Domestic Life
“Hi Honey, I’m home.” Spike put his lunch pail on the kitchen table and wrapped his arms around Buffy. “How was your night?”
“The kids were a pain to get to bed. The basement plumbing’s starting to make strange noises again, and God knows what it’s going to cost us. How was the plant?”
“A pain. The foreman was on my case yet again. Not like I don’t do the work of two at that bloody place. And I’m starvin’.” Spike pulled a bowl from the cupboard and took a box of cereal from the kitchen table. He poured the bowl full, and grabbed a bottle of blood from the fridge. Coating the cereal with the blood, he stuck his spoon into the mixture and brought it to his mouth. “Kids up yet?”
“Any minute.” She leaned down to kiss him. “Ick, blood breath. By the way, Timmy wants blood on his cereal too.”
“Do him good.” Spike took another spoonful. “Lots a nutrients.”
“But he’s not a vampire. Please talk to him.”
“Right. Soon as he comes down.” He placed his empty bowl in the sink.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Would it kill you to rinse that out? Do you know how hard, not to mention disgusting it is to get old blood stains out of china?”
“Touchy.” He ran some water into the bowl. “Something wrong?”
“Spike,” she said, “I’m thinking about going back to work.”
“We talked about this.” He frowned at her. “We decided no Slaying until the kids were older.”
“I know.” She folded her arms over her chest. “But they are getting older. They’ll both be in school soon. There just isn’t enough excitement around here.”
“Excitement?” Spike asked. “What about when Timmy dropped all the chocolate powder on the floor to get little chocolate bar inside? What about when Tabby pulled up all the flowers you’d just planted. Tons a excitement.”
“But it’s not the same. I want a career.” Fire flashed in her eyes. “I want to slay again. I can send the kids next door to Dawn and Michaels’ in the evening. They won’t mind. Or we could hire a sitter. At least some nights. Just to get a stake back in it.”
“You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you, pet?”
“You know I love the kids,” she added. “But I’m missing something. Something I need.”
“We’ll work it out,” Spike said. He planted a kiss on her forehead. “I only want to make you happy.”
“I know,” Buffy replied. “But if you really want to make me happy, you’ll remember to wear socks to bed. Your feet are freezing.”