Author's note: Ah! Fun Spike Watcher-y-ness. This one is for East, Lil' Candy and SPBangel! I know its been a while and now I want some cute Spuffy fluffyness:D So etell me what youu think?

Chapter XXXII – Princess Feeling

This house was way too big, Buffy thought as she strolled down the hallways, pausing every so often to glance at paintings and look at furniture. She stopped in front of a picture window just admiring the view of the outside the grounds. It was like she was living in a fairy tale castle.

It had been a week, and she had just about gotten used to the place, that morning she had gone down to the kitchen and had only gotten lost once.

Paintings glowered down at her but for some reason she knew that she did not have to fear them. They didn't seem at all like the ones in the movies that had eyes that followed you around. For Buffy they seemed more like reminders, or pieces of the past-which was really corny and she felt terrible for it, but it was true.

This whole manor was like a piece of the past, of Spike's past. All its original things were in place. However, it was also a thing of the 'now' so many new things installed, sound systems and indoor plumbing, and Spike was back, completely re-vamped. Ha! Buffy made a funny.

Even now she had to muffle her giggles at the thought of Spike as a watcher.

Spike. The slayer of slayers the bad ass vampire in the black leather trench coat was once bespectacled, tweed clad watcher, one of those pompous longwinded book worms who said things like 'hence' and 'wherefore'.

Deciding to move away from the topic, she needed to, or else she would probably not stop laughing for the next few days. That would get her into trouble and Rosemary was already pissed at her for the times that she would burst out laughing in the middle of the dinner table while they were telling Alex about the watcher thing, or Spike was and Buffy was busy breast feeding William, but she did pop in with the occasional comment. Well, not very occasional.

Rosemary, the housekeeper and a battalion of servants made sure the place was kept clean and neat and up to date. And the housekeeper ruled with an iron fist, the likes of which the world had never seen.

And not even spiders dared incur the wrath of Rosemary.

Hitler and Mao Ze Dong eat your heart out.

Buffy shook her head; the housekeeper was probably the most bizarre character Buffy had ever met. First of all, she never ever called Buffy and Spike by their true names. she referred to the as 'your grace,' or 'the Duke and Duchess' or 'my lord and lady' as if they were still living in the renaissance or whatever, and when she did resort to using their given names, it was always Lady Elizabeth, Lord William and the like. She had also set her mind to whipping Buffy and Alex into perfect ladies, and Spike into the perfect gentleman.

Buffy had laughed her head of at that.

The thought of Spike as a gentleman was nothing short or laughable. (Almost as much as the watcher thing.)

The only person in the world that Rosemary didn't seem to want to correct the posture of was little William.

William, her adorable little son.

Yup, Buffy thought. Just wait until he can eat the mush, or rather fling it around the room and then poop the rest of it out. He won't be too cute then.

But William had already begun to sleep all night and Buffy, due to the fact that she had to keep waking up to feed William and the baby's inconsistency before had a major case of insomnia.

Continuing her mindless exploring, she swept down the stairs. As soon as her foot touched the ground floor she noticed that there was music emanating from one of the rooms. Curious, Buffy followed the music to a drawing room, the door was left slightly ajar and Buffy peeked inside.

She was not sure how to react to what she saw.

Spike was sitting ram rod straight backed and playing the piano. He seemed to be looking at some antique music books.

She decided to wait until he finished to reveal her presence.

She needn't have.

As soon as Spike was done he acknowledged her.

"What are you doing up, slayer?" he asked.

Buffy squeaked in surprise. He had not turned around and was actually starting up a new song, she had no idea he was aware of her presence.

Spike turned around to look at her expectantly.

"Couldn't sleep." she explained. "How did you know I was here?"

Spike smirked.

"Vampire, remember?" he reminded her. "As soon as you came in alarm bells went off in my head."

Buffy smiled wryly.

"Wonderful, I set off alarm bells."

Spike nodded.

"I'm surprised though," Buffy went on. "You've been spending more time that I thought possible in that library of yours."

He shrugged.

"Been separated from it for a long time. 'Sides, I have a project, remember?" he said alluding to his promise to look into William and Alex and what they were doing here. "Why, Slayer?"

Buffy shook her head and shrugged at the same time not really quite sure.

No one spoke for a while. He watcher her as she walked around surveying all the books and the paintings.

"It must have been great," she said after a while. She turned to see Spike watching her intently. "Living in an era like this."

Spike cracked a knowing smile.

"Not as great as you would think."

Buffy shrugged, she had to admit, and she really didn't think much into the subject. But as she looked at it, she couldn't help but wonder how nice it would be to go to balls and wear dresses and dance and-why was she wondering? She was right smack dab in front a Victorian.

"What was it like?"

Spike sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Different." he said. "Very different. No flushing, we had to go to a well for water, the music was different, parties were highly chaperoned, drinking was blatant but no lady drank beer, only wine or champagne. Everything was very, well, you would call it old fashioned." he paused. "I guess that I miss it sometimes, especially the dancing, no one knows how to dance anymore."

Buffy looked indignant.

"Hey!" she cried. "I can dance."

Spike arched an eye brow,

"That bobbing you head up and down and gyrating your hips that you like to do is not dancing, well, not the kind I remember at least." he said. "And though the gyrating does have its appeal." he smirked and winked at her roguishly which, of course, prompted an eye roll. "You lot wouldn't know real dancing if it came up and bit you in the ass."

Buffy rolled her eyes. It just occurred to her that she had never seen Spike dance. Not even at the bronze when she had seen him there.

"Fine Mister Victorian lord-guy, show me." she challenged placing her hands on her hips.

He arched an eyebrow in challenge.

"You sure?" he said.

"Prove it, Duke." She said. "Show me."

Spike stared at her for a second the nodded.

He got up from his seat on the piano bench and walked up to the Bose sound system. He wouldn't admit it to her but it felt weird just being able to turn on the music he used to listen to as a child, especially now that it was coming out of top of the line Bose speakers and not a live band, or at least a record player that had to be cranked.

Buffy gaped at him. She didn't think he was actually going to accept her dare. She thought he would make a lewd remark, smirk and tell her there was no way he couldn't handle it.

He shrugged off his duster and draped it over a chair.

The transition was strange but complete. It was like seeing him shed the layer of skin that made him Spike.

William straightened his back and walked straight up to her stretching out his arm in an offering.

"May I have this dance?" he asked bowing ever so slightly.

He was using his wa-ay upper crust, British royalty voice again, the quiet one, the one that made even Jonathan Cortenay seem rather dodgy in comparison. He did not wait for her to accept. He pulled her into position.

She had to stop him.

"Uhm, ah, Willi-Spike?"

"Yes, my lady?" William asked, fully aware that his slip of character was seriously disturbing her. He only just managed to keep from smirking. Smirking would just ruin the effect completely.

"I-" she stared at him for the 'my lady' thing, but he just smiled (SMILED!) and inclined his head obviously waiting for what she was to say. "-ah don't really know and of the-you know-the steps."

"Such is not a thing to be bashful about." he said biting back a chuckle at her stricken face. He decided he really had to use some watcher words. "Would for me you like for me to instruct you?"

He pulled her into his arms and set about teaching her the steps, telling her to watch him as he demonstrated slowly.

It was beyond disturbing, the entire time, Buffy really could not concentrate. Spike was being the perfect gentleman, standing ramrod straight and speaking in that stupid beautifully accented voice of his, being polite and patient about her mistakes and gracefully showing her what to do.

Not that she got anything.

First of all, his damned voice was distracting, all low and refined, and second of all, for one of the very first times in her life Buffy felt sort of frumpy. Her natural grace was deserting her. Where was all that slayer stuff that was supposed to make her quick and coordinated?

"Sure," Buffy said. "But, Spike?"

William smiled an honest smile that reached his eyes, full of mirth and delight, not malice or sarcasm. It made Buffy's breath catch in her throat.

In truth, he was doing his best not to laugh. Her unease was terrifically priceless.

He needed to tell her.

"My lady, you must calm down." He said. "It is not that I don't find you terrifically delightful I just-"

"Spike-uh, William-"

"Yes, my lady?"

"Could you drop the 'I'm related to royalty' act please?" she asked.

William laughed.

Trying to stifle it was a vain effort.

Buffy noticed that even the laugh was different. It was times like these that she had trouble believing that Spike and William were distantly related much less the same person.

He noticed her staring at him and arched an eyebrow.

And just like that he was her Spike again. The same vampire she loved to hate, the cocky-cockney street fighter who chain smoked and drank beer and wore a leather duster and had a look that even Billy idol copied.

"Sure, pet." he said.

Buffy only just barely stifled the sigh of relief.

Now, more in the persona she was used to, Spike set about teaching her the steps.

"Sorry," Came Buffy's reply after she had stepped on his toe for what seemed like the tenth time. It was painfully obvious that she was trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.

Spike rolled his eyes.

"You are going to learn how to dance." he murmured. "If it's the last thing I do."

He narrowly avoided being stepped on yet again.

"Probably bloody well, will be." he added after a moment. "C'mon, Slayer! You said that you could dance."

Buffy caught the veiled insult there.

Insult her dancing skills did he?

Well, she would show him.

She began to concentrate on what he was whispering as he counted their steps, and listening to the beat of the music.

"And one two three, one two three." he counted softly. "Left over right, pet."

Now that she wasn't so off balance at Spike being all dignified, Buffy's natural grace finally kicked in. That paired with her slayer abilities, she made a quick study of it all, and after a while she could focus more on Spike than her feet.

"This is dancing, Slayer." Spike told her.

He pulled away from her and twirled her around expertly.

She grinned. She couldn't help it. Corny as it was, she kinda felt like a princess.

Being in such close contact with Spike should have scared her, or at least made her want to run away, but there was a strange right-ness to the whole deal.

That was the scary part.

But Buffy pushed those thoughts away, right now was not time for rational thought, right now was time for major princess feeling and graceful dancing. Just like in the cliché Disney movies.

She managed a small smile.

"I will never disagree with you on this matter again." she said. Then she leaned down placing her head on his shoulder.

She didn't see him return her smile.