Disclaimer: Not mine...ya I know
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Chapter 16: Granny Anya

“You want to do what?” Buffy nearly screamed. “You can’t honestly be serious! He’s tried to kill us! He nearly murdered Spike!” It wasn’t lost on Buffy that Giles had once tried to kill Spike too, but inviting Gable to dinner? “Spike still can‘t see well out of one of his eyes. Do you really want me to invite the man that tried to blind my lover to dinner?”

“I would like him to meet all of the group, those who help the slayer, to get a better idea of what we do,” responded Giles.

“By having a dinner party?”

“A Columbus day dinner party?”

“Fine,” Buffy growled, “I’ll have to get another chair. That makes eleven for dinner then. I cringe to think what Christmas is going to be like.”

“Eleven?”

“Anya and Willow are teleporting in for the weekend. Teleporting still takes a lot out of Willow. Willow said that they had invites to spend the weekend with Angel and company. She’s willing to put up with a migraine and bloody nose to escape Kennedy, so I have to make pie.”

“Can you make pie?”

Buffy glared at Giles.

“Dinner’s at 6.”
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Dawn had taken Ariel and Cat to the park, Spike was setting up the futon in the guest room for Willow and one in Cat’s room, for Ariel, as Anya would stay in the pre teen’s room.

When Buffy had told them that Willow and Anya were coming to stay, Ariel and Cat’s eyes lit up. She didn’t know why, but she was eager to find out.

Willow and Anya arrived an hour after the kids where sent to the park. Willow instantly collapsed, Oz catching her before she hit the ground and placing her on the couch. Willow murmured her thanks and fell asleep.

“So where are these children of yours?” asked Anya eagerly.

“They are at the park with Dawn.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry Anya, they will be back soon,” Buffy laughed. “Anya? I’m glad you are alive again.”

Anya smiled. “Me too.” Anya gave Buffy a hug. “What can I do?”

Buffy smiled. “How are you at making jello?”
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When Willow woke up, she found herself staring into Oz’s eyes.

“Better?” he asked.

“A little. I’m really not so good with the teleporting. It’s either in pain Willow, or Willow three towns over.”

“I’d prefer not in pain Willow right here.”

Willow smiled, then suddenly frowned.

“You were in LA and you never came to see me, you non see-er!”

“It was easier.”

“But not better. I’d like to see you, I like seeing you.”

“I like seeing you too.”
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Anya had just pulled the pan out of the fridge to start cutting out shapes for the ‘jigglers’ that Buffy had asked her to make, when the front door opened and in ran a screaming two year old.

“Cat!, quiet!” shushed Buffy, scooping the little person into her arms. “Your aunty Willow is sleeping!”

“I’m up!” came Willow’s voice from the living room.

Willow stumbled out of the room and into the kitchen, to see Buffy holding Cat.

“Oh Buffy she’s so beautiful, and she has Spike’s eyes!”

Buffy beamed.

“Willow Rosenburg, meet Catherine Graves,” said Buffy proudly.

“Graves?”

“So you’re telling everyone what my blasted last name was now?” came Spike’s voice as he rose from the basement steps.

“No, I’m introducing your daughter to my witch friend,” defended Buffy. “Besides what’s the big deal? It’s not a bad last name.”

Spike huffed. There wasn’t a point of arguing about this, especially in front of the rest of the scoobies.

“It’s a nice last name for a pretty girl like you isn’t it Kitty Cat,” cooed Buffy.

“Oh please, enough with the baby talk already, god you’ll be horrible when your kids are actually babies.” Dawn had just come through the door with Ariel.

“Can I hold her?” asked Anya, uncharacteristically timid.

“Oh sure.” Buffy handed her toddler over to the vengeance demon.

“Gwanny An-ya!” said Cat.

Ariel groaned.

Everyone stared at Ariel.

“No! I’m not answering this one. It’ll just get me in trouble. Mum was very clear about that.”

“I’m ok with being called granny, by this little one, only her,” said Anya as she looked down lovingly at the toddler now sucking her thumb. “Well I am old enough to be her granny.”

“Yes, but why aren’t you Auntie Anya?” asked Buffy.

“Who knows maybe I marry one of her grandfathers?”

Giles, who had developed a habit of coming into rooms at the wrong time appeared from the basement. All eyes turned towards him.

“Why is everyone staring at me?” asked the watcher.

“It doesn’t have to be Giles!” cautioned Anya, “Perhaps I end up with Mr Summers...”

“Ewwwwwwwww,” came Dawn’s response.

“What? Your father has divorced before, and though I’ve never met this Valery person, she sounds very nasty.”

“Or it could be the poofter,” offered Spike.

“See,” nodded Anya, “there are many possibilities.”

Buffy cringed. The thought of Anya and her dad made her skin crawl.

“I’m not telling!” shouted Ariel and she rushed upstairs.

“That went well,” observed Spike as he turned to follow Ariel up the stairs.
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Spike found Ariel pacing around her room.

“You and Mummy told me not to tell about Anya, Granny Anya told me not to tell either.” Ariel gestured wildly into the room, knowing full well that Spike was in the doorway.

“That’s good enough for me, sweet bit, but you know humans, they question everything. Especially your Mum. Look, pet, you don’t have to tell anything you don’t want to. And if your mum or anyone else asks too many questions, just tell them to sod off.”

“Can I use the word sod?”

“You most certainly cannot!”

Ariel laughed. “I didn’t think so.”
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Buffy had left her children in the tender care of their !Grandmother! Anya to patrol, with Spike. It seemed that she hadn’t been doing her job for since the kids arrived and she was feeling guilty. Also this was good Spike and Buffy time.

“What are we?” he asked completely out of the blue. It had to be out of the blue, because they had been walking in silence.

“Huh?”

“What are we? Is there a title I should be referring to you as?”

“Girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend?” he sounded sceptical.

“You don’t like girlfriend?”

“Just seems a tad inappropriate is all.”

“Inappropriate how?”

Spike lit a cigarette. “I don’t know, just is.”

“Fine, what else is there? Lover, sure, that’s appropriate isn’t it? Or soul mate, I like that one too. Significant other?...”

“Mother of my children.”

“Ahhh....” Buffy understood. “Mr Victorian morals is having problems with fathering children with some one to whom he is not married too.”

Spike huffed, “I do not.”

“Spike, they haven’t been born yet, you know how I signed my name on that note, Buffy Summers-GRAVES, seems to me you make an honest woman out of me eventually.” Buffy smiled. “But you still have issues with it. I understand that, hey I even lived a little of that time when I was Beth, but I don’t want you proposing, just to make yourself feel better about it.”

“I heard you, you know, when you were on the phone with Willow, and gushing about how you are Mrs William Graves, pet. I know you want the dream.”

“Of course I do, I mean I’m not going to pretend it’s not true. It’s what my mom wanted for me, it’s what I wanted for me. I once told Angel that I didn’t see fat grandkids in the offing with you, but you know what, I do now, not because of the soul, or because I love you more or less, it’s because of who you are, and how much I’ve changed because of you. I know that you will never grow old, but I’d like to grow old with you and have those fat grand babies, so we can spoil them rotten. I’m just sorry that my mom wasn’t around to see that I finally fell in love with you. I think she was pulling for you.”

“Joyce was a right fine lady.”

“Ya, she was. I miss her. So did that define our relationship enough for you Mr Graves?” Buffy teased.

“For now”

Buffy looked at Spike wearily, was this the end of said conversation? She thought not. Unfortunately she had no choice , their têtê-à-têtê was interrupted by the appearance of Gable, their erstwhile dinner guest.

“Hello” greeted Buffy tersely.

Sure she had agreed to dinner but she didn’t know how to act around him. The last time she saw him he was tied up in her bathtub.

“Hello,” he replied.

Spike just shrugged him shoulders.

“Not much vamp activity in this cemetery,” noted Buffy completely seriously.

“I’ve noticed that too,” said Gable.

“Well, we’ll move on,” said the Slayer.

“Ok.”

And they parted.

“Dinner’s at six,” said Buffy over her shoulder.

As Buffy and Spike exited the cemetery Spike noted, “Great conversationalist that one.”

“Ya cause most people have so much to say to the people who tied them up in bathtubs.”

“I get on famously with you.”

“Geez Spike. I’m sorry I chained you up in the tub already.”

“I know, luv, I just like makin’ ya squirm.”
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tbc...