Spike and Xander made it to the Magic Box ten minutes past dusk. If Buffy hadn't seen Spike passed out and bloody at dawn that very day, she would have never known.

He was dressed, as usual, black t-shirt (sans stake hole), jeans, belt, red button-down open beneath his long duster. Buffy wondered absently how many of the same outfits he actually owned, petting Gus as he came by to greet her.

The dog left Buffy's side almost immediately, choosing Anya over her and she blinked away from watching Spike lean against the counter. Willow and Tara walked out of the back training room with Giles in tow.

Xander yipped and greeted the witches and Giles! Oh, he hadn't seen the G-man in days! Giles had been told by the ladies that Spike had a pet dog now, but he honestly hadn't believed a vampire would be a good influence on an animal.

Though, this dog seemed perfectly jovial, trotting around getting petted and casually looking at Spike as if asking for his approval when he hopped up to sit beside Anya at the table. Giles, who was not very fond of pets, approved in some small way.

"Now we're all here, I think we should start the search where we last saw Xander on patrol." Buffy piped up, Willow and the rest of them nodded but Xander adamantly shook his head, a gesture only Spike seemed to pick up on.

But before the vampire could speak up, the front door of the Magic box opened with a chime, and Riley walked in. His face immediately falling into a vicious scowl when seeing healed Spike near the counter. Buffy had honestly forgotten he was on his way still.

Before anyone could say anything, Xander/Gus leaped off of the seat, over the table, barking and snapping his jaws at Riley's hands. This jerk, he thought, how dare he come by here as if he cared if I was found, after kicking him and staking Spike earlier.

"Whoa, boy. DOWN!" Spike's stern command shocked Xander and although he wanted to really inflict pain on Riley (since he was sure white bread wouldn't dare hurt him in front of Buffy), he stopped and looked at Spike incredulously and shook his head.

Growling low at Spike and glaring back at the soldier, he was fed up, "Everyone! Riley is an asshole! I'm Xander! Turn me into a human now!" He barked it all out grumpily.

He needed to get Willow and Tara's strict attention, the two people who could possibly turn him human again. He jumped up on the table, all over the open books, whimpering now into their faces, "Come on Willow, it's me. Your best friend."

Giles nearly took back his silent approval, seeing as how this dog had his feet all over his sacred books, but Tara spoke up.

"Honey… this d..dog… He has Xander's aura." Tara reached for Willow's wrist and hoped her instinct was correct, Xander/Gus nodded vehemently.

Willow's eyes widened and put her hands up next to the dog's cheeks. Anya looked wild, she had thought the dog had eyes like Xander's yesterday!

Willow agreed and looked to Tara, "You think a simple release will do?"

"Yes!" Xander jumped down off the table and circled in front of Spike, jumping up to put his front paws on his stomach, totally pumped, "Yes! I'll be human and I'll get you revenge, buddy!"

Spike's eyebrows were furrowed, confusedly looking down at Gus/Xander, petting his head anyway out of habit. This dog that's been with him for days and got Buffy to help him this morning was actually the white hat whelp? He needed to wrap his head around that fact.

Riley had his arms crossed, defensively, he was worried. Buffy had her hands on her hips glaring at him as soon as Gus had attacked him. She knew that plastic stake she found at Spike's earlier looked familiar.

Why did Riley think he had the right to hurt Spike in such a way? She thought.

Giles was stunned at the quick turn of events and nodded as the two witches pointed at a basic book's release spell, if Xander was in fact this dog, it should work.

They were chanting and Riley tried to console Buffy, "It's not what you think, I was protecting you…"

Buffy side-stepped Riley when he reached out for her hand and before he could get another word in, all of a sudden, a naked human Xander was standing with his hands on Spike's shoulders.

The vampire and the brunette human blinked at each other. Xander being an inch or two taller than the blonde now, they realized the release spell had worked!

A grin splayed on Xander's human face. He slapped Spike's shoulder in friendly solidarity and turned to the rest of the room.

"Wow! Thank you!" His arms flew out so excited to be human again, he didn't recognize the nudity after being an unencumbered furry dog for days.

Anya jumped up, reaching in to hug her boyfriend she missed so much. He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled his nose into her hair. Some of his dog senses still lingering, she smelt so good.

"Missed you so much, baby," he murmured and felt something heavy fall over his shoulders.

Turning his head to Spike, the vampire was putting his duster over the naked man in front of him,

"Oh modest for once, Spike?" He chided, as Spike had once done to him in dog form.

Spike laughed and shook his head. Wow, what did this mean honestly? Xander was the dog he shared a lot of moments with over the last few days… this certainly seemed to change their relationship, he thought.

"You were cuter as a dog, so cover-up." He shared a friendly look at Xander, who smiled back and slid his arms into the duster thanking him, rewrapping his arms around Anya.

Willow, Tara, and Giles were just looking on, happy Xander was back but ultimately confused at the situation they all found themselves in. Everyone's attention focused on Riley trying to weakly apologize to Buffy.

Xander kissed Anya's forehead before glaring at the soldier, speaking loudly, "Riley, you're an absolute jerk."

Buffy's eyes met her friends and begged silently for an explanation, maybe this would explain why she's felt so tense around her boyfriend lately.

"Spike was out late yesterday looking for, well... me! Totally just minding his own business and helping us, without being asked, since he didn't know I was Gus. Riley followed us back to his crypt and said some chauvinistic crap about staying away from Buffy and staked the poor guy with plastic!"

Buffy looked to Spike for confirmation. He had his eyes closed facing down at the floor, embarrassed at Xander's telling of the story. Xander's experiences and emotions as a dog were crystal clear and he had to get them off his human again chest, so he continued.

"And sure, right? Spike's a 'big bad' soulless vamp," He said that very sarcastically because he knew Spike was a marshmallow now, "and yah, plastic wouldn't make him dust but it sure hurt! He didn't deserve it and he'd never, and I mean NEVER, would kick a dog!"

Anya looked on, enamored with her boyfriend, back from dog form, laying it all out there, straight with truth and confidence, and hell he did look cute in Spike's coat. Everyone else looked shocked at the revelation about Riley being a bad guy.

Buffy sucked in a gasp, "You kicked Gus?! I mean, Xander?!" Riley tucked his shoulders in at her scowl, he rightly was going to lose her trust now. "Absolutely unacceptable! I was giving you some leeway since the Initiative disbanded.

That black and white rhetoric is all you've ever known. But Spike is one of us, you never need to protect me from him or anyone else for that matter!" She berated him, her slayer anger rising in her body language, edging Riley closer to the door,

"Turns out, you're just a cruel guy, kicking defenseless dogs, and vampires who can't fight back. That's totally not what we're about here. Get out!"

The rest of the Scooby Gang was standing behind Buffy at this point, backing her up, physically and emotionally, against Riley, who really wasn't middle America, nice guy, who they all supposed he was.

Spike watched on, his mouth slightly open, never in a million years would he have predicted this outcome.

Riley was definitely intimidated by the group and felt extremely guilty that his actions had caused Buffy to push him away. He opened his mouth as if to say something but couldn't think of anything that would correct it in her eyes so he just lowered his, opened the door, and left.

Once the antagonistic Riley was out of the picture, Xander's attitude lightened up entirely, and he squeezed Anya to him again. Whispering cute things back to her as she asked if he was alright from the kick and from being a dog.

Buffy was still staring at the door, which her now seriously EX ex-boyfriend had just left. He hadn't even apologized, she glumly thought about the human race. She wrapped her arms around herself in a hug and turned towards the group, sadly. Xander noticed and spoke up.

"I'm sorry for you to have to find out about Riley this way, believe me. I was shocked. His vibes were so bad when I was a dog." Buffy looked up and smiled softly, she kinda knew exactly what he meant, it was that tense feeling she got being around him.

"Spike on the other hand, also shocking, is not the big bad, he's like. Literally. The sweetest guy. Super good at drawing! And besides the sleeping naked thing," Xander laughed, "He was a really great friend to me these last few days."

Spike couldn't handle the attention or gush of emotions anymore. Avoiding everyone's eyes, he pushed away from the counter and stormed out the back training room, and left.

As the door slammed shut behind him, Xander smirked and said to the rest of the Scoobies, "See? Just a sensitive guy."

Spike was on top of the sarcophagus, no pillow, no comfort, no dog. Just laying there staring up at the blank stone ceiling, smoking, and thinking.

His free hand wandered to where his heart should be beating, remembering the way Buffy had locked him between her legs to help him earlier. He almost felt remiss when he showered her scent away from him later that afternoon.

Loneliness was one of those things that lingered, even when you were amongst a bunch of people… Maybe he'd find another dog, a real dog this time, to bide his time with. It was a nice experience, to just have a creature to talk to, who was loyal and kind.

A knock shook him from his thoughts, he picked his neck up and saw the door swing open slowly when he didn't answer.

"Spike?" Buffy's voice was softer than usual, she hadn't kicked the door in, and that was an oddity in itself, her eyes settled on his form on top of the coffin.

"Buffy?" he asked even though he hadn't needed to, but wanting to know why she was here in all honesty.

She took a step inside and he leaned up from laying and threw his legs over the edge to sit and look at her. Taking a drag from his cigarette and trying to act cool and calm, although her in his space and without a dog to take the edge off, made him anxious.

He wanted to reach out and run his hands into her hair and hug her. But he couldn't, the girl just broke up with her jerk of a commando boyfriend not even four hours ago. Usually, some kind of grieving period is needed right?

"Um… Hi," she said cutely and took more steps inside, wringing her hands in front of her, he'd never seen her so unsure of herself.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, coolly, calmly, but not as sarcastic as per usual, though his voice flustered her as he hoped.

Her hands found her hips and her eyes met his, now there's the look he was accustomed to, and he smiled and chuckled, flicking his spent cig into the corner.

"You're still annoying." She said factually.

His eyebrows furrowed, "What..."

She cut him off, "Still totally annoying," her hands fell from her hips, "But Xander, you know, he loves to talk and well. He's told us a lot about you."

Urg, Spike rolled his eyes, and shook his head, "Listen…"

Buffy cut him off again, taking a step in, she was nearly standing between his legs now, "No. You listen. Xander said a lot of good things about you, things I have overlooked because I was just as duped by the black and white Council crap that Riley was by the Initiative."

She saw Spike open his mouth again, but she raised her palms to him, and he closed it, "I do not condone the Initiative or what Riley did to you personally, because you never did anything besides be your annoying self to him."

Spike looked into Buffy's eyes now and she felt herself leaning in, the blush rising to her cheeks she looked away but didn't move away, "And Riley was jealous. Jealous of how you flirt with me… but ya know… flirting is not always one-sided." Her blush was in full force now, "I'm sorry he took it out on you."

"Don't be sorry for his actions." he answered sincerely, "He was just a fool."

"Yeah but… I'm the reason he was around and became sort of part of the group, and why he got all cro-magnon with jealousy so… yeah, I do feel sorry. Sorry, you got hurt... for something I did."

Spike laughed, lightly, and her near beet red face jumped up to look at him. The audacity!

"You're laughing at me for apologizing to you?!" She swirled her hair in a huff, as she turned, about to leave, but he stood up and took her wrist, pulling her back gently.

"You really have nothing to apologize for." He whispered, releasing her wrist and feeling bold enough to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"It's why I'm laughing." He smiled and she let him explain now, "Ever since that dog came into my life, things have been interesting. Been different. Had Xander not turned into a dog and got you to help me this morning…" Spike looked down into Buffy's eyes, "Wouldn't have prevented Riley from trying to protect you. And it wouldn't have stopped me from loving you."

He saw her eyes widen at his admission, he'd never said he loved her so clearly, so calmly before, at least, not in a moment when she might actually believe him. His kind smile at her shock was just another reason why Buffy could understand everything Xander had relayed to them tonight.

"The only thing really different now is... that you've given me a crumb. Earlier you said I was one of you, part of the group, whatever, I'll never be that good a guy… but you just, speaking up on my behalf... I know I'm a monster, but you treat me like a man."

Buffy's eyebrows were furrowed looking back at Spike's chiseled face somehow looking so soft, open, and genuine. This vampire with a chip, even without his chip, would always be so different than any other, she thought.

"You've been slithering into the group ever since we teamed up to destroy Acathla." she smirked remembering, he was there that night she told her mom that she was the Slayer.

Spike took a step back, giving her her space and changing their serious moment, he smirked back, "Team is a strong word, it was a truce! And I totally remember leaving you to deal with Angelus yourself."

Buffy smiled through a huff down at the ground, her hands lightly finding her hips again so they'd have something to do, remembering that very hard time of sending Angel to hell. Spike knew her. He had been around through so many of her hardships.

She raised her eyes again to look at him, just a few steps away, "Yah, well I did break your back earlier that year," She shrugged and he smiled.

"That you did." he bit his lip through the smile remembering how angry he was, trapped in that wheelchair while Dru and Angelus had their fun at his expense.

Buffy's face looked shy again for a moment, "So umm…" and Spike just gave her the time she needed, not butting in as he had before, "If you ever wana patrol or take a trip down memory lane…" She giggled, more like "nightmare lane".

Spike was looking at her curiously, with that head tilt he does, and she rolled her eyes as if he was being the out-of-character guy when it was most definitely her.

"Xander said… well. Besides that." She choked up a second and found her voice again, "Don't be lonely, or whatever, kay?!"

The blonde vampire untilted his head slowly with a sappy smile on his face and Buffy smiled back, "Kay." he answered.

The end.

:} Hope you liked it! I know the ending isn't explosively hot or anything, but I think it's sweet. Please leave me a review with your thoughts! Till next story my friends!