She’d slipped in the shower, broke a nail, poked herself in the eye with her makeup brush, and poured herself a glass of milk only to realize the hard way that it’d turned sour. She’d burnt her neck with her curling iron, broke a pair of perfectly good flip flops, tore a hole in her favorite top, and almost fell down the stairs.
To put it lightly, the day sucked.
She was a walking wrecking ball, and she had to babysit. There wasn’t even any aspirin in the house to get rid of her headache!
Buffy moaned as she walked out the front door. About five minutes later, she heard thunder.
One, two, three drops of rainwater fell on her nose before it started to pour.She jogged toward the Smith’s house. Today she was taking care of two twin baby boys. The kids’ parents were going out for their anniversary and Buffy was playing mother until about one in the morning. She really didn’t mind babysitting, usually kids loved her. She’d never taken care of these boys, though. She just hoped her bad luck would run out before she got to the Smith’s… sopping wet.
Hopefully Mrs. Smith would loan her something dry to wear.
***
The crying wouldn’t stop. It just wouldn’t end. The screeching and the wailing had turned Buffy’s headache into a major migraine.
The minute the parents had left, the little boys, Arthur and Danny, had started crying. They’d already been fed so she knew they weren’t hungry, even though she tried giving them their bottles anyway. She tried burping them, and she changed their diapers, played peek-a-boo, and held them in every way possible. She put them in their special rocking cradles and grabbed every stuffed animal she could get her hands on to try and comfort them.
Nothing freaking worked.
Around one in the afternoon, it was time to feed them again. Danny and Arthur had actually gotten hungry during all their crying, so they were quiet for fifteen wonderful minutes.
Then, when Buffy dropped an empty bottle on the floor and went to pick it up, Danny threw up. Actually, he’d practically projectile vomited right onto Buffy’s back. The action got Arthur crying again, and then THAT got Danny started.
Buffy stood up with a hunched back and wiggled out of the top Mrs. Smith had loaned her. She managed to get vomit on her face and almost shouted out in aggravation. Her life sucked today.
The teenager tried desperately to ignore the screaming while rinsing her shirt off in the sink. She ran her fingers through her hair and whimpered when she felt gooeyness. She stomped her foot, finished cleaning the shirt, and then rinsed her hair.
Buffy laid the white T-shirt out to dry on the counter next to her still soaked tank top and put her face in her hands.
She was going to die.
***
It was five o’clock now and the crying still hadn’t subsided. Arthur had spit up a few times, and each time he’d managed to get it on her chest or shoulder. Neither of her shirts had dried yet and she hated wearing wet fabric because it gave her the chills. Not to mention the fact that the house had air conditioning. And evidently, the Smith’s, were also out of aspirin.
Buffy couldn’t put the boys down to bed until eight, and even when she did get to do that, she had a feeling it was going to be easier said than done. The twins weren’t sick, she’d taken their temperatures, but they wouldn’t even eat their mashed peas. And peas, according to their father, were their favorite!
The woman went to pick Danny up and tried soothing him by bouncing him up and down in her arms for what felt like the hundredth time. She struggled with this for ten minutes while simultaneously rocking Arthur back and forth in his chair and shushing both the children.
Didn’t work.
Buffy set Danny back down in his rocking cradle and begged the boys, AGAIN, for their silence. “Please, please, pleeeeeease stop crying!” She half sobbed.
They only got louder and Buffy pulled on her hair as a tear of frustration rolled down her cheek. She was walking around in a tizzy now.
“God! What am I doing wrong?! Why why why why WHY do you guys hate me?!” She screamed. She couldn’t take much more of this if her life depended on it.
The girl turned, her feet got twisted up in a blanket that had been left on the floor, and Buffy fell flat on her face with a yelp.
She whimpered. “This is just NOT my day.”
The blonde got back to her feet and hung the blanket over a chair. She was exhausted, her head was pounding, she was walking around in her bra, and the crying- Oh God, the crying!
She ran her fingers through her hair for the thousandth time and suddenly smelled something foul. “Ew.” She scrunched her nose. She knew that odor. She’d caught it about four other times today.
Buffy took Danny and lifted him up to sniff his bum. Yep, he was the culprit. She picked up Arthur’s chair and moved him over by the changing table while holding Danny in her other arm.
As she changed Danny she continued to try and distract herself from the awful sound of their tears. Not only was the sound agonizing to listen to, but it broke her heart seeing them cry.
Buffy started quietly singing to herself, hoping to maybe be able to focus on her own voice.
Then a miracle happened. The crying quieted. It was only a small bit, but the girl heard it. It was almost impossible to notice, the tiny lower in volume; only someone who’d been listening to the infants’ howls for hours on end would be able to discern it.
Buffy sung a little louder, a song she’d learned from one of her favorite princess movies as a child. “Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember…”
Arthur and Danny got a little quieter. Buffy smiled as she buttoned Danny’s onesie and started singing again. “And a song someone sings, once upon a December…” She’d tried singing earlier. Why the hell hadn’t it worked before?! God, maybe it was the song? She didn’t care. Buffy just hoped it kept working.
“Someone holds me safe and warm. Horses prance through a silver storm…”
Silence.
The woman almost jumped for joy, but instead sung a little louder, and happier. “Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory…” She picked Danny up and spun him around with a giant smile on her face. The wailing had finally STOPPED! She was almost weeping in relief.
She moved the boys back into the kitchen and had them both back in their rocking cradles, as she continued singing the melody of the song, starting to feel a little like Anastasia herself. All she needed was red hair and a ball gown. The boys were calm.
“Someone holds me safe and warm! Horses prance through a silver storm! Figures dancing gracefully… across my memory! Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember…” She was smiling from ear to ear as she sang the tune, hoping to God the children wouldn’t tire of it.
She didn’t care if she had to sing the melody all day long, but just to be sure, Buffy walked over to the Smith’s movie cabinet and searched through their collection. Nope. No Anastasia. Oh well, she’d just sing all damn day. Buffy was so happy she felt she might do that even if she didn’t have to in order to keep the twins quiet. She actually really loved to sing, she was just always kind of shy about it.
Not for two little baby boys, though.
“Once upon a December…”
***
So after half an hour of that song, the boys still hadn’t tired of it. And Buffy had gotten so used to the tune that she just song it on automatic. She was still having bad luck though, and she realized that she couldn’t pause her voice for more than a minute without the boys fussing.
She’d learned that the hard way when she’d dropped her phone in a glass of water and had begun groaning and cursing to herself, only to be interrupted by the boys’ complaints of her stopping the song.
About forty five minutes later, Danny started to cry a little. Buffy had panicked, picked the boy up and patted his back, only to have him throw up all over her shirt again. She had just put the thing back on!
As Buffy set the child down and removed her top to wash it, she at least got to smile at the fact that he’d stopped crying.
The girl laid her tank top out on the counter and checked on her phone. She’d immediately removed the battery after dropping it in the water. Then she got a Ziploc bag, filled it with rice, and stuffed her phone’s parts inside it. Willow had taught her the trick a long time ago, and told her that rice would soak up any extra moisture a towel couldn't get.
Buffy’d forgotten to keep singing.
Arthur started crying and the teen quickly quieted him. “Oh no! Shush, shush, see I’m still here! Still singing! Once upon a December…” The girl sighed when the baby was quiet again.
What is it about this song? She wondered.
Buffy looked at the Ziploc bag again and mentally groaned. Spike had asked if he’d be able to call her while she was babysitting. Well, originally she’d told him yes, but now that wasn’t going to happen.
The girl almost laughed in the middle of Once Upon a December. Knowing Spike, he’d call her about ten times before rushing over to make sure she was okay.
Her boyfriend was searching for a job at a body shop today. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to find anything but said he’d needed to at least look. And it worked out well considering she was busy today, too. But Spike had still promised to call. She told him which house she was going to be at and he’d almost certainly come looking for her if she never answered her phone.
That boy was crazy but he made her feel safe. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take care of herself, but it was always nice to know that you were protected. Buffy smiled as she started singing the song over again from the beginning.
***
It was eight thirty when Spike finally got off from his new job. He’d walked right into the local body shop in Moon Stream, talked to the owner about applying for a job as a mechanic, and had been hired on the spot. He started work immediately; literally, immediately. The owner, Jim, had set Spike up with a pair of overalls and three cars to work on as soon as they’d talked over the issue of a weekly schedule and payment. The teen only had to work four days a week and he got to choose them; eight hour days, from noon to night.
To say he was happy would have been a serious understatement. He finally had a way to earn money while doing something he enjoyed. Being a mechanic was the only thing that could ever substitute for becoming a professional racecar driver. Spike loved cars and whether he was driving them or working on them, he was a happy bloke.
He hopped in his Desoto and headed for home. He’d forgotten his phone there and if he’d had it with him Spike knew he would have been distracted. He knew there was no way in the world he would have been able to resist phoning Buffy. He missed her. Spike had seen her yesterday and he missed her.
He was whipped.
***
Spike picked his cell phone up off the kitchen counter and looked for any missed calls or texts. Nothing. He shrugged it off and called his girlfriend.
***
Fifteen calls that all went straight to her voicemail later, Spike was worried. He knew that she was babysitting and was possibly busy with the kids. He knew that for the first six calls. Then, he’d called again… and again, and again, and again, and again…
And Spike had started worrying. What if she was mad at him? What if she was ignoring him or…
Oh fuck, what if something had happened to her? What if one of the kids had gotten hurt and she was at the hospital? What if SHE had gotten hurt? What if something had happened with Riley? What if she was alone and in pain? What if…
The list was endless and his wandering mind did absolutely nothing to calm him down.
The teenager hopped in his car and headed for… for… Shit! What was the address again- Oh, right, okay. Get there and find Buffy. Make sure she’s okay, and if she’s not, take care of her and then promptly pummel the thing that hurt her.
Yeah, he was worried for no reason. Maybe he’d seen one too many horror movies. Didn’t matter, he just wanted her to be okay.
Spike pulled up to the Smith’s house a few minutes later and exited his car. He was just about to knock on the front door when he heard it; a familiar voice floating to his ears on the warm summer air. Spike closed his eyes to try and concentrate on where the sound was coming from. He found a window near the front door that had been left open a crack and listened.
“Someone holds me safe and warm. Horses prance through a silver storm…”
He couldn’t see her through the window but he knew it was Buffy. She had the voice of an angel. It was beautiful. It distracted him from any and all thought. All Spike could hear was her harmonious singing. He was drawn to it.
“Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory! Far away long ago, glowing dim as an ember! Things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember… And a song someone sings…”
He’d heard this song before, although he couldn’t place it.
“Once upon a December…”
Spike blinked when silence set in, and knocked on the door.
***
Buffy finished her song for what felt like the bajillionth time and heard a knock at the door. She almost jumped when she took notice of it. She’d been so lost in her song for the past few hours that the girl had sort of closed herself off from the world that didn’t include her and the twins. She didn’t even tire of singing the tune, she loved it and even though her throat got dry a few times, a little glass of water and a stirring from one of the boys to remind her exactly why she was pretending to be Liz Callaway was all it took for her to start her voice up again.
Buffy shook her head dazedly and headed for the door, opening it a crack to peer through and see…
Her boyfriend. “Hi.” She spoke quietly and smiled tiredly.
Spike grinned at her slothful look. “Hey, sweetling. Can I come in?”
“Oh. Sure.” Buffy blinked and closed the door to undo the chain. She let Spike in and smiled lazily as he enveloped her in a hug. Her arms came up to encircle his waist and she burrowed into his chest. “Mmmm. You’re comfy.”
He laughed a little at that before speaking softly. “Thanks, love.” He pulled away to look at her face. “I heard you when I was outside. How come ya never told me you’ve got such a beautiful singin voice?”
Buffy blushed and yawned. “Thank you. I’ve been singing for HOURS… literally.”
“Why on Ear- Whoa. Why’re you in your bra, pet?”
Buffy looked down. She’d completely forgotten about putting a shirt back on. Surely one of them was dry by now, she’d just… forgotten. “I- I got wet walking over here in the rain, and then Mrs. Smith loaned me a shirt but Danny threw up on me so I had to rinse it off and… I hate wearing wet clothes.” She pouted.
“Surely they’re dry now, though?” Spike asked, still distracted by her chest, one of his hands resting on her lower back.
“I put one back on after it dried but then I got vomited on again… and I just forgot to put a shirt on I guess. Didn’t think about it when you knocked.”
“Beautiful…” He murmured reverently and gently traced her bra cups with his fingertips, his pupils dilating when goose bumps appeared.
She started breathing a little raggedly and swallowed. God, his eyes were devouring her.
“Hope no one else saw you like this.” He mumbled, mostly to himself and half out of it.
Buffy smirked and studied the bleached menace who was still staring at her boobs. “Only two other men saw me like this today.”
Spike’s head shot up. “What?!”
Buffy took his hand and led him into the sleeping babies’ room. “These two.”
Spike exhaled and smirked. “Got me, pet.” He whispered and wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder. “So how long did you say you’ve been singin for these little blokes?”
“Hmmm, ‘bout three hours.” She whispered before taking him back into the kitchen. Buffy checked the baby monitor as Spike removed his duster.
He came up behind her and the girl turned in his arms and looked into his disbelieving eyes. “Three hours?”
That’s when Buffy realized she had someone here who she could rant to. “They were screaming and crying ever since their parents left, and it took me until five o’clock to get them to stop! Seriously, I tried EVRYTHING, and the only thing that would keep em quiet was me singing this ONE damn song. I was ready to sell my soul to stop their howling, so I’ve been singing for three hours straight. They fell asleep just before you knocked and I. am. sooooooo exhausted.” She laid her head on his chest.
Spike let out a hopeless laugh and smiled pitifully at the girl in his arms. She truly was tired. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. If it helps, I wasn’t lyin when I said you had a beautiful voice. You should sing more often.” He stroked her hair.
“Tchyea! I’m not going to sing again unless the kids wake up. Consider my vocal chords on strike.”
He chuckled and tilted her chin up to give her a sweet kiss. When they parted, he spoke with his forehead resting against hers. “You’re incredible.”
She smiled. “Thanks. And ya know what, that wasn’t the only part of my day that sucked. Actually, singing the same song for three hours was the least horrible part. I just couldn’t do ANYthing right today. I woke up with a headache and I stubbed my toe, there was no toothpaste left in the house so I’m sure my breath is deadly. I burnt myself with a curling iron and drank sour milk! It was just so not of the good.” She whimpered and burrowed deeper into his embrace.
Spike frowned and scooped Buffy up in his arms, earning a squeal and then an acquiescent sigh for his efforts. He set her down on the couch and pulled her feet into his hands. “What are you doing?”
Spike smiled and started massaging her heels. “M’given you a foot rub.”
“Ooh… Ah! Oh God, that feels good.” She sighed and stretched. “You are the perfect boyfriend, anyone ever tell you that? Wait, no. Don’t answer that.”
Spike smirked. “Jealous, pet?”
“Mmmm, maybe. Ah! Yeah, right there… Ooooo…”
Spike swallowed. “Keep makin those noises and you’re gonna get yourself into a lot of trouble, baby.” He warned.
Buffy sat up and bit her lip. “Sorry. So, how’d the job hunting go?”
“Got one. Actually started work today. S’why I didn’t call you til now. Which reminds me, I came over cuz I was worried ‘bout you. You weren’ answerin your phone. Kept callin an- What’s so funny?”
Buffy was giggling like crazy. She’d been completely right! No need to embarrass him, though. “Oh, nothing! It’s just… Heh- I dropped my phone in a glass of water earlier, just another side effect of bad Buffy luck.” She bit her tongue to stop herself from spilling the truth of why she was laughing. Spike’s needless worrying was sweet, after all. “So you got a job?”
Spike nodded and continued working on her feet. “Yeah. M’workin over at the body shop in town. Jim’s place. Hired me on the spot. I started working today.”
“That’s great! Now you’ll have money, and hey, you said you wanted to work as a mechanic right?”
“Yeah.” Spike grinned. “S’actually perfect for me. Four days a week, I choose the days; from noon to eight.”
Buffy leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m happy for you. And Jim’s a really nice guy. If he hired you, then you just got yourself a terrific boss.”
“Seems like a nice decent enough bloke. Say, what was that song you were singin before? Sounded familiar.”
“Oh, it’s from the princess movie, Anastasia, one of my favorite movies as a kid. The song is titled: Once Upon a December.” She pointed a finger at him. “And if you ask me to sing it again I will beat you to death with this pillow.” She lifted said pillow in warning.
Spike chuckled and smiled at her. “Promise. You don’t have to sing it ever again f’you don’t want.”
Buffy dropped the pillow and raised an eyebrow. “Ya kiddin? I love this song! I mean, I really thought I was going to hate it by the time I got the twins to sleep, but I still love it even now. Just one of those songs you never tire of, ya know?” She momentarily stopped talking to let out a low moan of approval for Spike’s talented hands. “I’m not going to sing it again tonight, but hey, a girl needs a shower song!”
He lifted an eyebrow. “A ‘shower song’?”
“Yeah, a ‘go to’ song one sings in the shower. Once Upon a December is my shower song.”
“Even after three hours, love? You’re sure you aren’ sick of it?” He looked at her like she was crazy.
“Nope. I’m just tired.” She shook her foot. “Hey, massage.”
Spike shook his head while smiling and went back to working on her precious little feet.
***
The couple spent the next few hours talking and just enjoying the other’s company. Around twelve thirty Buffy had to ask Spike to leave. She didn’t want the twins’ parents thinking that all she’d done was make out with her boyfriend instead of watching their children; which she hadn’t… much.
The two stood in front of the open door, while Spike nibbled on Buffy’s neck as a way of saying goodbye.
“Spike… You’ve gotta go. I’ll see you Friday-”
He pulled away and pouted. “I don’ wanna go.”
“Well you have to.” She kissed his pout. “Besides, Friday is only a couple days away. Tomorrow I’ll be helping mom, like I told you, and you’ve got work tomorrow and Thursday anyhow.”
“Which is exactly why we shouldn’t be parting ways now.”
Buffy smiled coyly and leaned up to nibble his ear before whispering. “Be a good boy now… and I’ll reward you on Friday.” She smiled, kissed his cheek, and was about to pull back when she was suddenly being used to push the front door closed. Her back slammed into the wood just as Spike’s lips slammed into hers.
The platinum blonde pulled away from her mouth and started trailing open mouthed kisses along Buffy’s neck and collar bone in classic Spike fashion. “Sweet sweet promises, Summers.” He traced the outline of her bra with his tongue, drawing ragged breaths for the goddess he held in his embrace.
God how she loved this, when he basically mauled her and held her in his strong arms, making her feel safe and wanted, holding onto her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. He would attack her with his mouth like a man starved; kissing every part he could reach. He made her lose all coherent thought, made her forget about everything else around them. “Spike…” she moaned. “I want you.”
“Buffy, I love you. God, I love you so much.”
That’s when her eyes shot open and Spike stilled, staring at her with so much need and fear and love that she felt like she might faint.
She knew the feelings she had for him, had hoped he’d felt the same, thought he’d felt the same… But he’d never said the words, those three little words that meant everything. Those three words that left Buffy elated and blanketed in warmth, while at the same time made her shake with fright and panic.
Spike felt all the blood rush from his face. He could feel the cold fear that suddenly gripped his insides. He hadn’t meant to let it slip. Hell, he hadn’t even really admitted it to himself yet. He’d stepped around the thought in his head, but never had he allowed himself to actually confess internally that he was in love with Buffy Summers. He knew it, but he had never confessed it.
And now here he was, standing in a stranger’s house, holding his half naked girlfriend in his arms professing his love for her.
God he was shocked. HE was the one who’d said it, and HE was shocked. He was more surprised that the words had actually left his lips than the fact that they were true. Spike meant it, knew it for a fact. But he was terrified. The last time he’d said the words to a woman his heart had been ripped out not too long after that. The man knew that Buffy was nothing like his ex, but the look on her face now was just another reason to be afraid. Because she was afraid, too; he could tell.
“I- I… Spike?” She had to know. She couldn’t just hear those words and think clearly. It was an automatic Buffy-reaction to the infamous three little words; the not thinking clearly. “Did you really just-? I- I mean…” She trailed off into a whisper. “Do you?”
Her tiny hands gripping his black T-shirt, big hopeful yet scared green eyes looking up at him like he held all the answers, her lips quivering. Oh yeah, he was in love with this girl, but he knew she’d run off on him now. Christ, he couldn’t lose her but knew that he would. It was too soon for this. And all the things she’d told him… That didn’t mean love. It meant caring, perhaps deep caring, and a possibility of love, but they’d only been together a few days. This wasn’t Romeo and bloody Juliet, this was real life and love wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Love meant loyalty and commitment and wanting forever with a person.
And so for Spike…
Love meant Buffy.
He gulped, tears in his eyes. “Oh Buffy… I- I didn’t mean to- I mean, I meant it, I just… Christ pet, I- I love you but I didn’ mean for it to come out like- Fuck, I...” He suddenly pulled her into a hard kiss, gripping her arms with bruising force, praying to anyone who would listen that he didn’t lose her.
He couldn’t lose her!
Buffy’s head was spinning as Spike’s tongue brought hers to life. He loved her. He really loved her! There was no way in hell that the look her boyfriend had been showing her was anything less than love. Even if she hadn’t known Spike for very long, even if he hadn’t known HER for very long, they knew each other. The two blondes knew each other better than the back of their own hands. She saw the vulnerable poet inside the leather wearing rebel, and he saw the cautious girl beneath the strong stubborn teen.
He trusted her and she trusted him. He didn’t judge Buffy or put her on a pedestal, and she saw the soul inside of Spike and all the potential the scared little boy inside of him held.
Even though neither of them had known the other existed a month ago, they knew each other now.
And Spike loved Buffy. The question was did Buffy love Spike?
The answer was yes.
But could she put herself out there again, for the man she loved?
Love never meant perfect, and it hurt sometimes. If it ended, it hurt a lot.
Could she risk it?
Spike had.
[Reviews - 125]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2624 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's a link to the song I chose to add into this chappie if u wanna listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1zamKoUREI
Hope you like this chapter!
Hope you like this chapter!
Chapter End Notes:
Don't hate me! I'm just about to start writing chapter 21 now so I'm hoping to have it done before I update again, but how was 19 here???? I know I left you guys with a major cliff hanger, but im a little evil like that... *smiles sheepishly* (BTW that rice trick works as long as you don't turn your phone on while it's drying!)