Second Chances

Chapter 3 will be posted on valentines day, it gets a lot naughtier then :)

*********************************

Chapter 2
Valentines Day

Buffy woke up the next morning in a dark mood. She glanced at the clock, her eyes widening as she read the time. It was nine! She should be up and dressed and on her way to the nursery by now. She quickly scrambled out of bed. “Shit, shit, shit!” Why the hell hadn’t Spike woken her?

“Bethany?”

“Mommy,”

Buffy ran down the stairs to find her daughter watching a DVD. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her little girl sitting on the sofa safe and sound…eating out of a box of cereal.

“C’mon sweetie, Mommy will fix you a bowl, but we have to be quick. I overslept,”

Buffy led her daughter to the kitchen and sat her on one of the stools while she took out a bowl and some milk.

“I need down,” said Bethany.

“Why?”

“Because Daddy said its love day today. I drawed you a picture,”

“Aww thanks honey,” she kissed her daughter as she lifted her off the stool. Watching as she ran back into the lounge and reappeared several moments later clutching a creased sheet of paper.

The little girl looked at her expectantly. Buffy smiled at the drawing, the red blobs that were probably hearts looked like an attack of the measles, but she loved it.

“It’s beautiful, love you baby,” she hugged her daughter.

“Glad,” answered Bethany.

Buffy attached the new drawing to the refrigerator door with a magnet and handed her daughter her breakfast.

“You will be okay for a moment while I run and get a shower? I’ll leave the bathroom door open okay?”

Bethany nodded as she turned her attention back to her breakfast. Buffy went upstairs, stripped off her nightshirt, and stepped into the shower. Well today, they had been married for five whole years. She mused. After she dropped Bethany off at nursery, she really needed to think about a present for Spike. She came up a blank, with any luck, the girls would have some suggestions. Present buying never had been her strong point. Now if they were handing out awards for impractical presents, she would win hands down.

She quickly soaped herself, stepped out of the shower, and pulled on some sweatpants and a t-shirt. Securing her still wet hair into a ponytail. Buffy ran to the next room and grabbed Bethany’s favourite dress from the hamper and made her way down the hall. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the door to the nursery was ajar. No one ever went in there, not since…their son had died. Buffy had taken care to leave everything as it had been on that day.

“Bethany, honey…where are you?” she asked.

“Here mommy,”

“Whatcha doing?” asked Buffy.

“Talkin’ to my baby brover,” she babbled. Buffy felt the tears well up in her eyes at her daughter’s wide-eyed expression. “Daddy does it too, and sometimes he cries, like this mornin’ and I gived him kisses and he smiles,”

Buffy looked away so her daughter could not see the tears running down her face. She wiped them before picking her daughter up and taking her downstairs to get dressed. When finally they were ready, Buffy locked up the house and they walked hand in hand to the car. She strapped Bethany into the car seat and switched on the radio.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When she pulled up at the nursery, Faith and Willow were waiting outside. Faith tapped her watch pointedly.

“Oh, thank God she showed,” said Willow as she sagged against her car with relief.

“Now to put the next part of our plan into action,” smirked Faith.

“Hi girls, sorry I’m late. I overslept and Spike didn’t reset the alarm,”

“And you call me the disorganised one?” asked Faith, her hands on her hips.

“Hey, I’ll take Bethany inside for you,” offered Willow.

“Thanks Will, I hate that look Miss Jenkins gives me whenever I am late, takes me back to my high school days and Principle Snyder,”

“So B, how’s things?” asked Faith.

“Not great,” Buffy sighed. “It’s our fifth wedding anniversary today and I haven’t got Spike a present yet, or anything for Valentines Day,”

“Uh-oh, not good,”

“Got any ideas?” asked Buffy.

“Well as it happens, I asked for a reason,” Faith rummaged around in her bag pulling out an envelope. “I had this thing set up for Wes and me, but it seems that he has other ideas. Got a couple of VIP tickets for a new club that has just opened up in town. I think it could be just your thing,”

She handed Buffy the envelope, she took it and opened it, taking out a couple of gold tickets.

“Club Paradise, where all your fantasies come true,” Buffy frowned. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Faith, looking a picture of innocence. “Oh, look its Willow, hey,”

“Hi guys, what’s that you’re looking at?” asked Willow.

“Faith just gave me a couple of tickets for a new club that’s opened up. She’s a real lifesaver,” said Buffy, showing the tickets to Willow.

Willow looked at the tickets, and coughed. Club Paradise?

“What’s the matter Will?” asked Buffy.

Willow coughed again. “Nothing, ah, I think I’m coming down with something,”

“I’ll have to ask my mom to baby-sit Bethany , but this could be just what the doctor ordered,”

“Or Miss Spanks a lot,” muttered Willow under her breath.

Faith elbowed her, “Well gotta run. Planning a big surprise for Wes tonight,” her laughter rang out as she got into her car.

“What’s Faith so happy about?”

“I have no idea, let’s go and get a coffee,”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy arrived home out of breath, with Bethany in tow. She ran to the phone to call her mom, after several rings, and still no answer she started to panic, until her mom eventually picked up.

“Mom, hi don’t have much time, but wanted to ask a huge favour. Got tickets for something last minute, it’s a surprise for Spike, so don’t say anything okay? Anyway do you think you could baby-sit?” pleaded Buffy.

“Sure Buffy, it’s a couple of hours drive from Sunnydale, but I’d love to see my only grandchild…oh Buffy I am sorry I didn’t mean to..”

“Its okay mom, I am learning to live with it,” said Buffy sadly. “I think that Spike and I really need this night together, I have been so selfish this past year, thinking I was the only one going through anything,”

“No one blames you Buffy, I’ll be there around seven, is that okay?” asked Joyce.

“Fine and bring that annoying sis of mine with you,” said Buffy before she hung up.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy quickly tidied up the house and got out the fold up bed ready for her mother and sister to stay overnight. Bethany was contented to sit and watch cartoons while Buffy took a long hot bubble bath. She, went over to the mirror, and took out her make-up bag. It was so long since she had bothered to use it, she was surprised it wasn’t covered in dust.

When she was finally happy with what she saw in the mirror, she went downstairs to check on Bethany. Her little girl was fast asleep on the sofa, cuddling her teddy. Her pink rosebud mouth, parted in sleep. She looked such a baby, Buffy’s heart swelled with love at the sight of her. She bent down to kiss her cheek, forgetting she was wearing lipstick. She wiped at her daughter’s face.

Bethany’s eyes opened sleepily. “Mommy pretty,” she said before drifting off again.

Buffy smiled as she went back upstairs. “I hope Daddy thinks so too,”

Dusk fell and the night settled in. Buffy checked her watch, her mom would be arriving soon. Spike had just called from the office to say he would be on his way, so everything was going to plan for a change. Buffy rang the taxi firm to book their cab. Ten minutes later Spike drove up, she heard the engine shut off. She peeked out of the net curtains to look at him. It took all of her self-control not to run out to greet him

“Play it cool Buffy,” she told herself.

A moment later, Spike walked in through the front door.

“Hey, how’s my two favourite girls doing?” he asked.

Bethany, jumped up off of the sofa to run to her father’s outstretched arms. He laughed as his daughter rained kisses all over his face.

“Looking very edible pet, what’s the occasion?” he asked innocently.

Buffy’s brows knitted together.

“Just teasing you. Happy Valentine’s day and wedding anniversary” he said. Kissing her on the lips.

“Happy Anniversary,” she replied. “Now you have to get ready, mom will be here soon. I have a surprise for you,”

Spike put Bethany down. “What surprise?” he asked.

“Well if I told you, there wouldn’t be one, now would there?” she asked.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door.

“That will be grandma and that annoying aunt of yours,” said Buffy as she went to answer the door.

Buffy was a little disappointed to see only her mom standing on the doorstep.

“Where’s Dawnie?”

“I did ask her, but she has a date,” sighed Joyce.

“Dawn is dating? When did that happen?” asked Buffy.

“Well she is eighteen, it was bound to happen sometime,” said Joyce wryly.

“Grammy,” Bethany held out her arms to Joyce.

Buffy tapped her foot impatiently. What was taking him so long? The taxi was due in five minutes. Spike finally arrived downstairs in a black tux. Buffy had to check herself, to stop her mouth from watering at the sight of him.

“You look…er nice,” she managed to squeak out.

“You okay dear?” asked her mother.

Buffy nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The sound of a car hooting outside alerted them to the fact that their cab was here. Buffy and Spike kissed Bethany and left.

“Have a good night,” called out her mom. She turned back to her granddaughter. “Now what shall we watch?”

“Finding Nemo of course!” giggled Bethany.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy sat in the back of the cab with Spike, a small frown on her face. Why had the driver smirked at her, when she had told him their destination?
She had quickly told him before Spike had a chance to get into the cab. She couldn’t ask him, as it would ruin the surprise before they got there.

Spike laced his fingers through Buffy’s, as they took the cab journey in comfortable silence. Finally, they drew up outside a rather plain looking building, apart from the gold lettering on the sign above the door, it looked nothing out of the ordinary.

“Surprise?” she said uncertainly to Spike.

The cab driver, turned around, waiting for his fare. Spike paid him and helped Buffy from the cab.

“Have a good evening,” leered the taxi driver, before driving off.

“I had hoped it would be something a little more interesting than this. Sorry, I wanted it to be so good for you,”

Spike was going personally going to kill Faith when he next saw her. Obviously, it was her idea of a little joke, reserving them both VIP tickets for the new adults club that had opened up in LA. Nevertheless, they were here now and he was pretty sure they wouldn’t find something else, this late in the day.

Spike put his arm around her. “Um…I have heard of this place, a couple of the guys from work have been here before. They found it far from dull,”

“Okay, the evening might not be a total waste after all,”

Spike, squared his shoulders before leading his wife into the sex club for the rich and famous.

“I like to think so,” he smiled down at her as she handed the passes to the man at the door and they went inside. More like he hoped so, he thought wryly to himself.

TBC