 |
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
AN- I have no intention of copying! I’ve had this story in my head for quite a while now. I got the idea from my family relations class when we were talking about parenting. I started to wonder what Spike and Buffy would be like as parents. I’ve checked out this God Touched series. And yes, it does have some similarities. But you have to admit that there are differences. Mine is happy, where the GTS is kinda sad. Mine takes place after the 7th season, while A Lite’s is set in the 4th. If anyone hasn’t checked out The God Touched Series, it can be found at: geocities.com/a_lite_2000/ Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to do so.
Chapter 5 It was Tuesday. Everybody was on edge, paranoid of the Tuesday curse. Buffy was sure the hell mouth would dish out something bad. It had been too quiet lately. Buffy reluctantly left for work, eager to get it over with and come home again that afternoon. Spike turned the TV on for Rebecca. He flipped to a cartoon about some little girl super-heroes. “Power Puff Girls!” Rebecca squealed. “Okay, nibblity-bit, I gotta take a shower. You stay down here and watch the telly,” he told her. The little girl was so engrossed in the cartoon that she didn’t answer. Spike shrugged, assuming she would be all right. He went upstairs to the bathroom. At first the room had bothered him, images of his forceful actions on Buffy haunting his head. As of late, however, he kept his thoughts on tasks at hand. The slayer and he had agreed to bury the hatchet and start anew. The hot shower felt good on his cool skin. It left him feeling clean and refreshed. He got out and dressed in an outfit he had brought up. He smoothed his hair back, and then exited into the hall. The sound of the television entered his ears. When he went down he found the couch vacant. He turned off the TV. “Rebecca?” he called, surveying his surroundings. There was no reply. He moved through the dining room to the kitchen. “Rebecca?” he called again. Still there was only silence. “Are you playing hide n’ seek, bit?” He checked the basement. He came back up without any success, greatly worried. He searched the bedrooms upstairs with the same result. Rebecca was gone. He cursed outloud. He had failed. He had sworn to take care of her and had failed. Spike stared at the curtained window. It gave a hint of the blazing sun outside. He wanted to run out to find her. And he might have despite the risk if the doorbell hadn’t rung. He made his way to the door and opened it, careful not the step into direct sunlight. A woman stood there. She had dark hair and kind eyes. She wore a comfortable pant-suit that gave off a sense of friendliness. “Hi, I’m Kate Turner from next door. Are you the father of Rebecca?” the woman asked. At Kate’s side stood Rebecca, unhurt and even smiling. Relief spread over Spike. He was compelled to grab the girl, but restrained himself. He wasn’t going to get emotional in front of a stranger. “I’m Rebecca’s guardian,” the vampire informed. “She wandered over to my house just a bit ago,” Kate explained. “I think she saw my son and wanted to make friends. I don’t mind. I only want to make sure she has permission.” Spike gave Rebecca a stern look. The smile on her face disappeared. “No, she didn’t get permission. I was in the shower,” he told the neighbor. “Oh,” Kate remarked. “I see.” Spike lifted his gaze to Kate. “I don’t think she should go back to play. I have ta have a talk with ‘er.” “Of course.“ Kate smiled in farewell and retreated back to her home. Rebecca’s eyes were on the ground. When she didn’t come in Spike said, “Rebecca, come in.” The little girl knew she was in trouble. Spike had always called her by an affectionate nickname until then. He was definitely not pleased. She slowly entered the house, and Spike closed the door. They stood in the entryway in silence for a moment. “Rebecca, why did you go out without askin?” he finally questioned. She raised her head. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was so sweet and apologetic. He couldn’t resist his urge to hug her. He got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. “You shouldn’t do that, itzy-bitzy. I was scared. Didn’t know where ya were.” She nodded. “The show ended and I looked out the window,” she told him. “It was so sunny out. I saw the little boy with a ball. He looked like he was having fun.” “It’s okay to go play with your mates. But ya gotta tell me first.” “Are you going to punish me?” He chuckled. “Nah, not this time round. Did you parents punish ya?” “Sometimes,” she admitted. “Right, well I’ll only do it when ya disobey me. This was a get out of jail card cause I didn’t tell ya the rules.” She surprised him by placing a peck on his cheek. He froze in shock. Rebecca grinned. “I’m thirsty,” she proclaimed. Spike scrambled to his feet. “Come on then.” There wasn’t much to pick from in the fridge. Buffy hadn’t been to the store in . . . Well, he had lost track. The only items to drink were pop, orange juice, or milk. He grabbed the OJ carton and began to pour it onto a cup. He put the juice away, then took the drink. He turned, prepared to give it to Rebecca. “Will you be my new daddy?” The cup slipped from his fingers. It fell to the floor, spilling orange liquid. Rebecca gasped. “Uh oh, you made a mess.” “That I did, luv.” “Aren’t ya goin ta clean it up?” she asked. “In a minute.” Spike paused for a long span, his mind swimming. He found himself taking a few unnecessary deep breaths. Finally he said, “You can’t spring that sort of thing on a bloke like that.” “Oh.” She seemed hurt and dejected. He sighed. “I didn’t say no, bit.” Her eyes looked at him with hope. “I already accepted the job. Might as well call me by the rightful title,” he went on. A grin spread across her face. She bounded at him with happiness. While doing so, she accidentally stepped in some of the orange juice. “Ewww,” she said. “I better clean that up,” he remarked. He snatched up some paper towels. “I’ll help, daddy!” She took a paper towel and went to work. Spike watched her, feeling as if he had gained something extraordinary just then. ************************ Rebecca was watching The Little Mermaid that evening. She sang alone to all the songs by heart. “Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Don’t you think that my collection’s complete? Wouldn’t you think of a girl. A girl who has everything.” Buffy came in at that moment. “Rebecca, where’s Spike?” The little girl tore her eyes off the television screen. “Daddy went out to have a fag,” she said. Buffy shook her head. “God, he is going to corrupt you with all that British . . . Wait, did you just call Spike daddy?” “Uh huh. Spike said it was okay if he was my daddy.” Buffy opened her mouth. No sound came out. She was too dazed to articulate any response. “Buffy, are you all right?” Rebecca inquired. “Uh huh, sure,” Buffy sputtered. The five-year-old hopped off the couch. “Buffy, will you be my mommy?” Buffy froze. “What?” “Please, Buffy. Spike agreed to be my daddy and daddies come with mommies.” “Oh my God,” Buffy muttered. “I . . .” A serious look crossed over Rebecca. “My mommy was nice. She took care of me and I miss her. I know I’ll never get her back, but I think you can love me like she did.” Tears began to trickle from Buffy’s eyes. What was she to do? The whole situation was heart wrenching. Rebecca came up to her, concerned. “Buffy, what is wrong? Did I make you cry?” “I. . . I want to be your mother, Rebecca. But I’m afraid to. It is a really big responsibility. And I’m not sure if I can give you what you need” I’m the slayer, Buffy’s mind cried. I can’t be a parent. Nikki couldn’t give Robin Wood proper care. Slayers just aren’t fit for the job. They have to put their duty first. There isn’t enough time for them to take care of a kid. “All you need to do is love me,” Rebecca told Buffy. Buffy did love Rebecca. But sometimes that wasn’t enough. She knew that from experience. “I can’t answer your question right now, Rebecca. Okay?” Buffy resorted to say. The girl nodded. Buffy turned to go look for Spike. She needed to talk to him about this. _____________________________________________ Hopefully I can figure out a way to get some action in here soon |
