Damage

Riley opened the front door and started to walk down the hall towards his father's study only to be intercepted by Drusilla.
"My boy is back and he brings no angel." she pouted.
"Mom, your "angel" is a first class asshole. I never want to see him again" Riley informed her.
"Naughty boy. Shouldn't say such things." Drusilla scolded.
"Mom..let me through. I want to talk to Dad." Riley said.
"He is rolling around with the sunshine. Hot. Hot. Must'nt touch. Hot." Drusilla sing songed.

Riley pushed his way past Drusilla and just before he got to his destination, the study door flew open and a clearly disheveled Buffy and Spike came through the door.
"RILEY!" both voices said in unison.
Riley took a step back and suppressed his hurt and calmly said, "Hi Dad, Buffy"
"You came back" Spike said in disbelief and also relief.
"Yeah, I came back." Riley nodded. "Uhh, do you think I can talk to you for a few minutes?"
"Yeah of course. I just have to get Buffy home first." Spike began.
"It's O.K. I'll call Xander to pick me up. I need to talk to him anyway." Buffy offered.
"Are you sure?" Spike asked her.
"Yeah..you two talk" Buffy smiled at him.

Buffy went to the hall table that held the phone and called Xander.
"Hello, you've reached the Xanman" he said when he answered.
"Xander? It's Buffy. Can you do me a favor and give me a ride from Spike's house to mine right now? I need to be home in like 30 minutes." Buffy asked.
"I thought you were mad at Willow and me?" Xander replied.
"I was but..well, I wanted to talk to you about that on the way too. Please, Xan. I need your help." Buffy begged.
Xander sighed, "Alright Buffster. I'll be there in a flash."
"Thank you" Buffy said and hung up.

"Everything O.K.?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, Xander is on his way. I'll go outside and wait." she told him.
"I'll be right back, Riley" Spike informed him so he could walk Buffy to the front door.
"Riley watched them from his position down the hall.
"I love you, Buffy. I'll see you soon." Spike leaned over and kissed her lips softly.
"I love you too." Buffy replied and hugged him before slipping out the door.
Riley swallowed the lump in his throat. It was obvious that Buffy and his dad cared for each other. He wanted his dad to be happy. He knew he had been through hell with his mom all these years and it was time for him to be happy but it still hurt all the same to see him with the girl that he had thought was the one for him.

Spike turned around and walked back to where Riley waited.
"I'm glad you came back.....Son." Spike said hesitantly.
"So am I....Dad" Riley replied.
They both took a deep breath and walked to the living room and sat down to have their talk.

Xander, true to his word, was there in a flash. Buffy got into his car and without words, he drove off towards her house.
About half-way through the drive, Buffy finally spoke up.
"Xander, I know you and Willow didn't mean to let my secrets out. I was mad at Willow for telling you because she promised but I know the rest of it wasn't anyone's fault. It just happened. I was just scared and upsetstilstill am a little but that doesn't stop me from loving you and Willow. You're still my best friends. I'm sorry I got so upset. I didn't mean to make Willow cry. I've forgiven you. Can you forgive me?" Buffy poured her heart out.
"There's nothing to forgive, Buff. We love you too. You were right. Willow shouldn't have told me if she promised you. I would just like to think in the future, that something as important as what's going on in your life, you would telltoo,too, not just Willow. We're ALL best friends and you know it stays between us three. I'm so sorry that Cordelia overheard us. If I could take that back, I would. You need to talk to Willow and tell her what you just told me too. She is really hurting, thinking she has lost one of her best friends." Xander responded.
"I will. I'll call her after I get home. Thank you for understanding Xander. Actually, there is something I want to tell you both. Maybe you can go pick her up and bring her over later tonight?" Buffy asked him.
"I think that could be arranged." Xander smiled as he pulled into her driveway.
"I'll call you then in a bit and tell you what time." Buffy informed him.
She gave him a hug and got out of the car.
"Thanks for the ride and please don't say anything to my mom about this. I'm supposed to be home right now." she told him.
"No problem, Buffster. See you later."

Buffy watched Xander back out and drive away and then sprinted into the house. As soon as she made it through the front door, Dawn was there to greet her.
"Mom is going to be here in like 5 minutes. She called about an hour ago and I told her you were taking a bath and couldn't come to phone. You better hurry up and make it look like you are or you're dead meat." Dawn informed her.
"Thanks Dawn!" Buffy ran up the stairs.
"You owe me big time, Buffy! B I G!" Dawn yelled after her.

Buffy rushed into her room and threw her clothes off. She quickly went to the bathroom and started the tub, filling it with bubbles.
"Come on..fill up..come on come on." she chanted at the tub as she heard her mother's car pull into the driveway.
She stepped into the filling tub and doused her hair so it was wet. She hurriedly scrubbed her face to remove any traces of makeup. She heard the front door open and her mom call out.
"Girls, I'm home."
Buffy frantically started to mush down some of the bubbles so it looked like she had been in there longer than what fresh new bubbles looked like.
She then laid back against the tub and closed her eyes just as the door was cracked open.
"Buffy? Are you still in there? Don't fall asleep honey. You could drown." Joyce said.
"Sorry, Mom. Was just relaxing. I'm just about done. I'll be out in a few minutes." Buffy replied.
"O.K. I'm going to start dinner. Where's your sister at?" Joyce said just as loud blaring teeny bopper music began to play from across the hall.
"Never mind." she smiled and closed the door.
Buffy breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Riley and Spike sat on opposite couches in awkward silence.
"So..." Spike began.
"Yeah...so..." Riley said.
"So...Did you meet him?" Spike finally managed to get out.
"Yeah, I did." Riley said looking down.
"And...." Spike asked
"And...he was a jerk. He called Mom names and made fun of you and said horrible things to me. He was a bastard. I hit him and left." Riley informed his dad.
Spike couldn't suppress a small smile at the thought of Riley beating Angel up. On the other hand he was upset that the wanker had hurt his son's feelings.
"He always was a right bastard." Spike finally commented.
"I realized, after meeting him...." Riley choked on his words and teared up, "what a great Dad I already had"
Spike got up and moved to sit next to Riley, "Oh Son...I'm so sorry for hurting you. I love you so much."
"Even though I'm not really yours?" Riley started to cry.
"Not mine? Bloody hell! You ARE mine. I don't give a bloody damn how you got to be in this world. Since you have, you've been my son. ALWAYS. And you always will be. I watched you be born. I was the first one to hold you. I was there for your first step and first tooth and the first day of school. You're my son, Riley." Spike had tears rolling down his face now as well.
Riley looked down again.
"Look at me" Spike said, raising his chin. "You are my son." he looked into his eyes.
"I love you, Dad" Riley sniffled.
"I love you too" Spike hugged him.

They held onto each other for awhile. Finally they pulled away.
"We still have more things to talk about" Spike said, knowing he couldn't put off the subjects of Drusilla and Buffy any longer.
"I know. Look, Dad. I can't say seeing you with Buffy doesn't hurt but I can tell you guys care for each other. I know you haven't really had a life, what with taking care of mom all this time, and I want you to be happy. It's just gonna take me some time to adjust." Riley informed him.
"I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean for this to happen but I'm in love with her, Riley. I love her so much. She makes me feel again. I have some things to tell you and you're probably going to be mad but you need to know." Spike responded.

"Well, better just tell me. No more secrets or lies. Let's just get it all out in the open." Riley replied.
"Right then. First, I've filed for divorce. I will still make sure you mum is taken care of but I cannot be married to her anymore because I plan on being married to someone else." Spike said.
"You're going to marry Buffy?" Riley asked, a bit shocked.
"Yes. There's something else, Riley. Uhhh...you're going to have a sister or brother..." Spike began.
"WHAT? Oh my God. Buffy is....Buffy is...she is.." Riley stammered.
"Pregnant. Yes. Buffy is pregnant." Spike finished for him.
"Wow" Riley sat in shock.
"Yeah, wow. I know you're angry. But, now..you know it all. No more secrets." Spike said.
"I'm...I'm not angry. I'm kinda shocked and still hurt but...I just need some time to deal with all this, Dad. O.K.?" Riley said in a daze.
"Sure. I understand." Spike replied.
"Can I go now?" Riley asked.
"Uhh....yeah...you gonna be alright?" Spike asked as Riley got up off the sofa.
"Yeah..I just need some time to think and be alone. I'll see you later" Riley said as he left to go up to his room.

After dinner, Buffy asked Joyce if Xander and Willow could come over for a little bit. Joyce agreed, liking that Buffy was wanting to spend time with kids her own age than with Spike. Buffy called Xander and he went to pick up Willow to bring her over. When the two got there, Joyce told them to go on up to Buffy's room. Xander knocked on the door and Buffy called out to come in. He opened the door and walked through while Willow hesitated at the doorway.

's 's O.K. Willow. I'm not going to bite your head off. Come in, please." Buffy smiled.
"Hi Buffy" Willow gave a slight smile.
"Can you close the door, Xander?" Buffy asked.
"Sure thing" he replied.

Buffy was sitting cross legged on her bed and motioned for her two friends to come site with her.
"First, Willow, I want to tell you what I already told Xander." Buffy started.
"It's O.K. Buffy. Xander already told me what you said. It WAS my fault. I promised you not to tell and I went back on that promise. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me?" Willow told her.
"I forgive you Willow but I should have told Xander myself anyway. It's us three, best friends, not just two of us. It's over and done with and I think we all learned valuable lessons." Buffy said.
"Thank you Buffy. I love you." Willow said.
"Oh, Will...I love you too" Buffy replied and the two girls hugged.
"Hey..can the Xanman get in on some of the hugging action?" Xander joked.
"Awww..we love you too Xander" Buffy said and the two girls hugged him.
"Ahhhh..this is the life" Xander teased as they all pulled away from each other.

"Now...the other thing I asked you here for. I have something big to tell you both. Please don't be mad at me. It just happened but it's going to be O.K. I mean, Mom is livid but Spike promised to take care of me and..." Buffy babbled.
"Buffy! Slow down. What are you going on about? Spit it out." Xander interrupted her.
"I'm pregnant!" she blurted out.
Willow's eyes got wide and Xander dropped into a dead faint.

Continued in Chapter 20- Happy Biry
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