Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox,
etc... except of course the ones I make up.
Summary: Spike and Buffy are going to have a baby together!!! I know, I know, it's been done about a million times but I promise that this one is different. Anyway, it also deals with all different types of families that could exist in the Buffyverse.
Spoilers: None really
Continuity: It's the sequel to "Apocalypse now... Again". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It picks up a few weeks after where "Apocalypse Now... Again" leaves off. Also, I just thought I'd point out that Tara is alive and with Willow, both witches are living with Buffy. Also, Xander and Anya are married and Anya is pregnant.
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FAMILY
Chapter 21: The Almost Normal
Spike helped the oh-so-pregnant slayer out of the car and lifted the packages from the back seat. He handed one to Dawn as they headed to the entrance of the apartment building. When they entered the elevator, Buffy leaned heavily upon the wall and let out an agonizing sigh.
"You okay, love?"
Buffy nodded and smiled. "Yeah," she breathed. "Just tired. I mean, the kid isn't even born and already she's keeping me up all night."
"Maybe she won't be so backwards when she comes out," Dawn suggested.
"Let's hope," Buffy agreed as they reached their floor and exited the lift. "Oh that'll be a fine day. You know, when she's outta me."
"You say that now..." Dawn mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just that, when she's actually out of you, that's when the real hard part comes. Diapers, nursing, crying all night long-"
"But I got the night thing taken care of at least," Buffy told her sister with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Nocturnal boyfriend, Dawnie. He can take the nightshift," the Slayer laughed as she leaned in and gave Spike a kiss on the jaw.
"For a while," he mumbled, "but don't forget: I don't NOT need sleep."
"You sleep during the day anyway!"
"She's going to be up during the day too."
"Not my kid," Buffy played joke-offended, and she lightly pressed the doorbell. The door swung open after a matter of moments as a very thrashed- looking Xander answered the door.
"It's the cavalry come to save me!" He told them quietly. "Thank God you've come, she's about to blow!"
"I HEARD that!" Anya yelled from across the room.
Xander looked to Spike and mouthed 'help'. The vampire merely laughed and handed one plastic bag to the other father-to-be.
"Here," he said, "I come bearing Chinese."
"And me!" Dawn insisted, and she pushed her way inside and placed the package she had been carrying on the kitchen table. "I bear it too."
"Hey Dawnster," Xander said cheerily, "I thought you couldn't make it."
"Change of plans," Buffy answered for her little sister. "Dave is busy tonight."
"Ah," Xander nodded understandingly. "So we're your second choice nighttime plans, huh, Dawn? Is that all we are to you now?"
"Pretty much."
"I'm honored."
Dawn laughed as Xander rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Dawn leaned on his hand in response and smiled up at him. Good Ol' Xander, always there for a pat on the back and a sarcastic yet delightfully witty remark. She remembered just then why she had had such a gigantic crush on him for all those years. Plus- though she would never admit it to anyone EVER- he was pretty cute. But at this point in her life she had acquired a cutie of her own and no longer needed to crush on someone she more or less considered her big brother... one of the many.
"Hello, everyone," Anya said with false cheer as she walked toward their guests and sat at the table next to Dawn.
"Hey, Anya," Dawn said as she gave the extremely pregnant woman a warm hug, "how are you feeling?"
"Would you like me to answer you honestly or would you rather I tell you I'm doing well?"
"I get it," Dawn told her and Anya shrugged.
"Look at you," Buffy remarked. "When's your due date again?"
"March 25," Xander told them.
"Wow. Two weeks. So, you're pretty much in any-day-now mode, huh?"
Xander smiled widely and nodded. "Pretty much."
"Yes, of course, YOU'RE all excited," Anya said bitterly, her voice shaking slightly, "you don't have to endure hours of agonizingly painful labor. I may have inflicted pains much worse than childbirth on hundreds of men but I myself was never much for pain."
"I know, sweetie," Xander cooed his best attempt to be understanding, "but it'll be fine. I'll be right by your side every minute." Xander ran his hand over his wife's hair soothingly and she leaned her head gently on his hip.
"I know, it's just scary."
"Hey! Then let's not talk about all that right now," Buffy offered helpfully.
"Yeah," Spike chimed in, "we've got a painful amount of Chinese food and chick-flicks. Should be fun, eh?"
Anya looked up at smiled and smiled, "you got 'Moulin Rouge' right?" She asked him eagerly.
"At your request, m'lady," he told her with a sarcastic bow.
"And they say chivalry is dead," Dawn laughed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
By the time Satine had dumped Christian in order to- due to the dramatic irony- save his life, Buffy, Dawn, and Anya had gone through what seemed like a million tissues. This all went on while Spike and Xander tried desperately to stay awake and seem interested all at the same time. When the movie become just too much, Xander devised a plan to get Spike and himself out of the estrogen-fest.
"Hey Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you come and help me with something?"
Spike looked at Xander with curiosity. "Help you with what?" He asked, as if Xander's request was completely ridiculous.
"You know," Xander said, making a 'this is just bullshit' face, hoping Spike would get the picture, "that thing I told you about."
"Oh! Right!" He exclaimed, sounding overly enthusiastic. "The thing."
"Right," Xander nodded, "with the stuff on the balcony."
A smile played at the corner of Spike's lips and he nodded thankfully, "yeah, sure. I'll give you a hand. You okay here, ladies?"
Buffy merely waved her hand absently at Spike as Dawn passed her another tissue along with another handful of chips. Spike's smiled widely as he jumped eagerly off of the couch and followed Xander outside where he was waiting with a beer for the vampire.
"Clever you," Spike told him, "how did you get these anyway? Buffy has this thing about no alcohol in the house till after the baby is born. It's pretty much a she can't so I can't sort of deal."
"Same here. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeves. Since Anya became pregnant, she's barely touched the vegetable drawer. I slipped a few under the lettuce and celery, figuring you might need one just as much as I do."
Spike twisted off the cap and raised his bottle, "here, here."
Both men took a long drink and just stood in silence before it was broken by Xander. "That may just be the most boring movie I have ever seen."
"Oh yeah," Spike agreed. "Have you seen it before?"
"Nope. And I never, ever will again."
"I've seen it," Spike confessed, and Xander raised a curious brow, "with Dawn. When it was first in theaters, she couldn't find anyone else to go with and I-"
"Got suckered into it?"
"Oh yeah. She does that pout-thing, you know?"
"Very well," Xander laughed, "I myself have been to a chick flick or two with our favorite teenage slayer."
"Ah..." Spike sighed as he moved the beer bottle away from his lips, "the things we do for the women we love."
"Is this love?" Xander joked, "I mean... I remember love. I remember it being a lot more pleasant than this."
"Well it can't be any worse that Buffy."
"Oh it's worse. Every day it gets worse... er."
Spike laughed. "Oh come now. You've gotta have a little compassion. She is pregnant."
"I have compassion!" Xander told him defensively, "I just have to have a little compassion for myself too, you know."
"Yeah," Spike nodded in agreement, "I'll drink to that."
"Or not."
"What do you mean?"
"No drinking. Buffy's coming."
"Shit! She'll have a fit if she-" Spike cut himself off and look around the perimeter of the balcony. "What the hell do I do with the bottle?"
"Uh..." Xander looked around with just as much confusion and worry as Spike just had. When he realized that he had forgotten to take the outdoor garbage can back outdoors, he looked cautiously over the edge of the balcony. He then moved his gaze to Spike and shrugged apologetically.
"Oh no," Spike shook his head, "you have got to be kidding me."
"Where else?"
"What if we hit someone?"
"See those bushed right below us?" Spike nodded. "We'll aim them for right there."
Spike looked at Buffy who was drawing nearer by the second and then back to the bushes. He sighed heavily and drunk down the rest of his bottle. Xander did the same and almost in sync the two threw their trash over the edge. They listened for the shattering of glass but only heard the rustling of the bushes below just as Buffy pulled open the sliding glass door to the balcony.
"Hey guys."
Xander and Spike both did their best to maintain non-guilty looks on their faces.
"Hey, Buff," Xander said and Spike smiled warmly, "hey."
"What are you guys doing out here?"
"Just, you know, helping Xander with his... thing," Spike tried to say as convincingly as he could. He could tell that Buffy saw right through him.
"Oh okay. Well, I just figured you two would want to see the last bit of the movie with us. And then, after the movie ends..." Buffy trailed off and Spike noticed a sadistic glint in her eyes, "we're going to watch all the DVD extras. You know... commentaries and deleted scenes and such. I know how much you wouldn't want to miss that."
Spike smiled, jaw clenched, "no, of course not," he lied through gritted teeth.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy rinsed the toothpaste from her mouth and took a long, lingering look at herself in the mirror. She turned to the side and pulled her shirt up so that she could see her ever-expanding belly. She ran the tips of her fingers lightly over it before just laying both palms flat on her stomach.
"Katie?" She asked herself aloud. "No. no, I think... maybe Kate? No, not that either." Buffy looked around the bathroom and ran her fingers through her hair. As she did, the new bathroom towels that Dawn had just bought caught her eye. They were light blue with little pink kittens on them.
"Kat?" Buffy asked her stomach. Just then, she felt the tiniest bit of pressure on her abdomen as the baby kicked. Buffy just laughed. "All right, Kat it is then."
The Slayer washed her face and dried herself off. She smiled at the little kitten as she placed it carefully back onto the towel rack. She turned off the bathroom light as she headed to her bedroom. When she got there, she saw Spike sitting on their bed, his head in his hands.
"Spike?"
When he looked up, she could see that his eyes were lined with saltwater threatening to fall. Immediately she became concerned as she walked briskly to the bed so she could sit beside him.
"Spike? Honey, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, her voice thick with concern and she placed her fingertips lightly on his elbow.
Spike began to laugh as a few tears slipped from his eyes down his smooth, well defined cheeks. "Nothing. I'm just, I don't know how to put this... floored?"
"Floored?"
"I... it's just... I never realized how gratifying doing normal life things could be."
Buffy began to understand what he meant. "Oh. You mean, hanging out tonight."
He nodded, "Yeah. It was, it was amazing. There were no vampires or demons or awful earth shattering events. It was just me, spending time with the people I love. Well, two people I love, one I like, and one I tolerate."
Buffy laughed. "It's nice, I know. Getting a taste of the almost normal can be very, VERY refreshing every now and then."
"I know. It's like... we went, and we ate, and we watched a movie. I did normal family type things... normal guy things, you know? Slipping out with Xander and having a..." Spike caught himself "chat. Having a nice chat on the balcony."
"Oh stop!" Buffy commanded him with a playful backhand slap on the shoulder. "Give it a rest *William*, I'm not stupid. You think I don't know you guys were drinking? Please! Super slayer senses, remember? I could smell it one your breath."
A guilty look came across Spike's face and he was sure he would be blushing if he could. "Oops. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it, 'cause I was just wondering..." Buffy said quietly as she leaned against him and light pressed her mouth against the corner of his lips, "how's this kind of normal working out for you?" She asked with a seductive smile.
"Oh," Spike whispered, as he purred into her mouth softly, "this normal's working out just fine."
TBC...
Summary: Spike and Buffy are going to have a baby together!!! I know, I know, it's been done about a million times but I promise that this one is different. Anyway, it also deals with all different types of families that could exist in the Buffyverse.
Spoilers: None really
Continuity: It's the sequel to "Apocalypse now... Again". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It picks up a few weeks after where "Apocalypse Now... Again" leaves off. Also, I just thought I'd point out that Tara is alive and with Willow, both witches are living with Buffy. Also, Xander and Anya are married and Anya is pregnant.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
FAMILY
Chapter 21: The Almost Normal
Spike helped the oh-so-pregnant slayer out of the car and lifted the packages from the back seat. He handed one to Dawn as they headed to the entrance of the apartment building. When they entered the elevator, Buffy leaned heavily upon the wall and let out an agonizing sigh.
"You okay, love?"
Buffy nodded and smiled. "Yeah," she breathed. "Just tired. I mean, the kid isn't even born and already she's keeping me up all night."
"Maybe she won't be so backwards when she comes out," Dawn suggested.
"Let's hope," Buffy agreed as they reached their floor and exited the lift. "Oh that'll be a fine day. You know, when she's outta me."
"You say that now..." Dawn mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just that, when she's actually out of you, that's when the real hard part comes. Diapers, nursing, crying all night long-"
"But I got the night thing taken care of at least," Buffy told her sister with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Nocturnal boyfriend, Dawnie. He can take the nightshift," the Slayer laughed as she leaned in and gave Spike a kiss on the jaw.
"For a while," he mumbled, "but don't forget: I don't NOT need sleep."
"You sleep during the day anyway!"
"She's going to be up during the day too."
"Not my kid," Buffy played joke-offended, and she lightly pressed the doorbell. The door swung open after a matter of moments as a very thrashed- looking Xander answered the door.
"It's the cavalry come to save me!" He told them quietly. "Thank God you've come, she's about to blow!"
"I HEARD that!" Anya yelled from across the room.
Xander looked to Spike and mouthed 'help'. The vampire merely laughed and handed one plastic bag to the other father-to-be.
"Here," he said, "I come bearing Chinese."
"And me!" Dawn insisted, and she pushed her way inside and placed the package she had been carrying on the kitchen table. "I bear it too."
"Hey Dawnster," Xander said cheerily, "I thought you couldn't make it."
"Change of plans," Buffy answered for her little sister. "Dave is busy tonight."
"Ah," Xander nodded understandingly. "So we're your second choice nighttime plans, huh, Dawn? Is that all we are to you now?"
"Pretty much."
"I'm honored."
Dawn laughed as Xander rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Dawn leaned on his hand in response and smiled up at him. Good Ol' Xander, always there for a pat on the back and a sarcastic yet delightfully witty remark. She remembered just then why she had had such a gigantic crush on him for all those years. Plus- though she would never admit it to anyone EVER- he was pretty cute. But at this point in her life she had acquired a cutie of her own and no longer needed to crush on someone she more or less considered her big brother... one of the many.
"Hello, everyone," Anya said with false cheer as she walked toward their guests and sat at the table next to Dawn.
"Hey, Anya," Dawn said as she gave the extremely pregnant woman a warm hug, "how are you feeling?"
"Would you like me to answer you honestly or would you rather I tell you I'm doing well?"
"I get it," Dawn told her and Anya shrugged.
"Look at you," Buffy remarked. "When's your due date again?"
"March 25," Xander told them.
"Wow. Two weeks. So, you're pretty much in any-day-now mode, huh?"
Xander smiled widely and nodded. "Pretty much."
"Yes, of course, YOU'RE all excited," Anya said bitterly, her voice shaking slightly, "you don't have to endure hours of agonizingly painful labor. I may have inflicted pains much worse than childbirth on hundreds of men but I myself was never much for pain."
"I know, sweetie," Xander cooed his best attempt to be understanding, "but it'll be fine. I'll be right by your side every minute." Xander ran his hand over his wife's hair soothingly and she leaned her head gently on his hip.
"I know, it's just scary."
"Hey! Then let's not talk about all that right now," Buffy offered helpfully.
"Yeah," Spike chimed in, "we've got a painful amount of Chinese food and chick-flicks. Should be fun, eh?"
Anya looked up at smiled and smiled, "you got 'Moulin Rouge' right?" She asked him eagerly.
"At your request, m'lady," he told her with a sarcastic bow.
"And they say chivalry is dead," Dawn laughed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
By the time Satine had dumped Christian in order to- due to the dramatic irony- save his life, Buffy, Dawn, and Anya had gone through what seemed like a million tissues. This all went on while Spike and Xander tried desperately to stay awake and seem interested all at the same time. When the movie become just too much, Xander devised a plan to get Spike and himself out of the estrogen-fest.
"Hey Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you come and help me with something?"
Spike looked at Xander with curiosity. "Help you with what?" He asked, as if Xander's request was completely ridiculous.
"You know," Xander said, making a 'this is just bullshit' face, hoping Spike would get the picture, "that thing I told you about."
"Oh! Right!" He exclaimed, sounding overly enthusiastic. "The thing."
"Right," Xander nodded, "with the stuff on the balcony."
A smile played at the corner of Spike's lips and he nodded thankfully, "yeah, sure. I'll give you a hand. You okay here, ladies?"
Buffy merely waved her hand absently at Spike as Dawn passed her another tissue along with another handful of chips. Spike's smiled widely as he jumped eagerly off of the couch and followed Xander outside where he was waiting with a beer for the vampire.
"Clever you," Spike told him, "how did you get these anyway? Buffy has this thing about no alcohol in the house till after the baby is born. It's pretty much a she can't so I can't sort of deal."
"Same here. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeves. Since Anya became pregnant, she's barely touched the vegetable drawer. I slipped a few under the lettuce and celery, figuring you might need one just as much as I do."
Spike twisted off the cap and raised his bottle, "here, here."
Both men took a long drink and just stood in silence before it was broken by Xander. "That may just be the most boring movie I have ever seen."
"Oh yeah," Spike agreed. "Have you seen it before?"
"Nope. And I never, ever will again."
"I've seen it," Spike confessed, and Xander raised a curious brow, "with Dawn. When it was first in theaters, she couldn't find anyone else to go with and I-"
"Got suckered into it?"
"Oh yeah. She does that pout-thing, you know?"
"Very well," Xander laughed, "I myself have been to a chick flick or two with our favorite teenage slayer."
"Ah..." Spike sighed as he moved the beer bottle away from his lips, "the things we do for the women we love."
"Is this love?" Xander joked, "I mean... I remember love. I remember it being a lot more pleasant than this."
"Well it can't be any worse that Buffy."
"Oh it's worse. Every day it gets worse... er."
Spike laughed. "Oh come now. You've gotta have a little compassion. She is pregnant."
"I have compassion!" Xander told him defensively, "I just have to have a little compassion for myself too, you know."
"Yeah," Spike nodded in agreement, "I'll drink to that."
"Or not."
"What do you mean?"
"No drinking. Buffy's coming."
"Shit! She'll have a fit if she-" Spike cut himself off and look around the perimeter of the balcony. "What the hell do I do with the bottle?"
"Uh..." Xander looked around with just as much confusion and worry as Spike just had. When he realized that he had forgotten to take the outdoor garbage can back outdoors, he looked cautiously over the edge of the balcony. He then moved his gaze to Spike and shrugged apologetically.
"Oh no," Spike shook his head, "you have got to be kidding me."
"Where else?"
"What if we hit someone?"
"See those bushed right below us?" Spike nodded. "We'll aim them for right there."
Spike looked at Buffy who was drawing nearer by the second and then back to the bushes. He sighed heavily and drunk down the rest of his bottle. Xander did the same and almost in sync the two threw their trash over the edge. They listened for the shattering of glass but only heard the rustling of the bushes below just as Buffy pulled open the sliding glass door to the balcony.
"Hey guys."
Xander and Spike both did their best to maintain non-guilty looks on their faces.
"Hey, Buff," Xander said and Spike smiled warmly, "hey."
"What are you guys doing out here?"
"Just, you know, helping Xander with his... thing," Spike tried to say as convincingly as he could. He could tell that Buffy saw right through him.
"Oh okay. Well, I just figured you two would want to see the last bit of the movie with us. And then, after the movie ends..." Buffy trailed off and Spike noticed a sadistic glint in her eyes, "we're going to watch all the DVD extras. You know... commentaries and deleted scenes and such. I know how much you wouldn't want to miss that."
Spike smiled, jaw clenched, "no, of course not," he lied through gritted teeth.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy rinsed the toothpaste from her mouth and took a long, lingering look at herself in the mirror. She turned to the side and pulled her shirt up so that she could see her ever-expanding belly. She ran the tips of her fingers lightly over it before just laying both palms flat on her stomach.
"Katie?" She asked herself aloud. "No. no, I think... maybe Kate? No, not that either." Buffy looked around the bathroom and ran her fingers through her hair. As she did, the new bathroom towels that Dawn had just bought caught her eye. They were light blue with little pink kittens on them.
"Kat?" Buffy asked her stomach. Just then, she felt the tiniest bit of pressure on her abdomen as the baby kicked. Buffy just laughed. "All right, Kat it is then."
The Slayer washed her face and dried herself off. She smiled at the little kitten as she placed it carefully back onto the towel rack. She turned off the bathroom light as she headed to her bedroom. When she got there, she saw Spike sitting on their bed, his head in his hands.
"Spike?"
When he looked up, she could see that his eyes were lined with saltwater threatening to fall. Immediately she became concerned as she walked briskly to the bed so she could sit beside him.
"Spike? Honey, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, her voice thick with concern and she placed her fingertips lightly on his elbow.
Spike began to laugh as a few tears slipped from his eyes down his smooth, well defined cheeks. "Nothing. I'm just, I don't know how to put this... floored?"
"Floored?"
"I... it's just... I never realized how gratifying doing normal life things could be."
Buffy began to understand what he meant. "Oh. You mean, hanging out tonight."
He nodded, "Yeah. It was, it was amazing. There were no vampires or demons or awful earth shattering events. It was just me, spending time with the people I love. Well, two people I love, one I like, and one I tolerate."
Buffy laughed. "It's nice, I know. Getting a taste of the almost normal can be very, VERY refreshing every now and then."
"I know. It's like... we went, and we ate, and we watched a movie. I did normal family type things... normal guy things, you know? Slipping out with Xander and having a..." Spike caught himself "chat. Having a nice chat on the balcony."
"Oh stop!" Buffy commanded him with a playful backhand slap on the shoulder. "Give it a rest *William*, I'm not stupid. You think I don't know you guys were drinking? Please! Super slayer senses, remember? I could smell it one your breath."
A guilty look came across Spike's face and he was sure he would be blushing if he could. "Oops. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it, 'cause I was just wondering..." Buffy said quietly as she leaned against him and light pressed her mouth against the corner of his lips, "how's this kind of normal working out for you?" She asked with a seductive smile.
"Oh," Spike whispered, as he purred into her mouth softly, "this normal's working out just fine."
TBC...