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There was only one response. As their explanation hit a silent room, the dinner guests dwelled on it for a few short moments before the slow swell of hysterical laughter filtered through their shock. Xander felt it build in his throat, a soft burst of a giggle at first, but then it got louder as he watched Buffy’s straight face get even straighter. Until he reeled it in and looked at his heroine in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious. Her mother? You? And the Bleached No-Bite Wonder? With the family jingles and the supersafe mobile. Doing the family thing for Christmas and the easter bunny and why aren’t you laughing and shouting APRIL FOOL!!! ‘Cause the Xan-man knows, you just can’t be serious.”

All eyes watched him as his hilarity imploded and he started looking between them all frantically. “She’s kidding, right? Come on, guys, it’s a joke.” He succumbed to his burst of disbelieving laughter again even as he saw the lack of humour on the faces around him.

He didn’t even take notice as Spike began to growl and take up a protective position beside his mate, looking at her friend with anger and distrust.

“That is so—“ But Willow was interrupted before she could express a complete thought.

“Congratulations,” gushed Anya. “I didn’t even notice she was Garaqua. You are truly blessed.” The ex-vengeance demon jumped from her chair and rushed around the table to envelop the blonde couple in a hug. “Its just…so beautiful. Wow!” she exclaimed while taking a step back from them, looking deeply into their eyes and then smiling widely. “I haven’t seen this happen since 1542 when the last soulless vamp mated with a Slayer and became protectors and parents to a half-garaqua child. It’s truly beautiful to see it again.”

Everyone was stunned into silence.

And Xander’s hyena laugh started up again until Willow punched him hard in the arm.

“Shoosh,” she hissed. “They’re not joking, and Anya’s being scarily forthcoming with the information. Could cut research time and get you some more pizza while it’s hot.”

Buffy was staring at Anya with a watery smile. “There was another? So, this isn’t that unusual?”

“Did you listen to that date? 1542 hardly makes this usual. It certainly isn’t common, but it HAS happened before.”

“Pffft, I’m so with the forgetting the dates part of this revelation and sticking to the bit where you know what the hell is going on. Tell us, please?” Buffy grasped Anya’s hands and dragged her over to the sofa, the newly humanised demon looking over to Xander with a huge smile on her face and pointing to her hand holding with Buffy.

“See Xander, she likes me. I can be friends with them. They can accept me.”

Buffy flashed annoyed eyes at her friend who was standing as still as possible so that hopefully everyone would forget he was there so he could gather his head around the odd occurrences of the night.

“Huh? You told your girlfriend we wouldn’t accept her?”

“NO! N-not really, no. I’ll sit down and have some pizza. Over here while my girlfriend tells you all about the freaky Slayer/Vamp matings and weird parent selection thingy. Hmmm, yummy pizza.” And he shoved a large slice as far into his mouth as he dared.

“So, with this thing. The vampire and the Slayer…wow. Did a Slayer really mate with a vampire?”

“Oh, that’s happened often. I’ve only heard once about a garaqua baby choosing their parents, though. That’s quite rare, but very special.”

“Yeah, we got the special. How ‘bout enlightenin’ us on the why? How might be a tad useful, too.” Spike sat on the arm of the couch beside Buffy and felt himself warm as she leaned back and rested her arm on his thigh.

“Oh, of course. Garaqua demons can pass easily for humans, and on the odd occasion I have heard of them leaving the sea long enough to mate with a human. Only a human female, though. Otherwise the offspring can be all kinds of mixed up in the sexual organs department. Not pretty.” She screwed up her face in a pretty obvious non-verbal ewwww before she could continue. “So, no human man has ever been with a garaqua female that I’ve ever heard of. Anyway, I have only heard about it once, like I said, of a half-demon’s mother dying and the baby choosing her maternal replacement. I have no idea about Giles’s lady friend, but if she has deserted the baby, then Lia would know and would then choose her new parents.” Anya sat back with a satisfied grin on her lips, obviously thinking she was finished as the fountain of knowledge for the night.

“So, it’s permanent then? We’re ‘er parents for good?” Spike could feel himself so close to having everything he could ever possibly want—a wife that loved him, a beautiful daughter. As long as fate didn’t decide to knock him for six and take it all away again.

“Oh absolutely. Very permanent. Of the forever variety, unless you both are deadbeat alcoholic parents that couldn’t care less for the welfare of your own child.” She said the alarming statement with a happy grin and Buffy didn’t know whether to laugh, or plead forgiveness from Xander. Judging by the choking sounds she could hear off to her side, she was really leaning toward the begging for forgiveness angle.

“Right. So, cut back on the booze? That’ll be a bloody wrench, but I s’pose it could be done.”

“That’s the spirit,” enthused Anya as she leaned over and patted the neutered vamp on the arm.

“So, tell me what she’s like? What can she do? And what do you mean of the forever variety?”

“Her demon traits? Well, number one thing you’ll want to know—“ Anya got to her feet and walked over to where Lia was playing on a play gym on the carpet. She picked her up and cooed at her while looking into her eyes.

“She has her soul, but I’m sure you could sense that.”

Everyone in the room noticed Buffy’s relieved slump into Spike’s body and Xander shoved another slice of pizza past his teeth in order to keep his mouth too occupied to shove more feet into it.

“As for the forever thing, well surely you knew that mating with a vampire would make you Immortal.”

Stunned uncomfortable silence kept an edge in the room, seemingly sucking out all the air. And then Xander’s cackle started up again.

Buffy was bright red, shaking as she sought Spike’s hand and squeezed it hard, not even feeling the bone snap as he growled low in his throat.

“Did you know about this?” she asked, tears already breaking the barrier at her eyes to slide like shimmering crystal down her face.

“Never heard of a vamp claimin’ a human, let alone a Slayer, pet. Had as much of a clue as you what would happen.”

Xander’s laugh had petered out on a miserable cry.

“You guys aren’t kidding, are you? Buffy, are you insane? You mated with the blond freak?”

“Shut up, Xander,” hissed Willow as she watched the play of emotions on Buffy’s face. Mixed with the horror of being different to what she’d been days ago was the beginnings of extraordinary happiness at being with a man, or at least a vamp, that she was experiencing strong emotions for.

“Well, it wouldn’t have happened if she was just human. But she’s a Slayer, and her power comes from something of an Immortal strain. No one actually knows what happens to Slayer’s if they make it beyond their twenties. They could be Immortal anyway for all we know. But now, she can’t be killed by normal means.”

Anya hadn’t even been looking at them, still busy talking baby language with the beauty of flailing chubby arms and legs that she continued to hold in her arms.

“Okay, now little Ophelia—and that is such a beautiful name, oh yes it is—won’t stay dark. Already you can see that her skin and hair is lightening. My guess is she’ll end up blonde.”

“Oh,” said Willow, taking up the researchy interest of the gang while Giles was far from the event. “That’s really kind of cool. So, she looks demon all the time? Or is there something we should be aware of?”

“Well, there is the colour she goes when she’s in cold water.”

Buffy and Spike looked at each other and mouthed ‘cold water’ before shooting interested glances back at their baby and Anya. “She’ll go a pretty dappled silver colour. It’s really quite gorgeous, but it might be kind of a downside when she goes swimming with friends. However, Spike might be able to teach her how to control her demon and how much of it comes out in response to cold water when she’s a bit older. I would recommend that, actually. Spike seems very good at controlling his demon—moreso than other vampires I’ve met—so I think it should all be pretty easy for you to handle. Oh, and you might not want to get her too mad or scared.”

Xander looked scared suddenly, and his mouth still stuffed with pizza was to prove no impediment. As food fell out of his mouth and to the floor, he asked, “Why? What’ll she do?”

“Oh, nothing for you to worry about honey, but Spike might need to take some earplugs around with him. She has this high-pitched cry, almost like a whale but at supersonic levels. If you are exposed to it for too long it might make your head explode.”

Buffy gasped in horror. “Oh my God!”

“It’ll be fine, just take precautions like I said. Anything else you need to know because Xander has nearly eaten all the pizza?”

Buffy shook her head in a daze, held her arms out for her daughter and watched as Anya bounced over to the table and commandeered her own slice of cheesy goodness.

Her daughter. She was a mommy. Her mom was a grandma. “Oh God, I have to call my mom. And Giles. What are we gonna do about Giles?”

“Might be an idea to let the poor bugger know that his woman has been having some fun with demons. Other than that, the git’s a granddad. He’ll deal. So long as he doesn’ expect us to pay back all that money.”
Buffy’s eyes bugged as she did a quick tally of how much money they’d already spent on setting Lia up.

“Oh boy. Spike, you need an income.”

“Yeah, Spike,” Xander yelled, already claiming his third slice of pizza. “Get a job, bloodsucker.”

And the weirdness just climbed up another notch.

“Don’ need a blood job. Need a bleeding shovel so I can smack you in the mouth.” And everyone just grinned as Xander spluttered and lost more of his prized pizza.

A/N...don't know if I will get another chapter up before I go away but leaving for a week to stay with my non-Buffy understanding family. But will have more when I get back...not sure how much of this is left, but wow! I broke the 300 reviews mark. You guys are the very very best!
Thanks again to : Erin, Isabel ( I hope things get better too, thank you for thinking of me and I'm glad the chapter cheered you up) Amanda, Seraiza, zanthinegirl, s.p.hudson, lilpuff, Shady, Kimber, Lisa, bloodshedbaby, Allison, spikeztruluv, Rana, Mari, Cordykitten, kdavid323 (welcome professional lurkers--I was one too before I started writing), Niamh, Crystal Pegasus, dreamgirl4eva and Mariana. You guys are incredibly inspiring.





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