Authors note:

Thank you so much to my beta Chelsea.

Chapter 2

Courtney climbed onto Buffy and gave her a big cuddle. Spike stood up and backed off. He was totally shocked. So many thoughts were running through his head.

"She has a kid? She has a kid? Oh bloody hell who's the father? Angel. No, no don't think like that Spike. Oh bollocks it's the Immortal. Oh bollocks." Spikes trail of thoughts were suddenly stopped as a very confused Xander walked through the front door. Courtney ran over to him.

"Xana, Xana. Hi Xana."

"Hey Court. How's my little Pixie doing?" Courtney loved Xander, he was like a big brother figure and he was so totally cool.

"Xana what's wrong with mommy?"

"Buffy?"

"I'm fine Xander really I just fainted. A little bit. It was nothing. Please can you guys take Court and leave me and Spike to talk for a minute." Without another word Dawn and Xander walked out of the room and into the garden to play with Courtney, leaving Buffy alone with Spike.

"So I guess we need to talk." Buffy exclaimed as she pulled herself back to her feet Spike put out his hand to help and she took it. Spike still couldn't speak. He couldn't believe that his one and only true love had a child. A daughter. Her own spawn.

"So ...em ...you have a ...daughter?" Buffy looked up at him, her eyes shinning like emeralds as their eyes locked.

"Yes. I guess your wondering ...who the father is."

"Oh god. You knew him right. I mean he wasn't just some random guy? You didn't just have a drunken night or something? Oh, god tell me he didn't rape you." Spike was getting more worried by the second and babbling continuously.

"Spike calm down. Look maybe we should go and sit down." She led him into the family room and sat down on a large cream leather sofa and gestured for him to join her. He reluctantly sat down beside her. They sat silently for a moment getting used to each other's presence again.

"Spike the father wasn't just some random guy. And I wasn't raped. I loved him. I was head over heals and he didn't even know that. I never got a chance to tell him either. Before we even found out about Court he was gone. Out of my life forever. Or so I thought. He's came back into my life and now Court's going to have a father for the first time in her life. I mean she always had him she just never met him and he never met her and he didn't even know that she existed. But he's back now and I want to make the most of this. I want her to have the father she deserves. And I want us all to be a family. A proper family." It was better getting it all out at once and that was what Buffy was going to do.

"And your going to be there through it Spike. Through thick and thin. And you know why I want you to be here Spike?" Spike had tears forming in the corner of his eyes and he was hoping so badly that she wouldn't notice he was shocked and scared that this guy was going to push him away from her. He shook his head slightly.

"Because you are her father Spike." Spike's jaw dropped slightly and hung open for a few seconds he was more shocked than ever. He didn't want to believe it but he had to because he loved her and he believed everything she said now.

"Spike don't get me wrong I don't just want you here because you are her father but I want you here for me. I never told you this Spike but I love you. I always have deep down. I just could never admit it even to myself. But I do Spike. I love you. And I know that you're going to make the best dad ever." Buffy was crying now. Shining pear drop tears were slowly trickling down her face leaving little trails down her face. Spike reached a hand over and gently brushed the tears off her silk smooth face he hated it when she cried it made him want to cry with her and he hated to see her hurt and sad.

"You're okay with this right?"

"Look love this may be a lot to handle, but I'm fine about this really. I get the two things that I thought I could never have. One a child of my own which being a vampire I never thought I would have one. And number two you. I have always wanted to be with you. Properly. Have a family with you. I mean I really, really never thought that I would have any of that. I love you so much Buffy. Never stopped loving you. Never will." Spike leaned into her softly cupping her face and gently moving his lips closer to hers until they finally met in raging passion, lips crashing into each other slowly recovering old ground.

"Mummy?" They suddenly pull apart as fast as they not wanting to kiss in front of Courtney. Buffy stood up to pull her daughter into her arms.

"Court baby this is your daddy." Buffy sat Courtney down on Spike's lap and he started to worry he couldn't do the father thing.

"Daddy?" Her big emerald green eyes shone up at her father and as his big blue eyes gazed back down at the infant sitting in his lap he saw how his daughter's eyes were exactly the same as her mums that was where he had seen those eyes before.

"Hi Courtney," he said.

"My mummy calls me Court," she said boldly and with cheek. She was stubborn like her mother

"Don't you dare be cheeky to your father young lady, or there will be trouble." Buffy looked sternly at her daughter and she stared back up before tuning to her father and sticking out her bottom lip. The typical Summers pout. They all had it and he couldn't say no to them.

"Buffy, love, don't be hard on her. She's only tiny anyway." From that moment on Courtney knew she would get anything out of her father she wanted. This was going to be fun.

"Court eh. Hey nibblet. Did your mummy ever tell you how much daddy loves you?"