Beautiful Disaster - Chapter 5

Giles couldn’t take his eyes off the children. They were just sitting together, innocently playing with the toys Dawn had managed to find for them from her room, but there was something different about them now that he knew how they had come about.

The research had been more successful now they knew what they were looking for. Willow had quickly stumbled upon an old text that spoke of gateways and what happened when things passed through them. Apparently, there had to be an exchange and as there was nothing to swap Glory with, the portal had chosen to create something.

In this case, it had used the blood of Buffy and Spike to recreate them. Only it seemed as though there had been a limitation either caused by the power of the magic creating the portal or the lack of material it had been supplied with, as it had only managed to recreate them as five year olds rather than adults.

Giles decided that this was probably a good thing. From the books he’d been reading through, he’d gathered that having two Buffy’s and two Spike’s in the world could potentially cause problems on an apocalyptic scale.

But he wasn’t going to tell them that.

Until he had researched into it further and had solid evidence proving that the existence of their doubles would place the world in danger, he was going to keep it quiet. He could see that Buffy was enjoying her time being a mother, and that even Spike was taking to the children, and the last thing he wanted to do was spoil whatever chance Buffy had of having a family.

She’d been through so much this year with the loss of her mother and the appearance of Dawn that she deserved some happiness, even if it proved to be short lived.

He hoped he was wrong.

For her sake.

“So you’ll keep making with the research?” Buffy asked as she escorted her friends to the door and let them say their goodbyes to the children that were clinging to her and Spike.

“As soon as we learn anything new, we’ll be in touch.” Giles assured her and then started down the path with his box of books.

“See you two little angels soon.” Willow pinched their cheeks and then picked up her box, following Giles and Tara as they headed down to his car.

“Laters.” Xander gave the children a worried look as though they were going to bite him.

“Ooh… bye…” Anya squeezed each of the children in turn and then beamed at Buffy before walking out of the house after Xander.

Buffy closed the door and let her shoulders sag as she sighed. Putting Elizabeth down, she stretched and yawned. All this research was killing her. She’d never spent this long looking at books in all her years of high school put together.

“You alright?” Spike asked as he placed William down and let him go off after Elizabeth.

“Just need some time away from books and research.” She said with a wishful smile.

Spike put his hand in his jeans pocket and pulled out all the money he had. Counting it up, he realised it wasn’t going to go very far but it would be enough to give her a break and get her out of the house for a few hours.

“Here… go take Dawn shopping for kiddy things.” He offered her the money and she hesitated for a moment as she looked at it. “They’re my kids too, right? Just paying my share.”

Buffy bit her lip and then took the money. When Spike had offered to help out this morning, she hadn’t been able to find the words to lie and tell him that she didn’t need his money. She needed it and as far as she could see, if he was willing to help her out with the children then she wasn’t going to say no.

Walking into the living room, she went over to Dawn where she was playing with the children and then paused and walked back to Spike.

“Will you look after them while I’m gone?” She asked him and saw him smile.

“Sure. I’ll sing them to sleep.” His smile turned into a grin as she arched a brow at him.

“No Ramones. I’m not having our kids singing that.” She ignored the way his eyes smiled at her because she’d called them their children and tried to keep a stern face even when she wanted to smile along with him.

“Check. No Ramones. Although, ‘I wanna be sedated’ would be appropriate right now.”

Buffy smiled and lightly touched his arm. “Thanks.”

Spike stared down at his arm where her hand had been and then watched her walking over to Dawn and the children.

“No problem, love.” He whispered and then followed her.

“Dawn… how would you like to go to the mall and buy kids clothes.” Buffy grinned at the same time her sister did and then looked over her shoulder at Spike. “You sure you’ll be okay with them?”

“Yep… go have some fun, flex those shopping muscles of yours.” He bent down and picked up William and then took hold of Elizabeth’s hand. “We’ll be just fine, won’t we?”

Elizabeth nodded.

William smiled wide.

Buffy melted even more as she looked at Spike where he stood with William in one arm and Elizabeth holding his hand. He looked so cute with the children and she couldn’t help smiling broadly at him.

Stepping up to him, she smoothed the children’s hair and then tiptoed and pressed a kiss to Spike’s cheek.

“Thanks.” She whispered and then turned away from him so she couldn’t see his reaction.

Spike stared open mouthed as she walked out of the door with Dawn and then looked down at Elizabeth and William.

“Told you she loved you.” Elizabeth smiled and then let go of his hand.

Settling on the couch with them, Spike turned the television on and searched for something that wouldn’t bore any of them.


Buffy beamed at Dawn as she held up a little pink polka dot dress and squealed quietly over how cute it was. Shaking her head, she let her sister know that she wasn’t going to buy it.

She didn’t have much money and what she did have was going to be spent on sensible clothing that would last as long as possible.

Plus, what her sister thought was cute and what she thought was cute were oceans apart.

Walking around the store, she took a deep breath and sighed it out as she looked at all the clothes and toys. She smiled as she ran her fingers over the clothes she was holding and thought about the two children that were at home with their father.

It made her want to cry.

She’d never thought in all her life that this would be happening to her and, now that it was, it all felt so wonderful. Spike had been right, she had to live the moments because they didn’t come along very often and this was too great an opportunity to pass up. She wanted to make the most of what she had now, wanted to spend as much time as possible with their children and, oddly, their father too.

It felt as though she was seeing Spike with different eyes now. It felt as though she could finally see past the monster to the man, and he was beautiful. She’d watched him playing with the children, the gentle way he’d talk to them and the way they loved it when he played rough.

She couldn’t help wondering what Angel would have reacted like had it been them suddenly having children around the house.

He probably wouldn’t have taken well to them at all. He would have made excuses and said that they shouldn’t be around him because he was a demon. Sometimes she thought Spike was right about his grand sire—he brooded too much.

“Buffy.” Dawn called to her and she looked up to see her sister holding up little dressing gowns.

She smiled broadly and walked over to her. Taking hold of them, she added them to the pile of clothes and then continued to look around the store for more things to buy.

This would have been so much easier with Elizabeth and William here to try things on. She wondered what they would be up to around now and then smiled as she realised that Spike would have to feed them. The vision of Spike trying to handle to two terrors while searching for something edible in her house brought laughter to her lips.

She should probably stop by the grocery store on the way home and get something to fill the almost empty cupboards. She’d stop by the butchers too. After all, Spike would be staying a long time.


Buffy felt relieved when Dawn finally opened the door to the house and she was able to put all the bags of toys, clothes and food down in the hall. Picking up the grocery bags, she walked straight to the kitchen and listened to Dawn taking the clothes upstairs for her.

Walking out of the kitchen, she stopped when she caught sight of Spike. He was lying on his back on the couch, bathed in the flickering lights of the television he was watching in the dark and covered by William and Elizabeth. She smiled down at them as she approached and saw they were fast asleep.

Brushing her fingers lightly over their hair, she smoothed it down and kept smiling as they shifted slightly in their sleep. She ran her fingers though Spike’s hair as he looked up at her and gave him a smile too.

“Any trouble?” She asked as he put his arm around William to stop him from falling to the floor.

“None at all.” Spike smiled up at her as she continued to twirl a strand of his hair around her finger. He liked the feeling of her small fingers in his hair.

“Want a hand?”

Spike nodded and watched as she picked William up and arranged him comfortably in her arms. Sitting up, he gently lifted Elizabeth up and followed Buffy up the stairs.

Walking along the corridor behind her, he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she stroked William’s hair and hummed a little tune to him.

She was such a good mother. It made him feel sad that this was something she’d thought she’d never have, that she was so convinced she was going to die young.

When she turned the corner into her bedroom, he smiled. The decision to make her room into their room had probably been done subconsciously. She saw her room as the safest one in the house and that would make it the obvious choice for the kids bedroom.

Placing Elizabeth down on the bed, he pulled the covers up over her and smiled at Buffy as she did the same with William.

Buffy smiled back at Spike as they both walked to the door and looked back at the children. Standing beside him, looking at their children, felt so perfect.

Spike started slightly as he felt Buffy’s hand brush against his and then closed his eyes briefly as her fingers interlocked with his. Holding her hand, he looked down at them and then up at her. She was smiling at him, her eyes twinkling with her happiness, and he couldn’t resist smiling along with her.

She continued to look in on the two slumbering children lying wrapped up in her bed as Spike left her side and headed downstairs. She still couldn’t quite believe this was happening.

Turning away, she headed downstairs and found Spike watching the television. It seemed neither of them were sleepy tonight.

Settling in the armchair, she looked over at him. He was lying on his back with one arm behind his head, bare chest rising and falling as he breathed. Her eyes moved over the cut and she smiled as she saw it was healing nicely. He’d taken the bandage off and the wound seemed like nothing more than an angry scratch now. Her eyes moved to the blanket covering him from the waist down and she cringed.

“Sorry about the cartoon blanket, mom always did the guest stuff. I still don’t know where everything is.” She apologised and he continued to watch the television.

“S’okay, love. Not like I really needed one.”

Buffy frowned momentarily before realising what he meant. “Don’t you ever get cold?”

“Yep, but your house is always nice and warm… makes me feel sedated.”

“You sure that feeling comes from a warm house? Because I’m thinking it’s more of a Slayer’s blood calling you thing.” She smiled as he turned his head to look at her.

“Could be right. Could just be I like being in your house, near you.”

Buffy was about to answer when Dawn bounced down the stairs.

“So, how are the terrible twins?” She chirped as she sat on the arm next to Buffy.

“Sleeping.” Buffy replied.

“Aww. William’s so cute. I could eat him up.” Dawn giggled and watched Spike scowl.

“Enough, little bit. I was nothing like what when I was a kiddy.”

“You sure? It was what? Like a hundred years ago? Maybe you forgot?” She smiled wide as she teased him.

“Yeah…” Buffy giggled along with her sister. “Maybe you repressed the memory when you became a vampire.”

“Hey! Least I didn’t have a stick up my arse.”

“Hey!” Buffy did her best to look offended.

“Sorry, love. Just… I got to thinking while you were out and I don’t like all this ‘he’s me and I’m him’ thing. You know what that means.”

“He’ll be a vampire one day?” It dawned on Buffy that although William had a heartbeat right now, Spike was right. If William and Elizabeth were them as children then they would follow the same path.

“And she’ll be a Slayer.”

“I won’t let it happen… I can’t look at the face of a five year old while knowing what he’s going to become.”

“That’s nice.” Spike frowned and turned his attention towards the television.

“I didn’t mean that, Spike. You know what I meant.” Buffy felt intensely guilty as he kept his eyes fixed on the television.

“No, do tell.” He scowled at her.

Dawn looked uncomfortable. Something was definitely happening between her sister and Spike, and she felt as though she could see it all bubbling up to boiling point right in front of her.

“Guys. Small children? Sleeping upstairs?” She waved her hands to get their attention and gave them both a reprimanding look. “Spike, you know that she only meant that she couldn’t stand seeing William, an innocent child, turn into a vampire. You chose your fate, he didn’t. No matter how much alike you and William are he’s still an individual. He has a right to choose his path, just like you chose yours, and he might not get it. Buffy, Spike may have chosen to become a vampire but he’s still a good guy. William is Spike, Buffy, he’s just Spike minus the vamp factor, but he’s still in there living alongside the demon. I think I’ve said my bit…” Dawn grinned as they both stared at her slack jawed. “Don’t fight while I’m gone. I’m going to go and see my niece and nephew. So cute.”

Watching her bounce up the stairs, Buffy didn’t know quite what to say.

“Bloody hell.” Spike caught her eye and she nodded.

“You know I didn’t mean…” She started but Spike reached over and tapped her hand gently.

“S’alright, love. Get some kip. Can imagine those two are going to be up early again.” Spike nodded towards the stairs and she sighed in agreement.

Buffy headed to the stairs and stopped with one foot on the bottom step. Looking back at Spike, she found him watching her and held his gaze for a moment before speaking.

“Sorry.” She said the word quietly, as though she was afraid of what it might mean. She wasn’t in the habit of apologising to people, especially not Spike, and she knew it would have an impact on him. She just hoped that he didn’t feel the need to pick her up on it.

When he just smiled at her, she took her leave and headed upstairs to bed.

Spike turned back to face the television and smiled.

Life seemed so perfect right now.

Review This Story/Chapter!

It only takes a minute to send me feedback, but it makes my whole day. Simply fill in the form below: