Chapter 3

It was nine thirty in the morning and Buffy was sitting there watching as Spike stood there in the basement of his crypt. Spike had put on black slacks that Buffy had to admit, looked amazing on his ass. He was also wearing a black button down shirt and some simple black converse shoes to go with it. It was very different for Spike and Buffy was shocked he even owned anything other than tight black pants and a black t-shirt. Not only that, he owned something other than his boots. This was something Buffy never thought she would see and she doubted she would ever get used to it.

"It's just a meeting Spike. You can do this." Buffy said, but she was seriously doubting it.

Spike would be meeting Dawn's principal and her four teachers this morning. Nothing about this was going to end well and all Buffy could do was hope that Dawn didn't get kicked out for the semester. Spike and authority never went well together. It was going to be a miracle if he pulled this off.

"Right, best to get this over with." Spike grumbled before he went and grabbed his keys and headed up and out without a jacket.

Thankfully it was still cloudy out so he didn't have to worry about making a dash for his car or for the school doors. Spike got into his car and Buffy had no choice, but to sit down beside him. She was feeling better that she had been able to see Dawn and her friends finally. Though she was too pissed off at her friends right now to truly enjoy it. But she had been able to see Dawn and listen to her and make sure she was doing alright. With Spike and Tara now stepping up Buffy was hoping that Dawn would be okay now once she adjusted to the new life. Buffy was also hoping that selling the house wouldn't be too bad and they would be able to at least break even on it. They would find out how much they would be able to list the house on the market and from there they could come up with a plan for the rest of the debt.

Once they arrived at the school Spike headed inside and made his way over to the front office. Buffy took a deep breath as Spike opened the door and walked in. She could only imagine how horrible this was going to be. The old receptionist looked up at Spike and gave a warm smile as she spoke.

"Good morning, how can I help you Sir?"

"Morning Luv, I'm here to speak with Mr. Kristoff regarding my niece Dawn Summers." Spike said and Buffy almost fell over with the sound of his voice.

No longer did he hold the rough street British accent. Instead he almost sounded like Giles, but with his rich and sexy voice that Buffy always associated with Spike. He had an almost purr sound to his voice no matter what he was saying. Buffy had never figured he would be able to sound like a proper Brit. The receptionist gave Spike a warm smile, clearly loving the English accent, before she spoke.

"Of course he's been expecting you. Follow me please."

"Lead the way Luv." Spike said with a friendly smile back.

Buffy was still in shock as she followed Spike into the Principal's office and saw that the four teachers were already there. Based on how they got quiet when the door opened they were clearly discussing something that shouldn't be heard by outsiders.

"This is Dawn Summers' uncle. I'm sorry I didn't get your name." The receptionist said with a slight shy tone to her voice.

"William Summers." Spike easily responded.

"Thank-you Ms. Wilson, we can take it from here." Mr. Kristoff said with authority in his voice.

Ms. Wilson headed out of the office and closed the door behind her. Spike went over to the desk as Mr. Kristoff spoke.

"Please have a seat Mr. Summers."

"Ta mate." Spike said as he sat down.

"This is Mr. Smith, Dawn's English teacher, Mrs. Jackson, Dawn's Science teacher, Mrs. Roloft, Dawn's History teacher and finally Mr. James, Dawn's Math teacher. As you know they have all expressed concerns regarding Dawn's school habits and her lack of attendance." Mr. Kristoff's voice was dripping with authority and Buffy wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.

"I am aware of the current situation regarding Dawn's home life. As I am sure you all are aware that she has recently lost her mum, my sister. It was both very unexpecting and shocking to say the least. After her mum was cleared medically from her tumour we all thought she was out of the woods. I'm afraid it has taken a hard toll on both remaining Summers." Spike said with perfect patience in his voice.

"Yes we are aware of her current loss. Where is her sister. I would have figured she would be the one to have guardianship over Dawn." Mr. Kristoff asked.

"I have temporary guardianship of Dawn until Buffy has returned. She had to take care of a sick relative out of state. The only real family they have left and I am afraid our aunt is on death's door as well. All of this responsibility should fall to their father's shoulders, but the man is not much of a man. He has no problem to allow his daughters to struggle through the maze of life on their own. I came down immediately once I got word of the situation. I'm aware Dawn has missed three weeks of school. But surely there is something that can be worked out for her courses so she does not lose this semester. She's lost so much recently and I would hate for her to be punished for something out of her control, like death." Spike said calmly, but Buffy could pick up the slight tone he was using to manipulate the situation. He was slowly turning it around to make the others the bad guys in this and not Dawn. Buffy couldn't help but smirk at this. She wouldn't have been able to stay so calm.

"We don't wish to punish Dawn for anything. We are concerned for her education and how her homelife is reflecting her schooling." Mrs. Jackson said.

"I understand that fully and I am going to be ensuring that she is given the necessary care. She is back in school and will be attending every day. She is dedicated to her schooling and making up for the loss time. I'm hoping we can come to an agreement on what Dawn needs to do to ensure the safety of her semester." Spike said back.

"I've spoken to Dawn yesterday. I want her to read MacBeth, the book she missed during the past three weeks. She is to write an essay on the plot and how it affected the audience during that period of time. She is to also pick a literary novel of her choosing to read and write a five thousand word essay on the characterization of the main characters and how it could relate to her life. Both need to be submitted by the end of the school year along with all of the other assigned pieces for the semester." Mr. Smith said.

"A very reasonable request." Spike said content to have at least one teacher on board.

"Dawn has missed three chapters since being gone. If she can catch up on those three chapters of assignments and pass a makeup test I will be perfectly happy with that. However, it would need to be completed within the next two weeks for the marks to be submitted on time." Mr. James said, Dawn's Math teacher.

"I'll make sure she gets it done. Can makeup tests be done for her Science and History classes?" Spike asked.

"Dawn hasn't missed much in History in the sense of tests. We've been reading chapters fifty to sixty-three. It focuses more on the French Revolution. Those chapters are vital for Dawn to read as we will be starting a new project that uses the French Revolution as a sounding board for the project. The project is individual based and we will be starting it tomorrow. If Dawn reads the chapters then she'll be fine in my class. I don't want to put any more pressure on her then I'm sure she is already feeling." Mrs. Roloft said with a warm smile to Spike.

"I appreciate that Luv. I'll make sure she reads the chapters tonight so she can be ready for class tomorrow." Spike said with a warm smile.

"Dawn has missed some in class labs, three of them. She is also three chapters behind. I will mimic Mr. James with a makeup tests on those three chapters. It needs to be completed within two weeks. As for the labs she can come to me either after school or on her lunch period to complete the three labs. Again they need to be completed within two weeks. If Dawn can do that then she will be in a good place. Her grades as they stand before this absence were very good. She's an excellent student." Mrs. Jackson said.

"She is a very bright girl and a pleasure to have in the class. She is always willing to answer questions or help her fellow students out. That's why I'm willing to work with her on things to help get her through this hard time." Mrs. Roloft said.

"I appreciate everything you are doing for her. She talks very highly of her teachers and this school. I can see why. It's refreshing to be in a place that cares so much for their students." Spike said with a friendly smile.

"There is three months left of the school year. Dawn needs to attend everyday unless sick with a doctor's note provided. Given her current home situation I am going to allow some leniency with the attendance rules. However, I am still concerned about Dawn's homelife and it being stable and fit enough for her. I'd like for her to speak with our school counselor once a week for one hour sessions." Mr. Kristoff said and they could both tell it wasn't a suggestion at all.

"I think that would benefit Dawn immensely. She needs someone that she can speak to freely that will hold no judgement to her or someone that she has to interact with outside of school. It would be very good for her to speak to a professional about her feelings. She can always talk to me, but it's different when it is family and a stranger. I'd like for her to start as soon as possible." Spike said easily.

"How the hell are you doing this?" Buffy asked shocked that Spike didn't have any fight or bite back at them. She would have been pissed long by now.

"I'll have her start tomorrow then. I'm confident that Dawn will be able to return to the student she was before all of the upset in her life. I appreciate you coming in today to speak with us. You have put our minds at ease." Mr. Kristoff said.

"I'm glad we were able to do this. It's important for me to see Dawn's educators as school is very important to me. I hold a Masters in Business and am encouraging Dawn to seek post-secondary education. I would hate to see that delayed or blemished by Dawn losing a semester for something that was not in her control like the death of her mother, her only parent. It can be so devastating and crippling to a child. I truly appreciate all of the patience and support you have given my niece." Spike said with a warm smile and Buffy couldn't help but laugh at him.

"You're amazing. You are totally making them feel guilty. Oh man I hate being stuck to you, but every now and then you do something fun." Buffy said with a smile.

"Dawn is a great student. We are very lucky to have her and it's good to see her back and in class. Please let us know if there is anything she needs help with to make this transition easier on her." Mr. Kristoff said with a small smile.

"I will. Thank-you for your continued support." Spike said with a friendly smile as he stood and the others stood as well.

Spike made sure to shake their hands before he headed out and gave a friendly goodbye to the receptionist as he headed out. Buffy couldn't help, but smile the whole time. She wouldn't have been able to handle that any better than Spike would have. She would have drilled into them about how their mother had just died and they were all being jerks about Dawn's schooling. Spike was very much passive aggressive with it and it worked.

"I had no idea you could be that passive aggressive. I mean seriously, I've seen you mad and pissed, but I've never seen you so calculated and manipulative. You would have been deadly if you had any real patience." Buffy said as they got into the car, Buffy not even having to open the door just slid right in and sat back. "I think I'm getting the hang of this ghost thing. It would be so much more fun if I could haunt other people though. I mean imagine all the trouble I could get into. It sucks that I can't grab things, because then I could steal money right from a bank vault. Or maybe I couldn't if the money doesn't become like invisible like me. Well I could just put it into my pocket over and over again. It would take longer, but that would totally solve your money problems. Or you could get your own money back from Angel. And what is up with that anyways? He got a soul shouldn't he have felt guilted into giving you your money back? But then again if he was to feel guilty about anything it should be what he did to you. And I'm totally rambling to myself."

Spike had already started the car and was heading towards the house. He was obviously completely oblivious to any of Buffy's ramblings.

"You have to be glad that's over. I thought for sure you were going to start yelling at them and being your usual rough self. But you totally shocked me with your real accent and not the street version you always use. You just might be full of surprises." Buffy said as she looked over at Spike.

Spike pulled into the driveway at the house and he got out. Buffy easily followed as they walked into the house. Instantly they both noticed that the place was clean and less cluttered.

"Glinda?" Spike called out.

Tara walked out of the kitchen with a cloth in her hand.

"Morning Spike. How did the meeting go?" Tara asked with a slight worry to her voice.

"Fine. The Bit won't lose the semester, but she has some catch up work to do. She also has to see the school counsellor one hour a week until the end of the school year." Spike said as he took his jacket off and placed it down over the back of the chair.

"Well that's good though. She can keep the semester and seeing someone would be good for her. I know she can't talk about Buffy's death, but she can talk about her mom's and how she's feeling with all of the change in her life right now." Tara said trying to sound positive and supportive.

"If she's open to it, it will be good for her. That principal's a wanker, but after a helpful dose of guilt he changed his tune. This place looks great." Spike said as he looked around.

"Thanks. Dawnie and me worked on it last night pretty hard. I read online about not having clutter would help getting a higher appraisal. We've been working to get it more organized and we have some boxes that are stored in the basement. We thought maybe we should do a garage sale or something to help get rid of what we can't take with us and we might get enough to pay for moving expenses."

"Good idea. The place will be small compared to this. Any extra dosh would be good."

"We figured that basic furniture we would take with us and any personal items. The rest could be sold. Did you see the gallery last night?"

"It's in good shape. I'll need to get a show together to get some pieces sold. Joyce had some contacts in a book I might be able to get a small show put together quickly enough."

"Do you think you can turn a profit on the gallery?"

"Joyce had it going fairly well until she got sick. That market is still here it's just a matter of tapping into it. It might be a slow process, but it'll get back up there again."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not yet. I'll work on something tonight. Is there anything left to be cleaned or organized before the relator?"

"There are just some boxes upstairs that have to go into the basement. Other than that I think it's pretty cleaned up."

"Right then." Spike said with a nod and he headed up the stairs to grab the boxes.

Buffy couldn't really do anything and it wasn't like she could talk to anyone so she just stood there watching as Spike and Tara moved around the house to get it ready. When the relator arrived Buffy saw that Spike and Tara both looked nervous about this. They had clearly never done anything like sell a house before, not to mention so much was riding on a good selling price. Spike went to answer the door and saw a woman and a man standing on the other side of the door. The woman gave Spike a warm smile as she spoke.

"I'm Nicole Mitchell, this is Michael Donovan a general contractor. Are you William Summers?"

"I am yes. Please come in." Spike said keeping his softer accent as he stepped back.

They walked into the house and Nicole took a look around from where she was standing.

"This is a nice size house." Nicole said.

"Thank-you. We're hoping to downgrade. It's too much house for us." Tara said with a warm smile.

"I get that a lot recently. Real estate market goes in trends, right now a lot of people are looking to downsize. Kids have all grown up, moved out. Michael is going to look through the house with me and he helps me come up with a fair offer on the house. He looks at all the main parts of the house so the plumbing, electricity, roof, foundation. Things like that. Anything that would bring forth a bad sell or what an inspector would find. It shouldn't take us very long to go through the house and I'll have a price for you by the end of it." Nicole said with a friendly smile.

"That'd be great. We appreciate it." Spike said.

Nicole and Michael went about the house looking at everything. Buffy couldn't help, but be a little worried, because she had no idea that they would be looking at everything so closely. She thought they would just go around and see how many bedrooms and bathrooms there were. She didn't think they would be looking at the plumbing or the roof. Nothing was wrong that she knew about, it all worked just fine when she was alive. Still it was nerve wracking even for her, she couldn't imagine what Spike and Tara were feeling. When Nicole and Michael headed down the stairs to the basement Tara looked over at Spike and Buffy could see the worry on her face.

"It'll be fine Luv." Spike said trying to reassure Tara.

"Everything is fine that we know of. But anything could be wrong with the pipes or the wiring and we wouldn't know. I know Joyce said the house was thirty years old when she got it. Anything could be wrong or outdated. I didn't think they would look at all that." Tara said with worry.

"Didn't know either, but can't do nuthin' now Pet. The price will be the price and we'll figure it out after."

"I looked real quick at the classified ads in the paper this morning. The cheapest two bedroom apartment was two grand a month plus utilities and it was in the bad part of town. I thought living in the dorms was expensive."

"I got a contact looking into something cheaper. Hopefully he can pull through for us. Red still plannin' on moving in?"

"She is, but when I told her we were selling the house and moving into a new place she didn't think it would be smart for her to move now. She's still going to move, but she's going to wait until we get into the new place. She's right, there isn't a point in her moving twice, especially when we are trying to pack everything anyways. She's going to help us with moving though and cleaning and she'll be here after classes."

"No it makes sense for her not to move twice."

"I haven't heard from Xander. I was going to maybe go into the Magic Shop and see him and Anya. I thought Xander could help with moving."

"Free to try, but don't hold your breath on that one Pet."

"They should be helping. It shouldn't just be you two trying to figure this all out." Buffy said clearly still mad at her friends for this situation.

"Was there any money left over from Joyce's life insurance?" Tara asked.

"Ten grand, but it automatically went into a college fund for the Niblet. We don't have access to it and even if we did I wouldn't take it."

"No that's her money for school or if she doesn't go then for a down payment for a house. What about their dad? Maybe he would be willing to pay child support for Dawn?"

"Good luck with that." Buffy said with a scoff.

"Even if we could get a hold of him, what would we say? He knows Joyce didn't have a half-sibling and he would want to speak to Buffy and he can't."

"I don't know. I guess there isn't anything we could say." Tara said and it was clear she was trying to come up with some way to help out with the finances. The problem was, she was a college student and she would only be able to make maybe three hundred a month. Most of her student loans go towards tuition and book fees. She wouldn't be much help in the bills department.

"I'll figure it out Pet. Don't worry too much about it." Spike said knowing what Tara was feeling.

"It shouldn't just have to be you trying to figure out how to make the bills work though Spike."

"You helpin' with the Bit at night so I don't have to worry about her helps a lot more than you are thinking Glinda. You being there for the Bit let's me work and there will be plenty of things to help out with at the Gallery with shows. Don't think what you are doing for the Bit isn't helpful."

Tara gave Spike a warm smile and they stayed quiet while they waited for Nicole and Michael to finish their assessment. It was fifteen minutes later when they both came up from the basement and Spike and Tara braced themselves for what the final number would be. The problem was, it would be the number no matter what they argued. It was up to the real estate agent to set the price on what she thought the house would be worth. They would be stuck with it no matter what it was.

"Ok, we have finished the appraisal. Michael went through the whole house and checked all the major problem areas. After the assessment I can comfortably say that we can set the asking price to two hundred and twenty thousand." Nicole said.

"That's it?" Tara asked slightly shocked by the number.

"We were expecting higher. Why so low?" Spike asked.

"The house is old and so is the plumbing. Its no longer up to proper code. The pipes will break within the next six months. It's a huge job that is around eighty grand to fix the whole house." Michael answered.

"With the plumbing the way it is we have to have the asking price drop by the price it would take to repair the pipes as no new owner will want to shovel it out on a three hundred thousand dollar home. After closing costs and lawyer fees, you're looking at two hundred thousand profit." Nicole added.

"And there is no way we can increase the asking price at all?" Spike asked.

"I'm afraid not. You will also need to have the rooms all freshly painted with just white on them to help with the selling of the house. Anything you can do to make it cleaner and more inviting. Cut the grass, lose any furniture that you can. I'll leave you a checklist that you can go through. If you follow it, I'm confident that we could have this place sold by the end of the month." Nicole said.

"Wow just three weeks really? Even in this market?" Tara asked slightly shocked at how fast it could be.

"It's a very good size of a house and in a very good area. Even in this market it will go quick at the right price and in good standing. If you agree to the price and my terms that we can go over, I have the contract we can discuss and sign today if you wish. The house could be on the market by the end of the day." Nicole said.

"Yes that would work for us." Spike said knowing they didn't have any other option right now.

With that Michael headed out and Tara, Spike, Nicole and Buffy huddled into the kitchen to go over the paperwork that they needed to sign. All of it was going over Buffy's head and she had no idea how Spike or Tara were keeping up, but they seemed to be able to follow the complicated paperwork. After another twenty minutes Nicole left and both Spike and Tara dropped the look on their faces. Spike collapsed down in one of the chairs as he was used to sleeping at this hour and not awake.

"I was really hoping it was higher than that." Tara said as she sat down on the couch.

"You guys are still going to be a hundred grand behind on the house. How are you going to make up the difference?" Buffy asked with concern at what Spike will have to do to make that money up.

"We didn't know the plumbing was on the way out. Two hundred grand is better than nothing." Spike said.

"It still leaves a hundred grand left on the house that needs to be paid off." Tara said.

"Better than three hundred. And with us sellin' the house we won't have to worry about the bank taking it. As long as we are payin' the min on the bank loan they won't have a reason to try and send it to collectors or to court."

"This is going to sound wrong, but what if we didn't pay it? Buffy's gone, its not like she'd have to pay it off one day." Tara said sounding guilty at even suggesting it.

"I would have done that already, but the house is in Joyce's name. When she died it was transferred automatically over to Buffy's name because she was old enough. I've gone over the fine print of the mortgage agreement. When the Niblet turns nineteen she is legally an adult in the eyes of the bank. If there is an outstanding debt on the house and the debt is not in good standing they can go after the Niblet for the money. If it wasn't for that order I wouldn't think twice about skippin' on the debt."

"But that would leave Dawn holding the bag one day when she is of age. We can't do that to her. Ok, what is the minimum amount roughly do you think?"

"Not that simple. Right now it is a mortgage and not a loan so the interest rate is lower. The second the bill of sale is put through the bank they will know we are no longer on a mortgage and didn't transfer it to a new place. The bank will change the terms of the mortgage to a loan and the interest rate will go up bout seven percent. Length of the loan will also change from twenty years to pay it off to maybe ten years if we get lucky. On the term we are on min would be six-fifty. New terms will make it bout fifteen hundred a month. Assumin' we can get ten years and not five years."

"How do you even know that?" Buffy said shocked once again at how much business Spike knew.

"Wow that's a jump. How are we going to negotiate a new term without Buffy?"

"We won't have a say. The bank will send a notice and we could then meet with them to try and negotiate a better term, but we won't be able to do it. We'll have to just pay it and hope it's not a five year loan."

"And if it is?" Buffy and Tara both asked at the same time, but Spike only heard Tara.

"It goes up to just over two grand a month. Most banks will be a ten year term though when it was initially a mortgage payment."

The phone rang and Tara got up to answer it.

"Do you just know all of these facts for fun or something? How do you know this stuff?" Buffy said to Spike still amazed that he even knows all of this information. Especially because he doesn't have a house or any bills he had to pay. Why would he even keep up with that information.

"Hello?" Tara said as she answered the phone.

"Hell ma'am, is Spike there?" The man asked.

"Yes, may I ask who is calling?"

"It's his mate Jackson. He called me about a place."

"Oh he's right here. One moment." Tara said and turned her attention to Spike as she handed him the phone. "It's Jackson. He said you called about a place."

"Ta Pet." Spike said as he took the phone and Tara went back to the couch. "Ello mate." Spike said into the phone.

"You just called him yesterday. How fast could he be at finding a place?" Buffy thought out loud.

"Morning Spike. A little early for you to be awake." Jackson said.

"And yet you called me. Do you have somethin' or do you just like wakin' me up?"

"I managed to find you a place. It's not great, but it's cheap."

"How bad?"

"I found it through a demon connection. It's just passed downtown so still in the good part of town. It's a house though. I've been trying to find you an apartment within your price range, but it's not possible. The pricing is insane for apartments and houses, but I found this one for you."

"You didn't answer my question Jackson." Spike said and he was getting a bad feeling in the pitt of his stomach.

"It's twelve hundred a month plus utilities so about fifteen hundred a month. Two bedrooms, a small unfinished basement and even a small fenced in yard and a garage. It passed the inspection and it's been on the market for six months now. The guy can't get it rented out. The whole place is about eight hundred square feet. It's a small house, but an apartment would be that small too. It is an older house, but there isn't anything wrong with it. Its available right away and you can be on a month to month lease. You can view it tonight there is a hide-a-key attached to the door and the code is 1234. Its 187 River Road. "

"Alright, I'll take the Bit by tonight after school and let ya know."

"I know it might not be that great, but to be honest Spike, it's the only place you'll be able to find in your price range. Everything else is overpriced. It's your best bet Mate." Jackson said knowing that Spike couldn't wait months for something better to come up.

"Alright. I'll see it tonight and let you know, but I'll do it. Everythin' works?"

"Yes I made sure of it. It's just ugly."

"Ok I'll take it. I'll go by tonight to let the Bit check it out. How soon could we move in?"

"I can get the paperwork for you tonight and then you could move in once everything is signed."

"I appreciate it Mate."

"It's no problem. If you want to pick the papers up I'll be at Der's to check in on him and the new baby."

"I'll stop by. 'ppreciate it."

"See you tonight then."

"See ya mate."

Spike ended the call and Tara looked anxious to see what Spike had to say.

"He found us a place that we can see tonight and move in once the paperwork is all signed, so two days if we want."

"That's fantastic. Where is it?" Tara asked trying to sound excited about it.

"River Road. Twelve hundred a month plus utilities. It's a two bedroom house, unfinished basement and a small fenced in yard. He said that it passed its inspection, everything works, but it's ugly and small."

"Ok we can look at it and if it's not in good shape we can always find something else right?" Tara said trying to sound positive about it.

"It's the only option we have. We can't wait two months for new options to come up. We need to be out before this place gets sold. The other apartments are all too expensive."

"It's this place or the street." Tara said with understanding in her voice. "That's ok. Then we make it our own. And a house will be nice for Dawnie. She's always lived in one and it's close to downtown and only about ten minutes farther for her school. We'll make it work. Being able to move in almost right away will be nice. It'll allow us to see what will fit and what we need to sell. Plus we have to paint here and we can do it without having to sleep in the fumes."

"Right Pet. Are you busy tonight or can you come see it after the Bit get's off school?"

"No I can come see it and then afterwards I told Willow I would meet her at the Magic Shop."

"I'll take the Bit with me afterwards to get the paperwork before I head off to work."

"Ok, I'll make sure to be back here by seven so Dawnie isn't alone."

"Ppreciate it Pet. I'll do a patrol afterwards then I'll come by tomorrow to help pack up."

"I have classes all day tomorrow until about four."

Spike gave a nod of acknowledgment as he got up. "You alright on your own? There's somethin' I need to take care of."

"No I'm fine. I'm just going to keep going through different rooms to see what I can do. There is also an attic so I thought I'd start there and work on bringing everything down."

"Make sure you leave anythin' heavy there and I'll bring it down. Don't hurt yourself Pet."

"I'll be careful. Go take care of what you need to. Don't worry about me Spike." Tara said with a warm smile.

Spike headed out of the house and got into his car. Buffy had no choice but to follow him once again.

"So where are we going?" Buffy asked with a smirk.

It had been fifteen days since she's died and before she had thought this was going to be Hell, but now it was just fun. Buffy knew that once this honeymoon of being outside and around Dawn again wore off she would go right back to thinking this was Hell. For now though she was going to have fun with it before it got annoying and frustrating.

"It's too bad I can't touch and move things. That would have been funny to watch." Buffy said with a smile.

Spike of course didn't say anything in return as he continued to drive down the street. Buffy noticed that they were going towards Giles' house.

"Why are you going to Giles'? He's not there, you know that." Buffy said.

Buffy had no choice, but to sit there and watch as the houses went by out of her window. She had no idea why Spike would be going this way or what he could possibly want at Giles' house, but it wasn't like she could get any answers out of him. Once they arrived at Giles' place Spike got out and Buffy slowly followed him. She didn't know what he was expecting to find. Giles was gone, there was no one here to talk to. She watched as Spike tried the door, but it was locked. He went over to his car and opened the glove box and pulled out a set of lock picks. He went back over to the door and bent down so he was eye level to the lock. Buffy watched as Spike began to pick the lock and was surprised that it opened after a few moments.

"How often do you do that?" Buffy couldn't help, but ask.

Spike walked in and closed the door behind him. Buffy had no choice, but to go through the closed door and into the house. She was shocked to see so much stuff had been left. Like Giles just wanted to get the hell out of town and didn't care about what he left behind. Even the wall of books were left.

"I guess he is coming back later for all of this." Buffy said as she took in the room.

Spike went over to the book shelves and started to go through them as he spoke to himself.

"Come on Watcher, I know you got some books here on her. What do you got?"

"Her who? What are you looking for?" Buffy asked as she tried to read the titles that Spike were.

Spike spent a moment going through the book titles before he started to pull some from the shelves. He tossed them down onto the desk before continuing on to the next shelf. Buffy took notice that most of the books were were about prophecies and mystical beings, including the dreaded book that told her she would die at sixteen. On top of those Spike started to grab some books that were in different languages that would help with translations. Once he was done with the bookshelves he went over to the desk and started to go through it for notes that Giles may have left.

"Why do you want this stuff? You've never shown any interest in books before." Buffy couldn't help, but ask. This went against who she thought Spike was. This was way left field for him. At least that she knew of.

Spike went through all of Giles' notebooks very roughly as he discarded the ones that wouldn't be any use to him and kept the ones he thought might be helpful. It was a good twenty minutes later when he was finally done. Spike grabbed the ten books and thirty notebooks that he had from Giles and headed back out to his car. Spike put the items into his trunk before getting into the car and heading back to his place. He was exhausted and he needed to get some sleep before he would need to be up tonight for work and for Dawn. Once back at his crypt Spike brought the items from his trunk into his bedroom area and placed them down on top of his dresser. He would look into them later when he had more energy. He was still healing from his wounds and he needed some blood then sleep. Spike headed up to grab a mug full of blood. He didn't even bother to get changed first. Once he had his blood he went back down into his bedroom and stripped naked before he got under the covers and fell asleep. Buffy went over to the other side of the bed and sat down with her back against the headboard. She knew that Spike wouldn't be awake until it was time to get Dawn from school. All she could do was wait the four hours before she could see Dawn again, but she took comfort in knowing that she would see Dawn tonight and that was all that mattered to her.

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It was just after three thirty when Spike and Tara sat in Spike's car waiting for when Dawn would come out. They would head straight over to the new house to check it out and then afterwards Spike would take Dawn with him to Der's to get the paperwork. Spike had no idea what this place would look like and he was hoping it wasn't too bad. This was all he was going to be able to afford until they were able to get the house debt down. It wasn't going to be that simple to move around afterwards. Spike needed to get that loan down drastically before they would be able to afford anything else. Spike was really hoping the place wasn't a dump. He didn't want to have Dawn in a shitty house, especially after the one she was so used to. He wanted the best for Dawn and that included a decent house to call home. Five minutes after the bell rang Dawn came out of the school and looked relieved to see Spike's car there. She practically ran over to it and got into the backseat.

"Hey Spike, Tara." Dawn said as she sat down in the back.

"Hey Niblet. How was school?" Spike asked as he started the car and headed off.

"Not too bad, but I have to see the guidance counsellor. Mandatory for one hour a week. So not cool." Dawn complained.

"I know, but it was the best compromise that I could make. I did make it so you didn't lose the semester or have summer school. I would take it if I were you." Spike said.

"Seeing a counsellor won't be too bad Dawnie. Think of it as someone that you could tell them anything and they hold no judgements. The counsellor is there to help you with your mom's death and the adjustment afterwards. It could be a really good thing if you open your mind to it." Tara tried to help Dawn see the benefit of her current situation.

"Are you alway positive? Because I so would have just told her too bad and suck it up." Buffy said.

"Ya I guess. I does get me out of an hour of school a week so that's a plus. And all of my teachers talked to me today about what I need to do for them. Thanks for no summer school Spike. That would have totally ended my social life." Dawn said.

"No problem Bit. It's only a few more months until you get out for the summer. You can make it work and start fresh in the new school year."

"Ya ok. Not that I don't appreciate you both picking me up from school, but what's up? Where are we going?" Dawn asked as she knew they weren't going in the direction of home.

"Got a call from my mate. He found us a new place. We're goin' to check it out." Spike answered.

"Oh cool. Where is it?" Dawn asked surprised that they had found something so fast.

"It's close to downtown and it's a two bedroom house. There's even a small backyard that is fenced in." Tara answered.

"Awesome we can still live in a house? That's so cool and close to downtown which means closer to the mall." Dawn said with a smile.

"Hopefully it's not too bad. Afterwards we're gonna drop Glinda off at the shop and then me and you are going to a mate's place. He's got the paperwork we need for the lease and his wife just had a sproug."

"A baby really? Aww that's awesome. I love babies." Dawn said with a huge smile that Buffy hadn't seen in awhile.

"It's half-demon Bit so I make no promises on the cute factor." Spike informed.

"Hey a baby is a baby. They are all cute." Dawn argued back.

"I've seen some pretty ugly babies in my time Bit." Spike said with a smirk.

"That's terrible Spike." Dawn scolded.

Tara gave a small chuckle to that.

"What are you gonna do at the Shop?" Dawn asked.

"Willow will be there and I thought it would be good to check in with everyone. Willow is going to live with us at the new place, so I can let her know all about it." Tara answered.

"Cool." Dawn said without a care either way.

"Were you happy to see all of your friends again?" Tara asked.

"Ya they were all excited that I was back. It's nice to be back to a normal routine anyways."

"I bet it is. Not havin' a Hell God tryin' to kill you will do that to ya." Spike said.

"Ya that part is really nice. Still though, it feels weird not having Buffy around. It feels like I'm betraying her by moving on or having fun with my friends again." Dawn admitted sadly.

"No Dawnie, you're not. I don't want you to be miserable. I want you to be happy and to live. I told you that before I jumped. I want you to live. Don't ever feel bad about that." Buffy said once again hating that no one could hear her.

"No sweetie, she would want you to move on and continue living. She would want all of us to. She didn't just die for you, she died for all of us, for this world. The worst thing we could do is not live. The best way you can show Buffy how much you love her is by living your life and being happy." Tara explained gently.

"Glinda's right Bit. As hard as it is, you have to find happiness again. Your big sis and mum wouldn't want you to mourn for them. They want you to live it's the best gift you can give em." Spike added.

"I'm trying. It's hard, but I'm trying. And fresh start right here right? New home with all new memories to make." Dawn said trying her best to sound positive about the numerous changes in her life.

"That's right. Only the memories that we make in it. A clean slate." Tara agreed.

"And this is it." Spike said as he parked out front of the house.

The house itself looked like a small cottage. It was white, but the siding was so filthy that it looked like a very light brown colour. The grass was knee high with flower beds overrun by weeds. It was in rough shape and it was filthy, but they could clean it up and make it their own.

"Not much curb appeal." Spike said as he looked around.

"No, but nothing some cleaning won't fix. Let's see the inside." Tara said with a warm smile.

Spike went first up the short walk way to the front door. He keyed in the code and the lock box opened for the key. Spike unlocked the door and they walked in. He flicked on the lights as he went by. The three of them stood in the living room and took in the house that they could see. It was all an open concept so they could see the kitchen that was off to the right of the stairs from the living room. The living room worked as a dining room as well. The whole first floor was the size of the living room and kitchen at the other house. The stairs going up to the second floor only had eight steps to them. They also looked like they could use some repairs to them. The whole place was covered in dust and dirt. The walls were a horrible blue and pink flowers built right into the wood siding. The kitchen had lime green coloured cabinets, all six cupboards. The fridge and stove were white, but they were at least ten years old. It was a small, filthy, crappy house.

"This is different." Dawn said as she took it all in and they could all hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Different isn't always a bad thing though. It just needs a female touch." Tara said as she walked into the main living area.

"It needs to be bulldozed." Buffy said as she took it in. The problem was, she wouldn't have even been able to afford this place. She wasn't judging Spike or holding any of this against him. He was at least trying to help with bills and take care of Dawn. In all reality, Buffy would have been able to afford a bachelor apartment for them if she was lucky. This was already a better place than she could have done.

"Like what?" Dawn asked.

"You just need to look at it through a different perspective. We clean the floors and make them all shiny and new. Clean the windows for the natural sunlight that we'll get in the mornings. A fresh coat of pale yellow on the walls to get rid of the flowers and a fresh coat of white on the cabinets. We can put the couch here along this wall." Tara said as she motioned towards the window. "Hang our curtains and get a small table that we can eat at. This place could be really great with a little bit of work and some cheap paint." Tara said positively and both Spike or Buffy could understand how she could be so happy right now.

"Ya you're right. It just needs some love. Plus it's own right? We treat it like a blank canvas and see what we create. Let's see upstairs." Dawn said with a smile now.

They made their way up the stairs and saw the bathroom. It was at least all white and it didn't look too bad. It was small, but they didn't expect much with a house this size. The two bedrooms were both the same size, about the size of Dawn's current room, which made her happy that she wouldn't have to get rid of much. Both had decent size closets and would work for the girls to be living in. They both faced the back of the house and from the windows they could see the small backyard. A quarter of the size that they currently have, but it was all fenced in and it would work for them.

"We could plant a garden and grow our own vegetables." Tara said as they walked down to check out the basement.

"Really? I've never had a garden before. Is it easy?" Dawn asked sounding excited.

"It can be. We can start off with simple ones like carrots and then go up from there." Tara answered.

"That would be cool." Dawn said.

"Said the girl who can't keep a fish alive." Buffy said with a smirk.

"This isn't too bad. We have a hook up for a washer and dryer." Tara said.

"We can bring the ones from the house. Saves the trouble of draggin' it somewhere." Spike said.

"We should bring the cot too. There's enough room down here for you to crash when you need to." Dawn said.

"There's a small storage space under the stairs that should come in handy for Christmas decorations." Tara said as she opened the small storage under the stairs.

"Well what do you think Birds? Is this your new home?" Spike asked.

"I think we can so make this work. It just needs some love." Dawn said with a warm smile.

"We can make this our home with all new memories." Tara said as she placed her arm around Dawn's shoulders.

"Let's go see a man about some paperwork then." Spike said.

The three of them headed up the stairs and Buffy spoke.

"I'm proud of you three, especially you Dawnie. You're taking this very well. A lot better than I would be."

They got into the car and drove off for the Magic Box.

"So is Willow really going to move in?" Dawn asked.

"She said she would be. Now that we have a place and can move in when we are ready she'll start packing up and she said she would help with packing up the house. Between Willow, Spike and me someone will always be home with you. We'll make it work." Tara answered.

"How are we going to move our stuff?" Dawn asked.

"Rent a moving truck for the day. Anything we can't sell we'll have to give it away or dump it." Spike answered.

"We should be able to have a couple of yard sales though before the house is sold to help with costs. I am also going to be working as a tutor to help out." Tara added.

"I can get a part-time job you know." Dawn offered.

"You're job is school Bit." Spike immediately said.

"I know, but that's done in three months. There's no reason why I can't work during the summer somewhere. Even if it is to save up for any back to school supplies or clothes I might need." Dawn argued.

"You're fifteen you should be out with your mates, not workin'." Spike argued back.

"There's that old Victorian in you. Though I agree with you. She should be having fun as a kid and not working." Buffy said.

"I can do both. I'm old enough to get a job, I don't need permission. I can work during the day on weekends for now and then in the summer it could open to other days. I promise I'll only work day shifts and be off before sunset. And the money I make can just be my own for clothes, school or food, time with friends. It won't be much, but it'll help with the bills."

"I don't want you worryin' about money Bit. That's not your responsibility." Spike said.

"I know, but I'm also not an idiot. I know it takes money to live and survive. I don't mind working to help, even if the money is just mine to spend. I also have to worry about college fees. I can save up for them. I want to do this Spike."

"We can't exactly stop her Spike. Having a part-time job could be good for her. Teaches her responsibility and she could make new friends outside of school." Tara said calmly to Spike.

"Let her help Spike. I don't like it anymore than you do, but if she really wants to and thinks she can handle it, then you should let her." Buffy said to add in her two cents.

Spike let out a small growl before he spoke. "Fine, but the second your school work starts to go down you quit."

"Deal. I promise I won't let it affect my school. Graduating high school is the only way I'm ever gonna get out of this town. I have dreams and I'm going to make sure I accomplish them."

"What dreams?" Buffy asked.

"Good for you. What dreams?" Tara asked.

"I want to see the world. I don't know how yet, but I want a job where I can see the world and help people. It'd be so cool to get my pilot's license and then I could fly my own plane to different countries and maybe be some kind of aid worker or something. I don't know. I do know that getting out of this town is the first step."

"Wow, flying a plane that would be amazing for you to learn and it would open up a lot of doors for you." Tara said.

"I can't imagine anyone trusting you to fly a plane." Buffy said.

"It's a lot of work if you want to be able to explore the world Bit. Find the right job with the right pay and you'll be able to. You need University or College though." Spike said.

"Ya, but I don't know what I would do. What job makes a lot of money?" Dawn asked.

"Doctors." Tara supplied.

"All that blood, eww no thanks." Dawn said with a shiver.

"Lawyers." Tara said.

"Um.. maybe. But that's like seven years after I graduate. I don't want to wait that long."

"Advertisers or someone with a strong business, but that takes years to build up, sometimes decades." Spike suggested.

"Not really into business. I don't know how mom always understood it. Plus I want to help people."

"Lawyers can make millions a year, especially corporate lawyers. That would give you the money you need to see the world. You could start an aid charity that helps third world countries or children." Spike said.

"What do corporate lawyers do?" Dawn asked.

"They deal with business contracts and business laws, but they can also help with contracts and mergers. Its business focused, but they have a five thousand dollar retainer fee and a minimum fee of ten grand and that's just the new lawyers out of school. You can pass the State Bar Exam that let's you practice within the State, but there is also two other bar exams that allow you to practice anywhere within the country and anywhere in the world. They're hard to pass, but if you do, you could go anywhere for any client." Spike explained.

"Really?" Dawn said sounding interested.

"Ya they can also help with startup businesses to help them get their company on the map. They also go over to different developing countries and help with human rights. Takes seven years to graduate law school, but you can take courses in high school during the summer to fast track your graduation so you could graduate at seventeen and then start taking pre-law classes during the summer months and every year afterwards. You could be done at twenty-one instead of twenty-five."

"How do you know so much about it?" Tara asked curiously.

"My Mate Der is a corporate lawyer. He works in both demon law and human law. He also guest lectures at various law schools including Harvard. He lives here, because his wife's family is all here and he didn't want her to have to leave her community. He travels when he needs to, but mostly he works from home remotely with clients all over the world." Spike explained.

"Wow, who knew someone like that was living in Sunnydale." Dawn said surprised.

"More than you think. This is a strong and good demon community. Once a demon finds one like this they don't tend to leave em. Der makes it work. We're goin' to see him tonight Bit. If you are interested in learnin' more just ask him."

"Ya I think I will. I don't know what I want to do and I never thought I would want to be a lawyer, but if I can make good money and help people then maybe I will. I could always take a law course for fun this summer and see what I think. Either way I think I'll fast track and graduate early. No point in waiting around." Dawn said.

"It's up to you Sweetie. We won't make you stay for school here if you'd rather be somewhere else. I can understand the desire to go and explore and discover new things. It's not easy living in a town like this." Tara said.

"I just want more than having to worry about my life all the time when it's dark. I want to have a family one day. I want kids and I don't want to have to worry every time they walk out the door."

"There's nothin' wrong with that Bit. I want you to leave and find a life somewhere. The best thing you can do is go explore the world and find who you are. As long as you are happy and safe that's all that matters." Spike said.

"Ya, you should go and explore. I want you to have the life that I never could. Don't stay in Sunnydale on my account." Buffy said.

"I'll talk to your friend and see what he has to say about it. I'll do some research and take a law class this summer and see what I think of it. If I don't like it then I go back to the drawing board."

"That's all you can do. You'll find something that makes you excited." Tara said with a smile as they pulled up to the shop. "I'll be back at the house shortly. I just wanted to update Willow and see what is going on. Should I make some dinner?"

"I'll feed the Bit somethin' don't worry. I'll be back at the house in two hours or so." Spike said.

"Ok I will see you both then. Tonight, Dawnie we should work on getting more things organized in the house too." Tara said.

"For sure. Now that we have a place I can start packing my stuff up." Dawn easily agreed.

"Be careful gettin' home." Spike said.

"I will. Be safe yourself."

"See ya Glinda."

"Bye Tara."

"Bye Sweetie." Tara got out of the car and Spike waited until she was inside before he took off for Der's home.

"I'm not sure how I feel about you taking my sister to see a demon, even a half-demon." Buffy said.

"So what is Der like?" Dawn asked.

"He's a good bloke. I've known him for a long time now, he's got three kids. One is fourteen, Sara she goes to your school."

"Really? So they look human?"

"They do ya Bit. Their demon doesn't show unless they want it to. They have a little bit of added strength, but otherwise they are human."

"That's all? I would have thought being half-demon they would have some kind of power or something."

"Normally, but they are so far down the bloodline the demon's DNA almost isn't there for em."

"Oh, ok." Dawn simply said with a shrug.

"Wouldn't take you around anyone dangerous Bit."

"I know you wouldn't. I trust you Spike. One day I'm going to pay you all back for this. I'm going to make your proud."

"You don't owe me anything Sweet Bit. All I want is for you to be happy and living your life. I'm proud of you everyday you try." Spike said honestly.

"Ok, where did the asshole vampire go that kept trying to kill me and my friends? Did your fall off the tower knock something loose in your brain? I mean seriously you can't be like this naturally. It should be impossible for you to be this nice and sweet to my sister. I don't get this." Buffy said sounding more confused than ever.

Buffy knew that Spike wasn't your traditional vampire, but still she never expected for him to be this different than what she always saw. It made no sense to her why he was still even here. She was dead, his obsession was gone so why would he stay here? Why would he take care of Dawn when he could have walked away without any problems or guilt from it? Buffy didn't think she would ever understand why Spike was doing this, especially when her own friends and family weren't.