Chapter 1



Spike woke up to complete darkness; it took him a moment to realise that he was caught beneath the sheets of his bed.



“Bloody Hell!” he muttered to himself as he tried to work his way to the edge on the tangled mass. He started slightly when he heard a strange noise and renewed his attempt to find release from the stranglehold of his sheets.



Finally he reached the edge of the bed, rolling out onto the floor landing on his hands and knees. He sprung up ready to scan for the source of the noise when he suddenly fell back to the ground.



“What the!” he spun around as he heard the strange sound again. That was when he noticed that all was not as it should be. Everything seemed to be larger or further away than normal. ‘What the hell is going on?’



Staying on his hands and knees, ‘Because he seemed to be having trouble standing upright at the moment;’ he began to move slowly around his bedroom, all the while trying to remember what had happened last night.



‘Ok went patrolling with the Slayer, killed some Vamps, fought with Buffy.’ So far Spike could think of nothing unusual. ‘Bitch punched me in the nose, got interrupted by a Klishnar Demon, killed it, fought with Buffy some more, found some stray kittens, picked em up, went to Willies to play poker, got drunk, came home, and passed out.’ Right, so nothing unusual there so the only other possible explanation was a spell gone awry.



‘Red! Of course she’s bollixed something up again and shrunk me.’ Spike’s head was aching from his hangover, and he lifted a hand to run wearily through his hair. That was when he noticed it. ‘Oh Bugger!’ Spike extended his arm and took a long look at his now fur covered appendage. His hand now looked suspiciously like a paw. ‘Bloody hell!’



Spike lay back down for a moment and concentrated on the sensations within his body; he stretched experimentally and felt his backbone flex with an unnatural suppleness all the way down to his…‘What the buggering hell is that?’ Twisting his body, he tried find the source of his discomfort. Turning frantically in a circle he tried to snatch onto a tuft of white that seemed to have attached itself to his rear. Suddenly in dawned on him just what he was chasing,‘Fuck, I’ve got a tail.’



‘Ok Spike easy fix, get to The Slayer’s, find the witch, Kill the witch.’ Spike began to form a plan,‘Hang on get her to reverse the spell first, THEN kill the witch!’



Spike stalked towards the base of the ladder and looked up towards the opening.‘I can do this, cats can jump, they climb. It’ll be easy.’ He concentrated for a moment before leaping towards the ladder. He made it about halfway up before he began to drop again ‘Bugger.’ Spike landed nimbly on his feet before angrily turning to stare at his only exit once again.



‘Right, there has got to be a trick to this.’ Spike crouched down as far as he could get on his now feline body and concentrated on sending all of his power into his back legs. He eyed the opening above for a few minutes before springing upwards once again. Unfortunately he didn’t make his goal this time either, as the strange wiggling motion his butt has made seconds before he jumped distracted him. ‘What the bleedin hell was that?’



Moving away from the ladder for a few minutes, Spike practiced his pouncing. There it was again, that strange butt wiggle. It happened each time he pounced. ‘Bloody hell can my unlife get any worse.’ He practiced leaping and pouncing until he was no longer distracted by the strange movement in his rear. More confident in his abilities now, he stalked over to the ladder determined to gain freedom this time.



Spike couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his face as he soared upwards coming closer and closer to the exit. His hands, ‘Paws?’ had just touched the earth surrounding the hole, when his body began to lose momentum and fall back towards the ground below. Desperately, Spike tried to claw onto something so that he could halt the decent and manage to haul himself out. Unfortunately the hard cement gave him no purchase, he swore softly as he began to fall once more.



Spike jerked in surprise as his descent was suddenly halted, something warm and firm wrapping itself around his soft belly. He felt himself begin lifted upwards and out of the hole. Spike tried to twist out of the grip of whatever had him. ‘Please don’t let it be Clem!’ he thought as he felt the hair rise on his neck and began hissing in anger.



“Shh, don’t be frightened.” A soft hand began to stroke down the length of his back. Spike felt his back arch automatically at the gentle touch; he looked up into Dawn’s soft blue eyes.



“Where did you come from?” Dawn asked as she stood up lifting the cat into her arms. “You’re a bit big for Spike to use for poker.” She shuddered slightly at the thought. “Spike you down there!” she called through the opening. Silence served as her only response. “Where’s Spike, kitty?” Dawn began to scratch him under his left ear.



Spike closed his eyes in bliss, a loud purr vibrating through his body. ‘God no wonder cats like this.’ He angled his head to make the most of the sensation. Suddenly remembering that he was in fact now a cat and that he needed help, Spike began to attempt to communicate his need for help. Unfortunately this translated into a series of strange feline noises and a squirming furry body.



“Oh kitty, are you hungry?” Dawn began to look around for something to feed her new friend. “Hmm…ok, nothing I can see so either your not Spike’s kitty and you got trapped in here, or Spike hasn’t gotten you anything.” Dawn plopped the cat down onto the floor, “You stay here, and I’ll have a look downstairs.”



Spike waited patiently near the top of the ladder sending fervent prayers to whoever would listen that Dawn would work out that something was amiss.



Dawn emerged from the lower level, a worried frown marring her face. “I think something’s wrong kitty, Spike’s coat is downstairs, but there’s no sign of him.” She lifted him back into her arms, “He never goes anywhere without it. You come home with me until we find him.”



Dawn scooped him up once more and headed to the entrance of the crypt. The sunlit entrance of the crypt! Spike’s eyes widened as he saw the approaching daylight, and he desperately tried to squirm out of Dawn’s grasp. His frantic attempts stilled when he realised that his exposed flesh wasn’t burning, he didn’t know if he was no longer a vamp or if the thick cat’s fur protected him.



Dawn petted and stroked the cat all the way home, listening to his contented purrs as she went. Spike merely lay back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and Dawn’s affection.



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“Buffy I’m home!” Dawn shouted, carefully closing the door behind her before putting the cat down in case he decided to run away.



Spike had no intention of leaving the Summer’s household, now he was here. If he had any chance of being restored, he would have to find a way to communicate his problem to one of the girls. Winding his way around Dawn’s legs, he followed her into the kitchen as she went in search of food. Jumping onto the counter Spike watched with interest as Dawn began to pull items from the refrigerator.



“No kitty off the bench,” Dawn plopped him back onto the floor. Spike sighed in frustration before jumping back up. “Kitty you shouldn’t be on the bench, hop off.” Dawn tried to gentle shoo him off, but Spike merely plopped himself down and continued watching her. “Ok, but if Buffy goes mad, you’re on your own buster.”



Dawn pulled a clean saucer out of the cupboard and placed it in front of Spike. “Hungry kitty?” she asked as she scratched him between his ears. Spike purred deeply pushing his head into her hand more forcefully, demanding more. Dawn giggled giving him one last scratch before washing her hands and beginning to make herself a sandwich. Every now and then she would drop a small piece of ham onto the saucer before Spike.



Spike could feel the hunger pains rumbling through his stomach. ‘Ok so what the hell do I eat? Do I still need blood or do I eat cat food?’ Spike shuddered at the thought. Deciding that he could seek out a source of blood later, Spike snatched up the meat and began to eat.



The backdoor banged slightly as Willow and Tara strolled through laughing. “Oh kitty!” Willow exclaimed, dropping her books heavily on the counter and scooping Spike up to cuddle him, “Aren’t you a beautiful kitty.” Spike startled as she deftly lifted one leg. “So you’re a boy kitty!” Spike desperately tried to escape as Willow inspected his…manly…parts, even if they were covered in fur at this point. ‘Thank god the whelp’s not here.’



As if on cue the aforementioned whelp came bounding through kitchen door closely followed by Buffy. “Holy radioactive cat batman, where’d that come from?” Xander stared at the bundle of fur cuddled in Willow’s arms.



Buffy skirted around him as she noticed the cat in Willow’s arms, glaring at Dawn she absently began to stroke the animal’s soft fur. “Yes Dawn, where did it come from?” A small smile played across her lips as she heard the loud purrs emanating from the cat.



Spike for his part had forgotten the indignity of Willow’s inspection as soon as the Slayer’s hands had begun to caress him. He felt a deep contentment settle over him that at last the object of his affection was touching him in a non violent way.



Dawn grinned as she realised that Buffy was completely smitten with the new addition to their home. “I found him trapped in the lower part of Spike’s crypt.” Dawn frowned then as she remembered that Spike had not been there, “Buffy I think something’s happened to Spike, I couldn’t find him anywhere.”



Xander snorted, “Well you know Captain Peroxide, he’s probably used the sewers to get up to no good somewhere.”



Dawn shook her head, “No his duster was still there, and he never goes anywhere without it.”



Willow bent down and deposited Spike onto the floor, absently brushing at the white fur that now clung to her clothes, “Dawnie, I’m sure he’s ok. I mean Spike can handle himself.”



Dawn turned pleading eyes to Buffy, “But his Duster! You know how he feels about that thing.”



Sighing Buffy flopped heavily onto a stool, starting as a furry body began brushing itself across her ankles. “Ok Dawn, I promise that I’ll check it out tonight during patrol.” Bending down she scooped up the cat, giggling as he began to nuzzle at her neck “So mister, what’s your name?”



Tara spoke up for the first time, “His fur’s kinda the same color as Spike’s hair.”



Xander grunted, “Yeah radioactive white.”



Willow slapped him lightly. “Be nice Xander, I think he’s a gorgeous kitty.”



“So names, we can’t keep calling him kitty.” Buffy shifted the cat in her arms.



Dawn bounced excitedly, “Well seeing as Xander pointed out that he has the same coloring as Spike, and I found him in Spike’s crypt, what about ‘William the Furry’?”



Tara laughed at Dawns suggestion, “Or we could call him William the Mouse Slayer?”



Buffy raised an eyebrow laughingly, “What Scourge of the Kitchen?”



Xander stared at the contented animal in disgust, “What about William the Bloody Annoying Cat?” Xander waited for the laughs at his suggestion but was met with stony silence.



“That’s not very nice Xander.” Willow pouted, “He’s just a poor innocent lost kitty, what has he ever done to you? If you can’t be nice you can leave.”



Xander grumbled to himself as he headed for the lounge leaving the girls to their naming game. “Damn now I’m being ousted for evil dead’s cat.”



The girls turned their attention back to purring bundle in Buffy’s arms. “So a name… hmmm…what do you want to be called?”



At this point, Spike didn’t care if they called him Miss Kitty Fantastico as long as they kept rubbing and stroking him.



“Why don’t we just call him Snowball?” Xander had snuck back into the kitchen to listen to the girls and was now trying to affect a Spike-like smirk. Instead he merely managed to look slightly constipated.



Spike suppressed the urge to hiss his disgust at the gloating boy, an evil glint entering his feline eyes as he remembered that he now possessed extremely sharp claws. Thoughts of sinking said claws into the whelp’s tender flesh danced through his mind as he settled himself back into Buffy’s embrace; revenge was a dish best served cold after all.



Xander’s smirk soon faded as he faced the cold expressions of the four girls. “I thought you were told to leave?” Dawn said icily.



Buffy looked from Xander to the animal in her arms that had now started to rub his face into her chest, right between her breasts. A slow smile spread across her face, “I think I might just call him Spike.” She watched the look of horror that Xander now sported. “After all he does act a lot like the real Spike.” She grinned down at the loudly purring cat contentedly nestle against her.



Spike stilled as he heard Buffy’s suggestion, casting a quick look at the whelp. He was ecstatic to see his face turning a deep shade of purple. He looked up catching Buffy’s grin; impulsively he leapt up and began to nuzzle and lap at her neck, purring loudly as he heard her laughter.



“Oh Spike that tickles,” Buffy giggled playfully, making no move to stop the affectionate cat.



“Buffy!” Xander began to splutter at the tone in Buffy’s voice. Images of her saying the same thing to the real Spike crashed in on him, and he could feel his stomach begin to churn.



“What’s wrong Xander?” Willow questioned innocently, “I think he likes the name.” Tara and Dawn quickly agreed with her, watching in amusement as his face turned from purple to white.



“But it makes it sound like she’s……!” Xander tried to choke out his indignation, “Buffy you can’t call it Spike, people will think……” Deflating at the unaffected looks he was receiving, he hung his head and left the room once again. “If Spike finds out about this he’ll never leave.”



Dawn grinned as she watched Xander shuffled away dejectedly, “Now that was just evil Buffy.”



Buffy shrugged, “Xander has to learn that he isn’t the only male that’s allowed in our lives. I’m going to have a shower before I start dinner.” Standing she turned Spike to face her before raising her voice slightly, “Wanna come upstairs with me Spike?”



Spike almost groaned, ‘he was in hell.’ Oh it may be wrapped up in a pretty heavenly package, but it was truly hell.



Buffy hummed happily as she almost skipped up the steps to her room. Depositing Spike onto her bed, she began to organize herself.



Spike nestled down into the beds comforter, letting the Slayer’s unique scent cover him. Perfectly content he drifted off to sleep.



A small sound jerked him from his dreams of naked Buffy. Lazily opening his eyes, he was confronted with the sight of Buffy walking back into the room clad only in a small towel. His eyes widened as she dropped the towel turning to give him an unobstructed view of her glistening body.



Swallowing hard, Spike watched silently as she moved to the mirror and began to rub her hands lightly across her body, turning one way then the next as she looked for imperfections. Spike itched to leap forward and cover her small hands with his own and help her with her inspection, thoughts of tracing the path she made with his tongue made his lower regions twitch in anticipation. It was around this time that he remembered that he was a cat and unable to act on his impulses.



Leaping off the bed he raced to the door, scratching pitifully at it in a desperate attempt to escape. Turning pleading eyes towards Buffy, he immediately regretted his decision.



“Do you need to go out?” Buffy moved across to open the door.



Spike was beginning to get frantic, Buffy was standing above him. Looking up he was met with the sight of her naked……. Taking a deep breath Spike dashed through the door as soon as possible, streaking downstairs to the lounge in a blur of white. Spike panted heavily as he tried to bring his reactions under control.



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Xander watched as Spike the Cat dashed into the room, cowering behind the sofa.



“Awww, did something scare the big bad pussy?” Xander muttered sarcastically.



Spike groaned inwardly. He hadn’t noticed the whelp in his rush to escape from Buffy’s little torture session. A small seed of an idea suddenly emerged. Smirking, he stalked towards Xander, cocking his leg and spraying him in one fluid motion.



Xander almost choked as warmth spread across his leg, “Ughhh that’s just…..” Reaching down he grabbed Spike by the scruff of his neck, “Looks like someone needs to take a little trip to the vets.” Xander frowned as memories of Spike saying something similar flitted across his mind.



Spike desperately tried to squirm out of his grasp. Xander grinned nastily as he tightened his grip. “Awww, does wittle Spikey not want to be neutered Spikey?”



Spike watched the malicious glint fill Xander’s face and did the only thing he could think of, he sunk his sharp feline fangs into the soft flesh of Xander’s wrist. Yelping, Xander flung him across the room as he attempted to stem the blood flowing from the bite marks.



Spike howled in pain as the chip fired, ‘well that still works.’ His howl turned into a whimper as his small feline body hit the wall heavily. Spike heard the dull sound of running footsteps as he lay dazedly where he had fallen.



“What happened?” Dawn ran into the room closely followed by both Willow and Tara.



Xander pointed an accusing finger at Spike’s crumpled form, “That THING bit me!” He sat down waiting for the girls to sympathize with him. “I’m probably going to need a rabies shot or something.” His voice trailed off as he realised that the three girls were crowded around Spike cooing and fussing and completely ignoring his injuries.



Buffy thudded down the stairs, “What did you do?” she hissed at Xander before joining the others by Spike’s side.



“But what about me?” Xander was incredulous at the total lack of sympathy he was receiving.



Dawn stalked over to him hands on hips, “Gee Xander did the nasty kitty hurt you? Well tough, you could have killed him.” Hands on hips she dared him to respond, “Nice to know you’re the type of person who hurts innocent animals.”



“I might need a shot.” Xander waved his injured wrist in front of her face.



“Oh for goodness sake Xander, you’re a grown man. If you’re worried about it so much, go to the Doctor’s and get a shot.” Dawn flicked her hair back before turning back to fuss over Spike.



Xander watched the girls for a few minutes, before it finally sunk in that they were not going to offer him any sympathy. Miserably he headed outside, heading towards the Magic Box in the hopes that Anya would at least be sympathetic to his plight.



For the rest of the night, Spike lay on the sofa being fussed over by the women of the Summers’ household. His head still ached a little and his side was sore; but he had reached a decision that if being a cat meant that he was loved and accepted, then he wouldn’t worry about trying to get turned back so much. He just had to make sure that he avoided naked Buffy, and he would be fine.