The next morning when Violet woke up she couldn't help but think had it all
really happened or had it just been a dream?
When she was younger she had dreamed so many times of her father coming home, but had he really come home this time or had it just been a really vivid dream?
She thought about the previous nights excursions to the park for a couple of minutes and then decided that it couldn't have been a dream because it had just seemed so real, it was real she finally decided as she got up and put her pale green bath robe on and her blue fluffy slippers.
It was still early, only nine o'clock, which was early for any one to be up in this house especially on a Sunday. But she was awake now and she knew that no matter how hard she tried she would not be able to go back to sleep.
So she opened her door as quietly as she could and continued to go down the stairs as quietly as possible although she slipped slightly at the bottom and knocked her knee against the wooden banister.
She stood in the doorway of the lounge, he was still here she let out a sigh of relief he really was here, he wasn't going anywhere, he had promised he would be here and he was.
She tried to sneak past him and go to the kitchen but just as she was turning to leave he spoke up saying
"Morning pet isn't it a bit early for you to be up especially considering you were still up at about half three this morning."
He had moved, hadn't even opened an eye and yet he had known she was there.
"I'm sorry if I woke you up." she said quickly "I didn't mean to I was just um. I just wanted to check that you were really here. just to be sure that I hadn't.you know imagined you being here last night," blushing a deep red colour.
"Of course I'm still here pet." He said sitting up suddenly, "I promised you I would be and I'm here, so now what does my baby like to eat for breakfast then?"
"Well on Sunday's I normally just have toast or cereal"
"Well then which would you prefer today then?" he asked standing up and pulling on his red shirt over his black t-shirt and jeans which he had slept in.
"Um I think I'll have toast this morning, what about you what would you like?"
"I'm going to have the same as you. Now you sit down and make yourself comfy and I'll be back in a minute with the food."
Violet moved to sit on the couch and turned on the TV to watch the Sunday morning shows they weren't really that good but it was the only time on the weekend which she really watched the TV.
Spike walked down the hallway and towards the kitchen, when he opened the door he was confronted with rays of bright sun light beaming in at him through the open drapes.
"Bleeding hell," he shouted to himself as he dived back into the shadows of the hall.
"Violet! Violet! Will you come here a minute" he shouted
She nearly scared him because by the time he had finished shouting for her she was next to him she's obviously inherited Buffy's speed and quick reflex's he thought to himself.
"What's wrong dad?" she asked quickly when he had shouted she had been afraid that something was really wrong but she couldn't see anything the matter not in the kitchen any way, it was a bright and shining day.
"I can't. will you." he began embarrassed slightly at having to admit a weakness of his so early on in his relationship with his daughter.
"What is it?" she asked looking at him he wasn't at her he was looking at the floor it was like he was ashamed to look at her or something.
"It's the sunlight pet. Creature of darkness and all that. I can't go out into the sunlight. if I do then this happens." he stuck his arm out into the kitchen until the smoke start to rise off it.
"Ooh she said suddenly I'm sorry I didn't know." And she ran into the kitchen and pulled down all the blinds coating the whole kitchen into darkness.
"Is that better?" she asked looking at him nervously.
"Yes pet that's better, thank you." He said as he walked into the kitchen.
Violet turned to look back at him as she walked out of the kitchen,
"You don't need to be embarrassed about your limitations in front of me dad, it doesn't matter do me. I'm not looking for you to be some kind of hero for me; I just want you to be my dad, imperfections and everything. Just you,"
And then she walked out of the room and back to the lounge Spike stared after her for a few minutes gob smacked at what she had just said to him.
He couldn't believe how perfect his daughter was. Not many people would be able to accept someone like him.
He then started to move round the kitchen again getting the bread out of the bread bin turning on the grill and making sure that he didn't burn the toast.
Willow came downstairs while he was halfway through his effort of making breakfast.
"Morning Red!" he said cheerfully looking at the red haired witch sitting at the table in front of him.
"Good night sleep?"
"Yes thanks spike," she answered yawning. "Are you making toast?"
Spike smiled and said "Yes pet I am would you like some?"
"Uh yeah please if it's not to much trouble, got a lot to do today and not much time to do it in."
Spike looked up from buttering the mounds of toast in front of him
"Why what's happening today pet? Anything I can help with?"
Willow stifled a yawn and answered "Giles, Clara and Aria are flying in today from London?"
Spike passed her a plate with three pieces of toast on it and said,
"Who's Clara and Aria, his sisters or something?"
"Oh I forgot Spike you wouldn't know would you? Clara is Giles wife they got married about nine years ago and Aria is their little girl she's three now."
"So the watched got married then?" said spike with a grin
"Yep"
"What's she like?"
"Clara? Oh she's lovely she's from England to not as stiff upper lippy as Giles used to be. They run a bookshop together it deals with Magical and Demonological texts it's quite profitable from the sound of it, they get orders from all over the world."
Spike disappeared out of the kitchen and walked into the lounge handing Violet a massive plate filled with steaming hot buttery toast,
"Here you go pet, eat up you need your strength."
She smiled at him and took the plate, thanking him before looking back at the television.
He re- entered the kitchen just as the kettle was boiling for Willow's cup of tea.
He smiled at her and said, "Where are they going to be staying?"
She looked at him and grinned, "Giles and Clara will sleep in the spare room next to mine and Oz's"
"You to better behave then, the watcher might have turned into a listener."
"Ugh Spike that's gross" willow said and threw a tea towel at him.
"I know but any way," he said trying to carry on, "Where's Aria staying?"
"Aria's going to be staying with Violet in her room, then tomorrow Xander and Anya will be arriving from New York, they're staying with Tara though. And then on Tuesday it's Violets 18th birthday so we're having a big party here in the night inviting all her friends and everything."
"You sound busy then pet," spike said sitting down on the opposite side of the table to her and biting into his piece of toast.
"Yeah." she said blowing on her tea
"I was wondering, though spike whether you would like to go into the second guest room upstairs.the one next to Violet's. of course it's ok if you don't want to do it's just the lounge is going to be filled with people over the next couple of days so I'm not sure how much sleep you are really going to get in there."
He looked down at his toast for a minute and then looked up at her meeting her gaze and said "Yeah I'll go and move my stuff in their right now."
And with that he walked out the door and up the stiars.
When she was younger she had dreamed so many times of her father coming home, but had he really come home this time or had it just been a really vivid dream?
She thought about the previous nights excursions to the park for a couple of minutes and then decided that it couldn't have been a dream because it had just seemed so real, it was real she finally decided as she got up and put her pale green bath robe on and her blue fluffy slippers.
It was still early, only nine o'clock, which was early for any one to be up in this house especially on a Sunday. But she was awake now and she knew that no matter how hard she tried she would not be able to go back to sleep.
So she opened her door as quietly as she could and continued to go down the stairs as quietly as possible although she slipped slightly at the bottom and knocked her knee against the wooden banister.
She stood in the doorway of the lounge, he was still here she let out a sigh of relief he really was here, he wasn't going anywhere, he had promised he would be here and he was.
She tried to sneak past him and go to the kitchen but just as she was turning to leave he spoke up saying
"Morning pet isn't it a bit early for you to be up especially considering you were still up at about half three this morning."
He had moved, hadn't even opened an eye and yet he had known she was there.
"I'm sorry if I woke you up." she said quickly "I didn't mean to I was just um. I just wanted to check that you were really here. just to be sure that I hadn't.you know imagined you being here last night," blushing a deep red colour.
"Of course I'm still here pet." He said sitting up suddenly, "I promised you I would be and I'm here, so now what does my baby like to eat for breakfast then?"
"Well on Sunday's I normally just have toast or cereal"
"Well then which would you prefer today then?" he asked standing up and pulling on his red shirt over his black t-shirt and jeans which he had slept in.
"Um I think I'll have toast this morning, what about you what would you like?"
"I'm going to have the same as you. Now you sit down and make yourself comfy and I'll be back in a minute with the food."
Violet moved to sit on the couch and turned on the TV to watch the Sunday morning shows they weren't really that good but it was the only time on the weekend which she really watched the TV.
Spike walked down the hallway and towards the kitchen, when he opened the door he was confronted with rays of bright sun light beaming in at him through the open drapes.
"Bleeding hell," he shouted to himself as he dived back into the shadows of the hall.
"Violet! Violet! Will you come here a minute" he shouted
She nearly scared him because by the time he had finished shouting for her she was next to him she's obviously inherited Buffy's speed and quick reflex's he thought to himself.
"What's wrong dad?" she asked quickly when he had shouted she had been afraid that something was really wrong but she couldn't see anything the matter not in the kitchen any way, it was a bright and shining day.
"I can't. will you." he began embarrassed slightly at having to admit a weakness of his so early on in his relationship with his daughter.
"What is it?" she asked looking at him he wasn't at her he was looking at the floor it was like he was ashamed to look at her or something.
"It's the sunlight pet. Creature of darkness and all that. I can't go out into the sunlight. if I do then this happens." he stuck his arm out into the kitchen until the smoke start to rise off it.
"Ooh she said suddenly I'm sorry I didn't know." And she ran into the kitchen and pulled down all the blinds coating the whole kitchen into darkness.
"Is that better?" she asked looking at him nervously.
"Yes pet that's better, thank you." He said as he walked into the kitchen.
Violet turned to look back at him as she walked out of the kitchen,
"You don't need to be embarrassed about your limitations in front of me dad, it doesn't matter do me. I'm not looking for you to be some kind of hero for me; I just want you to be my dad, imperfections and everything. Just you,"
And then she walked out of the room and back to the lounge Spike stared after her for a few minutes gob smacked at what she had just said to him.
He couldn't believe how perfect his daughter was. Not many people would be able to accept someone like him.
He then started to move round the kitchen again getting the bread out of the bread bin turning on the grill and making sure that he didn't burn the toast.
Willow came downstairs while he was halfway through his effort of making breakfast.
"Morning Red!" he said cheerfully looking at the red haired witch sitting at the table in front of him.
"Good night sleep?"
"Yes thanks spike," she answered yawning. "Are you making toast?"
Spike smiled and said "Yes pet I am would you like some?"
"Uh yeah please if it's not to much trouble, got a lot to do today and not much time to do it in."
Spike looked up from buttering the mounds of toast in front of him
"Why what's happening today pet? Anything I can help with?"
Willow stifled a yawn and answered "Giles, Clara and Aria are flying in today from London?"
Spike passed her a plate with three pieces of toast on it and said,
"Who's Clara and Aria, his sisters or something?"
"Oh I forgot Spike you wouldn't know would you? Clara is Giles wife they got married about nine years ago and Aria is their little girl she's three now."
"So the watched got married then?" said spike with a grin
"Yep"
"What's she like?"
"Clara? Oh she's lovely she's from England to not as stiff upper lippy as Giles used to be. They run a bookshop together it deals with Magical and Demonological texts it's quite profitable from the sound of it, they get orders from all over the world."
Spike disappeared out of the kitchen and walked into the lounge handing Violet a massive plate filled with steaming hot buttery toast,
"Here you go pet, eat up you need your strength."
She smiled at him and took the plate, thanking him before looking back at the television.
He re- entered the kitchen just as the kettle was boiling for Willow's cup of tea.
He smiled at her and said, "Where are they going to be staying?"
She looked at him and grinned, "Giles and Clara will sleep in the spare room next to mine and Oz's"
"You to better behave then, the watcher might have turned into a listener."
"Ugh Spike that's gross" willow said and threw a tea towel at him.
"I know but any way," he said trying to carry on, "Where's Aria staying?"
"Aria's going to be staying with Violet in her room, then tomorrow Xander and Anya will be arriving from New York, they're staying with Tara though. And then on Tuesday it's Violets 18th birthday so we're having a big party here in the night inviting all her friends and everything."
"You sound busy then pet," spike said sitting down on the opposite side of the table to her and biting into his piece of toast.
"Yeah." she said blowing on her tea
"I was wondering, though spike whether you would like to go into the second guest room upstairs.the one next to Violet's. of course it's ok if you don't want to do it's just the lounge is going to be filled with people over the next couple of days so I'm not sure how much sleep you are really going to get in there."
He looked down at his toast for a minute and then looked up at her meeting her gaze and said "Yeah I'll go and move my stuff in their right now."
And with that he walked out the door and up the stiars.