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Chapter 26

**
.
Previously:

“I was the last of my line as a human, pet. I had everything sold and invested. I could live off that.”

**

Buffy looked at him blankly, her mind suddenly reeling. Spike had money? From his human days? How the heck did that work? “Um…think I’m gonna need the whole story on that one, Spike.”

“My human family was gentry, pet. We didn’t have much money, but we did own a bit of prime London property, some fine art, and quite a number of antiques.

“I never officially died, so after m’ mum passed on, I was able to have everything sold and invested through the family solicitor.” Spike carefully explained. “I had the lot turned over to be managed by one of the demon friendly law firms and the account’s been makin’ money for me ever since.” He was positive that Buffy wouldn’t find anything wrong with him using this money, although he was equally positive that she would have a problem with the events concerning his mum’s death, regardless of what Penny had told him.

“It’s not the firm that brought Darla back, is it?” Buffy was looking for a loophole and praying all the while that she didn’t find one. She was definitely liking the idea of Spike having a place that wasn’t in the middle of a cemetery. There could be shopping. Shopping was good.

“Nah, luv, I don’t really fancy the idea of someone evil looking after m’ money.” Spike grinned at the little blond in his lap, pleased with his own forethought. Maybe this could actually work.

Grinning in approval, Buffy asked the question that Anya would have voiced much earlier, “So…how much money do you have?”

“Money? Spike has money?” Anya’s unerring ability to focus in on matters of importance did not fail her now.

~*~*~

Joyce had sent Dawn off to bed with a kiss and a hug. She had school in the morning and Joyce feared that the day’s excitement might make sleeping hard. She had been pleasantly surprised to discover that her concerns were unfounded; her little girl was safely off in the Land of Nod.

Now, if only she could get to sleep herself. Right now however, sleep seemed an awful lot like death and the thought of how close she had come to…

The sharp knock at the door brought Joyce back from the dangerous realms of depression. Approaching the door, she cautiously asked, “who’s there?”

“It’s Penny, I thought you might want some company,” the psychologist quietly informed the shaken mother of two.

Opening the door with relief, Joyce smiled at the small woman. “I would be delighted to have some company.”

Penny lightly patted Joyce on the arm as she moved past her. “It’ll be alright, Joyce. Why don’t we have a drink and celebrate life.”

Joyce thought that just might be a very good idea.

~* ~*~

“Willy’s the best one to ask if you’re looking to buy a place, Spike. He has all the right connections and a wide variety of places to look at,” Anya sagely informed the bleached blonde. “It might be a good idea not to hit him first, though. If you keep him in a good mood, he’ll make sure the normal waiting time is practically nonexistent.”

“Good to know, Anya.” Spike acknowledged the ex-demon with a smile and a nod. Turning to Buffy, he made a further suggestion, “Maybe we could stop by his place on patrol tonight, luv? I’m sure Harris and his girl don’t want to be stuck with me for too long.”

“Wait…you’re staying with Xander?” Okay this was news; namely the type of news that girlfriends should know. She was the girlfriend, so why didn’t she know this?

“He asked earlier, Buff. He didn’t want there to be any mistakes made or anything to worry about with the whole Harmony thing,” Xander quickly informed the volatile blond. “I’m gonna give him Anya’s key to use tonight, so he can let himself in when you two finish patrol.”

“You’re giving away my key?” Anya hadn’t heard that part of the agreement. Xander hadn’t mentioned anything about her being without her key. She didn’t know how she felt about that. Should she be angry?

“Its only for tonight, Anya. It’ll be there waiting for you on your kitchen bench in the mornin,’” Spike quickly assured the girl. Harris had been good to offer it to him and Spike had no desire to see the boy’s act of kindness rewarded with a brassed off girlfriend.

Buffy looked at the two males with suspicion. Had they just double teamed her and Anya?

Spike watched the irritation flash though his girl’s eyes. ‘Best cut that off right quick,’ he thought to himself as he waited for his opportunity to present itself.

Buffy turned her heard towards her snugly cushion, ready and willing to rip into a rant about the unfairness of his joining forces with Xander and ganging up on their girlfriends. Her thoughts were distracted though when Spike’s lips swooped in to steal a kiss.

‘Okay, I could get used to this. Mmmm, Spike’s lips. Lips of Spike.’

“Shouldn’t you guys be thinking about patrolling rather than swapping spit?” Xander couldn’t have stopped his comment if he tried. He might be friends with both of them, but the Xan-man had to be let out sometimes.

Foreheads touching, both blonds turned to the carpenter in unison.

“Okay, see? That’s how they look when they don’t think something is funny,” Xander informed the rest of the grinning Scoobies, completely unfazed by the looks he was receiving from the lethal blonds.

~*~*~

When Spike shyly reached for Buffy’s hand, she was delighted to feel the requisite butterflies fluttering around inside her. They strolled along at a leisurely place, intermittently taking turns to cast furtive glances towards the other. Neither really minding that the night seemed reluctant to interrupt them with too many distractions; a fledgling here, a miquot demon there. There was nothing at all to compete with two supernatural warriors that worked together like a well oiled machine. When the disruptions were properly dealt with, Buffy and Spike resumed their unhurried stroll through the cemeteries of Sunnydale on their way to see the estate agent that nine out of ten demons preferred.

~*~*~

“You want to buy a house?” Willy looked at the vampire, his disbelief clearly displayed on his features.

“Yes,” Spike assured the snitch.

“You want to pay for it?” Willy hadn’t survived for as long as he had by not clarifying all the details.

“Yes,” Spike replied, his irritation beginning to show.

“With cash, right? Not kittens?” Willy persisted.

“Kittens?” Buffy felt urged to ask.

“With cash,” Spike answered the dark haired barman.

“There are kittens?” Buffy asked her boyfriend, confused.

“I’ll explain later, pet,” Spike assured the tiny but deadly woman at his side. She was going to be brassed when she found out. Best to get her away from the best source of property for demons that this town had before he dropped that little bombshell on her!

It was obvious that that bartender was thinking along the same lines as the vampire. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow, Spike? I’ll have a list of what’s available for you then.”

Spike agreed to the meeting and quickly ushered the curious Slayer out of the bar and towards her home. He could tell by her expression that she was working her way up from curiousity to anger at her failure to get said information from the two individuals that seemed to be in the know.

Buffy walked in silence for a few minutes before inquisitiveness got the better of her and she demanded, “So…kittens?”

Bugger.





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