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Chapter 1

Hank entered his office the next day and was greeted by a smiling Spike.

“I’m surprised you didn’t take the day off.”

Hank shook his head. “There are still a lot of bad guys out there. I may have caught Hamilton, but I’m far from finished.”

Spike nodded in agreement. “Always about work, aren’t you? That’s why I admire you, Hank. I’m not one for having much of a personal life, either.”

“You’re still young, though. You should be out there having fun, not always being stuck in here.”

Spike shrugged and glanced around Hank’s office. “I don’t mind it, really. I love what I do, nothing else really matters.”

Hank looked concerned and realized that he didn’t know much about the younger man. “What about girlfriends?”

Spike took on a pained expression before he answered. “I don’t really date anymore.”

Hank decided to drop the subject. He knew that Spike didn’t like to talk about it.

Spike continued to look around the office to keep himself occupied. His eyes then landed on a picture that was sitting on Hank’s desk. “Who’s that?” he wondered.

Hank noticed what had his attention and smiled at the picture. “This is my daughter,” he explained, picking up the framed photo.

Spike raised his eyebrows. “That’s Buffy?”

Hank only nodded.

“I thought she would have been a lot younger with the way you’ve been talking about her.”

“Well, she’ll always be my little girl. She’s a senior in high school now.” He then handed the picture to Spike, who took it with shaky hands.

Spike gazed at the photograph closer and his breath nearly caught in his throat. She was a very beautiful girl.

“That was her senior picture. She hates it, but I think it’s one of her best ones.”

Spike nodded and barely heard what Hank said. He traced his fingers over the girl’s face, then stopped suddenly and gave the picture back to Hank. “She’s very pretty,” he said when he finally found his voice.

Hank smiled at the comment. “That she is. She looks so much like her mother.”

Spike could tell how much the older man loved his daughter. He wished that he had someone in his life that meant that much to him. He may act like he was okay, but sometimes he was tired of being alone. He knew his job was risky, though. After what happened to his last girlfriend, he never wanted to get too close to someone again.


* * * * *


Hank arrived home later and found an envelope on his doorstep. He picked it up and walked into the house. He wondered what it was as he closed the door. He put his stuff down and opened the envelope. There was a note inside, with the letters cut out of the newspaper. He became even more worried once he read it, then looked to see what else was inside. He put it away when Buffy came down the stairs.

“Hey, how was work?”

Hank looked at his daughter, with the same somber expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” she wondered.

Hank shook his head. “Nothing, I just need you to stay upstairs.”

Buffy felt even more concerned. “Dad, what is it?”

Hank moved closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Everything will be fine, Buffy. I just need you to do this for me, all right?”

Buffy stared into his eyes and nodded. She then turned and ran back upstairs.

Hank left the house to look around outside. He didn’t even know what he would find, but he had to look anyway. He went back inside a few minutes later when he didn’t find anything. He would like to think that it was just a practical joke, but he knew better than that. His daughter’s life was threatened and he wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.


* * * * *


“Hey, I heard you were going to New York. That’s a pretty big job, but they gave it to the best man.” Spike told Hank the next day.

“I really don’t think it’s a good time for me to be traveling. This trip could take weeks,” he replied.

Spike nodded. “Yeah, but you’ll be doing a good thing. There are other people out there that need you, Hank. You have to protect this witness, until he’s ready to testify in court. You’re probably the only one that can handle him.”

Hank agreed. “I know that, but I can’t leave Buffy alone right now.”

Spike still didn’t see what the problem was. “She’s a big girl, right? I’m sure she can take care of herself.”

Hank ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s more serious now,” he stated, pulling out the note and handing it to Spike.

He read it over and looked up at Hank.

“This was at my door, which means he knows where I live and could come back at anytime.”

“Who is this bloke? It says he wants revenge because you put his brother away.”

Hank nodded. “It’s Hamilton’s brother. I don’t know much about him, but he knows about Buffy.” He then pulled out an envelope from his pocket and took the photos out that were in it. “These are pictures of Buffy at school. The bastard has been following her around. He wants to get to me through her.”

Spike looked at the pictures and grew just as concerned as Hank.

“I don’t think I can afford to leave to New York right now, knowing that she could be in danger.”

Spike nodded in understanding when Hank was finished. “What are you going to do? You’re the only one that can take this mission, Hank. I’m definitely not qualified for it.”

He suddenly had an idea. “There’s only one thing I can do. I can’t get out of this, so I was wondering if you could do a huge favor for me.”

Spike nodded again. “Yeah, I’ll do anything.”

Hank thought about it for a moment. “I hate to ask you this, but I don’t have any other options right now. Spike, I need you to protect Buffy for me.”

Spike’s eyes bulged and he waited for Hank to continue.

“I was hoping that she could stay with you until I return. He knows where my house is, so it would be too risky.”

Spike really wanted to help Hank out, but he didn’t know if Buffy staying with him was such a good idea. She already stirred feelings in him just by looking at her picture. He didn’t know what he would do if he had to see her in person, but one look at the distressed expression on Hank’s face and he knew what his answer would be. “I’ll do it.”

Hank smiled and gave Spike a pat on the back. “I really appreciate this. I wouldn’t give this job to just anyone. I trust you, Spike. I know that you would take good care of her.”

Spike let out a breath that he didn’t even realize he was holding. “Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’ll talk to Buffy tonight and let her know. I’m sure she would be fine with it.”

Spike wasn’t easily convinced. She was a teenage girl, after all. He really hoped he knew what he was getting himself into.





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