Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah! Bored now!

A/N: I've had such a hard time getting this chapter up! – Sorry! Wow! I cannot believe all the reviews I've been getting, it's so brilliant – I totally love you guys!!!! Well I really think that last chapter was crap so now I'm gonna try and do better – no songs this time – shock horror!!! So we rejoin the slayer and the peroxide vampire during the summer between seasons three and four...

Chapter 9: Sunlight and marshmallows

"So have you picked any classes for your first semester yet?" Willow asked Buffy as they strolled through the cemetery on an early patrol. They were Bronze bound later and wanted to get the killing things portion of the evening out of the way quickly.

"Nope!" replied Buffy, popping the 'p'. She threw her stake in the air and caught it again. Patrol was sooo boring when there was nothing to kill! "Here vampires! Got some tasty treats for ya!" she sing songed.

"You're awfully chipper tonight." Willow pointed out, pleased to see Buffy in such a good mood. She had been sure that Angel leaving would have sent her into a funk for weeks, especially since she had been so distraught when Angel had broken up with her. But it was as if Buffy hadn't even given it a second thought.

"Am I?" Buffy asked. She really hadn't noticed any extra chipper-ness...well okay maybe a little! But surely she wasn't THAT excited...was she?

"Yeah," Willow told her emphatically "you're practically skipping around the cemetery!"

"Huh." Buffy shrugged "Guess I've just got some excess energy to burn. I wish the evil things would show up so I can kill them and use the extra energy for more fun things, like Bronzing for example!"

"Erm Buffy?" said Willow nervously

"Yeah?" Buffy hadn't been looking at Willow, but when she turned to her she saw panic etched on her face. "Will what's wrong?"

Willow pointed to something ahead of them that Buffy hadn't noticed. "I think you spoke to quickly about the evil things!"

Buffy looked to where Willow was pointing, suppressing the smile that tried to break out on her lips, she tried to force a hard edge to her voice. "Will go!"

"But Buffy..." She tried to protest but Buffy cut her off.

"Go find Giles and Xander." When Willow didn't move immediately Buffy turned and glared at her. "GO!" Finally Willow turned and ran from the cemetery leaving Buffy to deal with the vampire casually leaning against a crypt on her own. He let out a low chuckle as she approached.

"Pleased to see me pet?" He asked. His answer came when she ran at him full speed and wrapped her arms around him tightly in a fierce hug. Had he been human he was sure he would have had a few cracked ribs. "I'll take that as a yes then!"

"Of course it's a yes dumbass!" She said, releasing him so she could see him properly. It felt like years since she had last seen him rather than a few months. She wasn't at all surprised that her spider sense hadn't detected him before Willow had spotted him. It was as if the slayer part of her didn't recognise him as a threat anymore. "You're looking better!"

"So're you ducks!" he replied. He couldn't believe how happy he was to see her. He hadn't realised how much he had missed her until now. He was a little taken aback however when Buffy slapped him in the chest. "Hey! What was that for?"

"What were you hanging around here for? You know I patrol here with the scoobies! Anyone could have seen you. Will DID see you!" She said sternly.

"That was the point." He told her. "There was no one in at your house so I guessed you'd be patrolling." He pouted, "I just wanted to see you is all."

Buffy sighed. It was impossible to stay upset with him when he gave her the kicked puppy look. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just risky."

"Don't worry so much slayer. Red will just assume we had ourselves a knock down drag out brawl, which you won o'course, and I just high tailed it."

"I guess you're right." She admitted. Buffy glanced at her watch. "Mom should be back by now. If you wanna go hang at my place for a while I'll wait for Willow and Co to show then I'll head back and we can catch up."

Spike frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be going to the Bronze with your pals tonight?" When she gave him a puzzled look he pointed to his ear. "Vampire hearing."

"Oh right. Well I can Bronze with the gang anytime but I barely get to see you! I'll tell them you got in a few good hits and I don't feel so good. They'll understand."

"You're sure?" he checked.

"I'm sure." She confirmed. "Now go! Hang with my mother!"

As Spike went to leave, he made one last inquiry. "Does she still have those little marshmallows?"...

An hour later Buffy walked into her kitchen to find her mom and Spike talking at the counter, each clasping a mug of cocoa and Spike with his hand in the bag of marshmallows, happily munching away.

"...and then she said that's not a cow, and you're not milking it!" Spike finished and Joyce burst out laughing. Buffy had the feeling she'd missed something.

"I see you guys kept each other entertained!" She said to announce her presence. Spike turned to her with a grin, nodding.

Joyce calmed her self before speaking. "Oh hi honey. Spike was just telling me about the time..."

Buffy held up a hand to cut her off. "That's ok mom! I've heard enough of Spike's stories for a lifetime."

Joyce smiled knowingly at her daughter causing Buffy to give her a puzzled frown. Joyce took her empty mug to the sink and rinsed it out before she turned to face Buffy again. "Well it's late and I'm off to bed. Don't stay up too late ok Buffy?"

"I won't." Buffy assured her. "Goodnight"

"Goodnight sweetie. Goodnight spike." She said as she left the room.

"G'night." Spike called after her before shoving another handful of marshmallows in his mouth.

Buffy tilted her head to the side as she studied him. "You are one strange vampire!"

"What's your point?" he asked innocently.

Buffy just shook her head, choosing not to answer that. "You weren't telling my mother anything I'd have to stake you for were you?"

Spike grinned devilishly. "Wouldn't you like to know!"

Buffy sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" She asked, turning away from him to get a glass of water.

"You open for suggestions?" he asked. Buffy paused as she heard him. *Was that innuendo?* She shook the thought off however, dismissing it as just normal Spike banter. Filling her glass with water from the faucet, she missed Spike's eyes widen as he realised what he'd said. By the time she sat down facing him, his surprise had been replaced with concern.

"So how have you been holding up since the poof left?" typical Spike, strait to the point.

Buffy took a deep breath before speaking. That was a loaded question if ever she'd heard one. "Okay I guess." She would have left it at that if not for Spike's raised eyebrow telling her to elaborate. "Some days are worse than others she admitted."

"I know the feeling." Spike told her. It wasn't just a platitude; he really did know how it felt.

"Sometimes it's fine, I can go a couple of days without thinking of him at all. And then something will happen, like I'll be walking through the park during the day and I'll see a couple holding hands and I'll think if we could have had something as simple as that maybe he would have stayed!"

"What do you mean?" Spike asked confused. What did kids in the park have to do with Angel sodding off to wherever the hell he went?

"When he left he told me that I needed someone who could be with me in the sunlight." She explained. "I guess it wasn't enough for him to see me at night. I tried to tell him I didn't look good in direct light anyway but he wouldn't listen."

Spike frowned, a thought not quite fully formed, began to make itself known in the back of his mind...something about vampires walking around during the day...

Buffy noticed his strange expression. "You ok?"

Spike shook the thought off, he'd think about it more later. "I'm fine slayer. Now, tell me what you've been up to! Kill anything interesting lately?"

He smiled as Buffy enthusiastically began to tell him about this Anilegna beast she'd fought the week before, giving him a blow-by-blow description. He listened to her stories until just before dawn, despite her assurances to her mother that she wouldn't stay up late. They only stopped since he needed to find shelter for the day. She would have let him stay there if not for the Scooby meeting that had been scheduled for later that morning.

As he started to drift off in his hotel suite sometime later, the thought that had been nagging at him earlier came back with a startling clarity. Vampires walking around in the sunlight...

A/N: and there's another chapter for your perusal! Love you all and will deliver more soon...as soon as I've had some sleep that is!