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Unexpected Blessings



A Whole New World...


Dawn nudged the door of Buffy's hospital room
open and peeked inside, grinnng at the sight
before her eyes.

Buffy was curled up on her side in the bed, sound
asleep. Spike was sitting in the chair next to the
bed, feet propped up on the bed rail, head back,
eyes closed.

They both looked utterly exhausted.

But it was the other occupant of the room that
Dawn most wanted to see. The brand new one.

On top of a small cart next to the bed, a baby
wrapped snugly in a pink cotton blanket was
sleeping in a glass bassinet.

Dawn was so enraptured at the sight of the
baby, she didn't notice that Spike wasn't asleep
until he spoke.

"Go ahead," he said quietly. "Get a closer look."

She approached the sleeping infant as quietly
as she could. "Oh, God," she whispered. "She's
so beautiful."

Spike stood up and stretched, then joined her
beside the bassinet. "She's more than beautiful,"
he said. "She's perfect."

Dawn slipped one arm around him and squeezed. "Proud
daddy."

He hugged her back. "You know I am," he agreed. "Watch
this." He reached into the bassinet and stroked the
baby's tiny hand with one finger. Her little fist uncurled
and she instinctively wrapped her own fingers around her
father's.

"That's my girl," he whispered.

"And my niece," Dawn added. "Can I...?"

Spike smiled. "Hold her? Sure, you can."

She lifted the baby carefully, cuddling her against her
breast.

"Hi Dawnie," a tired voice whispered. Dawn turned and saw
Buffy, awake and smiling.

"Hey, big sister...look what I found."

Buffy held out her hands to Spike. "Help." She grimaced
slightly as he helped her straighten up in the bed. "So,"
she said, pushing the button that raised the back of the
mattress. "What do you think of your niece?"

"Gee, not much," Dawn said, grinning widely. "Only that
she's the most beautiful baby ever!"

"She looks like her mother," Spike said, leaning down
and kissing Buffy's forehead.

"She's so tiny," Dawn marveled.

"Everything but her lungs." Buffy smiled up into Spike's
eyes. "Those she gets from her father."

"Very funny," he said, smiling back at her.

Dawn sat down in the bed side chair. "And how are YOU
feeling?"

"Like I just went ten rounds with a kangaroo on speed..and
lost," Buffy replied.

"So, it WAS painful?"

Buffy thought for a moment. "Put it this way...it wasn't
a walk in the park. It was more like a 10k run through
the highways of hell...uphill."

Dawn laughed. "But she was worth it."

"Yes, she was," Buffy nodded. "Worth that and ten
times more besides."

The door opened and they all turned to look as one of
the nurses came in carrying an enormous flower
arrangement. "These just came," she informed them,
setting the vase down on the night stand.

After the nurse left, Spike extracted a small white
card from the arrangment and handed it to Buffy.

"They're from Giles" she announced, after reading
the card.

It was a short, simple message.


" I've never been more proud "


She showed Spike the card. "My thoughts exactly," he
murmured.

A few minutes later, Dawn rose reluctantly to her
feet. "It's getting late," she said, giving the baby to her
father. She leaned over and kissed Buffy. "You get some
rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be here," Buffy promised.

Passing Spike on her way out the door, Dawn gave him
a pat on the back.

"Nice work...Daddy."

***********

"She's right you know."

"Right about what, love?"

"You do nice work."

"Well...I had some help."

Buffy watched as Spike sat down in the chair,
holding the baby close, patting her tiny back.

She felt a sudden rush of pure love move
through her. Love for her child and for her hus-
band. So much love, that she couldn't even
imagine ever hating him...wanting to drive a
stake into him.

**God....what if I had succeeded?**


It was a horrible and sobering thought, one that
she didn't want to examine closely.


She was always amazed at how quickly life
could change, how little it took to make it a
completely different life from the one you'd
been leading. The tiniest, most insignificant
circumstance could alter the course of existence
as much as a major occurance could.

In a very short period of time, she had gone from
a slayer with no family but a "sort of" younger
sister, to a wife and a mother. Somehow, in
spite of the wrenching twists and turns her early
years had put her through, she had come out on
the other side into a new world filled with love and
hope and endless possibilities.

Everything was different now. She had a husband to
love and a child to raise...and she was double damned
if she would let anything interfere with that destiny.

"What are you thinking about so seriously?"

Spike's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Just that...it's so funny to think that I'm a mother
now."

He laughed. "Oh, I can relate," he said. "Imagine my
difficulty believing I'm a dad."

Buffy shook her head. "Things have changed so much
now. There's so much more to consider."

He nodded. "That's true. It's a whole new world for
us now. Isn't it?" he asked the sleeping baby.

Buffy was silent for a long moment, then spoke
with complete decisiveness. "I'm through being
a slayer."

Spike looked at her. "Say what?"

She met his gaze head on. "I'm through with it. I'm
through with risking my life every night. I mean...it
was bad enough before, but now...Spike...I can't
take a chance on getting killed...on leaving this
baby....leaving you."

Although he kept his face composed, inside he
was shouting with joy. He'd been planning to bring
this up at some point, but had never summoned the
nerve during Buffy's pregnancy.

"I'm gonna talk to Giles in the morning," she said
firmly. "He's going to have to bring Faith back from
New York if he wants a slayer in Sunnydale."

"You think she'll do it?"

Buffy nodded. "I think so. I talked to her a few
weeks ago and she sounded a little lonesome.
You know Faith...she never says it, but I can
tell. And she wanted to come and see the baby,
anyway."

"When she gets here, we'll shanghai her, not
let her leave, then." Spike said. "How does that
sound, poppet?" He waited, then looked at Buffy.
"She's not talking, but she loves the idea."

"And what does Daddy think?" Buffy asked.

"Daddy...thinks it's the best idea he's heard in
a very long time. And he also thinks that it's
time he went home and let Mummy rest."

He stood up and kissed the baby's cheek. "Good-
night, Katherine Rose," he said. "Be a good girl
and I'll see you tomorrow." He started to place her
in the bassinet, but Buffy stopped him.

"Don't put her back to bed," she protested. "Bring
her here."

Spike placed the baby in her mother's arms, then
picked up his jacket from the chair and slipped
it on. "You get some sleep, love," he said, bending
over to kiss her and caress the baby's cheek one
more time.

"We will," Buffy promised, leaning back against
the pillows.

"See you tomorrow, baby."

"Hey!" Buffy called when he had one hand on the
door. "I love you."

Spike turned and looked at her. Unable to resist,
he returned to her bedside. "I love you, too," he
said, kissing her soundly on the mouth. "Now, go
to sleep."

After he'd left, Buffy looked down at the baby
in her arms.

"That was your daddy. Isn't he cute?"



TBC......





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