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Chapter Twelve

Spike had awoken to women in his bed before. It didn't happen often, but he had spent an entire night here and there with a woman. He never much liked the morning after though. For the obvious reason that it meant some sort of commitment to a woman, and if he was honest, it meant a level of commitment to him. Going to bed with someone is easy; waking up with them is not. They don't call it ‘The harsh light of day' for nothing. However, when Spike woke that morning to Buffy curled up beside him, her body forming a question mark, one hand tucked under her head and the other curled in a light fist on his chest, Spike knew he wanted more mornings just like this one.

He wanted it for the rest of his life. And what was the most amazing thing
about it? There was no sex involved; and there didn't have to be. Sure he
was sporting morning wood and it was increasingly becoming stronger as
his heart warmed with the idea that she had tentatively reached out to him.
Yet it wasn't sex he was seeking and that was a feat within itself. It was a
feat he was sure that only Buffy could inspire.

The way she curled so close and yet not against him it was almost as if she
were asking his permission. Slowly so as not to wake her, he scooted closer,
careful not to jar the hand resting on his bare chest. He gazed at her, feeling
a crink start in his neck, but he didn't care. He started to reach out to push
some hair away from her face when a loud knock sounded on the door
startling him and then her. Buffy's eyes snapped open and their eyes met.

She sat up. "What?" she barked.

"Mom's making breakfast. She told me to wake the lovebirds," Dawn said
through the door, sounding put out.

Buffy rolled her eyes and plopped back on the bed. Grabbing the blankets
she pulled them over her head.

Spike flipped the blankets over his head and moved in closer to her. She
reared back a bit, looking confused, as if she'd just realized he was there.
"Hi, kitten."

She stared at him blankly. He'd forgotten how much of a morning person
she was not. She still looked tired and he wished they didn't have to get up.
He would have been perfectly content to hold her in his arms and brush her
hair with his fingers as she drifted back to sleep.

"I don't want to get up," she quietly whined, jutting out her bottom lip.

"I know baby," he coaxed her soothingly. "Are you feeling okay?"

She furrowed her brows.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Too early to talk."

Spike sighed and flung the covers off them. She glared at him. He grinned
down at her and climbed out of bed. "Tell you what, I'll shower first and
you can take a little cat nap. Sound good?"

She nodded and covered herself up immediately, letting out a huge yawn,
stretching just a bit and then shutting her eyes. He couldn't help himself, he
had to do it. He leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead, not daring to
look back at the expression on her face as he sauntered into the bathroom,
whistling.



Buffy's eyes snapped open as soon as she felt Spike's lips touch her
forehead. She froze for a second and when she turned her head to look at
him, he was already halfway in the bathroom. What the hell was that? She
shook her head, that was just Spike being Spike and showing her affection.
Aside from his relationships being doomed due to the woman he chose
being dumber than a box of rocks, she was still often surprised when they
did end. He was such an affectionate guy. A sap really. She found herself
wondering if he hugged them at random the way he did her. If he liked to
lie in their lap while watching a movie and demand they play with his hair
the way he did with her. She frowned. Funny how she never put much
thought into that before now.

And again with the calling her ‘baby' this morning. She knew she'd made a
quizzical face and then he had to go and question her on it. What was she
supposed to say? "What's with the ‘baby'?" Well, yeah, she guessed she
could have. It's not like they didn't have an open and honest friendship. So
then why did she suddenly feel weird about voicing the question? Why did
she feel as if it would burst whatever cozy bubble had been forming since
she'd told him she was pregnant?

"That doesn't look like napping. That looks deep in thought," Spike
remarked as he emerged from the bathroom, steam seeping out the door as
he came out. He was like a rock star making his entrance onstage. She was
surprised to note he wore regular blue jeans instead of his basic black. His
hair, she noticed, lacked gel.

She sat up as he sat on the side of the bed and pulled on his socks. She
smiled as she watched him.

"So what were you thinking about?" he asked.

"You're a nosy parker," she said lightly and poked him.

"I find if fascinating the things that brain of yours comes up with."

"I wasn't really thinking about anything," she told him breezily and

climbed out of bed.

"Liar."

She grinned and started grabbing for her clothes. "Did you sleep okay?"
she asked him.

"Like a log. You?"

"Same."

"Meet you downstairs?"

"You're going to face the pack alone?" her eyes widened.

"A good fiancé wants to get to know the family, make sure he's liked," he
pointed out.

"What did you read a book on this or something?"

"See you downstairs luv," and he kissed her forehead again. She wondered
if it was becoming habit now.

She liked it.



Entering the kitchen she found it all a bustle. Her dad was pouring OJ, her
mom was flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs and Dawn was putting

fresh fruit out. All this meant one thing: Company. Usually it was just a free
for all. Buffy remembered coming down, making herself cereal and then
locking herself away again. Spike was chatting with her mom about

something and Joyce was giggling like a school girl. Harmony sat at the
table eyeing Spike while popping a grape in her mouth.

"Where's my brother?" Buffy asked.

Joyce looked over at her. "He's picking up his girlfriend from the airport. If
you had stuck around last night, you would have found out that he's staying

in a hotel with her."

Buffy ignored the dig as best she could. It was hard and she thought she
was going to have to dig her nails in her palm or something to stop the
snappy retort that was on the tip of her tongue. "Does she have a name?
And where does she live that he has to pick her up from the airport." Buffy
gripped the counter. "He's not moving is he?"

The thought of her brother moving across country filled her with dread. He
was the only saving grace in their family.

"No, he's not moving. She lives in Marblehead with him. She was on a
business trip and he went to Logan to pick her up early this morning."

"Name please!"

"Cordelia," her father answered, smiling at her.

She smiled back. "Thanks Dad. What does she do?"

"She's an attorney," her mother said, almost dreamily.

Buffy rolled her eyes and grabbed a grape. "Well mom. You got your wish.
An attorney in the family."

Now her mother ignored her dig. When Buffy decided to go into journalism,
her mother had begged her to reconsider and become an attorney instead.
She swore that made her want to be a journalist that much more. When
she'd landed a job on a newspaper and had to write her first big article, it
was on an attorney that had fallen from grace. Buffy had it framed and sent
to her mother. They never spoke about it.

"You'd find out what's going on more if you called us all once in a while,"
Joyce sing- songed.

Buffy shrugged. "Why do that when the weekly newsletter you put out
once a week tells me all I need to know?"

Joyce shot her a look. "Sending you an e-mail seems the only way to get to
you. That I know you'll read. You barely ever return my phone calls."

Can't imagine why, Buffy thought sarcastically and sat down at the table
grabbing her OJ.

"Darling!" Suddenly Harmony was out of her seat like a shot and ran
across the room to see what Buffy assumed was her fiancé. One couldn't be
too sure considering the way she had been no doubt undressing Spike with
her eyes a minute before.

Buffy strained to see him, desperately needing to see the half wit who
would think marrying Harmony would make him happy. Send him into an
early grave more like. Whoever he was, he was shorter than Harmony as
she could see the top of his head came to her shoulder.

Finally Harmony moved just before Buffy was about to shout ‘you make a
better door than a window!'

"Here he is! My hubby to be!" Harmony squealed.

Buffy nearly dropped her glass of OJ. Harmony was marrying Jonathan
Levinson?

Jonathan was Buffy's ex boyfriend.









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