Title: Kitten Caper One/A 'Daddy's Girl' Story

Author: Pattyanne
snapkik@yahoo.com
Feedback: Of course!
Summary: A 'Daddy's Girl' story.
Katie is about 4 years old in this one.
Buffy and Spike have to go out and
leave her with a sitter.


**************************************************


"Daddy?"

"Hmmm..?"

Spike finished towel drying his daughter's hair
and wrapped the towel around her, then scooped her
up and carried her down the hall to her bedroom.

"Where you and Mommy going?"

If he'd had anything at all to say about it, they
wouldn't be going anywhere. After a solid week of
systematically uncovering and destroying five different
nests of Mothran demons, the last thing he wanted to
do on Saturday evening was get dressed up and go to
a bloody banquet for the Watcher's Council.

His wife, on the other hand, was all for the idea. She
had let him know, in no uncertain terms, that she was
ready for a night out and if he decided to sulk, pout,
obstruct or try in any way to interfere, he'd be paying
for it dearly.

"Just out for dinner with some friends, Princess,"
he said, digging around in her dresser for a clean
nightgown. "My Little Pony or.....I don't know what this
one is." He turned around holding two different pairs
of cartoon themed underpants, displaying them for his
little one's choice.

"That's Dora the Eggsplorer" she informed him.

Spike smiled. "The 'eggsplorer' huh? All right. then
which will you have?"

"My Little Pony."

Sitting down on the end of Katherine's bed, he
helped her into her panties, then dropped her nightgown
over her head and buttoned it up in the back. "There now,"
he said, patting her little bottom, "all set for bed."

"Not yet!" the child protested, pulling away and preparing
to make a run for it.

"No, not yet. You have plenty of play left in you before
bedtime, don't you?" He lowered his voice. "How about
a quick flip before I go?"

"Okay!" Katherine took her position in front of him. He
held both her hands and lifted her in the air, bracing his
stomach muscles. Her small feet walked up his chest and
she then did a full flip over, landing right back where she'd
begun. "Again!" she pleaded.

Spike hesitated, straining his ears to determine Buffy's
location in the house. She hated him doing this with Katie,
was always nervous that the child would dislocate her
arms in the process.

But Katie always got her own way when it came to
this. She enjoyed it so much, and he'd never been any
good about saying 'no' to her, something he knew he'd be
sorry for as she got older.

After one more flip, he deposited her on the bed in a
giggling heap, then jumped on after her and pushed
her nightgown up, nuzzling her bare tummy, blowing
loud raspberries on it.

When they both came up for air, they saw Buffy standing
at the door. She didn't look pleased, and Spike tensed
a bit, wondering if she'd witnessed the 'flipping' after
all and was about to give him the sharp side of her
tongue.

"What's wrong?"

"Dawn just called. She's coming down with the flu,
so she...."

"Can't babysit?" Spike finished, a little too happily. "Well,
that's too bad, love, but if she's under the weather...."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Gee, Spike....I can
tell you're all broken up over it."

His internal warning system went off, letting him know
that he was about to head into the danger zone, and that
he might want to reconsider his response.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, trying to sound as though he
really meant it. "I know you wanted to go to that banquet."

She shrugged, looking down at the floor. "They'll have
another one next year, I suppose."

Spike sighed. She really looked unhappy, and he was no
better at dealing with that than he was dealing with Katie's
small disappointments.

Guilt began to set in, right on schedule.

She had every right to be disappointed. How long had
it been since they'd gone out together and done anything
that didn't involve a risk to life and limb?

It was so long ago that he couldn't even remember the
last time.

"Listen, babe....we'll find another sitter."

Buffy gave him a 'look', shaking her head. "No, we
won't. Everyone else is going to be at the banquet,
too. Willow and Tara...Xander and Anya...there IS
no one else."

Spike frowned, racking his brain for a solution. Finding a
sitter for Katie wasn't as easy as it was for most children.
Considering who he and Buffy were, they needed a sitter
who could deal with certain "problems" should they arise.
They couldn't exactly call some teenager down the street.

When the answer came to him, he brightened up. "I've got
it!"

Buffy looked at him, hope in her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!"


****************************************************************


When the doorbell rang at 7:00, Buffy answered it with
a huge smile. "Thanks for coming to the rescue, Clem."

"Ah, no prob!" the demon on the other side of the door
said, waving one clawed hand. "It's good to get out of
the crypt once in a while. Plus, that new Dawn of the Dead
movie's on HBO at 10:00, and I've been dying to see it."

Buffy took his coat and hung it up. "There's a tape on
the VCR if you want to record it. Just don't let...."

"Katie see any of it," he filled in. "Come on, Buffy. I
wouldn't let a little scrap watch all that gory, bloody
violence. Kids today are getting desensitized enough
as it is. Plus, the language! No way is THAT suitable for
a child."

"You sound like Spike," she informed him. "He's just like
that. You wouldn't believe how indignant he gets at
some of the stuff that's just on regular TV. He won't even
watch music videos anymore....says they're full of gratuitous
sex and bad lifestyle choices."

"Oh, man," Clem chuckled, all his skin flaps quivering with
mirth. "He sure has changed."


***************************************************************


Upstairs in Katherine's room, Spike replaced the book
he'd been reading to her back into its slot on the shelf.

"Daddy?"

"What, baby?"

"Why can't Mr. Giles sleep in my bed with me?"

Spike knelt beside her on the floor, being careful
not to roll his eyes at the ridiculous name she had
chosen for her kitten. "You know why not, Katie. Mr.
Giles is still very small, so he has to be in his
little house at night." He scooped the tiny marmalade
colored kitten up off the floor and placed it inside the
small cage in the corner of the room, closing the latch
firmly. "You see, love...if Mr. Giles wasn't in his cage
when you go to sleep, he might get out of your room and
he could get hurt...or crawl inside someplace we can't
get him out of easily. You wouldn't want that to happen."

Katie shook her head, making her curls bounce. "No,
Daddy. I love Mr. Giles."

"I know you do, baby. And when he's older and bigger,
then maybe he can sleep on your bed with you."

"Okay."

Spike smiled, picking her up and heading for the
stairs.


************************************************************


"Mommy, you look like a princess!"

Buffy checked the clasp on her earring, then turned
to smile at her daughter. "Thank you, sweetie.' She
watched her husband descend the stairs behind Katie,
and her eyes moved over him appreciatively, the
sight giving her a thrill of pleasure, along with a certain
'pride of ownership' that came from knowing that he
belonged to her, and vive versa.

Spike looked good in everything he wore, but there was
something about him in black formal wear that really
made her engine run hot. Armani never looked this good
on any other man.

"And you must be my prince," she said to him, tilting her
head to one side, the nature of her smile changing.

He returned that smile, his own eyes sweeping up and
down her small frame. "You put your hair up," he accused
softly.

"Mm-hmm." She gave the neat upsweep a pat. "Do you
like it?"

"Yes." Spike moved closer to her, whispering in her ear. "But
I'll like it better after I take it all down."

Clem's voice disturbed the moment. "Hey there, Katie." He
gave the child a little wave. "Remember Uncle Clem?"

She nodded, hiding her face against her mother's skirt.

He wasn't put off in the slightest. "We're gonna have a lot
of fun tonight," he added cheerily. "We can watch cartoons
or play some games. You got any good games?"

Katie nodded again, her thumb heading for her mouth.

"Great! What kind do you have?"

The thumb popped out..."Candyland"....then popped back
in.

Clem had obviously never heard of it. "Candyland, huh?
Sounds good, but you'll have to teach me."

Spike reached for Buffy's wrap, holding it out for her to
slip into. "Be careful with this one and Candyland," he
warned Clem. "She's a shark."

The demon brushed off the warning. "I think I can handle
myself."

"Don't say you weren't warned, mate," Spike shrugged.

Clem followed them to the front door, waiting for hugs
and kisses to be exchanged, along with the usual parental
admonishment of "Be a good girl and mind what you're
told."

Stopping on the front porch, Spike gave the door a
rap. "Lock it up."

"Sure, you bet," Clem replied, then said, "Hey, as the
official baby sitter, what's the snack situation like around
here?"

Buffy smiled, her heels clacking on the steps. "Help
yourself to whatever you want, Clem," she called back
as she headed for the car.

"Yeah? Great!"

He closed the door, remembering to throw all three
deadbolts.



TBC....
(How many of you out there can see what's coming?)

Title: Kitten Caper Two
Author: Pattyanne
snapkik@yahoo.com
Feedback: Of course!
Summary: A 'Daddy's Girl' story.
Katie is about 4 years old in this one.
Buffy and Spike have to go out and
leave her with a sitter.


*****************************




"Pretty fancy set up, huh?"

"Yeah, didn't know the council was rolling in this kind
of dosh." Spike grabbed two glasses of champagne from
a circulating waitress and handed one to his wife. "Did
I tell you how sensational you look tonight?"

Buffy gave him her prettiest smile. "You didn't, now that
I think about it. I'm very hurt." She pretended to pout,
thrusting out her lower lip in a gesture that always turned
him on.

Spike grinned and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You
sure you don't want to get out of here? Take off, just the
two of us, for a dirty weekend somewhere?"

She tossed her head and moved away. "Nice try. Hey," she
added, turning around. "Are you going to dance with me
this time, or are you going to sit in the bar with Xander
watching a football game and hiding from your wives?"

Tipping the glass, he finished off the sparkling wine. "I
can't speak for the bricklayer," he said, catching Buffy
around the waist with his free arm, "but I'm going to dance
with MY wife...as much as she wants."

"Promise?"

"My word, love."


*********************************************


Clem and Katie sat cross legged on the living room
rug, facing off across the colorful game board.

"So....where's the dice?" he asked, scratching one
floppy ear.

"There isn't any," Katie informed him, straightening
the little rectangle playing cards.

"Then how do you know whose turn it is?"

Katie sighed, a ridiculously adult sound of total
exasperation. "After me it's your turn, and then it's
mine again. It's easy."

Clem folded his arms across his chest. "Why do you
go first?"

"Because."

"Because....why?"

"I'm the littlest. Daddy said the littlest always goes
first, and I'm the littlest one except for Mr. Giles," the
child explained, handing Clem a small blue plastic
game piece fashioned as a gingerbread man.

Wondering where she got that logic from, Clem
mentally shrugged and accepted the game piece.



************************************************


"Oh, god.....again, please...."

"Like that, don't you, Slayer?"

"Mmmmm.....yes. More."

"What do you say?"

"Now!"

Spike chuckled. "Open up then. I've got plenty more
of it for you."

Obediently, Buffy opened her mouth. Her eyes drifted
closed as her husband placed a forkful of lobster drip-
ping with melted butter on her tongue. "This is so good,"
she moaned, licking an errant drop of butter from her
lower lip. "How come we don't ever make this for dinner?"

"Because our daughter would want to make a pet out of
it. Can't you just see her walking into the kitchen as we're
tossing one of these things into a pot of boiling water?"

Buffy laughed. "Good point. Remember the 'baby chicken'
fiasco?"

"I'll never forget it," Spike replied. "She didn't speak to me
for a week."

Caught in the grip of her giggles, Buffy placed one hand
on Spike's shoulder. "I know...you followed her around all
over the house....'Princess...please talk to Daddy. I swear
those weren't baby chickens....they were just....just small
game hens....all grown up'......."

"You're about to fall out of your chair, love."

"More lobster.....quick!"


********************************************


Clem frowned. "What does it mean when I land
here?"

"Means you have to go all the way back to the
first square," Katie explained.

"Again? Didn't I just DO that?"

"Uh-huh." She drew a card, then moved her
game piece. "See....I get to cross the bridge
to the other side," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm
almost to the candy castle."

"I think I should have listened to your dad."

The little girl nodded. "Always listen to Daddy," she
said. "Daddy always knows what's best and he's
always right."

It sounded like memorized copy to Clem. "Who told
you that?"

"He did."

"Oh, yeah? And what does your mom have to say
about that?"

"In his dreams....but I don't know what that means."


******************************************


"Well.....here we are. We've made it to the end of
another year, and the world is still turning. This is a
special gathering tonight, for we are not only com-
emorating the anniversary of the forming of the
Watcher's Council, but we are honoring one of our
own." Travers turned on the dais and extended his
hand. "Rupert Giles."

There was a loud burst of applause, followed by a
shrill whistle coming from Xander's general direction.

"Mr. Giles has the distinction of being the watcher
over our current slayer, a slayer who has been with us
since she was fifteen. She has averted nine apocalyptic
events, and she has survived longer than any other
slayer in the history of the line. We have no doubt that
she will continue to survive. She has certainly proven
herself."

Spike leaned close to Buffy. "That's you, baby. Best slayer
ever lived."

Her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink, Buffy leaned back
into her husband's arms, watching as Giles took Travers'
place at the podium.

"Thank you so much," he said quietly, after the applause
had abated. "This is an honor, one I'd not expected...but
I certainly cannot claim to being the reason my slayer has
triumphed beyond all others." He smiled at Buffy. "No, she
is a marvel unto herself. Strong, intelligent, and courageous.
Ever since the beginning of the slayer line, it has been well
documented that she has fought alone. But not this slayer.
This is part of the reason she has survived well beyond the
normal span of a slayers life, and will continue to do so."

"Damn right," Spike muttered.

"Buffy has surrounded herself with people who share her
desire to protect the world from those who would destroy
it. Two very powerful witches make sure that she is armed
with white magic, as well as with weapons; a former ven-
geance demon provides insight and valuable information as
to the nature of demons that we on the council have never
identified; and a young man who, although he possesses no
powers of magic or special knowledge of demonology...still
never hesitates to pick up a weapon and join in the fight."

Across the table, Xander beamed as Anya patted his hand.

"And that brings me to....well, what is perhaps the greatest
miracle she's worked yet. Several years ago, a vampire came
to Sunnydale with one particular goal, a goal that was not so
very different from any other vampires, but one he pursued with
a zeal that few others have ever displayed. The slayer did
battle with this vampire many times. To be perfectly honest,
I've never seen two people more stubbornly alike."

A brief spurt of laughter echoed in the room.

"Over the years, I watched as these two creatures changed
from mortal enemies, to distrustful allies, to caring friends. Of
all the people surrounding the slayer, none has changed more,
has evolved more than this vampire has. Oh, in the beginning it
was quite against his will, to be sure. You all know the story of
the behavior modification chip implanted by the government. This
piece of modern technology prevented him from harming human
beings. But what some of you may not know, is that the chip was
removed some time ago. And still, he stands beside this slayer
night after night, helping her win her battles. He has never
faltered, has never turned his back, has never left her to fight
alone. He has been instrumental in averting nearly every
world ending disaster that has been thrown in their paths, and
I can tell you with complete honesty and utter faith, that I have as
much trust in him as I do in her."

Buffy turned her head up and repeated the words Spike had
said to her. "That's you, baby."

He was trying hard not to look pleased, but couldn't quite
carry if off.

"With the help of her friends," Giles went on, "and her husband,
I predict that my slayer will live on to someday become a very
great....very old....lady."

"Why did he have to say 'old'?" Buffy whispered. "Couldn't he
have left it at 'great'?"

Spike just smiled and tightened his arms around her.


******************************************


Hands on his hips, Clem stared down at Katie with
a dubious expression. "You must think Uncle Clem was
hatched yesterday. No way does your mom let you eat
ice cream at this time of night."

Copying his stance, Katie looked up without a bit
of shame. "Sometimes she does."

"Oh, yeah?" he challenged. "Like when?"

"Okay, Mommy doesn't," the child admitted. "But
Daddy says that life is too short not to eat what you darn
well please."

That certainly sounded like something Spike would say,
and Clem felt his resolve begin to founder. "Well...maybe
just a small bowl," he finally said with a shrug. "What
could it hurt?"

He rummaged in the freezer, coming out with a gallon
of strawberry ice cream, then located a bowl and began
scooping. "Here you go," he said, sliding the bowl across
the island to where Katie was perched on a tall stool.

Before digging in with the spoon he handed her, she
gave him a perplexed look. "Don't you want a snack?"

"Nah, maybe later."


*********************************************


After dinner, there was dancing in the adjacent ball-
room.

"That was really nice....what you said about Spike."

Buffy smiled up at her watcher as they danced.

"Well," he demurred, "I never hesitate to admit it
when I'm wrong, or to give credit where it's due."

"Yeah, right," she snickered. "That's you all over."

"What are you saying?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."


***********************************************


"Isn't it about time you went to bed?"

"Daddy says no one should have to go to bed if
they're not tired or they still have stuff to do."

Clem sighed and checked the clock. Fifteen minutes
till the movie came on. "So, what stuff do you still
have to do?"

"We could play Candyland again," Katie suggested.

"But we've already played six games of Candyland."

"I know."

"And you won every game."

"I know. You're not very good at it."

"Listen," he said, "if you'll go to bed now...I'll read you
a story."

Katie thought it over. "Will you read me TWO stories?"
she countered.

"Sure."

"Okay."

Four stories later, Katie's eyelids began to droop.

"You getting sleepy?" Clem asked hopefully.

"Uh-huh," the little girl murmured. "Goodnight."


**********************************************


"Did you have a good time, baby?"

Buffy nodded, leaning against Spike's shoulder. "I
had a great time. Thank you for being such a good sport."

He smiled as he swung the car out into traffic. "Well, it
wasn't so bad. Pretty good food and all the free grog you
can swill."

"What a charming way of putting it."


**********************************************

As Clem sat watching the movie, his stomach began
to growl. Reluctantly, he turned down the volume
and wandered into the kitchen to examine the contents
of the refrigerator.

It was disappointing. A lot of fresh fruit, some leftover
pizza, soda, beer, lemonade, a half eaten mold of cherry
jello, a jar of pickles, and seven Tupperware containers
that held nothing of interest to him.

Sighing, he grabbed a bag of pretzels from the pantry and
returned to his movie. He'd only just settled in when he
heard Katie climb out of bed and head for the
bathroom.

Knowing how fiercely protective Spike was of his daughter,
Clem figured he'd do well by making sure she was all right,
so he once again turned down the volume on the movie and
headed up the stairs, his empty stomach still making itself
known.

********************************************



Fifteen minutes later, Spike and Buffy arrived home. They
opened the front door quietly, both noticing that Clem wasn't
in the living room.

Buffy headed for the kitchen to put away the doggy bag
she'd brought home, while Spike went upstairs to check
on Katie.

The first thing he noticed when he opened the door was
that Katherine wasn't where she should be...in bed asleep.

Instead, she was on her knees next to the bed, lifting the
dust ruffle and peering underneath it.

"Katie? What are you doing, princess?" he asked, coming
around the end of her bed and looking down at her.

"Daddy..." the child looked up at him, her little face
fretful. "I'm sorry....I didn't mean to....."

"Didn't mean what, baby? Tell Daddy what's wrong,"
Spike said, sitting down on the bed and pulling her into
his lap.

"I....I wanted to give Mr. Giles a goodnight kiss...so...so I
did....and then I put him back....but....but I...I thought I
locked the cage...and he's gone....I can't find him, Daddy."

The little girl was on he verge of a full fledged crying
jag, something her father couldn't bear.

"Well, baby...I'm sure he's in your room somewhere. Maybe
he just found a little hiding place for himself," he soothed
her, stroking her hair.

"No, Daddy....I looked all over....he's not here."

Spike knew she was right. He had absolutely no sense of the
kitten's presence. The only scent he could pick up was a
faint one from the cage, nothing stronger.

But Katie's door had been closed. The kitten certainly hadn't
turned the knob and gone out for a stroll, and the only other
one in the house besides Katie was.......

** Oh, no....no....**

Trying to keep his voice calm, he tucked Katie under her
covers. "Daddy's going to go find Mr. Giles, sweetheart. You
stay in bed. Promise me you'll stay in bed?"

"Okay, but...."

"No. Don't ask me any questions, love. Just...just stay in
bed. I mean it, now. I'm serious."

Closing the door behind him, he turned and ran down-
stairs, heading for the kitchen and getting there just in time
to see Clem standing by the sink, his head tipped back,
smacking his lips. Spike stood in the doorway, staring
in horrified disbelief. How the hell was he going to ex-
plain this to Katie?

"Now THAT was a tasty......" the demon started to say.


The moment Clem uttered the word 'tasty', Spike dove across
the room and grabbed his friend around the waist. Wrapping
both arms tightly around him, Spike tried to Heimlich poor Mr.
Giles back up out of Clem's gullet.

"YOU ATE....MY DAUGHTER'S....PET!" he yelled, his face
contorted with anger. "HOW....(squeeze).....COULD YOU...
(squeeze)....DO THAT!?"

Clem had no way of responding. Spike's grip was cutting off
all his air.

The Heimlich maneuver wasn't working, and Spike was
getting desperate. Releasing his hold on Clem, he spun
him around, preparing to yank open his jaws and reach down
inside to rescue his baby's kitten.

"What the hell kind of a monster are you?" he shouted. "Eat-
ing a little girl's....a....little...."

His voice trailed off when Buffy walked into the room,
holding a familiar ball of orange fluff in one hand. "Do you
know where I found this....what's going on? Spike? What
are you....let GO of him! He can't breathe!"

His jaw dropped open, and Spike removed the death grip
he'd taken on Clem's face.

Clem flopped down on the floor, gasping for air.

"What in the hell is going on?" Buffy demanded, pushing
the kitten into Spike's hand and kneeling down to help
Clem, whose foot skidded slightly on the piece of aluminum
foil that had contained leftover lobster.

"I....I thought....well, when I came in....you see, Katie
was....she had opened...I..." Spike sputtered, unable to
complete a sentence. "I should....um....I'll be right back."
He backed out of the room, slapping his forehead, and went
upstairs to return Mr. Giles to his owner as Clem choked out
a request for a glass of water.


**********************************************


"I can't believe you thought Clem ate Mr. Giles."

Buffy sat at her vanity, brushing out her hair.

Spike was sprawled out on the bed, staring at the ceiling,
his arms stretched out at his sides. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I mean...Clem! Of all people! He stopped eating
kittens almost two years ago!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"And even if he hadn't, he would never have eaten
Katie's pet!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Clem is your best friend!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You know, you might want to stop shooting first
and asking questions later. I mean really Spike,
after everything Giles said about you tonight, about
how much you've changed, how much you've....."

Still staring sightlessly at the ceiling, Spike sighed.

This was going to be a long.....long.....night.


The End


(Hope everyone enjoyed it, and yes, now
I'll get back to Devlin, St. James, Darlington,
Cathcart and......and all the rest of them)