As much as Dawn's idea about love growing out of deep friendship - it sounds more like she is speaking of herself and her own appreciation of Xander.  Great friendships turning into Love and Marriage feels more like love in the movies than real life. 

Xander has done a very bad thing, IMO, with how he imposed his own wants and needs on Buffy.  It is not only his child and if there were mutal agreements and understanding on what would happen once the child was born, it was imperative that they be carried out. 

Xander has no more rights on how this child is going to be raised than Buffy does - and yet he is the one that is directing how they will live and what happens with Andrea.

Life can become a great big heartache for Buffy from all of this - this reminds me so much of how our mothers and grandmothers had to live their lives.  Give up what brings joy and passion and a professional career in their personal lives to bring up children and a family. 

Dawn:  "Oh, no, I just needed to buy something so Xander wouldn't be suspicious. We decided that if we're going to give each other presents, it'll be cash." Dawn grabbed the diaper bag and began to put one on Andrea. "That way, we can buy whatever we actually want."

This is so missing the joy and connection of giving someone a gift - a gift, to me, should be made with love and the desire to bring a special moment and connection with a person - it's not about what you want, it's about what you give.

LOVE this story! I'm behind on the comix by a few months , so am not sure how far besides pregnancy & Spike, that this has gone off canon (I think the last thing I remember was Buffy heading toward Xander, & finding him & Dawn kissing/&/or Nepal w/Oz). The angle of Buffy having grief-stricken sex with Xander is really keeping us (the Spuffy-readers, well me, anyway) on edge, worrying & wondering IF Buffy  will settle for the normal life with Xander, or whether she'll find some way to make it work, including Spike, the Slayers & their training (hopefully without having to continue to hide  out as fugitives),and her child, last-but-not-least..
Your Spike is rather refreshing, much more self confident without resorting to all cockiness & swagger; however, you seem to be writing him 'really close to the cuff', a Spike that is keeping things tightly to himself, much, much quieter & reserved (with the soul, even, on A:tS, S05, we didn't see him that way, really; although somewhere I recently saw it referred to in a comment, that that season made Spike out as the buffoon, the comic relief for A:tS S05, in quiet a derogatory manner.) Which makes his soul-having comment a bit strange, if keeping with this rendering of him as the quieter, more soulful sidekick to Angel, all helping the helpless. This seems much more in keeping with Spike's quietness of BtVS S07 (although there, he definitely seemed less confident, more reticent, apologetic, and unsure) than the fellow who did indeed help out, in AtS S05, but who did so brashly, loudly, and with his usual lack of adequate planning ahead.
In some ways, I LIKE your Spike. It's kinda like he finally grew some 'nads, and like he pretty much said, found his own mission (well, technically Angel's (and it's funny that Buffy is jealous of Angel, LOL!) but a mission or purpose that he CHOSE for himself). But in another way, it kinda feels like keeping his personality that closed off and tight is not developing the character or fleshing it out per se as much as it warrants and deserves. (And I'm  not saying this at all to be mean, please understand! Just trying to be constructive in my critique--- refer to the first sentence of this post!) It does, also keep us (the readers)/me, on edge... again, wondering to what end can we expect or hope for things to come to: is he at a place where he'd leave Angel to be with Buffy? Would Buffy consider leaving the Slayers (and of course she's wanted & being in the states would pose a big risk) to return to L.A.? 'Cos I can see Xander choking and looking at custody lawyers before ever agreeing to or allowing Buffy to take the baby and go anywhere near "Deadboy Jr.", much less the original "Deadboy", and neither can I see him agreeing to move or go along with any plans Buffy might come up with along these lines!
I love Buffy's quandries of dealing with a normally (well, mostly) maturing Dawn, in the full swing of a mostly normal college-life that Buffy really never got to live herself! She literally sounds like her own mother!
And of course (who couldn't???) adored the meeting of Spike and Andrea. Ya just gotta love a story where Spike cuddles babies. Who could resist that? But that he wanted, especially requesting, to see Buffy's child showed that he cared. You've just got me so on edge wondering if he will do anything about his buried feelings for Buffy, or whether he will remove himself from the situation, following Angel's "example"
So, overall, really enjoying it, and anxious to read the next chappie!
~~Kara
[email]fyreburned@yahoo.com[/email]

I think I am more excited to see how you are going to resolve everything than I am with the story itself.   What a problem you have created for all of them. 

I sure hope that more people are reading this story than the reviews indicate.  This feels like some very new in the Spuffyverse.  Well Done.  And I promise to have that banner for you by the end of the week.

If there was ever a good story about not having "mourning sex" this is one of them -

I hope that Dawn does not push Buffy into doing something she does not want - Xander would not want to be the consolation prize. 

So Dawn wants Buffy to "be" with Xander..

And Spike.. trying to keep his distance.  

And Buffy - Betwixed and Between

 enjoying. waiting to see what happens with Buffy, Spike, and Xander..