Summary: Child protective services looks down on single caregiver so Buffy
has to find a "pretend husband". Xander and Anya are honeymooning; Giles is
in England, so Spike is her only hope. Fic Challenge from Pamela J.
Anderson off of the BuffyspikeDiaries Mailing List.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, and whoever has rights to these people in court. Do not sue me, I'm poor anyway. The fic idea isn't mine either, it belongs to Pamela, and as of now, there are two other people working on this same challenge.
~Part 19~
Both of the rings in Spike's hands clattered to the ground, and he quickly stooped to pick them up. Neither he nor Buffy responded to Xander in any way.
"Maybe I should repeat myself, what the hell is going on?"
"Spike was giving me a ring." Buffy said, softly, holding her hand out to where Spike was kneeling on the ground. He didn't move to slip the jewelry on her finger.
"Alright, where's Willow? I want to know what spells she's been working on."
"Willow's not here, she moved out a few days after you left, and anyway this isn't a spell Xander."
"You said the same thing the last time Buffy, I was there." Anya began looking through the forgotten newspaper. "Is Willow going to do something like this every time someone breaks up with her?"
"What are you talking about?" Buffy looked at her with disbelief. "She didn't break up with Tara, they're doing good, that's where she's been living, with Tara."
"That's not how I heard things were going when we."
"Look, why don't we talk about this later?" Spike slipped the rings into his pocket. He didn't think that either Willow or Tara wanted too many people to know that things were slightly off kilter between them right now. She'd told him about that accidentally as it was.
"I think we need to talk about it right now. Buffy what were you and Spike just doing before we came, and let me just say thank you that we decided to leave without touring the canyon on donkeys."
"Xander, maybe Spike's right, you had to do all of that travelling, and you must be tired."
"Buffy, I'm not leaving until I have an answer. What has everyone been up to?"
"Spike and I got married last week."
"You did what?!" Xander screamed, his face flushing a bright magenta, and Anya went to rub his back.
"So how has the sex been? Xander and I found it so much different after being married, I don't know why." He continued changing colors in the background and Spike chuckled at his appearance. He was a little more at ease now that he realized Buffy was going to stand up to her friend and admit what was going on.
Buffy ignored Anya's comment completely, continuing with her story. "Social services finally caught on to the fact that I've been raising Dawn by myself at the my dad hasn't bothered to contact us or provide any sort of support. They told me that in my particular situation, with no money, no help in care-giving and no education, I wasn't their prime candidate."
"So you married him? Are you out of your mind?" Xander began pacing in front of the island, unable to look at her anymore. "He's a killer Buffy!"
"Would you rather they come and take Dawn away? This was my only choice, and I'm not that sorry I made it. He's been there for Dawn, he went to the meetings with the social workers, took care of me when I was sick. We've been doing just fine until you came back and started being all judgmental."
"I'm sorry being your friend and caring about you makes me all judgmental. Let's go Anya, I don't think I can listen to anymore of this right now."
"But I want to hear about how the sex is."
"Let's go." This time it wasn't a request, more of a growl, and she obediently followed him out of the house. They left the suitcases on the floor.
"How long do you think it'll take them to notice those are there?"
"He meant to leave them, this way when he cools off, he doesn't have to admit he was wrong to come back and talk to me. Why didn't you give me the ring?"
"I didn't want to make trouble."
"So basically, you didn't know what I was going to say to him. You really thought I was going to do something terrible and lie about it didn't you? I can't believe it." She walked away from him and he started to raise his voice.
It really didn't matter to him that she had just spouted wonderful affirmations of how good this had been working, because he had trouble keeping his mouth shut when there was something he wanted to say. "Well what do you want me to think? He doesn't like me, and until a couple of days ago, you weren't that fond of me either."
"I know that, but I've been good. Things have been good. Do we have to do this?"
"What have me bugger it all up?"
"No, talk about this." She bent down, not looking at him and beginning to pick up the ads from the floor.
"We bloody well do!" He was angry with her, more so than he'd been in a long time. He liked to discuss things, she preferred sweeping them under the rug.
"What was Anya talking about with Willow and Tara?" Buffy began realigning the newspaper on the table, sorting it into two piles.
"Fine, you know what, we're not going to talk. I'm going to go have a smoke. When you're ready to carry on a conversation with me like my wife," he said the last word with a tiny bit of hatred in it. "I'll be ready to listen." He smashed the rings onto the countertop and slammed the door on his way out, and Buffy just stood by the table a little stunned, fingering the trinkets and wishing he'd just slipped one on.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, and whoever has rights to these people in court. Do not sue me, I'm poor anyway. The fic idea isn't mine either, it belongs to Pamela, and as of now, there are two other people working on this same challenge.
~Part 19~
Both of the rings in Spike's hands clattered to the ground, and he quickly stooped to pick them up. Neither he nor Buffy responded to Xander in any way.
"Maybe I should repeat myself, what the hell is going on?"
"Spike was giving me a ring." Buffy said, softly, holding her hand out to where Spike was kneeling on the ground. He didn't move to slip the jewelry on her finger.
"Alright, where's Willow? I want to know what spells she's been working on."
"Willow's not here, she moved out a few days after you left, and anyway this isn't a spell Xander."
"You said the same thing the last time Buffy, I was there." Anya began looking through the forgotten newspaper. "Is Willow going to do something like this every time someone breaks up with her?"
"What are you talking about?" Buffy looked at her with disbelief. "She didn't break up with Tara, they're doing good, that's where she's been living, with Tara."
"That's not how I heard things were going when we."
"Look, why don't we talk about this later?" Spike slipped the rings into his pocket. He didn't think that either Willow or Tara wanted too many people to know that things were slightly off kilter between them right now. She'd told him about that accidentally as it was.
"I think we need to talk about it right now. Buffy what were you and Spike just doing before we came, and let me just say thank you that we decided to leave without touring the canyon on donkeys."
"Xander, maybe Spike's right, you had to do all of that travelling, and you must be tired."
"Buffy, I'm not leaving until I have an answer. What has everyone been up to?"
"Spike and I got married last week."
"You did what?!" Xander screamed, his face flushing a bright magenta, and Anya went to rub his back.
"So how has the sex been? Xander and I found it so much different after being married, I don't know why." He continued changing colors in the background and Spike chuckled at his appearance. He was a little more at ease now that he realized Buffy was going to stand up to her friend and admit what was going on.
Buffy ignored Anya's comment completely, continuing with her story. "Social services finally caught on to the fact that I've been raising Dawn by myself at the my dad hasn't bothered to contact us or provide any sort of support. They told me that in my particular situation, with no money, no help in care-giving and no education, I wasn't their prime candidate."
"So you married him? Are you out of your mind?" Xander began pacing in front of the island, unable to look at her anymore. "He's a killer Buffy!"
"Would you rather they come and take Dawn away? This was my only choice, and I'm not that sorry I made it. He's been there for Dawn, he went to the meetings with the social workers, took care of me when I was sick. We've been doing just fine until you came back and started being all judgmental."
"I'm sorry being your friend and caring about you makes me all judgmental. Let's go Anya, I don't think I can listen to anymore of this right now."
"But I want to hear about how the sex is."
"Let's go." This time it wasn't a request, more of a growl, and she obediently followed him out of the house. They left the suitcases on the floor.
"How long do you think it'll take them to notice those are there?"
"He meant to leave them, this way when he cools off, he doesn't have to admit he was wrong to come back and talk to me. Why didn't you give me the ring?"
"I didn't want to make trouble."
"So basically, you didn't know what I was going to say to him. You really thought I was going to do something terrible and lie about it didn't you? I can't believe it." She walked away from him and he started to raise his voice.
It really didn't matter to him that she had just spouted wonderful affirmations of how good this had been working, because he had trouble keeping his mouth shut when there was something he wanted to say. "Well what do you want me to think? He doesn't like me, and until a couple of days ago, you weren't that fond of me either."
"I know that, but I've been good. Things have been good. Do we have to do this?"
"What have me bugger it all up?"
"No, talk about this." She bent down, not looking at him and beginning to pick up the ads from the floor.
"We bloody well do!" He was angry with her, more so than he'd been in a long time. He liked to discuss things, she preferred sweeping them under the rug.
"What was Anya talking about with Willow and Tara?" Buffy began realigning the newspaper on the table, sorting it into two piles.
"Fine, you know what, we're not going to talk. I'm going to go have a smoke. When you're ready to carry on a conversation with me like my wife," he said the last word with a tiny bit of hatred in it. "I'll be ready to listen." He smashed the rings onto the countertop and slammed the door on his way out, and Buffy just stood by the table a little stunned, fingering the trinkets and wishing he'd just slipped one on.