The Gypsy 8:

"No thanks Mrs. Summers." Spike drummed his fingers on the counter top.

"Nothing to drink even?" Joyce reached up to get a glass out of the cabinet for her self.

"No thanks I'm good." Joyce got some water and sat down across the counter from William.

"So I've heard the girls call you "Spike" that's a very interesting name you've picked is there a story behind it?" Spike looked up at the older woman. She was a nice lady but Spike wondered what he really wanted to tell her.

"I didn't give it to myself." Spike pointed out.

"Oh well, the best nick names are given to you. Did you get it at school?" Joyce was really wondering what kind of story she might be digging for.

"Hum no actually it's something that my grandda called me."

"Really?" Joyce seemed actually interested to Spike so he felt compelled to continue.

"The story goes that a few days after I was born I was christened and afterwards there was a party. I was passed around from relative to relative for all of them to kiss and pinch and coo at. Apparently few of my rowdier relatives got a little to enthusiastic and partied a little too hard. They took me wrapped in my blankets to present me to I don't know... the world, or the "fairy folk", or the ancestors or something very hum Lion Kingish depending on who's telling the story.

Well when my mother realized that I was missing there was a panic and a search. They found me the next morning asleep hanging from a tree still rapped in my blankets which had been nailed to the tree with a railroad spike. So Spike."

"Wow that is quite a story."

"Probably more of a tall tale but my grandda loved to tell it. How he spotted me up in the tree looking like a great caterpillar cocooned for winter and how they were afraid when they found me that I might have been a changeling, so they took me to the old watcher woman who examined me till she was satisfied that I wasn't." Spike realized how foolish he must have sounded to Mrs. Summers. "Silly Folk lore and Superstition if you ask me."

"Oh no, it's all fascinating. Your parents must have been terribly worried."

Spike raised an eye brow "About me being a changeling?"

"No when you were missing all night."

"Oh well my mom always said that she was in a panic that I was missing and didn't let me out of her sight again from then on. My dad hates the story he says it's all a crock." Spike laughed to himself.

"My grandparents always said I was lucking because the "fairies" that night didn't take an interest in me, even though I was a beautiful baby."

"Yeah so lucky" Spike muttered as his story can to an end. As Joyce walked to put her glass in the sink she smiled at William's fantastic story. It was like something you might see in a movie.

"Hey Mom." Buffy came in the back door and threw her keys on the counter. "Hey Spike I did know you were coming over." Dawn followed Buffy in the door. When she saw Spike she squeaked out a greeting, Blushed, and ran up to her room.

Spike looked perplexed at her actions "something got into her"

"Yep" Buffy nodded her head. "You could say that."

"Buffy, I thought you could take William over to the high school and show him around." Buffy's mouth just about fell open.

"But mom I've already got to go back to school next week isn't that enough torture with out having to go to the school now?" Spike found Buffy's tantrum very amusing if she started stamping her feet he might have fallen off his chair laughing.

"Buffy it won't kill you and it won't take that long. Just go over there and walk around the building. I'm sure you can point out the cafeteria and the library." Spike was really wondering if she could "point out the library"

"Fine but you owe me." Buffy stuck her bottom lip out.

"Thank you dear, we'll discuss it later." Joyce was so embarrassed by Buffy's antics, she definitely have something to discuss with her later.

Buffy turned to Spike. "Well let's get this over with." She wondered what fun lie in store for her on this oh so fun outing, with her oh so fun guest.

"You don't have...." Spike started. He knew how she felt he would have liked to be any where else too.

"Yes, let's go." Buffy turned and walked out the door. Spike followed, he gave a side long glance in the direction of an exasperated Mrs. Summers who gave him a weak smile of encouragement.

To be continued...