Buffy hung up the phone, with a relieved sigh, she finally had a doctors appointment scheduled. She looked down at the "To-Do" list in her hand and crossed off the task then went into her room to write it on the calendar. She had no more than put her pen down before the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Miss Buffy Summers?"

"Yeah? I mean yes, that's me, I'm she."

"This is Ruth McDaniel from McDaniel's Funeral Home. I was calling to see if you were available to come in for an interview. I have a slot open for this afternoon but if that doesn't work for you I could get you in for Monday morning if you're still interested in the position."

Is this real? Say something you idiot!

She cleared her throat, "Yes I am definitely still interested. I'm actually free this afternoon, I'd be happy to come in."

"Wonderful. I'll see you at 1:00 then."

"Thank you!"

She hung up the phone and stood looking at it in mild disbelief— They called back— they called back!!!

Buffy let out an excited squeal and flopped back onto her bed, "Yes!"

Now all I have to do is ace the interview— Oh I definitely do not want to go anywhere near that fryer if I don't have to!

She sat back up and looked at the clock, it was just after eleven. You can do this…

Buffy got back up and pulled out her most professional looking outfit and laid it out on her bed. A black dress skirt with a matching jacket and a silky white sleeveless top. Then went to get into the shower. Her stomach was rolling but she was starting to get used to that. At least she wasn't throwing up at the moment.

Nope, happy thoughts. Happy-job-getting thoughts. Happy not going back to the fryer thoughts. Happy Spike coming through with a better job for me thoughts. Thanking Spike thoughts— Spike on silk sheets— Oh my god where the hell did that one come from? He is really— nope focus, Buffy, focus!

That would be so much easier if I wasn't so— frustrated—

She groaned and finished her shower before getting dressed.

Standing in front of her mirror she decided that she looked suitably professional and went downstairs to make herself a cup of the peppermint tea Spike had got for her. She needed to settle her stomach and her nerves if she wasn't going to come off as a complete airhead during her interview. She was excited but nervous and it made her stomach do weird things. The tea would help.

If I get this job, I swear I'm going over to Spike's to celebrate and he'd better be home.

Ruth McDaniel greeted Buffy in the entrance to the funeral home with a friendly smile. "I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Yours was the very first application I received, but it got shuffled to the bottom of the pile somehow." She said conversationally as she led the way back to an office with her name on the door.

"Oh hum, that's alright."

"Please, have a seat. Water? Tea? Coffee?"

"Oh I'm fine really, I just had some tea before I came thanks."

Ruth smiled brightly, there was something about her that reminded her a little of her mother. Except that Ruth had medium brown hair that she was letting gray naturally and wore a fitted black business suit with a blue scarf tied artfully around her neck.

"Oh good, a fellow tea drinker. I always find it calms the nerves. I keep a well stocked stash in the kitchen."

"Oh I like coffee too, I'm an equal opportunity beverage drinker."

Ruth chuckled, "I can respect that. Let's get started then shall we?"

"Absolutely," Buffy said a little over enthusiastically, "I eh, I mean, yes."

"We are a family run funeral home. My husband and his brother inherited it from their father. Our current secretary is my mother-in-law. I need to find her replacement so she can train them before she retires at the end of the year."

"Oh, I thought you were going to say someone died."

Ruth gave a shrug, "The number of weird bodies and other things we've seen around here, it's not a stretch."

"Yeah, normal and Sunnydale are pretty unmixy."

"Most people in this town seem to pretend everything is perfectly normal."

Buffy couldn't hold back a scoff, "Oh yeah that's definitely a running theme."

She chuckled, "The secretaries office is just down the hall here so you won't have to worry about running into any of the bodies, or Guests of Honor as I like to call them."

"Trust me that's definitely not a problem."

Ruth raised an eyebrow and Buffy backpedaled a little, "I just mean I went to high school here, I've been to a lot of funerals and then after finding my mom last year— well it's not exactly going to bother me to find a body where they actually belong."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother."

Buffy swallowed and tamped down a sudden wave of emotion, "It's just me and my sister now. I really need a reliable source of income."

Ruth nodded, "That is something I can understand all too well," she cleared her throat, "so, what can you tell me about yourself?"

Forty-five minutes later Buffy and Ruth were giggling over their shared love for chocolate and Buffy was feeling really good about the interview.

"Well Buffy, I think that covers it. Did you have any other questions for me?"

Buffy debated if she should mention the baby or not, but she hadn't even told Dawn and her friends yet and figured that it was still early enough that she could always tell her in a few weeks. "When will I find out if I got the job?"

"Oh sweetie, you got it. The job is yours."

"Really?"

Ruth smiled, "I like you. I think you're going to fit in quite well around here. In our business if you don't have a sense of humor you'll burnout in no time. I think you'll do fine."

Buffy returned the smile, refrained from giving her a hug and stuck out her hand, "Thank you! I can't wait to get started!"

"See you Monday morning at 8:00."

"I'll be here! Thank you!"

A weight had been lifted from Buffy's shoulders. Knowing she would be starting a better paying, better smelling job on Monday morning was an immense relief and she couldn't wait to tell someone. She was starting to feel like she was keeping too many secrets from her friends but this was something good that she could share. This was news worth celebrating with her friends, so she made her way to the Magic Box.

The doorbell tinkled above her head as she walked into the store.

"Oh hey, Buffy!" Anya greeted. Buffy was a little disappointed to find Anya alone but then realized that the rest of the gang were either at work or in class.

"Hey."

"What brings you in? There's no big bad on the loose is there?"

"Just the giant debt monster waiting for me at home. Which I'm hoping to be able to slay soon." Buffy grinned widely.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yup! I got a new job! I start Monday!"

She leaned her elbows on the counter, "That's great! Where is your new job?"

Buffy picked up a statue of a mother and child carved from rose quartz and set it down again, "Oh right! I'm going to be a secretary at the funeral home down the street."

"Wow, I didn't even know they were hiring. Well at least you're familiar with the building." She chuckled.

"Yeah, it was a little weird going in during the day."

"You know what this means don't you?"

Buffy furrowed her brow a little, "What?"

Anya beamed at her, "You're going to need a new wardrobe for work of course!"

Shopping trip! Huhh… I wonder if I should be getting stretchy pants…

"I could definitely use a day of mall time goodness," Buffy said just as the bell chimed again, "I'm going to get out of here, I just wanted to share my news."

"Oh don't forget, Xander is taking Dawn to the dentist after school today."

"Dentist, not a parole violation, got it!" She waved goodbye.

Anya smiled nervously at the customer looking at the candle display, "She's just joking about the parole thing."

When Buffy got to Spike's the upper level of his crypt was empty, again— I swear if he's not down here… She thought as she climbed down the stairs to his room. The bed was empty but clearly slept in. She bit the inside of her cheek looking around.

Sighing, she stripped off her suit jacket revealing the silk sleeveless top underneath and removed her shoes too. Then she took a seat on the bed. The crypt was cool enough that she was starting to feel a slight chill without her jacket and decided to just crawl into bed to wait. She had barely gotten comfortable when Spike emerged from around the corner in nothing but a towel, his hair dripping wet.

"I always wondered if you had some kind of plumbing in here."

His eyebrows shot upwards when he saw her. "Buffy? What are you doing here? And in my bed looking like a reoccurring dream, I might add."

"Making sure you're not avoiding me."

He rolled his eyes, "Course I'm not."

He removed his towel with a practiced motion and began drying off from his shower. He had expected Buffy to turn away blushing and was a little surprised when she actually sat up to see him a little better. He wrapped the towel back around his waist and stalked over to stand in front of her. Buffy bit her lip and the sight sent a shiver up Spike's spine.

"Did you come here for anything in particular, Luv?" He purred.

Her body and mind were screaming for his touch and she had to shake herself of the hormonal fog filling her mind to answer him. "Hum, yeah, yeah there was a reason," she paused, smiling, "I got the secretary job! I start Monday."

"No more grease pit?"

She returned his smile and shifted onto her knees, closer to him, "No more grease pit!"

He leaned in, scooping her up into a kiss. Buffy snaked her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his damp curls deepening the kiss. He worked his hand under her silky top, splaying strong fingers across her back.

She had almost forgotten how electrifying his touch was and she arched into him with a keening moan. He pulled back a little, "I'm not dreaming am I? Please tell me you're actually here."

"I'm definitely here, you dope."

"Thank God—" he breathed into a kiss, pulling her against him as he shifted onto the bed with her. She rocked back with the movement pulling him with her. Her hands skimmed over his freshly showered skin until they ran into the towel wrapped around his waist. She gave a tug, pulling it off and releasing a growl from his chest. A hand at her waist fumbled for the zipper on her dress skirt. He growled in frustration, "Bloody hell."

Buffy giggled and released her hold on him to shed her skirt and panties. Spike slipped her shirt over her head and she unclasped her bra for him, sliding the straps down her arms. He had memorized her body the first time they had made love and had revisited that memory often since then. He took a moment taking her in, cataloging the subtle changes that were already evident. Her breasts weren't exactly larger but they were fuller, firmer, than before.

He brought his mouth to her breast, sucking the nipple and running his tongue around the sensitive skin. Buffy gasped and bucked against him feeling his hard length against her inner thigh. She moaned as she settled further down onto the bed, pulling him with her and wrapped a leg around the back of his thigh. Spike moved his mouth over her skin, up to her collarbone, kissing and sucking his way up her throat and over to her ear. "I missed you."

She gripped his shoulders, pushing him back a little to catch his eye even as he worked a hand between her thighs to feel her sex.

This isn't love, maybe it is for him— maybe someday for me—but not n— Ohh God what is he doing? Oh God— ohh I missed that— ohh…

Her eyes fluttered shut and she gasped breathlessly as he pushed his fingers into her folds, "I missed you too."

"You missed how I make you feel, Luv, let's not pretend there isn't a difference." He murmured against her skin, making her gasp.

"Spike—"

He pushed two fingers deeper into her wet heat and whispered, "Shhh, Luv. I don't mind giving you what you need— for now."

And with that he moved his thumb to her clit and crooked his fingers upward hitting a spot in her that made stars erupt behind her eyes and her back arch. He pressed his mouth against her other breast, drawing a scream of pleasure from her as he continued to work his fingers. He dug his free hand into her hair and nipped her breast slightly with his teeth before moving over to the other one. He kept up a relentless pace, building her up as he lifted his head to watch her squirm in ecstasy.

"That's it, beautiful. I could watch you writhe for me like this for days. Let me hear you, Luv."

She moaned, "S- Spike—"

He released his hand from her hair, skimming tender fingers down over her throat, sternum and abdomen as he moved himself onto his knees between her legs, he continued to work his fingers inside of her until he felt her muscles clamp down on his fingers. Her legs started to shake and he moved his mouth to her clit, getting drunk off of her.

Buffy wrapped her legs around his head pulling him into her further and he growled. The sound vibrated against her and she screamed as she broke, coming apart at the seams. The muscles in her back and legs clenched. She screamed again and the breath caught in her throat as he continued to move his fingers within her, prolonging the orgasm.

Her breathing became erratic and he pulled his hand away. Then moved his hands to her thighs, gripping her tightly and pressing his tongue into her center sending her thrashing against him. He pulled his head up, watching her as her body started to relax and her breathing started to even out. He crawled up her body like a large cat and laid on his side pressed against her. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close to him, kissing her neck as she moaned, "Spike— I—"

"What do you need?"

She heard the question but the electricity still coursing through her body made it impossible to answer. Instead of using words, she settled on crushing her lips to his. He moaned into the kiss as she tangled her fingers into his now dry hair, free of its usual gelled confines, curly and soft.

Soft, how is his hair so soft? She thought as she wrapped her leg around his hip and rolled Spike onto his back. She pressed her core against him, feeling his hard length waiting for her.

Spike gripped her thigh, pulling her leg up against his other hip and splaying her as she continued to rub herself against him. Buffy reached between them taking his cock in her hand, stroking a few times before positioning him at her opening. She started to slowly work her way down onto him, rocking her hips. Placing her hands on his chest for leverage.

Spike stretched his arms above his head to grip the headboard. The act gave the illusion that he was tied there underneath her. He turned his head to the side slightly, offering his throat to her.

The thought of him being so submissive ignited something in her and she increased her grip on his chest as she rode him. He squirmed a little hissing in pain and it took her a second to realize she was leaving deep scratches on his chest. She pulled her hands back in shock, "I'm sorry! I—"

His eyes snapped open and he brought his hands up to catch hers, placing them back on his chest. "Don't you dare apologize. You of all people know I'm not going to break like some toy soldier. Not afraid of your strength, I'll take what you give me and beg for more. You want to leave your mark, kitten, you go right ahead. I'm yours."

He pulled her down into a hard kiss with one hand gripped in her hair, the other wrapped tightly around her back holding her in place. He thrust his hips upward, stoking the fire building between them. She gasped into his mouth as she moved her hands around his rib cage digging in her nails and leaving scratches as she went.

He let out a hiss that turned into a sigh as he released his hold on her and moved his hands back to grip the headboard. "That's it, kitten— ah— give it to me good."

She increased her pace atop him and rocked back a little. Her fingers raked down his torso and the well defined muscles there as she pulled her nails down to rest her hands on the upper crest of his hips. She gripped him hard, finding leverage as she continued to build her next release.

Spike bent his knees as much as her position allowed, pushing her forward slightly and changing the angle of their hips. The new angle sent a shock of molten heat through her core. Buffy cried out again as the wave crested and he pushed upward filling her completely. Her inner muscles convulsed around him, milking his cock and pulling his release from his body in an electric shock that sent him shaking along with her.

Buffy collapsed down onto his chest breathing heavily. His cock still pulsing within her as they slowly road out their shared orgasm. She rested her head in the crook of his neck; her breath tickled the sensitive skin at his throat. He gripped one hand into her hair and pulled her in for a kiss. Buffy moaned into him and gasped when he pulled her back to look at her. "You're bloody amazing, Slayer."

"You're pretty amazing yourself," she hummed contentedly as she slipped onto her side next to him.

Spike brought a hand to her lower abdomen, "Not like you, luv. You're a bloody force of nature." He said as he shifted himself lower on the bed.

"Spike— I—"

"Relax, darling, not going in for another go—not just yet at least. Want to take a listen to the wee-one."

She took in a sharp breath as he wrapped an arm around her hip and pressed his ear against her to listen with his eyes closed. "There you are, my little one."

"Okay, but it's a little—"

"Shh, havin' a moment here," he said in a hushed tone.

Buffy's heart felt like it might burst. He was being so sweet and tender she could almost forget what he was. And yet she knew that he was more than just a monster. There was still something of the man he once was in him too and in moments like this she could see him.

"Spike?"

"Humm?"

"Have you thought about what we're going to say to everyone?"

"The truth I suspect. Not quite an immaculate conception was it?"

"Ahh no— definitely not…"

He grinned with his head still laying on her stomach listening to the tiny fast heartbeat, "Wish you could hear this, it's amazing, pet. I can't get over how strong it is. Wouldn't think it would be as tiny as it must be."

"I have a doctor's appointment next week. Did— do you want to come?"

Spike frowned, "Manage to get one after dark?"

"Not exactly, it's later in the day so I don't have to worry about work but the sun—"

"Where are you going?"

"The free clinic in town."

"I know the place, nick blood from there sometimes. They leave the back door propped for smoke breaks. Tunnels come up behind in the alley. I'll meet you inside."

"Really?"

"Course. Why wouldn't I? Can do some grocery shopping on my way out, too." She slapped his shoulder playfully, "What? I still got to eat."

"Yeah, I guess I just thought you were getting it from the butcher."

"Do mostly."

She shrugged and re-positioned herself onto her elbows to see the back of his head a little better, "Do you think the baby will have curly hair?"

He reached a hand into his hair and groaned, "Bloody hell… I probably look like a sodding poodle."

She giggled, "It's kind of hot actually."

"Sorry if I don't take your word for it."

"I kinda hope the baby has your curly hair, or at least your eyes."

"Do you now?"

"I really like your eyes," she said a little lamely.

He smirked at her comment, "Here I thought it was the bone structure you liked."

"Wow you're—"

He cut her off by changing the subject, "You started thinking about names yet?"

She hesitated, the question had thrown her. "Honestly, no. Not really— h-have you?"

"Think if it's a girl we should put 'Ann' in there somewhere."

"You want to give the baby my middle name? That's not very original."

"It was my mum's name too. It doesn't have to be the first, could be the middle, but it would mean a lot."

The breath caught in her throat and she nodded, "You've never talked about your family."

"No. I haven't," he sat up slowly and turned away from her to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Spike?"

He didn't want to talk about his family, especially not his mother.

Why the hell did I say anything in the first place? He thought bitterly and sought to change the subject.

"How do you feel about 'Mason' for a boy? It's sort of different but not off the wall, yeah?" He asked, turning back to her.

She raised an eyebrow, "It's okay, I guess." Then she cleared her throat, unwilling to let him change the subject so abruptly but also not wanting to push too hard. "Spike, I've read enough about vampires to know that over half of them go back and kill their families. You're not going to shock me."

Oh I doubt that. Keep it simple, William. Start small.

He cleared his throat and laid back down next to her, "Father died when I was bout Dawn's age. Had to grow up fast. After that I was responsible for taking care of mum," he waved a hand, "it was a different time— obviously."

"Oh right like two hundred years ago."

"Oi! Not that old, pet. Can't believe everything in those Council records. Wasn't a railroad worker either, as you well know."

"Been doing some reading?"

He struggled to keep his tone even, "A bit."

"Not like there's much in there. Pretty sure Dawn knows more about your exploits than the Council."

Spike bit his cheek and turned towards her, "Buffy?"

The way he was looking at her made her heart pound in her chest. "Huh?"

"What am I to you?"

This was another subject change she hadn't seen coming. She chewed on her lip, "What do you mean?"

He turned his body towards her, propping himself up on one elbow and laid his hand on her belly, "You know damn well what I mean. Other than future co-parents, what are we? Are we a couple? Are we friends with benefits? Am I just a convenient shag? What am I to you?"

"Y-you're my— you're Spike, you're—"

"Nice that you know my name."

She rolled her body to mirror him, letting his hand glide around her waist, "Actually I don't. You know what you are? You're a mystery. I barely know more about you than the Council does and I'm having your baby."

He blinked, "You know me better than anyone, you know what I went through with Dru, you know how much I've changed, you know—"

"William the Bloody is your real name? What? Was your mother 'Ann the Bloody'?"

He winced inwardly at the thought, but pushed through it, "I've told you this haven't I?"

She straightened a little, "You really haven't."

"Pratt. My name is William James Pratt."

"Seriously?"

He huffed and flopped back onto his back, "Piss off, if you're just gonna—"

Buffy laid a hand on his chest, "I'm not making fun of your name, it just surprised me… it's so—"

"Poncy?"

"Refined. I was going to say refined."

"Pftt, oh that's all I need. This stays between us, got it? Don't need the Council poking round my family crypt and what all."

"Just add it to the pile of secrets." She rolled to her back with a little groan.

He reached for her hand, entwining their fingers and pulling their hands up between them, "Getting a bit buried are you?"

"I think this new job is going to help, but yeah… We still have a lot to figure out."

Hope swelled in his chest, "We?"

"Yeah, 'We', and before you ask again, no I don't know what 'We' are or what it means yet but there's definitely a 'We'."