Description: Buffy's not feeling well, Spike won't go away, and Dawn knows more that she should. The Scoobies lives are about to be changed forever.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Buffy/Spike (did you think otherwise?)

"I don't know what you did Red, but you're amazing." Spike laughed, standing in the now empty living room. Angel had just sprinted out of the house, Cordelia in quick pursuit.

The Wicca merely smiled at the vampire and blushed. "Let's just say I work in mysterious ways." She quickly amended, "Also the fact that neither Angel or Cordelia know Tara was a big help."

"Right," Spike said tearing into one of the discarded brown paper bags atop the center coffee table. "The watcher is gonna stall for as long as possible so we've got about 15 minutes to get this place ready."

After a small pause, they set to work. Willow and Tara quickly blew up twenty or so multicolored balloons and began hanging them around the living room and kitchen area. Spike was left to work the streamers. He tried taping them to the fireplace, but they refused to stick; he tried sticking them around the doorway, but that wouldn't work either. Finally, Spike lost his patience with the decorations. "Bloody hell," he mumbled tossing the paper aside. "Red!"

"Yeah?" Willow's head appeared in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen.

"These soddin' streamers are pissing me off!"

With a hushed giggle, Willow walked over to Spike and took his arm. "Why don't you help Tara in the kitchen and leave this to me. She's just dishing out the chips. You can handle that much."

"Fine," Spike grumbled. He stalked passed Willow and through the doorway. There he found Tara behind the kitchen island pouring chips from a bag into a large bowl. Already there were numerous bowls out filled with snack foods.

Tara looked up from her current task and smiled shyly at her new companion. "Oh, hi Spike," She said sweetly, "Are the decorations done already?"

"No, Red's doing that since I'm obviously incapable of taping paper to the wall." Spike growled in frustration. He picked up a handful of chips and stuffed them into his mouth. Deciding the taste wasn't that horrible, he reached for another handful only to have his fingers smacked playfully by Tara. "What was that for?" Spike asked his voice filled with fake hurt. He cradled his hand to his chest like a little boy who burnt his hand on the stove.

"Those are for the party," Tara warned, "hands off!" She picked up two of the bowls and handed them to Spike. "Take them in the living room." She followed quickly behind another bowl in her grasp.

"I think we're pretty much set here." Willow announced when the two blondes entered the living room carrying the food.

Tara set her bowl on the coffee table and looked around the room, admiring her girlfriend's handiwork. "It looks great Will."

"Where did you put the gift?" The red head asked Tara.

"Oh it's in the kitchen," Tara suddenly remembered, "I'll go grab it." She said and slipped out of the room.

"When did you have time to buy a gift?" Spike asked, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Oh, um," Willow stammered, "R-right after Buffy found out she was pregnant. Tara and I found a baby store in the mall and couldn't leave. We spent a good hour just picking out clothes and laughing about how cute they were. We found the cutest little-"

"Here it is." Tara cried triumphantly. She came back into room carrying a large, brightly colored gift bag. A shiny, twisting bow was hanging around the handles and colored tissue paper peeked out the top. The witch crossed the living room and handed the bag to her girlfriend.

"Let me see." Spike approached Willow and tried to look inside the bag, but she jerked it out of his sight.

"You'll see it when Buffy opens it and not before." Willow warned.

"W-what did you get Spike?" Tara asked.

"You'll see it when the Slayer opens it and not before." He chuckled, echoing Willow's words.

"Giles there's nothing in these books." Dawn whined.

"Yeah I'm going to have to agree with Dawn on this one." Anya piped in. She slammed the book in front of her shut and sighed loudly.

"I told Spike we'd be home by nine and it's already-" Buffy glanced down at her wrist, "9:26."

Giles finally looked up from the book he was searching, and studied the faces of the people around him. They all seemed to be equally tired, their faces etched with drowsiness. They had not been researching for that long, but time seemed to move a lot slower when your nose was buried in a book, searching endlessly for a question with no known answer.

"I suppose we should call it a night." Reluctantly, the Watcher gently closed the musty old book in front of him and stood. No sooner than he took a step, everyone slammed their books shut and pushed back from the research table, heavy sighs of relief echoing in the silent room.

"Guess we should be heading out now?" Xander asked Giles, hoping the older man would find the hidden question within. What Xander really wanted to know was 'How are we going to get out of here and to Buffy's house before her?'

"Yes," Anya joined in, "we should be leaving soon."

Buffy stood and quickly shrugged on her coat. "Yes we better get moving." She said to Dawn, "Spike's probably having a fit. He'll have Clem out looking for us in another two minutes."

The younger Summers laughed and threw her coat on shouting a goodbye to the group. They left arm in arm, complaining about over protective vampires.

As soon as the Magic Box door swung shut, the bell above singing of their departure, Giles was upon it, locking it up tight. "Back door," he said without elaborating, "we've got to get to that house before they do." All three of them scurried out the back, Giles flicking off the lights before they exited. They raced through the back alleys of town, avoiding the usual way of getting to the house, knowing they would meet the Slayer along the way and have some explaining to do.

"Hurry," Xander shouted as he pulled ahead of the pack. All three kept up with each other, jogging through town, desperately trying to beat the Slayer.

Upon reaching the house, Xander burst through the front door and immediately trip over the rug, falling flat on his face.

Spike stood in the doorway to the kitchen and laughed. "And the Most Graceful Award goes to-" he spoke loudly, imitating a TV announcer's voice.

"Shut up Spike." Xander growled half winded as he pulled himself to his feet. Giles and Anya arrived and shut the door quickly behind them.

"Oh hey guys." Willow called enthusiastically, pushing past Spike to approach the group. "All the gifts are already here so there's no need to run home."

"Oh my," Giles cursed under his breath. After a moments pause he asked, "How did you know where my present was?"

"Well we were w-with you when you bought it." Tara supplied, blushing when the group laughed.

"Oh yes," he suddenly remembered. "Very good."

"Well Buffy will be here any moment so we better get this shindig started right." Spike couldn't believe the way he was acting or his odd use of the word 'shindig'. This was the Big Bad, murderer of thousands of innocent people, and here he was throwing a surprise baby shower for the Slayer, for their children. If Dru could see him now, she'd probably dust herself on the spot.

Everyone moved to find a good hiding spot. Xander and Anya chose just inside the living room, standing on either side of the doorway; Willow and Tara were behind the couch; and Giles was crouching behind the chair. Spike figured there was no reason for him to hide, after all someone was going to have to let the others know when to stop giggling and be all secretive. He looked out the living room window and peered down the street. A short distance down, two figures were approaching the house. Spike immediately recognized them both.

"Here they come." He announced to the group. Everyone fell into their places. Spike flicked off the lights to the living room and waited by the door. He was so nervous that he could have sworn he felt his heart beat, but quickly shrugged it off. Peering out the tiny window in the door, Spike could see Buffy and Dawn turning into the sidewalk and coming towards the house. 'Okay act mad, act angry, act like peaches!' he prepped himself mentally.

As they approached the house, Dawn pointed out something off about the house. "That's weird." She said suddenly, earning a curious glance from her sister.

"What's weird?"

"The house," Dawn pointed straight ahead, "all the lights are out. Spike can't be asleep already, I mean, he never even sleeps. Does he?" Before Buffy could answer Dawn broke in again, "Oh wait, you wouldn't know would you? Cause every night you two are making with the crazy, naked sex."

"Dawn!" Buffy shouted, trying to be stern but failing to hide a tiny giggle that escaped her lips.

"Admit it!" Dawn shouted in triumph.

The Slayer just shook her head. She went to grab the doorknob, but jumped back when the door flung open revealing a very pissed off Spike behind it.

"Where have you two been?" he growled.

"We were at the movies." Dawn supplied.

"Yeah I spent the entire day watching the Star Wars trilogy. Have a little sympathy here." Buffy added, attempting to bring Spike from his irritated mood.

"You said you'd be home by nine." Spike retorted fighting back a grin at Buffy's argument. "It's 9:38!"

"Geez, Sorry." Buffy apologized, a bit taken back by the harshness in his tone.

"Giles had us at the Magic Box researching." Dawn added, finally finding her voice in the lovers' quarrel. "Blame him."

Spike's face softened a bit, and a loud sigh graced his lips. "Fine, but it's late, let's get inside."

With a final nod to Spike, Buffy stepped inside the house quickly followed by Dawn, and Spike bringing up the rear.