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Spike fished the cell phone from his pocket as quickly as possible, hoping that the blanket had insulated the ringing enough so that it hadn’t woken Buffy. “Give me a mo’,” Spike whispered into the gadget before extricating himself from the bed and slipping out the door. “Hello?”

“Oh my god!” Dawn’s excited squeal echoed through the phone and reverberated in his head several times.

“Christ, Bit, could you tone it down a couple dozen decibels?” Spike moaned.

“Oh my god,ohmygod,ohmygod! So who is she? What’s she look like? You better have one hell of a story Spike, or you are *such* a dead man!” Dawn eagerly rambled.

“Dawn, we are not now, nor will we *ever* have this discussion!”

“Awww, come on Spike,” Dawn pleaded. “I’m gonna learn everything anyway, so you might as well just tell me now.”

“Not as long as I’m still breathing,” Spike shuddered as he realized that very soon, either he or his father was going to have no choice but to talk to Dawn about just that subject.

“Pppfffttt, whatever. I bet I know almost as much as you do, anyway,” Dawn insisted in that haughty little tone she was getting so good at, causing yet another shudder from Spike.

“If you did, there would be a lot more missing people in Sunnydale these days. Trust me on this one, Bit… that kind of knowledge isn’t the kind you want just yet. Now, to what do I owe this displeasure?”

“Well, I was wondering if you were planning on making it home sometime today. I was supposed to go to the mall with Cindy an hour ago and your dad has a meeting in 45 minutes,” Dawn informed him.

Damn. No what was he going to do? He wasn’t comfortable leaving Buffy alone. Her emotional state was too fluctuant and fragile from everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. He would either have to take Buffy home, or bring Michael here. But, Dawn couldn’t drive, and if his father brought Michael, then he’d find out about Buffy. That only left Xander or Willow, since raising Michael thus far had put a serious dent in his friends list. But, was Buffy ready to see either of them?

“Listen Dawn, give me 5 minutes and I’ll call you right back,” Spike said, and then hung up without waiting for a response. He made a quick call to Willow, and begged her to do him a quick, no questions asked, favor and bring Michael to him. He then called Dawn and told her Willow would be there soon to pick up Michael, and to have everything ready that he would need for at least today and tomorrow. With a heavy sigh at what the next 48 hours would likely entail, Spike went back inside and tried to figure out how to warn Buffy about her impending ill-timed reunion with her son.

He was still pondering his dilemma when the knock came 10 minutes later. Spike opened the door, fully expecting to see the petite redhead with Michael in her arms. And apparently Tara hadn’t expected him to be on the other side of the door either.

“Oh god!” Tara blushed furiously. “I, I’m sorry. I had no idea! I mean, I didn’t know you’d…I mean, I didn’t know Buffy’d… Um, I’ll just come back,” She said, looking down at the pavement next to her, reminding Spike that he was still clad only in his jeans.

“No, no! No need to rush off, this isn’t what it looks like,” Spike stepped outside the room again. “Uh, Tara, right?” He asked, and was treated to a silent nod. “I’m sure Buffy will be happy to see you. Just give me a moment to wake her. She had a rough night.” With another confirmatory nod, he left the still blushing girl standing outside.

After a few moments, the door was opened and Tara stepped into Buffy’s room. She shut the door behind her as Spike sat on the bed next to a mostly dressed Buffy and asked if she wanted him to step outside for a while. Buffy appeared to waffle for a few seconds, before nodding a yes. Spike gave her a quick peck on the cheek and grabbed his cigarettes and lighter before leaving the two women alone.

Fifteen minutes and two cigarettes later, Willow pulled into the motel parking lot next to his car. He could already read the confusion and anger that was starting to spill off of her as she pulled Michael out of the car seat. She silently walked up to him, and stopped about a foot away. She put on her resolve face and quirked an eyebrow that broached no arguments, and simply waited for his explanation.

Spike smiled his most charming smile, hoping it would diffuse some of her anger. Michael seemed inclined to help as he smiled and bounced on Willow’s arm, and with a gleeful call of “Pi!”, the boy reached his arms out to Spike. Willow however, did not hand the boy over. She continued to stand firm and wait for her explanation. Damn, he probably should have at least put a shirt on before walking out of the room.

“You can quit giving me that look and hand him over. This isn’t what it looks like, Red,” Spike informed her, with as much indignation as he could muster. Unfortunately, at just that moment, Tara popped her head out of Buffy’s room.

“Spike, we’re ready for you to come back in,” Tara called out to him.

Spike groaned at Tara’s choice of wording, knowing full well how Willow would interpret the statement.

“WE?! There’s a *we* in there? And you want me to believe that this isn’t what it looks like? And you have the nerve to expect me to leave Michael here while you and your *we*, do…whatever…you’re doing in there?!?” Willow turned on her heel and began to march off. Spike tried fervently to explain, but Willow wasn’t listening to anything he was saying as she tried to buckle a now crying Michael back into his car seat. Her frustrated fumbling was halted by a calm feminine hand placed on her forearm.

Tara gave Willow a shy little smile, before quietly speaking, and Spike could only hope that Willow would at least hear her out. The girl had surprised him when she’d come strolling up and calmly took control of the situation.

“I’m Tara,” She began with due seriousness. “I was just here checking on my friend. Spike kind of rescued her from a bad situation yesterday, and I wanted to make sure she was ok.”

Spike looked on with interest as Willow’s resolve began to melt.

“Besides,” Tara said leaning in and stage whispered, “I have a feeling that I could never compete with Spike’s ego for his attention, although it looks like someone managed to do so at some point,” She smiled at Michael as she let him wrap his fingers around one of her own.

“Oi!” Spike protested, before he caught a quick wink from Tara. Sneaky little thing, she was. And it seemed to be working too, because Willow was now giggling and nodding in agreement.

“So *now* can you hand me Michael, before he busts someone’s ear drums?” Spike asked as he walked up.

“Alright, but I better get a full explanation later, buster!”

“Thanks! I promise, as soon as I can, I’ll give you the whole scoop,” Spike said, and he took Michael and the baby bag that accompanied him, and asked Willow to pop the car seat into his car.

“Spike,” Tara called to him as he neared the door to Buffy’s room. “Just tell Buffy I’ll come back tomorrow, ok?”

“BUFFY?!” Willow screeched. “Buffy’s in there?!?!” She asked as she quickly made her way toward Spike and the door he’d been head towards.

Spike moved faster, and met her half way. “Willow, she’s not ready.” His stony look told Willow that there was no arguing this point.

“But she’s ready for you and Michael?” She argued anyway.

“Willow…” Spike began, only to be greeted with the sight of his father’s car pulling up into the parking lot. “Great!” Spike said, throwing up his free hand. “Why didn’t I just send out a homing beacon? Maybe hire a skywriter. Is Xander behind you? Or maybe Hank?”

“Spike, I think you better explain yourself!” Giles exclaimed as he stepped out of his car. “It’s bad enough you failed to tell us your extended plans for the evening, but then you have Willow bring Michael to this…this…dubious establishment? Is *this* what you’ve been doing instead of looking for Buffy? Have you even been going to class?”

The situation quickly devolved as Willow apprised the elder Giles that Spike had found Buffy and failed to tell any of them. All while a very confused Tara looked on in silence. As the arguments reached the point of explosion, a very loud growling shout suddenly silenced them all.

“Both of you listen to me *very carefully*,” Spike seethed. “Yes, Buffy is here. But the last 24 hours have been packed with truly spectacular, grade A, hell. In fact, she’s already scared the hell out of me once today and I’m damn well terrified of what I’m going to find when I go in there after her hearing this mob. If you lot go storming in there right now, we’ll be damn lucky if all she does is pull another runner. She is not, I repeat, NOT ready for you. I will bring her home if, and when, I think she is ready.”

With that, Spike turned on his heel, and stormed inside the room. He slammed the door behind him and the bolt audibly clicked shut. The stunned onlookers remained stunned for only moments, before deciding to proceed as planned and headed for the door.

“No.” Tara emerged from nowhere and stood between them and the door. “Look, I don’t know who you are, and I’m sure that you have really good intentions, but Buffy really has had a rough time. A lot of things have come up that she needs to deal with. She will come around. But right now, she needs time and I think Spike really is the best one to help her right now. So, you are going to back off and accept this because you want what’s best for her, right?”

The pair looked a little saddened, but grudgingly accepted Tara’s proclamation. She stood firmly ensconced between them and the door, until finally they gave up and Tara watched them walk to their cars. She watched the older gentleman drive off, as the woman moved the baby seat from her car into Spike’s car.

“You’re Willow?” Tara asked, as the woman walked back around her car. The woman nodded. “I’m Tara, Buffy’s friend. I know you don’t know who I am, and I probably just kind of ticked you off, but I don’t suppose I could get a ride from you? The bus that goes by my dorm won’t be here for another 15 minutes.”

Willow looked hedgy for a moment, but then nodded her acceptance. Tara climbed in the little car, and gave Willow directions to the university. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Tara glimpsed back at the little hotel room and sent as much positive energy as she could muster to the three occupants currently inside. She had a feeling that they would need all that they could get.





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