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Chapter Sixteen

Buffy sat outside on the front stoop, only half listening to the loud conversations going on inside the house. The women were getting ready to pick up their dresses and the men were getting ready to pick up their tuxes. Joyce was barking orders at Hank, Dawn and Harmony were scrambling around trying to find their shoes and God only knew what Spike was doing. Or Jonathan. Or Angel for that matter. Not that she was all that concerned. Some time alone was just what she needed at the moment. Not that she was ever completely alone. Her eyes drifted to the spot on the roof. Yeah, right. They'd swarm around her like bees. Her mother would yell at her and tell her to stop being selfish and she'd have a hell of a time trying to explain to her mother that she needed to get away to figure out the feelings her ‘fiancé' was invoking in her.

"There you are."

She looked up to see the man in question and her stomach flip flopped.
When did it ever flip flop before in his presence? Never. Wait….nope.
Never.

He sat down next to her and nudged her. "What's up?"

"Just trying to get away from the madness."

He grinned and reached for his cigarettes. He stood up and walked away
from her, lighting up.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Why was he walking away from her? Oh
yeah. Smoke plus baby equals bad.

His eyes widened and he looked towards the door, nervous. "Should I not
smoke because of your parents? You're right." He threw the cigarette to
the ground and crushed it.

"Spike, no—why do you care what they think?"

"I want them to like me."

"Does it really matter?"

He looked hurt by that and she winced. "I didn't mean it like that. I just
meant that---I don't know what I meant," she sighed and buried her head
in her hands.

He sat back down next to her. She felt his strong hand start to knead the
muscles in her neck. "What's going on with you kitten? You seem a little
jumpy."

Her head popped up and she jerked away from him. There was that hurt
look again. "You're not mad at me for what I said?"

He looked confused for a minute, then, clarity. "Oh, you mean about how I
proposed? No. I figure that gave me a thousand points in my favor."

"Yeah, with Harmony," she muttered.

"I was thinking your parents."

She stared at him. "My parents?"

He nodded. "They saw me as someone that would do anything for you," he
shrugged. "Which I would."

"Thanks?"

"Don't have to thank me. Just something that is."

"And ever will be, world without end, amen?"

He chuckled. "Exactly."

The door flung open and out waltzed Joyce with Hank in tow. The army
was now making its descent out of the house.

"Are you guys going in your own car or do you want to drive with us?"
Joyce asked.

"Aren't we going to two different places?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Yes and no. The shops are across the street from each other."

"Oh. Well, then Spike and I can drive over together."

"Mind if we join you?" Angel asked, coming out of the house, his hands
linked with Cordy's.

Buffy smiled warmly, "Not at all Buttmunch."

"Thanks Asswipe."

Buffy giggled and slung her arm through Spike's. "Onward!" she
proclaimed.

"Your chariot awaits mi'lady," Spike said graciously.

She snorted. "The DeSoto is far from a chariot Spike and if you think that
my baby is going to ride in this hunk of junk—" She broke off, her jaw
dropping and eyes widening along with Spike's. She looked frantically
around her to see if anyone had heard her. The matching shocked
expressions on their faces told her they'd heard.

"Oh, shit," she murmured.

"Did you just say what I thought you said?" Joyce asked, surprisingly and
eerily calm.

"No," Buffy said quickly.

"You knocked up my sister?" Angel said darkly, looking menacingly at
Spike as Cordy gripped his arm to keep him from lunging.

"Way to go Buffy!" Dawn burst out in gleeful giggles.

Buffy glared daggers at her.

Harmony appeared distraught and Jonathan looked uncomfortable.

"I can't believe this!" Hank threw up his arms and started pacing.


"You're going to make his ulcer flare up now. Happy now young lady?" her
mother barked at her.

"He doesn't have an ulcer problem!" Buffy retorted.

"He will now!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. Spike came
around the car and wrapped his arms around her, standing tall and proud
against the yard full of people ready to ostracize them.

"Joyce, with all due respect—"

"It's Mrs. Summers to you!" Joyce snapped at him.

That riled Buffy's feathers. "Don't yell at him! Just an hour ago, you were
singing him praises and gushing about him so much I thought maybe YOU
wanted to marry him. Now he's dirt? That's not fair mother!"

"Buffy, baby, its okay," Spike said gently, trying to pull her back.

"No it's not okay!" she yelled at him.

He held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. It just happens when my family
starts acting like raving lunatics!" She turned to her family scattered
around them and started waving her finger at them. "Yes, I am pregnant
okay? Yes, I am going to have Spike's baby, but you know what? It's okay
because we love each other and . . . . And he's the long haul guy and if you
don't like it then . . . then you can not come to our wedding and not be part
of my child's life! It's two thousand and five and plenty of people get
pregnant before their vows!" she was on a roll now and one by one she
noticed the looks of guilt starting to creep across their faces.

"Is that why you proposed? Because she's pregnant?" Harmony piped in.

Buffy looked at her in utter disbelief. How could she--? Before she knew it,
her bottom lip was quivering and tears sprang to her eyes as Harmony just
voiced her greatest fears: That she was unlovable and that the only way
she'd ever actually get herself a real fiancé is if they were playing a part.

"Harmony!" Joyce reprimanded her, which under normal circumstances
would have stunned Buffy, but by that time, Buffy was crumbling in tears
and rushing towards the house, wanting to get as far away from her family
as possible.

She flew up the stairs to her room and slammed the door shut. She stood
there in the middle of the room, trying to get a hold of herself, but the more
she tried the worse it became. Then, arms came around her and
instinctively she knew they were Spike's. She allowed him to wrap her in
the safety of his arms and lead her to the bed where he held her on his lap
as she cried into his shoulder. He ran a hand up and down her back,
soothing her, whispering words of comfort.

"Baby, I hate it when you cry," he told her softly.

"I can't believe she said that!"

"Don't listen to her. She's an insipid little brat. She's not even half the
woman you are."

"I can't believe they all attacked me like that. I mean, I knew it'd go over
badly . . . I just hoped that since they liked you so much, they'd be okay
about it you know?"

"They're old fashioned Buffy. It's a normal reaction for parents who are old
fashioned."

"I think I should just cut out the middle man and have the therapist
deliver the baby," Buffy whimpered against his neck.

Spike's body shook lightly with the laughter that escaped him and he
pressed a kiss to her forehead. "They were pretty upset with what
Harmony said after you ran off. I don't think it'll be long before—"

A knock sounded on the door.

"Someone comes to apologize," Spike finished.

"I don't want to see anyone," she told him stubbornly.

"Buffy, you have to. If you don't, it's going to be a long day."

"So? We can just leave."

"You have to do this. If you don't, you'll regret it."

"No I won't," she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Buffy Anne Summers," Spike said sternly.

He was right. Damn it. She hated it when he was right. She moved off his
lap and glared at him as she sat away from him and turned away, head
raised. She was acting like a spoiled rotten brat and she didn't care.

"You can be mad at me all you want, but you know I'm right."

"Hmph."

She heard the door open. "Hi, Mrs. Summers."

"Spike . . . You can still call me Joyce."

Buffy turned, stunned at her mother who was actually looking SORRY.

"Thanks, Joyce."


"No, don't thank me. I'm . . . I'm sorry."

Buffy jumped up and faced her mother. "What the hell is going on in here? Harmony's marrying Jonathan and now you're apologizing for something? I
have entered the Twilight Zone!"


Please let me know what you think....this wasn't an easy chapter to write!





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