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Author's Note: Back to regular time now, except with a little time jump forward. Just pretend the whole April confrontation happened at night, okay?

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

Buffy looked up at the bright stars as she carried the April-bot down the street towards Willow's dorm. She hadn't been quite sure what to do with her. She didn't think just leaving an android in a playground would be very smart but she couldn't bring herself to throw the bot away. It looked too human to just stuff in a dumpster. Plus, there was always the chance that someone would find her and mistake her for a dead body, and then there'd be a whole fiasco over her and Buffy didn't need that.

Then Buffy thought of Willow. Her friend would love to have a robot to study. And so Buffy had set off, carrying the seemingly lifeless April.

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

Fifteen minutes later, after half-carrying-half-dragging the droid through the college campus and earning a few odd stares from late-night passers-by, Buffy finally reached Tara and Willow's dorm room.

She propped April up against a wall.

"Oh my god. Is she okay?" A girl walking by asked.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Buffy brushed her off as she knocked on the door.

The girl looked unconvinced but kept walking down the hall. Buffy impatiently knocked again.

A sleepy Tara creaked open the door.

"Oh," she said with a yawn, "hey Buffy."

She widened the door to allow Buffy entrance and then caught sight of the robot.

"What's with the robot?"

"I'll explain in a minute," Buffy said as she moved April into the room. Willow sat up in bed and flicked on the second lamp. Tara closed the door behind her.

"I couldn't just dump her somewhere," Buffy said to Willow and Tara's confused looks. "I thought maybe you'd want her."

Willow and Tara shared a look.

"Um. . .Buffy? I don't think either of us feels that way about robots," Willow said.

"What? Oh. . .no! I meant to study because you like robots, but I mean in the learning way, not the. . .y'know?" Buffy babbled.

Tara and Willow smiled at Buffy.

"Okay Buffy. Thanks for the um. . .present," Willow said.

Buffy nodded awkwardly.

"Well, I'll let you get sleep," Buffy said and turned towards the door.

"Bye," Tara said.

"Bye Buff. Have fun doing. . .creature of the night things," Willow called after her.

Buffy laughed and called goodbyes.

After Tara quietly clicked the door closed, she and Willow looked at each other and then at April who was leaning immobile against the wall.

"Um. . .we have our own robot," Tara stated, amused.

"That thing's gonna keep me up all night," Willow joked as Tara climbed back into bed.

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

---12:13 a.m.

Buffy ambled through the cemetery, half-patrolling, half-looking out for her mate/sire/boyfriend.

She hadn't gotten far when a familiar pair of arms slipped around her waist.

"Hey Slayer."

She smiled.

"Hello lover."

Buffy leaned into Spike's chest, her back pressing against his hard chest muscles, as he kissed her neck. She closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Buffy didn't want to patrol anymore.

"Spike," she said, her eyes opening. "Let's go to the Bronze."

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

---12:55 a.m.

There was a DJ, not a band, tonight. Buffy and Spike sat at a table talking and laughing and sipping their drinks, until the song "Make Me Bad" by Korn started to play.

Buffy pulled Spike out to the dance floor where they started dancing to the fast beat.

Spike put his hands on her hips as she swayed to the music and closer to him at the same time. She slid her arms around his neck and ground into him, still in tune with the beat.

Still swinging her hips, she pulled his head closer to hers before letting go and raising them over her head.

They locked eyes for a moment.

Later, back at his crypt, their love-making session resembled their dancing.

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

---2:06 p.m.

"I'll be back soon," Buffy promised, trying not to surrender to Spike's pleas for her to stay.

He sighed. "Okay," he said after a moment.

She smiled and kissed him on the lips before heading over to the sewer entrance.

"Wait," he called. He picked up a slightly-burnt blanket that had been near the corner, then turned and handed it to her. She took it.

"Thanks," she said before heading off.

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

Buffy ran into her house quickly; the blanket was smoking as she held it over her head. She breathed a sigh of relief after she had slammed the door behind her, and tugged the blanket off.

"Hey, Mom!" she called before turning and see some flowers on the table beside the door. "Ooh."

She opened the card that came with the flowers. It read: Thank you for a lovely evening. See you soon? Brian.

"Still a couple of guys gettin' it right," Buffy muttered to herself with a smile, as thoughts of her sire flickered across her mind.

She hung up the blanket on the coat rack and turned to call up the stairs.

"Hey. Flower-gettin' lady. Want me to pick Dawn up from school?" She called up the silent stairs. She figured she could take the sewer system and come up through the basement of the school. That way she could avoid getting parboiled. Buffy frowned and looked down the hall toward the kitchen.

"Mom?"

She turned and looked in the living room, noticing her mom lying on the couch.

"What are you doing?"

She walked into the living room and stopped suddenly, her heart freezing in her chest. *Oh God* she thought.

Her mom was lying on the sofa, her eyes open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. One arm hung loosely over the edge of the sofa. She didn't move or blink.

"Mom?" Buffy whispered.

"Mom?" Quieter.

"Mommy?"





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