astimegoesby2

June 11, 2001

It was mid afternoon. Willow and Buffy were in the kitchen, having decided to bake chocolate chip cookies. Spike was coming over after sunset, and they had a movie night planned. Three batches later, they were beginning to think their decision had been a mistake.

"Buffy!" Willow screeched as the flour that the blonde was trying to pour into a bowl landed on the counter and floor instead. She jumped back, unsuccessfully trying to avoid the floating powder, and slipped on the wet rag Buffy had used to clean up the dropped eggs from the last batch, landing with a loud crash on the floor. She lay there, stunned.

Buffy dropped down to the floor next to her flour-covered friend, trying to hold back her giggles. "Will? Are you okay?" Willow's head was down, her long hair hiding her face. Buffy saw her shoulders begin to shudder, and immediately became concerned. "Willow! Look at me!"

Willow responded to the command, and to her relief, Buffy saw that her friend was laughing hysterically. "I'm fine, Buffy," she said between giggles. "I think we better admit defeat, though. Help me up?" she asked, offering her hand.

Buffy stood and lifted Willow after her, still laughing. "You'd think after six years of fighting demons, I could make one tiny little batch of cookies," she grinned. "How about you go get cleaned up, and I'll go out and buy some cookies. Spike will never know the difference."

Willow grinned. "Deal. I'm going to see if I can clean up a little, though, while I'm still so icky."

"Okay. Be back in a little while," Buffy told her, leaving through the back door.

Willow surveyed the mess, shaking her head. Flour littered the counter and wet floor, and the excess ingredients and batter from their earlier attempts covered the table. She set to work cleaning up the worst of it, figuring that Buffy could get the rest when she got home. Twenty minutes later, she wrung the rag into the sink and dropped it down on the counter. Done. Well, as done as she was going to make it, anyway. She headed up to her bedroom to change, and realized with a groan that she had a flour-water mixture clumping her hair. She dragged herself into the bathroom to wash it out, grumbling the whole time about best friends who couldn't cook to save their souls. As she got out, she heard the doorbell ringing.

"Augh!" she complained. "Shoot. I'll be right there!" she shouted down. The person rang the doorbell three times in succession and Willow furrowed her brows in annoyance. It was probably Buffy, locked out of the apartment again. She had a habit of forgetting her keys, since she walked everywhere. "I'm coming!" she nearly screamed as she jumped into her denim shorts and tried to clasp her bra at the same time. Looking around, she realized that she had brought two pairs of shorts into the room, instead of a top. When the doorbell rang again, she gave up, rationalizing that she didn't have anything Buffy hadn't already seen on herself. Still drying her hair with the towel, she ran down the stairs and threw open the door. She froze mid swipe on her hair, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was shirtless. And that it wasn't Buffy standing there, open mouthed, in front of her.

"Willow?" Xander asked in amazement, eyes unconsciously drawn to his best friend's white lace covered breasts.

Willow let out a tiny squeak, too much in shock to even cover herself. The sudden cry of the pink bundle in Xander's arm shook her out of her dazed state, and she yanked the towel off her head and clutched it to her chest. "Xander! What are you doing here?" she asked, astonished. "Not that I'm not happy to see you. Because I am. Very happy. And you have the baby!" she exclaimed, as he slipped a pacifier into the infant's mouth and it quieted instantly. "Um, I need to get dressed," she said, recalling her shirtless state.

She turned and fled up the stairs, leaving Xander and the baby on the front steps.

"Welcome to Sunnydale, Melanie," he said, shaking his head as he walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him. Willow appeared moments later, still tugging the shirt down to her hips.

"So, hi," she said, embarrassed, and still a little red.

Xander grinned at her. "Hi, Will. Have to say, liked the welcome."

There was an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say until Willow tilted her head to one side and looked up at him. She smiled. "Welcome home, Xander." She reached up and gave him a hug, mindful of the baby's need for oxygen.

Xander reached his free arm around her, holding her tightly as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. "Thanks, Willow," he said softly.

She broke away, and looked at the baby. "So this is your daughter, huh?" she asked, gently trailing her fingers down the baby's face.

Xander broke out into a huge smile of fatherly pride. "Yep. Willow, I'd like to introduce you to Miss Melanie Kathleen Harris. Mel, this is your Auntie Willow," he said, lifting the baby so she could see Willow. He grinned at his friend. "I've been telling her all about you, so she should recognize your name. Well, maybe. Do babies have good memories?" he asked.

Willow ignored him and smiled at the infant, instantly in love. "Hi, Melanie," she cooed, shaking the tiny hand the baby was waving around.

"Want to hold her?" Xander asked.

Willow looked up at him. "Can I?"

"Of course. Here. Watch her head," he cautioned as he passed the infant.

Willow cradled Melanie to herself, smiling when the baby grabbed her finger. She looked up at Xander, still smiling. "You're a lucky man, Xander Harris," she told him, eyes shining. Xander stood behind her, skimming his hand over Melanie's small head.

"I know," he whispered. All he could think was that he'd be even luckier if the three of the them were a family, the way it was meant to be.

Just then, the door opened and Buffy bounced in, carrying two bags. "Hey, Will, I got. . ." her voice trailed off as she noticed the other person in the hallway. "Xander? Wow, Xander, hi." She stepped over and gave him a hug. "It has been way too long since I saw you," she said, pulling back. "How are you?"

"Exhausted," he grinned back, playfully but dead serious. "Melanie keeps me up all night. There are times I have to drop some Holy Water on her, just to make sure she didn't turn into a vamp while my back was turned."

For the first time, Buffy noticed the bundle cradled in Willow's arms. "This must be the infamous Melanie, then," she said. Willow nodded, and Buffy leaned over. "Hi, sweetie. I'm Buffy." The baby gurgled in response. "Oh, so you've heard of me? Don't believe a word your Daddy says about me, okay?" She looked up. "Let's sit down, and you can tell us how you ended up back in Sunnydale."

Melanie started fussing, and Xander took her back from Willow. "Okay, sounds good. It's time for someone's snack, though. Can I just heat up this bottle?" he asked, taking one from the diaper bag on his shoulder.

"Sure, I'll show you where the kitchen is." Willow jumped up and led them into the kitchen. Buffy followed, grabbing a bottled water out of the fridge as Xander heated the bottle on the stove.

"Well, remember when you told me that you guys would help me if I needed it, Will?" Xander started out, testing the milk on his wrist.

"Of course I do," she responded, watching with amazement at the ease in which he fed the newborn.

"Good. Because I need help," he said straight out. "I tried. I really did. But I can't do this alone, and I don't have anyplace else to go." He looked up at them, desperate. "I haven't gotten a full night's sleep since she was born. I can't nap during the day. I can't find a baby-sitter for her, so I can't work. I'm on paternity leave because I'm a single father, but it can't last forever. I don't know what to do. I just used the last of my money I got from selling my car to get us a train ride back from Chicago."

Making her decision, Willow stood up. "It's okay. You did the right thing, Xander," she told him resolutely. "You came home. You're not alone anymore. We'll all help with Melanie, and we'll all help with you." She took the now content baby from his arms, and put the bottle in the sink. "First things first. Go upstairs and go to sleep." Seeing him about to protest, she interrupted him. "No. Get some sleep. By the time you get up, we'll have a place for you and Melanie to stay. We're not going to let you guys go back to Chicago when you've got a perfectly wonderful family right here to take care of you both. Buffy and I will take care of your daughter while you sleep. Up the stairs, second room on the left. Go."

Xander surrendered as Buffy pushed him out of the room. "Okay. Fine. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you guys," he said, turning to look at Willow. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Buffy returned to the living room, where Willow and Melanie had moved, after settling Xander in Willow's bed. She sat down next to her friend, who had put the girl on a blanket and was playing with her. "Willow, do you know what you're doing?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yes. I'm helping my best friend when he needs it," she said, not looking up from the baby.

"But, Willow," Buffy tried.

Willow turned to look at her friend. "I know. I'm setting myself up to be hurt later. But for now, Xander needs me, and so does this baby. And I can't refuse either of them. For now, I can pretend. I can pretend that Melanie is my baby, and Xander is my husband, and we'll be happy forever." She shrugged, trying to fight the tears. "I love him, Buffy. I know that. And if this is as close as I can get to my dreams, then I'll take it. It's enough." She smiled brightly down at Melanie. "Besides, who could resist this face?" she asked rhetorically. "'Cause you're so pretty. Yes, you are," she cooed, tickling the infant's tummy.

Buffy sighed, but decided not to push it for now. Things were definitely going to get interesting, though.

~*~

June 12, 2001

Xander woke up suddenly, body tensed as he realized he was in an unfamiliar bed. The day before rushed back to him, and he relaxed. He was at Willow and Buffy's apartment. He slid his eyes open and took a look around the room, stretching. From the looks of it, he was in Willow's bedroom, too. Which meant that he was in Willow's bed. Where she slept. He allowed himself a small smile. He could get used to that. Then the implications of the sun shining through the blinds registered in his mind. "Oh, shit," he swore, looking for a clock. "10:30!" he gasped, shocked. "I've been asleep for eighteen hours. Where are my clothes?" he asked, jumping out of the bed, clad only in his boxers. "Why I am I talking to myself?" He found his shirt and shorts folded over the small blue rocking chair next to the window and hurriedly got dressed, rushing down the stairs. He stopped short when he saw the scene in the living room.

Willow and Melanie were on the couch, watching Teletubbies on the television. "Yeah, I have to agree, Po is kinda sweet," she was telling the infant. "I think Dipsy is more your style, though."

Xander had to smile. "Hi, guys."

Willow turned to look at him. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said cheerfully. "Mellie and I were just getting in some quality bonding time in. Well, more bonding time, actually. We became very well aquatinted at several times during the night," she grinned.

He winced. "I'm so sorry, Willow. I had no idea I would sleep that long," he apologized, moving to sit next to them.

"Oh, please," Willow scoffed. "Anytime. We had fun. Buffy went to Spike's, so Mel and I had a sleepover in her room. I think we're getting along great."

"As it should be, with my two favorite girls," he smiled. "C'mon over to Daddy, sweetheart." Willow passed the infant over, and he cuddled her. "Miss me? Or was Auntie Willow too much fun?" The baby gurgled and reached for his hair. "Sorry, babe, Auntie Willow has more than I do." He looked over and took a lock of Willow's hair in his hand. "More than I remember. You're growing it out again."

"Yeah, you know me. Never bothered to get it cut again." He dropped her hair, and she missed the feeling of his fingers playing with it. "Anyway, I talked to Giles last night."

"Yeah? What did G-man have to say?" he asked.

"Well, he agreed with me that you should stay here," she informed him. "He also offered use of his second bedroom for you and Melanie, indefinitely, as well as a job in his bookstore."

Xander was speechless. "Wow," he said finally.

Willow mistook his silence as a way of trying to get out of the situation. "Of course if you don't want to, we can't stop you," she said quickly. "If you want to leave, or find someplace else, he'll understand completely."

"Oh, no, no," he corrected. "No. I'm just so amazed that he's doing that for me. Of course, if he really means it, I'll be more than happy to take him up on that offer."

Willow's smile reached from ear to ear. "Great! I'll tell him, then. Or, actually, why don't you? The three of us can take a field trip to his store. You can meet his assistant, and learn your way around."

"Great!" Another thought struck him and he frowned. "Wait. What about Melanie? I still need a baby-sitter for her."

"Well, I'll be there this summer, anyway. I do a lot of work there. Some is for the shop, some for Slayer stuff, and some for this company I work for, DynaVox Systems," she explained. "I create and edit programs for augmentative communication software and devices. It's not a huge time-grabbing thing, though, so I can watch her most of the time. And when I can't, you'll be there, Giles will be there, and so will Katherine. Melanie will have too many care givers," she laughed. "After this summer, I'll come in between and after classes, just like normal, and we'll help with Mel."

"Katherine is the assistant? 'Cause this is sounding almost too good to be true here," he admitted.

"Yep, and she knows pretty much everything about all of us. She's a historian, and helps a lot with Slayer stuff." She lightly touched his hand. "Xander, I meant it. We'll do everything we can to help you. Everything."

"I don't think I can ever tell you how much that means to me," he told her softly. "Thank you."

"Anytime," she responded. She felt herself leaning towards him, and immediately pulled back, jumping up. "Okay, so let's go then!" she said, falsely bright. "I'll get Mellie dressed, and you can get her bag all packed."

Xander sighed as Willow took the baby from his arms, chattering away to her. Obviously, Willow didn't want to be too close to him anymore, and he only had himself to blame.

~*~

"Hi!" Willow called out, as the threesome entered the glass door of Giles' bookstore. "We're here!"

Giles came out of the back room, wiping his glasses with his handkerchief. "Welcome back, Xander," he said warmly as he slipped them back on. "We've certainly missed you around here."

Xander smiled and hugged the older man. "Thanks, G-man," he said. "I'm glad to be home, too."

Giles peered at the infant in Willow's Snuggli. "And this is Melanie, I presume?"

"Yep," Xander said proudly. "Your new roommate."

Giles looked up from shaking the infant's small hand. "Ah, you've decided to take me up on my offer? I'm delighted. It can get rather quiet and lonely sometimes."

Xander laughed. "I can guarantee that it won't be quiet with us around."

A petite woman with dark, curly brown hair walked out of the same back room Giles had only minutes earlier, and joined the group.

"Hi, Katherine," Willow greeted her. "This is my best friend Xander, and his daughter Melanie."

Katherine turned to Xander with a smile and shook his hand. "Hello, Xander. I'm Katherine Lahn. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here," Xander rejoined, looking her over. At 5'1", she barely came up to Giles' shoulder, and he guessed she was about 32 or 33 years old. She was pretty, her brown eyes shining from behind her gold wire-rimmed glasses, and she seemed to be friendly enough. "Hi."

She gave him a brief smile before turning to Giles. "Rupert, I need some assistance in the back room. I have no idea how you mean to categorize some of these new purchases."

"Yes, yes, we must see to that, Kate," Giles said. "Willow, you will show Xander around now, yes? Then I can give you a key to the apartment and let he and Melanie settle in."

"No problem," Willow said. "C'mon, I'll give you the tour." She walked him through the small bookstore, pointing out the different shelves, and the demonology section hidden in the back. They wound up next to a bank of computers. "And this is where I do most of my work. We rent the computers for an hour at a time, and offer the internet. Mostly my contribution to the place," she grinned. "Giles is still computer-phobic, although Katherine has been helping me a bit. I got her hooked onto the net, and she's never gone back."

"So you guys are friends?" he asked, as Melanie started to wail.

"Oh, yeah, she's really great. You just have to get to know her a bit first," she said, trying unsuccessfully to placate the baby with a pacifier. "Um, is this a nap cry? I can tell that she has quite a few cries, I just can't tell which is which yet."

"Yeah, that's a nap cry," Xander grinned. "She's quite vocal when she's not getting what she wants. I'll go get the key and we can get her down."

Willow bounced the infant in an effort to pacify her, to no avail. "You sure know how to keep your daddy hopping, don't you, sweetheart?" she grinned as Xander jogged out of the back room.

"C'mon, let's go before Giles starts to regret his offer," Xander laughed, a little uneasily. "I wonder if he knows what life with a baby is really like."

"Well, he's about to get a crash course," Willow grinned as Melanie upped the decibels. "Poor guy."