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            [Spike walks toward the group quickly.]

            Buffy:  Oh!  So the bleached wonder finally decides to grace us with his presence.

            Spike:  Did you miss me, luv?

            Buffy:  (quickly) No!  What are you doing out here though?

            Spike:  Smoke break.

            Giles:  I'm not going to ask.  I don't want to know.

            Spike:  Oh, please!  She won't let me smoke in front of her.  Said something about allergies or something…some mortal thing.

            Willow:  Uh, Spike?  You have allergies.

            Spike:  What?  No I don't!

            Angel:  (rolls his eyes) Crosses, holy water, stakes through the heart, that pesky sunlight thing…

            Spike:  All right, I get your bloody point, Angelus.

            Angel:  Don't call me that!

            Cordelia:  Could you guys stop acting like a couple of five-year-olds?

            Drusilla:  Sun's down!  (throws umbrella at Spike) Time to go play with the kiddies and make pretty castles for Princess to live in. (runs off)

            [Everyone runs after Drusilla.  They stop when they see what Shelley and Xander have done.]

            Anya:  Wow…a city of sand!

            Drusilla:  All the little hermit crabs need a home, dearie.

            Xander:  Besides, what else is there to do?

            [Spike snorts…group turns to look at him.]

            Buffy:  We don't even want to know what you're doing in that cave, Spike.

            Spike:  Be nice, and I might invite you.

            Buffy:  Sorry, I'm not into threesomes.

            Spike:  (smirking) That's not how I heard it, pet. 

            [Buffy glares.  Spike runs off.  Buffy chases after him.]

            Willow:  (watching them leave) Oh well.  Xander, you have any more shovels?

            [Xander tosses Willow a little plastic shovel.  Willow begins to work on a wicked little Wicca hut for the hermit crabs.]

            Giles:  (cleans glasses and looks at Drusilla) I don't suppose the crabs have a bookstore yet.

            Drusilla:  Oh, no.  We're going to build one over there.

            Giles:  Ok then.  Well, I'll just get started on that.

            Anya:  Joss owns us, but not for sex.  He's just making horrendous amounts of money writing about our wacky and often hilarious misadventures.

            Willow:  (sighs) WHO…IS…JOSS?????

            Buffy:  (runs back to group) Spike disappeared.  I think he's back in that stupid cave, and I cannot find it anywhere.

            Shelley:  Sucks to be you.  (throws Buffy a bucket) Go get some water.  Put that Slayer strength to good use.

            Willow:  (mumbles) You think YOU have problems?  I don't even know who this Josh guy is.

            Anya:  JOSS!!!!!

            Willow:  SORRY!!!!

            [Everyone begins to work diligently on the sand city.]

A/N:  Hey!  We're back from Spring Break!  Guess what we did!  We wrote!  Oh yeah, and Kelley turned 21.  But mostly, we wrote.  We should be finishing up this story (in quite a few chapters) and starting…other projects.  Dun dun dun.  Ah yeah.  It's comin' baby!  Er, shutting up now.  PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

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With a screech, Spike turned onto the road Giles lived on.  Xander held onto the package sitting on his lap as if his life depended on it.  He stared at the package.  After a moment, he looked up.

"Why do I have to do this, Spike?" Xander asked.

"Because, it's the good thing to do, mate," Spike replied.

"Good?  How?"

Spike grinned.  "Come on, whelp.  It will be all right."

"She's going to kill me," Xander said nervously.

"No, she won't."

Spike looked at Xander and narrowed his eyes before slamming on the brakes of his black DeSoto.

"Get out of the car," Spike commanded.

"Um, the word 'no' seems to come to mind," Xander retorted.

Spike rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine then.  I'll just make you."

"You can't MAKE me get out," Xander said indignantly.

Spike opened the door, got out and walked to the other side of the car.  He opened Xander's door and pulled him out.

"Noooo!  I can't go in there!"

"Dammit, Harris!  Why the bloody hell not?  What are you so afraid of?"

Xander looked at the door of Giles' apartment.  He looked down at the package in his hand.  He furrowed his brow.  "Is she here?"

Spike almost let out a frustrated sigh, until he realized what was going on.  He looked around quickly for any sign of the ex-demon's presence.  "Even if she is, show her you're strong."

Xander smiled weakly.  "I don't want to be strong.  I always have to be the strongest one.  Leave it up to good ol' Xander to make everyone else feel better at a bad time."

"If it makes you feel any better, your jokes never cause me any comfort," Spike responded.

"Ok, that didn't make me feel any better.  Thanks, Spike."

"I aim to please.  Now, come on."

"FINE!" Xander huffed.  He handed the package to Spike so he could get around.

Spike knocked on Giles' door.  Giles answered it quickly.

"My word, Spike.  Do you have to come by now?"

Spike nodded.  He patted Xander's back roughly.

"The whelp and I come bearing a gift."

"What is it?" Giles asked, stifling a yawn.

"Well, that's for us to know and someone else to find out."

"Whatever.  Just…make it quick," Giles demanded.

"Yeah.  I'm sure you have plans, Watcher."

"As a matter of fact, I have a date with sleep.  I'm quite tired.  Your sire has been driving me crazy.  She talks about things that make no sense.  And she keeps asking for her White Knight.  Who's her White Knight?"

Xander coughed when he heard the name.  It had been given to him by Angelus a few years ago.

Spike looked at Xander.  "What's with the White Knight?"

"A clever little nickname given to me by none other than Angelus," he replied sarcastically.  "He found it amusing."

"Ok, so why?" Spike asked.

"Buffy was sick in the hospital.  Angelus came to visit her.  Somehow I got him to go away.  He called me Buffy's White Knight.  That's the story really."

"Ok, I think I'm going to be sick.  Just be quick," Giles mumbled.

Spike and Xander walked into Giles' apartment.  Xander shared a look with Giles.  Giles looked away quickly and Spike and Xander walked upstairs to Drusilla's room.  Spike knocked on the door and then opened it, looking inside.

"Um, hi, Drusilla."

Drusilla smiled.  "My Spike!  I'm happy to see you.  Are you here to play a game?"

"Er, no.  Someone's here."

"Oh goody," Drusilla said, clapping her hands.

"One second."  He stepped out of the room.  "Go on in, Harris."  He shoved the package against Xander's chest.  Xander awkwardly grabbed hold of it and shook his head quickly.  He shoved the package back into Spike's arms.  Spike glared and shoved the package right back into Xander's arms.

"Go!  She can't hurt you even if she wanted to.  And she doesn't want to hurt you.  So go in there."

Xander didn't budge.  Spike grabbed his shoulder and guided him into the room, quickly closing the door.

Xander turned as the door closed.  Damn Spike!  He turned his head towards the door then towards Drusilla.  He tried to figure out what to do, hoping he didn't have a panic attack.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, wishing this wasn't happening.

"Good evening," Drusilla said softly.

Xander, startled, opened one eye, looking at Drusilla.  Drusilla was grinning.  He opened the other eye.  Drusilla tilted her head, still grinning.

"Uh, hi," Xander replied awkwardly.

"Did you bring me a present?"

"Huh?" He looked at the package that was slowly slipping from his arms.  "Oh, that.  Yeah.  It's for you."

Xander cautiously walked to the bed and set the present down right in front of Drusilla.  He took two difficult steps backwards.  Drusilla frowned.

"You're afraid."

Xander grinned sheepishly.  "No.  No.  Pfffft.  I'm not afraid."  He stopped grinning.  "Ok, I'm terrified.  Is that better?"

"Miss Edith likes you."


Xander groaned inwardly.  He stared at the crazy vampire for a long time.  She was starting to hypnotize him.

Xander blinked.  "S-stop.  Don't do that."

"What?" Drusilla asked, confused.

"The hypnotizing thing."

"Sorry.  I didn't mean to."

"You were starting to sway.  I could feel you getting in my head."

"Miss Edith gets nervous when people stare."

"Yeah.  So does Xander.  I mean, so do I."  He shook his head.  "So, are you going to open your present?"

Drusilla smiled.  "I like presents.  Daddy gave me a girl's heart for Valentine's Day once.  That's the day I fell in love with you.  Daddy was mad at me.  You played with my head.  Miss Edith wasn't mad though."

Xander laughed quickly.  "Good.  I mean, not good that the spell caused all the women to go crazy.  I mean, not crazy.  Er, ah, shutting up now."

"You're a funny boy."  She looked in the box and smiled.  "I like presents.  You brought Miss Edith to me."  She held up the doll that came in the box and frowned at it.  "Miss Edith, we must not say naughty things about the boy."

"Oh my.  That's uh…disturbing," Xander said, laughing nervously.

"I'll punish her."  She looked at the doll.  "You can't go fishing with us next time Spike and the pretty green light come to play."  She paused.  "Because you make the boy uncomfortable when you say such things."

Xander blushed.  "Whoa.  So, do you like your present?"

"The stars are whispering.  Do you hear them too?  My mum used to say I was evil because the stars whispered to me.  She's dead now."  She shook her head softly.  "Is it time for you to leave now?"

"Yeah. Giles wants to go to bed."

"Will you come back and see us?  I'll make sure Miss Edith minds her manners next time."

"I…well, I…" Xander began, shifting uneasily.

"I won't let grandmum hurt you.  She's far away from here right now."

"Oh, sure.  I'll be back another time."

Drusilla smiled.  "Goody.  We can have a party."

"Oh, ok.  Parties are fun.  Well, bye, Drusilla."

"Bye, Xander."

Xander looked at Drusilla.  He was surprised she had used his real name.  She never used real names.  He walked out the door.  Spike was leaning against the wall on the opposite side.

"Well, how'd it go, Harris?"

"Shut up, Fangless.  I know you heard everything."

Spike chuckled.  "I wonder what Miss Edith said.  Drusilla was not happy with it.  Crazy Miss Edith."

"Miss Edith said, 'Let's use the chains on him and play a naughty…'"

Xander's words trailed off.  Spike stopped abruptly.  He looked at Xander whose eyes were wide as saucers.

"What did you say?"

Xander didn't respond.  He was too dumbfounded by what he'd just said.  He couldn't believe the words came out so easily since he'd noticed it while he was in the room.

"Ok, now I'm having a major wiggins."

"Me too.  Xander, when?  What?  When?  How?  When?"

"Wonderful questions, Spike.  I don't know the answers."

"No one has actually ever heard Miss Edith before."

"Except Drusilla," Xander said.

"And you," Spike added.

They started to walk again.

"And Drusilla started to hypnotize me.  It was accidental, but I stopped once I felt her get into my head.  Spike, why could I feel that?  Am I going crazy?"

"I have no idea what is going on."

"Dammit!  Once again, I'm the buttmonkey!"