AN: The first entry. The timeline for this will be random and jump across seasons. It will all be pre-season 5 and show how Spike and Edie's relationship developed, but also just tell general stories from her life pre-season 5. If there are any scenes or episodes you would like me to write a Spike/Edie twist for, let me know. Please review!

Summary: AU scene from the episode Doomed... After Xander and Willow walk in on Spike trying to dust himself, they ask Edie to babysit him... which is easier said than done.

The False Memoires of Edie Stone

By Secret Slayer

Doomed

"What the bloody hell do you want?"

I close the door behind me and it shuts with a gentle click. I can feel my heart racing and I blush, knowing the vampire will be able to sense my nervousness. Spike can't hurt me, that's a proven fact, but being around the vampire still makes me nervous. My ongoing crush for the evil fiend doesn't help any.

"Willow told me you tried to dust yourself," I say carefully, leaning back against the closed door, not yet brave enough to walk any closer.

He sits on our sofa with tense shoulders and his jaw clenched as though he's trying with great difficulty to restrain himself from doing something. All the lights are off in the lounge except for a small lamp beside him which casts a deceptive warmth across his dead skin. He's wearing a god awful Hawaiian shirt that belongs to Xander and its difficult to take the undead man seriously. I value my life too much to laugh though. Chip or no chip, I'm not tempting fate.

"Did she now?" he asks. "Nosey bint shouldn't get involved."

I roll my eyes. "Do you have to be a jerk all of the time?"

He frowns and slowly turns his head in my direction. My heart thumps wildly in my chest when dangerous blue eyes lock with my own. The corner of his mouth turns up in a languid smirk.

"Well, well, look who's grown a pair," he drawls. His head tilts to the side as he examines me. "You know, you're nothing like that cousin of yours."

He's trying to weaken my defences - looking at me with those ... those silly eyes. God, those eyes are amazing. He runs his tongue over his teeth. Focus Edie!

"Don't change the subject Spike," I say, but my voice isn't as strong as I want it to be and I cringe.

He shrugs nonchalantly, "Just sayin' you're more fun is all. Not so uptight."

I choose to ignore his continued efforts to keep off topic. "I've been sent to baby sit you. Stop you from dusting yourself. You're pathetic, Spike."

He laughs, grabbing the remote to his side and turning the television on. He doesn't look at me when he talks to me.

"The way your heart beats pet, I can tell you don't think I'm pathetic," he says, his voice as silky as a purr. "I only have to look at you and you flinch. Don't know why you panic so, I wouldn't bite you. You're the only one out of the lot I can stand."

"Seriously?" I ask, genuinely flattered. I mentally slap myself for letting his words get to me.

His focus breaks from the screen in front of him and he straightens his posture, giving me a brief glance. "Doesn't make us friends."

I roll my eyes at his attempt to cover his tracks. "Wouldn't want to be."

We fall quiet and he watches the television, but I sense that he's not really watching what's on the screen at all. I shift awkwardly. I don't know why I agreed to this. I should have gone with the guys to the high school to help prevent the apocalypse. I always got stuck with babysitting duty. If it wasn't Dawn, it was the suicidal bleached vampire. I wish I had cool super powers. I hated being the dependable, boring one.

"You look silly," I suddenly blurt out.

Spike turns the television off and glares at me, "Excuse me?"

"With that daft shirt and... and the trousers! What kind of vampire are you?"

His jaw drops with shock and closes, then reopens, "Thought you were supposed to be cheering me up."

I shrug, "Actually, Buffy just wanted to keep you alive until we were completely up to date with those commando guys. The cheering up was my idea."

"You care if I dust myself?" he asks, raising a scarred eyebrow at me.

I duck my head, embarrassed at my slip of showing any genuine feelings towards the vampire. "I wouldn't go that far. Just think it's wrong that you should dust yourself. You've been around for the last couple of years, it would be weird if you... you know, died."

"Already dead, pet."

This time I glare at him for continuously picking holes in what I'm saying. "You know what I mean."

He looks at me with a confused stare, his brow furrowing. "Actually, not sure I do."

"Grab your coat, we're going out," I suddenly say, desperate to change the topic.

He raises an eyebrow and smirks devilishly, "Taking me on a date cutie?"

I scoff – a forced reaction – at his reply, "No. We're gonna help Buffy. Being stuck here alone with you is too much to bear."

I tried to sound irritated, tried to sound sick of the blood sucking fiend. Honestly I did, but damn it, he just reads straight through me. He stands from the sofa and strides towards me before I even have time to blink. Suddenly he's so close I can feel his cold breath on my face and that ugly shirt brushes against the front of my blouse. I press back against the closed door, trying to find an escape that isn't there. He lifts a hand and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I shiver involuntarily, closing my eyes to try and control my reaction to his closeness. He chuckles lowly.

"I'm not so bad to be around," he says, his voice near my ear.

I open my eyes, surprised to see him leaning so close. It takes me a moment to compute. With some reluctance, I gain common sense and shove him away. He stumbles back only slightly and continues to smirk at me.

"You're a pig, Spike," I spit out.

"Singing Buffy's tune now, are we?" he retorts.

"You know what, forget it," I sigh with exasperation and pull out a stake I always keep in my back pocket.

I toss it towards him and he fumbles to catch it, surprised. He looks down at the wooden weapon, before looking back up to me.

"Go on Spike, dust yourself. Save me from this bloody torment," I snap.

I turn and open the door, storming out. I grab my coat from the bottom of the stairs and fling the front door open. I'm half way down the drive when I hear footsteps jogging towards me. I don't bother to turn around, but I slow slightly so he can easily catch up.

"Hey now, don't be like that," he says.

I stop and glare at him. My heart drops slightly when I notice the expression on the vampire's face. He looks ... worried?

"I was just messin' with you luv," he continues.

He sheepishly holds out the stake and I look at it dubiously before taking it back.

"You know Spike, I'm pretty much the only person who's willing to be nice to you right now," I say, unable to conceal my frustration. "You're not the Big Bad anymore."

He opens his mouth to argue, but I put my index finger on his lips to silence him. He looks down at my finger pressed against his lips and then back to me. I quickly pull my hand back.

"Might not kill you to be nice to me," I grumble, turning and heading down the drive again.

"I'm a vampire," he says, "I don't do nice."

"Yeah well, I'm the slayer's cousin, I should hate you, but here I am, trying to help you anyway."

He stops following me and I blush, realising my slip.

"You don't hate me?" he asks.

I turn slowly, biting my bottom lip. He looks at me expectantly, surprisingly vulnerable.

"It's hard to hate a guy who looks like that," I say, pointing towards his horrible outfit. I grin cheekily. "Doesn't exactly put the fear of god in a gal, you know."

He glares back at me, the vulnerability gone. "I change my mind. Give me that stake."

"Nope."

I continue walking and he trudges begrudgingly alongside me.

"Do I even look remotely scary anymore?" he asks honestly.

"Not really," I reply honestly.

His shoulders sag sadly. I sigh. "But you know, we'll get you new clothes and then you can look bad ass again."

He smiles briefly. "Thanks ever so. Not really the same though."

"If you want, I'll pretend to be really terrified every time I see you," I say enthusiastically.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Sure," I answer.

We walk in silence until we reach the high school. The ground trembles and we rush into the building. I'm about to head towards where I think the library used to be, when Spike grabs my arm. I stop, more out of surprise than anything. I look at him.

"Try not to die," he says gruffly.

And then he runs ahead and I smile as he disappears around the corner. Spike said something nice. Hope for the blood sucker yet.

The ground shakes violently and I almost lose my footing. Right, apocalypse approaching. First things first - help Buffy save the world and then focus on Spike's unlikely redemption.

Very unlikely redemption.

And new clothes. Definitely needs new clothes.