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Thank you for the reads and reviews. It's inspiring me to write more!
Chapter 5: ‘The Lady In Red’


Summary: Buffy ‘talks’ with Dawn and tells her that she’ll be staying with her. Rupert Giles makes an appearance in this chapter and has a heart-to-heart with Buffy.
Spike’s pocket book takes a hit! LOL!


A/N: Thank you for everyone reading this! I’ve got so many reads on the last chapter and I’m just thrilled. I promise that this is going to be more Spuffy, soon!!!


Buffy tip-toed up to the big bed in William’s guest room. She was being very careful, to be extremely quiet. No need to the wake the little doll up from her sleep, was there?

For a second, Buffy wondered if she might slip out of her red slinky dress. She was wearing a long, silky slip underneath her red number and it might be the thing to go to bed in. After thinking about this, for a moment, Buffy decided to just lay on the top of the covers, in her dress. It was comfortably warm enough in the guest room and there was no need for her to use the sheets or blankets.

Without taking off a single layer of clothing, Buffy lay down on the bed, next to the little doll. Still, she couldn’t help but scan the sleeping child’s angelic face; a feeling of protectiveness seemed to overwhelm her.

While Buffy lay, propped up on her left arm, she watched the tiny girl sleeping, soundly. Or at least she thought Dawn was sleeping.

Suddenly, Dawn’s blue eyes flew open and caught Buffy’s green eyes staring at her. Buffy gasped, stunned that the kid had awoken and seemed to be appraising her, carefully.

“I’m sorry little one,” Buffy whispered in a guilty tone, “didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay,” Dawnie giggled softly, “I really wasn’t asleep. I was waiting for you to come tuck me in, remember?”

“Yeah,” Buffy smiled down at the sleeping girl. “How about we have a sleepover instead? When we wake up, later in the morning, Mr. Spike and me thought you might like to come to my place to stay until your dad gets back, eh?”

“Okay,” Dawn yelped happily, her blue eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “I like Mr. Spike and Mr. Xander but…”

“You met Xander Harris?” Buffy asked the child. Her fair brow was raised in question.

“Yup, and I like him,” Dawn giggled again in reply. “He’s the White Knight, all pure and noble and everything.”

“Are we talking about the same Xander Harris here?” Buffy asked in surprise, trying not to laugh out loud at this nonsense.

“Yeah, that’s kind of how Mr. Spike acted when I said it,” Dawn laughed for both of them.

“Yeah,” Buffy mumbled with a slight grin. “Well,” the older woman sighed, “I guess that makes two dames that think Harris is a real knight, you and his girlfriend, Anya.” She giggled herself this time and lay her head back down on the pillow.

“Besides, I’m sure Mr. Spike will make his presence known to both of us, while you’re at my place,” Buffy stated. She smiled up into the darkness, thinking of William in the next room.

“I’ve got a guest room,” Buffy continued dreamily, “it’s all done in pink and gold. Just like mine is. You’ll love it honey, I just know it. When your daddy comes here to get you, Mr. Spike can bring him to my place. Is that okay?”

Buffy flinched, just a little at the thought of Dawn’s father. Like William, Buffy was more then sure that something dubious had happened to Mr. Merrick. What father in his right mind could just abandon a little jewel like this child? No, something was wrong here and Buffy had a feeling that Ted Merrick would never be coming back for his daughter.

Spike had lain in his big, empty bed, smoking, drinking and thinking about Buffy. There she was, his Princess, lying in bed, in the next room and…

“She wore that red dress, for me,” he concluded, a little stunned by his epiphany. “Buffy knows that’s my favorite color, especially on her.”

Finally, by the time sunrise came, Spike had given up hope of sleeping, so he picked up a book. It was William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ which he had read at least twenty times. Spike just loved the line where Prince Hamlet ordered Ophelia to ‘get yourself to a nunnery!’

“Not that Buffy would ever get herself to a convent or nunnery,” he had grunted sarcastically. “Buffy wouldn’t last a fucking day in a nunnery,” he’d spat, tossing the book aside onto the floor. Finally, around 6:30 AM or so, Spike had dropped off to sleep.

It was now 10:15 AM and Johnathan Levy unlocked the front door of his employer’s apartment. With him, he brought Rupert Giles, another one of Mr. Jameson’s employees. The older British gentleman had been hanging about their boss’s door, just waiting to be allowed entrance.

“Mr. Jameson had company, until early this morning, Mr. Giles,” Johnathan smiled benevolently at the older man. “I’m assuming Mr. Harris has completely filled you in on the young Miss Dawn’s presence here?”

“Yes,” Rupert Giles chuckled, unintentionally, “and I think it’s a bloody riot that Spike’s been stuck with a little charge like that. Serves him right and…”

Rupert’s blue eyes fell on the pair of red strappy sandals, carelessly tossed next to his employer’s couch. “Those certainly do not look like a little girl’s shoes, Johnathan,” Rupert muttered suspiciously.

“Those would be Miss Buffy Summers’ shoes, Sir,” Johnathan replied with a slight grin. “She was the other company that stopped by, earlier today.”

“Oh really?” Giles asked, trying to sound non-chalant, but failing miserably. “So Buffy is back?” He asked the butler in a hopeful tone.

“No, not really,” Johnathan sighed sadly, “she dropped by, to lose some stage door Johnny from Mr. Angel’s club. However, I had hoped, against all odds that Miss Summers might be back, for good?” The small man didn’t continue as he allowed his imagination to run wild.

It was right at that moment that Buffy emerged from the guest room, still wearing the red dress from the night before. She strode out of the room, scanning the area for William. When she spied both Johnathan and Rupert Giles, Buffy stopped dead in her tracks. Without missing a beat, Buffy nearly leapt into Rupert Giles arms and hugged him tightly.

“Oh, Giles!” she choked out tiny tears of joy slipping from her green eyes. “It’s so good to see you again! It’s been years!”

“Likewise, Miss Summers,” Giles murmured sincerely, immediately taking stock of the situation. He realized that although Miss Buffy stayed at Spike’s place that night? She had slept in the guest room, obviously to baby-sit Miss Dawn Merrick. This realization disappointed Rupert Giles, greatly, since he had hoped that perhaps Buffy Summers had returned to Spike Jameson, permanently.

“I’m a mess!” Buffy giggled self-consciously as she tried to smooth her hair, at least.

“You are lovely, as always, Buffy dearest,” Giles assured her. “I take it you’re here, due to the little marker in the room there?” Rupert glanced at the closed guestroom door.

“You’d be right,” Buffy sighed as she flopped down on the couch. “It was so late when William and I decided what to do with the little doll that ‘he’ wouldn’t let me leaving. You know Will,” she continued with a frustrated sigh, “always the gentleman and…”

“Yes, that’s our William,” Giles chuckled, joining Buffy on the couch. “Our Spike 'is' a true British gentleman, to the end.”

Johnathan took that moment to excuse himself from the room and begin the breakfast routine. “The little miss might like my pancakes, Miss Summers,” the butler offered amicably.

“She’d love them, I’m sure,” Buffy responded with a warm smile to Johnathan. “And, could I have some coffee, Johnny, please” she asked politely. “Your strongest brew, please Johnny?”

“Of course, Miss,” Johnathan replied as he hurried into the kitchen to begin his culinary creation.


“So,” Rupert began with hesitation, trying to word his question just so. “You stayed here, last night?”

“More like this morning, Giles, and before you get any delusions of grandeur? Don’t,” she finished with a snort.

“William and I came to a decision, about the little doll. She’s going to come stay with me, until her daddy comes for her. If he ever comes back that is,” she finished with another sigh.

“Buffy, may I ask you something?” Rupert inquired shyly, “If this was, say Angel, who was left with the little girl? Would you help him? Would you take Miss Merrick into your home and…”

“I don’t know,” Buffy replied quickly. “I’m not sure if I would or not. Where William’s concerned? I’m pretty much putty, but you know that, don’t you Rupert?” She shot the older man a million watt smile.

“I know that Spike, I mean William, still loves you more then anything in the world Buffy. He has never gotten over you,” Giles shook his head slowly. “Please, do not hurt him, Buffy, not again. If you don’t care for him anymore, then please…”

“But I do care for him, Rupert,” Buffy mumbled in shock. As if this wonderful, wise man couldn’t suss that much out? “Whether or not Will and I are together, that way,” she stammered bashfully, “I’ll always care for him. William is my heart, Giles,” she whispered, unable to meet his gaze. “He’ll always be my heart. He’s better then ‘this’ and you and I both know it, don’t we?”

Buffy finally looked into Rupert’s eyes and sought for the knowledge that she knew he possessed. She found it, right there, underneath his serious blue-eyed gaze.

“Yes, dear,” Giles sighed heavily, “our William is far above better then this life he’s carved out for himself. I do truly believe that it is just a matter of the right motivation, for William that is, to come to the realization that he could have a better life. A life that includes you in it."

“What realization?” Spike growled from his bedroom door. “And by the way, Rupes,” he continued gruffly. “It don’t look too good for you to be sittin’ so close to my ex, now does it?” Spike felt like a bloody jealous schoolboy, but the sight of his Buffy and Rupert Giles, sitting so close to each other? It nearly killed him, right on the spot.

Buffy turned to see William, standing at his bedroom door, his tousled hair wet from an apparent shower.

‘God he is gorgeous!’ Buffy thought silently as she surveyed her ex-lover.

‘Jesus, she’s gorgeous,’ Spike thought silently as he surveyed his ex-lover, greedily.

“Buffy was just telling me about your plan, for Miss Dawn,” Rupert offered good-naturedly. “I think it’s a good plan, Spike,” he added with a benevolent smile.

“Miss Dawn can stay with Buffy and learn how to be a real lady. It’s a bloody brilliant plan, I feel,” Giles finished.

“Miss Buffy is real lady, isn’t she mister?” Dawn’s little voice floated from the now open guestroom doorway.

“Sometimes,” Buffy mumbled under her breath. “I’m a lady, most of the time that is,” she added with strong conviction. She shot William a warning look. ‘You had better not say a word, William Jameson,’ she warned him silently. She found his countenance to be quite angelic, not sarcastic at all.

“Johnathan’s making breakfast for all of us,” Buffy stated evenly as she stood to join Dawn by the guest room. “I’ll help Dawnie here get her things together to go to my place. It’s been a slice of heaven to see you again, Rupert,” she murmured to Giles, sincerely.

“For me too, Buffy,” Rupert called as he watched Buffy’s backside disappear into Spike’s guestroom.

“We need to talk,” Spike growled at Giles. The blond lit up his first smoke of the morning and strode over to the couch to join his good friend and best number cruncher, Rupert Giles.

Buffy helped Dawn get out of the borrowed tee-shirt of William’s that she slept in. The little girl quickly donned a worse for wear little dress and some suspect looking shoes.

“Honey,” Buffy whimpered as she eyed the poor little doll’s attire, “your clothes. They’re all old and torn.”

“They’re all I’ve got,” Dawn replied sadly.

“William!” Buffy screamed as she clasped Dawn’s tiny hand in hers and led the child back out into the living room.

“You bellowed, Princess?” Spike muttered, ignoring Giles’ knowing smirk.

“How much cash do you have on you?” Buffy asked without blinking an eye. “And don’t you dare say not a lot, because you never carry less then $1500.00 and I know it!”

Spike rifled through his wallet and held up at least $3000.00 in cash. He stared at Buffy in confusion.

“I’m taking the little doll shopping,” Buffy stated matter-of-factly. “You’re paying the tab,” she added smugly. “We’re getting the kid a whole new wardrobe. Dresses, skirts and tops, shoes and new jammies and oh yeah, under things. What do you have to say about that, Willie?” Buffy crossed her arms over her ample breasts and glared at William, defiantly.

“Well,” Spike drawled, “I’d say that’s fine. Especially since I’ll be goin’ with you two. To make sure my money’s spent right,” he added with a devilish smirk.

“You don’t need to go, William,” Buffy hissed. “I’m perfectly capable of buying the right things for this child!” She reached out and grabbed all of the bills in Will’s large left hand.

“It’s okay Buffy,” Dawn piped in, innocently. “A real lady should always have a man’s opinion about her wardrobe. Shouldn’t she?”

Dawn glanced up, wide-eyed, at first Buffy then Spike. She then gave Buffy her most angelic smile.

“Yeah, the Bit’s right,” Spike chuckled wickedly. “A real lady should always have a man along. To give his opinion that is. Remember, Princess? You and me used to get a kick out of doing that sort of thing together,” he finished with another smirk.

“We used to get a ‘kick’ out of doing a lot of things together,” Buffy replied through clenched teeth.

“Oh, all right,” Buffy grumbled. “Let’s get this child some breakfast and then head over to my place. I can’t go shopping at Bloomingdales or Macy’s dressed like this, now can I?” She glanced down at her red evening dress with a scowl.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Spike mumbled as he led the group into his kitchen. “Red on you ‘as always been my personal favorite!”





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