Three years, Buffy thought as she tottered around her home, hoisting little action figures and hearing the faint giggles of her only child in the backyard.  

Three years of laughter and profound tears… Three years of single parenting without the one you love… 

“Mommy! Come play with me!” the giggling girl ran into the room and jumped with utter excitement. Buffy smiled at the child, and shook her head.  

The love she felt for her daughter was greater than anything in the world. She loved her more than her own life. She was the perfect picture of her own father. Wonderful indigo eyes with brown locks showed her beauty from head to toe since she was a baby. It also reminded her of the love that still burned inside of her. 

The phone rang abruptly, pushing Buffy out of her thoughts. She didn’t want to answer it so she let the answering machine get it. 

“Hey Buffy, it’s Riley… Umm, I guess you’re not home, so I’ll talk to you later then. Bye,” the voice greeted and softly clicked to go off. Riley Finn was her boyfriend for about two years. He wasn’t exactly father material, but he got along with Callie as if he were a good friend. Buffy watched the young girl run toward her and grab the Barbie doll that Buffy had in her hand.  

“You want to play with Malibu Barbie, Callie?” Buffy asked her daughter as the girl also took her hand and began to lead her to the backyard. The girl shook her head no, which perplexed Buffy. 

“No momma, I want to show you something,” Callie squeaked out as she tugged her mother’s hand once more.  

“What is it?” Buffy asked as the two walked through the kitchen and stood next to the back door. Callie giggled once more, and she placed a finger on her lips. 

“It’s a surprise, mommy!” the girl exclaimed and that quiet Buffy down. As Callie opened the door, as stopped and turned to her mother. 

“I want you to close your eyes, mommy. I told you, it’s a surprise!” she pleaded her mother, and in resignation, Buffy closed them as Callie led her into the back porch. The three-year-old loved to do this to her mother; show her the wonders of the daffodils or just do that to just to get her to spend time with her outside. Buffy had a feeling it wasn’t for the daffodils today. 

“Mommy, you can open your eyes. Surprise!” Callie cried out in excitement and jumped up and down, still holding Buffy hand. Callie left her mother there, running into the backyard and crashed into something with a ‘humph’. Buffy opened her eyes to see a young male holding Callie in his arms. The girl hugged his neck and giggled at her mother’s expression. Buffy covered her mouth with her hand as she stepped down to the grass to get a better view of the man.  

He was exactly the way he was when he left, only his blonde curls were now brown in his natural color and wore a nice pair of sunglasses. His smile had never changed; it was full of light and warmth, and he seemed to have grown taller. Callie was the exact carbon copy of him. 

“Spike?” Buffy asked as she got closer. He took his glasses off his other hand and smiled warmly. Callie bounced in his arms, hugging him tighter.  

“Mommy! It’s daddy! I know it’s him!” Callie cried out and giggled. Buffy’s eyes began to gleam with tears as she stopped walking toward him. His eyes never changed; they were always the sea-blue eyes she fell in love with. He smiled a bit more tightly as he stepped closer to her. 

“Hi Buffy.” Those were the only words that could convince her that it was William Giles; to his friends, only know as ‘Spike’. All the thoughts of their past crashed down on her as she fell backwards unconsciously.