Title: Welcome Home
Prompt:Other: Military
Medium: Fic
Rating: R
Warnings:Violence, Language

Summary:Buffy Summers waits for her husband to come home.

"I'm fine, Willow." Buffy said with a small smile as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and her head while she dried her hands off on a nearby towel, "You don't have to call just to make sure I'm not in hysterics."

"Are you sure, Buffy?" Willow asked nervously, "I mean, you've been at home all week. Usually you hang out us at least once."

"I just wanted a break, Wills. Besides, you know that I don't have time for that anymore." Buffy sighed. She wasn't upset that she didn't have time - she just wished that her friends would realize that she wasn't 18 anymore and she couldn't just get up and go without any warning.

"Oh, I know Buffy!" Willow said quickly, "I just thought maybe you could find someone to look after him."

Buffy rolled her eyes and set aside the towel as she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle, "He's barely four months old, Willow. I'm not going to leave him with some baby sitter I don't even know."

"I'm sure Anya would look after him." Willow offered, "She's done this before, remember?"

"And she also wants to hang out with her own husband." Buffy said, "Wills, I want to be home right now. Drop it."

She could practically see her friend's reaction. She would bite down on her lip and look nervously around at Xander and Angel – who Buffy knew were listening in. They both didn't understand that Buffy had a kid to look after, even though Xander had a set of twins waiting for him at home. Angel just didn't understand that Buffy was happily married with no intention of leaving her husband for the idiotic brooding mass.

She frowned. She was starting to sound like Spike, now. Weird.

"Okay, Buffy." Willow said, "I understand."

"Thank you." Buffy sighed with relief, "Look, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

She lowered the phone and set it back on the hook before she grabbed a burping towel and headed into the living room, where William was sitting in his playpen with wide eyes as he looked at the dog that stared intently at the thing setting in what he considered to be his spot. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Riley, leave William alone." Buffy demanded. Riley whimpered but obediently sulked away to who-knows-where. Buffy smiled as she gently picked her child up.

"Hey, baby boy!" she said fondly, smiling as William's cherubic face broke into a wide smile and a giggle fell through his lips. Buffy's heart swelled and she quickly placed the towel over her shoulder and placed the nipple in William's mouth.

There was a knock at the door, and Buffy frowned. She wasn't expecting anyone to come over. She sighed – if Willow had decided to visit instead she wasn't going to be responsible for the not-so-nice-things she would say.

She hurried over to the door, balancing William on her hip while she used her chin to hold on to the bottle, using her only free hand to pull open the door. When she saw who was on the other side, she almost dropped the bottle but her quick reflexes grabbed it before it could connect with the ground.

"Hello, cutie."

Standing there, dressed in his military fatigues, was her husband Spike. He looked exactly like she remembered him save for the addition of a scar that trisected his eyebrow. Buffy's heart swelled and her eyes filled with tears.

"You're home early." She said happily. Spike grinned and rubbed the back of his head

"I'm here to stay this time." He said Buffy's smile widened until she felt as if her face would split, and with a cry of jubilation she launched herself into her husbands arm, careful not to crush William between them.

"Welcome home, Spike."