~~~Chapter Thirteen~~~
~~Facing the Music~~
Buffy’s hand slid over the hand that held her close, in sleep his facial features softened as he took shallow slow breaths, she watched the rise and fall of his chest. She’d slept for a short time, but too many ideas and thoughts permeated through her subconsciousness to let her have any sleep. The memory of what had gone on between them earlier burned in her mind and dominated her thoughts. Feeling her restlessness, Spike pulled her closer to him and possessively laid his leg over her own, bringing her closer to his warmth, it was like being covered in a warm cocoon, as the blankets covered them both. Buffy snuggled in even closer.
“Shut your eyes luv. Try and get some sleep.” Spike whispered in her ear, he must have awoken to her slight wiggling motions as she tried to get more comfortable in the bed earlier on, and faked sleep!
“Have you been asleep at all?”
‘Well if a certain person would stop wiggling and waking up other certain person’s, then maybe we both might get some sleep.”
“Do you want me to go?” Buffy whispered.
“Not on your life Summers. You’re here to stay, and stay you will. You’ll just have to get used to me sweetheart, in the same bed as you.” Spike placed a small kiss on her lips, “Or are you uncomfortable?”
“No, I can’t sleep that’s all. My mind has decided to have a D&M with itself.”
“D&M sounds fun, can I join in.” Spike’s laughter filled the room.
“Hey you!” Buffy gently smacked him on the arm, “Deep and meaningful, thank you!”
“What no fun!” Spike continued to plague her.
‘Arrrrgggghhhhh!!! Men!!!” Buffy tried to disentangle herself from the sheet and the man that surrounded her, but he gently hung onto her.
“What Buffy, explain it to this mere male?” Spike let his hold of her go, letting her decide wether she wanted to stay or retreat, “Please luv, help me out here!”
Moving back into the shape of his body, she allowed him to hold her again, she supposed that what was worrying her probably needed to be discussed sooner or later. Now just didn’t feel like the right time, yet would anytime be the right time. Taking a deep breath she allowed all her fears and worries to be aired.
“I’m worried about my mom, and what she’s going to do. I just know that she’s gonna freak out at this. “Buffy hid her face from him, but still she continued, “This is what I want, and I want her to accept us, you know, together.”
“So do I luv, but she’s just trying to do what she thinks is right by you. She does love you, but………..maybe we need to make her understand. Let her see that we are good for one another.”
“I know that, but it’s more than that, you know she’s worried about our ages, my studies, and………..”
“And what?” Spike lifted her head, seeing the concern in her eyes, “What Buffy?”
“Imogen.”
“Imogen?” Spike reflected on her words briefly, before it sunk in what she meant, “You mean me being a single parent?”
“Yeah, you know add water, and voila instant family!” A small smile flashed across the young woman’s face.
“Does it bother you?” Spike asked her, “The fact that I have a daughter. That I am a single parent, and Imogen comes with the package?”
“I……….I…..um. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I know that I care deeply for you, and I do care for Imogen, but I don’t know if I could be a step in mom.”
“Buffy I’m not asking you to be her mum, but if we are together, you have to play a part in her life, because she is my life. You have to accept both of us.”
“I know that, and I know you’re what I want. Imogen is a bonus, but I’m a student Spike not a mother. I want to play an active role in her life, but I don’t know what you expect from me?”
“All I ask is that you consider her, when you consider me. We’re a package deal Summers. I just want you to be with us, nothing more and nothing less. Yet you must realise that in the future she’ll come to rely on you, because you are a part of me. But that’s down the track luv, for now just accept her for what she is, my child and my responsibility.”
“Does that mean that you get to change all the…the um…..’nappies’?” Buffy enquired, injecting some humour into the subject matter.
“Something like that. But I expect one or two to be changed pet!” Spike grinned at her ability to make light of the subject, but they still had some issues to deal with and there was no time like the present, “Besides the nappy issues, does my age bother you?”
“Wow, straight in for the kill!” Buffy pulled back a little from him, “But no it doesn’t bother me. If anything, it is an additional benefit, and one thing I’m sure I can cope with.”
“Additional benefit?”
“Hmmmmm….lotsa experience!” Buffy grinned at her companion, “And they’re usually house trained!”
“Miss Summers!” Spikes fake look of shock made her giggle, and relieved some of the tension in the room, “My apologies, Ms summers, please!”
“No, but seriously Spike, our age difference doesn’t factor. Well, maybe if you were as old as my father!”
“Hmmmm. So I have one redeeming quality then?”
“Two, age and experience!”
“You forgot the house training!” Spike leant down into her, “Did I mention that I’m a great kisser?” Taking the initiative he broke the conversation with a group of soft gentle kisses, not demanding, just joining their two lips together. Deepening the kiss, he opened her lips with his tongue, running it along the tip of her lips, inviting it into his own mouth, to savour the taste within him. Slowly sliding against each, taking in the other’s texture of their flesh. Just enjoying the moment together, they continued until each was breathless and caught up in the moment, taking the comfort that each offered in their embrace.
“You Mr Benson, are overstating the obvious!” Buffy said between gulps of breath, “But let’s no get too carried away please!”
“Spoil sport!”
“Maybe, but we still have some issues to cover.” Buffy extracted herself a little from his hold, “Please Spike lets get this over and done with.”
“Okay next topic. But it won’t be as fun!”
“I know, but it needs to be discussed.”
‘Okay, I’m all ears!” Spike kissed her one last time for good measure to demonstrate what she would be missing, “You have my full and utter attention. For now, anyway.”
“My studies. Mom is having a cow that there being an ‘us’, will somehow interfere in my studies.”
“Poppycock! I want you to study, there is no problem there, and you know that! I would never take time away from you to study!” Spike looked at her in disbelief, “Buffy, if ‘we’ interfere with your studying in anyway, then we take a break. Your studies are important Luv! I want you to succeed in whatever you want to do.”
“I know that, but mom’s worried that it will.” Buffy tried to explain her mother’s concerns.
“I hear you pet. But your mum has to understand that with that element in your life, she has my total support. Actually I expect you to continue, and I won’t accept anything less.”
“So at least you guys agree on something then!”
“Totally!” Spike looked at her so seriously, she could see the determination in not only his voice, but his face, “I think that we have to do the inevitable!”
“The inevitable?”
“Face your mum!” Spike pulled her in closer to him as he continued, “And we do it tomorrow, in the morning, we shouldn’t have to sneak around to see each other!”
“What no more romantic climbing up trellises and sneaking into your bedroom?”
“Well maybe that! But no more bloody ladders!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn approached, and Imogen acting as an early alarm clock woke the couple snuggled up in the bed, not wanting to get up Buffy moved over to her side of the bed, and pulled the blankets around her. She could hear a very quiet “traitor!” Being spoken in her direction, as Spike moved out of the bed to attend to his very awake daughter. After what seemed only a few dozing minutes to Buffy, Spike walked back in with Imogen on his hip, all awake and cheery. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, he gently placed his daughter on his side of the bed, and pointed her in the direction of one dozing Buffy.
With a smirk on his face that reasoned the evil thought in his mind, he watched as Imogen crawled over the bed sheets, to investigate the human being that lay in the bed. Reaching Buffy, Imogen grabbed the top blanket that lay on Buffy, and used it as leverage to lower herself onto her bottom. Leaning over to the sleeping form, Imogen grabbed some of the woman’s hair and tugged on it, gurgling in joy at her new toy, which resembled something like her dolls hair, except this time it was attached to flesh and blood.
Buffy abruptly came out of her doze, to find a mischievous Imogen playing with her hair, slowly she turned over and disentangled the youngster. Pulling the baby into her arms, she let out a big yawn, which made Imogen laugh as she copied the older human. Spike watched on in amusement at the interaction between the two, he moved himself over to the bed, and sat on the edge, a very tired Buffy looking on.
“Didn’t get anymore sleep?” Spike asked her.
“How could I after getting a repeat performance of the earlier nights activities?” Buffy looked shyly at him, “But thanks for understanding.”
“Luv, I’ll always understand. When your ready it will happen between us, and when it does I promise you…………………” His eyes burned with an intense fire, that made her cheeks go red and made her turn away from the intensity that flowed from him.
“So, time to face mom?” Buffy attempted to redirect their conversation.
“Time to face the fire.” Spikes double meaning was not lost on Buffy as she climbed out of the bed and gathered her clothing from the night before. She ducked into the bathroom and dressed as quickly as she could. From behind the door she could hear Spike open and close drawers, assuming he was dressing, she stayed put in the en-suite, “Do you want any brekky Luv? Coffee?”
“Coffee would be fine! Maybe some toast or something?” Buffy replied from the toilet she sat on.
“Okay, come down in five!” She heard Spike retreat with Imogen out of the master bedroom, “And Buffy, you don’t have to hide in the loo luv!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The trio of Buffy, Spike and Imogen walked across the lawn that divided the neighbours yards together. Spike held Imogen on one side of his hip, and held Buffy’s hand with his other free hand. He could feel her stiffen up, as they approached the summers residence, he gave a reassuring squeeze of her hand with his own, “We are in this together, remember that Luv. Always together!”
“I know, but………….”
Not having time to respond to her, they watched as the front door opened with a very angry mother standing at the entrance. Joyce looked like her head was about to explode with anger, and the look that she gave Buffy reflected that anger. Standing aside Joyce gestured for them to enter the house, which they did, moving into the kitchen. Spike placed Imogen onto the floor, and sat down next to Buffy who had taken residence on one of the stools around the breakfast bar.
“What do you have to say for yourself young lady?” Joyce spoke first.
“I’m sorry mom.”
“Sorry won’t cut it Buffy!”
“I didn’t mean to be away for so long.” Buffy tried to explain, “I had to speak to Spike, and you wouldn’t let me, so I did what I did!”
“You just left the house, not leaving me a note to at least tell me where you were! Anything could have happened to you! Anything!” Joyce accused her daughter.
“I said I’m sorry mom, but I just had to get out!”
“Buffy, I trust you, and you do something stupid like this!”
“Joyce!” Spike spoke up, “Mrs Summers, I’m sorry but time just escaped us. We got caught up in talking.”
“Just talking! I find that very hard to believe!” Joyce turned on the man sitting before her.
“Nothing happened mom, that I didn’t want to happen!” Buffy’s voice quietly broke through her mothers raised voice, “And Spike was a gentlemen mom, nothing happened!” What her mother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, and Buffy wasn’t in the mood to go into the whole ‘I’m scared to sleep with him’ crap.
“You should know better Buffy!” Joyce replied.
“I do mom, and you should give me some credit!”
Joyce opened her mouth to speak, but found no words to say, the last few weeks of keeping an eye on her daughter had amounted to nothing. Maybe she needed to give her daughter just that, some credit. Yet it didn’t stop her having some reservations about the two people that sat before her, and the relationship that had developed between them.
“William I’m disappointed in you too. I thought you could be trusted! She’s just a girl!”
“I think she’s more than just a girl Joyce, she’s an adult, and capable of making her own decisions. But I do understand your concerns.” Spike looked at the concerned mother, “I want you to understand some things too.”
“That being?”
“I care for Buffy, and want only what’s best for her, and I do understand your worry for her. But I think that I need to my intentions clear.” Spike replied to her mother’s harsh tones.
“Intentions! Like having my daughter sneak out into the night like a thief!”
“No! My intent to keep seeing your daughter, but making my position clear to you, and making you understand the way it is between us!” Spike moved out of his chair, and stood behind Buffy, “I don’t want to be sneaking around with your daughter, I want an open to public scrutiny relationship with her. I understand your reservations about our ages, her studies, and Imogen.”
“You have no idea what I think!” Joyce retaliated.
“I think I do, but you have to understand, we have no problem with the ten year gap. Buffy understands that her studies are a high priority, and that ‘us’ will not interfere with that. She also understands that Imogen comes with the package, but Imogen is my responsibility and no one else’s”.
Buffy joined in then cutting him off, “Mom, I know what you’re thinking, and please try to understand that I care about Spike, he’s given me more than you’ll ever know. He gives me strength and trust like no one ever has. He…………..he……..he’s what I want mom, and what I need!”
Joyce tried to digest the desperation in her daughter’s voice, so filled with anguish, and pleading for the man she wanted. Joyce knew she had to tread lightly, or she may do some long term damage to her relationship with her daughter, considering the last year or so it had been skating on such thin ice. She had to concede that since Williams’s arrival on the scene, she’d seen positive changes in her daughter, and she didn’t know if she wanted to risk seeing her daughter going back to the person she once was. Maybe she would just have to risk it, and see where this was going.
“I’m not happy with things! You both have to live with that. But I am willing to back off, with some conditions!” Joyce voiced her concerns, and her conditions in accepting the situation.
“What conditions mom?”
“You follow some ground rules.” Joyce look from one to the other, “Week nights you study then you go out! You are home by midnight, and you don’t go climbing up peoples roofs!” Spike and Buffy eyed each other cautiously; “You tell me where you are going, and take your cell phone! You will tell me when you are out all night!”
“Yes mom!” Buffy became all embarrassed at her mothers condition, remembering their late night activities.
“And you take yourself off to the doctors young lady!” Joyce looked at her daughter.
“Doctors?” Buffy looked perplexed.
“Family Planning! One baby is enough!” Joyce looked at Spike, “You protect my daughter or I’ll have your skin!”
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