by Ripe Wicked Plum

Buffy held Dawn's hand tightly, her eyes arrested by the sight of the coffin, shined to an almost obscene sheen.

She remembered picking it out with Giles. For two days, she had obsessed about what color the lining should be till Giles gently reminded her that it didn't exactly matter.

It had to her though. It had been her entire world, her entire focus.

"Death is on your heels, baby..."

Should have gone with the pink...mom liked pink...no, should have cremated her. What if another zombie mask comes along?

"Buffy?" Giles' voice broke through her almost dazed thoughts, and she turned her tearless eyes to him. Her pain was always silent anyhow. "It's time."

Buffy released Dawn's hand as the two girls took the cages the Watcher held out to them.

Dawn blinked back her tears for a woman who wasn't really her mother, stepping towards the coffin.

They opened the cage doors together, shaking out the butterflies cramped inside. As a flurry of black, red, blue and orange velvet flowed into the sky, Buffy's eyes followed the downward travel of one lone butterfly as it fluttered lifelessly to the ground.

Wonder who'll be at his funereal, she thought absently, not caring how strange she sounded.

Dawn watched as Buffy turned, heading into the comforting, warm embrace of her friends, leaving her little sister behind. Dawn bent and picked up the dead butterfly, glancing upwards at the ones that made it as she slipped it into her pocket.

As they all returned to the cars, Dawn glanced over her shoulder at the lonely coffin, standing in the bright sun that the woman inside couldn't feel and wouldn't enjoy ever again, waiting to join the other final residents below ground.

Dawn regretted her decision as soon as she walked in the doors of her middle school. She should have waited a bit longer.

It was strange. In a town where death ruled supreme, news of her mother's death drew a large amount of pitying glances that Dawn resented. Mark's brother died two weeks ago...no one reacted like this...

Was news of a natural death in their midst that amazing?

Seven months...only seven months of Dawns memories of Joyce were truly real. There was still a lifetime of memories, but they were created by a dead order of monks to make sure Buffy would protect the Key. Only seven months of fourteen years had she truly known her 'mother.'

Dawn felt cheated. She wanted more...she deserved more...but at this point, she couldn't decide if she meant her or Joyce.

"Dawny?" Lisa...her best friend since she first moved to Sunnydale...well, technically since she was 'born' but why quibble about facts? It didn't matter anyway that she remembered. Only that everyone else did.

Dawn shuddered, maybe this already happened...maybe it's another fake memory...

"Dawn? You're shaking! Do you want to go home?" Lisa asked worriedly, and Dawn was about to nod, then shook her head instead.

She couldn't go home. Buffy would kill her if she left by herself, what with Glory still about and she was in classes at the campus, as was Tara and Willow, and Xander was at work. Giles and Anya...well...she liked them both, but they wouldn't know what to do with her.

She was just a reminder of her new found mortality to Anya at this point in time, and Giles was reminded of Buffy's imminent death. Plus, Giles was a guy and didn't know what to do with crying girls, and Anya freaked out and said weird things at the worst possible time.

All cause mom is dead...

Dawn suddenly bolted for the bathroom, spilling her purse on the tiled floor as Lisa followed closely behind. She rushed into a stall and knelt over the toilet, vomiting, feeling her stomach clench and unclench as it emptied itself of it's contents.

Lisa rubbed her back as Dawn started to dry-heave, sobs racking her entire body, pulling back her now damp hair, "Dawny...do you have someone to call? If not...I can call my mom...she only works a couple of miles away..."

Dawn straightened, lurching towards the sink and rinsing out her mouth thoroughly. She shook her head, "No...I...um..." She shook her head again, falling into silence as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Lisa frowned, bending as she picked up Dawn's purse, then picked up a small piece of paper that fluttered out, "Is this Buffy's number? Do you want me to call her?"

Dawn met her friend's pity-filled eyes, taking the piece of paper, frowning in thought as she glanced at it, "No...I'll do it...can you...cover for me?"

"Yeah...definitly," Lisa smiled reassuringly, patting Dawn's back, "Feel better, all right? And did that just sound incredibly stupid to you as it did in my head?"

Dawn laughed wanly, "No...thanks, Lisa...really..."

Lisa nodded doubtfully, "Go home, Dawny...you don't want Christie to see you like this. She's already bitchy enough."

Dawn nodded as Lisa hugged her almost awkwardly before leaving the bathroom and heading to homeroom. Dawn glanced at the piece of paper in her hand, sighing softly. Oh man...

Spike's head was ringing. He'd definitely had too much to drink of late. Most of the time, his waking periods were filled with vodka, tequila, scotch and some foul tasting American beer whose name he couldn't pronounce when he was knee-deep in the cups.

Hell, at this point, he'd drink paint thinner if he thought it'd give him a decent buzz.

Ever since Buffy had revoked his invitation, he had pretty much been drunk nonstop. Even when the crazy robot chick tossed him through a window.

April? He dimly remembered her name. He had sobered up pretty fast after that. Stupid bitch...no one's allowed to do that but the Slayer...he groaned, and what in the hell were you thinking, mate? A Buffy-bot? If that didn't get him staked, nothing would.

He forced his eyes open, feeling the first signs of sobering up. He'd have to remedy that. He frowned in confusion, still hearing the ringing, then looked down at his 'pillow.'

"Good Lord...since when did my jacket have an alarm?" He asked in confusion, picking it up warily. A cell phone toppled out, and he finally remembered that he had lifted it from Harmony. Before she shot him in the back with an arrow, that is. Bitch.

"'Ello?" He put the right amount of growling menace into his greeting, letting it be known that he didn't like to be woken up that early, even if he had passed out around midnight. Vampires sleep during the day...why doesn't anyone remember that?

"Sp-Spike? It's me..."

Buffy? Why the hell would the Slayer call him? "Spike...are you there?"

Oh. Spike sighed in disappointment, "What do you want, nibblet?"

"I'm...I'm at school...can you...pick me up? I know it's the middle of the day...but I'm...uh...a little desperate..."

Spike could practically hear the sound of unshed tears in her voice and frowned, "Um...yeah, sure...SD Middle, right?"

"Yes," relief was evident in her tone, "Thanks, Spike..."

"Yeah, whatever...give me a half-hour, 'kay?"

He hung up, confused. Why the bloody hell would the mini-Slayer call me? He swore, tripping over one of many bottles littering the crypt floor, landing painfully on his knee. "SHIT!"

Dawn replaced the dead phone on the receiver, throwing a wan smile at the receptionist, "Someone's coming," she told her, "I'm...just going to wait outside."

The secretary nodding disinterestedly, turning back to her paperwork as Dawn sighed, and went outside, sitting on the steps, resting her arms on her knees.

She frowned, glancing at her watch when Spike didn't show up after forty-five minutes, shaking her head slightly. Apparently vampires had no concept of time.

She heard the door open behind her, "There you are, Dawny!" A chipper voice greeted her, and Dawn's eyes widened as she shot to her feet, whirling around.

"Remember, no screaming," Glory giggled as she perceived Dawn's intense fear. "Your big sister still hasn't told me where my Key is...so, I'm thinking it's time for a little message, don't you?"

Dawn took a step back for every step forward that Glory took, "She still won't tell you! She'll let everyone die before she'll tell you!" Oh...God...please no...

"Oh...too bad..." In one of her impossibly fast moves, she was right in front of Dawn, her pretty face hovering in the small girl's as she smiled sweetly, "I think you're wrong...so why don't I prove my point?"

A car pulled up behind Dawn, and Glory scowled, "I hate interruptions..."

Spike threw open the door, swiftly stepping into the covered area. "Glory...how nice...paying the chit a visit?"

Glory glared at him, "Oh...one body, little message, two bodies, big statement."

Spike shrugged disinterestedly as he lit up a cigarette, "Doubt the Slayer would care much if I die. It'll be one message and a favor." He grinned at Glory suddenly, "That your red Jaguar 'round back? Great year, huh?"

Glory smiled, her vanity being stoked, "My baby. That's one thing you people did right."

"Too bad about the gas tank, though."

"What?" Glory frowned, "What's wrong with my gas tank?"

"Oh," Spike glanced at his watch, "In about ten seconds, it's gonna be filled with approximately one and half pounds of dog food. Maybe less. That duct tape can be tricky. And I don't think you have enough time, even with your incredible speed, to kill us, rush into the back and remove about three feet of duct tape before it spills in."

"MY CAR?!" Glory shrieked loudly, her eyes widening. Dawn watched in amazement as Glory whirled, sprinting back into the school to cut through to the student parking lot, and she turned to stare at Spike.

"How'd you do that?"

Spike shrugged modestly, returning to his car, "Know the kind, pet. All material and superficial. She probably loves that auto more then anything on this bloody plane. That, or her shoes. Probably a toss-up between the two."

Dawn stared out the blackened window as best as she could, sighing as Spike pulled into their driveway. "This is your stop, bite-size," Spike said when she didn't move to get out.

"Will you stay with me?" Dawn asked softly, and Spike frowned, "If you're ill, nibblet, wouldn't you prefer to have your mum look over you?"

Dawn bristled, "You son of a bitch!"

Spike looked taken aback, confused by her reaction, and Dawn's eyes widened, "Oh...God, no one told you...you don't know...?"

"Know what?"

Dawn shook her head, "Mom...she's...dead..." oh god...she's dead...that was the first time she had said it aloud, really aloud, telling someone...

Tears sprang to her eyes as she jumped out of the car, sprinting towards the front door. A few seconds later, Spike was beside her, holding her against him as she sobbed loudly, gulping for breath that burned her throat as it went down.

"She's dead...she's dead..." Dawn repeated harshly over and over again, every emotion that she thought she had quenched raising to the surface, as if a healing scab was picked away from her heart and soul.

Spike managed to pry the house keys from her shaking hands, lifting her up like she was a small child. He opened the door with one hand, and tried to step through, swearing when he came up against the invisible barrier.

Dawn sniffled, her face buried in his neck as she muttered an invitation, but Spike still hesitated before finally going in. He carried her into the kitchen, prying her off of him, "All right, pet...deep breaths, all right?"

Dawn continued her gulping sobs as Spike dug through the cabinets till he found a box of tissues in the pantry, then ripped it open.

Dawn had to giggle when he handed her a huge wad of them, and she set them aside, only taking one and blowing her nose as she finally quieted down some.

Spike watched as she regained control of herself, feeling a bout of admiration for her. "Thatta girl..." he muttered softly, pulling up a stool in front of her, "What happened? And who can I slowly maim and torture for you?"

Dawn shook her head, deciding not to give him a list, "God...if you can...it was natural..." Dawn swallowed heavily, "That's what the doctors said. It was fast...aneurisms usually are...and that it was natural..."

If you can call the woman who gave birth to a Slayer and adopted a Key as her own natural...Spike thought, pained. She had been like a mother to him. She was the only one who treated him halfway decent, like a real person instead of a soulless demon. Almost the only one, he added as an afterthought, glancing at Dawn. She was like that too. Then again, neither of them were really human.

Dawn sniffled again, and Spike stood up, glancing around the kitchen before grabbing out the hot cocoa makings Joyce always had kept on hand. He grinned when he saw the little marshmallows, tossing them on the table.

Dawn caught them before they could bounce off, sighing, "She always bought them for you, you know," Dawn said softly, "I can't stand them, and Buffy never drinks cocoa. You're the only one who liked the little marshmallows."

Spike looked at her in some surprise as he started the stove, "Really, now? I never knew that..."

Dawn nodded, smiling slightly, "I remember when you showed up that night...whining about Drusilla. And she told you to find a nice girl to settle down with...course, she freaked when she found out you had a thing for Buffy...but she still bought the marshmallows. She figured you'd need them next time you came around."

Spike looked slightly relieved, "'Fraid she would have been pissed at me...that's the first thing that popped in my mind when you told me. I was worried she hated me when she...um..."

"Died," Dawn said, saying the word slowly, as if tasting it's bitterness. "She didn't. She always liked you. Hated Angel though. Go figure."

Spike chuckled, "Well, I didn't exactly announce that I was sleeping with her daughter...I find that tends to put parents off. Peaches was never the smooth one."

"Locking Buffy in chains was smooth?" Dawn teased, and Spike grimaced.

"Ugh...really fucked that one up, didn't I?"

Dawn nodded emphatically as Spike set her cocoa in front of her, sitting down again, and he sighed.

"You know, this crap isn't supposed to happen to me. I'm bloody a hundred and twenty years old...almost a hundred and twenty-one now," he shook his head. "Can't blame a fellow for trying though. Besides, what do I know about dating? When I was alive, I didn't do it...after that, I was always with Dru...and after her, if I wanted a good lay, I'd just turn them."

"Like Harmony?" Dawn rolled her eyes, "There was a prize."

"Bint shot me in the back too. Stupid bitch..." he suddenly looked embarrassed, "Um...sorry...you're doing the whole...mourning thing...and here I am, prattling on about my love life...to a chit who's still got pinups of N'Sync on her walls."

Dawn shook her head with a small smile, "Actually...it's nice," she looked up at him with the same, wide blue eyes that Joyce had, "You talk to me like I'm a grown-up...and I feel better when no one's asking me stupid questions..."

"Like, 'Are you all right? Can I do anything for you...blah blah blah...'" Spike shook his head, "Heard the same crap when my Da died. Just infuriated me..."

"Yeah. How the hell do they think I feel? And what are they gonna do exactly? Come up with some spell to raise the dead?"

Spike grimaced again, "Oh, don't do that, luv. It's messy...what with body parts falling off and decomposition. And don't ask how I know that."

"Saw zombies once...I really don't want my mom to be a zombie. I know she's dead...that her body's just...an empty shell of what she used to be. I can't raise her again...no one can. But...this...this was what my mom was all about..."

"Cocoa and talking," Spike grinned sadly, "Yeah...she was at that," he peered at her for a few seconds, "I know it's not real...but she's in you, nibblet. You have her nose, her spirit, her...kindness..."

"Thanks, Spike..." Dawn smiled genuinely, "That does mean a lot. Even if it is manufactured. But the feelings are still there...and the memories and the love. I don't care if it isn't real...it feels real, and that, I think, is what matters."

"Well said, Dawn," Spike raised his mug, and they clinked them together, "To Joyce and her amazing hot cocoa and not the crap I just made."

"You so cheated! You can't drop the dice so it lands on seven! That free parking is mine, buddy!"

Buffy was greeted by Dawn's voice, and she paused in surprise at the door, listening as her sister laughed aloud. She's laughing...oh...thank God...

Buffy had been more then a little worried about her sister. For a week after the funeral, she had been largely silent and withdrawn, not really talking to anyone, and acting snippy when someone tried.

"Dawn?" Buffy stepped into the living room, "Why are you home so ear--"

Her eyes widened in surprise as Spike's head shot up, "Oops...time to go..." he scrambled to his feet, upsetting the monopoly board, sending hotels and house scattering over the coffee table and a flustered Dawn.

Buffy's hand shot out, grabbing him by the back of his duster, and Dawn gave a small shriek of surprise when he was suddenly flying towards her, and she ducked as he crashed into the couch behind her. "BUFFY!"

"Dawn! What the hell did I tell you about Spike?!" She shouted right back on her sister, and said vampire jumped away when she came at him again, stake appearing her hand, "Listen, Slayer...it's not what you think..."

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!" She lunged towards him, and Spike was slammed against the wall by her as her stake descended towards his chest.

"STOP IT!" Dawn screamed in panic as Spike narrowly avoiding the business end of Buffy's stake, hissing when it scraped against his cheek instead, digging a narrow farrow in his face.

Buffy kicked him in the head, then followed through with an upper cut that snapped his head back. Spike ducked her stake again, rolling as he shut his leg out, howling in pain, the chip activating as he took her out by the knees.

She hit the ground painfully, but was back on her feet instantly, striking out at him viciously, dropping her stake so that her hands were free to punch with all her strength behind it.

Spike staggered back, blood flowing from his mouth, nose and cheek, flinching each time a hit landed.

"Buffy!" Dawn rushed forward, shoving her sister against the coffee table, making her trip over it. Buffy yelped and Dawn ran towards Spike, who was on all fours, trying not to pass out.

Buffy got back to her feet, glaring at her sister, who was helping Spike to straighten up, "Dawn...get away from him," she hissed, recovering her stake, but Dawn gave her an obstinate look.

"No, Buffy. He helped me."

"Do what? Break into houses?"

"No...Glory showed up at the school and he saved me!" Dawn snapped, "And contrary to popular belief, he does have feelings...you think someone would have told him that mom died!"

Buffy glared at Spike as he propped himself up against the wall, flinching as he felt along his side, finding two broken rips, "Shit...that's going to smart," he muttered beneath his breath, then slammed against the wall, snapping his dislocated shoulder back into place with another pained howl.

Dawn went back to his side, helping him limp to the kitchen, and Buffy followed in a huff, "Dawn, do you even remember what he did?"

"Yeah...sorry 'bout that," Spike shook his head as Dawn went to get the first-aid kit, and Buffy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that makes it a hell of a lot better! You're not welcome here, Spike."

"Tell me something, Slayer," Spike shifted on the stool, wincing, "Why did the nibblet have to call me to pick her up instead of you? Or the others?"

"She thinks she has a crush on you," Buffy replied, crossing her arms across her chest, and Spike shook his head.

"No, Slayer...she needed someone to talk to who wouldn't pity her..."

"Yeah, you were pretty short-sheeted on that end, weren't you?" Buffy said sarcastically, and Spike glared at her,

"Ask her yourself, Slayer..."

Buffy fell into silence as Dawn came back in, glaring at her sister, "Did you call Spike from school?"

Dawn nodded uncomfortably, "Um...you were in class...and I didn't...want to call Giles and Anya..."

Buffy sent her sister a scathing look, "And how, praytell, did you get his number in the first place?"

"He gave it to me and mom when you dropped us off at his place. He said to use it in emergencies," Dawn shrugged, "In case Glory showed up and you weren't around."

Buffy blinked in surprise, "What?"

"Why didn't you bloody tell me?" Spike finally spoke up, and Buffy glanced at him, seeing he was glaring at her.

"Tell you what, Spike?"

"About mum...Joyce," he shook his head, "I wanted to be there, Slayer...you could have at least given me that."

"Yeah, right, Spike. So you could laugh in my face at my mother's funeral? Fat chance of that."

Spike growled menacingly, which was difficult to achieve considering his face looked like he had been in a brawl with Rocky for six hours. "Fuck. You."

Buffy glared at him, bringing up her fist again, and Dawn stepped in front of him, "Buffy, you weren't the only one who lost mom."

Buffy glared at her sister, "I'm not having this discussion with you, Dawn. Obviously, you're completely insane...and...and..."

"Not even human?" Dawn supplied angrily, "An It? A thing with no real name? A green, shimmery thing that Glory wants?"

"Dawn, you know that's not what I meant..."

"Face it, Buffy...I'm not human. I'm not your little sister. I'm just a Key. Hell, maybe I don't even care mom died, right? My feelings aren't real...they're made up," Dawn crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing, "Right?"

"Dawn, stop being so stupid..."

Spike exhaled sharply, "Hoo boy..."

"YOU STOP BEING STUPID ELIZABETH ANNE SUMMERS!"

Buffy's eyes dropped for a brief second, as if she was a child being chastised by an angry parent.

Dawn took a deep breath, calming herself, "I can make my own descions, and despite what you think and feel, I know they've been right so far. I figure I got something going for me, since I apparently survived Glory's grasp for over three thousand years or something. Who knows? Maybe I was the little sister of Slayers before you. Maybe I'm a thing passed on, Slayer to Slayer, to be protected, always the lies. Always the manufactured pasts, with no future. After you die, what happens to me? Do I keep going or does some other monk find me and turn me into someone else's child? Someone else's sister? I have a feeling it's sort of a cycle, Buffy. Unlike you, you have a place in this world. You were born into it. I'll probably keep being reborn over and over again, maybe in different forms, maybe not. Maybe I'll never age, but it won't matter, because I'll be somewhere else. Someone else maybe. But you know, out of all that, you know what worries me most? Maybe you really had a baby sister. Maybe I took over her body, and we just don't know it..."

"Dawn..." Buffy shook her head, "I never had a sister..."

"How do you know?" Dawn shook her head, "You don't. I don't. Maybe those monks did, but Glory did a job on them, and I'm guessing they're not talking much. And you know what hurts? In my next reincarnation, if I can call it that, I probably won't remember all this...I won't remember you, my friends..." she glanced at Spike pointedly, who looked away in embarrassment.

"And I won't remember mom. I don't want to do that to her...I want to remember that I'm Dawn Alison Summers. That my sister is a Slayer, that my mom is dead, but she loved me when she is around...and I want to remember what it was like to laugh after everything broke and I want to remember that I just said this really cool speech, and God, do I hope someone was taking notes."

Buffy stared at Dawn for a few moments, then Spike started to chuckle, "All right, little bit...I think you more then made you point...as skewed as it is..."

Dawn sighed, sitting down beside him, picking up the first-aid kit, "Damn it. You know, I just gave myself a million new questions to keep me up all night?"

Spike chuckled again, then winced as Dawn cleaned out a cut with rubbing alcohol, "Ow!"

"Baby," Dawn muttered, and Spike glared at her.

"Watch it, bite-size. I just might take a chunk out of you."

"Oh...I'm scared. Spike, the mighty vampire who CHEATS when playing Monopoly with fourteen-year old KIDS!"

"Don't give me that! You're older then dirt! I'm the impressionable youth in this relationship!"

"Um...hello? Slayer still standing here?"

Spike and Dawn looked at her, and Spike rolled his eyes, "She still talking?"

"Always."

"AGHH!" Buffy reached for Spike, and he expertly dodged her grasp.

"Now, Slayer...play nice with the other children."

"Get out, Spike!"

Spike grinned, keeping the island between him and Buffy, "Sorry, Slayer, no way you're going to win this..."

"Yeah, he ate three bags of those little marshmallows. He's more hyped up then Xander and Willow after Halloween, combined!"

"Dawn! Not helping!" Buffy shook her head, opting to not play Spike's game and crossed her arms over her chest, "Spike...please, just leave."

"Can't pet. Little problem called daylight."

"You got in, you can get the hell out! Or do you want to rummage through my room some more?"

Spike brightened, "Can I?"

"NO!"

"Buffy, he's kidding," Dawn giggled at the look on her sister's face, then sighed when Buffy glared at her. "Buffy, Spike's just been keeping me company all day. Plus he..."

Spike shot her a warning look, "Nibblet...don't even..."

Dawn shook her head slightly, omitting the part where he comforted her. He did need his pride, anyhow, although, she couldn't promise not to let it slip later on when she and Buffy were alone. "I got sick at school, and he picked me up. Plus the whole Glory saving..."

"Yeah, right...and I can just see the bruises from that encounter."

"He went to her car in the middle of the day and rigged a dog food bag to spill inside her gas tank..."

Buffy looked at them both in confusion, "What?"

Dawn smiled brightly, "It was great...Spike told her that her car was really nice, then said he had hooked up a dogfood bag to her gas tank, and she ran to get it off before it ruined her car. You should have seen the look on her face. She was really freaked."

Spike freaked Glory? Buffy almost resented him. So far, with all her encounters with Glory, she hadn't been even able to faze the Goddess. She sucked it in, however, "You did that?"

Spike shrugged, "Had some left in the trunk from when Dru got me that bloody dog..." he looked thoughtful for a moment, "Wondered what happened to the nasty bugger. I don't think he died like Dru's other pets..."

"Gross much?" Buffy shook her head, swallowing her pride, "Thank you, Spike."

Spike's eyes widened in comic surprise, "The all-mighty Slayer just thanked a lowly vampire? If my heart was still beating, it would have bloody stopped!"

"Yeah, if your heart was beating, I probably wouldn't be fantasying about shoving a stake in it!" Buffy retorted, and Spike glanced at his watch.

"And that, folks, was the fastest jump from gratitude to sarcasm in the world. A mere two seconds. Someone call Guinness."

Buffy was about to counter him with a punch to the face when the phone rang, and Dawn went towards it, glancing at the caller ID.

"It's dad."

Buffy groaned, "Great...just great...I'm not picking it up...I can't talk to him right now!"

"Should we just let it ring?" Dawn asked doubtfully, and Buffy shook her head, "No...not really...you talk to him. You're his baby."

"Hey! You're his real offspring!"

"Your Da's alive?" Spike asked in surprise as the two girls looked towards him, "Why the bloody hell isn't he here?"

"Ah, the question of the hour." Dawn grimaced, "He had a business trip."

"A business trip?" Spike repeated, "He's not here comforting his two children because of some sodding BUSINESS TRIP?! Did he even go to mum's funeral?"

Buffy and Dawn didn't answer him, but that was all he needed, "FUCKING BASTARD!"

Buffy raised an eyebrow, "At this point, it's better if he stays away. I can't let him take Dawn away. I have to protect her. But he won't move to Sunnydale, and I can't leave because of Glory and the Hell Mouth."

Spike frowned, "That so, then? Need him off your back?"

"Yes..." Buffy's eyes widened as Spike picked up the phone, "Wha--?!"

Spike held up his hand, silencing her, then used his most cultured voice, one he hadn't used in so many years. "Hello...? Mr. Summers...no, Buffy nor Dawn are here at the moment..." he placed his hand over the receiver for a second, "Does he know Giles?"

Buffy shook her head in surprise, and Spike sighed in relief, "Yes...sorry. This is Rupert Giles. I'm a friend of the family. Yes...well, I suppose that couldn't be helped. No. Right..." Spike rolled his eyes impatiently, "Yes...well, the girls are doing quite well, better then I thought...Dawn is still continuing school...as well as the Sla--Buffy. She's living at home right now...yes, everything is quite fine. I'm...uh...staying with them at the moment. Yeah...so they do have a man in the house to watch over things..." Spike laughed at something while he flipped off the phone, and even Buffy was hard-put too keep back a giggle.

"Yes, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you whenever you come back...and I hope we can discuss options for...Dawn's continuing living here in Sunnydale...yes, we'll discuss that when you come here...yes...yes...no...yes..."

Does he ever shut up? Spike mouthed to Dawn, and she shook her head, gesturing at Buffy, "No, he's just like her."

"Right...I'll tell her to give you a call when she comes in...yes...yes...good-bye..."

Spike hurriedly hung up, "Bloody hell! Can that man talk and make more excuses then a housewife caught with her knickers off with the bloody mail man!"

Buffy and Dawn exchanged a look, "Did you hear anyone in the background? A woman?" Dawn asked softly, and Spike frowned.

"Probably, why?"

"Dick," Buffy muttered, shaking her head, "Thanks again, Spike...for whatever the hell you did..."

"He's coming in two weeks," Spike informed her, ignoring her thanks for the moment, "Better give the Watcher a heads-up. And figure out something to do to keep her here."

Buffy groaned softly, "How am I going to do that?"

Spike shrugged, "Not my problem..." Dawn gave him a hurt look, and he sighed, "There's always a custody thing you can like those shows on TV...if you can prove he's not a fit father..."

"He's absentee, and he didn't always pay alimony or child support..." Buffy replied, and Spike growled.

"Bastard..." He frowned suddenly, "How are you finances?"

"My what? I don't have any..."

"Your mother's, Slayer. What do you have in the way of money?"

"There's about five thou in the bank..."

"Which is pretty much going to pay for the funeral only," Spike shook his head, sitting down and Buffy glared at him lightly, but didn't tell him to get out again, "What about living stuff? You going to keep the house and all that?"

"I...uh..." Buffy looked embarrassed, "I don't know...I wasn't really thinking about that..."

"I know, luv," Spike gave her a consoling look, "Understandable. Unfortunately, the bill collectors aren't going to see it that way. It's almost the end of the month. Did your mum keep books?"

"Upstairs..."

"Nibblet, could you bring them down...?"

Dawn nodded worriedly as she went upstairs, and Spike turned his attention back to Buffy, "Slayer...with your mom gone, and if you fight to keep Dawn for yourself, there's going to be a lot of expenses. Paying for lawyers, filing the papers, things of that ilk...not to mention credit cards, mortgages, food budgets, your college bills..."

Buffy's eyes widened slightly as the list went on and on, paling, "Oh...God...I'm not going to be able to do this..."

"What about the Watcher?"

"I can't ask him for anything. All his money went into the store. And even if he was Bill Gates, I'm not taking his money..."

"Right," Spike lapsed into silence as Dawn came down, "Let me see that neat calculator of yours," he said to Buffy, and she rolled her eyes, grabbing her messenger bag.

"I don't want to know how you know I have this," she said, handing him her graphing calculator.

"Good. You probably don't want to know," he muttered absently, and Buffy glared at him as he looked through Joyce's papers, shaking his head, "At least she was organized, I give her that..."

"What are you? William the Bloody Accountant?"

"I'm good with numbers," Spike shrugged modestly, "Now shoo, and take the bite-sized one with you. I need quiet."

Buffy shook her head with a sigh, "Come on, Dawn, I need to train anyway."

Spike glanced up as Buffy and Dawn left, smiling slightly, "Oh yeah...I'm in..."

"Spike's doing what?" Giles stared at Buffy as she pounded her punching bag while Dawn sat near the vaulting horse, doing her homework.

"My finances," Buffy replied, throwing a kick at the bag's middle, "Apparently I have them. Who knew?"

Giles swore beneath his breath, "I didn't even think of that..." he frowned, "Wait...why is Spike doing your finances? Didn't we already decide that Spike is out?"

"I decided that, Dawn and Glory had other plans," Buffy paused in her punches, looking at him worriedly, "She showed up at her school, Giles. If Spike hadn't been there, Dawn would be..." Buffy felt her throat tighten, unable to even force the dreaded 'D' word out, "Gone."

"Good lord!"

"She's targeting me, Giles. Really this time. No more threats. And I'm worried," She glanced towards Dawn, "I'm considering dropping out."

"NO!" Both Dawn and Giles gave her a horrified look, "There's no way you're doing that..."

"Giles, I can't take care of Dawn and go to school too. Even if there had been an emergency, how would I know? It takes nearly forty minutes to get from the campus to my house and another ten to get to Dawn's school. Do you know what can happen in that amount of time?"

"Anya and I..."

"Giles, Dawn considered calling you, but she didn't..." Buffy sighed deeply, "Besides...what could you have done? Thrown darts at her? Glory's too strong..."

"So? What do you suggest?" Giles asked dryly, "Have Spike move in with you?"

Buffy and Dawn exchanged a look.

"BUFFY!" Giles shouted in horror, "STOP THINKING RIGHT NOW!"

Too late, Buffy sighed to herself. Way too late.

"All right. This is the way it's going to work," Buffy practically growled as she paced in front of Spike and Dawn. "In no way...even in your warped, twisted little mind, is this an invitation to anything! It's only because of necessity..."

"Slayer? What is this about?" Spike asked in annoyance, pissed about being interrupted. Once he got into a task, he hated it when something broke his concentration. Drusilla had learned that the hard way.

"No smoking in the house, no drinking, you don't touch my stuff, you stay out of my room, and no...women...especially vampire ones, no vampires, period"

"Slayer, everyone in my species are gunning to kill me...I don't think that's a problem...which, by the way, I just want to say...huh?"

Buffy rolled her eyes, "You tell him, it's much too painful for me..."

Dawn grinned, "You're moving in."

"What?!" Spike leapt to his feet, his eyes wide, "No bloody way! What is this? A new plot to torture me some more?!"

"Believe me, Spike...it's my torture," Buffy shuddered, "Just...please, Spike...I need someone here when Dawn's at school. The house is only five minutes from the school, and I need to know there's someone that close in case Glory tries something again."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, "I need someone...to help me. And that has to be good enough for you...cause you know how much I positively hate asking you for anything...I need this...alot."

Spike sighed deeply, "Yeah...I know..." he shook his head, "I want to say no, Slayer..."

Buffy inhaled sharply as Spike looked towards Dawn, "But I owe it to Joyce to...to look over the Nibblet...but I'm not happy about this either."

Buffy slowly nodded, looking towards Dawn, "I hate you."

"I hate you too," Dawn smiled at her sister and Buffy rolled her eyes, as Spike grumbled, heading back into the kitchen.

"But if you think I'm paying bloody rent, you're wrong!"

"I'm home!" Dawn announced, dropping her keys on the table beside the door. Spike didn't even look over from his 'private' office set up in the corner of the living room, his eyes on the computer screen.

"Plug in your phone," he said right away, and Dawn rolled her eyes as hooked her purple cell phone in the charger next to his black one.

"Don't I always?"

"Yeah, right," he muttered beneath his breath as Dawn came to stand beside him.

"You bought a computer? Oh my God, you're so cool! Can I play on it?"

"This isn't for playing," Spike growled, grabbing the sheets he printed out, tossing them on the coffee table behind him, then caught Dawn's pout, "No, don't even try it..."

"Pretty, pretty please?" Dawn pleaded, clasping her hands angelically in front of her, and Spike groaned, standing up.

"You get an hour. And don't go on those porn sites!"

"EW! As if," Dawn grimaced, sitting down in his place, and Spike rolled his eyes as he started to fill out a few personal checks, and Dawn giggled, looking over at him, "Your middle name is Anthony?"

"Shut up," he muttered, snapping his checkbook closed.

"Can Lisa come over later?"

"When did I become your Da?" He protested, "Don't ask me, ask the Slayer!"

"But you're more likely to say yes then her."

"I'm being played by a three thousand year old girl...great...I thought I was done with that."

"You just moved onto humans, that's all," Dawn grinned at him as he shook his head, "Besides, you know you love me."

"Love to eat you..." he looked thoughtful, "I wonder if the chip would work on you..."

"Try it, and Buffy gets to use you as a personal punching bag."

"Right, there is that," Spike rolled his eyes as said Slayer came in, plugging in her own red cell phone in right away, "See? Her, I don't have to remind."

"What is this?" Buffy stared at the computer, then glared at Spike, "You know we can't afford that!"

"Relax, Slayer, it's my own money," He growled, not telling her that it was most of his money going to pay the bills. She'd hate being indebted to him, and he hated admitting he did anything worthwhile.

"You have money? Then why are you always making us pay for information?"

"Haven't done that in a while," he said, sounding insulted, "Besides, I didn't get this loaded by giving away stuff for free."

Buffy rolled her eyes, looking back towards the computer, "Oh! Tomb Raider! Dibs after Dawn!"

Spike sighed, shaking his head, "Oh...bloody hell..."