Chapter 2


Buffy’s heart stopped. A vampire.
 
“Oh, God. Oh, God.”
 
“Willow? Is she… is she alive?” Dawn asked.
 
“Yes, she is. If she wasn’t the light would be red. It’s blue.”
 
“We have to hurry,” Buffy said, running out the door.
 
Dawn followed after her, but couldn’t catch up. The slayer was running at full speed, and she didn’t stop until she reached the street Willow said her daughter was on. She looked around, but she didn’t see anyone. Thoughts that she was trying to keep out kept flooding her brain. A demon had her baby, and she was probably so scared.
----------------------------
 
“Mr. Spike?”
 
“Yes Nibblet?”
 
“Why do you keep calling me Nibb-let?”
 
“It’s a nick-name.”
 
“Oh. My mommy calls me princess.”
 
Spike smiled in spite of the situation. He could see Buffy tucking the little girl into bed at night, the little girl that was still holding onto his hand. For whatever reason, she seemed to trust him.
 
“Do you know my mommy?” she asked.
 
“Yeah, we knew each other a long time ago, before you were born.”
 
“Oh. Did you know my daddy?”
 
“No. I don’t think so.”
 
“Mommy says he went to Eng-a-land. I don’t know where that is, but it’s far away.”
 
“How old are you, Bit?” Spike asked.
 
“This many,” she said holding up four fingers.
 
He nodded. If she was only four years old there was almost no way he would know her father.
 
“But my birthday is in this many weeks.” She now held up three fingers, and he nodded.
 
“How old are you?” she asked him.
 
“158.”
 
“That’s really old.”
 
“Tell me about it.”
 
“Tell you about what?”
 
“Nothing, Pet.”
 
They walked another few feet before she spoke again.
 
The little girl yawned and rubbed her eyes. Spike was about to ask her if she was tired, but she spoke before he had the chance.
 
“Are you a daddy?”
 
“What?” he asked her, not quite sure he’d understood her question.
 
“Are you a daddy?” she asked again.
 
“No.”
 
“Why not?”
 
“I can’t have kids.”
 
“Why?”
 
Spike sighed. What was he suppose to tell her? He couldn’t very well tell her he was a vampire; it might scare the poor girl. “Because…”
 
A feeling suddenly came over Spike and he stopped. Buffy. She was close. Years of distance had not changed the one simple fact that the slayer had become something to him, something he knew he could never be completely rid of no matter how hard he tried.
 
“What are you doing?” Camilla asked the man who had stopped walking beside her.
 
“Come on,” he told her, pulling slightly on her hand as they rounded the corner.
 
When he saw the woman standing there, looking ready to kill something, he concluded that he had been right. She was still just as beautiful as she had once been with her slightly tanned skin and shampoo commercial hair. If he had any, Spike was sure his breath would have caught in his throat at the sight of her.
 
“Mommy,” the little girl shouted when she finally noticed what Spike was looking at. She let go of Spike’s hand and ran towards her mother.
 
Buffy’s head turned so quickly that she heard a crack in her neck. She saw Camilla running towards her and was overwhelmed with a sense of joy, relief and a slight bit of anger. Despite this, she managed to run to the little girl and pulled her into her arms. She hugged her tight and kissed her head.
 
“Sweetheart, where have you been? Are you okay? Don’t you ever run off like that again.” She pulled back from the girl and looked her over, checking for injuries.
 
“I’m fine, mommy. Mr. Spike took care of me. He scared off the monster.”
 
Buffy couldn’t quite comprehend what her daughter was saying. She was just so glad to have her back in her arms, safe. “Mr. who?”
 
“Spike. He’s right there,” Camilla said pointing behind her.
 
Buffy looked over her daughter’s small shoulder and her mouth dropped open a bit. Standing about ten feet behind her was Spike. The one and only.
 
“Mommy?” The little girl noticed how her mother was looking at Spike. “Are you okay?”
 
Buffy shook her head. “Yes. I’m fine,” she said looking back at the girl. “I was just worried about you.”
 
“I’m okay. But Mr. Spike is frus-ter-rated cause of his pants.”
 
Buffy looked to him curiously. Their eyes locked for a moment, but she forced herself to look away. It had been so long since she’d last laid eyes on him, and he still looked the same. Though, he was a vampire after all.
 
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Buffy asked her daughter who gave her an annoyed look.
 
“Yes. Can we go now? I’m sleepy.”
 
“Sure honey.” Buffy stood up and grabbed the little girl’s hand. She then risked another look at the vampire standing there. How, out of all the vampires in the world, hell, all the vampires in Los Angeles alone, had her daughter ended up with one of the only ones Buffy had ever trusted? Luck? Maybe. But there was something else tugging at the slayer, something that told her this was more than just a coincidence. She had an overwhelming urge to talk to Spike, ask him what he’d been up to. But she couldn’t… wouldn’t do that tonight. She needed to get her daughter home and in bed.
 
Spike had taken a few steps forward, wracking his brain for the right words to say to her. In the end, he decided to stick with the classic, “Hello, Buffy.”
 
“Spike.” The name sounded odd on her lips. The last time she’d actually spoken his name had been right after they’d left Sunnydale, right after he’d died to save the world, or so she’d thought at the time.
 
When the silence continued to drag on, Buffy felt a pull on her hand.
 
“Mommy,” Camilla whined. “What are you doing?”
 
“I’m sorry, honey.” She looked back to Spike. “I should really get her home.”
 
“Course,” he agreed. It had to be past her usual bedtime by now.
 
“Can Mr. Spike come to Auntie Dawn’s with us?” Camilla asked.
 
“I don’t think so, sweetheart…”
 
“Please, mommy.”
 
“I’m sure that Mr. Spike has somewhere else to go.”
 
“Can he just walk with us then?” She stuck her bottom lip out slightly.
 
She took a breath and looked at the man in question. “Okay. He can… if he wants to.”
 
“Yay,” she exclaimed running over to where Spike was standing. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards Buffy.
 
“Honey, you didn’t even ask him,” Buffy said when they made it back to her.
 
“You want to walk with us, don’t you, Mr. Spike?”
 
The look she was giving him made it hard to say no; even though he was pretty sure her mom didn’t really like the idea of him tagging along.
 
“Uhh… sure, Nibblet”
 
She smiled at him and then at her mother. “That’s my nickname,” she said proudly. She took Buffy’s hand in her other one and pulled both adults along the street.
 
Buffy tried hard not to look at Spike as they were walking. Her daughter really seemed to like him and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. It had been close to eight years since she’d last seen him. Andrew had told her, soon after returning to Rome, that Spike was alive. She’d known something was up with him, and he’d seemed all giddy. When she found out what Andrew was unsuccessfully hiding, she hadn’t wanted to believe it at first. How could Spike have been back all of that time, and not told her? She’d been angry for a while, and then a little sad. Once she’d considered going to LA to confront him, but had thought better of it. If he hadn’t wanted her to even know that he was alive, then he probably hadn’t wanted to see her either. And she didn’t need to see him. It was time that she moved on with her life, and left her two vampire lovers in the past. But her past seemed to always catch up to her, no matter how hard she tried to get away from it. Everyone else though, seemed to be doing a fair job.
 
Dawn had been going to UCLA, and was graduating in the morning. She’d called to invite Buffy and Camilla to stay in her apartment for a few days, just to visit. After high school, Dawn had traveled the globe, helping the Watcher’s Council, and just visiting places she had always wanted to go. She had then decided she wanted to return to the states, and go to school in California. For the last four years, she’d lived with her boyfriend in the city, visiting her sister and niece during the summer and on holidays. Her boyfriend, Eric, had proposed on their three month anniversary, and they were set to be married the next spring. They’d met soon after Dawn had moved to LA, and it had been love at first sight. He was also just what she’d needed after the break up with her boyfriend Carlos, whom she’d dated in Rome. Eric was currently staying with some of his friends, while Buffy and Camilla were staying there. Even though the slayer knew her sister was having sex, she didn’t need it to happen while she was in the vicinity.
 
Buffy had been living in New York City for the past six years. She had wanted to move back to the states as well, but hadn’t been too keen on living in California. So she’d stuck with the city, just on the other side of the country. That’s where she’d met Martin. He had seemed like such a great guy, and so much different than every other guy she had ever dated, in that he wasn’t older than her great grandparents. They had been dating for a little over a year when Buffy found out she was pregnant. He’d freaked and said that he couldn’t raise a kid, but Buffy refused to terminate the pregnancy or give the child up for adoption, so he’d left her. Willow had moved in with her for the first few months of the child’s life, to help her out with everything, but then had to get back to her own life.
 
She and Kennedy had broken up not too long after the battle in Sunnydale, and she’d gone to England to help Giles get the council set back up. For the past eight years, that’s where she had been. Dawn had asked her to come along to the graduation ceremony, as well as Xander and Giles. The two men were set to arrive in the morning.
 
The current situation was even more awkward for Spike. He barely knew this little girl, and didn’t know anything about Buffy anymore. He didn’t know what they were doing in the city, or when they would be leaving. The thought crossed his mind that this could be the reason he had come to the city in the first place. Maybe the powers that be had brought him here to save this little girl. But why? Was he really meant to be reunited with the Scoobys after all this time?
 
Years of lying low, hiding from the Senior Partners and whoever else might be after him, had taken its toll on Spike. He secretly longed for a life, even the pathetic one he’d had in Sunnyhell. At least there he’d had a place to live and a constant supply of demons to kill. He didn’t even watch TV much anymore and with slayers everywhere he turned, he not only came across less and less creatures, but also had to watch his own back. Some of the slayers knew him by now and others knew of him, but some still didn’t care that he’d helped save the world a couple of times, he was still undead, and therefore could not be trusted. At least he’d always known where he stood with Buffy and her friends, even if it was outside in a lightning storm.
 
They didn’t actually speak much on the way back to Buffy’s hotel. She’d called Dawn and Willow to let them know she’d found Camilla and that they’d be back soon. The rest of the walk had consisted of little girl chatter about Barbies and unicorns. When they finally reached Dawn’s apartment building, Camilla was all but sleep walking. Buffy lifted the child into her arms.
 
“Thanks for walking us home,” Buffy said. “And thank you, for keeping her safe.”
 
“It was nothing.”
 
“No. It’s everything. Spike, you don’t know what I would’ve done if… something had happened to her.”
 
“I don’t think you need to worry too much about that; she can handle herself pretty well.”
 
“Maybe, but she’s still a little girl. And even though she thinks she’s as big as I am, she needs someone to look out for her.”
 
He nodded.
 
Silence overtook them again, and they both shifted uncomfortably.
 
“Okay, well… I should probably get her inside.”
 
“Right.”
 
“Would you uhh… like to come in?” Buffy asked before she could stop herself. She knew she should be more cautious, it had been so long since she’d seen him, but her curiosity was getting the better of her, and she couldn’t let him get away just yet. He could, as far as she knew, be leaving town tonight. She might never have an opportunity to ask him about what had happened to him, about… things, things she needed desperately to know, if only to receive some sort of closure.
 
She also knew that Dawn and Willow wouldn’t be there. During their phone conversation, Dawn had informed her sister that she and Willow were going over to the witch’s hotel to get her things. The younger Summers had decided Willow should just stay with her as well, just in case they had any more incidents, and so they could spend more time catching up before everyone had to get back to their lives.
 
He knew he should have said no, made up some lame excuse about needing to be somewhere, but he couldn’t. Instead he answered with a ‘sure’. They made their way into the building and up the stairs. Once in the apartment, Buffy nodded towards the couch.
 
“I’m just gonna go put her down. I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.”
 
Spike walked around, inspecting Dawn’s apartment. She had grown up a lot since he’d last seen her, and was no longer the pesky teenager he knew, but was now a grown woman. He couldn’t believe how much had changed. Spike sat down on the couch as Buffy came back out of the bedroom.
 
“Get her put to bed?”
 
“Yeah, she’s out like a light. She’ll be up in six hours, though. I don’t see how kids do it.” She sat down beside him on the couch.
 
Buffy wasn’t sure what to say next. She had questions, tons of them. She just wasn’t sure how to start.
 
“How’ve you been?” he asked before she had a chance to say anything.
 
“Alright, I guess. I mean I’m making it.”
 
“Mind if I ask why you’re here? In Los Angeles, I mean.”
 
She explained about Dawn’s graduation and then told him about Eric. He couldn’t believe his little Nibblet was getting married. A sentiment Buffy shared.
 
“And what about you?” he asked.
 
“What about me?”
 
“Where has fate ended you up?”
 
“New York.”
 
“Hmm,” he said, skepticism evident in his voice.
 
“What?” she asked with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
 
“Nothing. I just never pictured you as the big city type.”
 
“To be honest, neither did I. When I first moved there, I wasn’t planning on staying very long, but… things happened and…” she broke off.
 
Spike understood, assuming she was talking about getting pregnant. He wondered again about the father and had to stop himself from asking about the git.
 
Buffy decided now was a good time to shift the subject to him. “And you? What have you been up to?” It was a lame question to ask someone that you hadn’t seen in a decade, especially when that someone was a vampire. Although, a decade was probably a small blimp on the radar for him.
 
Spike wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that question. He’d been up to a lot of things, but nothing that would probably be of interest to her. Luckily, he didn’t have a chance to answer because the door to the apartment opened. The couple turned as Dawn and Willow entered the door, Willow’s bags in tow.
 
“Hey, Buffy, where’s… Spike?” Dawn looked slightly shocked and confused at the same time.
 
Buffy stood up quickly and tried to look defiant in case either woman decided to chastise her for inviting him inside.
 
“You see him, too, right?” Dawn asked Willow, who nodded absently.
 
The truth was, Willow was the most surprised to see the vampire. The coven had told her Spike and Angel had both died in this city many years before, during a battle with the Senior Partners. She hadn’t told Buffy because she didn’t want to upset her. But now it seemed that at least Spike wasn’t dead, or dust anyway. This would mean some major research on her part. The coven was never wrong.
 
Spike had taken the awkward silence as an opportunity to stand up beside Buffy. The slayer looked apologetically at him, perhaps because no one knew how to react. He knew she was regretting the decision to even let him walk them back.
 
“Spike,” Buffy began, “is the one who found Camilla.”
 
“Is that right?” Dawn replied, still giving the vampire the stare down. It wasn’t everyday that you came home to your apartment and found a dead guy… undead guy… hanging out with your sister. At least not recently. Dawn also looked suspiciously at Buffy. Why had she invited him here? Even if he had been the one to find Camilla, it seemed odd. “That’s good then, that it was Spike and not some other, less soulafied vampire.”
 
“Yeah, what are the chances,” Willow piped in.
 
Her suspicions did not go unnoticed by anyone. Spike, under normal circumstances, would have rushed to defend himself. But here and now, that seemed like a really bad plan. Spike could also tell that Dawn was itching to ask him a million questions and he wasn’t sure that he could handle that tonight.
 
“I should really be going. You all have quite a day tomorrow. And congratulations, Dawn.”
 
The younger girl smiled slightly. “Thanks,” she said. “And I would invite you, but it’s kinda outside, and during the day.”
 
“S’alright,” he said, making his way past the other two women to the door.
 
“Spike,” Buffy called after him.
 
“Yeah?”
 
“We’re gonna here for a few more days… I mean, if you wanna get some coffee or something.”
 
“Sure.” He was a little surprised by her question, but something inside of him did a little happy dance. Something way inside him.
 
“Okay. Do you have a phone or…”
 
“I have advanced to the 21st century, yes,” he replied with a smile.
 
Buffy wasn’t sure what she had just done, or it if was a good idea, but for some reason, she knew she had to see him again.