Chapter 2

"Guess you won't have to worry about that tickin' clock any longer, 'ey Slayer? Not now you've got yourself a bairn." Spike attempted at conversation as they walked slowly back to 1630 Revello Drive, he was still cradling the kid, Buffy's kid, he corrected himself and looked down at little girl in his arms.

"Spike," Buffy stopped walking and turned to glare at him. "If you weren't currently holding my child I would punch you." He would have usually grinned at the insult, wound her up further but Buffy seemed to lack the energy to put up with much more tonight and so he smiled, "Glad to hear you laying your claim on the Bit." Buffy roll her eyes half-heartedly and he continued to walk them home.

They had parted with the monks and their deceased brother back at the cemetery with not much else to say. The two men had taken his body and Buffy and Spike were left in shock, babe in arms.

"It's gonna be alright, you know that, luv."

"How can you say that?" Buffy spoke in quiet hysteria as she continued to walk beside Spike on the street up to her house where her mother and younger sister were most likely sleeping soundly. She had yet to look at the child again since leaving the graveyard and found herself grateful for Spike's presence. What is wrong with me? I'm grateful that a vampire is here to carry my child home so I don't have to…oh my god, my child…I have a…Tears threatened to spill down her face again and Buffy struggled with the lump forming in her throat. "I…why does this shit always happen to me, Spike?"

"Had supernatural offspring flung on you before, pet?" Spike smiled.

"You know what I mean." She looked defeated, Spike did not like that.

"You're the Chosen One, Buffy." Spike said as they reached the back entrance to her family home.

"But a child?" Buffy whirled around to face him, frustrated.

"You gonna take it out on Her?" Spike accused, cuddling the child closer to himself. "S'like Friar Tuck back there said, she's innocent. S'not her fault." Spike gaze bore into Buffy's, hoping she'd see sense. "Plus, she's yours, Slayer. You gonna toss your own out to the wolves…to that hellbitch?" He almost growled and Buffy didn't know what to say.

"How…what…I don't know how to do this." Buffy cried.

"What new parent does?"

"Yeah, well prospective parents usually get nine months prior warning. And case and point, parents…that's plural, Spike. What happens when she starts asking about stuff…well, sweetie, when a mommy and a supernatural ball of energy love each other very much…what the fuck!?" She gasped helplessly.

"You're not alone, Slayer." Spike stared down at her for a moment, taking in her tear-stained face, when did he start to hate to see her cry? "You've got…you've got the Scoobies, good ol' Watcher, your mum 'n' sis' will love her…"

"Oh my god! My mom!" Buffy hands flew to her face, hyperventilating. "How am I supposed to tell my mom? The talk doesn't exactly include supernatural contraception, Spike! Oh my god…"

"Ssh, hey, Slayer?"

"Oh my god…"

"Buffy!" He continued to hold the baby with one hand and yanked Buffy towards him with the other. "Just…we deal. It's gonna be alright, alright?" He stared at her fiercely and something in Buffy shifted.

"We deal." She breathed and finally looked back down at the sleeping child. Buffy wept silently. "She's beautiful."

"Ain't she just?" Spike chuckled, looking down at the baby once more. "S'hard not to keep looking at her." Buffy smiled and gazed back up at Spike through blurry vision, the skin crinkled around his eyes and he smiled down at…at her daughter. Get used to it Buffy. It was a look she'd never seen on him before but it was a look that wasn't unfamiliar. It was the way most people looked at a newborn…with adoration. With love? Vampires can't…

"Should probably get the Little Bit out of the cold, Buffy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Buffy huffed as she turned to enter the house, bereft. "I'm already a crappy mom."

"You'll be a great mum, Slayer. The little one hit the jackpot with the supernatural parent lottery." He smiled as they began to settle down in the Summers' living room.

"Quit it." Buffy grumbled.

"What?" Spike looked taken aback.

"You don't know that. Stop trying to make me feel better."

"Me? Make you feel better? Please…" Spike feigned indifference before he caught the broken look on Buffy's sweet face. "Look, Slayer," He began gently, "you're a great big sis…"

"Dawn hates me most of the time."

"Younger sibling…think that's normal, luv." He countered.

"I'm the Slayer, my life's not exactly danger free."

"And hers isn't?" Spike asked, looking down at the child again. "Look at what she was born into but you said it, you didn't ask for this, well, neither did she, Buffy." Spike looked back at her with a small smile. "Plus, you've babysat Harris all these years and to my great distain, he's somehow still alive 'n' kickin'. You can manage that one, then it stands to reason…" His lips tilted up at the ends and Buffy's began to follow suit; the longer Spike spoke, the more the stress seemed to diminish and be rung from her torpid self.

Just then, the child started to stir again and she broke her slumber with a yawn. Through a waning haze of sleep, a pair of eyes, the deepest blue you'd ever see, blinked up at the strange people now staring down at her. This startled the vampire and Slayer into an amazed silence and it was soon filled with small gurgles and an unshakeable, single hiccough. The Slayer gasped through a smile and Spike joined Buffy in her amusement and awe.

When the girl was asleep it was much easier for Buffy to pretend that she hadn't just been coerced by the universe to be responsible for something so small, so vulnerable. She fought for people's lives every day, but this, to be responsible for this one little person, a person who was a part of her, a tiny person who was now staring curiously up at herself and Spike…how the hell am I going to do this? Apocalypse…piece of cake. Being a mother? Buffy hoped to hell that she could do this because she knew for certain that as soon as that child stared up at her, acknowledged her with those big innocent eyes, well, Buffy was certain that she had already fallen in love. I won't toss you to the wolves, baby, I promise.

Spike had unravelled the baby girl from the tattered blanket she came to them in and now she lay in his lap, head supported by the vamp's strong fingers. Buffy cautiously reached a finger out to the child's grappling hands and a small fist enclosed around it and drew the digit into her gummy mouth. Spike and Slayer laughed as she tried to chew and gurgled. Her little legs started to kick into Spike's belly as she bounced around contentedly.

"Hi, baby." Buffy smiled softly and the child looked up at her with an adorable face. Buffy had yet to hold her and it was only then that Spike realised.

"You want to hold her?" He asked carefully. Buffy looked terrified.

"I.."

"She's your kid." He frowned, Buffy thought he looked disappointed.

"I'll break her." Buffy voice broke as she barely got the words out and he realised how difficult this must be.

"No, you won't, Slayer." Spike said firmly.

"She's so small…"

"You know your own strength, luv, you won't break her…just pretend she's Xander." Spike humoured her again and Buffy conceded. He lifted the child with care and placed her gently into her mother's open arms. "Support her head." He advised and Buffy did so. When she finally had her daughter cradled to her breast, she was taken by her. How could I not want you? A few more tears managed to find their way down Buffy face again and she sniffled.

"Slayer? Ok?" Buffy smiled threw her tears to look back at Spike and nodded firmly. She was ok and laughed a little.

"Yeah, it's just…" She let out a long, needed breath.

"Scary."

"Says the master vamp but…yeah. Scary." Buffy spoke softly before gazing back down at her daughter.

The living room of 1630 was comfortably quiet that night, the two couldn't seem to stop staring at the little girl in Buffy's arms. With Buffy happily distracted, Spike looked on from his place at Buffy's side: at the two Summers women, at all their beauty, their fight and he couldn't help but think…bugger! He thought he was done for before when it was just Buffy, but now? Spike knew without question that that child would be the final nail in his loved-up coffin. Fuck. You got me, Bit, got me good. He sighed heavily.

"Spike, are you ok?" He looked back up at Buffy.

"Suits you."

"Huh?" Buffy's brow crinkled adorably and he smiled before nodding to the kid.

"Suits you." He spoke softly again and Buffy knew what he meant. A blush rose to her cheeks and she looked down at the child once more so as not to look back at the handsome face that was staring at her funny.

The kid began to kick up a fuss just then, pudgy face going all red. She scrunched up her eyes and opened her mouth as if to…

"Oh no." Spike harrumphed.

"Wha…" Buffy began to question but was cut off by the sound of her own daughter's shrill cries. "Oh no." Buffy confirmed and began to hush and coo to settle the upset child.

"Buffy?" A worried yell came from upstairs.

"Ooh nooo." Buffy winced as she heard the sleepy voice of her now awake mother travel into the living room. "Spike, will you…"

"Yeah." And he reclaimed the child from her mother's arms, rocking her gently to settle her still present cries. "What are you gonna…"

"Buffy?" Joyce had made her way down the stairs quicker than expected and looked terribly confused. Buffy and Spike peered up at Mrs. Summers with a deer-in-headlights expression, guilt ridden faces. For what they needed to feel guilty about, they weren't sure but it felt very much like they were both children about to be scalded. A sleepy Dawn had also stumbled down the stairs, bedhead and all; she now stood behind her mother who was clearly expecting an explanation and once she had managed to banish most of the sleep from her eyes, Dawn looked up into the living room at her big sister and favourite member of the living dead. Shock didn't even begin to explain the expressions on the ladies' faces.

"Buff…" She began but then noticed: "Spike, why do you have a baby?"