Four years later
Buffy watched Spike collect some tomatoes and other vegetables in the garden in the back yard and she had her hand on her stomach trying to think of how to tell Spike the news she found out with a little test that morning. She, Buffy Pratt was pregnant.
Again.
After Joyce Anne was born four and half years ago, Buffy and Spike had opted to wait for another one. They were in no hurry to have more children and had used proper birth control methods to ensure the wait would actually happen since they hardly could control themselves around each other. Their friends and family would often complain they were just too into each other even after five years of marriage. They had a lifetime to enjoy each other but that didn’t stop them from wanting each other every moment alone. With Joyce finally being able to have play dates with Anya and Xander’s child, Sammy, they were able to have a few hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to themselves.
Spike gathered the basket of vegetables and glanced up at Buffy with a smile. He had a tan now so he didn’t look so pale. He couldn’t dust and could enjoy his garden. He really had a great green thumb and had managed to grow the vegetables they needed and even have some to sell at the local farmer’s market.
Buffy’s flowers were growing well too. She would make baskets and vases of flowers to sell at the market too especially during the holidays such as Mother’s Day, Easter and Valentine’s Day. They were always beautiful, bright and popular giving them a little income that was unnecessary but well worth it.
Buffy smiled as she wrapped her arm around Spike walking him inside. She had been feeling sick lately and knew Spike had noticed but had said nothing. Instead he had been feeding her lots of vegetables and fruits from their garden hoping to make her feel better. Knowing someone wouldn’t die from sickness certainly made life a little easier.
Joyce raced past following her puppy, “Justice stop! I want to tie this bow on you.” Buffy laughed knowing Justice wasn’t going to stop as long as Joyce ran after her with the ribbon in her hand.
Spike swooped Joyce up putting her high on his shoulder, “I don’t think Justice likes your ribbons sweetie. Why don’t you go upstairs and find something else to put it on? Perhaps in a dollie’s hair or something. It would look pretty in that new doll that Dawn got you for your birthday.”
Spike put Joyce down and shook his head as she ran upstairs barely stopping to hold onto the railing, which she knew Buffy would yell at her to do. Spike put the vegetables aside as he raised his eyebrow watching Buffy hold her stomach. He grinned as he twirled her around trying to listen to the baby’s heartbeat knowing it was still too little for such actions, “We are pregnant again? That’s bloody great! I can’t wait to tell Xander and Oz! Perhaps we can go to the bar tonight and play pool and be all manly.”
Buffy laughed as she leaned down to kiss him. She whispered against his lips, “How long until the soup is ready?”
Spike grinned as he picked up the phone, “It will be dinner. Think we can convince Dawn to take Joyce with her? She offered to take her clothes shopping after all.” Spike dialed her number not even waiting for Buffy’s reply.
Buffy went over to get Joyce ready for a play date with Dawn and Connor as Joyce bounced around happily. Spike yelled from the kitchen, “Dawn agreed saying she would take Joyce shopping.”
Joyce grinned bouncing even more, “Yay, Mommy! I get to go shopping with Aunt Dawn! Can I have ice cream too?”
Buffy kissed her on the forehead, “If you are a good girl perhaps Aunt Dawn and Uncle Connor will get you ice cream but no promises.”
Joyce cheered as she grinned, “Will Aunt Illyria be there too? She talks funny.”
Buffy shook her head as she took Joyce’s hand to go to Aunt Dawn’s house, “She’ll be there. Don’t tell her she is funny or she won’t be happy with you.”
Joyce smiled at her mother, “I won’t, Mommy.”
Twenty minutes later, Buffy raced up the stairs to find rose petals spread out over the floor and a naked Spike waiting for her in bed. She wiggled her hips as she slowly removed her clothes, “Think other married couples do this at 2 pm in the middle of a Sunday afternoon?”
Spike wagged his eyebrow at her as she tossed her last piece of clothing aside, her bra, “Only if they are lucky like us.” He growled pulling her into the bed whispering, “Time to show you how much I love you.”
Buffy whispered against his lips as she molded against him, “I already know how much you love me and how much I love you but show me again…”
Dawn graduated college with Connor two years ago and they now lived together just down the street from Buffy. Dawn was a translator for the new slayers who arrived. She had been working hard on a computer program that translated languages from many cultures and sections of the world. The computer program was voice activated and acted as a human translator. It wasn’t perfect but it was the most sophisticated program around for such things. It kept Dawn busy and always learning as there are many more languages in the world and in other dimensions than Dawn even imagined.
Connor, Dawn’s fiancé, had opened up his own business as a marital arts trainer. With his fighting skills and strength, he was able to teach young boys and girls the importance of knowing how to fight but also knowing when it’s appropriate. They weren’t slayers but they were still in need of learning self-defense. With the business skills he had learned while in college, his business was booming. Between Dawn’s big paycheck from large corporations using her language software and Giles’s employment check as well as Connor’s business funds, they were living well and creating a large savings of their own. They hoped to have children someday but were in no hurry. They still weren’t sure they were immortals but honestly didn’t care. They were content with whatever time they had as long as it was together. Buffy and Spike were happy for them no matter what their future brought because neither had ever seen Dawn happier and both Connor and her seemed to glow with happiness.
Illyria lived with Dawn and Connor having shared something in common with Dawn. She had reluctantly settled in with the duo, fighting vampires and demons by night and making a huge dent in the population. She enjoyed pizza, video games and talking to various creatures and plants. Her bedroom, which she never slept in, was filled with ferns and other plants that Illyria would spend her nights talking to. She had her own training room because after beating up on Connor every chance she got, Dawn got tired of it demanding she had strong equipment to beat up on. Illyria still seemed unsatisfied at times but when she got too bored, Dawn and Connor accompany her to another world for a visit giving her the chance to breathe. They always carefully close up the portal properly therefore causing no more time rifts.
Xander had been spending his spare time while not working on the construction site he had opened up in Vegas, building things for pleasure. He had built a house for himself and Anya to live in, remodeled a big house for Willow and Oz and finished fixing up Buffy and Spike’s house to have extra bedrooms in the basement and attic to prepare for their future family needs. Xander and Anya had a little boy named Sammy and Anya had another on the way. Anya spent her time happily earning money in her Magic Shop she had opened up. With everyone settled in Vegas, she had plenty of customers, her favorite being Willow.
Willow and Oz had been married now for three years. They had no children but Oz had been focusing on his music and Willow on her magic and her job of finding slayers. She had set up her home with Oz of course in Vegas but often traveled sometimes with Oz and sometimes alone to find new slayers to bring them to England. Teleporting was still her favorite way to travel which saved a lot of her time and made sure she was always home every night with Oz even when he was traveling out of town.
Buffy sat in the swing on the back porch reading a book to Joyce who sat intently next to her listening to the story come to life. It was Buffy’s favorite fairytale about Cinderella and her prince who rescued her. Joyce just loved fairytales and would often retell the story her own name instead of the real character’s names.
Buffy finished reading and gave Joyce the book to look at as Spike leaned over giving her a kiss and Joyce a kiss. He sat down in the swing next to them and wrapped his arm around Buffy’s shoulders pulling her close and whispered, “This is our present and future. It’s perfect.”
Buffy nodded in agreement and whispered in reply, “I hope someday I can thank my mom for talking me into coming back. This is definitely a happy destiny.”
Spike smiled at her, gently glancing over at Joyce who was flipping the pages of the story lost in her own little world, “I think the work I did on the house with Xander paid Anya back for that wish, don’t you think?”
Buffy shook her head as she looked thoughtful, “Honestly, I don’t think we ever will be able to do enough for her to thank her for my wish. You’re my life, Spike. How do you repay someone for giving you your life back?”
Spike smiled, “You don’t waste it and live it to its fullest which is exactly what I intend to do.”
Buffy whispered leaning against Spike’s shoulder, “Me too. I love you, Spike.”
Spike leaned his head towards Buffy whispering into her hair, “I love you too.”
And the two of them sat on the porch with Joyce by their side looking out pondering the future and what it would bring all because of a wish.