A/N: New chapters all around. I have coursework, but then half term for two
weeks, so updation will occur. Thanks to gidget, her ideas will appear
later on. Oh, and Jen, if this isn't right, hair rippage will occur...
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"Apples," Spike muttered, under his breath. "Apples, apples, apples." He pushed the cart in front of him, searching the aisles for apples. Dawn efficiently picked out a packet of spaghetti, and tossed it into the cart.
"Spike, it's a dried goods aisle. Apples are in the fruit section," she reminded him. He looked at her.
"I knew that," he said defensively. He reached out, and picked up a can of tomato soup. He pointed to it.
"Healthy."
"You just want to feed my kids that because it'll look like they're V.A.M.P.I.R.Es," Dawn countered, folding her arms.
"No, it's healthy. Filled with good, mushy tomato goodness-I'm a bloody bad liar. It's soup, Dawn. You put it in one end of the kid, sooner or later it comes out the other. It's also cheap," he pointed out. She gave him a lofty look, and put it in the cart.
They strolled along in silence, Lexi seated happily in the kiddie seat of the cart, Ryan trudging alongside.
"Milk," Spike said, pointing. Dawn nodded.
"Yup. We need that. Half and half," she ordered. He picked up a gallon.
"Enough, milady?" he asked, jokingly. Dawn opened her mouth to retort, but gave a little gasp, pressing one hand to her stomach.
"Nibblet? What's wrong?" Spike asked quickly. She opened her eyes, and smiled a little.
"Nothing's wrong. The baby just kicked," she answered,
"Where's the baby, Mommy?" Lexi demanded, kicking her legs in the cart. Dawn sighed. They'd had this discussion. Several dozen times.
"It's in Mommy's tummy, until it's big enough to come out, sweetie," she answered.
"How'd it get in there?" Ryan asked, looking interested. Dawn groaned.
"Well, yer mum, and yer dad-" Spike began helpfully. Dawn swatted him on the arm. Ryan laughed.
"Mommy's mad with you, she only ever does that when she's really, really mad," he informed the vampire gleefully.
"Spike, you will not tell my children about S.E.X!" Dawn hissed.
"Mommy, what's S.E.X?" Ryan spelled carefully. Spike sniggered.
"Mine!" Lexi announced, hugging a packet of party napkins lovingly, distracting everyone. She beamed up at Dawn, daring her to challenge her possession of the napkins.
"No, honey. Those are for parties, we already have napkins," Dawn answered, evenly.
"Mine," Lexi repeated, obstinately. "Mine. All mine."
"Sweetheart, give me the napkins," Dawn held out a hand.
"No!" Lexi shouted, her face turning red. Ryan sighed, and sat down next to the cart, looking up at the stacks of streamers, and packets of balloons. When Lexi wanted something, it normally took a while.
"Lexi, those napkins aren't for you," Dawn repeated, folding her arms.
"Go away!" Lexi shrieked at the top of her voice.
"Alexis Noelle, give me those napkins!" Dawn demanded. Lexi held them tight, and when her mother reached over to get them, began kicking, and screaming, her fists flying.
One of them caught Dawn in the arm, and sent her staggering. Spike stopped watching, and strode in grimly, and lifted the pint-sized Slayer out of her seat, and carried her, over his shoulder, still thrashing around, into the car park. The napkins, the smiling picture of Barbie now crumpled, dropped onto the floor.
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"I'm sorry," Dawn said breathlessly, carrying the grocery bags, followed by Ryan. Lexi, throughly tired out, was asleep on Spike's shoulder, her fingers curled into her mouth.
"S'okay," he said, standing in the dim light impatiently. "Gets dark early in winter. S'only seven o'clock."
"Thanks," she said, quietly, when they reached the apartment building. "Since she got her strength, I haven't been able to- Her school, it's the only place that can manage her."
"Where is it?" he asked, helping as they took the groceries inside.
"I don't know," she said, tucking a long piece of brown hair behind her ear. "Bradley always took her. It was part of his work. They knew about her. They left some pills for her, to take if we ran into unusual types of guests. That's why she was okay today."
"Don't drug her up again," he said, his jaw tightening. "We'll sort it out on our own. I don't know what your husband was into, but I wouldn't trust him."
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"So there's really really a baby in there?" Lexi asked again, sleepily, curled up against her mother on the couch. Ryan crashed his trucks together on the floor.
"Yup. It's waiting until it's older and bigger, and then it'll come, and you'll have a little brother or sister to play with," Dawn said patiently. Spike handed her a mug of hot chocolate over the back of the couch. She smiled up thankfully.
"Can it hear me?" she persisted.
"Huh?" Dawn said, bewildered.
"Can the baby hear me?" Lexi asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Do you want to say hi, honey?" Dawn replied, with a little grin. Lexi climbed up, and bent forward, over Dawn's stomach. She pressed her face against it.
"Hi baby. I'm Lexi," she said decisively.
"Bedtime, I think, Lexi," Spike said, lifting her up. Lexi squealed with laughter
"Down," she said firmly. "I'm gonna say goodnight to my baby." Spike raised an eyebrow at Dawn.
"Your baby?" he queried, letting the munchkin down.
"Mine," Lexi confirmed. She placed a loud, smacking kiss on Dawn's belly. "Nightnight baby!"
Spike looked at the ceiling, a small smile on his lips, as he lifted Lexi up, and carried her off to be put to bed.
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A/N: REVIEW!!!
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"Apples," Spike muttered, under his breath. "Apples, apples, apples." He pushed the cart in front of him, searching the aisles for apples. Dawn efficiently picked out a packet of spaghetti, and tossed it into the cart.
"Spike, it's a dried goods aisle. Apples are in the fruit section," she reminded him. He looked at her.
"I knew that," he said defensively. He reached out, and picked up a can of tomato soup. He pointed to it.
"Healthy."
"You just want to feed my kids that because it'll look like they're V.A.M.P.I.R.Es," Dawn countered, folding her arms.
"No, it's healthy. Filled with good, mushy tomato goodness-I'm a bloody bad liar. It's soup, Dawn. You put it in one end of the kid, sooner or later it comes out the other. It's also cheap," he pointed out. She gave him a lofty look, and put it in the cart.
They strolled along in silence, Lexi seated happily in the kiddie seat of the cart, Ryan trudging alongside.
"Milk," Spike said, pointing. Dawn nodded.
"Yup. We need that. Half and half," she ordered. He picked up a gallon.
"Enough, milady?" he asked, jokingly. Dawn opened her mouth to retort, but gave a little gasp, pressing one hand to her stomach.
"Nibblet? What's wrong?" Spike asked quickly. She opened her eyes, and smiled a little.
"Nothing's wrong. The baby just kicked," she answered,
"Where's the baby, Mommy?" Lexi demanded, kicking her legs in the cart. Dawn sighed. They'd had this discussion. Several dozen times.
"It's in Mommy's tummy, until it's big enough to come out, sweetie," she answered.
"How'd it get in there?" Ryan asked, looking interested. Dawn groaned.
"Well, yer mum, and yer dad-" Spike began helpfully. Dawn swatted him on the arm. Ryan laughed.
"Mommy's mad with you, she only ever does that when she's really, really mad," he informed the vampire gleefully.
"Spike, you will not tell my children about S.E.X!" Dawn hissed.
"Mommy, what's S.E.X?" Ryan spelled carefully. Spike sniggered.
"Mine!" Lexi announced, hugging a packet of party napkins lovingly, distracting everyone. She beamed up at Dawn, daring her to challenge her possession of the napkins.
"No, honey. Those are for parties, we already have napkins," Dawn answered, evenly.
"Mine," Lexi repeated, obstinately. "Mine. All mine."
"Sweetheart, give me the napkins," Dawn held out a hand.
"No!" Lexi shouted, her face turning red. Ryan sighed, and sat down next to the cart, looking up at the stacks of streamers, and packets of balloons. When Lexi wanted something, it normally took a while.
"Lexi, those napkins aren't for you," Dawn repeated, folding her arms.
"Go away!" Lexi shrieked at the top of her voice.
"Alexis Noelle, give me those napkins!" Dawn demanded. Lexi held them tight, and when her mother reached over to get them, began kicking, and screaming, her fists flying.
One of them caught Dawn in the arm, and sent her staggering. Spike stopped watching, and strode in grimly, and lifted the pint-sized Slayer out of her seat, and carried her, over his shoulder, still thrashing around, into the car park. The napkins, the smiling picture of Barbie now crumpled, dropped onto the floor.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"I'm sorry," Dawn said breathlessly, carrying the grocery bags, followed by Ryan. Lexi, throughly tired out, was asleep on Spike's shoulder, her fingers curled into her mouth.
"S'okay," he said, standing in the dim light impatiently. "Gets dark early in winter. S'only seven o'clock."
"Thanks," she said, quietly, when they reached the apartment building. "Since she got her strength, I haven't been able to- Her school, it's the only place that can manage her."
"Where is it?" he asked, helping as they took the groceries inside.
"I don't know," she said, tucking a long piece of brown hair behind her ear. "Bradley always took her. It was part of his work. They knew about her. They left some pills for her, to take if we ran into unusual types of guests. That's why she was okay today."
"Don't drug her up again," he said, his jaw tightening. "We'll sort it out on our own. I don't know what your husband was into, but I wouldn't trust him."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So there's really really a baby in there?" Lexi asked again, sleepily, curled up against her mother on the couch. Ryan crashed his trucks together on the floor.
"Yup. It's waiting until it's older and bigger, and then it'll come, and you'll have a little brother or sister to play with," Dawn said patiently. Spike handed her a mug of hot chocolate over the back of the couch. She smiled up thankfully.
"Can it hear me?" she persisted.
"Huh?" Dawn said, bewildered.
"Can the baby hear me?" Lexi asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Do you want to say hi, honey?" Dawn replied, with a little grin. Lexi climbed up, and bent forward, over Dawn's stomach. She pressed her face against it.
"Hi baby. I'm Lexi," she said decisively.
"Bedtime, I think, Lexi," Spike said, lifting her up. Lexi squealed with laughter
"Down," she said firmly. "I'm gonna say goodnight to my baby." Spike raised an eyebrow at Dawn.
"Your baby?" he queried, letting the munchkin down.
"Mine," Lexi confirmed. She placed a loud, smacking kiss on Dawn's belly. "Nightnight baby!"
Spike looked at the ceiling, a small smile on his lips, as he lifted Lexi up, and carried her off to be put to bed.
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A/N: REVIEW!!!