Chapter 6 - A Normal Life
It's not real, I know that. But even so, it just feels so … right. I waken next to him, to sunlight peeping through the curtains. I glance at the crib beside the bed and see Zara happily kicking her legs. This is the normal life I never thought I'd have, and for a while, it's mine.
Spike stirs slightly, but he's not ready to waken yet. I smile as I watch him, hardly able to accept the way he's taken to fatherhood. I haven't had to get up in the night even once while we've been here. He seems to sense our daughter more quickly than I do, so I'm presented with a clean and hungry baby to feed, and can quickly go back to sleep.
Yesterday, we went shopping in Plymouth. Morwenna was a bit shocked, I think, but then she's not as familiar as I am with Slayer healing. We moved into the cottage a couple of days ago, and then yesterday we did a major shopping trip. Apparently, the money's coming from the Council of Watchers, although they don't know how it's being spent. The coven is often used by the Council on a consultant basis, although it has no specific affiliation to it. In fact, some of the comments made by Morwenna were so apt I couldn't help laughing. She seems happy that they can use money from that source, at least for a while, without an explanation being necessary. And where I would have been uncomfortable about taking money from either Morwenna or the coven, I've absolutely no qualms about taking it from the Council. From where I'm standing, I'm owed.
I stretch, feeling the pleasurable ache of muscles returning to normal, and I consider getting up. Then, I decide not to bother. It's just so comfortable here, surrounded by my family.
I look towards the window, and by the looks of it, it's going to be another beautiful day. Not California warm, perhaps, but warm enough to be comfortable without heavy clothes. It's funny, if you watch films and so on, you get the impression that England's either foggy or wet. We haven't seen any fog, and very little rain since we arrived.
Zara seems to have decided that she's waited long enough for her meal, and her noise level increases as she voices her displeasure. True to form, Spike's eyes open, but I put a hand on his shoulder telling him to stay where he is. I get up and pick up my daughter. She stops immediately and I take her into the bathroom for a quick change.
When I've finished, I go back into the bedroom and climb back in beside Spike, Zara cradled in my arms. She settles down to feed, and Spike strokes her downy head while she does. He's watching the whole thing hungrily, as if he can never get enough of what is really a very ordinary domestic sight.
And funnily enough, I know exactly how he feels. This is something neither of us thought we'd experience, even if for different reasons. I idly wonder how things are going in Sunnydale, but it all seems so remote that I can't quite bring myself to worry too much.
Zara's fed herself into a stupor again, so I carefully lift her back into her crib. She doesn't object, and while it's nice to have her between us, sometimes it's even better not to have her between us, if you see what I mean.
I snuggle down into Spike's arms, and he kisses my hair gently. His hands move lower, and my response is instant. Before things get too heated, I glance towards the crib, just making sure Zara is really asleep, before giving myself over to the sensations being generated throughout my body.
Later, both of us dressed, and the baby monitor switched on, we go downstairs to eat and discuss our plans for the day. There's only one thing specifically on the agenda for today, and that's Spike's interview. There's a job at a nightclub in Torquay. The job is 'security manager', but it sounds like they mean 'bouncer'. The money's not great, but if we can supplement it from the Council of Watchers, then it'll be ok. And, as Morwenna pointed out, it'll make us look more 'acceptable' to the locals.
I get the impression that Torquay's one of the bigger towns around. It's further than Torchurch, which boasts a ten store market square, and about five churches. Plymouth, which we visited yesterday, is a lot further, but it has what I'd call a shopping centre. Not a mall as such, although there were areas of the city centre which are covered. Torquay's on what they call 'The English Riviera'. It's apparently got the mildest weather of anywhere around. Torquay's a holiday town, and that's why the job's available. The night-club - it's called 'The Monastery' of all things - is gearing up for the summer season. I think it's open all year, but during the summer, everything's on a bigger scale, and they need more staff.
The interview's at eleven, and I'm going along for the ride. The club's close to the beach and the piers, and I thought I'd give Zara a turn in her lovely new stroller. We're just discussing what to do after the interview when there's a knock on the door. I open it to find Morwenna there, a food box in her hands.
"Come in," I invite her. "Can I get you something? Coffee?"
"Well, tea'd be lovely, please dear. I thought you'd like some scones - they're fresh today."
It's funny, because we've met almost no one from the coven other than Morwenna, yet there's been a regular supply of baked goods which she claims are not from her. Still, my appetite's still running to significant quantities of food, and it's all been exceptionally good.
Spike takes one look at me trying to make tea, and takes over. As if I can't manage something as simple as that. But, of course, if you're English, making tea isn't simple. I watch him, first of all boiling water in the kettle, then rinsing out the teapot before adding the teabags. I could do that. Ok, I probably wouldn't have bothered to rinse the teapot with boiling water first, but it's going to be filled with that same boiling water in a minute, so I can't figure out what difference it makes.
I sit at the kitchen table, across from Morwenna while Spike finishes, then he seems to consider leaving us when Morwenna asks him to stay.
"I've got some news from Sunnydale," she says, and that's enough to make him sit down, and I can't help but feel like the sun has disappeared behind a cloud.
She must see something of my feelings on my face, because she smiles and grabs my hand.
"Oh, no, my dear, it's not bad news. Jenna's been continuing to let us know what's happening, even though she doesn't know you're here. Now, let me get this straight. Jenna, Rupert, Willow, and your other friend … Alec?"
"Xander," I correct, automatically.
"Ah, yes, Xander. Well, they've been quite clever, it seems. They've managed to capture that awful woman, what's her name? Dawson. That's it. They're planning on how to find out what she knows, because she's not being too helpful right now."
Spike tenses at the mere mention of her name, and I put my arm around his shoulders and squeeze gently. He relaxes again, and leans towards me.
"What happened?" he demands.
Morwenna looks temporarily confused, then answers, "The details, you mean? Oh, yes. Well, I had Jenna's report transcribed for you because I thought you'd be interested. Well, the parts of it that directly refer to the capture, and your friends too of course."
She reaches into a pocket and pulls out several sheets of paper, covered in a large clear script. I take them, and pointedly leave them folded while we drink our tea. There's nothing we can do at this distance, and if there was something specific to worry about, I'm sure Morwenna would have told us.
We chat about our plans for the day, and Morwenna suggests a beach between here and Torquay that we could visit on the way back. She says it'll be quieter than any in the town itself, and promises some beautiful rock formations.
As soon as I get up to show Morwenna to the door, Spike grabs the report, and when I return, he's reading it avidly. He finishes, and puts it down with a deep sigh.
"What's up?" I ask.
"Nothing, it's just … I hoped there'd be more information there. They haven't got anything from her yet."
"Just as well we're not in Sunnydale," I comment.
He looks confused.
"Because I don't think she'd be able to say anything once I'd finished with her. For her, I'll happily rethink my strategy on human beings."
"You'd have to take your turn, Pet," he disagrees. "Guess we've both got issues with her. But, you're right. It's probably better we're here. Patience, well, it's never been my strong suit."
"What do you mean?" I ask, grinning at him. "You were pretty patient when it came to making me love you. All those times I refused to listen …"
"That's different, Pet. Loving you isn't something I do - it's a part of me. There's no choice involved."
I lean over and kiss him. The kiss continues, until it's interrupted by our daughter, making her current state of wakefulness known to us via the baby monitor. Laughing at her timing, we break apart, and I go to retrieve her, while Spike clears away in the kitchen.
A short while later, we're in our borrowed car, Zara sitting in a car seat beside me in the back, and her stroller stowed in the trunk. Or boot as Spike calls it. We checked over the paperwork that Morwenna supplied for us before we left. Our name is Daniels, and Spike's got a British passport in the name of William Daniels. And I'm his wife - with an American passport in the name of Elizabeth Daniels. We'll continue to use Buffy and Spike because Morwenna feels that the wards she's put up should be enough to keep us safe, but she was wary of making those names all official.
It's a different sort of driving from at home. The roads close to our new home are narrow, twisty, and dark due to the high hedges on either side of the road. When we reach the main roads, they're also narrower than at home, and I feel nervous as I see Spike negotiating the route. He, however, seems completely unperturbed by it all, so I relax after a while.
We arrive in Torquay, and after a couple of wrong turns we find our destination. It's a large building, although I've got to say, it doesn't look much like a monastery. In fact, if it looks like anything at all, I'd have to say 'warehouse'. Spike's not impressed when I comment that he should feel right at home there.
We agree to meet at the car in an hour, and after tucking a blanket around Zara to keep off the breeze, I set out on my walk.
It's beautiful here. It's a town, and there's a mixture of the tacky and fast food around, but the view of the water is lovely. It's the Atlantic, but Torquay is on a bay, and you can see the other towns around the bay quite clearly, although they're not that close. It softens the stark expanse of the ocean, somehow, making it feel safer.
We walk, and I buy an ice cream, and we walk some more. It seems so unlike me to be just walking in daylight. I've always done plenty of walking, although most of it was through cemeteries. It's another glimpse of the unreality of the present, but I'm not complaining. The air is fresh, and I can almost feel it healing me, making me feel a part of the human race again.
I pause to admire the view, and watch gulls swooping for bread someone is throwing. While my attention is elsewhere, someone approaches Zara, and I realise too late just how close she is. I jump, ready to defend my daughter, but there's no need. The woman, probably old enough to be my grandmother, is just admiring her.
"Isn't he lovely?" she enthuses.
"I think so," I agree.
"What's his name?"
"Zara, she's a girl." I wonder at the question. I know she's almost bald, but she's wearing pink, so I'd have thought it was obvious.
"Lovely," she nods, walking away.
I soon realise that baby watching is some sort of minor hobby in this town. I'm stopped another half a dozen times during my walk before I realise it's getting close to the time I agreed to meet Spike.
I turn the stroller around, and return to the club. There's no sign of Spike at the car, so I go inside, expecting to find someone at the reception desk. It's deserted, so I push stroller in a little further, and find myself in the main area.
It's big, with a long bar, and a dance floor surrounded by tables. Again, there's no one in sight. And then I feel it. It's Spike, and he's … no, not afraid, but he's excited about something - the way he gets when he fights. I follow the sensation, and come to a flight of stairs leading up. The stairway is too narrow for the stroller, so I pick Zara up, and start to climb.
At the top of the stairs is a hallway. From there, it takes me a second to identify Spike's location. When I do, I approach carefully. If I was sensing fear, I wouldn't have brought Zara anywhere near, but I don't get any sign that he's afraid.
I approach the furthest doorway, and find another set of stairs. Once I'm on my way up them, I hear the distinctive sounds of a fight. I'm almost alarmed at that, so I climb more cautiously.
When I reach the top, I peer round and see them. Spike, stripped to the waist, sparring with a man twice his size. The room is obviously a gym of some sort, with weights in one corner, and mats spread in the centre of the floor. It almost reminds me of the training room at the Magic Box. They don't seem to notice, so I just watch. Spike's not using a fraction of his strength, but he's doing enough to keep the other man at bay.
And then I know Spike has seen me. He doesn't acknowledge me at all, but he changes tactics, and fells the man in a single move.
"Hello, Pet," he greets me, as he holds out a hand to his opponent to help him up.
"This is Buffy, and our daughter," he introduces us to his companion, the look of pride on his face evident.
"And this is Eddie," he adds for my benefit. "This is his place."
"This is an interview?" I ask.
"My fault, I'm afraid," Eddie apologises.
"He didn't think I was up to the job," Spike tells me. "Wanted to see what I'm made of."
"Oh," I manage. "And did he convince you?" I ask Eddie.
"Yeah, I'd say so. For a little chap, he knows what he's doing."
"I've always thought so," I murmur. I'm not sure if Eddie heard, but Spike's smug smile shows that he did.
"So," Eddie continues, pulling a towel off a hook and drying his face. "The job's yours if you want it. Starting this Friday. It'll be quiet for a couple of weeks, then we'll get busier. Give you a chance to find your feet before it gets too bad."
"Seem to recall I wasn't the one having difficulty with my feet," Spike retorts, grinning. Eddie seems to take that as it was intended, and laughs.
"Look, I'm going to shower," he says, "so, is it ok if I send on the paperwork to you? I've got your address."
"Yeah, fine," Spike agrees, pulling on his shirt.
The two men shake hands, and Eddie then holds his hand out to me.
"Pleased to have met you, Mrs. Daniels."
"Call me Buffy," I tell him as we shake.
And then, he's gone, out into the hallway, and when we follow him out, the only sign of him is the sound of running water from behind one of the doors.
"Strange bloke," Spike nods towards the sound. "But he's ok, I think. The gym's his – he likes to keep fit."
"Hmm. You enjoyed that," I comment.
"Yeah. It's been a while since I had a spot of violence. "
We go back to the car in silence. I know what he means. Despite everything that I love about being here, and not being the Slayer, not having the weight of the world on my shoulders, I kinda miss that too. I wonder if Eddie would mind us using his gym for a work out sometimes. Sparring with Spike. Yeah, it's been too long since we danced.