Chapter 2

"You want me to stay with a stranger?" Hank should have known that Buffy probably wouldn't take the news well.

"It's for your own good. I won't be able to protect you." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I don't need protection. I'm not a kid; I can take care of myself." He knew how stubborn his daughter was.

"I can't risk it, Buffy. If this guy is anything like his brother, then you're not safe. I'm doing this because I don't want anything to happen to you." He told her and Buffy nodded.

"I get that, but I don't understand why this guy would be after me anyway. I didn't even do anything." She explained.

"It's what I did. I put his brother away and he wants me to pay for it. He knows how important you are to me." Buffy still wouldn't let it go.

"Why can't I just go with you?" She asked and Hank shook his head.

"You know you can't afford to miss any school. I promise I'll try to be back as soon as I can." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and knew that she wouldn't win.

"How do you know that this guy is trustworthy?" She asked after a few seconds.

"I would trust Spike with my life. He's a good cop and a good man. You would be safe with him. I told him that I would take you over there this weekend. I have to leave Saturday morning." Buffy sighed and decided to give in.

"Fine, I guess I don't have much of a choice. Just promise me that you'll be okay?" Hank smiled and gave his daughter a hug.

"I'll be fine, Buffy. You just take care of yourself." Buffy waved her hand in the air.

"You know me, careful is my middle name." Hank rolled his eyes, but kept the smile on his face.

"Yeah, sure it is." He said as he hugged her again and hoped that she would be safe.

They arrived at Spike's apartment that weekend and Hank knocked on the door. Spike opened the door after a few seconds and graced them with a smile. "Hey, come in." He told them and they both walked inside. Buffy then felt a chill and wrapped her arms around herself. Spike noticed this and frowned. "Sorry, it can get a bit cold in here. I'll just turn down the air." He said as he walked away and Buffy looked around the apartment. It was small, but it seemed cozy enough. Spike then walked back over to them and Hank noticed how nervous the man seemed. He gave him a polite smile and Spike felt relieved as he smiled back.

"Well, I should get going. I have a plane to catch." Hank said after a few seconds as he turned his attention on his daughter. "I want you to stay out of trouble and be careful when you go out anywhere. Just because it's daylight doesn't mean you're safe." Buffy nodded after hearing the lecture a million times before.

"I'll be fine, dad." Hank nodded also and gave her a hug. It was hard for him to let her go, but he knew that he had to.

"Be safe, alright?" He said as he placed a kiss on the top of her head and looked back at Spike. "Thank you again for doing this, Spike." He told him.

"It's not a problem." Hank then looked back at Buffy.

"I'll call as soon as I get settled in." He told her.

"Be careful, daddy." Hank gave Buffy a wink.

"Always," he replied as he gave her one more hug and then walked out of the apartment. Spike closed the door once he was gone and turned a nervous smile on Buffy. They both stood there in silence, when Spike decided to speak first.

"Well, the bedroom is back there. I'll just take your bag." He said as he took the bag from her and headed to the bedroom. Mostly everything was black when she got into the room. She also noticed that it was the only room in the apartment.

"Um, where would you be sleeping?" She asked suddenly and he turned to look at her after he placed her bag on the bed.

"I'll be on the couch." He told her and Buffy shook her head.

"That's really not necessary. I would feel weird taking your bed." Spike smiled at her.

"It's no trouble. You're the guest after all; it's the least I could do." Buffy nodded and didn't say anything else about it. "I'll just let you get settled. I'll make us something to eat, you're probably hungry." He told her as he then walked out of the room and closed the door, without saying anything else.

"Well, someone couldn't get away from me fast enough." She said to herself as she looked through her clothes to find something more comfortable to change into.

Spike let out a sigh when he left Buffy alone in his room. He ran his fingers through his hair and walked to the kitchen to find something to eat. He didn't know if he could handle having her live with him for a few weeks. She had to be the most gorgeous creature he has ever set his eyes on. He hasn't felt anything like that since Drusilla and he didn't think he ever would again. Those thoughts confused him and he didn't know what to do. It probably would have been a lot easier if he just let Hank give the job to someone else. He shook his head as he started to make a sandwich. Hank asked him and he couldn't turn him down. He was like a father to him. He would do whatever he could to protect Hank's daughter, but that's all that he would do. He couldn't get too close to her, bad things happened when he got too close to someone. Spike broke out of his thoughts when the door to his room opened and Buffy walked out in a tank top and tiny, black shorts. He gulped when he saw her. Yeah, he knew he was in trouble.