Baby's First Christmas

When Buffy had finished feeding Jay, Spike came over to take him off her hands. She was feeling tired, after getting the house all cleaned up after the dinner was done, and the guests had gone. It was his turn on cuddle time. Smiling as her husband sat down beside her and rocked the baby on his knee, the Slayer whispered, "You're so good with him."

"Yeah, well…" the ex-vampire started, at first looking arrogant at the compliment, then letting the mask fall away to sincerely ask, "You really think so?"

"Yes, really," she playfully pushed at his shoulder, and he beamed at her.

"Love you, pet," he told her, while looking down at their little one. "You've given me everything."

"Me too," she agreed, softly, then laughed and shook her head, "I mean, you've given me everything as well."

"Always know what you mean, kitten," he said, dropping a quick kiss against her cheek, while wrapping his free arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Then he froze, and handed the baby back to Buffy.

"Ugh!" she groaned. "Tell me he hasn't pooped again. I just changed him."

Spike's enhanced sense of smell meant he shied away from diaper duty more often than not, but it wasn't that particular ability that had him stopped in his tracks that time.

Sensing a mixture of emotions through the claim Buffy looked at him, quizzically, as he put his ear to her belly and then raised his head again – a wide grin spread across his handsome face.

"No," she said. "You're not serious."

"Yeah, luv," he told her.

"Spikeee!" she whined, "Oh my god. I'm getting you sterilized, I swear."

His face fell a little, at that, and she rolled her eyes before answering his unspoken fears. "Of course I'm happy. It's just a little soon."

"What is?" Dawn asked, as she walked in the room.

Spike looked at Buffy, waiting for permission, and when she nodded he turned to girl and declared, "I've knocked your sister up again."

"Already?!"

"Yeah," Buffy affirmed, with a sigh. "I'm never going to get back to slaying."

"Buffy," Spike began, but she assured him again.

"It's fine. I want this. I love this. You, me, being a family. But, seriously, no more after this one."

"Okay,luv," he agreed – beaming from ear to ear.

Later – while Buffy and Spike were upstairs 'celebrating' – Dawn was spending some quality time with her nephew. The girl didn't get to see him much, with being away at College, so she didn't mind being assigned babysitting duty.

When Jay first came home from the hospital Buffy wouldn't stop staring at him like he was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen, and Spike wouldn't let anyone hold him other than himself and his Mate. Buffy calmed him down, though – assured him that, as fragile as a newborn was, no one was going to break him. What she didn't admit, at the time, was that she was terrified of breaking him herself. It took a while to get used to and, in the end, they didn't bother repainting the nursery. Spike said that in his day pink was a boy's color, and Buffy liked it, so it stayed. Almost all the toys and accessories he'd been given for Christmas came in some shade of blue or other, so everything seemed to balance out.

"Do you think maybe this time we'll have a girl?" Buffy asked her Mate, as they lay in post-coital bliss.

Spike thought about it for a bit, then said he had a strong feeling it'd be a boy.

Buffy laughed at that. "Me too," she admitted. "Must definitely mean it's a girl."

He grinned at her and said, "Guess so."

There was an easy silence for a minute. They held each other closer, and Spike laid his hand across her belly.

"You're really not bothered?" he asked. "About having another one so soon?"

Propping herself up on one elbow, she kissed his cheek and said, "Spike, I'm great. This is the best Christmas ever."

The End.

A/n: Epilogue coming soon!