Author’s Note: Thanks to the wonderful Kar for a fast turnaround on the beta job. Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing, and to zanthinegirl and Herself for recommending my story to others. You’re all making me very glad I didn’t give up on this idea. I hope folks will like this chapter as well.



Some readers have expressed confusion about the Spikes, so a little list of the un-dusty.
Spikes, a Field Guide
Spike - our favorite vampire
human-Spike -- has a pulse and a daughter with his wife, Buffy
not-Spike -- born of a challenge at the BSV, this vampire cohabitates with his Buffy in a universe where Joyce lives on. You can get to know not-Spike better by reading my Borrowed Time stories. ;)
grabby-Spike -- a smoky, sultry vampire who has a history of bopping about time and space
William -- Angel's unlife partner.


Chapter Five

“Oh yeah, all the time. She’s gotten pulled back and forth through time a time or five. I got flung into another dimension by a spell once. Then there was a kobold kidnapped Dawn and used her to open a gate. That was an adventure…”

Buffy pretended to listen politely for a while as the newest, grabbiest Spike explained why he wasn’t more perturbed by the situation. He had an earring in one ear. What was it with alterna-Spikes and the jewelry?

The other Spikes were mostly watching him, but he was watching her. With extreme intensity. It was disturbing, and it was causing things to happen to her body that were not of the good under the circumstances.

As soon as she could, she excused herself. Over the patter of water on tile, she could hear the faint rumble of their continued conversations. She didn’t know what it was like for Spike, looking at his doubles, talking to them. Even though they had his face, in a weird way it was like gazing in a mirror for her too, each Spike reflecting back some other Buffy. The one who never met him, the one who didn’t save him, the one who gave him children, the one who lived happily with her vampire companion. That one seemed most like her, but how had everything turned out so differently? She needed to stop thinking.

She exited the shower into her bedroom feeling a bit more centered and relieved. Buffy was also a little embarrassed; she knew they would probably know what she had been doing in there. Probably they could smell it or something. She had needed it though, and now she felt calm and ready to face them all again.

Or so she'd thought. The sight that greeted her in her bedroom pretty much derailed the whole calming thing. She wasn't entirely sure which three they were until the half-dressed trio started talking.

"No need for that, pet. If you needed something taken care of, all you had to do was ask." He smelled faintly of smoke and when he tilted his head she saw the earring reflecting light. The latest addition, then.

"After all, it's not like it's cheating,” human-Spike suggested. “You are my wife."

"I've always heard that the blood of a slayer is an aphrodisiac," William added.

She emitted a little squeak, which they seemed to take as some sort of permission, because she was suddenly crushed on all sides by Spikes. They caressed and massaged and kissed at her back, her breasts, her neck. Warm hands under her robe and cool ones against her face, and really, why not? They wanted her, and it had been a really long time since she had been wanted, especially by Spike. She knew how good it could feel to give into that, and the only thing that would be better than one Spike was more Spikes. All those Spike hands and Spike mouths and Spike--

"No!" She wrenched herself out of their grips and staggered down the stairs, fumbling with her loosened robe. Behind her slammed door she heard the unmistakable sounds of the trio of Spikes cutting their losses. That was so not helping her clear her head.

Spike and not-Spike gazed at her from opposite sides of the kitchen island. "Where's Giles?" she blurted.

"Butcher shop. No good could come of us getting peckish."

"Oh." She collapsed against the wall.

Not-Spike squeezed her shoulder. "You alright--"

"No touching!"

Not-Spike nodded, glancing briefly at the ceiling. "Going for a smoke," was all he said before leaving her alone with the Spike. Who was smirking at her and practically radiating glee.

"Oh, shut up," she snapped. She was going to storm out or something when she noticed a glossy little rectangle on the table. She sat down heavily and stared at the smiling little girl in the picture. "Celia?"

"Yeah."

She should have gone through with it, she mused, if there was some chance something like this could come out of it. "She's got your nose. Lucky."

"Buffy." His hand covered hers, which she'd put on her belly without thinking.

She looked down at their hands on her stomach, felt his eyes on the same spot. Buffy wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was, that if she was with him there wasn't going to be a next time. There were things Spike just couldn't give her. But then again, he didn't want to be with her, so the point was pretty much moot.

Maybe it really was for the best. She'd never be able to give a kid a normal life. Even Dawn wanted a break from their crazy world, four years of giving normal a try, a vacation from hellmouths and demons. Or what if the baby wasn't normal to begin with? She would never forget the absolute joy on Faith's face when she'd come sauntering into the school with her two-week-old girl. Nor would she forget the absolute terror on the new mother's face when Willow told her that the baby would be a slayer.

Willow...

I can fix it. I can bring it back.

Willow never could keep her mouth shut.

Just then there was a loud cracking sound and she knew that one of her mattress supports had just given way. She'd been thinking about replacing the whole thing anyway. Turning the mattress and new sheets weren't enough to make it really feel clean again. She just hoped no one had dusted.

The moment had shattered too though. Spike withdrew his hand and tilted his head at the doorway. “Watcher should be back soon. I’m going to take the air.”


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

She made Giles take William and sleazoid-Spike to stay with some of the sterner Watchers. Human-Spike was staying with Giles himself again. Spike and not-Spike were both staying with her, which was already exhausting her because they could not stop snarking at each other for five damn minutes.

She was taking Dawn's bed. At least Giles thought he had found a spell that could send them home, but getting the ingredients together was going to take time.

After a few hours of twisting and turning, she gave up on sleep and tossed Dawn’s blankets aside. Maneuvering carefully around her destroyed bed, she found some fresh clothes. The other doppelgangers in the house watched her silently. She stared back. When she'd found Mr. Gordo's exact replica in the toy store, she'd taken it as some kind of good omen. Now she couldn't quite bring herself to get rid of him or hide him, so he just sat there on the dresser night after night. She patted his head on the way out of the room.

Downstairs the television murmured. Not-Spike was dozing on the couch. Buffy pulled the blanket off the back and draped it over him.

In the kitchen, Spike was microwaving himself a midnight snack. "Sweet on him, aren't you?"

"He reminds me of you," she admitted. From before, when you loved me, she didn’t add. She watched him drink his blood. "You're jealous," she suggested, trying to keep her tone light.

"Right," he snorted. But then his face went sad. "A bit, yeah. You sorry you'll have to send him back with the others?"

Buffy thought about that for a minute. She hadn't really let herself consider what it was going to be like having all the Spikes gone. She knew her Spike, or real Spike, or whatever wasn't going to stick around long after the others were sent home.

"Nah," she replied as lightly as she could manage. "His Buffy has gotta be frantic missing him and trying to figure out what happened."

"Missing him... Well, not you then, is she, pet?"

It took considerable restraint not to sock him in the jaw. "Right. And you missed me so much you let me go on thinking you were dead." She could feel her arm twitch with the urge to swing at him. "I mean, you thought you were within ten yards of me and you still couldn't man up and say 'Hey, pet, guess what? Back in once piece.' You amaze me with this injured woobie crap."

After a long silence and a lot of scowling, he whispered, "Maybe I wanted you to go on thinking I was dead."

"Yeah," she huffed. "Message received." Turning on her heel, she stormed out of the room. Not-Spike opened sleepy eyes to watch her put on her boots, but didn't say anything as she flounced out into the night and headed towards Memorial Park. She needed to kill something, and she had plenty of time before sunrise.


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I’ve got a draft of the next chapter going, so I should be posting soon. I’m now predicting a total of seven chapters, perhaps with an epilogue. I really to appreciate all the feedback on this one. Feel free to leave any comments, questions, or quibbles you may have. Thanks for reading.