Days in the Sun

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September 14th, 2006 - Third

Moving her face closer to the mirror, her nose almost touching it, Buffy frowned at what she saw. “I’m too young to have wrinkles,” she muttered.

She shuddered as cool lips brushed against her bruised neck. “What did you say, luv ?”

“Nothing,” she lied as she stared fixedly at the mirror where his reflection should have been. Purple marks marred her skin all around her neck. Most of it would be healed by morning, but she would still have to wear a scarf to avoid embarrassing questions at school.

Spike had slipped his arms around her towel-clad waist, pressing his body to her back. “Come on, luv. Something is bothering you. Tell me ?”

She turned in his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder.

“It was a close call tonight,” she said softly. “Just a second later, and I was dead.”

His grip tightened around her, and though his voice tried for cockiness, she heard the fear that he aimed to hide. “That’s why you have a slaying partner, luv. And a great one at that.”

Her mind replayed what had happened during the patrol. Three nameless demons, big, ugly and very teethy. One for Spike, two for her. Weird how they always seem to come in more numbers to her than to the vampire. She had dispatched one easily, smiling as she saw that Spike had no more trouble than her. It had been her mistake, that brief look to her love. In that small second, the last demon had grabbed her, throwing her to the ground, stunning her. She had felt its clawed hands closing on her throat, immediately trying to pry them away with her own, with not much success. Spike had ended it by slicing the demon’s head with the axe she had let fall to the ground.

During that so short instant where the monstrous digits were denying her air, she had been reminded of a little fact. She was mortal. She usually avoided thinking about her own death, all too aware that she was older than any Slayer before her had lived to be.

“I’m getting old,” she muttered.

His laugh was brief and genuine. “When you get to 100, luv, you’ll be old. Until then, you’re my baby.”

He kissed her forehead soundly, like he did their children. Annoyed, she broke free of his embrace, walking to the bedroom and letting herself fall to the bed.

“I’m not joking, Spike. My Slayer expiration date came a while ago. What would have happened if I’d died tonight ? Do you picture yourself as a single parent ?”

He came to the bed and laid on his side next to her, his head propped against his hand, watching her with intensity.

“No, I don’t picture myself without you. Never.”

She saw the pain in his eyes, and reached to touch his face. “It will happen, love. Sooner or later. Tonight was just a reminder.”

He closed his eyes for a second, and when he reopened them, there was something new in the blue depths, a strange mix of determination and hesitation. “It doesn’t have to happen, Buffy. It can last forever. I can…”

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. She knew what he meant. She had always figured the idea would come to him, eventually, and had feared a little that he’d do it if she ever got hurt too badly on patrol. Yet she had never dared to talk about it first.

“No,” she said simply.

“No ?” he repeated. “Are you sure ?”

She smiled gently. “I am sure. And so are you. You know it wouldn’t be me anymore.”

He took her in his arms, rolling her on top of his body.

“I know. The woman I love would be gone, replaced by a demon. But if I have to choose between being alone or…”

“You will never have to choose,” she interrupted. “because you’ll never be alone. We have two wonderful children.”

She rested her head on his chest, and he started tracing random patterns on her back.

“They are wonderful, but they are not you,” he said quietly after a moment.

She raised her head to look at his face. “They are me just as much as they are you.”

Bringing her lips to his, she kissed him briefly, chastely.

“Spike ?”

“Yes luv ?”

“Would you like to have another child ?”

His hands froze on her back, and he looked at her hesitantly, speaking very softly. “If it is a ‘I-am-afraid-to-die-so-I’ll-make-a-baby’ child, then no, I don’t want another child.”

She shook her head. “How about a ‘I-love-you-so-much-I-want-to-create-life-with-you’ child ?”

The corner of his lips raised in a smirk. “I like the sound of that. If it’s our last chance, then it needs to be special.”

Buffy pushed herself to a sitting position, straddling his waist, and looked at his face, puzzled. “What do you mean, last chance ?”

He arched a scarred eyebrow. “You know, the prophecy ? ‘Three times under the spell, life they create’ and so on ?”

Buffy's mouth was suddenly dry, and her voice was raucous when she asked :“You know ?”

“Yes luv, I know. Asked the Watcher for some explanations after William’s birth. He told me about all of it.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, Buffy stared at Spike, surprised by his revelation. She had asked Giles not to tell him. Of course, that was a long time ago, but she hadn’t thought the Watcher would talk to Spike without at least telling her. And now she learned that he had known for four years.

“I figured you’d bring it up the day you’d be ready for another nibblet,” he continued. “There was no rush.”

“So you’re not mad I didn’t tell you before ?” she asked cautiously.

He laughed a little, before becoming very serious : “It takes two people to make a child, luv. I supposed you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want another baby. And if you didn’t want it, I didn’t either.”

He pulled her down and kissed her heatedly. She returned the kiss just as fervently, her hands running along his sides. He tore his lips away from her, asking gently : “You sure of you, luv ? Another baby is going to twirl our lives around. I don’t want you to be sorry later.”

“I won’t be sorry. I want another son, I want him to be just like you, and I will love him just as much as I love you and Lisa and William.”

He grinned as he showered kisses on her neck and shoulder. “It will be a girl. But this one will have your eyes.”

Words were forgotten as the Vampire and his Slayer willingly gave blood, willingly took blood, creating a life that was both Slayer and Vampire, fulfilling the Prophecy that had brought them together in the first place.

Eight months and three weeks later, Spike was gloating. He had been right again. It was a girl, she had hazel eyes. They named her Joyce Anne.