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A/N Goldilocks is the name that Allison and Ashlee came up with for our co-authored stories. This was the first story that we co-wrote together. It was adopted on the Spuffy Fantasy site and was originally started by Pony. We tried e-mailing the original author for permission to use the chapters she wrote (which is the back story of the summary) but never got a reply. If you would like to read the first few chapters, go to www.spuffyfantasy.com - we feel confident that our story can stand on its own, so there will be minimal confusion, but if you have any questions please feel free to ask. The main thing you should know is that Buffy left very abruptly, not bothering to work out any problems she may have had and she left a teenaged Spike a heartbroken, single parent. Our part of the story takes place five years later. Please review!




Chapter 1


New York City, New York- Summer 2004


Buffy sat in her office at the art gallery she co-managed and sighed. She was completely exhausted. It was nearing eight o’clock at night, and she had put in fourteen hours already. She yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily before opening a desk drawer to retrieve a contract she needed soon for an upcoming artist premiere. As she was scouring through files, her eyes fell upon a small picture nestled behind all of the folders. Picking it up, Buffy looked at it sadly. The beautiful blue eyes of her baby daughter stared back at her. Her baby daughter who was no longer a baby. Her little smile that haunted Buffy, lingering with her wherever she went, no matter how long she had been away. Buffy set the picture on her desk and studied it.

It had been almost five years since she’d left Sunnydale and everything that was there. Her family, her friends, Spike, and her precious Dawn. She loved Spike and her daughter immensely, but it just wasn’t enough to keep her there. She had so many ambitions she wanted to fulfill and dreams she had yet to accomplish before she could settle down as a mother, a wife, and an adult. Nevertheless, she often had dreams about the night she left, the expressions on Spike’s face killing her every second that she relived it.

They hadn’t spoken since she left, and her parents didn’t give her much information besides the fact that Spike and Dawn were both fine and that Dawn was a healthy and beautiful little girl. Buffy wasn’t surprised that they didn’t give her much to go on considering the fact that she walked out on her child, abandoning her and leaving behind the man she loved. Her parents were upset that Buffy could do such a thing, but she figured that they would understand more, once they found out how successful she had been since she moved.

She tried life in Florida for a while, trying to acclimate to her surroundings and taking some college courses. It was during an art class that her professor offered her the chance to be an intern for one of his contacts in New York. Buffy promptly took it and moved north, settling down there and establishing herself as an art connoisseur. She worked at a gallery in the city for two years before becoming a manager there. It was her dream job, and she found herself to be truly happy.

As she reflected on everything, she realized that although she didn’t regret leaving Sunnydale and becoming a powerful force in the art world in New York City, she pined for seeing her daughter again. Coming across the picture, now on her desk fueled the flame inside of her, making her wonder how Dawn looked now, how her life was. Her thoughts strayed to Spike and how he was doing, but her need to see Dawn became consuming suddenly.

She felt skittish as she considered returning back to Sunnydale for a brief trip. How would everyone react? The only people she kept in close contact with were her parents and Willow. Would they be happy to see her? What would Spike say? Would he let her see Dawn? How would Dawn react to her? What was she expecting to gain from this trip? Was it worth the anxiety?

“Yes, Summers, it really is,” she said, jumping up from her desk and grabbing her purse, quickly exiting the office. Her fellow manager Cordelia was sitting in her own office, shopping on-line. Cordelia looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “I’m taking some time off. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I need to go home for a while. Sorry for the short notice, and take care.” Buffy turned on her heel and practically ran to the door to leave.

“Wait? What just happened?” Cordelia asked, tilting her head and looking at the door close behind Buffy. She shrugged and returned to bid on a pair of shoes on E-bay

***

After packing up a couple of bags of luggage and calling the airport to buy tickets, she left her loft apartment and hailed a cab, taking it to JFK, fidgeting mindlessly the whole way.

When she got inside the building, she got her ticket and waited for about an hour, pacing the entire time, before getting on the last plane of the night that was heading to Los Angeles. She’d have to rent a car there, but she decided the money was well worth it.

‘Maybe I can write it off,’ she thought to herself.

She willed herself to fall asleep, but to no avail. The plane was playing “Glitter”, so that was out of the question. She noticed the older man beside her fast asleep and exhaled softly, already bored. Her worries of returning suddenly flooded her head again. She heard Willow’s voice in her head, reminding her of what she’d told her on Buffy and Spike’s one-year anniversary of dating.

"You guys are the cutest couple!" Willow exclaimed. "I seriously think you are gonna get married some day."

Buffy sighed and shut her eyes. She and Spike undoubtedly would’ve gotten married if she had stayed. Is that why she ran away? Or was it her undeniable need to become her own person before being tied down by him and Dawn? ‘Yep, that’s it, Little Miss Selfish. You always need to do your own thing. You never worried about whether Spike wanted to be his own person.’

She kept thinking until her eyelids began to droop, sleep overtaking her.

***

Spike had just finished putting Dawn to sleep when the phone rang in his bedroom. He grabbed it before its third ring, hoping it didn’t disturb his daughter. That’s all he would need tonight after a long day at work.

“Hello?” he asked, closing the door of his room. He looked at his Caller ID and smiled. “Fred?”

“Hey,” she replied, and he could tell she was smiling. “Is the little one asleep?”

“Just put her down,” he answered, sitting on his bed and looking at the clock, noticing the blinding red numbers and frowning. He’s been awake for nearly twenty hours already. ‘Bloody brilliant.’

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I just called to say good night,” she said. “And I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner, right?”

“Count on it, luv,” he smiled. “Good night.” He hung up the phone and sighed, lying back on his pillows. ‘I should head to sleep. Who knows what time Dawn will wake up,’ he thought, getting up and walking to his dresser. He found a pair of black boxers and pulled them out, seeing a small picture of Buffy lying at the bottom of the drawer. He frowned and plucked it out, studying the frozen image of her.

Spike couldn’t deny that he missed her terribly. It was almost five years since she walked out on him and their daughter, writing him a note that he still had, tucked away in his bedside table. They hadn’t talked since she left, and a part of him was okay with that. ‘She was the one who chose to leave- why should I be the one to contact her and her greedy self? Why should I care about her, when doesn’t give a bloody damn about me?’ He narrowed his eyes at picture-Buffy and mentally slapped himself. Who was he kidding? He loved her still, even though he couldn’t believe she could leave him and their baby. How could she be so heartless? Weren’t mothers supposed to have something built in, that would never allow them to be apart from their own flesh and blood? He knew he did and he didn’t carry Dawn for nine months.

‘No, Mate,’ he thought with a sigh. ‘You only carried her for the last five years.’

It was about three months after she left that he moved into his own apartment, not wanting to be a burden on her parents anymore, even though they offered to have him live there permanently. They helped him as much as they could, even giving him money, wanting to do whatever they could to help their granddaughter. He was grateful that they were on his side, but he knew he couldn’t rely on them forever, so he rented a two-bedroom apartment in the downtown area of Sunnydale, near his job.

His friends also played a big part in helping him with Dawn. Willow babysat when she had the free time and he had to work, and when Anya and Xander got married, they practically adopted Dawnie while he was slaving at the restaurant. He was thankful that everyone had stuck by him, not letting his stubborn side keep them from helping him out when he needed it the most.

It was last year when he met Winifred Burkle, Dawn’s kindhearted preschool teacher. He and Fred hit it off on the spot, and after a few months of being friends, they decided to try dating. Dawn of course was thrilled by this, adoring Miss Burkle already as a teacher and enjoying her as a motherly figure, the only one she ever really had, considering Willow and Anya were more like her aunts.

The relationship wasn’t serious yet, with no thoughts of marriage in Spike’s head, mainly because a huge part of his heart was still devoted to the woman that had walked out on him. He didn’t expect her to return, but he still cared about her. She was the first woman he had ever loved, and he always expected her to be the only one.

He felt a tear roll down his cheek and wiped it away hastily. ‘Stop being a ponce, Spike. Get it together.’ He put the picture back in its place and shut the drawer before returning to his bed, getting under the covers and praying that Buffy wouldn’t be in his dreams that night as she had been nearly every night for the last five years.

***

He woke up at 5:45 the next morning, hopping in the shower and getting ready for work at the restaurant he now managed in town. He woke Dawn at seven o’clock, letting her get dressed and watch cartoons while he made her a breakfast of Lucky Charms and juice.

‘I love these mini-marshmallows,’ he thought, popping a few in his mouth.

Dawn ate while he braided her hair, a trick Willow had taught him a couple of years ago that he had perfected into an art form as time passed. Even Fred was impressed with the fact he could do it so well.

“Nibblet, don’t forget we’re going out to dinner tonight with Fred,” he said, finishing with her hair.

“Are you and Miss Burkle going to get married?” she asked, looking up at him curiously, causing a smile to spread across his face.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “Now, finish up with your cereal, and I’ll take you to school.” She nodded obediently and ate while he did inventory of what was in his refrigerator. She gave him her dishes, and he hurriedly put them in the sink before grabbing his car keys. They left the apartment and got into his car before heading off to Dawn’s school. “So, what are you learning in kindergarten today?”

“Miss McClay said we are going to have a surprise today,” Dawn beamed at him. “I hope it’s candy.”

“Just make sure you brush those cute teeth of yours,” Spike smiled, arriving at the school minutes later. They got out of the car, and he walked her into the building, stopping outside of the door. “All right, Daddy will be here after school today, okay?” She nodded, and he bent down to hug her and kiss her forehead before she went into the classroom. He looked into the room and smiled at Tara before leaving and returning to his car.

He headed to the apartment, and as he got there, he noticed a black BMW parked in front of the building. He shrugged it off, figuring it was just another yuppie visiting town and not giving it a second thought as he took the elevator up to his floor. Looking up he came to a screeching halt as he noticed someone in front of his door, waiting. Buffy.





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