"What the hell did you do with Buffy?" Xander angrily inquired, pointing a crossbow at Spike.
Buffy walked out from behind Spike, Olivia in her arms. "Better question, what are you guys doing in my house?"
Anya stepped up from behind Giles and decided to put her two cents in. "Your disappearing acts are getting very tiresome, you know that! We all keep wasting our time in the end because it turns out you don't need us and we could've been doing something very productive!" she rambled. "Well, sometimes reproductive..." she added looking at Xander.
"We keep trying to protect you, but it's like you don't want it." Willow said.
"I guess we know why." Dawn stated implying Spike as the reason.
'Great', Buffy thought. They turned Dawn against Spike too. It was becoming more and more easier to compare her "friends" to evil, pesky demons.
"Listen, I don't want any trouble. Just came with to see that Buffy got home safe." Spike tried to clarify. "If it'll make you feel better 'bout protectin' the slayer, I'll go." he finished.
"No." Buffy said.
"What!" Xander asked. "An evil, demented vampire volunteers to leave your house and your response is 'No'? Again I say, what?"
"He has been my strength through all of this." Buffy admitted.
"Strength my ass!" Xander argued. Spike raised his eyebrow. "Figuratively speaking." Xander corrected.
"This is my house and what I say goes. I want Spike here."
"Buffy, do you really think this is a good idea? Having a vampire around your newborn child?" Giles asked, taking the baby into consideration. Everyone was too busy arguing about Spike staying or not that they hadn't really noticed the baby.
"Do I get a say?" Dawn asked.
"No." Buffy answered.
Dawn looked at her with resentment and contempt. "Already you're putting your kid's life in danger..." she mumbled. Buffy let her statement go. She knew she was being unfair to Dawn. But the fact had been that Dawn had thought Spike was nice and oddly, 'cool', until the gang had told her differently.
"Well there's nothing we can really do here. It's obvious that she doesn't want our help." Giles told the group.
Defeated, they all put their weapons back and started for the door.
"I'm not staying here tonight." Dawn stated.
"Where are you gonna stay then?" Buffy questioned.
"She can stay with me." Willow offered.
As they all leave, Willow stopped to say one last thing. "I'm sorry, Buffy." She closed the door behind her.
Buffy headed for her old room. She put Olivia in the crib her friends had purchased not too long ago. Spike stood leaning against the doorway of the room.
"Didn't even get a welcome home party..." Spike said regarding the baby.
"I guess that's just how it is."
Might not have the next one up for a while...be patient! ;P