Buffy was standing by the kitchen counter, putting a huge pile of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches down into a large picnic basket. As she opened one of the cabinets in search for the plastic cups and paper plates she had bought at the supermarket earlier that day, the door opened with a crash and Billy stormed into the kitchen.
Almost two weeks had passed since the night when Billy had witnessed the death of his mother. For a while he had been quiet, almost withdrawn, and Buffy found herself having a hard time recognizing the once so lively and chatty boy. But – to her great relief – he seemed to slowly recover from his traumatic experience on the roof, finally being almost back to his old self.
Now he ran over to the counter, peeking down into the basket, and his eyes widened. “Wow! That’s a lot of food!” He opened the lid to a small, plastic container, grimacing when he saw what was inside. “Celery sticks? That’s gross.”
“That may be so.” Buffy took the container from him and put the lid back on. “But it’s good for you. Very healthy.” She paused. “There’s also strawberries, chocolate chip cookies, and potato chips.” Billy perked up at that. Moving some objects around in the basket, he immediately found what he was looking for, quickly reaching for a cookie when Buffy wasn’t looking.
In that moment, the door opened again and Spike stepped inside. “Ready to go, pet?” His eyes landed on Billy, who shoved the last piece of his cookie into his mouth. “Hey! Save some for the rest of us.” Billy reached into the basket again, pulled out the cookie jar and offered it to his father.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Buffy spun around, grabbing the jar before Spike got the chance to take it. She gave them both a look of disapproval. “Those are for the picnic. And besides...” She crossed her arms over her chest, a firm look on her face. “No cookies before lunch.” She had to bite her lip to keep from giggling at the disappointed expression on Spike’s face.
Billy moved over to his father, whispering loudly; “She wants us to eat celery.”
“Does she now?” Spike cast a suspicious look at his girlfriend, his eyes narrowing. “That’s bloody disgusting!”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Seriously, you guys are hopeless! Spike, just carry the picnic basket out to the car so we can get out of here.”
“Right. Whatever you say, luv.” He picked up the basket, placing a soft kiss on Buffy’s cheek as he stepped past her.
“Wait!” Buffy rushed over to the fridge and came back with a large bottle. “Don’t forget the lemonade!” She smiled proudly as she handed it to him. “I’ve made it myself.”
“Really? Cool.” Spike managed to find some room for the bottle in the basket. “How much sugar did you take?”
Buffy frowned, a blank expression on her face. “Sugar?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, shaking his head. “Let’s just stop by at the gas station and pick up a couple of sodas, yeah?” Ignoring Buffy’s pout, he headed for the door.
As soon as his father was out of sight, Billy turned to Buffy. “Dad says we’re gonna move in here with you in a couple of weeks.”
Buffy smiled a little. “Yeah. You okay with that?” After Spike had returned from LA, it didn’t take long for her to decide that she didn’t want to be apart from him ever again. And since he obviously felt the same way, seeing how they had spent every night together after that, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for him to sell his house and move in with her.
Of course, a part of her still had a hard time to take in the fact that her relationship with Spike had taken such a serious turn so soon. A few months ago, she had never even had a serious relationship. She’d had no idea what it was like to actually be in love. Now she knew. And she enjoyed every minute of it.
“Sure, that’s cool.” Billy nodded, somewhat absently. He was quiet for a moment, clearly having something on his mind. Finally he glanced at her. “Can we get a cat?”
“Um...” Buffy hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised, remembering Billy’s fondness for animals. The truth was, although she still mourned the loss of poor Princess Leia, the idea of some day having another pet in the house didn’t seem completely unacceptable anymore. “You’ll have to ask your dad.”
“Okay.” Billy shrugged, clearly deciding to let it go for now.
Spike chose that moment to re-enter the house. “Car’s loaded. Going to the zoo today, or what?”
“We’re on our way.” Buffy smiled. “This is gonna be great. I haven’t been to the zoo since I was a kid.” She picked up her purse, grabbed the blanket she had thrown on a chair and hurriedly left the house.
“Let’s go, then. Don’t wanna keep the elephants waiting.” Spike grabbed the car keys he had left on the table.
“Right!” Billy nodded, eagerly. As he headed for the door, he cast a look at his father over his shoulder. “Hey, Dad, guess what? Buffy says we’re getting a cat!”
Three hours later, Spike was bored to tears. He cast a pleading look at his son. “Let’s take a break, yeah? I’m bloody starving. The animals will still be here when we’re done.”
“Not yet.” Billy shook his head, firmly. “Wanna watch the ostriches first.”
“Oh, come on!” Spike rolled his eyes. “Bloody birds can’t even fly. What’s so special about ‘em?” He glanced at Buffy, who seemed to be amused by the whole thing. “Buffy...!” he complained, sulkily, hoping for some support.
She shrugged, an innocent look on her face. “I wanna watch them, too.”
He glanced from his girlfriend to Billy, realizing it was two against one, and let out a defeated sigh. “Fine... You two go. I’m staying right here.”
Buffy giggled as she turned to Billy. “Come on, Billy. Guess your dad’s too old to keep up with us.”
“Oi!” Spike glared at her, not the least bit amused.
“Aww, I’m sorry, honey!” Buffy tried to stay serious, failing miserably. “Didn’t mean to hurt your delicate feelings.” Seeing how he was about to come with some sarcastic remark, she quickly gave him a soft peck on the lips, letting out a squeal when he pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss.
Watching them with wide eyes, Billy cast a discrete look around him, clearly worried that someone might walk by and see his father and Buffy making out in the middle of the park like a couple of love-sick teenagers. When it was obvious that they weren’t about to pull apart any time soon, he quickly decided that enough was enough. “I’ll just go watch the ostriches by myself.” He started walking away from them.
Spike started to object, but Buffy shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal. “He’ll be fine. The ostriches are just over there.” She pointed to a large cage, barely thirty feet away.
“All right, then. Let’s see... Where were we?” Spike curled his tongue behind his teeth, giving her a sexy grin. She smiled sweetly at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes as she leaned in for another kiss.
It didn’t take long before Billy was back, claiming the ostriches weren’t nearly as exciting as he had thought. Waiting patiently for Spike and Buffy to finally let go of each other, he gave them a hopeful look. “Can I have some ice-cream?”
Buffy opened her mouth, about to insist that he should at least wait until after they had eaten their sandwiches, but Spike beat her to it. “Sure, why not?” He pulled out his wallet from the pocket of his leather duster and handed Billy a couple of dollar bills. “Get some for us as well.” Billy ran off with a pleased look on his face. Spike frowned when he saw Buffy’s expression. “What?”
She shook her head in amusement. “You’re spoiling him.”
He seemed to be offended at that. “I most certainly do not! That’s bollocks...!” Then he lowered his eyes, a somewhat defensive note in his voice as he went on; “So what if I am? S’my bleedin’ right as his father, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, whatever.” Buffy rolled her eyes. A beat. “You do know he’s playing on your guilt, right?”
Spike let out a chuckle, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I know.” He paused, his sheepish grin fading. “S’pose I’ve been a wee bit on the overcompensating side lately, eh?”
“Just a little.” Buffy smiled, softly. She paused. “Actually, I think it’s sweet.” He gave her a questioning look, so she clarified; “How Billy’s got you wrapped around his little finger. He’s a smart kid – he knows exactly what he’s doing.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Spike sighed. “You didn’t really promise him we’d get a soddin’ cat, did you?” Buffy clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out giggling, shaking her head. He grimaced. “Should’ve figured.”
“So...” Buffy turned serious as she changed the subject. “Billy’s got his first therapy session tomorrow, right?”
Spike nodded. “Talked to the counselor on the phone last night. Seems like a nice bird. S’posed to be real good with kids who’s been through some kind of trauma.”
“Sounds great.” She was quiet for a moment. “Things are finally looking up, aren’t they?”
“God, I hope so.” Spike hesitated a little. “Was just wondering, don’t have to get all upset. You ever had any doubts? ‘Bout us, I mean. With everything that’s happened, I can’t blame you for being a bit skittish.” He paused, gazing down at his feet. “I mean, the whole ‘crazy ex wife’ thing would be enough to scare most people off.”
He suddenly seemed almost overly self-conscious, and Buffy felt sympathy welling up inside her. She reached out to take his hand. “Sweetie, I’m not most people. Haven’t you figured that out by now? I love you and I love Billy. Meeting you guys is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t regret a thing.”
Spike raised his head, clearly relieved, and their eyes met. “Really?” Buffy nodded and he smirked, the confident look back on his face. “Good. ‘Cause I don’t plan to let you go any time soon.”
She smiled. “Same goes for me. You and Billy are stuck with me.”
He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, that works out nicely, then.” Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her close, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, and Buffy let out a contented sigh as she happily melted into his embrace.
TBC