Buffy was glad that she was standing behind her sister. As soon as Spike's name escaped her lips, he shot her his biggest, brightest Cheshire Cat grin and Dawn's legs promptly buckled under her.

"He's not dead, Buffy," she whispered shakily, grateful for her sister's strong arms being the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. It just wouldn't do to ruin a perfectly good $500 chiffon sundress. And if the heels broke on the equally overpriced Manolo Blahnik cut-out pumps, she probably wouldn't want to be revived.

"Actually," Spike told her, placing the serving tongs on the patio table. "I'm still quite dead."

Buffy giggled as Dawn straightened her back. The shakiness had seemed to wear off and Dawn was taking tentative steps toward the vampire who had been her best friend, her protector, her father figure and her greatest fan. It only took a moment and she had flung herself into his arms, burying her head in his chest the way she had when she was 14.

"You're still dead! And you're in the sun! And you're not gone! And you... you... why aren't you Spike Flambe right now?" she sobbed, a mixture of joy and remorse. She had treated him like something subterranean those last few months before the Hellmouth swallowed him whole. A world of regrets was ready to tumble from her mouth.

"I'd say let's go inside and chat, but I'm kind of new to this whole sunlight not frying my brains thing, so humor a bloke and let's sit outside." He was hugging her close and stroking her hair. Probably had smeared make-up all over his new white shirt, but it was worth it to have the Little Bit in his arms again.

Buffy walked out and sat at the patio table as Spike managed to pry Dawn's arms from around his waist. She had a grip like a vice and it wasn't an easy task, but it would be much easier to fill her in on the 15 months of his unlife if she was sitting. And if he was sitting.

"I should have known that you were back. I should have known!" she told him as she ran her fingers under the rims of her eyes to remove the last traces of the watered down mascara and eyeliner. "Buffy was so far gone... she was starting to really scare me. And then today... it was like all was right with the world again."

Spike took the seat next to her and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. She'd grown so much in the past year. What a beautiful girl his Niblet had become and he'd missed the transformation.

"You took good care of big sis, Niblet. Did the best you could, yeah?"

She nodded. "Buffy wasn't... well. And as much as I would have liked to push her into getting help, I knew that the best help I could give was to keep her condition away from everyone else. She missed you so much, Spike. She loves you so much," she told him. "I missed you, too," she added quietly. "I was wrong about you. I'm sorry."

He reached for her hand and held it tightly. She hadn't been wrong about him. He knew that now. She should, too.

"You weren't wrong, Bit," he told her. "I was a bad, rude man. But unfortunately for you and big sis, I had to get to that point in order to start making the right decisions. No chip or soul can tell me what's right and what's wrong. Vampire or not, I've always had free will. Just never chose to use it for good things."

He and Buffy took turns telling her about his return from the amulet, his time as a ghost and the decision to keep his resurgence to the corporeal plane to himself.

"Didn't realize that Buffy'd be so bad off without me," he admitted with regret.

"She tried to kill herself," Dawn told him. "So many times. And the Powers wouldn't let her. You're why they wouldn't let her, aren't you?"

"Partly, I gather," he agreed, not quite sure of the whole reason why. "The Powers tend to stick to the cryptic. They don't want us sitting around and trying to reconnoiter our whole existence too much. Best if we're kept in the dark."

"Or, in your case, the light," Buffy couldn't help but interject.

"Yeah," he said, returning her pensive gaze before turning back to Dawn. "I'm a daywalker now, Niblet. Got a pass and gave me a bit of the Blade mojo."

Dawn couldn't believe he was back. He was dead. And he was no longer a creature of the night.

"'Course, they probably have some big purpose for us all. Always do. Don't get to be immortal without a price. Don't get to be all son of Ra without them expecting the occasional favor or three," Spike cautioned her.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad you're back. We missed you so much! And if I didn't tell you before, I love you, Spike. Evil dead or not, you touched our lives in a way nobody had before and nobody has since," Dawn told him. She wrinkled her nose and then shook her head with a giggle. "Euw, and am I mushy much?"

Spike went back to tend to the steaks as the Summers sisters watched him in the fading light.

"He definately needs a tan," Dawn muttered to her sister.

"Yeah, I said the same thing," Buffy smiled. "But tan or not, sunlight definately looks good on him."

"So, are you two making with the smoochies again?"

Spike's head shot up and looked back at the sisters. His hearing hadn't diminished any since he'd become Daywalker boy. Just like the Niblet to get straight to the point.

"Not so much," Buffy admitted. "But we really haven't had a chance. Between meeting with the Powers and sorting out the past year or so, there really hasn't been much time for smoochies. But we'll get to that."

Sensing Dawn's need for a demonstration, Spike made his way over to Buffy and bent down to capture her warm lips in his. It was really the first time they'd kissed since they found each other again. He took his time to explore her mouth not caring if Dawn's usual "Euw! Gross!" or "Ugh! Get a room!" interrupted. After about a minute of silence and Buffy's need for air, he pulled away and smiled.

"Wow!" Dawn breathed, reminding them that she really was there. "That was awesome!"

Spike turned and raised an eyebrow at her. Awesome?

"Jeff's never kissed me that way," she grinned.

"Jeff better not ever kiss you in any way," Spike admonished. "Who's Jeff?"

"Uh, hello? Just because you decided to play dead for the past year doesn't mean that the world stopped turning. Not so much a kiddie here any more," Dawn informed him with just the right amount of snarkiness. Buffy shook her head and smiled. Dawn was definately Spike's creation. That mouth hadn't come from anyone in her family.

"Yeah, she's been seeing Jeff for what now? About 8 months or so?" Buffy guessed.

"Try one year next week. Guess I can excuse you for having your head up your a--"

"Niblet!" Spike cut her off with a glare. "Kiddie or not, you're not too old to be taken across my knee or to have that filthy mouth washed out with soap."

"Remind me why I'm happy your back?" she pseudo-pouted. It was nearly impossible to hide how thrilled she was that he was back.