Holiday Cheer

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Happyverse Series: Part 3/15

AUTHOR: JodyorJen
EMAIL: jodyorjen@yahoo.com
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Buffy and Spike have sorted out their issues and are living together with Dawn. Xander and Anya are still happily engaged.
DISCLAIMER: All hail Joss Whedon, UPN, the WB, FOX , Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. GO team!
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Part 3: Holiday Cheer

The lights from the Christmas tree blinked merrily in the background as the vampire and the key sat at the kitchen island. Baskets of craft supplies and plastic bags were piled haphazardly all around Spike and Dawn. "You know, nothing really screams 'I'm the Big Bad' like the smell of Juicy Fruit gum," teased Dawn.

"Blame your sister, not me, bit," said Spike, snapping his gum. "She's the one with a bug up her ass about my ashtray mouth or some such nonsense."

"You could ask her to get you some gum that's less girly," suggested Dawn.

"What would be a more evil flavor, hmm? Spearmint? Cinnamon?" Spike sighed loudly. He flung his string of berries down on the counter and took a big chug of eggnog. "What's the point of stringing these stupid little berries on thread anyway? Buffy's been channeling Martha Stewart?"

"They are decorative," explained Dawn. "We'll hang them on the Christmas tree."

"Oh, that's lovely! They look like entrails. How festive," Spike says sarcastically.

Dawn gave the cranky vampire the evil eye. "What is bothering you? I haven't seen you this testy for a while now. All this holiday cheer bringing you down?"

Spike looked at her. And sighed again. "Don't want to discuss it, Dawn."

"Vampire problem? Buffy problem? C'mon, you can tell me," she pleaded.

Spike scratched his head, mussing his hair thoroughly. "I'll show you. But you can't tell anyone, not a peep." Dawn's face lit up and she nodded happily. Spike stood up and fumbled through the pocket of his duster. He came up with a handful of change, some crumpled chewing gum wrappers, and a small blue velvet box. He looked down at it, hesitated, and then slowly handed it to Dawn.

She cracked open the box. Inside it lay a round diamond set in a platinum setting. "Oh my gosh! You're going to ask Buffy to marry you?" Dawn asks, her eyes wide.

"Well, that was the thought. But now I'm not so sure. The more I dwell on it, the more insane it seems." Spike paced back and forth. He stopped to grab a ballpoint pen from the table and continued. The pen waved jauntily in the side of his mouth as he chewed on it. "I miss my sodding smokes. What the hell do I need to quit for? Whole thing is stupid." "Smoking? Or getting married?" asked Dawn with a straight face.

He stopped pacing and looked at Dawn. "Niblet, she is going to laugh in my face. Why the hell would she want to marry me? I mean, I know why I want to marry her. I'm topsy-turvy in love with her and I want her to be mine. I want to belong to her, and to you. I want us to be a real family all together. And- "

Buffy burst through the back door, covered in mud. It was dripping down her nose, in her eyes, and caked to her head. She also looked extremely pissed off. "Demons that barf mud? Repulsive much!" Spike looked stricken and dove to grab the ring box from Dawn. Dawn panicked and flailed her arm. The ring box sailed through the air, slamming Buffy right between the eyes. "Dammit. OW!" The box bounced off her face and landed neatly on the toe of her filthy boot.

Spike choked in shock. He bit the pen in his mouth and black ink poured over his lips and dribbled down his chin. "Ah! Bloody hell." He hastily spit black ink into a napkin and dabbed at his face.

Buffy leaned over to pick up the box. "What is this?" Both Buffy and Dawn leaned over to grab the box. They cracked heads, screeching in pain. Buffy's leg shot out. The box spiked into the floor, and out rolled the ring. End over end, it continued to roll until it ran into Spike's boot, where it stopped with a chime and clank.

"What exactly is going on?" yelled Buffy, hands on hips. Dawn stared at her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Across the counter, Spike gapeed at Buffy, inky mouth hanging wide open."We- we-we-we-", he stammered. Closing his eyes and clamping his jaw shut, he tried again. "We were sitting around sniffing glue from one of your sodding holiday projects and we are now stoned out of our minds. Both of us. Sniffed up a storm, we did. High as bloody kites." Giving her a fierce glare, he reached down and picked up the ring, shoving it in the pocket of his jeans. "I'm off. I need to- shower. Yep, right dirty now." He paused, looking confused again. "Cause it's really fun to - shower- when you're high!" Recovering his equilibrium, he smiled and tromped down the hallway.

Buffy turned to Dawn, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "Um," stammers Dawn. "Sorry about the-uh- being high thing. And the box in the face thing. And - I have math to do now. OK, bye." She fled.

"But you’re on winter vacation," Buffy called after her. "You don’t have any homework!" Completely confused, Buffy stared around the kitchen. Looking at the counter, she saw the half finished cranberry garlands, thread and needles. She looked at the floor and the velvet jewelry box. Picking it up, she read "Sunnydale Diamonds" in gold lettering inside the little box. She sat down heavily in a kitchen chair.

Leaning back, she snapped the box open and shut, open and shut, as her eyes grew misty. Buffy went to the telephone and dialed. "Hey Tara I need a favor. Can Dawn come and spend the night with you? You don't mind? Great. It's important." Spike stood under the shower with water pouring down his head as he methodically slammed his skull into the tile wall. "Bugger- fuck- damn- hell- piss-" He shivered as a sharp, small nail descended down the curve of his spine. He looked over his shoulder to see Buffy standing behind him.

She stared up at him, her eyes shining a sweet and steady green. Spike opened his mouth to begin a rambling explanation. His hands started windmilling around. Buffy brushed her hand across his cheek and smiled at him. "Don't talk now," she said.

Sliding around him, she scooted underneath the shower spray. Spike picked up the shampoo bottle, poured a good amount into his hand and rubbed it into Buffy's muddy, straggly hair. As her kneaded her hair, she tipped her head back slightly. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on her neck. He could feel the humming in her throat as she moaned underneath his mouth. He backed away from her, turning her around and soaping her back as she rinsed her hair. She rubbed her ass back into his crotch, trying to rub against him. He just moved back farther and kept soaping her up. Soon, she was clean again. She turned off the water and turned to him. Her tangled hair fell over her shoulders, covering her breasts. Buffy reached up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. He began to sway slightly, rejoicing in the feeling of her in his arms. He kissed her gently on the forehead and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and wrapped one around his waist.

"Time to talk now," she said, opening the door.

"Shut the door," he whispered. "The niblet -"

"Don't worry," Buffy said. "She's at Willows'."

Spike smiled happily. "I love Red. I really do." He swept her up and carried her down the hall to their room and laid her gently on the bed. He brought her a cotton nightgown from the drawer and dressed her in it. He pulled on his black terry robe and lay beside her. Rolling onto his side, he watched her watching him. Buffy gently traced the outline of his cheekbone, his jaw and then outlined his lips. That was when he saw it. She was wearing the ring.

"Picking through a bloke's pockets while he's bathing?," said Spike. " Some criminal element must be corrupting you." His lips smiled, but his eyes were deep and deadly serious. "So, love, do you want me to ask you the question or do you just want to keep the pretty ring?"

"You already asked me, remember? The whole "make me the happiest man on earth" thing?" said Buffy coyly.

Spike's eyebrows flew up into his hairline. "I thought you forgot all about that!" he laughed. "Certainly acted like you did!"

"I didn't forget," said Buffy softly. "Just couldn't deal." She looked down at the ring on her hand. "This is so beautiful, Spike. Of course, I did like the skull ring. Still have it in my jewelry box." "Baby, this really isn't quite the way I pictured doing this," said Spike. " I wanted it to be special, to really mean something, not to be all bolloxed up right out of the gate. I mean, my fantasy didn't really include beaning you in the head with the damn thing. I had this all planned out." He sighed loudly as he rolled over and rested his head on her chest. She cuddled him close, holding his hand as they stared at the ceiling.

"How did this work, when you planned it in your mind?" asked Buffy.

"Well, it involved roses, and champagne," said Spike. My true love decked out in a pretty peignoir I picked up. Me looking all Hugh Hefner in my silk pajamas. A bit more romance. Significantly less mud." She laughed, a sweet chime that made Spike laugh as well.

"You went and bought lingerie!" exclaimed Buffy in disbelief.

"I went to Victoria's Secret with Anya. It was a horror show of truly spectacular proportions. You don't want to know half the things I learned about her and monkey boy," said Spike, shuttering..

"That is the sweetest thing," says Buffy earnestly. "You really are one for making the grand sacrifice for me, aren't you?"

He rolled onto her and stared straight into her eyes. "There isn't one damn thing in this world or any other that I wouldn't do for you, pet." He grabbed her head and kissed her gently, his tongue lapping at the sides of her warm mouth. Heat arose between the two of them. The desire to have and hold flared up in them both. Spike tossed his robe onto the floor, then began pulling up the hem of her nightgown. Buffy shivered and pushed him away. "Wait, wait. This is just all wrong." He stiffened, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I sent Dawn away so that we could start over. Make some nice Kodak memories, without the mud and the panic. Not to just shag and shag some more," said Buffy.

He leaned forward and bit her lower lip. Spike grabbed her hips and rocked his pelvis against hers. She bucked up and they both moaned. "But I like to shag and shag - and shag some more. You know you want it, honey," he purred in his sexiest voice, tweaking one of her nipples as he spoke.

Buffy got her intent Slayer look about her and pushed him off. He rolled onto his back and sighed. "Alright, this is where the fun train stops. We are going to do this thing right and we're going to do it now," Buffy said crisply

Spike rolled his eyes. "It's an engagement, sweetheart, not a military maneuver." The icy gaze that she sent his way had him up and scrambling in a second. "Bossy Buffy in the house," sighs Spike. "Right then. I'll take it from the top." He reached out his hand and she gently placed her ring in his palm.

Buffy opened the pink and white striped bag and pulled out several packages wrapped in tissue paper. She pulled out a white satin peignoir set, a garter belt, and white silk stockings. She shook the bag and tissues out, but that was it. No bra. No undies. She smiled as she stripped off her nightgown and put on the lingerie. She descended the staircase. The living room was dark with burning tapers placed all around the room. It smelled of the roses that overwhelmed a small vase on a side table.

Spike watched her come down. He stood in the center of the room wearing only white silk pajama bottoms. He was holding a flute of champagne in each hand. "Now, I know you've not much of a head for alcohol," he said with a grin," But I happen to enjoy it when you drink it. I like the way it makes you all kittenish and girly." She smiled at him and sipped at the champagne. He held out his hand and steered her towards the couch. "Sit down, love. There are presents for you." "But it's not even Christmas yet, Spike," said Buffy, surprised.

He looked at her intently. "This is our engagement party. So there must be presents." He grinned evilly. "Could have had your first present upstairs if you weren't so bossy." He looked at her saucily, wiggling his eyebrows. "I know it would have been a perfect fit for you, baby." She slapped at his arm and laughed. "Okay!" He leaped up. "I wasn't quite ready for this to happen. So I had to wrap them myself while you were getting ready."

He brought forth four lumpish packages wrapped in Happy Birthday paper with balloons. They were sealed with duct tape that looked like it has been hacked by a knife. "Open this one first," he said. He handed her a small lump. Buffy ripped it open. Inside was a small leather case. Within it was a daguerreotype in a metal frame. A very pretty blond woman with a serious expression held a plump baby on her lap. Tooled into one side of the folder was an inscription: "Leticia Walthrop and William- 1852.".

Buffy was delighted. "Is this you? As a baby? And is that your mother?"

Spike smiled at her. "Yes, yes and yes."

"You were such a beautiful baby, " said Buffy. Her eyes shadowed a bit and she bit her lip.

Spike looked very serious for a moment. He handed her the next present. "Be very careful when you open it. You don't want to spill a drop."

She peeled back the paper to reveal a glass decanter filled with an emerald green liquid. Green wax was dribbled over the corked top, sealing the bottle. The label on the bottle read " T.P.W.W.R." "What does that stand for?" asked Buffy.

"Tonic per William Walthrop's request," he explained.

"Who made this for you? And what is it for?" she asked.

Spike took the bottle out of her hand and placed it on the table. He kneeled down in front of her and took her hand. "Love, one of the problems I had with asking you to marry me was that I could never give you children." Buffy began to interrupt but he quickly covered her mouth with a kiss. "Hush for a minute. "He picked up the dageuerrotype and pointed at the image of his infant self. "If you want one of these-" He held up the bottle. "-I drink this." He put both items down and rubbed her arms, staring deeply into her eyes. "When- if- you want to have children, I drink this potion and I will become fertile again, as if I were alive again. This is powerful stuff. You will have to be very sure that it is what you want to do. And once the potion is uncorked, we have only a year to use it."

"But I know how you feel about magic-" she said, and he kissed her again to quiet her.

He handed her the next gift. Buffy pulled out a slim silver box. Nestled inside were two silver daggers on a bed of red velvet. The blades arched and swirled in outlandish curves and waves. Spike reached into the box and held one dagger in each hand. "I know you don't need me to take care of you, or to take care of Dawn. But I want to. You don't need to do every single thing. You don't need to vanquish every evil." He raised the daggers up in the air. "Each dagger on its own is strong. Adequate to do some serious damage."

He held the daggers together, hilt to hilt, and twisted them together in a flashing movement. The individual knives had locked into a single large, menacing looking blade. "But together, they are something finer. Something formidable. So are we, Slayer. We are more than the sum of our parts. Together, we are a mighty weapon."

His gaze seared into her. His sincerity and love shone from his face. "Let me carry some of the burden. Let me in, all the way in. Let me be part of you. Let me live in you. It will be better than anything we have ever known, I promise you."

She looked at him with wide tear filled eyes. "I thought you knew how much you mean to me," Buffy said. "I never want to be without you again. I need you, just as much as you need me. I need you all the time. I want to belong to you. And I want you to never doubt that you are mine. We are one, one and the same."

Spike placed the dagger on the floor and then kissed her sweetly and gently, holding her face in his hands.

He handed her the last gift. Inside was the blue velvet box, and inside the box was her ring. She held it up before her, tilting it from side to side, watching the blazes of color shine inside the depths of the stone. Spike watched her, patiently kneeling, enjoying the scene in front of him. Buffy kneeled down before him, holding the ring out on her palm. Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear, so softly that only a vampire could hear. 'William, will you marry me?"

He wrapped one arm around her neck, and pulled her to him in a hard, deep kiss. His other hand slipped the ring on her finger. Above them, hanging from the ceiling, twisted a sprig of mistletoe.

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JodyorJen - jodyorjen@yahoo.com