Buffy's 17-years-old in this, soon to be 18. It'll be revealed later. Spike is only 22, so it's really not that much of an age difference. I hope no one would have a problem with that or anything. Thanks for the reviews so far!

Chapter 1

Hank walked into his office the next day and was greeted by a smiling Spike. "I'm surprised you didn't take the day off." Spike stated and Hank shook his head.

"There are still a lot of bad guys out there. I may have caught Hamilton, but I'm far from finished." He explained and Spike nodded.

"Always about work, aren't you? That's why I admire you, Hank. I'm not one for having much of a personal life either." He told him.

"You're still young though. You should be out there having fun, not always being stuck in here." Spike shrugged as he looked around Hank's office.

"I don't mind it really. I love what I do, nothing else really matters." Hank looked concerned and realized that he really didn't know much about the younger man.

"What about girlfriends?" He asked and Spike looked pained before he answered.

"I don't really date anymore." That's all he said and Hank decided to drop the subject. He knew that Spike didn't like to talk about it. Spike continued to look around his office to keep himself occupied, when his eyes landed on a picture that was on Hank's desk. "Who's that?" He asked and Hank noticed what he was staring at and smiled as he picked up the picture of Buffy.

"This is my daughter." He said and Spike raised his eyebrows.

"That's Buffy?" Spike wondered and Hank nodded. "I thought she would have been a lot younger with the way you've been talking about her." He said.

"Well, she'll always be my little girl. She's a senior in high school now." Hank then handed Spike the picture and he took it from him. He looked at the picture closer and his breath nearly caught in his throat. She was a very beautiful girl. "That was her senior picture. She hates it, but I think it's one of her better ones." Spike nodded and was barely hearing what Hank was saying as he traced his fingers over the girl's face. He then stopped and handed the picture back to Hank before he would notice something.

"She's very pretty." Spike said when he finally found his voice and Hank smiled at that.

"That she is. She looks so much like her mother." Spike could tell how much the older man loved his daughter and he wished that he had someone in his life that meant that much to him. He may act like he was okay, but sometimes he was tired of being alone. He knew his job was risky though and after what happened to his last girlfriend, he never wanted to get too close to someone again.

Hank arrived home later and found an envelope on his doorstep. He picked it up and walked into the house. He wondered what it was as he closed the door. He put his stuff down and opened the envelope. There was a note inside, with the letters cut out of the newspaper. He became even more worried when he read it and then looked to see what else was inside. He put it away when Buffy came down the stairs. "Hey, how was work?" She asked and Hank looked at his daughter, with the same expression on his face. "What's wrong?" She wondered and Hank shook his head.

"Nothing, I just need you to stay upstairs." Buffy was even more concerned now.

"Dad, what is it?" Hank moved closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Everything will be fine, Buffy. I just need you to do this for me, alright?" Buffy looked into his eyes and nodded as she turned and ran back upstairs. Hank then left the house to look around outside. He didn't even know what he would find, but he had to look anyway. He went back inside a few minutes later when he didn't find anything. He would like to think that it was just a practical joke, but he knew better than that. His daughter's life was threatened and he wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.

"Hey, I heard you were going to New York. That's a pretty big job, but they gave it to the best man." Spike was telling Hank the next day.

"I really don't think it's a good time for me to be traveling. This trip could take weeks." Hank explained.

"Yeah, but you'll be doing a good thing. There are other people out there that need you, Hank. You have to protect this witness, until he's ready to testify in court. You're probably the only one that can handle him." Spike told him.

"I know that, but I can't leave Buffy alone right now." He replied and Spike still didn't see what the problem was.

"She's a big girl, right? I'm sure she can take care of herself." Spike said and Hank ran his fingers through his short, brown hair.

"It's more serious now." He stated as he pulled out the note he got and handed it to Spike. He read it over and looked back at Hank. "This was at my door, which means he knows where I live and could come back at anytime." Hank said as he grew worried again.

"Who is this guy? It says he wants revenge because you put his brother away." Spike stated and Hank nodded.

"It's Hamilton's brother, I don't know much about him. He knows about Buffy and said that he would get his revenge through her." Hank then pulled out an envelope from his pocket and took the pictures out that were in it. "These are pictures of Buffy at school. The bastard has been following her around." Spike looked at the pictures and grew just as concerned as Hank. "I don't think I can afford to leave to New York right now, knowing that she could be in danger." Spike nodded in understanding when Hank was finished.

"What are you going to do? You're the only one that can take this mission, Hank. I'm definitely not good enough for it." Hank looked at Spike when an idea formed in his head.

"There's only one thing I can do. I can't get out of this, so I was wondering if you could do a huge favor for me." Hank said and Spike nodded again.

"Yeah, I'll do anything." Hank thought about what he wanted to ask.

"I hate to ask you this, but I don't have any other options right now. Spike, I need you to protect Buffy for me." Spike's eyes grew big and he waited for Hank to finish. "I was hoping that she could stay with you until I return. He knows where my house is, so it would be too risky." Spike really wanted to help Hank out, but he didn't know if Buffy staying with him was such a good idea. She already stirred feelings in him just by looking at her picture. He didn't know what he would do if he had to see her in person, but one look at Hank's face and he knew what his answer would be.

"I'll do it." Hank smiled and gave Spike a pat on the back.

"I really appreciate this. I wouldn't give this job to just anyone, Spike. I trust you and I know that you would take good care of her." Spike nodded.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about that." He told him.

"I'll talk to Buffy tonight and let her know. I'm sure she would be fine with it." Hank explained and Spike wasn't so sure about that. He really hoped he knew what he was getting himself into.