Xander looked at through the glass counter helplessly. “What kinda doughnut says 'welcome back' and 'whatever misunderstandings there be, we're really, really sorry?'”
Anya sighed. “Probably chocolate frosted chocolate,” she deadpanned. “Can I have a jelly-filled one?”
He shot her a meaningful look. “Of course, sweetheart. As many as you'd like. Mi dinero es tu dinero.”
“Well, since yours is mine, I guess I'll just get one so we can properly save,” Anya said with a resolute nod.
Xander wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple.
“Doughnut!” Anya reminded him, a small smile lifting a corner of her mouth.
“Yes, dear,” he chortled, threading his fingers through hers.
~~
“Where's Buffy?” Spike asked, his sleepiness clearing away like condensation on a hot day.
“I tried to stop her...” Clem said guiltily.
“Where. Is. She?” he growled.
“She left to patrol,” the loose-skinned demon said, trembling.
“Fuck!” the master vampire roared, ripping through the apartment for clothes.
“Why are you worried?” Clem's curiosity pushed aside his fear of Spike's anger.
“Clem, I don' know f'she came back different. Hell, I know for sure she didn'. Her body is fuckin' lactating.”
He froze. “You think she might not have her powers anymore.”
Spike didn't answer, merely throwing open the door and sauntering out into the early evening.
He found her in Sunnydale Cemetery, not far from her own grave. Her grunts filled the air as he watched her wrest a fledgling from his grave and land a punch on his face that instantly shattered his nose. The vampire howled, and Buffy rocked back on her haunches to wipe at the demon's blood that had splattered all over her face and neck.
Spike inhaled sharply, bringing his stake down and dusting the fledgling instantly. “Workin' out a li'l stress?”
Buffy's eyes shot up, sending the bleach blond a menacing glare. She jumped to her feet to slam her fist into Spike's temple only for him to parry the blow and shove her backward.
Spike readied himself for the chip to fire. “Luv--”
Buffy seemed to be waiting, too. Her chest was rising and falling as she moved forward to give him an answering shove. Spike growled in annoyance, taking her small wrists in his hands. He swung her left and winced when her tailbone met the hard ground.
Her face was shiny with perspiration and he could see her nipples leaking through the thin shirt she wore. “Hit me again,” she dared.
“Luv--”
Buffy scrambled to her feet and punched him in the nose.
“Fuck!” He growled and backhanded her.
The Slayer spat out blood where her teeth had cut open the inside of her cheek. She kicked him in the shin, but he blocked her with his own leg and swiped both from under her. “Are you...” She was trembling. “Are you feeding?”
“No,” Spike replied, sounding incredulous. “The chip's not even out, luv.”
“What?” she demanded.
“S'not out,” he enunciated slowly.
“Spike--”
“Luv,” he said gently, gripping her shoulders in an effort to make her look at him, “it's still there.”
“Oh God,” she whimpered, seeming to wilt on the spot.
“Wha'?” he asked, confusion marking his features.
“I... You can hit me. I'm not... I've come back wrong!” Buffy wailed, stepping back. She tripped over a gravestone and fell hard, hitting the back of her head on its neighbor.
“Buffy,” he said gently, lowering himself to a crouch, “Slayer, stop. You smell... You smell exactly the same. There's nothin' off about you. Your heart's beatin', blood's red an' coagulatin'. It could be a product of the spell or whatever.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “But Spike--”
He shook his head, reaching for her. “No, luv. C'mon. C'mon back home. Please?”
She shakily took his waiting hand, letting him help her to her feet. “You're sure,” she whispered.
“Certain as anythin',” he murmured, cupping her cheek. He couldn't resist. He tugged her flush against him, gently kissing her mouth. He tasted blood at the corner of her lip. “Same ol' Buffy,” he assured her. “But if you wan' me to make sure...” Arousal filled him at the taste of her, and he darted out his tongue, swiping it across her bottom lip.
“Spike...” Buffy whispered, her eyes following his tongue as it darted back into his mouth.
He gently hushed her, backing her into the outer wall of a mausoleum and covered her lips with his. “Buffy,” he groaned in between kisses. “Slayer,” he growled when she met him kiss for kiss. “God, fuckin' gorgeous mother of my child...”
A high pitched sigh escaped her throat when he gently nipped at her shoulder. “Spike, please,” she whined softly.
“Yeh?” he murmured, tugging her to him again and pushing open the crypt door.
“Please...” she moaned as he backed her up into the cold room, her rear hitting the lip of a sarcophagus behind them.
Spike lowered her onto the lid, his body covering hers as he kissed her again. Their hips undulated as their mouths rubbed together, Spike's arms winding their way around Buffy's small form. He lifted his head to gaze into her face, his eyes falling closed when she touched her forehead to his.
“M'sorry,” he breathed.
She shook her head. “I'm not.”
He looked at her in awe.
“We have a meeting to go to, though,” Buffy whispered, sniffling as the stuffy mausoleum air congested her nostrils.
“Buffy,” he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please. No games.”
She cupped his cheeks, stroking his face with her thumbs. When he opened his eyes, she shook her head. “No games.”
He pressed his lips to hers. She sighed into his mouth, deepening the kiss. He removed his weight from her body to turn her around, suckling at the back of her neck and pressing his erection into her ass.
Buffy gasped, her hands moving backward to locate his zipper. Spike hummed in pleasure as her fingers trailed over the bulge in his pants. He pushed hers down her bony hips as the sound of his zipper lowering filled the cold room.
“Spike, please,” she whimpered.
The vampire angled himself at her entrance, groaning as he slowly sank into her warm heat. She writhed beneath him and he stopped the movement of her hips with a bruising grip.
“Oh, god,” she cried.
Spike circled his hips tortuously, hitting her gspot on every upward stroke.
“Yeah!”
Spike felt her squeeze around him and groaned, emptying himself inside her. He slumped against her, his cheek pressed against hers. They remained like that for a long moment, Buffy's heart rate returning to normal.
“What if...”
“Hm?” Spike murmured, kissing her hair.
She shook her head and giggled, turning her head to look at him. “It's silly. Never mind.”
“Tell me,” he whispered, kissing her earlobe.
Buffy smiled at him shyly. “What if we just made another baby?”
An unreadable look came over Spike's features, and he leaned in to kiss her hard. He slipped out of her, gently turning her around to have easier access to her lips.
“Would love that, y'know,” he told her.
“Me too,” she admitted, smiling shyly.
Spike dug in his pocket, producing a packet of kleenex.
Buffy laughed. “I expected cigarettes. But you're a dad now.”
He gave her a warm smile, gently cleaning between her legs. He chucked the used kleenex somewhere in the crypt before using another on himself.
They both cleaned up and righted their clothes. When they finished, Buffy smiled shyly at him. Spike chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
“You're adorable, you know,” he said.
“You're not half bad yourself,” Buffy teased, a blush tinting her cheeks.
“Let's get to that meetin' 'fore they send out a search party,” he said. He stole another kiss before they joined hands and made their way to The Magic Box.
–
Buffy arrived to a platter of doughnuts being shoved in her face.
“'D'oh! Doughnut?'” Xander offered, giving her a guilty look.
“Is that what they're calling them now?” Buffy asked, a little amused.
Anya gave an approving nod when the Slayer reached for chocolate glazed chocolate.
“These ones are,” Xander sighed. Buffy swore one of his eyes started bulging when Spike walked in behind her. “These doughnuts are not for you,” he claimed.
Anya gave him a disapproving look, pursing her lips.
Her fiance faltered. “A-At least not the chocolate on chocolate ones, because they're all for Buffy . . .”
Spike reached out for a Boston crème. “Mmm,” he said with a nod, brushing past him to sit at the round table in the middle of the shop.
“Which one do you think Giles would appreciate more?” the dark haired man asked.
“Whichever is spiked with scotch, probably,” Spike remarked around a mouthful of pastry.
Anya took a bite of hers. “Where's Margaret?”
“Babysitter,” Buffy replied. “You might know him. He's a loose-skinned demon named Clem.”
Xander nearly choked. Anya shot him another look.
“He's a good bloke,” Spike interjected. “He's been lettin' me live with 'im ever since I found Margaret. An' m'pretty sure she's got him wrapped aroun' her li'l fingers.”
“And thumbs, I think,” Buffy remarked, smiling.
Everyone looked up when Giles came through the door, followed by Tara and a guilt-ridden Willow.
“May we start?” Giles asked stiffly, getting down to business.
Everyone sat at the table. Spike stood to let Buffy sit, leaning on the back of her chair.
“Is Dawn coming?” Buffy asked, her voice wavering a little.
“She's at Clem's,” Tara said softly.
The Slayer nodded. “Okay.”
“D-Did you want her here, Buffy?” the blond witch asked worriedly.
She shook her head. “Well... I dunno. I'll talk to her one-on-one, I think. That might be best.”
“Where's Angel?” Willow asked.
“He went home,” Buffy replied in clipped tones. “He said that this is more our sitch, and I actually agree.” She sent Willow a cold look.
The redhead seemed to wither under her gaze. “B-Buffy...”
Giles cleared his throat. “Let's begin by going over the resurrection spell. What did it entail?”
Willow in her anxiety had grown silent, but Anya got right to the chase. “An urn of Osiris and vino de madre.”
Giles looked stricken. “Vino de madre? Where in god's name did you get that?”
“Th-the b-black market,” Willow stammered.
“How did you know it was even authentic? Did you research any repercussions that could be involved with this spell?”
“Yes,” Willow said, sitting straighter. “I was very careful about my plans.”
“Plans that you failed to share with me,” Giles hissed acerbically.
“I knew that--”
“What? That I would disapprove? That I would attempt to stop it?” he barked angrily.
“I don't understand why this is such an issue!” Willow cried, throwing her hands up. “Buffy's back from whatever hell dimension she'd been sent to! She's safe and at home with us!”
Buffy was uncharacteristically silent.
Willow turned to the Slayer, begging her with her eyes. “Buffy--”
“I wasn't in a hell dimension,” the blonde said quietly.
Anya gasped.
“A-Another dimension?” the redhead asked hopefully, already beginning to shrink in her seat.
“No,” Buffy answered curtly. “I'm . . . I'm pretty sure I was in heaven.”
A heavy silence blanketed the group. Spike gently squeezed Buffy's shoulder, and she raised her hand to put it atop his.
Willow's mouth was opening and closing like a fish, Tara's eyes were watering with tears, and Giles, Anya, and Xander looked their own brands of shell-shocked. The redhead looked at Spike almost accusingly. “You knew?”
Imperceptibly, he nodded.
“W-When?”
“When I told him,” Buffy said bluntly.
Willow's mouth snapped closed.
“I'm . . . I'm sorry,” Tara croaked.
Buffy just nodded, lowering her eyes. “I have Margaret now,” she said, her voice soft. She glanced up at Spike, who was still standing behind her. “It . . . It makes things a little easier.”
Suddenly Anya burst into tears. She threw herself at Buffy and enveloped her into a tight hug. Buffy was expecting something like this, but not from the ex-demon in question. Shocked, she slowly circled her arms around Anya's trembling shoulders.
“I-If I'd've known,” Anya whimpered, glancing guiltily to Buffy and then at Xander. “What . . . What have we done?”
“Someone dug me out,” Buffy said when the strawberry blonde pulled away.
Giles broke out of his silent spell. “What? Who?”
“Spike said he was on patrol when he saw someone digging up my grave,” she said quietly.
“Wasn' all that convinced at firs',” Spike admitted. “Thought it was some crazy tryin' to desecrate the Slayer's grave. But he said that her friends had left her in there. Maybe he'd witnessed 'em goin' through with the ritual.”
Those involved looked at one another in confusion.
“I helped, o'course, when I heard Buffy scratchin' at her coffin . . .” Spike said slowly.
“I knew him from somewhere,” the Slayer mused.
The peroxide blond looked surprised. Her Watcher sat up in interest. “You do? Who is he?”
“Powers That Be,” she said quietly. “I met him a long time ago. But I thought he'd kicked the bucket.”
“Who knows anymore,” Anya snorted, wiping wayward tears from the corner of her eyes. “That bunch pretty much manipulates whatever they want to and call it good.” She glanced at Buffy quickly. Apologetically. “They're probably the ones responsible for the existence of bunnies.”
Buffy stood. “I want to get back.” She glanced at Spike, who'd taken a step backward to accommodate for her movement. “I've been away from Margaret for too long.”
No one tried to stop them when she and Spike went for the door.
“I'm so confused,” Willow said earnestly as the door closed behind them, the bell jingling happily.
“What's to be confused about?” Anya asked, sending her an incredulous look.
“She jumped off that tower, where that portal had opened that was releasing all those monsters . . .” Willow said. She pursed her lips. “I had honestly thought that that was where she'd gotten stuck in. I don't know why it never occurred to me that she could've been sent to a better place.”
Giles glanced at her and sighed. “Despite how short the meeting, it has still been a long evening. I will retire to my flat.” His voice sounded flat and tired. “Please do save phone calls and remarks for well after noon tomorrow.”
Tara was staring at her girlfriend as she watched the older man leave. “Willow?” she asked cautiously.
The redhead turned, an unreadable expression on her face.
Her voice shook. “What are you thinking about now?”
“Something just doesn't seem right,” she said slowly.
Anya threw her hands in the air. “What crazy notion is your brain concocting up now?”
Willow shrugged. “Maybe I'm just tired. But it seems unreasonable how not upset Buffy is to be pulled from heaven. Maybe she's holding something back? She hasn't been the same . . . Buffy.”
Tara gave her girlfriend a strange look. “I-I think anyone wouldn't be acting like themselves if they've gone through the things Buffy has.”
Xander had been tightlipped up until now. “Maybe that's true, but she has been acting different. Trusting in demons more easily . . . Who is this Clem guy?”
“Dawnie has been with him a lot lately,” Willow went on, worrying her lip.
Anya rolled her eyes. “Are you guys just looking for trouble? Buffy's a grownup. Let's let her make her own decisions.”
“She's my best friend,” Willow said, resolute. “I have every right to be worried about her.”
The ex-demon sighed, locking her money away and going for the front door. “Well, I think Buffy would appreciate it if you could do it a little more quietly.”
Xander gazed at her. “Ahn, I don't understand. Lately you've been so pissed every time I mention the Buffster, and now you're vying for her?”
She shrugged, looking at him coldly. “I have more respect for her now that she's acting on her own, and not seeing everything in black and white like you always seem to. So what that she's defending a demon friend, or possibly becoming lovers with another? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe your ways of thinking are a little close-minded for someone who's lived on a hellmouth for his entire life?” She grew quiet. “Buffy's new attitude about things has made me feel more confident in myself, and who I am, and who I was, Xander. All of your attitudes used to make me feel so small, and undeserving.” She looked him in the eye. “But maybe it's you who's undeserving, Xander. I can't spend the rest of my life with someone who reflexively thinks badly of my own kind, or what used to be. It's been hard for me to look at you, let alone have a pleasant or rational conversation with you lately. I think I need to rethink our engagement.”
When Anya stormed out of the shop, Xander's face had gone completely white.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry it's taken so long! I hope you guys are still with me.
Chapter End Notes:
TBC