Title: Help During the Holidays

By: evans (aka Roswell428)

Written for the TTH Fic For All 2004 Holiday Challenge

Pairing: #532- Spike and Liz Parker

Summary: Spike helps Liz.

Disclaimer: As Always, I Own Nothing…

Spike looked down the alley where a group of what looked like humans were circling around an obviously pregnant woman. She was standing in the ankle deep snow of the alley. He knew that they only looked like humans, and weren't actually, because of the smell coming off them. No human smelled like that- it was kind of like their bodies were slowly decomposing even as they stood in them. As he watched, one pulled a long strip of skin from its arm and the skin disintegrated before it hit the ground.

Though he did know that they weren't human, he wasn't sure exactly what they were. He'd never seen anyone like them.

The group were moving in closer to the woman. She was frightened, but was looking resolute, like she knew this had been coming. She raised her hand, preparing to defend herself.

It was then that Spike moved in. He addressed what looked like the leader of the group, though why the leader would look like a fifteen year old boy was beyond him. "Yo mate! If I was you, I'd be moving away from the lady there right quick."

Nicholas turned and sneered at him. "I'd stay out of this if I were you, human."

Spike sneered back. "See that's where you're wrong..." And with that, he vamped out.

The woman took the groups' distraction to quickly raise her hand and blow a few of them to dust. Spike, seeing that, paused for a minute and then thought, 'what the hell,' before he jumped into the fray.

He had trouble killing the buggers at first, until the woman yelled at him to smash in the small of their backs. After that it was child's play, with him knocking them off quickly. He received many blasts from their hands that would have killeda normal person, but he was anything but normal.

It was over with quickly, with the remaining few hightailing it out of there, Nicholas included.

The woman was leaning against the wall, clutching her large belly.

Spike was concerned. "You alright there, love?"

Liz looked at him and smiled. "I'm fine, thanks to you. That just took a lot out of me is all. I'll be alright in a few minutes."

"Do you need me to help you get somewhere?"

"Yeah, thanks. I was just going home. I'm Liz, by the way."

"Spike," he answered.

"That's an interesting name."

He grinned at her cockily, "You have no idea."

As they walked, Liz looked at him curiously. She knew he couldn't be human, not with what he'd done and what his face had looked like. In fact, he looked rather as she imagined a vampire would look. This didn't frighten her as much, or make her as skeptical, as it once would have. Living with Max Evans and the other members of their little family, had taught her to expect the unexpected. Besides, something in her gut told her she could trust him.

"What are you," she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm a vampire. But a good one." Spike answered her. "What about you? From what you could do, you're not exactly human yourself."

"I am human, but uh," Liz hesitated. She knew the group would be upset if she told this... vampire their secret, but after what he had seen, it didn't really matter. Besides, he wasn't exactly normal himself. "I was healed by an alien. An alien whom I am now currently married to."

"So aliens are real then? Huh." Spike stopped and helped her through a rather large snowbank.

Liz smiled at him again. "Well I could say the same thing about vampires, but living with alien royalty tends to broaden your horizons."

Spike chuckled at that. "Imagine it would. Do you know why they attacked you?"

Liz nodded morosely. "They were after my baby." She clutched her belly protectively as she walked.

He noticed this and said a bit savagely, "Well that lot didn't get it, now did they."

She stopped and impulsively hugged him. "No, thanks to you."

Spike was shocked for a moment, and then he hugged her back lightly. This was a special woman. Whomever her husband was, he was damned lucky.

They had reached her house. Liz turned to him. "Would you like to come in? As a thank you for helping me, I mean. I know it's the holiday season and all, so you probably have plans which I've kept you from long enough, but I'd really like it if you could stay for a while. I'd also like you to meet my Max."

He grinned at her. "Sure, pet. I'd love to come in for a while."