Lullabies
“Giles! This isn’t going to work!” Buffy cried as she held her crying daughter in her arms. Her Watcher gave her a harried look as he rocked her crying son.
“I *know* that Buffy, but so far nothing else has worked so far! They seem to not want to do what they are supposed to!”Giles said above the babies cries.”Reminds me of a certain Slayer that I know!”
Buffy gave the Watcher a dirty look.”Now is NOT the time to snipe at me, Giles. There’s no choice, you have to sing them THE lullaby.”
Giles groaned. “I don’t want to sing them that!”
“And I don’t want to hear it!”Buffy cried.”You’ve gotta get some sleep before you go to that big Watcher thing today and I need sleep at four o’clock in the morning! And if these two don’t stop crying, I’m going to go out of my mind!”
“FINE!” Giles shouted. Then he sang loudly to the two babies.
“I’m Henry the Eighth, I am
Henry the Eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door...
She’s been married,
Seven times before...
Every one of them was an ‘enry,
An Henry!
No Sam I am, No Sam!
I got married to the widow next door...
So it’s Henry the Eighth I am!
Second verse, same as the first!”
Buffy rocked her daughter as she approached the crib, whispered hoarsely,“Keep it going, Giles, Kitty’s almost asleep!”
Giles gave her a glare as he rocked Buffy’s son, and sang louder. Buffy watched as she saw her daughter’s eyes drift closed as she rocked Kitty asleep. < Whew! One down and one to go... >
Giles sang louder, but her son showed no signs of stopping. Buffy bit her inner lip to stop from smiling at the sight of her Watcher with a towel over his tweed shoulder and a crying baby in his arms. Then she heard the distinct sound of a door click.
Buffy rushed out of the nursery and ran into the arms of her husband, kissing him enthusiastically.
“Well! That was some greeting!”he said.”Did I do anything?”
“You’re here and your son is making me and Giles crazy! He won’t go to sleep! He absolutely has not stopped crying four an hour! He kept Kitty awake, and she just fell asleep,”Buffy said in a rush as she tugged her husband towards the nursery.
“So what am I supposed to do about this?”
“Duh! Sing him THE lullaby!”Buffy said in exasperation.”Sorry to say, Spike, Depeche Mode wasn’t doing it nor was Billy Idol or David Bowie! You’ve gotta sing the lullaby to Robbie before he wakes Kitty!”
“But, sweet...”
Buffy looked at Spike in the eye.”Do you want me to get Angel to sing to your children?”
Spike’s eyes lit in annoyance.”Bloody fool will probably sing him a bloody Irish lost love ballad. Make my son into a bloody wanker!”
“Then go in there and sing!” Buffy said as she pushed him into the nursery. Spike stopped at the door as he watched the Watcher comfort his son.
Giles’s back was towards Spike as he rocked Robbie.”Now, young man, you need sleep! All babies need sleep at this time of night! Now sleep!”
The baby let out an ear piercing wail. Giles sighed and started singing again.”I’m Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am...”
Spike grinned as he entered the cheery nursery fully and faced the Watcher with his hands out. Giles looked at him and gave Spike a grateful look and stopped singing. The moment he did, Giles planted the baby into Spike’s arms like a bag of flour.”Here’s your son, old man. Have fun!”
Giles planted a kiss on the baby’s forehead.”Good night, Robert! And may you be in a better mood tomorrow night! Spike.”
Giles then walked out the door and Spike looked at Buffy. She shrugged as she went to walk the Watcher out. Spike then looked at the red face of his son.”Guess you want your old man to sing, huh? But it had better be fast that you sleep, young man, I only know one verse, and I refuse too sing it all night, Robert!”
The baby again let out another piercing wail. Spike sighed and started singing as he rocked his son.
“Who put the bop in the bop-she-bop-a bop?
Who put the ram in the rama-lama-ding dong?
Who put the shim in shim-shim-shiminey?
Who was that man?
I’d like to shake his hand...
That made my baby fall in love with me...
So...who put the bop in the bop-she-bop a-bop?”
Spike repeated the verse less loudly than before as he saw his son’s eyes start to close. After ten more times, Spike was able to put his son into his crib with a quiet sigh. When he looked up, Buffy smiled from the doorway and then held her hand out to him.
As they left the nursery, Buffy asked serious,”So, Spike...who put the bop in the bop-she-bop-a-bop?”