brave2

DISCLAIMER: All hail Joss Whedon, UPN, the WB, FOX , Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Theirs not mine

Willow looked confused and Spike drew his finger across his throat, shaking his head at Buffy.
�A nursery?� asked Willow. �Is there something I�m missing here? Cause I thought vampires had the whole safe sex thing going on. Unless Spike�s been drinking the Elixir of Gordath, but then��

Spike grabbed Willow and pulled her backwards onto the dance floor. �C�mon, Red, let�s get a groove on.� She gave him a weird look, but followed him.

Buffy looked confused. Xander came back to the table, drink in hand, and sat beside Buffy.

Spike hissed in Willow�s ear as he pulled her into his arms on the dance floor. �Don�t tell Buffy about the Elixir.�

Willow looked up at him, her eyes dark with concern. �Spike, you can�t be thinking of drinking the elixir. Terrible things could happen-�

He looked down at her, features tight with anxiety. �Only to me. I�m willing to risk it, for her sake. It would make her so happy. So please just forget it came up. Please.�

Willow looked worried. �You can�t just hide the truth from her, Spike. And you can�t take these kinds of risks with magic. There are so many ways for things to turn out wrong.� She looks pensive. �Take my word on it.�

�I know there are consequences,� said Spike intently. �There always are. But there are some risks that are worth taking.�

Xander and Buffy watched Spike and Willow on the dance floor. �Gosh, those two crazy kids are really pushing the envelope on New Year�s frivolity,� said Xander.

Buffy turned to Xander. �I�m sure they�ll get it sorted out. So how is Anya doing these days?�

�Well, she�s all wigged about getting fat. But she is so excited about the baby,� he said.

�How about the wedding plans?� Buffy took a carrot stick off Willow�s plate.

�We pushed up the date to March. Everything is pretty much set now.� Xander fiddled with his swizzle stick.

�Crossed all your �I��s and dotted your �T��s?� Buffy frowned. �I mean-�

�Yep, we have liftoff,� he says, sounding depressed.

She gave him a searching look. �Are you nervous about all this?�

He took a big swig off the drink in his hand. �Well, I was nervous when I proposed. I was anxious when she accepted. Now that she�s pregnant�I am completely terrified,� he admitted.

He gave her a concerned glance. �Are you really going through with this- Spike thing?�

�Do you mean am I really going to marry the man that I proposed to? Um, yeah.� She made a face at him.

�What about Dawn? What kind of impression do you think it makes on her? And he�s not really an advantage. He doesn�t even have a job,� argued Xander.

�Starting next week, he�s teaching two English classes at UC Sunnydale,� announced Buffy proudly.

Xander laughs. �Yeah, right. Like they would hire Spike to�� Seeing her serious face, he stopped laughing as he saw she was serious. �But how?�

�He earned a degree from Oxford, Xander. He knows more than you can even begin to imagine about English literature. You should hear the stuff he�s putting together on Hamlet. It�s brilliant.�

�Huh?� said Xander in disbelief. �So they�re just going to not notice the being dead for a hundred years thing?��Angel finessed the paper trail so that it looks like he got his degree ten years ago, not a hundred and ten,� explained Buffy. He put the records in place so that Spike has doctoral credentials that check out legitimately.�

�Why would Angel help him?� said Xander curiously.

�Because Angel wants me to be happy. Just like I wish him well. We�re still friends,� said Buffy.

�I want you to be happy, too, Buffy.� Xander sighed, running his hand through his hair. �I just don�t want you to make any hasty decisions. It�s no fun to wonder if you�ve made the right choices.� He looked out on the dance floor at Anya..

Buffy gave him a knowing look. �You love Anya, and you are going to be a great father. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. You just need to trust in it. You and Anya are not your mom and dad.�

He gave her a small smile. �I know, really. But the fear monster, it is running me down.�She grabbed his hand. �Well, let him chase you down on the dance floor then.� They smile at each other, and move into the crowd of excited people.

Spike, Anya and Tara moved to the music. Anya and Tara shook their hair and hips, while Spike did a bump and grind in the middle. �This is really fun,� said Tara, her face flushed.

�Almost as fun as sex,� said Anya as she grinned. �But nearly as sweaty.�

They all cracked up. A slow number came on, and they looked at each other uncertainly. Spike grabbed them both around the waist and moved them to the music. �I�ve been known to satisfy two woman at once,� he said sultrily.

Anya laughed, looking over at the witch. �Yeah, Tara. The Clan of Aurelius, boy, there�s a kinky bunch. I heard about this one time��