Author's note: thanks everyone for all the lovely reveiws. I hope its sorta clear to everyone now why Alex is there, the Drs. Mina Welles and George Wilkins-who are good doctors, all things considered-are rather poor magicians and botched up Lewis's attempt to accelerate Buffy's pregnancy, dragging Alex through the dimensions to land in this one. Well, Spike warned us himself that "Magic has consequences.

and thanks to Adoria for that correction about Sardinia-its my mistake and i forgot once again my European geography. Mea Culpa. Thank you Adoria, this chapter is for you.

Chapter XIV - Back in Prague

Prague:

Buffy walked down the deserted, cobblestone streets of Prague.

She was nearing the townhouse Spike had rented. Over the last three months he had quite a saving's account. Every penny of it came from the assassins that the damn doctors of the compound sent after them. It had been quiet a while; she hoped Spike was right in thinking that the doctors of the compound would never think to look back in Prague so soon. She guessed they wouldn't as long as she, the vampire and Alex laid low. So they rented a town house in a fairly nice district with the money from the assassins, the bounty hunters and Spike's small account from a small bank here.

It was all well and nice but COLD. Buffy was really beginning to hate cold. evern the word 'cold', how she had ever wished it would snow somemore in Sunnydale was beyond her.

It was freezing cold. She could barely feel her toes as she slowly made the agonizingly long walk back to the house. Snow was falling ever so slightly and the streets look like they were lifted straight out of a Christmas card.

She passed over a small bridge over a clean, frozen stream and up the steps of the stoop of their unit. She pulled out her keys and opened the door.

"I'm back!" she called turning to hanging the leather duster on the peg next to the door. The inside of the house was warm, such a relief compared to the freezing Czechoslovakian winter.

Spike walked out of the kitchen holding a cup of hot chocolate.

"What did the doctor say, pet?"

"Ten fingers, ten toes." Buffy replied snatching the hot cocoa from the vampire. Sipping it, she entered the small living room, where a fire was crackling. "And no fangs."

Alex was sitting infront of the hearth wrestling with the wild tangle of Christmas lights their neighbor had given them. She was losing.

They had already weaseled the whole story out of her. She had come from another time and place and she didn't know why. She just had, and soon, Buffy and Spike had come to terms with it, she did however call them 'Mum' and 'Da' or 'Dad' just to piss them off from time to time.

"Any luck with those, Lexy?" Buffy had grown fond of that nickname.

The younger girl groaned and dropped the tangle.

"Why did you accept this from the old fart?" she demanded.

The old fart was actually a woman named Verona who lived next door. Her house jam packed with children. She said that their house was too un-festive and suggested they put up decorations. Buffy had at first said that they had just moved and simply didn't have the time to buy anything. A box came from Verona the next day filled with her old decorations. Spike, Buffy and Alex had spent the whole day putting up Christmas lights or at least trying to

"That's a very good question." Buffy said grinning.

"Wait a second." Alex said feigning a look of a sudden idea. "It's because you knew I would be the one to untangle this." she grumbled and gestured wildly at the pile.

"That's it." Buffy joked.

Alex scowled at her.

"Stupid, old fart." she muttered under her breath. After a while, she gave up. She got up and headed to the kitchen to fix herself some cocoa.

Spike walked over and sat down on the couch next to Buffy. The slayer began to try and undo the tangle just to have something to do with her hands. Spike watched her as she tried and tried to untangle the string of lights. She succeeded for the most part until she got to one huge knot. After about five minutes she dropped the lights in frustration.

"Damn lights!" she cried heatedly, her hormones enhancing her agitation.

Spike gently took them from her.

"I'll take these." he said slowly. He untangled them easily.

This just displeased Buffy more. Huffily she turned back to her hot chocolate. The kid kicked, making Buffy wince and almost spill her cocoa.

"Hey!" Buffy addressed her stomach. "One more of those and you are officially grounded."

Then she looked back at Spike to yell at him for being able to untangle the lights but he had a look on face that he had been giving her for a while now. Buffy didn't know what it meant... until now.

"Give me your hand." she said.

"What?"

"You heard me!" Buffy declared.

She grabbed Spike's hand and placed it on her abdomen. The baby chose that precise moment to give it's biggest kick yet. Buffy carefully watched the vampire in front of her. She didn't want to admit but she was worried about what he was going to say.

"S'got legs like its mum." Spike said proudly after what seemed like an hour.

He was literally beaming at the child.

Buffy exhaled. She was relived.

And from where she was standing in the doorway from the kitchen, Alex smiled.