Title: Change
Author: MSKBSwedish
Rating: Mature
Summery: Three years have come since the fateful night that Linn was brought home safely from being held in the clutches of Angelus and Dru. Now Buffy and Spike, who have put their parenthood before slaying, have to not only battle vampires and demons but their children as well.
Note: I own nothing of the Buffyverse.

Chapter One – Don't Be So Hard On Yourself

Her head was pounding as her eyes began to flutter open. She could hear the faint arguing in the other room which was only causing the headache to worsen. She tried not to pay much attention to the arguing as she slowly began to sit up but it was hard not to. Her daughters seemed to be going at it all day and if she or their father couldn't get them to stop the arguing, she wondered who could. They sounded like they were teenagers already and she wasn't ready to deal with that yet while she was dealing with a child, a toddler... her eyes opened to look down at her swollen belly... And a third child on the way.

"Girls!" Buffy's voice rang out through the house.

Both girls went quiet immediately. They knew that their mother was not having a very good day and if they didn't stop fighting, they were going to be in big trouble.

"I'm sorry, love." Spike's voice came from the stairs as he hurried down the steps. "I took a quick shower and when I got out I heard them fighting." Spike walked into the other room that they had turned into a bit of a play room for their daughters. "You lot, come here." Spike said to his daughters and pointed both fingers down to the floor at his feet.

Both of the little girls walked up to their father and looked up at him, both trying to look more innocent than the other. Spike knelt down in front of both girls and looked at his oldest first.

"Malin Joyce. You know better. I expect more from you, young lady." He turned his head to the younger of the two daughters. "Emily Annette. If your sister is fighting with you then you tell someone, you don't argue back." Spike cleared his throat and looked between the seven year old and the three year old. "Do I make myself clear?" Both girls nodded at their father.

"Sorry, dad." Linn sighed. Sometimes she just couldn't help arguing with her baby sister. She didn't know why, she just did. Of course she didn't mean to upset her parents either.

"Sorry, daddy." Emmy said with a tiny little voice.

"It's okay. You two just need to keep it down. Mummy isn't feeling well and is trying to take a nap." Spike explained as he took one of each of the girl's hands into his own.

"Why doesn't, mum go into her room to take a nap?" Linn asked her father curiously.

"Because her back hurts and the couch helps your mum to feel better, love." Spike leaned forward and kissed one daughter and then the other on their cheeks. "Why don't you two go up in your room and play for a bit so your mum can rest." Spike suggested to his daughters.

"It's okay." Buffy's voice came from the living room.

Spike turned his head around to see his girlfriend sitting up on the couch. She struggled a little but she was able to sit up on her own still.

"I'm awake, now." There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Spike sighed and turned his gaze back to his daughters.

"You should go apologize to your mum." Spike said before standing up.

Linn and Emmy nodded their heads and walked into the living room where Buffy was sitting.

"Sorry we woke you up, mum." Linn apologized once she stood at her mother's side.

"It's alright, baby." Buffy's voice had softened. She couldn't stay mad. Honestly, Linn was right. She should have tried to nap in her own room. The couch was there and it took the pressure off of her lower back where most of her back pain seemed to be.

"Sorry, mummy." Emmy reached out and hugged her mother's side.

Buffy smiled and wrapped her arms around Emmy before planting a little kiss on her forehead.

"It's alright, Em." Buffy looked up at Linn. "Did you do your homework?" Buffy asked the oldest. Linn nodded her head and smiled. "All of it? Even the math?" Buffy knew her daughter was having trouble with her math recently.

"Yeah. Daddy helped. He signed my paper too." Linn said proudly.

Buffy smiled. "Good girl. Why don't you two run upstairs and get ready for dinner. It should be almost done."

Linn and Emmy nodded their heads before running up the stairs to leave their parents be.

Spike made his way over to Buffy who still sat on the couch. He sat down beside her on the couch and rubbed her back firmly with one hand. Buffy let out a little moan. It felt so good.

"How are you feeling, pet?" Spike asked the pregnant slayer.

"This kid." Buffy sighed as she rubbed her growing belly. She was exactly seven months pregnant today. Just like her other pregnancies, Buffy had neglected to see a doctor. Willow was the closest person Buffy had went to about her pregnancy since she helped deliver Linn and Emmy.

"Do you think maybe it's safe for you to go to a real doctor?" Spike asked since Buffy's first two pregnancies were fairly normal and she really had no complications.

"I don't trust going to a real doctor, Spike. I don't want them to see something out of the ordinary and try to put me on medication or make me do something that's going to cause any harm to the baby. I don't want any red flags thrown at me. I will handle this myself." Buffy sat back and wrapped her arm around Spike and laying her head on his shoulder.

"I just worry." Spike sighed. "This pregnancy feels different from my perspective. You're tired all of the time. You're sick all of the time. You barely want to get out of bed because your back hurts. With Linn and Em you were up and about until they were born really." Spike sighed and rested his hand against her swollen belly, rubbing it gently.

"Spike, women have been having babies for thousands of years before me. If they can do it, god damnitt I'm the slayer. I can do it too." Buffy chuckled softly.

Spike smiled, happy that his girlfriend still had her sense of humor. "I know, love. If anyone has the strength it's you." Spike leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Buffy's lips. "I love you." Spike whispered after pulling away from the kiss.

"I love you too." Buffy whispered back.

The lovers stayed on the couch cuddled up together for a little while longer. Buffy really didn't want to get up to check the crockpot to see if dinner was done but Spike had helped her with dinner the last three nights because of her back hurting so bad and being sick. She didn't want him to feel bogged down by taking over every chore, including patrolling at night. She felt like she was giving him such a big task already by helping her with the kids during the day and patrolling at night plus with a baby on the way, he was going to have to patrol a little longer for her until she was well enough to go out and kick some ass. The least she could do is manage dinner.

After dinner it was time for baths and then story time and then bed. Linn had school the next day and Dawn was picking up Emmy early in the morning to take her to her friend's daughter's birthday party so Buffy wanted to make sure the girls were in bed at a decent time. Of course, here it was eight thirty and the girls were still not asleep.

"Did you brush your teeth?" Buffy walked into her daughter's bedroom they shared. Both girls looked up from playing and nodded. "Okay then. Butts in bed, ladies." Buffy said seriously.

"Yes, mum." Linn sighed.

"Okay, mummy." Emmy giggled.

Linn was a night owl already. She hated to sleep at night sometimes. Buffy worried for her oldest daughter. She still suffered from night terrors and still she found her way into her parents bed. Emmy on the other hand, was the complete opposite. In fact, Emmy loved sleep. She always had. Even as an infant she would sleep as much and as often as she was allowed. A lot of times Buffy would have to wake her up to eat.

"Daddy will be in to read you girls a story." Buffy informed her daughters.

Once Linn was in bed, Buffy walked over and tucked her in before giving her a hug and kiss. "Goodnight, mummy. I love you" Linn smiled.

"Goodnight, moonshine. I love you too." Buffy smiled back.

Then, the slayer walked over to her youngest daughter's bed and did the same. "Goodnight, mummy. I love you." Emmy grinned.

"Goodnight, sunshine. I love you too." Buffy smiled.

The mother of two stood up straight, well, as straight as she could and walked into her bed room. She couldn't wait to lay back down. Not only did she do dinner but while Spike was giving the girls their bath, she cleaned up. She left the dishes for him which he was finishing up now and then he was going to read their daughters a story and then he was going out to patrol.

Buffy sat down on the side of her bed and glanced over at the most recent picture of her daughters that sat on her nightstand. She couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. Both had their father's eyes. Piercing blue. Linn's hair was darker than Emmy's. Linn's hair was more of a dirty blond, Buffy's natural hair color. Emmy's was more blond than Linn's, like her father. Even though Spike had crazy bleached hair, his natural color was still lighter than Buffy's. Their faces were similar in shape, same as Buffy's. Linn looked identical to Buffy actually. Emmy was more of a mixture of her mom and dad. Spike's nose and eyes. Buffy's mouth and face shape. Spike's naturally curly hair. Buffy's ears.

But of course, both of her daughters seemed to have picked up on Spike's accent more than her own so both sounded slightly British with quite a few of their words. Linn was starting to break that habit since she started school. She was starting to sound more like an American now that she was picking up on the accents from the other children in her school.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy rubbed her belly gently and looked down. "I really hope you're a boy. I don't know what I'm going to do with three girls." Buffy joked quietly to her unborn baby.

Since Dawn moved out and in with Willow and Tara a year ago, she decided to turn Dawn's old room into a nursery. The color's she had chosen for the nursery were yellow and white. It was a neutral color and once the baby was born, she could just start buying more stuff to match the baby's gender. It really didn't matter to her as long as her baby was happy and healthy.

Between Buffy and Spike, they had a hard time with names. Baby names seemed to stump them. Of course, Malin's name was just a name that Buffy had always loved since she was a little girl and to choose Linn's middle name was Spike's idea. So she was Malin Joyce.

Emily's name on the other hand was the opposite. Emily was Spike's choice and Buffy chose Annette for Emmy's middle name. To be fair, since they chose her mother's name to be Linn's middle name, Buffy wanted to use Spike's mother's name for Emmy's middle name. Even though his mother's name was Anne, they went with Annette since Buffy's middle name was also Anne. She thought it was a little weird if her and her daughter had the same middle name.

Now for this next baby they had one boy name and one girl name already picked out. If it was a girl, it would be Olivia Dawn, after Willow's middle name and Dawn's first name. If it was a boy, Buffy really wanted to name her son William Louie, after his father. When Buffy told Spike he was close to tears. He was touched that Buffy wanted to name their child after him. Buffy figured it was the right thing to do and just simply something she really wanted to do for him.

Of course parenthood hasn't been easy. Especially not for being a parent of half-breed children. Both Linn and Emmy had issues that came with being half-human, half-vampire.

Linn of course had her issues with the sun. Now that she was older, it seemed like she was able to withstand the sun a little better. As she grew older her skin was beginning to thicken which definitely helped.

Emmy on the other hand didn't have as much of an issue with the sun. She still burned easily but her issue was her senses. They were incredibly sharp. Too much of a loud noise would scare her. If she smelled something stinky, she would throw up almost immediately. They couldn't even keep garlic in the house or buy anything that contained garlic. Not just because of Spike obviously but there were lots of things Buffy had to do different, cooking wise.

Both of Buffy's daughters were different and similar in their own ways and it was something that Buffy loved most about them. They fought like cats and dogs at times but other times she had the ability to witness true sisterhood between her daughters.

Often Buffy would find Emmy and Linn playing dress-up using Linn's clothes. Linn would try to give her baby sister a "makeover" like they show on the television. Emmy idolized her sister and she could see that. It reminded her of when she and Dawn were kids.

"And they are down for the count." Spike said, throwing Buffy's stream of consciousness off.

Buffy looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."

Spike walked over and picked Buffy's hands up. He kissed her knuckles softly. "For what, pet?"

"Everything." Buffy replied as she took a deep breath. "I don't know how I could do this without you."

Spike let go of Buffy's hands and sat down beside her, immediately, almost naturally, beginning to rub her back.

"Which is funny considering only but seven years ago, you hated every inch of my being." Spike chuckled.

Buffy shook her head. "No, no I did not hate every inch of your being."

"Well you sure had a funny way of showing it." Spike said with a brow raised.

Buffy sighed and smiled a little. "I hated what I felt for you. When I was in school and I was head over heals for Angel, the thought of being with anyone other than him, let alone another vampire just wasn't even a thought that came to mind. All vampires are evil, they want to kill and be... just... awful." Buffy let out a smirk before turning her head to look up at Spike. "Seven years ago I believed that the only reason you liked me was because of that chip in your head and the only thing I could deduce was that if anything happened to that chip you'd surely murder me the first chance you got." Buffy paused to look into his eyes. "I was terrified. You were the only vampire that I just... couldn't kill. I mean you're the slayer of slayers for a reason." Buffy watched Spike's face fall slowly at the mention of his past. He had a hard time with it sometimes.

"Well, I guess I just needed a slayer to show me how to be a man again." Spike smirked but still, his smile faded as he looked away from her.

"I'm sorry." Buffy sighed and leaned into Spike, nuzzling her nose against his shoulder.

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and pulled him close. "Don't be, love. I was a demon in every sense of the word. Was there a time when I would have killed you? Yes." Spike stopped to plant a kiss on Buffy's crown. "But now, I couldn't ever imagine harming you or our children." Spike pulled away, looking down into Buffy's eyes.

"You have given me so much, sweetheart." Spike said honestly. "When you're a vampire, that demon that takes over your body becomes quieter and quieter the longer you're alive. You start to become bored. You look for things to keep you on the prowl. Killing innocent victims becomes elementary." Spike explained.

"Oh so reassuring." Buffy tried to make light of his seriousness.

"I'm serious, Buffy." Spike said which made her smile fall away. "There's no purpose. There's no want. You become like an addict. You feign for blood and the hunt. It's like you keep searching for that same high but nothing will ever be better than your first." Spike sighed. His hand moved to Buffy's belly where he began to rub in circular motions, his eyes cast down to the bump. "This is so much sweeter than that."

Buffy could see a glimmer of something in Spike's eye. Something that reassured her more than anything had ever assured her in her life. She was in love. There was no doubt that she had absolutely nothing to fear from Spike.

"This is the most amazing gift to ever be given when you have had the sort of lives I've lived. From boring to demented. I never expected in my wildest dreams to feel this way ever." Spike continued to feast his eyes on Buffy's baby belly.

"Feel what, Spike?" Buffy asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Love. Meaning." Spike looked up into Buffy's eyes. "You gave me a reason to keep going when I felt like staking myself would be the best and only option. Hoping that maybe I'd find peace in my death. But now..." Spike couldn't help but smile. "I am needed here. For you. For our children. It's my goal in life now to protect you lot. Especially with you expecting another little one."

"Yeah funny how a prophecy turned into three children." Buffy smiled.

"Still don't know how it works. Must be the baby gravy." Spike laughed, pressing his tongue to the back of his teeth.

"Oh god, don't say baby gravy. That's so gross." Buffy laughed but her face was just contorted in disgust.

"Well you don't seem to mind in the moment." Spike joked before planting a kiss to her temple.

"In the moment you don't say 'baby gravy' either. It's not like we speak full sentences during sex." Buffy smacked Spike on his arm playfully.

"Well there was that one time..." Spike said before planting a small circle of kisses around Buffy's neck.

"Oh yeah. I was drunk. I was babbling... I was..." Buffy paused from the feeling that crept up from between her thighs. "Oh you're horrible." Buffy growled at Spike.

"Oh don't lie and tell me you don't like it." Spike playfully whispered against Buffy's neck as his hand moved to massage her thigh.

"Spike... We... Shouldn't..." Buffy gasped as she felt him bite down gently but not enough to break the skin on her neck.

"Let me..." Spike whispered.

"Uh... Oh... Oh... Oooo... Okay." Buffy was fighting a losing battle here and especially after having two daughters, she realized shortly after that she needed to pick and choose her battles and this was one battle she definitely didn't want to fight.

Moving his arms to wrap them around his lover, Buffy placed her hands on his shoulders to keep her up right while her neck was bent, giving Spike the moment to nip and kiss at the soft skin. It still sent goosebumps flying across her skin. A shudder crept up her spine as she let out a quiet moan.

Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike's neck. "Stay in tonight, please." Buffy whimpered. She suddenly wasn't ready for the vampire to be out of her arms and away from her. She wanted him now and the last thing she wanted was for him to flee in the middle of the night to patrol.

Instead of responding, Spike let go of Buffy and stood up. Before she could protest, Spike scooped her up into his arms and laid her down properly in their bed. He removed his shirt and joined his lover in bed beside her.

Their lips were locked together immediately. Their hands were roaming free on their bodies. Buffy drug her nails down Spike's back in need. Spike's hands began to push up Buffy's shirt, running his hand up her belly to cup her breast beneath her shirt.

"Mummy?" A small voice outside of their bedroom door threw them off.

Buffy gasped and jumped, suddenly feeling like a teenager being caught in the act and pushing Spike away as the feeling of arousal left her instantly.

Spike stood up and pulled his shirt back on quickly while Buffy adjusted her own and sat up slowly.

Opening the door, Emmy's face came into view. She rubbed her tired eyes. "What is it, Emily?" Buffy sighed.

"Something's wrong with Linny." Emmy said worridly.

Spike and Buffy exchanged glances before Buffy planted her hand on her bedside table and stood up, following Emmy and Spike into the girl's room.

Linn was in her bed. Her blankets had been pushed off of her and her body tossed and turned. Noises were coming from her body that Buffy couldn't rationalize.

Immediately the parents surrounded the bed. Spike put his hands on Linn's arms to keep her from tossing around. Buffy pushed her daughter's hair from her face and felt her forehead.

"Oh god. She's burning up." Buffy lifted her eyes to look at Spike. Linn had never been sick. What happened when a half-breed child got sick?

...TBC...