“At least they’re all here; that’s good, right?” Buffy asked as she and Spike got ready to carry the last of the dishes out to their assembled guests.
“It’s great, sweetheart. And don’t worry, you’ll be able to tell them all about the engagement and the baby and everything will be great.”
“I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say great, but at least we’re all in the same room,” Buffy joked.
“Don’t worry, Buffy. It is all going to be fine; even if they’re not so great about it at first, they’ll settle down. Your mum’s going to be thrilled with the prospect of a wedding a grandchild. Don’t you remember all of those times she’d try to get me to help convince you that you should look into marry some guy or another? She’s always wanted you married, pet.”
“She really tried to get you to help me marry someone?”
“Not like I haven’t been around for near forever.”
“And you didn’t help?”
“Only person I’m ever helping you marry is me, pet.”
“Good—now let’s go tell them all that.”
“Buffy, dear, could you please pass the green beans?” Margaret, who Buffy thought she remembered as being some sort of cousin of Spike’s, asked.
As Buffy reached slightly to her left to pick up the serving dish, she caught William’s eye and knew that she was going to have to do it eventually.
“Here you go,” she said sweetly as she passed the beans politely to her right.
Margaret smiled in response and then everything returned to normal, the muted mixture of everyone’s conversations taking over once again.
“We’re going to have to do it at some point, luv.”
“Quit saying it like that!” Buffy hissed in a whisper. “You’re making it sound like it’s something I’m dreading—like it’s some horrible thing.”
“Not horrible, but I am beginning to think you might be dreading it.”
“Fine,” Buffy sniped again before standing up. “Hey, uh, could I have everyone’s attention for a second?”
“Buffy you don’t—“ Spike tried to say, but she wasn’t listening.
“Sorry for interrupting your dinner, but there’s something I—well Spike and I—need to tell you and I’ve been putting it off long enough.”
“What is it sweetheart?” her mother asked. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, everything’s just great,” Buffy answered, though, even to herself, she didn’t sound very convincing. “Or at least I think it’s great…kind of not sure about what everyone else will think.”
“I think it’s great,” Spike quickly offered, deciding to stand up with Buffy as not only a show of support but also to show their families this was something they were in together, bad reactions be damned.
Buffy smiled warmly at him as she took his hand and squeezed it lightly. With a look at her anxious father and a quick recollection of what her mother said he had done to cause their previous separation, Buffy decided to be a little mean—at least he’d perceive it that way.
“Spike and I are going to have a baby,” she informed everyone. Then before everyone could start in on them—whether it be with congratulations or reprimands, she continued, “And we’re getting married.”
Soon her father’s voice broke through the haze of voices and she remembered once again why it had been years upon years since she could rightly be described as a ‘daddy’s girl’.
“Surely you know, son, that in this day and age you don’t have to marry the girl just because you got her pregnant.” And that right there was why Buffy had delivered the news in the order that she did, she wanted to know if her father would say something like that.
“Oh shut up, Hank. Besides, my little girl is not going to be an unwed mother, I simply won’t have it.” She wasn’t really much of a ‘mama’s girl’ either come to think of it.
Spike’s hand in hers and the feeling of both of their dogs lying just close enough to her feet for her to know they were there, kept Buffy calm during her father’s argument.
“Nonsense, I know several boys who’d gladly marry her; why just the other day I was talking with Mr. Levinson about his son—“
“If you’d excuse me,” Margaret spoke up primly, “I’d like to say something on behalf of William’s family—“
“Why are you still calling him Spike?” Hank cut in with a question for his daughter. “You can’t be having a child with someone named Spike of all things! Is it too late to—“
Buffy was never more thankful for anyone than she was for Margaret at that moment; she wasn’t sure what would have happened had her father finished that question.
“William is a very respectable young man and he can be called whatever he would like. Buffy and William are in a relationship and I’m sure they do not appreciate either your disapproval or your suggestion that William would be so replaceable. Nor, do any of us appreciate your implied suggestion,” she said pointedly to Buffy’s father.
“Thank you, Maggie,” Spike responded. “And I know you might not be big on marriage right now,” he said to Buffy’s parents, “but the fact of the matter is, Buffy and I are going to be married; you’ll be invited but we are not going to make you come. Furthermore, I love your daughter very much and abhor any suggestion that she and I are getting married simply because of the pregnancy; not that it’s any of your information but I proposed a good two months before we found out she was pregnant. I would have married her no matter what order things happened in, though. And,” he looked sharply at Hank, “if you ever speak of our child in such a way again, you will not be welcome in our home.”
“Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”
“Two months!?” her mother asked in the same instant that her father made his own inquiry.
Spike looked at everyone else sitting at the table, trying to figure out what to do or perhaps how to politely excuse themselves and realized he would have to apologize to them later.
“He didn’t say anything I don’t agree with,” Buffy answered lightly. “Yes mother, two months. We were engaged on the Fourth of July and I’ve known I was pregnant since the beginning of September.”
“July! That’s nearly five months, Buffy! How could you not have told me? And September? You’ll be due—Surely you must already be planning the wedding and—oh please tell me you’ve set a date. Don’t be like those silly women that—“
“You know what?” Buffy interrupted, “Can we just not? William and I are getting married and we’re going to have a baby. Those aren’t things that are up for discussion, those are things that I’m telling you. You can think what you want but I’m not going to have you trying to dissuade me from either—I don’t care how down on marriage you are right now or if you like Spike, though I know you do Daddy, you’re not going to change my mind.
“So just quit trying already and either let us all enjoy a nice dinner or…or go home I guess.”
“You’ve always got me, love,” Spike assured his fiancé as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly against him.
Her father and mother had both stayed for the remainder of the Thanksgiving dinner—which ended much earlier than Buffy had originally planned, but the meal was by no means less stressful. There was still the tension there and Buffy had a feeling it wasn’t going away any time soon; but at least her parents had decided to stick it out—maybe they would give both their actions and thoughts a…well second thought.
“I guess they just wanted me to understand that whole ‘dreadful family Thanksgiving’ thing,” Buffy tried to joke but it fell flat.
“Tell you what,” Spike said, pulling back slightly, “why don’t you go upstairs and take a bath? I’ll finish cleaning up and then join you.”
Buffy looked up at him gratefully and moved towards the stairs before rushing back, stopping just millimeters away from him.
“We’re going to get married and have a baby—or babies,” she said resolutely.
“That we are,” he agreed.
“I love you, Spike,” Buffy leaned up to give Spike a quick kiss. “I don’t care what they say—not really. Just…” she trailed off not sure how to give voice to her feelings. “Don’t take too long cleaning, okay?”
“With you waiting? Never.” Spike kissed her again before lightly pushing her towards the stairs and heading for the sink, looking for the fastest way of cleaning the kitchen.
Maybe they’d have to take a trip to see his mother before the baby was born. Much as she might disagree, Buffy needed to know that not everyone was as against them and their future family as her parents seemed to be.
Yes, he’d talk to Buffy about it later….later, after he cleaned the kitchen and joined her—hopefully she’d chosen the bath over resting.
Spike picked up a pan and started scrubbing.
THE END
Author's Chapter Notes:
Someone needs to hit me when I'm this stupid...I really, really, really thought i'd already posted this weeks ago--so sorry for the delay