Part 55:

Spikc closed the bedroom door behind him. “She’s asleep. Finally.”

Buffy slipped out of her robe and sat on the bed. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be.” His eyes flared with anger. “What the hell happened?
Where were you?”

“I told you. I was talking to Willow.”

The muscles tightened in his neck. “You were supposed to be watching
her.”

Buffy felt her guilt being overridden by anger. “I told her not to go
on the big slide. She didn’t listen.”

“Of course she didn’t listen.” He stepped towards his wife. “She’s
bloody five years old. You have to watch her.”

Buffy stood up and faced him. “I was watching her. And talking. And
worrying. And watching out of the corner of my eye in case Riley Finn
and his personal SWAT team arrived out of nowhere and took my daughter.”

“You have to watch her. Buffy, she could have broken her arm. Damn it,
she could have been killed!”

Buffy stood with her hands on her hips, eyes blazing, voice increasingly
louder. “It’s easy for you, isn’t it? I get her all day, even when I’m
so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m pregnant, for God’s sake.
You get the bedtime stories and the goodnight kisses.”

Spike’s jaw dropped. “You saying I don’t pull my weight? I’ve taken
over patrol. I’ve been up more days lately than I’ve been down.” He
shook his head and turned away. “You know what I am. I can’t be up all
night and day too. I don’t sleep at night, you know. Just lie there
beside you, listening to you breathe. Listening for her. In case she
needs me.”

Buffy clenched her fist. “You think I don’t know? You think I don’t
know how much better you are with her than I am? I’m not made to be the
nuturer. I’m made to kill things. This is damn hard for me.” She
looked down at her swelling belly. “And now I have the chance to screw
up again.”

He kept his voice even. “Buffy, you won’t screw up. You just have to
be more careful. You’re a good mom.”

“Just not as good as you.” They didn’t realize how loud they had
gotten.

Not until a frightened face peeked around the door. “Mommy, don’t hit
Daddy.”

Spike rushed to his daughter, kneeling down beside her. “No, pet, Mommy
wouldn’t ...”

But Buffy looked down at her fist in horror. “My God. I’m ... I’m
sorry. I ...” Buffy pulled her pillow from the bed. “I’m going to
sleep down on the couch tonight.” She ran from the room.

Spike sat with his crying daughter until she fell back to sleep.

Part 56:

Meredith jumped onto her aunt’s bed. “Make me pancakes, Auntie Dawn?”

Dawn cracked one eye open, and glanced beside her to the alarm clock on
her bed stand. “7:30.” She puffed out a breath. “Okay, kid. Pancakes
it is.” She struggled to sit up. “I have got to get home earlier on
school nights.” She pulled her robe off the end of the bed and covered
her nightgown. Meredith didn’t move. “Something wrong, Merry?”

Meredith nodded. “I was bad.”

Dawn patted her shoulder. “Come on. You couldn’t have done anything
that bad. Not like you hurt Puppy or anything.” Her eyes narrowed.
“Did you?”

“No. I was bad at the park. I went on the big slide, and I fell off.”

“Geez.” Dawn sat on the bed beside her. “You aren’t hurt, are you?”

“Nope. Auntie Willow made the ground soft.” Her little eyes filled
with tears. “But I made Daddy mad at Mommy, and then Mommy got mad at
Daddy, and they were yelling, and Mommy went downstairs, and I’m bad.”

“Aw, no.” Dawn put her arm around her niece and pulled her close.
“That’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay. I think you just
scared them.” She rubbed the child’s shoulder. “Your mommy and daddy,
they’re kind of, well, volatile.”

“Huh?”

“Passionate? Highly emotional?” She could see Meredith didn’t
understand. “Just believe me. It isn’t your fault. They’re really
stressed about something, and it’s coming out angry.”

“Uncle Riley and Auntie Sam,” Meredith said.

Dawn was a little surprised. “Yeah. That’s part of it. Not all of
it.” She looked down at Meredith’s feet. “Where’s your slippers? No
pancakes without slippers.” She took her niece’s hand and went into her
room to find the errant bunnies. “Don’t ever wear these in front of
Auntie Anya.” As she slid the fuzzy footwear on Meredith’s feet, she
continued her explanation. “Your mommy’s having a baby, right?”

“Right.”

“And when ladies are pregnant, they get kind of wonky. It’s called
hormones. Your mom has them in spades.” She took the child’s hand to
head downstairs. “You should have seen them when she was having you.
Threw your daddy out of the house. He had to live with Clem for two
days.” She smiled down. “But they worked it out.”

They passed through the living room, careful not to wake Buffy. Or
Spike, who was curled around her on the couch. “See?” she whispered to
the child.

Meredith shook her head. The two girls headed into the kitchen for
breakfast.

Part 57:

Dawn was putting the last pancake on the platter when her sister walked
into the kitchen. “Good. You’re here. Feed your daughter. I’m off to
school.” She patted Buffy’s shoulder as the walked past her, whispering
“heard you had a rough night,” in her ear as she left.

Buffy sighed. “Hi honey,” she said, standing beside her daughter’s
chair.

Dawn popped back in. “Hey. Spike’s gone. You didn’t ...” She pumped
her fist up and down.

Buffy’s jaw dropped. “No! I sent him up to bed, to get a decent day’s
sleep.” She threw a tea towel at her sister. “Go to school.”

Dawn was still giggling as she ran up the stairs.

Buffy dropped a pancake on her daughter’s plate, buttering and syruping
it, then cutting it into smaller pieces. “I’m so sorry, honey. About
last night.”

“Are you mad at Daddy?” Meredith looked down at her breakfast, but she
didn’t pick up her fork.

“No, I’m not mad at Daddy. And he’s not mad at me anymore. We talked.”
She picked up a pancake with her fingers and bit into it. “We’re good.”

“Are you mad at me?”

She dropped the pancake on the table and wrapped her arms around
Meredith. “Oh, no baby. I’m not mad. I’m so sorry I scared you.” She
kissed the child’s cheek. “But you scared me too. At the park. And
Daddy was scared.” She gave her a squeeze. “Scares all around last
night. Better now.” She took another bite of the pancake. “Did Auntie
Dawn make these from scratch?”

“Yep. She mixed all the flour and eggs and stuff herself. And the
peanut butter.”

Buffy nodded. “That explains it. Here, honey. Give me your plate.”
She took the offending breakfast and tossed it in the trash container.
“I notice she ran out before she had any herself.”

With that there was a loud “Bye, guys,” from the living room, and the
slamming of the front door.

“Can I have some cereal, Mommy?” Meredith was feeling better, which
meant feeling hungry.

“Hm. Cereal.” Buffy stepped to the refrigerator. “You can have cereal
if you want, honey.” She pulled a container from the freezer. “I’m
having this.”

Meredith was shocked. “But Mommy! You said no ice cream before lunch.
You said it was a rule.”

“Well, sweetie, I’ve learned one thing in life. Rules are made to be
broken.” She paused for a second, the ice cream scoop poised over the
container. “Gee. I think I’m channelling Faith. Forget I said that.”

“Are you going to put the ice cream back, Mommy?” Meredith grinned.
“You aren’t, are you?”

“Nope.” She passed a bowl to her daughter. “Let’s live a little. Just
this once.”

Meredith plunged her spoon into the frozen chocolaty treat. “Okay.”

Part 58:

Dawn took her niece's hand and led her to the couch, where they sat
side by side. "I have something to tell you, Merry. I told your mom and
dad, but I wanted to tell you myself."

Meredith's lower lip quivered. "You're leaving."

"Hey, get out of my head. I want to explain it myself." She pulled
the child to her before she started to cry. "Don't be upset, kiddo. I'm
really, really happy."

"Why? You still go to school. You were s'posed to stay till you
finished school."

"That was the plan." She took Meredith's hand. "You like David,
don't you?"

Meredith nodded. "He's nice."

"Well, so do I. A lot. I didn't plan on meeting him at that wedding,
and I didn't plan to see him so much. I sure didn't plan on this."

"On what?"

"David wants me to move in with him. And I said yes."

Meredith pouted. "Make him live here."

Dawn smiled. "That's a very kind offer, but I think we'll pass. I
don't think your dad could handle that. Besides, David already has an
apartment, right near the campus. It'll work out good."

"Who will look after me, when Mommy and Daddy go out? And who will
look after baby when he comes?"

"Your Mom and Dad have lots of friends to help. And I'll still come
and see you, and stay with you. I'm not going to the moon, just across
town." She poked Meredith in the ribs, tickling her. "And I'll bring
David with me."

Meredith tried not to laugh, but the tickles were too effective. She
threw her arms around her aunt. "What did Mommy say?"

"Your mommy understood. She got a little 'my sister is all grown up'
misty, but she was happy for me. She likes David."

"Does Daddy like him?"

Dawn frowned. "Not so much. But he'll deal. Long as he doesn't nail
the door shut on me so I can't get out. He was pretty upset."

"He was mad?"

"Not really mad." Dawn sighed. "Just sad. I think I'll always be
his 'Little Bit'.

"Then don't go."

"I have to go, Merry." She hugged her niece close. "Have to know if
David is the one. Time for me to grow up. Besides, you should thank
me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the trendsetter. I have just upped your chances
considerably of getting out of this house before you're thirty." She
eased out of Meredith's arms. "Want to go get some hot chocolate?"

Meredith nodded. "Okay."

=#=

Part 59:

Dawn slipped into the front door and headed for the staircase. She shifted the bulky object in her hands as she climbed the stairs.

"What's that, Auntie Dawn?" Meredith asked, suddenly appearing in the upper hallway.

"This?" The young woman lifted the object a little higher. "It's a cat carrier. To keep Puppy safe in the car."

"Puppy's going for a ride?" Meredith smiled up at her. "Can I come?"

"Not really, honey. You see ..."

Meredith burst into tears. "You're taking him with you. Please, don't." She clutched at the carrier, trying to pull it out of her aunt's hand. "Please leave him here. I'll be good."

"Merry," she said, placing the carrier on the ground. "It's not about being good. I know you love Puppy. But he's my cat. He's coming to my new house, to live with me and David." She tried to reach for Meredith, but the child pulled back.

"I don't want you to go. I don't want you to take him," she cried.

Spike stepped out of his bedroom. "What're you two arguing about, then? Buffy's trying to nap." He saw the tears running down his daughter's cheeks and picked her up. "What's wrong, pet?"

She sniffed back her tears and answered. "Auntie Dawn's going away."

"I know, sweetheart." He hugged her close. "I'll miss her too."

"Hey," said Dawn. "Standing right here. Enjoy me while you can." She picked the carrier up. "Well, I've got packing to do."

Spike suddenly realized what Dawn was holding. "Aw, no. You're not taking the cat, are you?"

Dawn was exasperated. "It's. My. Cat." She stomped towards her room. "I can take my own cat if I want."

"It's damned inconsiderate."

Dawn whirled around to face Spike. "My cat. My life."

"Bit," he replied, his voice rising, "You know how Meredith loves it. That cat means the world to her. Stop thinking of yourself for a minute."

Dawn was livid. "If you'd gotten the kid a dog when she asked, she wouldn't have gotten so attached to Puppy. And what kind of stupid name is that for a cat, anyway?" She yanked her door open. "I might just change it to Fluffy!" She slammed the door behind her.

"Auntie Dawn is mad," Meredith said, her hands tight around her father's neck.

"I know."

"And you're mad at Auntie Dawn."

"Seems like it." He opened the door to her room. "Fancy a cuddle?"

"Yes, please." They lay side by side on her bed, curled up together. "Daddy, can I have a dog?"

"We'll think about it," he sighed. "Can't just replace the ones you love, though. Not so easy as that."

Part 60:

The living room floor lay scattered with doll clothes. Meredith’s
little fingers struggled with the tiny snaps on Barbie’s jeans. “Help
me Mommy?” she asked, holding out the doll.

“Sure, sweetie.” Buffy took Barbie in hand. “But wouldn’t this skirt
look better with that top?” She was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Two men in black suits stood on the front porch. “Buffy Summers?” the
taller man asked.

“Can I help you?” Buffy watched as the two men flipped open their
badges and quickly shut them.

“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” the shorter man said. “I
believe you’re acquainted with a Riley Finn?”

“What’s he done?”

The man knit his brows. “Why would you ask?”

Buffy looked down at the child clinging wide-eyed to her leg.
“Meredith, go upstairs.”

“Mommy,” she whined. “I want to stay with you.”

“Upstairs. Now.” She watched the child drag herself up the stairs.
Turning back to the men, she asked, “What’s this about? What about
Riley?”

“Can we come in, Ms. Summers?” The taller man led his companion into the
house, and Buffy took them into the living room. The men sat side by
side on the couch, while Buffy took a chair. “I believe you were in
contact with Samantha Finn,” Tall Man stated.

“What makes you think so? And what’s going on?”

“You brought Mrs. Finn to a shelter here in Sunnydale a month ago,
according to our source there.” He pulled out a notepad. “Mrs. Finn
and her adopted daughter.”

“Okay. Yeah. She came her looking for help and I took her. But I
haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

“Did she discuss anything about her relationship with her husband? Why
she had left?” queried Short Man.

Buffy drew in a deep breath. “She said he’d changed. Gotten a little
rough with her.” She was losing patience. “Just tell me what
happened.”

“Ms. Summers,” stated Tall Man in a matter of fact voice. “We’re
investigating the murder of Riley Finn.”

Buffy felt her heart clench in her chest. She may have feared what he
could do to her family, but Riley had been her lover. Once, he had been
a good man. “Riley’s dead?” Unbidden tears surfaced in her eyes.
“How?”

“Let me see your badges.” Spike stood in the living room doorway,
Meredith’s hand held fast in his.

“You must be the husband.” Tall Man looked down at his notepad. “I
have a few questions for you as well.”

“I asked to see your badges.” When the two men flipped them open, Spike
responded, “Not police then. Give me one reason I should co-operate
with you government boys.”

“Well sir,” Tall Man replied. “I could give you seventeen.”

Spike’s eyes met Buffy’s, and he shook his head slightly, before she
could speak.

The shorter man suddenly stood up. “I think that’s it for today.” He
handed Buffy his card. “If you hear from Samantha Finn, please give us
a call.” He gestured to the other man, still staring icily at a
startled Spike. “Time to go.”

Tall Man nodded. “Right.” He nodded at Buffy. “We’ll let ourselves
out.”

As they disappeared out the door, Spike took Buffy in his arms. “What
the bloody hell was that about?”

“Riley’s dead.” Buffy let her tears soak into her husband’s shoulder.
“Oh, god, Spike. Do you think it’s over?”

“I hope so,” Spike replied, unconvinced.

Meredith hugged her mother’s leg. “Don’t cry, Mommy.”

Spike bend down and picked up his daughter. “Mommy will be fine, pet.”
He pulled both his girls close. “We’ll be fine.”

Part 61:

Willow poured red wine into her glass. “So, do you know any more about
what happened to Riley?”

“This isn’t the time to discuss it,” Buffy replied. “Not at the table.
But no.”

“Then I’ll change the subject. How are Dawn and David doing? Settling
in okay?”

Ignoring the low growl in the back of her husband’s throat, Buffy
replied, “I think they’re fine, Will, from what I can see. And I’m not
one to question the living together pre-connubial bliss.

Spike picked up the water pitcher. “Care for some chicken wine, love?”

His daughter giggled. “Chicken wine. I want some chicken wine.”

“Chicken wine?” Xander asked, passing Meredith’s cup to Spike.

“Something an old Dane I knew called water. Not sure why.” He filled
the cup, passing it back to her, then sipped at his own private stock.
“Personally, I prefer the house red.”

“Gross, honey.” Buffy took a bite of her steak. “Great supper though.
I ...” She stopped with a surprised expression, and smiled. “Well,
another country heard from.”

“What happened?” Xander was confused. “Did I miss something?”

“That wasn’t a flutter. That was a kick. Not a big kick, yet, but a
kick.” She took her husband’s hand and placed it on her swollen belly.
“Feel that?”

Spike’s face lit up with delight. “I knew it. He’ll be a footie star.”

“Can I feel?” Willow asked.

“Sure,” Buffy replied. “Just don’t expect anything much. Another few
weeks, and little Van Damme here will have me up all night. Remember,
honey?” she asked, putting her hand over Spike’s.

“I remember getting kicked out of the bed by Meredith.”

Meredith crinkled her nose. “I didn’t kick you out of the bed, Daddy.
I don’t remember that. You’re a silly.”

“You most certainly did. Bam on the floor. When I ...”

The unexpected knock on the door left everyone in silence. When the
sound recurred, Buffy stood from her chair. “I’d better get that.”

“No,” Spike said. “Let me. We aren’t expecting anyone.”

But Buffy was already half way out of the room. “I’m perfectly capable
of answering the front door. If it’s the Initiative, I’ll yell.” She
stopped and looked back at her husband. “I’ll yell, ‘Spike, get the
hell out the back door,’ but I’ll yell.”

They could hear a man’s voice, but it was too faint for all but Spike to
recognize. “Oh, bloody hell,” he sighed, his head sinking into his
hands.

“What’s wrong?” Willow asked. “Something bad?”

Buffy appeared in the dining room with a tall man. He looked familiar
to Willow. Xander knew him from his photographs.

“Hi, Mister.” The little girl said brightly. “I’m Meredith. Who are
you?”

“Sweetie,” Buffy answered. “Say hello to your grandfather."

Part 62:

“Your friends didn’t have to go.” Hank, perched on the edge of the
couch, cradled the cup of coffee in his hands.

“They felt like they did.” Buffy held the plate of cookies towards her
father, but he shook his head, and she sat it back on the coffee table.
“Why are you here, Dad?”

“I wanted to see you. And Dawn. Is she home?”

“No. Dawn isn’t here. And why now? I haven’t seen you since you
dropped in last time, when I was pregnant with Meredith.”

As if on cue, the child entered the room hand in hand with her father.
“We put the dishes away, Mommy.”

Hank held out his arms to the girl. “Why don’t you come give your
Grandpa a hug?” he asked, with his boyish grin that never quite made it
to his eyes. She walked to him cautiously, let him embrace her quickly,
then went back to her father. The older looking man looked up at his
son in law. “So. Buffy says you’re married. I don’t suppose you’ve
found a job since last time I met you?”

“Spike works, Dad,” she answered, wrapping her arm around her husband’s
waist. “He does freelance stuff. We both do. We get by.”

“Freelance stuff.” Hank frowned. “That doesn’t sound too steady. And
you’ve obviously got another one on the way.”

“We would have told you, Dad. Asked you to the wedding. But we
couldn’t get in touch with you, as usual.”

For Buffy’s sake, Spike tried to be civil, even though every instinct
told him to chuck the man out on the street. His last visit had brought
nothing but anguish to his wife, and he didn’t see this one shaping up
any better. “I take care of my family,” Spike said evenly.

“I’m sure you do, Bill,” Hank answered with condescension, ignoring
Spike’s grimace at the hated nickname. “But I have an offer for you.
We’re looking for someone in our Portland office, and I think you might
just fit in.”

“Portland?” Buffy asked. “Oregon? It’s out of the question.”

“Here me out. I know you have some sort of attachment to Sunnydale,”
Hank said the name with contempt, “But Oregon is a beautiful place to
raise a family. Clean air, sunny skies ... Think about it.”

“I have commitments here, Dad.” Buffy held tight to Spike’s hand. “We
both do.”

“Appreciate the offer, Hank,” Spike said. “Not looking for a handout.
And, lovely as you make it sound, think we’ll stay right here.”

“Daddy won’t leave us.”

“What was that, pet?” Spike asked.

“Grampa thinks Daddy will leave us. But he won’t. Ever never.” She
screwed up her face. “Even if he wants him to.”

“What is the child talking about?” Hank looked angry. “I’m just trying
to help.”

“I told you, Hank,” Spike said with cold eyes, “I appreciate the offer,
but I can take care of my own family.”

Buffy smiled at her father, with confidence. “And so can I.” She went
to the bureau and scribbled down a note on a piece of paper. “This is
Dawn’s phone number. Call first.” She handed the paper to Hank. “Please
call first. And try to go easy on David. He’s a good guy.”

Hank looked at the number as Spike handed him his jacket. “Who’s
David?”

Part 63:

“Mommy, Mommy, come quick!” Meredith tugged at the bottom of her
mother’s t-shirt. “Please, Mommy!”

“What is it, sweetie?” Buffy asked.

“There’s something wrong with Daddy.”

Buffy dropped the stake she was sharpening onto the counter as her
daughter took her hand, pulling her up the stairs. “What’s wrong?” As
she drew closer to her bedroom door, she heard for herself. Spike was
crying out in his sleep. She pushed open the door and saw him flailing
around on the bed. His face had shifted into vampire features.

‘No! No, I won’t! No!” he cried. “Oh God, what have I done?”

Buffy sat beside him, taking his shoulders in her hands and holding him
steady. “Shhh,” she said softly. “Spike. Honey, wake up.”

His eyes shot open, and he stared up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry. So
sorry.” In a moment he realized where he was. Sitting straight up in
the bed, looking human once again, he pulled his wife into his arms.
“Oh, God, Buffy, you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” She rubbed his back in little circles, calming him. “It
was just a dream. You’re fine.”

“Daddy?” Meredith’s voice was small. “What happened, Daddy?”

“Baby, go get Daddy some blood from the fridge, okay? He’ll be fine.
Just bring a bag.”

“Okay,” Meredith nodded. “I’ll be right back, Daddy,” she called from
the hall.

“Blood. So much blood,” he muttered into her shoulder. “It was so
real. So horrible.”

“What happened, Spike?” Her fingers played with the curls at he back of
his head. “It must have been one hell of a dream.”

He sighed and pulled away, looking at her as if he were afraid she were
a mirage, destined to disappear from his arms. “It was that, love.” He
felt her twine her fingers through his. “I, we, were in the basement of
that old house. The one where ... the one we went that night. The one
where I’d buried all of them.”

She squeezed his hand. “That was a long, long time ago. And nothing you
did was your fault. You know that.”

“I was killing you. Draining you. Dawn was on the ground, where I’d
left her. And ...” His voice broke. “I can’t ...”

She cupped his cheek with her other hand. “Just a dream. Never
happened.” She looked deep into his eyes. “Tell me. Don’t hold back.”

He nodded, holding her eyes with his, for strength. “And Meredith. She
was breaking up through the earth. Buffy, I’d turned her.” He tried to
swallow, but his mouth was dry. “Buffy, what does that mean? How could
I even think such things?”

“It was a dream. A nightmare. If you knew some of my dreams. The
things I do to the people I love. But they’re just dreams.” She kissed
him softly. “You will never hurt me. Never hurt Meredith, or Dawn, or
the baby. I know that.”

“I’ve been a monster.”

“I know.” She pulled him close. “And now you’re my man.”

Meredith popped back into the room. “I brought Daddy some blood. And,”
she added proudly, “I even brought a mug.”

“Good girl.” Buffy took the items from her daughter’s hands and took
them to the bed stand, filling the mug from the bag.

Meredith crawled up on the bed and hugged her father. “You okay,
Daddy?”

“Fine, pet,” he replied. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“That’s okay.” She poked at his forehead. “Now make the funny face
again.”

Part 64:

Buffy looked around the small apartment and nodded in appreciation.
“This is nice, sis.”

Dawn smiled in return. “Not big, but David has good taste. Didn’t have
to change much at all. And at least it isn’t one of those little
bachelorettes.” She bent down and picked up her niece, hugging her
close. “Hey, Merry. Like my new place?”

“It’s nice,” the little girl said as she scanned the room. “Where’s
Puppy?”

“Glad to know you missed me.” She carried the child to the bedroom door
and opened it. The little cat came running out. “Take her in the
bedroom and play, okay? I’d like to have a non cat-haired couch for
five minutes.”

On the floor again, Meredith picked up Puppy and climbed onto the bed
with her. “I missed you so much. I have so much to tell you...” Her
voice muffled as Dawn closed the door.

“Won’t you have a cat-haired bed instead?” Buffy asked, seating herself
on the afore mentioned couch. “And by the way, Spike is still in denial
about that double bed. I think he imagines David out here on the sofa
every night.”

“As if. And I wanted the nosy one out of the room so we could talk.
Let me get you a cup of herbal tea. Cause, I know, no caffeine for the
Spikelet.” After a few minutes in the kitchenette, she came out with a
mug and handed it to her sister. “You like cinnamon spice, right?”

Buffy nodded and took the cup. “Thanks. Smells great. You know, for
herbal tea.” She sipped at the hot liquid. “Hey, you remembered the
honey. Coolness.”

Dawn sat down beside her, curling her legs under herself. “Spike needs
to remember that he’s my brother-in-law, not my father. Speaking of
which ...”

“I take it you had the daddy visit.” Buffy put her mug on the coffee
table. “Did he call first, by any chance?”

Dawn grunted dismissively. “Dad? Call? Heck no. In fact, he knocked
on the door at a very inopportune moment." She blushed. "I wasn’t
going to answer it, but he started yelling, 'Dawn, open up, it’s your
father,' very loudly. I’m sure the neighbours thought I was getting
busted.

“Which you were.”

“Well, yeah.” She started to chuckle. “So, David ran into the bedroom,
and I tried to get back into my clothes ...”

Buffy stared at her sister. “You have heard of ‘too much information’
haven’t you?”

“Right. Like I didn’t live for years with you and the incredible
vampire love machine. I’m sure you two warped me for life.”

Buffy ignored the comment. “And Dad?”

“Hated David, straight off. My man tried to be so nice, so reasonable,
so ...”

“Not like Dad?” Buffy picked up her mug again, wishing for something
stronger than the tea. The less than pleasant memories came flooding
in. “He tried to get Spike to move to Portland for a job. Cause
there’s nothing my honey would like better than sunny skies.”

“Maybe you should just tell Dad that Spike’s a vampire.” At her
sister’s pointed silence, she added, “Bad idea.” She sighed. “Subject,
changing thereof. Hear anything more about what happened to Riley?”

Buffy shook her head. “Nope. Willow tried to do a search of police
files, but we don’t know the location, or exactly when. It just seems
so strange to know he’s gone.”

“Maybe he isn’t.” She started to get excited. “Maybe it’s all a big
cover up. Maybe those men in black guys weren’t even government. Or
our government. Or maybe the initiative is together and up to something
again. Maybe ...”

“Maybe you’ve seen one too many episodes of the X-Files.” She patted
her sister’s hand. “I know you mean well. And I also know that I won’t
be comfortable until I know what happened to him.”

The bedroom door opened. “Auntie Dawn, I need to go potty.” She held
up the cat in her hands. “Can Puppy come with me?”

“You know,” whispered Dawn to her sister, “you’ve got a weird little
kid.”

“Yeah, well,” Buffy whispered back, winking at her. “Runs in the
family.”

Next