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[not_that_spike]

They say the best things in life are the ones you have to wait for.

And wait for.

And wait a little more for, but hell, he doesn't mind. Some days he feels like he's been waiting his whole damn life, but so what? It's brought him here, hasn't it? All the shit: the Dragons, Julia, Vicious, finding himself at the bar, meeting Beth, following Hero out that day for what was supposed to be a quick surprise visit. Hell, he likes France but he's easy. The only place he's ever really called his home was where Beth's been. They could be anywhere, so long as they're together.

All three of them. Junior pats the little mound of earth over the seed she's just planted, then rubs her hands together briskly. She's getting big.

"Now remember where you put it. By the time we get back, it might have started growing already. You never know."

She looks up at him, her mom's fierce determination echoed all over her little face. "You never know, bounty hunter."

Shit, he loves the hell out of that little girl. "Come on." Picking her up, he holds her high over his head until she's giddy with laughter; together, they step inside. Time to go see Beth. Make sure she hasn't changed her mind.

He hasn't.

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[not_that_spike]

"Lead the way, Slim." With a conspiratorial whisper into Junior's ear ("watch which way your mom goes; she's really smart about this stuff") he follows gladly.

"House of Arch," Junior announces to anyone who will listen, waving her hands at every picture on the wall. "House of Arch."

She's got that down. Because he can, he swings her up again so she strategically doesn't see the neon yellow bra hanging over the bar. That will be fodder for more than enough questions later on; he doesn't need to answer them now. Up and up and up. Down and around. He can't begin to count the times they've done this... but never here.

Welcome to the life of a bounty hunter, Junior, he thinks. Always moving around, never staying put. Maybe they'll get to stay here a little while. He always liked this place, mostly because it brought him Beth. But the House of Arch is cool, and they have stuff there, not that he remembers what it all is now. He does know one thing: they can take down that baby swing. Junior's too big for it now.

"Okay. See that picture over there, Junior? With the dogs playing cards? That's where we're going."

If the painting's still keyed to them, that is. There's one way to find out. He rests his free arm around Beth's shoulder, nods toward the portrait. The words open, sesame would be appropriate, but he'll be happy to stay silent. And if it doesn't work, he'll just give it a good swift kick.

Some people never learn.

[stbethadettes]

It hasn't changed: the painting, that feeling of disconnect (and then reconnect) as they travel by portrait, the sweet living room of the suite she hasn't laid eyes on in a long time.

Last time they were here she stayed stubbornly in the open doorway with Junior in her arms while Spike picked up a few things.

It's been so long she almost doesn't remember the last time she was in here.

(But she does remember it was a short visit to see Spike while she and Hero and Junior were in Kansas. And she remembers that Spike was sleeping on the couch in her absence.)

Oooooh she hears from Junior, who fidgets in Spike's arms until she's let down. The bay window is a big attraction, apparently.

She glances over at Spike, not knowing what exactly she was expecting other than this. "It's just like I remembered it."

Minus the toddler attempting to wrap herself in the curtains.

[not_that_spike]

Never in his life has anyone ever described him as a sentimental guy. He's grudgingly gone along with things, left places unemotionally, acted on the spur of the moment, flirted casually with death and disaster. The only place that came close to anywhere he called home was the Bebop, and that only because he lived on it for three years.

And then he got here, and for a while Room 8 was where he stayed. Sometimes, that was Beth's room. But this place? This place is home, the first place and and Beth intentionally moved into together. Their house outside Paris is home, too. For someone who never gave a shit about places, he sure has enough of them to hang his hat now. Setting down Tom's cloak with something approaching grateful reverence, he scratches his head at the sudden and unbidden mix of emotions he's feeling. He has no damn idea what to do with them.

He didn't know he wanted to get them all back here so much. When Beth was off in Kansas with Junior and Hero, this was just a place to sleep. But with them here?

Shit. It's so much more. He allows himself a second -- just one -- to close his eyes and breathe in the familiarity and memories this place holds. It smells like dust and magic and opportunity and fresh starts. And that's enough of that; he shoots a grin at Beth, drops his pack on the couch, and crouches down by Junior's side.

"See anything fun out there?" It's been a long time since he looked out at this view. "Go get your mom, bring her over too. Then you can sit on this window sill, you know. That's the beauty of bay windows, Junior. You can stretch out on them. Relax. Take five."

[stbethadettes]

When Junior extracts herself from the curtains and runs over, little hands grabbing hers, she has to grin down at her.

"Trees!"

She nods her approval and lets herself be led over to the window. "Trees are pretty fun."

Once she's beside Spike, she lifts Junior and sets her down on the window sill as advertised, and Junior promptly stretches out with one leg crossed over the other and her arms folded behind her head.

Beth has to smother a laugh; Spike's influence is obvious. One of her hands creeps over to the small of his back and stays there.

[not_that_spike]

"Welcome home, Slim."

"Yeah, Slim," echoes a little relaxed voice from the window. He can barely keep from laughing but he manages. "We'll have to get you a nice pillow for up there, Tiger." Satisfied, he leans into Beth's hand on his back: he didn't think they were going to be back here, but he's glad to have the opportunity. There are people he wants to see. People he doesn't want to see. but hell, it's all a giant adventure and he'll take it. Every bit of it.

He loves the hell out of being with Beth and Junior, and on the surface it's a hell of an opportunity being one of the only two guys on the entire fucking planet. But it's not all peel me a grape, woman: first of all, the women out there would kick his ass if he said something like that and second of all, they don't know he's there. It's been a lot of hard work staying hidden all this time, and he's not so sure it really suits him.

But anything for his Beths. They make it all so worth it.

And since they're here, his hand drifts into his pocket and reaches for that pack of Gitanes in there. While they're here, he can go back to his Marsboros, although any smoke will do and if he wants to be nice he can pretend he brought a pack of French cigarettes back for Faye on purpose. If she's still here, that is. Time's been funny for them here before, and he has no real idea how long it's been in bar time.

He does know one thing, though. Their very own bed's in the other room, and when they get hungry, the bar's just a portrait away.

"You girls want anything?"

One two-year-old's voice pipes up immediately. "'Techi."

Now he does have to laugh. Aloud and everything.

[stbethadettes]

Grinning, she crouches down to plant a kiss in Junior's curls and then turns to Spike again.

"Well, that's two votes for potechi. We could grab some food and eat outside by the lake." She angles her head. "If the weather out there isn't bad."

One thing about the House of Arch that she never got used to was the weather outside her windows being different from the weather behind the bar.

"How's that sound?" It's almost as much for Junior's benefit as it is for Spike's.

"By the lake," Junior echoes belatedly, bobbing her head in queenly approval.

[not_that_spike]

Shit, she's so adorable. They both are, but every day is pretty fucking wonderful, even when they don't do a damn thing. It isn't that he's great dad material or anything. It's more like he lucked out in the Beth department. He's got two of them. So if they want to grab some food and eat outside by the lake, then that's exactly what they'll do.

Potechi included. As long as it's for dessert; he'd hate to break their record with the stuff.

"It's a date." He grabs up their bags and puts them in the bedroom. It's been a long time and he thinks he deserves a moment to just breathe it all in. Because he kind of has to, he checks out that closet: all their shit is still there. And through the arch, Junior's room. Her crib's still ready. It's almost like this apartment... belongs to some fantasy... where people live normal lives... except... this is... somewhere that isn't supposed to exist and... they get to it through the end of the universe.

Huh. When he puts it that way, it sounds fucking crazy. That given, no time like the present to get up and running with things. Free of the bag, he reaches into the closet and takes out one of his Venusian vanilla shirts. Strips out of the t-shirt that smells like Paris and puts his old shirt on. Grabs his jacket, throws it over his shoulder.

It feels like a million Woolongs. Now that he's wearing what he wants, he steps back into the living room.

"Someone say potechi by the lake?" He'll wait to smoke till they're out there.

[stbethadettes]

She's just pointing out a robin perched in one of the trees when Spike comes back in, and her eyes light up immediately and follow the line of buttons up the center of his chest.

It's been a long time since he's worn one of those, and she doesn't even need to say a word. She can feel the grin spreading across her face.

Junior practically dives head first into her lap, and she wraps her in both arms. "I'm pretty sure it was a demand for potechi by the lake."

She scoops Junior up as she rises and can't resist leaning in to press a kiss against the side of Spike's face.

This certainly isn't her dream vacation -- she was lucky to get as close to that as she did -- but they deserve a break. And it could be a pretty damn good one.

[not_that_spike]

"I pretty sure those are the magic words." When Beth kisses his cheek, he can't help but duck his head down just a little, smug as hell, and grin.

"Love you, Slim."

"And me?" a little voice implores.

"And you, little princess. Love you too." With his arm around his Beths, he nods back to the portrait. It's been a long time and he's ready. Today, potechi by the lake and tomorrow, who the hell knows? As long as they stay away from that suspect bathroom, the whole place is theirs to play in for as long as they decide to stay.