The horizon had just begun to glow when Spike and Buffy finally dragged their bodies across the threshold of Dawn’s kitchen. Although Spike was liberally spattered with demon gore and limping from a superficial but bloody gash in his leg, the wide grin on his face made it clear he and Buffy had found a fight worthy of the Master vampire and his Slayer mate. Collapsing onto a chair, he let his sword and small battle ax clatter to the floor.
“Eww,” Buffy said, observing the heap of sticky weaponry on Dawn’s previously spotless floor. “We should have left those in the garage.”
“’S’alright, sweetling,” Spike said, his drawl heavy with fatigue, “I can get this all cleaned up tomorrow. Your little sis has seen much worse. Right now, we both need some sleep.”
Buffy sighed with resignation. “You’re right. Dawn isn’t going to wig over a little demon guts,” she said. “But let’s get you in the shower before we hit the hay. I won’t get any rest if I have to sleep next to someone with undetermined bits of artichoke demon in his hair.”
“It was an Artizkar, not an artichoke, luv,” Spike corrected, reaching up to touch a stiff patch of dried slime just above his right ear. “But you’ve got a point about my hair.” Smelling his fingers, he made a face. “Whatever this is in my hair, it smells rancid.” Looking up at Buffy, he grabbed her belt and pulled her forward until she was standing between his legs. “But I think I’d enjoy my shower more if you’d take it with me,” he said, leering at her with all the subtlety of a sledge-hammer. “You can make sure I don’t miss any of the demon bits.”
“Blech! You stink!” she said, pushing away from Spike’s embrace. “Come on, if that’s what it takes to get you bathed, I’ll join you. But can we make it quick? That smell is going to make me sick.”
“If you want it quick, you’ll get it quick, luv,” Spike responded, his tongue visible between his teeth. “Lead the way. I’m right behind you, artichoke bits and all.”
Buffy rolled her eyes as she turned, “You are unbelievable, you know that, don’t you?” she said. “One minute you’re so tired you can barely walk, but all I have to do is say ‘shower’ and you’re suddenly all hot to trot!”
Spike grinned as he rose to follow Buffy down the dark hallway to the bathroom. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “You’re a very lucky girl. Everybody says so.”
Buffy turned on the shower as soon as she reached the bathroom. But after Spike staggered into the brightly lit room she reconsidered and switched the faucet to fill the tub. “Come here,” she said gently, “let me help you with your jeans. That cut looks nasty.”
Spike mumbled something about it being “nothing, just a scratch,” but he didn’t interfere when Buffy took a pair of scissors from the medicine cabinet and started cutting the denim away from his body. “I really liked those jeans,” he said wistfully.
Buffy sighed. “They’re exactly the same as all your other ones.”
“I know,” he said, smiling a sad little smile, “that’s what I liked about them.”
Once she’d pulled the sticky, wet cloth away from Spike’s skin, Buffy could see the damage. “Well, it’s not ‘nothing’,” she said, “and it’s not a ‘scratch’ either. But with a little TLC you’ll be good to go by tomorrow.”
As the tub filled, Buffy used a cloth to wash away most of the blood and helped Spike out of his shirt and what was left of his pants. Still fully clothed, Buffy touched her fingers to Spike’s lips. “Give me a little of that miraculous vampire spit.”
Spike obliged by sucking her fingers into his mouth, but he was too tired to take advantage of the moment with more than a lascivious glint in his eye. Buffy applied a sheen of saliva to his wound as gently as she could. Even as he winced, Spike chuckled softly. “We should really do this more often, luv,” he said, as she helped him into the bath and then turned her back to Spike as she took off her clothes. “I like you in the role of Florence Nightingale.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said, stepping out of her pants and reaching around to unhook her bra. “You’re probably already busy fantasizing about me in a little white uniform and cap.”
Naked now, Buffy turned around, expecting at least a smirk in response to her comment. Instead she found the formerly horny vampire was too busy sawing logs. The warm water had finally finished the job the bloody brawl had begun. Spike was snoring softly – despite not needing to breathe - as he slept stretched out in the tub. Buffy shook her head. The man never ceases to surprise me, she thought as she slipped carefully into the water beside him. Silently, Buffy thanked her little sister for investing in an extra large tub.
Late the next morning, Buffy, Spike, Joy and Dawn gathered again around the kitchen table eating Dawn’s famous banana-walnut pancakes. Still chewing her last bite, Joy tugged on Spike’s sleeve. “Can I watch cartoons, Papa?” she asked.
He looked at her with an expression of exaggerated confusion. “I think you’re trying to say ‘may I watch cartoons’ but your mouth is so full it sounded more like ‘can I watch cartoons’” he responded.
Rolling her eyes, Joy swallowed once last time and tried again. “May I watch cartoons?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, smiling at Joy’s obvious exasperation, “as soon as you wash the syrup off your hands and face. Did you get any in your tummy at all?”
Joy jumped up and pushed her step stool over to the sink. When they finished rinsing the last evidence of Joy’s breakfast off her face and hands, Spike handed her a towel, picking her up as she dried off. “May I join you for cartoons?” he asked, swinging Joy’s legs in the air as she giggled.
“Yes, you may,” she replied, as they disappeared into the living room.
Buffy rose from her seat and started to collect plates from the table. Dawn joined her at the sink and they set about the task of cleaning up the dishes.
Passing a sticky plate to Buffy, who had begun loading the dishwasher, Dawn stopped for a moment. “He is so wonderful with her,” she said, “I don’t believe there’s a more devoted father on the planet.”
“I know,” Buffy said, “I hate to admit it, but sometimes it frightens me a little. He loves her so much. I can’t imagine what he’d be like if anything ever happened to her.”
“Buffy,” Dawn replied, turning to look her straight in the eye, her tone dead serious. “I’ve seen him destroyed. It was horrible to watch him endure so much pain. But his core goodness was always there. Even if you hadn’t come back, he would have eventually found a reason to keep going, something besides his promise to take care of me. I don’t know how it survived all those years as a blood-thirsty vampire, but Spike has more humanity than a lot of humans I know, and he’s stronger than anyone I know.” Suddenly realizing the direction she’d taken, Dawn stopped. “Besides,” she said, “what’s the chance anything could ever happen to Joy when she’s got you and Spike looking out for her?”
Buffy’s tense frown finally disappeared as she grabbed another plate. “Well, the truth is, I have precious little time to worry about either one of them. We’re always so busy.” She smiled and turned to put another dish in the washer. “I’m glad we got to visit you, even though it turned out to be a bit more complicated than we’d planned. It’s great to be away from home and all our responsibilities for a change. Thanks for inviting us.”
“You, Spike, and little Joyster are always welcome here,” Dawn said, putting her arms around Buffy and giving her a hug. “It makes me happy to see you so happy, you deserve it, you know.”
“Thanks,” Buffy said, returning the hug. “Speaking of happy, anything romantic in your life these days?”
Dawn flashed a look toward the living room. Noting the sound of the cartoons, she lowered her voice. “No one I’m ready to subject to interrogation by the Big Bad Brother-in-law. There is someone. But please don’t say anything to Spike. I don’t need his help frightening away the prospects; I do a very good job of that on my own.”
Buffy frowned. “Dawnie, you don’t frighten anyone away,” she said. “You just haven’t found the right guy yet.”
“That’s for sure,” Dawn agreed. “But you give me hope Buffy. You’re not like all the other girls either, and you found someone to appreciate you.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Buffy said, smiling. “And you will too, I know it. I won’t push to meet him this trip. We’ll be back sooner next time. Maybe we could meet him then?”
Dawn sighed. “Maybe, first we’ll have to see if it lasts that long. I think my record has been six weeks.”
“That sounds about right for our next visit,” Buffy said. “I’ll be counting the days.”
Dawn leaned in to whisper. “He’ll be at the performance tonight. So, if you promise not to clue in fang face, I’ll point him out. That way you’ll at least know what he looks like.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Buffy chanted quietly. “But make sure there isn’t any serious snogging before the show,” she added. “Or Spike will sniff out your secret without me saying a word.”
“Oh, great!” Dawn said, shaking her head. “How am I going to explain the new ‘no touching’ rule without spilling the whole my-brother-in-law-is-a-vampire thing?”
The sisters looked very busy when Spike came into the kitchen during a commercial to put away Joy’s towel.
Tbc…..
A/N: Sorry that took so long. Real life is a real bitch sometimes. I’ve been stressed to the max and trying to figure out what to do with my life. Work is…well, it’s work and sometimes I hate it and then it’s fun for a few minutes and I don’t quit. But I’ve had all sorts of bizarre health issues and I’m beginning to think the stress is getting to me. Plus I never have time to write. So, bear with me. There is more to come. I just don’t know when. Sd
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