Spike and Buffy spent the better part of the afternoon answering question after question from Maggie. She wanted to know all sorts of things, but she finally asked them the second question that Buffy was a little nervous about the answer to.

"Mommy says that you've been away working. What were you doing? Did you go anywhere fun?"

Buffy wondered what his answer would be, while Spike sat there, nervously contemplating what to tell Maggie. He thought she was a little too young to know the whole story, but he knew he had to tell her something. He looked at Buffy and smiled, then tried to explain things in a way that Maggie would understand.

"Well, Bit, I did go to some pretty interesting places. I was doing lots of different things, but mainly I was doing lots of studying and finding ways to keep you and your Mum safe," he explained, hoping this would satisfy her.

"So were you fighting the monsters like in my dreams?" she asked.

"Yeah, sort of like that Maggie." He told her.

The phone rang, and Buffy quickly went to answer it. When she came back she watched Maggie and Spike for a moment, still amazed at how their interaction with each other was so natural, as if he'd never been gone at all.

"Sweetie?" Buffy said, and grinned when both Spike and Maggie looked up at her. "Maggie," she clarified "How would you like to go spend the night with Auntie Dawn tonight at her dorm?"

"Really? I can really go stay with her?"

"Yes, she just called and said that she'd come by and pick you up in about a half hour."

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Maggie exclaimed as she skipped up the stairs to her room. Buffy followed, to pack her things, while Spike stayed behind in the living room. He knew that Maggie's questions had sparked some questions in Buffy's mind as well, and part of him was glad that they would now have some time alone for him to explain where he had been for the last five years.

The longer he sat there and thought about it though, he really wasn't sure where to begin. Buffy had been so understanding since he'd been back, and he certainly didn't want to do anything to make her not trust him. Now he worried that maybe she had only been so calm because Maggie was always around. Now that they were going to be alone together was she going to loose it? He didn't really have too much time to worry about how Buffy would react to being alone with him, because before he knew it the ringing of the doorbell snapped him out of his thoughts. Buffy called down from upstairs, asking him to get the door. He never expected the reaction he would get from Dawn when he opened the door.

As the door swung open and Dawn saw Spike standing there, her eyes narrowed into little slits; Spike couldn't really tell if she was angry or just thinking of something to say to him. He didn't have to wait very long to find out.

"Spike." She said, rather flatly. "Where's Maggie and Buffy?"

"Uh, they're upstairs, getting the Littler Bit's things together. How are you, Nibblet?" He asked as he moved aside, giving her room to come inside.

Once inside the living room, Dawn turned and swiftly smacked Spike in the chest. "Where the hell have you been, Spike?"

Spike was shocked, but Dawn didn't let the look of confusion that was taking over his face stop her. She kept smacking him, walking him further and further into the living room. "I mean it Spike, tell me where the hell you were for five years. Have you even told Buffy? Are you going to tell her? Did you think you could just waltz back in here and think that nothing had changed? Answer me!" She finally had him backed up against the chair, and on her final exclamation she pushed him down into the chair; the fact that he was not trying to fight back fueling her anger even further.

Spike had never seen his Nibblet act this way. He's seen her upset before, sure, but he had never seen such anger and hurt reflected in her eyes. The second that he looked up at her to speak to her, she turned away, and started pacing the room. In a much quieter, but still flat voice she said "Well, are you going to tell me?"

Spike remained in his seat and watched her pace around the room. "In the last five years I've been a little bit of everywhere. I spent a lot of time in England, but I did travel around to some other places whenever I needed to. Mostly I was making sure that I could keep you and Buffy safe when I did come back. I tried to keep up with you as best I could. If I had known about Maggie sooner, though, you can bet that I wouldn't have stayed away as long as I did. In fact, I never would have left if I had known…" he trailed off, remembering the night that he left Sunnydale and the revelation that Buffy knew she was pregnant then. Dawn had stopped pacing, but still did not turn to face Spike. He got up and walked over to her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders and turning her to face him.

Tears were shining in the corners of her eyes, and threatening to spill onto her cheeks. She finally looked into his eyes, and let her tears fall. "It really hurt, you know Spike? To find out that you were gone and that you didn't even bother to say goodbye…"

He pulled Dawn into a hug. "Bit, I'm so sorry. I left hastily, and I'm sorry that it hurt you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Dawn finally returned the hug, and said "Of course I can, Spike. But I still want the whole story of where you've been and what you've been doing."

"And you'll get it. But I think I need to explain everything to Buffy first. And then, I want to hear all about what you've been up to, and what's going on at UC Sunnydale."

She stepped back to look at him, and finally smiled. "I missed you, Spike."

" I missed you too, Nibblet. Now let's go see if Maggie is ready to go."

Upstairs, Spike and Dawn found Maggie and Buffy packing her little purple duffle bag. Buffy had packed her clothes and her toothbrush, and now they were deciding on which toys she would take. Maggie wanted to take every coloring book she owned, as well as five of her storybooks. Buffy told her that she wouldn't be at Dawn's long enough to take all of those books, but Maggie wouldn't listen. Every time Buffy would take a book and put it back on the shelf, Maggie would get another one and put it in the bag.

Dawn grinned and decided she should intervene. "Hey there Little Bit! Are you ready to go?"

"Auntie Dawn!" Maggie squealed. "I'm so excited to sleep over with you!" She ran over to Dawn, and as Dawn picked her up she winked at Buffy. Buffy took the opportunity to replace about half of the books Maggie had put in her bag. Dawn turned and carried Maggie down the stairs, while Buffy and Spike gathered Maggie's things and followed them down.

They all went outside, and put Maggie's little purple bag into the car.  She ran over to Spike and practically jumped into his arms. He hugged her, and kissed her cheek. "Now you be good, baby, and have lots of fun with Auntie Dawn."

"I will, Daddy. Will you come pick me up tomorrow?"

Dawn looked at Buffy, a little shocked, and mouthed the word "Daddy?" Buffy nodded, and whispered that they had told her the truth.

 Spike smiled at Maggie, and hugged her one more time. "Remember, Bit, I can't come out in the sunshine to pick you up. But your Mommy will come and get you, and then when you get home we will watch TV together and play all your favorite games. Ok?"

"Ok!" She said. Buffy came over and put her daughter in the car, and fastened her seat belt. She kissed Maggie and told her to be good for Dawn. Maggie promised again that she would be. As they started to back out of the driveway, Maggie waved her little hands back and forth, trying to get Buffy and Spike's attention. Dawn rolled down her window, and Maggie called out to them "Bye, Mommy and Daddy! I love you!"

"We love you too, Bit." Spike called out to her.

+ + + + + +

Once they were back inside the house, Spike wasted no time starting his discussion with Buffy.

"Love, there are some things we need to talk about."

"I know, Spike, but do we have to do it right now?" Buffy said, almost pouting.

"Pet, I need to explain this to you. Where I've been, what I was doing. I've wanted to tell you since the moment I came back. Can we please just do this now?"

Buffy was taken back by the seriousness in his tone. She sat down on the sofa and motioned for him to sit with her. He sat, and she reached out to hold his hand, lacing their fingers together. She leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything Spike. And we'll deal with it. Nothing is more important to me right now than having my family together."

He sighed. "I know, Buffy. And I want to tell you everything that happened after I left, and where I've been. But there's one very important thing that you need to know upfront." He turned slightly, to look into her eyes when he said his next sentence. Feeling like he was drowning in her clear, hazel eyes, he said, "Love, the chip… it doesn't work anymore."