Hey guys, sorry this one took so long. My relatives are gone, so I'm
free to write to my little heart's content. This one is fairly long,
should have another update in about a week. Thanks for the reviews!
Buffy woke up in better spirits than she had been in a long time. Her consience felt free, and now she could look Spike in the eyes rather than try to avoid him and hide her face. She rolled over in her bed and put her hands on Spike's bare stomach. She could feel his muscle under his cool, lean body. He stirred next to her, and she decided to get up and make breakfast. She got dressed and made her way down the stairs. She passed the phone on her way to the kitchen. As she did, a thought occurred to her. Giles. What would she tell Giles? He would be disappointed in her for sure. But she needed to be with Spike, especially now with the baby. She placed her hand on the phone, then decided against it. She had just climbed one mountain; she needed some rest before she could tackle another.
There was a knock at the door and Buffy went to answer it.
"Hey Buffster. How's it shaking?" Buffy winced at the sight of Xander. If Spike chose now to come down the stairs, it could make for quite an awkward moment.
"Hey Xander…What's going on? Is everybody okay?" A hint of worry seasoned her voice.
"No, no, we're all good…it's just that…" he trailed off.
"Xander what is it?" He avoided her eyes.
"Well…hehe, it's a little embarrassing, but I was wonder if I could, ya know, stay here for a little while?" He smiled big and brought his eyebrows together in a small way of pleading.
"What? What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?" Buffy placed a hand on Xander's arm and took him into the living room.
"No, it's nothing like that. There has just been a lot of pressure between me and Anya lately, and we got into a fight. She kind of kicked me out." He had a faint smile plastered on his face, but Buffy could see sadness and strain in his eyes.
"Sure Xander, you can stay here-" She was about to tell him about Spike when he came down the stairs and made his own presence known.
"What the bloody hell?" He scratched his disheveled hair, wearing only a pair of black jeans. "I hope I didn't just hear you say Monkey Boy was staying here." He gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek and proceeded to the kitchen. Xander groaned.
"Buffy you can't let him stay here. He's a vampire. Vampires are bad. Come on Buff, we learned this back in Slaying 101." He touched her arm to emphasize his point.
"Xander-" she began to explain, but was once again cut off by Spike.
"Get your bloody hands off of her. Let me guess. Your ex-demon-honey came to her senses, realized you were a pathetic loser and kicked you out. And having nowhere else to go, you ran to the Slayer to bail you out once again. Well forget it, she's not fit to baby-sit you right now, not in her condition."
"Spike!" Buffy moaned through gritted teeth. This was not how she wanted Xander to find out.
"What? What condition?" He eyed Buffy critically.
"Nothing. Xander, do you need to unpack? I'll fix Mom's room up and you can stay there. Spike go help him get his stuff." She gave out orders to change the subject and get the focus off of her. Luckily she was only about 2 months along, so it didn't show on her tiny frame.
The guys went outside to unload Xander's car.
"You can't be staying long now," Spike pulled a bag out and threw it on the grass.
"Hey! Watch the stuff Bleach Boy." Xander eyed Spike warily. He hoped he would make himself scarce during Xander's stay.
"We need to get you back with you girlie as soon as possible. You can call today and order her bunches of flowers. The women-folk love that sort of thing." Spike picked up the bag he had tossed on the lawn. Xander rolled his eyes and picked up his share of luggage. He just had the two bags. After last night's fight, he had returned this morning to get some stuff before Anya woke. Unfortunately she heard him and threatened to smash the car if he didn't leave that instant. As angry as she was for being awoken, she just might have.
As he brought his things up to Joyce's old room he replayed it in his head. All he wanted to do was to eat dinner and get a good sleep. He had had a rough day at work.
"Xander, what kind of flowers do you want to line the aisles?" Anya had been flipping through some flower catalogs.
"Could we go one day without discussing plans and flowers, and just wedding stuff in general?" Xander headed straight to the fridge.
"Xander, I need your input. I can't just plan this whole thing by myself." She continued to look through the magazine.
"What else do you do, really?" He asked, slamming the fridge shut. She eyed him a second before speaking.
"What do you mean? I work very hard making lots and lots of money. Just help me choose some flowers and then we can start having the sex." She let his outburst slip, even thought it had stung. She knew he was under a lot of stress.
"Anya. Maybe we should put the wedding off for a little while." He rubbed his forehead and looked over at her. Her face was red. Not a good sign.
"Xander," She started quietly. "Do you wanna marry me or not?" She put the catalog down. She was tired of his 'oh, I am so stressed out, everybody feel sorry for me routine.
"Anya, I'm just stressed out right now-" he was cut off
"And I'm not? I'm doing most of the planning. You barely contribute. It's like you don't even care." Her voice was steadily rising.
"I don't care!" he shouted. He had meant about the actual wedding decorations, but before he had a chance to explain his remark, Anya fired back.
"If you don't care, then leave! Get out of here!" Her face had now turned to a deadly shade of white.
"Xander, you okay?" Buffy asked.
"Huh?...yeah, I'm good." He was sitting on his temporary bed, with his bags beside him, staring at the floor.
"Okay, well, if you want some help unpacking, I'll be happy to help." She walked into the room and touched his arm with concern.
"Sure Buff." He smiled weakly, happy to have the support of one of his best friends.
Buffy woke up in better spirits than she had been in a long time. Her consience felt free, and now she could look Spike in the eyes rather than try to avoid him and hide her face. She rolled over in her bed and put her hands on Spike's bare stomach. She could feel his muscle under his cool, lean body. He stirred next to her, and she decided to get up and make breakfast. She got dressed and made her way down the stairs. She passed the phone on her way to the kitchen. As she did, a thought occurred to her. Giles. What would she tell Giles? He would be disappointed in her for sure. But she needed to be with Spike, especially now with the baby. She placed her hand on the phone, then decided against it. She had just climbed one mountain; she needed some rest before she could tackle another.
There was a knock at the door and Buffy went to answer it.
"Hey Buffster. How's it shaking?" Buffy winced at the sight of Xander. If Spike chose now to come down the stairs, it could make for quite an awkward moment.
"Hey Xander…What's going on? Is everybody okay?" A hint of worry seasoned her voice.
"No, no, we're all good…it's just that…" he trailed off.
"Xander what is it?" He avoided her eyes.
"Well…hehe, it's a little embarrassing, but I was wonder if I could, ya know, stay here for a little while?" He smiled big and brought his eyebrows together in a small way of pleading.
"What? What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?" Buffy placed a hand on Xander's arm and took him into the living room.
"No, it's nothing like that. There has just been a lot of pressure between me and Anya lately, and we got into a fight. She kind of kicked me out." He had a faint smile plastered on his face, but Buffy could see sadness and strain in his eyes.
"Sure Xander, you can stay here-" She was about to tell him about Spike when he came down the stairs and made his own presence known.
"What the bloody hell?" He scratched his disheveled hair, wearing only a pair of black jeans. "I hope I didn't just hear you say Monkey Boy was staying here." He gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek and proceeded to the kitchen. Xander groaned.
"Buffy you can't let him stay here. He's a vampire. Vampires are bad. Come on Buff, we learned this back in Slaying 101." He touched her arm to emphasize his point.
"Xander-" she began to explain, but was once again cut off by Spike.
"Get your bloody hands off of her. Let me guess. Your ex-demon-honey came to her senses, realized you were a pathetic loser and kicked you out. And having nowhere else to go, you ran to the Slayer to bail you out once again. Well forget it, she's not fit to baby-sit you right now, not in her condition."
"Spike!" Buffy moaned through gritted teeth. This was not how she wanted Xander to find out.
"What? What condition?" He eyed Buffy critically.
"Nothing. Xander, do you need to unpack? I'll fix Mom's room up and you can stay there. Spike go help him get his stuff." She gave out orders to change the subject and get the focus off of her. Luckily she was only about 2 months along, so it didn't show on her tiny frame.
The guys went outside to unload Xander's car.
"You can't be staying long now," Spike pulled a bag out and threw it on the grass.
"Hey! Watch the stuff Bleach Boy." Xander eyed Spike warily. He hoped he would make himself scarce during Xander's stay.
"We need to get you back with you girlie as soon as possible. You can call today and order her bunches of flowers. The women-folk love that sort of thing." Spike picked up the bag he had tossed on the lawn. Xander rolled his eyes and picked up his share of luggage. He just had the two bags. After last night's fight, he had returned this morning to get some stuff before Anya woke. Unfortunately she heard him and threatened to smash the car if he didn't leave that instant. As angry as she was for being awoken, she just might have.
As he brought his things up to Joyce's old room he replayed it in his head. All he wanted to do was to eat dinner and get a good sleep. He had had a rough day at work.
"Xander, what kind of flowers do you want to line the aisles?" Anya had been flipping through some flower catalogs.
"Could we go one day without discussing plans and flowers, and just wedding stuff in general?" Xander headed straight to the fridge.
"Xander, I need your input. I can't just plan this whole thing by myself." She continued to look through the magazine.
"What else do you do, really?" He asked, slamming the fridge shut. She eyed him a second before speaking.
"What do you mean? I work very hard making lots and lots of money. Just help me choose some flowers and then we can start having the sex." She let his outburst slip, even thought it had stung. She knew he was under a lot of stress.
"Anya. Maybe we should put the wedding off for a little while." He rubbed his forehead and looked over at her. Her face was red. Not a good sign.
"Xander," She started quietly. "Do you wanna marry me or not?" She put the catalog down. She was tired of his 'oh, I am so stressed out, everybody feel sorry for me routine.
"Anya, I'm just stressed out right now-" he was cut off
"And I'm not? I'm doing most of the planning. You barely contribute. It's like you don't even care." Her voice was steadily rising.
"I don't care!" he shouted. He had meant about the actual wedding decorations, but before he had a chance to explain his remark, Anya fired back.
"If you don't care, then leave! Get out of here!" Her face had now turned to a deadly shade of white.
"Xander, you okay?" Buffy asked.
"Huh?...yeah, I'm good." He was sitting on his temporary bed, with his bags beside him, staring at the floor.
"Okay, well, if you want some help unpacking, I'll be happy to help." She walked into the room and touched his arm with concern.
"Sure Buff." He smiled weakly, happy to have the support of one of his best friends.