Sunnydale
2002
~*~
It was two days after the bachelorette party, the night before the wedding when Buffy invited Giles over to see the dress. Spike had been forced out of the house to go to the movies with Dawn and Willow, so the Slayer could finally have some quality time with her Watcher and so Spike wouldn't see the dress.
"Are you ready?" She called from the landing at the top of the stairs, and Giles looked up from the magazine he had been reading.
"Yes." He replied, setting the issue of whatever it was Dawn had had sitting on the coffee table, his full attention on the staircase.
"Ok...ready or not." Buffy said, and descended the steps.
Giles removed his glasses and stared at her in amazement. The dress was very simple, an ivory color with spaghetti straps and empire waist. The skirt was decorated with tiny seed pearls embroidered into the shapes of flowers. The way the fabric fell completely hid the fact that she was beginning to show.
"You look...exquisite."
The Slayer blushed and looked away, "Um...thanks. You don't think it's obvious that I'm you know, pregnant? I mean, not that it matters, it's not even a big wedding but you know Tara and Will are gonna be taking pictures and I don't want--"
"You look stunning, and no, you can't tell. If anything, you look better for it."
"Really?"
"You glow, Buffy. You've grown up so much. I'm proud of you."
She smiled and wiped at her eyes, "Giles! Don't make me all teary."
"Sorry."
"Look, Giles, I know it's been tense around here, what with my dad an all. And I just wanted to thank you for dealing with him. When you guys met he wasn't exactly polite or warm or anything."
"He's got a right, I'll have to admit."
Buffy groaned, "Please don't justify him, Giles. He *doesn't* have a right. And the way things are going, he's going to ruin this wedding. I mean, he really doesn't like Spike all that much."
"Who does?"
The Slayer tossed a throw pillow from the easy chair at him, "Hey! Watch it, that's my fiancee you're slamming...my fiancee. Eep."
Giles smiled, "You should go change."
"Yeah...Thanks again, Giles."
"It's my honor." He replied, "If we all survive that dinner tomorrow."
Buffy groaned on her way upstairs, "Maybe I still have time to elope."
~*~
~*~
Sunnydale
2003
~*~
~*~
All Spike could feel as he fell to the floor were familiar arms wrapping around his shoulders and a soft voice whispering to him.
"It's OK, Spike..." Buffy murmured, her lips just next to his ear. He was weak from lack of blood and drained from the fight...and hurting because he had just killed Drusilla.
"We should get out of here." Angel was saying, "We can come back for the rest of her minions tomorrow night."
Buffy helped Spike to his feet and supported him with an arm wrapped tightly around his waist as they joined the group filtering out the door.
"You OK?" She asked, her grip on his tightening, "You had me worried for a while, there."
"I'll be fine." He said without much inflection, "Let's just go home."
Meanwhile, Cordelia was glancing back at Spike. She turned to Angel, "Is he OK? Shouldn't he be happy?"
Angel sighed and shrugged a little, "It's tought to explain. Drusilla was partly Spike's sire And every childe carries a strong connection to their sire. Plus, Spike was madly in love with her for over a century. He just killed her. It's hard for him."
"But you killed Darla that one time."
"I had a soul. I was doing it for redemption and reasons Spike just doesn't realize he has right now."
"But he has them?"
"Yeah. Spike's been fighting for good for a long time, he just doesn't know it. He'll be fine, it'll just take a little while."
~*~
~*~
Meanwhile, Dawn was sitting with Xander and Anya in the Summers' living kitchen. She had gotten there to find the couple babysitting Connor and Cassandra while the rest of the gang was out fighting Drusilla.
"Why is Drusilla in town, anyway?" Dawn asked, stirring her hot cocoa, "I mean, what's the point? She knows Buffy will kick her undead ass."
"We aren't really sure. She is insane, you know." Anya replied, "But I'm sure they'll be home any--"
"We're home."
"--minute."
Dawn hopped up from her seat and hurried out to the living room to find everyone coming through the door at once, Buffy and Spike the last to enter. She took one look at Spike's face and knew something was wrong.
"What happened?" She asked immediately, looking from person to person, "Is everyone alive and, you know, in one peice? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?"
Buffy stared at her sister, "Dawn, what are you doing here? Does Dad know?"
"No?"
"We'll talk later."
"Yeah, so what's going on?"
"I'll explain," Angel said, motioning for Dawn to follow him to the kitchen, looking at Buffy as if to tell her to take care of Spike. She smiled her thanks and led the blonde vampire upstairs.
"Let's go get cleaned up and I'll get you some blood, k?"
"Uh huh..."
Buffy tried to steer him to the bathroom, but he headed towards the nursery instead, "Spike? She's probably asleep..."
He ignored her, easing the door open as softly as possible. Buffy followed silently and watched from the doorway as he went to the crib where Cassandra lay sound asleep. Spike's face went from blank to something she couldn't identify, but tears began to slowly make tracks down his cheeks as he leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead.
2002
~*~
It was two days after the bachelorette party, the night before the wedding when Buffy invited Giles over to see the dress. Spike had been forced out of the house to go to the movies with Dawn and Willow, so the Slayer could finally have some quality time with her Watcher and so Spike wouldn't see the dress.
"Are you ready?" She called from the landing at the top of the stairs, and Giles looked up from the magazine he had been reading.
"Yes." He replied, setting the issue of whatever it was Dawn had had sitting on the coffee table, his full attention on the staircase.
"Ok...ready or not." Buffy said, and descended the steps.
Giles removed his glasses and stared at her in amazement. The dress was very simple, an ivory color with spaghetti straps and empire waist. The skirt was decorated with tiny seed pearls embroidered into the shapes of flowers. The way the fabric fell completely hid the fact that she was beginning to show.
"You look...exquisite."
The Slayer blushed and looked away, "Um...thanks. You don't think it's obvious that I'm you know, pregnant? I mean, not that it matters, it's not even a big wedding but you know Tara and Will are gonna be taking pictures and I don't want--"
"You look stunning, and no, you can't tell. If anything, you look better for it."
"Really?"
"You glow, Buffy. You've grown up so much. I'm proud of you."
She smiled and wiped at her eyes, "Giles! Don't make me all teary."
"Sorry."
"Look, Giles, I know it's been tense around here, what with my dad an all. And I just wanted to thank you for dealing with him. When you guys met he wasn't exactly polite or warm or anything."
"He's got a right, I'll have to admit."
Buffy groaned, "Please don't justify him, Giles. He *doesn't* have a right. And the way things are going, he's going to ruin this wedding. I mean, he really doesn't like Spike all that much."
"Who does?"
The Slayer tossed a throw pillow from the easy chair at him, "Hey! Watch it, that's my fiancee you're slamming...my fiancee. Eep."
Giles smiled, "You should go change."
"Yeah...Thanks again, Giles."
"It's my honor." He replied, "If we all survive that dinner tomorrow."
Buffy groaned on her way upstairs, "Maybe I still have time to elope."
~*~
~*~
Sunnydale
2003
~*~
~*~
All Spike could feel as he fell to the floor were familiar arms wrapping around his shoulders and a soft voice whispering to him.
"It's OK, Spike..." Buffy murmured, her lips just next to his ear. He was weak from lack of blood and drained from the fight...and hurting because he had just killed Drusilla.
"We should get out of here." Angel was saying, "We can come back for the rest of her minions tomorrow night."
Buffy helped Spike to his feet and supported him with an arm wrapped tightly around his waist as they joined the group filtering out the door.
"You OK?" She asked, her grip on his tightening, "You had me worried for a while, there."
"I'll be fine." He said without much inflection, "Let's just go home."
Meanwhile, Cordelia was glancing back at Spike. She turned to Angel, "Is he OK? Shouldn't he be happy?"
Angel sighed and shrugged a little, "It's tought to explain. Drusilla was partly Spike's sire And every childe carries a strong connection to their sire. Plus, Spike was madly in love with her for over a century. He just killed her. It's hard for him."
"But you killed Darla that one time."
"I had a soul. I was doing it for redemption and reasons Spike just doesn't realize he has right now."
"But he has them?"
"Yeah. Spike's been fighting for good for a long time, he just doesn't know it. He'll be fine, it'll just take a little while."
~*~
~*~
Meanwhile, Dawn was sitting with Xander and Anya in the Summers' living kitchen. She had gotten there to find the couple babysitting Connor and Cassandra while the rest of the gang was out fighting Drusilla.
"Why is Drusilla in town, anyway?" Dawn asked, stirring her hot cocoa, "I mean, what's the point? She knows Buffy will kick her undead ass."
"We aren't really sure. She is insane, you know." Anya replied, "But I'm sure they'll be home any--"
"We're home."
"--minute."
Dawn hopped up from her seat and hurried out to the living room to find everyone coming through the door at once, Buffy and Spike the last to enter. She took one look at Spike's face and knew something was wrong.
"What happened?" She asked immediately, looking from person to person, "Is everyone alive and, you know, in one peice? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?"
Buffy stared at her sister, "Dawn, what are you doing here? Does Dad know?"
"No?"
"We'll talk later."
"Yeah, so what's going on?"
"I'll explain," Angel said, motioning for Dawn to follow him to the kitchen, looking at Buffy as if to tell her to take care of Spike. She smiled her thanks and led the blonde vampire upstairs.
"Let's go get cleaned up and I'll get you some blood, k?"
"Uh huh..."
Buffy tried to steer him to the bathroom, but he headed towards the nursery instead, "Spike? She's probably asleep..."
He ignored her, easing the door open as softly as possible. Buffy followed silently and watched from the doorway as he went to the crib where Cassandra lay sound asleep. Spike's face went from blank to something she couldn't identify, but tears began to slowly make tracks down his cheeks as he leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead.