"Why didn't you tell me?" Buffy practically screeched as she stomped into Kat's room. She was folding up her laundry, ready to put away.
"Gotta be more specific than that, Buff," she snorted, groaning with annoyance as she struggled to fold one of her shirts. She gave up and tossed it in the drawer. Creases be damned.
"Spike has a house. Spike lives in a house now, which just so happens to be less than five minutes away. Spike lives in a house and you didn't tell me?" Buffy pouted. She always hated being the last to know anything. She wasn't the last to know though. Willow was the only one that knew and she should have known the witch would spill the beans.
"It's not a big deal," Kat shrugged, shutting her drawer as the last of the clothes went away.
"I beg to differ. Not only is it weird that Spike has a house. The fact you didn't tell me makes me think it's very much a big deal," Buffy had her no nonsense attitude, hip cocked with her hand on it. With a heaving sigh, Kat sat on her bed before looking at her.
"He asked me to move in with him," she admitted reluctantly. There was a long moment of silence as Buffy blinked at her dumbly.
"He asked you to move in?" Buffy asked incredulously, a smile starting to tug at her lips.
"Yep," Kat muttered.
"Well… what did you say?" Buffy asked when she got nothing else from Kat.
"That I'd think about it," she explained.
Buffy let out a frustrated noise as she rolled her eyes.
"Kat. It's a big deal, I get it. But you can't freak out at every milestone up guys hit. You're meant to be, for goodness sake. This is a good thing!" She implored.
"I'm not freaking out!" Kat defended with a glare. Buffy quirked her brow sassily and Kat squinted.
"I'm not. I… I want this. It's big but I'm not scared," Kat sighed. Buffy gave her a confused frown as she moved to sit beside her on the bed.
"Then what's stopping you?" She asked curiously. Kat swiped away some of her unruly hair out of her face before glancing at her.
"You are. You and Dawn. The idea of leaving you both when we've already lost so much… It feels wrong. I don't want you guys feeling like I've abandoned you," Kat murmured. Both she and Buffy jumped when Kat's door flew open.
"Are you stupid?!" The whirlwind also known as Dawn squeaked.
"Dawn!" Buffy chided, jumping up as she tried to steer the teen back out of the door but Dawn wasn't budging.
"No! Spike wants you to move in but you won't because of us? That's stupid. You're not abandoning us, we know that. Just move in with him!" Dawn almost whined at her.
"Dawn, this is a grown up conversation for the grown up people," Buffy huffed impatiently.
"It's fine. Let her stay…" Kat sighed, rubbing her temples. Dawn gave Buffy a smug smile and got a light thwack on the back of her head for her troubles.
"Look… as much as I hate to say it, Dawn is right," Buffy admitted.
"Hey," Dawn scoffed, folding her arms over her chest.
"You don't need to feel bad. You're not abandoning us. You'll be right around the corner and we'll still see you every day. I think it's time you fly the nest," Buffy smiled softly.
"You really don't mind?" Kat asked hesitantly. Buffy moved to crouch in front of her and took both of her hands.
"Of course we don't. We want you to be happy. And as weird as it feels for me to say this… Spike makes you happy," she flashed her a wry grin.
"We're not above kicking you out," Dawn declared. Kat snorted as she shook her head.
"I guess I'm moving out then," she murmured softly. It felt so surreal to even think about.
Kat felt nervous as she walked up the path. She was clutching a duffel bag. It wasn't like she needed to move all her stuff in that night. She could slowly move her things in over the next few days. That was if Spike even still wanted her there. She raised her hand and knocked on the door, fidgeting where she stood as she anxiously waited for the door to open.
"Kat… wasn't expectin' you tonight, pet," Spike smiled when he opened the door. Every little smile he directed at her made her feel like she couldn't breathe.
"I know. I just… I was wondering if your offer still stands," she held her bag up as she gave him a nervous smile and his brows rose a little.
"You… you want to move in?" He asked slowly.
"If you'll have me," she shrugged. She knew she wasn't acting as cool and smooth as she hoped. He let out a delighted laugh and her bag fell to the floor with a thud as he picked her up and kissed her. She grinned against his lips as she kissed him back. It was going to be weird living with him full time but she couldn't be happier.
The Sex Pistols filled the air in the house, although Spike would admit it wasn't half as loud as he'd like. It was accompanied by the sweet scent of freshly baked cookies that Red had made, courtesy of borrowing his bloody kitchen earlier that day. He'd also learnt that while Kat was a decent cook, she couldn't bake to save her damn life. He was sure he'd be scrubbing flour off the floor for years to come.
"Mind your soddin' feet, dimwit," Spike muttered to the whelp, wishing he could clip him around the ear for lounging on his sofa with his feet propped on the coffee table. Xander gave him a sheepish look as he moved his feet.
The housewarming party wasn't his idea, nor was it Kat's. Willow had suggested it and then Dawn had demanded it. He could say no to a lot of people but Nibblet wasn't one of them. Now here he was, standing in his living room while the damn Scooby gang clogged up his home. Dawn was stuffing her face with a plate of cookies as she sat on the floor, her head bobbing to the music. Anya and Xander were relaxing on the sofa as he and Giles, who was sitting in the armchair, bickered about something Spike couldn't muster a crap to give about. The witches were giggling to themselves in the corner and Buffy and Kat were in the kitchen area as his girl poured herself a drink. She was practically glowing. A radiant smile on her face as she spoke animatedly to her cousin. He could listen into their conversation if he wanted to. Had the hearing for it, after all. He'd learned over the years how to tune things out lest his head explode. He didn't listen in though. She could have her conversation about whatever it was as long as it made her happy. That's all he wanted. Something he and the Slayer had in common. Funny that. He and a Slayer having anything in common.
He felt eyes burning into him and glanced to the side to see Willow now standing closer to him with a goofy smile on her face. He shot her a scowl but it only made her smile more as she approached him. He'd well and truly lost his scare factor, hadn't he? Partly due to the chip in his head and also his relationship with Kat.
"She looks so… happy," Willow murmured thoughtfully as she looked at Kat in the kitchen.
"She does," he replied quietly, his eyes glued to her as she laughed, wrapping her arm around Dawn as the girl wandered into the kitchen area no doubt asking for more cookies.
"Do anything to hurt her and you'll be begging me to stake you," the witch flashed him a toothy innocent grin, patting his arm before she sauntered off to her girl. She took Tara's hand and led her to the girls in the kitchen.
"Charming," he huffed with a roll of his eyes, taking a sip from his beer. While he acted annoyed by having them in his space, and to a point he was, it also made him feel something else. Something he couldn't quite explain, nor could he remember feeling ever in his life. It was akin to a sense of belonging. Wasn't so much the Scoobies that surrounded him that stirred up those feelings, though they had been far more accepting of him since he got with Kat and he'd gotten his soul back. But it was Kat. He finally felt like the scales had been removed from his eyes. He could see clearly just where his place in the world was. It was by Kat's side.