Title: Warm and Safe 6 Wheaton College Employee Wheaton College Employee 2 178 2001-11-08T16:47:00Z 2001-11-08T16:47:00Z 5 1925 10978 Wheaton College 91 21 13481 9.3821

Title: Parenting

Name: Joy       

Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com

Rating: PG-13

            Dawn happily scurried away from Buffy and Spike, who were gazing into each other's eyes longingly. The Bronze hummed with energy, as people all around were dancing and partying, yet theirs were only two sets of eyes that really mattered. Spike had been happy that Buffy hadn't denied her feelings for him to her friends but he was floored at her possessiveness when another woman hit on him. The fact that she had said that he was coming home with her to the other woman caused a tightening in his chest.

            Buffy was still trying to catch her breath from the whole experience. She had seen Angel a few days before and there was still love between them, but not the fiery passion there had been. When Angel touched her it was Spike she wanted to be holding her. That was freaky enough… but now all her friends knew she and Spike were a thing and not minorly. They had been talking about him moving in. That was just nuts, and yet it felt like he was supposed to be there to help her handle life. He was the other half of the pulling team. When Dawn wouldn't listen to her, Spike could reach Dawn. When the walls needed to be painted he worked along side her. And when the world need saving again, he was there to help save the day. The fact that she had gotten so bent out of shape that another woman came on to Spike was the confusion at the moment. The 'mine' mentality that she possessed when it came to Spike was frightening and wonderful.

            Spike caressed Buffy's cheek and said, "You look good in leather. I appreciate the view…so does every other man in this place."

            "Are there other men in this place?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

            Spike smirked as his hands rested on Buffy's hips. The touch of the leather in his hands was driving him crazy. "It's going to be really hard to keep my hands off of you," he said caressing her hip.

            "Then slide them where you want them," Buffy said breathily as she swayed to the music effectively causing Spike's hands to move over the leather.

Spike swallowed hard. He had made a decision he wanted to tell Buffy but he was pretty sure she wouldn't like. It took all his strength to remove his hands from Buffy's body.  He touched her cheek and spoke softly, "Luv, I need to talk to you."

The words came out and Buffy froze. "You think it's not going to work so you're leaving me…right?" she said in a small voice.

She looked so frail. "No Buffy, that's not it. If we have the approval of the Powers that Be, I'm not backing down, no matter what anyone says."

"Then what was the talk going to be about?" Buffy asked with questions in her eyes.

"I… When I was alive… No, that's not right… Let's sit down," he said stumbling over his own words. He guided them to a far corner table where they weren't likely to be overheard.  Spike kept racking his brain to find the words to speak. "Buffy… I want you…"

Buffy blinked a few times, "I feel a 'but' coming on." She looked at him with crinkled brows.

"Bloody Hell… I'm no good at being good…" he said in desperation.

"What does this have to do with being good?" she asked.

Spike met her blue eyes and sighed. "When I was alive I never… I died a virgin Buffy. I've never slept with anyone when I had a soul… Afterward, it was just the demon tasting flesh… When we do, I want it to be special… And as much as I love you, you're not there with me yet so…I want to wait until you are."
            Buffy smiled and moved into Spike's lap. "I think that's sweet and smart."

"Yeah?" he asked still worried that she would be upset.

"Yeah…" she said kissing his cheek. "I would still like you to come home with me and snuggle up beside me in bed… I'll be good."

"Okay… Shall we go spot the boy?" Spike asked.

"Nah… Let's dance."

"Your wish in my command," he smiled as she led him onto the dance floor.

Buffy and Spike moved out on the dance floor enjoying being together. "Wow, look at your sister. She can dance," Dawn's friend Alison said watching Buffy. "I didn't know she had a boyfriend."

Dawn smiled at the idea that Spike was being called a boyfriend. Alec stood with a couple of his guy friends in the group of Dawn's girl friends. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Spike's older… boyfriend just sounds funny," Dawn replied.

"Spike? What kind of name is Spike?" a small, brown haired girl named Dana asked.

"Nick name- He used to have spiky hair. It stuck," Dawn lied.

"He's hot," Alison said as she watched Spike dance with Buffy a little too close.

"He has an accent…" Dana piped up. "I heard him talking to the bartender… He has a gift for your sister stashed back there."

"Ohh fun… He's from England but he's been all over the world. We hang out a lot… He's the best," Dawn said missing the frown slowly appearing on Alec's face.

"Bet you wish it was you out there with him?" Dana asked dreamily.

"No way… He's old…" Dawn snapped with crinkled forehead. Alec's face lit up. "He's like my big brother… My big over-protective brother," she muttered under her breath as Buffy and Spike approached the group.

"What's up?" Dawn initiated.

"Not much… I'm going to take a break and get a drink," Buffy said to her sister.

"Good, then I can dance with LilBit," Spike said wrapping one arm around Dawn's waist and picking her up. "Sorry gents you'll have to wait." Buffy went off to the bar laughing while Dawn was absolutely mortified that Spike had swooped in like he did.

"What are you doing?" Dawn fussed on the dance floor.

"You dance with an older guy that shows an interest in you… You'll find out real quick if your guy likes you enough to make a play or at least ask for the next dance," Spike explained.

Dawn looked at him in disbelief. "Or it will scare him off," she said in frustration.

"Well it's certainly gotten the attention of the brown haired guy in the middle… He hasn't taken his eyes off you since you and I got out here."

"Who?" Dawn asked switching places with Spike. She looked for a moment and made eye contact with Alec who looked away quickly.

"Is that the guy?" Spike asked.

"I'm not telling," Dawn demanded.

"Fine," Spike said taking Dawn into his arms to dance close to her to see how the boy would react. Spike could swear steam was coming from the boy's collar. Spike smirked and kissed Dawn's head as the song finished. "That should get some good gossip running about you and the older man at school on Monday."

"You're evil!" Dawn said frustrated and embarrassed.

"Maybe… but it worked," Spike said as Alec approached. "Hey…"

"Hey," the boy said with a nod.

"Hi" Dawn said meekly.

"Dawn, do you want to dance?" Alec asked without a stutter.

"I was dancing with her," Spike protested.

"She didn't look like she was having a good time," the boy challenged.

"That's probably fair… I guess I'll go get a drink. See ya later Dawn," Spike said and nodded to her. Off he went leaving his baby in the arms of a stranger but one that he at least respected for challenging him.

Buffy was seated cross-legged at a table watching the scene in front of her. Spike sauntered up very pleased with himself. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I provided some friendly gossip about your sister and an older man," he said with a slight snarl. "Besides, I inspired the boy to come rescue Dawn from my clutches." He wrung his hands like some old time fiend from the movies. Buffy laughed. "I'm just impressed he came to challenge me… Good sign."

"I guess…" Buffy sighed.

"Come on pet… By this age you were saving the world from vampires and only months away from falling for Angel," Spike said sitting next to her.

"That's what I'm worried about," she said in distress.

Spike slipped an arm around her. "We'll catch her when she falls. She doesn't have to hide from us the way you hid from your mom."

"Yeah…"

"Look…" Spike pointed at Dawn dancing to a slow song with Alec. "His hands are where they should be. Dawn is smiling…" They watched as Alec asked if he could hold Dawn closer. She stepped forward and they danced cheek to cheek. "Looks like a perfect teenage moment to me."

Buffy lifted her head from Spike's chest. She looked into his eyes and kissed him thoroughly, intensely without overdoing it. Spike blinked a few times feeling completely taken. "What was that? I enjoyed it…I just want to know why?" he whispered touching her cheek.

"Because if I'm not there at this moment, I'm getting really close…" Buffy said timidly as her eyes searched his face. "I… I'm falling… for you."

Spike blinked rapidly and then pulled Buffy's face toward him slowly. "I love you," he whispered. "I will always love you. You and Dawn are my family, my reason for being. This time when you die, I know I can follow you… Nothing would make me happier then an eternity with you… Having lived a couple hundred years, I can honestly say I don't make the statement idly."

Buffy closed the distance between them and kissed his lips as she cried softly. She pulled away slowly, allowing Spike to caress her tears away. "You say the prettiest things."

"Don't spread it around," he said with a smirk.

Buffy chuckled, "I don't deserve you."

Spike looked at her in shock. "Slayer, you deserve ever ounce of love I have for you and ten times more."

"Stop it or I can't promise I'll be good tonight."

He smiled when she said that, "Let's go dance."

Dawn and Alec stood away from their friends when they left the dance floor, smiling at each other and staring a bit too long. Buffy and Spike left the dance floor too with Spike sneaking away for a minute. Alec nodded to him, "Guess he's going to get that present for Buffy now, huh?"

"I guess," Dawn shrugged. She watched Alec's face turn ashen. "What's wrong?"

"Here my luv," Spike's English accent descended upon them as a red rose appeared in front of Dawn's face. All of Dawn's girlfriends watched and awed over the older man. Dawn didn't know what to say. "There's a vase over by your sis that you can put it in," he said in a dismissive tone. He sent her on her way to Buffy…leave him with…the boy!

"Hi. Just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm…" Spike began to say.

"Spike." Alec finished.

"I was going to say William but Spike works if you want it too."

"Spike is fine," the kid answered. "I'm Alec."

"You've been behaving really well with my LilBit, Alec so I thought I'd give you the heads up. There is a few of Dawn's favorite flowers behind the bar…just ask for them. Buffy and I are really all Dawn has left so…behave like a gent and we'll all get along just fine."

"I was planning to," Alec answered sort of annoyed.

Spike smiled, "Glad we understand each other. Buffy and I are going home so I'm leaving you to get Dawn home safely. Have her home in a half an hour or so… or at least on the back steps, okay?"

"Yeah…" Alec answered with a questioning glance. "Why are you being so cool about this? Why are you helping me?"

Spike smiled big. "Because if I let the older Summers girl talk to you, she would show you how strong she is and how very likely it is for you to get hurt if you hurt Dawn. Now since you didn't act like a teenage horn dog, I'd like to see you around more often."

"Dawn has said I could stop by but I was always afraid to," Alec said with a sigh.

"Coming by will win you points with Buffy. And believe me you want all the points you can get with Buffy," Spike said. "See ya in a half an hour, Alec. Don't be late."

"Got it!"

"Good."

"What is Spike doing?" Dawn pled with Buffy as she watched Spike and Alec's discussion from the table. "He's going to scare Alec off."

"Would you rather me talk to him?" Buffy asked.

"God no."

"Well then…Let Spike let the boy know that he can take you home and we won't have me needing to break anything to show the boy I mean business," the Slayer said calmly.

"You wouldn't dare," Dawn scoffed.

"Are you kidding? Spike is the only thing keeping you from a convent."

"We can't afford it," Dawn said lacing her arms.

"Fine…Spike is the only thing allowing you to date. If you didn't respect and listen to him, I'd probably be breaking lots of boards in front of your potential dates. I, however, have resigned myself to the fact I can't be objective so Spike is taking the reigns on this one," Buffy said calmly.

"So Spike is really the person I need approval from?" Dawn asked.

Buffy shrugged a bit uncomfortably, "For the most part, yes."

"Okay… I may get to date after all."

Spike walked to them when he had finished laying the rules down with Alec. "Ready, pet?" he asked sweetly.

"How long did you give him?" Buffy asked.

"He gets to walk Dawn home and has to have her on the back steps in a half and hour," he explained.

Alec started toward the group with something behind his back. "Hi… I'm Alec," the boy said to Buffy.

"I'm Dawn's older sister, Buffy. We're just leaving."
            "Stay for one second… I have something for Dawn I'd like you to see." Buffy nodded. Alec produced three large sunflowers from behind his back.

Dawn's eyes went big, "Sunflowers are my favorite. Thank you."

"I figured since your sister had a vase, you could let them take them home while we walked," Alec said with a small smile.

"Sure…" Dawn said in awe. The flowers were promptly transferred to the vase and the older couple headed out, leaving the younger couple to stare at each other smiling.