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Chapter Twelve

FLASHBACK


“Surprise! Happy birthday!” Noise makers sounded and confetti was thrown as Buffy, her mother and Giles jumped from behind different areas of the living room.

Spike jumped a mile. “Are you all trying to give me a bloody heart attack!”

Buffy giggled and ran up to him, throwing her arms around him. “Your heart doesn’t beat.”

He smiled. “What is this?” He asked as he took in the big birthday cake, the buffalo wings and onion blossom, the Happy Birthday banner in red.

She broke the hug and pulled him to the center of the room.

“Well, we’re planning a surprise Happy Birthday party for Anya next week and we figured we’d try it out on you first to see if we yelled ‘Surprise, Happy Birthday’ well enough. What do you think? Could we use more enthusiasm or was that just enough?”

“Smart ass,” he pinched her arm.

“Ask stupid questions, get stupid answers!” Her sister, Dawn told him, wagging her finger at him.

“It’s your birthday Spike. Your real birthday. Not the day you were turned, but the day you were you know, born. It’s a milestone. You’re 195. You are almost two centuries old. Do you feel any older? Wiser? Like you deserve respect?”

He laughed out loud.

“We got all your favorite foods as well. If you want hot cocoa just let me know.” Joyce winked at him.

He smiled broadly. After all this time, he’d finally found where he belonged. He finally had a family and friends. He gazed lovingly at Buffy as she sampled an onion ring. This was all because of her.

She looked up at him, “I know you’re not into the whole birthday thing because you think it’s lame or whatever, but I don’t care. Everyone deserves to have a birthday party. And if you’re part of this family, you’re going to have to deal.”

He swept her up in a bear hug. “I love you.” He nearly choked on the confession, so full of love, adoration and tenderness was he.

“I love you too,” she giggled. “Come on, you need to cut the cake so we can open presents.”

END FLASHBACK

She slept most of the day. Spike was worried and kept a vigil by her side. Giles assured him time and again that she was going to be fine. That once she awoke she would feel good as new. Spike knew the girl could sleep, but it had been well over twelve hours.

“Spike, do relax, please. She’s going to be fine. She’s getting some much needed rest—“

“So you keep saying. It’s been almost fifteen hours Giles! She doesn’t even sleep that much when she has the flu!”

“Spike?” A timid, groggy, hoarse voice called out. Spike flew to the bedroom.

Buffy looked up at him curiously. “Why are you yelling at Giles?”

Spike started to laugh, releasing the tension he’d been feeling and fell into bed beside her, wrapping her in his arms and planting a soft kiss upon her head.

“Did we wake you, Buffy?” Giles asked from the doorway.

“No, I’d been up for a little bit before Spike yelled at you.” Buffy answered, her voice muffled against Spike’s chest.

“How do you feel, sweetheart?” Spike asked, pulling back enough to look at her beautiful face. He studied her until she screwed up her eyebrows in frustration and pushed at him. He smiled. She was back to normal all right.

“I’m starving. I could eat a horse.” She replied, sitting up in bed and looking at Giles.

Giles sat on the bed near her, “Buffy,” he breathed. Emotion overtook him at the sight of her well and alive.

She smiled gently at her mentor. “I’m okay, Giles.”

“Do you remember anything?”

“Yeah, I do. It was like I was there as an observer. I know it was my body doing those things, but it almost felt like I was watching myself do them. Do you know what I mean?”

“Perfectly,” Giles smiled at her. “How do you feel—about it?”

She frowned then, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I like my body being taken over like that.”

“It kept you safe.”

“It did. I’ve killed demons and vampires before without invoking Kali though. I guess I just felt I needed to do it. I mean, they were able to kill the Slayer.”

Giles nodded. “In the future, power can be invoked inside you in different ways. We’ll work on that.”

“Not now though okay?”

“Heavens no.”

“I’m starving.”

Spike grinned and brushed back some of her hair off her shoulders. “So you’ve mentioned. What do you want?”

She smiled, “everything under the sun. Waffles, eggs, bacon, home fries-“

Giles cleared his throat and stood up, “I get it. Famished. I’ll see what we have.” He left and Buffy turned to Spike.

“How long was I sleeping?”

“Over fifteen bloody hours, pet. Thought I was going to have to rouse you.”

“Ha! You do know that would have been fatal for you, right?” She told him lightly.

“You had me worried, pet. After it all happened—you just passed out.”

“I’m sorry I worried you,” she told him softly.

He shook his head, “don’t be sorry. I’m just happy you’re well. And alive.” His intensity deepened. “You changed. It was you and yet not you. It scared me for a bit.”

“I protected you.”

He smiled, “you did. I tried to, but I don’t think you really needed me.”

“I did, Spike. I did need you. We were a team and Kali recognized that. She just has a tendency to take over and be bossy.”

Spike laughed, “not like you at all, right?”

She laughed, “well, maybe a little.”

“What do you feel like doing today, pet?”

“Hanging out for now. What time is it?”

“Two in the afternoon.”

“I need to shower and get dressed and eat and—“ She looked at him. “Do you want to go see a movie later?”

He tried to keep his shocked expression down to a minimum. She wanted to be in his company!

He managed to nod.

“Good,” she started to move out of bed, but Spike stopped her.

“I’ll go help Giles.” He stood up and handed her the TV remote. “Why don’t you watch some TV?”

She smiled up at him. “Okay.”

He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on her forehead before helping Giles make her the feast.



The day was spent eating, watching TV, talking and laughing. Buffy felt calmer, more at peace. She figured it had to do with the fact that her life was no longer threatened. She had managed to defeat the vampires, Spike and Giles were with her and she felt content. She even called her mother and promised to visit soon. She’d cried a little when talking to her mom, the events of almost not being alive to hear her mother’s worry again making her happily relieved she still could.

“So, when is the movie again?” She asked Spike.

“Well, which one do you want to see? The seven or the nine?”

“How about the nine?”

“Want to get food first?”

They both broke out into wide smiles and at the same time said “Buffalo wings!” Giles looked at the pair, chuckled and shook his head.

Buffy wrapped her arms around him in a daughterly hug from behind as he worked on the computer. He patted her hands affectionately and smiled warmly as he looked up at her.

Spike looked at the pair and was surprised to realize he was not jealous at all. The exchange of affection between the pair was purely that of a father and his daughter. He knew Giles was relieved to have her alive and safe. He also knew after their conversation last night that Giles knew exactly where he stood with her. On the same end, he knew where he stood with Giles. He accepted Spike as long as he didn’t hurt her. Giles knew he loved her. He just wanted to make sure Spike did right by her. And by God, as her mate, he was going to do everything he could to make her happy, keep her safe and make sure she knew just how cherished she was.

“Spike? You ready to go there, slick?” She asked, already in her coat and waiting patiently for him.

He looked at her and frowned, “Slick? Is that some comment on my hair?”

She laughed, “no, but I can start if you want me to.”

He groaned, “no thanks.” Then brightened. “Unless you want me to start on your ever changing hair color.”

She smiled, “yeah, but I don’t look like Billy Idol, do I?”
He narrowed his eyes and lunged for her. She squeeled and ran out the door out of his grasp.

Giles smiled to himself as he heard them laughing and out of his yard. Yes, maybe now things would be back to normal around here.





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