A/N : Had to do something for Christmas, and since I have fallen in love with so many 'verses it was impossible to write huge stories for each of them. Instead we have a Mistletoe theme which I have carried through a one-shot for each 'verse (Buffy, VMars, T7S). So far this is the only one that's done, but with a bit of luck the others should be ready for posting before Christmas Day!
(Disclaimer - Joss owns all the characters, as always)


The Mistletoe Effect I : Buffy & Spike

Episode : between Into the Woods and Triangle

"Spike?" Dawn called as she came into the vampire's crypt.

"Hey there, Little Bit" he replied, not looking up from his task as he sat lotus style on the sarcophagus to the right, carefully repainting his fingernails black, "Didn't expect to see you today" he told her as he finished off the final nail and recapped the bottle of polish, glancing over at her.

"My last period was math and my teacher had to leave early to head off for Christmas break so we got to leave too" the Slayer's little sister explained as she walked over to where he was, pulling herself up to sit with him, "I figured I could come over here to see you for a while before I head home, and Buffy will never know the difference" she shrugged, causing Spike to smirk.

"Right little rascal you're turning into then" he said, almost proudly, since he knew any rebellion in the girl was most likely because of his influence. He ought not to be proud of such a thing if he ever wanted to get Buffy round to his way of thinking, but he just couldn't help loving the idea of a little prodigy in the form of little Dawnie Summers.

"It's not like I'm committing a crime" the teen rolled her eyes, "I just came to... give you this" she grinned as she finally finished rifling in her school bag and produced a slightly bent enveloped with 'To Spike' scrawled on the front in a childish attempt at calligraphy.

"Right then" the vampire said suddenly, feeling a little uncomfortable, after all he'd hardly expected the Bit to be giving him Christmas cards. It was a good many years, decades even, since he'd received such an item, back when he was human, "Er, thanks, luv" he smiled at the girl who seemed relieved to know he wasn't going to laugh at her attempt to be nice.

"Are you gonna open it?" Dawn checked and Spike nodded before doing just that.

The card was fairly ordinary, a picture of a jolly cartoon snowman with 'Merry Christmas' across the top in overly glittery letters, but as he pulled it from the envelope, something else fell out too. He ignored it a moment, to read the inside of the card, the message the girl had taken such care over that wished him Seasons Greetings, with love, from Dawn.

Spike smiled at the sweet sentiment, until his eyes shifted and he spotted the item that had fallen from the card.

"What's this then?" he checked, knowing very well what it was but unwilling to believe that this girl, this child, had deliberately brought mistletoe to his crypt.

"Oh, mistletoe. How did that get there?" she said as if she didn't know, blushing by now and hiding her face behind her hair.

"Reckon you know very well how it got there, Bit" Spike called her on it, a smirk on his face as he realise what a little minx she was. She was the Slayer's sister, and make no mistake, though of course he knew the chances of Buffy coming within five feet of him, mistletoe or not, were highly unlikely, unless of course she planned to kick him in the head and yell at him for some crime he didn't even commit!

"I just thought you could use it" Dawn explained, blush receding slightly, but not by much, "I mean, you must have a ton of girlfriends and..."
"Come on, pet" Spike laughed lightly, "You know as well as I do, 's only one girl I'm interested in"

Dawn would've loved to believe that girl was her, but whilst Spike did the brotherly thing real well with her and cared for her in his way, his cold unbeating heart belonged entirely to her sister.

"She's hurting a lot, since Riley" Dawn sighed, "but y'know now he's gone, your chances might be better"

"My chances, pet, are a big fat zero" Spike reminded her, "whether the tin soldier was here or not"

"Well, then she's crazy" the Slayer's sister told him frankly, "You're way cooler than Riley, and smarter, and sexier, and... well, she's just crazy" she said, hiding her red face once again when she realised what she'd been saying.

Spike had to admit to himself at least that whilst he loved Buffy with everything that he had, a little part of him would always love Dawnie. Not in the same way he felt for the Slayer of course, this was a kind of special affection, not quite like for a sister, but of a similar type.

Holding the sprig of mistletoe over their heads, he suddenly leaned in close to Dawn, pushing her hair off her face, and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Merry Christmas, pet" he said softly, and the poor girl didn't know what day of the week it was. Her brain went into overdrive, she could hardly breathe, but she had one shot at this and she wouldn't waste it. Catching Spike off guard, she suddenly pushed forward and touched her lips to his just for a second.

"Merry Christmas" she called as she scrambled from the sarcophagus and ran out into the night.

Spike was stunned by what she'd done, but was soon laughing as he realised how silly the whole thing was. Still, it was nice to know at least the littlest Summers cared, even if her sister didn't.

"Spike!" a voice called as the door crashed in.

"Think of the devil..." he rolled his eyes as he realised the very young women who had been on his mind was now at his door, "What can I do you for, Slayer?" he asked, a dirty look in his eyes as he hopped down where he was seated and came towards her.

"I'm looking for Dawn" Buffy told him, "Has she been here?"

"She has as it happens" he nodded once, "Brought me a Christmas card, would you believe" he smirked as he waved the item her way.

Buffy frowned. Why would her sister be giving Christmas cards to Spike?
"You're evil, and dead" she stated the obvious, "Why do you want or need a Christmas card"
"I didn't ask for it, luv" the vampire rolled his eyes, "Your sis just wanted to be nice, I suspect. Little more than you usually do"
"Why do you have mistletoe?" she asked suspiciously, ignoring the barb he launched since she barely felt it anyway, "Were you trying something? With my sister?" her voice rose to a ridiculous level, as Spike looked back at her in disgust.

"What do you take me for, Slayer?!" he half-exploded, "The Bit was just... well, she's got a crush on yours truly, doesn't she? You know it as well as I do. Fancied she could get a snog out of me, which she didn't!" he hastened to add, "I gave her a peck on the cheek is all, end of story" he promised her and the look on his face proved it to Buffy. She didn't really believe Spike would try anything like that with Dawn, no way, and it was obvious that the girl had a major crush thing going on.

"Okay" Buffy said carefully, "Just, next time Dawn comes hanging around here, would you send her home? She shouldn't be in a place like this"
"Agreed" Spike nodded, surprising Buffy somewhat, he wasn't usually so agreeable. If she didn't know better, she'd think he really cared about her sister.

"I should go look for her, she's probably somewhere between here and home" she said, looking towards the door, but for some reason she didn't leave yet. She looked back at Spike, who was re-reading the Christmas card Dawn had brought him, and smiling at the little message. Buffy rarely saw him genuinely smile about anything, and she wondered at how human he could be sometimes. He never tried anything with Dawn, he'd been helpful lately, nice even, and hey, it was Christmas...

"Spike" she got his attention more so by the fact she stepped in very close to him than by speaking his name.

"Slayer?" he said back as they stood face-to-face and probably closer than they'd ever been, at least since Willow's Will Be Done spell over a year ago now.

"Do not read anything into this" she told him firmly, "but, well... Merry Christmas, Spike" she said awkwardly as she went up on her toes and aimed to kiss his cheek. Not one to miss an opportunity, Spike anticipated her and turned his head, her lips landing on his own.

Though she was surprised, Buffy didn't actually pull away any faster than she originally planned to, if anything she let the kiss go on longer. Later she would rationalise it in her head as being Spike's fault, and that she only allowed it because she was missing Riley and this kind of contact.

When the unlikely couple parted a moment later, Buffy was quick to leave without another word to the vampire that, despite his lack of body-heat, had warmed her up considerably with just one kiss. As she walked back out into the cool night air, her fingers went to her lips and she glanced back at the crypt she had just exited. Something very weird had just happened, something that should disgust her, but it really hadn't.

Inside, Spike smirked to himself as he looked down at the mistletoe laying on the stone coffin just behind him. In spite of his evil past and unholy origins, he could learn to love Christmas, if this was the sort of thing that it led to.

The End

A/N2 : Merry Christmas to you all:-)