A/N: Okay, so I completely suck at updating, and I know it. I am now done with exams for the semester, and I hope to at least get a few more chapters finished before the end of the break. I dedicate this to my friend Chris, who was killed in a car accident the day after Thanksgiving. You are in my prayers.

Chapter Nine: Buttmonkey

"SPIKE'S GOTTEN THE CHIP OUT!"

The accusation hung in the air. Buffy snatched her hand away from Spike and just stared at him. Dawn got up off of Xander and then yanked him to his feet. He brushed off his shirt and assumed a superior look on his face.

"I just thought you should know," said Xander.

Dawn smacked him in the back of his head. Xander yelped and grabbed his aching skull. Dawn and Spike smirked at the carpenter's girly scream. Spike turned back to look at Buffy, who was staring at him with a look of shock.

"I was getting ready to tell you. I didn't get the chip taken out, it just stopped working. I don't kill humans; I just kept fighting evil, because I love you and I have changed. You were always with me Slayer, even when I was gone."

Buffy turned to her family.

"Could you all leave us alone for a while? I'd like to talk to Spike in private."

"Buffy, I don't think that's a good id..." Xander shut his mouth quickly as Buffy fixed him with the look of death.

"C'mon buttmonkey," Dawn pushed Xander out of the room.

"Take it easy on him, Buffy. He might still be a little weak from last night." Dawn smiled wickedly at her sister and Spike.

All the color drained from Buffy's face as Dawn walked out and slammed the door behind her.

"What was that all about?" Spike asked Buffy. The Slayer got up and moved away from him.

"Dawn never forgot you. She has always loved you, and when she found out about us, it kind of hurt her feelings a little. I thought she got over it when she fell for Connor, but I think she kind of resents him turning her into a vampire. She's adjusted to it now, but when she was first turned, I had to stop her from staking herself a couple of times."

"Well, it doesn't help that Connor's gone and she has no sire or boyfriend," Spike added.

"After I was turned, I was by Angel's side night and day for at least a year."

Buffy's eyes began to water and she went into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Bollocks!" swore Spike as he walked swiftly over to the closed door. He turned the knob and found that she had locked the door.

"Buffy, luv, please come out! I'm so daft sometimes. I'm sorry. Please!" Spike began to bang on the door.

"Buffy, come out of there. Talk to me about this!" He could hear her sobbing behind the door.

"That's it! If you won't come out, I'm coming in!" Spike lifted his leg and prepared to kick in the door. He counted to to three out loud. On three, the door unlocked and he rushed in and gathered Buffy in his arms.

"I know I'm not the only one that misses him, but I feel like he should still be here, helping me raise our daughter, going on walks of the French Quarter during the day. Do you know that I've barely seen any of the city since I moved here? This house, the three blocks to the new Magic Box, and the cemeteries. That's about it." Buffy sniffled.

"Well pet, the cemeteries of New Orleans are some of the biggest tourist attractions in this town." Spike beamed as that got a small smile from Buffy.

He got to his feet and pulled the Slayer up off of the ground. An idea was hatching in his brain. He was going to take Buffy around the city tonight, whether she liked it or not.

"C'mon, let's go back inside and you can get some rest before tonight."

"Why? What's tonight?" Buffy asked as she dried her tears.

Spike raised his eyebrows in a gesture that clearly said "you'll have to wait and see."

Buffy protested all the way back to the main house, up the steps, and into her room where Spike forced her to lay back on her bed. He pulled the covers up over her and tucked her in. Buffy glared at him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Spike, unless you tell me what you have planned."

Spike just placed a finger over Buffy's lips and kissed her forehead. He backed out of the room slowly and turned off the light. Spike closed the door behind him and left Buffy alone to ponder what "that infernal vampire" was thinking. But her thoughts soon turned into dreams of strong hands and soft lips as the Slayer fell asleep.

Spike barged into Dawn's room and immediately wished he hadn't. Dawn was standing in her room fresh from the shower without a stitch of clothing on. Beads of water still clung to her toned body as she turned to face him; hands on her shapely hips.

"What do you want, Spike?" she scowled. Dawn sounded irritated momentarily, until her expression changed and her voice dropped to a low purr.

"Maybe a replay of last night?" Dawn asked seductively as she moved closer to Spike.

He backed up until he was against the closed door. Dawn's erect nipples made contact with his bare chest causing Spike to whimper. She slowly raised herself on the balls of her feet, sliding her body against his as she moved up to sensually lick his earlobe. Spike groaned as Dawn's arms came up to his shoulders and she wrapped one of her long legs around him, pulling him even closer to her lithe body. Dawn began to rhythmically shift her body against Spike's and she leaned in to to press her mouth against his. Spike took all the strength he could muster and pushed Dawn away from him. She snarled, going into game face, and backhanding Spike in the face. He retaliated, slapping her back with such force that she fell into her bed. Tears began to form in the corners of Dawn's eyes, and her lip trembled. Spike sighed with resignation and pulled a long nightshirt that was peeking out of one of her drawers. He handed the shirt to Dawn, who quickly pulled it on, and went over to hug her.

"What's this all about 'Bit?" he asked.

"I thought last night was a fluke, us not being what you would call sober, and then you go and say horribly snarky things to your sister today about my state of being from last night. And to top it all off, after biting my head off, you literally jumped my bones when I walked in here. What's going on?"

"I don't know," sobbed Dawn.

"I've had this, this craving for you ever since I saw you at the club. I don't know what it is. And I don't know why I was so mean to Buffy today either. I saw you with her and I felt so... consumed by jealousy, it just came out."

Spike sat down next to Dawn on the bed as the realization of what was going on finally hit him. He put his arm around the girl he had protected and cared about for so long, and exposed to her everything he had tried to keep from her when she was alive.

"Dawn, you are a vampire, made of the same bloodline that made me. Although you have a soul, it does not diminish your need for your sire and the other members of your vampire family. Since Connor is not here to give you that sire/childe bond, you are reaching out to me to act as your sire. Your vampire senses recognize me as your elder and subconsciously you want me to act as your sire.

"Whoa, Giles much?" Dawn asked jokingly as she hugged Spike.

"It makes sense, kinda, but I don't understand why I would want a sire. I don't kill humans, and I have always had my soul, so I don't need a sire, right?"

"It doesn't matter if you want a sire or not, the demon inside you still needs the one who created it. The demon craves the mental, social, and physical relationship that a childe and sire share," Spike explained.

"So, Drusilla was your sire, right?" asked Dawn.

"Cause you two, way into the physical."

"Uh, actually Nibblet, ah Angel was my sire," Spike said haltingly.

"WHAT!" Dawn shrieked.

"Omigod, so you and Angel, y'know, you two like," her voice dropped to a whisper, "did it?!?"

"Um, yeah," Spike said as he wished he had a cigarette and a full bottle of whisky.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Dawn, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Umm, no." Spike prayed that a hole would open up and swallow him.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Well, okay then Nibblet, I'm gonna head out now and go walk into the sunlight, I guess I'll see you later."

"Wow."

Spike left the stunned girl sitting on her bed and thankfully closed the door behind him. Then he imagined a horrible scenario and prepared himself to go back in. He counted to ten and opened the door again.

"Ah, Dawn?" She turned to look at him, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this in front of the whelp."

Dawn's expression finally changed.

"Don't worry Spike, your secret is safe with me," she smirked.

"Thanks," Spike said uncertainly and closed the door on Dawn's snickering.

He hung his head and walked down the hall.

"Bugger it all to hell."