A/N : Lost sight of where I was going to go with this for a while but I'm right back on track now. Thanx for the reviews and to SinisterChic Heather Martin - that would have been a great idea but it's not where I want this story to go, I have other ideas, thanks anyway. Okay, so on with the story and keep those nice reviews coming please, I love to write anyway, but the nice comments encourage me to write even more often.

(For disclaimer, etc - seee chapter 1)

Chapter 8

"Mornin' pet" Spike smiled as Buffy's eyes opened. He'd woken just a few minutes earlier and had not wanted to go back to sleep. He laid on his side, propped up on one elbow just watching his lady dream.

"You're still here" she whispered with a smile "I was so afraid it was all just another dream"

"I'm living a dream, luv" he told her, kissing her gently on the lips "Being here with you, knowing that you love me..."

"You didn't know before?" she interrupted, with a hint of a frown "You couldn't hear me?"

"Hear you?" the ex-vamp looked confused.

"In heaven" Buffy explained "I always thought the people could hear..." she trailed off when he turned to lay on his back and stared at the ceiling, his smile completely gone.

"What's the matter?" she asked pulling herself up a little.

He was silent for a moment before glancing over at her and seeing he had clearly worried her. He had not wanted to do that.

"Nothing, pet" he half-lied, turning back to kiss her again, but their embrace was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Sounds like we slept late" Buffy sighed, glancing at the clock and realising it was in fact ten thirty already. 'Good job it's Saturday or Dawnie would be seriously late for school' she thought as she felt the bed move and Spike got out.

"I'll get the door" he told her, pulling on his jeans and T-shirt "you get dressed at your own speed" he smiled, placing a final kiss on her forehead and exiting the room.

Spike actually felt more than a little uncomfortable, climbing into the clothes he'd been buried in. He'd had a shower before going to bed the night before, but his clothes were still muddy and a little worse for wear, still he had nothing else to wear and he didn't want to make a big deal out of it right now.

"Hey Spike" Willow grinned, coming out of her room just as he came out of Buffy's.

"Mornin' Red" he smiled back "I was just gonna get the door"

"Oh, I'll get it" she offered "Tara's just getting dressed and I checked on Dawnie, she's up too" she took a step towards the stairs and Spike followed.

"Then I guess I'll make breakfast"

"You don't have to do that" she told him, turning back.

"I want to" he assured her "I gotta thank the gang somehow, I think I'll be thanking you all my life" he swallowed hard as he glanced back at the door he'd just closed "for bringing me back to her..."

"One more word and you're gonna have me crying again" the witch beside him interrupted, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, Willow" Spike half-smiled, knowing he was on the verge of making himself cry too.

"It's okay" she shrugged as they turned toward the stairs again, but still they didn't make it down as she turned back again "Hey did you just call me Willow?"

"It's your name, right?" the new human asked, realising why she'd mentioned it.

"Yeah, but I don't think I've heard you use it" the red-head admitted and Spike smiled.

"Well, make the most of it" he passed by her to go down the stairs "you might not hear it again, Red"

Willow grinned as she followed him down the flight of steps, catching hold of his arm at the bottom.

"Spike?"

"Yeah" he turned back, slightly startled by the witches hand on his arm. He was even further surprised when she turned him completely around and pulled him into a hug.

"What was that for?" he wondered aloud as she started to walk away toward the front door.

"I've wanted to hug you so many times" she admitted softly, "but I was kinda scared...well, you can't bite me now so..." she felt weird saying it and a further knock on the door meant she didn't have to say anymore "I really better answer that" she smiled and disappeared as Spike headed for the kitchen, a similar smile on his own face. He thought maybe this time, he wouldn't mind so much being a human, because this time it seemed he had friends.

Dawn yawned loudly as she stumbled down the stairs and made for the kitchen. As she came through the door, Spike turned to look at her from his position by the stove.

"Breakfast, Sweet Bit?" he smiled and the young Summers looked surprised.

"Hey Spike, I can do that, you should get some rest..." she said, coming up behind him.

"I think I got plenty of rest, luv" he told her and she knew what he meant "making the most of not having to now, y'know"

"Good point" she nodded, before daring to wrap her arms around him from behind and squeeze tight "it's so great to have you back"

"Steady on Dawnie" he complained as the frying pan in his hand slipped and he almost dropped it. Truth was it was strange that people seemed to want to hug him all of a sudden, but it was unsettling in a nice way, he had to admit that.

"You made pancakes?" Dawn asked, peering around his shoulder.

"Yeah" he answered, tipping the food onto a plate "Feels weird to want to eat this stuff after such a long time just craving, well, y'know"

"Yeah, the blood" she nodded in understanding before pulling up a stool by the counter "Hey, we can go to the park later, you can get a real California tan now" she realised with excitement as Spike continued making breakfast.

"Guess I can" the ex-vamp nodded, glancing round at her.

"Or we can go to the beach" Dawn suggested "oh and now you can go out in the day there's the mall and you don't have to wear black, we can get you some new clothes, and no more worries about stakes and stuff..."

"Hey Dawnie" Buffy interrupted from the kitchen door "slow down. This is all a big adjustment for Spike" she said as she walked over to the two.

"Sorry" the younger girl looked at first Spike then Buffy "guess I got over-excited"

"That's alright, Nibblet" Spike assured her "Gotta say I'm a bit excited myself, bit confused too though about how it happened" he admitted as Buffy gave him a peck on the cheek and stole some of Dawn's breakfast from her plate.

"Well, we can talk about that now" she told him "now that everyone is here"

"Guess so. Here Bit, you take your pancakes and the coffee through to the gang, we'll be right behind you" he said turning to Dawn and handing her a tray with cups of coffee on it and putting her breakfast on it too.

As the younger Summers girl disappeared into the living room, Spike dropped the pan and utensils into the sink to be washed and sighed.

"You okay, Spike?" Buffy asked standing behind him.

"Yeah pet, I'm fine" he said, turning to lean on the counter and face her "all this it's...just gonna take some getting used to, like you said" he told her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I'll help" she promised, going into his arms and hugging him "we all will"

"You all already have" he told her as he hugged her back "Them brining me back to you and you loving me..." he pulled back to see her face "Buffy, I..."

"Hey, I thought you were right behind me?" Dawn interrupted and Spike sighed.

"Coming Bit" he told her, taking Buffy by the hand and walking into the living room where the Scoobies were waiting.

"Mornin all" he greeted. Giles, Anya and Xander were on the sofa with Willow and Tara in one of the arm chairs and Dawn just moving out of the other to sit on the floor and let her sister sit there.

"Good morning Spike" Giles answered for everyone as the bleached blond perched on the arm of the chair beside Buffy "Er, how are you feeling?"

"Still human if that's what you mean Watcher" he smiled "Any ideas how it happened yet?"

"Not entirely no..." Giles admitted, cleaning his glasses.

"Maybe if you told us what happened where you were?" Anya suggested, but the others realised there was a chance he wasn't somewhere pleasant, he had been a demon after all.

"Maybe he can't remember, or he doesn't know..." said Tara, quickly.

"I do know" Spike said, looking at his hands and not the people he was talking to.

"Were you in heaven?" Dawn wanted to know.

"Dawn..." Buffy's voice had a warning tone. After she had mentioned Heaven earlier, Spike had gone very quiet and strange, she guessed that was not where he'd been.

"It's okay" Spike told Buffy before turning to Dawn "No Bit, I don't reckon I was, knew the chances of that were slim"

"You weren't in...?" Dawn didn't even wasn't to say the word, but if he hadn't gone up to heaven surely there was only one other way to go.

"Hell?" Spike knew precisely what she meant "No, I didn't go that far south either..."

To Be Continued...