Disclaimer: Ok, so no worries yet, but Joss has in fact escaped, and had his lawyers call to inform me that I have 24 hours to disband my "Clone the Spike Project", or I will be sued. Yeah right, like he'd actually do anything! I don't believe it for a second. No way..................... Does anyone have a free room I could hide out in?

A/N: So I wanna thank everyone whose been reading and reviewing my story so far, I really appreciate all of your comments, and please please keep it up, I'm a review junkie. This next chap is kinda short, and mostly filler, but hey if ya want updates fast, then you can't be picky, right? Yeah I know, I hate the bastards too.

Better Man

Chapter 6

Million Dollar Questions

You think this life would make me bolder

But I'm running scared is all

I hang on everything about you

You think I'd settle down cuz I'm older

But I roll with the change is all

For the next few hours the three of them sat and talked. Mostly Spike sat there listening to Dawn explain how the last year had been, and all of the changes she had to deal with. Never once considering to mention Angel.

They talked about Giles and Anya's deaths, and how difficult the loss had been. Mostly Buffy just sat there watching Spike's reaction to everything that was being said. Noticing his quite and reserved reactions. She felt herself smile unconsciously at the realization he was in her home, he was home.

She looked up from her hands a moment later, to see him glancing at her. His striking blue eyes looking into her own, as if they were looking into her very heart. Unexpectedly she began to feel anxious, as she looked back to her hands, bringing one up to a pull a piece of hair from her face. Do something, she thought, don't ignore him, don't push him away.

But before she could look back up at him, Willow came through the front door, walking into the living room, all the while fiddling with the bag in her hand, and disregarding the occupants in the room.

"Hey Buff, hey Dawn, sorry I was so late, it's just that I was on my way back from the concert when Xander called and asked me to get some stuff because he wanted to eat dinner with us," she said, as she continued to mess with her bag.

"That's cool Wills, we've been uh kinda busy anyway," Buffy stated, sitting up on the edge of her seat, anticipating the redhead's inevitable reaction.

"So what did you guys do today," she stopped suddenly, the smile fading from her face, being replaced with a look of complete shock.

"SPIKE, YOUR BACK," she squeaked out fast.

Everyone else in the room jumped at the extreme reaction, then looking to Spike, to see what he was going to say. He wasn't sure how to reply, everything was coming at him from all angles.

"That seems to be the phrase of the day, but yeah, I'm still kickin' if you can imagine that."

"I don't understand, you died right, how can you be alive? You went with Buffy and did your little magic thingy and then poof you were gone, and we fought the bad guys, and then they died, and I really don't understand what's going on. So does that mean since you're back, their back, or are you back by yourself, and was this like special or something, because how could that happen? Unless someone brought you back, and I never did anything I swear, unless you're evil again and someone else brought you back. But by the look you're giving me I guess that's not the case, and so now I'm just jabbering, and your supposed to stop me when I do this," she finished, looking to Buffy for help.

"I think it's funny when you do this," she replied with a smirk.

Willow shot her friend a quick glare, before she returned her eyes back to Spike, "I just don't even know...........um........I'm not sure.........I guess I shouldn't be surprised this is Sunnydale after all," she finally managed to get out.

Suddenly out of nowhere they a heard a loud voice from behind Willow.

"Hey, hi , howdy everyone, I got pizzAAHHHHHHH," Xander yelled, jumping back three feet in the air, as he saw Spike for the first time.

Buffy got up from her seat, trying to calm down everyone in the room, realizing things where going down hill, and fast.

"Xander, before you freak out, let me just explain, that none of us have any idea how Spike got back, including HIM, so just try to relax."

"BUT......HOW......WH-," he tried to finish his last word, but gave up, setting down the pizza's he was holding onto."Wait a minute, so you don't know what's going on," he asked looking at Buffy and Dawn.

"Nope," they replied together.

"And you don't know why he's back?"

"Nope."

"And he doesn't know why he's back?"

"Nope."

"Did you know anything about this," he said looking at Willow.

She gave him an irritated glare," Yeah about a whole two minutes before you did."

"Buffy, are you sure you didn't know, were you keeping this from us," he asked frantically, almost angry.

Spike had had enough, he'd sat there an watched the two of them question him and Buffy like buffoons for the last five minutes and now he was pissed. Where the hell does he get off accusing me of anything. I've been dead for the last bloody year, and the man's still got a grudge against me.

"Hey, wait a damn second, me and Buffy only found each other today, she doesn't have any blimin' ideas about what's going on and neither do I, as I suspect you don't as well. So don't go gettin' your knickers in a twist just yet," Spike stated, more calm than expected.

"Xander we'll figure this out, just don't wig out on me ok." Buffy pleaded with him.

"WHA-, are you kidding me, just when things are starting to become ok for all of us, he shows up, bringing who knows what with him, and I'm supposed to be all Tony the Tiger with this? No way, this is definitely wiggage worthy."

This needed to stop. All of it. The bickering and fighting, and yelling, yes things had been getting back to "normal", as was per usual for Sunnydale, but nobody was particularly happy, especially Buffy. This was her chance to get back something she had lost, something they had all lost last year, and she wasn't going to let Xander's insecurities ruin it.

"Look Xand, none of us have any answers right now and none of us know what's going on, but we'll figure it ok? So for right now, lets all just relax and watch t.v. and eat pizza."

Xander glanced over at Spike, noticing that his eyes never left Buffy. "Yeah ok Buff, if that's what you really want," he responded, letting a breath of air out, as he plopped himself into the nearby sofa chair. "Who wants pepperoni?"