Chapter 9: 241 Days
London, England, Gile's hotel room...
“S-she…She’s…” Spike stammered.
“Yours, Spike.” Giles said the words Spike couldn’t get out of his own mouth. “It was just a cover-up so the Council would never know about her true origins.”
Giles had just finished telling Spike everything that had happened after he was abducted. Including the baby.
Spike swallowed heavily fighting back the tears that threatened to surface as he stood and walked to the window of the hotel room they were staying in. They had booked a room under false names and safe credit cards—all provided by Celia. They didn’t want the Council to track them down after getting this far.
“But they told me...” Spike said, but then shook his head to try and fight the anger that came boiling to the surface. “I’ll kill that bloody bastard.”
“Yes, well, there seem to be a lot of us that would like to see that happen. However, now is not the time for revenge. You have a family to get back to now.”
Spike was silent for a long time, just looking out the darkened window, watching the sky light up as the sun began to rise.
“I dreamt of her…and they were coming after her.” Spike said quietly. “I’ve had so many dreams of her…I thought that I was just…” Spike shook his head again and looked up at Giles. “Will they try and take her? Like in my nightmare?”
“The council?” Giles asked.
Spike nodded.
“To be completely honest…I don’t expect anything less of them.” Giles said morosely.
* * *
Back in Sunnydale, Pleasant Glade Cemetery...
“Dead boy Jr.’s coming back?” Xander sounded surprisingly happy.
“That’s great news Dawnie!” Willow said.
“When?” Tara asked.
“They have a flight tomorrow, but they’re gonna stay overnight at Angel’s because the flight gets in late. And then, home.” Dawn informed them as they walked through the cemetery, patrolling. Once the news was passed through the Scooby grapevine that Giles had called, everyone (except Buffy of course) decided they needed to go patrolling with Dawn and Jonathan tonight to hear all the juicy details.
“Why the late flight?” Willow asked.
“It was cheaper.” Dawn shrugged.
“Oh! Money!! This is great! I can hire Spike back again! He always gets the young girls to buy more things because they think he’s sexy.” Anya said happily as she toyed absently with her stake.
“Umm, great An.” Xander flashed her a fake smile, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m glad he’s coming back. Now we all won’t do that awkward silence thing whenever someone mentions his name.” Anya continued.
“Yeah, and I can ask him why Vampires—“ Jonathan started to say, but off of everyone’s glares he quickly shut up. “Never mind.”
“Hey, speaking of, Vampire, Twelve O’ clock.” Xander pointed. About ten headstones down a fledgling was just crawling out of his grave.
“I got him.” Dawn stepped forward, pulled out her stake and staked him before he had a chance to crawl out all the way. She put the stake back in her pocket and joined the group again as if nothing had happened. They continued walking.
“I wonder if Giles has told him about what’s been going on.” Tara said.
“Well maybe he’s just told him the important stuff, like the fact that he’s going to be a father.” Dawn chuckled.
“Oh Goddess, I bet he’ll flip out.” Willow said.
“Question is will it be the good kind of flipping?” Xander pointed out.
“I hope so. Giles did say he was a bit emotionally unstable right now…but I’m sure he’ll be okay…right?” Dawn frowned.
“Sure Dawnie. He’ll be okay. We’ll all help him.” Tara said, rubbing Dawn’s shoulder.
“I miss him.” Dawn said quietly. There was a beat of silence as the group walked on.
“Oh great, here we go with the awkward silence again.” Anya
muttered.
* * *
(The next day) Summer's residence...
Buffy was keeping herself busy. She cleaned the kitchen… twice. She vacuumed every available inch of carpet within the house. She polished all the wood furniture. She Windex’ed all the windows, and cleaned the bathrooms until they were sparkly. She washed and folded all the laundry…including Dawn’s.
Now she was packing up all of her stuff in her room to move it into Willow and Tara’s old room. The room had remained empty after Willow moved into Tara’s, so Buffy was going to move into their old room (it was bigger anyway), and make her old room the baby’s room. She was doing anything to keep from dwelling on her anxiousness to see Spike.
There was a knock at the door.
“Coming!!” Buffy called out and walked down the stairs as quickly as she could without tipping over. She opened the door and saw Xander standing there.
“Hey.” Buffy smiled and opened the door all the way so he could come in. “What brings you by?”
“I come bearing wood-type products. See, when you assemble them, voila, instant baby crib.” Xander said, directing her attention to the disassembled baby crib parts he was holding.
“Wow! Xander that’s so sweet of you.” Buffy gave him a hug. “I was just gonna buy one of those cheap-y cribs from the baby consignment store, but now I don’t have to!”
“Well, just think of it as an early birthday present for the mini-buffster. I’m already working on a play pen for the little tykette for when she gets older.” Xander said as he came inside the house.
“Wow, it sure does pay to have a best friend that’s a carpenter. Come on, let’s put it upstairs. I’ve been cleaning out my room for the baby.”
“And from the lemony freshness aroma wafting from every available surface, I’d say you’ve done more than just clean out your room.”
“Did I go over kill on the Lysol?” Buffy grimaced as they walked up the stairs.
“I’ll let you know when my sinuses recover.”
* * *
Over the Pacific Ocean...
The airplane had just taken off and Giles and Spike unbuckled their seatbelts as soon as the little sign went off. Spike looked better, but still completely different. He had pulled his hair back with a hair tie so he didn’t look so…well, scraggly. He looked a bit healthier because he was eating regularly again, but was still paler than usual and he had to don the sunglasses so that his eyes wouldn’t be strained.
Spike was anxious…or nervous. Or maybe both. He had never been on an airplane before… his allergies to the sun made it kind of fatal. But with the amulet he had no problems. Besides, it wasn’t just the flight that made him feel on edge. He was going home. A place he never thought he’d see again.
“That little Watcher friend of yours is quite the document forger.” Spike muttered quietly to Giles, mindful of the other passengers that could over-hear them.
“It was a... t-talent of hers I w-was unaware of.” Giles stammered. “She’s always so damn secretive about everything.”
“How long have you known her?”
“We trained as Watchers together. We were very good friends, but when I got assigned to Sunnydale, our friendship…well, drifted.” Giles said, adjusting his glasses.
“Long distance relationships and all that?” Spike said, more of a statement than a question.
“Er, yes…well, not that we ever had a ‘relationship’…W-we’re just friends.” Giles took off his glasses and began to polish them. Spike chuckled and closed his eyes, resting his head against the seat.
“Whatever you say Ruppies.”
* * *
Watcher's Headquarters, Quentin's personal conference room...
“Gentlemen…I am not happy.” Quentin said grimly to the men sitting around the large wooden table. The leather armrest on his chair was groaning as Quentin clenched it in anger. One of the Councilmen stood up.
“Sir…we—“
“Sit down Hawkins.” Quentin interrupted tersely. “William the Bloody has escaped…and *none* of you know how?” Quentin asked angrily.
Silence fell across the room as Watchers looked around at each other expectantly, hoping one of them would miraculously explain it.
“Well let me offer this…the records show that Rupert Giles was allowed on the premises…to use the library. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that Mr. Giles helped him escape!!” Quentin shouted. “What I want to know is WHY THE BLOODY HELL WAS HE ALLOWED THROUGH THE COUNCIL’S DOORS!?!”
The room was quiet again.
Quentin growled low in his throat. “Professor Broody, how much of the prophecy has been translated?”
Professor Broody hesitantly stood, “Regretfully, nothing new, sir.”
Quentin was even more irritated. “Why not?”
“Sir, the texts are mage-locked. They cannot be opened. We’ve tried everything within our resources.”
Quentin swallowed his anger and fell silent for a short amount of time.
“Set up surveillance in Sunnydale. I want the Slayer and the Vampire watched. I have no doubt William the Bloody returned to Sunnydale. We are under the assumption that the Slayer’s child is in fact the Vampire’s offspring. We begin the strikes immediately... That child will not be allowed to survive.”
* * *
Summer's Residence...
Dawn closed the door behind her and instantly felt light-headed. She went up the stairs and found Buffy putting away her stuff in Willow and Tara’s old room. “Why does it smell like a lemon factory in here?”
“Hey Dawnie. Sorry about that, went on a bit of a cleaning frenzy today.”
“So I see. Don’t like the view from your room anymore?” Dawn asked as she picked up a picture frame of Buffy, their mom and her at the beach.
“Turning it into the nursery, and this room has more closet space anyway. Besides, anything to keep my mind off of…you know who. Go check out the deluxe crib Xander brought over today.” Buffy said, putting an armful of clothes on hangers into the closet.
Dawn turned and went into the new nursery, and Buffy followed behind her.
“Wow, he made this?” Dawn asked, running her hand along the smooth intricate carvings decorating the crib.
“Yeah, he must have been working on it for months. Said it was an early birthday present for the baby. So how was school?”
“Ugh. I got a B- on my English test. I had to listen to Nigel scold me on the way home.” Dawn grumbled.
:: I don’t see why you got such a low test score after all the tutoring I’ve been giving you.:: Nigel said. ::You should have gotten at least an A- by my calculations. You’ll just have to study harder next time.::
Dawn rolled her eyes and made the international hand-sign for a ‘blabber-mouth’.
::I may not be able to see what you are doing young Ms. Summers, but you forget I can read your thoughts.:: Nigel said wryly and promptly disappeared from their minds.
“Boy, he’s been getting cranky lately.” Buffy commented as they returned to Buffy’s new room to continue to unpack her things.
“You don’t know the half of it. He insists on acting as my Watcher while Giles isn’t here. He makes me ‘report’ to him after we patrol. He talks to me more than anyone, although I suspect he talks to Willow and awful lot too.” Dawn grumbled.
“Willow? What would they talk about?” Buffy asked.
“Magic I guess. Nigel’s all ways going on about ‘that young Miss Willow’ and her talents.” Dawn rolled her eyes, mimicking Nigel’s upper-crust accent.
“Talents?”
“Her power. Apparently Nigel knows a lot about magic and stuff… said he was the best Mage on the Council. And that he ‘sees a lot of power in that young Miss Willow’.” Dawn mimicked his accent again. “He got real quiet after I told him about her little forget spells and stuff though.” Dawn grinned a bit mischievously.
“Hm, I bet that really took the wind out of his sails.” Buffy grinned, but then winced. “Ow. Sheesh, she can really kick.” Buffy said, clutching her stomach.
“I bet she’s going to be super strong like you guys.” Dawn smiled as she placed her hand on Buffy’s stomach so she could feel her niece kicking.
“My bruised insides agree with you. I just hope she takes after me more than Spike…“ Buffy abruptly stopped, realizing she was about to give voice to one of her greatest fears, but Dawn had already guessed.
“Buffy, it’ll be okay. Don’t you think Nigel would have said something if the baby would be vampy? Besides, look at Connor. BOTH his parents were Vamps, and he’s human.”
“I guess your right. Just that big irrational fear thing talking.”
“It’ll be fine. Really. Now let’s get out of this house before I pass out from the lemony freshness.”
* * *
L.A., outside the Hyperion Hotel...
Giles took his suitcase out of the trunk and then paid the cab driver. He and Spike stood outside the Hyperion Hotel. The sun had set an hour before, and the low levels of light reminded Spike of the darkness of his imprisonment.
“Are you going to be alright?” Giles asked Spike, worried about the haunted look on the Vampire’s face.
“Yeah.” Spike said shortly and started to walk to the main entrance. Giles sighed and followed.
They walked through the double doors and saw Fred behind the counter working on the computer.
“Hi, welcome to Angel Investigations—Oh hi Giles!” Fred looked up from her computer screen. “And Spike?” She said in shock.
Spike smiled faintly. “Hey.”
“My God, you look…” Fred was going to say ‘horrible’, but quickly changed her mind. “…Different. But a good different!” She smiled nervously at him.
Spike chuckled. “No need to walk on eggshells around me, luv. I know I look like shit.”
“So, ah, were is everyone?” Giles asked.
“Oh, they got called out on a case. Lorne is here though. Want me to go get him?” Fred gestured up the stairs. Spike just grinned and shook his head.
“HEY KERMIT!!!” Spike shouted, his voice echoing throughout the building. Both Fred and Giles winced at the volume.
A few seconds later they heard Lorne walking down the hall.
“I know those pipes anywhere…even if they’re screaming for me at the top of their lungs in an empty hotel. Not to mention the lame nick-name.” Lorne called out as he appeared on the balcony with a grin. “Hey blue eyes! Glad to see you home.” Lorne greeted Spike as he descended the stairs.
“Thanks. It’s good to be seen.”
“Hm, and by the looks of you there isn’t much to see. How about we warm you up a mug or three while you sit down and take a load off?” Lorne gestured for him to sit on the gray round chair thingy in the center of the lobby.
“I’d love a cuppa, thanks.” Spike said, taking Lorne’s advice. Lorne took a bag out of Angel’s refrigerator, poured it in Angel’s mug and popped it in the Microwave.
“So Angel said we could stay here tonight…?” Giles prompted.
“Oh, yeah. Angel said before they left, quote unquote, ‘they can have any of the rooms that aren’t taken.’” Fred told them. The microwave beeped and Lorne took out the mug, handing it to Spike.
“How about you? You want something thinner or stronger?” Lorne asked Giles.
“I’d love some tea, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Not at all. I’ll make it.” Fred volunteered and went into the back office.
“So, how was the flight?” Lorne asked.
“Enough to convince me never to fly again. 16 bloody hours in the air? No thanks. Getting through security to get on the plane was fun enough, but getting off was a real treat.” Spike muttered as he sipped his blood.
“Yeah, security is real tight now a-days.” Lorne nodded.
“Yes, it was quite amusing to explain to the security guards why Spike had no body temperature to speak of when they frisked him…lets just say it’s oddly comforting that people in L.A. are just as oblivious as the people in Sunnydale. ‘Cold hands’ are enough explanation for these people.”
“Yeah, that river in Egypt gets around.” Lorne chuckled.
Just then Fred walked in with Giles’ cup of tea and gave Lorne a funny look. “River in Egypt?”
“Never mind, Kitten.” Lorne said. Just then the doors to the Lobby opened and Angel, Gunn, Fred, Cordelia, Connor and Wesley all walked in, stringy pieces of black-ish green goo strewn all over their clothes...and they were wet from head to toe.
“Hey guys, how did the…slime slaying go?” Fred curled up her nose as some of it plopped onto the floor of the lobby.
“Oh wonderful. Who knew that ‘the Blob’ was an actual demon, not just a cheesy B horror film character? Oh, and FYI, the only way to kill it is with water.” Cordelia had a perpetual grimace on her face from the stickiness that covered her.
“Hey guys, you made it.” Angel smiled when he noticed Giles and Spike sitting on the gray round chair, but then did a double take when he saw Spike. “Spike?”
“Here we go again.” Spike sighed.
* * *
The next morning in L.A., The Hyperion Hotel...
Spike came out of his room, dressed and showered, looking a bit more like himself, minus the short bleached hair and about ten pounds. But his semi-long hair was pulled back, the honey blonde only marred by the bleached white ends. Spike muttered to himself to remember to get his hair cut.
Cordelia, Fred, Gunn and Angel were already downstairs, talking amongst themselves about a case. Angel was the first to notice him walking down the stairs.
“Hey Spike.”
“Peaches.” Spike nodded in greeting.
“Morning Spike, did you sleep well? Was the bed comfortable enough?” Fred asked.
“Pet, after sleeping on the cold ground for eight months, any mattress would feel like heaven.” Spike chuckled. “So where’s the rest of the crew?”
“Mostly still asleep. I’m surprised you’re up this early.” Angel gestured to the clock on the wall. It read 6:30 AM.
Spike shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. Mind if I borrow a baggie?” Spike changed the subject, pointing to Angel’s refrigerator.
“Help yourself.”
“Just don’t use the green, white, purple or blue mug.” Fred listed off.
“Right then, black it is.” Spike said as he took the only cup she left off of her list and poured the blood into it and put it in the microwave. He didn’t have to search for the ‘beverage’ button, because he found a very familiar looking sticker covering it. He pressed the button and the microwave started to heat his blood.
“The Nibblet was here?” Spike asked quietly as he watched the cup spin in lazy circles inside the microwave…looking, but not really seeing.
“Oh, yeah, she spent last weekend here. She’s quite the little demon hunter too.” Angel said, catching on that Spike had seen the ‘blood’ sticker Dawn had stuck on his beverage button as a joke.
“Yeah…we trained her real well.” Spike closed his eyes against the intense feeling of home-sickness that washed over him. It was always there, nagging on the periphery of his emotions… but being so close to home it was even more intense.
The microwave beeped and Spike took out his cup.
“I’m… gonna go wake up Rupert now.” He said silently as he turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving behind him a wake of sadness that everyone could feel.
“Do you know how odd it is to feel sorry for Spike?” Cordelia said out of the blue.
No one said anything, but they all understood what she meant.
* * *
“Watcher?” Spike knocked on Giles’ door. “Ruppies?” Spike knocked louder.
Spike heard movement behind the door and a few seconds later Giles opened the door with a scowl on his face.
“I told you to…stop calling me that.” Giles said around a yawn. “What is it?”
“Home.” Spike said, conveying to Giles with a look that he wanted to go right now. Giles sighed, glancing at the clock with a wince at the early hour.
“Alright, then, give me a half hour.” Giles sighed, closing his door so he could get ready. Spike sighed and looked down both ways of the hallway, wondering what he was supposed to do now.
From six doors down Lorne’s door opened and Lorne walked out, instantly hurting Spike’s eyes with a loud violet suit and bright red shirt under his lime green tie… and it wasn’t just because Spike wasn’t wearing the sunglasses anymore. Spike grimaced at the brightness of the colors and the apparent lack of fashion sense, but joined Lorne anyway.
“Hey, morning sugar! Early bird gets to fly home quicker, hu? Or rather, drive.” Lorne said as they walked down the hall.
“That was the idea. Got a half hour to kill before we go, though.” Spike said impatiently.
“Hey, want to come down to the Lounge and see the new Caritas while you wait?” Lorne suggested.
“Peaches let you put your bar in his hotel?” Spike raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, brings in some customers for the Hotel too. God forbid, it’s actually getting used as a Hotel, although a bit sparingly.” Lorne said as they walked down the stairs. Angel and the others were inside Angels’ office but they could still hear them talking.
“Yeah I bet Peaches was real thrilled to have demon patrons filling up his precious hotel.”
Lorne shook his head. “Strictly human guests only…well, not including us of course.”
“Naturally.” Spike grinned as they reached the bottom stair and he followed Lorne to the Lounge.
“Don’t suppose it’s too early for a drink is it?” Spike asked him.
“Not at all Billy-boy.” Lorne grinned as they disappeared down the hall.
Angel, Fred, Gunn and Cordelia just watched them pass by, perplexed looks on their faces.
“Boy, they seem awful chummy, don’t they?” Cordelia commented.
“Must be a demon thing.” Gunn shrugged.
“Or an alcohol thing.” Angel pointed out.
“Or a ‘you had a vision about me still being alive and helped rescue me’ sort of thing.” Fred shrugged. When Cordelia gave her an incredulous glance, Fred backpedaled. “Or not.”
* * *
Sunnydale, Summer's Residence...
Dawn was awoken by loud noises coming from outside her room. She groaned and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It read 6:26AM.
Begrudgingly, Dawn climbed out of bed and investigated the noises. When she opened her bedroom door and glanced out she saw Buffy inside the ‘baby’s room’ re-arranging the furniture.
Dawn leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms. “It’s *way* too early in the morning to be practicing Feng-Shui. Besides, I don’t think the baby will notice.”
Buffy startled at her sisters voice and turned to face her. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I was going to ask you the same.”
“Couldn’t sleep.” Buffy muttered and continued re-arranging the furniture.
Dawn sighed as she came in the room and removed the stuffed teddy bear from the rocking chair so she could sit in it. “I can’t wait to see him either.”
“No that’s not it. Well, I mean, yeah, I’m completely going hysterical in waiting, but I just couldn’t get comfortable. Plus I’ve got like, a million things running through my head at the same time, and none of it’s happy.”
“Like what?” Dawn asked.
“Like how horrible it was, thinking Spike was dead all this time…when actually he was being tortured and neglected like some sort of…” Buffy grimaced, “I don’t know what, but what ever it is, something terrible… and now he’s coming home, and I don’t know what I’m going to say or how I’m going to feel, or how he’s going to react to the baby…or—“
“Okay, that’s it!” Dawn cut off her sister. “Stop thinking about this stuff! Everything will be fine, I swear it. Now let’s go down stairs and make a complete mess cooking breakfast, making everything from waffles to muffins. You need to stop dwelling.” Dawn took her sister by the hand and led her downstairs.
“But we don’t have any Sauerkraut!” Buffy protested as she allowed herself to be drug down the stairs.
“God I don’t even want to know what you’d put that on.” Dawn grimaced.
* * *
L.A....
“Well, that was… awkward.” Giles said as he started up the rental car and pulled out of the driveway of the Hyperion Hotel. Spike was sitting in the passenger seat wearing his sunglasses again. It was daylight after all.
Giles of course, was referring to their departure from Angel’s hotel. Quite unexpectedly, Angel had embraced Spike and told him that he was glad he was back home. Spike was too startled to do anything but look at Angel as if he had suddenly grown antennae and back away from him slowly. Really the whole gang was being quite touchy feely with their good-byes, and it made Spike very uncomfortable. They were all so…accepting. Well, all but Connor. He seemed to be sensible enough to offer Spike a handshake and to simply say that he hoped everything worked out okay.
Spike was still suspicious that the boy had only said it because he was dating Dawn. It didn’t help that the boy only had five facial expressions like his father, so he couldn’t tell if his sentiments were genuine.
Dawn…Spike’s mind backtracked to his surrogate-daughter, thus leading to thoughts of Buffy and *his* child. As the intense need to see them bubbled to the surface again, he turned to Giles, all seriousness etched on his face.
“I don’t care how many bloody speeding tickets we get.” Spike intoned to Giles, yet again conveying through a glance what his words did not say.
If it had been anyone else, if it had been any other situation… Giles wouldn’t have fulfilled the request. But he only nodded in understanding and pressed his foot down harder on the gas pedal, passing by the other cars along the freeway.
* * *
Sunnydale, Summer's Residence...
Buffy fiddled with the hem of her shirt and glanced at the clock. 7:47AM. She watched as Dawn pulled out of the oven the blueberry muffins. Buffy glanced at the clock again. It was Still 7:47AM. She watched as Dawn carefully one by one took each muffin out of the pan and placed them on a plate. She looked at the clock again. 7:48AM…progress! Buffy tapped her fingers on the counter impatiently. She glanced at the clock again. 7:4—
“Stop that. Glancing at the clock every two seconds won’t get it to move faster.” Dawn broke Buffy’s concentration. “And you’re letting the bacon burn.”
Buffy startled and glanced down at the frying pan she was ‘tending’ to and saw several strips of dark brown bacon. “I like it…extra crispy.” Buffy tried to cover as she removed it from the heat.
Dawn snorted. “That’s not extra crispy, it’s sacrificial. Better throw it away.”
Buffy sighed and scraped it into the garbage can, placing the pan in the sink. She glanced at the clock and almost leapt for joy. 7:52AM.
“Ugh, nature calls again.” Buffy sighed as she headed toward the bathroom.
“Again? You just went like, five seconds ago!” Dawn exclaimed.
“She’s restless today.” Buffy said rubbing her swollen stomach by way of explanation.
“Must be excited to see her daddy too.” Dawn smirked. Buffy glanced at the clock one last time before she left the kitchen to make tracks to the bathroom. 7:54AM.
* * *
When Giles pulled the car into the Summer’s driveway, Spike all but leapt from it before he had stopped the car fully. Giles sighed and turned off the engine as he watched Spike walk quickly to the front porch but then suddenly stop in his tracks. Giles locked the car after getting out and approached Spike.
“What’s wrong?” Giles asked, seeing the terrified look on the Vampire’s face.
“I…well…I…uh…” Spike stammered, quite at a loss for words.
“Come on man, you’ve been pestering me the entire drive to get here as fast as humanly possible, and now that you’re here…you’re standing outside. Why?”
Spike swallowed heavily, tears forming in his eyes as he gazed upon the Summer’s home. “I…I just thought I’d never see this place again…or them. Ever.” Spike practically whispered. “Even on the way here…I kept expecting…fearing…something would take me away again.”
Suddenly Spike’s strange behavior as they got closer to Sunnydale clicked in Giles’ head. Spike had been shooting nervous glances at anything and everything. He kept looking behind them as if looking for someone that was following them. He kept fingering his amulet of Bytanor as if it would suddenly vanish and Spike would no longer be immune to the sunlight and burn to a crisp. Giles had thought his actions were odd at the time, but shrugged it off since Spike wasn’t interested in having a conversation beyond telling him to speed up.
“Well here you stand. In one piece, and they are inside waiting for you.”
Spike allowed a small ironic grin to form, albeit momentarily. “Who said I’m in one piece?” Spike said sadly, tapping the side of his head.
Giles didn’t know quite what to say to that, but it didn’t seem Spike was expecting any kind of reply.
Spike was walking up the steps to the front porch and approaching the door almost hesitantly. He haltingly raised his shaking hand and knocked on the door.
“I’ll get it!” He heard Buffy’s sweet voice call out from inside as she practically jogged to the door. When the door opened and she stood there gazing at him, he said the first thing that came to mind.
* * *
Buffy was speechless as she opened the door and saw Spike standing there. His hair was long and pulled back out of his face, his face was a bit gaunt and he looked tired, but his eyes had lit up the second he saw her. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to force words out of her mouth, but her throat had closed up because she was so choked up with emotion. She had been waiting all this time to see him, and she was so overcome with emotion she was frozen. But it turned out he only had to say three words to break her shock.
“I love you.” He choked out, as if he had been waiting eight long months to tell her those three words again.
The dam seemed to break and she sobbed loudly as she threw her arms around him and embraced him so tightly it was a good thing he didn’t need to breathe.
“God I missed you Buffy! I can’t believe I’m home, I’ve missed you so much. You and the Nibblet. I’ll never leave again, I love you so much.” Spike said quickly as she sobbed against him; her tiny frame clung to him as if she was afraid that if she let go he’d disappear. They were both crying, both showering each other with frantic kisses and trying to seemingly merge as one so that they would never be torn apart again.
Dawn had heard the commotion from the Kitchen and raced into the foyer to see Buffy and Spike clinging to each other, desperate to never let go again. Their legs seemed to have given out at one point because Spike was sitting on the floor with Buffy sitting in his lap, rocking her and petting her hair and kissing her. Tears were streaming down both their faces, but they both looked blissfully happy as they held each other. Since they were partly blocking the door Giles had to edge around them with some difficulty so as not to disturb them.
“Giles.” Dawn smiled warmly and hugged him.
“Dawn. How are things?” Giles asked as he embraced her back.
“Better now… Thanks to you.” She said, her own tears beginning to form in her eyes.
* * *
It took quite a bit of convincing to get Buffy and Spike to let go of each other so they could get off the floor of the Foyer and onto something more comfortable…like the couch.
The second that Spike had sat down on the couch Buffy curled her self onto his lap and rested her head against his shoulder, while Spike gladly encircled his arms around her and rested his head against hers.
“Two hundred and forty-one days.” She muttered into his shirt.
“What love?” Spike asked.
“You’ve been gone two hundred and forty-one days.” She repeated.
“It felt like an eternity.” Spike whispered back as he nuzzled her throat lovingly.
Dawn and Giles had sat down with them, and after a few moments of letting the couple snuggle together, Dawn had asked how Spike had escaped.
Giles and Spike told them the whole story, Buffy and Dawn laughing at how cleaver and incredibly simple their plan was. Quentin would have never thought of it in a thousand years.
When Giles and Spike had finished telling the story, Dawn had volunteered to get them all drinks; Spike some blood, Giles Coffee and Buffy some iced tea, to which Dawn was incredibly grateful that her sister hadn’t asked her to put anything weird in it…like pickles.
When she had returned Buffy was telling Spike about how they found out that she was pregnant (to which Dawn noticed Spike was caressing her swollen stomach possessively), and what had been going on in Sunnydale while Spike was away. When Buffy reluctantly excused herself to use the bathroom, Spike watched her go as if she would evaporate into thin mist if he didn’t keep an eye on her. When she vanished from sight, he sighed and returned his gaze back to Rupert and Dawn. The three of them sat there for a moment in silence, not knowing what to say.
“So Nibblet, no hug?” Spike smirked at her, spread out his arms in invitation and Dawn wasted no time in flinging herself at him.
“I’ve missed you so much!” She said into his shoulder, muffling her words, but vamp hearing or no, Spike understood what she said.
“I missed you too Pigeon.” Spike said, stroking her hair. “So how’s things?” He asked, but Buffy’s sudden shout from the bathroom cut off her reply as Spike quickly and as delicately as he could pushed her off of him, jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Dawn wasn’t the least bit offended, but concerned for her sister as she and Giles raced in after him. Being slower than the vamp they arrived on the scene after Spike had burst through the door and raced to Buffy’s side.
“Buffy, love, what is it?” Spike asked her, panicked.
Buffy looked up at all of them in shock. “M-my water just broke.”
All three looked down at the ground and saw the clear fluid beneath her. Spike looked even more bewildered than Buffy did.
“Dawn, go upstairs and grab Buffy’s over-night bag for the Hospital.” Giles instructed her and she quickly went without hesitation.
“Love, are you alright? Does it hurt?” Spike asked, but when Buffy just whimpered in reply Spike panicked. “What’s wrong with her Watcher?!”
“She’s going into labor, Spike. The baby is coming.” Giles explained.
“Oh my God…this is so gross!” Buffy grimaced at the fluid coating her legs.