Chapter 4

"You're going to stay in bed and get some rest. I'll handle everything." Joyce told Buffy as she made her more comfortable. Buffy moved back into her mother's house a while ago. Joyce wanted her and the baby to be closer.

"Mom, I'm fine. I gave birth days ago. They wouldn't have let us leave the hospital if they didn't think we were ready." Buffy explained and Joyce shook her head.

"You can't be too careful. I still can't believe I missed it. I should have been here." Joyce stated as she sat down next to Buffy.

"I don't blame you for not being there. You have a business, you can't always be here. Besides, it all worked out. I got to the hospital okay." Joyce nodded and gave Buffy a smile.

"Well, I guess it was a good thing for William then. I'm still surprised by everything you told me. You and William hardly ever got along in the past." Buffy shrugged and still couldn't believe everything that happened either.

"He probably wouldn't like to hear you call him William. It's all so weird though. He hated me years ago and now he managed to take me to the hospital, so I could bring Katie into this world. He even helped me stay calm. We must be in an alternate universe or something." Buffy said with a small smile.

"I still don't understand it even after all of this time, but why did he hate you?" Joyce wondered and Buffy let out a sigh.

"I don't even know. He just never liked me. Maybe I was too perky for him or something. Spike was the bad boy of the school. He rarely hung out with the popular crowd. I hung out with other people though. It's not like I was such a bitch and only cared about popularity, but I guess that's what he saw." Buffy then heard the baby cry and was about to get up, until Joyce stopped her.

"You stay in bed; I'll take care of her." Joyce said as she headed to the nursery. Buffy lay back in the bed and looked up at the ceiling. She still couldn't believe everything that happened. She was a single mother now and she really wanted her baby to have a father, even though she said she could handle it on her own. She was even willing to go back to Riley and hope that he would change his mind, but she shook that thought away. He couldn't even commit to a relationship, so she didn't know how he would commit to being a father. Buffy would have to get out there and start dating again. She was determined to find the perfect man to be Katie's father. No matter what it took.

Spike was sitting outside his house and smoking a cigarette. He had a lot on his mind as he threw the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. He then noticed a pair of feet standing in front of him. He looked up at the person and smiled when he recognized him. "Hey, Harris. It's been a while." Spike said and the man sat down next to him.

"Feels like a lifetime, Spike. What, you don't let me know that you're back in town?" Spike shrugged as he looked at his old friend.

"Nothing personal, Xander. I was just trying to keep a low profile." Xander nodded in understanding and decided to change the subject.

"So, I hear Buffy had the baby." Spike nodded also and looked up at the sky.

"Yeah, about a week ago. I was with her at the time. It was a bloody nightmare." Spike explained and Xander wouldn't believe it, but he didn't say anything. "So, you two are still friends then?" Spike asked him.

"Of course, me and the Buffster go way back. You don't end a friendship just because high school's over. We're not as close as we used to be, but I still see her every now and then. I witnessed most of her relationship with Riley. If you thought her time with Angel was nauseating, you should have seen her with him. It was enough to make me want to gouge my eye out." Spike smiled a little at Xander's attempt at humor.

"So, why did he leave her then?" Spike wondered and didn't feel right about asking Buffy.

"He just couldn't handle it anymore. Buffy doesn't like to talk about it much." Xander then smiled as he patted Spike on the back. "Now's your chance, man." He said and Spike raised his eyebrows.

"My chance for what?" Xander rolled his eyes at how dense his friend could be sometimes.

"Your chance to get with Buffy. And don't even deny that you have feelings for her. That won't work anymore." Spike sighed and decided that he was right.

"I don't have a chance with her, mate. Girls like Buffy don't go for blokes like me. I tried to forget about her the whole time I was in England, but it never worked. I knew coming back here would be a bad idea, but I just had to see her again. She made high school fun." He stated with a smile.

"Yeah, that was because you liked to torment her." Spike shrugged and looked at the ground.

"You always torment the ones you love." He whispered and Xander didn't know what to think about that. Spike looked back up at him after a few seconds. "It just killed me to see her with Peaches. I took out a lot of my anger on her and I regret it now. I shouldn't have treated her the way I did, but the damage is done. She hates me." Xander shook his head.

"I don't think she hates you. You should just talk to her." Spike sighed again and knew that his friend was right, but he would never admit it. He just decided to change the subject.

"I still can't believe she has a kid now. The baby is bloody gorgeous, too. Just like her mum." Xander saw the look in his friend's eyes and let a smile grace his lips.

"Yeah, you have it bad." Xander said and Spike smacked him on the back of the head.

"Shut it, Harris." Xander rubbed his head and kept the smile on his face. He had a feeling that they would get together soon enough. Buffy and Spike were both very stubborn. They were a perfect match. If only they would realize it.