Chapter Four


Spike ran in the back door to the Summer's home, blanket smoking slightly. He had not been able to sleep much, as his mind constantly swirled around the thoughts of Buffy.



As much as he enjoyed her "liking" him at the moment and as adorable as he thought she was, he wanted his Buffy back. He missed her. He was in love with the grown up version of the little girl who was slowly stealing his heart.



"Hey Spike," Buffy squealed, as he stepped in the living room. ÿ



"Hey there pet. How are you today?" He asked, as he saw her sitting on the couch watching TV.



"I'm fine," she said, as she climbed off the couch smiling. "Willow made me pancakes."



"Did she now?" Spike asked as he sat down in the arm chair.



"Uh huh. She said if I ate all of them I could help her wash the dishes."



Spike smiled at her as she leaned up against the chair he was sitting in.



"Oh, hey Spike," Willow said, as she walked in the living room. "I didn't hear you come in."



"Haven't been here long."



"Well, I guess I can go ahead and go since your here. I left you a note of the fridge about lunch, naps, things like that."



"Alright then. I think we'll be just fine," he said, looking back over at Buffy.



Willow smiled at Buffy. She was leaning on Spike's chair looking at him. She had the cutest grin on her face. Willow couldn't believe how much Buffy seemed to like Spike and wondered how he was going to take it when Buffy was back to normal and didn't want him around anymore. She felt almost sorry for him.



"Buffy, I have to go to class now. You and Spike have fun, okay?" Willow told her as she picked up her school bag.



"Okay," Buffy said, finally looking over at her.



"I'll see you later then...Bye."



"Bye Willow," Buffy said, as she watched Willow open the door and leave.



Spike looked over at Buffy and noticed she had on a purple sundress and assumed it was the one she had mentioned to him last night.

"You look very pretty today Buffy. Did you get all dressed up for me?" He asked her smiling when she looked back over at him.



Buffy's face lit up as her smile got bigger. "Uh huh...it's purple."



"Yeah, that it is. So what do you wanna do?"



"We can color some more. Willow said I could put my pictures on the frigerator."



"Well, let's go get those books then," Spike said, as he stood up and went to get her coloring books.



Spike and Buffy sat at the dinning room table coloring and talking. She really liked to talk. She told him how her mommy took her to the park and let her play in the sand. She liked playing outside, and it took alot of persuasion to get her to want to play inside today. Spike was sure the whole smoking bit would be too much trauma for her small mind, so after much discussion, he had finally convinced her to stay inside.



Spike took Buffy's finished pictures and walked her into the kitchen. She smiled brightly at him when he hung them on the refrigerator door. He had found Willow's note and noticed she had left instructions on everything, from food, naps, emergency numbers, even potty trips...which he wasn't looking forward to. Hopefully she didn't need any help in that area, he thought. Buffy would surly stake him when she returned to normal if she ever found that out.



Buffy was a ball of energy. They spent the morning coloring, playing hide and seek, and watching TV. She talked and laughed and Spike was getting exhausted just listening to her. He had never heard Buffy talk so much. She was always so reserved and quiet around him...well, unless she was pounding on him for info.



"You bout ready for some lunch?" Spike asked her as they sat and watched some children's program that was starting to grate on his nerves.



"Uh huh. Can I have peanut butter and jelly?" she asked him, as he helped her down off the couch.



"Yeah, I think I can manage that," he said, as he led her into the kitchen.



"Alright, you sit here and I'll make your lunch," he told her as he lifted her up onto the stool.



Spike fixed her sandwich and got her a glass of milk before he sat down beside of her as she ate.ÿ



"When's my mommy coming back?" She asked him, her words slurred due to the sticky peanut butter.



"She'll be back soon," Spike lied to her. He felt sorry for her. She wanted her mum and there was no way to tell her the truth. He felt even worse having to lie to her. "I'm sure she's thinking about you and missing you," he told her as she continued to eat her lunch.



"That big girl Dawn said I could stay with her as long as I wanted," she said, smiling at him. "I like her...she plays with me. She has a sister, but she's not here. I saw her picture."



"You saw a picture of Dawn's sister?" Spike asked, wondering how Dawn got out of that one.



"Uh huh...she's pretty. Dawn said when I growed up I would be pretty just like her." Buffy told him grinning.



"Well, that you will. But just between you and me...I think your already as pretty as Dawn's sister," he said, winking an eye at her.



Buffy giggled at him as she finished up her sandwich and watched him as he stood up. "I think your pretty too," she told him as he took her empty glass and plate to the sink.



Spike couldn't hold back the grin that crossed his face. "Well, I think that's about the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Spike said as he walked back over to her and helped her off the stool. "How's about we watch another one of those kids shows before we put you down for a nap?"



"I don't need a nap...I'm a big girl," Buffy said, sarcastically rolling her eyes at him.



"Yeah, well even big girls need naps," he told her as they walked back into the living room and sat back down on the sofa.



"Not me. I can go all day without a nap. Mommy let's me stay up sometimes and watch her soap propras with her."



"Well, we'll see," Spike said smiling, knowing she would fight this nap thing. A crying Buffy wasn't something he wanted. He couldn't take her adult tears, and the little ones tore him up even more.



Buffy had sat beside him, watching more of the sing-along children's shows before she scooted away and laid her head down on Spike's leg. He had sat there, absently running his fingers through her hair, smoothing out the long tangled locks and watched as her eyes became heavier until they finally closed. He listened for her breathing to even out before he picked her up when he knew she was good and asleep. He carried her to her room and laid her down, freezing in place as she shifted slightly and he thought she was going to wake back up, but snuggled into the covers instead.



Spike busied himself with cleaning away all the coloring books and dishes until his sleep deprived body began to wear on him. He stretched out on the sofa to watch `his' favorite soap opera until his eyes became so heavy he was having trouble keeping them open. It wasn't long before he was also taking his own afternoon nap.



Buffy woke and looked around as she sat up. She climbed down from the bed and quietly made her way down the steps. She saw Spike lying on the couch and walked over to him. She stood there looking at him for a minute before climbing on the couch and laying down beside him....soon fast asleep once again.



That's how Willow found them when she came home. She was struck with that `aw' face at the scene. Buffy had her arm wrapped over Spike's waist and was making a slight snoring sound. It was so cute. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed her camera. She had to get a picture of this, if nothing more than to use it as blackmail in the future. After snapping the picture she walked back into the kitchen and put the camera away.



Dawn was home before Spike and Buffy finally stirred from their sleep. Surprised to wake and find Buffy on the couch with him, Spike smiled and gently shook her to wake her up.



"Hey, wake up lil' bit. Can't sleep the whole day away." He glanced over at the clock and wondered where everyone was.



"That's got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen," Dawn said from her spot in the door way.



Spike's head shot up and looked at her, a sheepish grin on his face. "Well, I did put her in bed, she must've came down when I fell asleep," he said as he sat up.



Buffy opened her eyes and sat up beside Spike. "I got scared," Buffy said as Dawn walked in the room.



"Ah, did you have a bad dream?" Dawn asked her.



"Uh huh. There was a monster chasing me," Buffy said with a shaky voice.



"Well, it was just a dream....no monsters around here," Spike told her patting her on the head.ÿ The lies just keep on growing, he thought to himself. "Well, guess I'll be going then since your home," Spike said as he stood up from the couch.



"Your leavin?" Buffy asked looking wide eyed at him.



"Yeah, I'll be back...maybe tomorrow...is that okay?"



Buffy looked up at him, her big green eyes pleading with him to stay. "Don't go. We can play some more. I'll be good. I promise. Please."



Spike's heart melted. He leaned down and hugged her, knowing this would all be over soon and he would miss it. He pulled back and kissed her on the forehead. "Sure thing pet, if you want me to stay, I will."



Dawn's snicker's caught Spike's attention and he turned his head to look at her.



"What?" He asked.



"I thought big Buffy had you whipped, but little Buffy has you wrapped around her little finger."



"Well, what can I saw, always been hard to refuse her anything, especially now."



"Yeah, I can see," Dawn said, as she got up and left the two alone.



"Well pet, what's say we grab those coloring books and you can make me a pretty picture."



Buffy smiled and jumped off the couch. "Okay. Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him back into the Dinning Room where they sat for hours coloring and enjoying each other's company.



Chapter Five


"No Buffy, now will you please go back to sleep?" Willow said as Buffy's constant crying was beginning to get on her nerves.



"But why not?" Buffy cried and stuttered.



"Because it's late. Now stop crying before you make yourself sick."



Buffy had been crying for 35 minutes...non stop. Willow was ready to pull her hair out and Dawn was getting just as bad with her whining.



"Geez, Will...just go so she'll shut up already," Dawn said, almost in tears herself. "I can't take this much longer."



Willow looked back at Buffy. Her eyes were puffy and red. Big tears were running down her face. She was crying so hard she was gasping for air.



"FINE!" Willow yelled as she stood up and threw her hands in the air and stomped out of the room.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Willow slammed the door open to Spike's crypt, startling him as she did.



"Bloody Hell Red! Give a guy some warning next time," Spike said as he jumped from his chair when she stormed in. "What in the world is wrong with you?"



Willow let out a choked laugh/sob as she looked at him. "You have NO idea what I've been through Spike. You're lucky slamming the door is all I did," she said, as she reached for his boots.



"Put these on," she told him as she shoved his boots at him. Willow grabbed his duster and waited. He just stood there looking at her. "MOVE!" she yelled as she saw him just standing there looking at her.



"Fine.calm down," Spike said when she yelled at him. He sat down and quickly put his boots on. "What's this about?" He asked her as he stood up and took his duster from here.



"This is about Buffy and you promising her to keep the monsters away," she said over her shoulder as she exited the crypt.



"Huh.," Spike said as he followed her out and shut the door.



"She had another nightmare...monsters chasing her. She's been crying for half an hour," she snapped at him. "Do you know how irritating it is to listen to that high pitched noise for that long?"



"And this has what exactly to do with me?" Spike asked, as he followed her out of the cemetery.



"You were the one who `promised' to keep the monsters away and she won't go back to sleep until YOU come and chase them away.so come on!"



Spike followed Willow quietly back to Buffy's wondering exactly `what' he was suppose to do. Willow was stressing.BAD, he noticed and wasn't about to question it.



As they approached the house Spike could hear Buffy crying...well, sounded more like screaming to him, but he hadn't spent any time around kids, so he figured that's how they all sounded.



Spike walked up the stairs and had the urge to cover his ears. No wonder Red looks so frazzled, he thought as he poked his head into Buffy's room.



Buffy was sitting on her bed, legs stretched out in front of her with her head almost laying in her lap. She had her hands covering her face and she was shaking from all the crying.



"Hey now...what's all this?" Spike asked as he entered the room.



Buffy's head shot up when she heard him...and her crying only got louder as he approached the bed.



"Buffy, stop crying pet and tell me what's wrong," Spike said as he sat down on the bed.



"Theresamonsterschasingmeandtryingeatme," she yelled through her tears at Spike.



Spike smiled at her and rubbed his hand over her head. "You're gonna have to stop crying Buffy. I can't understand you," he said calmly to her.



Buffy cried for a few more minutes and slowly stopped, only leaving in a few whimpering cries.



"Now that's better...tell me what happened."



"There's a monster chasing me and gonna eat me," she said as her loud crying started up again.



Spike smiled at her and sighed. "Come here pet," Spike said as he held his arms out to her.



Buffy crawled over to him and sat on his lap as she buried her head in his chest. She cried harder as he rubbed her back.



"Shhh.now stop crying. There aren't any monsters here," he whispered softly to her.



Willow was standing at the door and watched the whole scene. Buffy wasn't crying as loud now, but still whimpering and hiccupping. She couldn't believe how gentle Spike was with her. She had seen how protective he was with Dawn...but this was something completely different.



Buffy's cries had died down to almost nothing as Spike picked her up and put her back in bed. He sat down on the side of the bed as she looked up at him.



"Don't leave me. He'll get me," Buffy said, whining.



"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay all night if I have to. Now just close your eyes and go back to sleep," Spike told her as he pulled the blankets back over her.



Buffy shut her eyes but opened them ever so often to make sure he was still there. Spike sat on the bed with her until she fell back asleep and then moved to the chair by her desk. Willow smiled and said `goodnight' as Spike sat and watched Buffy sleep.



As he felt the sun approaching, he quietly made his way out and headed back home.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



The next evening Spike was walking as fast as he could towards Buffy's. He had thought alot about what had happened with Buffy and her nightmares and wondered if the `monsters' were actual demons she had fought that she was seeing.



As much as he enjoyed `little Buffy' he knew she needed to be returned to normal. If anyone knew how to do that...that would be the watcher.



~*~*~*~*~



Spike knocked on the door and let himself in. It was unusually quiet he noticed as he walked in and headed for the living room.



"Hello?" He asked when finding no one there. He walked towards the kitchen where he found Dawn, Willow and Buffy sitting at the bar. Willow had her nose buried in a book as Dawn and Buffy were decorating cookies.



"Hey," Spike said as he walked in.



All three looked up as he spoke. "Hey Spike," Buffy said happily as she saw him.



"Hey there Buffy."



"Look what I done," she said, as she held up the cookie she was icing.



"That's nice," Spike said smiling as he walked towards her. "Never seen a purple gingerbread man before."



Buffy just shrugged her shoulders at him before she continued painting the little cookie man.



"Yeah, look at this one," Dawn said with a giggle.



Spike grinned big as he took in the sight of a messy little cookie man...covered in black icing.with white hair no less.



"Is that suppose to be me?" He asked Buffy as he stood beside her at the bar.



Buffy glanced up at him and then over at the cookie Dawn was holding and smiled big. "Uh huh," she said. "But you can't eat him."



"Why's that?" Spike asked her.



Buffy rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "Cause...you silly. It'll hurt."



"Hurt who?" Spike asked, with a chuckle.



"The cookie man," Buffy said as she globbed more purple icing on her cookie.



"I don't think it'll hurt the cookie man if you eat it." Spike said, still grinning.



"Don't even try Spike.we already had this discussion," Dawn said with a grin. "She said no one can eat the `cookie men'."



Spike just laughed lightly as he watched them before he turned his attention to Willow. "Hey Red...come here, need to talk to you."



Willow looked up and watched Spike walk out of the room. She got up and followed him out into the Dining Room. "What's up?" She asked as she saw him sit down.



Spike sighed and looked at her before he spoke. "You need to call the watcher." He almost laughed at the face Willow made. If her face froze like that...he felt sorry for anyone who came into contact with her.



"Are you crazy!" Willow yelled. "Giles would kill us.literally!"



"Yeah, well what do you think Buffy's gonna do when you bring her back from munchkin land?"



"We don't even know if she'll remember any of this."



"Maybe not, but you're not getting anywhere with the books. Giles is your only option."



"Spike, you know Giles...he'll flip out," Willow said, looking scared.



"So...you have to do something. You can't just leave her like that."



"I know...we just need more time."



"Well, you better hurry or I'll tell him myself," Spike said, getting angry at the whole situation. "It's been 4 days. How long you plan on keeping her like that before you decide to put her needs before your own?" he asked as he stood up from his chair.



Buffy walked into the Dining Room and smiled as she walked over to Spike. "You wanna watch TV with me?" She asked him.



Spike looked down at her and smiled. "Sure thing pet...let's go," he said, as she grabbed his hand and led him into the Living Room.



Willow watched them leave and knew Spike was right. They had to tell Giles...eventually. Ugh...but not yet, she thought with a shutter, as she imagined what Giles' reaction would be.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Buffy was sitting on Spike's lap in the arm chair watching a cartoon as the front door came open.



"Buffy," Giles said as he came inside.



Buffy turned her head at the sound of her name. "Huh," she said as she looked at him.



Willow came running into the hall when she heard him. "GILES! What are you doing here?" She said, excitedly.



"Where is Buffy, Willow? I haven't heard from here in four days. Now I'm not sure what is wrong with her but I am her watcher and I have a right to know."



Willow looked worriedly from Giles to Buffy and back again, rocking from one foot to the next.



"Willow...where is Buffy?"



"Here I am," Buffy said, as she looked at Giles.



Giles turned his head and saw Spike holding a little girl. He smiled at her before looking back over at Willow.



"So, where is she?" He asked again, completely ignoring the fact that Spike had a little girl in his lap.



Willow gave him a pained smile and slowly pointed into the Living Room where Buffy was sitting. "There," she said softly, looking down at her feet.



Giles looked back over in the living room and poked his head inside. "Buffy?" He said as he slowly walked into the room.



"Where Willow? She's not in here."



"Um...well...uh...,"



"Who are you?" Buffy asked, as she turned in Spike's lap. Spike almost tried to cover for Willow, but knew the watcher could figure this out, so he kept quiet, besides the look on Giles' face was going to be priceless.



Giles looked at the little girl and smiled. "Hello.my name is Rupert.and you are?" He asked, as he walked closer to the chair. "Spike" Giles said, acknowledging he was there.



"That's a funny name," Buffy said with a small giggle.



"Yes, well I suppose it is different."



Giles straightened up and looked at Willow. "You is that?" He asked her quietly.



"My name's Buffy," she said, with a bright smile.



Giles slowly turned his head back around and looked at Buffy. He looked her straight in the eye before glancing up at Spike who was smirking at him shaking his head `yes'.



Looking back at Willow he could see the scared looked on her face before he turned back to Buffy. "Buffy?" He choked out hoarsely.



"Uh huh," Buffy said watching him.



"Dear Lord!" Giles said before his body slumped and his head hit the floor....out cold.


Chapter Six


Giles sat on the sofa holding a wet towel to the bump on his head, never taking his eyes off of Buffy. He still had yet to say a word. He would try, but only managed to sputter a few words, before shaking his head and becoming silent again.



Willow was in the corner, looking like a scared two yr. old, fearing what he was going to say when he finally got his tongue to work again.



Buffy just sat quietly on Spike's lap glancing over at Giles every so often as he watched her. She had started to get wiggly the longer he stared and turned so she couldn't see him before glancing up at Spike.



"That man's staring at me," she whispered.



"It's okay, he won't hurt you," Spike told her as she laid her head down on his chest.



"Watcher, if you're not going to talk to her, then stop staring. You're freakin' her out."



Giles gave Spike a hard look before looking down at Buffy. "Uh...sorry," he managed to say.



Sitting up straight in his seat, Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them before standing. "Well, I guess someone has an explanation for all of this?" He asked as Anya and Xander walked in the door. Giles turned to look at them and was met with the same expression on their faces as Willow had on hers.



"Giles!...G-man...look at you. All here and everything," Xander said quickly and nervously. "What brings you by?" He added just as quickly.



Giles gave him a hard look before glancing at everyone in the room frustrated. "How long has she been like this?" Giles asked, getting angry at the situation as Xander and Anya were slowly backing up towards the door. "WELL!" He yelled when no one answered.



Buffy jumped when he yelled and hung on to Spike's shirt. Spike rubbed his hand up and down her back trying to reassure her everything was okay before looking over at a very red faced Giles.



"Calm down Watcher, you're scaring her," Spike said as he glared at Giles.



"Oh, Do Be Quiet Spike! Why are you even here? This has nothing to do with you! Go home!" Giles spat out, still yelling.



Buffy flipped her head around and stared at Giles as he yelled at Spike. Xander saw the look in her eye and decided Giles might be heading in a dangerous direction where Spike was concerned.



"Yo, Giles...you might not want to be yelling at the evil dead there.unless you have your shin guards on...trust me," Xander told him as he remembered the kick Buffy had given him for doing the same.



Giles turned and looked at Xander, then returned his angry glares back at Spike. "Would someone like to explain to me what is going on!" Giles asked. "And why is Buffy hanging all over Spike?"



"Well, see it's like this...," Spike started before Giles cut him off.



"Spike, I don't care to hear anything you have to say, unless "you' are the one responsible for this!"



"I didn't do this, they did," Spike told Giles, pointing at Willow and Anya.



All the yelling had became too much for Buffy and she was soon crying...loudly!



"Shh.it's okay pet," Spike told her softly before glaring up at Giles. "Stop yelling," he told him firmly.



Giles almost bit his tongue off he was so mad. His face was bright red and he had the urge to rip someone's head off. He stood there taking a few deep breath's and looked at Buffy before walking back over to the couch and sat down. "Would someone please tell me what happened?" He asked as calmly as he could...which wasn't much.



Willow walked over to the sofa and sat as far away from Giles as she could. She looked at him nervously before glancing at the others in the room. Clearing her throat she decided to get this over with. "Well...it's umm, kinda like this..."



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Giles sat staring at Buffy after Willow explained what had happened and he had finished screaming and yelling at them more for being so stupid and careless. Buffy had stopped crying and was nervously glancing at him every so often. He still couldn't grasp the concept that this little girl was actually Buffy...his slayer.



"My mommy says it's rude to stare," Buffy told Giles as he watched her.



Giles focused his attention fully on her as she spoke.



"Oh. Yes. You're absolutely right. I'm terribly sorry," he told her with a smile. "Buffy...do you remember who I am?" He asked.



Buffy looked at him hard before answering. "No"



Giles looked over at Willow before turning back to Buffy. "Do you know where you are?"



"I'm waiting for my mommy to come get me," Buffy told him as she turned in Spike's lap so she could see Giles better.



Giles' eyed widened at Buffy's comment. She still thought her mother was alive. His anger for what they had done came flooding back. Gritting his teeth he smiled at Buffy before continuing his questions. "Yes, well...I'm sure we'll find her soon," he said, not really sure of how to address the `mommy' issue.



"Yeah.Spike's gonna find her for me," Buffy said smiling. "He keeps the monsters away," she added whispering lightly for effect.



Giles glanced up at Spike before returning his attention back to Buffy. "Does he now? Do you see monster's alot?' He asked, wondering what she had meant.



"Yeah...when I sleep they chase me, but Spike scares them away," she told him smiling.



Giles smiled at her. She was so sweet he was having a hard time being mad. "Well, that's very nice of Spike," Giles told her, still smiling.



"Uh huh...Spike's nice. He colors with me...but he uses the wrong hand when he does it," she said, rolling her eyes slightly.



Giles grinned at her and looked up at Spike. "I'm left handed," Spike told Giles smiling.



"Oh...I see," Giles said amused at her comment. "So...you like Spike being around?" He asked, wondering about the whole Buffy/Spike situation. He knew Buffy would never spend time with Spike...let alone want him around.



"Yeah....we watch cartoons and he comes to play with me when Willow and that big girl Dawn have to leave."



Giles had to smile as Buffy's face lit up talking about Spike. He wondered if she would remember any of this when the spell was broken. For her sake...he hoped she didn't.



Buffy got down off Spike's lap and walked over to where Giles was sitting. "You want to see my pictures? Spike put `em on the frigadator," she asked him smiling.



"I'd love to see your pictures," Giles said smiling as he stood up to follow Buffy.



Buffy glared at Xander as they walked by and she stuck her tongue out at him. Giles saw what she had done and cocked his head to the side as he walked along behind her. "Do you not like Xander?' He asked her as they walked to the kitchen.



"No...he's mean to Spike. He's a poophead," she said softly, "but Spike told me not to call him that."



"Yes, well...it's not very nice to call people names."



"That's what Spike said.but that mean guy calls Spike names all the time," she told him as they entered the kitchen. "Why can he call Spike names and it be okay, if I can't?" She asked as she pointed at her pictures.



Giles looked at the drawings and smiled, trying to ignore her question. Most of the pictures were colored with all purple crayons...except for a few that Spike had obviously done.



"Those are very nice Buffy," Giles told her as he looked down at her. She was smiling brightly at him as she looked back over to her pictures. "Well, why don't we go back in with the others and see if we can figure out what we need to do to find...your mother." he said, not really sure how to address her situation. He smiled as she took his hand and led him back into the living room.



"Well, let's get those spell books out and find a way to change her back," Giles said as they reentered the living room. Giles watched as Buffy climbed back up on Spike's lap and returned her attention back to the cartoon they had been watching. He smiled as he saw how happy she seemed. It had been to long since she smiled about anything. As upset as he was about her being like this, he couldn't help but be glad she could escape her troubles for a little while...well, he `hoped' it would just a little while. Sighing heavily, he grabbed a spell book and started his search to bring Buffy back.





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