Days in the Sun
August 1st, 2007 - Heat
Finally, Spike’s ordeal was almost over, and he could only sigh in relief. That familiar feeling that all vampires learned to recognize within a few hours of having awakened undead – or died a second death if they were slow learners – was tickling his senses. The sun was sliding down toward the horizon; this awful day was at last ending.
The air conditioning unit had sputtered its last breath and died just before noon, and of course – they were on the Hellmouth, after all, all bad things had to be made as painful as possible – it had happened on what Spike was sure had to be the hottest day of the summer. Not that the heat bothered him, he didn’t care one way or the other. But with three small children in the house, the heavy, smothering heat was a curse. They had first had had a repairman come look at the unit, but he had declared it unsalvageable. Then Buffy had gone out to shop for a new A/C, and playing out in the relatively shady backyard where a light breeze was making things bearable had been impossible for the children, since Spike couldn’t accompany them. As a result, they had been confined inside, and had complained for most of the afternoon. Between the baby’s wails of discomfort, Will’s repeated requests for more ice-cream, and Lisa’s constant babbling about how wonderful her friend Susan’s pool was and why couldn’t they have a pool too, it hadn’t taken long for Spike to reach the end of his nerves. He had even taken the cigarettes out of their hiding spot.
They had been there, at the very back of the bottom drawer of his desk, the one that closed with a key, for more than two years. He had bought them on his way to Los Angeles, but even though the trip and its aftermaths had been nerve wrecking, he had never opened the cellophane, never done more than play with the pack to soothe his nerves. And that was what he had done today, too, turning the box over and over in his hands, until he had calmed down enough to put it back where it belonged and could return to the living room with a Disney video playing, its fan set on the highest setting, and three whiny children.
But now the sun was low enough that Spike could stand safely on the deck, and with Buffy’s call announcing she was on her way back, it was time to unleash the monsters into the backyard for some fresh air. Or at least, he would unleash the eldest, and since baby Jay was finally asleep; she wouldn’t mind being left out of the fun, or so he hoped. But mere minutes after rushing through the back door with delighted cries, William and Lisa were back, complaining that it was too hot to play outside. And doing so loudly enough that Jay, usually a sound sleeper, started crying in his arms.
In his mind, Spike could already picture the patrol he would make that night. Oh, but it would be good to make a few unsuspecting demons pay for a day in hell…
He dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. He was lucky, and he knew it. The new life in his arms, only a few weeks old, and the two other ones in front of him were all too clear reminder of the miraculous love he shared with the Slayer. A few hours of frustration didn’t change anything to that. Although he was starting to miss his ability to scare humans so much they would lose their voice…
Inspiration struck suddenly as Lisa was babbling something about whether they could ask her aunt Willow to make it rain. It was a wonder that he hadn’t thought about it sooner. Grinning to himself, Spike asked the children to get the sprinkler for him from where it lay in the middle of the yard. They complied with halfhearted protests that it was too hot; but as soon as they were close enough to it, Spike turned on the water. Shrieking in surprise, they both jumped back. But where Lisa wore a delighted smile, her brother turned a pouty face toward Spike.
“I’m all wet!” he protested, even though only the left side of his t-shirt and shorts bore traces of water. “Mummy is going to be upset.”
Lisa looked up from where she was trying to touch the arch of water with her hand and questioned Spike silently.
“I’m sure your mum won’t be upset,” he promised. “It’s just a little water, it’s not going to hurt you.”
Grinning, Lisa resumed her attempt at catching the water in her hands. William observed her for an instant, clearly unsure as his eyes darted back and forth between the water and Spike. But then, when Lisa finally reached the water, accidentally splashing her face and crying out in thrilled shock, he became bolder and ran through the twin arch of waters, eyes closed and shouting wordlessly.
Spike smiled as he rocked Jay in his arms and tried to lull her into sleep again, his eyes never leaving his two older children. They were now running around the sprinkler, laughing aloud as they darted around or through the water. They were soaked, but neither seemed to mind.
“What the…”
Absorbed as he was by the antics of the kids, Spike didn’t notice Buffy’s arrival until she was behind the screen door. He laughed at the wide-eyed, incredulous she was giving Lisa and William, and earned himself a glare.
“What are they doing?” she demanded as she walked out, arms crossing immediately in a typical demonstration of motherly outrage. “They’re getting soaked! They’ll get mud all over the floor when they come in! I can’t believe…”
After hearing his children’s complaints all afternoon long, Spike really was in no mood to endure any more; and so he shut Buffy up with a fail proof technique he had developed over the years. With a kiss that left her breathless, and if her eyes shone when he pulled back it wasn’t because she was upset anymore.
“You’re impossible,” she murmured as she took the now sleeping baby from his arms.
“Probably,” he conceded with a devious smirk. With a quick look at the sky, he ran to his children, barefoot as they were, and proceeded to chase them around the backyard under Buffy’s amused eyes.
The characters and names used in these stories do not belong to me. All copyrights remain with Fox and Mutant Enemy. No profit is made from this fanfiction.