway.
Spike decided to take her to the nursery to meet the kids.
Darla followed him up the stairs and smiled at the sight of the children. “Oh, they’re just adorable.” She cradled Emma in her arms and watched Spike as he picked up the twins. She licked her lips at the sight of the muscles in his arms. Yeah, she would definitely love this job.