CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Buffy was in the basement, slowly working her way through a mountain of clean clothes when she heard footsteps coming down the creaky wooden stairs. "Hey, need any help?" asked Dawn.

"Nope, I got it... and you hate folding laundry," said Buffy, not turning to face her sister. "That's why we have a pile the size of Mount Everest down here." Buffy reached over and held up a folded red shirt. "But hey, upside, I finally found my favourite shirt that somebody, who will not be named... cough, cough... Dawnie... cough, cough... wore without asking."

Dawn let the jibes go, not wanting to get into another 'who does more housework' or 'stop taking my clothes without asking' argument right now. "Soooo... heard Angel was here this afternoon, what did he want?"

Buffy sighed as she tossed the red shirt back onto the stack. "He wanted to get back together, to look after me and Amelia."

"And what did you say?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

"What about Spike?"

Buffy crumpled the shirt she'd been folding in her hands then spun to face her sister with red eyes. She'd been crying for hours as she tried to figure out what she should do, what was for the best, and she was at the end of her tether. She tightened her grip on the shirt as she shouted, "Why is everybody so pro Spike right now? God, is there something in the freaking water? A secret society I'm not aware of? Is he a god or a secret rock star or something? I swear the next person that speaks his name to me is going to get my foot right up their ass!"

Dawn held up her hands in surrender as she stepped closer to her distraught sister. "I'm sorry, Buffy, I was just asking." She reached out and folded her Buffy into a tight hug. "You've been crying for a while, huh? I know you only come down here to fold laundry when you need to cry. I remember just after Sp... uh... that one guy... left, you locked yourself down here for like three hours."

"I can't do this, Dawnie," Buffy sobbed on her shoulder.

"It'll be okay," Dawn soothed.

XXXX

Darla stood on the porch of Buffy's house trying to decide if she should knock or not. With a deep breath she gave in and rapped sharply on the door.

Buffy pulled it open, clearly not expecting to see the blonde woman standing on her porch. "Darla," Buffy said, a little startled. "What are you doing here?"

"I have to know the truth, Buffy."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy tried to cover, although she knew exactly what Darla was talking about.

"The baby. Is she Angel's?"

Buffy sighed and stepped back from the door. "I think you better come in..."

Darla stepped over the threshold and saw the gurgling baby in her bassinette. "Is this her?"

Buffy rolled her eyes behind Darla's back. 'How many kids does she think I have?'

"She's beautiful," said Darla sadly.

"Thank you." She gestured to the couch, indicating that Darla should sit. "Look, Darla, I know what we did was wrong and I don't want to cause you anymore heartache. Amelia isn't Angel's baby," Buffy said softly.

"Do you have any idea of the hurt you've put me through?" Darla shouted, causing Amelia to cry.

Willow pounded down the stairs to see what all the fuss was about, her eyes widening at the sight of Angel's wife sitting on the couch. "Buffy... are you okay?" asked Willow sheepishly.

"I'm fine. Do me a favor and take Amelia upstairs?" asked Buffy, passing Amelia over to Willow, who immediately disappeared. Buffy didn't miss the way Darla's eyes followed the baby as Willow carted her out of the room. "Look… I'm sorry Darla, I really am. I know there's nothing I can say to make you feel better…"

Darla slapped Buffy soundly across the face and Buffy clutched at her cheek like it had been scalded. "Okay maybe I deserved that," shouted Buffy, "but have you ever stopped and asked yourself why he did it? He was lonely. You were being a total bitch about the whole adoption thing and he needed somebody to be there for him and you sure as hell weren't! You played games with him numerous times, Darla."

Darla stood from the couch wearing a look of disgusted disdain. "Thanks, but if I wanted advice from a young single mother who's also a man stealing whore, I would have asked for it!" Darla slapped her again and walked out of the house.

XXXX

Cordelia, Doyle, and Spike sat around the dinner table, Doyle, as usual, shoveling food into his mouth like somebody was about to take it off him. Cordelia politely nibbled on hers, taking a sip of wine occasionally, and Spike was just pushing his food around his plate.

"Uh, I want to thank you two," Spike suddenly spoke.

"For what, bro?" said Doyle, dribbling spaghetti sauce down his chin.

"For havin' me here and feedin' me and everything," said Spike.

"No big. You eat way less than Doyle does, and manage to get a lot less of it on your face," said Cordelia, passing her husband a napkin.

"No really, I appreciate it, but uh... Harmony asked me to go to Argentina with her and I think I'm gonna go."

Doyle dropped his fork in shock. It was a rarity in itself that he'd stopped eating while there was still food on his plate, but to drop his cutlery was an unheard of occurrence. "Spike, if it's about a job, I can get you one at my place or I can talk to Xander and see if he can get you a job on the construction site."

"No, it's not a job, it's not stayin' here with you two, and hell, it's not even Buffy. I just think it's the right thing to do."

"You're being an idiot and you're wrong." Doyle slammed his napkin down on the table as he stood up then slammed the front door on his way out of the apartment.

"He'll come around, Spike... eventually. He just misses you when you go on your travels. He needs his brother, you dink. You two have rarely been separated and it's hard on him when you're gone, but if you think that what you're doing is the right thing then we can't stop you, as much as Doyle might try," Cordelia half smiled.

"Thanks, pet, s'pose I better go after him then. Git doesn't hold his liquor well at all. Could get ugly if I'm not there to babysit." He excused himself from the table then grabbed his duster and followed Doyle out of the apartment.

XXXX

Willow and Tara had arranged a girl's night out so Buffy could have a little fun and Xander had been volunteered for babysitting duty, being that he was the only one in the group who wasn't a girl.

Buffy had finally gotten back into her regular clothes and had decided to wear the red scoop neck top she'd rescued from the laundry pile with black jeans and red heels. She checked herself in the mirror, remembering that the last time she'd gone out was the night Spike had arrived back in town, and that had been a little over three months ago. She was way overdue for some mindless fun.

They hadn't spoken since Spike had asked the dreaded Angel love question and she realized that she missed having him around and she knew Amelia did too. With one more lip gloss check and a giant sigh, she headed downstairs.

The gang was sitting in the living room and they all wolf whistled and cheered as Buffy walked down the stairs. "Hey, sexy mama!" giggled Dawn.

"You look great, Buffy," smiled Tara shyly.

"Let's get this show on the road! I'm ready for some drinking and dancing!" smiled Buffy.

XXXX

Spike had searched for Doyle at all his usual haunts with no luck, so he'd started scouring the rest of the bars in Sunnydale, finally finding him tucked away in a corner at The Bronze, of all places. He strode over to the table Doyle had claimed and placed a large bottle of Jack Daniels and two shot glasses on the table. Doyle looked up to see his younger brother standing there and couldn't help but smile. Spike really did know the way to his brother's heart. "Rack 'em up," said Doyle.

Willow and Tara entered first with Buffy, Dawn, and Anya close behind. Tara, Anya, and Dawn were assigned the task of finding the perfect table while Buffy and Willow were aimed at the bar to secure the drinks.

Dawn snagged Willow's arm before she could move away and whispered in her ear, "Don't mention Spike by name tonight." She cut her eyes to the heels on Buffy's feet. "Those shoes would be really uncomfortable lodged in the place that Buffy threatened to lodge them the next time somebody said his name." Dawn nodded over her shoulder at the other girls. "I'll warn the others too. Don't really want to spend the rest of the night in the emergency room waiting for someone to get Buffy's shoe surgically removed from their ass."

Willow nodded with a slightly fearful glance at Buffy's feet then started after the blonde. She stepped up beside her and asked, "You sure you're okay?"

Buffy smiled over at her as they pushed their way through the throng of people gathered around the bar. "I'm gonna start charging everyone who asks me that. I'll make a fortune."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I'm fine; I just wish I knew what to do. I need to figure out what's for the best... for me and for Amelia, but my brain hurts from all the thinking I've done and I'm no closer to making a decision," sighed Buffy

"Want my advice?" Buffy nodded and smiled and Willow nodded toward the back corner of the bar where she'd spotted a head of white blond hair. "Forget your brain and follow your heart, Buffy."