Not Beneath Me

Not Beneath Me - (6) The Next Step

By Tasha (ALL) & MissKitty (1-7)

Chapter Summary: Buffy returns home to find Xander and Dawn still there. Now that she's broken up with Riley, what should she do? That is a no brainer to us, but will Buffy do what she should? You know she wants to. Maybe she just needs a little push in the right direction.

Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed on the Index page of this story.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Buffy trudged her way up her porch stairs. She'd fumed and kicked stones all along her walk back from the university. "Just who the hell did he think he was, hitting me like that." She muttered to herself. Half of her had wished that it was night time. She would have enjoyed a bit of demon butt kicking to work off these pent up emotions. She opened the front door with more force than necessary. The door hit the wall behind it with a crash.

Dawn and Xander jumped up from their places on the couch. Popcorn flew everywhere and twin squeals filled the air.

"What the ..." Xander's heart raced, and he tried to calm himself down when Buffy peeked her head into the living room.

Dawn stared at her sister in shock. Her own heart picked up its pace to double time. "Buffy, you scared the crap out of us."

"Sorry guys." Buffy gritted her teeth. "I didn't expect you to still be here." She stood with one hand on the railing to the upstairs to support her weight.

"You were only gone a couple hours." Dawn explained. "We were trying to wait for you."

"Oh, yeah." Buffy's voice was low. There was no reason to upset Dawn even more by telling her about Riley. She knew that Dawn didn't really like Riley, but she would be upset to know that Riley had hit her.

While Xander gathered up the bits of popcorn that now decorated the living room, Dawn walked over to her sister. Something was wrong. She just knew it. She loosely grabbed Buffy's arm. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The phone ringing interrupted Buffy's answer. "Just a minute, Dawn." Her mood took another downturn during the phone call. It seemed that Willow had caught some flu bug overnight. She had quite a high temperature. She needed to stay in bed, but she hoped that Buffy would understand. Tara offered to still come to the hospital for the surgery, but Buffy told her that it would be best for Willow if Tara stayed home to take care of her.

Xander's cell phone rang just as Buffy was hanging up the house phone. "Come on. You've got to be kidding. You know that I have an extended family emergency." He sighed. After several more minutes of grumbling, Xander hung up the phone. "Guys, it looks like I have to go into work."

"Man. That sucks." Dawn pouted, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I have no choice, Dawnie." Xander clipped the cell phone to his belt again. "The boss said that I either come in now or I could lose my promotion." He stood up next to Buffy and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I have to be to the job site in a half hour."

"I understand, Xander." Of course Buffy did understand about Willow and now Xander not being able to make it, but she still felt like she was being abandoned. "You can't lose your job."

"I can still take you guys to the hospital. We just have to leave now, instead of later."

Dawn ran upstairs. "I'll be right back down. I want to get a couple things for the waiting room time."

"Go ahead and take Dawn. I still need to get the things that Mom wanted me to bring her." Buffy told Xander. She wasn't quite ready to put on the chipper face yet anyways.

"All right. If you're sure." Xander gathered up his coat and keys. "Have Dawn come out to the car when she's ready. I'm going to go outside and call Anya while I wait for Dawnie. She has to stay and mind the store while Giles is at the hospital with you guys."

"Okay, I'll tell Dawn." Buffy walked up the stairs. She headed for her mom's room. She stopped in the doorway, almost afraid to step in any farther. This was her mother's domain. She felt like she was intruding.

Dawn walked out of her own room. She stood in the hallway watching Buffy for a couple minutes. 'She's way too deep in thought for normal Buffy behavior.' She rested her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Hey you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Buffy replied absently. She stared off into their mother's room still lost in thought.

"Liar," Dawn accused. She wasn't mean about it, but this wasn't a time to let Buffy clam up on her. They needed to stick together.

"What?" Buffy turned to Dawn, surprised at her tone.

"I know that look, Buffy. That look means you're thinking and pretty heavily too. What's wrong?"

"Well ..." Buffy had no clue where to start. They didn't have a lot of time because Dawn needed to leave. She tried to keep it simple and quick. "I just broke up with Riley."

"You what?" Dawn asked. She was surprised, but hey if Buffy wanted to break up with Riley that was perfectly fine with her.

"You heard me." Buffy didn't feel like repeating herself. Was she mistaken or did Dawn actually sound happy about it?

"Wow. Why?" Dawn had been getting sick of Riley's pushing lately. When he'd taken her from the hospital yesterday he was all over her asking her about Buffy. He should have been asking Buffy those questions, not her. Sheesh.

"It's complicated." Buffy sighed.

"Buffy, just tell me. I think I can handle it." Dawn perked up a moment and made a face. "Unless it's sexual reasons. Then you can just keep that to yourself. Ick."

"No, it's nothing sexual." Buffy laughed. No matter how grown up her sister wanted to act, she still didn't like the whole sex issue. "We've been growing apart for a long time now. We never talk, and we just weren't happy with each other any more. I thought it was best that we broke up."

"Oh. So you broke up with him then? I'll just bet he loved that." Dawn found that interesting. The way Buffy was acting she would have figured that Riley left her sister. There was something in the way that Buffy was looking and acting. She figured that Buffy wasn't telling her all the reasons, but if Buffy was available again, she knew just who she'd rather see her sister with. "Have you talked to Spike lately?"

"Yeah, I saw him last night. We went to dinner after I left the hospital." Buffy replied. "I wanted to talk to him about some things." She still wasn't sure whom she could tell about her growing feelings for Spike. She didn't figure that Dawn would mind though. Spike had always seemed to care about her sister like she was his own sister. She was curious though why Dawn had changed the subject from Riley to Spike without missing a beat.

"Dinner? Really?" Dawn was almost giddy in her response. "Does he know about Mom?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I told him the night of the CT Scans."

Dawn was silent a moment then asked, "Do you think he would want to come to the hospital with us while mom's in the O.R.?"

Buffy didn't respond right away. She hadn't told Dawn that she was planning on heading to Spike's crypt to see if he would stop by after sunset. She knew that she would probably feel better if Spike was there while they waited, but Giles and Spike didn't get along all that well. "Dawnie," she began but stopped when Dawn stuck out her bottom lip and made a pouting face.

"Please? Mom said she didn't mind if he was there, too. You know how Mom likes him."

Buffy sighed in surrender. Dealing with Giles would be easier to handle than a pouting Dawn. It should be fine if Spike wanted to come earlier and wait with them now. She'd figure out something to tell Giles. "Fine."

"Yeah!!" Dawn heard Xander beeping his car horn. "So you are going to go ask him?"

"Yes, Dawnie. I'll head over there as soon as I get Mom's stuff together." Buffy put her hand on the small of Dawn's back. She gave her a little push to the stairs. "Now hurry. You don't want Xander to be late."

"Okay, bye!" Dawn ran down the stairs and out the front door. Anyone watching would have seen a mischievous smirk on her face. Now that Riley was out of the picture she was going to do her best to see to it that her sister and best friend spent a lot more time together.

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

Buffy stood outside the entrance to Spike's crypt. She shifted her weight from one foot to another trying to decide if she should knock on the door or just barge in. She finally decided on walking in without knocking. 'Don't want him to fry.' She reasoned with herself that if Spike answered the door he'd get toasted from the sun's rays. She winced when the crypt door opened with a loud squeal. Careful to not keep the door open too long, she shut it again and looked around for Spike.

Spike sat in the chair in front of the television, asleep. Harmony was nowhere to be seen. Buffy was immensely glad that she had not walked in on him and Harmony doing something she really didn't want to see. Vampires looked at sexual intimacy different than humans, but Spike had never seemed like the normal vampire. Just thinking about Spike being intimate with another woman right now made her heart ache. The ache solidified her courage that she needed Spike more in her life. Why would it bother her to see him with another woman if she didn't care?

Buffy walked over to Spike's chair and watched him. He looked so peaceful in his slumber. 'He must have been really tired. Usually I can't get this close to him without him waking up.' She leaned closer when Spike shifted in the chair and whispered something that distinctly sounded like her name. 'What is he dreaming about?' That thought intrigued her. She watched as Spike seemed to shift himself in his sleep. 'Must be a good dream.' She smirked.

Remembering why she came here in the first place, Buffy leaned down next to Spike's ear to talk to him. "Spike." When he didn't respond she said it again. "Spike!" She still didn't get a response. 'He really does sleep like the dead.' She chuckled at that thought. "SPIKE! Wake up!" She practically yelled in his ear.

Spike jumped up from the chair with his arms flailing. He would have knocked Buffy over if she had slower reflexes. "Bloody hell, woman. What're you shoutin' for?" He was still quite disorientated, and he thought he was going to rip Harmony's throat out for this one.

"You awake now?" Buffy giggled. She stepped back and crossed her arms.

"Oh, Buffy. Hello." Spike ran a hand through his hair, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

"I hate to wake you up during the day, but you know how Mom's having her tumor removal surgery today?"

"Yeah." Spike tried not to look as worried as he felt. 'Did something go wrong?'

"Well, the gang was going to all be there, but now it is just going to be Dawnie, Giles and I." Buffy nibbled on her lower lip. "Dawn wanted me to ask you if you'd like to come sit with us."

"Dawn?" Spike smirked. "You know luv, if you wanted to see me you don't need to use the Nibblet as an excuse." He teased.

"No, I'm serious. She asked me to ask you to come." Buffy said hurriedly. She wanted him to know just how much Dawn thought of him. She noticed an almost hurt look cross his face though, and she quickly added her wanting him there too. "I would like it if you would be there too."

'Now, we're getting somewhere.' Spike smiled happily. "All right." His eagerness left him the moment he remembered about Buffy's boyfriend. "Isn't Captain Cardboard gonna be there?"

Buffy had hoped Spike would not mention Riley, but she should have known better. It made sense for him to ask especially after what happened between her and Spike the last couple days. "No, I doubt that he'll come."

Spike raised a scarred eyebrow curiously. "He doesn't know, or he doesn't want to come?" There was no way he wanted to be around Whitebread any more than he had to, but he was surprised that Buffy's own boyfriend wouldn't be there at a time like this.

"Neither, actually." Buffy lowered her gaze to her feet as she spoke. "We kind of broke up today."

"Kind of?" Spike questioned. He tried to keep the utter joy from showing on his face, but he couldn't help a large grin. Was Buffy trying to tell him that she'd made her decision about the two of them? After their conversation last night, he knew that she had some choices to think over. "Is that like kinda pregnant?" He teased. "Usually you are or you aren't"

Buffy laughed. "Not kind of. We did break up." She wasn't sure what else to say. "I told him today that we weren't working out anymore and that I didn't want to see him anymore."

"So, you're single, huh?" Spike said and quirked a suggestive eyebrow that made Buffy's insides melt.

"Single from Riley, yeah." Buffy wanted to know if Spike was going to let her stay single for long, but she didn't have the guts to ask yet. "What about you? You know, you and Harmony?"

"That is an interesting question." Spike tried to think of how to word it. Harmony was still living with him, but he'd already found a new place for her. "I ... uh ... Sorta single, but ... we haven't done anything for a long time."

Buffy couldn't help but to grin. "Yeah, that's right." She half smiled. "It's your turn to stutter and backpedal, isn't it?"

"Buffy, she doesn't mean anything to me." Spike quickly chimed in. "Honestly. I just didn't think I could kick her out to the curb when she wouldn't have anywhere to live."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Buffy teased. "I'm sure that is it." She gave him a devilish grin.

Spike visibly relaxed when he realized that Buffy was just messing around with him. "My relationship status all depends on this one girl. She's kind of cute, but she's a bit indecisive. She isn't quite sure if she can handle the Big Bad."

Buffy laughed. "Oh really?" She shook her head back and forth and stepped closer to him. "I might just have to have a talk with this girl. She sounds like she needs to have her head examined, if she's thinking about turning you down that is."

"You think so?" Spike reached out to Buffy and pulled her down into his lap as he sat back down in the chair. "I think she's pretty smart, but sometimes she just doesn't notice what is right in front of her." He brushed his lips against hers. "You think I can convince her to give me a try?"

Buffy turned her head into the kiss and pressed her lips harder to his. "Maybe. If she's ready for that next step." Spike's tongue fluttered against hers. She parted her lips to allow him entrance. Again she felt the emotions wash over her and remembered how she had never felt like this with Riley. Turning on his lap to straddle him in the chair, she broke the kiss to whisper, "Spike."

Hearing his name coming from Buffy's lips made Spike want her even more. Just as they delved back into each other's mouths a high pitched voice echoed off the crypt walls.

"Spike!?! Why the hell are you kissing the Slayer?"

Breaking the kiss, Spike looked over at Harmony with wide eyes. She stood by the ladder leading to the lower level of the crypt. No one could miss the completely pissed look on her face.

"Oh bloody hell." Spike muttered.

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

Chapter Summary: None of the Scoobies, save Giles, is going to be able to make it to the hospital. Buffy is at Spike's crypt to invite him to come sit with them and to tell him how she feels. Things go a little wacky though when the "space cadet" blonde Vampiress, Harmony, interrupts them. Will Harmony be kicked to the curb or simply dusted?

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

'Just great.' Spike thought to himself. 'Harmony would have to come up here and ruin this moment.' Buffy and Spike sat still in the armchair looking at Harmony who looked like she was going to hurl, explode, or both.

Buffy kept looking back and forth between Spike and Harmony with wide eyes. She knew that Harmony was still living here based on what Spike said earlier. She hadn't expected the Vampiress to be bold enough to come upstairs while they were together.

Spike looked more annoyed with Harmony as each moment passed. His hands firmly on Buffy's waist, he glared at Harmony. "I thought I told you not to come up here while I was here."

Harmony looked like she was going to kill the next thing she came into contact with. Spike's favorite blood mug was sitting on the mini-fridge next to her. She shoved it with such force that she sent it flying into the wall of the crypt. It shattered back out into the room, shards nearly hitting the stunned couple in the chair. Spike hadn't been able to kill the Slayer, but that was no reason for the Slayer to be sitting on Spike's lap now.

"Hey!" Spike quickly turned in the chair. Instinctively he used his body to protect Buffy from any bit of flying debris. He snarled, jumped to his feet and started to advance on Harmony. "You do NOT want to push your luck now, Harmony."

Harmony stood straight up with her arms at her side. She had not missed the fact that Spike seemed fiercely protective of the Slayer all of a sudden. That fact, along with coming up on the two of them kissing, was royally ticking her off. "You didn't answer the damn question, Spike. Why the hell are you kissing the Slayer?"

"Umm ..." Spike glanced down at a ruffled Buffy who sat askew in the armchair since he'd jumped up so quickly. He searched for an answer that wouldn't get him staked by either of the women in the room. "I'm not kissing her right now, am I?" He laughed. "I was until we were rudely interrupted though." He knew that the statement would piss off Harmony, but he couldn't help it slipping from his lips. He loved Buffy, and this sad excuse for a Vampiress was not going to get in the way of that.

Buffy tired hard not to laugh. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep the corners of her mouth from curling into a smile. 'Poor Spike. He's trying not to be mean, even to Harmony.' She pondered just how much Spike had changed from the first day she met him in the alley behind the Bronze. He was still all sass and attitude, but he did have a caring side. Did he always have it, and she just didn't notice it before?

"Whataver!" Harmony shouted. "I'm sick of this back and forth, Spike. Kill the Slayer. Don't kill the Slayer." She snarled. "You can't make up your stupid mind about anything. I want an answer."

Spike looked nervously at both women. Buffy's expression seemed a bit hidden. He thought he saw the mirth in her eyes, but he couldn't be sure. Was she embarrassed at being caught by Harmony? Was she pissed that Harmony was still there?

"See! He won't even answer me. Can't even make his mind up about that!" Harmony slapped her hands down to her sides and then kicked the sarcophagus. "Ow! Ow!" She started hopping around on one foot.

Buffy had to laugh then. "Seriously Harmony, could you be any more of an idiot?" She laughed harder, holding her sides.

"You are a sorry excuse for a Vampire, Spike, and you know what?" Harmony's voice was loud, but the whimper of pain from her lips killed the angry effect.

"What?" Spike tried to humor Harmony. She may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but Harmony was still a Vampire. He didn't want Buffy to have to kill her. Being a fool wasn't an excuse to dust someone.

"No! You don't get to talk to me anymore." Harmony ordered. Spike arched an eyebrow as she continued her tirade. "We are so over, Spike. You don't get to be my little Blondie Bear anymore!" She stopped hopping now that the pain in her foot had eased off somewhat.

Upon hearing the name Blondie Bear, Buffy laughed even harder. She practically rolled off the chair onto the floor. "Oh my gosh!" She gasped for breath. "Blondie Bear?"

"Love?" Spike glanced from Buffy to Harmony. He'd heard about women scorned, and he didn't want to see just what Harmony's twisted blonde mind would try to do. He saw Harmony's human face make way for her game face.

Buffy looked up at Harmony's game face. She just laughed harder. "Even as a Vampiress she still doesn't scare me. What is she going to do to me?" She giggled, but she started to calm down some. "She can't hurt me. Not even close."

Harmony sniffled. She hated all of this. Nothing had been the same since she'd been turned. At first it seemed like a party. She could steal anything she wanted, and she was strong. She thought her Blondie Bear was the best man ever until she'd lived with him for a while. Now she was being subjected to even more ridicule from the Slayer than she ever would have had to tolerate back in high school. Men weren't supposed to like that freak more than her. She was the popular one, not Buffy.

Spike watched as the anger bubbled deeper in Harmony's mind. For a moment he swore that he saw a trace of tears in her eyes. He must have been mistaken as the look was gone at a second glance.

"As I was saying," Harmony huffed indignantly, "I'm leaving." She headed towards the door. She stopped a hair's breath away from opening it to let the sun inside. "Um ... Yeah ... I'll leave through the tunnel entrance after I get my stuff."

Buffy jumped up and grabbed Harmony's arm as Harmony passed her. "Stay away from Spike, Harmony. I mean it." She knew that the blonde wasn't a threat to her, but she was feeling overly possessive. No one was going to touch Spike again if she had anything to say about it.

"As if I wanted to waste myself getting dusted over that idiot." Harmony scoffed. "He isn't worth it." She tore her arm away from Buffy and headed downstairs to pack.

Spike stepped behind Buffy. He wrapped his arms around her waist, nestling his lips into her neck. He doubted that they could regain the mood that was going before Harmony's interruption. He wasn't about to let it kill all of their time together. "You okay, pet?"

Buffy closed her eyes and purred. How could such a rough and harsh being be so soft against her? A giggle of laughter coursed through her and into his body. "Blondie Bear? Oh my gosh! That's too much."

"Ha, ha." Spike snarled. 'If she keeps that laughing up, I swear I will cum right here from the vibrations of her body against mine.' He tried to get himself to calm down before he spoke. "Very funny, Slayer. I did not have anything to do with that nickname. That's the bint's twisted mind at work."

Buffy smiled. She turned around in Spike's arm. Raising a hand to his cheek, she cupped it and drew his face down to her lips for a kiss. "Don't worry. I'll never call you that. I couldn't do it and keep a straight face."

"Good." Spike rolled his eyes before he kissed Buffy deeply. He wrapped his arms around her tighter. Her warm body felt like an inferno against his chilled torso. He didn't care if her heat dusted him. She was worth anything in the world that he would have to endure to be near her.

Buffy broke the kiss when the need for air overcame her need to be kissing him. "You really are good at that."

"And don't you forget it." Spike beamed in manly pride. "It is so good to hear you laugh you know. You don't get to laugh often, luv."

"My life isn't usually up there with the happy tinglies of laughter." Buffy rested her face against Spike's chest. Angel and Riley had both been so much taller than her. Their beefy bodies always seemed to smother her in their embraces. She didn't feel that way with Spike. He was still taller than her, and his body was taunt and muscular, but she felt like she belonged in his arms. His body seemed to mold to hers, and it wasn't a power struggle to see who could hug tighter. They knew just how much pressure to give each other.

"I'll have to make sure that changes, pet." Spike stroked his fingers through Buffy's hair. "I'll do whatever I can to make you happy, Buffy."

"I know you will." Buffy stepped back to stare at Spike. He'd actually called her Buffy. The tenderness and caring that she read in his eyes warmed her heart. It gave her courage to know that she was doing the right thing. No matter what her friends said, Spike cared. There could be no denying that look in his eyes as anything else. "I should get going. Mom's thing starts at 6 o'clock. The sun should be down enough by then."

"I can get to the hospital via the tunnels." Spike squeezed Buffy's hand. He walked her over to the door. "It won't take me too long, and I'll leave now."

Buffy picked up the bag of things that she'd brought for her mother. She placed her hand on the door. "Okay, that's great." She kissed him once more softly. "Dawn and I really do want you there. I know my mom will be happy too."

"Joyce is a nice bird. I've always cared for her." Spike smiled. He thought back to the many conversations that they'd shared through the years over a nice cup of hot chocolate. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than at your side through this."

"Thanks, Spike." Buffy started to open the door, but she turned back to face Spike. "Spike, Giles is going to be there. Promise me that you won't fight with him? He is likely to be a bit edgy about you being there."

"I'll do my best, pet." Spike tried to reassure Buffy. He wouldn't start anything, but he knew he was going to have to bite his tongue around Giles. He would support his girls, but Giles had better not push him too far. "I won't start anything if he doesn't provoke me. What are you going to tell him as to why I'm there?"

"I wasn't thinking that far ahead yet, but let me tell the gang about us, okay?" Buffy sighed.

Spike nodded. He didn't like the sound of it. He wanted to believe that she wouldn't hide their new relationship from her friends, but he didn't want to hide how he felt about her. He'd already been trying to hold back his emotions from Buffy before the last couple days. Now that he knew she wanted a relationship with him, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. "I won't be a dirty little secret, Slayer."

Buffy stiffened. The edge in Spike's voice was far too noticeable to miss. "You aren't, Spike." She squeezed his hand in assurance. "I'm not going to hide it, but you know how some of them will be. I can't handle all that conflict along with everything with my Mom."

"All right." Spike sighed. He pushed her towards the door and stepped out of the way of any stray rays of sunlight. "Go on then. I'll see you at the hospital."

Buffy waved as the door closed. She darted off in the direction of the hospital. Nothing would be right about her mom having to have surgery, but she knew that she could handle it all much better with Spike by her side. 'Now what am I going to tell the gang? They are so not going to believe me.'

Riley watched Buffy run out of Spike's crypt. He frowned. "I should have known that she'd run right to the bleached wonder." He muttered, turned around and headed back his place. "He is going to regret that he ever touched what is mine." He sneered. Much planning needed to be done.

Riley picked up the phone and called a number that he swore he'd never talk to again. "Hello. I'd like to get a message to Agent Graham." He paused as the person on the other end denied knowing anything about someone like that. "Whatever. Tell him that Finn needs his help in solving an old problem. Tell him that I need help with 17." He hung up before the person on the other side of the line could deny what he knew was true.

"Let him enjoy his moment. It won't last long." Riley sneered, waiting for the return phone call. "I know just how to make your dreams come true, Spike. Too bad it will mean that Buffy is going to have to dust you." He grinned. "Maybe if she has to dust another vampire "lover" she'll get it through her head that she needs a real man."

Chapter Summary: Buffy, Dawn, Giles and Spike are at the hospital awaiting Joyce's surgery. Nothing ever goes as planned on the Hellmouth, and that goes now more than ever. Will Giles stake Spike on sight or will he realize just how welcome Spike is to the Summer's girls?

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Family and friends surrounded Joyce Summers while they awaited her surgery. Dawn was curled alongside Joyce on the bed. Giles sat in a chair on the other side of the bed. Buffy stood behind Dawn with her hand on her sister's shoulder.

Giles rubbed his hand down his face nervously. After the "band candy" incident he and Joyce had briefly considered dating each other. Various aspects of their lives and schedules kept them apart in the beginning. They'd decided that perhaps it would be better if they simply remained friends. No matter how many times he reminded himself of that fact, he still felt a stronger connection to Joyce. He wasn't here simply to support Buffy. He was here to support Joyce directly. He needed her to know that he cared for her. Now wasn't the time to spring more surprises on her, but Giles vowed that he would have a serious talk with her when this was all over.

Buffy's eyes darted from her mother to the door. She felt his presence almost as soon as he'd entered the hospital. His presence always screamed Master Vampire to her, but underneath that she felt so much more. Her senses felt a distinctive trace that told her Spike was nearby. It was a feeling that she'd only ever felt once before, yet this sensation was even stronger than what she sensed when Angel was nearby. She knew that any second Spike was going to step through the door.

Although the knock was soft, it echoed around the hospital room like a gong sounding. The four occupants of the room, each in their own private worlds, turned their attention to the slowly opening door.

A platinum blonde head peaked through the crack of the door and opened it further. " 'Ello, Joyce." Spike grinned at the woman in the bed. He'd only moved into the room two steps before he was face to face with an angry Giles.

"I'm here to see how my favorite cocoa buddy is doing." Spike smiled brightly at Joyce. He tried to hide his fear at her paled complexion. 'Hold it together. We have to be strong and support our girls right now.' He looked up at Buffy with a smile on his face. His smile grew wider when he realized she was smiling back at him in joy to see him. That wasn't going to stop Rupert Giles' tirade though.

"Your presence is neither wanted or requested here, Spike." Giles wasn't going to let anything upset Joyce if he could help it. He doubted that Joyce would want the vampire around. He was about to find out how wrong he was.

Spike clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together and sucking in his cheeks so they twitched. He uttered not a word, but he cast a pleading glance from Buffy to Joyce. He knew that they both wanted him here, but he didn't want to cause a fight either. He'd promised Buffy that he wouldn't argue with Giles. This wasn't starting off well.

Joyce raised her hand and settled it on Rupert's arm. "It's all right, Rupert." She smiled warmly at Spike. She then turned her gaze back to Giles'. "He is wanted here." She hugged Dawn tighter to herself. She knew that Dawn loved Spike, and there was something in Buffy's eyes that told her that she wanted him here too. Dawn had told Joyce that Buffy broke up with Riley. Although Joyce never approved of Angel, it had been for more reasons than just him being a vampire. She was willing to wait and see what might be between her daughter and Spike.

"You can't be serious, Joyce?" Giles gasped. He was confused about Joyce's attitude. He knew that Spike helped Joyce out from time to time at the gallery, but he always figured that it was only for pay. He had to admit that he'd walked into the Summer's kitchen a couple times in the middle of a cocoa session between Joyce and Spike. He looked up at Buffy to see if she had any objections to Spike's presence. When he saw none, he was even more confused than he was a few moments before.

"Quite serious, Rupert." Joyce squeezed Giles' arm in support. "Spike is always welcome in my home, and he's been by to visit a couple times already."

Buffy inhaled sharply. 'Spike has been here a couple times already? He came to check on my Mom when I wasn't here too?' She felt her heart swell in joy at this news. This would help to prove to the gang that Spike wasn't just spending time with Buffy at the hospital to get on Buffy's good side. He'd even come by when she wasn't around. "I didn't know you were here after you and I had been here yesterday evening."

Spike shifted his weight from one foot to another. He tried not to look nervous. If vampires could blush, he was sure that he would be. He hadn't intended for Buffy to find out about his other visits. It wasn't that he was trying to hide them from her, but he didn't want her to feel bad that he was here when she wasn't. "Yeah." He looked up at Giles. The shocked look on the Watcher's face made the smirk return to his own face. "I came by this morning for a little bit to see how she faired during the night."

"That ..." Giles removed his glasses and started to clean the lenses with a cloth he drew out from his pocket. "Interesting." He put his glasses back on and glanced at Spike. He sat back down in the chair next to the bed. "I appear to have been mistaken." He looked over at Joyce then back up at Spike. "My apologies."

Spike's mouth almost hung open. 'Did the Watcher just apologize?' His mind went blank to figure out what to say in return. "That's okay, Watcher. Easy mistake to make." He half laughed to cover his nervousness.

Buffy beamed at Spike and Giles. That went a lot easier than she thought it would. Leave it to her Mom to be able to diffuse any situation.

Spike walked around the bed. He leaned down and hugged Dawn. "Hey there, Nibblet." He pulled a little stuffed teddy bear out from inside his duster. It was a soft, fuzzy brown color. It wore a black leather jacket and leather pants. A small gold color chain adorned it's neck, and if you looked close enough you could see little white fangs had been sewn onto the sides of its mouth. "I saw it, and I couldn't resist the urge to pick it up for you."

Dawn squealed in joy. She jumped off the bed and hugged Spike tightly. "This is so cute." She leaned in to whisper into Spike's ear. "You put those fangs on it though, didn't you."

Spike smirked innocently at Dawn. "I'll never tell, Little Bit." He winked at her.

Buffy chuckled. Standing next to Spike, she'd heard what Dawn said. Dawn turned the bear to show Buffy. Buffy shook her head slightly. "He does look familiar. You'll have to think of a good name for him."

"I'm sure that I can come up with something good." Dawn giggled. She nestled the bear into the crook of her arm. She resumed her place lying next to Joyce.

"I'm not sweet. I'm ..." Spike blubbered, but one look at Joyce's teasing face and he just sighed. "Yeah, real softie. I'm still the Big Bad." He said sarcastically.

Buffy playfully slapped Spike on the arm. "Yeah, you Big Fluffy Bad you." She teased.

"Oy, Slayer. It's bad enough that Mum is calling me that." Spike groaned. "Don't need you to help her. My image is already shot to hell."

Buffy, Joyce and Dawn laughed. Even Giles couldn't resist a grin. He couldn't help but to notice how different Spike acted around just the Summer's women. He still seemed guarded at times, but there was an openness to his expressions that he didn't normally show around the other Scoobies.

Amidst the laughter Doctor Kriegel walked into Joyce's hospital room. He looked ragged and tired. It uplifted him some to see Joyce smiling, but he knew they weren't going to like his news.

Spike was the first to realize that the doctor was in the room. "Heya. What's up, Doc?" He chuckled. There was no way that he could resist that old joke.

Dr. Kriegel smiled. "Hello, Spike." He clasped his hands in front of him. "I'm afraid that I don't have good news this time."

Buffy inhaled sharply, Dawn whimpered and Giles squeezed Joyce's hand tighter. "Did the tests show something else, Doctor?" Giles was the first to recover his voice.

"Oh, goodness." Dr. Kriegel stuttered. "The tests are the same. I'm sorry. Nothing more is wrong with Joyce." Everyone in the room visibly relaxed and exhaled, even those that didn't really need to breathe in the first place. "There has been an incident in the hospital and much of our surgical equipment was vandalized or destroyed."

Buffy stepped around to the foot of the bed. "Is everyone okay? No one was attacked, were they?" She wondered what was going on. Had some demon gotten into the hospital?

"The staff is fine, just a few bruises." Dr. Kriegel sighed. "We've had an influx of mental patients lately, and we just don't have the proper staff for them all. We're in the process of sending who we can home or sending them to other hospitals." He shook his head back and forth. "Unfortunately several of the patients were able to break free and overpower the nurses station. They wreaked a bit of havoc through the surgical storage facilities and other places."

Joyce sighed. Her head was starting to throb again. She really hated being in the hospital in the first place. Now she was going to have to worry about loose mental patients? She rubbed her temples.

Spike noticed Joyce's motions. He picked up a glass to fill it with water. He picked up the small cup that had two pills in it. He handed her the glass and the pills.

Joyce smiled up at Spike. She swallowed the pills down with some water and lay back with her eyes closed.

"I don't mean to sound uncaring, but what does this mean for us?" Spike glanced down at Joyce then back up to the doctor.

"It means we can't do the surgery until at least tomorrow night." Dr. Kriegel placed his hand on Joyce's arm. "We don't want to take any chances that something might not be functioning properly. Also one of the machines that we need to monitor and perform the procedure was irreparably damaged. We need to get a replacement from LA. That will take until at least tomorrow."

"I'm so tired of this hospital." Joyce moaned out. "I swear that I'm going to go crazy in here myself if I have to wait much longer."

"I sympathize Joyce, but we don't want to take any chances on your health. The machines ..."

Joyce interrupted. "Damn it all. Just rip them up and shove them in the trash. You're all worthless anyways." Her voice was full of anger and loathing.

Everyone stared at Joyce, stunned. Joyce never swore, and her tone was nothing like the sweet woman that had always cared for everyone in their group.

"It's all right, Joyce." The doctor watched Joyce's face change back to a passive, yet pained one, a few seconds later. He let his gaze travel to everyone present. "The tumor is putting pressure on various parts of her brain. I expected this kind of a reaction as a possibility." He pressed the button for the nurse's station.

Two beeps echoed throughout the room followed by a soft female voice. "Nurse's station. How may I help you, Joyce?"

"Actually this is Dr. Kriegel. Please get a mild sedative for Mrs. Summers stat. Her surgery has been postponed, and I want her resting as much as possible."

"Thank you." Dr. Kriegel looked back down at Joyce. "You need to sleep as much as possible Joyce. I'm going to give you something to help with that." He turned to the rest of them. "Once she is asleep, it would be best if you all leave until tomorrow morning."

Joyce opened her eyes. "I'll be fine." She tried to sound convincing. "You can go out patrolling now. I doubt that Riley will be doing it tonight now."

Giles looked questioningly at Buffy. Buffy cringed. "Yeah, I doubt that he shows up."

Spike secretly squeezed Buffy's hand, using his long and flowing duster to hide their joined hands. He was willing to wait for Buffy to make their relationship known, but he was going to comfort her in any way that he could.

Buffy, Dawn and Spike walked out of Joyce's hospital room. The trio strode down the corridors of the hospital. Things still seemed a bit chaotic around the nurse's stations they passed. A couple of mental patients were still unaccounted for.

A heavyset man looked up at Dawn from between a younger couple near the nurse's station. "No input." He got closer to Dawn. "No data. You have no data."

Protectively, Spike pulled Dawn closer to him. He looked up at Buffy and nodded to head down the other hall. Dawn squirmed in his arms, freaking out.

The man started shaking his hands at Dawn. "Not here. Not real." The young couple pulled their father's hands to pull him towards the exit.

A young doctor that Buffy and Dawn had met earlier stepped over to the trio. "Are you guys all right? Was he bothering you?"

Buffy spoke up first. "It's okay, Ben. He was just muttering a bunch of nonsense." She ran her fingers through Dawn's long brown hair. "They are letting him go home?"

"Yeah." Ben placed his hands on his hips. He huffed. "After the incident earlier today they are trying to send any patients home with their families that they can."

"Is that safe?" Buffy looked at Spike worriedly. "If they are causing trouble here, won't they hurt their families?"

"They're trying to weed out the more passive ones, but a passive patient could be aggressive in the next moment." Ben shook his head back and forth. "I don't like it all, but who am I to argue with the doctors. I'm just an intern. They don't listen to me."

"Will Mom be safe here, Buffy?" Dawn was scared. This was the second time someone had told her that she wasn't real. Nothing about it made sense, but it was starting to creep her out.

"Giles is with her now. I doubt that he'll be leaving any time soon." Buffy tried to reassure her sister.

"The Watcher seemed like he wasn't going to be moving from her bedside." Spike agreed. "Buffy and I can come back to check on her after our patrol, Nibblet."

"Your Mom should be perfectly safe." Ben rested a hand on Buffy's arm. He quickly removed it at the sound of something like a growl coming from the blonde man. "Security has been doubled and the damage has mainly been to property." His name was paged over the intercom, and he quickly left the trio.

"We'll see, Dawn." Buffy continued her stroking through Dawn's hair. "Right now we're heading to Xander and Anya's. You can stay there until Spike and I are done with patrolling."

Dawn rolled her eyes. They headed out into the night. "I don't see why I can't come with you."

"I'm almost as old as you were when you were called." Dawn countered, arms crossed in front of her.

"But you haven't been called. You aren't as strong as I was, and I was petrified when I was called." Buffy didn't know how long Dawn would be around. Would she disappear once the key's usage time was up? Was Dawn able to handle getting hurt? She didn't know the answers to way too many questions. Each answer she found seemed to lie in just another question. She looked up at Spike pleadingly.

"Let your big sis and I handle the patrolling tonight, Nibblet." Spike ruffled Dawn's hair playfully. "Once we get everything settled with your mum maybe we can talk Buffy into letting me train you some. No matter what you should be able to defend yourself." He looked over Dawn's head at Buffy in support.

"Goodie!" Dawn practically bounced for the several block walk from the hospital to Xander's house. All earlier thoughts and worries were gone. She had something to look forward to. Spending more time with Spike was always a good thing in her book.

Buffy smiled at Spike. Behind Dawn's back she reached out her hand and gathered his hand into hers. She squeezed it tightly in a form of thank you and for safety. She felt so much more at peace in his presence. She knew that he would support her, and he seemed to know just what she needed without pressuring her. With him by her side, she knew that she could handle whatever the next couple of days had for them.

Giles remained behind to watch over Joyce for a little bit longer. The nurse arrived only 10 minutes after Dr. Kriegel made his request for a sedative. It wasn't long before Joyce was asleep, but Giles didn't want to leave her yet. While she was asleep the pain seemed to fade from her face. He memorized every soft curve by tracing his fingertips along her cheeks, forehead and lips.

"Rest, my beloved Joyce." Giles cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb gently over her skin. "We'll get through all of this somehow. I know you are strong." He sighed, dropped his head to their joined hands on the side of the bed, and closed his eyes.

Xander opened the door to reveal Buffy, Spike and Dawn. "What the heck is the bleached wonder doing here?"

"Let it go, Xander." Buffy snipped. Dawn's bouncing had annoyed her for half the trip to Xander's house. Her mother's health weighed on her mind. Something nagged at the back of her thoughts, telling her that trouble was near. She didn't have the time to deal with Xander's pettiness.

"Whoa, easy Buff." Xander took a step back. He took in the downtrodden faces of the group. "Did something go wrong with the surgery?"

"Yeah, it didn't happen, Whelp." Spike growled at Xander. With his hand on the small of Dawn's back, he gave her a little push into the apartment.

"The equipment they needed for Mom's surgery was destroyed by some mental patients." Buffy sighed. 'And I just left here there, helpless if one of them decides to come after her.'

"They delayed her surgery until tomorrow night." Spike continued for Buffy. "Buffy and I are going to patrol, but we need you to watch the Nibblet until we're done."

Anya peeked her head into the doorway. "Sure. We can play Life again." She giggled gleefully. She loved to play with the money. "Or maybe Monopoly."

"Of course you are, Honey." Xander glanced back and forth between Buffy and Spike. There was something going on there, but he couldn't put his finger on what it might be. Spike was standing awfully close to Buffy, and Buffy didn't seem to be minding his presence at all. "We'll take care of Dawn until you get back."

"Thanks, Xander. We ..." Buffy was interrupted by the sound of a loud whistling from the sky. When she looked up it seemed that the sky was burning in a streak of fire. "What the heck?"

Spike was already halfway down the stairs when he shouted back up to the group that now stood on the landing outside of Xander's apartment. "Meteor or something else." He took off in the direction of a booming sound from the object hitting earth. He wasn't sure just how close it was, but there was a burst of light as the object hit the ground. It seemed like it was coming from some nearby woods.

Buffy skipped several steps before she hit the ground and followed Spike. Xander, Anya and Dawn decided without even saying a word that their help might be needed. Xander and Anya grabbed their coats quickly, locked the door and ran in the same general direction that Spike and Buffy had took off in.

"Somehow I don't have a good feeling about this Xander." Anya huffed as she ran in-between Dawn and Xander.

"Maybe it will be an alien?" Dawn picked up her pace, wanting to get to Buffy and Spike soon.

"We'll find out soon enough." Xander pointed to a clearing where Buffy and Spike stood near a huge path that was gouged out of the earth. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto."

Chapter Summary: Something has crashed in some woods near Xander and Anya's place. Buffy, Spike, Dawn, Anya and Xander go to investigate. Joyce is awaiting her surgery, but her mind is not quite there right now. Dawn is starting to get freaked out from all the people saying she isn't real. The Summer's girls stood up for Spike with Giles, and now he is wondering what is going on with Spike. **Warning, minor bloodplay at the end; wound healing**

Author's Note: I decided to compress the episode "Listening To Fear" to take care of the Quellor demon right off. I wanted to put more focus on the relationships and Dawn's key status.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Spike stared at the long crater sized path in the ground. "Bloody hell, that's not good." He shook his head back and forth at the destruction that the "meteor" had caused.

Buffy hopped across the trench to reach the large object embedded in the ground at the end of the trench. She bent down to take a closer look, but an arm blocked her way.

Spike's arm went out in front of Buffy. He grasped her by the waist and gently pulled her back. "Careful luv. We don't know if that thing is radioactive or if anything is alive in it."

Xander, Anya and Dawn finally caught up to the blonde duo fully. Dawn beamed at Spike and her sister. They were standing very close to each other, and she could see Spike's arm around Buffy's waist.

Spike's arm position didn't go unnoticed by Xander either. "Hey." He pointed to Spike. "Get your hands off of her." He started to march closer to Spike.

Anya pulled Xander's hand back when Spike started growling. Chip or no chip she didn't want a battle between the two of them. It always upset her the way Xander went off about demons. Does he forget that she is an ex-demon? That she's killed more people in her 1000 years than Spike, Angelus, Darla and Dru combined? "We have more important things to worry about than Buffy's sex life, Xander."

Spike and Buffy choked. Xander's jaw dropped. "No. No. Bad." His whole body twitched. "Buffy, Spike and sex do NOT belong in the same sentence."

Buffy frowned. She felt Spike start to pull away from her. She gripped his hand tightly so that his arm remained in place. She was not ready to deal with Xander, but there was no way that she was going to let Xander push Spike away.

"Buffy doesn't need your criticism right now, you stupid git." Spike snarled. He focused on Buffy's face and body language. Nothing could explain the joy in his heart when her hand tightened on his. He figured that she'd throw him away as fast as possible once Xander started jumping on her.

"Criticism?" Xander's steam wasn't even close to running out. "You aren't going to take advantage of Buffy's mom being sick to wheedle your way into her life." He turned to Buffy. "What about Riley, Buffy? Sleeping with vampires wasn't enough before. Now you have to cheat on your boyfriend to be with one?"

Dawn gasped in unbelief. Even Anya stared at Xander slack jawed. Buffy's face furrowed, and her jaw clenched so tightly that everyone heard her teeth grinding against each other.

Spike grabbed Xander by his jacket lapels. He forced him backwards several steps to pin him to a large tree. "You don't know what you are talking about as usual." He practically spat out each word in Xander's face.

Buffy, Dawn and Anya ran the few yards to where Spike and Xander were. Buffy grabbed a hold of Spike's arm, but her eyes were directed to Xander. "I broke up with Riley, Xander." She squeezed Spike's arm, turning to face him. She silently pleaded with him to let Xander go.

"Are you crazy?" Xander barely choked out. Although he wasn't being "hurt", the tightness in his chest from the grip Spike had on him was not pleasurable. "He's the best thing that ever happened to you."

Buffy did the last thing that anyone expected her to do; she laughed. She started with a slight giggle and worked it up into a full-fledged laughter.

Spike let go of Xander, dropping the whelp to the ground. 'Oh my god. He's pushed her to crazy land.' He rested his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "What's so funny, luv?"

"Xander ... He ... Oh, that is such a good one." Buffy straightened up. "Does your idea of a perfect guy include hitting his girlfriend when she doesn't agree with him and wants to break up with him?" Her laughing subsided.

Spike growled deeply. "That wanker hit you?" Unnecessary breaths were inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I'll kill him. I swear I will find some way to kill him."

Xander stared wide-eyed at Buffy. "No way." He shook his head back and forth. "Riley wouldn't do it. I don't believe it."

"Well believe it, Xander because that is what he did." Buffy snapped. "I'm sick of you self-righteous and judgmental pricks who think that you can run my life for me just because you are my boyfriend or my friend." She advanced on Xander getting right in his face. "I'm through with it. I'll date whom I want. I know what kind of boyfriend I want now, and I have him right here."

Spike tightened his grip on Buffy's shoulder. He had never seen her this mad at any of the Scoobies before. What shocked him even more was the fact that Buffy was sticking up for her choice. She actually called him her boyfriend. 'Yes, choke on that one you wanker.' He thought to himself.

"If I'd done that in the first place maybe we wouldn't have had to deal with all that Initiative crap like we did." Buffy looked over at Spike. She'd never forgotten how she felt during Willow's "thy will" spell. What might have happened if she hadn't panicked when the spell wore off or if Spike had acted a little differently to her? After what had come out between them in the last few days, she figured that Spike wasn't all that upset by how they were during the spell either.

Spike quirked a scarred brow at Buffy. 'Does she mean what I think she means?' He thought to himself. Nothing would erase how he felt during Willow's botched up "thy will" spell. He'd found a happiness in those hours that he hadn't known in over 150 years of existence, not even with Dru.

There wasn't enough time to ponder what everyone meant because at that moment a loud screeching rent the air behind the group. Everyone turned just in time to see a back shelled like demon burst from the "meteor".

"Ahhhhh!" Dawn screamed. She jumped behind Spike and Buffy just as they were both pulling her back.

"It's ugly, whatever it is." Anya cringed. She clutched tightly to Xander's arm. "Don't let it get me, Xander."

The demon took off through the woods. It seemed to walk on it's hands and feet like a four legged creature of sorts. Buffy and Spike ran after it in sync with each other's steps. They quickly surrounded it. With it being so close to the ground, they weren't prepared for it to turn around and jump up at one of them. It tried to wrap it's "arms" around Buffy.

Buffy screeched as she fought to get the demon off of her. She dug her fingernails into the seemingly soft underbelly of the creature. She couldn't reach the stake that she always kept safely hidden on her person.

Spike slipped his hand into his duster. He pulled out a long Bowie knife and a stake. He tried to stab the demon in the back, but Buffy and it were twisting around too much in their fight. He didn't want to take a chance of hitting Buffy accidentally. "Stand still, Slayer."

"I'm trying." Buffy grunted. "Just kill the damn thing already." The demon spat a clear slime in Buffy's face and lunged for her neck. The Slayer and the demon fell to the ground in the process.

"No one ..." Spike plunged the knife into the back of the demon so hard that it broke through the outer shell. "Touches ..." He twisted the knife in it's place, driving it into the creature further. "That neck ..." He twirled the stake before he plunged it into the back of it's head. "But me!"

The demon squealed with each plunge and twist. Finally it wriggled one last time and fell silent. Spike kicked the beast off Buffy who was pulling at the slime that solidified on Buffy's face.

Buffy gasped for breath once her mouth and nose were clear. "Thank you." She scooted farther away from the demon. "We need to get back to Giles to tell him about this one. That was just too weird." She shivered. "Now we have to worry about demons from outer space too?" She slapped her hands at her side.

Dawn fell down and hugged her sister tightly. That thing had scared her. Spike hugged both Buffy and Dawn together. "Let's head back to the hospital. He's probably still there." He extended a hand to both of his girls to help them up.

"Wait a minute." Xander stood right next to Spike. "There is no way that I'm letting you take them anywhere after that earlier display."

"It isn't your choice, whelp." Spike hissed. He pulled both Dawn and Buffy closer to him. "We're going back to the hospital to see the Watcher, and right now you aren't invited."

Buffy rested her head against Spike's shoulder. "He'll take care of us, Xander." She sighed. "Besides he'll be able to describe that thing better than I can."

"We're leaving." Buffy cut him off immediately. "Go home, Xander." She tugged on Spike's hand. Spike tightened the grip on his girls. He kept his eyes open for any more dangers as they walked back to the hospital.

No one noticed the dark haired intern named Ben who had witnessed everything between the demon and the group. He strode off towards his car. He was confused as to how and why this group of people killed the demon he'd summoned. 'I could swear those were the Summer's girls. Very odd.'

Xander kicked the ground in a huff. He ranted and raved to Anya for 15 minutes before he strode back towards their apartment. Cursing the vampire's name every which way, he still refused to believe that Riley hit Buffy. "There's no way that bleached idiot is better for Buffy than Riley." He muttered to himself.

Giles really needed some coffee. The doctor had already been back in to check on Joyce's status once more. Thankfully, Giles had been able to report that she was still sleeping. He knew that he should go home, but he just couldn't make himself leave. It was as if he was afraid to miss out on a moment when Joyce might awaken.

Unfortunately Giles did need to stretch his legs a bit. It was starting to get quite late, and he needed a bit more coffee in his system if he was going to make it through the night. He picked up Joyce's hand and kissed the back of it softly. "I'll be right back, Joyce."

Buffy, Spike and Dawn walked quietly through the corridors. There was something eerie about a hospital at night. It creeped Buffy out big time. She would rather patrol all night over the Hellmouth then be present in a hospital at night. So a hospital over the Hellmouth ... so not a good idea.

Dawn turned the handle to Joyce's room. The only light came from a box on the wall behind the bed. It was on low level. They could see each other, but it was a bit dark. While Spike and Buffy looked around the room and then hall for Giles, Dawn curled up on the bed with her mother.

"He has to be around here somewhere, pet." Spike pointed to the bit of tweed and leather draped over the back of a chair near Joyce's bed. "That's his jacket. I doubt that he'd leave it here."

Buffy nodded. "You're right." She leaned down to whisper near Dawn's ear. "We're going to check out the waiting room. Stay here."

Giles pressed a couple buttons on the vending machine in the waiting area. "Come on, damnit." He sighed when the cup of coffee did not pop down to start filling. He slapped the top of the machine in frustration then rested his head on his arm against the machine. The click and plop of the cup falling into the proper place sounded and the slurping sound of coffee filling the cup seemed to echo in the quiet room.

"Possessed machine, Watcher?" Spike patted Giles on the back. "Wants to keep all that caffeine to itself?" He could tell that Giles was tired and frustrated. So, he tried to lighten the mood.

"Yes, quite." Giles half chuckled and shook his head back and forth. "I didn't expect you both back here tonight." He glanced at Buffy who was now standing next to Spike. "It's only been a few hours. Slow patrol?"

Buffy shook her head back and forth. "I wish it was." She motioned for them to sit down. The three huddled together while Buffy recounted everything that had happen since they'd left the hospital. She skipped over most of the Xander things and tried to focus on the demon. Spike chipped in details and descriptions of the demon, the fire trail, and the object they found.

"Interesting." Giles removed his glasses with his free hand. He sipped from his coffee cup in the other hand. He rubbed his forehead with the back of the hand holding his glasses. "It sounds like a demon of sorts, but I don't know why it would have come from the stars."

"We were pretty stumped too, Rupert." Spike wrung his hands together. "It definitely came down from somewhere not on this planet."

"Pretty lights coming down, but I could do without demons spitting in my face to try and kill me." Buffy shivered.

Joyce stirred a little in her room. She felt a warm body snuggled up against her. Instinctively she stroked her fingers through the girl's long brown hair. Everything changed in an instant and Joyce began to yell and scream.

"No! Get away from me." Joyce tried to crawl off the bed and push Dawn off at the same time. "You thing. You're not real. Go away!" She screamed again.

"Mommy?" Dawn felt the tears in her eyes long before they started to fall down her face. She was scared. 'Not Mom too!' She cried even harder. "Mommy, please."

Buffy, Spike and Giles burst through the door. All three had bolted from the waiting room at Joyce's first scream. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Joyce pushed Dawn farther away then pulled back her hands quickly. "Get it away from me. Not real ... Not mine."

Spike gathered Dawn in his arms. He hugged her tightly, gazing from Giles to Buffy.

Giles sat down in the chair. He clasped Joyce's hand in his and spoke in soothing tones. "It's all right, Joyce. Everything's fine."

Joyce shook her head. Her eyes cleared, and her thoughts righted themselves. She looked around the room in shock that all 4 of them were there and Dawn was crying. "What's wrong, Honey?" She said reaching out towards Dawn.

'Whoa now that is a big change.' Buffy thought. She turned Dawn around to face her mother. "It's okay, Dawnie. See." She pointed to their mom. "All better."

"No, it's not." Dawn sniffled and sobbed. "Mommy hates me." She clutched to Spike harder.

"Baby, I don't ..." Joyce wasn't able to finish her sentence because a nurse burst into the room at that point.

"What's wrong, Joyce? We heard screaming." The nurse asked. She was very concerned. Brain tumor patients could be very temperamental, but they needed to be kept as calm as possible to avoid more damage or stress to the brain.

"Everything is in hand now, Madam." Giles responded with authority and politeness. "She was just confused for a few moments. Thank you for checking."

"All right, but you need to try and keep her as calm as possible." The nurse looked at her watch. "I'll check her chart to see what sedative they used. Maybe we can give her a little bit more to help her sleep again."

"That sounds like a good idea." Buffy nodded. She looked at Joyce. "Mom, I'm going to take Dawn home. Spike will walk us there. So, don't worry."

"That's right, Mum. I'll take care of them." Spike spoke proudly. Nothing and no one would hurt his girls on his watch. Come hell or high water he'd defend them with his life.

"Okay, Baby. Be careful." Joyce kissed both her daughters good night. She was confused as to why Dawn was crying. What had happened? Maybe she'd ask Rupert about it later. Right now she just wanted to sleep.

Buffy leaned down to whisper into Giles' ear. "I think we need to tell Dawn. She's really getting freaked out."

"I don't think that is a good idea, Buffy." Giles whispered back. "Once she knows that puts her in even more danger."

"I know, but I can't have her thinking that her mother doesn't love her." Buffy frowned. "No matter what, I know my mom will want her."

"Use your discretion, but I wouldn't tell her unless you have to." Giles nodded. "And be careful where you talk to her about it. Who knows who might be listening."

Buffy stood back up, hugged her mother one more time, and nodded to Giles before she stepped out of the room.

The trip home was uneventful except for Dawn's fidgeting and numerous attempts to ask questions. Nothing would form a coherent sentence or thought. So halfway through the walk home, Dawn gave up on asking anything.

The trio stepped into the house. "Buffy?" Dawn headed for the kitchen even though she was talking to her sister over her shoulder. "Why did Mom say those things about me?"

"The doctor told us about the tumor putting pressure on her brain, Dawnie." Buffy hated to worry Dawn more, but how would the girl handle the truth? She was so young, yet so old. Human emotions were definitely not easy to grasp.

"She wasn't the only one to say that though, Buffy." Dawn filled up a glass with orange juice. She sat on the stool at the island in the kitchen. "Besides you were doing the whisper thingy with Giles, and I heard my name."

Spike held out a hand to Dawn. "Come on, Nibblet. Let's go in the living room." He looked over at Buffy who nodded. He sat down on the couch. He pulled Dawn down beside him.

Buffy sat down on the other side of Dawn. "You're right. I was talking to Giles about you, but I didn't want you to worry about anything."

Dawn looked at the serious expressions on her best friend and sister's faces. She knew that this was something pretty heavy. Both of them looked pretty uptight about whatever it was. They were worried.

Buffy held Dawn's hand. 'How do you tell your sister that she's not really your sister but an old big ball of energy that was made human by using parts of you? 'They do not have a manual for stuff like this.'

Spike helped Buffy out by starting things off. Everyone was already so stressed. He'd do anything he could to help. "Nibblet, this is going to sound very strange to you, but please hear your big sis and I out."

"You are very special to us Little Bit, but what you remember about your life isn't quite correct." Spike began in an even tone. He watched Dawn's every movement and facial expression. "You know how Glory keeps trying to find something? And you remember that big snake that came into the Magic Box?"

"Yes, it was." Spike ran his hand through his bleached locks. "They were looking for you, Nibblet. They want you."

"Because you were created by some pretty strange but well meaning monks for a special purpose." Spike tried to think of what to say next.

"Yes, Dawnie." Buffy jumped in. "You are a key, Dawnie. Before a few weeks ago you technically weren't human."

"Now, Dawn, you promised to listen to it all first." Buffy chastised softly. "I didn't believe it at first either, but the monks proved it to me."

"Your essence is made up of a ball of energy that can be used to open up inter-dimensional portals." Buffy rolled her eyes at herself. Even saying it out loud always sounded crazy to her.

"No, Dawn." Spike rubbed Dawn's knee. "You are human in every way that matters. Member I can't hit you?" He grinned to lighten things. "That says 100 percent flesh and blood." He mockingly held his head in his hands swaying side to side.

Buffy giggled at Spike's antics. "The monks made you human from me. You are a Summer's, Dawn. You are my little sister no matter if you are 14 years old or 4 weeks."

Dawn started to cry. "This can't be happening. First Mom and then me, and now my mom isn't really mom." She shook as the sobs overtook her.

Spike and Buffy hugged Dawn. "It's okay, Dawn. She is your Mom. Remember Summer's blood is running through those veins. It's just more complicated than that." She looked to Spike for assistance.

"Nibblet, Glory needs the key part of you for some portal she wants opened." Spike rubbed Dawn's back. "Being the key isn't all that you are. You are human above everything. The key is just like an extra bonus." He perked up. "It makes you more special than anyone else. It doesn't make you fake."

"But I wasn't human until a little bit ago." Dawn sniffled. "That makes me feel fake."

"You are real, Dawn." Buffy had an idea. She went into the kitchen for a minute or two. She returned to the living room with a knife in her hand. With one hand Buffy lifted Dawn's hand in the air. She cut a shallow diagonal slash down the palm of Dawn's hand.

"Oy, Slayer. What are you doing?" Spike cringed. Blood certainly didn't bother him, but it was different when you cared about the one whose life force was flowing out. Blood was dripping from his Little Bit's hand.

Buffy repeated the process on her hand that held Dawn's. "See, Dawnie." She held the two hands right in front of Dawn. "Your blood." She pointed to Dawn's hand. "My blood." She pointed to her own. "It's the same blood, Summer's blood." She clasped both of their wounded hands together, mingling the blood between them. "You are as real as I am." She said determined to prove her point.

Spike licked his lips. He forced his demon mask into the back of his mind. Unlike most vampires he was able to control his bloodlust. He was partly forced into it by being chipped, but he was better at controlling it even before being chipped. Slayer blood was strong and alluring to a vampire though. It was the ultimate blood for them in so many ways. His reaction was instinctual, but it was also something more. This wasn't just Slayer blood. It was Buffy's blood; his slayer, the woman he loved with all of his undead heart. He turned away from the girls to calm himself.

Buffy noticed Spike's reaction to the display. At first she didn't pick up on what could have caused him to become so panicky. Shortly she realized that he was reacting to her blood. She was amazed that he wasn't in his demon visage. This had to be almost like torture to him. For him to have Slayer blood so close to him and yet not be able to sample it had to be hard. Her respect for him grew even deeper in that moment of realization about what kind of control Spike had over his demon. "Spike?" She placed her free hand on Spike's arm to get his attention.

"Vampire saliva has a healing quality, does it not?" Buffy questioned. She wanted to show him that she trusted him implicitly.

Spike nodded. Why was she questioning him about that? That was a strange question to come from anyone.

Buffy moved her and Dawn's hands over towards Spike. "Dawn doesn't have Slayer healing." She tried to reason it out with him. She had to think of something to get him to do it because his head was shaking back and forth rapidly.

"I'm quite serious." Buffy let go of Dawn's hand. Dawn's eyes bugged out. She wasn't going to stop Spike because she trusted him, but she couldn't figure out why Buffy was doing this. Buffy opened her hand to Spike as well. The active flow of blood on each had stopped, but Dawn's hand appeared to have a bit of angry reddening around the cut. "Heal us please, Spike."

Spike locked gazes with Buffy. Her eyes never wavered from his. He leaned down to Dawn's hand, watching Buffy the entire time. Slowly he licked the palm of Dawn's hand. Solid long strokes lapped up any of the blood that formerly leaked from her hand. He continued for a few more strokes to be sure the healing process was well in order.

Dawn pulled her hand back slowly when she knew Spike was done. "Wow. That tingled." She said in awe at Spike. "Thanks." She hugged him. She looked from Buffy to Spike. It seemed as if they were lost in their own world with only each other for company. She quickly excused herself to go to bed. Once she reached the stairs she turned back around to watch Spike begin to lap at Buffy's hand. She shivered at the very erotic sight the two made. No way was she going to let Xander get in the middle of her sister and Spike. She liked Spike. Heck she loved Spike like a big brother. She skipped up the stairs to her room.

Spike's tongue flattened out across Buffy's palm to fully stroke her hand. He growled lightly. The tang of her blood tingled and practically sizzled over his tongue and down his throat like a fine wine touching his taste buds. He was in heaven at the moment.

Buffy inhaled sharply. Her chest heaved, and her heart raced. Her body was practically shaking. This had to be the most sensual thing she'd ever experienced. 'Oh gosh. If this is what I feel like when he's just licking my palm and suckling lightly, what would it feel like to have him fully taste me.'

"Oh Buffy." Spike purred. He suckled the wound to make sure that he didn't miss a single drop of the ambrosia from her veins. He lapped like a good puppy to clean and heal the whole area. Slayer healing would take care of anything Buffy needed, but he wasn't going to turn down her offer. For her to trust him to sample her blood and not sink his fangs into her to drain her astounded him. This was beyond her figuring that the chip would save her. He'd seen the look of absolute trust in her eyes.

Buffy panted. Even when Spike was done, she still held his hand in hers. "That was ... Wow." She exhaled slowly. "Amazing." Her heart continued to race. What did you say after something like that? Words seemed inadequate.

"Aye, pet." Spike snuggled closer to Buffy. He pulled her into his lap, nuzzling his face into her neck. "An amazing treasure to me. Thank you so much." He nibbled lightly up and down her neck, purring.

Buffy sighed in contentment. She rested comfortably in his lap and arms for a long time. She had no idea just how much time had passed. She was so tired, but she didn't want him to leave. She needed to know he would be close. "Spike?" She asked shyly. She looked down at the floor.

"Yes, luv?" Though he knew that he should be leaving, he planned on watching the house from the tree until he was forced into shelter from the sun. He needed to be sure that they were safe.

Spike blinked. Shocked didn't begin to describe what he was feeling from her asking that question. "If you want me to, I will." He tilted his head to the side a little and smiled wider. "Your wish is my pleasure." This night was just getting better by the moment.

Buffy blushed. She thought about opening up the hideaway bed in the couch, but there would be too much sunlight coming in through that window. She nibbled on her lower lip. "Would you mind sleeping in my Mom's room? Hers is the easiest to light proof."

Spike stepped up to Buffy. He wrapped his arms around her. As he hugged her he rested his cheek against the side of her head. "I'd be honored that you would offer me that, luv."

Buffy lost herself in the scent of his leather duster. Each distinct smell mingled together to create a scent that could only be described as all Spike's: leather, tobacco, alcohol and something earthy and stirring to her blood. "Thank you, Spike."

Buffy and Spike walked up the stairs. After pulling the shade and tucking a couple blankets over the window, they were pretty sure that all bases were covered. They stood in the hall. Both of them shifted nervously from one foot to another.

Spike rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He sighed. "Good night, Buffy." He leaned down to kiss Buffy tenderly. "Sweet dreams, Kitten."

Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike's neck, kissing him more deeply. When her lips were parted with his tongue, she offered no resistance. She needed this closeness, this connection. It all felt right with Spike. It made no sense, but he felt like home: safe, strong, loving, comforting, and secure. She needed that in her life. She didn't care if others thought it was wrong. Spike wasn't like the vampires that she killed nightly. He was so much more, and she was going to enjoy getting to know every little nuance. "Sweet Dreams, William." She closed her bedroom door, Spike's surprised expression the last thing she saw before it shut.