A/N:Thanks for the reviews! I LOVE getting them for this story as I'm still really unsure about it. So drop me a line if your feeling kind

Disclaimer: If I owned Buffy, I wouldn't share it.

Dawn was pacing up and down the living room. It's all right, its not that bad she thought. If Buffy says he can't come then we can just get her drunk on lots of eggnog and then we can sneak Spike in and… no actually scratch that, when Buffy was sober she would hit the roof… probably with Spike. Dawn's pacing got faster, the TV was on but she barely noticed, and she was beginning to wear a hole in the carpet. Just then, Dawn heard Buffy's key in the lock. With well-practised speed she was on the couch in front of the TV before Buffy even opened the door.

Buffy opened the front door carefully; she really wasn't looking forward to this. She knew how much Spike meant to Dawn but he just couldn't come for Christmas. Spike belonged to her world as a slayer, a world that she fought like hell to keep away from Dawn. She closed the door and resisted banging her head against it. It was times like this when she really missed Giles. She looked at Dawn, and even though she knew that Dawn was trying to make it look like she hadn't been eagerly anticipating her return, she knew she had been. And she knew she would be disappointed.

"Dawnie?" She ignored her. Like she knew she would.

Buffy flipped a coin in her head. She could either be nice about this, or she could be firm. Right now after that whole thing with Spike, firm was easier.

"Dawn look I know you wanted him to come, and I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do"

Dawn stood up. "Yes there is! If you weren't such a stubborn ass you'd see that it really isn't that bad, so what he comes and hangs around with us for a while? It's not like he hasn't done it before!"

"That was different, this would be intentionally inviting him into our house to celebrate something with us, Christmas is about family."

"Oh come on Spike's basically family, he's done a lot for us" Dawn had her arms folded now, defiantly.

"Dawn he's a vampire! Useful for fighting other vamps or stopping apocalypses but that's it, that's where it ends, you have to see that."

Dawn just looked Buffy up and down in anger. Inside Buffy's head, something was telling her that should be where it ended, but for some reason, she wasn't letting it end there and she was really confused as to why. Dawn pushed past Buffy and ran up the stairs before slamming her bedroom door.

"Guess I'm gonna need more eggs" Buffy sighed and went into the kitchen.

"Dawn" Buffy knocked on her door. No answer. She went to knock on the door again but Dawn opened it while Buffy's hand was still in the air. She looked at Buffy with a harsh scowl.

"What?"

Buffy looked slightly sheepish. "I made egg's, scrambly ones your favourite"

Dawn just looked at her briefly. "I'm not hungry" She slammed the door in Buffy's face.

"Ouch! I haven't seen her that bad since the accident" Willow appeared next to Buffy looking rather worried.

"She's mad about the whole Christmas thing"

Willow looked panicked. " Oh no Buffy, I don't want you to think that Tara can't come because of me, I mean were doing better now, since that whole spell thing when we all got locked in here and there was this look that she gave me and I think…"

Buffy interrupted " Will, she's not mad about that, of course Tara can come, but she's mad about Spike"

Willow looked confused. " Why would I not want Spike here?"

Buffy shook her head, her eyes still partially on Dawn's door. "No, she invited Spike over for Christmas and I said that he can't come"

Willow was confused." Why can't he come? It's not like he will be eating anything, and he cant hurt anybody"

"THANK YOU!"

Dawn could be heard shouting from her room. Her bedroom door swung open so fast that Buffy was sure she must have been standing right behind it.

"Will you PLEASE tell my sister, that I know she has dealt with many apocalypses but Spike coming to Christmas dinner is NOT one of them!"

Buffy started to get a little angry then "Why does everybody think this is a good idea? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Buffy I hate to gang up on you but it's just a couple of days and I'm sure he hasn't got anywhere else to go you know seeing as,well he's probably he killed all of his friends."

Buffy raised her voice. "You guys this is Spike! Bleached blonde bloodsucker? Where's Xander? He'll support me"

Dawn crossed her arms and she suddenly saw an angle. "Since when do you hate Spike so much?"

Buffy coloured and she panicked slightly. Dawn couldn't know could she? Think Buffy, think!

"I don't hate Spike I just…"

"So why won't you let him come? What's so bad with him coming?" She smirked slightly knowing she was getting to her.

Damm it, Buffy thought, that smirk is exactly like Spike's.

"Dawn, I get what your saying but…"

"But what?" Willow had to cut in. "I'm sorry Buffy but I'm trying to see your point and I'm just…"

"Not?" Dawn helped her out while secretly sending Willow good thoughts that she hoped Willow was getting.

Buffy looked from her best friend to her sister and knew she was beaten. Well secretly, didn't you want to be? Come on, I know you are thinking about how much fun it will be to have Spike around…Buffy sincerely hoped her inner voice would shut up. It was gradually getting more Spike centred with every day. She sighed.

"Fine, he can come but you are telling him"

Buffy stalked off to eat breakfast and tried to ignore the fact that she was secretly pleased. Dawn jumped up and down giggling happily while Willow watched Buffy's retreating form sure, that there was more to this then meet's the eye.

Dawn crept into the crypt careful not to let any rays of sunlight in.

"Are you really sure you should be doing that niblet?" Spike was perched on the sarcophagus smoking a cigarette.

"Well excuse me for not wanting my friends to be big piles of dust" Dawn said as she walked over to him.

" You know what I mean, big sis is probably on her way now looking to get dust happy at you creeping over here again"

He liked seeing Dawn, she was so much more relaxed around him then all of the other nitwit friends of Buffy's.

"She knows I'm over here, she wanted me to come invite you to Christmas, she also said she's sorry for being such a bitch yesterday and that she hopes you can forgive her"

Spike just raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, so maybe those weren't her exact words…"

Spike threw his cigarette on the floor and jumped down to stamp it out with his foot before turning to Dawn

"Look pet, I know you wanted me to come but Buffy made it pretty clear. Don't exactly want to go up against her"

He was sure Dawn was just trying to be nice to him, but he didn't want to look like a fool trying to beg to be taken in. He hadn't stooped that low. Yet.

"Look I swear on pain of death"

" You shouldn't swear on that luv" Spike interrupted "a lot of nasties out there willing to hold you to that"

Dawn ignored him. "She said you can come, that's a start right?"

Spike had to admit it was progress. He hadn't actually expected to go from the beginning but now that Buffy was really giving him the OK he was starting to be really pleased. Maybe this meant something to her after all? Who knows, maybe at the end of it, he would be more then just her dirty little secret.

"Spike?" Dawn was looking at him slightly worried and he realised she was waiting for an answer.

"If the slayer says it's OK, count me in"

Dawn squealed and hugged him. Spike smiled, it was nice to know that at least one of the Summers women liked him.

"Besides it'll be fun pissing off the whelp" Spike grinned as Dawn rolled her eyes. Well, he thought, It's gonna be some Christmas.