A/N: Hope you are liking what I am doing, I am open to suggestions!

Disclaimer: Is this really necessary?

Buffy opened the front door hesitantly and closed it without making a sound. She could see Dawn on the phone, probably to Janice. Buffy had been meaning to talk to Dawn about her talking to Ms Its-fun-to-date-vampires. But she realised probably the main reason she hadn't, was her guilt at being able to take that title off Janice as she did way more with her vampires then make out with them. She blushed and cursed inwardly; stupid Spike was always creeping into her thoughts. She watched Dawn quickly checking to see she hadn't seen her so she could change out of the offensive garment that was sticking to her body in the most uncomfortable places.

Dawn put the phone to one side but didn't look at Buffy. "You don't have to hang about out there, you can go change I promise I won't look at you"

Dawn then went back to chatting. Buffy swore like she had many times before, that Dawn had somehow picked up some of her slayer senses.

Buffy walked into her room and was really, really tempted to drop on the bed and not wake up until the next apocalypse, although she wasn't sure she would even wake up for that. Sleep was easier, for a while everything melted away and her problems left her to rest. She craved the peace it gave her, it was the only place she got it, well there and…. Buffy shook her head to rid her head Spike for the third time that night. I'm really going to have to stop doing that, she thought. I'm starting to look like I've got a tick or something. She sighed and undressed as if on autopilot settling for a few minutes of mind sleep rather than body sleep. She was dressed and downstairs before her brain had a chance to knock itself out of the fuzz it was in, damm slayer speed she thought. She drew in a deep breath and tried to be as engaged as possible as she entered the kitchen just as Dawn hung up the phone.

"Buffy, hey I can actually look at you now without getting blinded."

Buffy automatically tried to cover her clothes before she realised she wasn't wearing the dreaded outfit anymore.

"Relax oh vain one I'm just teasing you" Dawn walked over and gave Buffy a peck on the cheek.

"How was work?" Dawn asked as she went over and rummaged in the fridge.

"It was okay, apart from this group of little brats who came in at lunch time, I swear if it had turned out that the Doublemeat had been making people burgers, I would have gladly offered these kids up on a plate"

Dawn poked her head out of the fridge looking slightly horrified

"I'm kidding! But there was this one kid that I just wanted to…."

"Can we save this conversation for say oh I know, never?" Dawn looked slightly green as she said those words.

"Sorry, it's just been a bad day"

"No big, after you've seen the insides of a demon's gut, it's kind of hard to be sick over these things" Dawn emerged from the fridge with a chicken leg.

"Is that what your eating for dinner?"Buffy watched as her sister messily ate her chicken

"Yeah, why?"

"Well I was gonna cook something, you know I figured I might as well try…" Buffy stopped as she watched her sister clutching her stomach with laughter.

"Oh I'm sorry Buffy," said Dawn in between gasps of breath. "It's just that you and cooking…" She was off again.

"Hey! I make good food!"

"Yeah good toast maybe, thanks God Tara's doing the turkey this year"

Buffy turned red " My cooking isn't that bad!And what do you mean Tara's cooking the turkey this year?"

Dawn stopped laughing abruptly and started picking at the surface top. "Well you know it's Christmas in a week and I kinda invited everyone round to ours"

Buffy was about to yell at Dawn for inviting people around to her house without telling her when she spotted Dawn looking even more guilty.

"Dawn"

Buffy crossed her arms and in her head she prayed Dawn wouldn't say what she thought she would say. "Who exactly is everybody?"

Dawn started driving her nails into her palm and wondered the best way to approach this. "Well there's Willow and Tara, Anya, Xander, Spike"

Dawn mumbled Spike's name very quietly but Buffy heard her worst fear being confirmed loud and clear

"SPIKE! You invited Spike to CHRISTMAS DINNER!"

Dawn's mind was racing as to whether she should play the innocent or try and stand up to her and win her over that way.

"I CANT BELIVE that you would do something like that without even telling me! You invited a vampire to a Christian holiday! Doesn't that seem wrong to you?" Buffy said, staring angrily at her sister.

"Oh come on Buffy it's not like he is going to hurt us!"

Damm it Dawn cursed inwardly, I was supposed tokeep my mouth shut. Oh well guess it's fighting then.

"You can go over there right now and tell him that under no circumstances is he allowed over here at Christmas!" Buffy shouted.

Buffy was furious at her sister for going behind her back, but also because she was fairly certain with her friends in such close contact, it was going to be impossible to keep her and Spike a secret.

"Fine, I'll go over there and tell him that my sister is being a tight ass bitch and he can't come over, even though he wont even eat anything!" Dawn went to storm out of the back door but Buffy was there before in an instant and blocked her way to the door.

"Oh no you don't, your not going out there at this time of night!"

"Well then how exactly am I supposed to tell him? You want me to fly there?"

Dawn crossed her arms a stubborn face intact but inwardly smiled as she watched Buffy realise that if she wanted Spike not to go, she was going to have to tell him herself. She could see the emotions conflicting in her face.

"Fine, I'll tell him, but you stay here and you lock the doors while I go clean up this mess" She slammed the door without another word to her sister.

Dawn sighed and turned around. "Chicken it is then" she mumbled. She spotted the pizza menu. "Ooo anchovies here I come" She smirked as she dialled.

Buffy stormed through the graveyard, hoping she could keep up her anger all the time she was with Spike. She just hoped he was feeling in a really annoying mood tonight, as it would make this a lot easier. She stormed through the crypt and dropped to the lower levels of the crypt. She could make out through the faint candlelight that Spike was in bed and asleep. She looked at him and felt all these emotions rush through her. His hair was all ruffled and he was shirtless. God he looks so yummy when he sleeps she thought, if I just had some whipped cream…

"Are you gonna stand there all night or have you just come to gawp?"

Buffy tore her eyes away from his chest to see that he was looking intently at her. How does he do that? How does he manage to smirk with his eyes?

"I just came down here to tell you something"

"What? How cute I look when I sleep?"

Buffy's mouth dropped a little bit and her heart skipped a beat as she wondered whether he could read her mind. His smirk extended from his eyes to his face as he realised he was right. Buffy quickly recovered.

"Dawn told me that she invited you to Christmas dinner" She was put all her strength into keeping her tone neutral

"The bit might have mentioned it" he stretched lazily for dramatic affect as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at his chest.

"Wanna come and join me over here? Might be a new experience actually making it to the bed" He grinned at her.

"Spike stop it, I haven't come here for that" her tone was firm but her mind was anything but. It always turned to mush at the sight of him

"Come on Slayer, we haven't done anything since the Bronze, not to say that wasn't fun" Buffy blushed at the memory as Spike's grin widened.

"Look, you can't come to Christmas OK? It's too dangerous"

"Afraid you might not be able to keep your hands of me?" Spike was up now and he was sliding up to her, graceful but predatory.

"You've already proven that you and my friends together in a house is not a good idea"

Spike was right next to her now.

"What just because I threatened to eat that nancy boy? Please! Besides, I promise I won't bite anyone" he leaned down and whispered in her ear "except for you anyway"

Buffy pushed him away but he only laughed. " Don't worry, they wont be able to see where I will bite you, and I promise it will bring more pleasure then pain"

"You're a pig Spike" Buffy spat as Spike came up in front of her again.

"So you keep telling me, but yet, you're still here" Buffy weakly tried to push him away but he just grabbed her and kissed her so hard her resolve was gone in an instant. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled on the fine hairs at the end of his neck. He moaned and pulled her in tighter. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her effortlessly onto the bed. He laid her down beneath him and she pulled away for breath.

"I shouldn't"

" But we both know you want to" And that was the last word Buffy said against the subject.

Afterwards, she lay in Spike's arm's shaking from the intensity of it. She knew that in a moment she was gonna jump up and run out of there like a scalded cat. But that was in a moment, right now she just wanted to feel these arms around her, and know that he loved her and that he would protect her. It's not that she needed someone to protect her, but the way Spike did it, it was more of a I-cant-bear-to-lose-you kinda way then the your-to-weak-to-defend yourself way. And she liked it, knowing that somebody had her back not because she asked them to and not because they needed to, but just because there was nowhere else on earth they would rather be.

Spike lay there with his arms wrapped around Buffy and he listened to her heartbeat regulate. It was times like these when he felt like he was floating. It was like he was holding onto life itself when he held her and he got to bask in the pure joy of feeling like he was alive. It was times like these when he loved her so much he wasn't sure there was anything but love in his entire body. Which is why it was always worse when she left. As if reading his thoughts, Buffy slid out of his arms and he in that moment had never felt deader. She had stopped storming out a little while back, they had both known she was disgusted with herself so there was no need for the spectacle. He watched as she quietly dressed and Spike felt it was like watching the one thing you want more than anything in the world be wrapped up and put under the Christmas tree and you weren't allowed to open it until Santa Buffy said so. His thoughts then took a nice little tour down what it would be like to see Buffy in a Santa's suit. She looked at him expressionless.

"Don't come to Christmas, I am officially uninviting you"

Spike tried hard to ignore the lump that had formed in his throat and the stomach at those words.

"Guy can take a hint pet"

He looked at her softly but she could see his pride swelling up to cover it. She climbed out of the crypt silently. Spike lay back down with a thump. Now, he thought, Buffy in a Santa suit and something tells me I have been a very naughty boy this year…. He grinned and settled down to sleep with the scent of Buffy on his sheets.

See I told you! Hours! Review if you want more or I might be tempted to hold the next chapters hostage! Only kidding.. well almost ; )