Buffy was eating her cereal and was about to put up the dishes when Amelia bounded in.
"Hey, do you have any food?" she asked. Spike followed her in.
"She likes Trix, if, you know, you have any." He said.
"Sure." Buffy fixed the cereal and sat in front of where the little girl was sitting. But instead of eating, she just kind sat there. "What is it?"
"Do you have any tomato juice?"
"What?"
"For Spike. That's what he likes to eat."
Spike chuckled. "I'm fine. I'll eat later, ok?"
"Ok." She said. Buffy, meanwhile, pulled Spike to the side.
"We need to get her home. Her parents are probably worried sick. Any clues about where she came from?"
"She's from Texas, and her last name is Van Buren. And I think she's five."
"Anything else?"
"Nope. I figured I'd wait until you were present before asking her anything. Also, I thought maybe Red could research on her computer or something, because I-,"
"I could do it." She blurted. He gave her a look. "Well, I mean, I know how to do that stuff too. I'm hip on all the technology stuff nowadays." He raised an eyebrow.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Everything's normal. Hey, how bout we-,"
"If it's nothing, where is everyone?"
"I'm telling you, it's-,"
"I don't think it's nothing. I think-,"
"Here's my bowl." Amelia interrupted. She thrust her dishes into Buffy's hands. She in turn put them in the sink behind her. The little girl left for the living room.
"I've been back for a while, and I've seen you around town. But I haven't seen Willow or Tara or Har-," He was cut off by a sob from the other room. He ran in there and picked up his little princess. She sobbed into his shoulder.
"Spike?" Xander stood there with a look of disgust on his face. "What are you doing here? I was really wishing you were dust by now."
"What did you do to her?" He growled.
"That's another thing…who would trust you with a kid? After what you do to full grown adults-,"
"What did you do?"
"I told her that you killed people for fun. How you drink blood from little kids. How you rape-,"
"Don't make me hurt you, Harris."
"Oooo…that's a big threat coming from a low-life, drunken, loser who-,"
"Shut up!" Amelia screeched. "Don't be mean to him! He's my friend! He never did anything mean to you!"
"Oh, is that right? He wasn't trying to be mean when he-,"
"Back off Xander." Buffy appeared behind Spike.
"Buffy? What the hell are you thinking? Letting him in your house after-,"
"I know what he's done, Xander."
"And you let that little girl hang around with him? You know," He said as an afterthought, "I thought you were over this dead-boy lovers phase. I guess not."
"You have no right to say that." She said in a dangerous tone. He gave her an exasperated look.
"Fine. Dawn!" He yelled up the stairs. "Dawn, let's go!" There was anger in his voice. Dawn came down the stairs and took in the scene.
"What's up?"
"Let's go." He growled and grabbed her wrist. He whipped around when he was about out. "And you know, I may think twice about taking her back here. Who knows what could happen." He turned and stomped out and slammed the door behind them.
"Let's not be friends with him, ok?" Amelia said in a tiny voice.
"Done." He sighed. He watched the door for a few more seconds then set her down. "Buffy, I'm gonna get something to eat. You can start talking to her now." And waited for her to nod and then disappeared into the kitchen. Buffy led Amelia over to a chair and sat down across from her on the couch.
"Ok." She said just to break the silence.
"Are you his girlfriend?" she asked.
"Whose?"
"Spike's."
"Why do you ask?" she said a bit uncomfortably.
"Because he talks about you when he sleeps."
"Does he?"
"Uh huh. He says icky things like 'I love you' and 'you're beautiful'. But when he's sleeping."
"Really?"
"And sometimes he says 'I didn't mean to make you cry'." Buffy blushed. "Why did he make you cry?" She asked innocently.
"Well-," Luckily Spike walked in on that moment.
"How's it going in here, girls?"
"Good…good…" Buffy said quickly. "Sit down." She gestured a spot next to her. "Ok, Amelia, where are you're parents?"
"Well… they…" Her eyes welled up with tears. "They're dead."