A cry pierced the calm bedroom at three a.m. Spike woke first looking around for whatever might be making that horrible noise. One look towards the crib and everything came back to him, it was Jake. He shook his head as he slipped from the bed to comfort the crying child. He was amazed that Buffy was sleeping through the noise, but she was exhausted from cying herself to sleep.

"Shh...little guy. Aunt Buffy needs her sleep." He reached for the baby,"Are you hungry again?" He held the baby close to his chest and began a soft swaying motion, it was then the odor hit him. "Ooof, if I smelled like that I wouldn't be able to sleep either."

Jake began to settle some as Spike talked to him so he took the chance and lay him down again while he searched the diaper bag for a diaper. The baby began crying in earnest again. "Shh...shh....shh..." Spike picked him up again but it was too late, Buffy's head raised off the pillow.

"What are you doing?" She asked hoarsely, her eyes still red rimmed and swollen.

"I'm guessing he's dirty from the stench rising off of him, I'm going to change his diaper." Spike made his way towards the bed flipping on the bedside lamp. He lay Jake down on the bed beside Buffy.

"Have you ever changed a diaper?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him as she stood up beside him.

"Well, no. I don't suppose I have, but can't be too difficult if Peaches could do it." He fished around in the bag for the diaper wipes.

Jake stopped crying for a moment and began to look with interest between Buffy and Spike. It was like he was sizing them up for the job. It appeared he didn't think they were up to it when he began to cry again.

"Just get it done quickly and we'll feed him again. That should make him happy, shouldn't it?" Buffy asked her eyes wide.

"Okay," Spike told her as he pulled the front of Jakes diaper down, "Oh...gah.....I've smelled better stuff coming out crypts then this." He quickly wiped the baby's bottom clean and placed the clean diaper under him.

"Don't you have to put some of that white stuff on him, Dawn said he had a rash...uh..down there." Buffy looked over Spike's shoulder.

"Well find it in the bag then."

After a minutes searching she came back with a tube of cream. She dabbed it on Jakes bottom just as an liquid arc made it's way up and over to hit her arm and Spike's chest. "Ah..."She cried out as
she looked at her wet arm.

"Great, we've took so long he's gone again." Spike shook his head and sighed as he quickly put another clean diaper on the still crying baby. He looked at his chest and handed the baby to her, "You go feed him and I'll get cleaned up."

Buffy used a wipe on her arm and headed towards the kitchen. Angel peeped his head out of his room when the screaming baby passed, he thought about offering to help, but decided against it. Spike and Buffy were going to have to learn to take care of Jake if they took him in.

"It's okay, Jakey." Buffy sighed as she turned on the kitchen light. Well no it's really not okay. But I can't think about that now because I have this little guy......this little bit of Dawn...to take care of. She felt the hot tears sting her eyes as she heated the bottle for Jake. How was she going to cope with out Dawn? Dawn was the one she could call when Spike ticked her off and she would always say "That's Spike, Buffy. He loves you warts and all and you need to just accept him too." Great advice from someone so young......too young to be gone.

Jake began to calm when Buffy sat down and offered him the bottle. He greedily nursed till it was empty.
Buffy watched him as his bright eyes, Dawn's eyes, followed her as she tilted her head and softly sang a lullaby to him. She placed him on her shoulder to burp and him, his burp was loud and wet. Spit up rolled down the shoulder of Buffy's tee shirt. She scrunched up her face as Jake sighed and smiled up at her.

Spike came into the kitchen just in time to catch the show. Buffy was now standing holding the baby out from her, white stuff rolling down her shoulder onto her back. "Is there any part of him that doesn't leak, pet?" He asked with a weak smile.

Though her eyes were teary, she had to return the small smile, "I don't think so. How did Dawn do this? And why did she think that we could?"

"Don't know, but at least he's not crying anymore." Spike smiled at the baby and patted his chubby cheek.

"You take him and let me clean up now." Buffy handed the baby to Spike as Jakes eyes began to blink sleepily.

"I'll take him back to the room." Spike carefully carried the drowsy baby out of the kitchen.

Buffy took a wet dishcloth and cleaned her shoulder off, she walked back to the room and removed her tee shirt reaching for Spike's shirt lying on the dresser. Spike sat in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, softly qouting anicent poetry to Jake as he rocked the baby to sleep. She walked over to him and lay her hand on his shoulder, "I think he's asleep again." She kissed Spike's cheek, "You're good with him."

"So are you." He smiled back at her as he stood and carried the baby back to his bed.

"Taking care of a baby isn't quite as easy as it looks is it?" She asked as she slipped back into the bed.

'No, but I think we can do it." Spike took her hand in his as he slid under the covers next to her.

"We have to make plans......" Buffy sniffed.

"We have time to work it all out." Spike squeezed her hand.

"No...I mean plans...arrangements for.....Dawn and Chris." She sniff again, "And I guess we have to break the news to his grandmother too."

He pulled her closer to him wrapping his arm around her as she nestled close to him. "We'll worry about that in the morning. Right now you need to just get some more rest." Kissing the top of her head he closed his eyes and sighed.

At eight a.m. the phone rang abruptly waking Angel. "Hello. Yes, William Cambridge is here. I'll check to see if he's awake, it was a bad night for him. Yes, I understand. Please hold." Angel threw his robe on and went down the hall to Buffy and Spike's room. He knocked softly and called out Spike's name.

"Just a minute." Spike called back as she extracted himself from Buffy and left the bed. She opened one eye and watched him open the bedroom door.

"I'm sorry but it's the police station. They need someone to go identify the bodies." Angel explained, "I can probably do it if you want."

"Oh.." Spike's looked as if he'd been kicked in the face.

Buffy left the bed and came to stand beside him, she took his hand in hers, "No, we'll do it." She said solemnly.

"Are you sure?" Angel asked her worry in his voice.

"Yes, she's my sister I should do it. Would you please keep an eye on Jake for us." Buffy asked her voice sounding frail even to her own ears.

"Buffy.....I could go alone." Spike squeezed her hand tightly in his.

"No. I'm going." She told him as she went to her bag and began to pull out clothes and toiletries for her shower.

"I'll tell them you'll be there shortly then." Angel left them to get ready.

"You shower first and I'll watch the baby." Spike told her as he walked towards Jakes crib the baby was just waking his face red with the beginning of a loud wail. Before he could sound off, Spike picked him up.
"Alright, we're going to get this diaper thing down the first time, this time."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Buffy asked as she picked up her things and walked towards the bathroom.

"No, we'll be fine." He told her as he approached his task with the same zeal that he patrolled with. This time the diaper monster would be vanquished.

The hot water ran down Buffy's face to mix with her tears. Never in a million years would she have ever imagined that she would be going to the morgue to identify her sister's body. Last night, she kept thinking this was a bad dream and eventually she would wake up and it would be she and Spike in the bed and he would hold her and tell her it was just a dream....but no when she woke up this morning, Angel was at the door and Jake was still in her room.

When she left the bathroom Spike was alone in the bedroom, "Where's Jake?"

"Angel took him, said he would give him breakfast while we got ready to go." Spike answered as he lay out clean clothes on the bed.

"Good, the sooner we get this over the better. I suppose we should call Chris' grandmother when we get back."

"Yeah. I guess we should. It's going to be hard for her."

"It's hard for everyone." Buffy murmured softly as Spike went into the bathroom.

****

The morgue was a cold and dreary place despite the soft paintings of lovely landscapes that decorated the walls of the small waiting area. Buffy supposed there was just no way to cheer up a place that was so full of death and witness to so many people's grief. "Mr. and Mrs. Cambridge?" A woman in a white lab coat entered the room, "I'm Sharon Abear the cornoner's assistant."

Buffy and Spike stood still tightly clasping the other's hand "If you'll follow me." She opened a door and led them to a larger room where the bodies were kept. "I'm so sorry for your loss." She told Buffy sincerely as she opened first the drawer labeled C. Jameson. She pulled back the white sheet covering Chris' handsome face. Buffy gulped audibly as she looked at her once vibrant brother in law lying so still and quiet. Spike put his arm around her shoulder as she simply nodded her head at the woman, "That's him."

"Thank you." Miss Abear told her as she pushed the drawer back into place. She then moved to the drawer next to it marked D. Jameson.

Buffy held her breath as the woman opened the drawer and gently uncovered her sister's face. Dawn lie there pale and still. "Yes, this is my sister." The words came out barely more then a whisper and Buffy stumbled as she walked closer, Spike caught her before she could fall and held her tightly against him.

The coroners assistant looked at the couple with sympathy, "I'll give you a minute alone." She nodded as she left the room.

Buffy continued to stare at Dawn for several moments. Spike was becoming uneasy, he had tears rolling down his cheeks, he wanted Buffy to express some emotion too. He whispered her name, "Buffy?"

She turned to him, "It's okay, Spike." Tears finally ran down her face as her hand reached out and combed her fingers through Dawn's hair in the same comforting motion she'd used over and over while they were growing up. "She's really gone." She murmured her voice tight with emotion.

"Yes, she isr." His words were choked out as he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on Dawn's forehead, "I'll miss you, Niblet."

Buffy then repeated his action of kissing Dawn's forehead whispering her own promise, "We'll take care of Jake, Dawnie." Spike nodded his agreement, she then whispered in a even lower voice, "And "I" will take care of whoever did this. I promise you."

TBC