A/N : Thanx so much to everyone who reviewed; Moonjava, vanillagigglez, EMBER91, Brunettepet, spuffy404, katie, Dark Drusilla, Demonica Mills, LiLi, velja, Marian, TammyDevil666, Moluvsnumber17, Mita427, bella-lover, spuffygrl, sheilamarie, Xtremely-Canadian, and spk. I'm loving writing this, and am so glad you are all loving reading it too.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 7 - Getting To Know You

"Dawnie, will you slow down with that cereal please luv" Spike urged her as she forced another spoonful in, "You're gonna make yourself sick"

She made some kind of negative noise, waving her spoon around as she tried to swallow.

"You don't wanna be late, do you?" she said around half a mouthful of cornflakes.

"Late for what exactly?" her father frowned, "We don't usually leave for another fifteen minutes" he pointed out, checking his watch against the kitchen clock just in case he was wrong.

"And usually" Dawn told him, putting her now empty bowl in the sink, "you don't have someone to pick up on the way to work" she smiled. He gave her a look like he didn't understand and she rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Dad, are you trying to make me believe that you weren't going to pick up Buffy on the way?" she asked, hands on her hips, disbelieving look on her face.

Spike hated that she was so right. He had considered it, but after last night and Dawnie's tears about her Mom, that seemed to all start when Buffy was mentioned, he wasn't sure it was such a good idea.

"I s'pose I could offer to give her a ride, seeing as it's on our way..." he said casually as he ran the water to wash the breakfast things. Dawn put a hand on his arm and he turned to look at her.

"I know I got all weird and teary last night" she said glancing at her feet and back at her father, "and it was because I miss Mom, a lot" she admitted "but I spent a lot of time thinking after that, and I realised that I was being kinda unfair"

Spike turned off the faucet and dried his hands as the two sat down by the counter together again. He wanted to pay his daughter proper attention, since what she had to say seemed pretty serious.

"You're still a guy" Dawn smiled ,"and you're not like majorly old or anything" he smiled too at that back-handed compliment, "If you like Buffy I think you should go for it" she said finally but Spike was not convinced she meant it. He wondered if she was just saying it because she thought she had to, and he didn't want her to do that.

"Dawn..." he began but she interrupted, knowing he doubted her words.

"Really, Dad" she assured him, "Mom wouldn't want you to be unhappy and alone, and neither do I" she said solemnly. Spike pulled her into a hug.

"I'm not alone" he said softly, moved by her words, "I have my little girl"

"Always" she replied, squeezing him tight, "but it's not the same thing, and you admitted you liked Buffy" she reminded him as they pulled away from each other.

"I do" he sighed, "but even if I did ask her out, there's nothing to say she'd definitely accept"

Spike was a little put out by the way his daughter began to laugh. Just when she'd been acting like such a grown-up now she was in hysterics at the idea of Buffy not accepting his possible advances? His confusion must of shown on his face as Dawn tried to stop herself laughing and explain why she was doing so anyway.

"Have you seen you?" she asked incredulously, "Any woman would be crazy not to want to date you!"

"Dawn..." he rolled his eyes, believing her to be sarcastic, but she wasn't.

"I'm serious!" she promised him, laughter dying down til just a wide smile remained, "You remember the sleep over I had last birthday, and all the girls showed up in their best clothes and full make-up?" she asked him. Spike thought for a moment then nodded.

"Thought that was a bit odd for a sleep-over, yeah..." he commented and Dawn rolled her eyes this time, sometimes her Dad just didn't get it.

"It was for you!" she exclaimed, "They all think you're totally hot, which has an icky side" she made a face and shuddered slightly at the less nice thoughts of her friends dating her father, "but I think it's kinda cool that my Dad's so popular" she smiled again when she realised she'd caused him to do the same. If she didn't know better she'd even say he blushed, but Spike never did that.

"I love you, Dawn" he told her, putting an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.

"I love you too Dad" she smiled before pulling away and getting off the stool, rapidly making for the door, "Now let's get going, if you want to pick up Buffy!" she urged him til he also jumped up and hurried to get ready.

"Okay" Buffy sighed as she looked around the motel room. She'd wished Xander good luck and sent him off half an hour ago. Now it was her turn and she was desperate to stay calm, despite the fact her stress levels wanted to rise every time she thought about her new job, or facing Spike again.

"Purse, lunch, keycard" she checked the items in her hands, "Hair done, make-up reasonable, outfit could be worse" she counted off as she glanced in the mirror. With a final deep breath she turned to the door and stepped out.

"Here we go"

Down on the street, Spike's car pulled up just beyond the motel and he killed the engine.

"This is the building, right?" Dawn leaned over her father and pointed to the apartment block slightly in front of them.

"It's where she went last night" Spike nodded, suddenly feeling ridiculously nervous in the manner of a teen on his first real date. God, it was pathetic!

"Should you go buzz at the door or something?" Dawn wondered after a few moments of silence, in which Spike did nothing but stare at the same spot beyond the windshield.

"Er, I dunno, I..." he shrugged before spotting a familiar blonde head in the side mirror, "Wait a sec" he said quickly to Dawn as he leapt from the car and walked the other way, "Buffy?" he said, as he caught up to the girl and reached hand a out to her arm. She turned around with a surprised expression.

"Spike. What are you doing here?" Buffy asked, praying to God he hadn't seen her come out of that motel. There was just no way to explain it, she should have an excuse ready but her mind had gone blank.

"We came to give you a ride to work" he gestured back towards the car where Dawn waited, nose pressed to the glass of the driver's window as she'd scooched over to see "I wasn't expecting to see you come out of the motel" he said suddenly glancing between the building and the woman in front of him. Buffy shifted nervously, desperately racking her brains for an excuse. Her mouth opened and closed several times like a fish of some kind before she put a hand to he face and sighed.

"Oh God...I'm sorry, I, I guess I should confess" she said, looking up again at Spike who's expression showed he had no clue what she was talking about "I currently live at the motel, okay?" she said, kind of defensively, "We can't afford a place yet and I knew if I told your father that he probably wouldn't give me a job and now you'll tell him I lied and he'll fire me anyway, God, I am so mentally challenged!" she rambled away before literally yelling at herself for her own stupid behaviour, stamping a foot in pure frustration and pushing her hair back off her face with her hand.

"Buffy, breathe luv, before you do yourself a damage" Spike urged her, "I won't be telling dear old Dad that you told a little white lie" he promised her, the comforting hand he laid on her arm feeling to Buffy as if it were burning a hole, "though as it goes I can't see him taking it as sackable offence either way. Still, your secret's safe with me, pet" he smiled as she looked up and their eyes met. This guy was so sweet and totally hot, Buffy knew it was crazy since they'd only met two days ago but already she really liked him.

"Hey" a voice interrupted whatever kind of moment the two might have been having as Dawn arrived beside her father, who's hand left Buffy's arm immediately.

"Or perhaps that should be with us" Spike amended as the blonde smiled at his daughter.

"Hi, Dawn. It's so nice of you and your Dad to come pick me up" she said as the three headed towards the car.

"No big" Dawn shrugged, "I mean you're going to the same place, why not go together?" she stood by the car as Spike climbed back into the driver's seat "You wanna sit in back...or up front?"

The way she asked the question told Buffy which answer she was supposed to give.

"The back is fine, thanks" she smiled, as Dawn grinned and got back in the front beside her Dad.

The journey from the motel to the school was filled with the young girl's chatter of boys and clothes and general things that fourteen years olds found interesting. She asked Buffy a few non-personal questions like favourite music and such things. It was a relief to the blonde who was quite happy to avoid any major queries about her life, past or present.

When his daughter was out of the car and off with her friends, Spike put the car in drive and headed for Giles Electronics. He glanced at Buffy in the rear view mirror.

"I'm sorry if Dawn comes off a little...intense" he apologised, "She means to be friendly, I swear"

"It's okay" Buffy smiled back ,"She's polite enough for someone her age" she told him, watching the Sunnydale scenery go by.

"Oh yeah, I mean some of the brats she hangs around with" Spike shook his head as he thought about it, "the things they get up to, makes me want to blush and I was no saint, y'know what I mean?" he asked Buffy who kept her eyes fixed on the view.

"Kind of, yeah" she sighed.

"Driving Miss Buffy, huh?" Oz commented as soon as the newest employee had gone through to the next office to meet up with Giles.

"What?" Spike asked him, trying to keep the smile from his face as he sat down at his desk and turned don the computer.

"You gave her a ride to work, right?" Willow grinned all over her face, loving the idea of Spike and Buffy being happy together. He'd been through so much what with Drusilla dying and him having to bring up Dawn alone.

"Yeah, and...?" he said, as answer to her questions and the red-head rolled her eyes.

"Oh, nothing" she gave up, deciding she was going to get nothing interesting out of her friend this morning.

"I know that look, Red" he said, giving her one of his own, "and as the Bit would say 'you don't have nothing face, you have something face', so spill it"

Willow was desperate to be serious, but the smile would not leave her face as she gushed;

"You like her"

"Yeah" Spike nodded as Oz tried not to laugh, "She's a nice person"

"Sure she is" Willow nodded right back, "I agree, but you like her" she emphasised just as Dawn would do, and Spike tried desperately not to grin. A smirk escaped and Willow was practically bouncing in her seat.

"Oz, mate" he said to her husband, "control your wife would you. She's getting far too excitable for a woman her age"

"Hey" Willow protested, smile waining as Oz bit his lip to stop from smiling amusedly, at her sudden change of expression.

"Said with love, pet" Spike assured her, "but you do know you sound like Dawnie right now, don't you? In point of fact, I had almost the exact same conversation with her last night" he sighed, "What is it with women? You start to like one and they all decide it's their business" he said, taking his coat off and hanging it on the back of his chair.

"Ooh, you admitted it!" Willow pointed, shrieked and bounced all at the same time, "You like her!" she said joyously and Spike closed his eyes, unable to believe how stupid he'd just been in walking into that one.

"Oh, bloody hell" he cursed, as he started to get on with some work. Still, Willow was not going to let it go.

"So, you gonna ask her out?" she asked, leaning right across her husband as she continued to bug their bleached blond friend.

"Honey, maybe that's up to Spike" Oz told her with a look and she sat back up straight in her seat, declaring she was only asking.

Spike kept his eyes on his screen and tried to concentrate on his work but his mind was full of Buffy and everyone's apparently high opinion of his dating her. Maybe he would ask her out. Yeah, why not? As Dawn had said, it wasn't as if he was too old to date, or not good-looking enough. Yes, before the day was out, he'd ask her.

As Spike looked at the clock, the minute hand clicked round another point and it he had just two minutes left before he had to leave to go pick up Dawnie. Buffy's hours were two more than his so he couldn't even offer to take her home and ask her out in the car. All day he'd been trying to get her alone, not wanting to ask in front of nosy co-workers (mostly Willow) or his father. Still, it seemed he had no options left. As Buffy re-entered the office from the photocopy room he intercepted her on the way back to her own office by pushing his chair out into her path.

She was startled at first and then gave him a questioning look when he didn't move.

"Er, Buffy, I was wondering..." he started, suddenly feeling like the geek he used to be, way back before he'd met Drusilla.

"Wondering what?" she asked when his mind went on vacation and left his sentence hanging half-complete.

"Oh well" he began again, "there's this bar" he explained, "it's called the Bronze. It used to be some teen hangout a few years back but it got refurbished, place for the less young these days" he told her, "I go there sometimes, was going there tonight in fact and I was wondering if you wanted to maybe..."

"Oh" Buffy made a little sound of realisation when she figured out what he was trying to say. The look on her face didn't look good to Spike and he quickly tried to convince her.

"I mean, there's drinks and music" he said thinking fast "and I thought it'd be good for you to see more of the town and meet some people"

"I don't know" Buffy looked awkwardly at everything but him, shaking her head in the negative, "I don't like to leave Xander all on his lonesome..." she said, genuinely considering the offer of a date but so unsure as to whether it was really a good idea.

"Bring him along" Spike said suddenly and Willow who'd been eavesdropping the entire time almost fell from her chair with shock, "Will and Oz are coming too, right?" he added, shooting them both a pleading look when Buffy turned to them also.

"Oh, yeah" Willow nodded, "Sure, been planning it for days, haven't we sweetie?" she gave Oz a light shove and he nodded.

"Very true" he agreed until Buffy looked back at Spike, giving him a chance to give his wife a look that said 'what is going on?'

"Dad has said he'll keep an eye on Dawnie for me and the twins for these two" Spike lied, knowing it didn't matter since Giles was almost certain to agree anyway, "What d'ya say, pet?" he asked her, hoping he hadn't blown it to badly.

Buffy was half relieved and actually half disappointed that Spike had not really asked her on a date as such, just to a gathering of a few friends. Still, the hopeful look on his face made her want to agree to anything just to please him and so she smiled.

"Okay, I'm in" she agreed, "I mean, we, me and Xander, we'll be there" she amended, "What time?"

"About seven?" he suggested, a weak smile spreading across his face too. He was thrilled she'd agreed but was less impressed at his apparent lack of skills with women of late.

"See you there" Buffy nodded in agreement of the timing as he pulled his chair back towards the desk and let her pass. As the door closed behind her, Spike's head dropped onto the desk with a loud thump, as he cursed himself.

"I am such an idiot!"

To Be Continued...