 |
Domestic Shadows By Heather Martin Summary- AU Set in the future after season 7. When Spike saves a little girl’s life, Buffy and his life are turned upside-down. But who could resist a five-year-old’s sweet smile and innocent eyes? They just couldn’t help but bring the little girl into their hearts. But when she turns out to be more than a regular little girl, how far will they go to protect the child from evil? Spoilers- Lies My Parents Told Me Sorry for the delay, guys. Instead of writing fic I’ve been reading it. *L* Just a warning, don’t read spoilers! I accidentally did and it ruined my whole day. I’m so scared to watch the last episode of Buffy now.
Chapter 6 She found him on the back porch, with the burning stick of a cigarette in his hand. His black figure merged with the night, but she could clearly see his peroxide hair in the moonlight. She came up behind him. “Spike?” He twisted around on the step to look up at her. His eyes mirrored his love for her as he sent her a small smile. “What is it, pet?” “We’re going on patrol,” Buffy insisted. Spike raised his scarred eyebrow. He stood up. “We are? What about Rebecca? Somebody needs ta . . .” Interrupting, she said, “She’s fine, Spike, engrossed in The Little Mermaid. Besides, Dawn and Willow are home, so she isn’t alone.” He nodded, dropping his cig and stomping it out with a boot. “Right then, let’s go.” The slayer handed him a stake. He took it and placed the piece of wood in the pocket of his leather duster. They strolled toward one of Sunnydale’s cemeteries in silence. Spike was enjoying the nice night and the presence of the woman he loved, while Buffy was left to her conflicting thoughts. The couple arrived to their destination. Spike surveyed the graves, keeping a keen eye out for any foes. Minutes went by without a glimpse of any other inhabitants besides themselves. “I’m not seeing any vamps, luv,” Spike informed. “Must be a slow night.” “Good.” Buffy went over to the nearest tombstone and sat down. “The real reason I asked you to come out here was to talk.” He was generally surprised at that. She wasn’t one to want to share her emotions. The last time Buffy had instigated a conversation was right after she came back from the dead. Spike sat down on a grave next to hers. “Okay, I’m all ears.” She took in a deep breath. “So, you’re Rebecca’s daddy now?” He fidgeted. “Well, ya see . . . Yeah. Yeah, I agreed to be the girl’s da.” There was a span where neither spoke. Finally Buffy said, “You had to start something, didn’t you?” Her voice sounded irritated. The vampire pointed to himself, confused. “Me? What did I do? All I’m doing is showin the bit some care. How is that wrong?” Buffy’s gaze fell downward. “Because now she wants me to be her mother, that’s how!” “And still I fail to see the wrong.” “I can’t be a parent, Spike.” “And you call what you have been for Dawn what?” “A really responsible big sister.” A snort came from Spike. “Right.” “All right, I admit I’ve been a parent to Dawn. But she is sixteen years old now. Rebecca is barely five. I can’t deal with that responsibility.” Spike gave her a dubious look. “Are you daft, woman? You are the slayer with a handful of friends, a job, and a little sister. Don’t tell me you can’t handle responsibility.” “Okay, I ‘can’ handle responsibility. What I mean is I can’t handle ‘any more’ responsibility. A five year-old needs to be taken care of all the time. I can’t do that. I’ve got training, a job, and all these nasty vamps to dust. My schedule is booked.” “Could you honestly tell me that you would give her up? Hand her over to some strange family? People who won’t understand her powers, and probably won’t try to.” She didn’t answer. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Buffy? Do you love her?” She raised her head to meet his eyes. Her own were beginning to glisten. “Yes, that is why this is so hard,” she answered. He knew then what was the problem. “You’re afraid you’ll screw up.” “I’m not the nurturing type. I’m the slayer. Ya know, tough and commanding.” “Sometimes, you gotta take a chance that you’ll fail. You can’t go through life making all the safe choices. Cuz, luv . . .” He brushed a tear that started to stroll down her cheek. “When you do that, you aren’t really living.” Her mouth twitched into a smile. “What?” he asked. “You, telling me what it is like to live.” A smirk came to his lips. “Yeah, well, I may be dead, but I’ve had the chance to see life play out around me.” If she were to be honest, she would have to admit that Spike held more life than a whole lot of people who were actually alive. “I’m scared. Being a mother is big business. I should know. My mom was stressed out all the time. I’m not sure I can do it.” “Buffy, you do realize that you have been taking care of Rebecca for days now, right? You have been doin a fine job of bein her mum. The only thing lacking is the title.” He was right. She knew he was right. Hell, most of the time he was. How was that? He knew about her, life, and things going on around them. He was too perceptive. “You really think I could do it?” she asked with uncertainty. “I know you could.” “I‘ll think about it,” she told him. They both stared at each other for a moment. Spike wanted to move forward and capture her lips, but he had promised himself that he would never make the first move again. Suddenly Buffy slowly inched closer. She was about to capture his mouth when she pulled away. Spike’s heart sank. She had planned on kissing him, but pulled away. Then he saw the real reason she hadn’t. A vampire. Buffy rushed at the vamp with a series of kicks and punches. Spike watched the show with pride. She was so gorgeous. Wild, strong, and untamed. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to interrupt people?” Buffy remarked. The slayer pulled out her stake and thrust it into the vamp’s heart. It instantly turned to dust. She brushed herself off and returned the weapon to her pocket. Buffy turned to face Spike. “Come on, let’s go home. Our little girl awaits.” Spike opened his mouth, wanting to question on the ‘our’ little girl, but kept quiet. They left the cemetery side-by-side. ************************ Lucas stepped out of the shadows. He eyed the slayer and her pet vampire walk into the house. He had followed them from the cemetery. He had just hit the jackpot. Not only did he know where the slayer lived, he knew where Rebecca was being kept. Lucas grinned as he made his way back to his master. ________________________________________________ I don’t feel like this is a very good chapter. *sigh* If it needs work, tell me and I might fix it up a bit. Was the conversation between Buffy and Spike good? Oh, and if you have any ideas as to what should happen next please tell me. |
