Title ~ Waking

Author ~ SunnyD

Disclaimer ~ All belong to Joss who rocks!

Rating ~ PG~13

Summary ~ Continues from the last chapter. It is the next morning.

A/N ~ Sorry for such the long wait. I’ve been kind of busy with my company and today I got some time to myself. I might have the next chapter either up this week or weekend. But I can’t be sure; finals are coming for me! Ugh! But anyways…on with the story.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Do you have a picture of her?" Buffy asked Spike tenderly as they sat on the couch in the living room that early morning. Both of the blondes had been up all night. Spike had told her of his life in Boston with Erin and Elena. This was then that Buffy felt somewhat sorry for herself and envious of Spike. He had what she always wanted, a family, someone to love forever. Buffy had been trying to do that very same thing since she was 15 and it only took Spike two years to do that. It wasn’t fair.

"Yeah…" he croaked before lifting himself off of the couch and towards the closet by the stairs where all of Spike and Erin’s belongings were kept. A little while he had returned back to the couch with a small leather folder in his hands. "These are my pictures." He told her as he opened it up and showed the photos to her.

Buffy was amazed by how beautiful each picture was. The first one was of little Erin playing in a sandbox, not even noticing that her father was taking a picture of her. She looked so sweet and innocent. As Buffy went through them, she was astonished of how well Spike could capture an emotion in each photo. It was finally that Buffy came upon a picture of Elena. She was lying on a bed with her long auburn hair stretched out behind her and her thin mouth curved into a happy smile. Buffy could note the love in her eyes for Spike. No wonder Spike fell in love with her.

"She was beautiful…" Buffy told Spike quietly, shutting the leather folder and looked over at Spike who was staring at the folder with complete sadness.

"That she was Buffy." Spike choked back a sob; he could feel the tears that he thought that he had gotten rid of that night, creep back up on him. Buffy saw the sorrow in his eyes and pulled him closer towards her so that she could comfort him.

"Hey…it is okay," Buffy soothed the whimpering ex-vampire who was now shaking with pain. "Erin is safe now. I’m not going to let anything touch or hurt her." She whispered into his ear, she could now smell the cold sweat that was trailing down his shaking body. She then took his chin in her fingertips and tilted it up so that she could look into his eyes. "Hey…shh…" She cooed, running one of her hands through his dark blonde hair. She noticed how soft and thick it was compared to how hard and crispy it use to be.

"Buffy…" he breathed, resting his forehead on her shoulder and continued to sob quietly. "God, help me." Suddenly, a loud, ear splitting scream erupted throughout the house.

"DADDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!" Erin screamed at the top of her lungs. When Spike heard his daughter, he immediately bolted from his place on the couch and up towards Buffy’s old room. Spike ran over to the bed and lifted Erin into his arms, rocking her back and forth.

"Don’t cry pet." He told her sweetly, rubbing her back tenderly with his hand. "Dad’s ‘ere."

"Daddy," Erin hiccuped with sadness, "I had a bad dream."

"You want to tell Daddy about it?" He asked with concern, looking directly into his daughter’s eyes. Buffy watched carefully from the door, not wanting to disturb the father, daughter moment.

"I was with mommy, playing in da sandbox. Then dis big man with a white coat on took me away from mommy to a big white room." The little girl sniffled as she remembered her nightmare. Spike only kissed her tears away as she continued. "And den, I saw all these people around dis chair. They were hurting someone and when dey moved away. I saw they were hurting you!" The girl began to sob as she saw all the white people poking stuff in her daddy’s chest while he was crying out in immense and utter pain. "I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop dem!"

"No tears luv." He said soothingly, kissing her forehead. "I’m okay and you’re okay. So no worries." The little blonde nodded her head as she heard her daddy. "Now, how bout we go back to sleep, eh"?

"I’m so escared…" she whimpered, small tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. "Don’t make me go back to sweep Daddy."

"Will you go back to sleep if I sleep with you?" He asked her delicately, stroking her hair with love and adoration.

"Yes…" she answered, letting out a huge yawn as did he. Spike let a lazy smile appear on his lips as he laid her down on the bed. Turning to Buffy he let out another yawn.

"I’m going to sleep, if that is okay with you?" He asked the Slayer who nodded her head at him.

"Yeah, I have to head into work anyways. Maybe, sometime today, you two could stop by and see me. We could go eat lunch or something." She suggested shyly. Spike smirked as he saw the Slayer blush, and it was directed at him even.

"Yeah, maybe we will." He nodded his head, the amused smile still on his face. "Goodnight Slayer." Spike said before crawling under the sheets with Erin who snuggled closely to his body, burying her head in the crook of his neck.

~*~

Buffy grinned as she watched the couple walk out of the gallery with their very expensive purchase. It only took Buffy 20 minutes to sell that painting; it was a new record for her. Everything was going right this morning and she couldn’t stop smiling. The thick ice that was placed between both her and Spike had slowly melted away with the events of last night and this morning.

It was then that Buffy began to wonder if he and Erin would show up today. Buffy loved that little girl already only after knowing her for 1 day. It was weird to Buffy how one child could affect her in that way.

Suddenly the bell to the gallery began to jingle and in ran little Erin, laughing till her heats content.

"Hi Vuffy!" The little girl bounced, her purple dress moving all over the place. "You look pretty today!"

"Thank you Erin," Buffy blushed at the girl as she tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, as did Erin. "Where is your daddy?"

"Oh! He is coming. Daddy was very slow today. He looks tired. I think he needs a nap." She giggled, Buffy smiled as the little girl began to play with her hair which was done up in braided pigtails.

The bell jingled once again and in strolled Spike, his hands placed casually in the pockets of his khaki pants, the sleeves on his tight turtleneck sweater rolled up.

"You look handsome…"Buffy said lightly which caused Spike to stop dead in his tracks. He wasn’t use to comments like that from other women, only from Elena. Buffy noted the shocked, saddened look on his face, "sorry."

"Don’t worry about it," he said to her, picking his daughter up off of the ground, "besides, someone here already looks better." He smiled over at Erin who was blushing.

"Daddy," Erin groaned at Spike, her cheeks becoming even redder.

"What?" He asked her with a confused look on his still beautiful features, "you already know you’re pretty. You tell people that all the time."

"I know," the girl said, playing with one of her pigtails, "but it is weird when YOU tell people. It embarrasses me!" Erin shook her head as she then placed her forehead against Spike’s. "But don’t worry, I still love you." She giggled placing a little kiss on his nose.

"Hey!" Buffy poked Erin in the belly, catching her attention, "you hungry?"

"MMMMMM…" Erin said scratching her head as she began to think, "yeah!"

"Well, what are you hungry for because I’m going to take you out for lunch?" Buffy asked the girl who began to think again, looking deep in thought, well as much as five-year olds could get.

"How bout…uh…Burger King!" The girl chirped, grabbing the bottom of her purple dress with excitement.

"Alright, Burger King it is!" Buffy chuckled walking behind the store counter and grabbed her coat. "Maybe afterwards we can go see Jacob at the Magic Box?"

"Yay! Jacob!" The girl bounced with pure anticipation in her father’s arms. So much, that he had to put her down on the ground. "Can I get a cheeseburger Vuffy?" The girl asked the Slayer with wide eyes.

"Yes, Erin." Buffy answered her question as the little girl took the Slayer’s hand and pulled her quickly out of the door.

~*~

"Mom, I’m bored…" Jacob groaned as he threw his pencil down on the research table. "Can we leave?"

"No, you are the one who wanted to come to work with me and you’re going to stay until I’m done." Anya instructed him firmly, grabbing a feather duster and began to dust the shelves. "You want to help mommy?" She asked, pointing towards the duster.

"No!" Jacob snapped as he went back to his picture that he was drawing for Erin. "Is Erin coming today?"

"I don’t know honey," Anya said a little distracted with what she was doing, "I think she and her daddy might need some rest."

"Are you mad that Erin’s dad is here, mom?" Jacob asked with curiosity.

"No Jake, I was just a little shocked that he was here. Dad and I thought that he had left for good." Anya said as she turned away from the shelves and towards her son who was focusing on her instead of his drawing that he had been working on all afternoon.

"Oh okay mom." Jacob nodded his head, going back to his drawing. Unexpectedly the bell to the Magic Box jingled with happiness as the door opened.

"Oh a customer!" Anya beamed as she threw down her feather duster and ran towards the cash register, the shop hadn’t had a customer all day.

"Hey Anya," Buffy greeted as she, Erin and Spike walked into the shop. The smile on Anya’s features melted away when she saw the three, she was really hoping that it was a customer.

"Oh, hey." The woman groaned miserably, sitting down on the stool that was next to her.

"What is wrong Anya?" Buffy asked with sympathy.

"I was hoping that you all were a customer." Anya sighed once more and then opened the cash register to start counting the money. She needed something to make her feel better.

Jacob jumped for joy when he saw Erin in Spike’s arms. "Hey Erin!" The boy skipped over to the threesome and looked up at Erin with adoration. "You want to come draw with me?" He asked shyly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Sure." The girl chimed as she squirmed her way out of her father’s arms and made her way towards the table with the Harris boy.

"So, not been a good day for you?" Buffy looked at Anya, who turned her attention away from the money and at the Slayer.

"Not really. I haven’t had hardly and customers this whole week." The shopkeeper groaned, placing the money back into the cash register and shut it up tightly.

"Don’t worry pet, I’m sure things will get better." Spike nodded his head at her. Anya smiled at the ex-vampire’s reassurance.

"Thanks. So, what have you guys been up to?"

"Well, we took Erin to lunch and decided to let her come by and play with Jacob." Spike indicated over to the kids who were busy drawing pictures of their favorite animals.

"Tell me what happened Spike," Anya pleaded lightly. Spike whipped his head around towards the vengeance demon and looked at her with confusion. " I want to know."

"Fine." Spike groaned as he walked over towards the table and grabbed two chairs for him and Buffy. Sitting down and making himself comfortable, Spike began.

"Well, it all started when I left Sunnydale…"

To be Continued…

Title ~ What to do now?

Author ~ SunnyD

Disclaimer ~ All belong to Joss who rocks!

Rating ~ PG~13

Summary ~ Basically leaves off after the last chapter.

A/N ~ Finals are this week!!!!! Ugh! I did my English one today although, I don’t think my Essay was all to good. Anyways…I could have the next chapter up this week or defiantly this weekend because then exams will be over. Ugh! But anyways on with the chapter!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anya shook her head as she placed her cup down on the store counter. "I’m so sorry Spike." She said sincerely placing her hand gently over his.

"Thanks pet." He replied running a hand through his hair. "I’m just glad that I am here though with you lot and so that I can protect Erin." At the mention of his own daughter, Spike turned his head to find both Erin and Jacob curled on top of the shop table, both of them sound asleep.

"What I can’t understand is how the Initiative would find you? I mean they closed the program a long time ago and also how would they be able to find you. If the chip deactivated when you became human then they couldn’t track you anyways. They could’ve just thought you were dead." Anya tried to puzzle out; she was still confused about the whole situation, as was Spike.

"I don’t know Anya." He sighed, tearing his eyes away from his daughter and back to the demon. "I’ve been trying to figure that out for the last couple of weeks. I still don’t know and I don’t care because all I care about now is what happens to my daughter." He told both women firmly.

"But what if the Initiative somehow tracks you down and find out that you have been hiding out here. What do you plan to do?" Anya asked timidly, she didn’t want to upset this man that she use to consider her friend.

"Run. Leave Erin here and run." He answered back, his sapphire eyes avoiding Anya’s eyes as much as he could. "They don’t know about Erin, yet, and I don’t want them too. If I leave her here, I know she will be safe. Then maybe one day, when they’ve stopped looking for me, I’ll come back for her."

Before any of the women could give their opinion about his plan, Spike received a slight tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he smiled at the sight of his little girl who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Can we go now Daddy?" She asked tiredly, "I am sweepy and I don’t like the way the table feels." Spike nodded his head as he picked the five-year old off of the floor and turned to Buffy and Anya.

"I need to take her home." He told Buffy whom simply nodded and turned to Anya to say goodbye before both of then left the shop.

~*~

Buffy watched in careful detail as she drove down road. She was so proud of herself the day that she obtained her driver’s license. It was like a chapter in her life was closed the day she learned to drive.

Looking to the right of her Buffy could see Spike looking out of window, the bright light from the streetlights bouncing off of his face. Back in the day, the lights use to make him seem extremely pale, like a ghost but now it showed off how beautiful he truly was.

Spike then turned to look at her when he got the feeling that someone was watching him. When he did turn to look at her, Buffy quickly directed her attention back on the road.

"You want to say something." Spike said as he watched her in great detail as he did when he was looking out his window. Even though he was human, he could still see right through her.

"How do you know that?" Buffy replied still not looking at him as she turned the corner.

"Because you had that look in your eyes as if you wanted to say something." He said once more, still looking at her.

"I don’t think you should run Spike." Buffy said as she finally gave in and told him what she thought.

"And why is that Summers?" He asked calmly but you could feel the heat in his voice.

"It won’t be good for Erin." She said timidly and turned to look at him. His jaw tightened at her words, yup she shouldn’t have said that.

"How do you know what is good for my daughter Buffy?" He hissed through his pearly white teeth. "What would you do? I mean I would rather her stay here and be protected by people I trust than have her with me where she’ll probably get killed. At least she is safe and that is all I want for her, is to be safe. Do you understand that?"

"Yeah…" She sighed looking away from the angry look he was giving her. "I understand that."

The tone of Spike’s face began to change as he saw the somewhat frightened look in Buffy’s face. He didn’t mean to hurt her if he did at all. He was so upset with the whole Elena thing he didn’t know what he was saying.

Before Spike could apologize to her though the car stopped and they were back at the Summer’s house.

"I’m going to patrol. See you later." She told him quickly before she exited the car in a hurry. Spike watched as the Slayer ran inside the house and quickly ran back out in a flash, he stake grasped tightly in her small little hands.

Spike shook his head as he watched the Slayer go. "Daddy?" Erin whispered from the back seat. She had been awake for a while.

"Yes my love?" Spike asked as he turned around to look at his little girl.

"Why were you mean to Vuffy?" She asked quietly, her daddy looked sad and angry at the same time. Erin didn’t like to her daddy mad.

"Daddy didn’t mean it sweetheart." Spike told her sincerely as the little girl had all her attention focused on him. "I am still upset about your mother."

"But you shouldn’t worry about mommy anymore, Daddy. She’s in heaven with all the pretty clouds and my old kitty Smokey." The little girl sad somewhat sadly at the memory of her cat. "She told me in my dream that you shouldn’t worry about her."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, oh daddy she was so pretty in my pretty. She was glowing and she had pretty wings like an angel. I wanted to see her fly but she had to go away and take care of Smokey." The girl giggled as she began to play with her pigtails.

"I’m glad that you found that amusing my love." Spike smirked at her.

"But Daddy…can you be nice to Vuffy? I like her and I don’t want you to be mean to her. She missed you while you were away." Erin said sadly, as she looked her daddy in the eyes, both pairs of blue eyes meeting each other.

"How do you know that pet?"

"When she looks at you, she seems sad." Erin said as he bottom lip poked out in a slight pout.

Spike shook his head as he watched his daughter began to pout, "you just had to give me that look didn’t you? Alright…I will try to be nice to Buffy." Erin beamed when she heard her father and began to giggle with delight, "now come on, time to get you to bed." Spike told her as she unbuckled herself from her seat and both made their way inside the house.

~*~

Buffy cracked her neck as she hung her coat up on the rack. The vampire population had sure been growing this week she had staked seven vamps tonight. Dawn must haven’t gone patrolling tonight, probably had a date with Rick or something. Ugh whatever, I really need a glass of water.

Buffy shook her head as she walked towards the kitchen. She was about to get herself a glass but was sidetracked when she Spike sitting outside in the backyard beside the pool that had been built last summer. Re-thinking the whole water idea, Buffy made her way outside and towards the former vampire.

"Hey." She greeted calmly which caught the man’s attention quickly because as soon as Spike heard her speak he turned to look at her.

"You got a pool." He said in somewhat surprise as he looked away from her and back into the water.

"Yeah, we got it last summer. Jacob and his friend’s from school like to come over and swim in it." Buffy told him as she began to fidget around in the spot that she was standing in.

Spike smirked as he listened to Buffy, "how was patrol?"

"Good, staked seven vamps tonight." The former Slayer basked in her accomplishment.

"You still got it." Spike grinned at the Slayer and then turned back to the water.

"Yeah, I know!" She giggled.

Spike’s smile faded though as he remembered what his daughter had said to him earlier tonight." Buffy, can I talk to you?"

"Shoot." The Slayer said as she collapsed down next Spike, "I am all ears."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Title ~ One Night

Author ~ SunnyD

Disclaimer ~ All belong to Joss! And the song ‘One Night’ belongs to the Corrs. I got the idea of this scene from a movie I watched with this very song in it.

Rating ~ PG~13

Summary ~ Some Spuffyness ensures if you must know. Hehe.

A/N ~ After reading with one of my latest posts I do realize that probably most of you are waiting for something to happen. And I do agree. But you see I use this method where I know what happens in the beginning and an idea I want for the end. So basically I am writing this as I go along. Plus I have been pushed for time with exams and all. But don’t worry these next two chapters, stuff does happens and from then on out. I don’t know what is going to happen. So bear with me! Okay that is enough rambling by me. Just thanks for all the reviews and supports and helpful comments you all have made. Okay…on with the chapter!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Buffy, can I talk to you?" Spike asked gently as his daughter’s echoed throughout his head. ‘She missed you while you were away.’

"Shoot!" Buffy chirped back at him as she removed her shoes and sat down next to him, placing her feet in the water. "I am all ears."

"I just…well…" He tried to speak but for some reason he couldn’t get the right words out. Why was it so hard to apologize to her? "I’m sorry."

Buffy widened her eyes as she heard those words come out of his mouth, "Come again?" She sort of asked in disbelief.

"I Am Sorry." He said once again although more slowly so the words could process in her head. She shouldn’t be that shocked about me apologizing to her, he thought in his head as he watched Buffy try to let his words sink in. She has already seen me cry on her shoulder, what else is there to be shocked about?

"You okay?" He slightly chuckled as he saw the blank and somewhat shocked look on her face.

"Yeah, I just…it is kind of weird to hear those words come out of your mouth. So unlike the Spike I use to know." She smirked slightly at him and then looked down at her feet and watched as they began to swirl around in the water, the bright moonlight bouncing off of them.

"Well, I’m not the same bloke you knew Buffy." Spike sighed as he now realized that they had gotten off of topic on why he was sorry. "Look, I just wanted to tell you about how I was sorry for snapping at you earlier tonight. I…uh, shouldn’t have done that. I’m just angry with all these certain things and I took it out on you."

Buffy just shook her head at the former vampire, "hey, no prob. I have dealt with your shit before when you were a vampire, doesn’t mean that I can’t deal with it now." She laughed as did Spike.

"Seriously Buffy…I just don’t know what to do. The waiting is killing me. This whole situation is killing me. I mean do I stay here and wait or do I just run so that they won’t be able to find me?" He confessed as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Whatever your plan may be, I know it’ll be the right one." She told him softly. Now it was Spike’s turn to be surprised.

"Eh?"

"I know that back in the day, your plans well…sucked." Buffy lightly giggled but then she continued, "but I know that what ever you choose it is going to be Erin’s best interest because that is the kind of man I think you are." She smiled at Spike who still had the blank stare on his face like she had only minutes ago but then it faded and turned into a bright smile.

"Thanks Summers."

"Only here to help." She chirped as she ran her hand through his curly hair without even thinking about it. What did I just do that for? Buffy asked herself as she jerked her hand away from his hair. This is very weird, she observed, I mean first Spike and I are fighting and now we are all buddy buddy and playful. That’s never happened before. Seems kind of cheesy.

"Oi!" Spike huffed as he immediately fixed his hair, "what did you do that for?"

"Oh my gosh, you are still obsessed with you hair!" Buffy laughed out loud. "Isn’t it about time that you got over that?"

"Me? I’m still obsessed with my hair? What about you?" He chuckled deeply as an impish grin appeared on his face as he quickly reached over and ruffled her hair until it was in a big fluff ball.

Buffy’s mouth gaped open as she began to run her hands through her hair, trying to get it back to it’s original look but she couldn’t because she was too distracted by Spike’s hard laughter. Angry with him, she gave Spike a playful shove. As did Spike, just as quickly which caused Buffy to fall over more than she did inteneded.

"Okay that is it!" Buffy shrieked as she bolted onto her feet and looked down at Spike. "You mess up my hair and push me down really hard! Come on! Give me all you got!" The girl continued to yell.

"Buffy…Slayer… I think you need to just calm down." Spike told her quietly as he stood up so that they could be on the same level, his back facing towards the pool. "You’re going to wake up the whole neighborhood. Let’s just forget about it and go back inside." He tried to reason with her but she quickly shook her head as she went into her fighting stance. "Come on Buffy, you know I can’t fight you. I don’t have the strength I use to, human remember?"

Buffy let out a loud huff as she charged Spike realizing that she was going to push him into the pool, he quickly moved to the side, which allowed Buffy to take a nosedive into the chilly water. When she came out from under the water though, Spike couldn’t help but laugh it up as she began to wave her arms around in the water frantically, her black mascara just running down her face with nothing to stop it.

"What the hell! I’m going to kill you! You bastard! You got me all wet!!!!!" She screamed at him angrily while he continued to laugh at her expense.

"Oh come on Slayer! You just got a little wet, what is the big deal!" He continued to laugh at her while the glare on her face just hardened.

"Fine! Let’s see how you like it!" She yelled out loud before she jumped up and grabbed Spike’s hand and pulled him into the pool also. It was now Buffy’s turn to laugh as she saw the look on his face. He was actually pouting! "Oh come on Spike, it is just a little water." She said as she feigned innocence at him. "No harm done."

Spike let out a fierce growl as he splashed her with a ton of water, which made the mascara on her face run even more. As soon as she could get the water out of her eyes, Buffy began to splash tons of water his way. What seemed to be just some innocent splashing in the beginning ended up turning into a big water fight between the two.

Buffy beamed as she suddenly got the upper hand in their little water fight as she repeatedly threw water in Spike’s face, which didn’t really help his vision. Suddenly she stopped when she could no longer see Spike anymore. Darting her head from side to side, Buffy saw that Spike was nowhere to be found.

"Spike?" She whispered quietly to the air. "Spike? Hello? Spike…William?"

Buffy then let out a piercing scream as she felt two strong hands grasp on to her forearms. "Let me go! AHHHHHH! Spike!!!!" She continued to scream but then stopped when she saw Spike’s head poke out of the water with an amused smile on his face.

"Jesus Christ Slayer…it is only me, don’t need to get your knickers in a twist." He grinned at her as his grip on her forearms tightened.

"Bastard…" she hissed lightly at him and then looked at his cheek which had a red scratch across it. "Hey when did this happen?" Buffy asked as she lightly traced the scratch with the tip of her finger.

"I think just a few minutes ago when you were splashing me." He grinned as he let one of his hands move away from her arm and to his cheek. "Oh well, no harm done. Didn’t even notice it."

"Sorry…" She whispered to him as her eyes reached his. They looked so different now. When he was a vampire, they were so bright and full of life and now they were dull and sort of grey. There was a lot of pain in those eyes that went deeper than his wife’s death; it was something painful and raw. Buffy now wished she could wipe that fear and pain away from his eyes, so he could be happy again.

Spike was just about to say something when Buffy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a tight hug that allowed their bodies to come closer together. He felt like he should have said something at that point but he didn’t because he then snaked his arms gently around her waist.

It was the neighbor’s radio that then caused their bodies to sway with each other.

*Long day and I'm ready - I'm waiting for your call
'Cos I've made up my mind
My heart aches with a hunger and the want that you were mine
No I cannot deny*

Spike let a small smile appear on his lips as he felt Buffy’s body move with his. In the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn’t be doing this, doing this to Elena. But this was all he had left of what he use to be when he and Buffy were together. It was comforting for him.

*So for one night, is it alright
That I give... you
My heart, my love, my heart
Just for one night
My body, my soul
Just for one night
My love, my love
For one night, one night, one night*

Buffy grasped onto him tighter as she felt his hot breath coarse down her neck. She wanted to be closer to him, to feel his pain and make it all better. She wanted to care for him like he did to her when she first came back from the dead.

I have missed him. She thought in her head as she rested her head on his shoulder and let out a long breath. This is the first time I have realized it…I have missed him. The time that I have spent with him has made me realize what he use to mean to me.

*When morning awakes me
Well I know I'll be alone
And I feel I'll be fine
So don't you worry about me
I'm not empty on my own
For inside I'm alive *

This is what Spike had dreamed of doing when he was a vampire, to be able to touch her without her pushing him away. And now when it did happen, it just came at the wrong time for him. He had already fallen in love with another women whom he married and had her child.

This is wrong, Spike thought for the millionth time. In the past this would’ve been my dream but I don’t know. It is like whenever I am with her; I can feel the old Spike coming out. The Spike that loved her no matter what happened and the Spike that cared for her and her family. Although Spike knew that this was wrong but he couldn’t help but want to touch her, to feel her skin touching his.

*That for one night, it was so right
That I gave... you
My heart (my heart...), my love, my heart
Just for one night (one night...)
My body, my soul
Just for one night (one night...)
My love, I loved
For one night (one night...), one night, one night*

"William…" She whispered lovingly in his ear that made him want to hold her even more.

"Yes…" He whispered back softly into her own ear as he felt her hands run up from his neck and through his hair.

"I’ve missed you so much." She confessed as she choked back a sob. It was too much, his scent; his eyes, his skin and just his whole essence made her want to confess everything to him. Everything she had felt about him and how she felt now.

Spike pulled his head away from the side of her face as he felt her warm tears trace his skin. He only lightly smiled at her tears and brushed them off with his thumb. "And I you pet."

"Don’t ever leave again please." She begged as more tears began to fall from her eyes. "I don’t want you to. I didn’t mean what I had said the first time you came back. I do trust you…I do…I do…"She continued to sob. "Don’t hate me please."

"I couldn’t hate you Buffy." He whispered lovingly as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. All at once Buffy’s crying ceased and she looked deeply into Spike’s eyes.

*For one night, it was so right
That I gave... you
My heart (my heart), my love, my heart
Just for one night (one night...)
My body, my soul
Just for one night (one night...)
My love, my love
For one night (one night), one night, one night
One night...*

Before either of them knew it, Buffy was moving her lips towards his and fired them into a beautiful kiss. It wasn’t filled with fire and pain like it used to be. It was now filled with passion and caring for on another. When Buffy had felt his lips connect with her’s she quickly wrapped her arms around his small waist, pulling him closer to her.

Oh God, I have missed this. She said to herself as she deepened their kiss and the space between them until none of them had the room to breathe. I even think that I might…

"I can’t do this." Spike said as he pulled away from her, "I just can’t."

"What is wrong?" She asked timidly, really wanting to touch him once again.

"This isn’t right Buffy. I…I have to go check on Erin." He rushed as he pulled himself out of the pool and instantaneously ran back inside.

Buffy watched sadly as he made his way inside. What had she just done?

To Be Continued…

Title ~ Tension

Author ~ SunnyD

Disclaimer ~ All belong to Joss who rockz!

Rating ~ PG~13

Summary ~ Look at the title…It basically says what this whole Chapter is about.

A/N ~ I was like so pissed off the other day because I posted the latest chapter but because Fanfic.net was screwed up today it did it three times! So what did I do? I deleted the other two hoping that would work. Well it didn’t!!!!!!! Cause when I went to go check up on how many reviews I have gotten it said I only have 4 chapter! I looked up my name in the search engine and it showed also that I had four chapters but when I opened it up it showed that I had 8! Ugh! SO I have been trying all day to fix it. SO maybe if I put up a new chapter, it will work. Anyways…on with the chapter…dream sequence with this: *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*

"It is such a beautiful day." Buffy admired while she sat on the knitted picnic blanket watching the area of land before her. It was such a gorgeous day to go sit out in the park. The birds were chirping at a low cheerful tone so that they wouldn’t disturb you as much. The sun was bright but not too bright, just enough to accent everything lovely in the whole area. The air was crisp and clean and smelled like a beautiful autumn day even though from the looks of it, it was really springtime but this was a dream and it didn’t matter. Buffy only beamed as she turned away from the scenery and back to her novel that she was busy reading.

Suddenly, the sounds of laughter could be heard and looking up Buffy saw both Erin and Jacob running around in circles, basically chasing each other. Erin began to giggle as Jacob finally caught her and they both fell to the ground. Buffy couldn’t help but laugh herself as the two children began to roll around in the nicely cutgrass, throwing blades of it at one another.

"Children will always be children won’t they?" A deep voice called out; whipping her head around Buffy saw Spike who was grinning affectionately at her.

"I guess so…" Buffy sighed as she placed her book down next to her. She almost gasped at how wonderful the park’s sunlight brought out the beauty in him. It made his bright eyes stand out and his tanned skin to seem smoother and darker.

"But you can’t help but love them though, no matter how much they drive you crazy." He said smoothly, placing his hands into the pockets of his dark khaki pants and began to circle the blanket slowly while his eyes watched her intensely.

Buffy began to shift as she felt the fierce heat of his stare. "Are we still talking about the children or you?" She asked quizzically, her eyebrows knitting together. He drove her crazy all the time and yet she couldn’t help but feel immense tenderness for him.

"Both." He said smoothly once again as he continued to circle her slowly while his eyes continued to wander over her figure as if he was trying to figure something out. "Mostly me though, I presume."

"Thought so…" She sighed as she watched him entered the sunlight once again and couldn’t help but smile when she saw how the sun brought out his dark blonde locks.

"It will take some time for me to heal…you know that right?" He asked her quietly as he ceased his circling and stood right in front of her, in the direct hit of the sun’s rays.

"Yes, I know." She replied sadly, looking down at her bronzed legs. "But I can’t help the way I feel about you though William." She said as she looked back up at him, into those eyes that she wanted to save so much.

"I understand Buffy." He nodded his head slightly and then turned his head to look over his shoulder to look at the children but they were no longer there. "And maybe when I’ve healed, I can feel the same about you."

"Then I shall wait." She informed him, looking deeper into the raw ice pools that were his eyes and awaited his answer. She didn’t want to wait for him but she could understand why she would have to.

"But…until then…" He smirked as he dropped down on his knees in front of her and took her hand gently in his, kissing it delicately with his lips. He then pulled away and reached for the side of her face and brought it towards him in a virtuous and loving kiss that made Buffy want to cry out for more. As quickly as she could Buffy reached for the back of his head and deepened the kiss until you couldn’t deepen it any more…

*

Buffy twitched her eyes as she felt the sun shine on them. Looking over at her bedside table she saw that it was 7 in the morning. What a dream! She thought in her head as she remembered Spike’s lips on hers. Letting out a huge yawn Buffy eye’s focused back on the small clock.

"I don’t want to get up!!!!" Buffy groaned with un-appreciation as she turned over in bed and placed her comforter over her head.

"What was that last night?" The Slayer asked herself, her bright hazel eyes moving from side to side as she began to process her thoughts. "What did it mean? Does he feel something for me?" The former Slayer scrunched her eyebrows together as she began to think that question over and over. "He couldn’t. He is still dealing with Elena. He couldn’t just stop loving her…she was his wife." Buffy sighed sadly as she slightly closed her eyes.

"This is just too much!!!!!" She groaned once more as she threw the covers back off of her. "Might as well get dressed." Buffy told herself getting up out of bed and made her to her dresser where she changed out of her pajamas and into some regular clothes. Suddenly there was a knock her door. "Come in."

"Hey Buffy!" Dawn chirped as she entered her sister’s room with a pair of damp clothes held tightly in her hands. "You’re up kind of early."

"Yeah, I had a hard time sleeping last night…you know." Buffy laughed nervously and then almost died when she saw what was clutched in her sister’s hands, her clothes from last night! Damn! I forgot to put those in the washer!

"Well, that probably cause you took a little dip in the pool last night." Dawn perked up one of her eyebrows as she held up Buffy’s clothes in front of her. When the former Slayer saw the look Dawn was giving her she began to shuffle her weight from side to side on each of her feet. Should she tell her or not about what happened last night?

"You want to tell me about what went on because I also went into the laundry room this morning and found a pair of Spike’s clothes which were also wet." The girl asked as she grinned at her sister, she knew that Buffy couldn’t run from this situation and that she would be forced to tell Dawn what happened.

"Alright, something did happen…" Buffy sighed as she plopped back down on her bed and buried her hands in her head. Letting out a long breath she began to tell Dawn of the events that had occurred that previous night. She didn’t leave out a single detail either. "…And then he just got up and left, practically running away from me."

"Oh my god." Dawn gasped as her hand covered her mouth; her eyes wide like saucers.

"I know, I know, I KNOW!" Buffy groaned as she placed her head in her hands once more. Trying to puzzle her life out. " It shouldn’t have happened. It was just that I-"

"This is great!" Dawn chirped with happiness as she enveloped her arms around her sister’s neck.

"No, no, no, no and no Dawn! Not great." Buffy shook her head erratically while prying her sister’s arms from around her neck. "It isn’t right."

"Come on Buffy…this is what I have been waiting for since I was 14 years old and not that is has happened, I am just so happy for you! This is wonderful!" Dawn said with excitement, and was about to say something else but Buffy quickly stopped her by placing her finger over her younger sister’s mouth.

"No Dawn it isn’t!" Buffy huffed, pulling her finger away from her sister’s mouth. "He is hurting Dawn. He just lost his wife and is left to raise his only daughter on his own while this government cooperation wants to use him as a lab experiment. No Dawn…this couldn’t have come at a worse time." The former Slayer sighed as she ran her hands through her hair, suddenly becoming very interested in her shoelaces while trying to process her thoughts for the millionth time.

"Yeah…you’re right." Dawn sighed just as her sister had did and you could see the excitement draining from her face. "This is not a good situation to be in."

"I just…I don’t know what to do Dawn." Buffy breathed as she moved away from the bed and towards her window and saw Spike and Erin sitting quietly in the backyard. She was sitting on his lap while he read to her, stroking her hair with delicacy. "Whenever he looks at me or speaks to me…or whenever I see him with Erin…I just want to hold him and tell him how much I care for him." The blonde confessed, turning away from the window and back at her younger sister who had a glint of tear in her eye.

"You should talk to him." Dawn said as she wiped the tear away from her eye. Buffy’s speech about how she felt about Spike actually did move her.

"About what?" Buffy asked confused as she furrowed her eyebrows at the brunette. "I mean what could I basically say to him. What is there to talk about?"

"I don’t know…but you should just go talk to him." Dawn sighed as she moved away from the bed and to the doorframe. "I’ll take Erin to the grocery store with me…so you guys can be alone."

~*~

"Daddy?" Erin chimed while she stared up in the sky as the fall leaves continued to float to the ground in numerous piles.

"Yes my love?" Spike replied as his eyes tore away from the book he was reading and towards his daughter who was still looking up at the sky.

"Will you tell me a pretty story?" She requested, turning away from the sky and made her way to Spike, climbing into his lap. Gently he took his arms and placed them around her waist and hugged her tightly.

"A story, eh?" Spike thought while Erin rested her head on his chest, playing with his navy blue sweater.

"Yeah…a story, with a princess and a prince. Only the princess saves the prince." The little girl grinned up at Spike and then went back to playing with his sweater. "She saves him from the monsters…like what Vuffy does."

"How did you know about that?" He asked looking down at his innocent little girl who only continued to play with his sweater.

"Jacob told me. He told me one time he wuz going to the park with Vuffy that this big green monster attacked ‘im and Vuffy made it go away." The little girl told him as she finally looked into his eyes and then smiled. "I want you tell me a story like that."

"Okay…" Spike smirked as he situated Erin in his lap so that she was facing him. "There was once evil goddess and her name was Glory…"

"Was she ugly????" Erin interrupted.

"Just listen, pet. There was also a pretty woman named Princess Buffy and Glory did not like Princess Buffy because the princess was much prettier than Glory and stronger."

"What happened next!!!" Erin giggled with excitement, liking the story already.

"Well…there was also a man named William. Now you see, William wasn’t any already man. He was a vampire." Spike almost laughed out loud as he saw Erin curled into a little ball at the mention of vampires. She had a scared look in those baby blues of hers. "Don’t be scared pet because William was a nice vampire. He didn’t hurt anyone because he and Princess Buffy liked to scare away the other demons away. William was in love with Princess Buffy but she didn’t love ‘im."

"Why?" Erin asked.

"It was complicated, pet." He said and then continued on. "But one day…Glory saw William and kidnapped him."

"Why?"

"She just did…anyways…when the Princess found out that Glory had captured William she went and rescued him from the goddess, scaring her away. And everyone lived happily ever after. The End." Spike sighed as he finished the story, it wasn’t really all that good but it was the best he could do, considering that actually did happen to him.

Then suddenly, he saw flashes of what happened in his crypt later that day after the Slayer had saved him. When she kissed him for the very first time. Oh, how he could have wept for joy when he felt his lips on hers, although he could barely feel anything considering how swelled up his lips were.

"That was a good story Daddy." Erin chirped and then kissed his nose lightly. "But did Princess Vuffy ever fall in love with Billiam?"

"No she didn’t luv. They just remained really good friends and William fell in love with someone else and he lived happily ever after." Spike sighed once more at his daughter who only shrugged her shoulders and went back to looking back up at the sky.

"Hey you two." Buffy said as she walked towards the pair with a happy smile on her face.

"Hi Vuffy!" Erin giggled as she ran over to Slayer and enveloped Buffy’s leg with her small, little arms.

"How are you doing today Erin?" Buffy asked the little blonde girl as she crouched down beside her.

"I am fine. Daddy just told me a story." The girl smiled proudly at the Slayer who nodded her head.

"Yeah, well that is nice. Hey listen…you want to go run an errand with my sister Dawn?" Buffy asked Erin as she poked her in the ribs slightly which caused the girl to squirm.

"Yay! Dawn!" Erin chirped and ran back towards Spike. "Daddy can I go run an rarrand with Dawn?"

Spike didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t left her alone and by herself since Elena’s death, fearing that his sweet child would be taken away from him and she was all he had left. But, he did trust Dawn with all his being, she was like his best friend and he knew that Dawn would watch out for her.

After a long pause of silence, Spike finally spoke. "I guess it is alright but ask Dawn not to stay out long because I want you back before the sun sets." He said firmly, pointing a finger at her.

"Thank you daddy!" Erin cheered as she jumped up and down with glee. "Wuv you very much!" She kissed his nose and then turned away from him and ran back inside the house where Dawn was waiting for her.

As soon as the little girl left, you could feel the weight of the tension between both Buffy and Spike. Remember what Dawn said…you need to talk to him. Buffy said inwardly as she watch Spike watching her with great detail. What about though?

"She’s so cute." Buffy admired as she began to walk in his direction, avoiding his eyes completely even though he couldn’t stop watching her.

"That she is." He breathed still not taking his eyes off of hers.

I should tell him how I feel. Buffy thought while looking down at the ground. I know that he won’t feel the same way and I know that he is going through some raw pain right now but I have to let him know that there is someone here that loves and cares for him.

"Look…Spike I wanted to talk to you about something." Buffy said calmly as she finally looked into his eyes for the first time since she came out there.

"About last night…" he trailed off, already knowing what she wanted to talk about before she even said anything. She had this look in her eyes that told him. She wanted to tell him something, knowing her it would be something negative and rude towards him. So he might as well say it for her.

Buffy nodded her head and she tore her gaze from his while she began to shuffle her weight from side to side. "I just wanted to tell you that, last night-"

"Was an accident, I know." He finished for her, thinking that was what she was going to say. Not knowing that she was going to say something much different from that. "It shouldn’t have happened. We just got caught up in the moment I guess."

"Yeah…"Buffy sighed, feeling a twinge of pain in her chest when she heard him speak those words. It was understandable how he felt though and Buffy knew this, but she just could not hold her feelings and bottle them up. "That is what I was going to say." She said as she plastered a fake smile on her face even though her heart was breaking inside her chest.

"You’re a wonderful girl Buffy." He smiled genuinely at her. "You’re going to make some guy really happy one day."

"I hope so." She sighed, but if that guy I want to make happy is you? She asked herself. "Look…I’m just going to go head into work, see if I can’t get this woman to buy this really expensive painting."

"See you later then." He told her as he went back to reading his book before throwing her a very charming smile.

"Yeah…see ya." She sighed before heading back inside.

~*~

"Dawn?" Erin whined slightly as she tugged on Dawn’s pant leg. "Are we ready to go yet? My Daddy didn’t want us to be home late."

"Don’t worry Erin." Dawn reassured her. "I just need to get some milk and then we will be on our way!" Grabbing a box of cereal off of one of the shelves, Dawn placed it inside the basket as they continued down the aisle towards the milk and dairy section.

When they finally made it to the milk and dairy product section, Dawn felt another hard tug on her pant leg. "What’s wrong Erin?" Dawn asked when she saw the worried look on the child’s face.

"That man over there keeps looking over here." Erin whimpered slightly, pointing across the room towards a man who was observing them quietly from the canned food aisle.

"Oh my God." Dawn gasped as she finally recognized him. He was very tall and had a strong build. You could tell that he was in a line of work that he used his body a lot, which would explain the build of his body. She remembered last seeing him with sandy blonde hair but now his hair was a dark brown hair color, almost black. It was that dumbfounded look on his face that caught her attention. "Riley?"

Before Dawn knew it though, Riley was walking in their direction with a goofy smile on his face. "Dawn?" He asked with curiosity as he studied her face.

"Riley…" She said with a slight venom in her voice. She didn’t like him and it was clear. Now that Dawn got a closer look at him she could now see the many scars that decorated his face and neck. His eyes were dull and had heavy bags under them. He looked like he had been through Hell and yet that goofy grin of his could make you think otherwise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…I’m on vacation and I just thought I would pop by Sunnydale and see how you all are doing!" He chuckled slightly at the young woman but somehow she couldn’t believe it.

"Really? That is interesting." She said with no emotion in her voice whatsoever. "So where is Sam?" She asked noticing that his wife wasn’t by his side.

"She is back in South America. She had work she needed to finish up, said I could go on without her. I hated leaving though." He told her and then noticed the little girl beside her. "And who is this?" He asked crouching down beside Erin who only hid behind Dawn’s leg. "Is she yours Dawn?"

Dawn didn’t know what she should tell him. For some reason, she didn’t like the fact that he just decided to pop by and didn’t have Sam with him at all, considering she was his wife. So, she did the best thing she could come up with. "Yeah…she is mine."

"And the father?" He asked, raising an eyebrow up at her.

"We are in an off and on relationship." Dawn grinned at him, hoping that he would buy it. Erin only cowered more and more as the seconds ticked away.

"I hope he is helping you with her?"

"Not that much but Buffy and I got it covered." Dawn nodded her head and inwardly she was letting out a sigh of relief that he believed her because Erin looked nothing like Dawn at all. The only she could claim that looked like her were Erin’s eyes, everything thing else was totally Spike, you could tell by the way she talked and looked.

"How is Buffy?"

"Good…good. She is working at the gallery now for mom. She makes a good amount of money." Dawn said as she sent a fake smile his way, hoping that this would all end soon so that she could just get Erin and herself home safe.

"That is good." He said as his goofy grin emerged once more and then looked down at his watch. "It is getting late, I must be going. Maybe sometime I’ll come by and see how Buffy and the rest of the gang are doing." Dawn nodded at him as he turned around and exited the grocery store.

"That was close." Dawn let out a sigh as she looked down at Erin who was shaking with fright. "Oh my gosh Erin, what’s wrong baby?" Dawn cooed as she bent down and lifted the girl into her arms.

"That man was in my bad dream." Erin whimpered as small tears began to trail down her round cheeks. "In my dream he took me away from my mommy and he hurt my daddy. He made my daddy cry." She sobbed, wrapping her arms around Dawn’s neck who just ran her hand through the girl’s hair and whispered comforting words in her ear. "Don’t let that man hurt my daddy! Please! Please! Don’t let that bad man hurt him!" She continued to cry and eventually fell asleep in Dawn’s arms.

To Be Continued…

Title ~ Misery Loves Company

Author ~ SunnyD

Disclaimer ~ All belong to Joss and Company

Rating ~ PG~13

Summary ~ Um…takes off after the other one. I’m not all that good when it comes to summaries, especially chapter ones.

A/N ~ I swear…I think I am addicted to FF.net! Seriously! Basically because I have no life so I spend majority of my time on the Internet. This week, my school is over! It is going to be great. I am going to back to the states to visit my friends and I probably won’t have another chapter up for quite sometime, but hopefully these last two chapters will keep you guys glued to the story. I am doubtful but I may have one this week but don’t count on it. I would hate for people to stray away from this fic.! But anyways…on with the chapter!



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Buffy sniffed silently to herself as she watched Spike from her window. He had been sitting in that same exact spot since she left work, which was about an hour ago. She wished she could tell him how she felt about him. She probably would’ve but what good would that have done. It would’ve just complicated the whole situation even more.

"I don’t want to feel this way…" She whispered to herself as she continued to watch him. "I shouldn’t feel this way." She told herself but in her heart she knew that she couldn’t push her feelings to the side. But, just as he had said, it couldn’t happen again. Though she wanted it to happen again. When they kissed it was like something she had never experienced with anyone.

But as he had said in her dream, he was healing and that he would need some time. Could she wait that long though?

"Why am I being so selfish?" She asked herself, finally turning her gaze away from the window and towards her shoes, which had suddenly become very interesting. "Why can’t I just let it be? This isn’t me! Why did just one night change so many things for me?" Before she knew it, Buffy was crying practically sobbing by herself. "He makes me feel all these things I shouldn’t be feeling. It isn’t right!"

This was when Buffy finally flopped down on her bed and continued to sob. She didn’t understand why she was crying or why she wasn’t stopping, but she just had this sudden urge to just cry.

Everything had been messed up. It had been for the past 7 years. She didn’t know why but everything changed when Spike left for the second time. Everyone just sort of drifted apart after that. She never saw Giles and Willow anymore. Anya and Xander had been occupied with their own lives and only saw them when she went to the shop or babysat Jacob. Dawn had her slaying, her many boyfriends and her job to keep her busy.

Those had been the times when Buffy wished Spike were there so that she could feel loved again. After awhile she realized that he wasn’t coming back and that is when she hated him for it. She thought he would be the one to stay but no, he left. Now she realized that she was the one who made him leave who pushed him away. She was to blame for her misery and her loneliness.

"Shhh Buffy…" Spike shushed as he rubbed her back gently. Buffy jerked up as she felt his hand touch her. She was so wrapped up in her own self pity that she hadn’t noticed him come in. "It is okay luv." He continued to soothe her as he ran his head down the side of her face.

"William…" She sobbed as she could feel the tears being rubbed off of her cheek by his thumbs.

Spike shook his head sadly as he slowly pulled her against him and began to rock her gently. Something was awfully wrong with her. She shouldn’t be the one that was crying it should’ve been him. She wasn’t always the one for crying…in front of him anyways. Although he could always tell when she was in pain though and when he did, his heart would melt for her because Spike cared for her like no one else had ever care for her, and now was one of those times though. His heart did feel sadness for her as hers tears soaked through his shirt and onto his chest.

"What is wrong Buffy?" He whispered gently in her ear as he heard her quiet down. "Do you want to tell me?"

"No…" She choked back a sob as she rested her face against his chest. "Can you just hold me please?" She asked quietly as if she were talking to the air. "I just…I want some one here with me."

"Alright…" he whispered in her ear as he kissed the top of her forehead. "I’ll stay." He reassured her as he began to stroke her forearm with affection, hoping that she would feel better.

"I shouldn’t be crying." She sniffled as another tear fell down her face. "I’ve nothing to cry for. I’ve lost nothing when you’ve lost so much. How can you be so calm and not just want to break down and cry?" She asked desperately as he continued to stroke her arm.

"I cry on my own times Slayer." He laughed sadly and then his face grew serious. "When I am alone and no one is around. When I see her face in my dreams. That is when I cry." He told her as he could feel his own tears rise to the rim of his eye but quickly pushed them away.

"You don’t have to be alone." She breathed as she removed her head from his chest and looked him in the eyes. "I’ll be here."

"I know." He nodded his head slowly with a look of sadness etched in those dull orbs of his.

"I’m being serious William." Buffy said more firmly as she situated herself so that her whole body was facing his. "You don’t have to put up your guard, God knows I didn’t just now. I’ll be here for you."

"I know Buffy." He nodded his head once more, sending a faint smile her way. "And I thank you for it." He breathed.

"Your welcome." She smiled as she pulled his head closer so that she could plant a tender kiss on his forehead. "And thank you…for being there for me." She thanked as she pulled away from him and then look back into his eyes. She now had this sudden urge to kiss him, to kiss all his fear and pain away. Looking down at his lips, Buffy slowly but surely brought her face closer to his and they were about to kiss when the front door slammed shut which caused them both to jump in fright.



~*~



"Buffy!" Dawn called out desperately as she adjusted Erin in her arms. "I need you!" She shouted once more and a couple of seconds later both Buffy and Spike bounded down the stairs to greet the brunette.

"What’s wrong?" Buffy asked concerned as she saw the worried look in her sister’s eyes.

"What’s wrong Dawn?" Spike questioned the young woman also as he took Erin from her arms. When she was removed from Dawn’s arms, Erin began to squirm.

The little girl’s eyes brightened as she saw her father holding her. "Daddy!" She gasped with joy as she wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. "You’re okay Daddy!"

"Why wouldn’t I be okay pet?" He asked puzzled.

"That man that took me away from mommy in my dream, I saw ‘im today." She sniffled; quickly she wiped her eyes. "He was the same bad man that hurt you!" She shouted, wrapping her arms once again around her father’s neck, holding onto him for dear life.

"Shh…it is okay my love." Spike comforted her as she gently rubbed her back in small circles and then kissed the top of her head. "I’m okay, so no worries. Dad promises you that this bad man won’t ‘im or you."

"Promise?" The girl hiccuped, looking him straight in the eyes.

"I promise." He kissed her forehead. Erin grinned slightly as she snuggled into his arms and quickly went back to sleep. When she was finally asleep though he quickly turned to Dawn. "After I put her to sleep, I want to know what happened." He said affirmatively before making his way up the stairs to put Erin to bed.

"What happened Dawn?" Buffy asked quickly as soon as Spike was out of hearing range. Her hazel eyes were shining in desperation of information. "Tell me!"

"Riley…" The brunette whispered softly as she avoided her sister’s eyes. "He is here…in Sunnydale."

It seemed like time moved in slow motion for Buffy when she heard those words come out of her mouth. Riley was back in Sunnydale. Buffy remembered how his last visit went and how it didn’t go so well. And in her heart, she knew that this one would have the same feeling as the last one.

"Oh God." Buffy breathed, her eyes widening in disbelief. Riley was here. She couldn’t help but say that over and over in her head. "D-did he say w- why?" The former Slayer stuttered while her face remained in its shocked face.

"No, he didn’t, well not that much. He is on vacation and he just decided to ‘pop’ by Sunnydale and visit." Dawn replied crossing her arms over her chest and shook her head. "Somehow I don’t believe Riley would just ‘pop’ by especially without Sam."

"So…Soldier Boy is back in town, eh?" Spike remarked, catching the last bit of their conversation as he walked calmly down the stairs as if it didn’t effect him that much but you could tell in his eyes that he was pissed off. "What a pleasant surprise." He hissed sarcastically as he walked by the two sisters and sat down on the living room coach. Buffy and Dawn soon follow him.

"I thought so too." Dawn agreed as she situated herself from across Spike and Buffy.

"What did he say to you?" Spike asked with concern, he then looked over towards Buffy whose face still remained in its shocked state.

Dawn looked at her sister and shook her head, turning back to Spike she continued, "well he asked me how I was and how Buffy was doing…and then he asked me about Erin."

Dawn could see the question in the man’s eyes and shook her head once again, "don’t worry I didn’t tell him that it was yours. He doesn’t even know you’re in town." She reassured him with a smile on her face but that didn’t calm the terrified look on his face. "I told him she was mine."

"Dawn you shouldn’t have done that." Buffy told her softly as she finally snapped out of her shocked state.

"What should I have done Buffy?" The girl hissed through her teeth. "Said she was yours? Yeah, that would’ve been great." Buffy snapped her head back in disbelief when she heard the venom in her sister’s voice.

"What is wrong with you? Why do you act this way whenever Riley is around?" Buffy shouted at her while Spike just placed his head in his hands, trying to process his thoughts.

"Because I hate him Buffy! You know I do!" Dawn yelled right back as she jumped to her feet and looked down at her sister.

"What the hell Dawn!" Buffy growled as she also jumped to her feet and glared her sister in the eyes. "Why do you-"

"Stop!!!!!!!" Spike bellowed with venom. "Just stop." He said as the tone in voice got quieter, both of the girls sitting down immediately. "Please." Spike begged; his eyes becoming saddened and more terrified. Placing his head back into his hands, he spoke to Dawn, "what else did he say?"

There was a long pause of silence as Dawn tried to come up with a way on how to tell him. "He said he wanted to stop by sometime to see Buffy and knowing him it’ll be tonight or tomorrow." She cringed as she saw Spike’s face crunch up into several well-defined wrinkles like he was in immense pain.

"Bloody ‘ell." He breathed, running his hands away from his face and through his hair. Sighing to himself he got up off of the couch and made his way towards the stair closet where his and Erin’s stuff were being kept.

"Spike?" Buffy furrowed her eyebrows as she followed him and was surprised to find him throwing his belongings into a suitcase. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving." He said simply as he continued to go through his things and throwing them in the suitcase.

"Why?" She asked innocently, not understanding why he was exactly doing this. "What is wrong?"

"Your ex is what is wrong Buffy." He snapped, briefly looking up at her while sorting through his stuff. "I’m not safe if he is here."

"Spike…" Buffy shook her head at the man and slightly smiled at him. "You can’t be suggesting that Riley is working with the Initiative again do you?"

"Why not Buffy?" He shook his head, as he took a pair of jeans and threw then inside the suitcase. "I mean, they would think that you would know where I am. So who better to send to find out than your ex-boyfriend Riley ‘the wanker’ Finn." He assumed with rage as he zipped up the suitcase and was going to make his way upstairs to collect more of his things but Buffy stopped him.

"Riley doesn’t work for them anymore, Spike! He stopped a long time ago and if they did ask him to help them, he wouldn’t have a reason too." She tried to reassure him but Spike wasn’t buying anything that she said.

"You have that much faith in him Slayer?" He said, clenching his jaw tight. "Think about it Buffy! He would love the chance to put an end to me! Yeah, at first he probably resisted…didn’t want to cause you and your family trouble." He then looked Buffy deeply into her eyes as he could feel the anger rising inside of him. "But then that’s when they probably offered him money or anything else that he wanted if he would just come here and find out where I was! Eventually convincing him that I was still evil and I should be put out of this world. And finally, that’s when he gave in, said it would be no problem at all, and now he is here." Spike finished quietly as he tore his eyes away from Buffy’s and was going to make his back upstairs but she stopped him once again. "Move out of my way Buffy!"

"No!" She snapped at him firmly, looking back into his eyes. "You’re not leaving Erin here by herself. I’ll not let you do that." Sighing to herself, the hardened expression on her face began to soften. "Please…don’t do this…William." She whispered as reached out and stroked the side of his face, which caused his face to soften like hers. "I don’t want you to leave…" She pleaded quietly, feeling tears to well up in her eyes.

"Why?" He asked in the same manner, feeling her hand run down his face once more and saw the tears that were forming in her eyes. That’s when he finally became entranced with her.

Buffy let out a long sigh, looking him in the eyes once more. This would be a bad time to say this, but I have to make him stay. "Because…I think I might…"

There was a sudden knock on the door that interrupted Buffy’s confession. Acting like she hadn’t heard anything, Dawn went to the door and looked through the peephole and threw the blondes a terrified look as she saw who was at the door.



"It’s Riley."





To be Continued…

Title ~ Unfriendly Visit

Author ~ SunnyD

Disclaimer ~ All belong to Joss and Company!

Rating ~ PG~13

Summary ~ Well basically as you have read Riley just popped by…how will Dawn and Buffy act around him. And will he find Spike? Hm…well guess you are going to have to read and find out!

A/N ~ Hey I am back!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry haven’t been updating in a while…I just have been busy with my summer! Which was awesome by the way! Well anyways thanks to all who have supported my fic. And thanks to thia_lilbit for putting me on her site and naming me as writer of the month!!!! Ahahahha! Anyways on with the chapter!!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy’s hazel eyes widened as she heard who was at the door. What should we do? Diverting her frightened eyes away from Dawn and towards Spike, hoping he would know what to do.

"Don’t worry…I will be okay." He reassured as he planted a loving kiss on her forehead and made his way to the basement but was stopped by Buffy’s hand on his wrist.

Spinning around to face her, Spike felt Buffy’s lips smash up against his, in a brief, mind-blowing kiss. Spike’s face was pure surprise though when she pulled away from him.

"Alright then…" He sighed slightly dazed as he began to walk backwards towards the basement while bumping into the staircase and a small table, not keeping his eyes away from Buffy’s.

The former Slayer watched with a smile on her face as the door to the basement shut but then quickly furrowed her eyesbrows. Did I just do that? She wondered in her head. Okay, that wasn’t supposed to happen.

Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Buffy?" Dawn said quietly to her sister. Inside, Dawn was grinning like an idiot of seeing her best friend and her sister kiss. "We should kind of get the door eh?"

"Yeah…door would be good." She sighed slightly with a pleasant smile on her face but then shook her head. "Oh God…Riley, right!" She gasped, but then took in a deep breath as she took hold of the doorknob and twisted it, allowing the door to open wide.

"Hey Buff." Riley grinned when he saw the former Slayer at the doorway.

"Riley." She breathed in a surprised manner as she stared at her former ex lover. She already knew that he was in town but just seeing him there still startled her. Buffy almost laughed out loud though when she saw the shape that his hair was in. What is with the black hair? She asked herself and then saw all the scars that were decorated across his face and neck, almost cringing. "You’re here."

"Yeah." He grinned once more. "Can I…uh. Come in?" He asked, slightly nervous.

Buffy snapped out of her gaze as she moved to the side, which allowed Riley to enter inside the women’s house. It looked like just as it had been he last was there, same furniture and everything. Something did seem a little bit off with the place but Riley quickly shook it off.

"So…you’re here." Buffy laughed nervously, guiding Riley into the living room and had him sit down on the couch while Dawn followed her slowly but not before throwing Spike’s suitcase back in the closet and then thought it would be best to head towards the kitchen instead. "You look…different."

"Yeah." He grinned for the millionth time, running a hand through his gelled hair. " I kind of wanted a change, you know?" Buffy nodded her head slowly as she felt severe nervousness swim throughout her body. "So…how have things been…for you?"

"Good…really good in fact." Buffy smirked to herself as she remembered her earlier kiss with Spike. "I guess, Dawn told you about the gallery."

"Yeah, she did." Riley replied. And after a long pause of uncomfortable silence, Riley spoke once again. " And she told me about…well you know. The little girl."

"Oh…" Buffy whispered quietly to herself as she bowed her head towards the ground. Did he know something? Did Dawn not give him a good enough story? Does he think she is mine? Oh and God how am I going to explain that one to him!

"How did this happen Buffy?" He asked with pain in his voice. Buffy only furrowed her eyebrows at the tone in his voice.

"What do you mean Riley?"

"Dawn and the child…Erin, I think her name is." Riley shook his tired head at the blonde then looked her directly in the eye. "I thought you were going to take care of her."

"I did Riley…I did everything that needed to be done. Dawn was responsible enough to know the pros and cons of sex." She said firmly to the man across from her. The gaze she was giving him, hardened. "I love Erin and I think both Dawn and I have done fine raising her on our own." She began to fume as she felt the anger rise in her, remembering the way he made Erin cry.

"I know Buffy, I know. Just calm down." He worried as he put up his hands up in surrender. "I didn’t come here to argue with you. I came to visit you and see how you were doing."

"I’m sorry." She apologized, sending a faint smile his way. "I just well, I don’t like people doubting me on how I raised Dawn." She sighed. "But anyways…so, how is everything in your neck of the woods?"

"It is alright, if you must ask." He nodded his head in lazy matter. "I decided to take a little vacation from the demon hunting. Have been working too hard these last couple of years."

"And where is Sam, I am surprised she isn’t here with ya?" She wondered as Buffy slumped into the couch and watched Riley react to her question. She could see the sudden flickering of his eyes and how he adjusted his seat when she mentioned his wife’s name. But then all was okay as soon as that goofy grin melted onto his lips.

"She is back at home. She told me to go on ahead and she would meet me later." Riley informed as his smile grew brighter on his face. To wide in fact for Buffy’s comfort. "She knew I would be stopping by and told me to tell you all ‘Hi’!"

"Oh, that’s great." Buffy chirped as she looked over at the clock on the wall. "It is getting kind of late don’t you think?"

Riley perked up one of his eyebrows as he turned to look at the clock behind them and nodded his head. "Yeah…I guess it is." He agreed getting up from his place on the chair from across Buffy and nodded towards the stairs. "You had better go check up on the girl anyways…don’t want her getting scared." He smirked, making his way towards the door. "I’ll see you sometime later this week. Maybe stop by the gallery or the shop?" He suggested to her.

"Yeah…maybe. Look, I’ll see you later Riley, nice seeing you again." The woman waved goodbye as she watched Riley leave the house. As soon as he was out of sight, Buffy closed the door and let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that sounded like it went…weird?" Dawn assumed as she entered the foyer after hearing bits and pieces of Riley and Buffy’s conversation in the living room.

"More weird than I have ever imagined." The former Slayer sighed as she casually leaned against the door, her head hanged low and she had a look of worry in her eye. "Do you think he bought it, Dawn?" She asked the brunette truthfully.

"I don’t know Buffy…" the girl confessed as she made her way slowly towards Buffy and stood beside her against the door. "He seemed…I don’t know, different to me is all."

"Yeah, more quiet than usual." Buffy agreed as she pushed herself away from the door and then made her way towards the stairs. "I just don’t want to think about it right now."

"Aren’t you going to go get William?" Dawn asked, watching her sister head up the stairs.

"Can you do that for me please?" She asked not looking over her shoulder as she made her way towards her room and shut the door. Dawn only shook her head at her older sister.

"She has some major problems." Dawn noted, turning away from the staircase and towards the basement where Spike was waiting patiently to be let out. "Spike? William? You alright?" She called out to the air but received no response. Quickly the brunette flicked on the basement light and saw him sitting quietly in a corner with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs while his chin was placed carefully on his knees.

"Hey Nibblet…" he sighed, turning his head to look at her and saw the unhappy look she was giving him. " I’m sorry…Dawn."

"It’s okay. So…Riley is gone, you can come upstairs now. Everything went great…I think. I mean I wouldn’t know because I wasn’t really in the room when he and Buffy were talking. So I can only assume that it went alright." She rambled but was then silenced by Spike’s fingers over her mouth.

"Thanks." He smiled at his best friend. "So you assume that everything was okay."

"Yeah…I think they were talking about me most of the time though." She guessed while both of them headed up to the first floor. "I think he was upset that Buffy didn’t take good care of me because I am single mom and all."

"Well that is army boy for you. Always thinks the world is on his shoulders." The former vampire shook his head. "We had better discuss it tomorrow then because I see that your sister has already went to bed." Spike sent the brunette one last smile and turned around to make his way up the stairs but was stopped by her hand on his wrist.

"Spike…wait!" She told him, "I need to talk to you about Buffy." Dawn let out a loud sigh as she saw the confused look he was giving her. "Look…if you haven’t noticed already, Buffy feels something for you. I don’t know what but I know that she wouldn’t have kissed you back there for any apparent reason. All I do know is that she feels something for you and I just wanted to know if the feeling was mutual."

Spike’s eyes widened as he began to ponder the question that the young woman was asking her. "I don’t know Dawn."

"You have to know William."

"Look Dawn, Buffy will always be in my heart. She will always have a piece of it, I mean she was the one who changed me for the better, I guess." Letting out a frustrated sigh, Spike plopped down on the bottom step of the staircase and placed his head in his hands.

"Spike…I know that your wife hasn’t been gone that long and all but from what you tell me is that she would’ve wanted you to move on." Dawn paused for a moment when she saw the shocked the look that Spike was giving her but no matter what she continued on.

"I am not saying at this very second though…all I am saying is that when your heart is ready that you have a beautiful woman here who finally loves you back."

Dawn smiled as she saw the look on Spike’s features. His whole forehead was scrunched up, his eyebrows furrowed, like if he was thinking really hard. "Well…good night Spike." She said before pecking him lightly on the lips and trotted up the stairs towards her room.

~*~

Spike yawned while he paced the upstairs hallways as he gripped his camera tightly in his hands so that his knuckles turned white. He hadn’t been able to sleep for the past couple of hours. Whenever he did close his eyes though he seemed to dream of his wife while she cried that he would always hold her second in his heart and Buffy first. It hurt him so much that she would ever think that of him.

He would always love Buffy, she was the first human he had ever loved as a vampire. He probably did feel something for her it was just too soon for him to tell what it was though. The human heart was a very tricky and cunning thing.

Before he knew it though, Spike somehow ended up in Buffy’s room where she was sleeping peacefully. She looked so beautiful as she slept, that was one of the things he had liked to do in the past after they had done their dirty deed, just to watch her sleep and watch her be happy.

Tonight though there was something about her though that made her seem twice as beautiful. Her shoulder length blonde hair was flowing gently under head on the pillow with only a strand of it placed in front of her eyes. While the moonlight from the window was bouncing off of her face make her skin seem so fragile and silky and also brought out the shine in her thin-silk nightgown that she was wearing.

Subconsciously, Spike pulled the strand of hair behind her ear while the smile on his face seemed to grow from ear to ear. Feeling the sudden urge, Spike loosened the grip on his camera and took a nice snapshot of her. The smile planted on his lips widening as much as it could.

That sudden click was all that did it to wake the former Slayer up but she couldn’t help but grin when she saw Spike standing there watching her. "Hey." She whispered, stretching her arms and letting out a huge yawn.

"Hey Cutie." He smirked at her as he watched her stretch.

"What are you doing up?"

"I couldn’t sleep much, having bad dreams I guess you could say." He breathed silently.

"Oh," she yawned once more. "You want to talk about it?"

"Maybe."

Buffy nodded her head as she moved over on the bed and motioned him to sit down next to her. He only looked at it with a scared look on his face. "Come on." She gestured, "I won’t bite."

Spike shook his head as he reluctantly climbed into the bed and after awhile of sitting there he finally relaxed, now actually laying down on the bed. "So…how is soldier boy?" He asked after a long pause of silence, feeling his whole body tense up from the even mention of Riley, which Buffy did notice.

"He is alright I guess…" She assumed, moving closer to him and began to run her fingers through his hair, hoping that it would calm his nerves and it did. "He mostly lectured me on how he was disappointed about how I raised Dawn and let her have a child." She told him, a slight grin forming on her face.

" Did you tell on him Slayer?" Spike chuckled. "Tell him that it was none of his business?"

"Yeah I did." She smirked, continuing to run her hands through his hair.

"That’s my girl…." He yawned, his eyes slightly drooping. "Always show ‘em who is boss…" He yawned once more, becoming more relaxed in the bed. "I am tired." He whispered as he laid his head down on her breast and slowly began to doze off, wrapping his arms tightly around her small waist. "You are bloody wonderful woman Buffy." He muffled against the curve of her breast as a lazy smile appeared on his face. "Goodnight Buffy." He whispered as he drifted off into a heavy sleep.

Buffy couldn’t help but want to cry when she saw the happy grin that appeared on his face as he slept and then leaned forwards and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight William."

To be continued…