STAKE YOUR CLAIM
Chapter 12: ‘Elizabeth’
Buffy slipped out of the Harris’s little house, the one Xander built recently, finding Spike, Connor and Dawn on the front porch. Connor was standing in front of Dawn, his hands on either one of her elbows, grinning proudly as she rambled on about the events inside.
“Dawn,” Buffy said quietly, “I’m sure Connor is very proud of you, but please, remember that things said under ‘those’ circumstances are private, meant for our ears only, okay?”
Dawn nodded, wide-eyed at her older sister, then leaned into Connor, placing her dark head against his chest. “It was amazing,” Dawn sighed in a hushed tone, not at all embarrassed by the intimacy that she and Connor shared at that moment.
Spike cleared his throat and gazed up at Buffy. He leaned back against the porch steps where he sat, the admiration in his eyes for her was overwhelming.
“Are you okay, Princess?” he asked softly, his voice was edged with concern and love. That and total admiration for her; it sent another shiver up her spine and enveloped her in a warm wave of emotion that she had not felt in years.
Spike pushed himself up from the stairs and sauntered over to Buffy, his usual bravado was certainly absent tonight. Taking her little hands in his, he brought them to his lips and placed feathery kisses on her palms.
“You’re what’s amazing,” he murmered, catching her gaze with his.
She blushed, shyly and he chuckled to himself, ‘oh my darling Buffy,’ he thought. ‘You are a piece of work, woman. So strong, yet so vulnerable. I love you Buffy Summers, with every ounce of my being and I’ll make you see that, soon.’
Buffy did not pull her little hands from him, instead she seemed to increase the pressure of her touch on his lips.
“Spike,” she whispered hazily, perhaps from sheer exhaustion of the earlier miracle she’d had a hand in, “thank you.”
Of all the things for his Buffy to say, Spike did not expect that. “Thank you?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes,” she brought her hands up to cup both his facial cheeks, “if you hadn’t of come with Xander, helped him, made him sit with you and Connor, I don’t know. It would have been twice as hard to help Anya, I’m sure.”
The oldest Giles son held his love’s tiny hands to his face, gently stroking them, making sure Buffy understood the depth of his love, admiration and respect for her.
“We are a bloody hell of a team, Princess,” he whispered as he leaned into kiss her sweet lips.
“Buffy,” Dawn whimpered from a few feet away, “I’m terribly tired now, can I go up to the house and rest?”
It broke the spell that Buffy and Spike seemed to be under, “yes, honey,” Buffy turned to face her sister, “if it’s all right with Connor’s folks, you go on up and sleep.”
Spike sighed and cursed under his breath but agreed with Buffy, “yes, go on up Dawn. Connor take Dawn up to the house, have Wauneta (the matronly maid) fetch a bath for her. Buffy’ll be up soon to have one too, we want both of you to spend the night here. Jennifer has already insisted and Dad’s agreed; best for you both to clean up and rest up here. Tomorrow there will be a huge breakfast for you and you can come check on Xander and Anya in the morning.”
Buffy gave Spike a look of apprciation, “we could use that,” she nodded.
“I do want to wait for Doctor Wilkens to come and check in on Anya and the baby though.”
As if on cue, Angel arrived with Doc Wilkens in tow, “how’s Anya,” Angel cried anxiously.
“She’s just fine, brother,” Connor crowed, drawing Dawn close to him.
“Buffy and Dawn here, they delivered a baby girl to Anya and Xander, just a bit ago!”
Angel grinned at the little group, Xander was one of his best friends, and hopped down from the buckboard.
“Well isn’t that damn fine!” the middle Gile’s son crowed, slapping Connor on the back and smiling at Dawn.
Doctor Wilkens hurried past Buffy and Spike, stopping long enough to give the school teacher a warm smile, “you are an amazing young woman, Miss Summers.”
Spike grinned and nodded at Buffy lovingly, placing his hand in hers once more, “that she is, Doc, that she is,” he confirmed.
Buffy was so overcome with humbleness, that she barely realized how ‘right’ Spike’s hand felt in hers. Barely that is.
“Conn, you take Dawn up to the house now,” Spike ordered his younger brother gently. “Go right up, you hear me boy?” he added without smiling at all, “from here, Buffy and me have a clear view of the path upto the back house. No fooling around on the way, get Dawn up there and inside.”
Spike gave his brother a very serious look and Dawn blushed as red as could be. Buffy stifled a giggle.
“Okay, Spike,” Connor nodded, blushing himself and taking Dawn’s hand in his as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
“Goodnight, Buffy and Spike,” Dawn bid, yawning and allowing Connor to lead her up to the house.
“Night,” Connor called as he led his little package up the pathway.
“Hmmm,” Buffy sighed as Spike and her watched the two younger versions of themselves head up the little hill.
“I think we had that talk just in time, don’t you?” she asked, looking up at Spike who was now gazing at her.
“Yup,” he agreed simply.
“Now, however,” Spike purred as he spun Buffy around to face him, pulling her little chin up to meet his gaze, “I think you and I need to ‘talk’ some more. Okay,” he added, “maybe not talk but this.”
He leaned down and kissed Buffy tenderly, changing the pressure quickly to encourage her soft lips to open and allow him to kiss her more deeply. His delight was evident when she not only allowed their tongues to meet, but seemed to urge him on by kissing him back.
“Buffy,” he moaned against her mouth hoarsely, pulling her even tighter into his vice like grip and praying she didn’t feel the hardness between his legs. Just then, Angel came bounding out of the Harris house, a bottle of whiskey in his hand, “the baby’s beautiful!” he exclaimed, apparently oblivious to the beautiful little scene he had just interrupted between his brother and Buffy.
Spike groaned out loud, “thanks a lot Angel,” as Buffy broke their embrace and stumbled back from him. She was bright red with embarrassment at being caught, yes, but Spike suspected that Buffy had indeed felt the bulge between his legs against her.
“What?” Angel asked innocently enough, “now I can’t breathe or what? I just came out cos’ Doc Wilkens is shooing me and Xander out of the house for a while. He wants to make sure Anya’s okay and Xander’s bringing the baby out here to give them privacy.”
Buffy stopped blushing and hurried to the front door of the house, “oh I hope Xander bundled the baby well enough,” she fretted, anxiously watching the door for the new father.
“It’s suddenly cold out tonight,” she explained, smiling over at Spike.
“Just noticed, huh?” Angel smirked over at his older brother, evidently, the younger Gile’s had been more observant then Buffy thought.
“Yes, well…” Buffy began, but she was interrupted yet again when a beaming Xander strode out of the door, a huge bundle of blankets in his large arms.
“Oh!” Buffy clapped her hands together excitedly, “let’s see the little angel!”
Xander pulled the lighter blanket from his daughter’s face to expose the creamy skin and black thick hair on her head.
“Oh, Xander,” Buffy sniffed as she began to weep softly, “she is just gorgeous! She looks like both of you, Anya and you. Look at her black hair! Her eyes, they’re already chocolate brown like you guys, not a bit of blue in them, usually is at birth. But this little beauty, she’s a copy of both of you!”
Xander just nodded and grinned at Buffy then his daughter, who slept, well, just like a baby should. He then grinned smugly at the two other men who flanked Buffy’s tiny body, “when you and Buffy going to have one?” Xander innocently asked Spike.
Buffy blushed again, she felt the hotness flush up her neck to her face, unable to answere Xander, of course. Spike piped in, “soon as I can convince Buffy here to marry me, we’ll start in right away, I’m sure.”
Buffy shot Spike one of her famous ‘looks’ but he merely stared right back at her. ‘I’m not backing down on this Buffy,’ he communicated to her, silently, ‘you are stuck with me, whether you realized it yourself or not.’
Angel was the one actually saved the moment by asking, “what are you and Anya gonna’ name the baby, Xand?”
The big dark haired man glanced back down at his newborn daughter and then back up at Buffy, “Anya, and me too, we thought we’d like to call her Elizabeth Dawn. If that’s alright Buffy?”
Spike watched his love’s expression instantly turn from mock indignation at ‘his’ words, into stunned joy at Xander’s.
“Oh, Xander,” Buffy whispered, the tears really flowed down her face now, “you don’t have to. I mean, I would love it, so would Dawnie, but if you’d rather…”
Xander shook his big dark head, “no, it’s what we both want, Anya and me. Thought we’d call her Beth for short, it’s simple and sweet.”
Buffy nodded, unable to form words for a moment or two, then finally, she said, “okay, Xander. I would love for the baby to be named Elizabeth. And yes, Beth is a lovely nickname for her.”
Doctor Wilkens came out the door right then, smiling from ear to ear, “Anya’s fine,” he assured Xander, “and that baby is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”
The good Doctor leaned in and tickled the soft face gently, “you get her back inside now Xander to her Mama. Angel, Buffy, you go with him, please. I’d like to talk to Spike privately.”
All of the people on the porch gave the Doctor a concerned look, except the baby of course, she slept on peacefully.
“No, no, it’s not bad news, just something I need to talk to Spike about, another matter that is,” he assured the men and woman with a chuckle. Xander, holding his child securely led the other two adults back into the house, while Spike hesitated outside with Doctor Wilkens.
After the others had gone inside, the door securely shut behind them, Spike turned to the Doc and raised his left, scarred brow questioningly.
“Well, Spike,” the Doctor began with another chuckled, “I felt like I should have a talk with you. Not that you need it of course, son, everyone pretty much realizes how you ‘feel’ about Miss Buffy Summers, but, after tonight, I thought I might share some words with you. Not that it’s any business of mine, or anyone else’s in the Territory, but we all think so much of you two young people.”
Spike smiled at the Doctor and lit a cigarette, offering one to him. “Yes, I’ll have one, I believe and Angel insists I come up to the house, later and have a drink with you boys. Believe I’ll do that too.”
Both men laughed, but Spike soon became serious again, “so, what do you wanna’ talk about Doc,” he asked taking a drag on his cigarette.
Doctor Wilkens gave Spike a warm, friendly smile. “Well, Spike,” he began quietly, “it’s like I said, not really anyone’s business, but yours and Buffy’s, but we all care for you two so much. Buffy’s quite a woman, but you know that already, don’t you?”
Spike chuckled, “yeah, I know, and I’ve never made it a secret to anyone that I’d marry her tomorrow, if she’d have me, but…”
The Doctor nodded and took a drag on his own cigarette, “yes, ‘but’; that’s the rub, isn’t it Spike? Buffy’s hedging, which I suppose is understandable, being a young widow and all. But, then again, I’ve a feeling that it’s not the widow part, or her late husband’s untimely death that troubles Buffy so. I’ve a feeling it runs deeper then that, much deeper and this is my advice to you…”
Spike scrunched up his brows, dropped the butt of his cigarette and put the ember out with his boot, “yes,” he nodded at the Doctor.
“I think, Spike,” Doctor Wilkens, “that Buffy cares for you very much, much more then that idiot Deputy she goes to supper with on Saturdays.”
Spike flinched at the mention of Riley Finn, but fought the urge to curse in jealousy in front of the Doc.
“I think, Spike,” the Doctor continued, his own brows scrunched in thought, “that maybe you should try and get Buffy to talk about what’s ‘really’ troubling her. Get it off her chest and get on with her life. Then, you two can go on together, get married, like you say and starting having some miracles of your own.”
Doctor Wilkens finished with a nod at the Harris front door. With a small chuckle, Spike reached out and shook the Doctor’s hand, “I’ll do that, Doc,” he assured the man, “and you’re right. There is something troubling Buffy, other then her past marriage, there’s more, I know it. She’s as much as admitted it to me before, offerred to talk about ‘it’ when the time was right. So, as soon as she does speak up about it, I believe, too, that me and her, we’ll have a good chance together.”
A/N: Well, a shortie, for me, to move things along a bit. Next chapter will take place mostly at the Gile’s Ranch house, but doesn’t Buffy have a ‘date’ with Riley on Saturday? Hmmm. Thanks for reading, please review! Luv, Spuf
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