Inell's Fanfiction Archive

Willow Rosenberg followed the small rock path up the hill, her green eyes alert to anything around her but her concentration on her destination. When she saw it, she felt a little of her fight fade. Moving forward, her hand reached out until she was touching the cold stone. She shivered, not from the coolness of the rock but because of what it signified. Buffy was dead. Truly dead. She had been buried not three days before in a ceremony at dusk. Dawn had insisted it happen at dusk so that Spike could attend. Willow had backed the girl, knowing that Spike had honestly loved the blonde slayer and should be allowed to attend her funeral. He'd never said thank you, but she had seen his eyes. That had been enough thanks.

Strangely enough, Buffy had been buried quietly. There had been no threats from vampires, no strange visitors. Just her friends and what remained of her family, silently remembering the girl that had changed them all. Willow sighed, feeling the wet tears on her face. She kneeled in front of the tombstone, resting her butt on her ankles. Her finger traced her best friend's name, a small smile crossing her face as she read the few simple words. She and Xander had come up with the last, not really intending it to make it on the stone. They had been shocked that Buffy was really dead, that she wasn't standing up and smiling and laughing and acting as if they had really played a joke on Glory. Instead, she had laid there almost peaceful, a small smile on her face as if she realized she had saved the world one last time. No pulse, no heartbeat, no smile or laugh for her friends. Just a cold knowledge that the slayer was no more. It had been the day after her death when Giles had mentioned the tombstone. She and Xander had been a bit hysterical, coming up with the words that had ended up being Buffy's inscription. She saved the world a lot.

Willow closed her eyes, her head falling back slightly as the rays of the moon bathed her face in a soft glow. It had only been three days since the funeral, but she had visited every night. It was weird how deeply Buffy's death had affected her. She had lost Jesse years ago, a friend that she had known for twice the years that she had known Buffy, and she had moved on easily. Maybe too easily, she thought guiltily. She and Xander never mentioned their fallen friend. Jesse had been a huge part to both their lives yet it was almost as if he had never existed. True, she did visit his grave on his birthday and on the anniversary of his first death. She would usually see a flower that had to have been left by Xander, but they never talked about it. She had never really had a chance to grieve. With Buffy's death, it was like a part of her had died too. It hurt far worse than Willow would ever have imagined.

So many things had happened since the slayer's death. She had fixed Tara, gotten her lover's mind back. Unfortunately, with Buffy's death and Tara's fear of everything it seemed, the two girls had already started to drift apart. In a way, Willow understood it. Tara was the sweetest person she'd ever met, but the other girl had to blame them all for what had happened to her. She knew Tara would never admit to those feelings, would never consciously think them, but it had to exist. It was the truth. If the young witch hadn't become involved with her and the slayer, she'd never have become Glory's pawn. Willow knew that had to nag at her lover, causing her to distance herself from her new friends. Willow sighed, knowing she wasn't helping matters. She was dealing with her own guilt. Not only because of what happened to Tara, but because she felt like it was her fault Buffy had died. If she hadn't been so worried about fixing Tara, feeling so guilty over what had happened to her lover after their first big fight, she would have been able to give Buffy the back up she needed. She would have been up there with her best friend, saving Dawn before that damn portal had been opened. Instead, Buffy had been up there alone, dying to save them all. Willow laughed dryly, thinking that she was the last person that Buffy should have saved. If it hadn't been for her need to appease her guilt, the slayer would still be alive.

Willow's eyes opened as she heard footsteps behind her. She glanced around, relaxing when she found herself looking into familiar blue eyes. Spike nodded slightly, acknowledging her, his eyes now focused on the tombstone. She saw that he was carrying a small bouquet of carnations. Buffy had always loved carnations. She thought it was rather sweet that Spike remembered that. She didn't say anything to him, instead looking back at the gray rock, the words rather blurry to her teary eyes. She felt a hand hesitantly touch her shoulders, a small smile crossing her face as Spike kneeled beside her. She found herself leaning against him, resting her cheek on his leather clad shoulder as she cried, his hand patting her shoulder in a reassuring way as they both cried for the girl they had lost.

********************

Willow glanced at the man standing next to her as they left the cemetery. He was the most complex person that she had ever met. She didn't know if she would ever really understand what made Spike tick. All she really knew was that he had cared deeply for Buffy and that he seemed to miss the slayer almost as much as she did. She felt a bit sad for him, really. She knew that Buffy had never loved him, but the slayer had trusted him. Maybe that trust was as good as love, though she doubted it. She wondered if, with time, her friend would have eventually returned Spike's feelings, maybe falling in love with him when he had been given a chance to show his feelings. Deep down, she didn't think so. Buffy might have been able to be friends with him, but she never would have loved him the way he loved her.

"It's not been a week, yet it feels like years since I've seen her," he whispered softly, his eyes on the road in front of him.

"I know," Willow said with a sigh, "every morning I have to remind myself that she's gone, that I won't be meeting her for lunch or patrol, that I'm alone."

"Red, you're not alone," he said, glancing at her and seeing a lost look on her pretty face. "You've got your little witch and the others."

Willow shook her head, "Not really. Tara's not my anything anymore. And the others have their own grief to deal with. My friendship with them has never been quite like my friendship with Buffy. I don't know. With her gone, I just feel so...." she shrugged, unable to put it into words.

"Sorry about your witch," he said sincerely. He liked the little redhead and thought the annoying little witch made her happy.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at him. "How are you?"

"Fine," he said, having already told her too much.

"Spike, don't lie to me. I thought we were starting to become friends," she said, sighing. "Someone that you loved died. You're in pain. It helps to share."

"Quit tossing my words back at me, brat," he said, smiling slightly as he remembered their first real conversation after Buffy's death. He had come across her in the cemetery the night of Buffy's funeral, several hours having passed since the slayer had been buried. Neither had said anything as they had sat at the tombstone, only speaking as they had walked away. It had become a habit of sorts over the past few nights. He'd meet her at the grave and then walk her home, talking along the way about things he never would have told anyone.

Willow didn't push, knowing that he had already spoken of things she'd never imagined him confessing. Instead, she changed the subject, "Dawn is starting to sleep a little better."

"Is she?" he asked, nodding. "I'm glad."

"She still blames herself," Willow said softly, running a hand through her hair. "I think we all do in a way. I know that I keep thinking about what I could have done differently, how I could have saved her. It gnaws at me, knowing that I might have been able to save her."

"Stop," he warned, looking at her seriously. "She made her decision. Nothing you could have said would have stopped her. She knew what she was doing. She gave her life to keep you alive, to keep all of you alive. Her choice. She sure as fuck wouldn't want you eaten away with guilt over the choices she made."

"I know," she whispered, "but knowing and accepting are two different things. In my heart, I understand that it was her decision. BUT, what if I had been able to help and she never would have had to choose? I know I couldn't have persuaded her not to jump, she was always too stubborn to ever listen to me, but I could have stopped Dawn's blood from being spilled. If she'd had my help, I know I could have!"

"You'd have gotten yourself killed!" he said, glaring at her. "Remember? I was up there. I still hurt from that fall. If it had been you, honey, you wouldn't have gotten up. Do you think Buffy would rather have lived knowing you'd died trying to save her?"

Willow looked away, hating that he made sense. She felt his hand on her shoulders, tears in her eyes as she said, "She'd have felt like I do now."

"Why don't we go pick up Dawn and get some dinner?" he suggested softly, his fingers brushing through her hair. "Would that be good?"

She nodded, "That would be very good."

********************

Willow walked beside Spike in silence the remainder of the walk to the Summers' house. She stopped outside, a sad smile crossing her face. First Joyce, then Buffy. Poor Dawn. Her first year of life had been so horrid. Losing her mother then her sister. Willow walked up the sidewalk, seeing the lights on in the front living room. She opened the door using her key, glad to see that Dawn had kept the door locked. She entered the house, holding the door for Spike to follow her inside.

"Willow," Dawn smiled in relief at seeing the redhead. "I was wondering when you'd return. I was starting to worry."

"I'm sorry," Willow apologized, moving to sit down. "I hadn't realized I had been gone longer than usual."

Dawn shrugged, "You probably hadn't. I just worry when you're out there at night alone."

"The lass wasn't alone," Spike said, smiling at the girl. "Or do I not count?"

"You know that you count," Dawn said, "but you don't leave here with her, you just meet up with her. I always worry that something might happen to either one of you before you two meet up."

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Dawn, to either of us," Willow said softly, knowing that girl's double loss had her scared that she would lose everyone she cared about. "Are you hungry?"

Dawn nodded, knowing that Willow could take of herself but also knowing that she had never imagined Buffy dying. Buffy was the slayer. Willow was just a normal girl. It scared her so much every time she was away from the redhead. She knew she'd stop being so scared someday, but for now, she couldn't help it. At least she knew that Spike would take care of Willow when she couldn't. She smiled, "I'm starving."

"Well, good," Willow smiled. "Spike has promised to take us out for greasy burgers and fries and maybe, if we're nice, a milk shake."

Spike snorted, "Well there goes that idea. You two being nice? Guess I get to save some money."

"We can be nice," Dawn defended with a laugh. "Especially if a milk shake is part of the pay off."

"Why don't you run upstairs and change?" Willow said, seeing that Dawn was wearing her pajamas already. "Could you grab my sweater from my room?"

"Yeah," Dawn said, getting to her feet. She was so lucky that Willow had moved in with her. She still had moments where she could swear she had seen or heard Buffy, but having Willow there made it less lonely. Now all she had to do was convince Spike that he needed to move in with them, and she could start moving on with her life. Nothing could ever replace Buffy, and Dawn knew she would miss her sister daily. She also knew that she would never lose the guilt over Buffy's death, knowing that it really hadn't been her choice but still feeling that she should have been the one to jump. As the days went by, though, it would get easier to live. Having Willow and Spike around, well, they helped make it seem like there was a future worth living to see. She had promised Buffy to take care of their friends, to continue living for the both of them. The first day or so, it had seemed like she would be better off dead too. She had honestly considered suicide several times. Willow and Spike had stopped her, even though neither one realized it. Over the last week, they had become a family of sorts. Willow had moved in with her. Spike was always around at night, coming back with Willow and staying until both girls were asleep. Dawn wanted him to move in with them. She knew it was selfish, but she felt safer when the three of them were together.

She entered her room, grabbing some jeans and a clean shirt and started to change. Somehow, she knew that Buffy would want them to be a family. Willow had been her sister's best friend. Spike had loved Buffy more than she figured her sister even knew. The others mourned Buffy's death, and she knew they were all affected as much as she had been. With Willow and Spike, though, she had started to move past it. She still had nightmares and always would, but she loved sitting around them and just enjoying the small things. Buffy would not want her to feel guilty or push everyone away. For her sister, she would go on living and she would have a happy life. Buffy had died to give her that, to give them all that. And damn it, Dawn was going to make sure that Buffy hadn't died in vain.

Willow put the phone down with a frown. She turned, surprised to find Spike watching her, his eyes unreadable.

"Still no answer?" he asked quietly, knowing who she had phoned.

She shook her head, "No. I haven't gotten through at all. I don't know where he could be."

Spike shrugged, "Maybe he ran away. Hell, maybe he went to see the sunrise."

"Angel wouldn't do that," Willow said sharply. "Buffy would come back from the grave and kick his ass if he tried something like that. If any of us tried some trick like that."

"Don't look at me like that, pet," he said, looking away and frowning. "I loved her but it never entered my mind. I made a promise to her. Dying would have prevented me from keeping it."

"I wanted to be the one to tell him," she said softly, her anger fading as she realized that Spike was not the suicidal type. "Buffy loved him so much, and he loved her. I didn't want him to hear from some demon on the street. He deserves better than that."

"Yes, he does," Spike agreed reluctantly. With a frown, he asked, "Do you think he's in trouble?"

Willow sighed, "I don't know. I've been trying to get him for a week. He might be on a case or something. I could send him an e-mail, but that's even more impersonal than a phone call."

Spike got to his feet, moving to the window. With a smile, he turned to face her, "Run along upstairs and pack a bag, Red."

"What?" she looked at him in surprise.

"Go pack some clothes," he said, his mind made up. "Get Dawn to pack a bag too. We're going on a trip."

"And where, may I ask, are we going?" she asked, almost smiling at the look on his face.

"To LA," he said softly, seeing her eyes widen in surprise. He shrugged, "We owe it to her, luv. She'd want him to be told face to face, not over the phone. Besides, I think we could all use a short vacation. Get away from Sunnydale and the memories for a couple of days."

"Thank you," she said quietly, a smile on her pretty face as she impulsively went to him and hugged him, her lips brushing against his cheek. "This is really nice, Spike."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," he warned, a smile on his face as he relaxed slightly. When she had first touched him, he'd stiffened in surprise. No one had hugged him in so long. Well, Dawn had clung to him after Buffy's death, but this had been different. He watched her walk upstairs, calling out excitedly to Dawn. Without realizing it, his fingers moved up to his cheek, touching the skin where her lips had been. With a frown, he turned, realizing that he had just offered to drive to LA to tell Peaches about their slayer's death.

********************

"Dawn, quit moving," Willow scolded with amusement as she glanced in the back seat.

"Leave the chit alone," Spike said, smiling as he switched lanes. He saw Willow glare at him momentarily before she rolled her eyes.

"Just keep your eyes on the road, Blondie. I want to arrive in LA in one piece," Willow warned.

"When we get there, can we stay awhile?" Dawn asked, her eyes bright with excitement. She had been rather sleepy earlier but had received a new wave of energy when Willow had told her of their impromptu road trip. She had never been out of Sunnydale and couldn't wait to see a city that she had only ever seen on television. She was doing her best to avoid thinking about the telling Angel of Buffy's death part. That would quickly ruin her good mood and remind her of the memories they were leaving behind for a few days.

"We'll see," Willow said with a small smile as she leaned her head back against the seat.

"That means yes," Spike whispered rather loudly to Dawn as he winked at Willow.

"I know," Dawn whispered back, laughing as Willow stuck her tongue out at both of them. She smiled, a peaceful feeling washing over her as she rested her chin on the seat in front of her. Her eyes moved from Spike to Willow and back again. These two people were her life, she realized. Without them, she'd be nothing. They gave her the strength to continue living when things seemed so hopeless. They made her laugh and overall made her life something she'd miss. She sighed softly as the car became silent except for the music Spike had playing. She looked at Willow, seeing that the redhead had her head against the window, her attention focused on passing scenery. Dawn knew Willow well enough to know the girl was lost in thought. There was a small smile on the redhead's face, one that Dawn couldn't really place. Content that Willow was occupied, Dawn turned her attention to Spike.

He was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, his right hand tapping the seat between him and Willow. She noticed with surprise that they were actually going just a few miles above the speed limit. He tended to drive a bit too fast to suit her survival instincts and she was rather glad that he appeared to have listened to Willow's threat before they had driven away. The idea of Willow driving them to LA, with the redhead's lack of driving knowledge, must have scared him enough to keep things legal. She could understand that. She would never disobey Willow, not wanting the redhead to look at her with disappointment. Maybe Spike was no different.

"Are you comfortable enough, Dawn?" Willow's question penetrated her thoughts.

Dawn glanced up and smiled, seeing the concern in her friend's eyes, "I'm fine, Mom. Tell Dad to turn the music down a bit and I'd be even better."

Willow paused, her green eyes moving to Spike's face. She watched as he turned the volume down without a word of annoyance. Dawn had the vampire wrapped around her little finger, and the little devil knew it. She almost laughed, wondering if Spike had any idea he had started to become domesticated. A smile crossed her lips, her green eyes shining with amusement as the sound of the Clash was turned to a more reasonable level.

"What?" Spike asked, keeping his attention on the road but glancing at Willow and seeing her statement.

"What what?" she asked innocently, moving to face forward again.

"Don't you what what me," he growled softly, raising an eyebrow and looking at her. "What's so damn funny?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Why couldn't he just ignore things? Most people would realize she didn't want to discuss it. Not Spike. He'd push and push until she was so turned around she wouldn't know what they were talking about in the first place.

"You had that cute little smile on your lips. The one that means you're amused with something," he said, frowning as he realized that he could easily identify several of her smiles and even her frowns.

"You're crazy," Willow said, scowling at him before looking out the window.

"Fine. Don't tell me. See if I care," he said, moving the car quickly into the other lane.

Dawn leaned back, her eyes moving back and forth again, a slow smile crossing her face as she watched them both look at the other when they weren't looking. Spike's face showed nothing, but she saw that his eyes held confusion and something she couldn't identify. Willow just glared at Spike before frowning and looking back outside. Dawn couldn't contain a small tremor of hope, wondering if maybe, just maybe, the one thing that could give them both the happiness they deserved would be each other. She was going to have to start paying a bit more attention, she realized. She laid her head down on the seat, a large smile on her face as she considered the possibilities.

********************

"Give me the bloody map!"

"Don't you bark orders at me, Mister! I'm not your dog!"

"A dog could probably navigate better than you can."

"You think you could do better?" Willow glared, her eyes narrowing.

"I know I could," Spike said, frowning at her before turning to watch the road.

"Ha!" she laughed harshly.

"That's it?" he raised a brow and glanced at her. "That's your big comeback? I expected better."

"Fuck you," she muttered before looking at the map she was holding.

"Um, guys," Dawn cleared her throat, trying to keep the amusement off her face.

"Yes, sweets?" Spike asked, giving her a smile before glaring at Willow.

"I need to use the bathroom," she declared, having been trying to hold it for the past half hour.

"Dawn, honey, this isn't the best area to be stopping," Willow said, casting a suspicious look outside at the abandoned buildings and empty streets. "Can't you hold it? We should be at Angel's soon."

"If she could give me the right directions," Spike added sweetly, though annoyance was present in his tone.

"Who took the wrong exit?" Willow shot back, a gleam of triumph in her green eyes. "If I recall, I told you it was several more miles. Did you listen? Noooooo. Do you ever listen?"

"You said his place was downtown. The exit I took said downtown," he said through clenched teeth.

"I said it was after downtown, past Hollywood. Cordelia told me that it was a huge hotel near Beverly Hills. Is this Beverly Hills?" she gestured towards the outside. "I think not!"

"Guys," Dawn spoke up again, "I really got to go!"

"There isn't anywhere to stop," Spike said, scowling as he looked outside. "Wait, I know a warehouse near here. It had a bathroom."

"Great. Some hole in the wall vampy hangout. Just what we need," Willow said, hastily moving her leg as she brushed against Spike. She glared at him again for making her body react so strongly. It was just Spike. Her friend. She shouldn't be having squidgy feelings for him, of all people. "Why don't you head back to the freeway? There should be some kind of gas station there, I'd think."

"Because, the freeway is Lord knows how far that way and the warehouse is just ahead. I'll not have Dawn peeing on the streets like some vagrant, thank you very much," he said, moving the card into the left lane.

"Willow, Spike says the warehouse is safe. I trust him," Dawn said softly from the back seat.

Willow turned, her eyes flashing regret as she looked at the teen. "I'm sorry, Dawny. I trust him too. I just have bad memories of places like this. For some stupid reason, demons like to capture me and keep me in old warehouses."

Spike felt a small smile cross his face at her admission, "You're scared."

"Am not," she denied weakly, sighing finally. "Fine, I might be a bit nervous, but I'm not scared. I've faced far worse things than an empty warehouse, buddy. Bring it on."

"Not all warehouses are bad," he said softly, glancing at her as he remembered his brief time with her in such a warehouse. Her smell, the concern and worry in those green eyes for him, the slight scent of arousal as he had touched her face. His eyes flashed at the memories, a long buried feeling rising in him as he made a sharp left turn. What the hell was he thinking? This was Willow. The annoying, irritating little witch. He'd been in the car too long. That had to be it.

"Maybe," she said hesitantly, studying his face from the side as she wondered if he could possibly be remembering what she was. The smell of alcohol, the passion and desire in blue eyes, the feeling of cool fingers brushing against her face. Shaking her head slightly, she continued, "but if it looks dangerous, we're not stopping."

"Sure thing, Mom," Spike said, winking at Dawn who was giggling in the back seat as she continued to observe her two friends secretly.

********************

"That place has a working bathroom?" Willow asked, skepticism obvious in her tone.

"Trust me, luv," Spike said with a smug smile, almost daring her to disagree.

"Why is it when someone tells you to trust them, you always want to start running the other way?" she mumbled, staring at the dark warehouse.

Dawn giggled before saying, "Willow, I need to go. Please?"

"You can always stay out here, wait for us," Spike suggested as he opened the door, watching as she scrambled across the front seat to exit after him.

"I'm not staying out here alone," she said, giving him a look that suggested he might very well be the stupidest man alive.

"What is that smell?" Dawn asked, wrinkling her nose as she got out of the car.

Spike sniffed the air, "LA."

Willow rolled her eyes, "It smells like some sort of chemical treatment. Well, that and trash."

"What did I say? LA," Spike said again, "sorry, don't like this town. What can I say?"

"Where's the bathroom?" Dawn asked, feeling rather silly for needing to go so bad, but knowing she couldn't hold it much longer. After they had gotten lost and spent nearly an hour going around in what seemed to be circles, she was past her point of control.

"This way," he walked towards the warehouse, his boots splashing in puddles of water. He kicked in the door, holding up his hand for a moment as he listened. There was no movement save the scurrying of rats so he motioned for them to follow him. He flipped the light switch, smiling in satisfaction as it turned on, "Thank God for lazy workers. I doubt they've paid the electric for this building in years."

"A bit dingy, isn't it?" Willow asked, looking around with distaste.

"Bathroom?" Dawn asked nearly running towards the door he pointed to.

"Dingy? It's not like you're setting up house here, luv. Bathroom works. It suits the purpose," he said, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep, relaxing drag.

"I just meant that the warehouses in Sunnydale are nicer," she said, glaring at him. "Don't get so damn defensive."

"They are, aren't they?" he agreed, thinking back a few years. "Do you have any idea how close I came to taking you that night?"

"Hmm?" she looked at him, not sure what he was talking about. Finally, she realized what he meant, "Taking me? I thought you had, you know, kidnapping me and Xander."

He laughed huskily, the sound causing tremors that alarmed her, "You'd have known if I'd taken you, pet. Any idea how close?"

"No, you didn't show it," she stammered, still not sure if they were talking about the same thing.

"I'm a master of concealing my emotions," he said sarcastically. With a snort, he said, "I was too drunk off me arse to have done anything anyway, but I thought about it. All the way back to Dru, I thought about it." His eyes narrowed as they looked over her face, memories he had buried coming to surface, "You're so lovely....I wonder how you taste."

"I uh," she wet her lips, unable to look away from his gaze. Spike, this was Spike. Probably just teasing her, getting even with her for getting them lost. She should not be reacting this way at all.

His eyes changed as he turned his head, the spell broken as a smile crossed his face, "All finished, brat?"

Dawn came out of the room, aware of the tension immediately, her eyes curious as she looked at Spike then at Willow then back. Something had happened. She nodded, "Yeah, much better."

"Is there a sink in there?" Willow asked, cringing as she heard the breathy tone in her voice.

"Yeah, with running water," Dawn said, watching as a flushed Willow walked past her and into the bathroom, slamming the door. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Spike asked innocently, smiling wryly. Good question. What had he done? Brought up something that would have been better off forgotten. Let her know that, at one time, he had been obsessed with her, unable to forget her face, her eyes, her touch, her scent. "She just got a bit heated, this warehouse and all."

"Uh huh," Dawn sounded disbelieving but she decided to drop it, "So, do you think we're very far from Angel's?"

"It shouldn't be too far," Willow said as she came out of the bathroom, having splashed her face as she had recovered from his words. "Let's go. We need to be there by dawn, which isn't that long away."

"Can I sit in the front?" Dawn asked, earning a grateful look from Willow.

"Of course you can," Willow said, smiling as she put her arm around the teenager's shoulders as they left the warehouse and headed towards the car, leaving Spike to finish his cigarette in silence.

********************

Spike let out a low whistle as the three of them looked up at the large hotel. He glanced at Willow and asked, "Are you sure this is the place?"

She nodded, "This is the address that Cordelia had given me. You're the vampire. Do you feel him?"

He shrugged, "He's been here. That's all I can tell you," he frowned, cocking his head to the side, "don't think he's here now."

"Can we go in?" Dawn asked, covering a yawn.

"I suppose we can see if it is open," Willow moved to the door, trying it. "It's locked."

"Great," Spike muttered, rolling his eyes. He moved up the stairs, going to one of the large potted plants beside the door. He moved his hand inside, making a face when he didn't feel anything except damp dirt. With a scowl, he moved to the other one, smiling in triumph as he held up a silver key, "You'd think the damn wanker would change his habits over a century."

"Angel keeps an extra key in a plant pot?" Willow said, having to smile.

"Not very creative, is he?" Dawn asked, leaning against Willow as she yawned again. She watched as Spike unlocked the door before putting the key back in its original place.

"All he does is brood, whine and save people," Spike said dryly, "doesn't have to be creative."

"Be nice," Willow warned as they stepped into a pretty courtyard. "Wow, this place is something else."

"I bet its real pretty during the day," Dawn observed, not able to see too much in the light from the moon except shadows where she assumed flowers and trees were.

"No one is here, pets," Spike said, moving into the lobby of the hotel. "No heartbeats. No stench of Soulboy. The place is empty."

"I hope nothing happened to Angel," Willow said, looking around. It was a beautiful room with high ceilings, a lot of light, and a pleasant aura. She saw books on a table plus what must be a weapons cabinet and several desks set around the parameter of the room.

"Probably out saving some little old lady," Spike said sarcastically. He started to look for the kitchen, telling the girls, "I'm thirsty. Anyone want anything if I ever find the damn kitchen?"

"There's a small fridge here," Dawn said, looking beside one of the desks. She opened it and said, "Bingo. There's blood."

"Toss me a bag," Spike said, catching it easily before moving to the microwave.

"Do you want anything, Willow?" Dawn asked, holding up a soda.

"No thanks," Willow shook her head. "I wonder if Angel will be back before dawn."

"Nope, I'm already here," Dawn said with a giggle as Willow glared at her before rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Doesn't have much time," Spike observed as he waited for the beep. "Gonna be nice and sunny soon enough."

"Guess that means we're staying here for the afternoon?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"Looks that way," Willow said with a smile as she watched the teen yawn. "I'm pretty tired. Maybe Angel wouldn't mind if we took over a room for a short nap."

"Doesn't really matter if he does or not, since he ain't here," Spike said, turning away from them as he fed.

"Spike's right," Willow decided, watching as he glanced at her in surprise, ignoring the slight tremor that passed over her at seeing his yellow eyes. "Dawn, you want to go find a room for us?"

"I can pick any of them?" Dawn smiled at the thought. She then gave Willow and Spike what she hoped was a worried look, "You guys are going to share with me, aren't you? I don't think I'd get much sleep if I were alone in this place."

"Of course, sweetie," Willow said, looking away as she wondered how she was supposed to share a room with Spike while dealing with all these strange emotions he was making her feel. She could do it, though. She sighed, hoping that maybe he'd sleep in a chair or the room would have a sofa.

********************

Willow tossed around on the bed, sleep eluding her. They were in LA, in Angel's new hotel, waiting for the vampire to return from wherever he was at the moment. After determining that Angel was not home, they had decided to go upstairs and find a place to stay. Dawn had been sleepy but had insisted that Willow and Spike share the room with her. Willow had watched with amusement as Dawn had searched through every room that had been unlocked on the second floor. She'd finally chosen a large suite with a king size bed for their stay. Now, Willow was laying beside the sleeping teen who was laying in the middle of the large mattress. Spike was on the girl's other side, sleeping she assumed.

She couldn't sleep, though. She sighed as she finally gave up trying. She gently moved out from under Dawn's arm that was laying around her waist, careful not to disturb the sleeping teen. She quietly made her way through the dark bedroom and into the living room. She whimpered as she bit her lip to keep from cursing as her foot collided with the table. She'd forgotten the damn table.

"Careful where you step, luv," a soft voice said from in front of her.

"Spike?" she looked up as a cigarette was lit, his face illuminated in the glow before it went out. She hadn't heard him get out of bed. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Nah," he said, "too early."

"I couldn't sleep either," she said as she moved towards the window where he was standing.

"Sun's nearly up," he remarked as he took a long drag, releasing the smoke slowly.

"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, her fingers drawing circles on the glass as she stared into the dark sky above LA.

"Yes, you can," he said, knowing her well enough to know what she was talking about.

"What if I can't?" she asked, tilting her head to look at his profile. "What if we came here to tell Angel and I can't say a word when I see him?"

"What if? What if?" he repeated, shaking his head. "You worry too much, Red. You also think way too much."

"If I don't worry, who would?" Willow asked softly. "Dawn doesn't need to worry. She's so young and already been through so much."

"So you think you can worry enough for the both of you?" he said, snorting. "Red, things don't work that way."

"I know they don't," she whispered, "but I don't know what else to do. Dawn looks at me for answers that I don't have. I'm barely twenty and now I have to take care of her and a house and I don't know if I can do it."

"You're not alone, pet," he reminded quietly as he watched her, saw the flash of uncertainty and fear in her green eyes.

"Now I have to tell Angel that Buffy's dead, that I let her down, that I couldn't save her," Willow said as she leaned her head against the glass and sighed.

"Willow," he warned as he took another lengthy drag from his Marlboro.

"Sorry," she straightened as she smiled wryly, "didn't mean to get so serious. I'm just tired."

"Stop apologizing, Willow," he said softly as he finished his cigarette. He watched her shoulders slump as she looked outside, her finger moving along the glass.

"I'm so scared, Spike," she said as she closed her eyes. "Dawn needs so much right now. What if I'm not enough?"

He moved behind her, his arms going around her waist as he supported her. She leaned back, finding comfort in his silent embrace. He rested his chin on the top of her head as he looked outside, "You're more than enough, Willow."

********************

Willow felt herself slowly waking up, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to get those last few minutes of sleep. She snuggled back, her eyes flying open when she felt someone behind her. It took her a moment to remember where she was, coming out of sleep quickly. Hotel. Angel's hotel. LA. She felt the shape behind her move, an arm tightening around her waist. She glanced down, seeing a pale muscled arm laying against her. She followed the arm up to closed eyes, a relaxed statement on the handsome face for the first time in longer than she could remember. Spike was still sleeping.

With a little difficulty and patience, she managed to turn onto her back. She looked at the ceiling, the couch rather lumpy under her back. She couldn't believe she had slept on the sofa with Spike. There was a huge bed in the other room, yet she had not been able to sleep until confined to a small lumpy mess. She felt Spike's fingers on her side, her shirt having ridden up during the night. Her breath caught at the casual touch, her eyes narrowing as she examined her body's instant reaction to his touch. This was Spike. Good old enemy reluctant friend Spike. Master vampire in love with a slayer. She made a slight face as she wondered where she'd heard that one before. There was no way he could possibly be feeling as confused and mixed up as she was feeling.

She thought back over their conversation the night before. He'd been so patient, so gentle in a way. He'd listened to her fears and argued over her doubts. He seemed to really have faith that she could survive, that she could be a mother to Dawn. She knew there was no way that she could fill the void that Buffy had left, not even planning on trying, but it was nice to know that someone had confidence in her. She certainly hadn't a lot in herself lately. She knew that she had to be strong, now more than ever. She had no idea how Angel would handle hearing about Buffy's death. She didn't think he'd do anything stupid, but she wasn't sure what he would do. She closed her eyes as she again tried to figure out exactly how to tell Angel what happened, wanting everything to be as easy as possible before faced with the handsome vampire.

Dawn had woken to an empty bed. While she might have usually been a bit concerned, she knew that Willow and Spike were still in the suite. She could feel them somehow. She didn't question how she knew, liking the knowledge that she had some sort of unexplained connection to her friends. It made her feel like part of them in a way, as if they were really a family. She took a shower and got dressed, feeling excitement for the first time since Buffy had died. She was in LA. She'd never been to the city before and was hoping they'd have time to explore after the nasty business of telling Angel that the love of his life was dead. She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, wishing she could treat Buffy's death as flippantly as she was trying. Even now, it was always there in the back of her mind. Her sister was dead. She had to move on, though. Buffy wouldn't want her to stop living and become lost in memories. No matter how it easy it would be to just give up, she had to be strong. It's what Buffy would have wanted.

Dawn left the bedroom, stepping quietly into the living room area. She stopped as a slow smile crept over her face. Spike and Willow were sleeping on the couch, Spike's arm around the redhead's waist as her head rested against his chest. They looked beautiful together, Dawn decided. Perfect. As if they were meant to be. Dawn couldn't trivialize Spike's love for her sister. She knew that he had had intense feelings for Buffy. She honestly didn't know if a vampire could love, lacking a soul and all, but what Spike had felt was probably the closest thing to love that he could feel. She'd watched him after Buffy's death, knew that he had been as upset as the rest of them. She actually felt rather sorry for him, knowing that he'd never made the memories with Buffy that the rest of them had, that her sister had tolerated him and maybe liked him a bit but had never felt any resemblance of the love that he deserved. And Spike did deserve to be loved. He was unlike any man that Dawn had ever met, though she hadn't met many. He was special. Almost as special as Willow.

Was it wrong of her to want to get them together so soon after Buffy had died? Would Spike be open to feeling love? Would Willow even be interested in a guy? Those were questions that Dawn didn't even try to answer. She knew that there was something happening between them. She'd witnessed it several times on the drive down here, the tension in the warehouse not imagined. She'd like to believe it was sparks, fate, destiny, or some other romantic ideal. She guessed that all she could really do was sit back and wait, watch, give them a little nudge whenever possible. Looking at them sleeping, she smiled softly, knowing in her heart that they belonged together. She moved closer to the couch, watching as Willow turned her head, opening her eyes and smiling at her sleepily. Dawn kneeled on the floor beside them, resting her head on Willow's stomach as she smiled, so thankful that she had them both in her life.

********************

Spike woke slowly, reluctant to leave the dream that he could no longer remember. His eyes flew open when he became aware of a warm body pressed against him. He looked down, seeing that the body belonged to Willow. The events of the past day came back to him vividly. He ran a hand over his face as he realized that they were in LA, waiting for his grandsire's arrival. He looked down and saw that Dawn was kneeling on the floor, her head on Willow's stomach, the redhead's hand on her head. He listened to their even breathing, knowing that they were asleep. He felt his lips curve into a small smile as Willow moved closer to him, her head on his chest, her leg wrapped around his. He could feel her breasts pushing against his side as she breathed, her body warming him in more ways than he cared to admit.

His smile faded and was replaced by a scowl at the direction his thoughts were taking. He didn't want to be affected by her. Contrary to what everyone seemed to want to believe, he had loved Buffy. Well, as much as a demon such as himself could love. His feelings for Buffy had been disturbing, unsettling, surprising and comforting. It had been nice having someone that made him feel again. His demon had hated her. It had hated the weakness, resented the way that she could stop him with just one look, detested the pathetic way he had wanted her so badly, even just a scrap of conversation giving him such happiness. It had been horrible in a way, constantly at war with himself for wanting her. In the end, he hadn't been forced to make a choice. She'd died. Left him before they even had a chance. There was no reason to think of what might have happened, what could have been, what he might have become. She had never loved him, never even really liked him. In the end, she had trusted him though. She'd made him vow to look after Dawn and Willow and the others, to be there when she could not. That had to count for something, even if it hadn't been love. He sighed as he realized that that was now the past anyway. No need to think or wonder.

His eyes moved to the sleeping redhead and teenager. Taking care of Dawn wasn't an unpleasant task. He'd always liked the Summers women, the girl being no different. He could see Joyce and Buffy in her, in her eyes and the way she carried herself, in her strength. She was a special one, that girl. Just something about her that relaxed him, put him at ease. His eyes moved to the redhead, narrowing as he looked at her face. While Dawn relaxed him, Willow put him on edge. Those big eyes, seeing things she shouldn't, knowing things. She had helped him those days following Buffy's death. Just by being there, knowing that someone else was feeling the slayer's loss in a similar way. It had been nice. He didn't like nice. Now, the last couple of hours, her closeness, the vulnerability he had seen, the strength she had shown....he was beginning to feel things he shouldn't be feeling.

He felt like he was betraying Buffy by starting to feel anything for Willow. He knew that the slayer had never accepted his love, hadn't wanted it, but it had existed. With this growing attraction or whatever the fuck it was for Willow, he felt as if he were trivializing his feelings for Buffy. How could what he felt for her be love if he was already starting to feel a connection with Willow? And what the hell was happening between him and Willow? They had what might be considered a rocky friendship before Buffy died, growing a bit closer after the slayer's death in their mutual loss and need to care for Dawn. Now, the last twelve hours alone had reminded him of an attraction that he had forgotten or ignored over the last couple of years.

And he had no idea what to do. For the first time in his memory, he was at a loss. Even when Buffy had died, he hadn't felt this uncertain. He'd felt helpless and guilty and sad, but he'd had a purpose still. Take care of everyone for Buffy. Take care of Dawn. In the days following her burial, that's what he had done. Taken care of everyone and grieved in his own way. Willow had forced him into dealing with it, though. To forget the guilt and move past the what ifs and should haves. To live again. She had become someone that he did not want to lose from his life. It was just too confusing. He looked down at the sleeping girls, needing to get up and have a smoke, but not wanting to disturb either one. From what he could tell, neither one had been sleeping well since Buffy had died. Now, they seemed to finally be catching up a much needed rest. He could use a cigarette though. Thinking always made him tense. Smoking relaxed him. With the way Willow was laying on him, all warm and cuddling, wrapped around his body, he'd wake her if he moved. He groaned softly knowing that it would be awhile longer before he'd have that Marlboro.

He decided that if he were going to be trapped on the sofa, he'd at least become a bit more comfortable. He moved his left arm, resting it around Willow's shoulders, his fingers moving to play with her soft hair. His right arm went back, his hand resting behind his head as he kept his attention on Dawn and Willow. He wondered if Dawn could possibly be comfortable in her position, her legs out to the side as she slept on Willow's stomach. She'd have an ache in her neck for certain upon waking. Poor chit, she'd had a tough life so far. Losing her mother, then her sister. She deserved some happiness. Maybe he'd see about taking her out after they faced Peaches. Somewhere fun with silly stuff girls liked. Surely Willow would have some ideas. He'd talk to her when he had a chance. Spike's fingers began to brush through Willow's hair as she whimpered in her sleep, her arm moving from Dawn's hair to rest across his chest. She was another one in a position that he knew couldn't be that restful. Her left leg wrapped around his, her arm now laying across his chest, her breasts against his side, Dawn's head resting on her stomach. Silly chit, seemed to know if she moved to get more comfortable she'd disturb Dawn. Even in sleep, she was protecting the girl. He brushed his fingers against her cheek, confused blue eyes looking at her then at Dawn then back again. They were the future, he realized suddenly. His future.

********************

Willow woke slowly, reluctant to leave her dream. She couldn't remember the details, but from the state of arousal her body was in, she had little doubt that it had not been PG rated. Her eyes flew open suddenly as she realized what exactly the coolness was pressing against her body. She was laying beside Spike. No, not even beside. She was laying on Spike. Her leg wrapped around his, her arm across his chest. The explanation for her body's arousal was suddenly clear. She looked around, seeing that they were on the sofa in the living room of the suite. She tried to calm her racing heart, blaming her naughty dreams for the hardened nipples and dampness between her legs. It certainly had nothing to do with Spike. Nope. Not at all.

She found her eyes moving back in his direction, up the long legs covered in denim, past the sight of her flesh entangled with the denim, resting for a moment on what appeared to be a rather prominent bulge near her upper thigh, finally moving up his chest to find blue eyes looking at her with amusement mixed with something she couldn't quite place. With a start, she jumped backwards, not wanting him to see how he had affected her. Unfortunately, for that split second of reaction time, she had forgotten that they were on a rather small couch. With a soft cry of pain and surprise, she landed on the floor on her butt, her arm slamming into the table as she tried to stop her fall.

Amusement was gone as Spike heard her cry of pain, hearing her arm hit the wooden table. He was on the floor beside her, his hands holding her arm as he inspected it for serious damage. "You need to be more careful, Red. This is going to be one hell of a bruise."

"Well, excuse me," she said, jerking her arm out of his grasp. Out of a need to defend herself and because his gentle touch were fanning the flames of her arousal. She looked at her arm, grimacing as she realized that it would indeed leave a rather large bruise.

"Why did you do that?" he demanded, his hand moving through his hair as he looked away from her beautiful green eyes.

"Well, trust me when I say that I never intended to hit the damn table," she said sharply.

"I mean, why did you jump like that?" he said, this time looking at her. "It's not like I was gonna hurt you or anything."

"I uh," words failed her as she realized she couldn't be honest, giving him the knowledge that being that close to him had aroused her far more than it should have. Instead, she weakly said, "Was just surprised and jumped without thinking. I didn't realize we were um that we had uh..."

"We fell asleep on the sofa, Red. It's not like I spent hours ravaging your body or shagging you silly," he said, annoyed that she still didn't seem to trust him.

"Oh Goddess," she said as she stood, feeling a fresh wave of heat wash over her at his words, painting vivid images that had no place in her mind. Platonic. Just Spike. Stop it, Willow. Stop it now.

Spike's eyes narrowed as he studied her, noticing a sweet, intoxicating scent in the air. Suddenly, things slid into place. It all made sense, well, as much since as anything these days seemed to make. It wasn't that she hadn't trusted him. She hadn't trusted herself. That thought made him smile a purely masculine smile, the knowledge that he aroused her giving him even more to think about. Glancing at his lap, he couldn't deny that he hadn't been aroused by sleeping beside her. Her warm body pressed against his, her breasts against his flesh. Groaning at the direction his thoughts were taking, he counted to ten, slowly.

"Where's Dawn?" Willow suddenly asked, arousal and embarrassment and confusion leaving her as she realized that Dawn wasn't there.

"In the bathroom, I can hear the shower," he said as he got to his feet, moving away from the intoxicating witch before he did something foolish, like rip her clothes off and sink deep inside her. So, instead, he did something even more foolish. He walked away from her. He moved towards the kitchen, finding that he was suddenly ravenous.

"Shower? That's good. I could use a shower," she said as she practically ran to the bedroom, needing to get away from him so that her body would calm down. She glanced at him one last time, seeing the muscles in his arm as he downed a bag of blood, their movement causing her stomach to tighten. She entered the room, sitting on the bed as her head lowered to rest on her knees. This attraction she was beginning to feel, the mixed up emotions Spike brought out in her, the arousal he could bring out without even intending, it was scary and confusing and complicated everything. It was also, she decided, definitely one sided, which made it even worse.

********************

Willow was still sitting on the bed, her head on her knees, when Dawn opened the bathroom door. A puzzled look crossed the teen's face as she looked at her silent friend. Dawn lowered the towel she had been using to dry her hair and moved forward, making enough noise so that she wouldn't startle the redhead. Willow gave no sign that she had heard anything. Dawn cleared her throat before saying, "Willow, you okay?"

"Ack!" Willow jumped when she heard the soft voice, her hand moving up to her racing heart as she gave Dawn a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Dawny. I was lost in my thoughts. You startled me."

"I made noise," Dawn said, smiling as she found herself wondering what Willow had been thinking about so deeply. "Penny for them?"

"They aren't worth a penny," Willow said, making a face as she stood. She wasn't about to tell Dawn about her growing feelings for Spike or about the attraction she was beginning to recognize stirring inside. Dawn had started to look towards both of them for support and friendship in the few short days since Buffy's death. Willow wasn't about to jeopardize that because of some silly crush. Dawn needed them.

"I somehow doubt that," Dawn said, deciding not to push Willow. The redhead had probably been thinking about how she was going to tell Angel about Buffy or something else bad like that. Dawn had no intention of bringing up bad thoughts for her friend. She was doing her best to have happy thoughts. "Do you think we could go to the beach after you shower?"

"I don't know, honey. Angel might be back by then," Willow said, sighing as she remembered why exactly they were there. She had to tell Angel the bad news. Instead of spending her time having naughty thoughts about Spike, she should have been figuring out how to tell her old friend that the love of his life was dead. How did one go about telling someone that their soulmate was dead? She glanced over and saw Dawn frowning and smiled, adding, "But we'll see."

Dawn smiled, "That means yes. Every time you say we'll see, it means yes. Cool. I'm gonna go get something to drink and leave you to your shower."

"If Angel isn't back yet, we'll go for breakfast, so don't eat anything," Willow warned as she got clean clothes and entered the bathroom.

"Okay, Willow," Dawn agreed as she entered the living room of the suite. She had barely entered the room before she stopped, her eyes widening slightly as she saw Spike pacing back and forth, his hand moving through his hair as he muttered to himself. Glancing back at the room she had just left, remembering Willow sitting so thoughtful only a few minutes before, then looking back at Spike who was obviously lost in thought, Dawn suddenly understood what Willow, or should she say who Willow had been thinking about. A slow smiled crossed her face as she sat on the sofa to wait for Willow.

********************

"Dawn, are you ready for breakfast?" Willow asked as she left the bedroom, her eyes moving to find the teen.

"Breakfast?" Spike turned his head quickly, and looked at the redhead. She had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was still wet, drops of water dripping on the cotton of her T-shirt. His blue eyes watched a stray drop drift down her graceful neck and disappear, finding himself hardening as he visualized the drop becoming his tongue. Shaking his head, he counted to ten until he felt himself softening. Collecting his thoughts, he continued, "You're having breakfast?"

Dawn looked away from the television, wondering how they found such perky people to host the early morning daily shows. She gestured towards the TV, telling Willow, "Do you think they're demons? I mean, no one could possibly be that blonde and perky at six in the morning."

"Hmm....never thought about it," Willow said, laughing at Dawn's serious expression. She looked at Spike and answered his question, "I was going to take Dawn out for some pancakes, if Angel wasn't back yet. Is he here?"

"You're going out?" Spike asked, arousal forgotten as he found himself feeling something he hadn't felt in years. Left out.

"Pancakes and maybe a walk on the beach," Dawn said, eager to see as much as possible before they went back home. She remembered the stories from Buffy about LA, and how beautiful the ocean was and about the shopping and food. This visit was bringing her closer to her sister in ways she hadn't imagined, helping her come to grips with the idea that Buffy was gone. She was still alive, though, and she really needed to start living. Add to everything the growing tension between Willow and Spike, and she'd go out on a limb and say that life was just about as good as it could get at the moment. Maybe, with time, Willow and Spike would live happily ever after and she'd have a wonderful life. She deserved some happiness, as did they all. She looked at Spike with a large smile as she flipped off the television. Her smile froze when she saw the look in his eyes. He was staring at Willow, his lips twisted into a scowl. His eyes turned ice blue as she watched, but not before she had seen the hurt flash in their blue depths. Oh God, she hadn't even realized that he would be stuck in the hotel all day. Suddenly, her euphoria disappeared as she felt a little better than pond scum.

"Dawn wants to see the beach," Willow said softly, not wanting to disappoint the girl, but realizing that Spike was hurt at their exclusion of him. She honestly hadn't thought it would matter, knowing that he liked his privacy. After all, he had been stuck with them for hours. She had also, selfishly, been looking forward to a bit of time away from him and these weird feelings that she was experiencing.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he muttered, turning to glare at the curtain covered window. "I'll wait here and hope that Angel doesn't suddenly arrive and kick my ass for being here."

"We won't be gone that long," Willow said softly, reminding herself that he was being rude to cover up for actually caring that they were leaving without him.

"Doesn't take long to get staked, now does it luv?" he said sharply, cringing at how stupid he was being. They were going out to eat and walk on the beach, not leaving him there forever. He was being a first class jerk.

"Maybe we can just stay here," Dawn said quietly, hating the tension that now existed. It wasn't the good kind that made her hope that Willow and Spike would end up in a kiss straight out of a romance movie. This was the kind that had Willow counting to ten as her eyes brightened with anger and the nerve in Spike's cheek twitching rapidly. And it was her fault.

Willow looked at Dawn, immediately realizing that the girl was blaming herself for Spike's childish temper tantrum. She wanted nothing more than to scream and hit the blond for being so selfish, but she knew that would upset Dawn even more. And, in a way, Spike was right. Angel could return anytime, and heaven only knew how he would react if he found Spike alone in his home. She gave the teen a big smile and said, "I've got an idea. Why don't we cook a huge breakfast? Spike can make you strawberry pancakes and I can cook some bacon and eggs. We can eat while we watch the demonic perky news anchors. And then, tonight, we can take a nice walk on the beach, enjoy it by moonlight. How does that sound?"

Spike had turned to look at the smiling redhead as she spoke, hating the feeling of happiness that was threatening to overtake him. He glanced over, noticing the smile on Dawn's face, wondering how Willow always seemed to know how to make everything okay. He spoke softly, his eyes catching hers, "I can make a mean omelet, as well as pancakes." And it was then, looking into her laughing eyes, that he realized that it was too late. He couldn't fight or deny it any longer. He was already half in love with Willow.

********************

"How do you do that?" Dawn asked, watching as Spike expertly flipped the pancake before giving her an arrogant smile. It was funny to see one of the most feared vampires ever standing at the stove wearing an apron and flipping pancakes, she decided, trying to hide her amusement with questions.

"I'm good," Spike winked at the teen, "what more can I say?"

"And oh so modest," Willow added with a laugh as she moved beside him to reach the stove. She glanced at the girl, glad to see that the teen was smiling. Dawn deserved some happiness and Willow was going to do everything in her power to make sure that she got it in abundance.

"You know you love me, Red," Spike smirked at her before tossing the pancake again. He'd realized not even half an hour before that he was falling in love with the redhead, was confused as hell, had no idea what to do, and was trying to deal with this twist in their relationship without giving her any idea where his thoughts were at the moment. He'd decided to just go with it, to see where it led.

"You wish," Willow said in response as she concentrated on her bacon, not wanting to give much thought to why her heart had raced at the idea of loving Spike. She needed to cook. Yep, cooking, not thinking.

Spike didn't reply to Willow's words, knowing how close to the truth she had gotten. He did wish that she loved him. He knew she wanted him, had smelled her arousal clearly enough when they'd woken together on the sofa. Even now, when he casually brushed against her, he could hear her heartbeat racing, smell the sweet scent of need, see her eyes darken in a way that left no doubt that she desired him. But, lust wasn't love. He'd lusted for the redhead since their first meeting when he'd kidnapped her and nearly taken her on the bed beside her passed out friend. This love he was starting to feel, maybe had always felt and just never acknowledged, this was something beyond lust. These emotions were what he had felt for Buffy. No, that wasn't exactly right. What he was feeling for Willow went beyond what he had felt for Buffy. He'd loved Buffy, he really had, but it had never been *real*. She'd never loved him, hadn't desired him, had barely even liked him, but she'd trusted him which meant a lot. With Willow, the feelings were raw and confusing and consuming. She wanted him, considered him a friend, didn't look at him as if he were beneath her, trusted him and needed him.

And that was where he had the problem. He'd promised Buffy that he'd take care of Dawn and Willow. If he said something about what he was starting to feel, if he let on for one minute that he was falling in love with her, Willow could very well react badly. Her best friend had only been buried a week, the loss fresh. She'd just broken up with her witchy little gal pal and had to be hurt over the breakup. She wasn't emotionally ready for him to burst out with the knowledge that, while he admittedly had loved Buffy, he was starting to have feelings for her. She had too much on her mind at the moment to deal with the idea that he was half in love with her.

He couldn't take care of her if she was avoiding him, couldn't keep his promise to Buffy if Willow found his feelings as unwelcome as the slayer had. It was too new, anyway. Not even twenty-four hours before he'd considered her a friend, someone that he could talk to about Buffy and the loss they shared. He had to wonder if the feelings had always been there, if it had just taken getting out of Sunnydale and away from memories for him to recognize what he was starting to feel. It didn't matter. Now that he had realized that he was falling in love with Willow, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He had no idea how to act or what he was supposed to do. He didn't want to scare her off, didn't want to lose the friendship they had found, but he couldn't help thinking what they might be able to find together if he was honest. He didn't want to sit quietly by and look back with regrets at wasted days. He'd lost so much in his life...he couldn't lose her too.

"Spike, it's starting to burn," Dawn said, watching as he shook his head slightly, obviously lost in thought, his blue eyes glancing at her before looking at the pancake. He moved quickly, lifting the pancake and putting it on a plate before smiling sheepishly, his eyes moving to glance at Willow as his expression grew thoughtful. Dawn couldn't contain the hope that was starting to build. Had he nearly burned the pancake because he'd been thinking about Willow? If so, what did that mean?

"I guess even the best have near misses, huh?" Willow looked up from the bacon she was frying to smile at Spike, her eyes widening when she found him watching her, the expression in his blue eyes unreadable. He'd been acting weird since they'd left the room upstairs, looking at her, watching her. Oh, he was still Spike, making arrogant remarks and smirking and being sure that she and Dawn appreciated his skill in the kitchen, but he would follow up the remarks by bumping into her or watching her or giving her a small smile that only confused her even more. This was Spike. She was not supposed to be having these weird confusing thoughts about him. She was not supposed to be thinking about how great it had felt waking up in his arms, about how their bodies had fit together so well, about how nice he had been as he'd held her and listened to her ramble about her fears the night before, about the way her heart would race and her stomach would tighten when he'd touch her even in the most casual way, about the growing affection she was starting to feel for him. She couldn't be falling for Spike.

"Guess we do, Red," he said with a faint smile as he saw the flash of arousal in her eyes followed by the confusion that mirrored what he was feeling. He looked at Dawn and asked, "How many pancakes can you eat, Niblet?"

"I don't know," Dawn shrugged, trying her best to cover her smile at what she had just observed, watching as Willow looked back at the bacon, not missing the confused look in her green eyes before she'd looked away from Spike. Oh yeah, there was definitely something happening between her two best friends, and Dawn couldn't be any happier about it.

"I'll make some more, just in case. You can go ahead and set the table, Dawn. I think we're nearly finished with the food," he decided as he poured out batter for another pancake. He listened as Dawn turned up the radio, singing along to the pop song as she opened the cabinets until she found the plates. He rolled his eyes at the silly song, recognizing it as one from the 80s, something about waking up before they go go, wondering where the DJ had dug that particular relic up, smiling softly as he heard Willow's voice join Dawn's. He glanced at the redhead that was haunting his mind, watching as she happily sang along to the awful song. Shaking his head, he flipped his pancake. He began to hum along before he realized it, listening as Dawn began to set the table as he and Willow finished cooking breakfast.

********************

"I'm stuffed!" Dawn declared as she put her fork on the plate and leaned back in the chair. To illustrate her point, she rubbed her stomach and groaned, "I couldn't eat another bite."

"Guess that means we don't have to worry about getting her any ice cream when we go out, huh, Red?" Spike asked, winking at Willow as Dawn sputtered.

"Hey, now, wait a second!" Dawn protested, "Ice cream does not take up that much space. I'm sure I could manage to eat at least one dip of double dark chocolate or strawberry. Heck, you know what? I bet I could eat a dip of both of them...with a waffle cone."

"Do you think it's Xander's influence?" Willow asked Spike with a smile, "She's starting to eat as much as he does."

"Am not," Dawn denied with a giggle, her eyes moving back and forth from Spike to Willow. Breakfast had been great. They'd all eaten and laughed and just had fun. Besides that, Spike had sat down next to Willow and Dawn had caught them looking at each other with that same thoughtful _expression she'd seen earlier in the kitchen when they thought the other wasn't looking. She was hoping that the secret looks meant that they were in love and wanted to shag each other silly. They were good together, and she knew they could be happy if they'd just let themselves. That's what she wanted more than anything, for Spike and Willow to be together and for them to take care of her and be her family. She still missed Buffy, always would and nothing would ever change the fact that she had lost her sister, that her sister had died to save her and the world, but she knew it was pointless to live in the past.

She'd felt guilty for days, blaming herself for Buffy's death, wondering if anything could have changed how things turned out. She still felt guilty but she was moving past it. Buffy wouldn't have wanted her to blame herself. In fact, her sister would probably kick her ass if she knew Dawn was feeling guilty. Buffy would have wanted her to grieve and move on, to live her life as best she could and to always be surrounded by love. Her sister would have been happy if Willow and Spike fell in love. Willow had been her best friend and Buffy had always wanted the redhead to be happy and to be loved the way she deserved. Spike could make her happy and love her that way. Dawn had to believe that Buffy would have approved. Just because she didn't want Spike to love her didn't mean the slayer didn't believe he was capable of love. Dawn had moved her focus from dealing with the loss of Buffy to helping Spike and Willow realize that they were perfect together.

"Do you want another pancake, Red?" Spike asked as he glanced at Willow's empty plate. They'd spent an hour eating breakfast, just taking their time and talking and laughing. There had been no sign of Angel or any of his fang gang, which was actually a bit worrying to Spike, though he'd dance across the desert naked in the blazing sun before admitting that he was worried about Peaches. There was probably some stupidly ridiculous explanation as to where the brooding bastard and his sidekicks had gone so Spike tried not to dwell on the negative ideas that came to mind. Most things that happened to Angel were ridiculously stupid so that seemed like a viable suggestion to him.

"I have to echo Dawn and say that I'm stuffed," Willow said with a smile. She'd eaten three pancakes and numerous pieces of bacon. Every time she'd been finished, Spike had added something to her plate. He'd muttered something about her not eating enough the last few days before turning his attention to Dawn, talking or telling her some silly joke. She'd eaten the food, knowing that he was right. Since Buffy had died, she hadn't eaten that much. She had been so busy taking care of everyone and everything that she'd just forgotten to eat until Spike had taken them out to eat in the evenings. She was glad he had asked this time before adding more food, knowing that she wouldn't have been able to eat anything else for a while.

"I'll do the dishes," Dawn said as she stood, not wanting them to get up. She hadn't missed the look that Spike had sent the redhead, though said redhead seemed completely oblivious. It was the kind of look that Xander would give Anya before he'd softly kiss her or hug her or just smile one of those romantic I love you kind of smiles. Dawn figured it was too early for the I love you smile, but she hoped maybe the look meant that Spike was at least thinking about kissing or hugging Willow. Either way, it would be much better if they didn't get up yet and disturb the relaxed and happy mood.

"Dawn, honey, are you feeling sick?" Willow asked as she arched a brow and looked at the smiling teen.

"Nope, why?" Dawn asked as she pulled herself from her thoughts to concentrate on what Willow was saying.

"Because you hate doing the dishes. Even more than laundry or taking the trash out," Willow reminded as she tried to figure out why Dawn was so happy about doing a chore she was usually quite vocal about hating.

"Well, yeah, but you and Spike cooked so it's only fair that I do the dishes while you two sit here and be lazy," Dawn explained, trying to make her smile a little less happy and a little more reluctant, duty calls-ish.

********************

"Go do the dishes, Brat," Spike said, watching her as she grabbed their plates and headed to the kitchen. He looked at Willow and noticed that she wasn't buying Dawn's sudden desire to share household tasks any more than he was. He tried to forget his earlier thoughts about kissing her to see if she tasted like syrup and instead said, "What's she up to?"

"I don't know," Willow turned to look at him, "but I think there is something more to it than just doing her share of the work. With Dawn, who knows!"

"Did you like the pancakes?" he asked as his eyes caught hers, all thoughts about Dawn and Angel and everything leaving his mind when she smiled.

"They were great, as you well know!" Willow smiled.

"Yeah, of course they were. I'm the best," Spike said with a slight smile. His eyes darkened as he moved his hand against her face. His thumb brushed against her lips before he brought it to his own. He ran his tongue over his thumb, his eyes catching hers as he said, "Syrup."

"Oh," was all that Willow could manage to say as she watched his tongue move against his thumb. The same thumb that had just brushed against her lips. Oh, goodness, this stupid hotel needed better air conditioning, she thought crossly.

"Dishes are done, man," Dawn said as she wandered back into the lobby. She froze when she felt the electricity in the air, her eyes widening as she watched Spike shake his head slightly and stand up, leaving Willow sitting on the sofa with a dazed expression on her face. Darn it, she'd missed something. There hadn't been any smoochies because Willow would have had messed up hair or swollen lips, but something had happened. She resisted the urge to do her own version of the snoopy dance in the middle of the hotel's lobby, instead moving to resume her seat. Dawn decided that she was going to get rather annoyed with Willow's confused expressions and Spike's sudden fascination with the wall if it took those two very long to realize that they belonged together.

"That was fast," Willow said as she looked at the teen and smiled, trying her best to forget whatever it was that had been happening between her and Spike before they'd been interrupted.

"One word: dishwasher! One of the best inventions ever," Dawn said as she glanced at Spike. The blond vampire had moved to lean against a desk as he'd listened.

"Spike, while you're over there, could you check and see if there are there any new messages?" Willow asked, glancing at him briefly before looking back at Dawn. "I haven't heard the phone ring, but we were upstairs last night and most of the morning so we might have missed something."

"Nothing new, Red," Spike said after he listened to the recorded voice inform him that there were no messages. He heard Willow sigh and said, "I'm sure Peaches is fine, luv. Off saving the world or some such nonsense. He'll be here before you know it, not a hair out of place and the same old miserable wanker he's always been. Until then, why don't we have some fun? I believe I promised my girls some ice cream and ocean views and I never break a promise."

"I do remember that ice cream promise," Dawn said with a smile, watching as Spike managed to make Willow forget about being worried about Angel and smile.

"The sun went down about half an hour ago," Willow said as she smiled at Spike, "and ocean views sound pretty nice."

"I'll run upstairs and get a sweater. I'll get yours, too, Willow," Dawn was on her feet and near the stairs, turning to Spike, she spoke before he could ask, "I'll bring your coat and the car keys."

"We'll go on out to the car, Niblet," Spike said as he offered Willow his hand to help her from the sofa.

Willow took his hand, trying to ignore the spark of pleasure that ran through her at the casual touch. When she was standing, she expected him to release her hand. Instead, he held it as he moved towards the door. Deciding that she didn't mind all that much, she moved her finger over his palm and followed him outside to wait for Dawn.

********************

"It's beautiful," Willow said softly as she looked at the ocean. There was a nice breeze coming in, ruffling her hair and making her very glad that Dawn had thought about needing a sweater. The sun had set and the sky was clear but dark. She couldn't see any stars, either too much smog or it was still too early to see them, but the half moon was visible, adding its own beauty to the dark sky.

"Yeah, it is," Spike agreed, though his eyes were on her face and not the ocean. He wasn't all that impressed with a bunch of water, having traveled too often in leaking boats with only rats and the occasional nosy sailor to snack on. He could remember many nights where he'd stand on the ship's deck and see nothing in every direction. That had grown old real fast, making him even more thankful for the invention of the airplane. He'd much rather spend his time looking at Willow, her face more beautiful than a bunch of dark water ever could be.

"Dawn, don't go too close to the water," Willow called out, rolling her eyes as the teen laughed and continued dancing close to where the waves were crashing ashore. She smiled as she told Spike, "I think Dawn is enjoying the chance to be active."

"It does look that way," he agreed, glancing at the teen before looking back at Willow. He saw her sneak a glance at him, his lips twisting into a smile as she looked away, thinking he hadn't caught her.

"This is a lot of fun," Dawn said as she made her way back to where Spike and Willow were standing. She looked around, "It's just so peaceful listening to the waves and feeling the cool air, but I remember a certain vampire promising me some ice cream."

"Hmm...I wonder who that was," Spike teased.

"A certain handsome and intelligent vampire," Dawn added with a smile, deciding flattery might improve the chances of her getting two dips of ice cream. Since they'd arrived at the beach, she'd kept busy as much as possible, letting Spike and Willow have a chance to enjoy the romantic views in hopes they'd be overcome by emotion and start with the smoochies. Instead, they'd just talked, but she had caught Spike looking at Willow as if she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen and she'd caught Willow sneaking glances at Spike with a similar look in her green eyes so she had hopes that it wouldn't be too long before they finally realized that they belonged together.

"Spike, quit teasing her," Willow laughed, "I think we passed by an ice cream parlor before we parked. It should still be open."

"Great! I'm definitely thinking that I'm going to have a double dip," Dawn said as she started walking towards the sidewalk.

"So, witch, do you find me handsome and intelligent?" Spike asked as he casually took Willow's hand and they started to follow Dawn. He kept his tone teasing, but his eyes were curious.

"For two dips of ice cream? Heck yeah," Willow smiled.

"Oh," Spike brushed his thumb across her palm, trying to think of some properly amusing response to make that wouldn't let her know what he was really thinking.

"Spike, you know that you're good looking, but you're also one of the smartest people that I know," Willow said slowly when she realized that he hadn't been teasing when he'd asked her that question. She saw him glance at her, a pleased smile on his face at hearing her words.

"Coming from you, that means a lot, Willow," Spike said quietly, knowing that the redhead was one of the most beautiful and intelligent creatures he'd ever met. He saw Dawn waiting for them, glancing at Willow and giving her a smile as he said, "Let's get some ice cream and then we can figure out what we want to do next."

"Ice cream sounds good," Willow smiled at Dawn as they reached where the teen had stopped to wait for them to catch up. She listened as Spike and Dawn began discussing ice cream favors, but she wasn't paying much attention. Instead, she was trying to figure out what, if anything, had just happened. One second, they had been teasing and the next he'd been serious and now he was back to being all friendly. Goodness, she was confused. She didn't understand what was happening between them. Okay, so that was a bit of a lie. She knew that she was feeling lots of old-fashioned desire and lust that was mixing with their friendship and becoming something that might be the beginnings of love, but that, in itself, confused her. She couldn't ignore it or deny it, though. She was falling in love with Spike.

********************

"This is the best ice cream," Dawn declared before eating another spoonful of the chocolate peanut butter ice cream that Spike had bought her.

"Much better than Scoops," Willow agreed, comparing it to the ice cream parlor they usually went to in Sunnydale.

"They had so many flavors!" Dawn smiled, "I had such a difficult time deciding what to choose. I think we need to go back tomorrow night so I can try two different flavors."

"We'll see, Niblet," Spike told the teen, happy to see her having such a good time. She'd been through a lot during the last six months, losing her Mother, the whole key business and then losing Buffy. He was relieved to see her smiling and enjoying herself. For a brief time, following Buffy's death, he had to admit that he had been a bit concerned that Dawn might try to do something stupid. The teen blamed herself for the slayer's death and it wasn't too much of a leap to conclude that she might take drastic measures to rid herself of the guilt. Dawn was stronger than that, though, so she'd eventually moved past the guilt to the healing phase of grieving.

Willow had helped the teen a lot, comforting her and listening. Hell, Willow had helped him, too. It had been nice to have someone that felt the same sense of loss that he did, that had the same feelings of guilt, that gave him silent support throughout the entire ordeal. If it hadn't been for Red, well, he might have done something stupid himself. No, that wasn't really true. He was much too strong to do something that foolish. Plus, if he were completely honest, his love for Buffy hadn't been nearly as consuming and deep as he had thought. He had loved her, still loved her, but, as clicha33;d as it sounded, life did go on.

"Great," Dawn said, knowing that we'll see from Spike usually meant yes. She asked Willow, "How is the chocolate?"

"It's really good," Willow said before taking another lick from her cone.

"Red, I can't believe you chose chocolate when they had over 46 flavors," Spike said, having already finished his cone of caramel swirl.

"It was Swiss chocolate," Willow defended with a smile. She stopped walking as they neared a bench that overlooked the beach. She sat down, her eyes looking over the dark ocean. Spike sat next to her, his arm going across the back of the bench. Willow could feel him playing with her hair, curling it around his fingers as he looked at the water. Dawn sat on her other side, now working on her second dip of ice cream.

"This cookies n cream is even better than the chocolate peanut butter," Dawn declared as she took another healthy bite of the ice cream before standing and moving to look over the rail at the traffic below.

"I wonder if Angel will be back when we return to the hotel," Willow spoke softly to Spike, not wanting to ruin Dawn's good mood by mentioning the reason that they were in LA in the first place.

"I don't know," Spike brushed his fingers against the back of her neck, hearing her heart beat increase at the casual touch. His lips twisted into a pleased smile at her reaction, deliberately making more contact with her warm flesh.

"Is it wrong for me to hope that he isn't?" Willow asked, wondering how she could find something so simple as Spike touching her neck so darn arousing. She pushed those thoughts from her mind as she added, "I really dread telling him about Buffy. I mean, I know they broke up and were just friends now, but there was so much love between them. I wouldn't mind having another day or two before I have to find the words to tell him that she's gone."

"You'll find the words, luv," Spike said quietly, not having any doubt that Willow would know exactly what to say to Angel when the time came.

"I hope so," she sighed as she finished her ice cream cone. Without even thinking about it, she leaned her head against Spike's shoulder, her green eyes looking at the ocean while also keeping an eye on Dawn. Spike's hand moved from her neck to rest against her shoulder as they silently watched the waves.

********************

"What about this one?" Dawn asked as she showed Spike and Willow her selection.

"That's a great choice," Willow smiled at the teen before she went back to looking through the movies in front of her. They'd finished their ice cream and watched the water for nearly an hour before finally deciding to do something else. Dawn had mentioned the possibility of getting a movie to watch, pointing out that there had been a DVD player as well as a VCR downstairs. Luckily, Willow had her Blockbuster card so they'd headed off to find the closet rental store to the hotel.

"I don't know," Spike hesitated, "it looks rather girly to me."

"Pretty Woman is not very girly, Spike," Dawn defended, "okay, so it's a little girly but not Steel Magnolias or Beaches girly. It's more like Dirty Dancing girly."

"I guess I can suffer through the girly," Spike sighed dramatically. "The things I do for my girls."

"We love you Spike," Willow and Dawn said in unison before giggling and continuing their search for movies.

"Brats," Spike muttered, though there was a smile on his face as he read various cover boxes.

"Oh, I haven't seen this in years," Willow said as she picked up a copy of Better Off Dead. "I want my two dollars," she quoted before laughing. "I am so getting this one."

"Have you found anything good yet, Spike?" Dawn asked as she walked over to the horror section where the blond vampire was looking for the grossest movie he could find.

"Dawn, honey, he's looking at horror movies. Good and horror movie tend to not belong in the same sentence," Willow smiled as she joined them. "Cheesy and funny, yes. Good, no."

"They've got Dolls!" Dawn got excited. "This movie scared me to death when I was a kid. I mean, it must have scared Buffy because I have the memory of getting rid of all my dolls after watching it."

"I remember that one," Willow rested her chin on Dawn's shoulder and gave the girl a hug as she mused, "Jesse, Xander, and I used to spend most the summer watching movies and horror movies were mine and Jesse's favorites. We rented this one several times. I wonder if they've got that movie The Monster Squad. It was one of Xan's favorites. He'd go around saying that the wolf man had gnards."

"I don't think I've seen that one," Dawn said, looking around and not seeing the title. "I don't think they have it."

"Go ahead and get Dolls. I'd like to see that one again," Willow smiled before looking over to find that Spike had drifted into another aisle. She took Dawn's hand and walked over to him. She asked, "Have you found anything yet?"

"Yeah," Spike did his best to conceal the movie that he had picked up. He suggested, "I think we can go ahead and check out now."

"What did you choose?" Dawn asked as they headed to the counter.

"A movie," Spike said with a smirk.

"What movie?" Dawn rolled her eyes, listening as Willow gave the clerk Angel's phone number to use as her local number. "Spike, no fair. We told you what we rented."

"It's just something I haven't seen in a while," Spike replied, wishing that he'd chosen something else, but wanting to see this movie again. He really enjoyed it, always finding it funny and cute, which definitely did nothing to improve his reputation as The Big Bag. Oh well, his girls would tease him a bit but he figured they'd enjoy it as much as he did.

"It's Grease!" Willow said, looking at Spike with a slight smile. "I absolutely love this movie!"

"Me too!" Dawn agreed before she got a mischievous look in her eyes, saying, "And here you were saying that Pretty Woman was too girly."

"Grease is not girly," Spike protested, "It's got car racing and violence and leather jackets."

"And dancing and singing and sappy romance," Dawn giggled before she patted his shoulder, "It's okay, Spike. I won't tell anyone that you're a fan of Grease. If anyone asks, I'll tell them you chose The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or A Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Thanks, Niblet," Spike laughed.

"I, on the other hand, will be sure to put out an advertisement letting the entire demon community know that Spike aka William the Bloody aka half of the Scourge of Europe knows all the words to Summer Lovin'," Willow snickered as she moved away before Spike could smack her.

"I'll get the movies," Dawn said as Spike started threatening Willow and advanced on the laughing redhead. She took the movies from the clerk and followed her family outside.

"What were you threatening, Red?" Spike asked when he finally had Willow cornered against the car.

"Fine, I won't tell anyone," Willow relented, her eyes shining with amusement as he pinned her against the car. Her eyes moved from his eyes, looking at his lips as she realized how close he was.

"We should go," Spike said huskily, his tongue moving over his lips as he moved away from Willow to open the car door for her. He'd almost kissed her again. He'd come so close to just leaning over and tasting her. He ran a hand over his face before opening the back door for Dawn. Once the teenager was inside the car, he shut the door. He walked slowly to the driver's side, sliding into the car and starting it. He was back in control as he drove towards the hotel, listening to Dawn and Willow chatter about the movies and making plans to make popcorn when they got back to the hotel. A smile crossed his face as he listened to them, adding his own thoughts about the movies as they drove.

********************

They had gone back to the hotel, finding that it was still empty. No sign of Angel or anyone else. Willow hadn't been very surprised, and she had to admit that she was a little bit relieved, not really in the mood to talk to Angel about Buffy's death and be reminded of everything that had happened in the last few weeks. They'd been able to enjoy themselves completely for the first day since before Buffy died and, selfish as it was to think, she didn't want to ruin their good day by talking to Angel. Dawn had started the movies, putting on Pretty Woman first. It had been a lot of fun, except for Spike's commentary. He'd decided early on that Julia Roberts resembled a horse, which had annoyed Dawn who was a fan of the actress, so he'd taken to neighing like a horse whenever Julia Roberts was on screen, earning him glares and curses from Dawn while making her laugh, because she somewhat agreed with him, though that did not ruin the movie for her. She'd sighed in all the romantic parts, loving the non-traditional romance between the prostitute and the wealthy guy.

Spike had soon grown tired of making the horse noises when it was evident that Dawn was ignoring him, so he'd leaned against Willow and watched the remainder of the movie. Sure, he'd made a few random comments throughout, finding the movie pretty silly, but he had really enjoyed the shopping part, laughing with glee when the character went shopping on Rodeo Drive and snarkily told the salesladies off after purchasing a lot of items somewhere else. He'd asked Willow and Dawn if that was their idea of fun, going shopping with limitless funds. He hadn't been very surprised when both of his girls had said no, neither one caring all that much for clothes and such. He'd been thankful when the movie ended, tired of hearing Willow sigh during the romantic parts and exchange words with Dawn about how 'sweet and perfect' the ending was. He hadn't seen very much romantic at all, thinking he could do a far better job of showering *his* girl with romance than the poofster with all the money in the movie. They'd followed the romance with the horror movie, Dawn putting on the movie Dolls before laying on the floor and making herself comfortable with a pillow from the bed.

Spike and Willow spent the entire length of the movie making fun of it, Dawn adding in her own opinions as the silly horror movie ran. Thankfully, it wasn't long and was soon over. They'd then watched Better Off Dead, earning rave reviews from all three of them. Spike had loved it, having to reluctantly admit to his enjoyment after laughing numerous times. He felt sorry for the poor bastard, loving someone that didn't want him, knowing from experience what that felt like, very pleased when the poor git found love with the smart girl across the street, comparing his Red easily with the girl, knowing what it felt to have someone that believed in him completely, that made him happy just being his friend, that he'd been friends with before realizing that what he felt was beyond platonic. He'd tried not to do too much serious thinking during such a funny movie, but he was still trying to come to terms with the knowledge that he was half in love with Willow so he'd used the opportunity to do some further exploration of that realization. But, overall, he'd just enjoyed the movie. Sure, he could have done without the entire dancing hamburger bit, having to make fun of that part, but the rest of the movie was pretty damn funny. By this time, it was already the next day and Dawn was drifting off to sleep. She finally stood, telling them to go ahead and watch Grease without her. She'd gone in to the room and gone to sleep. Willow had asked if he wanted to watch the movie and had put it in on when he agreed, saying that she wasn't very tired herself and had always enjoyed the movie.

The movie had been on nearly an hour when Willow looked at Spike and asked, "Why did you rent this movie? I mean, you've been making fun of it and don't really seem to like it that much."

Spike shrugged, "I don't know. The name was familiar and I thought it would be interesting to watch it."

"You've never even seen it before, have you?" Willow asked as she looked at him with surprise in her green eyes.

"Technically? No," Spike said as he looked away from the rather silly movie to look at his Red. He explained, "I saw bits and pieces of it, Red. Remembered the car race and a few other things. Long story, pet."

"I've got time," she said softly as she reached over and pushed the mute button. She'd seen the movie numerous times so she didn't mind missing it to hear Spike's reasoning for renting it.

"Stubborn little thing, aren't ya?" he smiled affectionately before he looked away, sighing as he admitted, "It reminds me of some good times, with my sire."

"Grease reminds you of Drusilla?" Willow was confused, not understanding that logic at all.

"Yeah," he nodded as he leaned back against the sofa, trying to figure out how to explain it. Finally, he just said, "When that movie came out, Dru and I were in the States, traveling around the south. We'd been up in New York and that area for a decade or so, left after I bagged my second slayer. Have you ever heard of a drive in, pet? I know they're not around hardly anymore, but, in those days, nearly every little town had one, and that movie was playing them all. I lost count of how many nights Dru and I'd go to the drive in to eat. It was bloody amazing, like a banquet for vampires. Couples making out, their blood heated with passion and the warm night air, so many people that were never any witnesses. Caught bits of the movie while we were waiting to feed or after we'd shagged. My Princess loved the bit at the end, with the flying car. Took me forever to explain to her that cars don't really fly away like that, disappointed her, it did. Soon after that, we caught a boat back to Europe, ended up in Prague and I think you know the rest. So, yeah, I think about this movie and I remember the good times with Dru, feeding on warm blood and shagging in the car, before everything went bad."

"Um, okay, that's really gross but also really sweet," Willow said quietly, shocked first of all that Spike had said so much. The blond wasn't a big talker, usually keeping things simple and to the point. Second, she was surprised that he'd been so honest with her, talking about Dru and telling her things she highly doubted he'd told anyone else. And third, she was touched that he'd wanted to share the movie that represented good memories to him with them, like she'd done with Better Off Dead, the movie that she and Xander and Jesse had memorized when they were kids, and Dawn had done with Pretty Woman, a movie that she'd watched with her Mom and sister when they'd have family movie night.

"I'm not sweet," Spike muttered, rolling his eyes as he wondered why he'd told Willow all that. He'd been going to just make up some excuse, not liking the idea of sharing bits of himself with anyone, especially the beautiful redhead that he'd begun to fall in love with. When he'd opened his mouth, though, he'd found himself telling her the truth, hating the wistful tone in his voice as he spoke about those times with Dru, before she'd decided he was too weak for her, that his humanity and capacity for love disgusted her.

"Of course you're not," Willow agreed immediately, a soft smile on her face as she looked at him, wishing she could give him a hug to let him know how much it meant to her that he'd been honest and that he was her friend. Impulsively, she decided, why not? Friends hugged each other. She leaned over and hugged him, whispering in his ear, "You're the big bad and not at all sweet or caring."

"And don't you forget it," he said quietly as he stiffened when her arms went around him, relaxing finally as he awkwardly returned the hug. He looked at her face as she pulled back from the hug, deciding that she got more beautiful every time he looked at her. She smiled at him, her eyes shining with several emotions, and he found himself raising his hand to touch her cheek, his fingers brushing against her warm flesh as their eyes met. The smile faded from her face as she drew her bottom lip into her mouth, her eyes darkening as she moved her face against his hand. Spike couldn't resist it any longer, he lowered his head and brushed his lips ever so gently against hers.

********************

Spike was kissing her. She'd have pinched herself if she hadn't been too busy concentrating on the feel of his lips against hers. If it was a dream, well, she didn't want to wake up just yet. Willow returned his soft kiss, moving her lips against his, opening her mouth to his questing tongue, their tongues touching as she moaned softly, moving closer to him. The kiss was tender and gentle at first, a full exploration of each others' mouths, his hand stroking her face as her hand moved to the back of his head. The kiss gradually deepened, became less gentle and more passionate, tongues and teeth, lips and hands.

Finally, reluctantly, needing to breathe, Willow pulled back. Her lips were red and swollen, her eyes glazed with desire and need, her breathing erratic, her heart racing. She looked at Spike, noticing that he had a similar look in his eyes that she knew had to be in her own. She wasn't sure what to do now, wanting nothing more than to kiss him again, fall back on the sofa, clothes disappearing and then feel him inside her.

Spike hadn't meant for that to happen. He'd wanted to kiss her, certainly, but he'd figured it would be a gentle peck, a friendly little kiss to appease his sudden desire for her, until he'd had time to figure out exactly how he felt. Instead, she'd kissed him back and he'd had to resist the urge to just rip her clothes off and bury himself deep inside her warmth. He felt her green eyes on his face, looking up and catching their stare. He ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what to say, what to do. Not a month ago, he was convinced that he was in love with Buffy. Now, only a couple of weeks after her death, he felt himself falling in love with her best friend. Okay, so what he was feeling for Willow far transcended what he felt for Buffy, but it was still so sudden, such a confusing revelation that he'd barely begun to accept the undeniable truth of it. Now, they'd kissed and what a kiss it had been. He was hard and aroused just from feeling her lips against his. What were they going to do now?

"Spike, um, what just happened?" Willow finally spoke, knowing that they needed to talk about, she needed to know what was happening. She'd lost so much in the last few months, Joyce and Buffy and Tara. She couldn't handle losing someone else that she loved, and especially not when it was Spike. If it hadn't been for him, she didn't know what she'd have done since Buffy died. He'd helped her, been there for her, become someone very important to her. She couldn't lose him over a kiss, even if it had been the best kiss she'd ever experienced, so she needed to know what he was thinking and feeling at the moment.

"I don't know, Willow," he sighed, not sure what to say. Somehow 'I really did love Buffy but it would appear that I also love you and probably have for years and my feelings for you don't lessen what I felt for her, but I think I love you more and do you think you could ever love me' just didn't seem very poetic or romantic.

"Oh," she said, disappointment in her eyes as she looked away from him. He hadn't meant to kiss her, didn't have the same kinds of feelings for her that she was beginning to feel for him, didn't want her or love her or want to be hers. She should have known, wishing now it had been a dream.

"Red, I didn't mean," Spike heard her voice, knew he'd said the wrong thing. She didn't look at him, instead studying the carpet as if she'd never seen it before. With a low growl, he muttered, "Bloody hell," before he raised her face and kissed her again, putting all of his emotions into the kiss, wanting her to know what he was feeling, no matter how confusing and new.

They kissed for several minutes, finally releasing each other when Willow was no longer able to ignore her need to breathe properly. She looked at him, saw many emotions flashing in his eyes, wishing she understood what was happening. She spoke softly, "Spike, what's happening between us?"

"We kissed," he said slowly.

"Yeah, we did," she agreed, thinking that was the understatement of the century.

"Did you, well, did you like it?" he asked quietly, his eyes showing his vulnerability as he waited for her response.

"Yes, I did like it," she said, her face blushing as she admitted that, wondering why he had to ask. She thought her reaction was pretty darn obvious.

"Red, I, uh," he struggled to find the words, not sure if he could say them, no sure how she felt, thinking it was too soon, that they were still grieving over the loss of the blonde slayer that they'd loved in different ways, that his feelings for Willow just complicated things, that she wouldn't want his love anymore than the other women he'd ever fallen in love with, that she couldn't deal with his declaration right now with having to take care of Dawn and tell Angel about Buffy and that he'd just make her life worse by confessing his growing affection.

"Did you like it?" she asked, her voice nearly a whisper. Oh God, had she really just asked him that? What was he trying to tell her? Probably that it was a mistake and that he hadn't meant to kiss her and that they should just forget about the best kiss she'd ever had and pretend that nothing happened and here she was asking if he'd liked it.

"God yes," he groaned softly, easily remembering the feeling of her lips against his and her body pressing against his own.

"Really?" she looked at him, unable to keep the hopeful look from her eyes.

He looked into her eyes, all the confusion fading when he saw the gentle smile on her face. He loved Willow, was completely head over hells in love with the beautiful and sexy redhead. He opened his mouth to tell her, intending to use every romantic and poetic word he'd ever learned, wanting her to know that he was sincere, hoping that such words would cause her to return his feelings, giving them a chance to be together and be happy. Instead of the convincing poetic words of affection and devotion and desire, he said, "Willow, I think I love you."

********************

Fuck. That hadn't been what he'd meant to say at all. He cringed at how stupid he sounded, wishing he could back and erase the moment and instead say all the romantic words that he could think of to convince her that he was sincere and worthy of her love. He was so caught up mentally kicking himself that he almost didn't hear her response, his eyes widening as he looked at her in surprise.

"I think I love you, too," Willow whispered, a shy smile on her face as she looked at him.

"What?" he was dumbfounded, having expected for her to push him away and declare him beneath her, his past experiences not giving him a hell of a lot of confidence when it came to matters of love.

"I don't understand it, honestly, but I can't deny how I feel," Willow said softly, wondering if it had been a mistake confessing her growing affection for him. Had he just been playing with her? Did he really love her? Their kisses had been emotional and tender and needy and she'd been convinced that he really felt something for her.

"You love me?" he repeated, needing to hear it again, to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

"I think so," she nodded, sighing, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I do."

"You love me," Spike slowly smiled, seeing the truth in her beautiful green eyes.

"I think we've established that," she muttered, her cheeks flushing slightly after having to nearly defend her feelings. She didn't understand them, really, but she couldn't deny them. She and Spike had gotten closer over the last weeks and become friends. She'd never planned on falling in love with him, certainly not so soon. She had to wonder if maybe she hadn't always felt something for him and it was just now able to be recognized. She didn't really care, knowing that she did feel something for him, desire and need and friendship and love. It was all there, when she looked at him or felt him or talked to him.

"I love you," Spike said softly, giving her a wry smile, "I didn't mean for it to happen, Red. I've always liked ya, enjoyed being around ya, but I never planned for it to become more than just what it was."

"You really love me?" she whispered, not aware that she was as insecure and fragile as he was concerning being loved and wanted.

"Yeah, I do," he moved his hand along her cheek, "I cared for Buffy, might have loved her in a way, and my feelings for you don't change what I felt for her, but, with you, I feel complete. You make me feel things, I can't even describe it. Your smile, your lips, your voice, your heart...I love you, Willow. God, I sound like such a poetic sap. Some demon, huh?"

"I like poetic saps," Willow smiled, "and quit thinking you're a lesser demon because you can love and feel things for others. I think it makes you special. I know that this is too soon, that it doesn't really make a lot of sense, but I don't care. I think I always felt something for you, a connection of some sort. Since Buffy, well, the last few days we've been able to really talk and I think it slowly became love somewhere along the way."

"Ya think I'm special, huh?" an arrogant smile crossed Spike's handsome face as he caused her to laugh, which caused him to kiss her again. They shared their passion and love, one kiss after another, gentle and tender and deep and needy and explorative.

They were so caught up in kissing and enjoying their newfound love that they didn't hear the exclamation of triumph from the bedroom and didn't see the smiling teenager doing a jubilant dance upon seeing the two most important people in her life admitting their mutual love and then kissing so romantically. Dawn shut the bedroom door quietly, not wanting to disturb them, crawling back into bed with a huge smile on her face, happiness in her eyes as she thought of Willow and Spike and how perfect they were together. She'd always love Buffy and miss her sister, but she had realized over the last couple of days that life goes on. She snuggled under the covers, the smile still on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

********************

Dawn woke up with a smile on her face. She took a shower and got dressed, the smile still on her lips. Not even a week ago, she'd honestly wondered if there would ever be a reason to smile again. Buffy had died and she felt guilty, even though she knew that it wasn't really her fault. It was easy to know that in her mind, but her heart still believed she was the reason Buffy had died. If not for Willow and Spike, she probably would have done something really stupid. They'd saved her, their love and devotion to her reminding her that she wasn't alone, even if Buffy was no longer alive. And now, now they had given her a reason to smile.

She might be young, but she was not stupid nor was she blind. She didn't doubt that Spike had loved Buffy, knowing that the blond vampire had loved her sister in his own way. Dawn had seen the way he had been looking at Willow since Buffy died, though, and could recognize real love. It wasn't that she was dismissing his affection for Buffy, but she had never seen him look at her sister during the many months of his crush on the slayer in the same way he'd looked at Willow over the last few days.

She also hadn't ever seen Willow look at another with that same loving gaze, full of passion and wonder and intensity. It hadn't happened overnight, wasn't something caused by the loss of Buffy, wasn't them using each other or any of that other nonsense that some might suspect considering the circumstances.

Willow had had a crush on Spike for years. The redhead had done a very job of hiding it from everyone, including herself, but Dawn had seen it. There were times when Willow's eyes would unknowingly follow Spike as he walked across the room, the way she would blush softly if he caught her watching, the way she was always a bit nervous whenever she had to work closely with him. Yep, it had been a crush, though Dawn wasn't entirely sure when it had started. She had memories that had been provided to her, but they were like distant dreams and mostly from Buffy's point of view so she wouldn't have noticed anything if Buffy hadn't noticed. And, as much as she loved her sister, Buffy had never been the most observant person in the world. Dawn had a feeling that Spike's crush on Willow had started after he'd been taken by the Initiative. She had memories of him always trying to get Willow's attention, teasing her or talking to her or sitting real close beside her.

Dawn didn't know why he had never made a move on Willow before he decided to turn his attention to Buffy. She'd never considered Spike or Willow stupid, but she had to admit that they had both been very moronic by pretending that there wasn't something happening between them. Even after Willow started dating Tara and Spike convinced himself he wanted Buffy, she'd noticed that there was still a bit of tension every time they were together.

Since Buffy had died, they'd been forced to be together for her sake, both loving her and wanting to make sure she was okay. During that time, they'd no longer been able to deny what they were feeling, had most likely felt for years. When she had caught them kissing the night before, she had felt happy and content, as if everything would actually be okay.

She knew that she would always miss Buffy, knew that there would be times that she'd get very sad thinking about her sister, but life went on. Buffy wouldn't want any of them moping around or mourning. She'd want them living, since she had died to insure that they could, she'd want them falling in love and being happy and enjoying life. Buffy always wanted their happiness, even Spike's, and Dawn couldn't help thinking that her sister would be very pleased by the growing relationship between Spike and Willow. The teen quietly opened the door and peered into the living room. A soft smile crossed her face as she saw Willow sleeping in Spike's arms, his hand resting on her shoulder, her head laying against his chest. They looked beautiful, Dawn decided, as if they were meant for each other.

Dawn crept as silently as possible to the door, flinching when the door squeaked as she opened it. She glanced at the couch, sighing in relief when she saw that her friends were still sleeping. She left the door cracked open and hurried down the hall. She wanted to surprise them with breakfast, make them smile for helping her smile again. She quickly made some bacon, eggs and toast. It wasn't very fancy, but it wasn't like Angel had much of a choice of foods in his kitchen. She was lucky she'd found what she had, considering they'd used up some of his food the previous afternoon. His human friends appeared to keep an adequate supply of food in the kitchen, at least, and they seemed to prefer easy to make snack items.

********************

Dawn heated a mug of blood for Spike, getting it the perfect temperature, tossing some crackers and cookies onto a plate for him to dip in the blood. She paused a moment, laughing softly as she realized that it might be strange to some that she considered it perfectly normal to heat blood for a vampire and give him dunking food for said blood. Life was definitely not boring and she loved it. Once she was finished with the tray, she went back upstairs, careful not to spill the orange juice or blood.

When she arrived back at the room, she smiled when she saw that Willow and Spike were waking up. Spike was looking at Willow as if she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen, his fingers tracing her face as he seemed to be adapting to the idea that she returned his love. Willow was smiling softly, the lovely smile that said 'I love you and always will' that Dawn got to see a lot, though this one also had a slight twist at the corner that was a bit sexy-like that seemed to also say 'you're gorgeous and we're so going to shag later'. Dawn bounced a bit at seeing all their smiles and affectionate looks, her smile widening even more as she entered the room.

"I made breakfast," she beamed as she watched them look at her sheepishly. She laughed, "Today is a beautiful day! I have bacon and orange juice and blood and cookies. And that is such a freaky combination that it could only mean I made breakfast for the two people I love most in the world!"

"Someone's chipper this morning," Spike smiled slightly, pleased to see Dawn looking so alive and happy again.

"Almost as perky as those newspeople," Willow smiled, "maybe we should see if she's been possessed."

"Very funny," Dawn rolled her eyes, "just because I personally believe the morning news anchors must suffer from demonic possession by some overly perky, happy demon does not mean that I can't be happy in the morning."

"Just teasing, Dawny," Willow said, glancing at Spike as she asked silently what they should do. She had woken up in his arms feeling as if she was finally where she belonged.

Everything had happened rather quickly, okay, maybe they'd actually recognized and acknowledged their feelings quickly but she'd kind of loved him for years. Since he'd broken down talking about being hurt by Drusilla when he'd kidnapped her, or maybe since he'd been the only one to listen after Oz left her. She didn't really know exactly when her crush on Spike had developed, knowing only that one day she realized she could easily love him.

"Dawn, luv, Willow and I have something to talk to you about," Spike said slowly, having no intention of his concealing his feelings from anyone. Willow loved him, had accepted him demon and all, and he wanted every bloody person in the world to know that this beautiful, intelligent, kind, powerful woman wanted him and loved him. Since he couldn't very tell everyone, he planned to at least tell those people that mattered to him, and Dawn was at the top of that list.

Okay, so she was the only one on the list besides Willow, Drusilla, and possibly, though he'd never admit it, Angel. He wasn't sure how his sire would like the fact that she'd fallen in love with a human, but he liked to believe that Dru wanted him happy. Besides, she'd always been fascinated by magic so he didn't think she'd mind his mate being a witch.

"You're both in love and finally happy?" Dawn smiled when they looked at her with surprise, "I already know that, silly! And I am very, very, very pleased about it. Of course, there will be some rules. No shagging where I might stumble upon you. Because, as much as you're both very attractive, you're kind of like my parents now and that's just eeew! There can be plenty of shagging, though, because that is part of a healthy and loving relationship. There must be lots of kissing and hand holding and romantic evenings together, also. I read in Cosmo that you should never let the romance fade from any relationship."

"Cosmo?" Spike arched a brow, "Bit too young to be reading stuff like that, Niblet."

"Piffle," Dawn smiled, "I'm nearly sixteen. I've known about the birds and the bees for a while."

"Dawn!" Willow laughed, thinking this was not at all how she imagined spending her morning.

"Willow!" Dawn laughed, "I said I knew about them, I certainly have no intention of running out and doing something stupid. I have school to focus on, after all. I want to be valedictorian just like you! Love can wait until I'm in college."

"Until you're fifty," Spike muttered, "You'll not date until you're too old to worry about hormone-driven boys trying to get into your knickers!"

"We'll compromise when I'm older," Dawn smirked, finding it all too easy to consider these two people her parents. Buffy had always been her sister and had never really replaced Joyce in her life. Willow, though, was someone Dawn could listen to and respect and consider a surrogate mother. And Spike was definitely the male influence in her life. She loved Xander and Giles, but neither was around as much as Spike. She smiled evilly as she imagined the interrogation her future dates would face when she brought them to meet her parents.

"You're really okay with us, Dawn?" Willow asked softly, happy that the teen was seemingly pleased and joking, but wanting to make sure it wasn't too soon after Buffy's death.

"Willow, I love you both and want you to be happy. You make each other smile, and the love you share is real and romantic and the kind of love that I want to find someday, so, yes, I'm very okay with it," Dawn leaned over and hugged the redhead before hugging Spike. Pulling back, she smiled, "Let's eat."

********************

"He took it hard," Dawn sighed as she leaned her head against the window of the car.

"He'll be fine," Spike said confidently. It had been five days since Angel and his gang of friends had arrived at the hotel. They'd been in some alternate dimension, it turned out, and had no idea what had been happening in Sunnydale.

Willow had been on the sofa when they'd entered the hotel laughing, Spike had been entering the room from the kitchen with a soda for his girl, seeing Angel's face clearly when his grandsire had looked at the redhead whose smile had faded upon seeing them. She told him it had been like a sudden wave of emotion had washed over her as she'd remembered they were to tell their friends about Buffy's death, feeling guilty that she'd begun to accept that the slayer was gone and move on with her life, feeling worse that she had been finding her soulmate and now had to tell Angel that he'd lost his. Angel had known, whispering the slayer's name and receiving confrontation from Willow.

After that, Willow had stood and moved to Angel, giving him a tight hug as she had cried silently. He and Dawn had given them time, neither one being friendly with any of the group of strangers, though Dawn recognized a couple because of her memories. Finally, they'd joined Willow on the sofa and he'd made his relationship with Willow known to his grandsire by giving his Red a gentle kiss and wiping her tears before pulling her into his arms. Surprisingly, Angel seemed to approve, though he had given him the standard warning later that he'd die a torturous and painful death if he ever even thought about hurting the redhead.

They'd told the story of Glory, explaining Dawn's existence, the teen snuggled against Willow as they rehashed the events of the last few months. Angel had been quiet and broody, which was about normal, and Spike knew he planned to go away for a bit after they left so he could deal with the loss of Buffy in his own way.

Dawn had immediately hit it off with the friendly demon that was hanging out with Angel's group of humans. She and Lorne had chattered on like old friends once everyone had a chance to deal with what had happened in Sunnydale. In fact, Lorne had already arranged a visit to Sunnydale in a few weeks, wanting to get away from LA for a bit following the destruction of his club. Spike had been rather impressed with that Gunn bloke, a man of few words but loyal actions.

The skinny little girl had been a bit annoying, but he'd been told she was a captive in that demon world for a bit so he could understand her being a bit strange. She and Willow had had a few conversations, though Fred had been a bit timid and hesitant to really talk to anyone, seeming to prefer staying in her room. The cheerleader, Cordelia, had taken Dawn and Willow shopping, claiming it was the best therapy, and seemed to be an all right chit. Wesley had spent a little too much time talking to Willow, in Spike's opinion, though the redhead just laughed and said he had no reason to be jealous. Jealous? Him? Certainly not of some nancy boy former watcher, thank you very much, though he had done his best to distract the redhead from her intellectual conversations, getting her to confess she much preferred snogging him to chatting with Wussy.

"Angel is going to be okay," Willow said as she gave Dawn a smile, "he's hurt and grieving and just needs some time to deal with it all. I think he feels guilty that he wasn't around to help, blaming himself in a way. I had a talk with him, though, and told him that someone very wise told me that we couldn't feel guilty for what happened to Buffy because she made her choice and would do it again without hesitation if it meant saving us and the world."

"Wise, huh?" Spike smirked, "Guess that answers the question on whether you love me for my brain or my body."

"Was there every any doubt?" Willow teased, "Your body, definitely!"

"I don't know, Mom. He's kind of smart, sometimes," Dawn defended with a smile, her melancholy regarding Angel fading as they drove away from LA.

"Sometimes? Hmph," Spike sulked, his blue eyes lit with amusement.

"Poor baby," Willow cooed, "you know I admire your intelligence, Spike, but you are rather sexy when you sulk." She leaned over and kissed him, "I love you, Spike."

"I love you more," he smirked before looking back at Dawn, who was beaming, "Put your seatbelt on, luv. We're about to hit the freeway."

"Yes, Dad," Dawn smiled widely as she sat back and fastened her seatbelt. With a content smile on her pretty face, she looked out the window at the passing scenery, listening to Willow and Spike talk about what station to play on the radio, arguing affectionately in between exchanging brief kisses. She sighed happily, making herself comfortable for the drive home, looking forward to the future that awaited her family.

THE END