CHAPTER TWELEVE

Buffy pushed the stroller through the park with Spike at her side. "Thanks for coming with me, I had to get out of the house, it's driving me crazy."

"That's okay; I'm here with whatever you need."

"Thanks." They sat down on a park bench and stared into the stroller.

"Has Captain Forehead called?" He could tell that stung her a bit by the slight flinch.

"Uh no, but then again I really didn't expect him to. Like I said before, I have everything and everyone I need, and Amelia doesn't need him. She has Xander, Giles, Doyle, and you to be there for her." She caught his eye and Spike quickly looked to the ground. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

"No, its okay, Buffy, I seem to be around a lot these days." He tried to smile, but it seemed forced as he thought, 'yeah, if I'm around so much then why is Harmony's offer to go with her to Argentina looking really good right now?'

XXXX

Buffy and Spike walked through the front door of Buffy's house and Spike chuckled into the silence, "Where is everyone? It's like a ghost house in here."

"Dawn is at school, Giles and Anya are at the Magic Box taking inventory, Xander is at the construction site, and Will and Tara have class. So I'm bored at home Buffy." She smiled up at him as she parked the stroller next to the dining room table.

"Oh. Well, you know if you ever get lonely you can give me a call. And if you need a night with your mates, I'll take care of Amelia." He smiled shyly.

"Thank you." She took Amelia out of the stroller and held her out to Spike. "Hold her for a sec while I get a bottle?"

He smiled brightly and tucked the small baby securely into the crook of his arm. "Sure" He watched Buffy walk into the kitchen then headed into the living room, walking in circles as he rocked Amelia gently.

Buffy walked in and smiled warmly, "You're a natural."

"Thanks, pet, but I'm really not."

"No, I mean it; you look good with a baby." She winked as she held the bottle out to Spike. "Doesn't mean you can borrow Amelia to scam on chicks though," she giggled.

He took the bottle and gently slipped the nipple into Amelia's mouth. "It's weird," he sighed.

"What is?"

"It's like I never knew what my arms where for until I held Amelia for the first time; she fits there perfectly," he said gently as he pressed a light kiss to the baby's forehead.

"I know, she's just perfect." Buffy smiled and also kissed her daughter on the forehead then looked up at Spike, their eyes meeting for the first time since their last kiss. Buffy closed her eyes as she leaned forward and Spike softly brushed his lips against hers.

They broke apart when they heard the front door slam then they turned to see Dawn struggling to take her backpack off and hang it up. "Hey guys! Hey, Miss Millie," she giggled, taking Amelia out of Spike's arms and kissing her softly.

"Uh... Suppose I better push off then," he said sadly, heading toward the door.

"You don't have to go on account of me," smiled Dawn, rocking her niece gently.

"Uh no... I got... erm... a thing," he said, escaping through the door.

"Have fun with your thing!" shouted Buffy. "Oh I did not just say that!" she whispered in horror, realising how wrong that sentence sounded.

Dawn giggled then asked, "Still haven't told him then?"

"No and you shouldn't either," said Buffy sternly.

XXXX

Xander knocked softy on Buffy's bedroom door then opened it slightly. "Hey, Buff, you decent?" he asked, covering his eyes.

"You're safe, Xan," chuckled Buffy as she stripped Amelia out of her frilly pink sundress.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sounds serious... sure... uh, I was just gonna give Amelia a bath. Wanna help?" smiled Buffy, picking up her small baby and taking her through to the bathroom, followed closely by Xander.

Buffy sponged Amelia down while Xander poured water over the little one. "She's amazing." He smiled widely. "She's Spike's, isn't she?" he asked.

Buffy looked startled for a second. "What makes you say that?" she whispered.

"C'mon on, Buff, the only person with eyes as blue as hers is our very own Captain Peroxide."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dawn has blue eyes too," she said, taking Amelia out of the tub and drying her off.

"Buffy, this is me... Xander. You know you can tell me. Plus I've pretty much worked it out."

"Okay, a gold star for you, Xan, you guessed correctly. Now are you gonna tell me how I've messed up? Well you don't need to," she said, carrying Amelia back into her bedroom and wrapping a tiny diaper around her.

Xander leaned up against the door frame. "Is that what you want me to do? Tell you that you've messed up?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." She dressed Amelia in a fuzzy pink sleep suit then laid her gently in her in her crib and tucked her in.

"Buffy, you gotta tell him... you know that, right?"

"No, I don't. It's better if he doesn't know."

"How can you say that? Keeping a father and daughter apart after what you've been through with your dad?"

"That was different."

"How? How was that different, Buffy? Your dad left and stayed away. Spike left and came back. For you."

"But for how long, huh? And when did you become part of the Spike pep squad?"

"You know I don't like the Peroxide Pest for what he did to you, for the way he freaked and left, but I gotta say, Buffy, I feel for the guy. He still thinks that Amelia is Angel's."

"I don't know how he came to that conclusion," she stifled a laugh.

"Neither do I, but when you look at her you see him, don't you? Every day. Every minute of every day and it kills you because you think that if he finds out he's gonna bail."

"It's what they always do, Xander," she said sadly.

"Not him, Buffy. Sure he left... but he came back. And he's still here, even thinking that Amelia isn't his... he's still here, so just think about it." Xander smiled and gave her a hug then walked out the room.

XXXX

Buffy opened the door to the bleach blond man standing there smiling with his thumbs tucked in the loops of his jeans. "Two days in a row? Wow, I'm honoured," she giggled, stepping aside to let him in.

He smiled with an embarrassed shrug. "Had nothing else to do so I thought I'd stop by see how you are."

"Tired," she grumbled.

"I can watch Amelia if you'd like to get some kip."

"Thanks, but no, I have to deal. It's not like you're gonna be around forever and I don't want to start relying on you just to have you disappear on me."

"Right," he said angrily.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that, Spike, I just meant... I don't know what I meant. I'm sorry." She half smiled and scrubbed her hands over her face. "My brain is kinda on autopilot and apparently the filter between my brain and my mouth isn't working right now."

"It's okay, luv, but your brain is wrong. I'm here for you and for Amelia... whatever you need. I promise."

"That's sweet." His eyes caught hers and her breath hitched as she thought, 'Uh oh... not the eye contact thing. This leads to kissing and kissing leads to... Oh God!' Her eyes were locked on his blue orbs and he took an unsteady step toward her then caught her lips with his, tangling their tongues together as they moaned into each other's mouths.

A distant cry made them break apart, each of them panting harshly. "We always get interrupted," he chuckled as he shrugged off his duster and laid it over the back of the couch. "I'll go, you stay here." He smiled then disappeared up the stairs.

Buffy flopped down onto the couch, still trying to catch her breath, and caught something fluttering to the floor out of the corner of her eye. She leaned over and looked at the floor, spying a folded up napkin. "Must've fallen out of his pocket." She shrugged and picked it up then looked at it, a frown settling onto her face as she read, "I guarantee no complications, Harmony." She crumpled it up and stuffed it into one of the duster pockets as she sighed, "Great."

Spike came down the stairs with a fussing Amelia in his arms. "I think she wants 'er mum."

She took Amelia and cradled her against her chest, leaning forward to snag her binky off the coffee table. "So... who's Harmony?" She rocked her daughter gently as her eyelids grew heavy and finally slipped shut.

Spike stood there with a deer in the headlights expression for a few minutes then managed to stutter, "Uh, just somebody I met travelling. She's from LA, but she's been backpacking all over the world."

"Oh... have you seen her since you got back?" she asked as she laid Amelia in the bassinet that was sitting next to the coffee table.

"Once or twice," he said quietly as he dropped his gaze to the floor between his feet.

"Happily ever after on a mountain top," she spat as she stood up, her hand settling possessively on the edge of the bassinet.

"Buffy, don't."

"You're a complication, Amelia, and here I thought you were an amazing bundle of life," she said as she glanced at her sleeping daughter.

"Why do you think I'm here?" he asked angrily.

"I hope you don't think that because we've been on a few walks and shared a couple of kisses and you've watched Amelia for a few minutes here and there that I'm supposed to be grateful to you... that I'm just gonna throw myself into your arms."

"No, that's not why I did it!" he snapped.

"Good! Because I need a man who can be a father, not a scared little boy who thinks that a child is a complication!"

"Yeah? Well maybe I don't want a chit that's gonna get herself up the spout by another bloke the minute my back is turned!"

"Maybe you should go pour your heart out to your little slut! I'm sure Harmony will make it all better!"

"You know what? I will!" He roughly snagged his duster off the back of the couch then stomped out the door, slamming it behind him. Buffy flopped onto the couch and covered her face with her hands as she sighed heavily, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

Dawn rushed down the stairs and skidded to a halt at the end of the couch. "Are you okay? Sounded like things were getting a little heated down here." She sat next to Buffy on the couch and started rubbing her back, trying to soothe her.

Tears fell freely from Buffy's eyes as she sobbed, "Oh, Dawn, everything is just a mess! Spike thinks that Angel is the father and now I've lost him to some backpacking bimbo slut named Harmony!"

Dawn pulled her sister in for a hug. "Buffy, I know that Spike hurt you, but you have a child together now, and you know that Spike is totally not over you. Cordy told us you guys had some kissage at your baby shower."

Buffy broke free from her sister's embrace with a yelped, "What?" then her eyes narrowed as she spat, "Doyle! That big-mouthed freaking..." She suddenly stopped and took several deep breaths as she pressed her palms against her knees. "You know what? I don't care about Doyle." She dropped her head and looked shyly over at her sister as she whispered, "You really think Spike still loves me?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Duh."