Disclaimer: nothing but the plot is my creation.

A/N: Aww, you're all so sweet with the reviews – they made me feel so much better! I love you all! For those of you who reviewed and encouraged me to continue, this chapter is for you!

Chapter six: Teething problems

Spike could admit that his behaviour earlier that morning had been little short of rude – running off after five minutes! Maybe it was because he hadn't felt the need to impress since Buffy wasn't perspective shag that he had acted so. Maybe he really was that much of an ass hole. Maybe, like every other strange situation his life had decided to throw at him this week, he just didn't have a bloody clue how to handle it! He had no problem admitting that. What he did have a problem with was the fact he felt anything about it at all. Since when had he had a conscience? Well he resolved to make up for it tonight. He was already quite certain that Buffy would have talked to Willow about him and heard all the stories, and the first impression he had provided her with was far from favourable – He'd seen it in her face in the few minutes they had spent together.

This woman had immediately seen through all the bullshit, the front, the machismo and had seen him for what he really was – a bloke who used his money and looks to get girls into bed. He'd questioned whether he really was that shallow and blanched when his friend Xander had confirmed that he really was. He'd been defensive at the time, denying the possibility, but now, hours later he accepted that it was true…and he still wasn't sure how he should feel about it. Well first he was going to show Jenny and Buffy that he was more than just money and image...hey! When had he started caring what a complete stranger thought of him? Oh yeah, when she was going to be living in close quarters with him for the foreseeable future!

Of course all of Spike's good intentions went out of the window when he walked back into his apartment to find it now closely resembled a war zone. Clothes and make-up were strewn all over the living room, along with what looked like the remains of an aborted game of twister, various books and toys, and the sight of Spike's guitar having been moved from its normal position was almost in itself enough to give him a heart attack. Of course all of this was before he even laid eyes on the kitchen where the sounds of giggling were now drawing him. Spike would always deny that he was a neat freak. He would always insist that his place was always spick and span because he was hardly ever there, not because he was obsessive about keeping it clean and in order. Unfortunately all the denials in the world wouldn't have helped him when his eyes bugged at the sight of his kitchen covered in flour and God knew what else.

The moment Buffy noticed Spike standing in the arch, his eyes closed tight and his jaw clenched she stopped laughing with Jenny about their inability to decide which batch of cookies was the best. Sensing the change in atmosphere Jenny stopped laughing herself, something she hadn't been able to do for such a long time, and let out a disappointed sigh when she glanced behind her to see her obviously furious uncle. She hadn't expected him to be back so soon, they would have cleared away the mess sooner otherwise – She'd noticed his obsession with cleanliness after only a few hours in the apartment. But from the look of things he was too angry to believe them. She'd been having such a good time as well. Jenny really liked Buffy and was glad that Spike had done at least one good thing in hiring her, but after this she wondered if Buffy would even still be here in the morning.

"Jenny, Go to your room." Spike said quietly, trying to keep his temper in check.

"But..." Jenny protested.

"Now!" Spike ordered. He didn't shout, but there was enough anger in the tone that Jenny decided it would be best to do as she was told. Her daddy had told her Spike had a violent temper, and while she didn't believe he would hurt her, she didn't want to be yelled at just yet either. With one last regretful look in Buffy's direction Jenny headed towards her room, resisting the urge to slam the door behind her, knowing that throwing a tantrum would only make matters worse. Jenny just hoped that Buffy would be able to say goodbye before she got thrown out.

With Jenny in her room Spike still tried to maintain his temper, but it was proving very hard while Buffy was staring at him as if he had grown a second, particularly repulsive head. Before he could even get a word out to berate her for destroying his apartment she let loose her own fury on him.

"What the hell is your problem?" She demanded none too politely. Spike blinked a couple of times in confusion, unsure if he'd heard her right.

"Excuse me?" he asked at last, still quite incredulous.

"I said," Buffy responded, her voice loosing none of its anger, "What the hell is your problem? There was no need to be like that with her!" Spike shook his head, not quite believing that the nanny was telling him off! He was about to remind her just who was working for who when Buffy continued her tirade. "You can treat me as poorly as you wish, I get paid to take you abuse but you shouldn't treat a child like that! She'd done nothing wrong for god's sake!"

"Well sorry if I'm a little upset about finding my apartment looking like a flour bomb exploded in here!" Spike responded, using considerable will power to prevent himself from yelling at this infuriating woman.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's just a little mess! We weren't expecting you back so soon and planned to clean it up before you got here."

"Oh so I'm supposed to apologise for coming back to my own home before you say so?" Spike growled back at her.

"Oh don't be so pathetic." Buffy spat – it was obvious which member of the Giles bloodline in the apartment had all the maturity. "I said nothing of the sort! You were just so good at playing the absentee parent that it wasn't surprising we expected you to be gone all day." Buffy almost regretted her words when she saw Spike's eyes flash with the purest anger she had ever seen, but she didn't back away when Spike advanced on her, stopping only inches away so they were almost nose to nose.

"Who are you to judge me?" Spike asked, his voice eerily calm. "Who are you to judge how I act with my own flash and blood? I may not be the perfect parent but I'm doing the best I can. I didn't exactly have the perfect role models. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not sure how to act around a child I was never allowed to meet…I'm trying all right! Everyone expects me to know exactly what to do but I don't have a bloody clue! You all throw this responsibility at my feet and expect me to rise to the challenge immediately but it doesn't work like that princess! You all seem to conveniently forget that while Jenny's still a child she isn't the only one who's grieving, she isn't the only one who lost…" Spike trailed off, his anger slipping away to be replaced with a mind numbing grief. Liam was gone…

Buffy had lost her own anger as his speech had progressed. She knew, by the time he had trailed off that it hadn't been about her anymore, it was about Spike and how well he wasn't dealing with his brother's death – making this new situation all that much harder for him to deal with. Buffy felt a twinge of sympathy for him when she saw the beginning of tears shimmering in his eyes, and in this suddenly vulnerable state she was reminded just how attractive his man really was. It was the shield he put up that had put her off when they had fist met, and again this morning. She tentatively reached out and laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"Spike?" She questioned softly, which seemingly brought him back to his senses.

Spike blinked away the tears in his eyes before they could fall and stepped away from her gentle touch. He didn't want to feel this – pain, grief, and vulnerability. He wanted to be angry, it was so much easier to be angry. "Clean this place up." He told her gruffly, his voice not quite back to normal. Without another word he walked into the living room, pulled a large bottle of whisky out of the cabinet, his guitar, and headed into his room. He wasn't mature enough not to slam the door!

Buffy sighed sadly as she watched him walk away and close himself off again. It had been so much easier when she had seen him as an insensitive, arrogant jerk. This sensitive side she had seen hidden just below the surface had the potential to make living arrangements very uncomfortable if he decided to show this nicer persona more often. With a resigned shrug she went to knock on Jenny's door to ask the girl to help her tidy up. At least she hadn't been fired!

A/N: And another chapter is in the can. Sorry if the grammar/spelling is rubbish but I'm in kind of a rush and I wanted to get this chapter out. Love you all!