A/N: I apologise profusely for the lateness of this post. I've been busy as all get-out and the storm a few days ago kept messing with the power. Sadly, due to a busy schedule this weekend, this week's may be delayed as well. Of course, since this story is beginning to head towards it's end things should become much more interesting.

Disclaimer: Loved my reviews, same as last time and I thank all of you who did review. I'd hope those of you who are reading and not reviewing would actually change their minds and review, but if wishes were horses poor people could eat a lot of horse meat. I mean, let's face it. They're poor. They can't afford to feed or stable a horse.

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Thinking

"C'mon, Katie," Buffy urged, tugging on the little girl's hand.

She'd been taking Spike's daughter out a lot in the two weeks since she got her new body. The only reason she was doing it was because she loved the little girl and wanted to do things with her. If, and only if, that happened to mean she spent more time with Spike, well, that was purely coincidental.

"Where's Auntie Bit, Buffy?" Katie whined.

Today they were going to see the latest kids movie with Auntie Bit, but they had to meet her after lunch in the café she and her friends had lunch at. Looking ahead frantically, she was relieved to spot Dawn sitting on a young man's knee with another couple doing the same on the other side of the table.

"There they are," Buffy said, relieved.

Katie put her hands up, demanding to be carried the rest of the way. "My feet hurt."

Suppressing a smile, Buffy picked up the little diva. "Dawn!" she called, waving to her sister who waved her over.

"Buffy, hi," Dawn said cheerfully, jumping off her boyfriend's lap and snatching Katie away from her sister. The little girl giggled as the tall brunette swung her around.

"Hi, I'm Sean," the cute guy Dawn had been sitting on said, extending one hand to Buffy and running the other through his dirty blond hair. Buffy shook it firmly, noting with pleasure how his eyes slid to Dawn and warmed at the sight she and her 'niece' made. He gestured to the other couple. "That's Rose and Dave."

"Hi," Buffy said.

Dave smiled wryly and nodded his head, while his girlfriend smiled widely. "So, Buffy," she began in a patronising tone, "are you going to go to college here?"

Buffy's smile froze on her face. The woman continued to smile in that irritating way that all teens learn to dread, the one that said 'you're going to hear my life advice and you can't do anything to get away'. "Uh…"

"Oh!" Dawn exclaimed, looking up from her watch. "We've got to go or we'll be late," she explained, kissing her boyfriend and hurrying Buffy off at the same time.

Buffy fumed as she trotted behind Dawn, the girl's longer legs and sneakers making Buffy have to jog to keep up. They thought she hadn't even graduated High School! She'd spent a year and a bit at Sunnydale U., thank you very much!

"Buffy, do you need to go to the toilet?" Katie asked over Dawn's shoulder, frowning concernedly. "You should always go pee before we leave the house," she admonished, waving her finger in reprimand.

Buffy wasn't sure, but she thought she heard Dawn snicker.

Buffy endured the kiddie movie with surprising good will. When she thought about it, and the hour and a half of animated 'fun' certainly gave an adult time to think, it made sense that they thought she was just coming out of High School. The 'bot was modelled on photos of her, stolen photos at that, so she guessed that Spike hadn't wanted to draw attention to his theft by stealing the more recent ones.

As the credits rolled, Buffy stood to leave. Both Dawn and Katie remained seated. Buffy's sister looked at her with amused tolerance and nodded towards Katie, who was still riveted to the screen. When the final credits faded out, she stood, stretched and simply began to leave the theatre.

"Sometimes I wonder if she really watches the movie," Dawn said in a low tone. "She stays in the same position the whole time."

"I've been thinking," Katie announced. Buffy and Dawn shared a look, half anticipation and half trepidation. "I need a mommy."

Buffy felt a peculiar emotion begin to expand in her chest until she squashed it down. "Why do you need a mommy?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Because everyone at school has one except me," she said crossly. A speculative expression appeared on her face. "Do you think Is'belle would be my mommy? I like Is'belle."

Buffy hesitated, her mind jumping to a week earlier.

Buffy straightened her spangly shirt, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She was not disappointed when Isabelle opened the door because she was just babysitting tonight. She had full prior knowledge that Spike and Isabelle were going to some party in L.A. and she was not, in any way, shape or form trying to make Spike spend the whole night think about her instead. It was just that she was still new to her body and wanted it to look as good as possible.

"You like Will, don't you?" Isabelle asked warmly.

Buffy shot the woman an odd look. "Of course. Willow and I have been friends for years."

"I meant William," Isabelle laughed.

"Spike?" she asked in shock. How could the girlfriend know and not Spike? Or did he know and just not care?

"He lets you call him Spike?" Isabelle asked, arching an eyebrow. "He must like you. He doesn't let me call him that."

"But aren't you his girlfriend?" Buffy asked, confused.

Isabelle chuckled merrily. "Oh, no. I'm his editor."

"Oh."

"So, you do like him, right?" Isabelle pressed.

Buffy hesitated. Part of her wanted to say yes. A big part of her wanted to say yes. She felt her mouth moving. "No," she said and blinked. She wasn't ready for Spike to know yet, and she suspected that Isabelle might not be as close-mouthed as Faith.

Isabelle looked at her disbelievingly. "You were staring daggers at me the other night," she observed blandly.

"That was, uh, for Faith," Buffy improvised. "She likes Spike, and I sorta got the wrong idea about you."

"You don't like him?" she checked incredulously.

"No, no, no," Buffy assured rapidly. "He's really not my type." Buffy gave Isabelle a pointed look, hoping against hope that she didn't pick at the lie.

Isabelle raised both eyebrows appreciatively. "I see," she said, before eyeing Buffy's body appreciatively. The stunning woman let her fingers delicately trace along Buffy's bare wrist. "I love your shirt."

"Sweety?" Buffy began cautiously. "I don't think Isabelle… I don't… Isabelle isn't the mommy type," she floundered.

Dawn looked at Buffy slyly. "Hey Katie," she said teasingly, "what about Buffy?"

Buffy felt a flush suffuse her cheeks and Katie looked at her appraisingly. "No," she said seriously. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Buffy asked indignantly, before she could stop herself.

"You're too little," Katie said significantly, making a vaguely circular shape in front of her chest.

Buffy gaped as Dawn burst into hysterics.

"Seriously," the little girl nodded solemnly.

Dawn laughed harder.

XXX

"Daddy, I'm home," Katie bellowed as she came in the door.

Spike scratched at his head sleepily as he padded out to meet her. "And where have you been?" he asked he archly.

"To the movies," she responded glibly.

"Really?" he asked in mock surprise.

"Yep."

"I didn't know that," he said ponderously, getting down on one knee and holding out his arms.

Katie grinned as she sprinted into a hug. "Yes you did," she giggled.

"Really," he asked, squeezing her tight.

"Yes," she sighed happily into his shoulder.

"I didn't know that."

"Daddy!"

Spike smiled at her gently. "Did you have fun?"

"It was okay," she said backhandedly.

"Did you thank Buffy?" he asked her, suppressing a grin when she unabashedly shook her head. He shared a glance with Buffy, who still stood in the doorway. "Thanks for takin' her out for the day, Slayer," he said gruffly. "Needed that sleep in."

"Not a problem," Buffy replied genuinely. "She's a pleasure."

"She's a terror," Spike countered, his cool fingers slipping beneath his daughter's shirt to tickle her mercilessly.

"Daddy, stop!" she commanded breathlessly until he did. After she caught her breath she looked Spike in the eye and said, "Daddy, we have to talk."

"About what, love?" he asked.

"Mommies."

Spike blinked. He wasn't really prepared for this. He scratched his tousled head absently.

"Everyone at school has one except me," she complained. "I want you to get me a new one."

"It's not that easy, pet," Spike murmured. He was not prepared for this.

"You have to!" she stressed dramatically.

"Do I?" Spike asked.

"Yes," Katie replied. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Or else."

XXX

"I need help," Buffy proclaimed in a hopeless tone, collapsing on the couch.

"What is it this time?" Faith asked sardonically.

"I'm a horrible, horrible person," she groaned. "I just dropped Katie off at home and saw Spike being a great father, the kind you want for your kids, and all I could think about was burying my hands in those curls and dragging him off to the bedroom."

Faith smirked. "You try looking somewhere else?"

"Yeah," Buffy muttered. "Then he picked her up and his shirt shifted a bit and I could see his abs. He has such nice abs."

Faith snorted in amusement at the dreamy tone Buffy's voice had taken. "Hey, B?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me why patrols with Spike have gotten so weird lately?"

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A/N: A short one, I know, but I asked one of my readers and she asserted a short one now and a regular sized one soonish is better than a very long one (this one and the next one together) vaguely soonish. I figured all of your would be impatient, too. Apologies, and it should be back to rights as soon as possible.