"What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep. Well more like he couldn't." She was rocking the carrier back and forth with her slipperred foot as Scott stared up at her, tear tracks still evident on his plump cheeks. "What are you doing?"
"Eating." He held up a blue coffee mug. "You can go to bed, I'll stay up with him."
"I'm ok for right now. Is Alexis finally asleep?"
"No thanks to your sister. That girl can't bloody shut up can she?"
"You're asking the wrong person." She shifted her weight in the chair, and tried to see if the baby would mind if she stopped swaying the seat. He whimpered as soon as the movement stopped. "I can't imagine someone doing this."
"What's that luv?"
"Taking care of children all the time." He laughed, and she threw the pillow that was sitting beside her at his chest. "It's not funny. This is hard work."
"Mommy Buffy regretting that she let us stay? I told you, I'll take care of all this, I found the kids and you need to get some sleep anyway."
"I want to help. I like it. I haven't told many people this, so you have to swear to keep your mouth shut about it."
"Who would I tell? You're my social circle, that's it."
"Alright, I guess you can be trusted." She laughed a little bit. "I want kids. I know I don't seem like the motherly type, but I want to have a lot of them. I always have. So this is nice for me, getting to play Mommy. I always figured that I'd get married and have a whole carful of kids and I'd do the soccer games and ballet recitals and trips to the pediatrician and all that."
"And now you don't think you can have that."
"Well I mean do you really think that I can? I've already died twice and I'm not even 21 yet. I don't have a job, or an education and the husband prospects aren't looking so great."
"Aw, I'm hurt."
"You know what I mean Spike."
"I know. You and I with a white picket fence, two and a half kids and the golden retriever in the yard isn't going to happen."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. This is good enough for me." The two settled into silence and sat listening to the baby breathe. The clock ticked quietly in the background. "You can have it if you want Buffy, a family. That's one thing that I've learned from you, if you persevere you can have anything you want no matter how many people tell you that you can't have it. It's so bloody over-said and cliché as all hell, but I think it's true. That's why I won't let you tell me it can't happen between us, because it can."
He glanced over at her, expecting something different than what he saw. She'd fallen asleep sprawled across the chair, her chin resting squarely on the middle of her nightshirt. Her foot still wiggled the carrier. He walked over to her and carried the dozing Buffy to her bed. Giving her a small peck on the forehead, he walked towards the door and slowly clicked it into place. Had he not left he would have heard her mumble. "This is good enough for me."
"I couldn't sleep. Well more like he couldn't." She was rocking the carrier back and forth with her slipperred foot as Scott stared up at her, tear tracks still evident on his plump cheeks. "What are you doing?"
"Eating." He held up a blue coffee mug. "You can go to bed, I'll stay up with him."
"I'm ok for right now. Is Alexis finally asleep?"
"No thanks to your sister. That girl can't bloody shut up can she?"
"You're asking the wrong person." She shifted her weight in the chair, and tried to see if the baby would mind if she stopped swaying the seat. He whimpered as soon as the movement stopped. "I can't imagine someone doing this."
"What's that luv?"
"Taking care of children all the time." He laughed, and she threw the pillow that was sitting beside her at his chest. "It's not funny. This is hard work."
"Mommy Buffy regretting that she let us stay? I told you, I'll take care of all this, I found the kids and you need to get some sleep anyway."
"I want to help. I like it. I haven't told many people this, so you have to swear to keep your mouth shut about it."
"Who would I tell? You're my social circle, that's it."
"Alright, I guess you can be trusted." She laughed a little bit. "I want kids. I know I don't seem like the motherly type, but I want to have a lot of them. I always have. So this is nice for me, getting to play Mommy. I always figured that I'd get married and have a whole carful of kids and I'd do the soccer games and ballet recitals and trips to the pediatrician and all that."
"And now you don't think you can have that."
"Well I mean do you really think that I can? I've already died twice and I'm not even 21 yet. I don't have a job, or an education and the husband prospects aren't looking so great."
"Aw, I'm hurt."
"You know what I mean Spike."
"I know. You and I with a white picket fence, two and a half kids and the golden retriever in the yard isn't going to happen."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. This is good enough for me." The two settled into silence and sat listening to the baby breathe. The clock ticked quietly in the background. "You can have it if you want Buffy, a family. That's one thing that I've learned from you, if you persevere you can have anything you want no matter how many people tell you that you can't have it. It's so bloody over-said and cliché as all hell, but I think it's true. That's why I won't let you tell me it can't happen between us, because it can."
He glanced over at her, expecting something different than what he saw. She'd fallen asleep sprawled across the chair, her chin resting squarely on the middle of her nightshirt. Her foot still wiggled the carrier. He walked over to her and carried the dozing Buffy to her bed. Giving her a small peck on the forehead, he walked towards the door and slowly clicked it into place. Had he not left he would have heard her mumble. "This is good enough for me."
