He"d Have It No Other Way

Angel walked over the game in the livingroom floor and handed a folder to Spike, "I was on my way to Nashville, thought I'd drop this next bit of work off personally."

"Thanks, Angel. " Spike asked as he chose two pieces that didn't match in the Memory game.

"You should be better at that." Angel pointed out as he watched Spike playing with the girls.

"Can't concentrate too well with you jabbering at me." Spike replied with an eyeroll.

"You never win this game, Daddy." Tierney looked at him seriously.

"Shh..." He put his finger over her mouth and grinned, "Think I'll talk to Angel and let you two finish up, okay?"

"Okay." Brenna nodded at him, "We can play something you're good at later."

Spike rolled his eyes at his daughter.

Angel laughed at the remark, "Where is Buffy?"

"Shopping, Dawn's in town." Spike told him as he sat down on the couch.

"I'm thirsty." Tierney climbed up on the couch next to Spike.

He stood and went to the kitchen returning with a sippy cup of juice for her. "Thanks, daddy." She answered taking the cup into her chubby hands.

"I want a snack." Brenna told him as she put the game back in it's box.

Spike exited the livingroom again and returned with another cup of juice and four cookies.

"Juice for m'lady and cookies for both of you." He handed two cookies to each girl.

"Thank you, daddy." Brenna beamed at him as she sat down on his other side.

When they finished their snacks they were full of energy once again.

After running around the livingroom for the third time before Spike stoped them, "Brenna, Tierney, stop running in the house!" Spike glared at them.

"Yes, daddy." The little girls replied as they slowed down.

"Sorry." Brenna told him as she sat down in front of the tv.

"I don't want you to get hurt." He smiled at her , "What would your mom do to me if I let something happen to you?"

"You would be in trouble." Tierney answered as she plopped down beside her sister.

"Yes, I would be in lots of trouble." Spike reached out and patted her soft curls.

Angel grinned from his chair, "They are a handful aren't they?"

Spike nodded his head, "Yeah, they are."

"But you wouldn't have it any other way would you?" The darkhaired man asked, his voice slightly wistful.

"No, I really wouldn't." He smiled softly at the two small girls seated in front of him.....this was his life.

Angel left the house later that night - he honestly was glad that Buffy was so happy. But sometimes his thoughts turned to 'what might have been'. He sighed as he drove off into the night.

Spike and Buffy waved at Angel as he left, then they returned to the livingroom to play a game with their children and this time the little girls let their daddy win.

********

HALLOWEEN

"You look beautiful!" Buffy told Brenna as she spun around the livingroom lifting the ballroom gown to show the clear slippers she was wearing to complete the Cinderella costume. Her hair was up and she wore a small tiara.

"You'll be the prettiest girl at that Halloween Party." Spike told her as he left the room in search of his car keys.

"Thanks, dad." Brenna smiled back at him.

"What's Josh going as?" Tierney asked from place on the couch, she was dressed as Snow White and was waiting for her dad to drop her off at her own party down the street.

"I don't know he wouldn't tell me." Brenna answered with a small frown as she felt a tendril of her hair fall out of place, "I've got to go fix my hair, if he comes tell him I'll be done in a minute."

Brenna had no longer left the room when the doorbell rang, Tierney sprang from the couch to answer it. She burst into giggles when she saw Josh at the door, "Come in, Josh." She invited through her laughter.

Buffy had to fight back her own giggle when she saw the sixteen year old with his hair slicked back and his long black cape.

"What's so funny, Tierney? I'm Count Dracula, nobody to laugh at." He snarled him lip showing her a fake fang with blood on it.

"I'm sorry, it's just that........well I don't think the real Count actually looked like you do." Tierney tried to explain as she controlled her laughter.

"There was no Count Dracula, Tierney. No such thing as vampires." Josh shook his head and adjusted his black cape, "Now where is your sister?"

"You might be surprised at that, Josh." Tierney started but was interrupted by her mom,"Tierney go help your dad find his keys so you can get to your party. Josh, have a seat, Brenna will be right out." Buffy shooed Tierney into the kitchen and sat down across from Josh still trying to maintain herself as she looked at the fake fangs.

"Found them!" Spike turned around to find Tierney standing behind him, he dangled his keys, "You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. But before we go out there, I have to prepare you, Josh is here." Tierney choked back a laugh, "In costume."

"So, he's not dressed up like some poncy fluffy shirt pirate or something is he?" Spike asked as he started towards the livingroom.

"Worse, he's......he's Count Dracula." Tierney did a terrible Transylvanian accent.

Spike's grin widened, "Oh, I've got to see this."

Brenna entered the room with a "Hello, Josh......" Her eyes widened in horror at his costume, "You're ...you're a vampire!"

"Now that's the reaction the Count is supposed to get!" Josh stood up and puffed out his chest.

"Has my dad seen you?" Brenna asked softly.

"No, Sweetie, your dad hasn't seen Josh yet. Should I call him?" Buffy smiled sweetly at the daughter.

"No, mom. That's okay." Brenna steered Josh towards the door, "I'll be back by curfew. Love you."

"Love you too, Sweetie, have a good time." Buffy stood up in time to see Spike coming through the kitchen door.

"Hey there, let me see that fine costume before you go." Spike called out to Josh.

Josh turned his cape billowing behind him, "You like it, sir?"

"Yeah I do, do you have the fake fangs and everything?" Spike asked a wicked smile on his face.

"Yes, I do." Josh curled his lip to show off the plastic fangs, "Cool, huh?"

"Very, but not quite as well made as mine." Spike snarled and showed him a bit of fang.

Josh jumped back slightly bumping into Brenna who was openly glaring at her father now, "Those look very realistic, sir."

"Got 'em at a Specialty Store years ago, don't get to show them often." Spike raised his eyes at Brenna and grinned. She only glared more, "Bye, daddy."

"Bye sweetie." Spike called out as he watched the two teens leave.

"That was really terrible of you, Spike." Buffy grinned at her husband.

"I think it was funny!" Tierney laughed, "You scared him, dad. Big bad Count Dracula."

"You ready to go?" He asked as Tierney grabbed her jacket.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She went out the door ahead of him.

"I'll be back to suck your blood." Spike waggled his eyebrows at Buffy suggestively putting on his worst Dracula accent.

"I'll be waiting anxiously." She waggled her eyebrows back at him.

"Daddy, could you and mom stop long enough to take me to the party, please?" Tierney stuck her head back in the house.

Buffy and Spike both broke into giggles as he left with their youngest daughter in tow, Buffy mouthed the words, "I'll be waiting," with a wink as she waved them out the door.

************

YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL TOO

He pulled the car into the driveway feeling like he was going to pass out. What was supposed to be a scouting trip for information had turned almost deadly. Spike had claw marks across his face and chest and he thought maybe a couple of ribs were broken. He hit the horn on the car praying that he didn't waken the neighbors.

Buffy heard the car horn and peeked out the window. It was Spike's car, why was he honking? She tightened her robe and went out the car. She immediately knew something was wrong, Spike was slumped over the steering wheel, if it was possible for him to be any paler he was. She pulled the door open quickly, "Spike!" She reached to touch his arm and pulled her hand back covered in sticky blood, "Spike!" She repeated his name a bit more frantically this time.

" 'S okay. I'm just a bit weak." His speech was slighty slurred as he tried to get out of the car.

"What happened? I thought this was supposed to just be a bit of information gathering not extreme violence!" She helped him out of the car, keeping her strong arms around him she led him into the house.

"Guy knew Angel......didn't like him much so I got beat up in his abscence." Spike explained as she led him to their bedroom.

"Sit here, I'll get the first aid kit." She looked worried as she left the bedroom.

"I'm okay." He muttered as he removed his shirt and wished for a way to hide the gaping wound directly under his heart. When she saw that she was going to have a fit.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the wound on his chest, she looked at him, fear and anger fighting for control of her face, "Spike......"

"It's okay, Buffy." He replied weakly, placing a shaky hand on her arm.

"This was close, too close. What if?" She couldn't finish the sentence but silently went to work on cleaning and bandaging the wound. Her eyes filled with tears and she had to stop and wipe them before she could finish wrapping his chest.

"Mom?"Tierney called out peeked around the open door, "Is something wrong?" She was caught off guard by the sight of her dad on the bed. She had never seen him look so beaten. At twelve years old she knew exactly what her daddy was but his weakened condition scared her. She ran to the bedside, "Daddy, daddy!"

"It's okay, Tier. I'm okay." Spike reached to push her hair from her face trying to calm her while Buffy looked on, her lips pursed tightly as she watched the little girl crying beside the bed.

"Is he gonna die?" Tierney looked at her mother through her tears.

"No, sweetie, he's not going to die. Here why don't you open those bandages for me and you can help me fix him up." Buffy tried to stay calm, even smiling at Tierney as she handed her the bandages.

"Yes, poppet, you can help mom fix up your old dad." Spike winced as Buffy applied antiseptic to a cut above his eye.

Tierney concentrated on opening the the bandages and handed them to her mother when instructed. Spike still looked weak as they propped him against the pillows. "You look bad, daddy."

"I don't feel so good either. But I'll be okay, better by tomorrow even. You go on to bed now, please." He kissed her cheek and tried to smile through the pain as he settled back on the bed.

"You can come check on him first thing in the morning." Buffy told her as she too kissed her cheek and sent her out of the room.

"Okay, night." Tierney sighed as she left the room.

Once Buffy was sure that their daughter was back in her bed, she climbed on to the bed beside her husband and moved her hair back from her neck, "You need blood now." She told him as she pulled him closer to her.

"Got some in the fridge, Buffy." Spike looked hesitant.

"Human will be better for you. It will be fine, not like you haven't done it before." She fussed at him as she guided him to her neck. She winced slightly at the pain of the bite then began to stroke his hair as he fed, her free arm holding him tightly.

After a few moments he pulled away cleaning the small puncture wounds and kissing her lightly on the lips, "I feel better already. You are the best medicine, luv."

"That was too close, Spike." Her voice rose ever so slightly, " You are always on me about being careful for the girls sake. You saw Tierney tonight.....she was so afraid for you."

"I'm okay, Buffy." He took her hand as she lay back next to him.

"You are this time, but how about the next time you just decide to plunge into a fight, Spike?" She turned to him her eyes full of love and worry, "You have a family now, you have to be careful too."

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "Will it make you happy if I promise to be careful from now on out?"

She smiled at him and nodded her head, "Yes, that would make me very happy."

He smirked at her as he moved his hand across his heart, just above the sterile white of the gauze bandage, "I promise to be more careful from now on."

She smiled at him then, "See that you do." And then she kissed him good and proper.

*************