"How ya doin' under there!?" Buffy yelled.

"I have a blanket over my head, not a bubble."

Buffy cracked up at the spectacle before her. Spike walking around in broad daylight with a red satin blanket over his head was hilarious. Maybe if it had been a regular dull color and not so big, she could make it the two miles to her house without holding her side from laughing so much. It was so huge that the bottom dragged behind him like the train of a wedding dress, his heavy black boots peeking out every so often.

"Dum, dum, du, dum," she hummed.

Spike stopped dead in his tracks and turned in the direction of her voice. He began speaking but his focus was a good twelve inches off the target.

"Is this funny to you, Buffy?"

"Duh, where have you been the last four blocks? And I'm over here."

He turned towards her voice. "It's bleedin' hot outside and I did this to come to a stupid Scooby meeting so show a bloke some respect."

Not paying attention to what he was saying, Buffy moved from her spot again.

"Over here, Spikey."

"Ehhh. Women!" He walked off, going in the direction that they had just come from. Buffy started laughing once again. She followed behind him, imitating his 'cool guy' walk before deciding to grab his arm and turn him around.

"Let go of me."

"You're walking in the wrong direction."

Spike got silent. Buffy could tell he was getting frustrated with her. Usually he loved how fun she could be, but apparently not at his expense.

"We just walked the last few minutes in the wrong direction?"

"Mmhmm."

"What part of bleedin' hot and respect did you not understand?"

"Lighten up," Buffy said. She locked his arms to his sides with a powerful hug. "Why do you have to be so grumpy today?"

"Ouch," Spike muttered as the grip tightened. "Either hug me like a normal person or get off me."

She pouted her bottom lip even though he couldn't see it. "But your the only one I can bear hug without breaking."

"How about we go patroling tonight and you can bear hug one of your victims till his head pops off."

Buffy seemed to contemplate that. "That sounds like a good idea, except no vampire hunting tonight. I have a dream to defeat."

They began walking in the direction of the Summer's residence once again, this time no laughing followed. It was evident they were trying to prepare for the Shadow Dreamers invasion. This was going to be a tricky one, trying to capture it inside your mind and drag it out into the world.

They reached the house and went inside. Spike rid himself of the heavy covering and let it fall to the floor. Buffy mounted the stairs and began jogging to her room.

"Come on, slow poke."

Buffy reached her bedroom and hid behind the door, waiting for him to enter. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. His bleached head came into view and she jumped out from behind the door.

"Rahhh!...Hey, what are you doing?"

Spike couldn't take a joke today. Before she could react, he lifted her over his head by her neck and thigh and threw her ten feet onto her bed. She was so stunned that a counteract wasn't registering.

They glared at eachother for several moments until he came closer and got right in her face. "Does it look like that I'm up for fun and games today, pet?"

"Probably...no?"

"No is right." Spike laid down on the bed beside her and rubbed his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, serious for the first time.

Spike sighed and gazed at her. He pulled on a strand of her blond hair. "I think Dru left me," he answered quietly.

At the news, Buffy's heart excellerated to a rate she tried to slow down. Could it be that easy? Buffy hated Drusilla and now she was gone.

"Calm yourself, luv."

"What do mean 'calm myself'?"

"Your hearts beating from excitement. I can hear and feel it."

"Well, it's no secret I don't like her."

"I know." He sat up and grabbed her thigh, squeezing it tight while she still laid on her side. "But her and I have always been together. I'm worried something might have happened and it's put a damper on 'fun time' for today."

Buffy tried to ignore the strange fluttering in her gut as his thumb rubbed back and forth on her bare skin. "I'm sorry," she muttered genuinely.

His smile was weak but it was a positive reaction nonetheless. "You're the reason she left me."

"What?" she asked puzzled. "What have I got to do with it?"

"She wanted me to kill you and bring her a snack made of Slayer blood. Also...she wanted to leave Sunnydale and I couldn't bring myself to go."

Buffy could hear the blood pounding in her ears. "Why couldn't you?"

The lines between Spike's brow furrowed as he looked at her funny. "You know why. I'm not sure why I feel this way, but I don't want to leave either of you."

Buffy tried to remind herself that Spike was a trusted ally; grown to be a good friend. But it was the first time that he put her on the same priority list as Drusilla, and it felt amazing. Buffy felt like she was the one winning this time because his devotion for her in one year was the same after spending over a century with the crazy Dru.

"I should go to sleep." Buffy barely spoke above a whisper.

"It's barely 5."

"The sooner I go in...the faster i come out."

Spike nodded his head and laid down on the pillow beside her.

"I'll be here when you wake up whether it's to help you fight or simply say good morning."

And with that, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a suprisingly peaceful slumber as a cool arm rested across her stomach.