Title: Change
Author: MSKBSwedish
Rating: Mature
Summery: Three years have come since the fateful night that Linn was brought home safely from being held in the clutches of Angelus and Dru. Now Buffy and Spike, who have put their parenthood before slaying, have to not only battle vampires and demons but their children as well.
Note: I own nothing of the Buffyverse.

Chapter Eight – Zero Gravity

"You are free to go home now Miss Summers." Dr. Maynard smiled at the slayer sitting on the hospital bed with her normal every day clothing on, no longer in the uncomfortable hospital gown. "But please, follow the instructions on the paperwork. No lifting anything over ten pounds, no bending, stretching, ladders and no fighting. Your boyfriend was very forthcoming with your habit of the occasional physical fight. You need to rest and let your incisions heal properly. I want to see you back here in three weeks to remove the staples and if you feel like you are getting sick then you need to call 911 immediately because that is a sign of infection." The doctor explained thoroughly to the mother.

Buffy nodded, "Thanks, doc."

With that, Dr. Maynard handed her the paper work before turning to walk out of the room.

Buffy looked up at Spike and a grin spread across her face. "Do you have everything?"

Spike looked down at the brown bag that the vampire had packed days ago with some things from home that Buffy had asked him to bring up to the hospital to make her stay a little more comfortable.

"I do. Are you ready?" Spike asked, putting his hand out for Buffy to take.

The slayer put her hand in his and gently slid off of the hospital bed. Spike helped Buffy into the wheel chair that had been provided to get her out of the hospital and out to the car. They weren't allowing Buffy to walk out of the hospital for fear that she would be pushing herself.

Once outside and in the car, Buffy grabbed her phone from her purse and dialed home. "Hey, Will. We are leaving the hospital so I'll be home in about fifteen minutes." Buffy explained to her best friend. "Alright, I'll see you soon." With that, Buffy hung up the phone and laid her head against the head rest behind her, ready to be back in her own home.

Buffy held tightly onto Spike's body as he helped her up the few steps to the porch. She wasn't used to being so immobile. Even being pregnant with the back pain, she could still get around on her own.

Once to the front door, Spike opened the door and helped Buffy inside. "Easy." He said softly to the slayer who seemed so eager to be home.

Buffy looked up to see a strung up sign in the living room, complete with balloons that read "Welcome Home". Buffy smiled wildly and let out a soft giggle. Under the sign stood Linn, Emmy and Dawn holding the baby. Xander and Anya sat on the couch beside Tara. Giles sat in the chair across from the couch. Willow walked in from the play room and immediately a smile fell over her face.

"Mummy!" Emmy giggled and ran towards Buffy and Spike.

Spike stuck his arm out, quickly catching the small child with his hand.

"Hey. What did I say? We can't be rough with mummy for a while." Spike warned his middle child.

Emmy nodded her head and took her mother's hand in hers. "Sorry, mummy. I'm glad you're home."

Buffy moved her hand to caress Emmy's cheek gently. "I'm happy to be home, baby girl."

Xander stood up and gestured to the couch.

"Welcome home, Buffster. Kept it warm for you." Xander said with a smile across his lips.

Buffy smiled. "Thanks, Xander."

Spike helped Buffy over to sit on the couch and slowly the slayer was able to sit on the couch with the rest of her friends.

"H-How are you feeling?" Tara asked immediately.

"Like a four pound weight is no longer hanging onto me." Buffy joked seeing that she no longer was carrying a baby around in her womb.

"Speaking of which. Here you go, mama." Dawn smiled. She walked over to Buffy and gently laid her son in her arms.

Buffy's smile grew as her eyes fell over her son. It was the first time she was able to hold him since he had been born and nothing gave her more pleasure than to hold her son in her arms.

"Hey, little man." Tears glittered the slayers eyes as she gazed upon him.

"He's a strong one too." Spike grinned. "He's got a cry that will wake the dead." Spike chuckled.

"He looks strong." Buffy smiled. She sniffled a little and used her free hand to wipe her eyes. "He's beautiful." Buffy commented.

"He looks just like Spike." Anya scrunched up her nose.

"Hey, that may not be beautiful to you but I think I'm dashing." Spike said, adjusting the collar of his duster.

"That's a more appropriate word." Buffy laughed.

"Mummy?" Linn walked up to Buffy and her baby brother. "Emmy and I promise we will be good. We pinky promised daddy that we will help out with Will and we will be very good girls so you don't have to yell or get mad."

Buffy was touched. She looked up at Spike before glancing back down at her daughters who stood right in front of her.

"How did I end up with such amazing kids?" Buffy asked as she reached out and stroked Linn's cheek.

"Well, I think they get that from you, Buffy." Giles grinned.

"Oy! I can be amazing." Spike piped up. "She tells me all the time." Spike looked proud.

"Maybe in the sack." Xander mumbled.

"Xander!" Buffy gasped. "Kids present. Thank you."

Xander nodded. "Sorry. Habit."

For the rest of the night, everyone took turns holding, feeding and changing Will. The girls played and talked to their mother and the rest of their family. Buffy stayed pretty much in the same spot on the couch except when it came time for dinner. Spike said for once they could all munch in the living room but Buffy said no. She wanted them all to eat as a family at the dinner table.

Buffy and Spike let the girls stay up later than usual since tonight was a special night. Buffy also insisted that she wasn't sending Linn back to school. There was too much going on and she was still very unhappy by the circumstances involving Linn and school. She was setting her heart on homeschooling the children now, no matter what it took. She put Linn in a regular school in the first place, believing that she could survive in a normal school setting but now, she realized it would take a few more years before she could handle a normal school. When that time came, they would reconsider public schools.

Spike and Dawn put the girls to bed around nine while Buffy sat back on the couch just holding the baby and feeling him close to her. He didn't cry very much and especially not in Buffy's arms. There was an immediate connection between mother and son that was instant.

Everyone had gathered back in the living room and were talking when Dawn and Spike came back down stairs once the girls were asleep. Dawn shuffled over to sit between Tara and Buffy on the couch so she could look some more at her nephew who she was insanely in love with already. After helping take care of him for the last three days, she had definitely fallen in love with the infant.

"So, while I have everyone here. There's something I wanted to say." Spike said suddenly. Everyone cast their eyes up towards Spike.

Spike cleared his throat and looked like he was toying with something in his pocket.

"I know I'm not the greatest person in the world. Hell I'm a vampire who just so happened to fall in love with my mortal enemy and started a bloody family." Spike chuckled. "I never expected something like this to happen. All of my.. undead life, I was selfish and moody. I was a viscous killer and yes, I'm not proud of my past seeing how my future has played out." Spike walked closer to Buffy. "But Buffy, you and our children have made me a changed man." Spike shook his head. "I never in my wildest dreams envisioned anything like this ever happening for me. Vampires are cold, lonely creatures. We hunt and we kill. We don't change diapers and play hide and seek."

Buffy couldn't help but smile as she began to tear up.

"But most of all, we don't fall in love." Spike got right in front of Buffy and looked down at her. "However, things change. Even as a vampire I believe that a man can change his stars." Spike knelt down on one knee and looked into Buffy's eyes.

Everyone around the room gasped, including the slayer herself as Spike pulled the little red velvet box out of his pocket.

The vampire couldn't hold the smile from his face. "I don't care what we have to go through. I don't care about what life throws at us. Whatever obstacle we have to face, we can face it together like we have always done."

Spike opened the box to reveal a white-gold ring. The top of the ring was embellished with blue sapphires and diamonds going along the sides of the ring and right in the middle at the top was a round 1 carrot diamond.

Buffy gasped, putting her hand over her mouth in shock as her tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

"Will you marry me, Buffy?" Spike asked. "If there is one thing I want to be proud of is that I was not just a good boyfriend but... a good husband and father."

Their eyes connected and for a moment there, Spike actually thought Buffy would say no.

But then her head bobbed slightly as she showed her agreement. "Yes." She said aloud.

"Really?" Spike asked, a smile spreading across his face even wider than before.

"Really." Buffy chuckled and put her hand down from covering her mouth. "Yes. My answer is yes." Buffy said once more.

Spike pulled the ring from the encasing of the box and took Buffy's finger. He slowly pushed it onto her ring finger. He looked at the ring on her finger momentarily, almost in disbelief that he actually had the balls to do it. But he did and damn the ring looked nice on her finger.

"I love you." Buffy said, knocking Spike from his thoughts.

"I love you, too." Spike leaned forward and placed a kiss on Buffy's lips.

The moment the kiss broke, Spike moved down to kiss his son's forehead softly.

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and will and looked into Buffy's eyes. "I promise I won't let you down."

"I know you won't."

...TBC...