Chapter 5

Day 19

Xander pulled his car up to the new house that Willow, Tara and Dawn would be living in come this weekend. Spike had paid for the first month's rent and a deposit just yesterday so they were going to get it cleaned up before moving in. The last four days had been pretty crazy for Spike. He was working every night to make up some money to go towards the bills and the move. He was also working on getting a show ready for this Saturday. Tonight they were all going to be working on the new house to get it painted and ready for them to move in on Sunday. They then could work on getting the old house ready for sale. This would also be the first time Xander, Anya and Willow were seeing the new house. Tara didn't know how well it would go over, but she was hoping it wouldn't be too bad. They had picked up the paint for the house. They got white for the kitchen cabinets and a soft pale yellow for the rest of the house. Dawn had picked up a nice shade of purple to do her room. Spike was going to be picking her up from school in a couple of hours and then bringing her here. Xander was going to check out the house and see about any little repairs as the landlord held no interest in doing anything to the place unless it was legally binding.

"Holy jungle Batman." Xander commented as he pulled up to the house.

"It's not that bad. It just needs to be mowed and the weeds to be pulled. It looks decent otherwise." Tara said still trying to be positive.

It wouldn't be the house she would pick, but she knew better than to complain about things she couldn't change. This was going to be their house and she was determined to make it into a home. Realistically, Dawn was fifteen and within three years she would be going off to University somewhere. They only had to make it work for a little while.

"Well you said it was in rough shape. Are you sure it's even safe to live in?" Willow asked.

"The landlord cleared it and so did Spike's friend. They said it past inspection." Tara answered.

"Ya because I'm sure Spike's friend is reliable and trustworthy. I'll check it out and make sure you aren't going to die in it." Xander said not pleased at all as he got out of the car.

"I know it's not fancy, but it's the best that we can do. There's a lot of debt that needs to be paid off still. Spike's trying his best and really with a good cleaning and some fresh paint it won't be that bad." Tara said as the rest of them got out of the car.

"Still, it's a serious step down from the last house." Willow said not really happy to be walking in the house, much less living there.

"We can't afford the four grand it would cost to keep the house. This is more practical and Dawnie will be off to University within three years. It's a stepping stone. We can make it work." Tara unlocked the door and they walked in.

"Well, I've seen worse." Anya said as she took it all in.

"Ya in the drug end of town." Xander commented.

"This place is filthy." Willow complained.

"I said it was. That's why we brought all the cleaning supplies. I know it's nothing fancy or special, but this is where Dawnie will be living. Can you at least try and help me make this into a home for her please." Tara knew it was shocking, but they had no other options. She didn't want to hear about how bad the place was all night and she definitely didn't want Spike and Dawn to hear it.

"You could get a cute little table for that corner. Like a bistro table." Anya said trying to help, she really didn't see the problem with it. She had seen a hell of a lot worse.

"That's what I was thinking. And there is a small island in the kitchen we could use to get food ready."

"You have nice big windows. You'll have to cover them during the day when Spike is here, but once clean you'll get a lot of light through them. What's the rest look like?" Anya said as she made her way towards the stairs.

Tara gave a smile to Anya and was glad that someone seemed to be on her side with this.

"I'll go get my stuff from the car and start looking at what I can fix." Xander said giving in and accepting this was going to be the house that his friends would be living in. He wasn't happy about it, but he would make sure it was fixed as best as he could.

"I'll come and get the cleaning supplies." Willow added following Xander out.

Once they were at the trunk of the car Willow spoke.

"What do you think?"

"I think it needs a lot of love and car and even then it might not be all that great."

"I can't believe I'm going to have to live here in it. The dorm is much better than this."

"Ya, but Tara seems to be determined to live with Dawn and this is their only choice. All we can do is help her make it look better."

"A house that Spike is paying for. It's because of Spike that Buffy died. All he had to do was get up and get Dawn, but he failed and Buffy had to die to save Dawn. He is the last person that should be around."

"He won't be around for long. If he wants to pay the bills then let him. He'll be too busy to be around. It's only temporary."

"I know, but still. I don't like that they sold the house. Tara knows we are trying to bring Buffy back. She should have said no and just held off until we got Buffy back."

"Ya, but she couldn't tell Spike that. Besides, she said it would be close to four grand a month, Buffy couldn't afford that. At least here Buffy could afford it with working. Don't think of this as your place, but the home Buffy will come back to. We also don't even know if it is possible to bring Buffy back."

"It's possible. I just need to figure out the spell and ingredients. It's going to take a couple of months, but we should have everything we need for it." Willow said confidently that she could bring her dead friend back from the dead.

"Then let's make this a place that Buffy could be happy to live in." Xander grabbed his tool box and they both headed inside.

They got to work on getting the place cleaned and ready to paint while they waited for when Spike would bring Dawn over.

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Buffy sat there at the end of the bed opposite of Spike. Spike was sitting up in bed looking at some old photos. Buffy had leaned over to look at them when Spike first took them out and saw that they were photos of who she assumed was his mother and him when he was younger. The pictures were so old and cracked Buffy was surprised you could even make anything out of the image. Buffy could tell that Spike seemed to be depressed today, but she had no idea why. She had seen Spike sad after Drusilla left him, but she had never seen him down right depressed. So depressed he didn't even get out of bed this morning. He was supposed to be picking up Dawn within the next few hours and taking her over to the new house to get it painted and ready for them to move in on Sunday. At this rate, Spike was never getting out of bed. All he had managed to do today was getting dressed and grabbing the old photobox from an old trunk he had.

They were both brought out of their thoughts with the sound of the trap door being opened. Spike snapped his head up as he didn't hear anyone opening his front door. Buffy didn't know who this new guy was, but Spike seemed to know him. He was handsome, with medium length black hair that went down to the back of his neck, but it was trimmed with layers that fit around the shape of his face. He had beautiful hazel green eyes and a gorgeous face. Buffy could tell he was young, maybe in his late twenties. He was fit as well, but Buffy couldn't tell if he was a vampire or another demon. She was guessing he wasn't human based on how quiet he was upstairs, and that he knew Spike.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" Spike asked with a warmth to his voice.

"Der called to tell me what happened." Damon answered as he sat down on the bed closer to Spike, but facing him.

"He shouldn't have done that. I'm fine."

"You're fine? Now that is a load of bullshit and you know it. The woman you love is dead. You have been put through a great deal in the past couple of years since I first met you. Fine is the last thing that you are."

"I'll bounce back, always do." Spike said with a shrug.

"I'm over fourteen hundred years old William, I am far too old for that shit and you know I don't tolerate it. I have no interest in some smoke screen or a mask."

"Fourteen hundred. Holy crap dude you are old." Buffy said shocked that he was so old. She had no idea if he was a demon or vampire, but she had never met any that old before outside of the Master. And he looked nowhere near how hot this guy looked.

Spike let out a small sigh before he spoke. "It feels like someone reached into my chest and ripped out my heart. I feel like half of me is missin' and I'm never gettin' it back. It didn't feel like this when Dru left me and I loved her for a century. Makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense. Drusilla was your first love, a love you should have given up a long time ago, but you stayed because you needed to belong to someone. Buffy, she was your true love, your soulmate. She didn't get to see you for who you truly are, she didn't get that chance to fall in love with you yet. It's natural for you to feel like you are missing part of yourself because you are. It's also natural for it to be making you think about other things that you normally don't allow yourself to think about." Damon said with a nod down to the photos on the bed.

"The Niblet asked about my parents the other day." Spike said with pain lacing his voice.

"What did you tell her?" Damon already knew about Dawn as he had kept in contact with Der weekly for updates on Spike since he left two years ago.

"Nuthin'. Got her to get to bed instead. Not somethin' I'm proud of."

"You're mother was sick William. You thought it would make her better. You had no idea it would turn her into what it did. The demon didn't change who you were, you had no way of knowing it would change your mother. All you knew was that your mother was sick, dying, and you could make her healthy again." Damon said gently.

"Doesn't changed that I killed her and turned her into a monster." Spike said with self-hatred overflowing from his voice.

"Oh my god. You turned your own mother?" Buffy said slightly disgusted by it. She figured he had killed her, Angel had said that was the first thing any vampire did, but she had no idea he would turn her.

"No, the demon did that. You had no idea it would react like that to her. And when you saw what you had done to her, you staked her and freed her from that hell. You saved her soul. That was the first and only time you sired anyone. She wasn't you and it's not your fault."

"She wasn't me, but then why wasn't she? Why am I the only one like this? There's no other vamp out there like me, not in history that I can find, so why am I like this? It never mattered to me before, not really. But after everything that happened all I can think about it is that. It shouldn't bother me but it does."

"You've lost a great deal recently William. You are going through something and those questions that didn't really matter before matter now. You are feeling lost and that is perfectly normal. I know you are close to being a hundred and thirty years old, but you are young in our world. You are starting to go through that phase where you want to discover who you truly are and how you fit into this world. Every vampire goes through it should they live long enough. I have plenty of times and it was not easy. But I stayed close to family and they were able to help me through it. You have a family, they are not your vampire blood family, but they are your family. The people that love and accept you for who you are. They will always be there to help guide you through the difficult times. Just like I will be. You are the reason why I am back and if those answers truly matter to you then I will find them for you."

"How though? I've done the research it always goes back to what I was like as a human and my parents. I don't even know who my father was. My Mum never spoke about him, I don't even know his name and it's not written down anywhere."

"It might not be because of who your parents were. There was one other vampire in my time to be similar to you. His name was Draven and he was eight hundred years old when he died, that was three centuries ago. He much like yourself was able to feel completely, he was almost exactly how he was as a human. He went wild for a good century, but he cooled down fast and he didn't take much thrill in torture. He was very special to me." Damon said warmly.

"You sired him." Spike easily stated.

"I did. I was three hundred at the time and had long given up siring family. Most were often let downs or too much of a hassle and were killed. There was something special about him though that I couldn't let go. He was actually the one to help me calm down and start living differently. We spent eight hundred years together, he was very much my Childe and I his Sire. It was a brotherhood between us. I miss him everyday. You often remind me of him."

"How did he die?"

"A broken heart actually. His soulmate died. They had performed the mating ceremony a decade prior to it. When she died he didn't last much longer after that, four months. He died slowly for four months, I couldn't save him no matter what I did." Damon said with a deep regret.

"Sorry mate."

"It's an ache that I've had to carry around, but living also allows me to help people like you and to continue on with guarding my family, old and young. The curse of a vampire."

"Livin' forever was so appealin' in the beginnin'. Bein' able to go through the centuries and seein' all the changes. Still is appealing, but doing it alone just seems like another form of Hell."

"Ah, but you're not alone. You will always have family to be there with you and get your through it. You will get through this William, I am not about to lose you too."

"Guess it's just gonna take time."

"It does, but it will get easier, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. Remember, you are not alone. You have a family that cares about you and will always be there for you."

"Appreciate it mate. How long are you in town for this time?"

"I'm not leaving any time soon. I'll be staying at my place. I need to clean it up, two years' worth of dust will be everywhere."

"Sounds more fun than I'll be doin'."

"Which is hopefully not spending the night depressed in bed."

"Naw, I need to pick up the Niblet and take her over to the new house. Get to clean it and paint it with Buffy's mates."

"That's right, Der was telling me that you needed to put the old house up for sale. How is Dawn handling it?"

"A lot better than I thought she would. She's almost excited about having a new place and a fresh start. She's bein' good about it."

"Young people always bounce back fairly quickly. She's probably relieved to be getting away from all of the bad memories in the house. Even good ones can be painful for someone when they have lost two loved ones so close together. And I know the house isn't much, but it will be made into a home once she has her things in it. A good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint can do wonders. It's all about having the right mindset William. I am sure in no time it will feel like home to her."

"Hope so. Temporary anyways. She wants to leave town for University. She's even thinkin' of takin' extra courses during the summer to graduate early. Three years at most and she'll be gone."

"And you with her." Damon said with a warm knowing smile.

"Most likely. We manage to get the naughty slayer out of her cage I can leave without feeling bad her friends are gonna get eaten."

"Der told me about that. It's not impossible, it's just going to take a bit of time to figure the logistics out. Hopefully we can do it legally. Der is very good at what he does and he has the connections to potentially do this. It all depends on what her case file says."

"Did he get his hands on it yet?"

"Just this morning. It'll take him a few days to go through it and form a plan. He has to pick up Sarah at the school though so you'll probably see him there."

Spike just gave a nod and Damon patted Spike's leg as he stood up and spoke. "I should get going. It's getting shady outside, looks like it'll rain tonight. You should be fine to head to the school above ground."

"Ta for the heads up."

"Hey wait a minute. It's daylight, how the hell did you get here?" Buffy asked as she just clued in to what time it was. She made a mental note to ask Jackson about it the next time she saw him.

"You can always speak to me whenever William. I'll always be here for you."

"Appreciate it mate. It's just a bad day." Spike said with a small shrug.

"All the more reason for you to get your ass in the shower and go see your little sister. You need family around you, not these walls." Damon said as he moved his hand around to indicate the dirt walls.

"I know, I know. I'll put it away and get ready to go. Did Der tell you about the art show I'm puttin' on this Saturday?"

"He did. He's been telling everyone, from what I have heard it is looking to be a packed house. I'll be there as well. Let me know if you need any help getting it ready."

"Ta, but I think we'll be ok. I got the Bit and Glinda helping with it. The Bit has been studying up on the art pieces just in case someone asks her about it. She's been workin' hard at it." Spike said with a slight proud tone to his voice.

"She wants a better life outside of school. It's a good drive for a young woman to have. I'm sure Der will teach her all about the finer things in life that she can use later on."

"Probably. He's real good with kids. With some luck Saturday will be a smashin' hit and we can start generating some revenue with the gallery."

"I've put the word out that you are looking to take on some work with my contacts. We'll get you something to help with the bills until the gallery is self-sufficient. I'd offer to help you out, but I know you won't take it." Damon said with a warm smile.

"Der already tried. I'll make it work."

"I'm sure you will, but know that the offer is open standing. I'll get out of your hair though so you can get ready. I'll see you Saturday if I don't see you before then."

"See ya mate."

Damon made his way out of the crypt just as quietly as he came in. Spike let out a sigh before he picked up the photos and took one last look at them before he placed them into the photobox and got up to put them away. Spike them made his way into his bathroom to get showered and ready to pick up Dawn.

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Spike pulled up to Dawn's school and got out of his car and leaned against the hood of his car. He saw Der's car across the street and he wasn't surprised when he saw Der getting out of his car and making his way towards him. Der gave him a warm smile as he spoke.

"Hey Spike, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. Saw Damon."

"Ya he arrived late last night. Stayed at mine so he wouldn't have to deal with cleaning his house yet. How was he?"

"Good. On his way home to clean. Don't know why he doesn't hire someone to do it. He is loaded."

"I don't think he likes strangers in his house. What are you doing Friday night?"

"Nuthin' yet. Why?"

"A bar owner that I know just had his singer cancel on him. The band can play, but they need a singer. I dropped your name."

"Ooh you can sing? What do you sing Spikey?" Buffy said with a huge smile on her face.

"Don't know why you would do that. Not like I'll know their songs."

"No, but if you give me the sheet music to your songs they can learn it quick enough for Friday. They got three days."

"Oh your sheet music eh? So you write and sing. Oh this is too good and I can't even properly make fun of you for it." Buffy said as she laughed.

"I don't typically sing in front of crowds you know that."

"I know, but it's a flat eight hundred bucks in your pocket for three hours of work."

"Eight hundred? Where the hell is this bar?"

"Next town over, the Devil's House. Very popular human bar. He makes over fifty grand in a weekend between the door cover and bar sales. Singer gets eight hundred at the rate the previous singer brings in. He's more popular than the last one, but if you could bring in more customers with your talent then the price would go up. If he likes you more though, he'll give you three nights a week, Thursday thru Saturday nine till midnight."

"Twenty-four hundred a week." Spike said liking the sound of that.

"Ninety-six hundred a month. When he told me he needed a singer and real quick I told him I had the perfect guy for it. This is your chance to make some good money and you'll only be working nine hours a week."

"Tell em I'll do it. I'll get the music to you tonight and then you can give it to him. Not sure how good I'll be or if anyone will like it, but I'll give it a go."

"You'll do great. And if you get the job for the new lead singer you could think about playing with that band at other locations. That band stays together, but the lead singer always changes where they play. I've heard they are looking to have a more permanent singer so they could play more shows all over the place without having to worry about having a singer. This could be really good for you."

"We'll see how Friday goes first before any plannin'. How's the dark slayer's file comin' along?"

"Not as well as I would have liked. She surrendered herself in L.A for her past actions, but she never did confess to anything nor did she deny it. I might be able to get around it stating some kind of mental defect she had at the time. It's going to take some work to figure out. For now my connections are keeping an eye on the Crusades and will give us the heads up if they move this way. How is the gallery coming along? Do you need any help getting it ready for Saturday?"

"Naw I'll be fine. Got the Bit studying up on all of the pieces we're sellin'. She's gettin' into it. Glinda is being good about everything and taking it all in stride. She's goin' through a big change herself with all of this."

"It takes a village to raise a child. Dawn needs all the family she can get to get her through this. If you ever need any help with her you know you can always call me."

"I know. I might take you up on it."

"The girls got along real well the other night. We could always do a sleepover for them. Give you and Tara a night off."

"Ya that might be nice. I'll mention it to the Bit."

"Here comes our beautiful girls now. I'll see you later tonight."

"See ya mate."

Der walked off and gave the girls a wave as he went over to his daughter. Dawn came over to Spike with a smile on her face.

"Hey Bit. How was school?"

"Not bad. I hung out with Sarah mostly. She's pretty cool. And it's kinda nice to not have to pretend like there aren't demons and vampires in the world."

"Can see the appeal ya. Der was just talkin' about you girls doin' a sleepover some time." Spike said as they got into the car.

"Oh awesome. Sounds like fun."

"Having a sleepover at the house of a demon, ya sure why not." Buffy commented in the back. She had to admit Der and his family did seem pretty nice and you couldn't tell by looking at them that they were half-demons. Besides, it wasn't like she could say no after all.

"Any homework?" Spike asked as he headed for the new house.

"No thankfully. How much work do you think the others got done at the house?"

"Don't know. Won't be able to get it all done tonight. It'll be ready by Sunday though."

"I can't wait to see what it will look like once it's all done. Me and Tara already started looking into how to make a small vegetable garden out back. We're going to try and grow some carrots and tomatoes." Dawn said sounding excited over something so simple.

"Glinda should be able to show you how to do it. Earth witches are good at that sort of thing. You all set for Saturday?"

"Almost. I've got most of the pieces memorized, I'm just going to practice a bunch to make sure I don't mess up. Do we have anything to set up?"

"We'll have to go a bit early to get the drinks and o'd'oeuvres ready. It starts at nine, so we should be there for seven and make sure it's all clean and ready."

"Ok, I already have my outfit picked out. A nice pair of black jeans with a black blazer that I have from funerals. Very professional and serious."

"A tip from Der is that?" Spike said with a smirk.

"Yup. He said if you want to be taken seriously you need to look the part."

"He's a smart man. You listen to him and he'll guide you into the life you could only dream of Bit."

"I will admit he does seem to know what he's talking about. I mean hello his house." Buffy said still amazed that a place like that even existed in Sunnydale.

"I was doing more research into corporate law and it seems pretty cool and it's something I could take to help people in other countries. And my guidance counselor today told me that I could take up to four courses during the summer if I want. She mapped it out, if I take four in the summer and then six courses in each semester I could graduate at the end of next year. And the last semester I could do it where it's like an internship to get my six credits. I could be done in a year, how awesome would that be?" Dawn said sounding really excited.

"That's great Bit. Are you sure that is something you want to do?"

"Definitely. The College here has a pre-law degree program that I can take and then once I graduate I could go to an actual law school anywhere. So I'll be here until I'm nineteen and then I can go off to law school, which will take me another three years. So I could be done all of my schooling by twenty-two."

"Assumin' you stick with the schedule you could be off in the world before you know it. You do know where you go, I go right?"

"Oh hell ya. I can't leave my guardian behind." Dawn said with a huge warm smile.

"Gonna be stuck with me a long time Bit."

"I better be. Someone has to make sure my kids and my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren are all safe. You better not be planning on dying any time soon."

"Only if you plan on doing somethin' stupid that would get me good and dusted."

"I've never thought about that before. You would always be around to protect Dawnie and any of her children and her children's children. You could be the family protector. That should bother me, but I'm kinda liking the idea of you being there protecting her and everyone that comes after. I like that." Buffy said warmly with a sincere smile gracing her lips.

"I promise I won't."

"Then I promise I won't." Spike replied back as they pulled up to the new house.

Dawn gave a smile as she opened the door. They all got out and made their way into the house. The outside looked the same, but it was inside that mattered the most to them. They walked in and saw that Xander was fixing some of the kitchen cupboards while the girls were cleaning the walls to get them ready to be painted.

"Well it smells better in here." Dawn said.

"It's pretty dirty, but it has great bones. There is even enough space by your window in your room for a small seat." Anya said truly enthused about all of this.

"Really?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, Xander said he could make one." Anya said back.

"That would be awesome." Dawn said as she went and removed her coat to help out.

"Xander also fixed the few steps that were shaky and he's just getting the cupboards on properly. It's going to take until Sunday to get this place clean and painted, but it's coming along." Tara said.

"It already looks better." Spike said as he removed his own coat and picked up a cloth to help clean up.

"It does look better, but I'm still not seeing it yet. I have no clue how Anya can be excited about any of this. But I guess she has lived in some nasty places over the years." Buffy said.

"Tara was telling me about the art show you have on Saturday. Do you need anyone to help take money from people?" Anya asked.

Spike gave a chuckle. "We're good I think. Maybe next time."

"What time Saturday should we be there?" Tara asked.

"Around seven to get everythin' ready for nine. I also got work on Friday now at nine. You don't have a late class right?"

"No I'm good to be home. Will you be out late?" Tara asked.

"Job goes till midnight in the next town over, then I'll have to patrol."

"So don't wait up, got it." Tara said with a warm smile.

"What's the job?" Dawn asked.

"Just doin' some security work at a bar for a friend of a friend." Spike said dismissively.

"Liar. Them finding out you are going to be singing I guess would ruin your whole Big Bad persona eh? Man it sucks that I can't tell anyone, or at least not anyone that would make fun of you for it." Buffy said.

They all spent the rest of the evening working on the house getting it ready to be painted. Tomorrow Spike was planning on coming by during the day to work on the painting and then Dawn was going to be painting her room tomorrow. That would give it two days to clear the smell out before they would move in. Once they were all moved in here they could then start to focus on getting the old house ready to be sold and the furniture sold. It was going to be a long couple of weeks until they got the house finished, but once that was done they could all relax into a routine. Once it was late enough Spike gave Dawn a ride back to the house before he made his way back to his crypt and got the sheet music together. He then dropped it off at Der's before he did a patrol. It was a long night before he collapsed into bed.

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Day 21

It was Friday night and Spike was at the new house with Tara and Dawn. They had just finished up painting the house and Buffy had to admit it looked completely different. The white paint made it brighter in the kitchen and the soft pale yellow in the rest of the house made it feel slightly bigger, fresher. For the first time it looked like it could actually be a home for someone. They had been working hard on it for the past two days and it showed. It was just before eight when they started to make their way out of the house. Spike needed to get the girls back home so he could start making his way towards the bar for nine. Buffy had to admit how well Spike was taking care of Dawn and handling things. She wasn't sure at first, but he seemed to be sticking with it and looking out for Dawn. It was a different side to Spike, one she had tried not to see or think had always known deep down that there was something different about Spike. The way he cared for Drusilla was proof that there was something more underneath the vampire exterior. Buffy just never allowed her mind to think about it. With Glory though, she had to start to rely on Spike to protect her mother and sister from the Hell God herself. Then when Spike was tortured just to protect Dawn, that nagging gut feeling deep down got harder and harder to ignore. For a split second Buffy saw the real Spike. The Spike without any of the walls or persona that he carried. He was just Spike, he was real and Buffy couldn't help but press her lips against his. It was that single moment that could have changed everything. If Buffy had held onto that version of Spike instead of letting her mind go back to seeing him as nothing more than a vampire, the night on the tower could have gone so much differently.

Buffy turned in the passenger seat and looked at Spike as he drove down the side highway. He was wearing just his normal clothes and Buffy could tell that he was nervous about this. She could tell he was unsure if this was a good idea or not, but he couldn't pass up the chance to make eight hundred dollars.

"Who are you Spike? Is this what I'm supposed to learn? I'm stuck to you and that can't be a coincidence. I must need to learn something from you before I can go up to Heaven. Maybe it's seeing who you truly are and knowing that Dawnie and my friends are ok. But who are you Spike? You are so much more than just some vampire. I don't get it."

Buffy didn't know what to think or what she was feeling anymore. All she did know was that Spike was turning out to be someone completely different than what she had originally thought he was. It was quarter to nine when Spike pulled up to the bar. It was a large bar that could easily fit three hundred people in it. Based on the line outside it was a very popular location. The only bar Buffy had been to was the Brozen and she knew that wouldn't be a great comparison, but it was the only bar in town for a human to go to. Buffy couldn't tell what type of bar this one was from the outside, but it looked pretty hip. The crowd was all in their twenties and early thirties. Spike made his way over to the bouncer, Buffy took note of all the cat calls Spike got from the girls in line. They were clearly very happy to see him.

"Hey mate. Name's Spike, I'm supposed to be singin' with the band tonight." Spike said to the bouncer.

"Boss has been waiting on you. You're supposed to be here half hour early for sound checks."

"No one told me that. I best get in there then ya?"

"Griff will be backstage. He's the boss." The bouncer said as he opened the door for Spike.

Spike gave a nod and made his way inside. The bar was very high end and looked nothing like Buffy had ever seen before. It could have easily fit in with the L.A bars. There was a second floor that overlooked the whole place. There were booths all along the wall with black leather. The waitresses were all wearing tight black cocktail dresses and walking around with drinks, some carrying shot trays. There were lights for dancing on the ceiling that was directed towards the dancefloor by the stage.

"Nice place. Hey this is a perk of being dead. I wouldn't have been allowed in here otherwise. Now if I could just figure out how to get Spike into a male strip club."

Spike walked around to the back of the stage and saw that the band was all there, along with a man in a very high end suit who Buffy assumed was Griff.

"Ya he's so pissed right now." Buffy said as she took in Griff's face.

"You better be Spike." Griff demanded.

"Sorry mate. No one told me I needed to be here that early. It won't happen again." Spike kept some remorse in his voice that Buffy was shocked he could do. But this could turn out to be a very well paid job. He couldn't afford to blow it.

"The only reason I am even letting you on that stage is because I don't have anyone else. You want a shot at coming back you better be as good as Der says you are."

"Only one way to find out."

"Get up there and do a quick sound check. Now." Griff demanded before he turned to head out.

"Hey I'm Matt and don't sweat it. He gets like that every time he has a new singer. He goes through them pretty quick. Says he's just looking for that sound. I hope you can sing something other than country."

"Spike. Can't stand that shit. It's rock."

"Then you might have a chance. I'm Doug and this is Kevin. We'll do a quick sound check and then get started."

They all made their way to the stage and Buffy watched as they did a sound check. It was just a few minutes after nine when they were ready to go and the place was almost packed already. Buffy moved down off the stage and went to stand in the front with the crowd. She knew she could have stayed on the stage, but she wanted to get the full experience.

Spike stepped up to the mic and Buffy could tell by the slight change in his posture that he was nervous and uncomfortable being up on stage. He probably would have been fine if he had been able to have a few shots, but he didn't get that chance tonight. Buffy couldn't help but smile at Spike's obvious discomfort.

"Ah hey. I'm Spike and this is the band. And ya." Spike stuttered through. He had no idea what he was supposed to say or what the band's name even was. He was thankfully saved by the drummer counting them in.

Buffy stood there and listened to the music. It was rock, but it wasn't hard rock, which was nice. It kinda reminded her of Oz and his band's type of music. You could sit and listen to it, but also move around and dance to it. When Spike opened his mouth for the first note Buffy's teasing smirk slowly faded at each note that Spike sang. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and it was clear the audience couldn't believe it either. It took all of ten words and the audience was moving around loving it. Spike could sing. Buffy couldn't take her eyes off from him. Gone was the discomfort and lack of confidence and in front of her stood a man with talent. Buffy's smirk slowly turned into a genuine smile.

"Who the hell are you Spike? Who did I refuse to let you be?"

Buffy had no idea what to think about any of this. She didn't expect this she knew that much. She fully expected to be able to mock Spike for the rest of her time stuck with him. She didn't expect to be standing here completely dumbfounded by this stranger on stage. She felt like this was one more piece into who the true Spike was, dare she say who William was. She was starting to see Spike in a new light and Buffy found herself actually liking what she was seeing. This was a man that she could be friends with. This was a man that she could trust with her secrets and her family. This was a man that you could spend all night just talking without it getting boring. None of those things she ever associated with Spike, but here they all were. For the first time Buffy found herself feeling two things. Regret for never allowing Spike the chance to prove he could be something more than just a vampire. And joy for being stuck with Spike and being able to see this. As annoying and as hard as it will be to be stuck with Spike until the Universe fixes itself or she learns whatever it was that she needs to. It also had the chance to be a blessing. To be able to see the things she missed because she was blinded by one belief or another. Here she had fresh eyes and a clear mind to soak it all in and decide for herself what was right and what was wrong. Buffy found herself liking that fact more as each hour passed.

Buffy slowly started to get over her shock and was soon dancing along with the others to Spike's music. She found that she actually really enjoyed his songs and his voice sounded amazing on it. She watched as Spike grew more and more confident with each number and soon he was having his own fun up on stage. He had a good mix of fast and slow songs to give everyone the break to grab a drink at the bar or to slow dance with those they wanted. Spike was able to really get the crowd going and getting them to head to the bar for drinks or shots. Buffy caught glimpses of Griff and the man had a smile on his face. Buffy was hoping that meant that Spike would be able to come back and make some serious cash, cash he desperately needed for Dawnie and the house. The three hours flew by quick and with one final set they said their goodnights, but the crowd wasn't hearing it. They chanted encore over and over again. Buffy could tell that the band wasn't prepared for an encore nor were they expecting it. Buffy was shocked once again when Spike easily gave them a nod before he picked up a guitar and went over to the mic. Buffy had no idea why she was so shocked in that moment. It would only make sense that Spike could play an instrument as he wrote the sheet music, but it never crossed her mind.

As Spike started to strum the guitar Buffy's eyes were glued to him. She felt like she couldn't look away or she would miss something amazing. He started to sing his own cover version of Every Breath You Take and everyone was giving him their full attention. Buffy felt like if she had the ability to breathe Spike would have taken her breath away. It was beautiful, that was the only way Buffy could think to describe it. It should have been slightly creepy as it was coming from a vampire, but it was just beautiful. Once the last cord was played the room was silent for a moment before it erupted into chaos. Everyone was screaming and applauding Spike. Buffy could see the slight discomfort again at getting so much attention, but Spike just gave a slightly shy smile and raised his hand and bid them a goodnight. He made his way off the stage and Buffy followed after him. The rest of the band was there all smiling like idiots.

"Man that was awesome." Kevin said as he went gave Spike's back a hard pat.

"Shit, you have to play with us at other spots man. Do you have your own band?" Doug asked.

"Naw, first time I've done anythin' like this."

"You need to stick with us then. We could play all over the State and then branch out further. Griff is gonna all but beg you to stay. He was creaming in his pants over there at the drink sales. It wouldn't surprise me if he started to charge at the door for you." Kevin said.

"Are you coming back tomorrow?" Matt asked.

"Was told it was only for tonight. Got an art show I'm runnin' tomorrow night."

"Oh cool. Griff will probably beg you to ditch it. Think about joining up with us for more gigs. Give us a shout if you are in." Doug said as he handed Spike his business card. Spike took it with a nod.

"I run an art gallery that belonged to a friend of mine before she past. Can't guarantee what my schedule will be, but it's something that is interestin' to me. I'll give ya a ring on Monday and sort somethin' out."

"Awesome. We'll figure it out Monday and get some spots lined up. Good luck at the show." Matt said and the guys all had huge smiles on their faces.

"Ta mates."

Spike made his way over to Griff so he could get his money and head out. Spike was happy and pumped for what just happened, but he also had to get back to Sunnydale and do a patrol before he would need to be awake tomorrow to get the gallery ready for the show. He couldn't celebrate right now no matter how appealing it was to him. Griff nodded his head at Spike towards the back room by the bar. Spike followed and once the door was closed Griff spoke.

"I want you here three nights a week. Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the foreseeable future. Can you be here tomorrow?"

"I can't do tomorrow I'm runnin' an art gallery. But I can be here next week and I can make sure I schedule around the shows here." Spike said politely, because this could truly be the difference of Dawn being ok and her starving.

"When's the gallery?"

"Starts at nine and goes till eleven."

It was clear that Griff wasn't happy about it, but he also wasn't going to shoot himself in the foot either. "Fine, next week you start. Every show you are thirty minutes early for setup and sound check. You do not drink before or during a show. After, you have a three beer on the house tab should you choose it. There is a contract you will need to sign I'll fax it to Der and he can hand it over to you, after he looks it over I'm sure. It's standard and will state that you will receive eight hundred dollars after each show. That if you are a no show you will lose your position here and will owe me money lost. I have had nothing but bad experiences with singers you only get one chance with me. Do you understand?"

"Got it. Not gonna let ya down. Too much ridin' on it." Spike said honestly.

"See you Thursday, eight-thirty." Griff said as he handed Spike his pay in cash.

"Eight-thirty, I swear." Spike took the money and placed it into his pocket before he made his way out of the back room and then the bar.

It took a bit of work to get out of the bar as everyone was wanting to speak to him and offers to buy him a beer. Spike knew that this was also part of it. He couldn't be a dick because then they might not come back. He needed them to all come back and tell their friends so more would come and he could up the pay he was getting. It was almost one by the time Spike managed to get inside his car. Once sitting down Spike let out a sigh of relief to be alone.

"Damn, you almost need your own security detail just to get you out. This is good though Spike. You made eight hundred bucks tonight. Next week you'll be making twenty-four hundred. You'll be able to cover all of the bills with just one week's pay. The debt is still large and it won't get much better, but you'll be able to pay it down at least."

Spike not being able to hear Buffy just turned his car on and started to make the drive back to town. He still had a patrol he needed to do before he would be able to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be yet another long day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Willow found herself alone in the dorm. Tara had to spend the night at Buffy's house to be with Dawn while Spike was at some job. To say that Willow was unhappy would be an understatement. She had seen the house since it was finished and it did look better, but it was nowhere near where she wanted to be living. She would have been fine to move into Buffy's house and not the small old house she was supposed to be moving into. Willow was also not happy about how close Spike was getting to not only Dawn, but Tara as well. Willow didn't like that Spike seemed to be poisoning Tara's mind and having her think that he was good all of a sudden. Willow knew better. She knew that Spike was only doing this until he could get whatever he wanted from them. He had a scheme he always did. She wasn't going to let Dawn or Tara fall victim to Spike like Buffy did. Willow knew that without a soul a vampire couldn't feel love. She refused to let Spike's obsession with Buffy turn towards Dawn or worse, Tara. She had to get rid of him and then when Buffy did come back she wouldn't have to worry about Spike on top of it. The problem was she couldn't magic him gone and she couldn't be the one to run him out of town herself. She had to keep it quiet and innocent in it so Tara wouldn't be angry with her. The problem was Willow didn't know how to run a vampire out of town, especially someone like Spike. Spike was annoyingly stubborn, if he didn't want to do something he wouldn't.

Willow picked up her phone and called the one person she could think of that would be able to give her some pointers on how to deal with Spike. Angel. After three rings there was an answer.

"Angel Investigations."

"Hi Wesley. It's Willow. I need to speak to Angel about something. Is he there?"

"Yes he is. One moment Willow."

Willow could hear some shuffling in the background before finally the phone was past over.

"Willow, is everything ok?" Angel asked immediately.

"About as well as to be expected. I was actually calling for some advice on what to do with Spike."

"What's he done?" Angel asked with anger edging his voice.

"He's got Dawn selling the house and the things inside of it and then moving into a small little rundown house close to downtown. Tara is going to be living with Dawn in this new house. Spike is also going to be paying the bills, at least that is what he says but you and I both know he doesn't pay for anything. He's also taken control over the gallery that was Joyce's. I know it all sounds good, but this is Spike we're talking about here. He doesn't do anything out of the goodness of his heart. He's up to something and I'm worried about what will happen to Dawn and Tara."

"Spike always has a scheme playing. He takes advantage of a weak spot and then he manipulates everyone around him into believing he's the good guy. He did it with Buffy and look at where that got her. He can't be trusted. He needs to be killed." Angel said with pure hatred in his voice.

"I would agree, but I can't do anything that could upset Tara or Dawn. They need to be able to trust me. Isn't there a way to run him out of town or something? Something that would be believable and keep our hands innocent?"

"Turn the town against him and he'll leave. He doesn't feel real love, what he feels for Dawn is nothing but smoke and mirrors. He won't put himself through pain or aggravation for her. You turn the town against him and he'll flee like the coward he is."

"How do I turn a town against him?"

"There's the good demon community, but also a bad one. He gets into too many problems with the bad demons then he'll be getting attacked every night. He'll get sick of it a leave after a while. You turn the humans against him by talking to the right people. Sunnydale is small, but there are still gangs within it. You get the gangs to go after him he won't be able to fight back. There is also that Government agency that put the chip in his head. If you make it impossible for him to get blood within town and the next few towns he'll be weaker and he won't heal as fast. Same with sleep. If you keep him busy that he can't even get more than a couple hours of sleep a day he won't heal as fast. Between the lack of blood, sleep and injuries he'll leave." Angel said confidently.

"Ok I'll work on doing all of that then. He should be gone in a couple of weeks then. I might even be able to stop the sell of the house then."

"I'll spread the word down here through the community. Spike's made a lot of enemies over the years. We might even luck out and one of them might kill him."

"Would take care of the problem. I just don't want it to fall back on me. Tara and Dawn really like him and think he cares for them. I don't want to be the one to hurt them ya know?"

"I get it. Someone else will handle it. You work on getting those things set up. Spike will leave on his own or he'll be dust in the wind."

"Thanks Angel."

"It's my pleasure Willow."

Willow ended the call and she couldn't help but smile. She now knew what she needed to do in order to get rid of Spike. She was also going to hack into the real estate's office and postpone the sell of the house. If she could get it to hold off long enough until Spike was taken care of they could move into it and Buffy could move back home once she was brought back. Willow wasn't going to let Spike take anything away from Buffy and she wasn't going to risk him hurting her once she was back. Willow was going to protect her best friend at all costs, no matter what. Spike had to go.