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Second Youth by Ariel Dawn
 
The Big 1-2-3
 
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Disclaimer: Not mine, but geez I like playing with other people’s toys.
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Chapter 23: The Big 1-2-3

When Buffy woke up without her vampire mate pillow snuggled next to her she knew something was wrong.

“Spike?” Buffy called out into the muted yellow of her room, the blinds keeping out the deadly rays of light. Buffy, sitting up she scanned the room for clues. His pants were gone, conclusion: he wasn’t taken by force. Or taken by someone who really didn’t appreciate his chiselled bod like she did. His black tee from the night before was still in a crumpled pile at the bottom of the bed where it had fallen in a fit of passion, as normally happened after they returned from patrol. Conclusion: he’s shirtless, or he has a new one on.

He was probably not far, but she had to make sure. Buffy laid back on the bed and reached out with her senses. He was close, very close and he didn’t want her finding out what he was up to. With a satisfied smile on her face, Buffy rolled over in bed and stretched out her arms.

Maybe he’s making me breakfast in bed? she thought. But why?

Suddenly the door to their room was kicked open and Spike walked in with a tray of pancakes.

“Happy Birthday Goldilocks,” he beamed.

Right, Birthday Buffy!

“Thank you!” Buffy smiled back. “You cooked?”

“God no, these are patented Willow cakes, fresh squeezed OJ and GJ by Dawn,” explained Spike, who wasn’t wearing a shirt after all.

“And your little contribution?”

“I carried the tray, and I picked the flower,” he said pointing to the rose on the tray.

Buffy raised an eye brow. “Picked a rose, in the daylight, in January?”

“Picked it out of a florist’s window?”

Buffy smiled. “That sounds more realistic. So my birthday huh? The big 1-2-3. Funny I don’t feel older than 21.”

“Eat you bloody pancakes, slayer.”

“Or what? You gonna eat me?”

Spike licked his lips and raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you wish.”
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Full, showered, dressed and happy as a clam, Buffy bounced down the stairs.

“You ready to go?” asked Willow who was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ready to go where?” asked the slayer a mite confused. She had expected to go about the day normally, perhaps a party later with gifts and hijinx, after the ritual demon fighting.

“Oh it’s sorta a surprise,” said Willow eagerly. “Oooh but not too much of a surprise, cause I’m sure there will be demon fighting later, it is a Buffy Birthday after all.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve embarrassing retelling of past mistakes or world endage...”

“None of the above.”

“Ok...”Buffy started hesitantly, “What do I need?”

“Just you, and possibly car keys, we don’t have licenses...”

“Licenses? and wait...we?”

“We have to pick up Anya too?”

Buffy rolled her eyes only to have them settle on the form of Dawn bouncing down the stairs. It was 10 am, on a weekday.

“Dawn? Why aren’t you at school?” asked Buffy.

“Cause it’s Buffy birthday fun day! Willow wrote me a note,” Dawn said proudly.

“Willow...”

“Buffy birthday fun day!” answered the witch. “Tara!”

Tara emerged from the kitchen with a blind fold in her hand.

“I...I thought I was driving?” asked Buffy really confused now.

“You are, it’s for after we get there,” explained Tara. “Ooh the time!”

Buffy felt herself being pointed towards the door and shoved.

“Spike?” Buffy called out helplessly.

“Have fun pet,” he said with a smile.
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Buffy gripped the steering wheel like it was a lifeline.

She knew the way to Xander’s house. That was no problem, Anya squeezed into the SUV’s back seat wished Buffy a happy birthday. It was after they pulled away from Xander’s building that Buffy really started feeling uncomfortable behind the wheel.

She hadn’t felt this uncomfortable driving since her driving test in England when she was 27. She had had a horrible tester, with way bad teeth and horrid onion breath. At a light she had got a pack of mints out of her purse and offered him one. The test had gone down hill after that.

Willow was shouting out directions to her.

“Here, turn right now!”

Buffy struggled to keep up with her friend’s orders.

With relief they finally pulled into the back parking lot of a building. But because it was the back entrance Buffy couldn’t tell where they were.

“Blindfold time!” said Tara happily.

“Can I at least get out of the car first?”
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Blindfolded and being pushed somewhere Buffy tried to determine what was going on around her by tapping into skills she had not felt she needed for what seemed like eons. Giles used to train her with a blindfold in a whole Obi Wan type thing. She had been pretty good at it until she stopped training other Slayers.

She knew that Willow and Tara were holding her arms, Anya was behind her and that Dawn was floating somewhere to the left, well not literally. Turning some corners and up a few stairs the group came to a stop and the blind fold was removed.

“Happy Birthday Buffy!” squealed Dawn.

Buffy looked around her trying to find out where they were, until her eyes drifted to a sign that read, “The Sunnydale Spa welcomes you.”

“Sunnydale has a Spa?” were the first words out of Buffy’s mouth. “How did I not know this? Where was I? And don’t tell me I was slaying or saving the world or some garbage like that. When did we get a spa?”

“Uh, Buffy, they opened this past year...” said Tara.

“When? Where was I? Was I dead?”

The four women around her clammed up and looked at the floor like it was a taboo subject.

“Damn, being dead sucked.”
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Four hours later, completely rejuvenated, Buffy dropped her friends and Dawn at Xander’s for party planning and drove home. They had been trying to convince her that after such a relaxing day at the spa, she should just sleep until the party.

It made sense in a weird sort of way.

But she didn’t want to sleep. She had seen Spike for all of 20mins today, and it was her birthday. She wanted Birthday smoochies!
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Buffy opened the door to her house to be hit with a flowery fragrance. Buffy closed the door behind her only to notice, once her eyes adjusted to the muted light, that there was a trail of rose petals leading up the stairs.

With a smile on her face, Buffy set down her bag and began climbing the stairs, expecting to see a seduction scene in her bedroom. Half way up there was a white note card, written in delicate calligraphy, and bordered in gold lamé.

I know I’m a monster, but you treat me like a man.

Buffy smiled sadly. At the top of the stairs there was another note card.

We’re in a band, a rock band, you play the triangle, drums and I sing.

Buffy laughed at that one. Explaining to her mother what she was doing with Spike was a funny, now in hindsight. At the time? Not so much. On the floor of the upstairs hallway there was another one.

Hundred forty-seven days yesterday. Uh ... hundred forty-eight today. 'Cept today doesn't count, does it?

He had counted the days she had been dead. She had almost forgotten that little detail. Following the rose petals further down the hallway, just in front of their bedroom door there was yet another card.

I ... love you. You're all I bloody think about. Dream about. You're in my gut ... my throat ... I'm drowning in you, Summers, I'm drowning in you.

Buffy entered her room, which was covered in red and white rose petals to see another card sitting on their bed.

~Aren't they a perfect little us? ~ I don't like him. He's insipid. Clearly human. ~ Oo, red paint. We could smear a little on his mouth — blood of the innocent. ~ That's my girl.

Buffy flashed back to the time she spoke those words and a smiled. Behind her she felt a vampire enter the room. She turned with a smile to look at her mate.

“Have you got something to tell me?” she asked all innocently.

In a smooth, fluid motion, Spike was down on one knee and was holding out a ring box.

“Buffy Anne Summers, I love you, you are my mate, my lover, my best friend. I want to be with you the rest of your days. I don’t know how things would have gone if the other Buffy was here, but I want to make the Buffy that is here happy for the rest of her days. Goldilocks, will you marry me?”

Buffy stared open mouthed as he opened the ring box and revealed possibly the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

“Turn over the last card, pet...”

Buffy turned over the card.

It's just so sudden. I don't know what to say. ~Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on earth.~ Oh, Spike! Of course it's yes!

Buffy started to laugh. “It's just so sudden. I don't know what to say,” she quoted off the card.

“Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on earth.”

“Oh, Spike! Of course it's yes!” she said with a huge smile on her face. “Silly Vampire.”

Spike slipped the ring on to her finger, while she brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Buffy?”

“Oh happy tears, very happy tears. Mrs Darlington happy tears.”

Spike frowned.

“You don’t want me to be Mrs Darlington? Mrs The Bloody?”

“Just never thought you’d wanna take my name is all.”

“Course I wanna, I don’t change my name for just anyone you know.”
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The not so surprise party was held at , surprise, surprise, the magic shop. There was music, there was cake, there was punch.

But there was no Richard, and no wall inhabiting demon, and no Halfrek to trap them together.

But most of all there was Buffy, a very happy Buffy.

She already knew what they were getting her for gifts. Xander and Anya a weapons chest. Dawn, a leather jacket, this time actually paid for. Willow and Tara had hosted the spa day, eliminating both Buffy’s birthday gift and Anya’s Bachelorette party gift.

Giles gave her a new axe.

Once all the gifts were opened the scoobies looked expectantly at Spike.

“Where’ s your gift Spike?” asked Dawn.

“Oooh!” said Buffy excitedly. “Spike and I are getting married.”

Buffy leaned over and kissed her fiancé full on the mouth before her friends.

“Can I be blind too?” said Xander.
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tbc...
 
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