Summary: Complete! For Buffy and Spike it’s their first Christmas as a soon-to-be-married couple and as designated godparents to their newborn niece, Joyce Charlotte Harris.
Domestic fluff galore set during the infamous “quiet year” that followed S11 (comics); sequel to “The Alphabet of Spuffy” and “Autumn in San Francisco” but can be read as a stand-alone.
No specific comic knowledge required. Check the story notes for additional info.
Series: A Life That’s Good
A Gift For: marinaeulalia
Banner Art By: VeroNyxK84
Categories: Comic (Season Not Specified),
Post-Series,
Sunnydale After Dark Exclusive
Characters: Buffy,
Spike,
Dawn,
Robert Dowling,
Xander
Genres: Alternate Reality, Established Relationship, Fluffy, Friendship, HEA/HFN, Holiday Fic, Lighthearted, Romance Warnings: (Click Here To Reveal) Adult Language, Alcohol/Drug Use
Completed: Yes
Chapters: 10
Word count: 15,053
Hit Count: 696
ePub Downloads: 7
Published: 12/25/24
Updated: 02/04/25
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Story Notes: Not beta’d - All mistakes (hopefully not too many) are mine.
Part of my series “A Life That’s Good” which represents an alternate reality to the comic-canon S12 where Buffy and Spike are an established couple. You don’t need to know what happens in S8–S11 as those events are rarely referenced in the series, if ever.
Some known elements that I borrowed from the comics and might help understand the setting:
- Buffy and Spike have been in a steady relationship since S10;
- They considered breaking up but Dawn convinced them otherwise (The Alphabet of Spuffy);
- Buffy and Spike occasionally cooperate with Agent Dowling of the SFPD, Supernatural Crime Unit;
- Dawn is romantically involved with Xander and they had a baby together (borrowed from S12);
- Dawn and Xander found a nice place to live in the suburbs of San Francisco (borrowed from S12).
I know that the Dawn/Xander thing tends to be seen as icky by many, but since it left me unaffected I decided to keep it. I won’t explore their relationship in detail, but be warned that it’s existing at the very least in the background and mentioned occasionally.
The events of this story are set shortly AFTER the events of “Autumn in San Francisco” and here are a few elements that might be useful to understand the setting if you haven’t read the previous fics:
- Buffy and Spike also found their own place in the suburbs of San Francisco;
- Spike has a new car: a black, second-hand 1967 Chevy Impala, with necrotempered windows;
- Dawn has recently given birth to her daughter, Joyce Charlotte Harris (the middle name was added by me for plot reasons);
- Buffy and Spike proposed to each other (with a little push from Dawn), and they’ll be getting married on the same day of Joyce’s naming ceremony.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
1. Chapter 1 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 7
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,541 Hit Count: 225 Published: 12/25/24
Dear Marina,
I truly don't have words to express the gratitude I feel for your beta work with my stories and for your understanding and support that always goes beyond this fanfic world that brought us together. I've learned so much from you but I also have a lot more to learn.
You are a beautiful, positive soul, and I wish you all the best, from the bottom of my heart.
I hope you'll enjoy this little fluff fest that I've been working on this month... but please don't worry if you can't read right away. Enjoy your time off with your loved ones, the updates will keep coming for a little while.
Happy Holidays, my dear friend. 😘
Vero
2. Chapter 2 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 3
Comments: 8 Word Count: 1,215 Hit Count: 55 Published: 12/27/24
3. Chapter 3 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 3
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,811 Hit Count: 87 Published: 01/05/25
4. Chapter 4 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 3
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,200 Hit Count: 41 Published: 01/08/25
5. Chapter 5 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 3
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,530 Hit Count: 48 Published: 01/11/25
6. Chapter 6 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 3
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,315 Hit Count: 60 Published: 01/17/25
7. Chapter 7 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 2
Comments: 4 Word Count: 1,819 Hit Count: 41 Published: 01/25/25
8. Chapter 8 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 3
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,350 Hit Count: 97 Published: 01/29/25
9. Chapter 9 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 2
Comments: 6 Word Count: 1,237 Hit Count: 26 Published: 01/30/25
10. Chapter 10 by VeroNyxK84 - Likes: 1
Comments: 2 Word Count: 2,035 Hit Count: 16 Published: 02/04/25