A/N: I know that one or two of you were worried about Spike's storming out. Well, he's back. Cos he is in love with Buffy and a little Snarky Gilesness isn't gonna drive him out. So, be calm my dear. This chapter is short because in the next chapter something BIG happens. Drum roll, please. Anyway, here it is...

Buffy rubbed her eyes to clear the bleary vision as she sat down at the dining table and smiled when Dawn pushed her a box of cereal and bowl. She looked down at her watch and saw it was almost time for Dawn to go to school and Xander was talking on his cell phone to someone at the building site and saying he would be there as soon as possible while still trying to eat a large croissant. Giles sat at the head of the table reading a newspaper with a frown on his face and muttering under his breath about British politics. Buffy turned and looked through the doorway that led into the living room – she expected to see Spike curled up there and he was. He had his back to the doorway and was curled up in a ball on the sofa bed, she could see from there that his hair was all mussed up. It made her think back to L.A when he had dyed his hair brown and brushed it forward and how different it had made him look.

Buffy turned back around in her seat at the opposite end of the table and started eating her cereal just as Andrew walked in wearing his Spiderman PJ's and rubbing his eye with the back of his hand yawning just like a little kid. His usually spiky blond hair was flattened and he sat next to Dawn who rolled her eyes at his morning state. It had to be said it had taken all of them a long time to adjust to all living together but having to see Andrew everyday certainly was the biggest challenge. Xander was thinking about moving out but he was having a hard problem locating a house close enough to them so he was seriously considering enlisting help to build his own house. Buffy had to admit that sounded kind of cool.

"Hey, Dawn," Buffy looked up and spoke "I forgot to tell you but Angel said 'hi'"

Her sister smiled "He is a vamp of many words"

The Slayer smiled "Oh, and Giles, I've decided that there's no point in us being against Angel, we can't afford to lose him as an ally"

"But you said that we weren't on the same side anymore!" Andrew protested "I made a big speech and everything to him!"

Giles ignored the boy "You really think he understands the gravity of his situation?"

"I do," She nodded "He's been around a long time, Angel knows what he's doing"

The Watcher let out a resigned sigh "As you wish, Buffy"

"Hey, does that mean that if we ever get in legal trouble, like say...a house I build falling on someone's head, that he can get me out of that scot-free?" Xander looked up, biting into his croissant and brushing the crumbs off of his expensive suit.

Buffy just smiled.

"He's sleepy" Dawn motioned to Spike.

Buffy glanced back at him again "Jetlag I guess – no one can escape it, not even immortals"

Giles cleared his throat and looked up from his newspaper "Yes, well, he was also out for a good portion of the night"

"Really?" Buffy arched an eyebrow "Getting some fresh air, I guess...not that he breathes or anything but..."

"Maybe he just wanted to look around, England is his homeland so maybe he missed it a little bit. Giles sure did he was all like 'oh, god the tea here is ghastly!' and 'you Americans are so unrefined!' when he was back in Sunnydale" Dawn commented and giggled.

Giles frowned "I did not use the word 'ghastly' I'm sure it was more like 'awful'. Yes, now that is a perfectly accurate description of the tea back in America. Oh, I shudder just remembering it"

Dawn rolled her eyes "Whatever, grandma"

"Oh, honestly! First Buffy calls me 'dad' and now this," Giles sighed "I must be getting truly old"

"Mmh hmm" Every one at the table murmured and nodded.

"Charming!" The Watcher announced huffily and lifted his newspaper to hide his sulking face.

Spike rolled over in bed and grunted "Will you all shut up! Can't a guy get some sleep around here?"

Dawn pulled a face at Buffy and then stood up and picked up her bag for school. She said goodbye to them all and then left with Xander who was giving her a lift to school and then going to work. That left just Giles and Buffy at the table and when she finished her breakfast she left the kitchen and walked into the living room where Spike was lying down and staring at her as she entered. Buffy shut the door that led to the dining room and didn't see Giles' concerned look as she did so.

"Hey, sorry about waking you up" Buffy said softly as she walked over to the sofa bed and sat down on the corner of it.

Spike shifted under the thin blanket and Buffy saw his bare feet as he pulled himself into a sitting position on the bed. He ran a hand through his messed up hair and trained his blue eyes on her. He was still wearing his black T-shirt and jeans. The vampire had pulled all of the heavy curtains in the living room so that he avoided being fried by the sun.

He shrugged "I'll sleep when I'm dead, right? Oh, wait." He smiled wryly.

She smiled back but then quickly dropped it "Sorry about bailing on you last night. I should have made sure you settled back in with Willow and Giles..."

"You needed to rest, Buffy," Spike said, "Besides I think that Rupert and I understand each other"

Buffy frowned "What do you mean?"

Spike shook his head "Nothin'. So, what 'ave you got planned for today?"

"Random hanging out" She shrugged "I thought I might take a walk later"

He just looked at her blankly.

"I thought you might take a walk with me later" Buffy elaborated.

"Oh," Spike shifted and cleared his throat and looked at the dining room door "Well, I would but even in England the sun won't do anything for my complexion besides make it turn to dust, luv"

She smiled "I mean tonight when it's safe"

"Well," Again his gaze was fixed on the door and then he pulled a face and looked at her "Yeah, alright. Sounds good"

"Good" Buffy nodded she stood and started to leave.

"Buffy?" He called after her.

"Yeah?"

Spike paused then shook his head "I'm gonna be cooped up in here a while, don't suppose there's anything that needs doing?"

She frowned "You mean chores? I didn't realize you were a housevampire now"

Spike snorted "I just meant I could lend a hand. I'm pretty decent at the practical stuff"

"Well, Xander kind of sorts all that stuff out as far as I know, but..." Buffy looked down at him "There is one thing that needs doing..."

That was how Spike found himself cleaning out the guesthouse that Giles had given to the Slayer while she went out and job searched. He grumbled and cursed all the way but at least it gave him something to do other than fume over what her Watcher had said the night before. It's not like Spike had even made a play for Buffy, not since the incident last year but he did not want to remember that. Ever since he had gotten his soul Spike had been nothing if not a gentleman, okay sometimes a very lascivious gentleman, but a gentleman nonetheless. Just because he had a soul did not mean he didn't still have the same basic male desires that he had had before and always.

He shook his head and tried to clear it because it did no good to think about things like that. It wasn't like Buffy would ever get over Angel. Bastard.

The cottage was actually nice in a small, homely way. The small living room had worn down green sofas and there was a fireplace that Spike felt the need to clean and get all sooty. The rugs all over the place were very 'Giles'. The ceiling was low and there was low rafter beams that even Spike almost had trouble with nearly hitting his head and he was by no means the tallest man. Spike dusted all of those by hanging onto them and testing how strong they were. He vacuumed the place and just groaned at what Drusilla or Angelus would think if they saw him like this. He might as well be wearing a pink frilly apron with the word 'whipped' on it. Screw them, he was bored. Besides it was the twenty first century and all that – cleanliness next to godliness. Christ, he sounded like a poof.

The walls of the cottage were painted a nondescript cream that was also carried into the open kitchen that had an old fashioned AGA stove in it, a small fridge and wooden countertops. There was a small window that was sealed shut due to lack of use and Spike nearly broke the glass trying to open it. He finally managed it without the sun burning his skin.

Spike sighed and cleaned the small bathroom with a white bare-clawed tub and all of the walls were tiled in white, the toilet was white and the floor lino was white and gray. After he had finished the lower level of the house he climbed the rickety wooden stairs but there was only about seven of them because the upstairs of the house was actually the attic as the cottage was a bungalow. The only room upstairs was Buffy's large bedroom that took up all of the space that the lower level three rooms had taken up. It was clear she did not spend much time in this place, her practically empty fridge had also suggested this, but it was too neat up here. The floorboards were visible because there was no carpet save for the small faux fur rug by the large open fireplace off to the left. In the middle of the room against the back wall of the cottage but coming out vertically was her double bed. The duvet cover was dark cobalt and heavy for the cold winter months in the cold attic. The rest of the room was pretty empty but there was a wooden nightstand next to the bed that held a picture of Dawn and another that held one of Dawn, Joyce and Buffy. He walked over and picked the picture up noticing as he was there that the under sheets on Buffy's bed were a darker blue then the duvet cover and that the pillows matched the cobalt blue.

Spike picked up the picture of the three Summers women and smiled looking at them so happy, so together, and such a family. It made him want to mourn Joyce all over again and the gap it she had left behind in both Dawn's and Buffy's life. He replaced the picture frame and yawned he was tired because his sleep had been interrupted and he was covered in soot from the downstairs fireplace. Spike looked over at the Slayer's bed and was so tempted to just crawl in there – she wasn't using it, was she? He'd be up and out of it before she even got back. Spike saw a door in the right wall of the room and walked over to it, opened it and saw it was a tiny en suite toilet and basin with a glass shower cubicle in it. So, Buffy had a decent bath and a shower, a big bedroom, two fireplaces, and a kitchen all to herself and she chose to sleep in the main body of the house where she was cramped in one room and had to share the bathroom. Well, if she wasn't using it he would sure as hell move in. If he stayed. He still wasn't sure of that.

Spike stepped into the small bathroom and washed his hands, his forearms and his face to get rid of the soot before he walked back into the bedroom and kicked his shoes off. He climbed underneath the duvet of Buffy's bed and pulled his T-shirt off flinging it to the floor. Though she had not slept in the bed recently Spike could still smell Buffy's scent on the pillows and he snuggled his face into them before he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: Dedicated to the memory of my dear Rufwardo. You can rest now, girl. You can rest.