Author's notes: Yes another chapter, at last. Inside this chapter Spike and Narcissa have a bit of a chat. Should be more but I hope you like it. I'm still looking for a beta reader so if you spot things I've done wrong you can email me and point out where I've gone wrong and helpfully put how I could solve it.

As usual I don't own anything.

This bit is where I apologize for the huge delay in this chapter being posted. My only excuse is that my inspiration got up and left me halfway through and absolutely refused to return. However it's come back and I've been working it relentlessly until this chapter was finally finished. I'm not too sure how much of this works and how much doesn't. As it says above I REALLY need a beta reader. If you want the job you need to email me and it's on my profile so it's not hidden okay?

Thanks to all those who bothered to review. And another apology for the delay, having the net taken away does hinder one in posting.

Enough rambling from me, Read and enjoy! Chid

Spike had walked all over London, walking through the city in the middle of the way, the sun shining down on his face and it wasn't burning him into ashes. He explored the town wondering what was going on with his Slayer, the bit, the Scooby's. Had they survived? Did they make it? Was it over? Could Buffy finally have the normal life that she'd always wanted?

He jumped into a cab and asked to go to the airport, he'd catch a plane to L.A. and go and bug peaches for answers.

By the time the edge of London came it was sunset, 'Bloody traffic' He thought as he was getting bored of the drivers almost non-stop talking about the weather or whatever else he could think of. If he'd still been a vampire he might have bitten him just to shut him up!

The cab had gone past the city limits and Spike had felt a burning sensation, closed his eyes from the pain and then hit the floor, and opened his eyes to find him back in the attic of the mansion like house.

Spike looked around confused. 'Okay, what just happened' He asked himself wondering how he'd gotten back here. He stood up and brushed off his duster and decided to look around this house. If he was going to be stuck here he might as well find out what was going on.

The search of the attic took only a short time. He couldn't touch anything and so couldn't look through anything and find out what was here. So he proceeded to look through the people's bedrooms, advantage of being a ghost, walls meant nothing.

The first one was very large and full of expensive looking items. No pictures, no diaries and nothing much else. The next one wasn't as elaborate but he could see that either the family had lots of money or they had found a great carpenter who knew how to make cheap items look very expensive.

The spare bedrooms weren't anything to gawp at, very plain and simple with furniture that looked cheap compared to the other stuff he'd seen.

He then wandered out into the corridor and made sure to take a good look at the paintings, he watched one with a young lady and man in a forest, he hadn't spoken a word to them but watching was very interesting, until of course the man had noticed him looking and told him in various words to 'piss off'

Spike chuckled and moved along, looking at the names and faces of those in the paintings.

He took a better look around the hallway and stairs that he'd left in a hurry earlier. He actually noticed an emblem over the front door, a giant snake coming out of a mouth. Spike didn't know what it was but got the feeling that it wasn't something that was associated with hugs and puppies. He took a right at the bottom of the stairs and found himself in the dining room with a giant table and he knew that the room was furnished to impress. He looked at the walls and noticed a tapestry and took a closer look.

It was a family tree, and right at the bottom Spike noticed the boy he'd bumped into earlier, or the boy who'd been scared out of his brains earlier, and the woman was his mother.

Spike frowned at the boy's picture family trees bored him but, this one; he was getting a feeling about. So he started tracing the family members back, further and further up the tapestry noticing various things that he was familiar with. Apart from the strikingly blonde hair.

Could it be?

Spike hurried his search, making sure not to loose track of where he was. He jumped onto the cabinet in front of the tapestry, and was thankful that he didn't fall through. He followed the lines with his finger and finally found who he was looking for. He felt the pit of his stomach drop out, he looked at the name of the child and then back at the woman his eyes were looking at.

Raven black hair, and chocolate coloured eyes, she had been almost as tall as him and her figure was exquisite.

Probably the only human he'd ever looked at without thinking about how delicious their blood would be. He'd partly fallen in love with her but he'd been with Drusilla at the time and doubted that he'd ever look at another woman who was as pretty or as stunning as Drusilla. She'd proven him wrong. She'd changed his un-life for about three weeks and then he'd gone and forgotten about her.

He read her name and jumped back down onto the floor.

He loved Buffy, with everything he had and just seeing that girls picture, if he breathed it would have taken his breath away.

He was about to walk through the door when the woman, Narcissa, opened the doors. When she looked at Spike she gave out a small cry of surprise and then quickly pointed her piece of wood at him again. Spike jumped back a few paces and looked at her.

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone. I tried leaving London but I ended back here alright love?" He said quickly explaining why he was here.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Narcissa demanded.

"The name is Spike, and as to why I'm here? I haven't a bloody clue. Last thing I remember clearly was burning from the inside out in the middle of Sunnydale saving the world. Next thing I know I'm in your attic with a scared kid huddling in the corner and you pointing that wand at me." After Spike said wand he suddenly made the final connection. They were witches and wizards and not the kind that Red was. She'd been one but she had hidden it whenever he was around, it made him nervous that she could have burned him into pieces in a few seconds if she'd wanted. 'Thinking of that Red could of if she'd really wanted.' He realised and was very glad that the Wicca had a bit of a soft spot for him.

Narcissa lowered her wand and sat herself down on the nearest chair and looked at Spike.

"What kind of a name is Spike? You obviously aren't a pure blooded wizard. So I ask again, who are you?" She asked more politely this time.

"Like I said, my name is Spike, I used to go by another name but if anyone calls me it I have to kill them see? Now about the wizard thing, no I'm not a wizard, I'm no muggle or mudblood either. If I remember my wizardly wordings well enough I'm a squib. However that doesn't matter anymore since before I came back here I was a vampire. Power in my own way."

Spike paused, that was a lot of memories he'd just dragged up. The disappointment at not being able to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Finding out that he didn't have an ounce of magic flowing through his veins. 'Hold on, if I was the last family member what happened to all the money, oh bloody hell don't tell me its still sitting in that wizarding bank building interest. DAMN the Powers That Be!' Spike had just realised that despite the tiny amount of money his family had actually had. Over the years it would have built up and he could have supported Buffy through the past three years.

Spike looked at the ceiling, cursing in his head the Powers That Be. They'd know the whole time and had allowed Buffy to go through all that time suffering when he could have provided. 'And they say that after death you can finally rest in peace' He thought and then added, 'No rest for the wicked'

Narcissa was giving him a dirty look. Spike looked at her wondering what she was sneering at. "What?" He demanded, wanting to know.

"You were a squib? That's beneath even a muggle." She commented giving Spike a dirty look.

Spike looked at her, glaring, how dare she make a comment like that. "Oh yeah? And how many witches and wizards are so fantastic? And being a squib isn't or wasn't easy you know. I'd like to see how YOU would do living without your magic for a certain amount of time. And then we'll see just how well you do and whether your opinion is still as venomous!" He spat at her. Narcissa paled a little and then looked away, settling her eyes on the tapestry.

Spike followed her gaze and then he looked at that one face. "What happened to her?" Spike asked aloud without realising it. Narcissa looked at Spike and then back at the tapestry. "Who?" She asked. Spike looked at Narcissa and suddenly realised what he'd said and then gave a tiny sigh. "Lalita." Spike answered sadly. He wouldn't cry, he didn't feel like crying but he did feel sad that he hadn't been there for her. 'Damned soul' he uttered in his brain.

Narcissa looked over at Spike, stood up from the chair and scanned the tapestry for Lalita and then looked at Spike.

"Why? Who are you to care about a girl in the family who died hundreds of years ago?" Narcissa demanded. Spike looked up at her and then at the tapestry.

"Hasn't anyone wondered why all of a sudden various things about the appearance of the children changed so dramatically in one child? The one to carry everything onwards?" He asked. 'And if any of those who know me hear this I WILL bite them.' He promised himself. In fact if they ever found out about any of the stuff that had happened today and that day all those years ago he would find a way to hurt them badly. If not worse.

Narcissa looked at the tapestry and then at Spike. "How should I know? And I ask again, what do you care? What do you have to do with all of this?" She demanded. Spike sighed and rolled his eyes and closed his eyes. "Lalita and I had a fling, I didn't know that anything would come out of it. Let alone a bloody kid!" He said, he opened his eyes and looked at Narcissa to see her reaction. "How am I supposed to believe you? What proof is there?" Spike just rolled his eyes again and started to storm around the room. "I'd say do a blood test but I'm dead, so no good there. Now I don't know much about magic but isn't there some kind of spell that will tell you that I'm telling the truth?" He asked raising his hands into the air in frustration. Looking at the tapestry he turned back to Narcissa. "I'd have thought that the change in the family features was obvious cos from Lalita's kid onwards there's a very distinct change in family features." Narcissa however still didn't look convinced. Spike just rolled his eyes and walked out of the dinging room, through the door, he'd had enough of the stupid woman.

'Oh well, least I know where I am now.' Spike mused as he let his memories of those few weeks pass over him. Malfoy Manor was where he was now; although the interior had changed just a bit Spike could see familiarities in the place. The general layout was still the same. Spike stood for a few moments in front of the grand staircase and then looked around for the door to the kitchen, he was peckish and if he couldn't eat he'd throw a tantrum.

After much searching for the door he gave up and walked through walls until he found it. He did find some VERY interesting items in one hidden room; no doubt they were dark arts things and were being hidden well for a reason. He did find the kitchen and watched as a lone young woman was running around in circles around several pots and pans cooking a small range of foods. She was waving her wand all over the place as things whizzed past. Spike raised an eyebrow at her. Weren't there supposed to be house elves in the 'pure-blood' family kitchens and grounds?

"Where's the house elves kid?" Spike called out to her. She visibly jumped and sent a couple of spells his way before she noticed the fact that they went straight through him. She stared blankly at him and Spike just rolled his eyes giving a loud and slightly fed up sigh. "What is it with stupidity and this house?" He asked loudly to no one and yet everyone at once. The girl blinked at him and then noticed something boiling and quickly dealt with that. "Hey girl! Where are the house elves?" He asked loudly, almost shouting, at her. She shook and looked at him sheepishly and muttered an answer. Spike crossed his arms and tapped his foot and she gulped before answering louder. "Last house elf was freed. Harry Potter tricked Mr Malfoy into freeing Doby." She went back to dashing about the food. Spike decided to leave her too it and walked back through the door this time and headed through the house until he found the grounds and he sat himself on the grassy ground and sat thinking about how things had turned out and tried to figure out what to do next. How could he get back into contact with Buffy, should he?

The sun set and he still sat there until finally he got up and decided to play spook for a while and educate the kid a bit in the world of the scary and then see if he knew a way he could get into contact with the Scooby's.

Spike smiled as he rubbed his hands together before going in to scare the kid, he'd decided to refrain from showing the kid his game face. That might be a bit too much for the kid right off but he did want to see what his reaction would be to knowing that they were family. He'd not seen the kid again that day so maybe he'd have a bit more courage.

Leaving the room again Spike had to come to the conclusion that the Malfoy family was lacking in the brains and common sense side of things. Somewhere along the line there'd been a serious amount of interbreeding to create such incompetence in the family. He walked around the house for a while before deciding that he might as well get some sleep and seeing as he fell through the bed when he tried to sleep on it he settled for a floor until he could find a way of sleeping on a bed. Even the cot at Buffy's in the basement was more comfortable than the floor.

AN. Although none out there will get the reference, in dedication to my friends who have just left 6th form I quote thusly. 'Baaaaaa. Potatoes.'