Chapter Seven


Research was going extremely slow as the occupants of the Summer's home had a hard time concentrating. Giles couldn't take his eyes off of Buffy. He was still trying to get over the shock of seeing her as a little girl. Buffy's fondness to Spike was his only real concern at the moment.



Giles watched as Buffy and Spike sat and colored. He had never seen her smile so much. She was truly happy at the moment. He almost hated taking this away from her.



"Buffy...it's almost time for bed. We need to get you in the bathtub," Dawn said as she walked into the Living Room.



Buffy looked up at Dawn when she spoke to her. "Okay, I'm almost done," she said looking back down at what she was doing.



Buffy finished her picture and helped Spike put the crayons away before she stood up. "Spike you're not gonna leave are ya?" She asked him as he stacked up the books.



"No, I'll stay for a while if you want me to," Spike told her.



"Even when I sleep?"



"Yeah, even when you sleep," he said smiling at her.



Buffy smiled brightly at him and hugged his neck before running towards the steps where Dawn was waiting. "I'll be right back," she said excitedly, turning back to Spike before going up the steps.



Spike chuckled at her as he stood and picked up the books and crayons and returned them to the box Willow had Buffy's `toys' in. He smiled as he looked at the dolls that were there as he placed the books inside. As he turned around, he saw Giles staring at him and sighed heavily as he walked to the arm chair and sat down.



"Alright Watcher, out with it," he said as he looked over at Giles.



Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them before looking back up at Spike. "Well, I was just curious as to how you were going to handle all this when Buffy is back to normal. You do know there is a very good possibility that she will not remember any of this."



"I know."



"Yes well....I know you're feelings for Buffy and all this attention she is showing you....well, I hope you know it has absolutely nothing to do with Buffy's true feeling where you are concerned."



Spike leaned his head over to the side and looked at Giles. He could sense that Giles didn't actually believe his own theory. He smiled thinking maybe Buffy actually `did' like him in some way. He hoped Buffy remembered every detail of her `little adventure' and would finally see he wasn't the heartless monster she thought he was.



"You don't know that Rupert. You actually think she'd tell the lot of you how she really felt about me?"



"Yes, I think she would and has. It's not healthy to hang on to the delusions that she will ever return your feelings, that is if they are in fact real. I'm still not so sure that they are," Giles said.



Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You bleedin' Watcher's think you know so much. You haven't a clue to what vampires really are. We feel emotions just the same as you do."



"Yes, well that's never been confirmed."



"HELLO! Vampire here. I know what I feel. Those soddin' journals of yours are filled with lies and misinformation," Spike stated loudly as he was starting to get irritated.



Giles just sat there looking at Spike. He knew Spike did show the capacity to show emotions, but Love? That was one he was sure a demon could not posses."



Buffy bounced back down the steps in her pajama's, ready for bed. She smiled as she entered the Living Room and walked over to Spike. "I'm back!" She squealed as she stood beside his chair.



"That you are. You ready for bed now?" Spike asked her.



"Uh huh," Buffy said smiling.



"Alright then, tell everyone goodnight."



Buffy turned and said goodnight and grabbed Spike's hand as he stood. They were almost to the steps when Giles stopped them.



"Buffy, umm I'm not sure it's such a good idea to have Spike stay in your room at night with you," he said as he stood up from the couch and approached them.



Buffy gripped Spike's hand tighter and she stepped closer to him as Giles approached.



"Why don't you let Dawn or Willow sit with you?" Giles asked as he leaned down to be eye level with her.



"No," Buffy said whining a little. "Spike keeps the monsters away."



"Yes well, I'm sure Dawn can do the same."



"No she can't. She's not strong enough," Buffy told him as he straightened up.



Giles sighed as he looked down at her. "Well, what if I came up with you or Xander?"



Buffy shook her head no at him. "You're too old to chase monsters and I don't want that mean guy up there," she said glancing up nervously up at Spike.



"I'm not to old Buffy. I can sit and watch as well as Spike can."



"But you can't fight them like Spike does."



"And exactly when was the last time Spike has had to fight the monsters?" Giles asked, getting irritated at the situation.



"He always does. Everytime they come," she said putting on hand on her hip. "He puts on his mean face and kills them!"



Spike and Giles both looked down at her before looking at each other wide eyed.



"What do you mean.....he puts on his mean face?" Giles asked.



Buffy shook her head and sighed. "His mean face. With his big teeth and yellow eyes. He growls at the monsters and then he kills them."



Giles looked at Spike. "You didn't tell her...about...," he asked as he motioned towards his face with his finger.



"Well no," Spike said shaking his head. "I'm not stupid you know."



"Then how....Buffy does Spike's mean face scare you?"



"Nom" she said looking at Giles before smiling as she looked up at Spike.



"Have you ever seen anyone else with the `mean' face?" Giles asked her.



"Yeah,"



"When?" Giles asked, in full Watcher mood, trying to figure out what she was talking about.



"In my dreams. But they're all mean guys. Spike hits `em and they fall like dirt," Buffy said with a yawn.



"I see..," Giles said. "Well, you go on up to bed Buffy. I guess it will be alright for Spike to sit with you for a little while," Giles said before turning and going back to the Living Room.



Buffy and Spike walked up the stairs as Giles sat heavily on the couch. He turned to Willow and looked at her before speaking. "Do you suppose she is having dreams of actual fights Spike has helped her with?"



"It's possible," Willow said, having heard the whole conversation. "I mean, it sounds like she was talking about Spike's grrr face. She would have had to have dreamed that. We haven't mentioned that Spike's a vampire. I'm not even sure she knows what a vampire is."



"Most interesting," Giles stated as he started cleaning his glasses...again. "This may explain her bond with Spike now. If she feels safe with him..."



"Hey, I just remembered!" Willow said smiling as she interrupted him. "When we first brought her home, after her turning little she said Spike made her feel funny. Like someone was tickling her on the neck whenever he was around."



"Amazing," Giles said looking astonished. "Her slayer senses must still be in tact," he added before getting a far off look on his face.



"Yeah or some at least," Willow said. "Oh, I wonder if she has any fighting skills or strength?" she asked smiling.



Giles looked over at her and smiled. "It would be most interesting to find out. I'll take her to the shop tomorrow and see what she can do," he said, looking thoroughly pleased at having a four year old Slayer.



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



Spike pulled the cover's up over Buffy and kissed her forehead as she looked up at him smiling.



"Buffy....am I always in your dreams?" Spike asked her curious about what she had told them.



"Yeah, most of the times."



"Are you in them?"



"Uh huh, but I'm a big girl. I fight the monsters too," she said smiling. "We kill them together sometimes."



"I see," Spike said knowing for sure she was definitely dreaming of their past battles.



Spike looked at her and leaned his head sideways when he noticed the frown that now covered her face. "What's wrong?" He asked her as he saw her eyes fill with tears before she spoke.



"Sometimes...I'm mean to you in my dreams," she said as a tear fell down her face. "I don't mean to be, but I am. And sometimes I hit you too."



Spike looked at her and smiled weakly as he reached up and brushed her tears away as they fell. "It's alright pet. I don't mind," he told her softly as she looked at him.



"You're not mad?" She asked him, looking a little scared he would be.



"No, I know you don't really mean to," Spike answered her smiling.



"I'm sorry Spike. I don't mean it. Don't leave me. I'll be good," Buffy cried as she sat up and hugged him.



"Shhh...It's okay Buffy. Don't cry. I'm not ever gonna leave you," Spike said as he hugged her back. "I could never be mad at you," he told her as he ran his hand down the back of her head.



Buffy cried softly for a few minutes and sniffled a few times before she stopped and looked up at Spike. She smiled at him before she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Night Spike," Buffy said sleepily. "love you," she added as she laid down and closed her eyes.



Spike stared at her as he felt his eyes stinging with his own tears, shocked at her words. "I love you to Buffy," he choked out softly. He was so overcome with emotion as he replayed her whispered `love you' over in his mind he could barely speak. He smiled, knowing that this `Little Buffy' had meant it. If only the `real' you could see me the way you do know, he thought as he watched her sleep. He wiped his tears away and smiled big. Someday... you will.



Chapter Eight


Willow walked into the Magic Box, Buffy in tow, ready to see if she had retained any of her Slayer skills. Giles smiled as he saw her.



"Good morning Buffy," he said as she walked over to the table.



"Hey," she said smiling at him.



"How are you today?" Giles asked as Buffy tried to get up in one of the chairs at the table.



"I'm fine. Willow made me pancakes," Buffy said grinning at him as Willow helped her sit down.



"Did she? Well that was very nice of her."



"Uh huh. I got to help wash the dishes too."



Giles smiled at her. She was so adorable. She smiled about everything. He was happy just being able to see her happy. "I've got some fun things for us to try today...would you like to go see?"



"Maybe later...Spike's `pose to come and play with me today. Maybe I can play with you tomorrow," Buffy told him, as she looked up at him.



Giles looked over at Willow who was grinning at him and shrugged her shoulders at him. "Spike told her he would see her today," she told him quietly.



"Oh, I see. Well, what if I just show you what I have until Spike gets here. Would that be okay?" Giles asked Buffy as he looked back down at her.



Buffy scrunched up her face, thinking about what he had said before answering. "I guess we can," she said before sliding down from her chair.



"Willow, I think I may have found something in that text about the original spell. If you could cross reference it for me while I'm in the back?" Giles asked before turning to the training room.



"Sure...I can do that."



Giles walked with Buffy to the training room and ushered her in. Once inside Buffy looked around and frowned. Giles caught the look and leaned his head to the side. "Is something wrong Buffy?" He asked her as she stopped in the middle of the room.



"This is where I lost my mommy." she said sadly.



Giles looked saddened by her statement. He immediately felt angry again for what the others had done. He smiled at her and got down on one knee if front of her. "It's okay Buffy. We're doing everything we can to find her," he said, mentally slapping himself for having to lie to her.



Buffy looked at him with watery eyes. "What if you can't find her?"



"We will...I promise."



Buffy smiled weakly at him and wiped at her eyes. "Okay. Can we play now?"



Giles laughed lightly at her and shook his head. "Yes, we can play now," he said as he stood back up.



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



Willow had been checking the spell books and listening to the sounds coming from the training room for a while and was beginning to wonder how long Giles was going to keep at his 'testing' of Buffy's skills. They had been in there for over an hour and she was sure Buffy was getting bored with him by now. Looking up as the door to the shop opened, she smiled as Xander walked in.



"Hey Xan...what are you doing here?" She asked him smiling.



"Oh, just thought I'd come see how our little Buff was doing," he answered her as he sat down.



"Giles is putting her through 'training' as we speak," she said giving him a lopsided grin.



"Ah, the ever faithful Slayer training. Giles is probably loving this. He can finally make Buffy listen," he laughed. "Well, in theory that is."



"Yeah, she can still be pretty stubborn when she wants to be."



"Who's that?" Spike asked, as he shut the door to the basement.



"What are you doing here?" Xander asked him hatefully.



"Now now whelp...better be on your best behavior. Wouldn't want out little Slayer to check out your knee caps again," Spike said, smirking at Xander.



"Shut up Spike!"



Spike laughed at him before looking over at Willow. "Buffy in the back?" He asked pointing to the training room.



"Yeah, Giles has had her in there for a while."



"Right then," Spike said as he headed for the training room.



"Where do you think you're going?" Xander asked him as he stood up from his chair.



Spike turned his head slightly. "Going to see Buffy," he said over his shoulder as he continued walking.



"Well, she doesn't want to see you, so stay away from her," Xander yelled out to him.



"Is that a fact?" Spike asked as he stopped and turned around to face him. "Doesn't seem that way to me."



Xander glared at Spike, hating the fact that he knew Buffy 'did' want to see Spike. The fact that she 'didn't' like him was eating him up. He rolled his eyes at Spike before returning to his seat. Spike just grinned at him and turned around, still smiling as he entered the training room.



"Now Buffy...please just do it exactly like I said," Giles told her, exhausted at his attempts to get her to cooperate with him.



"No. I don't want to," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.



"What's the matter kitten, Rupert boring you already?" Spike asked as he walked into the room.



Buffy spun around at the sound of his voice and grinned big. "Hey Spike!' she yelled as she ran over to where he was.



"Hey Buffy," Spike said as she wrapped her arms around his legs. "You havin' fun with the watcher?" He asked as he squatted down next to her after she let him go.



"No," Buffy whispered to him, glancing over at Giles briefly. "He plays stupid games. All he wants me to do is hit stuff."



Spike laughed at her and looked up at Giles. "Well, he is kinda old. All his games are gonna be dull, just like him," Spike whispered back to her, getting a big giggle out of her.



"I heard that Spike!" Giles said as he stood up from the floor. "Please don't put such notions in her head. She's very impressionable at this age."



Spike straightened up and grinned at Giles. "What can I say Watcher. I just call `em like I see `em."



"Why are you here?" Giles asked, sighing heavily as he rubbed his forehead.



"I had a play date with the nibblet here," Spike said, patting her on the head.



"Well, play time can come later. I have important things to do here, as you can see."



"Yeah, and what's that...boring her to death? Real impressive," Spike said smirking at him.



Giles removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes before replacing them and looking at Buffy. She was standing there, looking up at Spike with the cutest smile he had ever seen on her face. He smiled in spite of himself and shook his head. "Fine...play. She obviously has no desire to train. I can try to do this later," Giles said as he walked towards the door.



Spike tried to hold back his grin as Giles walked past him, but failed miserably. The fact that Buffy would rather spend her time with him rather than the rest of them, made him happier than any vampire should be.



He looked down at her as Giles shut the door and smiled at her. "So, what ya wanna do pet?" He asked her as she stood there smiling at him.



"There's nothin' to do here," she said looking around the room.



"Well, you have a point there," Spike told her.



"Can we go outside?" Buffy asked, looking back up at him.



"Don't think that'd be a good idea."



"Why not? It's fun outside. We could go to the park," she told him smiling.



Spike smiled back at her. "Yeah, that would be fun...but, I can't go outside Buffy. Not in the sun," he told her sadly.



Buffy looked at him quizzical. "Why not...you not like the shunshine?"



"Yeah, I do actually." Spike said before he led her over to the couch and sat down. "It's just, I have an.allergy to the sun," he told her...She's not gonna buy that one, he thought as she stood in front of him and looked at him.



"My friend's got allergies too. She sneezes when she plays with purple," Buffy said grinning a little.



"So, it's okay if we don't go outside then?"



"Yeah, I guess so...do you sneeze when you go outside?" Buffy asked.



"Yeah, something like that," Spike smiled at her.



Buffy walked closer to Spike and put her hands on both sides of his face. She looked him straight in the eyes and Spike grinned at her when she moved her head closer to his.



"What are you doing?" He asked her, chuckling softly.



"You have eyes like my kitty."



"I do?"



"Uh huh...His eyes are blue too," she said as she leaned back a little to look at him.



Spike smiled at her as she let go of his face. "How's about we go see if there's something out front we can do?" He asked as he stood up from the couch.



"Okay," Buffy said as she grabbed his hand and they started for the door.

ÿ



"We Found It!" Willow yelled as she burst through the training room door smiling big. "We found the spell! We found a way to bring her back!"




Chapter Nine


Spike froze when he heard Willow. He saw the beaming smile on her face and smiled, although he knew this was the end. No longer would he be a part of Buffy's life. No longer would she want him around.



He looked down at her. She was smiling at him. He smiled back at her and felt a wave of loneliness hit him, one that he knew all to well. One that had left for a short time, soon, it would know him again.



Grabbing Buffy's hand a little tighter, he slowly made his way out into the shop, to be greeted with happy, smiling faces.



Everyone turned to look at Buffy, smiles on their faces, knowing they would have their friend back soon.



"So, you found the spell then?" Spike asked the group, trying to smile unsuccessfully.



"Yeah, we just need to find all the components," Willow told him, as she continued looking through the spell book.



"How long...till you change her back?"



"What's wrong Spike...getting scared? I told you this would all be over soon," Xander said chuckling as Spike and Buffy glared at him. "What are you gonna do when it's back to business as usual and she can't stand the sight of you?"



Spike clenched his jaw tightly. He had taken enough jabs from the whelp to last him two lifetimes. He rolled his eyes at him, holding back a few choice words and turned his attention back to Willow.



Willow smiled at Spike, knowing what he was feeling. She knew how much he enjoyed being around and felt bad for him. "Probably just another day or so; depends on how long it takes to get all the ingredients for the spell ready."



"I see," Spike said nodding his head at her.



"Can we play now?" Buffy asked looking up at Spike.



"Sure thing pet," Spike said smiling back down at her. "Let's go see what we can find."



Xander glared at Spike as he sat with Buffy at the counter and helped her draw. He grinned to himself knowing he'd enjoy watching Spike get left out in the cold after Buffy got back to normal.



"Xander, stop doing that," Willow told him softly, as she watched him glare dagger's at Spike. "Just leave him alone."



"What...I wasn't doing anything."



Willow sighed and rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be so mean all the time. He's helped out alot since all this happened."



"So, I don't like the guy. Hasn't ever been a secret. No reason to act all chummy to him now just because Buffy's too young to know any better."



Willow rolled her eyes again and went back to her book. This is gonna be fun, she thought to herself.



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



Everyone was gathered in the Summer's living room, discussing the particular's of the spell. Everyone seemed happy about the transformation taking place, although a few had there own selfish reasons for wanting to keep her little.



"But why can't we just leave her for a little while longer?" Dawn asked whining. "I mean, she's not hurting anything and it's nice to have her around all the time."



"Dawn, you know we can't do that. She would want to be herself. It's hard to tell what she's going to do when we bring her back anyway," Willow tried to reason with Dawn.



Dawn sat down on the sofa and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, when she gets back to normal, she's not going to have anything to do with me....just like before."



"Dawn, you know that's not true."



"Yes it is." Dawn said hatefully.



"I think that big girl Dawn is mad," Buffy said, looking up at Spike.



"No, she's just a little upset s'all. She'll be fine," Spike told her as he sat and helped her color.



"Maybe I could make her a picture. That will make her feel better," Buffy said as she colored.



Spike smiled at her. "Yeah, I think that'd be a real good idea. She'd like that."



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



Spike walked slowly to Buffy's the next evening. As much as he wanted to be there for the spell, he dreaded it just the same. He had spent the last week with her everyday and knew he'd miss the little girl that had treated him like a person and not just a thing.



Walking up the front steps, he sighed heavily before knocking on the door.



Dawn opened the door and stomped off leaving him standing there without even saying a word. Spike shook his head and let himself in before heading to the living room. What he saw made him instantly sad. Everything was set up and ready to go.



"Hey Spike!" Buffy squealed when she saw him.



"Hey Buffy," Spike said as she ran over to him.



"I get to go see my mommy soon," she told him excitedly.



Spike looked up at everyone and wondered who had told her that. If Buffy remembered anything about this, he knew the 'mommy' lie would be the hardest part about it all.



"That's great pet," he told her sadly.



"Why are you here?" Xander asked Spike from his perch on the arm chair.



Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. "Can we not do this right now whelp? I thought I might talk to Buffy before you all change her back."



"Why, gonna try and persuade her into liking we when she gets back normal?"



Spike looked at everyone in the room before looking back down at Buffy. "Come on pet, let's go talk a minute, okay?" He said before taking her hand.



"Don't take to long Spike...we're gonna start soon," Willow told him quietly.



"Sure thing Red."



Spike led Buffy through the kitchen and out the back door. He wanted to talk to her one last time before things went back to normal. Sitting on the steps, he smiled at her as she sat right beside him.



"Will you still come see me when my mommy takes me home?" Buffy asked him scooting a little closer to him.



"Well, I'd like to...but I think when you get around all your friends, you're gonna be to busy to hang around me," Spike told her, smiling lightly.



"No I won't," she said smiling back at him. "You could come and play with me. My mommy won't care."



"Well, I'll tell you what....if, when you get back and you want me around, I'll be here."



Buffy smiled brightly at him. "Okay."



"Spike...we're ready," Willow said as she stuck her head out the door and smiled at them.



"Yeah, be right there," Spike told her. "Well ducks, guess we need to get back in there," he told her as he stood up.



"Okay," Buffy said giggling.



"What's so funny?" Spike asked her amused



"You always call me funny names," she said as they approached the door.



"Well then, I guess it's only fair for you to call me funny names too." he said smiling.



Buffy stopped and looked up at him. She leaned her head to one side and smiled. "I'll call you Frosty,"



Spike laughed at her. "Why would you call me Frosty?"



"Cause your hairs always white like Frosty's head," she told him giggling louder.



"Okay...just for now, you can call me Frosty," Spike said shaking his head as he smiled down at her. "But don't tell anyone!"



"Okay," Buffy said as Spike opened the door and led her back to the Living Room.



Spike entered the Living Room and Buffy was quickly led away. Willow brought her back shortly after, wrapped in Buffy's 'normal' robe.



"But this one is too big," Buffy complained as Willow sat her in the circle they had drawn on the Living Room floor.



"It'll be okay...you only have to wear it for a few minutes," Willow said.



Buffy huffed a little and crossed her small arms over her chest. Spike smiled when he saw her. Nothing ever changes, he thought as he saw his little Slayer, still getting upset when things didn't go her way.



"Well, I think we're ready, Giles," Willow said, smiling big.



"Yes, well let's get this started."



As Giles started the spell, Spike looked over at Buffy and gave her a small smile as she looked at him. When she turned her head, he quietly backed out of the room and left. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew Buffy wouldn't want him there when she was 'normal' again.



As he walked down the walk-way and stepped onto the sidewalk, he paused and turned to the house before he saw a flash of blue light. "Welcome back Slayer," he said softly as he turned and started home.



~*~*~



"Buffy?" Willow asked quietly as she saw her friend sitting on the floor.



"Uh, someone want to tell me...what's going on?" Buffy asked confused as she looked around the room.



Everyone smiled as they took in the sight of their friend. "It's a long story," Willow said, grinning big.



"I guess so," Buffy said as she pulled her robe tightly around her and stood. She looked around the room, glancing at everyone there. She smiled weakly at them before stepping out of the circle. "Well, I'm really tired. I think I'm gonna go on up to bed. You can fill me in on everything tomorrow...okay Will?" Buffy said as she walked to the stairs. "Good Night."



Everyone stared at her as she went up the stairs to her room.



"Is it just me...or is she acting weird?" Xander asked.



"Well, she did just go through something pretty dramatic...maybe she's just freaked," Willow said, looking concerned.



"Yes...she will need time to adjust," Giles told them. "We can see if she remembers anything tomorrow."



"Yeah"



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



Buffy sat quietly and ate her breakfast as Willow told her everything that happened. She had a very hard time hearing about everything from so many different points of view. What Willow told her was completely different from the events Xander had explained and it was getting more confusing by the second.



"So, you don't remember any of it?" Willow asked Buffy with a frown.



Buffy looked at the faces of her friends and smiled. "Nope...sorry, not a thing."



"Well, we were afraid of that," Giles told her as he looked relieved. "It is probably for the best."



"Yeah, why's that?" Buffy asked him.



Everyone just sat and stared at her.



Dawn sighed and turned to look at her. "They're just saying that because they don't want you to remember Spike and everything he did for you," she said, still mad at everyone for turning Buffy back so quickly.



Buffy looked over at Dawn, confusion clearly clouding her face. "Spike...what did he do?"



Dawn grinned big at her sister. "You wouldn't let him out of your sight. When he was here, you were hanging all over him. He sat with you when Willow and I had school and he played with you."



"Really?" Buffy asked as she continued to look at her sister.



"Yep...he even sat with you every night when you slept so you wouldn't have bad dreams."



"Huh.," Buffy said as she stared off in space.



"I tried to make him leave Buff...but you got a little defensive," Xander told her with a grin.



Buffy looked up at him and grinned. "Yeah, how so?"



Xander chuckled at her before a pained look crossed his face. "Well, you kicked me...'hard'...and called me a ..what was it again...oh, a 'poophead'," he said, earning a laugh from everyone...even Buffy. "Well, thank goodness you're all normal again and we won't have to put up with Spike anymore."



Buffy gave him a little smile before standing up. "Well, I think I'm gonna get dressed," she said before turning to leave.



"Well, looks like she took it pretty well," Willow said after Buffy had left the room.



"Yeah, unless she went upstairs to off herself," Xander commented, as everyone glared at him. "What...if I had played nice with the evil-undead, I'd off myself too."



Everyone rolled their eyes at him as they all quietly filed out of the kitchen, leaving him standing alone.



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



Spike walked slowly through the streets of Sunnydale. He had been by Buffy's earlier and had wanted to talk to her when he saw that she was back to her normal self, but knew she wouldn't want a 'social' call from him. Sighing lightly, he headed for the only place in town to drown his sorrows...and possibly catch a glimpse of her.



Making his way inside the Bronze, he hoped to find a way to ease the lonely feeling he had been having since he had last seen her.



"Hey, what can I get ya?" the bar keep asked as Spike sat himself down at the bar.



"Beer," he replied, looking out over the crowd of people gathered there.



"Here you go."



"Thanks mate," Spike told him as he picked up his drink and moved through the throng of people. He positioned himself in the shadows away from the crowds, and sat quietly.



"Well, well...if it isn't the bleached wonder. How's it going to feel knowing Buffy don't want you around anymore?" Xander asked Spike as he walked up behind him, laughing slightly.



Spike rolled his eyes. "Don't you ever go away?"



"I ask the same question about you all the time but...you just keep popping up," Xander said glaring at Spike.



"Whatever whelp...not in the mood for a verbal battle tonight, so run along and play." Spike said, shooing him away with his hand.



Xander laughed. "Now see, here I was, coming over here to talk and you want to be all snotty. Well, here's a little bit of information for you...Spike. Buffy doesn't remember 'anything' of her 'Little self", so I guess that leaves you out in the cold, again.where you belong."



Spike looked up at Xander, wishing his chip was out so he could knock the smug look off his face. "So, she doesn't remember anything?" he asked quietly.



"Nope...not one little bit. Good thing to, not sure you'd still be here if she did. She'd probably dust you just to save face...I would."



Spike stood up from his chair and gave Xander a hard look before he quietly left him standing. He felt bad enough with the whelp making it worse. Exiting the club, he walked back to his crypt, hoping a little alone time would be the best way to deal with everything he was feeling.



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



Buffy dusted her sixth vamp and smiled as she dusted herself off. It felt good to be active again. Although Giles had insisted she take it easy for a few days, she had heard enough stories of her time as a toddler to last her a life time.



Making her way through the cemetery, she had one goal in mind. To pay a certain bleached blonde a visit.



Buffy opened the door of Spike's crypt and walked inside. He was sitting in his chair staring at the wavy lines on his TV.



"Hey," she said quietly as she walked over to where he was.



Spike turned his head and smiled weakly at her. "Hey Slayer...what brings you by?"



"Just thought....um....I'd come by...and uh...you know, to ...umm..."



"Spit it out Slayer, you're babbling."



Buffy smiled and took a deep breath. "Spike, I just wanted to say Thank You for everything you did. Dawn and Willow told me how you took care of me...and well, I just wanted to say Thanks," she said, in one long breath.



Spike smiled brightly at her. "Not a problem Slayer."



Buffy leaned up against the column and stared at him. She never noticed how his eyes always sparkled when he smiled...not that he smiled that much, maybe it was because he never had a reason to. She smiled back at him and looked around before looking back over at him.



"So, Xander tells me you don't remember anything. Good thing I guess," Spike told her as he stared at her.



"Yeah, that's what they've all been telling me. I suppose they think I'm not strong enough to handle it. Imagine that, the Slayer not being able to handle a little toddler time," she said giggling.



Spike smiled bigger at her and leaned his head sideways. He could still see the little girl when he looked at her, and the giggle was still the same.



Buffy saw the intense stare he was holding her in and was starting to get a little fidgety. "Well, I guess I better go."



"Oh, yeah....your friends probably have lot's more stories for ya," Spike said as she started for the door.



"Don't remind me," Buffy said with a small smile. "If I have to hear one more little cute story I might have to slay one of them."



Spike stood as she approached the door and walked over to her. "Yeah, well...I have to admit, you were pretty cute," he told her grinning.



Buffy turned to face him and walked over to where he was standing. She reached up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, much to his surprise. "Thanks Spike...I won't ever forget what you did. It means a lot," she told him softly.



Spike smiled a little as the spot her lips had touched his face still stung with the warmth of her. "Anytime...Slayer." he said softly.



Buffy smiled up at him. "Well, I'll see ya around Spike."



"Goodnight Buffy," Spike said



Buffy turned to the door and paused as she stepped out onto the landing. She turned to face him and grinned brightly as she looked at him. "Goodnight....Frosty," she said, winking at him and giggling at the expression on his face.



Spike stood there staring at her as she turned to leave. Did she just call me Frosty? he asked himself. "Hey...wait a minute!" Spike said as Buffy walked down the steps, laughing. "You do remember!"



Buffy's laughter could be heard all over the cemetery as she walked away.



"Slayer, get back here!" Spike yelled grinning as he watched Buffy leave. He smiled big as he realized she remembered everything that had happened.......maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.



The End?





A/N...Look for the sequel "Sweet William". It can be found in the main fiction pages of my site, Always Forever. 'Sweet William' is still a WIP.





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