"Put it down." Buffy seethed, searching for the strength to intervene between her father and the stake he had pressed against Spikes chest.

There was silence and the only sound was the labored breathing of Hank, which Buffy figured was from adrenaline. Or fear. Out of frustration she fisted her hands tightly, sharp nails pressing into flesh. She was afraid to move, if she pulled the weapon from her fathers hands then she would have to explain everything. Why would save the life of a vampire, what she was doing with one of them in first place, how she knew what they were. . .

How did Hank know what they were?

"He's a vampire." Shelly said, stepping up to Buffy and putting her hand on her shoulder to calm her. Buffy fought down the instinct to shove her away. "I know this is hard to except, but he's a demon, a monster." She caught Spikes eyes as they flickered towered her. They held indecision and fear. He was trying to read in the Slayer's actions exactly what she wanted him to do. Buffy wasn't sure herself.

It took the Slayer a moment to regain her breath enough to answer. "Dad." She said awkwardly, attempting to have some resemblance of authority in her voice. "He's safe. . . I mean, he has a soul, he won't hurt anyone."

"That's a legend." Hank spat, not moving his eyes from Spike. "Vampires can't have souls."

Shelly followed Hanks hard words with a smoother, more calming tone. "What this demon told you was a lie. A vampire who lives in LA pretends to have a soul, says he wants to help us. Nothing changes what he is. A vampire is a monster."

It occurred to Buffy that the vampire they were referring to was Angel.

Throwing away her patience Buffy broke away from Shelly and grabbed the stake from her fathers hand. She kept it in her grasp as she turned toward Hank, trying to keep her fury from glimmering in her eyes. Spike backed away slowly from the father and daughter, careful to also keep a distance from Shelly.

"What are you doing Buffy." It wasn't a question as the fear in Hanks voice didn't permit it to be.

An awkward silence fell upon the room. Hank was enclosed between the wall and Buffy and his daughter showed no sign of moving. Her eyes were bright with anger and she wasn't taking them away from Hank.

"C'mon luv. Let's get out of here." Spike nearly whispered, gaze constantly shifting from each person.

Buffy didn't answer.

"Damnit Slayer!" The vampire nearly yelled. "There's no convincing you can do here. Let the two believe what they want but we've got a battle fight."

"Oh my god." Shelly said in a hushed tone before anyone else could utter a word. Her hand came to her mouth as she saw Buffy scowl at Spike. "Your the Slayer."

Buffy drew away from Hank as though she had been shocked and turned to look at Shelly. "How do you know. . ."

"The Slayer?" Hank said, not moving. His eyes suddenly turned from fearful to inquisitive.

"I- I'm not. . . don't think that I could be. . ." She trailed off.

Shelly took a tentative step closer to Buffy. "I've heard about you. . . I mean, the things you've done."

"Such as. . ." Buffy prompted for her as she came nearer toward her. The women had a smile on her lips, as though she had suddenly figured out the answer to a complex riddle.

"You killed the Master." Shelly said, awe in her voice. "And. . . the hellgod, Glory. You defeated her. . . and you died as well." Her voice suddenly dropped low.

The Slayer couldn't bring herself to meet the women's eyes, and so flashed her gaze toward her father. He seemed stunned and at a lost. Buffy couldn't blame him.

"But you died. . . how can you still be here?" Shelly continued. She wanted to reach her hand out to confirm the girl in front of her was real.

Before Buffy spoke she looked at her father. He looked lost and confused, almost afraid again but for different reasons. The Slayer swallowed hard. "Yeah, I died, not like I haven't done that before." A harsh bark of laughter escaped her lips, but it did nothing to ease the tension to distract the eyes from her. "I. . . was brought back, it's not that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal." Hank said, finally gaining to courage to speak. "Why didn't you tell me you were the Slayer, or that you had died! You fell off the face of the earth and you didn't tell me!"

"Did you even notice?" Buffy shot back. Her father looked down, his one moment stint as a caring parent gone. "You never call, never bother with a postcard or anything. You didn't even come in for moms funeral. Do you have any idea how hard it's been to rise Dawn on my own? And it's not just that, I'm the Slayer god damnit, I can't just live my own life, I've got to make sure everyone is safe enough to live their own!"

The room went silent and the only sound was Buffy's labored breathing. She flickered her eyes toward the clock, it was a quarter to five.

"How do you know about any of this?" She asked finally.

Shelly spoke, her voice the only one that was steady. "My cousin's wife is a Watcher."

"Oh."

Spike looked around awkwardly and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Shelly's eyes flickered toward the vampire and then back toward Buffy.

"What are you doing with a vampire?"

Spike groaned. "We've been over this before pet, I've got a soul. It's all safe for the Slayer to hang out with the big bad. No harm here."

Shelly nodded, but her heart wasn't in it. "How did you manage that? The soul I mean?"

Buffy looked at Spike uneasily, but he seemed to have it under control as he flashed her a smile.

"Got it for a girl." He said slyly and the Slayer couldn't keep herself from blushing when his eyes caught hers.

There was silence for a moment but Buffy broke it suddenly. "And we really must be going. Vampires to slay and shopping to do." She grinned broadly and reached for Spikes hand to drag him away, but her attention was distracted by Hank.

"Are you sure you have to go?" He asked almost sullenly.

Buffy could only bring herself to nod, her throat had become dry.

"Bring her back before we head home." Spike said, tugging the Slayer away toward the door. "But she's right, we must be off."

Shelly waved goodbye, her lips curled in.

Spike was the first to leave, and he held the door open for Buffy but she stopped as Hank called for her.

"Can I speak with you before you leave?" He looked determined. The Slayer nodded to Spike to close the door and wait outside, and her father asked Shelly to leave them in privacy.

Father and daughter stood along in silence, and Buffy forced herself to wait for him to start.

"So your the Slayer." He said as though he was repeating a statement.

She only nodded.

Hank sighed and shook his head. "You should have told me."

"Why?" Buffy asked, her muscles beginning to tense though she couldn't place the exact reason.

He looked up at her and held a gaze she remembered from when he used to scold as a child. It took all her self control to keep from cringing. "Because I'm your father."

She couldn't grasp for the right words. Father? How could he inaugurate himself to that position without even speaking to her for years? Giles had been her father, had taught her to overcome the demons of both the night and for herself. She stood silent.

"Buffy." He started again after a drawn out pause. "Look at what your doing with your life."

"What?"

His face was one of disbelief. As though he expected her to know herself. "Leaving the hellmouth unguarded, letting your social life became the priority over your calling, sleeping with a vampire!" He spoke as though they were questions and yet the tension in the room rose with each syllable.

Buffy was shocked at his accusations. She barely stopped to acknowledge that he knew about the hellmouth or that she was sleeping with Spike. Her face hardened. "Good bye dad." She said in a hallow voice and turned around, not wanting to see his expression as she opened the door and closed it tight behind her.

"That went well." The vampire said after she emerged into the hallway.

Buffy only looked at him.

"Pet, you can't expect your father-" He started but stopped quickly when her eyes grew bright. "What is it Buffy?" His voice dropped to a solid tone.

She shrugged her gaze away from him and a half smile crossed her lips. "It's nothing." She sniffed and started down the hallway. Spike stood still for a moment and then had to catch up with her.

"Haven't been around you this long Summers without knowing that's a something." He grabbed her arm but she pulled it out of his grasp in a solid, forceful gesture.

She stopped and looked at him so an icy emerald gaze met his. "I said I'm fine."

"Don't believe ya luv." He smirked and her eyes softened before she fell into his embrace. She leaned against him for support as his strong arms held her together. There was silence and he knew better then to expect his Slayer to shed her pride and cry in his arms.

She took in a shaky breath. Truth be told, she wasn't sure why she was falling apart in the middle of an apartment building. The encounter with her father had left her with a painful wound that she couldn't find on her body, and because of that she was sure it would leave a scar. Hank knew about the true darkness that the night held, that resided inside her. The knowledge left a knot in her throat.

A soft kiss was placed on her head and she looked up to meet Spikes pure cerulean gaze.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." She said, snuggling back into the fold of his duster and smelling the faint scent of alcohol and pigs blood.

And so he held her, and she couldn't leave him for anything. Not the hand of Riley that could take her into the light or the embrace of Angel who knew her with a deeper knowledge then her own.

It wasn't love that kept her clinging to him, for she had the love of others. It wasn't the way he spoke or how he fought beside her.

He had brought her back to life, had restarted her senses with teasing hands and perverse mummers in her ear. But it was more then that. He would never leave her, never betray her trust and run to a new city. . . a new country.

Buffy was used to abandonment, her father both during the divorce and just now, Angel walking off into the smoke, the helicopter that took Riley away.

She was accustom to it, but Spike would stay. He would hold her until the earth feel apart beneath their feet and the sky rained down in fire. Love had nothing to do with what she felt for Spike just now, but she knew he wouldn't leave her, and that's all that mattered.

A/N Well, I hope you all liked the chapter ( I sure as hell am not happy with how it came out, but make up your own mind and I'd love to hear your opinion) I know this is extremely Spuffy like, but I'm just setting up the stage here.