Title: Born again 4/?
Author: spikewil
Url: http://home.wanadoo.nl/spikewil
Feedback: spikewil@w...
Pairing: X/A, W/G
Rating: G
Summary: Spike has been given a reward; to live a new life.
A/N: Story is based on a challenge from CJ. Details see first chapter.
Warning: This story takes place in an AU season 5 of the Angel series, after the destruction of Sunnydale. Cordelia is alive, Connor is dead and Fred hasn't come out of her room since she came from Pylea. They all live in the hotel.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but Joss Whedon does. Many thanks to Spiked_by_James and Queensereya for betaing my story.****L.A. - a month later****
Angel looked around the hotel lobby, Xander and William had arrived a month ago. Since Angel came back from his visit to the higher beings, as Xander called them, life hadn't been the same anymore. The PTB had confirmed that Spike had been rewarded a second chance as a 6-month old infant, but they weren't sure if the boy would remember his former life as a vampire. That would depend on what Xander and Angel would tell him.
Their daily routine at the hotel had also changed. William had stolen everyone's heart. Because of the little boy, they had changed several things. No sharp corners, nothing hot or cold for him to reach when he begins to crawl. The floor was cleaned everyday so William could play on the floor. When they fought demons they made sure the boy wasn't within reach of the demon blood they always took home on their clothes.
Cordelia had ordered Xander to dress William properly. She had taken Xander shopping for the latest baby fashion. Every morning when she woke up, she went to William's room to lay out some clothes, just to make sure Xander didn't pick the wrong combinations. William became a real fashion boy.
When Xander was taken a nap, Wesley and Gunn always took William for a walk. This was something they loved to share. During those walks they got to know each other better, but Wesley was too shy to take it further. They also tried to teach William some words. They always envied Xander and Angel when William would babble words Xander and Angel had taught him.
Fred had finally come out of her room and was introduced to Xander and William. William and Fred took an immediate liking to each other. Since then, she babysat William whenever Xander wanted some time for himself.
Surprisingly, there was one benefit for Angel too, his soul had been secured to Xander. Since then, Angel's feelings towards Xander had changed considerably. He started watching Xander from a different viewpoint.
This young man was confident of himself and his son. He admired the way the young man took care of William. The soft touches when he dressed William, the way Xander always smiled at the little boy. Sometimes Angel wished Xander would smile at him that way. He was nothing like the boy he was when he worked with Buffy. Angel realized he hadn't thought of Buffy's fate since Xander had arrived. He wasn't interested how his former girlfriend was doing. He was sure she would be fine.
He had also started feeling attracted to Xander since he had spotted him naked in the shower. Xander hadn't heard him, so he had watched Xander soaping and rinsing his body.
***Flashback****
Angel walked into the bathroom where everyone showered when they had fought demons and stopped. He hadn't heard the shower running. He peeked around a corner and saw Xander, standing in the shower, washing his hair.
The vampire's eyes widened and followed the soapsuds trailing from the man's hair down his back to the nicely shaped ass. Angel groaned when he witnessed the suds trailing between the ass cheeks.
He quickly hid himself in case Xander had heard him. He didn't hear Xander leaving, so he peeked again, feeling his cock stir at the sight. Xander had turned and was now facing Angel with his eyes closed. Xander's hands started soaping his chest and Angel gasped when Xander's hands tweaked his nipples before continuing down to his cock. Angel's cock was hard, pressing against the zipper. He watched how Xander took his cock in his hand and began to stroke it to hardness. The young man cupped his balls and moaned.
Angel started panting and knew he had to go. He turned around and ran quickly but quietly out, never hearing Xander come while moaning his name.
***End flashback***
Angel had arranged for the legal adoption papers, but there was one little thing he had to tell Xander before the papers were legal.
"Xander, could I talk to you?" Angel asked from the open doorway of Xander's room, staring longingly at the young man's body.
Xander had been playing with William on the floor. He looked up and nodded. William continued playing with his blocks. Angel walked in the room and sat across from Xander. "What's wrong?" Xander asked anxiously, after looking into Angel's face mistaking Angel's staring for a sign of worry on his face.
"Nothing's wrong! It's just that the papers have to be signed and...." Angel started.
"Well, let me sign them then!" Xander interrupted.
"A second guardian has to sign too," Angel said abruptly.
"That's not a problem, Angel. You're his second guardian," Xander said, smiling and hoping the vampire wouldn't know about his secret crush. Not only did he want Angel to be William's second guardian but he also wanted Angel for himself since The PTB had secured the vampire's soul to him.
Xander's opinion of the broody vampire had changed incredibly. When Spike was still 'undead', he had showed Xander that Angel wasn't a bad guy. He had told him stories about how Angelus had taken care of the younger vampire when Spike was in trouble again. The stories had made Xander admire the older vampire and during the past month he had witnessed Angel's caring for William.
Xander's admiration had turned into lust when he caught Angel staring at him in the shower.
***Flashback***
Xander heard the door opening and stilled his washing. When he heard the door close again he had thought the visitor had left and continued soaping himself. That's when he heard a gasp from Angel. He would recognize that sound anywhere. Aroused by the knowledge that he was being watched, Xander closed his eyes, turned around facing Angel and let his fantasy wander. He soaped his body, rinsed and focused his attention on his cock.
Xander heard Angel moan and his cock hardened. Before he knew it he came, moaning Angel's name. Xander opened his eyes, hearing hasty footsteps running away and smiled. But Xander's smile faltered when he realized that he had orgasmed when he heard Angel moan.
Apparently, he was no longer in love with Spike, now that he was born again as baby William. Instead, he had moaned Angel's name at the moment of his climax. He would have to wait until he saw Angel again to see if the man had heard his slip of the name. He might have to leave the hotel if Angel knew about his feelings and rejected him.
That moment never came.
***End flashback***
"Really?" Angel said, stunned at the quick answer. "We have to think of a birth date for William.
"He's 7 months now and it's May, so his birthday should be on October 19th," Xander answered.
"Why the 19th?" Angel asked.
"That was Anya's birthday," Xander said sadly.
"Okay, October 19th it is then," Angel said, placing his hand on Xander's shoulder for sympathy.
"Dadassmeewlll," William babbled to Angel.
"Yes, William. Angel will be your second daddy," Xander answered William with a smile on his face.
Xander picked him up and settled the boy on his lap. He took the offered pen from Angel and signed the papers. But when he tried to give the pen back to Angel so he would officially be William's second guardian, William grabbed the pen and wasn't about to let go. Angel laughed and took out another one from his pocket. Father and Son watched how Angel signed the papers.
"Dudassswlluuhsss," William said to Angel. He threw the pen to Angel and it hit him on the shoulder.
"You had to hit me, William?" Angel growled. He stood up and stalked to the giggling little boy. He grabbed the boy and tickled him. William giggled even louder.
During the tickling fight, Xander helped William by tickling Angel. Who would have thought Angel was ticklish? William crawled away when Angel tried to block Xander's hands. He was now looking at his fathers with interest.
Angel tried to push Xander's hands away, but it only made his hands move to spots he normally didn't come near of. Xander leaned forward and slipped, falling on top of Angel. The young man blushed bright red when he noticed where his hands had landed. He quickly pulled his hands off Angel's cock and thighs before climbing off the vampire. He quickly sat behind William, who was clapping his hands as if to applause for the performance his fathers gave him, to hide the evidence of his arousal.
Angel coughed, stood up and tried to cover his hard cock with the now signed papers. "I will handle the rest and when that's done, I'll let Cordy arrange some food for us and William. You might want to change his diaper before you come down though," Angel said, leaving the room quickly.
Xander watched how Angel walked out of the room, eyes fixed on the hard cock outlined in Angel's pants.
"I think it's time for me to woo your other daddy, William," Xander whispered in William's ear, who in turn squealed his answer by overflowing his diaper.
"William!" Xander whined when he finally realized why his pants were wet.
****
Angel didn't know what to do, Xander kept sending him flowers, candy and stuffed toys, which he gave to William in turn. Cordelia embarrassed him by repeatedly asking whom they were from.
Angel knew the gifts were coming from Xander. He had seen the young man watching him, curious about how he would react to the next present. After a few days, Angel started sniffing the air. A wall of pheromones came his way every time Angel looked at Xander. He didn't understand why the boy would be attracted to him, instead of hating him as he used to in Sunnydale. His feelings towards the young man grew with each day and he hoped he could ask Xander about his feelings one day.
Xander was enjoying himself. He never knew vampires could blush. The first time he sent Angel flowers, the vampire had stuttered. The second time, the vampire had blushed. His feelings for Angel flew through the roof, the small signs Angel gave away whenever he received another gift were sent straight to Xander's heart.
Xander continued sending Angel presents and every time sneaking glances at him. And Xander looked down whenever Angel looked at him, sniffing the air. Xander knew he was giving off pheromones, but he couldn't help himself. Each day his feelings deepened and lust turned into love.
****
The gang sat in the lobby of the hotel. For the first time since William and Xander had arrived, they had some time off. No visions, so no actions to help the helpless. Cordy watched Xander and Angel. She knew they liked, maybe even loved each other but she was getting nuts from Xander's sneaking glances and Angel's hesitation in responding to the boy's interest. She decided to take the matter into her own hands.
Xander was throwing quick glances at Angel again. The dark haired vampire sat on the couch holding their son. Every time he saw Angel smiling, he felt his cock stirring. //Oh god, I want him!//
Angel felt someone looking at him and looked up to see Xander looking down quickly. The vampire continued gazing at the young man, his eyes roaming over the young man's body. //Need to touch him!//
"Guys, are you listening to me?" Cordy asked sharply, after finding the men staring at each other instead of listening to her.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, Cordy," several voices rang through the lobby.
"I was talking about Angel and Xander, guys. Not you two," Cordy snapped at Wesley and Gunn.
"Cordy? What were you talking about?" Xander asked.
"Don't you think it would be time for you two to kiss? You've been staring at each other since the moment Angel came back with the announcement that his soul had been secured," Cordy said.
Both men looked startled, not realizing others had seen their staring.
"You want me?" Xander whispered seductively, only audible to the vampire.
"Xander, let's go upstairs. We need to talk," Angel said when he heard the question. He stood up, still holding William who reached for his other father. Angel felt nervous, he was finally confronting Xander about the presents he kept sending.
"Dadadadada," William babbled, pointing at Xander.
"Yes, son. Daddy is here," Xander replied to the little boy and followed Angel to his room. Xander was shivering, he didn't know what he was going to tell Angel.
****
Inside Xander and William's bedroom, Angel and Xander stood in front of each other. Angel breathed in the smell of Xander's arousal and stared at Xander's lips.
Xander stepped forward and kissed Angel on the lips; he felt his cock stir when their kiss deepened. William continued babbling but neither men heard it.
The kissing was rudely interrupted when William pulled Angel's hair. "Ouch!" Angel shouted.
William giggled. "You like that?" Angel asked the boy, while pulling the boy's honey blond hair gently. William only giggled louder.
Xander walked towards the door and shouted down the stairs. "CORDELIA!?!"
"What?" Cordelia replied after storming upstairs, afraid something had happened. As an answer, a babbling William was placed in her arms, without any further explanation.
Xander closed the door and walked straight to Angel. He pushed the vampire on the bed, straddled his lap, placed his arms on the sides of Angel's face and kissed him deeply.
Angel was shocked, he didn't expect Xander to throw him on the bed. Angel didn't hesitate any longer and kissed him back, placing his hands on the young man's hips and pulled them against him. He pushed his cock against Xander's and received a thrust back. He moaned at the feel of that warm body against his cool one.
Xander lost himself in the kiss; he wanted to do this since Angel had seen him naked in the shower. After that, he had dreamed about being intimate with Angel. Those dreams turned into daydreams, which was a risk because he always came at the end. The last time he had hardly enough time to cover himself up with a pillow.
He had pictured Angel coming into the lobby naked from the waist up because a demon had ruined his shirt. Xander couldn't stop staring at the muscular chest. Before he knew it, he felt himself come in his pants. Xander had been embarrassed that this had happened when Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn were close by. As soon as he was alone he quickly ran upstairs to his room.
"Xander, we need to talk," Angel tried to speak but Xander kept kissing him. Angel pushed Xander far enough for the boy to look at him.
"What about?" Xander gasped out.
"Us," Angel grumbled.
"What about us?" Xander said, leaning forward to nibble on Angel's neck. He finally had Angel in his arms and he wasn't letting the vampire go.
"Xander, I thought you hated me?" the vampire gasped out.
"I haven't in a long time. Spike told me stories about you. Even though I hate vampires, you and Angel are exceptional. You both changed, you helped us fight the demons and your capacity to sacrafice. Since I've moved to L.A. with William, my feelings for you have changed from admiration into caring and love," Xander explained.
"Love? But Xander, I'm a vampire."
"Don't care...didn't stop me from loving Spike..."
"But how long have you wanted me? All those presents..." the vampire gasped out.
"Since you saw me naked in the shower," Xander muttered, gently biting Angel on his collarbone.
"Ah shit! You...ah...saw...m.me?" Angel managed to stutter.
"Yeah! I've wanted you since that moment. I want to know you better. I want to be with you. I want to raise William with you," Xander pointed out.
"Right, the same things I want with you," Angel replied.
"Good. Now can we get back to the kissing part?" Xander whispered.
Angel just nodded and kissed his soon-to-be-lover. They continued kissing even when Cordelia walked in with their son. She placed William on the ground and watched how the boy tried to crawl to his parents. He started whimpering when he couldn't get closer to his still kissing fathers.
Xander ended the kiss when he heard William whimpering and looked up to see Cordelia standing in their room, watching them. He stood up from his place on Angel's lap. He walked towards the boy, kneeled in front of him and held out his arms.
"So, finally done with the kissing?" Cordelia questioned with a smile.
"Cordy, first you want us to kiss and now it's taking too long?" Angel asked, obviously frustrated about the interruption.
William squealed when he finally managed to reach Xander who was waiting for him. His hands grabbed Xander's. "Sshennassline," William said.
"Really? And what did you do then?" Xander said, pretending to understand the boy and laughing when his son answered by placing his sticky hand in Xander's hair.
Xander picked the boy up and walked downstairs, followed by a a scowling Angel and a grinning Cordelia . A surprising scene greeted them in the lobby. Gunn and Wesley were sitting on the couch kissing each other, not noticing the others coming in.
"So when did you two get together?" Angel asked the men.
Wesley and Gunn separated when they heard Angel's voice. Wesley blushed bright red and looked down at the floor, too embarrassed at being caught.
"Just now. Cordelia told us to kiss, she can be very persuasive!" Gunn answered calmly, hugging his shy lover.
"Are you two together now?" Wesley asked, watching the two men standing close together.
"Yep," Xander answered and squeezed Angel's ass. Everyone laughed when they heard Angel's 'eep'.
"Well, we're a couple now, thanks to Cordelia. Maybe we should get someone for her too. Let's see, who would be a good lover for Cordelia?" Wesley stated, his shyness gone when he thought about payback for the embarrassment she had caused him.
"Excuse me! You're not setting me up with a blind date!" Cordelia stated angrily. "I can pick my dates myself, thank you very much!
The two couples ignored the girl's protest and joined heads, discussing who would make Cordelia a happy woman.
Chapter 5
Cordelia was sitting impatiently at one of the tables in a little Italian restaurant, waiting for her date to show up. She couldn't believe she had agreed to do this. Wesley had begged her to agree to a date and he had chosen a great partner for her.
****
"Wesley, are you sure Cordy won't kill us for setting her up with...?" Xander asked concerned, only to be interrupted when the lobby door opened.
Xander looked up to see Angel walking in while holding a crying William. He stood up and rushed towards his son. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. He keeps crying and nothing helps," Angel said frustrated.
Xander took William in his arms and looked at crying boy. That's when he noticed the white bulges in Wiliam's mouth. "Angel, what did the book say about getting teeth?" Xander asked while trying to comfort William.
Angel rushed to the bookshelf to search their parenting book. He quickly searched the index and showed Xander thriumphantly the information they needed. "Do we have a rubber bite ring?" Angel asked after reading the section on teething problems.
"No, but it also says that if we don't have one we could wrap an ice cube in a piece of cloth!" Xander replied.
Angel ran upstairs to grab a clean cloth and ripped a piece from it. While descending the stairs, he saw Wesley walking back with an ice cube. Angel and Wesley wrapped up the ice cube while Xander walked with William whose crying hadn't tempered off.
"William? Look what I've got for you," Xander said to the boy who had quieted down when his daddy placed something cold on the places where it hurt.
William's crying had turned into a mild hiccupping and he continued to gnaw on the ice cub. His small hands tried to grab the cloth, but Xander didn't allow it. "Wesley, could you buy the bite ring now? I don't think it would be wise to work with an ice cube all night long," Xander requested the ex-watcher.
"Yes, of course. GUNN!" Wesley yelled.
Gunn came running downstairs armed with crossbows when he heard his lover screaming. "Where's the demon?" he asked frantically, while looking around for the enemy and only seeing Xander and William looking at him smiling.
"Wesley, why did you yell?" Gunn asked frustrated, realising that he had come down for nothing.
"We need to buy some things for William," Wesley replied, taking Gunn by the arm and dragging him outside. Before Gunn was outside he dropped his crossbows into a closet so William couldn't hurt himself.
William, who had watched the interaction between his uncles with interest, realised the cold was gone. "nhanaialslmmnsee," he said to Xander.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Xander replied smiling. "Oh, you mean the ice cube is gone. Angel, will you get us a new ice cube?"
William giggled and bounced on his daddy's arm, grabbing Xander's hair to pull. "Ouch! William, little one. Let go!" Xander winced.
Angel returned quickly, wrapped it up again and gave it back to Xander. He smiled when William tried to grab it.
****
Cordelia had ordered a glass of red wine when a waiter brought her a single rose. "Whom has sent this?" she asked.
The waiter shook his head and walked back. All Cordelia could do was follow him with her eyes. She looked at her watch again. Her blind date was five minutes late. She looked at the people, perhaps she would see someone she knew. Her eyes fell on a older man looking at her. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. He was wearing black jeans with a white shirt and a periwinkle vest. His hair was slightly grey.
The man was looking at Cordelia. She was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her in Sunnydale. She was looking at him now and he stepped towards her. He saw her staring at him until realisation dawned on her face.
"Giles?" Cordelia whispered.
"Hello, Cordelia," Giles replied softly, taking her hand and kissing the back of her hand softly.
Cordelia blushed. "Would you like to join me?" she asked.
"Yes, I would love to," Giles answered and sat down on the chair across the table.
"I thought you were going back to England?" Cordelia asked curious.
"No, I couldn't. I travelled from place to place. Plus, I wanted to visit Xander. I heard he's staying with Angel," Giles answered.
"Yes, he and William came to us a few months back."
"William?"
"Oh...you don't know! Well, Spike has been given a second chance for saving the world."
"Spike? What kind of second chance?" Giles asked surprised. He always thought Angel would be the one to get a second chance after having helped people for much longer than Spike.
"He's eight months old right now. And he's adorable," Cordelia said, tenderly taking the photo she had taken of the boy from her wallet.
Giles stared at the photo. He couldn't believe this little boy was Spike. "He's so small!" he whispered more to himself than to Cordelia.
"Yes, he is. Would you like to meet him after dinner? Unless he's asleep of course," Cordelia suggested.
Giles nodded. Before they could continue, the waiter came to place their orders. Their dinner went great, they talked about Sunnydale, Buffy and the others and of course about Angel and Xander.
****
"So they are together as in a couple?" Giles questioned, guiding Cordelia back to the hotel.
"Yes, they are. And they made William their son. And Gunn and Wesley are a couple too," Cordelia told him.
"So, Wesley is gay. Never thought I would see the day," Giles joked, remembering the shy young man when he became Buffy's watcher.
"Well, here it is," Cordelia said, taking him inside the hotel.
"Well, well!" Giles whispered when they walked in on a kissing Xander and Angel while William tigered across the floor towards the woman he had been out with.
"Hello, William!" Cordelia cooed to the boy. She took William in her arms and watched him chew on a rubber ring.
William laughed. Someone had picked him up again! "ashaiemiasisle," he said to Cordelia while looking at Giles with curiosity.
"Can I hold him?" Giles asked, still staring at the blond boy.
"Yeah, sure!" she said, placing William in Giles' arms.
The older man looked at the child with wonder. The blue eyes followed every move Giles made. "Now where's your daddy?"
William looked around and when he saw his daddy he continued calling him. "Dadadadada," he said, while pointing his chubby hand at Xander.
****
Xander and Angel had stopped kissing when they heard Cordelia talking to their son. They were now watching the interaction between William and Giles. Xander saw Giles' eyes examining his son before asking the boy where his father was.
Xander was proud when his son pointed at him and called him Dada. "Yes, daddy is here."
Angel smiled while he watched his dark haired lover walking towards Giles in order to take their son into his arms. Xander walked back and leaned with his back against the vampire's chest. Angel's arms closed around the young man and the vampire kissed his lover's slender neck, while sneaking a glance at the smirking Watcher.
"Giles, where are you staying?" Xander asked.
"I'm staying at a hotel nearby," Giles replied while looking at the beautiful woman in front of him.
"Why don't you stay here? We have enough room for another guest," Angel suggested slyly.
Giles looked up in surprise at the suggestion and nodded his head. "I would love to, that way I'll be closer to Cordelia." He walked to the woman and gave her a tender, but deep kiss before walking out with Angel behind him to collect his stuff from the hotel.
Cordelia blushed bright red when she realised she had been kissed by her former school librarian so passionately. She sat down, still dazed from that single kiss.
Xander had watched the byplay and the dazed look on Cordelia's face. He grinned and placed William on the floor before sitting on the couch next to Cordelia waiting for her to come back to herself. He saw she snapped out of her thougths when William giggled and tigered across the floor towards her.
Cordelia snapped out of her thougths when she heard William giggling. She looked down and saw William tigering across the floor towards her again.
Chapter 6
***The Hyperion's lobby - 4 p.m.***
"Dadadada," William said to Xander.
"Yes, William. I'm here, but I have to make sure you don't find the presents," Xander answered his son.
"Xan, he's too young to know he's going to get presents. By the way, did you order the cake?" Angel replied smiling when William reached for him.
"Mamamama," William talked to Angel when his mother placed him in his arms.
"Yes, Mummy is right here. How come you're calling me mummy?" Angel frowned while the boy answered something that the vampire pretended to understand.
William had developed 8 teeth in the past 4 months and they had had many sleepless nights. Lately, the gang was happy whenever William let them have at least two hours of sleep.
Right now everyone was preparing William's birthday party, which would be held tomorrow in the lobby.
Xander was nervous. They had invited Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Faith and Andrew. Even though they had no idea who William really was, they had all accepted.
"Xan, calm down! It's going to be fine," Angel reassured Xander for the tenth time this evening. The girls and Andrew were visiting them tonight and would stay until the day after tomorrow.
"What about Buffy? Will she agree or make a fuss? Maybe she will scream," Xander babbled nervously.
"Why would I make a fuss?" Buffy asked when she heard Xander's questions.
"Eep!" Xander jumped and turned around. "Buffy, don't scare me like that!"
Buffy smiled and walked forward to hug Xander. Dawn was next and Faith and Willow followed soon after. Andrew held back and waited for the girls to get reacquainted with the former construction worker. He didn't have a good friendship with Xander like the girls.
Cordelia, who had walked downstairs when she heard Buffy's voice, stood next to Angel at the end of the lobby in order to give Xander some space with her old school friends.
Fred had heard the voices as well and stood at the top of the stairs watching the reunion. She was curious about them, having heard many stories about the Slayer and the Sunnydale crew, but she was too shy to join them.
William, who was still in Angel's arms, was watching the women with great interest. He began bouncing on his mother's arm. Angel had learned that was William's usual behaviour whenever he wanted to be put on the floor.
"Xander, our son is crawling towards you!" Angel warned Xander when William started crawling to his dad.
The girls heard the warning and turned around, looking at the floor to see a small blue-eyed blond boy.
"Son?" Andrew asked curious. Judging by their wary reaction, he could see that Cordelia, Giles and two other men hadn't noticed him yet.
"Yes, I'd like you to meet William, formerly known as William the Bloody or Spike, your friendly neighbourhood vampire," Xander introduced while picking up his son.
"What? Spike? That baby is Spike? Oh, my god! He's so cute," Dawn squealed and ran towards the little boy in Xander's arms.
"Our son?" Buffy sadly repeated the words Angel had said.
"Yes, we adopted him. Angel, why don't you change William's diaper and entertain the others while Buffy and I talk in the kitchen," Xander suggested. He walked to Angel, placed William in the vampire's arms and gave Angel a deep kiss before guiding a gaping Buffy into the kitchen.
Cordelia, Giles, Wesley and Gunn went out to buy William some presents. Angel was left alone to face Dawn, Willow, Faith and Andrew's questions on Spike's transformation and his relationship with Xander. The vampire winced, it was worse than facing a horde of Torak Han demons.
Andrew however was interested in the shy beautiful woman who stood at the top of the stairs and couldn't help but stare.
****
"Buffy, are you alright?" Xander asked, still a little nervous about how she was reacting to the news. Seeing her old school friend kiss her first vampire lover must have been a shock. But knowing both had adopted her second vampire lover as a human baby was probably a hard blow. After all, Buffy believed Spike had died after sacrificing himself to save her and the world.
"I'm fine. Shocked and under the impression I've landed in an alternate universe but fine. How long have you and Angel been together?" Buffy questioned, reassuring Xander with her calm attitude.
"Tomorrow on William's birthday, we'll also be celebrating our 5th month," Xander replied dreamily only to be snapped back when Buffy punched his arm. "What?"
"He must be making you happy for you to be daydreaming like that," Buffy commented grinning.
"You're not angry?" Xander hesitantly asked.
"No, I'm not. It was hard but I let him go when he left Sunnydale," Buffy replied. "Of course I hadn't expected he would choose you to share his life with. But what about his soul?"
"The PTB anchored his soul to me when we adopted Spike," Xander answered.
"I can't believe that little boy is Spike. He's so small and cute," Buffy stated.
"Yes, he is. But he's also very smart. He's been calling Angel 'mama'. I taught him that but don't tell Angel or he will throw a fit and not kiss me for at least a week," Xander smirked and saw Buffy grinning mischievously at hearing that.
"Shall we join them?" Buffy asked, ready to tease Angel.
Xander stood up, linked arms with Buffy and together they stepped into the lobby. The lobby, however, was empty except for the couple that was quietly talking at the far end of the lobby.
"Angel?" Xander called out.
"Upstairs!" they heard Angel shouting.
Xander quickly ran upstairs only to stop in the doorway at the sight of Dawn changing a crying William.
"Dadadada," William cried and reaching towards Xander.
Xander walked to his son, fastened the diaper and picked the crying boy up in his arms. William held onto Xander's neck and sniffled. "mama aid iduslie misueh," he explained to Xander.
"Angel, what did you do?" Xander asked sternly. He tried not to laugh at the guilty look on Angel's face.
"I didn't do anything!" Angel denied.
"He wanted to show me how many teeth William had developed," Dawn answered, squealing when Angel tried to grab her.
"You tried to open his mouth with the bite ring again?" Xander asked Angel, eyebrows rising in question.
Angel looked at the floor. "Yesterday he did it by himself, I was only trying to make him do it again."
"Right!" Xander said sarcastically. "So, Dawn, I think you need to practise the diaper change if you ever want to baby-sit William," Xander mentioned.
William was already happily bouncing on his father's arms, tears gone. He wanted to play on the floor. He squealed when his father raised him in the air and laid him down on the light blue carpet. Within no time William was happily crawling across the room to his toys.
"I can baby-sit William?" Dawn asked excitedly.
"Of course, you can only so that when you're in L.A. But yes, you can baby-sit William," Xander said seriously. He wanted his friends to be part of Spike's new life.
Dawn followed the boy and sat on the floor across from him. She smiled when William gave her a block. She placed it on the floor and Wiliam gave her another one. They continued until the tower of blocks became too high. William sat on his knees and pushed the tower, letting the blocks fall on Dawn while his giggling echoed throughout the entire hotel.
Buffy had watched the entire scene in silence. She couldn't take her eyes off William and joined her sister. The girls repeated the game that pleased William so much.
"Girls, watch William for a while. I need to take care of some things for our birthday boy," Xander instructed; he walked towards William, gave him a kiss on the head and left the room. "Angel, are you coming?" he shouted when he noticed that his lover wasn't following him.
Dawn and Buffy both looked surprised at Angel when he ran after Xander. Angel was acting like a lovesick puppy. The girls laughed, realising Xander had managed to do what everyone had considered to be impossible: to control the 250-year old vampire who had once been The Scourge of Europe.
William stopped laughing when he noticed that his parents had left the room. He looked at the two girls wide eyed, his bottom lip quivering.
Dawn quickly handed him a block, hoping William wouldn't burst into tears. It didn't work. William burst into tears, trying to get his parents' attention.
******
While Angel tried to answer the girls' questions, William was passed from one girl to the other, delighted to be the object of so much attention. Fred finally gathered enough courage to come down the stairs and Andrew left Angel to walk towards her and introduce himself.
Hi. I'm...I'm Andrew and you ...you are ...do you live here too? Andrew stuttered, having trouble being coherent in front of such a beautiful creature. "Hi," Fred said shyly; she bravely took his hand and walked to the couch in the corner. They sat down and talked about Xander's friends and Sunnydale, unnoticed by the others.
Cordelia and Giles walked into the lobby expecting a happy William, instead they heard William crying loudly.
"Fred, what's happening ? Why is William crying ? Cordelia asked sharply. Fred blushed bright red for not having noticed anything, engrossed by Andrew's heroic tales.
Cordelia and Giles both rushed upstairs, only to see Dawn and Buffy trying to comfort William without much success. Cordelia tsked and took William from Dawn's arms to place him into Giles'.
"What's this, William? Why are you crying?" Giles' whispered soothingly to the boy. "Buffy and Dawn are great girls and they like you very much."
Cordelia looked from Dawn to Buffy and both seemed worried about William. Whatever had happened they were probably not responsible for William's behaviour. She turned around and saw Giles whispering to the boy. She dreamily stared at Giles and William, imagining herself and Giles having a child of their own. She snapped out of her thoughts, interrupted by a flash. Someone had taken a picture.
All three women looked behind Giles to see Gunn and Wesley standing in the doorway with a camera. They smiled when William recognised them and stretched out his chubby little arms. Wesley stepped forward and took William.
William was now hiccupping and happily babbling to Wesley, pointing at the blocks on the floor. "Ah, you were playing with the blocks. Did you have fun?" Wesley asked William.
"Mama wsiewas dada ismwle subljem," William told Wesley all about what Angel had done.
"Did Angel try to show the girls your teeth again? And your daddy saved you?" Wesley asked William.
"Where are your mommy and daddy, William?" Gunn asked William.
William turned around to the different voice and pointed towards the door. "Dada siemasmle," William explained.
"They went downstairs and they went shopping?" Gunn retold William's words while Wesley grinned at the stunned faces of the two women. The AI team had always been able to translate William's babbling into English.
William wanted to be on the floor again and started bouncing. "Let's go downstairs. Dawn, would you take William's playblocks with you downstairs?" Wesley asked while carrying William, the rest of the group following him.
Wesley placed William on the ground while the rest sat down on the couches. That's when Xander and Angel walked in and spotted the whole group in the lobby.
"Hey, William!" Xander greeted his son before saying hello to the rest of the group.
Angel followed his lover inside and smiled. He was preparing a night with Xander alone. Ever since William started teething, they hadn't had an evening to themselves. Xander had spent many nights alone with a restless William during patrols. The young man never complained but he was starting to show signs of stress. Tonight Angel would ask Buffy and Dawn to baby-sit William and he would take his lover out to dinner.
Angel walked towards Xander and William, gave both of them a kiss and asked Buffy and Dawn to join him in the kitchen, while carrying a large box that contained William's birthday cake.
Xander watched with suspicion the girls following Angel into the kitchen. He turned back to William and sat on the floor in front of the blocks. He placed William between his legs and started building the familiar tower.
William was happy again. His mummy and daddy were back. He patted his daddy's face and watched with fascination how his father built the tower. He waited for the last possible moment and...pushed his arms forward. William squealed when the blocks fell onto the floor and his daddy started building the tower again!
*****
Angel stepped into the kitchen and placed the birthday cake in the fridge. He closed the door and turned around.
"Buffy, Dawn, could you baby-sit William tonight?" Angel asked.
"Sure. What are you going to do?" Buffy asked curious.
"Since William started teething we haven't had a night off. The guys tried to cover sometimes but when that happens we're both too tired to do anything but sleep," Angel replied.
"What have you planned?" Dawn questioned, already looking forward to babysitting William. She hoped he wouldn't cry because his parents were gone.
"I have a table reserved at an Egyptian restaurant nearby and after that I want Xander to choose where to go," Angel told the girls his plans.
"Angel?" they heard Xander call out from the lobby before the door opened. "What are you discussing?"
"William's birthday!" Buffy replied. It wasn't a complete lie.
"Xander, can I practise babysitting William tonight?" Dawn asked excitedly.
Xander watched the women and knew something was going on, but he didn't know what. "Sure, but we will still be here, so it isn't real yet."
"I know, I just want to spend some time with him," Dawn replied.
Xander nodded and dragged Angel forcefully with him into the lobby. He turned around and kissed Angel deeply, only to be interrupted when William pulled on both their jeans.
They both looked down to see William's eager face looking up. "Dada, mama, isnejswlsi," William told them.
"William, you want to be picked up again?" Xander asked, but when he did he smelled something familiar. "Dawn! Diaper time!" he shouted.
He carried William upstairs and heard Dawn following him. They entered William's bedroom and laid him down on the commode. "Okay, Dawn. Your turn," Xander said, stepping back and letting Dawn stand in front of the little squirming boy.
Dawn opened the trousers and took them off. William kicked his legs playfully, he grabbed his toes and pushed them in his mouth. It made the undressing more difficult, but Xander didn't help. She finally managed to unbutton the body-suit and crunched her nose when the smell only got worse. "William, did you have to do that? I just know your daddy has set me up by changing your diaper now and not this afternoon."
Xander laughed softly when he heard her remark. "You wanted to baby-sit, Dawn! Dirty diaper changing is in the job description."
Dawn opened the diaper, rolled it up and gave it to Xander while smiling the entire time. She was afraid William would cry if she didn't smile. She accepted the tissues from Xander and cleaned William thoroughly while blushing bright red, realising she was touching Spike's unmentionables. She hoped baby William would have no memories of his previous life or he would kill her when he got older.
Xander handed her the lotion and watched how gently she smeared it on William's body. The boy started moving his arms and legs and was making it very difficult for Dawn to place the diaper below the tiny waist.
Dawn took the diaper, spread it out and placed it under William. She pressed the diaper between the moving legs but William decided to turn on his side before she had the chance to fasten it. "No, William. Wait for me to finish this," Dawn muttered to herself. She turned the boy back and quickly fastened the slips. She made sure everything was correct and looked at Xander to see if she had done a good job.
Xander nodded and smiled. "Well, now that's done, want to choose something for him to wear at night?" he asked.
"Yes, you got something blue?" Dawn asked happily.
While watching William, Xander showed her the many clothes they had bought for William. She chose a light blue long sleeve body-suit with a little car on it. She took the body-suit and walked back to William who was watching her and Xander, seemingly confused about the reason why his dad wasn't dressing him as usual.
She opened the bottom and pushed the suit over William's head. When that was finally done, she tried to get the arms thought the sleeves.
"Here, I'll show you," Xander suggested before stepping next to her and he demonstrated how to get the arm through the sleeve. "It's quite simple, you just have to get used to it," Xander explained.
Dawn succeeded in dressing William and now had the quiet boy in her arms. Xander and Dawn took William downstairs, where Angel was patiently waiting for his lover. Xander was shocked.
Angel was wearing a black suit with a white silk shirt. He had clearly spent some time to arrange his hair. Xander was speechless at the stunning sight. Angel's eyes were glistening, happy to have succeeded in surprising his boyfriend.
"Xander, if you please?" Angel asked. "Kiss William goodnight, and follow me," Angel instructed and smiled when Xander did so without protesting. The little boy was given a kiss on the nose and Angel took Xander's hand, guiding him to the awaiting car.
"Be a good boy, William," Angel told the pouting boy.
"Where are we going? You set me up? Dawn, did you know about this? Angel, would you please tell me where we're going? What about my clothes? Shouldn't I change first? I can't go out like this!" Xander fired the questions at anyone who would listen. Angel kept silent and walked him out of the hotel. "Dawn, Fred, take good care of William!" Xander ordered before Angel closed the door of their car.