"Spike you're but you how...what?" Willow struggled to form anything coherent. Spike was dead. Well, of course he was already dead, being a vampire and all, but he was really dead. Gone dead.
Spike gave her a weary half-smile "Funny, I would have thought you'd be used to people coming back by now." An awkward silence settled between them and he shifted uncomfortably. "So...Buffy home?"
"She's asleep."
"Oh..." Spike glanced beyond Willow as best he could. He couldn't see much because Willow stopped everything when she saw him, meaning the door was mostly still closed. "Looks like a nice place."
Willow snapped out of her shock enough to pulled the door open more "umm yea, you can come in"
Spike stepped around her and into the small living space. He took in everything; the empty walls, the used-to-be-white carpet, the neglected looking television, faded recliner, scattered combination of school books and spell books on the coffee table in front of the couch, and Dawn glaring intently at some book in her lap apparently oblivious to their guest. "What you readin', Little Bit?"
Dawns head snapped up so quickly Willow thought she could have given herself whiplash. Her eyes widened. "Oh. My. God." abandoning her book Dawn plowed into Spike, wrapping her arms around him. Spike barely hesitated a second before hugging her back.
"Guess it's not that good a book, huh?" Spike tried to let her go but she was still hugging him tightly.
"You died" her voice broke as she began to cry. She tried to fight it but it was no use.
He gently wrapped his arms around her again and rested his head on top of hers. "Yea," he said softly "I missed you too."